The Secret Six

by Evie Del Mar

“Oh, don’t even worry about that; it’s already been cleaned up,” he said reassuringly. “I promise with more practice and control, you’ll be able to master your abilities easier.”

  “Speaking of, when does everyone normally train and practice? How does that work?”

  “Everyone has had time to master their abilities before arriving here, but now that you’re here, we will be able to practice together, more efficiently.” He clapped his hands together eagerly, smiling. “But first things first, dinner is ready downstairs, if you’re hungry?”

  My stomach began grumbling at the thought of food, answering Tony’s question. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t eaten anything since my plane ride this morning.

  He started laughing, “I guess that answers my question. Come on, let’s head downstairs.”

  I followed him into the kitchen, and stopped mid-step. Covering every space on the kitchen table was an assortment of foods, like Thanksgiving dinner. There were numerous dishes full of chicken, but only one containing fish, as well as sides ranging from green beans, to corn on the cob, and fresh carrots and zucchini. Two large bowls sat on each end, one containing different kinds of lettuce, and the other with every fruit imaginable. Waves of heat were coming from baskets with freshly baked rolls, and several decanters were filled with water. My stomach roared again in anticipation.

  I had never seen so much food in my entire life. I stood there, trying to determine what I was going to dive into first, my mouth already salivating at the thought. “Who prepared all of this?”

  Standing up straighter, Tony smiled triumphantly. “Why, yours truly.”

  As the delicious aroma made its way upstairs, everyone came down into the kitchen. I picked a random seat and sat myself down. I looked up when Cole entered the room, silently hoping he’d choose to sit next to me. Instead, Lily and Blair picked the ones on either side of me.

  Blair gave me a wink. “Us girls have to stick together.”

  Without giving me a chance to respond, Lily shouted, “That’s right!”

  I smiled back at the girls. Even though I wished someone else were sitting next to me, it was welcoming to hear that someone even wanted to sit by me. I did, however, notice that Cole took the chair opposite of me. He gave me his signature grin as he sat himself down. I smiled back, about to say hi, but someone cleared their throat.

  “I would like to welcome everyone to our first meal as a complete family.” Whoops and hollers made their way around the table. “Now that we’re whole, we can officially start training together with combative and non-combative techniques.”

  A few chairs down from me, Drake rubbed his hands together. “Finally,” he whispered, almost menacingly.

  Tony continued his speech. “We will start early tomorrow morning, but for tonight, let’s just relax and enjoy this meal.”

  Everyone started reaching for different dishes and piled them onto their plates. I noticed everyone reaching for the chicken dishes, except for Lily. She reached for the single fish one. As if detecting my glance, she leaned toward me and said that she was a pescatarian.

  When everyone was finished, I started clearing off the table and placed the dirty dishes in the sink. I turned the water on and started scrubbing them, one by one, not even thinking twice about doing the simple chore. Back at home, Mom always told me that we each had a part to do around the house, and mine was dish duty. My throat constricted at the thought of Mom again.

  “You don’t have to do that on your first night here,” a voice said behind me, startling me as I splashed water all over myself. I turned around to find Cole looking down at me with a smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  I reached for a nearby towel and started to dab at my shirt. “Oh, it’s no worries. I did them all the time at home.”

  Cole chuckled. “Well, at least let me be a gentleman and help you out. I can dry them. It’s not fair to let the new girl wash dishes for seven people.” He handed me his plate and our fingers barely touched. I clamped my mouth shut to stifle a gasp at the sudden sensation of feeling like I was just shocked by something. It didn’t hurt, but I could feel something radiating down my arm to my feet. My stomach fluttered, like a million butterflies were released. He continued to look at me with a smile, and let go of the plate. He grabbed one of the kitchen towels next to the sink and began drying. I placed it in the sink, turning back to him. Did he not feel that? Maybe it was just a static shock.

