Discovery

by Lisa White

“Thanks.” She was somewhat energized by the ride and the cool morning air made her cheeks feel flushed as if she had just had a facial.

  A young waitress popping a large piece of bubble gum dropped off two waters and their menus and Grace noted she had blue eyes. “Our waitress is not an Anti-Power,” she whispered confidently to Ben after the young woman had walked away.

  “How do you know she’s not wearing contacts?” Ben smarted, repeating back Grace’s comment from the day before.

  Grace shook her head and sighed, “For Pete’s sake, Ben. Why don’t you just tell me exactly how this all works?”

  Ben hesitated, and then said, “First, you’re right, she isn’t an Anti-Power. She has blue eyes and isn’t wearing contacts.”

  “See. Told you. But how can you tell who’s who?”

  Before Ben could answer, the waitress reappeared to take their order. “I’ll take the Hearty Farmer’s Breakfast with scrambled eggs and a large Coke,” said Ben.

  “The same but with a Diet Coke,” said Grace handing her menu to the waitress.

  The young waitress smiled at Grace and blew a huge bubble with her gum. “You sure you can eat all that, honey?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Suit yourself.” The waitress shook her head and headed back to the kitchen with their order.

  “Okay, go on. Explain,” said Grace.

  “Well, like I said last night, when a Power and someone in your family, the Family, have a child, that child is born with certain superhuman powers. Most of the time, we don’t know the extent of the child’s powers until they complete training, but at a minimum, we know they’re a Power. All Powers are born with blue eyes. The Council says it shows the natural innocence and goodness inside Powers’ children. Anyway, once they reach around four or five years old, they’re sent away to training camp to develop their powers.”

  “Wait,” interrupted Grace. “They leave their parents at four or five years old? How cruel is that?” Having lost her parents when she was four, Grace spoke from experience.

  “Well, it’s more of a necessity,” replied Ben. “You see, the human parent, the parent from your family, doesn’t know anything about the Powers or Anti-Powers or anything like that. They think they’ve married a normal human and have normal human kids. When the child starts exhibiting powers around age four or five, the Powers parent sends the child to training camp. Unfortunately the human parent has to think the child has disappeared, been abducted, or something like that.”

  “Ben! That’s terrible!”

  “I know and I’m sorry. But it’s done to protect the child and their human parent. If the child started using their powers without the proper training, the Anti-Powers might find them and try to convert the child, or even worse, kill the child and the parents.”

  “I’m not sure I want to know anymore. This sounds like a horrible way to live.”

  “No, Gracie. It’s really not. Even though they aren’t with their parents, the child is really loved at training camp. There are some really special Powers working there.”

  “But what about the human parent? The parent from my side of the family?”

  “Well, I assume they never really get over it. I mean losing a child is a pretty big deal. But the Council has chosen their Powers mate very carefully so they end up living a pretty good life with someone who eventually grows to love them very much.”

  “Eventually grows to love them?” Grace was incredulous. “What about true love and all that? What about fate and happiness? Does any of that matter for my family?”

  Ben shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not a perfect system, Grace. But it’s the best we have in place right now. And most of your family has … had normal lives. The Council was very selective when picking which members of the Family would be with the Powers. Not all your relatives made the cut.”

  “Do the parents ever get to see their child again?”

  “Yeah. The Powers parent can see their child anytime they want. They can visit training camp, see them when they graduate from camp, there are all kinds of ways to stay in contact with each other. It’s part of their training. Tom and I were lucky. We actually got to live with our parents since Dad had essentially the same assignment we did.”

  “Me? Was I his assignment?”

  “Yes, you. Dad was your Guardian until I was old enough to take over,” Ben paused, wistful. “Anyway, the human parent normally only sees the child one more time. Right before that parent dies. The Council allows the child, who is usually grown by that time, to visit the human parent on his or her deathbed and the child explains everything. It kind of gives the human parent some peace before going on to the next world.”

  Grace just sat there, speechless.

  The waitress, still popping her bubble gum, brought their breakfasts and drinks. “Need anything else right now?”

