Discovery

by Lisa White

  Ben just stood at the tree, glaring at Gregory.

  “How did you do that?” Grace came up behind Gregory. “How did you throw that racquet so far? And how could it rip into the side of that car?” She stood directly in front of Gregory, dumbfounded at his ability to violate the basic laws of physics.

  Gregory’s eyes widened at the site of the racquet stuck in the Range Rover. “I guess your friend Ben acting all weird like that pumped up my adrenaline.” He looked over at his brother and then back toward Ben who had now disappeared from view.

  “Well, he’s gone now so how about that drink you mentioned, Grace?” Andrew asked as he herded the group toward the gate in the fence. “It’ll be our treat, girls.”

  “Sure.” Annie put her arm through Andrew’s and made her claim on him official.

  Grace did not respond. She was still reeling. First Ben’s strange behavior this afternoon in the dining room and now Gregory seemed to have a superhuman ability to turn tennis racquets into hacksaws. The boys in her life were driving her crazy.

  But her craziness did not last long. Out of nowhere, Grace had that same unnaturally relaxed feeling she had earlier. Her nerves’ protective blanket fell over her again just as Gregory’s arm fell across her shoulders.

  “Do you mind?” he asked nodding to his arm, his face so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. His eyes that were previously so angry with Ben had transformed back into the green twinkles that melted Grace’s brain.

  “No, not at all.” Grace smiled and nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck just as they reached the tennis gate. Her thoughts of Ben and the tennis racquet had already melted away with her brain.

  • • •

  “Answer me!” Ben was hidden in a cluster of pine trees near the Club’s fourteenth green. “Have I been replaced?” Ben tried not to grip his cell phone too hard for fear of breaking the contraption in two.

  “No.” Tom’s voice boomed over his cell phone. “What are you talking about?”

  “I just need to know. Would the Council replace me as Grace’s Guardian without me knowing?” Ben nervously paced from one pine tree to the next, knowing his speed prevented anyone from seeing him in this state. His heart pounded so hard it hurt.

  “Of course not. You’re her Guardian. You’re the only one in charge of Grace’s protection team right now.”

  “Well then, they’re here,” Ben sighed in resignation. He stopped pacing to rub his temples. “Tell the Council to get ready because the Anti-Powers are definitely here and they’re close to Grace. Real close.”

  Chapter Four: Apologies

  Grace burst into Ben’s apartment like a hurricane. “We need to talk.” She pointed directly at Ben and threw her large purse on the floor with a thud.

  Tom placed the book he was reading on the coffee table and slowly stood up from the couch. “Hey, Gracie. Good to see you too.” He nodded to her and then glanced over at his brother. “I was just leaving anyway.” Tom grabbed his car keys and exited the front door without waiting for a response from either of them.

  Ben sat up straighter in the recliner where he had been napping only a few seconds earlier and took a deep breath. “Look, Gracie — ”

  “Don’t you ‘look Gracie’ me.” Her eyes glared. “What is your problem lately?”

  Ben should have seen Hurricane Grace coming. He had not taken any of Grace’s calls after the tennis court incident so he knew she had been stewing for a couple of days. Apparently, she was now up to a full–blown boil. She stood in the middle of the apartment’s small living room with both hands on her waist and her feet firmly planted in the worn shag carpet.

  By the looks of her stance, Ben could tell he was in for a long afternoon.

  “I don’t have a problem. I … I’m just not too crazy about those Reich brothers, that’s all.” Ben nervously fidgeted with a hole in the recliner’s upholstery, diverting his eyes away from Grace’s glare.

  “Why? What business is it of yours who I date?”

  Ben’s focus immediately flipped back to Grace. He bolted up from the recliner, his voice cracking with incredulousness, “So now you are dating him?” His heart beat faster as each word left his lips.

  Grace did not answer. The two friends silently stood in the middle of the living room, eyes locked on each other as if they were muted strangers. Neither moved. They were at an impasse and did not even know it.

