by Jade Kerrion
The completed paperwork, as promised, had been delivered by mid-afternoon. All it awaited was her signature.
All she needed to do was drown out the quiet voice in her mind that accused her of selling Danyael out for money.
Dum’s familiar footsteps, followed by Danyael’s halting ones, drew her out of her endless reverie. She stood up, clutching the tablet to her chest. Her polished speech articulating the reasons why she needed Lucien on the foundation’s board of directors flew out of her mind. Instead, she burst out with, “Do you want to be on the board?”
Aghast, Danyael shook his head, his eyebrows drawing together. “No, of course not.”
His instinctive and automatic answer caused her to sag with relief.
His chuckle was low and amused as he noted her reaction. “You’ve been worrying about that for a while, haven’t you?” He smiled. “Don’t worry. I know when I’ve outlived my usefulness. I can only put you in touch with the right people, and it seems like Lucien came through.”
She nodded.
“That’s great.”
“Jason too, and Xin.” She exhaled noisily. “And after I spoke to Lucien’s lawyers, someone called Clarissa Clark, who also works for Lucien, contacted me.”
“I know Clarissa. She’s Lucien’s top event planner.”
“Apparently, she’s got a huge team of forty or fifty people who are helping her organize the event.”
“The team’s going to be a great deal larger by the time it’s all over. A dance party for twenty thousand people is a huge deal. It is your vision, Dee, but the professional organizers are going to come in and attempt to take over.”
“And I shouldn’t let them?”
“They want this event to be as successful as you do. Their jobs and bonuses probably depend upon it. Share your vision with the team and then decide how hands-off or hands-on you want to be.”
She blinked. “What should I be?”
“Whatever suits you best. The answer probably varies, depending on the situation. You’ll have to figure out when to step out of the way to let the experts do their work, and when to step back in to redirect them.”
Dee rolled her eyes. “Leadership sounds messy and indecisive. Do I need to take a course for this?”
He shook his head. “You’re doing fine; in fact, you’re doing better than you think. Less than two months ago, you had nothing more than a determination to do what you felt was best for your brother. Now, you’re heading a foundation that intends to raise several hundred thousand dollars in a night for college scholarships. Most people don’t get that far in a lifetime, let alone in two months.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she shrugged to conceal her embarrassment. “So, you’re okay with me signing this document for the foundation?”
“I take it Lucien stipulated that I wasn’t to be on the board?” He chuckled again, the sound wry. “Go ahead and sign it. He can help you from here on out. I can’t. I’m out of my depth.”
His easy assurance did not help her feel any better about what she perceived as a betrayal of sorts, even if he seemed to think it was the obvious decision. “Okay, I’ll get the paperwork in, and we’ll have ourselves a foundation.” The sensation bubbled up in her chest, and she released a loud whoop. She tossed the tablet into the air and caught it with glee. “This is unreal! Seth is never going to believe it.”
Danyael grinned, watching her. He leaned heavily on his crutch. “When are you going to talk to him?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Let me know how it goes. Is Dum going with you?”
“Sure, if he can drag his lazy ass out of bed.”
“Don’t go alone. Make sure Dum or Jessica are with you.”
She looked at him, alarm creeping like icy fingers against her spine. “Is there something I should be aware of?”
“Seth is a mutant, an alpha telepath. Different rules apply. Make sure you’re psychically shielded.”
“Yeah, I think Jessica has me permanently shielded.”
“She’s a good friend to keep around; though it’s probably time you learn how to erect some psychic shields of your own.”
“Does Dum know how to put up psychic shields?”
“No, not yet. Come by tomorrow night with him for training. Better yet, bring Jessica along. Between us, I’m sure we can figure something out.”
“Sure, I’ll let the wonder kid know she’s needed. It ought to make her happy. I’ve never met anyone so happy about being asked to do something, even dumb things like be a bouncer in a club.”
