Aaron nods his thanks to Heather and looks at me with a grin. “Let’s go to the kitchen,” he says.
I’m not ready for what I see in the kitchen – rather who I see. Sitting at the table with a box of apples next to her, and a peeler in her hand, is Evelyn. She looks up at us and smiles widely.
“Mora. I thought you’d be coming to see me sometime soon.” She motions to a chair on the other side of the table. “Come, have a seat. Grab a knife.”
Aaron pulls out a chair and I sit, facing the doorway to the hall, and I can see Danny and Heather sitting in the living room, ears toward us. Aaron sits to my right.
“Surprised to see me, I’m sure,” Evelyn says.
I don’t deny it, though for some reason I feel like it just makes sense.
“It’s all right, sweetie. I’m not going to bite. How’s that leg of yours?”
“It’s healing well,” I mumble, still a bit shocked at seeing her.
She bends down to pick up an apple and begins to peel it. In front of her sits a row of already peeled apples, apparently they’re to be used eventually. I first wonder if she plans to bake apple pies like my mom and grandma did when I was a little girl.
“It’s a shame you and I didn’t get a chance to talk before you went off to Screven,” she says.
“Why, so you can tell me more about how it’s a bad idea?” I wonder if it would be unwise to mention the meeting she had me witness between Aaron and Heinrich. “I already know your thoughts on the matter,” I say. “But I know mine too.”
“No,” she says, peeling the fresh apple. “You just think you know how I feel. But you don’t know the whole story, do you?”
“I guess not. But I’m not looking for the whole story. I’m looking for protection.”
“Oh, so you don’t want to know the origins of the Starborns and why you can do what you can do? I get it,” she says, focusing on her apples. “Then I suppose that you also don’t care about the fact that Jeremiah has made it his life goal to capture Starborns. That there is so much blood on his hands that I wouldn’t even know where to start when it comes to telling you how horrible of a man he is.”
I’m silent after Evelyn’s words. I’ve heard plenty of things to make me think little of Jeremiah, but mostly, I’m more interested in what it means to be a Starborn.
“So, you’ve got answers then?” I ask.
“Not all of them, but enough for you right now,” she says. She picks up a knife and slices pieces of apples and divides them among the three of us. She then takes a piece for herself and eats it. She lets out a sigh and shuts her eyes as she chews the fruit.
“Nothing like fresh apples,” she says. “Some of the best fruit in the world for you.”
I care nothing for her take on apples. I give Aaron a long look, trying to inform him that the conversation better take a quick turn. He shrugs slightly and turns his attention back to Evelyn.
“So, you can move things around with your mind, right?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“That’s a good gift,” she says, taking another bite. “Not entirely uncommon for Starborns, but a powerful one for sure.”
“You’ve known others like me?”
“Over the years,” she says. “Starborns often come and go. So many are afraid of their own gifts. Too often they look at it as a curse instead of a gift because they have trouble controlling it.”
“I haven’t run into that problem,” I say.
“Then you’re lucky,” she says. She nods at Aaron. “So is he, and the other two listening from the other room.”
“So, they are Starborns too?”
Evelyn nods. “Heather is the fastest runner I’ve ever seen. Danny could lift a vehicle above his head. Aaron’s is a more unique, yet limited skill.”
“Limited?” I ask, looking at Aaron.
“Limited to the amount of electricity that is near him,” she answers.
I nod, remembering the way he burst the light bulb in Screven, and how he used the electricity from the vehicles at Garden’s Peak.
“But for all we know,” Evelyn continues, “we’ve all got hidden abilities that haven’t manifested themselves yet.”
“You mean, I can probably do more than move things around with my mind?”
“I didn’t say probably,” Evelyn says. “It’s only possible.”
I give her a questioning stare until she continues.
“It’s all simple, really. The Starborns have been around for thousands of years. Though we haven’t always been known as Starborns. Many languages have produced varied names for people like us.”
“So, why are we here?”
“Well, legend says that we are all descendants of a race of human-like people who once inhabited the Earth and had children with mankind.
“Legend?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “Aliens? Sounds a bit far-fetched.”
“Any more far-fetched than a person who can throw rocks around with a thought? More so than a person that can run faster than a vehicle? Of course it sounds far-fetched, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”
“So, you and I have the same alien ancestors?” I ask.
“The true Starborns, yes.”
Hearing her say the word Starborns makes me realize where the name originated. Starborns. People born from the stars. Otherworldly people.
“I couldn’t tell you their purpose for coming here,” Evelyn says. “All I know is that we are here now. I believe that the first of us had many more gifts, but the crossbreeding has led to a bloodline far removed from our ancestors. I also think that the original Starborns had all of our gifts combined within them. That they could move things with their mind, run fast, carry gigantic objects with their strength. They were in tune with everything around them.”
“If they were so powerful then where did they go? Why are they no longer here?”
“The dinosaurs were powerful, but they aren’t here now either. Humans won’t be here many years from now. I couldn’t begin to tell you where they went, or where they are now. Perhaps they left. We will never know for sure.”
