Morgan nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
Tesin stood up. “See you around, Morgan.”
“Soon, I hope.”
He sighed. “Morgan I can’t promise that—”
“I know,” she said quickly. “That’s why I hope.”
Chapter Sixteen
Morgan was already making her way toward the training house when her phone buzzed with a text from Corbin. When she pulled up to the house, he was standing at the end of the driveway, waiting for her. Morgan attempted to ignore Wen, who stood on the porch, watching them.
Corbin opened the passenger side door and slid into the seat. “I told Lucas I’d get you home. I hope that’s okay.”
Morgan nodded and put the car in gear. Corbin clicked his seatbelt in place as Morgan began maneuvering the car in the direction of her house.
“You wanna talk about why you left?” Corbin asked.
“No. You wanna talk about why you were late?”
“No.”
“Then I see we’re at an impasse,” Morgan said, adding a dramatic sigh for emphasis.
Corbin didn’t react; he stared out the passenger window morosely.
Morgan resisted the urge to push forward with her abilities to try to figure out what was bothering Corbin. If it was her business, he’d tell her. Wouldn’t he? Instead, she attempted to think of something else to talk about to break the silence. She almost opened her mouth to tell him about her encounter with Tesin, but she thought better of it. Not that she didn’t trust Corbin—she did so implicitly. It just wasn’t the time. And given Corbin’s seemingly precarious mental state, she wasn’t sure how he’d even react.
“Wanna head to the Daily Grind?” Morgan asked, feeling it was somehow her duty to amuse him and pull him from his current funk.
“Not really,” he muttered. “I just wanna go home, if that’s okay.”
“Fine by me. I mean, it is your car.”
Her comment didn’t elicit even the tiniest of smiles. She drove the rest of the way to her house in silence. When she reached her place, she turned to him. “Okay, seriously, you’re freaking me out.” She reached over and placed her hand on his forearm. “What’s going on?”
Corbin was silent for so long that Morgan was convinced he wasn’t going to respond. But when she removed her hand, ready to give up, he turned toward her suddenly, grabbing hold of her hand and squeezing it gently. “You can’t be mad, okay?” he said quietly, looking into her eyes.
Morgan nodded, unsure what else to do. “Okay.”
He took in a breath and released it slowly. “It’s Clare,” he said. “I’d say we broke up, but…”
Morgan pulled her hand away instinctively. “What did you do?”
Corbin let out a joyless laugh. “See, this is why… Never mind.” He shook his head slightly. “All I did was ask her a question.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “What question?” she asked, her voice slightly higher than usual.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t ask her to marry me or anything.” He paused. “I just asked what was going to happen between us next year. She was talking about college and I asked what was going to happen if we decided to go to different colleges.”
“What’d she say?”
“She said she didn’t want for us to make any promises to each other.” He offered a half smile. “Said she thought I understood that.”
“And what’d you say?”
“That maybe we shouldn’t hang out so much if that was the case.” He shrugged. “She agreed.” After a moment, he laughed. “She actually apologized to me for leading me on.”
Morgan just shook her head. “That’s… Wow. I’m sorry, I guess.”
“Well, thanks. I guess.”
“Corbin, I’m sorry. I don’t really know what to say here.”
“It’s funny, isn’t it? We were always so worried about hurting Clare. She’s the one who’s doing fine.” He sighed. “Okay, your turn.”
“What? My turn?”
“Oh, come on, Morgan. I just bared my soul a little. The least you could do to reciprocate is tell me why you left training.”
For a moment, Morgan thought about resisting, about just getting out of the car and going into her house. She still wasn’t sure how to take the news of Corbin’s split with Ris. Part of her wanted to go inside and call her friend to ask for her side of the story. But a quick reaching out with her abilities assured Morgan that Corbin was being entirely truthful in his account of what had happened, and about his feelings toward it.
