Gifted Connections: Book 2 by SM Olivier (1)

 

 

Gifted Connections

Book Two

S.M. Olivier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gifted Connections: Book Two

S.M. Olivier

All rights reserved.

Copyright 2018 by S.M. Olivier

This is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance of characters, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  The author holds exclusive rights to this work.  Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.  No part of this book can be reproduced in any form, or by electronic means or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the permission in writing from the author.  The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Any trademark, service marks, product names, or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference.  There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.

 

 

Copy editing by Jenifer Knox

Cover by Jenifer Knox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           Chapter 1

 

Last night when I went to sleep, I had a different life.  Last night when I closed my eyes, I laid my head on a man I had come to care for more than words could say.  Remington (Remy) Murphy was my quiet, gruff, yet protective guardian.  We went running every Saturday morning.  Sometimes our routes took us up in the mountains where he found solitude. I felt privileged that he had shared that beauty and awestriking view with me.  Sometimes we ran the quiet country roads, watching as the wild life continued their daily routines, barely noticing us.  Our last run had been in the city, a city that was forgotten but now, because of him and other likeminded people, was coming back to life again.  He had just opened a restaurant on that side of town and renovated a charming warehouse, making it his home.

This morning I woke up in the bed of a man I barely knew.  He had been one of my first crushes in high school, but after his crazy ex-girlfriend started harassing me and making my life miserable, I knew I couldn’t pursue my interest in him.  The last time I had seen him, he was hooking up with a girl that was supposed to be in love with one of the kindest, gentlest, most thoughtful men I have ever met. 

The second man in my life, Drake Bell (the last name he took after he was adopted), was going to school to become a child psychologist—although, I still believed he pursued that career path because his ex-girlfriend was majoring in the same field of study.  I think he missed a calling to become a chef.  He was one of the best cooks I have ever met, and he cooked for our family of eleven with ease in addition to any others who came by, since our house had become the gathering place of my band and our friends.

I was getting ready for my first day of school at Knightstown Academy…again.  Last time, I had just found out that I had a gift, and with that came a lot of adjustments.  Like the fact that I was supposed to make connections with six guys. Two of them were brothers, and the other four had been fostered and adopted by the same man. Even though they shared similarities, their differences made them unique. 

It was because my gift was powerful, not to mention my questionable parentage, that was the cause for my new predicament.

I was scrambling to figure out the reasons why the people who put me in this situation chose to erase the last few weeks by turning back time, and why they put me so close to the guys they had worked so hard to separate me from. 

My sister, Ella—well technically my cousin—had predicted this would happen, but she also told me no one would remember the relationships we had created.  Not Will, the man I had started to call Pops.  Not Jace, the man who was once my teacher, my connection, the man who made me love music once more, and who helped me get me out of my previous life of squalor and pain.  Not Remy, my connected, my protector.  Not Troy, my Casanova, the man who could make a girl feel special, like the time he took me on a ride in his helicopter for my first real date.  Not Noah, the man who used to flirt relentlessly with me and made me feel beautiful, but who recently had distanced himself from me.  Not Drake, my sweet, thoughtful, sometimes shy guy.  Not, Jaxson the one I had technically known the longest.  He had come to me in my darkest hours.  Because of our gifts, we had been having conversations in our heads since we were 10 years old.  Recently, he was the one who chased my nightmares away.  Not, Jemmy, my outgoing, fashion savvy, sensitive, dramatic best friend. And not Rachel, another new-found friend, but at least with her I had hope.

“Hey, Collin,” I asked as I came out of the bedroom.  “I must have drank a lot last night, because I don’t know where I’m supposed to be going or where my uniform is.”

He was sitting at the counter eating a bowl of cereal.  Outwardly he was handsome, with his blond hair and blue eyes.  His physique, like most gifted, was well taken care of.

He turned and smiled, but I noticed his eyes were calculating, satisfied even.  “Darling, you’re in college, you don’t need to wear uniforms.  Remember? You had enough credits to graduate high school, and Zach told you your placement test had you on college level.  Lucky you.” He drew me in his arms, and I had to will myself not to stiffen.  “Now get dressed, you silly goose. We’re going to be late.”

I turned to go back into the room.  I had already snooped and noticed we were in a two-bedroom studio apartment.  It was a nice but paled in comparison to how I lived with my guys.    

He must still be under the impression that whatever Horatio and his minions did to me had worked. But it hadn’t completely worked.  My memories were still intact, I remembered everything; it was my gifts that were in question.  My gifts of compulsion, fire, force field, empathy, and illusion were gone.  In vain I had tried to use them, but they evaded me.

I had to fight the feelings of anxiety, despair, and panic.  It was like I was on an island with an alligator, surrounded by sharks circling in the water.  I was afraid of the alligator on the island eating me, yet I had to be careful leaping in the water to escape because that couldn’t end well either.  I had to make things right.  I had to get back to my guys.  I had to find Ella, Alex, Micah, and my other brother.  They were in more danger than I was.  I had to get my old life back.

I knew my first plan of attack was to find the Judge and Rachel.  Will had made me remember Judge Myers’ contact information and repeat it back to him several times.  Thanks to Ella, we knew this day would come, and we knew we couldn’t prevent it, so we made plans to repair it.  We had made plans A, B, C, and D.  We tried to think of all possibilities and how I should approach each situation, even the possibility of my gifts being temporarily blocked.

As I rifled through the dresser, I found a pair of skinny jeans to slip into, a tank top, and a hooded sweatshirt.  This wasn’t any clothing I recognized, but it was similar to what I generally wore.  I shrugged inwardly—at least I had that going for me. I donned on a pair of boots and found they fit as well. 

Collin was waiting for me as I exited the room. He had a messenger bag over one of his shoulders. “Here you go, babe.” He smiled charmingly.  “Your class schedule is in there.” He handed me a phone.  “And I charged your phone when we got home last night.” He slung an arm around my shoulders.  I tried not to flinch once more. 

I peered down at the phone with the hot pink case. Will had given me a phone when I moved in with them. This was not my phone. I put it in my pocket, trying to keep my face neutral.

We left the apartment building, and I noticed it was in a pretty well-kept complex.  I stiffened as I saw a familiar face exiting the building in front of us.  Stacey.  She and Noah were Healers.  She was pre-med and Noah’s current girlfriend. She looked like she belonged on the runways or gracing a magazine with her gorgeous complexion, long red hair, and hazel eyes.

Collin looked at me sharply. I knew he wanted to see if whatever was done to me had worked.  He was expecting recognition or a reaction.  I didn’t want to give it to him.  Instead, I looked around the lobby as if I hadn’t paid much attention to her.

“Hey, Stay,” Collin called after he didn’t get the reaction he wanted.

Stacey turned with a wide smile. “Hey Collin.” Her eyes lighted on me. She seemed mildly interested, but not hostile.  It wasn’t the normal reaction I got from her.

She hated me, and I didn’t blame her.  The boys and I had kept our connection a secret.  To have a connection was somewhat common in the gifted community.  Having two connections was somewhat unusual.  More than two was unheard of. I had six. I had told the guys I didn’t want them to leave their girlfriends.  I felt like it had been hypocritical of me to foster six relationships and restrict them to just myself.

The guys had all been attentive and affectionate towards me, and Stacey had noticed.  Stacey hadn’t liked me from the get-go.  It wasn’t like I was out to separate her from Noah—we didn’t choose our connections, they were chosen for us.

“Stacey, I want you to meet my girl Blake. Blake, this is Stacey,” Collin said pulling me to my side. “She just agreed to move in with me.”

If Stacey thought it was odd that he was providing her so much information, she didn’t react to it.   She smiled gracefully and held a thin, manicured hand out towards me.  “Nice to meet you,” she murmured.  I gave her a halfhearted response back. 

“I wish Noah would finally commit to the next step of our relationship so quickly.” She huffed jokingly.

Collin chuckled.  “It won’t be too long before he takes that next step. And we haven’t moved so quickly.”  He grabbed my hand squeezing it, carrying on with his show.  “We’ve known each other forever, and when I found out she was thinking about attending our school, we reconnected.  It just made sense for her to move in with me instead of living in those dorms.”

“Aww, how sweet,” she cooed genuinely. “It was great meeting you, Blake, but I better run if I want to be on time for my first class.  See you guys around.” She waved as she ran out the building.

I took this opportunity to pry into Collin’s story.  “When did I decide to come to this school?  Why did I leave Ella behind?”

Collin gave me another indulgent laugh.  “Oh babe, maybe we shouldn’t let you drink for a while.  You never went into too much details with me, but I knew you weren’t happy at home, and since Ella is in foster care now after your step mom got busted for prostitution and possession of drugs, you really didn’t have a reason to stay there.”

I didn’t stifle my gasp.  It was a normal reaction to finding out your ‘sister’ was in foster care.  “Where is she?” I asked quietly.

He shrugged, but I noticed an emotion close to sadness crossed his expression.  “I don’t know, babe.  All I know is you told me she was happy the last time you talked to her.”

I gulped the tears back. “Where I can reach her? Do I even have her new number?” I asked, pulling out my phone.

He shook his head.  “Not that I’m aware of, babe.  I know you want to see her, but the judge advised against it, and you’re really not in the position to adopt her.  She’s well taken care of, though.”

I brushed the tears away as I noticed her name wasn’t in my list of contacts.  In fact, I didn’t recognize any of the names, save Collin.

I followed him to a silver sports car, and he opened my door for me so I could get in.  It was rare for men to be so chivalrous nowadays, but my guys had been.  Technically, I had just seen most of them last night, but it felt like forever ago.  Now that someone had chosen to separate us, I knew it was going to be a battle getting back to them.

I opened my phone once more and noticed with some surprise at the date on the screen.  It was a week before the original day my new life began.  I had still been a student attending a normal public high school.  I had been the main caretaker of my sister. I had been living with my step mother for seven years after the death of my dad who had really been my uncle. She had developed a drug and alcohol problem over the years and had brought some nefarious individuals into my life.  Later, I had been rescued by the Bell clan, and now someone had decided to erase the last couple of months, starting me in a new life once again.

My mind scrambled with how to proceed.  I needed a plan of action, and the sooner I could get the ball rolling, the better.  I needed to reclaim my life.

 

Collin pulled up in front of the college, and I felt strangely anxious.  I pulled out my schedule, pretending to study it as Collin turned to scrutinize me. 

I looked up at him with feigned naivety and asked, “No music classes?” I noticed there were no performing art classes (gifted classes) or physical education classes; they were extremely basic.  In fact, the only class I had pertaining to the gifts were history of performing arts.  It looks like they had signed me up as a college student with a major in General Studies. 

He looked over at me with narrowed eyes as he took my hand in his.  “Music?  Do you like music?”

I wanted to snort.  He was well aware of the fact that I had been a promising student in the music program.    

Instead I gave him a confused expression.  “Well, yeah, I love music.  My dad had me at a piano at four or five years old.”

He seemed satisfied with my answer.  “Sweetheart, you know how hard it is to get into the program here.  You have better odds winning the lottery.”

“Oh,” I said in a small voice.  No guys, no music.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive this.

He gave me a gentle squeeze.  “Maybe we can get you a guitar or something.” I nodded as he led me into the school. “My classes end earlier than yours today.  I’ll meet you in the quad, okay?”

I nodded once more and looked down at my schedule.  I knew exactly where I was going, but I didn’t know exactly what I should let on what I knew.  “Is English literature 101 on the first floor?” I asked hesitantly.

He smiled warmly.  “Yes, I’ll drop you off before my class.”

 

When I got in class, I took the back seat in the last row and noticed I was one of the first ones there.  Out of curiosity, I pulled out my phone and texted the last phone number I had for Ella.

I couldn’t imagine how she was.  My beautiful, petite, blond hair, blue eyed sweetie.  She was vivacious, smart, and outgoing.  I really hoped she was in a good place.  I wondered if she had her memories as well, or if they had been swiped, like Stacey.  Would she have remembered our old future as I had?  Would she have shown signs of her gift around this time, as she had last time?

Blake: Hey Sweetie!  How are you?

It wasn’t long before I got a response back. 

Ella: Who is this?

I frowned.

Blake: Blake…

The response was immediate.

Ella: Sorry, wrong number.

I felt close to tears once more.  Should I call the Judge right now?  Should I wait until I had a free moment without Collin around?  I didn’t know who he worked for or what his purpose was, but somehow I knew he wasn’t on my side.  Will had warned me to be suspicious and cautious, and I needed to act cautious, at least for now.  Instinctively, I felt I couldn’t use my phone.

Before I ended up here, we had just discovered we had spies among us.  Horatio, another gifted man, was Will’s best friend, and together, they created an institute to test and discover gifted people. Will eventually changed his ways and went towards a nurturing practice, whereas Horatio was known to use inhumane techniques.  He also felt the gifted should take their ‘rightful’ place in society and should no longer stay in hiding.  He felt the ungifted should be our slaves and the gifted used to enslave them.

I had four other siblings out there, three of which that were unaccounted for.  I had a promising idea where two of my brothers were.  Supposedly, my sister already worked for Horatio and supported his beliefs.  

“This seat taken?” a somewhat familiar voice asked smoothly. 

He was a tall—although at five feet one or so, almost everyone was taller than me—lean guy.  He had short sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes.  He was ruggedly handsome, and I knew beneath his blue V-neck t-shirt he had a trident shaped mark on his shoulder blade. 

I looked up in surprise and grinned widely, forgetting myself for a moment.  “Gavin!” I exclaimed.

He looked at me with confusion, slight interest in his eyes.  “Hey, there.  Do I know you?” He gave me a lopsided grin.

I blinked, remembering he wouldn’t.  Not anymore.

I blushed.  “No,” I mumbled.  “I think I’ve seen you around,” I said lamely.

He looked at me with some appraisal.  “Are you new to this class?  I’ve never seen you before, and I never forget a pretty face.”

I ducked my head, looking for an answer.  “I am.  Just started today,” I stated. 

I didn’t want to rebuff him, because he could very well help me in my endeavors, but I wanted to make it clear that I was unavailable.

“Hmm,” he murmured as he slid into the seat next to me.  “Maybe I can help you get acquainted with the school, get a coffee together?  What’s your next class?”

I looked down at my schedule, even though I knew it by heart.  I had a great memory and was a very fast learner.  “That sounds great and physics,” I stated.

“Me too.” He grinned.

