Flint sprinted to the pile. He reappeared beside it.
My breath stopped at the sight he made standing near the cliff’s edge bathed in sunshine. His chestnut hair whipped around his head, and his tall, strong physique looked so powerful. I swallowed. Sometimes his beauty and my traitorous body’s reaction to him took me completely by surprise.
Flint glanced at his watch. “We’ve got a few minutes until we reach the thirty-minute mark. How should we play this?”
I forced myself to stop staring.
Jacinda put her hand on her hip. “Lena and I were thinking we should be the guards since you and Di are the fastest runners.”
Di’s short, dark hair swayed when she nodded. “That’s a good idea. I had a fraction of a vision on the walk here. It was of me and Flint near the red flag. I think we’re going to win.”
Flint glanced at his watch again. “Right, time’s up. Ready?”
Di nodded curtly. “Let’s go.”
They took off at a jog and disappeared into the trees, their tall frames and olive skin disappearing from view. I sighed. It was probably best it wasn’t me and Flint guarding the flag. I’d probably stare at him all day, admiring his pristine perfection, possibly drooling. He’d likely wonder if I’d bumped my head on a tree during the walk in.
Jacinda sat down daintily on the cliff and crossed her legs beneath her. “Are you going to breathe now that he’s gone?”
I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until she said something. Letting it out in a rush, I plopped down beside her. My long hair flew around my face. I pulled the hair tie off my wrist and swirled my curls into a pile on the top of my head. “Is it that obvious?”
She smiled and patted my hand. “Only to me.”
“He doesn’t know I exist,” I said glumly.
“Of course he does. Besides Di, you mean more to him than anyone.”
I rolled my eyes. “I highly doubt that.”
Jacinda and I sat in the sunshine, talking to one another for I don’t know how long. The pure joy of being outside on a warm summer day, bantering with my sister, soon made my longing for what could never be disappear.
Just as I was about to say something else, a flash of color caught my attention.
“Hey, did you see that?” I scrambled to my feet and pulled Jacinda up with me. “I think I saw someone running over there.” I pointed to a space in the trees about fifty yards away.
“You did?” She shaded her eyes against the sun. “Do you think it was one of the twins?”
“It could have been. I thought he, or she, was wearing blue.”
“Jasper was wearing a blue shirt.”
Just then, one of the twins emerged from the tree line, about fifty yards down from us. I switched my vision. The yellow billowy cloud swayed like a haze in the sunlight. “It’s Jasper.”
“Has he spotted us?”
“Not yet. Quick, let’s get out of sight and see what he does.” I pulled her down.
We sank behind the rock pile while still on the balls of our feet. Adrenaline coursed through me. I’d almost forgotten we were playing a game.
I peeked around the rock pile and watched him. “Do you think he’s alone?”
Jacinda frowned. “Hold on. Be quiet and I’ll find out.”
She closed her eyes. I knew she’d turned her hearing on full power. Father had worked with her for years to hone and control it. She’d mastered her ability better than any of us. However, she didn’t have additional powers, not like Di, Mica and the twins.
Jacinda had described her hearing to me once. If she wasn’t able to turn it on and off, she’d have gone crazy. Voices, sounds, whispers, the wind—everything filtered through her senses at an aggravating level. The only thing she could compare it to was what she’d read about schizophrenia—the constant bombardment of noises and voices, unable to be controlled. No wonder Father had spent so much time with her when we were younger. She inevitably would have gone mad if she couldn’t control it.
“Jet’s here too. They’re ten yards away,” she whispered so quietly I almost didn’t hear.
A few seconds later, one of the twins said, “What’s that over there?”
“Their flag!” The other whooped. Quickening footsteps sounded.
I almost jumped up but waited for Jacinda’s signal that they were close enough.
Her eyes flashed open. “Now!”
We both jumped up. The twins were only a few yards away, running straight for us. The expression on their faces was priceless.
“Get Jet!” Jacinda yelled.