“Like many mutants who were born with their powers, Jessica has been shortchanged on ‘normal.’ It may not seem like a big deal to you, but a part time job for her is a huge step toward feeling like a regular teenager.”
“She might feel more normal if people didn’t cut her so much slack. She doesn’t have a curfew, and no one seems to care what she does with her time.”
Danyael chuckled. “No one’s going to argue with a council-trained alpha telepath and telekinetic. Pound for pound, Jessica is one of the most powerful mutants alive. No one gives her a hard time, except you, of course.”
“Someone has to. She’s just a kid.”
Danyael smiled thinly. “I won’t dispute that. Now, off you go or you’ll be late to work.”
She nodded. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
The Mutant Affairs Council seemed like an entirely different planet. After two months out in the real world, living amid the vibrant chaos of Anacostia, Dee found the Mutant Affairs Council building in Alexandria bland, even sterile in comparison. The receptionist recognized Dum and Dee and waved them toward the elevators. Dum appeared unconcerned, but Dee had to inhale deeply to keep her skittering pulse from accelerating as they rode the elevators up to the third floor.
She knocked on the closed door of Seth’s office, and his familiar voice invited them to enter. Dee yanked the ear pods out of Dum’s ears. “Pay attention here.”
He rolled his eyes at her but stuffed his ear pods into the pocket of his denim jeans. He did, however, have enough manners to hold the door open for her.
Seth rose to his feet and stepped around his huge oak desk. “Dee, Dum, it’s wonderful to see the both of you.” His smile, warm and infectious, was as welcoming as his embrace. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to check in on you, but I’ve been out of the country for the better part of the last two months. There’s trouble brewing in some Asian countries and I had to fly out there to advise them.”
Dee returned the smile but her hackles rose. Had she become so accustomed to Danyael’s reticence that a normal, social greeting set shivers of alarm down her spine? No, that reason made no sense; Lucien had been as charming, perhaps even more so, but he hadn’t raised her defenses.
Seth’s gaze flashed briefly toward Dum. “So, have you both decided to come back and continue Dum’s training?”
Dum shrugged.
Dee glared at her brother and then turned her attention back to Seth. “Actually, we’re here to talk to you about a dance party we’re hosting to raise funds for college scholarships for orphans.”
“That’s a fascinating idea, Dee. How much are you looking to raise?”
“At least eight hundred thousand dollars, maybe a bit more. With luck, we’ll break a million.”
Seth’s eyes widened. “What? In a night?”
She nodded. “Many people are working together to make the event happen. We’d like to get your advice on how to get the mutant community excited about this event. It’ll be on Christmas Eve at the Verizon Center, and it’d be great if the mutants showed up too.”
“The Verizon Center on Christmas Eve.” Seth reclined in his leather seat and laced his fingers across his chest. “Lucien Winter alone would have had the clout to pull it off, and if Lucien’s involved, Danyael certainly is too.” His pleasant tone took on an undercurrent of disapproval. “Did you see Danyael, in spite of all my warnings?”
Two months earl
ier, Seth’s tone might have sent her scurrying for cover, but it was merely irritating now. Experience, and perhaps a smidgen of maturity, had infused steel into her spine. “Actually, we see him every day. We live two doors down from him.”
Seth chuckled, the sound soft and knowing.
Dum, who had slouched in his chair, straightened as if to hover protectively over Dee.
Heavy pressure slammed against Dee’s mind, but it was deflected by psychic shields, courtesy of Jessica Richardson. Something dark and dangerous glittered in Seth’s eyes. “When did you see him?” he asked. The question, oddly, seemed perfunctory, as if he already knew the answer.
Dee lifted her chin and smirked. “The day after you said not to.”
Seth snorted. “You are both stupid and stubborn. Danyael is a class-five threat. He is highly dangerous. The latest psychiatric evaluations report that he is suicidal.”