  Grace looked down at her plate but couldn’t really see her food.

  Ben glanced at Grace and then at the waitress. “No, we’re good. Thanks.”

  The waitress eyed Grace and then walked off. Grace just continued to stare at her plate but her eyes were still not able to focus.

  “Grace,” Ben leaned over and pushed her plate closer to her. “Come on. Eat up.”

  Grace took a small bite of eggs but pushed more food around on her plate than into her mouth.

  “Grace, you haven’t eaten in two days,” Ben prodded. “Eat.”

  Grace looked up at Ben and put her fork down. “Tell me more,” she softly said. “I … I need to know more.”

  “What do you want to know?” Ben shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs in his mouth.

  Grace rubbed her temples and closed her eyes as she spoke. “If all the children are born Powers, how does a Power become an Anti-Power?” She opened her eyes and looked up at Ben. “None of this makes any sense.”

  “When a Power graduates from training camp, they’re assigned to safeguard different parts of the world. They live normal lives among the humans but are always there to protect them, especially from the Anti-Powers. Unfortunately, there are times when a Power doesn’t like their designated location or assigned duty. That’s when the Anti-Powers come in and, in some instances, have successfully converted the Power.”

  “How?”

  “We don’t know. That’s one of the problems we have. We haven’t been able to really gather enough information on the Anti-Powers to know how they work exactly. We just know we’ve had some Powers defect to the Anti-Powers and when they did, their eyes changed from blue to green.”

  “All you know is that they have green eyes? Tons of people have green eyes. Are you trying to tell me they’re all Anti-Powers?” Grace turned around in their booth and started scanning the diner’s patrons.

  “Turn around here!” whispered Ben as he reached over and quickly pulled Grace back down into their booth. “Of course they’re not all Anti-Powers. And no, that’s not all we know. But the Anti-Powers are a slippery bunch. They’ve stayed hidden pretty well so they’ve been difficult to study. Most of what we know came from the Council members who knew the original Anti-Power, that rogue Council member I told you about who wanted to use his powers out in the open.” Ben paused and leaned toward Grace. “But the Council and other Powers have stayed hidden just as well. The Anti-Powers now don’t know any more about us than we do about them,” he whispered.

  “So it’s possible that Gregory isn’t an Anti-Power? I mean just because he has green eyes doesn’t mean … ” Grace trailed off, hopeful.

  “Gracie. Based on what we’ve seen, I think we would be stupid to assume he isn’t an Anti-Power,” Ben stated abruptly.

  Grace started picking at the food on her plate again, her eyes pretending to concentrate on her eggs while her heart questioned the absolute certainty of Ben’s last statement.

  “Is anyone else I know a Power? Is Tom?”

  “Tom is a Power. But his powers are mental, more intellectually oriented.”

  “If you are
my Guardian, who does Tom guard?”

  “Tom is not a Guardian. He … has another job.”

  “What?”

  “Look, we can get into that later. Now, eat up. We need to get going.” Ben took his last bite of eggs and motioned to the waitress to bring their check.

  Grace ate a few more bites but her mind was processing too much to concentrate on food. “Are there any Powers near here? Why do we have to drive all the way to the Appalachian Mountains?”

  “Grace, there are Powers and Anti-Powers everywhere but we’re all in hiding so I don’t know who’s who. It’s not like we have a club directory or anything like that! The Council makes our laws and we live by them and one of the laws is that we cannot reveal we’re a Power to anyone without the Council’s permission. That’s just one of the many laws I’ve broken by being with you!” Ben finally snapped, obviously exasperated with Grace’s questions.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For putting you in this situation.”

  Ben took a deep breath and sighed. “Grace, this isn’t a situation. It’s my job. It’s my job to protect you and since every Anti-Power in the world is looking for you right now, I suggest we get going before we run into another one.” Ben threw enough cash on the table to cover the check the waitress had not yet delivered and then stood up. “Come on.”

