The Gifted

by C. C. Lynch

  I touched his arm with my right hand and began putting my left to the wall. A strange tickling sensation began in my fingertips and increased as I pushed the rest of my hand through.

  “Not like that,” Luka yelled,” you’ll get stuck in the wall!”

  “What?” I screeched and jumped backwards.

  A deep laugh erupted, Luka’s Adam’s apple bobbed with each chortle. “You’re doing fine, keep going.”

  I rolled my eyes and giggled. “So where are you from?” I asked while continuing to test out my ability to replicate his gift.

  “Dumbarton,” he answered, amusement in his eyes.

  “Oh? Did you live there all your life?” I was trying to understand why his accent was not strong without being rude.

  He nodded, and kept his gaze intent on my hand. “Is that all there is to the story of Luka, or is there more?” I pressed him for more information.

  One brow rose humorously, as if he knew exactly why I was asking. “My mother was a chamber maid and my father was American military. My mother wanted to stay in Scotland and she has a way of always getting what she wants. Her sister is a professor at Aldershaw Academy and here I am.”

  “Neat,” I smiled, continuing to push through the wall.

  I was starting to understand the sensations associated with the placement of my hand. It was bizarre being able to feel part of my body, but not be able to see it. “It’s strange, isn’t it? Knowing part of your body is there but having it be in another room?” I pulled my hand back and inspected it.

  “Strange? Want to see strange?” Luka’s eyes glittered with amusement. He quickly pushed his palm to my shoulder then right through. I looked down to see the hem of his shirt brushing against my sweater, his hand and wrist were phased right through the meat of my shoulder. I pulled away, instinctively, but his body moved with mine, his limb firmly in place, taking up the same space as my body.

  “Ah! Ew! Ew! Gross, get it out,” I yelled and batted my hand at his arm like it was a massive spider. There was no pain, but it was the most gruesome thing to behold; having another person’s body part sticking through mine. I tried to keep my shoulder still, but the more I focused on remaining still, the harder my body thrashed in disgust. His arm would pull and return every time I jerked about, making me think that some serious bodily damage was going to come from my tugging.

  Luka pulled his hand out and buckled over, laughing.

  “No,” I shook my head fervently, “nope. I have a thousand nopes for that.” I flailed my arms trying to rid myself of the image of Luka’s wrist inside my shoulder. The image stayed there, vivid as the moment it happened. I threw my head back and wailed, “that was so disgusting!”

  Once Luka caught his breath from his fit of roaring laughter, he regained composure. “Admit it, you’re curious about what else I can do.” Luka winked and puffed his chest out.

  I opened my mouth to excuse myself, but instead just pivoted and left. I enjoyed that Luka was playful and kept the atmosphere light, but I had no patience for anymore tricks or phasing surprises. That was about all the intangibility I could handle for one day.

  “Going to look for Shane and Liz,” I called out to Steph as I stepped into the elevator. I could hear her say something in return, but the doors were already closing. She probably answered my statement simply with a “alright” or “okay.” If it was anything more important, Draxe would pass the message along.

  Having no idea where to start looking, I just pushed a random button hoping that no one would be near the elevator when it opened. Doors randomly opening without a person inside was likely to raise suspicions. As the elevator slowly ascended to the fourth level the beep seemed to grow louder, making me doubt my invisibility. I looked down to check my hands, just to be sure. My hidden body and clothes were reassuring.

  I put my hand on the elevator wall, wondering if simply touching the object would make it turn invisible as well. It was evident that certain things Liz touched would be invisible, otherwise one could simply look for an outfit walking around on its own. We had never addressed how large the object could be or if it needed to be a certain material. Whatever the case, touching the elevator did not make it invisible. Fortunately, my clothes and the folded paper with the list of names in my pocket were invisible and that was all that I needed at the time.

  As the doors opened, one student rushed onto the elevator with books in her hands. She pressed the button for the second floor repeatedly muttering “come on” while doing so.

  Dirty blonde ringlets were pulled back with a silver clip jeweled with crystals. A dainty diamond nose ring matched her hair accessory. The girl leaned on her leg and bounced impatiently while the elevator continued its ascent.