  Finally, Grace broke the awkward silence. “Dating. Hanging out. Whatever it is that Gregory and I are doing. You still have no right to act the way you’re acting. I mean, what was with you at the tennis courts the other day? You looked like some creepy stalker standing there behind that stupid tree. And why haven’t you returned any of my calls?”

  Ben took another deep breath and stepped toward her. His eyes never left her face. He desperately wanted to put his arms around her and protect her from everything he knew was coming. From the hurt she would experience soon. From the truth that would overshadow all the anger she was feeling right now. He wanted so much to be the one to tell her everything. To tell her of her destiny, of her true place in this world.

  To tell her how he really felt about her.

  But to tell her all that would risk the Council taking Grace away from him forever.

  And that was the one thing he could not let happen.

  So he just stood there and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re sorry?”

  “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s all you have to say after the way you’ve been acting?”

  “I’m not sure what else I can say other than … I’m sorry.” Ben’s cracking voice almost sounded like a whisper now and he tried to focus on the carpet below in order to escape Grace’s eyes. Her big, blue, beautifully intense eyes.

  Grace seemed to soften a little at the tone of Ben’s voice. She sighed and relaxed her arms down at her side. “Are you going to explain why you’ve been so crazy?” she asked, now slightly calmer than before.

  “No. I can’t … I mean I … I don’t know.” Ben finally looked up at her. “Can’t we just agree to disagree on that Gregory guy?”

  “Will you promise to behave in front of ‘that Gregory guy’ from now on?”

  “Maybe.” Ben did not know how to answer that one.

  “Well, can you at least try?” Grace stepped closer to him. “Look. For the first time in a long time I really like a guy. I mean really like him. But you are my best friend and I kind of need to keep you around too.” Grace reached over and closed up the now small space between them with a hug, flinging her arms carelessly around his neck. “I hate it when we fight,” she whispered in his ear, “so you stop acting crazy and I’ll stop getting mad at you and then we won’t fight anymore. Okay?”

  Knowing her lips were close, almost touching him, Ben lost his train of thought. He shouldn’t be this close to her. As he reluctantly leaned out of Grace’s embrace, their faces brushed against each other and he could feel her warm breath on his cheek. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring her familiar scent before he finally stepped out of her arms completely. He looked down into her eyes again and knew what he had to do. “I’ll try,” was all he said.

  Grace smiled up at him. “Thanks. I really think once you get to know Gregory, you’ll like him.” She leaned over to pick her purse up off the floor. “Okay. Now that we have that settled, let’s go eat.”

  Ben looked at Grace and shook his head. One minute she was full of fire and brimstone, the next minute painfully self-conscious, and then the next minute playful and ready for her next social engagement. Her mood swings would drive anyone crazy.

  But sometimes Ben liked feeling a little crazy.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “We’re going to the Cavern Café to meet Annie.” Grace began pushing Ben out the front door. “It’s Wing Night and I’m in the mood for something spicy.”

  “Of course you are.” Ben smiled and turned to lock t
he door of his apartment. “Is Gregory going to be there?” he asked with his back still to Grace.

  “No. He has some meeting with his father.” Grace stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Ben who was now walking toward her. “But so what if he was going to be there. That’s not going to be a problem now, remember?”

  “Just getting myself prepared. I need to take baby steps with this guy. Okay?”

  “Okay. Baby steps. But you won’t have to start tonight. Tonight it will just be the Three Amigos. I promise.” Grace took Ben’s hand and pulled him toward her car. But she didn’t have to pull too hard.

  • • •

  “Well, boys. What do you think?” Jamison Reich sat behind his massive antique mahogany desk, the fingertips of each hand pressed together in contemplative habit. He looked at his sons seated in front of him with a mixture of pride and impatience. “Do you think you made a mistake? Answer me that one question.” He enunciated each word with razor-sharp precision.