Then, suddenly, Morgan was overcome by the desire to tell Corbin everything. If anyone could understand her, it would be Corbin. Since she’d activated him, he indeed had understood her better than anyone—for the most part. There were so many things she’d been bursting to tell someone—anyone—all day. Finally, she had the person to tell.
She took in a breath and smiled. “I’ll do you one better.” And then she told him everything.
Chapter Seventeen
“I don’t know,” Corbin said as Morgan handed him a glass of water. “Don’t you think it seems a little… convenient?”
Morgan sat on the couch next to him. They had moved into the house after Morgan finished telling Corbin about Tesin and her dream. A note on the refrigerator with emergency contact numbers indicated to Morgan that Dylan had already left for his camping trip, so they didn’t have to worry about being overheard or interrupted. “What do you mean, convenient?”
He shrugged. “It’s just… You have a dream about your mom one night and then, magically, Tesin shows up to tell you he’s been dreaming about her too?”
“What, you think he’s lying?”
“Well, no. Not exactly.”
“What then?”
“Look—I don’t know. It’s just…” He sighed, covering Morgan’s hand with his. “I hope it’s all true.”
Morgan glanced down at their hands, her mind flashing to Ris and what she might think if she saw this.
Corbin seemed to sense what she was thinking, because he quickly removed his hand.
“What I need to do is find her,” Morgan said to break the silence.
“You already kinda did, right? I mean, you Saw where she was and—”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean I actually have to find her. Not just See her. I have to know where she is and I have to go get her. That’s what Tesin said—he said I was the one to find her.”
“Do you really think that’s the best idea?” Corbin asked tentatively.
She looked him in the eyes. “If I don’t, we run the risk of it being Orrick who finds her. We can’t let that happen!”
“I know that,” Corbin assured her.
“The fact that I had that dream last night and now today Tesin found me to tell me what he Knows… I know it’s a sign—a sign that I’m supposed to find her. She’s in danger, Corbin. And she needs me to help her. I can’t let anything happen to her. I won’t.”
Corbin captured her hand in his again and squeezed her fingers. “We won’t. We’ll find her, Morgan, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
He smiled. “So… how do we do this?”
Morgan was taken aback. “What, now?”
He shrugged. “No time like the present, right? And you said your dad’s gone for the weekend?”
“Yeah, but—”
“But nothing. You want to find her. I want to help you.” The expectant look he wore slipped slightly as he studied her face. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
She pressed her lips together, averting her eyes. Knowing he wasn’t Kellen’s biggest fan, she had avoided mentioning Aurelia’s attacks and the subsequent visit-via-dream from Kellen. Now she knew she had to share this bit as well. “You know how I said the Watchers are being overprotective by telling me not to actively search for my mom? Well, they might not be completely off base. In fact, they’re not at all. The Veneret have a whole team dedicated to catching me off g
uard if I ever try to See, apparently, and this girl named Aurelia… she’s… Remember when the house we trained at got broken into? Well, it wasn’t a coincidence. My brain got… hacked or something that night, and—”
“Wait, wait—Morgan, do the Watchers know about this?”
She glanced at him, the corner of her mouth twitching.
He sighed. “And how do you know her name? Did she, like, tell you or something?”
Morgan covered Corbin’s hand with hers, looking into his eyes. “Remember when you told me about what happened with you and Ris? You asked me not to get mad?”
An odd, closed look came over his face. “Yeah… it was just, like, half an hour ago.”
She pressed his fingers. “Well, I’ve gotta ask you the same thing here. Don’t get mad, but… I know because of Kellen. He came to me in a dream and told—”
Corbin’s pressure on her fingers was uncomfortable. A muscle jumped in his clenched jaw. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it again. After a moment, he tried again. “Thanks for telling me.”
