by SM Olivier
I sat on the ground next to Jemmy and started stretching with her. Jemmy looked at me confused for a moment. “No, she’s a five I believe,” she shrugged. “She can manipulate water sources.”
In the past, Jemmy had accused her of being a two or three, but I saw now that she must have spoken out of anger. She had wanted to strike back at Rose for her personal attack. Jemmy always had intense emotions that burned hot and bright but could fizzle out just as quickly.
Drake sat down beside me. “Sorry, I didn’t know she was going to be here. I guess she got the clearance from the doctor.”
“Hmm,” I nodded noncommittedly. She was wearing a skin-tight track suit, where she only had a little baby bump showing. She was definitely blessed with good genetics. “When’s your next appointment?” I asked him as I reached out to squeeze his hand.
“Next Thursday,” he grimaced. “I think I’m going to get a new number and request that she contact me by email in the future. If she’s this crazy before the baby is born, I’m scared how she’s going to behave after the baby is born. My lawyer advised me from financially supporting her any further.”
“Has it gotten that bad?” I asked with a frown.
“Beyond,” he muttered uncomfortably.
“Do you want me to go talk to her?” Jemmy asked as she stood up with her hands on her hips.
He ducked his head and shook it. “Nah. I’m going to tell her when I see her at the appointment.”
“I’m going with you, right?” Jemmy asked.
He nodded pensively. “If you could.”
“Okay, teams,” Steven said into a bullhorn, cutting off our conversation. “You should have all read the rules to this friendly competition. Please follow them, or we will be forced to disqualify you. Please stay on the course. We will have monitors on the course, to ensure that you are. If a monitor feels you have cheated in any way, you will be asked to leave the competition. If one member on your team fails to follow the rules, the whole team will be disqualified. You start as a team and you will end as a team. The time will not stop until every member on your team has finished the race. Understood?” He waited until most of us made some kind of noise in affirmation before a whistle was blown.
As we began to run, we noticed the markers indicating the course. We ran at least two miles before we entered the woods and encountered our first obstacle course. It looked easy enough, it was a bridge spanning a gully. There were five bridges side by side. Our team, Terrance’s team, and two other teams arrived there almost at the same time. Our morning runs were paying off.
“Stop,” Jaxson called out as Rachel went to cross one of the bridges. “It’s an illusion,” he laughed as one of the teams lost a couple of members to the gully. It was only twelve or so feet deep and about ten feet across, but it wasn’t going to be any fun trying to climb out of it or it could potentially injure anyone that may fall in. I imagined it would add an addition five to ten minutes to their course time at least.
“Which one isn’t an illusion?” Jace asked as he looked over at the other ones.
“They all are,” Jaxson said thoughtfully. Since all our connections were made, each guy had said they felt an increase in their gift level. I guess Jaxson was now capable of casting, as well as seeing illusions.
“So, I’ll jump across first and, Remy, you throw them to me,” Dawn said confidently.
“I’ll go with you,” Gavin told Dawn, “I really can’t imagine you catching Terrance or Remy by yourself.” Gavin chuckled.
“I can get the wind underneath the person, to slow the decent,” Sam stated.
“I’ll help Remy throw,” I volunteered.
“Sounds like it’s a plan, let’s go,” Jace stated clapping his hands.
I watched in surprise as Dawn and Gavin stretched like human Gumby’s. Their bodies stretched the whole gully with ease. I imagined lifting things with ease, so I could call on my gift of strength. I waited to feel the tingling in my arms and legs before I turned to grab Rachel, since she was the smallest.. Remy launched Terrance seconds after I did.
By the time we launched the fifth person across, Sam, Gavin, Dawn, Remy, and I had it down to a science. I couldn’t help but notice Ned’s team was still struggling to get their teammates out of the gully. Rose’s team had found a log to throw across the expanse. I watched in consternation as she teetered across the log. I truly believed her doctor wouldn’t have approved of this activity. Even if the child she carried wasn’t Drake’s, it just seemed reckless to me.
