by Alana Siegel
“I don't hover,” Luca said, defensively. He moved his chair back an inch to prove a point. I smiled gratefully at Chelsea. She returned my smile. Justin didn't say a word. Instead, he placed his arm around the back of my chair, with an obvious intention to protect me from whatever came.
I sighed because I knew in the end, my friends wouldn't be able to help me. Their Gifts were susceptible to the mulberry elixir, and mine was not. I needed to face the Meta on my own. Justin was never going to accept my fate.
“Thank you, Graham,” I said, turning towards him. His eyes widened in surprise. “For protecting me from Dave,” I explained. He shook his head, dismissively, as if it was no big deal. He continued to devour his cheeseburger.
“Seriously, you were fast,” Chelsea added.
“Like Usain Bolt,” Lynn spoke, approvingly.
“Who's that?” I asked.
“Fastest Ikos ever,” Graham said, in awe of the compliment.
“And a famous runner who's won about fifty gold medals in the Olympics,” Luca added, impressed.
The successes and failures of the Gifted was intertwined with the history of leaders and celebrities I already knew. I had been told this fact before, but hearing real examples solidified it. We weren't the first Gifted to walk on the earth, and hopefully we wouldn't be the last.
“Are there any famous Kynikos?” I asked the table.
“Of course,” Lynn confirmed. “How do you think Russia kept the Germans at bay in the Second World War?” She asked.
“No way, Kynikos caused the snow storms?!” Chelsea shouted, incredulously.
“And why do you think Alexander the Great couldn't cross the Alps? Another weather-related issue,” Lynn explained.
Chelsea was sitting on the edge of her seat, ready to ask for another example when Graham groaned. He glanced over my shoulder, fleetingly, and then ducked his head. I could tell something was up when he put his burger down. There are few things that can get between Graham and food.
The whole table looked behind me. A stunning but menacing brunette was making her way over to our table. She wore a short tight skirt that emphasized each angry step her long tanned legs took. Her hair swished from side to side as she marched toward our table with her lunch tray clutched between her fingers. Everyone knew Lexy, a senior from the cheerleading squad.
“What did you do?” Lynn accused Graham.
“I've never seen her so angry,” Chelsea added.
We all turned back to our table and attempted to act normal. Lexy's four-inch heels clicked closer. Graham ducked his head lower. “I told her I wouldn't go to the party with her tonight,” he grimaced. “Apparently, people rarely turn her down.”
The sound of clicking heels stopped. An eerie silence ensued as the rest of the cafeteria quieted to catch the action.
Suddenly, I felt something warm and gooey land on my head. Neon-orange macaroni and cheese slopped off Lexy's tray and dripped down my hair. I didn't dare turn around, but Justin shot out of his seat.
“Do something, Olivia!” Luca whispered, frantically.
“And risk the lives of our friends sitting in the Meta's prisons? Are you nuts?” Cliff asked, panic-stricken.
I kept my eyes glued to Justin's ring on my clenched fingers. It glowed in a vibrant red, like the blood pumping through my veins.
“You think you’re Gifted?” Lexy asked, mockingly. “You're just a wannabe.” She turned on her heels and strode away from our table.
Justin sat down again and helped clean macaroni out of my hair. He coddled me as if I might fall apart from all the negative attention, but I wasn't upset or frightened. Instead, Dave and Lexy's actions had motivated. I wanted to clear up the misconception that I was the enemy.
It was hard to believe she thought I was the reason Graham turned her down. After my incident with Cliff in front of the girls from Driver's Ed, and the information Dave angrily shouted in the hallway, it was obvious the Meta worked their propaganda quickly. Who knew the extent of the rumors that were spreading about me and my Gifted charm?
“I'm sorry, Olivia. I'll talk to her,” Graham said and leaned over to pull a piece of macaroni out of my hair.
I shook my head. “Don't worry about it.” Then, an idea came to me. “No, I have a better idea. We're going to that party.”