The professor walked in at that moment, ending our conversation.

 

After class, I accepted Gavin’s invitation to walk me to my next one.  I was glad I found a familiar face, even if he didn’t remember me. I knew he could help me find my little brother Alex again, maybe even get to him before his gift started coming in, help guide him and, hopefully, introduce him to me.

“So, what brought you to this school?” he asked conversationally as we walked to the next building for our next class.

“It’s kind of complicated,” I finally said after some thought.  I needed to form a friendship with him.  “A…a friend went here, and I needed to leave an unpleasant situation.”

He looked at me thoughtfully before giving me another lopsided smile.  “Well I’m glad you decided to show up here.  Suddenly this boring school year got a whole lot better.  I just started here myself this past fall.”

“Because of your gift?” I blurted before thinking.

He looked at me with some shock before slowly nodding.  “How did you know?” he whispered.

I shrugged, silently berating myself.  I had to tread carefully.  I had to be careful what I said and did now.  “I just took a guess.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.  “Are you a reader?  Can you tell who’s gifted and who isn’t?”

I shook my head, not knowing what exactly I should say. “I’m not,” I answered truthfully.

“Yet,” he said seriously, all traces of flirting gone, “You guessed I was gifted, even though I just started here and haven’t enrolled in any of the ‘performing art’ classes.”

I shrugged once more.

He stopped suddenly and grabbed my arm firmly.  “There’s something…about you.  When I first saw you, I thought you were…normal.  Now I can see you may be gifted, but it’s…hazy.”

I looked up at him.  “Are you a reader,” I said quietly, urgently.

He nodded and looked around.  “I’m not sure, and I don’t want anyone to know.  So, what’s your story, the real one?”

I gulped.  “I can’t say…” At the look of suspicion, I quickly added, “Not now, anyways.  Please,” I said as he turned to walk away from me.  I grabbed his arm.  “I’ve never been the trusting type, and lately I don’t know who I can trust anymore.”

“Blake,” I heard my name being called from behind me.  I stiffened, my eyes widening.  I didn’t know if Gavin could be trusted.  Ella never said anything about him.  Was he on the wrong side?  I already knew this school had wolves among us.

Collin came up behind me and draped a possessive arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. “Who’s this?”

I looked at Gavin warily, hoping, praying.  “Umm, my new friend Gavin.  He was in my first class, and he was showing me to our next one.”

Collin looked at him with narrowed eyes.  “Oh yeah, I’m Collin.  Blake’s boyfriend.”

Gavin looked at me with suspicion and distrust.  “Hey man.” Gavin stuck out a hand and shook Collin’s hand.

“Hey,” Collin replied with no warmth.  “Well, I’m headed that way myself.  Maybe I’ll go with you.”

I knew I couldn’t refuse, so I quietly followed along.

 

Gavin avoided me in the next class. He was sitting next to the doors by two other people, so there had been no room for me at his table. I knew I had to make things right.  After arguing with myself for most of my class, I knew he could be trusted.  I had to enlist his help.  He was the first friendly face I had seen, and I desperately needed his help. 

The moment the professor dismissed us, I got up and followed him.

“Gavin,” I called. I knew he heard me, but he continued walking.

I ran to catch up with him.  I was winded by the time I reached him, and I was pissed.  Not at him, but by the fact that I was so out of shape…again.  That run would have been nothing before.  All of those weeks working on my calves, back, abs, getting in shape…now gone.

“Please,” I said as I yanked his arm.  “If I tell you everything, you’ll think I’m nuts.”

He stopped and looked down at me, somewhat irritated.  “Too late,” he said coldly before he started to turn once more.

I felt momentarily stung.  “Stop, please.  I can help you.”

“Doubt it,” he called over his shoulder.

“Krista and Alex aren’t safe,” I called to his retreating back.

He stopped abruptly and slowly stalked back towards me.  “What did you say?” he hissed.  “Who the hell are you, and how do you know Krista and Alex?”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and looked around, hoping Collin was nowhere nearby.  I already screwed up, I didn’t need to screw up any more.  “What’s your next class?”

“My next class doesn’t start for another hour,” he bit out.

“Good,” I nodded.  “We need to get out of here.  Do you know some place we can talk privately?”

“Why should I go anywhere with you?”

“Because Krista and Alex are in danger,” I said softly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

“Talk,” Gavin finally said as we sat down at the lake on campus.

It was chilly out, but I barely noticed.  I chewed on my nails nervously.  “How much do you know about the gifted community?” I asked tentatively.

He looked at me with an annoyed expression.  “Not much.  My father and mother made it a point to keep me away from it.  They’re kinda pissed I chose to come here.  They aren’t gifted and wouldn’t understand why I felt the need to go here.  They took me to several doctors, since I was twelve.  They don’t understand, I’m not delusional.  The shadows I see around the gifted aren’t in my head, they exist.”

“So, why did you come?” I asked as played with a blade of grass.

“I have a feeling you already know a lot more about me, than I know about you,” he said shortly. “I saw something one night, walking home from the shelter, that made me question my...my gift?  I followed some of them back here and saw all these…shadows.  I knew that this was where I belonged, but you already knew that, didn’t you?”

I shrugged.  “I know that you work at a shelter, approximately 45 minutes away from here.  I know that you have a heart for the children you encounter.”

“How?” he was still mad and annoyed.

“What if I told you we have already met…about 8 weeks into the future?” I muttered.

He gaped at me for a moment.  “You’re a time shifter?” he asked incredulously.

I shook my head, my eyes wanting to fill with tears.  “I wish.”

“But we met?” he asked suddenly softer.  The anger he held towards me seemed to have dissipated.

“Yes,” I said looking away, willing my tears away.  “I know you have a trident mark on your shoulder.  I know you currently have six children you’ve been…watching over.”

“Five,” he said somewhat dazed.

I thought for a moment.  Alex shouldn’t have his gift yet, so maybe he couldn’t read him.

“Alex isn’t one of them,” he said as if reading my thought.  “He’s too young to be showing any signs of a gift.”

“Yet,” I said, then I turned and looked at him, grabbing his arms.  I tugged on one of my long dark curls and looked into his eyes.  “Do my features look familiar?” I asked softly.

He looked at me intensely before understanding dawned, and his eyes widened.  “You’re related,” he said incredulously before a small frown marred his handsome features.  “But he’s an only child, lives with his dad.  Comes in…with bruises sometimes.”

“We share the same mother,” I sighed.  “I didn’t even know about him, until-”

I was cut short as I saw Collin working his way towards us, with a purpose in his step.  How the heck did he find me? 

 

“Hey, beautiful,” Collin stated looking at us suspiciously.  “You didn’t answer your phone when I texted and called.”

I looked down guiltily, pulling out my phone.  “Sorry,” I murmured.  “I had it on vibrate during class and I didn’t turn it back up.  How’d you know to find me here?” I tried to say with a smile.

He sat down next to me and looked at Gavin suspiciously once more, before he said hesitantly, “I took a guess.” With a shrug, he turned to Gavin.  “Hey man, you aren’t trying to take my girl, are you?” He offered a smile that never reached his eyes.

I looked at Gavin with pleading eyes.

Gavin chuckled.  “Can’t blame a man for trying, but no, man,” he said smoothly.  He was a great actor.  “Blake let me know quite clearly she is taken. We had a break between classes, so I asked her if she could help me with our English Lit class.” I hadn’t even noticed that he had the book we were reading for English Lit class until he held it up.  “She said she already read it and seemed to have a good grasp on it.  She’s a smart one.”

I almost sighed with relief.  I had indeed already read it twice now; once before I left my previous school, and then again when I started here the first time. 

Collin leaned back, seemingly satisfied as he started to caress my back.

I tried not to flinch, and I saw that Gavin noticed and wanted to step in.  I tried to convey with my eyes not to.  He seemed to get the picture, although he was tense.

“She is a smart one,” Collin stated.  “Have you eaten anything yet, babe?” he asked with feign concern.  “I know you didn’t eat breakfast, and it is lunch time.  Maybe we should go to the quad and all finish discussing this book.  I hate English, but maybe I can be of some help.”

“Sounds good,” I tried to sound enthusiastic.

 

“Do you like him?” Collin asked the moment we got in the car.

“What?” I asked with genuine surprise.  “No,” I said hastily.  “I mean he’s a nice guy and all, but you’re my boyfriend…right?” I asked guilelessly as I made myself take his hand.

He seemed to relax somewhat.  “I know starting a new school can be…scary and exciting.  All these new guys around you now.  Maybe you have second thoughts on our arrangement.”

I looked out the window, seeing an opportunity to put some distance between us.  “You know, honey,” I tried to mollify his insecurities, “It is scary, but it’s not just this new school.  I don’t know what happened last night.  If the bump on my head might have affected my memories, but I vaguely remember us.  I mean, I remember our mutual attraction in high school, but not our recent relationship.  Maybe you should take me to the hospital,” I suggested.

“No need for that,” he said quickly, too quickly.  “Let’s just hope your memory returns, and I can show you why we are so good together again.”

I didn’t know what to say without screaming out that he was a liar.  Maybe I could use this time to figure out how I could help Will.  After all, I already knew Mr. Young was a wolf among us, maybe Collin would introduce me to more of them.  I wanted to be back with my guys, but the more we knew about our enemies, the better.  How did the old saying go?  Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

I reached out for his hand, digging deep for my acting abilities once more.  “If you say so, honey,” I murmured reticently. I couldn’t act too suspiciously, I was already in too deep.

We took the short drive back to the school’s quad.  I didn’t wait for Collin to open the car door from me.  I was eager to get away from him and go to the cafeteria.  Gavin was already waiting in line at a popular sub shop. 

“They have amazing subs here,” Collin informed me.

“Okay,” I agreed.  A sub didn’t sound too bad.

 

*********
 

“So, you mean to tell me that Mr. Bennet was willing to essentially sell one of his daughters so she could support her sisters when he died?  What about love?” Gavin asked the moment we sat down in the quad.

I was so glad he seemed to understand the importance of dropping our previous conversation.

I set my tray down and opened the dressing to my salad.  I shrugged.  “It was a different time back them.  Women didn’t have as much opportunities as they do now.”

“Don’t tell me you condone that?” Gavin rolled his eyes.

I snorted.  “I never said I condoned it, but times were different.”

“What has you stumped?” Collin said as he chewed on a fry.  “That’s why you wanted Blake’s help, right?”  He tried to sound nonchalant, but I knew he still didn’t trust Gavin.

Gavin didn’t skip a beat before he said.  “No man, not stumped necessarily, but the professor wants us to write an essay condoning that archaic belief, and Blake was acting like my sounding board.”

I was about to berate Collin for his show of jealousy.  Even if he was a real boyfriend, I wouldn’t condone jealous behavior. 

My guys had showed some signs of jealousy when my band mates would say or do inappropriate things, but they would never question a new guy that came into my life as a friend.

Just then, I could see someone petite come sidling up to Collin, placing an arm around his shoulders as they whispered something in his ear.

I looked over and nearly choked on the piece of chicken I was eating as I saw that it was Rose.  Rose was a pretty little thing, shorter and more petite than even I was (which was generally a difficult feat), with pale blond hair in a pixie cut style, and large blue eyes.  She had a nose ring, and I knew I didn’t have to see her full-on to know she probably had some tight crop top on to show off her belly button ring.  Before I knew what she really was like, I thought she was bubbly, outgoing, and cute.  Now that I knew she had—no was—hurting Drake, I despised her with a passion.

I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Drake.  If I remembered correctly they had the same exact class schedule, which had been hard on Drake when they had first broken up.  I frowned when I didn’t see him.

Gavin was looking at us quizzically, and I sent him an imperceptible shake of my head, hoping he understood that I would tell him everything later.

“Who’s your friend?” I asked with feigned wide-eyed innocence.

Collin leapt back as if he had been burned.  “Rose, this is…my girlfriend Blake. Blake, this is a good friend of mine, Rose.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said holding out my hand and reaching across Collin’s body.

“Mmm hmm,” Rose replied noncommittedly and frowned at Collin before shaking my hand.  “Collin,” she said quietly.  “I wasn’t aware that you had a…girlfriend.”

Collin had the audacity to blush and looked a little wild eyed between us.  “Well, um,’ he put a hand on the back of his neck.  “I told you that things would have to change soon.  How’s Drake?” he added quickly.

She looked more hurt by Collin then she ever did about deceiving Drake and cheating on him constantly.  She stood up quickly.  “Good.  Well, I’ll see you later.”

Even if this whole thing wasn’t a sham, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that they had something going on and had been, for some time.

“Rose,” he called out before getting up.  “Hey, babe,” he turned to me as if just remembered I was sitting there.  “Rose and I go way back.  Mind if I see if she’s okay?  She’s having issues right now with Drake, her boyfriend.”

I gave him an insincere smile, “Go for it,” I urged him.  Relieved.  “I understand how important friendships are.” I reassured him.

“Thanks, you’re the best,” he said as he gave me a brief hug, before chasing after her.

Gavin cleared his throat and looked between me and Collin’s retreating figure.  “Friends, huh?” he said intuitively before taking another bite of his sandwich.

I giggled.  “I know, right?  It’s so obvious they’re more than friends.” I took another bite of my salad.  “Poor Drake.” I frowned.  He hadn’t been as heartbroken as I thought he would have been the first time he found out about Rose’s deception, but she was the first girl he had ever been with, they had been together for years, and he had loved her in his own way. 

Gavin leaned in close to me and said in hushed tones.  “Is he even your boyfriend?  Are you okay with him running off to comfort another girl?”

I shook my head and responded back to him quietly.  “No.  I wish we had more time to talk, but I have a feeling he’ll be back soon, but he isn’t my boyfriend.”

He looked at me with concern.  “Is this some kind of human trafficking thing?”

“No,” I reassured him.  “Well, not technically.  I met him years ago, we use to go to school together.  I saw him briefly…well in the future, but the past…” I gripped my head.  This was so confusing, even to myself.  I couldn’t imagine what he was thinking, he must think I’m crazy.  “Let’s just say someone with a powerful gift is screwing up my real life,” I stated.

He was looking skeptical once more.  I didn’t blame him.  I wouldn’t believe me either.  He was just as new to this community as I was.  Sure, he had met other gifted people, but his parents weren’t gifted.  They wouldn’t have educated him. 

He stood up suddenly, rubbing his eyes wearily.  “This is so, messed up on so many levels.  I…got to go.”

