“Thank you Rose,” he says in my ear.
His warmth embraces me. He’s so close. His hands start massaging my back and my shoulders become stiff. They move upwards and begin stroking my hair. I want to stay here for him, to provide a source of comfort. But the rising knot in my stomach forces me to push back.
Elliott’s head snaps up. “Sorry, sorry, I—”
I hold his hands and squeeze them gently. “It’s ok.”
“No, Rose, I need to say something,”
My cheeks flush and I brace myself.
His voice gets quiet. “You’re the only person left I deeply care about.”
The words are like a weight around my neck. I’m all that’s left for him. It’s a responsibility I never wanted for myself. Maybe he’s wrong, or just trying to flatter me. But the gaze in his eyes tells me he is speaking from the heart.
He steps closer and grasps my shoulders. There’s a rush of excitement in my chest. Joy or fear, I can’t tell. His face is inches away.
“Rose, you should take a look at this,” Aaron calls out.
“Just a minute,” I say and smile at Elliott, who gives a half smile back.
We go over towards Aaron, who stands stunned at the sight. The carnage of the building extends to a ring of dead soil.
“It’s the black ring,” Aaron says. “Just like—just like I read.”
“Even Jason could get a few things right,” I say.
“But remember what else he said?”
“Does anyone care what that psycho said?” Elliott asks.
“They never did explain what happened here,” Aaron says. “Not really anyway.”
Zach joins us, but keeps a distance from the fence. “I wouldn’t get that close.”
My eyes search the area, as if I can find answers in the rocks and plants surrounding us. The seared cactus has a fascinating beauty to it that goes beneath its scarred skin and into its center. I’ve never seen this far into a plant before.
I’ve never used my powers on one before.
Leaning up, I point at the cactus. “Elliott, I can see inside.”
It takes a moment for his body to catch up. “What?”
“This cactus. It’s a virtual storybook on how it was pelted with fire,” I say, realizing at once how heartless my words sound. “Sorry, I just never thought I could use my powers like that. To learn more about plants, I mean.”
Elliott nods.
Seeing the inside is fascinating. Cacti are fire-resistant, but the wounds reveal the struggle it took to survive. What’s curious is a cut on one of the branches. It’s clean and smooth and not natural at all.
“Look at this,” I say. “No wait, sorry, you can’t.”
Examining the sides, I see more signs of cutting all through the cactus forest. I could disregard it as trimming, except I’m not sure why one would trim in such a haphazard way.
“Rose, what is it?” Elliott asks.
“The cactus, it’s got these strange cuts,” I say.
“Fascinating,” Aaron says.
“What type of strange cuts?” Zach asks.
Elliott’s face pulls into a frown. “Cactus? Strange cuts?”
“What’s wrong?”
He turns away from me, folds his arms, and speaks under his breath so only I can hear him. “Sorry, I guess I was just enjoying this moment between us.”
My lips slowly form words. “I was too.”
He frowns and I rub his shoulder.
“Sorry, got excited,” I say. “Plant geek, you know.”
“It’s ok,” he says.
We stroll back over to bench near the rose bushes. I lean my head on his shoulder. We sit there and all I can hear is the trickling of water fountains.
Elliott brushes his hand through my hair. “You’re very special to me.”
“I understand,” I say.
As much as I watched those make-out sessions on Elevated Love wishing I were in Shelia’s spot, it felt a lot different in real life. There were anxieties. I could be a terrible kisser, and who knows what he would think about me afterwards. A part of me wants to ignore any feelings and take Mrs. Ford’s suggestion to force myself on him. Is this what love feels like? A mix of terror and adrenaline, like coming over the crest of a roller coaster? I expect him to lean in, but instead he strokes my hair. My head starts spinning again. To look up would risk him assuming I want a kiss on the lips. I might look desperate. Do I really want him to kiss me? No. Maybe?
“I don’t want my first kiss to be here,” he says. “Not like this.”
I nod. It’s a relief to avoid it, although a part of me still has to digest the idea he wants to kiss me. Elliott points over at Aaron, who has his phone out to take pictures of the wreckage.
“I think he only came to research the site,” Elliott says.
“That’s not true,” I say. “He wants to support you. He just doesn’t know how to go about it.”
“He’s dangerous, Rose. And up to something.”
“He’s curious. Who wouldn’t be? What if there’s something up with these cuts?”
“Again with the cactus?”
“I think I saw something.”
“You’ve been hanging around Aaron too long,” Elliott says.
“No, I’m serious, maybe there’s more to this—”
I scan again, focusing on the cuts in the cactus. They appear handmade. Somebody made them for some reason.
Elliott closes my mouth. “Rose, stop it.”
I jerk back. “Don’t do that.”
“Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to—”
“There’s something up with that cactus.”
“Enough with the cactus.”
“But no one knows what happened here.”
His voice thunders in my ears. “A big explosion destroyed my parents in an enormous fire ball! That’s what happened.”
For a minute, Elliott buries his face in his right hand, massaging it. “I’m sorry. I just—”
“No,” I say, giving him a big hug. “I shouldn’t have pushed. It wasn’t my place.”