“So, my brother, Jake, he’s a Starborn too?”
Evelyn nods. “If you share the same parents, then he is of the same lineage that has given you your gift. He has the same potential as you, but he may never see a gift come to fruition.”
“Why not?”
Evelyn shifts in her seat and lets out a sigh. “It has been my observation that Starborns come about in today’s world as a result of considerable danger.” She takes another slice of apple and offers it to me. I shake my head and she puts it in her mouth, chewing loudly. “The gift comes about when someone needs it the most. Think about when you discovered it for yourself. Weren’t you running from greyskins?”
I nod.
“For some in the bloodline, the gift doesn’t come at all,” she says in a somber tone. “Even when they are facing certain death.”
My thoughts drift to my parents. Why didn’t their powers come about when they were trying to save my life? They would still be here with me.
I don’t necessarily buy the whole alien thing, but saying that my abilities came about when I needed them the most is dead on. I can only wonder what situation Aaron may have faced to gain his power. I’ll have to ask him sometime.
“You may think that Jeremiah is just greedy and selfish, but it’s much more than that,” Evelyn says. “He knows all about the Starborns. He knows all about us and he wants us for himself.”
“How do you know this?” I ask. “How can he know this?”
Evelyn sighs again. “Some things are better left unsaid. At least for now.”
“I don’t think so. This tells me nothing about why I shouldn’t use Jeremiah to help my village,” I say.
A slight grin forms at the corners of Evelyn’s mouth. “I didn’t think it would be enough for you. The best way to tell you is to say what my gift is. My gift is simple, and has little power in the physical world, but it
has been useful during my life.”
I look at Aaron, but his eyes are fixed on Evelyn.
“When my skin comes in contact with another, I can see who they really are. I can see their thoughts, their feelings. I can see their true intentions. There was an occasion when I had a chance to shake Jeremiah’s hand. After all, in the beginning, we all regarded him as a hero. But his handshake lingered on mine, maybe ten seconds. That was all the time I needed. He’s hungry. He wants to find all the Starborns. We are a threat to him. His behavior over the years has confirmed what I saw in his mind. He’s hoarding our food, and now he has found you and Aaron. But he’s not just going to take you out. He wants to use you today to find others like you.”
It’s hard to argue with all of this. Of course she could be lying to me, but what reason would she have? Why would she need to lie about any of this? She has to be telling the truth about her gift. I remember when I was in her shack, she reached out and touched my arm. In a flash, her mood changed. She became preoccupied, maybe even rude. She had seen me for who I was. She knew I was a Starborn. But I don’t think she is lying to me. She is so convincing and sincere. Surely she’s not lying to me.
I let out a frustrated sigh. I have no argument to make anymore.
“What about my village?” I ask. “What about their protection?”
“We recruit Starborns,” she says. “You and others like you can protect Springhill.”
My thoughts instantly go to six years before when my parents died. Why couldn’t my gift have come about then? I would have never had to start this long, wearisome journey in the first place.
“What event tipped you over the edge?” Aaron asks. “What finally made you come out here?”
Of course it’s mostly about the huge attack that killed my parents, but there have been more attacks. Less personal ones.
“Our most recent attack was a week ago. It killed a few, but for me, I just can’t bear to think of losing Jake or my grandma to one of those creatures. So, I went to find help.”
“Why not just move?” he asks.
“Springhill is our home. It always has been. Besides that, all the places that are inhabitable are filled with people. No one is just going to take us in. Everywhere else is taken over by herds. Our only option is to get outside help. Even if for a short time.”
“With Jeremiah, it will not be for a short time,” Evelyn says. “He will grab hold of Springhill and never let go. Especially now that he knows there is a Starborn that came from there. Has he already agreed to help?”
“He’s sent guards in exchange for my help, yes.”
“They are safe for now,” Evelyn says.
“But if I don’t help Jeremiah today, if I reject his plan, he’ll go after my family.”
“As long as they keep quiet about knowing you, they’ll be fine,” Aaron says. “Jeremiah doesn’t know who your family is. That won’t be his concern yet anyway.”
“That’s not very reassuring since my family doesn’t know to keep quiet about me,” I say. “They will wonder where I am when the Screven guards reach Springhill.”
Evelyn puts down her knife and rests her chin on her hands. “I think if you go through with your plans to help Jeremiah, your family will eventually be in more danger. All of the colonies will.”
And that’s their pitch. They knew that if they could convince me that my family would be in danger if I went along with Jeremiah, then I would change my mind. And perhaps I will. Truly, I can’t decide if these others with powers like mine have some kind of hidden agenda.
“Of course, it’s all up to you,” Evelyn says. “There’s nothing I nor Aaron can say to make you do anything. I wanted to tell you all of this before you met with Jeremiah. I wanted you to go into the meeting with him, knowing about the danger. But now, I don’t want you to get up in front of the entire colony to recruit Starborns without knowing the consequences.”
I don’t really know what to say. Do I state my thanks and leave? Do I say that I’ll think about it? I feel so frustrated by all of this.