“You don’t believe me do you,” I stood up grabbing his arm.

“Would you?” he whispered ardently.  “We met in the future?  You know people I know.  You’re the spitting image of a little boy I’ve watched for years.  You’re with a man claiming to be your boyfriend, and you’re not running?”

“There’s so much more I wish I could explain to you.  We have met, I swear it.” I wracked my brain, trying to figure out a way for him to believe me.  I had to convince him.  I knew he could help me.  It suddenly hit me.  “Today, the Columbus Day parade is going on in New York City.  In approximately,” I looked down at my cell phone for the time.  “One hour, one of the floats will come crashing down.” I closed my eyes trying to remember the specifics.  It had been on every news outlet known to man.  I remember the bar that I use to work at had it on almost every channel.  “Injuring two and killing one.”

His eyes narrowed on me once more, “If you know that, why aren’t you calling the police?”

I sighed, closing my eyes.  “You’re gifted.  I’m sure you’ve seen some crazy things, and you doubt me.  How do you think they will react?”

He nodded and turned away from me once more.  “This is a lot to believe and take on right now.”

I let him walk away this time.

 

When we got home from school that afternoon, I promptly went into my room.  I was keyed up and anxious.  The news had already hit our school.  We already found out about the freak accident in the city.  Gavin hadn’t tried to find me.  I didn’t have any classes with him the rest of the day.

Collin had noticed my withdrawn appearance and attitude the whole way home, and tried to pry into my life further.  I knew I should reassure him, because I didn’t want him to grow suspicious.  On the other hand, I was exhausted from pretending.  I didn’t know how much longer I could keep this up.

In the past, I had started to find solace in running.  It allowed me to process my thoughts and feelings, while physically helping to tire me and strengthen me.

I looked through my drawers and found a tank top to pull on and a pair of yoga pants.  I looked through my closet and found a pair of sneakers.  They were bright pink.  I hated pink.  It was an aversion I had passed on to my sister.  Further confirmation that this wasn’t my life.  I didn’t belong here.  I would have never purchased, or let anyone purchase, pink for me.

I left the bedroom to find Collin sitting on the couch, talking to someone in hushed tones.  He stopped abruptly when I walked into the room.

“Hey, babe,” he said, giving me a fake smile.  “Where are you headed?”

“I need to go for a run,” I said brightly.  “Today was so overwhelming.  New school, new people, harder classes,” I lied.  “Running helps me.”

He gave me a concerned look, before it quickly disappeared.  “I didn’t know you liked running.  You hated gym class in high school.”

I grabbed my head.  “Maybe we should go to the hospital,” I frowned up at him.  “If you said I hated to run, why do I want to run now?”

He let out an uneasy laugh.  “Babe, that isn’t necessary.  I’m sure you’re fine.  Did you feel extra tired today, nauseous, did you throw up?”

I looked down, trying to hide my eyes.  “No,” I said as meekly as possible.

“There ya go,” he said enthusiastically.  “Why don’t you go for your run?”

“Okay,” I said hesitantly.  “If you think I should, with this headache.  What exactly happened?” I probed him.

He had his answer ready and said smoothly, “I’m not sure, babe.  We went out drinking with some friends of mine, and one minute you were there, and the next you weren’t.  We found you out by the car.  You kept complaining about hitting your head, but I didn’t see any bleeding or felt any lumps, so we thought you were fine.”

“Hmm okay,” I shrugged.  “Well I’m going out for that run.” I turned to leave the apartment.  It felt like the walls were closing in on me the longer I spent with him.

“Blake,” he called suddenly as my hand went to turn the handle. 

“Yeah?” I called back over my shoulder.

“Do you have your cell phone?  If you get lost, I want you to be able to call me.”

I closed my eyes in frustration.  “Okay,” I said with forced cheerfulness.  “Good idea.”

I went back to my room, feeling his eyes on me the whole time as I left the apartment.

l felt exhausted, winded, and disheartened after only one mile.  I wanted to give up and turn back, but I knew I would be cheating myself.  I needed to get back in shape.  I needed to take back something they had taken away from me.

I found my feet running north.  I had traveled this way many times.  If I stayed on this road for another five or so miles, I would see the imposing gates that led up to the Bell estates.  You couldn’t see the house from the road, but the gates were daunting enough to deter any trespassers.  The only way you were getting in was through the key pad, the pin number only known by the residents, otherwise you would have to be buzzed in.

My mind wanted to run all the way there, prove to them I knew them, but if I couldn’t convince Gavin, how was I supposed to convince the whole family?  I could show them my mark, but the guys had tattooed over them long ago to allay any suspicions.  Anyone who knew the family intimately knew that the guys all sported the η on them.  No one realized, except for the guys, that it was a connections mark.  After all, they were an anomaly. We were an anomaly. 

My legs and lungs couldn’t push past the two-mile mark, so I turned back around and started my long trek back.  I used to run over 6 miles and it came easily.  Not anymore.  I found my eyes wanting to tear up once more.

Once upon a time, I was considered almost cold, aloof.  After years of abuse, I had built walls to protect my heart, protect my mind.  In little less than two months of knowing the guys and becoming a somewhat dysfunctional family, those walls had slowly but surely tumbled.  I became more sensitive and emotional.  It was easier having a frozen heart, because the thought of being separated from them was tearing me apart.

 

I barely made it back to the apartment complex.  My legs hurt, and my lungs were on fire.  I cooled down by walking the moment I got to the parking lot.  I breathed heavily, raising my hands above my head, clasping them.  I tried to inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth, but my breathing came out jagged.  I could feel rivulets of sweat pouring down my face, my back, my legs.  I was thankful for the nip in the air right now.  The cool breeze danced across my overheated skin.

When I got to the steps leading up to the apartment, I gripped the handrail in my hands to get my balance momentarily before grabbing my toes with one hand and pulling my ankle up to my rear, stretching my quad.  After counting silently to thirty, I grabbed the opposite foot and did the same movement on the opposite side.  I did this once more on both sides, before I bent over from my waist and touched my palms to the sidewalk, my knees together, stretching out my hamstrings.

“With flexibility like that, you must be a dancer or gymnast,” a familiar voice said from behind me.

I let out a startled yelp, before turning around.  5 feet from me was my Noah, I mean Noah, I thought ruefully.  He looked as handsome as he ever did, with his wavy auburn hair and laughing hazel eyes.  Today they were more on the greyish, green, gold side.  His eyes were known to change from day to day, depending on his mood and what he was wearing.  The freckles that sprinkled his nose and cheeks could almost be considered boyish if it wasn’t for his strong masculine features. 

I felt a sharp pang when I noticed he looked a lot like he had when I first met him.  Healthy, robust, normal.  His eyes weren’t blood shot from imbibing in one too many drinks.  They danced with an inner light that had been unique to him.  His skin tone was no longer wan and pale, but the tan of summer still clung to him.  I fought the urge to hug him, tell him I missed us, the us we were before things got complicated.

Instead, I put a self-conscious hand to my hair, knowing my hair had begun to tumble down from the high messy bun I had put it in.  My tank top clung to me like a second skin because of the sweat that was still running down my body.  I was almost positive my face was bright red.  Some girls glistened and looked attractive when they worked out—I looked like a hot mess. 

My eyes wildly searched his, hoping for a spark of recognition, praying something within him would realize who I was.  Even though we never got around to making our connection, there was a time we were in sync and had a chemistry that couldn’t be denied.

“Dancer or gymnast?” he queried with a knowing grin.  I’m sure he thought I was dumbstruck by his dashing figure in his light khaki pants, moss green button up shirt, dark brown pea coat, and a warm-toned scarf casually draped around his neck.  The guys always dressed nicely when they were out in public, like they were off to a photo shoot.  Today was no different.

“Neither,” I finally said after clearing my throat.  “I mean,” I added quickly, hoping to drum up a conversation with him.  “When I was younger I took dance and gymnastics, but it’s been years.”

“Sometimes our muscle memory, never leaves us,” he said with a wicked grin and I couldn’t help but notice that he was checking me out.  Even being the sweaty, casual, hot mess, that I was.

I knew he had once been a dancer.  The guys had made fun of him, but he was never without a date in middle school or high school because of it.  He had taken advantage of the fact that the male to female ratio in the typical dance class was in his favor.

I tilted my head to the side, playing naïve.  “It sounds like you are an expert on the human body,” I said in a flirting tone.

I used to be so socially awkward and kept most people at arm’s length.  Watching and being around Noah, Jaxson, and Troy had taught me the fine art of flirting.  I had always been a quick thinker and somewhat witty, but they had given me confidence to flirt with ease.

His lips tilted even more.  He seemed more than receptive to my flirty overtures.  Part of me was annoyed that he was so easily won over, but the other part of me knew at this time in the past, he had only known Stacey for a small period of time.  They hadn’t dated that long before I came into his life.  It was his need to give me ‘time’ and ‘space’ that had pushed their relationship even closer.  The closer I had gotten to the other guys, the further I had pushed him in Stacey’s arms.  I knew I was to blame for not creating our connection.  If I had, maybe I wouldn’t be here.

Slowly, realization sunk in and I remembered Ella’s words, make your connections.  Was it too late?  Was there a possibility if I seduced Noah and Troy I could reverse this mess we were in now?  Hope blossomed in my chest, followed by apprehension.  With Stacey living in this building, I’m sure I could ‘accidentally’ continue to pursue him, but Troy was a different matter altogether.  He was a successful business man.  He was rarely home.  He had made it a point to see or visit me as often as he could, but I didn’t live in the Bell household anymore.  Would he visit as often now?  I knew he loved his family, but he was determined to get his company a worldwide success, not just locally.

I was left with a feeling of hope and hopelessness.

“I’m well aware of the human anatomy.  Quiet intimately, in fact,” he murmured suggestively.

I returned a smile to him, hoping it was just as provocative.  “That’s always a good thing.  What makes you such an expert?”

He took a step forward, grabbing one of the curls that had escaped my messy bun.  My breathing hitched as my senses were assaulted by his masculine scent.  He was known to change up his cologne, but this scent had been one of my favorites, Cool Water.  He had more expensive ones, but this was still one of my favorites. 

“Mm, Cool Water,” I looked up at him, a twinkle in my eyes. 

His eyes widened slightly, he was clearly intrigued by my flirting.  I knew girls generally threw themselves at the guys, but with my look of innocence, I’m sure it came as a surprise.  “Like it?” he whispered in my ear.  “I’ll make sure to wear it more often.  I used to be a dancer.  You should take it back up.  Maybe I can give you private lessons.”

I smiled up at him, genuinely.  “That would be nice…very nice.  I like to run, but I always like introducing my body to challenging things,” I said with tongue in cheek.  I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my mouth.

I had flirted with the guys and I had my moments where I liked to be forward, but I don’t recall ever being this blatant with my words.

He visibly gulped, his eyes grew hooded, desire sparked in his eyes.  “I’m sure I could deliver,” he said softly.

“Blake!” Collins voice came from behind me, his voice laced with panic and anger.

I stepped back hastily from Noah and tried to school my features to go blank.  “Hey Collin,” I said turning to look at him.

His features were now curious.  The anger and panic were not evident on his face.  I knew instinctively he didn’t like the fact I was talking to Noah.  What did they expect when they put me in a school with some of my guys?  Even though Jaxson was on the high school side of campus, both Drake and Noah was on this side.  Did they expect me never to run into them?  Especially since Noah was dating a girl in this building.  Once again, I wondered what their motives were.

“Hey, Collin,” Noah said smoothly.  “This a friend of yours?  I’ve never seen you around,” his eyes danced mischievously at me.

“I-” I began before Collin cut in.

“Blake’s my girlfriend, Noah,” Collin said with forced cheerfulness. 

Noah’s eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed almost accusingly at me.  I knew before he started dating Stacey he had been faithful.  He liked to play the field, but when he decided to truly date a girl, he was faithful and true to them.  Yes, he was my connected, but I had encouraged him to continue dating Stacey, and I’m sure his panic and mental angst with our situation had made him act unlike himself, and he had started cheating on Stacey, but that was before.  This was now.

I started to panic.  I didn’t want to lose any leverage with him.  I needed him to realize that I wasn’t some slut that lived with her boyfriend while I tried to pick up other guys.  I looked up at Collin and forced a laugh of airiness.  “We don’t even share the same room, and we just started seeing each other, right?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.  “Didn’t you say I chose to move in with you because you were helping me out?”

Collin seemed flustered for a moment, before he came down the steps.  He put an arm around me and I tensed.  “Maybe you should hop in the shower,” he stated.  “We should go out to eat.  It looks like I still need to work on my wooing,” he said with forced flippancy.  Then he turned to Noah.  “Are you here to see your girlfriend Stacey, Noah?” he asked pointedly.

It was Noah’s turn to look slightly embarrassed.  “Yeah,” he said clearing his throat, he looked like he wanted to say something more, before he shook his head and took the stairs up to the apartment, two steps at a time.

“How was your run?” Collin asked, once Noah was out of sight.  “How long have you been back?”

Once again warning bells went off in my head.  Why did it feel like he was setting me up?  Like he wanted me to lie to him.

“It was good,” I said neutrally.  “Umm, maybe 5 or 10 minutes,” I shrugged noncommittedly.  “We don’t have to go out, if you don’t want to.  I can always cook.  I don’t mind.”

He shook his head with a smile, seemingly satisfied with my answer.  “You don’t have to do that, babe.  I’m in the mood for a good steak.  Plus, we need to do some grocery shopping.  The refrigerator and cabinets are pretty bare.”

“Okay,” I agreed, although silently I didn’t feel like going out to eat.  I wanted to start on that paper for English Literature, even though it wasn’t due for another week.  I didn’t want to continue playing this game of pretend.

“What route did you run?” he asked with interest.  Again, I found it odd that he kept probing me.

I continued up the stairs, opting out of taking the elevator.  “I took a left out of the complex and ran towards the country,” I stated.

He nodded, seeming content once more with my answer.  “How long do you think it’ll take you to get ready?”

“Not long, if you’re hungry,” I answered.  The sooner we left, the sooner we could get back.  “I can quickly get showered and changed.”

He smiled.  “The place we’re going is fairly nice.  Can you dress up a little?”

Normally I would have been annoyed by the request.  If he was really my boyfriend, I would have put him in his place, but I had to play the game…for now.  “Okey dokey,” I said flippantly.

