“I say she could have done this,” Emma said firmly, her head held high.
Kevin just stared at her. Zoe frowned at Emma while chewing on her fingernail. Lange shuffled his feet and looked uncomfortable.
Uncle Alex shook his head. “This doesn’t feel right, but we need to get out of here before the cops want to question Olivia as a witness.” He gave his siblings a hard look. “I’ll drive Olivia back to the warehouse. We can discuss this further there.”
Aunt Kate looked a little bit embarrassed, but Uncle Dan put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “I don’t feel Emma would make these accusations lightly, Alex.”
Uncle Alex just shook his head again. He turned to go and then stopped, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the plastic bag he’d tucked in there earlier. “Here, Kate. I was able to retrieve the stick this time.”
Aunt Kate took the bag. “Thanks, Alex.” She hesitated before adding, “See you at the warehouse.”
As I followed Uncle Alex, I heard Kevin say softly, “It’ll be okay, Ollie.”
I wasn’t so sure. The ‘rents were taking Emma’s accusation way more seriously than I expected. I glanced back to see her watching me leave, her face set in a pouting expression. I shivered, feeling cold inside. This day was turning out even crappier than I’d expected. And I’d woken up with very low expectations.
Chapter 25
Uncle Alex gripped the steering wheel and watched the car in front of us as if it was a suspicious object. I kept opening my mouth to speak and then closing it. It didn’t seem possible to talk through the heaviness on my chest. And besides, I didn’t even know what was worrying me more – the thought that my family believed I was capable of such destruction, or the thought that I might actually be capable of it.
We crossed the Broadway Bridge, and I watched the red metal beams pass above us while a MAX train rumbled by on the tracks in the center of the bridge. Traffic was heavier than it had been in the morning, but not so heavy that Uncle Alex needed as much focus as he was using.
I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to say something, even though speaking felt harder than lifting a thousand pounds.
“What if Emma is right?” I said, clenching my fists in my lap. “What if –”
“Olivia, I can’t believe that you are consciously capable of anything like what we saw back at the park.” Uncle Alex reached over and patted my shoulder while keeping his eyes on the road.
“But…” I struggled to put my fear into words, lifting my hands helplessly. The word consciously echoed in my head.
“Olivia, we’ll figure this out.”
Suddenly I knew what was at the core of my distress. “So if you think I’m not capable, then why are you even listening to her? Why isn’t everyone saying she’s wrong for accusing me?”
Uncle Alex was quiet as he turned onto MLK Boulevard; after a moment, he blew out his breath in a sigh. “Well, I suppose it’s because we don’t really know what to expect from you. You suppressed most of your abilities for so long. It’s theoretically possible you could be doing this without realizing it.” He glanced at me. “I don’t believe it. I’m saying others might.”
His words echoed around my head, getting louder with each reverberation. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and hunched over, my long hair hiding my face. I tried to remember how I’d felt at the time of the incidents, but I couldn’t get my head to clear enough to focus. And I remembered that no one knew I’d been near Vera when she blew up.
When a teardrop fell on my thigh, I realized I was crying.
Uncle Alex turned right onto SE Stark and pulled the Mini over to the side of road. I wondered why he was stopping since we weren’t at the warehouse yet. Maybe he was going to make me walk there as some sort of weird punishment. I sniffed back the next round of tears and looked at him questioningly.
“Ollie, if you did this, you did it unknowingly, and we will find a way to stop it.”
Pushing the words out through the tightness in my throat, I asked, “Can you heal me? Stop the crazy?”
“You’re not crazy.”
“But if I were?” I pleaded.
He shook his head. “I can’t heal mental illness.”
“Why not?”
“When I heal someone, I take on their ailment, just for a moment. Usually I can focus through the flash of pain, but if I try to work on someone with mental illness, I lose focus and stay lost until my body adjusts. Too long to help someone.” He stared straight ahead, lost in memory. “I’ve tried twice, and both times were failures.”
“Oh.” I felt defeated. “So I’m screwed.”