  Neither son replied. Both stared at the floor, avoiding their father’s glare. Mr. Reich knew they weren’t ignoring him. They were just too afraid to speak.

  But Jamison Reich did not accept fear from his sons.

  “I … said … answer … me!” Mr. Reich bellowed and slammed his fist on the desk. The entire room shook with his words and several books actually flew off the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that covered the walls of the large room.

  The stereotypical wooden paneling and shelving found in the classic lawyer’s office surrounded Mr. Reich’s study. This abundance of wood was a good thing considering one of his many powers was the ability to maneuver metal with his mind. A power he found difficult to control when he was angry. The few items in the study that did contain metal met Mr. Reich’s wrath that afternoon and melted quickly as his frustration filled the room. Staples, paperclips, misplaced knick-knacks, all distorted into little, individual liquid messes throughout the study. Before the boys could answer their father, the stench of burnt metal flavored the air and Mr. Reich’s anger escalated even more.

  “Now look what you made me do!” he roared pointing to a melted pile of paper clips on the corner of his desk. He looked around the room and then carelessly waved his hand. Instantly, the melted metal objects and pieces around the study transformed back into their original state.

  But the burnt metal smell lingered on. There was nothing Mr. Reich could do about that.

  Without looking up, Gregory finally spoke, “Father, I made the mistake with the tennis racquet, not Andrew. It will not happen again. I promise.”

  Jamison Reich eyed his sons sternly and stood up from behind his desk. “It better not. I told you both just like I’ve told every other soldier. We cannot tip off the Council before our troops are ready so there can be no public display of your powers until the girl’s birthday party. Then you will have your chance to show the Council and the world your greatness.”

  “Yes sir,” both boys replied in unison, finally looking up at their father.

  “Good.” Mr. Reich was now pacing behind his desk to calm himself down. “I don’t have to tell you what’s at stake here. Our years of hiding will be over soon. We have eliminated everyone else in the girl’s family line, albeit sometimes a little messier than I liked, but as soon as we have her under our control, our rise to power will be complete. I knew when she survived her parent’s car crash, she was the key to regaining our place in the world. By doing away with every other member of her family, we have left the Council with no one else to harvest. The girl and whatever enabled her to survive the crash belongs to us alone and those goody-two-shoes on the Council will finally disappear forever. Once she is ripe, I will at last have the authority that is rightfully mine.” He stopped pacing and turned to look at his sons. “Is everything set for the girl’s party?”

  “Yes sir,” said Andrew. “We have been able to place Anti-Power troops both inside the party and also at strategic locations surrounding the Cavern Café.”

  “And of course, I’ll have Grace with me the entire time,” asserted Gregory. “We will take her the minute you give the signal.”

  “Don’t wait for my signal. Just take her after she dances her first dance. We should let her enjoy her party a little before we ruin her life,” said Mr. Reich.

  “Yes, sir.” Gregory smiled, his green eyes tinged with red anticipation.

  “Good. Good.” Mr. Reich nodded. “Everything appears to be finally coming together. Your grandfather’s dream will soon be our reality and those do-gooders on the Council won’t even know what hit them.”

  Chapter Five: An Unexpected Kiss

  Grace stood in her bedroom, examining this evening’s shoe choice in her full-length mirror, and had to pinch herself to make sure she was not dreaming. With tonight being the fourth night in a row that she was seeing Gregory, she believed she could honestly now say she and Gregory Reich were dating. Exclusively. The gorgeous, blonde-haired, emerald-eyed, muscular guy who made all the ladies at the club swoon was actually, totally, fully and without question hers. At least that’s what Annie had told her and Annie was usually right when it came to guys.

  Grace had not believed it in the beginning when they had their official first date. How could she? He was so beautiful and totally out of her league. She had not really considered their tennis match a date at all. But, when Gregory actually called and asked her to go to dinner a few days later, she was so stunned she just about dropped the phone. Of course, it had been a double date with Annie and Andrew, but the brothers had actually come to their front door to pick them up and had paid for everything, so, according to Grace’s standards, that was an official first date.