“No—it’s—you have this need to dig into everything, to uncover secrets. Maybe some things are better left alone.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Elliott doesn’t respond.
My eyes well up. “You’re mad that I told you about your power, aren’t you?”
“No, Rose—”
“I thought you had a right to know.”
Elliott leans against the stone wall, silent.
“Well, I’m sorry to have ruined your normal life,” I say before walking back over to Aaron and Zach.
Based on their worried expressions, they must have heard us yelling.
“Are you ok, Rose?” Zach asks.
“Yeah,” I say.
“And Elliott?” Zach asks.
“He’s upset. He’s going through a lot.”
“Let me talk to him,” Zach says.
I watch as Zach steps over to Elliott, but I can’t hear any of their conversation over the fountains. After a few minutes, they shake hands and Elliott smiles.
My phone buzzing in my pocket startles me. It’s Dad.
There’s been another murder. We need to talk.
CHAPTER SIX
My Dad briefs us on the situation through text. Another message had accompanied the murder:
Catalysts must be feared.
“Do you really think there’s another Catalyst?” Aaron asks.
“Well, I don’t think Elliott or Dad are murdering people,” I say.
“How many do you think are out there?” Aaron asks.
“Can’t imagine there could be many,” I say. “Wouldn’t information have leaked out by now?”
“Yeah—suppose so,” Aaron says.
More information comes in through news stories on my phone. The victim was a male named Carlos Dominguez. When I reach a picture of him, I freeze. His face looks familiar and I search my memories for whe
re I’ve seen him before.
Then it occurs to me.
There’s a picture of him and my Dad on the mantle at home. Mr. Roberts made us remove it, among the other pictures of Dad, but we just put it back up recently. Dad knew him, but for some reason hadn’t mentioned it.
The rest of the drive home, I can’t stop thinking about fleeing into the forest to live with the Naturals. We couldn’t be sure they would accept us. But somehow, the idea of escaping is sounding more and more appealing. It would be a fresh start, away from the government and away from whatever trouble is brewing as a result of the Catalyst attacks.
We drop off Zach and Aaron and head back to my place. I’m going through a list of things I need to buy or acquire in preparation for the woods as we walk towards the front door. When we open it, an unexpected face startles me.
Maddock sits in my living room. He casually leans back in the armchair and reaches for a cup of coffee on the end table.
“Come in,” Dad says abruptly. “We have a guest who just arrived, as you can see.”
“An unwelcome guest.” I glare at Maddock.
He sits there, sipping his coffee.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“The situation has become complicated,” Maddock says. “People are starting to ask questions about Catalysts. There were whispers back when Adam’s powers were discovered, but we silenced them. Thankfully, the ability didn’t come up again.”
Elliott perks up. “Except that it did.”
“Or it appears to have,” I say, trying to mask the fact that Elliott almost gave away his secret ability. “Based on the latest murders.”
“Possibly,” Maddock says. “Or there is just one Catalyst. A man who has let power control his head.”
“You can’t think my father would—”
Maddock raises his hand to silence me. “I’m not saying anything yet, except it does strike me odd that immediately after you return, these murders start happening.”
Dad’s voice lowers, and he speaks each word with an icy restraint. “You will not accuse me of murder in my own house.”
Maddock grins. “I’m not accusing anyone of anything.”
“Good,” Dad says.
“However,” Maddock continues. “It’s quite a coincidence that a grandmother of one of your daughter’s friends should, let’s see, spontaneously spawn Elevated abilities?”
“She used Mr. Grayson,” Elliott says. “She already told you.”
Maddock takes a napkin and wipes his lip calmly. “Nice try, eyewitness reports confirmed your grandmother didn’t get zapped until a few weeks ago at the earliest. Mr. Grayson has been in prison for two months. And of course, that was the second story after the whole pilot program routine.”
“She was scared,” Elliott says. “She hid it. They couldn’t see her wings.”
Maddock smirks at Elliott. “You’re a terrible liar.”
Elliott clenches his fist, and I reach over to take it into my hand.
“What do you want?” Dad asks.
Maddock’s eyes grow intense. “The same thing everyone wants: the truth.”
Dad laughs. “You’ve been suppressing the truth for years. No wonder there’s so many rumors out there.”
“Rumors that will continue unless there is action,” Maddock says.
“Such as?” Dad asks.
“If we don’t have the Catalyst in our custody soon, I may just have to take matters into my own hands.”
“Is that a threat?” Elliott asks.
“Of course not—it’s a promise with consequences.” Maddock gently sets the coffee mug down on the table beside him. “I just hope, for your sake anyway, there indeed is another Catalyst out there.”
Dad crosses his arms and stares down, his large frame towering over Maddock’s scrawny figure. “He’s out there, and if you aren’t smart enough to find him, then I guess I will. Now—get out of my house.”
With a curt nod, Maddock strolls out the front door. Dad closes it behind him with a slam. As my adrenaline calms, I realize that Elliott is still holding my hand. We both glance down at our hands clutched together and quickly pull them apart.
“Charming man, that Maddock,” Dad says.