He looked at me. “Ollie, we will figure this out, I promise you. The most likely explanation is that you have an ability we don’t recognise because it’s untrained and you don’t know when you’re using it. ” He reached for my hand, gently prying it from around my stomach. He held on firmly. “You will be okay.” He waited until I nodded and then released my hand. He started the car and pulled into traffic.
There was a dark pall over the warehouse when we arrived. The air felt heavy and ominous. I wasn’t sure if it was real or my perception. I really didn’t want to go in there. I bet Anna was somewhere doing one of our usual Saturday activities – going to lunch at the food carts or browsing through books at Powell’s, all of which sounded wonderful right now. Maybe I could text her and have Uncle Alex drive me to wherever she was.
I knew that wasn’t possible; I knew a line had been crossed, so I got out of the car and followed Uncle Alex through the door.
Everyone was waiting in the classroom area. They all watched me come in. I scanned their expressions, wondering who was on my side and who wasn’t. Emma certainly wasn’t. She stood closest to the door and regarded me with a cold expression. Did I detect a bit of triumph in her eyes? That seemed excessive, but okay, whatever.
Clearly on Team Olivia, Kevin smiled at me with an encouraging nod. He slid over, making room on the couch. My chest loosened a little bit, but I couldn’t manage a smile as I sat down next to him.
Hugh and Lange wore neutral expressions, though Lange did give me a brief half smile from his seat on the other couch. From her spot on the floor, Zoe didn’t look at me; instead she wore a brooding expression and watched Emma. She carried her whip and was running the lash though her hands. I hoped she wasn’t thinking about using it on me.
Aunt Kate and Uncle Dan stood next to the large monitor. I saw a map with spots marked in red. Looking closer, I realized it was a map of Portland and the red spots were the various scenes of destruction. Each spot had the date and time of the incident. As my fearful gaze skimmed over the markings I realized the earliest incident wasn’t Vera blowing up. The first incident on Aunt Kate’s map was a few days before Vera’s destruction. Someone had covered the the Beverly Cleary statues of Henry, Ramona, and the dog with red graffitti. Aunt Kate zoomed in on the photos. There were no discernible words, just symbols like stylized Ws or Ms that had no meaning to me.
I was processing the new information when Aunt Kate spoke. “Olivia, Emma has accused you of perpetuating the recent destruction of public property.” Aunt Kate frowned at the photos of the Beverly Cleary statues before turning to face me. “Can you account for your whereabouts during this incident?”
I stared at her, still not really believing that she was basically putting me on trial. Indignation and shame flashed through me. I started to speak and then stopped because I didn’t know what to say.
I said, by some miracle managing to keep my voice steady, “Okay, so, um, I don’t remember. I mean it was weeks ago.” I drew in a deep breath around the constriction in my chest. I focused on the time and date on the screen and tried to avoid looking at the vandalism. “Oh wait, I do remember. It was the afternoon after the bank robbery.” I sat up straighter, pleased to know this much. “I was at home. Dad made me stay home from school. I think…” I looked at the time next to the photo again. “Oh yeah, Dad went to the office for a while to pick up some stuff
. He came back and we had steak for dinner.”
“So you were alone when the incident occurred?” Emma crossed her arms, waiting for my answer.
My mouth dropped open and I stuttered, “I...I guess I was.” Dammit. I had been alone at the time of the destruction. And, now that I was remembering, I’d been in the middle of a crying jag over my actions during the bank robbery and on the Larch Mountain hike that morning. So I’d been a bit emotional.
“Uh huh.” Emma looked at her father significantly.
Uncle Dan’s expression was stern as he tapped a finger on his palm, but he didn’t speak. In fact no one else was saying anything. Not even Uncle Alex defended me. It seemed I was on my own. I frowned, annoyance starting to push through the fear.
“Okay, so I was alone,” I said with some anger. Aunt Kate held up her hand and I sat back, crossing my arms across my chest.
She tapped the next spot on the map, zooming in on the statue of Vera. Once again, three photos were lined up; before, after, and the slightly more burned stick. She looked at me, raised an eyebrow. “Can you account for your whereabouts during the second incident?”
