by AR Colbert
Dom called me over to the corner of the room and pulled out a stopwatch. “Alright, I want to see if you’ve got finesse. I want you to run around the edge of the room as fast as you can. I’ll time you to see how your speed compares to the other Atlanteans with finesse. On your mark, get set, go!”
I jolted into action, my bare feet slapping against the wet concrete as I sprinted around the perimeter of the room, ignoring all the signs that said “Please Walk” in giant red letters. I took the first corner, definitely moving more quickly than I’d ever run before. And I wasn’t feeling very winded, either. This was incredible.
If I had finesse, I would likely end up as a guardian, like Sean. Though I suppose I could still be a messenger under the right circumstances. What else could these powerful muscles do? I remembered Sean mentioning once that he could run faster and jump higher. I decided to try that as well, just as I was coming around the third corner of the room.
With one final surge of power through my legs, I leaped into the air, jumping as high and far as I could. I landed gracefully on my feet, feeling especially feline as I came to a stop inches away from the hard chest that stood like a wall in front of me.
“Time!” Dom yelled.
I refilled my lungs with air and gave Tate a quick smirk before turning my attention back to Dom. “So, how did I do?” I swaggered over to where she and Gayla stood, feeling exhilarated and ready to bite into my gold medal.
“Well, you’re definitely faster than you used to be. You’d blow mortals out of the water.”
I gave Tate a quick wink over my shoulder.
“But for an Atlantean, you were exceptionally…”
“Slow.” Tate winked back, and I felt my ego go tumbling down.
“Okay, then. So I can’t teleport, I’m not a healer, and I clearly have no finesse. What does that leave?”
“Energy manipulation,” Tate said, rubbing his hands together. “Definitely the coolest Atlantean power.”
“But also the rarest.” Dom didn’t sound convinced.
“Well, tell me what to do. How does one manipulate energy?”
“I knew a guy once who could make the lights turn on and off with his mind. Try that,” Tate suggested.
“Oooh—and I had a friend back in Connecticut whose mom could alter kinetic energy. Any moving object was under her control. It was amazing. Except for when we tried to sneak out to go to Dionne Miller’s house party and she stopped our car at the bottom of the driveway.” Gayla chuckled.
“Okay, you’re right. It sounds awesome, but I still have no idea how to make any of that happen. Do I just blink my eyes or wiggle my nose and poof?”
Dom frowned. “I think you probably would have noticed something like that happening before now. It’s kind of beyond your control. We don’t learn how to create our powers. We learn to control them. The powers manifest on their own.”
“So you’re saying I probably can’t do anything like that?”
“Yeah, unfortunately.”
“So what Atlantean powers are left, then?”
Our small group shifted gazes back and forth, each of us waiting for someone else to answer. Finally, it was Gayla who spoke. “I think we need to call Sean.”
“No.” Tate and I spoke in unison.
“Wait,” I said. “Why don’t you want Sean getting involved?”
“I just think we need to keep everything surrounding you and your powers under wraps until we know more about that aura.”
“He’s right,” Dom said. “But why are you against calling Sean?”
“He’s assigned to be my guardian right now. The only way I’ve kept him out of our apartment for the last couple of days is by telling him I had the flu. Once he knows I’ve got my powers, he’ll need to report back to the council. Plus…” I looked down at my feet. “I’m afraid he’ll try to talk me out of searching for my mom.”
“He’s not the only one,” Tate said. “Cutting you loose in Keeper territories is about the worst idea I can think of.”
“Well, standing around here isn’t getting us anywhere!” I marched over to the table and snatched a chocolate cupcake from the box.
Gayla joined me a moment later. “It’s going to be alright, Ev. I promise we haven’t forgotten about your mom. We’ll find her.”
“You say that, but so far we haven’t done a single thing to get her back. It’s like everyone else has just moved on.”
“That’s not true. If it’s important to you, it’s important to me. I will—” Her voice trailed off and her hands froze in place, the cupcake wrapper in her fingers only half-pulled away from the cake.
“Gayla?” I waved my hand in front of her face. “Guys!” Dom and Tate jerked their faces to me, pulling themselves out of whatever kind of private discussion they’d been engaged in. “Something’s going on with Gayla.”
Her eyes darkened, the whites disappearing as she stared off into a distant nothing. She was having a vision. Dom rushed over to my side, and together we lowered her to the ground. We’d seen enough now to know that Gayla’s visions typically ended in tremors. Tate slid a folded-up towel under her head and we waited.
Then we waited some more. About five minutes passed with none of us making a sound when finally Gayla’s features softened and her eyes returned to their normal warm brown.
She sat up, rubbing her head. “That was weird.”
“Was it a vision? You didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, sort of.” She turned toward me. “Your crazy old man is getting impatient.”
“Well, did he tell you where I could find him? Because I’m still pretty clueless about the whole thing.”
“He’s in a lighthouse.”
“A lighthouse where?” Tate asked.
Gayla raised a shoulder. “In the cleft of a rock?”
“Not helpful,” Dom said.
“It’s more than we knew before!” Gayla said. “And Everly—this mess is definitely tied in with your mom, somehow. I don’t know how I know, but I do. I can feel it.”