  We stood like that for the remainder of the chore, me cleaning off a dish and handing it to him to dry. Neither of us said a word, but I could feel his eyes on me, even when my back was turned. I would gladly give a kidney to know what was going through his head.

  When he placed the last dish away, he cleared his throat. “Well, be sure to get a good night’s rest tonight because training starts bright and early,” he said quietly. His eyes went back and forth against mine, searching for something. “Goodnight.”

  I continued looking into his crystal blue eyes. “I can’t wait. Goodnight.” I whispered back, smiling.

  He turned and made his way up the stairs. I couldn’t help but stare at his broad shoulders, his muscles bunching under his shirt. I could only imagine the years and years of training and exercise he endured to get that built. Shaking my head back to reality, I took one more glance around the kitchen to make sure everything was cleaned properly, and headed to the stairs, beyond exhausted from all of today’s events.

  “Melody, can I see you for a quick second?” Tony called out from his office down the hall.

  I sluggishly forced my feet to move in his direction. When I arrived, I found him sitting at his desk looking at a piece of paper, his glasses on the tip of his nose. I knocked, announcing my arrival. “Is everything ok?”

  He sat the paper down, ushering me to come in. “Oh, yes, everything is fine.” I followed his gesture toward the chair facing him. “I didn’t want to put any pressure on you during dinner, but wanted to ask you if you knew anything about the crystal your mother hid? We just need to find it before The Brotherhood gets their hands on it.”

  I was definitely not expecting this question. “With all due respect, I didn’t even know I had powers until this morning, let alone where some magic crystal key is. I’m sorry, I haven’t the slightest clue.”

  “Maybe your mother told you in passing, or nonchalantly in a conversation?” he pressed.

  I would definitely remember something about a key that opens a cage containing an evil being. I stared at him and just shook my head.

  “Oh, not to worry,” he laughed. “Maybe it’ll come to you soon.”

  I was not convinced but gave him a reassuring smile. “If you say so.” I got up and bid him goodnight.

  I finally headed upstairs and changed into my pajamas. My eyes were closed before my head hit the pillow, my body and brain drained by the day’s events.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Max, look out!” Mom cried out, but it was too late.

  Dad quickly swerved to the right, but skidded off the road. I yelled out to my parents as our car rolled down a ditch and crashed into a tree.

  I bolted straight up, my breaths coming in heavy and my shirt dripping with sweat. It was all a dream. I brushed the hair that was stuck to my forehead back and placed a hand over my chest to try and calm my racing heart.

  I started to recall the dream. I could clearly hear Mom yelling out to Dad, and the sound of the tires screeching as he steered off the road, like I was back in the car again. I placed an arm over my stomach, trying to hold myself together. I really hoped this wasn’t going to happen every single night.

  I threw the covers off my legs and jumped out of bed, thinking that the further I was away from it, the further I was from my nightmare. I placed my hands behind my head and tried to get my breathing under control.

  I noticed the moon’s light coming through the window, illuminating my room. I made my way over and sat on the window seat, staring at the roaring waves, made visible
by the moon. I watched as wave after wave came crashing onto the shore, and then receded back into the sea, leaving little white streams of bubbles in its place. Something about the movement was so captivating, like it was speaking to my soul. No matter how big, or small, the waves were when they came in, they still diminished right before hitting the shore, never destroying the sand.

  As I continued watching in pure bliss, I began feeling a little better. The weight on my chest lifted and my insides didn’t feel like they were crashing down on me. My breathing also returned to normal. I didn’t know how long I sat there, just watching the calming water. It must have been a while because my back had stiffened and my shoulders tensed.

  I reluctantly tore my gaze away from the window and back to my pillow. As soon I stopped looking at the waves, I realized how heavy my eyes really were. I trudged back to my bed, hesitant at first. I said a silent prayer in hopes of not having any more nightmares.

  I was blessed with a peaceful sleep for the rest of the night.

  ◆◆◆

  I was startled awake by the persistent sound of someone knocking on my door.