I immediately relaxed. Everything was going to be okay and this proved it. I didn’t even check the time. I had the perfect alibi. “Yeah, I was here meeting up with you and the uncles, remember?”
Uncle Alex frowned, his brow drawn in a V.
Aunt Kate didn’t smile back and pointed to the screen. “I think you may want to check the time.” She spoke gently but left no doubt that I needed to comply.
“What?” I peered at the time next to the broken statue on the screen and felt my head go light. The destruction had been fifteen minutes after I left the warehouse that morning – plenty of time to get there from here. I couldn’t speak from worry. I turned and looked at Uncle Alex, who looked back with sympathy. I felt Kevin take my hand and squeeze it. I couldn’t look at Emma.
Aunt Kate must have realized I wasn’t going to answer because she zoomed in on the next incident on her map, another one I’d never hear of before today.. I didn’t let her ask the question, saying tiredly, “I was at home alone, doing homework.” I let my head fall back against the couch cushions with a sigh and said to the ceiling, “I don’t remember doing any of this, but I have no proof that I didn’t.”
Aunt Kate echoed my sigh and came over to crouch beside me. I raised my head and stared at her, waiting for her judgment of my guilt.
“Olivia, if you were to ask if I believed you could do this, I would say no.” Behind Aunt Kate, Emma frowned and then bit her lip. “But the fact is we don’t know what it means when a supernormal suppresses her powers. We don’t know what damage is done.”
I hunched my shoulders, feeling broken and useless.
“We must take every precaution, so I am imposing the following restrictions on you for two weeks. We need to limit your movements as well as track for movement you may be unaware of.” She pulled out something that looked like a clunky wristwatch and held it out to me. I took it, examining it while thinking how ugly it was. She stood up.
“What is this?” I turned the watch-thingy over in my hands.
“It’s a combination GPS tracker and pulse monitor.” Aunt Kate picked up her iPad and tapped a few times. “Put it on.”
I shrugged and strapped the monitor to my wrist. It was warm against my skin.
Aunt Kate watched the screen for a moment and then gave a satisfied nod. She turned the screen so I could see a map of the warehouse district with a gently pulsing green dot on it. Aunt Kate pointed to the dot. “This is you. I can track your location and your pulse.”
“I get why you want to track my location.” Though I wasn’t exactly happy about it. “But what’s up with the tracking my pulse?”
“It should tell us if you’re using your ability. Whatever it is.”
“Okay.” I gave the monitor a thoughtful look. “Okay, that’s cool.”
Uncle Alex said, “Ollie, I know this is unpleasant, but it’s the best solution. It will help us understand what, if anything, is happening to you.” He smiled at me encouragingly. “If there are any more incidents, Kate will be able to determine if you did it.”
My stomach felt tight and my head was pounding. All I really wanted to do was go home and hide out in my room.
Aunt Kate was outlining the rules of my incarceration. Basically my life for the next two weeks was limited to training and school; Hugh would drive me to and from home, school, and the warehouse.
I glanced across the room at Hugh, who looked less than pleased by his role as my chauffeur.
“Hey,” I said as a thought struck me. I held up my arm with the monitor on it. “Why does it matter if I stay at home when you can track me?”
Uncle Dan snapped out, “Because you are still in trouble for your confirmed transgressions.” He held up his hand, ticking off the list finger by finger. “Your unauthorized patrol, leaving Alex, and not to mention you may have injured people and destroyed property.”
“Oh, yeah.” How could I have forgotten I was already grounded? “Am I still hanging out with Uncle Alex?”
Uncle Alex sighed and came over to take my hand. He said gently, “No, not right now.”
I heard the subtext. I was a risk, and he didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Depression settled over me. I considered dropping my head back and just closing my eyes, but Aunt Kate told Hugh to take me home.
I pushed myself to my feet and risked looking at Emma. Her lips were pressed together in a tight smile, and she lifted an eyebrow. I clenched my teeth together and curled a lip at her.
