‘Excellent question.’ Johan poured himself a glass of wine. ‘First, to enjoy this very fine meal in the bosom of my family. Second, to set a few things straight.’
‘What things?’
‘I do love family celebrations. Misty here comes from a large and loving family—no abandoned sons in your family, are there, Misty?’
‘No,’ I whispered, as he appeared to want a reply.
‘And that despite the fact her father is no savant and not that keen on us or our way of life. See, there were other choices.’
‘If you want us to apologize—’ began Miriam.
Johan rapped the end of his fork on the table. ‘Stop! Too late for that. No, Alex is mine now. Don’t worry about his future. I’ll make it up to him. In fact, it’s about the past that I am here, not the future. Isn’t that right, my dear?’ He looked straight at Miriam.
‘Miriam, what’s he saying?’ Roger’s gaze swung between hated brother and much-loved wife.
‘Remind me, when is your birthday, Miriam?’ Johan asked.
‘April twelfth.’ Miriam was staring at her plate, finding the cranberry relish riveting.
‘And how old are you exactly?’
She opened her mouth but the words failed.
‘I should explain at this point that little Misty here has a very useful gift. She cannot lie and, if she’s not controlling her power, those around her can’t lie either. Now, as I’ve made her life fairly unpleasant recently, my guess is that she has no control over what her power is doing at the moment. Is that the case, Misty?’
I hadn’t even thought about controlling my gift. It would be rippling out as far and wide as it ever had. I nodded.
‘So that means we all will be brutally honest with each other. I already know that Roger hates me so I’m not interested in what he has to say, but you, Miriam, I think there are some home truths that you’ve never told him, aren’t there? Things you’ve kept hidden.’ He folded turkey and beans on the end of his fork, compacting them savagely. ‘Returning to my question, when were you born?’
‘April twelfth,’ she repeated.
‘Yes, yes, we all heard that. I’m asking how old you are. Roger here thinks you are forty-six, the same as him, when you and I both know you’ve been lying.’
‘I’m forty-eight.’ Her voice was a thread of sound, stretched like a spider’s web.
‘The same age as me. In fact, we were born within a week of each other, weren’t we?’
Miriam nodded.
‘How do you know this?’ asked Roger, his expression bewildered. ‘Miriam, honey, I don’t care you’re older than me. Is that why you didn’t say: you were embarrassed?’
Knowing I was unwillingly aiding Johan’s cause, I tried to rein in my truth-zone, remembering what Zed had told me. There was so much emotion in the room, secrets and lies, that it was impossible, like trying to pitch a tent in a storm-force gale.
‘Now we’ve got this far, I think you should finish, don’t you, Miriam?’ Johan sounded disgustingly pleased, a schoolboy ripping the legs off an insect to see it stagger.
She shook her head.
‘Then I’ll do it for you. Roger, meet my soulfinder. Your savant wife was destined from the moment of our conception to be mine. We met when we were in our twenties but she turned away from me and chose you instead. There: now you know the truth about the woman you married, despite my pleas not to do so. She has been able to hide it from you as that is what she does best.’
He chewed his forkful with taunting pleasure.
‘I turned away from a monster! I hated you from the moment I knew what you were!’ spat Miriam, her control fracturing. ‘You were already a murderer and your brother would’ve been next to die if I hadn’t saved him!’
Johan smiled amicably. ‘Ah, so you worked that out, did you? Yes, I did kill our parents. Father gave me one beating too many and mother never raised a hand to stop him. The world did not miss them. I think Roger suspected what I had done but couldn’t prove it.’
Roger was swaying between gut punches of truth. His wife a savant, a soulfinder to his own brother; confession that his parents were murdered. ‘Is this true, Miriam?’
Her face creased, new lines ribboning across her forehead in her distress. ‘I thought I would love him but by the time I found him your father had twisted him into … into this.’ She flicked horror-filled eyes at Johan. ‘I knew then my task had to be to save you from my broken soulfinder.’
‘You’re one of them?’ Roger’s gaze swept to me and Johan. I didn’t very much like being put in the same category.
