“Yes, you’d think so, but it needs to be a physical trauma. A mental or emotional one isn’t enough.”
I was putting pieces of the story together in my head. “But being thrown in the bombing was?”
“Yes.”
I looked at him curiously. “What was your event that started it all? What happened to you?”
He glanced away. “My father threw me down a flight of stairs when I was eighteen.”
I could hear the pain in his voice. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, no one died. Not like with you.”
Pain struck my heart. “No, I guess not. Must still be hard, though. Where is he now?”
Hunter shrugged. “No idea. Don’t care either. I walked away from him that day, left the house. I lived rough for a few months, until I realized things were happening to me, and that people were following me. Then Kit approached me and brought me here.”
“Wow, you’ve been here for years?”
“Yeah, I didn’t exactly have anywhere else to go.”
We were silent for a moment. But I still had so many unanswered questions.
“How did the government find out about us?”
“I guess they were still watching some of us to a certain extent. Maybe someone reported seeing something strange, and that brought them down on us again. They started to realize the drugs they’d given our mothers may have actually done something to the babies they were carrying. Of course, they couldn’t track us all down, but they started to try. Most of the babies were completely normal—either they weren’t able to do what we can, even if they’d experienced a physically traumatic event, or else they hadn’t experienced one yet, so the agents didn’t know one way or the other. But then there were those of us, like you and me, who were showing abilities. We find you—newbies—and bring you here to train you and keep you safe, but it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes we lose people.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some people’s minds can’t handle the change. They think they’re going crazy, and so they do, quite literally, and end up either dead or in the hospital. Others, the government gets to before we do.”
“And what happens to them?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. They just vanish. We’ve lost people from here as well. People who’ve gone out to get supplies, or out to bring in new recruits, and they’ve never come back.”
“Maybe they’ve done that willingly.”
He chewed his lower lip. “Yes, maybe. Or something else happened to them. People go missing all the time, but they’re not normally people who also have government agents tracking them. Normally, the most obvious explanation is the correct one.”
“But why do these government agents seem to hate us so much?”
“Because we’re not supposed to exist. They’re frightened of what we can do.”
I ran my hand through my hair, trying to let it all sink in. It was absolute madness, but what was I supposed to say? I couldn’t deny things I had seen with my own eyes, things happening around me even before Hunter had come into my life. If this was some kind of trick or a joke, they’d gone a freakishly long way to try to play it on me, and what would be the point?
Was my life in danger?
Hunter was watching me. “So, what do you say?”
“About what?”
“About coming to stay here for a while, learning what we do, and what you can do as well.”
I didn’t think I had much of a choice. How was I supposed to go back and live my old life after what I’d seen? Plus, I didn’t know if my so-called abilities would cause me problems if they went untrained. What if something happened and I did something that hurt someone? The cold, menacing expression in the eyes of the man following us remained in my mind. Would I forever be looking over my shoulder? And I had to admit, the idea of living in such close proximity to Hunter had my heart fluttering.
“I can’t just stay,” I said. “I need to go home first and tell my dad I’ll be going away for a couple of weeks. It would kill him if I disappeared, and after losing my sister, I couldn’t put him through that.”
Hunter nodded. “I understand. I’ll take you back home, but it can’t be for long, okay? We don’t know if the men in black have figured out if you’re one of us or not. If they have, it won’t take much for them to learn your address.”
I stared at him in alarm. “Is my dad safe?”
“Yes, perfectly. They know the family of people like us don’t share our abilities.”
“But what if they tried to make him tell where we are?”
“They won’t. They know we don’t tell a single soul.” He looked at me intensely. “And that applies to you as well, Ari. It’s one of our rules. No one is to know about this place.”
“What are the other rules?”
“That we never use our powers to hurt an innocent person, which includes financially or emotionally. And we never use our powers on each other.”
That all seemed reasonable. I nodded. “Deal.”
We left the kitchen and walked back through to the Cavern. I caught Dixie’s eye and she threw me a wink, and I smiled back. Others nodded at me as I followed Hunter back to the tunnel we’d entered through. What were they thinking? Did they assume they’d see me back here? Did they ever have people who said no? I wondered what happened to those people if they did.
Hunter stopped at the entrance to the tunnel through the rock cliff face and lit a couple of candles.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to carry flashlights?” I suggested.
“Flashlights can get lost, or run out of batteries. At least if these are always here, we know there’s going to be light along the way. You wouldn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the tunnel with no light.”
I thought of all the light bulbs I’d blown in the last couple of weeks. “I guess not.”
I’d been mostly breaking things, but I wondered, for a fraction of a second, if I’d be able to make a bulb illuminate by myself rather than break it.
Pushing the thought from my mind, I took one of the candles and followed Hunter back the way we’d come. I felt more comfortable doing the journey this way around, knowing I’d emerge into fresh air and space. Being underground for so long had left me claustrophobic, and I tried not to think about how I would be living down here.