We grabbed for the twins as Jasper reached for the flag. Jacinda grabbed his wrist just in time, but I wasn’t quite as fast. Jet stopped dead in his tracks and backpedaled. Before I could tag him, he turned and ran back to the trees.
“Dammit!” I followed him into the forest.
I fell behind as he quickly gained ground. I willed myself to move faster, using my small frame to its advantage. When Jet had to duck under hanging leaves and zigzag to avoid low lying branches, I kept running straight, leaves and branches brushing the top of my head. I was amazed that I slowly gained on him. My lungs burned, but I didn’t stop. I wouldn’t let him beat me this time!
Jet yelled when a branch scraped his face. He dared a look behind him. His eyes widened when he saw how close I was.
I grinned when he turned back around and watched in surprise as he tripped over a log. I lunged, pushing with all of my strength and launched myself into the air. “Got you!”
I’d never actually tackled someone before, at least not from an airborne maneuver and questioned if I’d made a smart move. It all happened so fast. One second, I was still running, the next, I was colliding into Jet’s muscular shoulders.
“Oomph!” The wind got knocked out of me. I could barely breathe, but I held onto him for dear life. I wrapped my legs around his middle and practically strangled his neck. He landed face first on the forest floor and groaned.
“I got you!” I yelled in gleeful surprise when I was finally able to breathe again.
Jet chuckled. “Is that what you call it?”
With a strong push, he rolled over unexpectedly and pinned me beneath him. My eyes widened when I realized how intimate our position was. I still had my legs wrapped around his waist, and my arms wound around his neck.
Of course, that was how everyone found us.
The red flag hung limply in Flint’s hand as he stared down at us, his face expressionless. Mica and Jasper burst out laughing, while Di merely cocked an eyebrow. Meanwhile, Jacinda seemed to be smothering a laugh while Amber had that yearning look in her eyes again.
“What the hell are you two doing?” Flint seethed. His chest rose and fell much faster than I’d ever seen. It couldn’t be from running. He never got winded. Not even when he sprinted up a mountain.
“I . . . ah . . .” I stammered. I pushed a leaf out of my eyes and tried to scramble out from under Jet but he was too heavy. “I . . . tackled him.”
“Yeah, she tackled me all right.” Jet gripped my hips and leered. “We were just getting to know one another on a whole new level.”
Mica and Jasper were about to fall over, they were laughing so hard.
I glared at Jet. His hands were glued to my hips. I struggled to get out from under him but he didn’t budge.
“I see,” Flint replied. He dropped the flag, turned and walked away. His movements were stiff, his hands clenched.
I slugged Jet in the shoulder, but he still didn’t move. Flint was getting farther away. I almost groaned. I needed to explain to him that he had it wrong. I didn’t want Jet. Not like that.
“Jet!” I exclaimed, my irritation growing. I frantically searched for Flint as a strange sensation grew in the air. It felt almost like . . . electricity. “Get off me!”
Flint had almost disappeared in the trees. Soon, I’d lose him in the forest and then I’d never find him and explain that I didn’t want Jet—at all.
I slugged Jet
again. He didn’t move. That strange feeling in the air grew.
Jet grinned. “I like feisty redheads.”
Flint’s bright shirt was now a speck in the woods. Another minute and he’d be gone. Desperation bubbled up inside of me. “I said GET OFF ME!”
Jet’s body flew from mine.
He shot into the air as if an invisible hand had reached down and ripped him from my body. He collided with a tree about fifteen feet away.
My mouth dropped as commotion broke out.
“What the hell was that?” Mica exclaimed.
Jasper rushed to Jet’s side. Amber and Jacinda stared wide-eyed. Di called for Flint.
In a flash, Flint returned.
“What happened?” he said.
Di frowned, her gaze swinging between me and Jet. “I don’t know. Lena seemed to get agitated that Jet wouldn’t get off her and the next moment, he flew into that tree.”
Flint’s hair was mussed as if he’d been raking his hand through it. His dark eyes met mine.