  Knock Knock Knock

  Sluggishly, I got out of bed and headed toward the door, prepared to give the person who interrupted my sleep a stern talking to. I opened the door to find Blair and Lily dressed in workout clothes. Lily had her braided pigtails draped over her bare shoulders, with a tank top and capris.

  Blair still managed to look flawless in a Racerback tank and shorts, and even had makeup on. I’d never understand why some women would put makeup on before doing any type of exercising, knowing they were just going to sweat it off.

  Blair threw her arms up into the air and belted out, “Rise and shine!” in a singsong voice.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  Lily brought her wrist to her face and glanced at her watch. “It’s 7:30.”

  “Which also means it’s training time!” Blair chimed in.

  I grimaced at her. “Why are you such a morning person?”

  “It’s like I told you; when the sun’s up, I’m up! I just love waking up to watch the sun rise and feel its morning rays on my skin.”

  “Of course you do,” I said mockingly.

  Lily gave me a warm smile. “You don’t want to miss the first training with all of us together, do you?”

  Blair jumped up and down in excitement. “No, you don’t. Come on, and hurry up! Everyone else is already downstairs waiting for you.”

  My eyes grew. If I wanted to fit in around here, I didn’t want everyone to always have to wait on me. I was going to have to become a morning person, even if it killed me.

  I sighed as I pushed Blair and Lily out of the way so I could close the door. Behind it, both girls said in unison, “We’ll see you downstairs.”

  I quickly ran to the bathroom and nearly cried out at my appearance. My hair was a disheveled mess and the dark purple circles under my eyes looked like bruises. It was clearly visible I didn’t get much sleep last night.

  I turned on the faucet and splashed some warm water onto my face, hoping to wake myself up more, and brushed my teeth. No use killing everyone with my morning breath.

  I headed to my dresser and pulled out some workout clothes. I chuckled to myself as I held up my Racerback tank. I felt better knowing that Blair was wearing one too, which meant I had somewhat of good taste in clothes. I threw on a sports bra underneath and put on some capris.

  I ran back into the bathroom to quickly apply some deodorant and threw my hair up in a messy bun.

  I took one last look in the mirror, thinking that this was as good as it was going to get. I started having second thoughts about putting makeup on, even if I mentally gave Blair a hard time about it. I mean, Cole was going to be down there, and I didn’t want to scare him off with my zombie, morning look. I hurriedly dug through my makeup bag, fishing out some mascara and concealer to hide the bags under my eyes.

  After placing the finishing touches, I raced out of my room and darted downstairs where everyone was gathered together in the foyer.

  “Sorry for being late, everyone.”

  Tony smiled at me. “Not to worry, we were just about to head outside.”

  I followed everyone to the door but kept to the back, unsure of what we were doing or where we were going. As I stepped outside, the salty air brushed across my face. I took a deep breath in, feeling more awake and energized, like a caffeine addict who just had their morning coffee. It comforted me, and brought a smile to my face.

  I hadn’t realized Cole had fallen back from the group and walked in pace with me.

  “Someone seems in a good mood this morning.”

  “Definitely! Being out here near the ocean, how can anyone not be?”

  He chuckled. “I completely agree.”

  Tony stopped a few yards away from the academy and turned towards us. “Good morning, everyone! As you all know, each one of you has his or her own unique way of handling their power. Cole’s way of manipulating the air is going to be different than the way Blair shapes light. The more you practice, the better you’ll become and maybe find something new you can do.”

  I started feeling a little discouraged. The only time I made water do anything was in Tony’s office, and I didn’t even know how I did that. I didn’t wave my arms, snap my fingers, or flick my wrist.

  “Drake, will you please step forward and produce a small flame?” Tony called out.

  Drake stepped out of line, with his head held high, and his chest out. I chuckled and rolled my eyes at his obvious attempt at being overconfident, but genuinely was curious to see his power in action, as opposed to witnessing him just heating up a small bowl.