We emerged fifteen minutes later, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The bay was exactly as we’d left it, with the exception that the fog had gone and the bright blue sky had returned. I was glad to see it. I looked up at the bridge, the vehicles passing overhead. I remembered our jump down, how crazy it had seemed. Would my life ever stop feeling like I was stuck in the middle of a dream?
Something occurred to me as I stared at the expanse of metal above. “Hey, how are we going to get back up? You’re not going to call some wind to catapult me, are you?”
He grinned. “Nah, we’ll use the steps.”
My mouth dropped. “If there are steps, why the hell did we jump off the bridge?”
“I didn’t want anyone to see us. Besides, I wanted to see how much you trusted me.”
I glared at him, but he only laughed and turned away. I had no choice but to follow him.
It turned out the steps weren’t really steps at all, but perilous grooves cut away in the face of the cliff. I skidded and squealed a number of times as we ascended, sending little flurries of rock falls down onto the beach below. Heights weren’t exactly my favorite thing, and when Hunter reached back to help me up, I held so hard onto his hand I thought I might crush his fingers.
We reached the top and I threw myself down onto the grass, breathing hard. “Oh, my God. I think I’d rather jump off the bridge.”
“That can be arranged.”
When I’d pulled myself together, we walked back across the bridge. A couple of cabs were waiting outside of the café that catered to tourists who were sightseeing, so we jumped in the back of one. I told the driver my father’s
address.
I didn’t want Hunter to leave, but I needed to have a difficult conversation with my dad. I didn’t know how the idea of me leaving for two weeks was going to go down with him.
“Thanks for walking me back,” I said, outside of the front door. “So, what happens now?”
“I’ll take you back to the Cavern tomorrow.”
I nodded, my insides twisting uncomfortably at the idea. Living underground with people I didn’t know, all practicing some kind of magical power, and hoping government agents didn’t track us down.
Above my head, the porch light fizzled and popped.
Hunter looked up at it, his eyebrow arched.
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess I do need to figure out how to control this.”
“It’ll be all right,” he told me.
I gave a tight smile. “I hope so.”
He stepped away, and I sighed. A part of me wanted to leave with him now, but I couldn’t do that to my dad.
“I’ll catch you later,” he said, and I nodded and turned to my front door.
I left him, letting myself into the house.
“Dad?”
“Through here?” his familiar voice called back. The scent of meat and gravy wafted through the house, making my stomach gurgle. I’d eaten the toast in the kitchen at the Cavern, but all the running around, and kissing, had left me famished. I couldn’t help the smile spreading across my face at the thought of kissing Hunter. That part had definitely been unexpected. Hell, all of it had been unexpected, but for some reason that was the thing lingering on my mind.
“Hey, sweetheart,” my dad said as I walked into the kitchen to find him stirring a pot of something. “Hope you’re hungry. We’ve got Irish stew and dumplings.”
“Starving,” I said, plopping myself down at the kitchen table.
“I’m glad you’re home. I was starting to get worried. It’s not like you to be out all day.”
“I got called in to work,” I said. I’d been thinking about what reasons I’d give for my sudden need to disappear for a couple of weeks, and he’d given me a good opening.
“Work?” The tone of his voice lifted in surprise.
“Yeah. Obviously, they were concerned that I haven’t been showing any signs of wanting to go back.”
He huffed out air through his nose. “Well, that’s hardly surprising after what you’ve been through.”
“It’s okay. They understand. That’s actually what they wanted to speak to me about. They realize it would be difficult for me to work back in the restaurant considering it’s a very similar setting to the one where the bombing happened, and wanted to offer me an alternative.”
“Oh?” My dad stopped stirring the stew and faced me.
“Yeah, they wanted to know if I was interested in taking a marketing role with the company. A lot of it would be online, but I’d be doing all the regular stuff as well, like coordinating flyer drops and getting spots in local newspapers.”
Lines appeared between his eyebrows. “Why would they want you for that job? You don’t have any experience.”
“Oh, I do,” I continued, hoping I could bluff this. “I ran a team during the holidays last year to promote all the Christmas meals they were running—remember?”
I’d played a very small role in that campaign, but I hoped it would jog his memory enough to make what I was saying plausible.
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do remember that.”
“So, they said they’d rather find a new role for me than lose me as a staff member. They know I’m a good worker—it’s not like I’ve even had a day off sick before now.”
“That’s true.” He nodded again. “Well, that’s all very exciting, sweetheart. Congratulations.”
I forced a smile. “Thanks. There is one problem though.”
His face dropped. “Oh, what’s that?”
“I have to go away for training for a couple of weeks.”
“Right. That’s understandable.”
“And it starts tomorrow.”
His eyebrows lifted. “That soon?”
“Yeah. The courses don’t run too often, and they want to get me on board sooner rather than later. You don’t mind, do you?”