He suddenly grabbed my arm, “What’s wrong with you?  I’m trying to be a good boyfriend, and it feels like you keep pushing me away; then I find you flirting with Gavin and now Noah.”

It really was the wrong time for Noah and Stacey to come out of her apartment.

 

 

Chapter 3

 

I gaped at Stacey and Noah.  Noah looked embarrassed, and Stacey was looking at me with narrowed eyes.  I turned on Collin.  “Jealousy is so unattractive,” I seethed.  “Gavin is new to this school, I’m new to this school.  We’re friends—just friends and,” I looked at Stacey beseechingly.  “I wasn’t flirting with Noah.  He was walking up as I was finishing my run.  He introduced himself.  He was just being a friendly neighbor.”

I saw relief enter Noah’s expression as he gave Collin an arrogant smile.  “Hey man, we’ve known each other for a couple of years.  You know I’m friendly to everyone.  I wasn’t trying to hit on your girl, and she wasn’t flirting with me.”

Collin looked slightly embarrassed before he pulled me into his arms.  “I’m sorry, Blake. I can’t help but feel a little jealous.  You’re a cute girl and I’m sure everyone notices.”

Stacey cut a suspicious glance at Noah, whose expression was carefully blank.  She let out a little laugh.  “Collin,” she gently chided.  “No girl likes a possessive boyfriend.  Noah’s a friendly guy,” she reached up and caressed his cheek.  “He’s always wanting to make people feel comfortable.  It’s a good trait to have, especially since he’ll be a doctor one day.”

“Sorry, man,” Collin stuck his hand out to Noah, begrudgingly.

Noah shook it and waved a hand.  “No biggie.  It’s hard when you have such a beautiful girl on your arm and not feel like every man wants them.” He put an arm around Stacey and smiled at her.

I felt a sharp stab in my chest.  Maybe Operation Make A Connection would be a bust.

 

I had quickly showered and slid on a grey sweater dress.  I put on some black tights and matching boots to go with it.  I couldn’t find any hair care products or hair straightener to tame my long wild dark curls.  I chose to put it in a loose bun at the nape of my neck, so it wasn’t bothering me for the rest of the night.

“Tomorrow after school, I’m going to check the bus schedule and see if any local places are hiring,” I stated to Collin as I came into the living room.

He looked at me with concern as he looked at my outfit in appreciation.  “That’s not necessary, if you need anything, I can get it for you.  You know I have plenty of money.  We agreed that I would be taking care of you.  You’ve been taking care of your step mom and Ella for far too long.  Do you need anything in particular?”

I picked up my jacket just in case the weather got chillier.  “I can’t be indebted to you,” I demurred.

“I’m your boyfriend,” he stated emphatically.  “It’s my job.  Now, what did you need?”

I knew he wasn’t going to give in, so I had to think of a way to broach the subject later.  “I don’t have a hair straightener, blow drier, or any hair care products to take care of this mop,” I stated as I blew a curl out of my face, that had already escaped.

He smiled easily as he caressed the curl in question.  “On the way home, we can stop at the store and get everything you need.  Walmart okay?”

I snorted.  “I shopped at a thrift store for everything I needed for Ella and me.  Walmart’s a step up.”

He seemed momentarily taken aback.  “Was life with your step mother that bad?”

I wanted to make him realize he had slipped up once more.  It was obvious he knew next to nothing about me.  Instead I shrugged. “You know Heidi is a drug addict and alcoholic.  All the money I earned went to supporting her and Ella.  She was too busy spending my inheritance and Ella’s state assistant checks on her next high.  Someone had to make sure Ella and I had food and clothes.”

He seemed troubled for a moment as he frowned at me.  He took me into an embrace.  “I’m sorry you had to live like that.” And for once, he sounded sincere.

 

He took me to a steak house located twenty minutes away from the apartment.  It was literally next door to Remy’s original restaurant, We η Seven.  I longed to walk over there and see if he was there.  I knew he was doing the final push on the other one, but he had still divided his attention to his other restaurants.

Collin really seemed to be attentive to me as we sat and ordered our food.  I found myself suddenly famished.  The salad I had at lunch did little to fuel me after skipping breakfast and doing roughly a four-mile run.  I ordered a large steak with a loaded bake potato and green beans. 

Collin seemed amused by my choice of food.  “Are you sure you can eat all that?” he joked good naturedly.

I grinned, but it quickly faded when I realized the guys in the band had always ribbed me about my appetite.  I was small, but I could put food away.  They always joked that I had a teenage boy trapped in my body.  “Running makes me hungry,” I finally explained. 

Our food came, and Collin was trying hard to continue a conversation with me.  I was too tired of pretending, so I answered his questions, and with a little censor, he answered mine.  If I didn’t know he had a hand in the predicament I found myself in, I could have easily dropped my guard and been flattered by his feigned interest.  He had a disarming, pleasant, entertaining way about him.  I could see why all the girls pursued him in high school.

“Collin, how are you?” a vaguely familiar voice inquired to our right as I was laughing at a funny story Collin had just told me. 

I looked up at the voice, my smile dying instantly.  As I looked at the tall man with blond hair, unique blue eyes, and slightly upturned nose, I cringed.  Zach Young was one of the last men I ever wanted to see.  He was a snake, and he was betraying Will.  He also had two daughters that were spoiled, entitled witches, with a capital ‘B’.

My eyes looked at the beautiful women on each of his arms.  One Asian and the other black.  They were equally beautiful, and the three of them were striking to look at.  It was clear that I was finally seeing Tamara and Mei Linn’s mothers.  I knew he was one of the four couples in Will’s immediate circle that had two connections.  I had met only one other connected pair with one nucleus and two connections.  They were lovely.  Zach and his connections, were not.

“Mr. Young,” Collin said with a smile.  “What a surprise!” And I knew he was lying, this wasn’t a surprise at all for him.  I looked over at him suspiciously, what was he playing at?  He turned back to me with a smile.  “Blake, this is Mr. Young, he helped get you into the school.”

I suddenly felt like ice cold fingers were trying to pry into my head.  My eyes widened for a moment when I realized Mr. Young was trying to ‘look’ into my head or compel me.  I, too, had this rare gift, and from our previous encounter, I knew he was weaker than me.  I imagined a brick wall in my head.  I concentrated hard on blocking him.  I was almost shaking with the exertion.  I started to panic and suddenly, miraculously it started to work.

I almost sighed with relief.  “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said with a bright smile.  Not today, you bastard, I thought malevolently.

He had a puzzled frown on his face as he looked over at Collin, then he pasted on a smile.  “And you as well.  I hope you are adjusting nicely and finding everyone welcome.  Tell me,” I felt him try to compel me once more.  “Have you seen or run into anyone you may have met before.”

I looked down as if in thought.  Instead I was forcing him out with every fiber of my being.  “No,” I finally looked up with a carefully blank expression.  Then I looked over at Collin.  “Is there anyone else here I may know?”

Collin was frowning too as he looked at Mr. Young and me. “I don’t know, babe,” he finally said slowly, carefully.  “We just reconnected a few months ago.  We hadn’t seen each other in over three years,” he laughed almost uncomfortably.  “I’m sure there are people you know that I may not know.”

“Oh,” I shrugged before taking a bite of my steak.  It tasted like cardboard suddenly, and I had completely lost what little appetite I had.  “I guess it’s possible I may run into someone I know, but you know me,” I forced a light laugh.  “I really liked to keep to myself and didn’t have that many friends before I moved here.”

They both seemed to scrutinize me for a moment, before Mr. Young nodded.  “Well it was nice to meet you Blake.  I’m sure I will see you around.  Collin,” he curtly nodded.  “Don’t forget we have a meeting tomorrow.”

Collin seemed to squirm for a moment.  “No, sir.  I haven’t.”

“Ladies,” Mr. Young held out his arms, and the two elegant, beautiful women joined him before leaving the restaurant together.

I looked over at Collin.  “What’s the meeting about, and did he have two…mistresses?” I asked with fake concern and puzzlement.

He looked slightly occupied as he dug back into his food.  “It’s nothing important.  Mr. Young is my career advisor, and I did warn you that you may see or hear things that are slightly…peculiar here.  Mr. Young has a polygamous relationship and it works for them.”

I decided to continue to play dumb.  “So like, they share the same bed and swap.  All three of them are intimate with each other?”

Collin gave a short bark of laughter, seeming to snap out of his mood.  “There are other polygamous relationships on campus.  I don’t know how they all behave in the bedroom, but with Mr. Young, I know they all have their separate bedrooms and he visits with his woman separately. Although,” he said with a slight leer.  “I wouldn’t be surprised if they hadn’t all experimented with each other, one way or another.”

I had to repress the shudder that threatened to course through my body.  “Do they have kids? And what do they think about all this?”

He smiled once more.  “They have two daughters, and they don’t act any differently than any other blended families.  The girls are well loved and don’t seem to be bothered by their arrangement.”

“Hmm,” I finally said non-committedly before I pretended to eat my food once more.

 

I was beyond exhausted when we got in his car.  I knew from experience it was because I had used my gifts.  I had tried to use them during dessert, but once again they failed me, and I was left feeling extremely tired and it wasn’t even 7 o’clock yet.  I was fighting to keep my eyes open and my legs, arms, and head felt so heavy.

“Did you still want to stop at Walmart?” Collin asked as he looked over at me with bewilderment.

I shook my head, laying it on the glass of the passenger window.  “No thanks.  I guess school and that run, topped with that delicious food, must have left me almost comatose,” I hastily explained.

He seemed mollified by my answer.  “I can still stop and run in if you want me to, unless you don’t trust me to pick out the right stuff.”

I yawned.  “It’s up to you.  I just need something to straighten my hair if I feel like it.  A hair dryer and something to tame the beast.”

“The beast?” he gently chuckled.

“My curls,” I said with closed eyes.  “They have a mind of their own and go every which way, and if it rains or if it’s humid, it’s even worse.  I’m so tempted to get it chopped sometimes.”

“No,” he nearly shouted.  Then I felt his fingers on the strands that had escaped.  “It’s beautiful just the way it is.”

I meant to respond, but I couldn’t.

 

The next thing I remembered was the frigid air hitting me. I felt Collin reach down and try to lift me from the car.

I feebly tried to insist that I could walk, but he was determined.  He lifted me up in his arms and started to carry me into the apartment building.

“Hey man, everything okay?” I heard Noah’s concerned voice.

I instantly perked up and saw Noah and Stacey a few steps behind us. 

Collin looked over at him.  “Everything’s fine.  Blake hit her head the other night, and today must have been taxing.  She’s just a little tired.  I’m just putting her to bed.”

“I can look at her head, maybe heal her,” Noah offered, a frown between his brows.

“No,” Collin said hastily.  “I mean, no, it’s all good.  Thanks though,” he tried to say smoothly.

It didn’t look like Noah was buying it. I knew Collin was trying to shield me from Noah’s gift for some reason. 

“She’s fine,” Stacey said a bit coolly as she placed a hand on Noah’s arm.  “Let Collin put her to bed, and you should come warm mine.” Stacey nearly purred.

Noah seemed torn for a moment before he reluctantly nodded.  “Yeah, okay.  See you guys later.  If you need me, come find me,” Noah said before walking past us.

I tried to seek out his eyes, but it was clear he was distracted.

 

I didn’t know what woke me up, but hours later I woke up with a dry throat and dry mouth.  I wanted to continue to lay in bed, but I knew I needed a drink.  I got out of bed, realizing I must have fallen asleep before I even got to the apartment.  My boots had been removed, but I was still fully clothed.

I went to my drawers first and pulled out a pair of boy shorts and a tank top.  Looking at my phone, I realized it was late, so I was sure Collin was asleep.  I wasn’t too concerned with him seeing me in my skimpy night clothes. 

I exited the room quietly, since his room was right next to mine.  I didn’t want to wake him up.  Tuesdays and Thursdays were our early days; our classes started at 8 AM.  Tomorrow I would be left to my own devices for two hours.  He had three classes, compared to my two. 

I already planned to pack a duffel bag of gym clothes.  I was going to visit their state of the art gym facilities and start my strength training.  I was going to come up with a schedule, like the one I had before.

I crept down the hallway and noticed a dim light above the stove.  I was going to grab a glass of water when I heard a hushed voice and saw that the sliding glass door on the balcony was wide open.  I peered around the corner and noticed Collin was on the phone with his back towards me.

“I don’t know,” he was saying.  “Yes, I’m sure.  I have the block on.  She shouldn’t be able to use her gift,” he was silent for a moment.

“She did run into Noah,” he continued.  “When she returned from her run, I noticed her tracker showed that she was here.  No. No.  She was only down there for maybe 10 minutes.  Yes, they didn’t seem to recognize each other…Yes.  Yes.  I understand how important it is to keep them separated…No, she hasn’t said anything about a gift or suspecting she may have one…Yes, sir, I understand…Yes, I am aware how important it is for her to trust me, fall in love with me…Yes.  Yes.  Okay…Yeah, I have classes…okay, I will see you tomorrow morning.”

I hastily retreated to my room.  Horrified at what I just heard.  What kind of block did they have on me?  Could I remove it?  How were they tracking me?  It only confirmed my suspicions that I could never trust Collin—he was my enemy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

The next morning, I woke more exhausted then I was the night before.  I had tossed and turned for the rest of the night.  I was torn between running away and staying, ingratiating myself even further so I could learn how deep this deception went.  I gave up trying to sleep long before my alarm went off.  I decided to hop in the shower and get ready for the day. 

I was grudgingly happy to see a wide selection of hair care products specifically for curly hair on the bathroom vanity, along with a hair straightener and a hair dryer.  I quickly took a shower and walked back into my room, with my new hair stuff.  I stood in my towel as I looked through my closet.  I had been spoiled with a walk-in closet at Will’s.  I was a closet snob now, even though Ella and I shared a closet in the trailer, and the dorm I stayed in across the way wasn’t much better.

Thinking of Ella, I wondered once more where she was, who she was with, and if she was happy.  I also needed to figure out a way to contact Judge Myers.

My door was pushed open behind me and I spun around, startled, grasping the towel to my chest.  “Collin,” I gasped.

He looked at me appreciatively.  “Sorry,” he said with an unrepentant grin.  “I was just making sure you were up.”

“I am,” I snapped.  “Can you knock next time?”

He took a step forward.  “Oh, come on babe.  You enjoyed being all over me, what happened?”