  Grace glanced at the cash on the table and quickly followed Ben outside. “Now what?” she said looking around at the town’s narrow, empty streets.

  “Now we need to find a car,” Ben replied. “Follow me.” He walked across the street toward the thrift store and glanced in the store window. The same clerk from the night before was working. Ben pulled Grace into a small, dark alley that ran along the side of the thrift store building and pointed. “There.”

  At the end of the narrow alley was an old yellow Jeep Wagoneer that had obviously seen better days. The faux wooden sides were faded and rust dotted the yellow metal like chicken pox scars. Only the tires appeared to be relatively new and the sole parts worth stealing.

  “Ben? What are we doing?” asked Grace, her brow now permanently knitted.

  “We’re buying that Jeep from our friendly clerk.” Ben pulled a large wad of cash from his jeans pocket.

  “It doesn’t look like it’s for sale.” Grace shook her head, eyeing the wad of cash in Ben’s hand.

  “It’s not, but it will be. Now go hide behind the Jeep while I go inside.”

  Before Grace could protest, Ben was gone, leaving nothing but a breeze cooling Grace’s face. He had disappeared. Grace looked around before squeezing behind the Jeep as Ben had ordered. Before she could even find a comfortable position in which to crouch, Ben had returned and was pushing her forward into the Jeep’s front passenger seat.

  “What did you do?” Grace asked, buckling her seatbelt with an extra tight tug.

  “I bought the Jeep,” Ben said nonchalantly as he slid into the driver’s seat beside her. “Don’t worry. The clerk didn’t see me. I ran in there and left enough money on the counter to cover the Jeep and then some.”

  “How do you know this is his?”

  “Because it was here last night parked in the exact same place. That and I saw the Jeep key on his key ring when he was locking up last night. See?” Ben smiled, dangling the key in Grace’s face before inserting it into the ignition. “Perfect fit.”

  Grace’s eyes widened. “Your powers … they’re … they’re … ”

  “I know, I know,” Ben rolled his eyes teasingly. “At least that’s what they tell me. My dad was just as powerful. That’s why the Council picked us to be your Guardians.”

  Grace shook her head. “You … you know I have to ask,” Grace stammered. “Where did you get all that money?”

  “The Powers have been around a long time, Gracie. I told you. I have my resources,” said Ben. “Now hang on.”

  Ben gunned the Jeep out of the alley and down the street back toward the town’s outskirts. He drove in silence down the winding two-lane road until the town disappeared in his rearview mirror.

  Grace didn’t say much either as she processed their discussion from the diner. She still had so many questions but could tell Ben was tired of giving answers. She reached over and turned on the Jeep’s radio. The eighties station was playing Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” and the image of Gregory pulling her toward the dance floor at her birthday party flashed through Grace’s memory. She immediately turned off the radio.

  “Hey,” Ben said. “I like that song. I thought it was your favorite.”

  “It was … it is,” Grace said. “I’m just not in the mood for it right now.” She looked out her window at the mountains rushing past them. They had past their motel a few miles back and were now officially outside all civilization. “How much longer?”

  “Just a few more hours,” Ben replied. “We’ll be there before you know it.”

  “What’s so special about this mountain place? About the Misfits?” The questions popped out of Grace’s mouth before she could stop them. She braced for Ben’s expected retort.

  “It’s a safe place,” Ben answered, calmer than Grace expected. “I don’t think anyone really knows the Misfits are there. I only know about them because of Dad’s best friend, Dave.”

  “So your father was a Power. That means your mother was related to me?”

  “Yes, but distantly. I think you would have to go back a few hundred years to find where my mother and your immediate family connected. Otherwise, they would not have picked Tom to be — ” Ben abruptly stopped talking.

  “Tom to be what?”

  “Nothing. Forget about it,” Ben said. He changed the subject quickly. “I think you’ll really like Dave. He’s a lot of fun.”

  “Will your father be there or are your parents still in Florida?”

  Ben shifted uncomfortably in his seat and gripped the steering wheel tighter. “My father won’t be there, Grace. And my parents are not in Florida.”