  The anxiety emanating from the girl was palpable. I tried to hold my breath so that she would not notice that I was in there, but her apprehension was trickling into me and I was finding it hard to steady my breathing.

  The chime of the elevator sang out as we got to her destination. “Finally,” she grunted, as she stepped out.

  A man with spiked black hair, black tight jeans, and a tee shirt clinging to his miniscule abdomen rushed onto the elevator, bumping into the girl in the process.

  I pushed myself against the back of the elevator, weary of this new person being able to sense my presence.

  “Sorry,” she groaned, bending over to pick up the books. She looked up at the guy who was now pressing a button as fervently as she had and furrowed her brows. “Chase?” She blinked rapidly, “where are you going? We have an exam in like, three minutes ago.”

  The guy cleared his throat and muttered, “forgot something,” and pushed the button to close the doors. Just as they did, Chase’s body began to morph slowly. His hair became brown and curly, his long body shrank ever so slightly, his stomach was just as small, but lost definition, and finally his face took on the appearance of Frankie.

  “Vlaine?” I whispered, before realizing that someone else in the school could have the same gift as Draxe and Vlaine.

  He looked over in my direction, staring at where my voice had come from. So quickly that I had no time to react, he wrapped his arms around my torso and pulled me into him.

  “Abbs, I didn’t even hear your thoughts,” he chuckled.

  “Oh, this is weird,” I giggled nervously, letting go of my concentration on Liz’s gift. “I know it’s you but you still look like Frankie.” He smelled like Vlaine, the fresh rain aroma still surrounded him, but his changed appearance made the embrace feel wrong and awkward.

  He let go, laughing, “yeah, that probably is weird to see, but I promise it’s not any stranger than hugging what looks to be air.” Vlaine tucked his hands into his pockets. “What are you doing? Is everything okay?” His smiling face melted down into the typical Vlaine smolder.

  “Looking for Shane. I know Draxe told you to keep an eye out, but it was getting stuffy down there. How is everything looking here at Ernvlik?”

  “You might want to change appearance,” he crossed his arms while his eyes trailed from my face to my feet then back up.

  “Right,” I nodded. I thought of the girl that had just left the elevator and took on her appearance. I looked down at jeans tucked into the brown boots that stopped just above my ankles. “Convincing?” I asked Vlaine whose appearance as Frankie was still a bit unnerving.

  “Mhmm,” he nodded while looking around, as if he was searching the interior of the elevator. His finger pressed the button for the ground floor. “Shane just came back in.”

  I felt my brows pinch together, skeptically. “He was outside?”

  “Apparently,” he shrugged.

  “Did he simply feel like wandering in the Alaskan wilderness in the middle of winter?” I asked, rhetorically.

  He smirked, “Who knows.” Vlaine crossed his arms and rocked on the sides of his feet, preparing to enter his Frankie persona. “The only way down is the elevator. We’ll cut him off between here and the door.” He gave t
he directions lazily, knowing I was already on the same train of thought.

  As the doors opened, we stepped off and made our way towards the main door, searching for Shane. Though he seemed harmless and I never received any bad vibes from him, my guard was up. He could have had ties with Replyx and was gathering workers to take us all by surprise on the revered level.

  Vlaine bumbled about as Frankie would and I kept a few feet behind Vlaine, my expression blank and mimicking the gait of the blonde girl as best I could. Halfway from the elevator to the door Vlaine and I caught a glimpse of a little white mouse running past us. Our eyes locked onto one another, followed by an agreeing nod.

  Pivoting quickly to follow the mouse, I arched an eyebrow at Vlaine. “How much do you want to bet that little rodent has one green eye and one brown eye?”

  Vlaine and I filed into the elevator nonchalantly and stood on opposite ends, keeping our appearance calm. The doors shut tightly and Vlaine pressed the button for the lowest floor. “So,” I crossed my arms against my chest and tapped my fingers on my elbows, “do you typically go for strolls in the tundra, or was that just to keep us all on our toes?”