Whoever he had talked to last night was pushing him to ingratiate himself further with me.  It made my stomach ache and my skin crawl.  Until I could figure things out, I needed to continue this charade. 

  I tried to hide the annoyance at his lies.  “I still don’t feel like…me.  Can you give me more time?” I pleaded in a small voice as I looked down at my bare feet.

He took a few more steps forward before I saw his larger feet next to mine.  He grabbed my upper arms and kissed the top of my head.  “Of course, babe.” I hated it when he called me babe. Baby was the endearment Remy used for me. It was too similar.

“Thanks,” I said brightly.  “Can you close the door behind you?  I need to get ready, and it takes forever to straighten my hair,” I told him.

“Hurry up, we have an hour before we leave,” he joked.

I turned back to the dresser and closet and decided to put on a pair of skinny jeans, tan boot cuff knitted legging warmers, an off white sleeveless blouse, a light weight camel colored leather jacket, and leather camel colored tall boots.  My wardrobe choices had changed significantly since I left home and met Jemmy.  I no longer found the need to hide my body in ill-fitting dark and drab clothing.  I didn’t have to make myself look as unappealing as possible.  At least whoever shopped for my wardrobe bought clothing I was willing to wear.

I quickly applied some foundation, bronzer, natural color eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss.  I made sure to add additional concealer around my eyes, hoping the bags and tiredness disappeared.  The makeup I found in my vanity was all brand new.  Another thing I took care to do now.  The only time I used to wear makeup was when I worked at the bar and had to make myself look older. 

If they were trying to convince me that this was all my makeup and wardrobe, maybe they should have made my makeup look used and removed the tags off my clothing.  If I were to confront Collin, I sure he would have an answer ready for it all.  

I decided to straighten my hair for the day.  It would save me from having to wash it for a day or two.  I had a lot of hair.  Not only was it long, but it was thick.  I hated washing it if I didn’t need to.

It took me roughly 40 minutes to get ready. I grabbed my duffel bag, book bag, and books for the day.  I had Introduction to Sociology and History of Performance Arts today.  Collin had already informed me that we had a lot of ‘gifted’ people attending this school—he failed to mention we were both gifted.  He said we enrolled me in this class to get a better appreciation and understanding of the people around us.  I tried to act convincingly surprised and fascinated by the possibility we lived and were around people that had abilities. 

“You look really nice,” Collin assessed me as I entered the kitchen.  “Would you like some cereal?”

I smiled credibly. “Thanks, and do we have any bananas or fruit?”

“I have canned fruit in the pantry.  Would you like to do some shopping after school today?  I kind of lived like a bachelor.  I can make eggs, toast, and frozen pizza.  We can get whatever you want if you want to cook.  Otherwise, I’m fine with take out.  That bottom drawer is filled with local take out joints,” he explained a bit sheepishly.

I smiled as I reached into the pantry to grab a can of peaches.  “I don’t mind cooking.  Before I go to the gym, I’ll make a grocery list.”

He frowned slightly.  “Since when did you become a gym buff?  You look perfect just the way you are.”

I shrugged as I dug into my peaches.  “I’m comfortable in my body, don’t get me wrong, but I want to tone up.” I started looking around his kitchen.  “Do you have any coffee?”

He shook his head.  “Sorry, no.  I’m not much of a coffee drinker.  We can stop in at the quad if you like, get some at the coffee shop.”

I looked at him in mock horror.  “How do you get through the day without coffee?  Are you even human?”  

He chuckled genuinely.  “I’m more of a Monster or Red Bull man.  I never got accustomed to the bitter taste of coffee, no matter how much cream and sugar I added.  We can add a coffee maker, travel mug, and coffee to our list for tonight.”

I nodded.  “Sounds good to me.  I’ve been drinking coffee since I was 13.  I suspect that may have contributed to the stunt in my growth…or maybe it’s just bad genes.” I said ruefully.  “Anyway, I can’t imagine if I had to go through withdrawals.” I teasingly shuddered. 

He smiled at me.  “Well, I don’t want to experience that.  Let’s go so we’re not late.”

 

I almost moaned when I got my first taste of the frozen mint-chocolate coffee.  Jemmy had introduced them to me and I had indulged at least once a week since meeting her.  I frowned suddenly.  I wondered how she was doing.  I wanted to go visit her, but I had no reason to go to that side of the campus.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Collin asked.  “Is it alright?”

I looked up at him, lost in thought.  “Huh?  Oh yeah,” I said quickly.  “I was just hoping for more whip cream,” I joked.

He laughed.  “Next time we’ll ask for more.”

I nodded with a smile.  “Sounds like a plan.  Okay, well, I’m going to head to the math and science building.”

He pointed to the opposite side of campus.  “I’m heading that way.  Do you want me to walk you to class?”

I shook my head.  “No, it’s alright, thanks.  I wouldn’t want to make you late.”

He reached out and squeezed my hand.  “Have a great morning!  Brunch at 10?”

“Sure,” I said a bit distractedly.  He was so attentive, it was hard to believe I was like a job to him.  He was being ordered to get close to me and make me fall in love with him.

“See you later,” he gave me a charming smile and left.

I started heading to the class, admiring the scenery as I went.  I still had twenty minutes before my class started.  The school was surrounded by mountains.  Knightstown was discovered almost 10 years ago.  Initially, it was a place for the gifted and had expanded to include the non-gifted. It had an excellent music, academic, and sports program.  The school sprawled over thousands of acres.  There was a daycare, preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college all in one area.  They even had dorms that worked like a boarding school for those as young as 5.  I was shocked at the amount of people that sent their gifted and non-gifted children off at such an early age.  The local parents were able to pick their children up on Friday afternoons and needed to return them Sunday night.  It wasn’t until they reached high school that they could return on Monday mornings.

“Hey,” said a masculine voice that startled me out of my thoughts.

I looked over at the large mature tree to the right of the path I was walking on.  Gavin was leaning against it.  He looked tired, his eyes dark with circles.

“Hey,” I said hesitantly back.

“What’s your first class today?” he asked.

“Intro to Sociology,” I replied, although I knew he was making just making small talk.  His unease was evident.

“Me too.  General studies?  You don’t know what you’re going to be when you grow up either?” He chuckled awkwardly. 

I shook my head.  “Honestly no, but then again, technically this was supposed to be my senior year in high school.”

He looked impressed.  “I didn’t realize you were that young.”

“I’m seventeen,” I shrugged.  “At my last school, I took a lot of college prep and AP classes.”

“So…this time around should be easier, since you’ve already done this…right,” I knew he was extending an olive branch. 

“Not necessarily,” I said solemnly.  “When I did this the first time around I only had two college classes, and the rest of my classes were over on the high school side.  I already did all my make-up work to catch up for the semester before.  Now I have to do it again.” 

He groaned, visibly relaxing.  “That sucks…Do…Can you tell me what happened?” he finally asked hesitantly.

I looked down frowning.  “I wish we had the time.  We have class soon,” I began walking once more.  “And I think Collin has a tracker on me.  I overheard a conversation I shouldn’t have last night, and now a few things are starting to make sense…It’s so complicated and I really need a…friend right now.”

“I can be that friend.  Why don’t you just leave him,” he said resolutely.  Then he laughed a bit disparagingly.  “A few months ago, life seemed so simple.  Sure, I felt like I might be losing it.  Seeing people’s auras and such, but it was somewhat of a normal existence.  Then one night I was leaving work late, and I saw these men that could throw fire, lift cars, create this weird dome-like thing.  Their auras were so strong.” He stuffed his hands deep in his pockets and spoke quietly.  I was sure I was the first person he had ever told.

My breath hitched.  What was the likelihood that he ran into men that could wield fire, have super human strength, and create a force field?  I knew instinctively he had seen my guys.  I smiled up at him.  “It’s so complicated,” I groaned.  “I think I know the guys you saw.  Are you familiar with the Bells?”

He snorted.  “Who doesn’t?  They’re the kings of this school.  This city.  This county.  I haven’t ever met them, but I’ve heard of them.”

I nodded, a bit chagrined.  “I was adopted by Mr. Bell…the first time I got here.”

We finally reached a group of people rushing into the school, and our conversation had to stop. 

“With every answer I just got, you just gave me a million more questions,” he said ruefully.  “Let me see your phone,” he said holding out his hand.

I looked at him quizzically, but handed it to him regardless. 

“I’ll be right back.  I might be a little late to class.” Before I could stop him, he was off, weaving into the crowd.         

 

I purposely found an empty spot with a free seat next to it.  Gavin slipped into the seat about 15 minutes later.  He was late, but so was the professor. 

He handed back my phone.  “He has a very high tech, expensive tracker in your phone, I can remove it, if you like.” He whispered.

I shook my head.  “Not yet,” I insisted.  At his look of disbelief, I whispered.  “You’ll understand once I tell you everything.”

He nodded but sighed at me as the professor took her place in front of the class room.

 

I could groan in frustration.  Not only did I have no clue about the first thing about sociology, but now I had to make up for any major projects, papers, quizzes, and tests that I had missed.  I was going to be up to my ears in school work.  This school was unique, because if there was room available in any given classroom, any student could start after the semester began.  Thus, the reason why I was starting in the middle of the fall semester…again.  I was somewhat suspicious that Mr. Young, Collin, and anyone else involved in this deception had purposely put me in this position. 

I was known to be an over achiever and intelligent.  They knew failure was not an option for me.  Catching up would keep me busy, too busy to meet people.  Little did they know, I thrived on challenges and I would surprise them.  I had every intention on keeping up in my classes and continue getting good grades.  I had until winter break to get full credit for the classes if I was to complete and pass everything required of me.

“I can help you catch up, in fact, I have all the notes on this class since the beginning of this semester,” Gavin said as if he could read my mind.

I gave him a halfhearted smile.  “Thanks, that would be helpful.  If only you had History of Performance Arts.” I rubbed a weary hand over my eyes. 

“Well,” he said tentatively. “I kind of dropped my Fundamentals of Speech Communication class,” he explained, “and picked up History of Performance Arts.”  At my surprised expression, he hurriedly explained.  “I figured it was about time I learned more about our gifts and what history has to say about it.  So maybe we can work together in getting all those assignments knocked out.  Although I was reassured that it’s a fairly easy class, and most people take it for an easy grade.”

I sighed.  “Well that’s a relief.”

“Want to catch lunch?” He looked down at his watch.  “Or should I say, brunch?”

“I wish,” I said somewhat bitterly.  “My babysitter wants me to have lunch with him.”

As if on cue, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.  It was Gavin.

Hey, sorry to drop this on you, but will it be okay if I skip out on lunch?  Something came up… 

I breathed a sigh of relief and typed back.  No problem.  I understand.  Everything okay?

His response was immediate.  All is well, just have to finish up on a project that’s due for my next class.

I didn’t care that his response was highly suspect.  If he was a real boyfriend, I would point out the obvious:  he should have known he had to complete a project.  Yet he had taken me out for dinner last night and made plans to meet me for lunch today.  It was a no brainer that he was lying.  Now what could he be lying about?

I typed back instead.  Aww, hope you get it done on time!

His response.  Thanks, babe!  :-*

I looked over at Gavin and smiled with relief.  “Let’s do brunch!”

“The babysitter’s not on duty.” He chuckled as we made our way to the quad.

We had to pass the parking lot on the way to the quad and I stopped abruptly.  Collin’s lean frame was unmistakable; he walked like he was still the king of high school.  I slid behind a tree where I could observe covertly and pulled Gavin with me.

“What?!” he asked, startled.

I pointed at the parking lot.  “That’s Collin,” I whispered as if he could hear me.  He was too far away, plus there were a lot of students milling around.  The late morning was warming up to be unseasonably warm.

“And that’s the little blond…Rose?” Gavin whispered back conspiratorially.

I stiffened.  It was clear that they were both sneaking around by the way they both kept looking around nervously.  How stupid could they be?  The campus was large, but someone was bound to see them.  How long had they been hooking up?  I knew two weeks from now they still were, and it was obvious from Rose’s reaction yesterday that this had been going on for some time.

He looked at me with suspicion and surprise at my reaction.  “I thought he wasn’t your boyfriend.”

“He’s not, but she’s dating my real boyfriend, well one of them…,” I stated soberly, just as they both slid into Collins car and shared a steamy embrace and kiss.

 

As we entered the quad I realized how different things were.  It hadn’t taken that long for me to reach popularity the first time I was here.  Before, I couldn’t walk 10 feet without people calling out to me saying hi or trying to talk to me. Knowing the guys and becoming part of a well-known band on campus made me popular. When I lived with Heidi and went to high school there, I was bullied and flew under the radar.  I didn’t have friends.  I didn’t want people to get close because of the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse I went through.  I didn’t want anyone to pity me, or worse yet, turn my step mother in. 

Gavin offered to pay for my meal since I didn’t have any money. I promised I would pay him back.  He waved it off and informed me that his parents were ‘loaded’ and that the shelter he worked at was a tax write off for them.  He got a huge breakfast pizza and an order of home fries.  I chose to get an egg white wrap with spinach, fried onions, mushroom, and green peppers.  I made sure to get a handful of Texas Pete hot sauce.  Jaxson had a thing with putting hot sauce on his eggs, and I had to eat my eggs with hot sauce ever since he insisted I try it.

“Is that all you want?  Want a coffee too?” Gavin asked.

“Mmm yes, coffee,” I smiled.

We waited in the next line, and I ordered a coffee with a shot of hazelnut, cream, and sugar.

“Would you like any coffee with all that sweetness?” Gavin joked as he got his tall coffee, black.

I stuck my tongue out at him playfully.  “You sound like the guys.” Which instantly made me sad.  Troy and Remy took their coffee black.  Jace took his with a splash of cream, mainly to cool it down for immediate consumption.  Noah liked his with one sugar, one cream.  Drake, Jaxson, Jemmy, and I liked our coffee flavored, sweet, and light.  You never realized how much you picked up on another person’s habits until they were gone…or you were.  The simplest, most mundane things, like getting coffee, made you miss them.

Gavin seemed to notice my moroseness and led me to a secluded tree outside of the quad.  We both took a seat on the ground and promptly dug into our food.

“Story time,” Gavin gently prodded with a smile.

I smiled, resisting the urge to tell him he had a connection out there and how similar they were in the way they said and did things.  One surprise at a time.  I would tell him…soon.