She sneered back and turned away, grabbing her backpack and following Uncle Dan out the door.
“Let it go, Ollie.” Hugh jiggled his keys in his hand.
Kevin chimed in, “Yeah, once we prove you aren’t the bad guy, she’ll lighten up.”
I wasn’t so sure, but I allowed myself to hope a little while I followed the guys to the car. If I wasn’t going crazy and leaving a swath of destruction through Portland, then maybe Emma would leave me alone.
Chapter 26
Hugh dropped me off in front of my house, and I made it upstairs without seeing Dad. Once there, I drew in a deep breath and looked around my room. Together, my bedroom and bathroom took up the front half of the upstairs. Dad’s room was down the hall and looked over the backyard, where I imagined he kept an eye on the chickens and goats.
I sat down on my bed, shoving aside a copy of the first Harry Potter book and my algebra textbook so I could flop back onto the pillows and stare at the gray clouds through the skylight. I sat up and looked around at the dark walls and folk art paintings. Maybe it would be a good time to redo my room? After all, I was going to be spending a lot of time in here. I decided I might as well do something constructive.
A week and a half later, I hadn’t redone my room and, more disturbingly, there hadn’t been any incidents of landmark destruction. Every time I got into Hugh’s car, he would stare at me as if I was under a microscope. Every day for the first week, I asked, “Have there been any incidents?” And every time he or one of the ‘rents said no, I cringed inside. It wasn’t that I wanted a landmark to be destroyed, but at the same time, I wanted there to be no doubt that I wasn’t making these things happen.
My house arrest did not mean I got out of tutoring Mindy; in fact, I think the ‘rents were pleased I had a punishment-related task outside of training.
I showed up for the first session on the Monday after my probation period started. Mrs. Careen had told me to come to the kitchen door. When I knocked, softly, hoping they weren’t home or maybe called away for some reason, Mindy yanked open the door and glared at me. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were red-rimmed.
She snapped out, “So, you think you’re smarter than me?”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you suck at biology,” I retorted.
Mrs. Careen came up behind Mindy. “Mindy, Olivia offered to help. And you know how important you
r grades are if you want to get into Harvard.”
Mindy rolled her eyes, but Mrs. Careen didn’t notice because she was gesturing me into the large, modern kitchen. Unlike my family’s kitchen, which was warm and welcoming, the Careen’s kitchen was all gleaming white counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and light gray granite tile floors. A stark white table and chairs were set in a windowed alcove.
It was like being in a restaurant kitchen designed primarily for function, not for happy family meals. The only splash of color came from a dark red dishcloth hanging by the sink.
I saw Mindy’s biology book was already on the kitchen table. She headed over, dragging her feet as if she was marching to her doom. I followed her, sat down, and pulled out my textbook.
“So, um…” I opened my book and dove right into the lesson. There didn’t seem to be much point in making small talk with her. “I asked Mrs. Hudson what we were going be studying next and she told me to just follow the book.”
“You told her you were tutoring me!” Mindy gripped the sides of the table and glared at me.
“Well, I didn’t think it was a secret,” I defended myself.
“I don’t want anyone to know we’re spending time together!”
“Yeah, like I’m going to shout it from the rooftops.” I took a deep breath and fought to keep from slamming the book shut and storming out. Uncle Alex would just make me come back. “Look, I’m fine with not discussing these sessions, okay? But if I’m going to help you.” Crap, bad phrasing, I thought as Mindy clenched her jaw and flared her nostrils, looking like an angry horse. “Um, if we’re going to work together, I need to know what to cover.”
“Whatever, let’s just get this over with.”
Mindy’s attitude didn’t soften as I went over the lifecycle of a cell. She did okay on the quiz I gave her, so I guessed she was listening. When I was done, she practically shoved me out the door. I pushed back, not because I wanted to stay, but because I didn’t want to look like I was running away. But I left with a sense of relief that was quickly followed by the gloomy knowledge that the next session was only two days away.
The Supernormal Legacy (Book 1): Dormant Page 21