Remy threw Sam and I across before he ran down to the log the other team had foolishly left behind. He had great balance for a man his size.
“Kick it in,” Terrance yelled at him as he got off it. Remy picked up the log like it was a broomstick and launched it in the gully away from the fallen team.
It made sense to me. We weren’t directly sabotaging another team, but we weren’t going to help them out either.
I glanced up as we started to take off once more and gave the illusionist a jaunty wave. He tilted his head and smiled at me. He was probably one of the monitors for the course. Until we were under him, I hadn’t even noticed him perched in one of the trees. Three other teams had caught up, and I could hear some of them had also fallen in. I giggled as I sprinted up towards the front of our pack. This was kind of fun.
We ran for about half of mile before we came across our next obstacle. The other team was already there, but relatively far away from us. We looked up at the wall of logs and sticks that was kept together by mud. It was clear someone with the gift of earth had created this obstacle.
“There’s no way we can climb that,” Jace muttered as he looked up at the wall that was easily forty feet high. The other team was unsuccessfully trying to scale it as we came up with a game plan.
Michael ran at the structure and was back within moments. “It’s about three feet deep,” he said slightly breathless.
Troy stepped back and created a fireball, “So I can burn a hole through it?” He raised an eyebrow at Michael.
“We don’t want to burn the whole structure down,” Rachel said nervously eyeing the sticks and logs.
“Okay fire boy,” Marcel stated as he produced a sphere of water as big as a soccer ball.
“I’ll go last,” Terrance stated. “I’m going to close it back up when we’re all through.”
“Ready?” Troy asked Marcel. When Marcel nodded, Troy threw his fireball.
It was done quickly, and the other team was yelling and cursing at us when Terrance patched up the hole we had created.
By the fifth obstacle, we were no longer running—we were walking. We could hear the other teams in the distance, but we couldn’t see them, so we felt confident that we could catch our breaths for a while.
We came to a pit of fire.
I remember some of the girls and guys at my previous high school participating in a ‘fun’ run. They had talked about the obstacles they had come across, and one of the girls had been horrified at the fire obstacle that was incorporated in it. She was flashing around a picture on her phone. Her obstacle had been about three feet high and ten feet across. They had to leap across it.
There was no leaping across this fire. It was at least six feet high and twenty feet across. We could go around it. If we did, we would be off the course and disqualified.
Marcel attempted to throw water at the fire. It would go out. If anything, it seemed to have gotten bigger and more agitated. We stood back and looked at it, contemplating.
“So not normal fire,” Rachel stated dryly.
A few of us laughed; some of our more serious members, not so much.
“How are you feeling, Sam?” Drake asked thoughtfully, as he eyed the obstacle.
“Good,” Sam said warily. “What did you have in mind?”
Drake turned and looked at me. “Kiss me,” he demanded softly.
My eyes widened in surprise and shock.
Jemmy, Rachel, and Dawn had been close enou
gh to hear him, so they immediately dissolved in laughter.
Drake held out his hand and repeated himself. “Trust me. Kiss me.”
I took his hand and let him draw me in. I stood on my tip toes and let him capture his lips with mine. He gently cupped my face, and I lost myself in his kiss as he opened my mouth, his tongue tangling with mine. I was vaguely aware of the catcalls and whistles. I was lost in his touch. I wanted more of him.
He finally broke our kiss, and at my groan of displeasure, he gave me a smile, even though he was red. He was generally not into public displays of affection, so I was surprised by his boldness.
I turned around, feeling my cheeks warm. I saw that the other team had caught up and Rose was in the front of the group, shooting daggers at me with her eyes, while most of her teammates called for an encore.
Drake smiled at me again before he turned and created a force field around Jemmy, Rachel, and Dawn. I watched in amazement as he raised his hands. The force field became a sphere around them, now hovering above the earth.