I finished the food in my mouth.  “Okay, so since I know you’re going to be around for a while and you’ll be practically family,” I told him mysteriously.  “I will give it to you straight.  Which if you knew me, you would realize is a rare thing and you should feel privileged.”  I explained, trying to make light of the situation.

“Privileged, huh?  I feel like you’re just going to fully blow my mind, as if you hadn’t effed with it enough as it is,” he said jokingly.

I jokingly rolled my eyes.  “I guess I can start at the beginning, with a few details omitted for time’s sake” I began.  “I had a crappy childhood.  My dad was murdered when I was ten.  I was left in the care of my step mom and she developed a drug and alcohol problem.  She moved my half-sister and I to a crappy trailer park where things went from bad to worse.  I was abused in every way imaginable.  Almost a year ago I was taking a music class and I had a teacher that took an interest in me.”

“He didn’t try to touch you, did he?” Gavin asked grimly, but working with the shelter, I’m sure he had heard plenty of ugly stories.

“How much do you know about connections?” I asked him instead of answering him.

He shook his head frowning.  “Connections?”

“In the gifted community, some of us are marked, most of the time around the same time we come into our gifts.  It is believed that we should find and make connections with our…other half so we don’t lose our gifts.” I explained to him.

His eyes widened.  “Like my mark on my shoulder.”

I nodded, still battling with telling him the truth about his connection.  “Most of us are born with no connections, but generally it’s the people with the weaker gifts.  Some of us are born with a single connection out there.  Then in rare instances some of us have more than one connection.  Those well-versed with the gifts say that we can only have a max of two.

He blinked slowly.  “When you say connections, how are we to connect to the other person?”  I had a feeling he knew exactly what I implied, but he wanted to make sure of it.

“We have to have an intimate bond with our connected,” I clarified. 

He seemed stunned and overwhelmed by the knowledge.  “What happens if we have no interest in the other person?  I’ve been known to be…picky,” he blushed.  Then hurried on.  “Before I hit puberty, I enjoyed sports.  I did well in school.  I had friends.  Then I got my gift.  I was thought of as the weird kid for a while there.  I had no clue I was gifted, and my parents had me in and out of hospitals.  By the time I started getting interested in girls, I found out most of them wanted me for my money…” his voice trailed off.

“From my understanding,” I elucidated slowly. “We are naturally drawn to our connections, and the bond we feel for them is undeniable. That’s not to say it’s easy.” I frowned thinking about the fact I had never made my connections with Noah and Troy, although I had been attracted to them and cared for them.  “In fact, it can be slightly difficult.  It’s almost like an arranged marriage.  We should be a perfect match, but for people like me, since my father died I struggled with the littlest things.  Trusting and touching being a few of my hang ups.  I never had a real boyfriend either.  I was out of my league when I found out about my connections.”

His eyes widened, and he said almost in shock, “So, you have more than one connection.  How can that even work?” He cocked his head to the side.  “Do you have a strong gift…?” Then as delicately as he could, he said slowly, “You seem so weak.” He shrugged apologetically.  “I’m sorry, but like I said before, your aura is faint, sometimes it’s not even there.”

I nodded, feeling melancholy creep in once more.  “I was, am, an anomaly.  According to Will Bell, it was rare that my gifts came to me at an early age.  I had started showing signs long before I was a teenager, so I was told.  And I don’t have just two connections, I have six.”

Gavin choked on his breakfast pizza, literally.   After taking a long swig of his drink, he finally cleared his throat.  “Excuse me.” Then something like horror entered his eyes.  “Am I one of them?”

I didn’t know if I should be offended or amused.  I put myself in his shoes and started giggling.  I playfully punched his arm.  “No.” I rolled my eyes.  Then I said quietly, urgently, “You can’t say anything to anyone. The people that took away my connections, my memories and turned back time, are…afraid of me.  No one, and I mean no one, outside of the Bells and my connections knew that I had six connections.  I’m sure we kept them guessing since we are…” I paused and gulped back tears.  “Were very close and everyone, including Jemmy and Rachel were openly affectionate with each other.  To an outsider looking in, I’m sure we looked like brothers and sisters, but a few nefarious individuals seemed to be threatened by me.”

He gingerly patted me.  “I promise I won’t breathe a word to anyone.  You’re my first real friend I’ve had in a long time.  When I came here it was obvious almost everyone had known each other for years, and since I chose to keep my gift hidden, some of the gifted treated me like a pariah.”

I could see how that was possible.  I had noticed it with quite a few of our class mates.  Most of them pretended like we weren’t even there. 

When I looked at Gavin’s rugged handsomeness and realized how intuitive he was, I would think he was Mr. Popularity.  He carried himself with confidence, but now I understood it was a defense mechanism.  It must have been hard on him to go almost seven of his twenty years not knowing he wasn’t crazy, but gifted.

“Thanks,” I smiled at him.  “So yesterday I woke up with a man I hadn’t seen in years and he’s proclaiming to be my boyfriend, and when I ran into one of my connections, he didn’t recognize me.” Once more I had to fight the tears.  “I have no clue where my sister is, and I have no clue how to make them remember me.”

“Why don’t you just leave him and go find your sister?  I’m sure we can find her, somehow,” he tried to sound reassuring.

I shook my head.  “I can’t leave him, at least not yet.  The night before I ended up….here, in this time, we found out for certain that Will had people working for him and people on this very campus that are working against him.  Will’s no angel, he had a colorful past, but he realized the error of his ways.  He wants to create a safe part of the world where we could peacefully coexist with the non-gifted and live in harmony together.  There’s another man, his ex-best friend Horatio, that feels like we should rule the world.  Enslave the non-gifted and brainwash newly discovered gifted to do his bidding and dirty work.

“The night before I ended up here, I had just met you.  You witnessed the abduction of Krista and a few other gifted children.  Including my half-brother.  We also found out, for some unknown reason, they wanted Will and me.  There was a gentleman by the name of Zach Young, a member of Will’s board that was working for Horatio—at least that’s what we surmised—and now I know Collin works for them too.

“The more people I found out about, the more names I can hand over to Will…eventually.  I need to gather compelling evidence.” 

Gavin looked at me dubiously. “Is it safe for a seventeen-year-old girl to take on these…men?  I mean, they already messed up your life. They can do it again, or worse, end it.”

I gulped.  “Right now, they have no clue that the same gift they used on the guys, didn’t work on me.  I still remember them.  In theory, when time went back, I should have naturally forgotten everything, but I didn’t.  I think, for some reason, I’m too valuable alive.  My gut tells me they want to lure me to the ‘dark side.’  I need to figure out a way to inadvertently spy on them.  They already put a tracker on my phone, who knows what else they can or will do to keep me separated from the guys.  I feel like together we can beat this, the guys and me.  If I were to finish making my connections, we will be stronger together.”

He looked uncomfortable for a moment as he shifted his knees back and forth into his chest. 

“Spit it out,” I said finally.

“So, you’ve been intimate with more than one guy…in what period of time?” he stammered finally.

I blushed, and I knew I had to be beet red.  “It’s not what you think, honestly.  It’s not like I hopped from one bed to another, each night. And honestly,” I whispered, embarrassed.  “I have only had sex with one of them.  He was my first…ever.”

He rubbed the back of his head and then started chuckling suddenly.  “You’re living most men’s dreams, except reversed.  I know plenty of men that would love to have a harem of girls waiting for them to grace them with his presence.”

I mocked growled at him before I launched myself at him, hitting him with my fist, but not with full force.  “I told you it’s not like that.” I said through gritted teeth, jokingly.

“Everything okay here?” a familiar voice asked with some concern.

I froze and slowly turned.  I would know his soft, melodious tone anywhere. Drake.  My sweet, sensitive, shy guy, who had a lying, cheating girlfriend that Ella predicted he would marry…after she told him she was pregnant, but the baby wasn’t his.  I closed my eyes and groaned, knowing who the baby’s father was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

“Is he one of them?” Gavin asked quietly as we made our way to our next class.

We were early, but I couldn’t sit there any longer.  I had to get up and move.  I was so distraught.

I nodded sadly. “Yes, did you see how he acted like he didn’t know me?” Then I laughed at myself harshly. “Of course he didn’t, because the last time I knew him was weeks from now.  Collin was saying something about a block on me.  I don’t know what a block is.  The last time we met, Drake said he could physically see that we were connected.  Kind of like how you can see these…auras.  Did he not see it this time?  Why not?  Then I’ve tried to reach out to Jaxson, but nothing.”

I knew I was rambling and not making any sense. I sighed. “Sometimes I think this is all just a dream or they were a dream.  Yet, I know that Drake is extremely smart, but shy.  That he has loved Rose.  He loves to cook and should get a James Beard award, but for some unknown reason he’s still pursuing a career in child phycology. He won the junior Olympics in swimming.  If that’s all public knowledge, then how about the fact that he has a weird eclectic taste of music that he listens to when he studies.  Sometimes I wished my memories had been taken too,” I said wiping my fingers under my eyes, so my tears didn’t ruin my makeup. 

He reached and squeezed my shoulders.  “You don’t mean that.  If they would have done that, then you may have switched to the other side.  They wanted to isolate you, make you dependent on Collin.  In a new school.  No friends.  No work.  It’s a classic case of them trying to control you.  It’s almost like Stockholm syndrome.  You will be so conditioned, eventually you’ll blindly follow along with almost anything they suggest, because you’ll grow affectionate to Collin.”

I stopped abruptly and turned to him.  “Gavin, you’re brilliant! Of course that’s exactly what they wanted to do to me.  That’s why they took music away from me too!”

He grinned back at me and sniffed with mock conceitedness.  “I know I am.” Then he said slowly, “Music, huh?  You play an instrument?  I’m partial to the guitar, myself.”

I grinned at him conspiratorially.  “Follow me,” I started to jog off towards the music building.

He easily fell into step with me.  Which wasn’t hard to do.  I was short and so out of shape.  “Where are we going?”

I smiled mysteriously up at him, “You’ll see.”

I knew exactly which room I was headed towards.  It was almost lunch time.  The faculty would be on the opposite side of the building.  The students that normally took their breaks at this time left their instruments there.  No one would dare steal another person’s instrument.  I only had plans of borrowing it.

“Umm, I heard this building was strictly off limits to non-students and faculty.  The only time outsiders are allowed in are when they have their performances.” Gavin said hesitantly.

I shrugged and gave him a challenging look.  “Where’s your sense of adventure? And technically, I was already accepted once.”

“Before though,” Gavin said in hushed tones as we entered the building. 

I went down the first hall on the right and followed it all the way to the end.  I opened the door to the large auditorium of sorts.  It wasn’t nearly as big as the performance auditorium, but it was still impressive in size.  Just as I suspected, the previous students had left their instruments behind.

I found a violin in its case and then walked to the piano.  I no longer had stage fright.  Being in the band had given me a confidence I never thought I could ever have performing.  I still had nerves and butterflies, but I embraced them now instead of letting them control me.  I decided to play a song that the band and I had just started working on collaboratively.  I started the introduction with the violin.  Then I placed it back in its case.  I switched over to the piano and sang the lyrics to the rest of the song.  In the original we had an acoustic guitar, violin, and bass join in by the chorus. 

I looked over at Gavin when I was done, and he grinned.  “That was amazing.  You have a great voice and you’re quite adept on those instruments.  Are those the only two instruments you play.”

I smiled even though this made me depressed too.  “I know the guitar too.  Want to hear my piece that got me in here the first time?”

“Yeah,” he said enthusiastically.

I grinned and took a deep breath.  This one was so much more personal to me—it was my heart’s song, Rumination.  The definition meant a deep or considered thought about something.  It also was a problem in anxiety and depression.  Some people dwelled on an issue and continued to let it plague them.  It caused them to have anxiety and then they would slip into depression.  I could have let life take me down the dark path of depression, but with the help of the guys and clinging to the little good I had experienced before them, I had risen above that dark spiraling tunnel. 

When I was done, I turned to see the look of deep thought on Gavin’s face and then froze when I noticed Dr. Allen in the doorway, and he didn’t look happy.

“Are you a student here, are any of you?” he asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

I knew from past experience that he was tough as nails.  He liked to push people beyond their preconceived limits.  He never pulled punches.  He was blunt to the point of rudeness. And he was the best teacher in this school. 

I gulped and sent an apologetic look towards Gavin.  “No sir,” I replied.  “I just got here yesterday, and I heard what an excellent music program you had here, so I decided to check it out.  I couldn’t resist the call of the instrument.” I tried to lie smoothly.

“You didn’t sign a student guide expressing that this building was prohibited?” he looked at me skeptically.  Luckily all his attention was directed towards me. 

“No, sir,” I answered truthfully.  I hadn’t.  Not the first time or the second time.

“We shall see about that.” He pulled out his cell phone and started talking quietly into it.

I’m sorry, I mouthed to Gavin.

He shrugged and winked at me.  I didn’t envision him being a rule breaker, but he seemed calm and was taking it in stride.

 

Later, we both were in the back of a security vehicle on the way towards the administration building.  I noticed Dr. Allen was following behind us.

“I’m so sorry,” I muttered to Gavin.

“It’s all good,” he put an arm around the back of my seat.  “They only slap our wrist for the first infraction.  They won’t kick us out or anything.”

I sighed.  “Good.  I wonder where they’re taking us?  I know Will and some of the board members have offices in this building,” I informed him quietly. 

We pulled up in front of the building, and the security guard didn’t even bother pulling into a parking spot; he just parked in the fire lane and waited for us to leave the vehicle.  I felt like a juvenile delinquent as the guard led us into the building.  Dr. Allen was a few steps behind us.

My morbid sense of humor had me giggling.  Gavin shot me a surprised look.  I couldn’t help it.  Most of the kids in my trailer park had turn to a life of crime, sex, drugs, and alcoholism once they hit puberty.  They became a product of their environment, unlike myself.  I had seen plenty of them being hauled off to juvie, or even jail.  I never thought I would be being hauled in, in the back of a security car.  Sure, it wasn’t the same, but this was the closest I got to being chastised or reprimanded by any authority figure.             

We entered the building where I had only visited once before.  We were led down a narrow hallway to a door that read Conference Room 1.  Dr. Allen stepped forward and opened the door.

My steps faltered as I saw Will and Mr. Young sitting behind a long table.  Will looked like he was busy rifling through a few files, while Mr. Young was shooting daggers at me with his eyes.