Everyone stared at me like I had said I wanted to try out for the football team.
* * * *
Chapter Sixteen: Party's Over
“I can't believe we're going to this,” Chelsea complained from the back seat of Justin's silver Accord. “Dave tried to turn you into a punching bag because his deadbeat father told him you were evil, and you want to greet him at the senior party.”
Towards the end of every school year, the seniors throw a pre-graduation party. The location is always a secret and disclosed an hour before it begins so that teachers and parents don't ruin the fun. We were only juniors, but Cliff's buddies on the baseball team shared the location.
From the front seat I shook my head. “A jock party is the last place anyone from Max's crew would be. Plus, I'm not scared of Dave.”
“Yeah,” Cheslea said, “because you finally realized Lynn and Graham will protect you.”
In a way, she was right. I hadn't believed they would come to my defense. Their history of deceiving me was too strong of a reason for me to fully trust them, but their actions this afternoon changed things. There was no denying it. They were a part of the plan.
Chills crept up my spine as we drove up to the original and decrepit Pandora High School. It was the location of this year's party. Ghostly as it seemed, it made me think about my quiet, even trivial, life a year ago.
Everything had changed. I couldn't go back to the way things were.
There was a reason I wanted to go to this party. If people were going to see me differently than how they saw the shy girl who barely raised her hand in class, then I wanted to be the one to reinvent my image. I didn't want someone to decide my fate for me, especially if that someone worked for the Meta.
I turned around to look at Chelsea. “You didn't see Dave's friends' reaction. I need to know if people are scared of me.”
“And then what are you going to do? Charm them into liking you?” she countered.
“No,” I responded and turned forward in my seat. “I don't know,” I added under my breath. It would be hard to persuade people that I wasn't dangerous when I wasn't sure myself.
“Maybe I can talk to a few people,” Cliff chimed in from the backseat next to Chelsea. “You know, listen to the gossip. Maybe someone knows where the Meta is.”
He sounded more hopeful than he had in days. No one had the heart to tell him not to get involved in our Gifted drama. Even Justin, who usually played the part of overprotective best friend, remained silent.
Justin parked the car on a dark street a block away. Lynn and Graham walked down the block to meet us. The decision to act and move toward a goal, rather than sit and discuss strategy in our Gifted Program meetings, excited them. Joining up with Lynn and Graham brightened Chelsea's mood while it paled mine. I had wanted to go to the party under the radar rather than make an entrance with a following of angry Gifted.
As soon as the six of us were in whispering range, there was a heated battle of strategies and best ways to give the Meta what they deserved. Lynn and Graham—and now Chelsea—were never afraid to share their two cents. I turned away from the conflict. Their insistence that their plan was foolproof and the best we'd come up with was driving me crazy.
I felt Lynn's hand grab my shoulder. “Olivia, I need to talk to you,” she said, forcing me to face her. Reluctantly, I let her turn me.
“What is it, Lynn?” I asked, not bothering to hide my impatience.
“It's Derek,” she said. Her voice caught. She cleared her throat and adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder.
Her uncertainty and worry were strange behavior. I straightened, and gave her my full attention. “What a
bout him?” I asked, forcefully. I didn't mean to snap at her, but it was my defense mechanism when it came to her.
She shook her head and looked down at the ground. “I don't know. I slipped into Mr. Dimon's office after school. I heard him talking on the phone. He mentioned your name a few times in a hushed conversation.” She began pacing in front of me, holding her head with both hands.
“Then, he got upset with the person on the other end. He said something about not being able to hold us much longer.” Her arms dropped to her sides. She looked right at me. “Then he said, 'Don't! Not her brother!' He sounded desperate, but the person he was talking to hung up without hearing him out.” She was completely distraught. Panic stung me. I didn't know what to say.
“Olivia, what do we do?” she pleaded. It was the first time she had looked to me for answers.
I choked down my worst fears and said, “He's right. He won't be able to hold us back anymore. When I'm done with him, he won't remember what happiness is.” The threat was empty without filling in the details we were missing. “Let's go,” I commanded and marched toward the party.