My heart pounded. I wasn’t sure if it was from Flint’s look, that strange feeling that had been in the air or Jet shooting off me. I scrambled to my feet.
“I . . . ah . . .”
Di put her hands on her hips, an excited gleam in her eyes. “Did you do that, Lena?”
Jet was now standing. He picked leaves from his dark curly hair. A goose egg had formed on his temple.
My eyes widened. Father wouldn’t be happy. He was always concerned about one of us getting seriously injured. Out here, driving down to the local ER wasn’t an option.
“Lena?” Di said again. Both she and Flint watched me.
“I don’t know.”
I knew Di, Mica and the twins had learned in the last two years that they could do more with their abilities. So far, the rest of us couldn’t. My hands shook when I looked down at them.
In a flash, Flint was at my side. “Are you okay?”
My whole body shook. “Did I really do that?”
“I don’t know, but if you did, that was impressive.”
“I didn’t want Jet on me . . . I kept trying to get out from under him . . . I . . .” The words stumbled out of me before I had the sense to stop talking. There was no non-embarrassing way to explain to Flint that I didn’t want Jet on me because of him. “I mean . . . I . . .”
Sighing, I clasped my hands.
A new light grew in Flint’s eyes. “Just as long as you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.” I glanced at the twin. “What about him?”
Jet’s bright blue eyes looked dazed.
Flint shrugged. “He’ll live. Serves him right for pinning you down if you tried to get out from under him.”
I smothered a laugh.
Flint smiled.
My heart stopped as I gazed up at him. Why does he have to be so good looking?
“We better head back,” Di said. Both she and Jasper flanked Jet’s side. “Father will want to look Jet over, and we need to tell him what Lena did.”
What I did? Did I really do that?
Flint pulled out his compass. “Follow me.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
17 years old
The moon was high in the sky, the forest completely black. It was the night of the lunar eclipse. Father said we couldn’t go out at night, but I didn’t want to miss it. Of course, Mica and the twins had been game when I’d asked them to sneak out with me. Flint hadn’t.
The air outside was crisp and cold. Winter was definitely on its way. Already, my fingertips were cold.
“Have you got the flashlights?” Jasper whispered to Mica. Even in the dark, cloudy puffs from his breath were visible.
“Flashlights?” she retorted. “We don’t need flashlights. I can see in the dark!”
“Yeah, you can, but we can’t.” Jet fished two lights out of his pocket and handed me one. “Good thing one of us came prepared.”
I took the flashlight from him but kept it off. “Better wait till we’re in the woods, in case the light wakes anyone.”
Mica pulled out her compass and got our bearings. Compasses usually worked in the forest but not always. Luckily tonight, it did.
I switched my vision. The twins and Mica’s clouds appeared. I practiced my new skill as Mica led the way. It was hard. Pulling everyone’s clouds into one cloud usually gave me a headache. Despite practicing daily with Father’s help, I hadn’t been able to replicate the sheer power I’d conjured at the beginning of summer when we’d played Capture the Flag.
Still, I tried.
It wasn’t long before dark trees surrounded us. When a pounding headache began at the base of my skull, I stopped trying to manipulate the clouds. My skills weren’t working very well tonight.
After a while, Mica stopped. She peered intently at the compass. “The cliff top should be this way.” She pointed.
A sharp crack sounded to our left. I shifted my vision again. An orange cloud appeared. I couldn’t stop my grin. Flint was trying to hide behind a tree about five yards away, but his billowing orange cloud gave him away.
“Flint!” I tried to keep the happiness from my voice, but Jet still snickered.
Flint stepped out from behind a thick tree trunk. He only wore a light fleece. Jet, of course, shone his light right at Flint’s face.
“What are you doing out here?” Jasper asked.
Flint cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
I smiled brightly. “Did you change your mind about seeing the eclipse?”
He shrugged. “Something like that.” His voice was steely, cool and sent shivers down my spine.
I continued smiling, like an absolute idiot.