  Drake cleared his throat, and clapped his hands together, moving them up and down to create some sort of friction. He opened them back up and revealed a flame settled in the palm of his hands. He cupped his hands together, shaping it. When he opened them back up, the flame was now in the shape of a ball.

  I stood there with my mouth hanging open, like a kid who just watched a magician pull a rabbit out of his hat. He was literally playing with fire like it was a toy, and not burning himself. I was still in awe at the fact that there really was magic in this world, and I was a part of it.

  “Excellent job, Drake! Now hold onto that,” Tony cheered. “Lily, it’s your turn.” He motioned for her with his finger to come closer, so he could lean in and whisper something in her ear. When he was done, Lily gave him a big smile and nodded her head in agreement.

  She stepped a little further back toward the academy and reached out her arm. I turned around to see what she was trying to grab, but didn’t see anything. I looked back toward Lily confused, but saw that she was wearing a satisfied smile. As she started pulling her arm back toward her, the ground began to rumble. Something moved underneath the ground and was heading toward us.

  I looked around at the others, hoping they were as confused and worried as I was, but they were just waiting, clearly knowing what was happening.

  The rumble continued towards Lily and stopped right in front of her. She turned her hand, palm facing up, and lifted it up. A root poked through the ground and continued growing, following Lily’s hand.

  Contented with its height, Lily flicked her wrist and sent the root toward Drake’s ball of fire, igniting the root. She brought the root back to her and put her arm down, keeping the root frozen in place. Satisfied with her work, she looked at Tony with a huge smile.

  “Excellent!” Tony gave her a round of applause. “This is the perfect demonstration of teamwork. With the help of Drake, Lily now has an opportunity to ‘play with fire’, if you will.”

  Drake moved over to Lily and gave her a high five. Tony approached them to put his arms around their shoulders. “If you work together, you can ‘share’ your abilities with each other.”

  “Pst, watch this,” Cole whispered next to me. He gave me a wink before stepping forward, with a cunning grin.

  “Hey, Da
d, can I try?”

  Tony grinned and stepped back, allowing Cole to take the floor.

  Instead of just blowing a gust of air like he did last night, Cole spun his arm around and around in a circle in front of him. Strands of my hair started blowing around, whipping me in the face, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from Cole’s performance.

  As he continued to spin his arms, huge gusts of wind formed and took the shape of a tornado. He looked at Drake and cocked his head toward his cyclone.

  As if reading his mind, Drake created a new ball of fire and threw it into Cole’s tornado, engulfing it in flames. My heartbeat picked up, afraid of Cole getting injured by the fiery inferno, but from the smile on his face, it seemed like he had the situation handled.

  Tony clapped again. “Outstanding job, guys!”

  Drake stretched his arm out, taking all the fire out of the tornado, and created the small ball once more in the palm of his hand. He clapped his hands together, putting the fire out. Smoke rose from between his fingers, as he took his hands apart and rubbed the soot off on his pants.

  Cole stopped spinning his arm, and all the wind settled. We all turned our attention to Tony, awaiting further instructions.

  “Now, I’d like each of you to separate and practice sharpening your skills. Branch out of your comfort zone and see if you find a different way to do things.”

  I turned my attention to the beach, took my shoes and socks off, and walked until the waves crashed onto my feet. I shook my arms at my sides and rolled my neck around, trying to loosen my body up. I really hoped I could make something happen so I didn’t look like a complete idiot in front of everyone, including Cole. I looked out toward an incoming wave. In my mind, I pictured it growing in size before hitting the shore. I lifted my arm up, thinking the wave’s size would grow as my arm went higher.

  Nothing.

  I concentrated harder and tried lifting both arms.

  Still nothing.

  I stomped my foot in frustration. I was completely confused as to why I couldn’t control the water. Everyone else was able to manipulate what they wanted on command. I was an extremely fast learner. I should be able to figure this out, especially since my mother was able to do this. I thought since I was apparently the first “second generation”, it would come naturally to me.