The senior parking lot was blemished with debris thrown from the building when our Gifted power caused utter destruction a few months ago. I pictured the way life was before. I imagined Derek walking through the rows of cars with all his friends, and his insecure sister following in his shadow. That life was gone.
Pulled back to the present, we walked through the gates to the school grounds. The football field was pockmarked with mounds of dirt that would be used to complete the foundation of the new building. Somewhere under the rubble was Ms. Magos's secret room. It was the birthplace of my Gifted life. I refused to meet the same end, crumbling to nonexistence.
The baseball field sat between the old building and the football field. The bleachers on one side of the grounds, and the dugouts on the other, barricaded the swarm of students from the surrounding houses.
Two of Cliff's friends from the baseball team spotted us as we approached the crowds. As they staggered over, they slurred Cliff's name and confirmed they were drunk. Justin placed his arm around my shoulders.
It suddenly occurred to me that this was my first party. There had been so much on my mind I almost forgot kids would be drinking. With everyone's inhibitions lowered, coming to the party might be more dangerous than I originally thought.
I looked down at my ring, which was a purplish blue, and relaxed. I was closer to sad than angry, which meant the student body was safe from my female Elste wrath. I followed the group to the pitcher’s mound, and stuck my hands in my pockets. Looking around at the girls wearing short skirts and giggling with their friends, I felt a little out of place.
I spotted Luca in the dugout. An empty bottle hung loosely from his right hand. He was engrossed in a conversation with a beautiful dark-haired girl.
I felt my stomach flip. Who was she? I crossed my arms and watched them. Why did they have to sit so close that their legs touched?
Graham's booming voice brought me back to the current conversation. “Cliff, you need to live for today. Check out all the possibilities around you.” He slapped Cliff on the back, and motioned to two passing senior girls wearing tight pants and low-cut shirts.
Cliff shoved his hand away. “Hey, man. That's your thing, not mine. If someone I care about needs my help, I'll figure out a way.” Cliff turned on his heel and left the group. Justin groaned and went after him.
I looked back at the dugout. Luca was still sitting there, but the beautiful girl was gone. He was holding his head between his hands, so I decided to check on him. I told myself it wasn't because I needed to know who the brunette babe was, but I was definitely feeling the jealousy bug as I made my way over with my arms crossed at my chest.
The dugout smelled strongly like grass. Luca looked up at me when I approached. His eyes were watery and the bottle had been abandoned on the floor. “Olivia...” His tone pulled at my heart strings.
I hurried the last few feet and sat down on the bench next to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulders, forgetting all about the pretty girl. “What's wrong?” I asked.
“My parents…,” he said, trailing off. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I tried not to flinch as it invaded my nostrils.
“Shh, Luca. It's okay,” I tried to soothe him. “What about your parents?” I pressed.
“Terrible...I'm too ashamed...”
“Luca, we're friends. Tell me what's wrong. I won't judge you,” I told him, hoping I was right.
He looked at my face as if to determine I was sincere. “They were Meta sympathizers…or, at least, they didn't care about the Gifted…” He was babbling.
“What do you mean? What did you find out about your parents?” I asked, trying to lead him in a direction that would help explain his sorrow.
“They were suppliers,” he choked out before shaking his head and hanging it low. I rubbed his back to comfort him.
“Suppliers of what? To whom?”
He raised his head again to look at me. “Suppliers of the mulberry elixir to the Meta,” he told me, and I could see the pain of the words reflected in his eyes. “They had no Gifts of their own, and they liked to play both sides of their deals, not really loyal to the Gifted or to the Meta. Then, something happened and the Meta wasn't happy with them.”
I was momentarily immobilized. The story irked me for many reasons, but mostly it reminded me of the other Elste in the original Pyramus and Thisbe story. “Is this another story you forgot to tell me?” I asked, trying not to sound angry.