“Your psychiatrists need to get their eyes and licenses checked,” Dee retorted. Some part of her knew that it was unwise to flare up in defense of Danyael, but her sense of justice got the better of her. “I’ve seen extreme states of emotional instability. Mom was certifiably crazy on her worst days, and Dum has…well, he had major issues for years. Trust me, Danyael’s not suicidal. He’s not even depressed.”
“Your opinion doesn’t carry much weight,” Seth said acidly.
“And you place too much weight on the opinion of ‘experts’ who spend an hour looking in on him and then write a report that damns his entire life based on that one hour of observation. Danyael’s life may seem miserable, but he isn’t. We see him for hours each day. Our point of view is worth far more than anyone else’s.”
Seth’s gaze flashed to Dum, and then back to Dee. “Is he training your brother?”
“Yes. I convinced him to help Dum.”
She blinked in surprise when Seth relaxed into his chair, laughing. “You fool, you little fool. Look at Danyael. Is that what you want your brother to become? What can Danyael do except teach the only path he knows?”
Dee shook her head. “You know nothing about Danyael. Dum has made more progress in two months than he has in the twelve years since our father died.”
Seth looked at Dum. “What is he teaching you?”
Dum scowled and said nothing.
Seth shook his head. “How is this an improvement? He’s still silent and recalcitrant.”
Dee raised her chin and glared at Seth. “Dum isn’t going to jump just because you say so.”
Seth gave her a long, steady look. “Is that so?”
“We’re not part of the council, and you can’t order us around.”
He smiled, but it was not a pleasant smile. “Ah, the foolish rebellion of youth. You’ll know better in a few years, and Danyael and Jessica will not always be around to protect the both of you.”
“We’re learning to protect ourselves.”
“From whom? Danyael? Hah. He can’t even protect himself. Look at everything that has happened to him—”
Dee stood up, vibrating with barely controlled anger. “Are you done threatening us? You’re trying to control us…you’re trying to control Dum. I don’t know why, but I’m not going to let you get away with it.”
Seth’s short laugh was cold. “You’re seventeen years old, and you’re human. Do you know who I am? I am the director general of the Mutant Affairs Council. I am, politically, the most powerful mutant in the country. Do you know what you’re up against? Do you know that I can, with a single click of a button, send Danyael back to a maximum-security prison for life?”
Dee’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll never get away with it.” She stood up and grabbed her brother’s hand. “We’re done, Dum. Let’s get out of here.”
“Sit down,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “You are not done.”
Formidable psychic shields blunted the shafts of pain that pierced her mind. Even so, she winced, and so did Dum. Dee dashed out of Seth’s office, Dum on her heels.
“Come back here!” Seth shouted.
Jessica came scrambling down the corridor toward them. Her blue eyes glittered. “I just got a migraine. What the hell is he doing?”
Dee shook her head. “I don’t know, but I think I seriously pissed him off. I have to get back to Anacostia and warn Danyael.”
Jessica nodded. “Follow me.” She threw a glance at Seth, and he stumbled back with a startled cry, as if struck by an invisible hand.
“Did you just hit him?” Dee asked as she raced beside Jessica down the stairwell.
The alpha mutant smirked. “Psychic shields can’t defend against telekinetic attacks.” Once out of the building, Jessica led Dee and Dum through a maze of back streets to a nondescript warehouse. “I need car keys,” she told the man who was idly leafing through a magazine at the front desk.
“You can’t drive,” he retorted. Nevertheless, he dug out a key and tossed it at Dee.
She snatched it out of the air.
“Silver SUV.” He nodded toward the stairs leading to an underground garage.
The car beeped at them when Dee disarmed its doors with the button on the key. “Cushy set up,” Dee said as she belted herself into the driver’s seat. “Does this place belong to the council too?”
Jessica nodded. “There’s an underground tunnel connecting the headquarters to this building, but I always thought it was faster going above ground.”