I squeezed my friend’s hand. “Thank you.” I mouthed the words but no noise came out.
“Now where did my cupcake go?” Gayla stood and eyed me suspiciously before grinning and grabbing the half-opened dessert from where we’d laid it on the table. “I need to hurry and eat it before my training.”
“You’re supposed to meet with Rossel today?” Dom asked her.
“Yeah, I was anyway. But if there’s some reason I shouldn’t, I’m all ears. I hate these meetings.”
“Given your last couple of visions, I’m thinking maybe it would be a good time to catch Everly’s imaginary flu,” Tate said. “You don’t want him hearing anything you might mutter in a vision right now.”
“My flu is very contagious,” I added.
“You know, I am feeling a little under the weather...” Gayla fake coughed into the crook of her elbow and then shoved half the cupcake into her mouth. “I’ll send him a text.”
“And I guess I’ll go back to Millie’s and see if I can learn anything additional about my mom’s powers. Maybe there was more to them than most people knew.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dom said. “Millie likes to play by the books. If she realizes your powers have come in, she’ll report you to the council even faster than Sean would.”
“Not if my aura might put me in danger. Millie wouldn’t want me to get hurt.”
Dom frowned. “I wouldn’t risk it.”
“Well, I don’t have any other options unless you know where some old man is hiding in a lighthouse in the cleft of a rock. Look, I’ll be careful to avoid her. I just need to find some old journals or something. There’s got to be information about my heritage somewhere in that library of hers.”
“Just be careful.”
CHAPTER 3
Tate volunteered to drive me over to Millie’s place, but we didn’t talk much. I was unable to think of anything other than the way the air seemed to siz
zle along that invisible string between us, and he—well, I don’t know for sure what he was thinking. But he was definitely lost in thought.
He slowed the car to a stop in front of Millie’s townhouse and finally turned to me. “I might know a way to keep your aura disguised, but I’m going to have to practice it first. It’s not a technique I’ve had to use before. Until then, please try to stay out of sight of any Keepers, especially your aunt.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’m gonna stay close by, so send me a text as soon as you’re ready to go. We definitely don’t want you walking around on the streets.”
“I will.”
“And Everly—” My heart fluttered at the sound of my name coming from his lips. I hoped he didn’t notice. “Be careful.” His mouth twitched like he wanted to say more, but nothing else came out.
I nodded and tugged on the door handle, quickly rushing from his car to my aunt Millie’s front door. I didn’t notice any other Keepers out on the street, but there was no telling who might be lurking in the shadows or watching from windows. You’d think that being practically immortal would give me courage, but instead it only made me more paranoid.
Once inside, I leaned my head back against the door and took a moment to just breathe. The past couple of days had been a whirlwind. And somehow, my guardian had become a guy I was now trying to avoid, and my hunter had become my new guardian.
The thought of it almost made me laugh. Tate had once wanted my soul so badly that he enlisted the help of friends from across the country to help bring me near the brink of death. But now I truly believed he only wanted to help me get to the bottom of my mysteries. There was no way Dom would have allowed him to hang around if he still wanted me dead. Not that he could kill me now, anyway. In fact, if the feeling that buzzed between the two of us was mutual at all, I would guess he wanted quite the opposite of getting me dead.
“Ohhh, I know that face.” Jeeves appeared from around the corner with a grin. His Alabama twang came out even stronger when he was teasing me. “Where have you been lately?”
I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “Eh, you know. School, work, my new apartment. Nothing too interesting.” Other than discovering I’m an immortal with strange and unidentifiable powers. Oh, and also maybe the subject of a prophecy that could irrevocably change the world as we know it.
“Uh-huh… and does ‘nothing interesting’ include tall, dark, and handsome out there who still hasn’t pulled away from the curb?”
I peeked through the foyer window and sure enough, Tate still sat in the car, tapping his thumb on the steering wheel and staring off into space.
A flush crept its way up my neck and Jeeves looked pleased as punch. He laughed. “Come on, heartbreaker. Let’s see if Pierre has anything good to eat in there.” He gestured for me to follow him into the kitchen.
“Oh, thanks. But I’m not staying here long. I just need to run upstairs and grab something from Millie’s library.”
Jeeves pouted. “Okay. But try to stop by more often. We never get to see you anymore.”
“I will. I promise. Just as soon as things settle down.”
The sound of claws clicking across the hard floor announced the arrival of my other two giant hairy friends who resided at Millie’s place. Tiny Tim and Lemondrop, her bull mastiffs, gave me slobbery greetings of their own. I patted their heads, scratching Tiny Tim for a moment in the spot behind his ear that he loved so much. “And I will see more of you guys, too,” I said in a high tone with my lips pushed out. Then I dashed up the stairs toward Millie’s library.
The room was quiet, and the sunshine filtering in through the window gave me a sense of calm. I stood in the center of the room, amazed by how well I could make out the titles of the books that lined her shelves without having to step any nearer. There were some real perks to these Atlantean senses. But I didn’t expect to find any old personal journals on her bookshelves. No, those would likely be hidden away in a more secure location. But where?