Miriam shook her head. ‘I’m nothing like him. I’m your wife. Every choice was made to protect you, and to protect Jason and … and Alex.’
‘Even Alex?’ Johan raised a finger to rub the bulb of his wine glass. ‘Oh do tell. How does abandoning him equal protection? I’m all ears.’
Miriam swallowed. ‘Roger hated savants. I understood—I did; your father had made sure of that. I was afraid Roger would become like him if Alex stayed with us and he would create a second monster in his son.’ She sobbed. ‘Oh God forgive me but I couldn’t stand between Alex and Roger all the time and keep you away as well—my gift does not stretch that far. I’m just not that strong.’
‘Your gift. Mom, what gift?’ asked Jason.
She pressed her lips together, unwilling to admit this last proof of her savant identity.
Johan stepped in. ‘Miriam hides things, Jason. Very effectively, I might add. It took me years to track you down after you fled South Africa.’
‘I knew when I saw you standing over Alex’s cradle that we had to go—had to make you believe we’d taken him with us. And it worked. It worked.’ She repeated it to herself, as if reminding her heart that the sacrifice had been worth it. ‘It took years to organize but I managed to hide him for a long time—out of your clutches. You never even suspected that I would leave him behind, did you?’
‘True. I looked for you, not Alex on his own. You loved the boy too much for me to suspect you’d abandon him.’
‘It was the most difficult thing I have ever, ever done.’ Miriam’s eyes were fierce. ‘I just hope you’ll be too late to warp him. How did you find us?’
Johan sipped his wine. ‘Through no fault of yours, Miriam. I’m afraid you were defeated by pure chance. A business acquaintance remarked on the similarity between me and a man he’d met on a plane, a South African involved in the seed trade. That conversation gave me a direction and then the rest was simple.’
Roger was still caught in the earlier revelation. ‘You lied to me—all these years?’ He stared at Miriam as if she had become a stranger.
‘Yes. I had to.’
‘Mom?’ Jason’s voice trembled.
Miriam turned to her son, chin quivering as she held back her tears. ‘It doesn’t change anything, darling. Not all savants are as your father has taught you; some of us care and use our gifts for good.’
‘I can at least absolve you of stealing my soulfinder, Roger,’ Johan said calmly, sketching a mocking cross in the air. ‘The blame for that rests on Miriam’s shoulders alone as she hid that truth most closely of all her secrets. I was only angry for about a decade. Recently I’ve come to see that a soulfinder is a burden that I am happier without. Alex will come to know that too. I’ll explain when he arrives.’
‘No, please, don’t involve him!’ My protest was out before I could stop myself.
Johan winked at me—conspiratorially, jokily. ‘He’s in this right up to his neck, my dear, so of course he should be here.’
Roger breathed heavily, trying to master his temper. ‘Look, I know we’ve had our differences over the years, but I’ve never harmed you, Johan.’
‘Ha-ha-ha!’ Johan’s laugh rang cruel—jagged. ‘Oh, I beg to differ, Roger. You harmed me by taking all our parents’ love. I think our mother might have been a savant, a minor one, or maybe she never understood her gift; whatever her true nature, she had it b
eaten out of her by our father and became a shadow—a nothing. You made no protest when he turned his fists on me, called me the devil’s own child. Instead, you echoed him, added your own kicks with his blessing—or have you forgotten?’
‘I was young—I was only copying what I thought was right.’
‘And he taught you too well. You, Roger, do not deserve to live any more than that evil man deserved to draw another breath. I killed Mother first with no fuss, but him I made suffer. I explained in great detail my plans for our family, how I would eliminate the haters and rear the gifted children to know their superiority and take pride in it. You too will know what that feels like by the end of the day.’
‘All right, Johan, kill me if you must … ’
‘Roger!’ exclaimed Miriam.
‘Pa, no!’ protested Jason.
‘But let Jason and Miriam go—they’re not part of this.’
‘Does Jason have a gift?’
Roger shook his head.
‘Oh well. Pity that. And I see you don’t beg for the girl here. What about Misty?’ Johan pierced Roger with his gaze.