  I watched the mouse behind me in the reflection of the elevator doors. A few moments later, too quickly for my eyes to make sense of what happened, the mouse transformed into Shane.

  Shane straightened himself out then inspected my face closely. “Abrielle?” He was so close that I had to step back so our noses would not bump one another. He smelled like sweat and winter air; like a dog that had been playing in the snow.

  “Yeah,” I nodded, “it’s me.”

  “That’s so weird,” he began poking my cheeks.

  “Okay,” I pushed his hand away, “that’s getting awkward.” I scrunched my nose, “I wasn’t petting you when you were a mouse.”

  “Oh,” he pulled his hand away and clutched it with the other, “sorry.” He looked forward and startled whistling some tune that I had heard before but could not quite place. I stared at him, waiting to hear his explanation to why he had left the academy. Shane’s gaze drifted slowly to me, his whistling halted when our eyes locked.

  “And you were out walking around because, why?” I pushed my head forward, accentuating my need for an explanation.

  “Oh right,” Shane smiled, “I felt like going for a run.” He leaned forward like he was at a starting line for a race, “but as a fox.” He nodded and flashed his teeth. “Cool, right?”

  “Vapid,” Vlaine muttered, shaking his head.

  “Huh?” Shane looked to Vlaine, still unaware that he was only appearing as Frankie. “I’m not conceded,” he said defensively.

  “That’s not what…” I began to correct him, then just shrugged it off. It was evident that Shane’s intentions for leaving the school were not harmful. If he was with Replyx, Vlaine would have caught on to any red flags, especially with the forced proximity.

  “Hey,” Shane looked over to me as we got off the elevator, “so can you turn into anyone?”

  I looked to Vlaine who had lost the Frankie façade and was back to his actual appearance. “Yeah,” I nodded.

  His eyes widened with amusement. “So, in a second you could turn into a historical person, the queen of England, or something?” He looked up at the ceiling in contemplation before looking at me excitedly, “Do Marilyn Monroe!”

  His excitement and intrigue washed away the anxiety I was burdened with beforehand, but there was still too much to get done for me to entertain Shane with my emulation of Vlaine and Draxe’s gift. “No,” I laughed, “maybe later.”

  “Okay,” he pointed at me, “later.” With a skip, he jogged off to the classroom we had designated be open to everyone.

  Shane, Ovolina, Connor, and Miranda were discussing ideas for a couple hours while the rest of the people were dispersed amongst the floor. I walked by the room a few times, looking in curiously. Ovolina’s hard gaze softened every time she looked at Shane. It was hard to tell if he felt the same about her. He was like a puppy, happy for any attention and filled with contagious excitement.

  Liz reappeared not long after Vlaine, Shane, and I returned and admitted that she had followed Shane when she saw him get onto the elevator. Until they earned her trust, everyone would be suspicious in her eyes. She had followed Shane closely until he got outside and turned into an arctic fox. Once he ran off, she tried to keep an eye from inside the school where she would be safe from frostbite.

  I was glad Liz had followed Shane. If there were any snakes in the grass, they needed to be found quickly before any irreparable damage was done.

  Being accountable for a floor filled with gifted teenagers was a lot of responsibility.

  3

  “Let’s play a game!” Steph’s melodic voice was the first thing I heard when I awoke.

  I rolled over slowly, studying my friend’s face. Rarely was she ever awake before me. It meant that she hadn’t fallen asleep the previous night. “Okay,” I nodded, “go gather the troops.”

  Everyone gathered in the room we affectionately dubbed the “play room” and listened to Steph’s suggestion. To simultaneously bond and practice our abilities, we would play a gifted version of capture the flag. There would be three teams, each one holding a key. The team leader would choose with player held a key, but no one else would know; therefore, as much effort would be put into searching as protecting their teammates. The first team to hold all three keys would win.

  Miranda suggested we have a trial run so that we could find a rhythm and reduce the chances of any major injuries. Having Aiden there meant we were unlikely to have any fatalities, but he said that broken bones were the fault of whomever was not watching their own back.