“Trespassing, Blake?” he asked. His voice dripped disdain.

I couldn’t help but let a small bark of laughter, in surprise.  “Sorry,” I said with an unapologetic look.  “I wasn’t aware that a public building in the middle of the campus was trespassing.”

“There weren’t any signs posted to the effect either,” Gavin said smoothly.

“Yet, Mr. Kincaid,” Will finally spoke, looking up; his eyes stern, his expression cold.  “You signed the student handbook acknowledging the fact that the music hall was restricted to all non-students.” Then his cool blue eyes turned towards me.  He seemed momentarily contemplative as he looked at me.  A flicker of recognition seemed to linger in his eyes before he shook it off.

I realized without my wild dark curls, I could look like any other petite, dark haired, green eyed girl.  I cursed myself for straightening my hair today.  The first time we met each other again he had chided the boys for not recognizing me.  At five, when I technically met Jace, Jaxson, and Will at the institute, I had distinctive features worth remembering.

He continued, still scrutinizing me.  “However, Ms. Thomas, other than your class schedule and enrollment information, you are missing a lot of things in your file.” He leaned back and steepled his fingers over his lips.  “Who was your sponsor?  I see that you received a scholarship to attend here and you are…17 and attending college.  Are you even capable of handling it?”

I stiffened slightly.  “Mr. Young was my sponsor as far as I knew.  I’m more than capable of handling it.  I had a 4.0 GPA at my high school and taking college prep and AP classes.”

He nodded, then looked over at Zach Young who seemed to squirm slightly under his scrutiny.  “We’re missing the copy of her birth certificate, any form of identification, her parent emergency information.  She’s a minor, and I have zero parental consent papers.  And her transcripts from her previous school isn’t even in here.  It’s highly unorthodox to have a high school senior begin her college classes.  We had a few who split their studies, yet you made the decision to place her in all college courses in the middle of the semester.  How is she supposed to catch up and stay on top of current studies?”

Zach looked angry for one moment before he gave a charismatic smile.  I knew from experience he couldn’t use his gifts on Will.  Will was a telekinetic, but he was strongly gifted and was able to block any attempts at trying to get into his head.  “I thought my secretary included all of that.  Her father is dead, and her step mother is in jail.  My secretary was supposed to track down her birth certificate and transcripts, put my information as an emergency contact, and I didn’t think the parental consent form was that necessary.  We’ve waived them in the past.  Blake is more than capable of meeting the challenge, aren’t you, dear?”

I felt his icy cold presence in my head and felt myself nodding.  I was unprepared for his intrusion, and I was unable to speak.  Otherwise I would have told him my birth name, reveal to Will my birthname and hope he could intercede on my behalf; let him know he had at least two spies in his ranks.

Will made a displeased sound.  “I need her file complete by the end of the week, and if she cannot be where she is by the beginning of next semester, she will be placed in high school once more.” He looked over at Zach.  “I’m wondering why you’re showing interest in Ms. Thomas.  Is she…special?”

“No, not in the way you’re implying,” Zach said hastily, a little too hastily.  “She’s an old friend of Collins, and he asked me to do him a favor and help her out.”

Will raised a brow.  “So, you attended the school my son teaches in?  The same school Collin came from?  Did you take any music classes there?”

With Zach’s compulsion, I was unable to do anything but shake my head.  I could feel him convincing me that Will was evil, Will wasn’t to be trusted.  I had to push back with everything I had in me.  I couldn’t let him tarnish my memories of Will.

Zach was quick to speak.  “She didn’t attend that school.  She met him elsewhere.  I’ll have her transcripts by the end of the day.”

I looked over at Gavin, panic in my eyes.  He seemed to be highly confused.  He looked between me and Zach. Suddenly, I felt like all my limbs, head, and body were unable to move.  Zach must have realized I was trying to silently communicate with Gavin.  He was ensuring none of us could act for me. 

I’m sure Zach had outside help to forge all that paperwork.  It wasn’t like I could deny his lies in that moment or refute him in anyway.  The moment Will got my forged paperwork, there would be no reason for him to delve further into my true identity.

“She should be in the music program,” Dr. Allen said coolly from the doorway.  I had forgotten that he was even there.  “Even though she broke the rules, and since she was unaware of them, I’m putting in a recommendation that she’s allowed to participate in the upcoming try-outs for next semester.”

“Really?” Will said with interest.  He seemed surprised.  I knew from past experience that Dr. Allen barely bothered himself with recruiting new students.  He would occasionally be on the board of admissions, but other than that, he was too busy with the select students he had a special interest in. 

Zach made a sound of annoyance.  “She already has enough on her plate.  She can’t add a music class to her already busy schedule.”

Will looked at me. Well would you be interested?”

I wanted to eagerly nod, but once again I was frozen to move or speak. 

“She would love to,” Gavin blurted out. 

I wanted to look over at him in gratitude. 

“She can speak for herself,” Zach said coolly. “Well, Blake?”  he asked with a smug smile.

Gavin stood up in agitation, clearly understanding that I was unable to move or speak.   “She was just telling me today how much she missed music.  That’s why we snuck into the music hall.  She’s highly talented and deserves this opportunity.  She must be feeling overwhelmed now.” He squeezed my shoulder reassuringly, and I felt this odd feeling like his touch was unraveling the hold Zach had on me.  The icy coldness that had engulfed me was being replaced with a warm heat.  It was like Gavin’s gift had the ability to imitate Mr. Youngs.

My eyes widened, and I finally turned to him.  Gavin didn’t just have the ability to see people’s powers; with his touch, he had been able to release me from Zach’s hold.  Zach looked at him with narrowed eyes and an equal amount of shock.

I cursed inwardly.  I needed to protect him now as well.

“Well, it’s settled then,” Will finally said. “Try-outs are October twenty first at 8 a.m.  Here’s an excusal slip for your class—your class has already started.” He looked sternly at me and Gavin before he handed us a slip. “I’m hoping to never see either one of you in here again.”

“No, sir,” Gavin and I replied simultaneously. 

 

“What did you do?” I whispered urgently to Gavin as we walked from the bus to the school.

“What do you mean?” Gavin asked truly mystified.

“Mr. Young had compelled me.” At his confused look, I said carefully, remembering he was new to all this, “Basically, he’s a puppet master, like I am, was.  He can make people say and do whatever he wants.  He can even make you forget it.  You touched me, and I felt his hold release.”

He looked at me with widened eyes. “You can do that?  Wow,” he breathed reverently.  “I don’t know what I did.  I got really upset when I realized he had you…immobilized and I just imagined…breaking his hold on you.”

“I’m impressed. You say you see…auras, is that it?  Have you ever tried to do anything else?” I wasn’t that familiar with all the gifts out there, but I had a few hunches.

I racked my brain wondering who I could trust to help us.

He shook his head and put his hands deep in his front pockets.  “I don’t know.  This is all so new to me.”

“Well, we need to make sure we keep you away from Zach Young.  He wanted me to not trust Will, that Will was evil.  He isn’t,” I said hurriedly as we took the steps up to our History of Performance Arts class. 

We were approximately twenty minutes late, and I knew we were going to look horrible walking in late.  Luck was not on our side today.  The doors were squeaky, and everyone turned as we walked in. 

“Sorry we’re late,” I said awkwardly as I started to make my way up front.  “We…umm had a meeting.”

The professor acted like we didn’t even affect him as he continued to teach class with a slight twist of his mouth in displeasure.

My eyes widened as Noah stood up from a seat in the back.  “I’m a TA for this class,” he stated with a smile.  He held his hand out and I handed him my slip.  Gavin handed him his as well.

Noah looked at the slips with a raised eyebrow.  He looked at Gavin, then me.  “Pops barely ever deals with disciplinary issues. What did you do?” he murmured with a teasing grin.

I cleared my throat. “What can I say?  I like pushing the limits,” I said with a flirting tone.

“Interesting,” he said with a husky tone.  “Is this the infamous Gavin?” he murmured in my ear as I began to walk to a seat.

“Just a friend,” I whispered urgently back.

“With benefits?” he asked as he caressed the inside of my arm.

Operation Make the Connection was in full effect as I leaned into his ear.  “I’m hoping someone else might want to apply for that position.”

I knew I had stunned him, so I took my seat next to Gavin, glad that he found two empty seats close to each other. Gavin turned and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I held up two fingers, and I knew he knew exactly what I meant as his jaw dropped open.

 

Noah called Gavin and I over to a desk tucked in the back corner of the room as we were getting ready to leave.  He was very professional as he handed us each slips of paper.

“Mr. Kincaid, why did you choose to drop your speech class?  You were doing very well in it,” Noah asked conversationally.

Gavin looked at him with seriousness.  “I spent the last seven years with a gift.  At first, I thought I should fly under the radar, but after meeting Blake I realized how important it might be to learn about my gift.”

I was shocked that he revealed so much so quickly.  He gave me a reassuring nod, like he had it handled.

“Are you gifted?” Noah turned interested eyes towards me.

I looked at him with narrowed eyes.  Then I finally said.  “I may be but it…comes and goes.  Can you help us figure out what he may have?” I said trying to push the attention back on Gavin.

Noah was shrewd, too shrewd.  “Why won’t you ask Collin?”

“Ask me what?” Collin came through the classroom door.  “Hey babe,” he kissed my temple, before looking suspiciously at Gavin and Noah.  “I heard you got into a little trouble today, you naughty girl,” he tapped the tip of my nose playfully, but I could see anger in his eyes.  I assumed he got his butt chewed out by Zach for not watching me closer.  “I think you need to reconsider this audition. You have plenty going on as it is.  Now, back to this question, hit me.”

I bristled under his stare.  I was willing to play the game, but not by their rules.  “We can talk about this later,” I replied coolly.

“I was just telling them if they have any issues figuring out how to log onto the school website to pull up any of the past assignments, they could come ask you.  Well, Blake.” Noah lied glibly. 

I sighed internally, relieved.

“Yeah, no problem, you can even use my laptop, at home,” Collin said pointedly.  “Gavin, you can swing by as well, if you’d like.” He said with a welcoming smile, that never reached his eyes. 

I looked at Collin suspiciously.  Realization slowly dawned.  Zach wanted Collin to spy on him as well.

Gavin smiled warmly.  “Thanks man,” he held out his hand for a shake.  Collin took it and shook it.  “Maybe another day,” I almost sighed aloud once more.  “I promised my mom I would stop by the store for her tonight and we have a big family dinner planned.”

“Great, another day then,” I said cheerily.  “We have our own shopping to do tonight, so I can cook us some real food,” I playfully winked at Collin.  “Are you skipping your last class?” I asked him innocently.

He shook his head, clearly irritated.  “No, I gotta run now.” he looked down at his watch.  “Meet you at my car at 3?”

I nodded.

He didn’t look like he wanted to leave us alone, but he left reluctantly.  “Make sure you get his number, if you haven’t already,” he called over his shoulder, his voice casual.

Gavin and I looked at each other pointedly. 

“So, as I was saying,” Noah stood up and walked towards the door.  “Just enter your student id number under the performance arts tab and everything we’ve covered thus far will pop up.  In addition to any assistance Collin may give, I’ll give you my number as well,” Noah peered into the hallway, he seemed to be satisfied and then he closed the door.

“What the hell is going on?” Noah asked with rare seriousness.

“When I shook his hand, I felt a…void,” Gavin whispered fervently.

“You would,” Noah said quietly.  “He has a gift that allows him to…take someone’s gift away.”

I gasped and looked at Gavin once more, understanding dawning once more.  “How does that work?  Does he touch…anyone and it leaves?  Can you project it to certain individuals?  And what about Gavin?  He can see when someone’s gifted, and earlier he was able to… stop someone from using theirs.”

Noah looked at both of us and finally said.  “He can project it to whomever he wants, within reason and distance.  Now,” he turned to Gavin and looked at him, his brows furrowed.  “When you say you stopped someone, how? And what do you see?”

We looked at each other once more, and I nodded to Gavin to go ahead. 

“Someone was trying to prevent another person from talking and moving.  It…angered me and I could feel their energy in them, so I pushed them out,” Gavin told him.

“Hmm.” Noah seemed to know Gavin was talking about me, but he must have realized there was a reason we weren’t telling him everything.

I longed to.  I wished I could tell him everything, but I knew how skittish he had been before.  I didn’t want him to run if I revealed to him the whole truth.  I needed to handle him with kid gloves.

“I assume you know I’m gifted?” Noah asked Gavin hypothetically. “Unfortunately, my gift is only used through touch and not projection.  It’s hard for me to pin point what gift you may have by using my gift.  Honestly, even being a TA, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a case like this.”

“Why do I keep hearing that?” I muttered peevishly.  I was an anomaly.  Gavin was an anomaly.  We were different.  But unlike me, Gavin needed help now.  The sooner he began working on his gift, the sooner he could protect himself from people like Collin and Zach.

I put him in danger by association.  I needed to help get him out.

I looked over at the desk and saw a pair of scissors on Noah’s desk.  I calmly removed my jacket as the guys looked at me with puzzlement.  Slowly, meticulously I opened them up and took the sharp edge, slicing it across my forearm. Immediately my skin opened and blood came out.

“Blake!” they called out in concern.

Noah went to place his hand on it, but I stopped him.  Instinctively I knew what needed to be done, although my understanding of the gifts was limited at best.  Something Noah had said about Collin had made the wheels in my head turn.

“No, Noah, not you,” I said insistently.  “Gavin, can you try to tap into Noah and then place your hand on my cut?” I hissed because it was starting to sting now that my adrenaline was wearing off.

Gavin looked hesitant but grabbed Noah’s shoulder with the one hand, while he placed his hand on my forearm.  Within moments I felt the warmth spread through his hands onto my skin.  The stinging went away, and I felt normal once more.

“Holy crap you’re an imitator!” Noah exclaimed.  “How did you—” he began before students started coming in for the next class. 

“Let’s go, we have to clean up,” I explained, holding up the dried blood on my forearm, with an apologetic smile towards Noah. As an afterthought, I leaned in and whispered, “Thanks for keeping our secret.”

He grudgingly nodded, his eyes full of questions.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6

 

Just as predicted, the next few weeks were filled with playing catch up.  Collin was even more clingy.  I couldn’t even go on my runs without him tagging along.  Any sense of solitude was taken from me.  The only time I had to myself was in class and on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I had to wait for Collin to get out of his classes.