Millie’s desk was the most likely location. I made for it, but stopped halfway across the room when I heard a fluttering noise from outside the window. My owl! I hadn’t seen him since he stopped time for me back at the cargo dock, right before my powers emerged. I needed to thank him for that. And yes, I knew how crazy the thought was, but something told me he’d understand.
The window was sealed shut, and there was no way I’d be able to get it open. Coming to the same conclusion, I watched my feathery friend fly down and around to the small courtyard on the back side of Millie’s townhouse. He would no doubt wait for me there.
The dogs were sitting with their chins on their paws outside of the library door, not satisfied with the small number of snuggles they’d received from me. They joined me on the stairs, stepping in front me on my way down—trying to block my movement so I would stop and pay them more attention. “Hang on, guys. I’ll be right back.”
But of course they didn’t listen. They lacked the intelligence of my owl.
I snuck past the kitchen, where Jeeves was reading something at the counter, and made my way to the french doors leading out to the courtyard. Just as my fingers wrapped around the handle, I heard the front door of the townhouse open as well.
I slipped out the doors as quickly and quietly as I could, gluing myself to the outer wall of the building and straining with all my might to hear who’d just entered the house. But it didn’t take much straining to make out the sing-songy cadence of Millie’s chipper words.
“Hey Jeeves! We just thought we’d grab some lunch and take the afternoon off. You guys have enough to feed a couple more?”
Shoot! I prayed Jeeves wouldn’t say anything about me being here.
“You bet we do! Everly is here, too.”
Well that was just perfect. Thanks a lot, Jeeves.
“She’s upstairs in the library,” he added.
“Wonderful! I’ll go change clothes and see if she wants to join us.”
“I’ll wait here with Jeeves,” a third voice said. I knew that voice… but I couldn’t place it right away.
What are you doing?
The voice sounded as clear as the horns blaring on the road in front of the townhouse. I startled and spun back around to face the courtyard. My owl perched calmly on the fence between the patio and the small green area beyond it. No one else was around.
“Did you—” No. That was impossible.
Did I ask you a question? Yes. Now don’t be rude. Answer me. I know you can hear me now. And it’s about time, too.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
The owl blinked. Twice.
“You’re not kidding?”
Nope. And I’ve been waiting 2700 years to be heard again. Do you know how hard it is to shout into a void for multiple millennia?
I glanced around the courtyard, searching for a camera and half expecting Gayla to jump out and laugh about another successful prank. But it was just me and the owl.
“I think I’m losing my mind.”
You and me both, honey. Now are you going to tell me who you’re hiding from?
“My aunt Millie. I’m not ready to reveal my new… uh… situation to her just yet. Am I really talking to an owl right now?”
It’s so frustrating that you don’t remember.
“Remember what?”
Nevermind. More importantly, if you’re wanting to hide, I suggest you do something about those monsters.
Tiny Tim and Lemondrop let out loud whines on the other side of the glass doors. The bird was right. They were going to draw attention. I released a sigh and pulled open the doors, hoping they might quiet down out here with us.
Nope. That was a bad idea.
Ew, call these smelly beasts down! The owl flapped a few feet into the air as the pair of canines rushed over and lifted their front paws onto the fence. Tiny started barking when the owl moved, which worked Lemondrop up into a tizzy as well.
“Shh! It’s okay. Come
here, sweet pups.”
Sweet? Those mangy creatures are about as sweet as—
The door opened again behind me, cutting the owl’s words—or thoughts, maybe?—short.
“There you are.”
I turned to face the familiar voice I’d heard earlier and found Devon grinning at me. A quick look over my shoulder revealed that my owl had flown away upon Devon’s arrival.
“Millie went upstairs to look for you. We’re about to eat lunch if you want to join us.” He paused and his eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch. “Hey… Something seems different about you.” He tilted his head to examine me further.
“Nope everything is fine. Can’t stay for lunch, though. Gotta run!” I tried to squeeze past him and back into the house, but he stepped in front of me before I could make it very far.
“Wait. Your aura! Did you get your powers? No—that’s not right. It’s—”
I slapped my hand over his mouth before he could finish. “Shh!” I yanked him out of the clear glass doorway and pushed him up against the wall. “Devon, I need you to promise me you will keep your mouth shut if I drop my hand. Do you understand?”
He nodded, eyes wide.
“Good.” I slowly dropped my hand, but he began to speak as soon as his lips were free. I quickly covered him up again.
“Get off,” he mumbled against the inside of his hand.
“You promised you wouldn’t speak!”
“Okay, okay,” he mumbled again. But when I dropped my hand a second time, he let out a quiet “sheesh.”
“Listen, this is really important. I know you’re in love with my aunt or whatever, but I need you to keep this aura thing a secret for now. From her and everyone else, too, including Sean.”
“Why?”
“It’s a lot to explain, but… wait, you can teleport, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“So how far are you able to go?”
“As far as I want, as long as I’m familiar with the location.”
“Would a picture and a map be enough?”
“Maybe.”
“Excellent.” I nodded, a grin slowly working its way across my face. “Alright, as your future niece, I have an enormous request. I will tell you all about the aura, but first, I need you to help me find a lighthouse.”