Though he didn’t look thankful, he stopped squeezing her fingers so strongly and Morgan sighed in relief. “He told me that I needed to ask Lucas to help me put up a wall. And I did, but… I guess I’m not that good at keeping it up all the time, because I was attacked again, earlier this week. Last night, nothing happened, but I think it’s because I didn’t know I was doing anything. Maybe the Veneret didn’t expect me to be able to See during a dream. I don’t know. But… I’m afraid that if I try to See…”
Corbin nodded, his face back to its usual kind set. “You’re afraid they’ll find you. You’re afraid this Aurelia or whoever she is will get in your head.”
Morgan didn’t want to admit it, but that was the beauty of Corbin: She didn’t have to. With just a look, she knew he understood what she was feeling.
“Well, don’t worry. I’ll protect you. I mean—I’ll help protect you. If you can make a wall, I can help you strengthen it. We can do it together. I mean, that’s what I’ve even got these abilities for, right? To help you.”
Morgan glanced down at their hands, a feeling of giddiness overcoming her. He was right, of course. This could really work. “Okay. Maybe we should… start small. Let’s try to See someone around here. Someone who won’t notice what we’re doing.”
“Like who?” He snapped his fingers. “I know—how about Lucas?”
“No,” Morgan said immediately. “He’ll totally know. I mean, he is a Feeler. How about…”
“Lia.”
“Lia?”
“Yeah. I mean, sure, she’s a Natural, but she’s a Pusher. I doubt she’d notice. I mean, not if we’re careful.” He smiled, his fingers shifting slightly in her hand. “You willing to give it a try?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Morgan nodded.
Abruptly, Corbin stood. Still holding onto Morgan’s hand, he tugged until she stood up.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Corbin didn’t answer. Instead, he led the way to Morgan’s room. In the doorway, Morgan stopped, pulling Corbin to a stop as well.
“What?” Corbin asked, turning to face her. He dropped her hand and walked to her bed. After a glance back, he sat cross-legged in the middle of the mattress and patted the space in front of him. When Morgan made no move to join him, he sighed. “Come on, Morgan. We can face each other here better than on the couch.”
Slowly, Morgan entered the room and took her spot on the bed. With a small smile, she offered her hands to Corbin, who promptly took them. “Okay. Let’s find Lia.” Closing her eyes, Morgan took in a deep breath and released it slowly. As she began to relax and focus, she heard the rhythmic sound of Corbin’s breathing. After carefully constructing a wall the way Lucas had taught her, she focused her thoughts on Lia, attempting to rid her mind of any errant notions.
When she finally felt completely focused on the task at hand, she reached her mind out toward Corbin’s. She found him open to her and Saw immediately what he was thinking. Lia’s face swam in his mind and Morgan concentrated on the image. But after a minute, nothing happened. Morgan realized they were still firmly within their own minds, they weren’t Seeing anything beyond.
She opened her eyes and found Corbin staring at her. “It’s not working.”
He nodded. “What’d you do last time we Saw together?”
“Me? It was you.”
“I don’t think so. I mean, the absolute last thing I’d want to see is Kellen.”
Morgan considered this. “Let’s try again. I mean… Maybe we should start kind of the way I do when I Feel for people,” she suggested.
“Okay,” Corbin agreed. “I’ll follow your lead.”
Morgan nodded, closing her eyes. She felt Corbin relaxing and, after clearing her mind again, reached out toward his.
She needed to find Lia. Visualizing her face wasn’t enough. She wanted to know what Lia was doing. Slowly, purposefully, Morgan pushed out with her mind, the way she had done so many times before. She started with what was nearby. Besides Corbin, there was no one in her house, so she pushed further. The neighbors to the right were home, sitting down to dinner. As she allowed her mind to reach out more, she became aware of the energies of more and more people in her neighborhood. Most were muted, common, but she also felt the strong energies of the Watchers who were always close and keeping an eye on her. She ignored them all as she searched for a specific energy: Lia’s.
Then, suddenly, she found her. It was the way it had been earlier, when she’d been able to locate Corbin on his way to training. She was aware of Lia’s energy, but she couldn’t See her. Morgan felt the agitation building in her mind.