The car shot up the ramp and into the daylight. Anacostia was generally northeast of Arlington, but Dee typically navigated the city by metro, not by car. “Look for a map, Dum. I need directions.”
He rummaged around in the messy glove compartment and pulled out a map, unfolding it.
Jessica spoke up from the backseat. “He says take the next left and then the third right.”
Dee scowled. “What would we do without you to translate for us?”
Jessica shrugged and offered her sweetest, most insipid grin.
“Are you ever going to talk at all?” Dee demanded of her brother. “This is getting really old. You’re getting better in so many ways. When will the rest of you catch up?”
Jessica choked on a giggle. “He says fu—”
“Never mind. I know what he said. What happens after the third right?”
Their SUV jolted forward at the sharp sound of bumpers crashing. Dee jerked her gaze up at the rearview mirror. “Is that Seth in the car behind us?”
Jessica nodded grimly. “I think he’s trying to run us off the road. Should I flip his car?”
Dee’s brow furrowed. “What is it with you mutants and your automatic killing instinct?”
“I’m not trying to kill him,” Jessica protested. “I’m trying to keep us from getting killed. Big difference. Huge.”
“Keep him away, but don’t hurt him.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Don’t hurt him? He wouldn’t get hurt if he weren’t so intent on hurting us.” She sighed dramatically. “I guess I can keep Seth away. It’s just not as fun as flipping his car,” she muttered. Jessica twisted around in her seat and peered out of the rear window. “He’s crazy. I just never realized how crazy before. Go straight, and then take the fourth left.”
“Did you know Seth before he became director general?”
“Yeah, he’s been with the council for years. He’s the expert on mutant health issues.”
“And how’s that’s different from human health?”
Jessica shrugged. “I don’t know. I never asked.”
“Don’t you ever ask why?” Dee asked, her voice irritable in spite of her best efforts to be civil.
The alpha mutant shrugged again. “Sometimes, but I got tired of asking when no one seemed to have the answers. Careful, he’s shifting to the other lane. I think he may try to push you off the road.”
“And into what?” Dee demanded, her voice shrill. “We’re in the middle of Alexandria. There is nowhere to go off the road, other than into another car or a building.”
“W
ow, he looks mad,” Jessica commented as Seth’s black SUV pulled alongside their car. “Not just mad angry, but mad psycho.”
Dee spared a glance out of her window. Seth was hunched over the steering wheel. His narrow-eyed gaze darted erratically, the gleam maniacal. Definitely crazy. Maybe Danyael can fix him.
Or not. Jessica spoke directly into Dee’s mind. It would suck if Danyael became as unhinged as Seth. Danyael has a lot more power behind him. Power plus insanity is a terrible combination.
Can you call ahead, let Danyael know we’re coming?
And that there’s a psycho telepath on our tail? Sure.
Dee frowned. “Do you need a phone? I have one in my bag.”
“Nope, I just told Danyael.”
“You’re telepathically linked to him? But Danyael hates having people in his head.”
“He does, but someone needs to camp out in his head, preferably a very strong alpha telepath. If Danyael dies, his psychic shields drop. At that point, anyone unshielded within a several mile radius of him will die. His life choices came down to stay imprisoned in a windowless cell for the rest of his life, or allow me in his head as the back up psychic shield.”
“That’s not much of a choice.”
“You have no idea how much people will do for something they desire, and Danyael wants to be free. Watch out!” Seth’s car swerved and then spun out of control. “Oops, pushed too hard,” Jessica apologized, but not too sincerely.
“Jessica!”
“I got excited,” she whined. “I can fix it, though.”
Seth’s car straightened out of its spin and screeched to a halt. Dee’s SUV shot ahead. “It’s not going to keep him for long,” Jessica warned. “We better get to Danyael so he can handle this.”
“Regardless of what the rest of the world does, I’m not going to get into the habit of dumping my problems on Danyael’s doorstep,” Dee retorted.