He gave a smile, but I could tell it was strained and my heart twisted for him. “No, of course not. I was only nagging you last week because I wanted you to go out more, and I was worried about you. You’re a grown woman. You should be out there making your own life, not worrying about me, and certainly not asking my permission. I think it’s a great opportunity. I certainly won’t be the one standing in your way.”
Guilt swamped me over my lies, but I couldn’t tell him the truth, and it would be even worse if I just vanished.
I got to my feet and went over to him, and pulled him into a hug. I squeezed him tight, noting how much weight he’d lost since my sister had died. “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart. Now how about we sit down and eat.”
I released him. “Sure.”
We sat down to hearty bowls of stew and dumplings, exactly what I needed to make me feel more grounded again. I tried to spend these last few hours in his presence as focused as possible, though my mind constantly drifted to thoughts of Hunter and the Cavern.
“I wish I’d known it was going to be your last night for a while,” he said, surprising me. “I’m supposed to go out bowling with the guys.”
“Oh, right.” He’d caught me off guard. “That’s okay, Dad. You go out and have fun. I need to pack, anyway. I’m not going to be much in the way of entertainment.”
He looked at me, one eyebrow drawn down, biting his lower lip. “I can always cancel. They won’t miss me.”
I laughed. “Yes, they will. You know they’ll lose if you don’t show.”
His laughter joined mine, and I relaxed for the first time that day.
I left him to get ready for his game, and I went up to my bedroom to pack. I figured a rucksack was more sensible than a suitcase, though I wouldn’t be able to fit as much in it. I guessed I should plan on packing light anyway. From the quick tour I’d been given, I hadn’t seen a ton of personal items.
The memory of the tour immediately took my thoughts back to Hunter and the way he’d kissed me. God, it had been a long time since a man had been able to take control of my body like that. The moment I was in his vicinity, I found myself yearning for him. Hell, I didn’t even need to be near him. Maybe I was just using him as a distraction for the way I’d been feeling about everything else recently, and for the sudden turn of events I was dealing with now, but even if I was only using him as a distraction, he was an excellent one to have.
My dad called goodbye to me from downstairs, so I left the bedroom to stand at the top of the stairs and wave.
“When will you be back?” I called to him.
“Depends how many beers the guys want to have. I’ll see you in the morning before you leave, though?”
I smiled. “Of course. I wouldn’t go without saying goodbye.”
He left the house and I went back to my packing, over-analyzing every item, trying to figure out if it was appropriate or not. What exactly did you pack to go and live with a secret community of telekinetic twenty-something-year-olds?
A scrape came at my window and my heart jumped into my chest.
What the hell was that? There were no trees nearby to cause a branch to brush against the window pane. The memory of the man in the black suit flashed up in my head. Could he have found me here?
My small PC suddenly whirred to life, and, across the other side of the room, my digital radio blared, making me jump, my hand clutched to my chest. I knew now these things happening were a response to my emotional reaction and the energy waves I was sending out rather than anything supernatural, but it was still freaky as hell.
I hurried over to turn off the radio, the loud noise unnerving me even more than I already was. I switched it off, and it occurred to me if I had control over
my powers, I’d have been able to do this via thought. I glanced back toward the window, listening hard for any further noise. It was already dark outside, and the light being on in my bedroom caused my own reflection to stare back at me.
I was paranoid. Considering everything that had happened that day, it was hardly surprising. I must have imagined the sound, or it had come from a different part of the house. My heart started to slow, my breathing returning to normal.
Crossing the room, I went to the window to pull my curtains across and shut myself off from the street below. I gripped the material to give it a yank—
And a face appeared in the window.
Chapter Ten
I exhaled a sigh of relief and tried to steady my shaking limbs. “Jesus Christ, Hunter. You just about gave me a heart attack.”
I unlatched the window at the bottom and pulled up the sash.
Hunter grinned back at me, balancing on the roof of the porch which ran around most of the house, before pulling himself in through the window. He straightened in front of me and dusted himself down. “Sorry. I was waiting for your dad to leave.”
“So, you knew he wasn’t here. Why didn’t you just ring the damned bell?”
“I figured this was more dramatic.”
“Like the bridge jump?”
“Exactly.”
He was smirking at me, and I was doing my best not to smile back. The truth was, I was pleased to see him, even if he’d aged me ten years by his choice of arrival.
I reached out and smacked his arm. “Stop it!”
“What?”
“You know what. You’re playing with me.”
“I can’t help it. You just seem so … playable.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Playable?”
That smirk was back. “Yeah. Someone I’d want to play with.”
“Well, I’m kind of busy right now. As you can see, I’m doing the important job of packing for tomorrow.”
“The packing will still be here in the morning.”
“Is that right?”
He’d gotten closer, taken steps without me even realizing. My body hummed for him again, and I found my breath shallow, my body subconsciously leaning toward him.
Flux (The Flux Series Book 1) Page 7