“Are we gonna get going?” Mica asked, her tone irritated. “If we don’t get moving, we’re gonna miss the beginning.”
Flint fell into step beside me as we resumed walking. Every now and then, his scent drifted my way. Spice, wood and tangerines. I leaned a little closer to him.
“Almost there,” Mica said.
A few steps later, the trees parted and the rocky cliff appeared. At its ledge, it plummeted hundreds of feet. The expanse of the entire forest shone from this high up. It was one of my favorite places since it was one of the areas where we were able to get out in the open.
“Grab a seat.” Jasper rubbed his hands together. “It should start soon.”
Jasper, Mica and Jet walked to the edge and sat, their feet dangling in the air. Flint still stood by the tree line.
I shuffled my feet. “Um, where do you want to sit?”
When he glanced at me, I swear my heart stopped beating. His eyes were dark in the night. “Should we go to our usual spot?”
“Yeah, sure.” I swallowed the nerves that bubbled up in me and followed him.
We stayed well away from the ledge. Walking behind him, I admired his broad shoulders and lean build. I almost tripped since I wasn’t watching where I was going. Luckily, I caught myself before I fell.
“Are you okay?” He glanced over his shoulder.
“Yeah.” I berated myself internally.
Flint stopped when we reached a large rock that jutted up from the cliff. It was the perfect height to hop onto, rather comfortable for sitting and was well away from the cliff’s edge. All criteria that made Flint happy. He jumped easily onto it, but I had to back up to the rock and use my triceps to wiggle up.
“Do you need some help?” I heard the smile in his voice.
I gritted my teeth and shimmied back. “No, I’m fine.”
Once I was seated, we both leaned back on our elbows. The rock was ridiculously cold through my jeans.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked.
As usual, he seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. “Yeah, I’m good.”
We tilted our chins up and watched the moon. In no time, the eclipse started. The moon turned to an orange hue as the earth moved steadily between it and the sun.
“Here we go!” Jet called.
Jasper laughed, and Mica made some comment I couldn’t hear. It was followed by another laugh from one of the twins.
I cleared my throat and tried to watch the moon but was acutely aware of how close my and Flint’s thighs were. One little nudge to my right and we’d be touching. My gaze dipped to our elbows. Only inches separated us. As sneakily as I could, I glanced at Flint.
His dark profile appeared chiseled in the night. He seemed completely oblivious to me, his gaze fixed on the moon. But then a corner of his mouth tugged up.
I snapped my gaze away from him.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He didn’t look at me, but I again heard a smile in his voice.
A blush furiously stained my cheeks. “Yep!”
The eclipse lasted a few hours. I didn’t look at Flint again. He seemed perfectly relaxed and content to stay silent.
Each minute for me, however, was agony and rapture entwined into one. I loved that I was able to share this magical experience with him, but at the same time wished we enjoyed it as a couple, his arm around my shoulders or me leaning against his side. Instead, two inches separated us all night.
Two inches had never felt so big.
On the way back, everyone hiked quietly. I think the late night was catching up with all of us. It would be dawn soon, and we’d have to get up at the same time as everyone else to avoid Father’s suspicion. My eyes were heavy as I followed Mica. When we returned to the cabin, I could barely keep them open.
“You look tired,” Flint whispered when we crept inside.
I raised my eyebrows. What does that mean? Tired as in, I look bad? Or tired, as in he feels sorry for me? I wasn’t sure I liked either option.
“I’m fine,” I replied haughtily.
He chuckled.
“Quiet you two!” Mica hissed.
We stood in the entryway. Sounds were known for carrying from this area. I gave Flint another subtle glance.
Jet and Jasper elbowed one another. I eyed them suspiciously. They snickered a few times at Flint and me. Jet winked knowingly when our gazes met.
My eyes widened, and I dropped to unlace my boots.
Flint cleared his throat. I peeked up just in time to see him eyeing the twins sternly. Jet and Jasper stopped snickering and took their jackets off.
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 33