  “Where are they?” Grace asked but she was afraid she already knew the obvious answer to her question.

  “Gracie, the Anti-Powers killed my parents about a year ago. Tom and I just told everyone they retired to Florida to avoid any weird questions.” Ben stared at the road winding in front of them.

  “Oh, Ben. I’m … I’m so sorry. So very sorry. I didn’t know.” Grace shook her head. Ben’s parents had always been so kind to her, including her in their family get-togethers, taking her to the beach with them, making sure she was never alone. Then a realization hit her hard right in the middle of her chest. “Ben, were your parents killed because of me? Because of their connection to me?”

  Ben didn’t reply but his silence was confirmation enough. Overwhelmed, Grace threw her face down into her hands and began to cry. Not just tears, but huge all-out sobs that shook her entire body like an earthquake. She tried to stop but she could not. The tears just kept coming and coming and coming. She did not want to fall apart in front of Ben yet again, but the floodgates were open now and all that had happened the past two days pushed out through her eyes and flowed down her face.

  “Gracie,” Ben said softly as he placed his hand on her knee and gave it a squeeze. “It’s okay. Really. It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

  Grace’s head popped up out of her hands, her eyes red with sadness and self-loathing disgust. “How can you say that, Ben? People are dying because of me!”

  “No, Gracie, no.” Ben shook his head. “You have it all wrong. Can’t you understand how important you are? People aren’t dying because of you. People are dying for you.”

  Chapter Fourteen: Cooper

  The Pines was the most exclusive gated community in a hundred mile radius. Lush, green lawns flowed from mansion to mansion, tended with care by workers whose annual salaries barely equaled one month of the residents’ monthly association dues. Perfectly poised pink azaleas and crepe myrtles colored the detailed landscapes and dotted the emerald
lawns like gemstones. Even the tall southern pine trees that lined the entrance to the Southern Pines Country Club seemed more graceful than their relatives that lived outside The Pines’ gates. This rainbow of shrubs, trees, and flowers did more than color the residents’ world. This horticulture masterpiece also provided unique sound barriers between the mansions, preventing neighbors from listening in on each other and unmasking the private worlds housed in the individual brick homes. These natural sound barriers ensured the streets winding through The Pines community maintained the high-priced peacefulness that the residents had come to expect.

  A peacefulness that was shattered by Mrs. Reich that afternoon.

  “Jamison!” she screamed with a pitch that pierced the air and tore through the Reich mansion’s walls, rippling out onto the landscape, bending the tall pines like a hurricane’s wind. Mrs. Reich burst through the study’s heavy wooden double doors without knocking, her eyes a deep crimson red. “Jamison! She killed my brothers!” she shrieked through gritted teeth. “I want that girl dead! I want her head on a platter! And I mean now!”

  Seeing his wife without her sunglasses, Mr. Reich rushed from behind his desk to meet her before she burned the whole room down. “Shhh, my darling Ava. Calm down,” he said, rubbing her shoulders as he avoided her eyes’ glare. “I know, I know. We have it under control.”

  “Under control?” she fumed. “Under control? If you have it under control then why are my baby brothers dead? My poor precious baby brothers you sent out there. You said they could handle her! Well, apparently you were wrong!” She shoved her husband’s hands off her shoulders and stepped back out of his reach. “If you don’t take care of this, I’ll go out there and kill her myself!”

  “Darling.” Mr. Reich tried his best to use a soothing voice. “Now you know we can’t kill her until our scientists are finished with her. Let them get what they need from her to complete their genetic assessment and then, I promise you, you will have your revenge.”

  Mrs. Reich seethed, “Have you found her? Where is she?”

  “We don’t have her exact location but we know the vicinity. Gregory thinks she is traveling with some boy named Ben, possibly a Power. But trust me, every soldier we have is closing in on the area even as we speak. Our sheer numbers alone can handle this Ben person. I promise.” Mr. Reich drew his wife into his arms and caressed her long blonde hair. “Shhh, darling. I promise you there is absolutely nothing to worry about.”