Taking an awkward gulp, Roger glanced at me; I had no more significance than a piece of furniture to him but he understood that I was a kind of test. ‘I wish her no harm. She’s useful to you—spare her too.’
‘Ah, so you can learn. Before now you would’ve called for the eradication of any savant, claiming we were demons. I intend to show you what eradication feels like. I think you’ll find it a most memorable lesson.’ Johan’s bitter gaze slid back to Miriam, a snake twisting invisibly through long grass, enjoying seeing us all flinch and try to guess who he would bite first.
I sensed he was coming to the end of the showdown part of the agenda and would soon move to the killing. I couldn’t bear the thought of Alex walking in on a room of corpses. There was nothing to be gained by continuing to be silent. It would probably be the stupidest of my Misty moments but I was going for it nevertheless.
‘No.’ I stood up. ‘You won’t kill these people. I won’t allow it.’
‘And how do you intend to stop it, little girl?’ Johan also rose.
Giving no warning, I flung the carving knife at his throat with telekinesis. He deflected it with a sleeve but not without earning a cut to his forearm. The long-pronged fork I sent to his eyes but he ducked and it stuck in the wall behind. Jason grasped that we had to fight and swept the plate and glasses towards Johan with his bound fists. Roger lunged to head-butt his brother; Miriam bolted for the back door, trying to kick it open. I sent missile after missile hoping something would get through. Johan knocked his brother down and stamped on his stomach until shoved sideways by Jason. I rushed to help him, tripping over Roger in my haste.
In the commotion none of us noticed the rumble of a motorbike engine cutting out and someone entering through the front door.
‘What the—!’
‘Alex!’ My cry slammed the brakes on the tussle. We staggered to a halt, Miriam with shoulders heaving in wrenching sobs, Roger sprawled on the floor, creamed potatoes smeared on his face and chest. I had ended up on my knees between Johan and the kitchen counter. Looking up, I saw that Johan had got Jason in a strangle hold, using him as a shield.
‘Did you come alone?’ asked Johan urgently. ‘Remember, with Misty here you can’t fool me.’
‘Yes, I came alone. I persuaded some guy to lend me his bike.’ Alex’s voice was rich with steady sincerity. Fists clenched at his sides.
‘No tricks, no notes left behind; you slipped away without them knowing what you intended?’
A muscle ticked in Alex’s cheek, a sign he was biting back words. ‘I promised I would.’
Johan pointed a finger at Jason’s neck. ‘But did you?’
‘Yes.’
Johan mistook this for loyalty to him. ‘Good boy.’ He swept a triumphant look at the wreckage of the Thanksgiving dinner and his unwilling guests. ‘Welcome to Misty Falls. So pleased you could join us. I believe the main course is beyond saving but maybe we can have pie? You made pie, didn’t you, Miriam?’
The woman nodded but her eyes hadn’t left her oldest son’s face.
‘Then I suggest we all take a seat.’ He thrust Jason in a chair beside him. ‘Alex, maybe you’d like to greet your soulfinder?’
Taking that as permission, Alex crossed the room and helped me to my feet. He clutched me to his chest, burying his face in my hair. ‘Oh God, Misty, I thought I’d lost you.’
Just to put my head against his heart, scent his safe, warm Alex smell, was heaven amidst this hell. I wanted to climb inside him and escape. Mentally, I placed a little bit of myself in him with a kiss. My refuge.
‘I’m sorry—so sorry. Why did you come?’ I whispered.
‘He gave me no choice—he told me he’d kill everyone if I brought the police with me.’
‘How did he contact you?’
‘Telepathy. He guessed we were using telepathy so reached out to me after you left the motel.’
After I’d asked my question about Florence.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘It’s not your fault.’ A rub on my back seconded his words. ‘It’s better that I’m with you. I feel whole again.’
‘Now, now, Alex, that’s quite enough. Please, sit at my right. Have you met Jason? No, I don’t think you have.’
‘Is it really necessary to have everyone’s hands tied?’ Alex was looking at his brother. It was too much for him to take in—a family after so many empty years. Jason was equally fascinated and appalled. No one could have predicted this macabre reunion.