“Calm down,” Corbin breathed. “Let me try.”
Not opening her eyes, Morgan acquiesced. She took in a breath, releasing her agitation when she exhaled. She allowed Corbin to take the lead.
And suddenly, it happened. Morgan stood in the dining room of Lia’s house, aware only peripherally of Corbin nearby. Lia sat at the table with her family: her mother; a father whose physical presence was intimidating, but whose smile was kind and genuine; a younger brother who appeared to be around thirteen. They talked and laughed as they ate, but Morgan found she couldn’t hear anything.
She focused her attention on her sense of hearing. There had to be a way to hear what was being said. Then, by degrees, sound filled the room; however, it was muffled, like it was coming to Morgan from underwater. Frustrated, she moved forward toward the family, thinking that if only she were closer, things would be clearer.
In that instant, Lia glanced in her direction, a look of confusion in her eyes.
Morgan instinctively pulled back—out of Lia’s house, through the neighborhoods and streets that divided them, back into her own bedroom. She became aware of the warmth of Corbin’s hands in hers.
“Do you think she knows it was us?” Corbin asked.
“I don’t know,” Morgan said. “I think maybe she sensed something was going on. That was a bad idea. I thought you said she wouldn’t know we were there.”
“And we still don’t know that she did.” He moved one of his hands to Morgan’s leg and rubbed it soothingly. “But we do know that it works. And that’s the important thing, right? I mean, if we can find Lia, why can’t we find your mom? I mean, you already dreamed about her.”
Morgan pursed her lips. “But Lia’s nearby, and we know where she lives. I don’t know how I found her in my dream. We have no idea where she is—where to even start looking—”
“I doubt it matters,” Corbin said dismissively. “Like Miss Scotford was saying the other day at training when Lucas was trying to Move that pencil? She said the size of what he was trying to Move didn’t really matter. Well, I’m sure that not knowing where to look for your mom doesn’t really matter either. You just need to… you know, focus.”
Morgan looked down at her hands. “What if I can’t find her?” she asked, voice barely a whisper. The quest
ion identified her deepest concern. What if she couldn’t find her mother? What if she let her down? “What if the dream was just a fluke and I never have another one? What if Tesin’s dream is wrong? What if I can’t find where she’s hiding?”
Corbin’s hand went to her chin, lifting her face gently so she was looking at him. “You will.”
Feeling a prickling in her eyes, she turned so she was no longer facing Corbin. “I know she’s out there somewhere. But… what if I can’t find her? What if Orrick finds her first? What if he… what if he hurts her?”
Corbin moved so he was next to her and wrapped his arm around her. “Hey, it’s okay.”
“It’s not.” She sniffled and was startled to realize she was crying.
Corbin just squeezed her more firmly against him. “You believe in Tesin’s dream. And I in believe you. And together, we can find her.”
Morgan didn’t say anything in response, she just allowed the silent tears to run down her cheeks. They dripped off her chin and landed on her lap, splattering into patterns.
Corbin rubbed her back gently and stroked her hair. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, he shifted on the bed and pulled Morgan along with him until they were lying down side by side. Morgan felt a part of her protesting, but the larger part ignored it, focusing instead on the comfort Corbin’s body provided. She shifted on her side and wrapped her arm across his torso and buried her face in his chest. He continued to rub her back and stroke her hair.
***
Corbin insisted they eat something before trying again. Morgan protested—it wasn’t like they were running a marathon and needed the calories—but Corbin was insistent. When he left the house to pick up their order from a local Mexican place, she sat around for a few minutes, unsure what to do with herself. Just to do something, she grabbed her phone.
She’d missed a text message. From Ris.
Just thought you should know Corbin won’t be hanging out with us as much from now on.
Morgan felt a pang. For a moment, she considered ignoring the message, but she quickly realized that would make her an even worse friend than she already felt she was.
The Naturals Trilogy Page 31