  Frankie excused himself so he could continue to tinker, which came as a surprise to no one. Steph declared that she would be a captain and Al volunteered because he did not feel comfortable using the gifts of others to win a “silly game.” Liz and Lacey argued for the chance to be the final captain until Liz finally gave up with a huff.

  Steph had painted the tips of house keys with nail polish - gold, ruby, and the last sapphire. She handed the gold to Al, the sapphire to Lacey, then tucked the ruby into her sleeve.

  Each team was picked like a lineup for middle school dodgeball. Steph chose me first, Al chose Connor, then Lacey chose Vlaine. Steph glared at Lacey when Vlaine’s name left her lips. I had not given her choice a second thought until I saw the way Steph was scowling. Had Lacey made her pick aggressively rather than strategically? I knew well enough that when Steph said Aiden’s name it was a threat towards Lacey. Al ignored the tension building between the two girls and chose Shane. Lacey’s voice was deliberately peppy as she called Liz to her side then Steph pulled her shoulders back and stood with determination as she called Luka forward. Luka jogged to her side with pride.

  Aiden and Luka gave our team an undoubtable advantage over the other teams. With Aiden being able to stop time and Luka having the ability to move through objects and physically disrupt matter, we already seemed unstoppable.

  Al pointed at Ovolina and simply said “please.” Lacey glanced to Al then Steph and tapped her chin. She then pointed her freshly polished finger towards Claire. “The assassin chick,” Lacey chuckled.

  Steph turned her body, placed her hands in her back pockets, and smiled. “Last, but certainly not least, Draxe.”

  Miranda was chosen next for Al’s team then Lacey finished the team separations by waving her finger at Lena while saying, “you, with the hair. You’re on my team.”

  We each left to go into a separate room where the captain decided who would hold the key. I knew Steph had decided who would get the keys before the teams were even chosen. She was calculated and strategic like that. We each turned around and closed our eyes while she put the key into the hand of the selected teammate. I had no idea who got the key, I just knew it was not me when she told us to open our eyes and turn around.

  Steph smiled with pride at Aiden, Luka, Draxe,
and me. “I know you’re all going to work well together.” She inhaled then motioned for everyone to huddle closely. “Watch the others carefully. Once people start using their gifts, it’s going to get wild pretty quickly. Abrielle, watch closely and whatever superpowers the other teams use to find the keys, do that. Draxe, I’m going to need you to keep tabs on your brother. We know he’s going to be keeping Abrielle safe no matter what team he’s on, but that doesn’t mean he won’t go after Luka and Aiden,” she shrugged, “maybe even you.” Her eyes met Luka’s for a few moments. “Do your intangible thing,” she said before the tips of her cheeks turned rosy. She cleared her throat, looked at Aiden, and ordered, “keep Abrielle safe.”

  We nodded and went back into the room where Al’s group was waiting patiently for the rest. A few minutes later Lacey sauntered into the room. “Let’s do this,” she shouted with a cocky undertone.

  Each group stood in a separate corner and the captains stayed by the door. With a nod from the captains, the practice run commenced.

  Even without telepathy, what was going to happen was obvious. It was only logical to test our abilities against those who would be the most challenging. Vlaine and Connor turned towards one another and the rest of the room went still.

  Connor threw his left arm straight up, his wrist and elbow parallel to the floor facing Vlaine’s outstretched hands from which a blast of energy has just been thrust. The crackle of thunder muffled by distance sounded as the force of energy from Vlaine’s palms slammed into the shield of Connor’s gift and the energy was transcended and redirected by Connor’s forearm. A wave of energy rippled back toward its origin with the entirety of the force from which it originated. Vlaine’s body flew backwards and his spine met the wall with a sickening thud as the sheer force pummeled his body.

  The room was in slow motion as I saw his body slide down the wall and he toppled onto the floor, chest first. My mind screamed at me to run to him, but my I was frozen in place. Just as my body and my mind began to realign, Vlaine’s right hand raised and he tried his best once more towards Connor who was still in a readied stance.