He turned toward me, quickly, grabbing my hands and pulling me close. “No, no, no, 'Livia. I promise, I didn't know. Carly jus' tol' me. I didn't realize why my grandfather stayed away from them throughout my childhood. He was Gifted and embarrassed by my parents. I 'ad no idea,” he said in a drunken slur, begging me to understand.
“Carly from Salt Lake City is here?” I asked, beginning to realize why the dugout smelled strongly like grass. I couldn't believe I was jealous of her. I tried not to let the embarrassment faze me.
“Yes, see shaid Aunt Ev shent her here t' talk t'me.” He was slurring his words.
I was suspicious of Aunt Ev's timing for sending Carly. After finding out she was a famous extremist in the Gifted community who came up with the plan to use me as a pawn against the Meta, I didn't trust her. In fact, hearing her name made me tremble.
“'Livia, tell me you aren't mad at me. I wouldn't be able to lif wif myself if you 'ated me,” Luca said. The alcohol was making him sound whiny, and I was feeling extra sorry for him.
I shook my head, but before I could tell him not to worry he was crushing my lips with his own. It wasn't graceful and breathtaking like the last time. His teeth smacked against my own, and I was able to turn away before he could try again.
“Luca!” I scolded. I didn't have time to say anything else; a jarring siren went off and the entire party turned into disarray.
* * * *
Chapter Seventeen: Take Responsibility
The blaring sirens were a wake-up call. My friends were constantly in danger as long as I was near. It was time to go. Time to set off on my own against the Meta. If I left now, no one would stop me.
I could do it. I was the female Elste. The next time I was threatened by someone like Dave or worse, I would defend myself. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. Then why was I standing still?
I took an uneasy step out of the dugout and sank into the shadow. I felt nothing like the powerful Thisbe. I felt average. I stood there, hoping it would pass and a wave of courage would overtake me.
Instead, I heard Luca's ragged breathing. Each intake of air begged me to step back into the light. My friends would think I was captured by the Meta. How could I live like that?
Then I heard Justin. “Olivia! Olivia! Where are you?” He was screaming from the pitcher's mound. The panic was unmistakable. He must have known my plan along, and thought I had already left him.
Now that I was paying attention, I saw the party was pure chaos. Football guys were staggering off the field. Couples were coming out from behind bushes. Cheerleaders were grabbing their friends and disappearing into getaway cars.
I kept my eyes on Justin. He frantically scanned the passing people, all purpose and meaning draining from his soul. That one look was all I needed to change my mind. One look confirmed I was the center of his life, and he was the center of mine. I would never go on without him.
“Justin! I'm okay. I'm over here!” I shouted back. I watched the relief on his face, and my heart skipped a beat.
Luca stirred at the sound of my voice. He let out a groan, and I realized I could never leave him either. He wasn't my center, but he was my support. I began pacing the length of the dugout. Luca was too drunk for me to direct him where to go.
Justin rushed over to us. “Help me!” I said, motioning to Luca who was slumped at the end of the bench. Justin gave me a look of disbelief. When I didn't change my adamant expression, he threw Luca's arm over his shoulder and lifted him to his feet.
The sirens blared louder and louder sending everyone into a frenzy. Cops stormed the field from all the entrances.
I hadn't drunk a single sip of alcohol, but I couldn't help feeling like I had done something wrong. That was why I felt a jolt of panic when a state trooper cornered Justin, Luca, and me. He was over six feet tall and wearing a wide-brimmed hat that kept his face in the dark. Being unable to see the whites of his eyes was intimidating.
“You three are coming with me,” he declared and grabbed Justin by the collar of his jacket.
“Excuse me, sir, we're trying to get our sick friend home,” I attempted and sent him my most innocent-looking smile.
Perhaps it looked more like a grimace because the trooper glared at me and said, “I know what you are, Miss Hart, so don't try any funny business.” The way he snapped and adjusted the gun on his hip made me think he knew about my Gift. There was definitely something fishy. I decided to follow his instructions without question.