‘Oh yes. See what your little soulfinder provoked a moment ago.’ Johan pointed to the plates that had upended on the floor. ‘She’s quite the spitfire—fought me every inch of the way, tried to lull me into thinking she was cooperating but I could see the cogs in her mind whirling. You should be proud of her.’
‘I am,’ said Alex quietly, holding my eyes.
I love you, I thought, wishing I could use telepathy but Johan was still nulling any attempt.
‘I’m beginning to wonder if she isn’t worth keeping alive. You’ll want your own children one day and she’s got the mettle to make a fine mother—protective, not like Miriam here, who, as we all know, proved inadequate.’ Johan turned his cruel attention on the woman trembling at the other end of the table from him. ‘Alex, I don’t think you’ll remember her, but this is your mother. She claims, by the way, to have left you for your own good, so that Roger didn’t try to beat your gift out of you in a mistaken attempt to save your soul. I suppose she may have a point; you did splendidly alone, as I have.’ His eyes slid back to me; he was reconsidering my usefulness after reminding himself of the virtues of being isolated. ‘I won’t bother to introduce you to your father—he is beneath your notice, no more than a piece of gum on the sole of your shoe. But your brother, Jason, shows some signs of decency. He helped Misty when I got a little angry with her. She just won’t do what she’s told.’
Alex swallowed. My cheek was probably bruised, and my lip was definitely split. He would be able to guess what form that anger had taken. ‘Thanks, Jason.’ His voice had a rasp I’d not heard before.
‘It was nothing … er … Alex,’ whispered Jason. I reached out and touched Jason’s thigh with my bound hands, adding my gratitude. He was holding up well considering how terrifying this situation was for all of us.
‘You may wonder why I’ve brought you all here today,’ said Johan, then laughed. ‘Listen to me, Alex, I sound like Hercule Poirot, don’t I? Well, I suppose that is fitting: this is a kind of denouement, a revelation of wrongdoing. Here are the suspects: the faint-hearted mother, the abusive father, the rejected brother, the favourite son, and the abandoned one.’
‘And Misty,’ added Alex. ‘The girl caught up in this through no fault of her own. Surely you can let her go now she’s served her purpose? She isn’t your family.’
Johan considered it for a moment, hovering yes-no, yes-
no. ‘But she’s yours, isn’t she, Alex, so that makes her part of this. You missed the bit where I revealed that your mother was my soulfinder.’
Alex jerked back in his seat, gaze swinging to Miriam. ‘I didn’t realize.’
‘Only she and I were party to that secret. I tell you now so you understand that being a soulfinder isn’t enough for happiness. You may think Misty is integral to your future but she really isn’t necessary—not worth twisting your life out of its true course.’
‘And what do you think is my true course?’ Alex’s eyes were telling me he did not agree with a word Johan was saying.
‘To be the best you can be—conquer whatever field you choose to go into.’
‘And if I choose Misty as my first priority?’
‘I’m afraid I’ll have to step in. She lives only so long as she doesn’t get in the way. I’m doing this because I love you, you understand. I have your best interests at heart.’
It was chilling to hear Johan talk of love; he didn’t know the meaning of the word.
‘I want you to listen very carefully to me, Uncle.’ Even though I was in the room, Alex was trying to use his gift. If ever we needed a charmer, this was the moment. Think, Misty, how can you stop your gift messing with his? It had always been in conflict before now.
But then Alex had been debating for fun, not meaning what he was saying. Now he was a hundred per cent sincere. Surely my gift for truth could augment that, not diminish it?
‘Alex?’
‘Misty, please, let me talk to my uncle.’ Alex was keen to keep me out of Johan’s attention.
‘I just wanted to say that as it’s true, I can help you.’ I kept my voice low, hoping only he would catch my words.
His face creased then cleared as he got my meaning.
‘Uncle, I know you had a cruel start to life. I know enough about my grandparents to understand that they mistreated you.’
I could feel the waves of sincerity sweeping through his words; I let my power give them a push. I hoped that, like a rip tide, Alex’s and my gift combined were enough to pull Johan from his murderous goal even as he swam towards it.
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