“You are a Starborn, Mora,” Evelyn says, staring deep into my eyes. “With that comes great power and responsibility. Soon, regardless of what you choose to do, many people will be looking up to you. I trust you to do the right thing.”
After a long, awkward silence with Evelyn and Aaron staring at me, and Heather and Danny listening intently from the other room, I excuse myself to go outside and take a walk.
I’ve got to collect my thoughts, try to process everything that I’ve been told. Maybe I can fight off herds by myself now. Maybe I don’t need Jeremiah or the Starborns at all. Perhaps this has all been a big waste of time.
I sit in the grass and rest my back against a tree. Closing my eyes, I try to think about Jake and Grandma. Images form in my mind of them standing in line, signing some papers. What is this?
Near Grandma and Jake are Screven guards, just as Jeremiah had promised. They are shouting out rules for the new colony.
“All of you will be wearing these,” says the nearest guard, holding up a black wristband like the ones people in Salem wear.
Jake looks up at Grandma. “If these guards are here, where’s Mora?”
“I don’t know, honey,” Grandma says. “I’m sure she will be here soon. Don’t worry.”
It touches me to see Jake wondering where I am. I miss him and Grandma both.
Seeing them shows me that it is too late to keep the Screven guards away from Springhill, but my family is safe for now.
I shake my head and my eyes pop open, and I can’t help but notice that I’m breathing heavily. Is what I just saw something that’s happening right now? Can I see people that I know from long distances?
Evelyn had just said something about many Starborns having other abilities form over time. Is that what this little vision is? My mind instantly goes to the other night when I was with Connor and could sense the coming herd of greyskins. Connor had been perplexed that I could sense them from so far off. Perhaps there is way more to the power of my mind than simply being able to move things. I can sense danger? I can see people I care about from long distances? Part of me loves it. Part of me finds it a little unnerving.
I can’t help but wonder if this is something I can control. Perhaps I can see the others I left in the house. I try to sense out Heather but no images form. I try Danny and instantly the picture of him sitting at the table quietly fills my mind. I think of Evelyn and the perspective is switched, though I feel the freedom to move around the room. I can see Heather, Danny, and Evelyn together at the table, though I’m fixed near Evelyn.
“I don’t know,” she says, answering one of them across from her. “She could be the end of us if she follows through with her plans.”
Why can’t I form an image from Heather’s perspective?
“I think we could give her a chance,” Danny says.
Evelyn and Heather say nothing as they all sit in stone silence.
I allow my thoughts to drift to Connor for some reason. The picture forms. He’s got a gun. He’s firing it, but he seems steady. I move my thoughts to widen my sight and can see in front of him and that he is shooting trash somewhere inside the Salem colony. Target practice. At least he’s not out searching for me.
Who else could I try? I think of Krindle, but no pictures form in my mind except for images from my memory which are not as vivid as what I have just seen with Evelyn and Connor. Why can I see some, but not others?
I grit my teeth in frustration at this newfound ability, unable to figure it out until it hits me. Perhaps this ability is a lot like Evelyn’s. She told me that she had to touch someone’s skin with hers in order to be able to learn about them, to see into their thoughts. I’ve never touched Heather. I’ve never come in physical contact with Krindle. Evelyn has touched my arm. Connor stitched my leg. Danny just shook my hand. I’ve hugged my grandma and Jake hundreds of times. Aaron has squeezed my shoulder. But this still doesn’t explain how I was
able to sense the coming horde of greyskins the other night. I had warned Connor and we climbed into the tree in just enough time to go unnoticed. Perhaps that ability is something different altogether.
My vision is instantly following Aaron who is outside. He’s looking at something in the distance. I try to adjust my inner vision until I can see what he’s watching. My stomach drops at first. He’s staring at me! His angle is toward my left shoulder and I instantly turn my head in his direction, searching for him. Between two sets of trees, I see him half hidden.
“About time we get back, don’t you think?” he shouts. He steps out and starts to walk in my direction. “Sorry,” he says. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be bothered.”
“Did you think I had run away?” I ask him with a smirk.
“No,” he says, taking a seat next to me. “I’m just a little worried about you. You’ve got a lot to think about.”
Could he sense me? Had he been able to feel that I was looking at him with my mind’s eye? His reaction says no.
“Yesterday, you said you were going to be far from the colony when it came time to make the announcement,” I say. “Is that still your plan?”
“I spoke out of frustration yesterday,” he says, playing with a piece of grass in his hands. “I’ll go up there with you today. I’m just not going to make some elaborate speech like Krindle wants, but I’ll be there.”
“I get the feeling that something big is happening,” I say. “And I feel like I’ve walked right into the middle of it.”
Aaron smiles at this. “The real head shaker is when you come to the realization that you didn’t walk into this. You actually started it.”
He gets up from the ground and starts walking toward the house, leaving me with my mouth open, unsure of how to reply. All this has been happening long before I discovered that I was a Starborn. How am I the one that started it?
I rush to my feet, and soon I’m right on Aaron’s heels.
“What do you mean I started it? You were with these other Starborns before you met me.”
Out Of Darkness (The Starborn Saga) Page 14