The girls squealed in surprise, before they grabbed onto each other, laughing nervously. I could see the studied concentration on Drake’s face as he continued to lift them. He barely spared Sam a glance as he said, “When they clear the fire, push them to the other side.” He then shouted to the girls. “Yell, when I can release you.”
“Okay,” they shouted back, but their voices sounded distorted.
“Did you just have Blake…boost you?” Michael asked in awe.
Jaxson, Noah, and Troy began laughing. “This isn’t a video game,” Troy finally said. “There’s no boosting.”
“But-but I’ve worked with him before, and he’s never been able to lift his shield, let alone carry people in it,” Michael stuttered.
“They’re connected,” Terrance shot his team member an annoyed look. “I’m sure you’ve heard of people becoming stronger through their connection.”
Michael mumbled something, clearly embarrassed.
I reached over and patted his shoulder with a smile. “It’s okay. I’m learning too,” I whispered.
He gave me a grateful smile.
“Now!” We barely heard the yell on the other side.
“We’re good,” Jemmy yelled, her voice clearer now.
Drake dropped his hands down to his side. “She makes me stronger,” Drake confirmed as he gave me a level look.
I smiled at him as I heard an angry huff behind us. I didn’t have to turn to know Rose had walked closer.
It was nearing eleven by the time we hoped were encountering our last obstacle. We were all getting exhausted. I was regretting only eating a banana at breakfast that morning, and my sleepover. Okay maybe not my sleep over—that was worth the lost sleep—but I was definitely exhausted and hungry.
The moment we got close to the obstacle, some of our team started crying or screaming.
I was struck with an immense feeling of loss and fear as I looked down at the water. Its depth was unfathomable and wide, but there were rocks jutting out that we could walk on. What was concerning were the large creatures under the water’s surface.
“It’s an illusion,” Jaxson said as tears rolled down his face.
“They’re going to eat us!” John screamed as he turned to run in the opposite direction.
I blinked for a moment, something wasn’t right. I could feel it deep in my bones. Realization dawned as I felt the presence above me. I just couldn’t see them.
“Stop!” I yelled. “John, come back,” I commanded him.
He resembled a cat that was about to get a bath. He was coming back, but utter terror was in his eyes.
I walked over to Jace and Jaxson and grasped both of their hands. “There’s an empath, instilling fear and sadness in us and an illusionist making us believe there are…river monsters?” I explained to them as chaos reigned around us.
Jace nodded, seemingly unaffected by the other empath. Did that make him stronger?
He smiled down at me and caressed my cheek. “I can’t feel it,” he whispered, confirming my belief.
“Let’s do this,” I said with determination. I knew with a group our size it would require all three of us working together. Jace and I pushed the feelings of comfort and warmth towards Jaxson and waited for him to get himself together.
“Holy crap,” Jaxson muttered as he wiped his face. “Now I wish I hadn’t snitched on you,” he looked at Jace. “I forgot what that felt like.”
Jace started chuckling as he turned to explain to me. “When he annoyed me as kids, teens even, I use to torment him with fear. He told Dad, and I was grounded for a month. I had to skip the homecoming dance that year,” he said with mock bitterness.
I giggled imagining that. Jax would have tried to push his older brother’s buttons. He would have wanted to be included in everything. I could see the older guys wanting to have time to themselves. Jace had a lot of patience, but even he had limits.
“Ready?” I looked at them with a smile.
“When you are,” they said in unison.
I closed my eyes and gripped their hands. I immediately felt the warmth filling me. I swore I heard the scampering of the squirrels nearby, and the birds singing above, like they were inches from me. I felt the breeze caress me. I smelled the water, dirt, leaves. The breeze caressed my skin. All my senses were so acute, so sensitive.
“Now,” I barely whispered as I felt us connect.