  And to top it off, Gregory had actually picked her over Annie. What were the odds of that?

  But tonight was going to be different. Tonight was the night. She and Gregory were actually going out by themselves. They had been spending so much time with Annie and Andrew, they had not been alone once. Not that she minded that. She loved Annie. But not having any alone time with Gregory meant there had not been any kissing time either.

  However, tonight would change that.

  Tonight Grace was getting her first kiss from Gregory. She just knew, deep down in her heart she knew, she was going to be kissed tonight.

  “Hey.” Annie bounded into the room and sprawled across Grace’s bed, leaving black combat boot prints all over the flowered lavender comforter. “Is that what you’re wearing tonight?”

  Grace’s eyebrows knitted together as she continued to study herself in her full-length mirror. Just today, she had purchased a new blue sundress and ballet flats for tonight and she thought she looked pretty good. At least she thought she did until Annie came into her room. “Yeah. I just got this dress. What’s wrong with it?”

  “Nothing. If you’re going to church. You are going on a date. With Gregory. The man of your dreams, remember? Maybe we should be going for sexy. Not saintly.”

  “Annie, you know I’m not a ‘sexy’ kind of girl. I’d rather be … comfortable.” Grace tilted her head and continued to look at herself in the mirror.

  “Well, comfortable isn’t going to cut it tonight,” Annie asserted. “Come on to my room.”

  Grace followed her down their small apartment’s hallway and plopped down on Annie’s bed. Looking around her roommate’s bedroom, Grace was reminded how different the two girls were in style and taste. Annie’s painted black ceiling and red walls contrasted against the lavender and mint green motif in Grace’s room down the hall and the red dragons painted on the black ceiling above Annie’s bed looked more disturbing than mythical.

  “How do you sleep with those things staring at you each night?” Grace asked, pointing to the ceiling.

  “You don’t like my dragons?” Annie did not sound interested in Grace’s response. “I love them. Their voyeuristic qualities make it a little more exciting when I entertain in here if you know what I mean.”

  “You’re gross,” smir
ked Grace.

  “Oh, you love me and you know it.” Annie rummaged through her messy closet and eventually pulled out a short, red halter dress. “Here. Try this.”

  “I don’t know,” said Grace, feeling the smooth, silky material. “This may be a little much.”

  “A little much?” Annie scoffed. “This dress shows more skin than a spa wrap.”

  “No. I meant it may be a little over the top. A little too dressy.”

  “Try it on. Now,” Annie playfully demanded as she threw the dress at Grace.

  Grace reluctantly changed out of her new blue sundress and pulled Annie’s silky red dress over her head. It fell over her shoulders effortlessly, hugging her body in all the right places. Grace looked in the full-length mirror on the back of Annie’s bedroom door. “Wow,” she said, almost to herself. Now this was a kissing dress.

  “I knew it would be perfect,” Annie said. She then dug down further into the bottom of her closet. “Here, try these.” She held up a pair of red, strappy, high-heeled sandals.

  “You know I can’t wear heels very well and these are at least three inches tall,” said Grace.

  “You also said you’re not a ‘sexy’ kind of girl and now look at you. Put these on. You need them,” said Annie, shoving the shoes in Grace’s face.

  Grace slipped on the sandals and looked at herself in the mirror. Annie was right. Grace needed these shoes.

  At that very moment, the doorbell rang.

  “He is always right on time,” said Annie. “I’ll get it while you go in the bathroom and grab my red lipstick. It should be right next to my contact solution. You really need a little more lip color with that dress.” Annie paused at the doorway and looked back at Grace. “Hey, roomie. You really do look good.”

  Annie then bounded out of the room leaving Grace staring at herself in the mirror. “I hope Gregory thinks so,” she said to herself. “Maybe even good enough for a kiss … ”

  After taking Annie’s lipstick advice, Grace found her roommate and Gregory talking in the living room.