“Between the Catalyst, the government, and my grandmother’s trial, something’s going to get us,” Elliott says. “We should head out now.”
“Head where?” Dad asks.
“To the Mutant Forest,” I say, “to live with the Naturals.”
“Running away won’t solve anything,” Dad says. “We need to figure out who this Catalyst guy is.”
“What did you have in mind?” Elliott asks.
“I’ll think of something.”
“How are we going to find a man who’s hiding his ability?” I ask.
“I’m not sure yet,” Dad says.
“Where do we even start?” I ask.
“I don’t know!” Dad yells, before calming himself down. “Sorry, I don’t know.”
I glance over at the end table and notice the picture of Dad and Carlos is missing. “Smart move, by the way, removing the picture of you and Carlos.”
Dad jerks his head back at me. “Carlos?”
“Yeah, you had a picture of both of you together.”
Dad’s eyes grow intense. “Don’t tell anyone you saw that picture, Rose? Ok?”
“I won’t. But did you—”
“He’s just some guy I met at college.”
“Then why did you frame his picture?”
“Mom thought I looked good in it.” Dad walks away from me and sits back down at his desk. “I need time to think.”
"You know what I think?" Elliott asks. "I think I'm in the mood for a milkshake."
I turn to Elliott, confused, but he nudges me.
"Oh sure," I say. "How about Cafe Basic?"
"Just what I was thinking," Elliott says.
"Whatever, have fun." Dad waves towards us, distracted by the computer.
Once we are out of earshot, Elliott leans down. "Just need a little distraction," he whispers.
***
The entire trip over to Cafe Basic, Elliott keeps the stereo cranked up with some loud rock music. It's obvious the last thing he wants to do is talk about what's going on, and I don't blame him. Between Aaron, Zach's choices for college, and Elliot’s grandmother's approaching trial, life’s unraveling around us. We arrive at Cafe Basic to a warm greeting from the same server we met the first time we ate here.
Looking back, I guess I consider it a first date now. It seems like ages have passed, even though it was only a few months ago. A lot has changed between now and then. Especially between us. I think back at that dinner with even more embarrassment than I had at the time.
We take our seats at the booth, and Elliott smiles.
"It's funny," he says, "the first time I came here with you, I was scared senseless."
"Why?" I ask.
"It wasn't every day I had a beautiful girl with me for dinner."
I blush. "Well, I don't think I was that beautiful in the outfit I wore that night."
He laughed. "It was pretty terrible."
"Jerk," I say, tossing a napkin at his face.
"It really was," he says, with an obnoxious smirk.
"Sorry, it wasn't every day I had a handsome guy ask me out. I'd kind of forgotten what to do in that kind of situation."
It was his turn to blush, and I felt a rush of confidence at being able to embarrass him. "Welcome back," our server says.
I check out his nametag, a little embarrassed I hadn't done it before.
"Thanks, Peter," I say. "We just want some milkshakes tonight. Chocolate for me."
“Ditto,” Elliott says.
"One of those days. I see, no problem," Peter says. He throws a couple of straws on the table before heading off to the kitchen.
"One of those days doesn't quite cut it," Elliott says. "It’s been crazy."
“Yeah.”
Elliott
stares at a straw as he fidgets with it..
“Something on your mind?” I ask.
“Your dad is hiding something.”
I take a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking that too. He’s been very defensive lately.”
“And when the first victim came up, Roger Wesson, he acted like he knew him.”
“And he had a picture with Carlos.”
“It just doesn’t add up.”
“But what’s going on, he’s obviously not—”
We both look at each other for a moment.
“No,” I say. “It’s not possible. There’s another explanation.”
Elliott takes my hand. “I’m sure there is. Your father isn’t capable of that.”
“We need to figure out what’s he’s hiding.”
“No,” Elliott says. “That’s exactly why I wanted to talk to you. We don’t pry, we don’t dive in. He’s hiding it for a reason. And with him being in hot water, the best thing we can do is stay out of it.”
“I can’t stay out of the way while my Dad gets accused of murder.”
“Want to say that a little louder?” Elliott says, gesturing at the other people in the restaurant. “He’s a grown man, he’ll take care of himself.”
"You seem awfully worried about something," Peter says, placing our milkshakes down in front of us. "Hopefully this milkshake will cheer you up."
"Thanks," Elliott says. The server leaves and he dives head first into the milkshake.
"This was a good idea," I say. "Something about this place relaxes me."
Elliott nods, slurping his milkshake. He emerges with his nose covered in whipped cream, and I laugh. He looks awfully cute.
"You might want to get that," I say.
"Whoops," he says and grabs a napkin to wipe his nose.
As he wipes his face, I gaze at him. "I love your blue eyes, you know," I say.
"I know," he says. He goes back to slurping his shake.
"Well," I say.
"Well, what?"
"Aren't you going to return the compliment?"
"You are a strange woman, Rose," he says.
"That wasn't exactly the compliment I had in mind."
"No, I mean, sometimes I think you are into me, and other times you act like I'm the furthest thing from your mind."
I sigh. "I guess there's just too much on my mind to think too much about relationships at the moment."
Catalyst: (Elevated Saga Book #2) Page 6