It was like I was transported out of my body. I was hovering above us. I could finally see what it looked like when we used our connections together. It was so surreal. I felt like I was dreaming. I saw the glow that encompassed us. We looked like we were nearly transparent.
My team seemed to snap out of it as trendils of gold crept across the dying leaves and twined around them. One by one, comprehension dawned on their faces. They looked over at us with a combination of gratitude, awe, and surprise before they turned and began to cross the water. Jumping or hopping from rock to rock.
My heart was warmed when I saw how well they worked together. We had proven that, time and time again this morning. We hadn’t argued. We hadn’t belittled anyone, even when some of us came up with some far-fetched solution to an obstacle. When someone fell behind, someone else would drop back and encourage them. When someone stumbled, someone was there to catch them before they fell.
The empath and illusionist had done a number on them. They had already been physically exhausted, so they were more susceptible to the empath. After five minutes under their influence, they were now emotionally exhausted, but our bond wasn’t severed. My team was still working together.
Rachel, Jemmy, and Marcel were having difficulty jumping to some of the rocks. Marcel and Rachel, because they had shorter legs and Jemmy because endurance wasn’t her strength yet.
I watched the last person cross and dropped my hands. If I was exhausted before, now I was damn near comatose. I had used my gifts too much today. I tried to allow others on the team to use their gifts when they could, but sometimes there was no way around it. Rachel, Jemmy, and John were part of the team, but none of the obstacles required them to use their gifts of energy manipulation and fact detection.
“I got him,” Jace said with concern as we came back to the clearing in front of the river.
I smiled at him in appreciation, knowing he was going to help Jaxson cross. The rest of our team were across at a safe distance, cheering us on as the other team came into the clearing.
They had been in high spirits for the first few obstacles, but as the day wore on they had begun to snipe, yell, and disparaged each other. This race had been an eye opener for me. I knew now which teams I would never want to work with and which individuals came up short. We hadn’t seen quite a few teams, so I had a feeling they weren’t taking their training seriously, or they lacked the motivation or endurance needed to be an excellent agent.
“Come on, Blake!” Jemmy encouraged me.
I snapped out of my musings and b
egan to gingerly make my way across the rocks. If I wasn’t so fatigued, I wouldn’t have to concentrate so hard to make the jumps. I looked up constantly to see how the guys were faring and if I was getting any closer to the other side. It was one of these times when I was looking up and not paying attention that I felt water slam against the back of my legs and a tug against my feet. I looked down in curiosity when I saw the water swirling around my feet.
I felt my gift beginning to slip. I had been blocking the empath up until that moment. The combination of the water crashing against my legs, the slippery surface of the rock, and the fear that came crashing down made me lose my footing. As I fell, I bounced off the top of the rock, my ribs connecting with the solid surface. I lost my breath; I inhaled water as it enclosed over me. I was normally a strong swimmer, but the water was frigid, and I couldn’t breathe from the pain in my ribs.
I felt panic encompass me, my lungs were burning. I tried to kick up to the surface, but my hoodie had caught onto something. The water was murky brown, and I saw the dark shapes moving in on me.
Darkness was closing in on me. Well this sucks, I thought as I fought against it. Who knew water and a river monster was going to be the death of me?
Chapter 27
I threw up my entire banana, along with all the water I had inhaled. I blinked as I looked around. My connections, my family, my friend’s mouths were moving, but I didn’t hear anything.
Looks like rain is coming in. The clouds are moving in. Angry, angry sky. Time for the heavens to weep. Oooh, maybe I can have a rainy day. I’ll ask Jace to play the violin for me. I’ll lay in Remy’s lap, so he could play with my hair while Troy gives me a foot massage. I can curl up with a book while I rub my hands through Noah or Jaxson’s hair. I’ll ask Drake for one of his kisses and his famous chicken soup.
I’m cold. Soup sounded good. On second thought, maybe I would like a hot bath and ask Drake to join me. We could read together in companionable silence.