Any attempt at suggesting getting a job was shot down.  I had hoped to find employment for Tuesday, Thursdays, and the weekends, but Collin had argued I had no time to devote to a job, since I was so busy with my school work.  He promptly opened a bank account for me and gave me a debit card, so I could have money for food when he wasn’t around—not that that happened very often.

The only silver lining was that Gavin had run out and got me another phone that I had to carefully keep hidden; with it, I was able to communicate with him and Noah secretively.  Gavin had purposely avoided me when Collin was around, much to Collin’s displeasure.  He was still trying very hard to ingratiate himself to Gavin so he could further study him.

Noah seemed to realize the importance of keeping us a secret.  He hadn’t pushed us any further about a bigger explanation about our strange arrangements.  If Collin and I ran into him at Stacey’s apartment, he was friendly, but not overly so.  He even arranged for Gavin to work on his gift, in secret, with our family.

It was the perfect irony.  He got to meet Jemmy, Remy, Jaxson, and Drake.  He made sure to give me blow by blow details about his training, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of him.  I wished there was a way for me to go with him, but with Collin’s constant hovering I couldn’t trust him.

Gavin and I had come up with an in-depth game plan to get my life back.  He even went as far as to show me how to track and record all of Collin’s conversations without him being none the wiser, although I hadn’t had the opportunity to install them on his phone yet.  That was my first assignment.

His first assignment was to continue watching and finding an opportunity to help Alex, my little brother, and meet with Rachel.  I hadn’t figured out how Rachel was going to help us in the long run, but I knew she was the key to part of our plan.

It was a Thursday when Gavin and I headed to the gym, which was thankfully empty at this time of day.  At first, Gavin came to keep me company so we could talk freely outside of class and away from listening ears.  It was the only time I was able to stash my phone in the locker without causing Collin to be to suspicious.  Gavin had already found out he had planted a mic in my phone recently. 

We were so careful keeping our conversations free of my drama.  We couldn’t give Collin a reason not to believe I was as oblivious as everyone else.  Gavin and I laughed every Tuesday and Thursday when we decided what our next topic of conversations were, future cover stories for Collin’s spying.  One morning before class we talked about eggs.  Yes, eggs.  Cage free eggs versus caged hens’ eggs.  We talked about how we remembered the colors of the rainbow, the order of the planets, and other inane things we were forced to remember in school.  We found that we both loved watching this reality show and weighed in on our favorite characters.  So, in short, our conversations were purposely lame. 

I could tell Gavin was dying to ask me something by the time I exited the locker room in my biker shorts and racer back tank top.  It was cold outside, but in here it was a sauna.  He held up his thumb to his ear and pinky to his mouth.  Miming a phone.

“In my locker,” I reassured him.

“So, if I didn’t find my connection right away, then what harm could it be to…date?” he asked hesitantly.

“Well theoretically, none,” I frowned.  “But I would advise you from being too serious with them, honestly.  After all, that’s why I was in a mess with Jaxson, Jace, Noah, and Drake.  They all had someone they hadn’t been…too careful with,” I narrowed my eyes at him.  “Why?  Have you met someone at the shelter?”

He shook his head and blushed, running fingers through his short blond hair.  “No, but she is in high school, so I feel kinda pervy.  But she’s so beautiful and funny and flirts with me allll the time.”

I stopped mid step and started giggling, instinctively knowing who he was talking about.  When we weren’t at school together, he was at the shelter or working on his gift.  I suddenly stopped.  “Promise me you won’t be mad,” I said scrunching up my nose and squinting my eyes.  “In all fairness, I felt like I didn’t want to overload you with more than I already told you about me.”

He sat on the machine that worked our upper legs.  He looked thoroughly confused.  “I won’t be mad…what is it?”

“Let’s just say,” I said hesitantly.  “If you chose to pursue a relationship with Jemmy, it won’t be a big deal.”

“Who said it was Jemmy?” He instantly started to look down, then his eyes and head snapped up with such force, I was surprised he didn’t give himself whip lash.  “She’s my connection, isn’t she,” he said in disbelief and awe.

I nodded with a smile.  “She is.”

He crossed his arms across his chest, making me realize his workouts were already given him definition in his chest and arms.  “I should be mad at you,” he tried to look stern, but then a huge goofy grin crossed his face.  “But I can’t be.  She invited me to a party tomorrow night.  I guess Jaxson has a big game tomorrow night and they’re throwing a huge bash.”

Instantly I felt sad.  “All the guys will be there except Jace,” I said sadly as I used the leg press machine, silently counting my reps.  “You’ll finally get to meet Troy.”

Gavin looked slightly uncomfortable.  “I heard he owns a security firm and he already did a background check on me.”

I giggled.  “It doesn’t surprise me one iota, he’s protective of his siblings, although he has reasons to be.  When he was in foster-” I stopped suddenly, my heart lunging to my throat.  How had I forgotten?  I felt nauseous suddenly, remembering what would happen tonight.  The same guy that tried to victimize Troy, would victimize another child tomorrow tonight.

I dropped my weights and took off running.  I needed to figure out a way to figure out as much information as I could about Troy’s foster family.  It wasn’t like I could go directly to him and tell him what I knew about him.  I needed to help that poor defenseless boy.

“Where are you going?” Gavin caught up to me.  “It’s cold out here!”

“I need to hit up the library,” I explained.  “I need to get some vital information.”

“How?” he asked stupefied.  “Why?”

I reached the top of the library stairs.  “I just remembered something I was once told in confidence.  I need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” I said out of breath. 

I went to the public library and immediately put in my name and student id.

“Blake, no,” Gavin said urgently.

“I have to,” I said just as urgent. 

“No,” he logged me out of my computer.  “Come over here and log onto this one, someone left it open.”

Understanding dawned in my eyes.  “Oh yeah, I wouldn’t want anyone checking out my internet searches.”

I flopped my head down in frustration.  “Dammit.  Nothing.  I can’t find out anything about where he was fostered at.”

Gavin sighed.  “It’s too bad we don’t know anyone who could open up these records.”

Gavin was electronically and computer savvy.  He knew so much more that I could ever dream of, about them and even he couldn’t help me right now.

I sat back, feeling tears threaten once more, and he reached out and gripped my shoulder, in comfort.

“I think I do,” I finally said as it began to dawn on me.  “I need a phone.”

 

We ran back to the gym and pulled out the phone Gavin gave me.  I found my fingers punching in the numbers for Judge Myers.

On the third ring, Judge Myers finally picked it up.  “Hello, Judge Myron Myers.”

“Hello, your honor,” I stated with my heart beating with nerves.  “You don’t know me, but I know you.  I was wondering if-”

“Look, Little Miss,” he cut me off.  “I don’t know how you got my personal number, but I suggest you call my secretary for any appointments.”

“You gave me your number Your Honor,” I found myself blurting out.  “I know you don’t remember me, but I am a friend of William Bell, and you guys made sure I would have your number in a case of an emergency.  You wanted me to tell you ‘good will prevail’.”

He cleared his throat. “What’s your location?”

“Knightstown Academy,” I said promptly.

“Will is there,” he said in confusion.

“Yes, sir,” I said softly, “But since giving me your name and number, things have become…complicated.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he said brusquely.  “Meet me by the swings at the elementary school.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.  “Yes, Your Honor.  Thank you so much!”

 

For appearances sake, Gavin and I decided to run the two miles to the school.  Luckily, Gavin had an extra sweatshirt for me to wear.  We didn’t waste any time running down to the elementary school.   I knew I was going to be late getting back to meet Collin, but without my phone, he wouldn’t be able to track me, and I could claim I wanted to run instead of strength train today.

As we ran up to the playground, I saw Judge Myers was already waiting for me.  I remembered how I thought he reminded me of a kindly grandfather. He had a way about him that made you feel comfortable.

“It’s good to see you again, Amanda,” he said immediately, the moment I stopped within feet of him.  Gavin looked at me in confusion.  I never told him I was born with a different name. 

My jaw dropped, “You remember me,” I gasped.

He looked over at Gavin.  “Gavin, it’s nice to meet you as well.”  Holding out his hand.

Gavin looked a little discomfited but took his hand.  He gasped immediately.  “You see everything.”

Judge Myers smiled kindly.  “Not quite.  Come follow me, it’s a bit chilly out here.  Let’s take a drive.”

Gavin took my hand and I squeezed it back.  I didn’t know if he was offering me moral support, or if he needed it. 

Gavin allowed me to sit up front in the black Lincoln with darkly tinted windows.

Judge Myers turned and looked at me.  His eyebrows knitted.  “We’ve met before, but I don’t remember it. Hmmm,” he continued to look in my eyes.  I noticed the warmth in my head and I knew he was prying in my head, but instead of feeling invaded or cold, like Zach made me feel, the feeling from his was different.  “I am truly stumped.  My gift is to see into people’s lives.  It helps me in my line of work.  After meeting a defendant, I can tell within moments if he’s innocent or guilty.” He explained.  “I see that we have met before, in a hospital.  William Bell adopted you and…a little blond girl…Ella,” he smiled as if he found her name in my head.  “But…something’s changed.”

“How close are you to William?” I asked hesitantly.

He chuckled softly.  “You’re wondering what side I am on, and I assure you it’s yours.”

I snorted good naturedly.  “Do you have to do that?”

It was kind of hard having a conversation with someone that already knew what you were thinking or seeing.

He frowned suddenly.  “You should be able to shut me out, but someone has a block on you.  Okay, I will stop reading you and let you talk.” He chuckled good naturedly. 

He started his vehicle and we started moving.

“Someone’s turned back time,” I clarified bluntly.  “Someone has taken the memories of my connections.  They can’t remember me, but I remember everything.  Collin Scott has been blocking me, and I know Zach Young has been making him watch me.”

He frowned even deeper.  “I’m not familiar with Collin Scott, but I’ve known Zach Young. He has no back bone, I can’t imagine him capable of such an act.”

I grabbed his hand and looked in his eyes, “Look please.”

I brought up my memories of the time we found Zach in that run-down trailer, helping abduct children for Horatio, then when he tried to compel me in the restaurant, then when he succeeded to compel me and attempted to make me fear Will.

Judge Myer’s eyes widened in surprise.  “I haven’t even heard about a time changer in centuries.  I’m sure Horatio is hiding them carefully.  The only one I know of, that’s capable of messing with memories is…your sister.”

I gasped.  I had completely forgotten about having a half-sister out there that was believed to be working with Horatio.  She was now in contact with the guys.  She would have to be, to make sure any chance encounters I had with the guys could be erased once more. 

“Do you know who she is?” I breathed in shock.

He shook his head once more. “No, Horatio has had her under his thumb for so long.  All her records were lost and burned.  I couldn’t find them, even if I wanted to.”

I frowned and stared down at my hands, reminded of why I was here to begin with.  “Pietro Ricci, Troy, can you find his records?”

He smiled.  “That’s something I can help you with, but why the urgency?”

“Do you know how he came into the care of Will?” I asked hesitantly.

He nodded.  “I do.  I signed every single one of your adoptions or guardianships.  Sealed the ones that needed to be sealed.”

I looked back at Gavin, who looked more than shocked.  “Sorry,” I frowned.  “It’s not my secret to tell, but Troy left his foster home for a reason, and tonight another little boy will want to leave for the same reason…but worse.”

Judge Myron looked grave.  “It will be taken care of.  Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“My sister, well, cousin, Ella Thomas,” I said worriedly.  “I don’t know if she’s okay.  She’ll come into her gift soon and I don’t know where she is or if she’s even okay.  I want her safe.  My brother, Alex-”

“Alexander Ray,” Gavin supplied from the back seat.  I gave him a grateful smile.

“Alex will come into his gift soon,” I continued.  At Judge Myers look of wonder, I added.  “I forget you don’t remember all of this…now,” I said ruefully.  “My mother had 5 of us, that I am aware.  The evil harpy that’s messing with my life,” both men chuckled at me.  I continued.  “Me, followed by Micah and Alex.  I’m not sure where my other brother falls in this, but Alex was able to let me know about his existence before…,” I paused and waved my hand around.  “…all this happened.  Alex is in the city, Gavin can give you more details, but he will get his gifts soon as well.  His father will take him to hospitals, then sell him, essentially.  Can you look again?  It would make more sense.”

I let Judge Myers see the moment I met Alex and everything he knew about my brother Micah, who was homeless, living on the streets of Baltimore, and how he ended up in the trailer to begin with.

Judge Myers gave me a reassuring smile.  “I will try my best to handle this, but I can’t make any promises,” he said sadly.

“Were you part of the institute?”  I asked warily.

“I was,” he confirmed.  “I got out long before the guys started acting like god,” he said reassuringly.  “It looks like I have work to do.  Hurry along before someone comes looking for you.” He reached out and grabbed my hand in comfort. 

I opened the door, my heart feeling lighter.  “Oh, and Blake,” he called before I could close the door.  I leaned down to look at him.  “Be careful, and I think it’s of great importance that you make those connections very soon.”

I nodded numbly and watched him drive away.  We were further than the elementary school.

I groaned.  “I hope you don’t mind the long run back.”

“I hope Collin doesn’t lock you down even tighter.”

 

Collin was livid when I got back.  I could see that he was talking on his phone and pacing when Gavin and I came back to the parking lot. 

“Where were you?” Collin asked as he stalked towards me.  Grabbing my arm in a tight vice grip.

“I decided to run today,” I explained.  “Ouch, Collin,” I hissed.

He didn’t seem to care that he was bringing me pain as he started to yank me to the car.  “Why didn’t you take your phone?  Why didn’t you have the decency to call me?”

“Collin, seriously you’re hurting me,” I cried out.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize I had left my phone and I didn’t think I was going to be late.”

“Seriously, dude, you need to let her go.” Gavin took a menacing step towards him.

“Stay out of this,” Collin snapped.  “I know you want her, but she’s my girlfriend.”

“Oh my gosh, Collin,” I shouted.  “We’re just friends!”

“Is there a problem here?” Noah interrupted.

I turned to see Noah, Drake, and Rose right behind me.  From Collin’s look of shock, I assumed he hadn’t seen them approach.  Noah looked ready for a fight, and even Drake had dropped his bag to the ground.  Rose looked sullen.

Collin dropped my arm abruptly and smiled broadly.  “No, nothing,” he hastily explained.  Then he looked hesitantly at Rose.  “Just relationship issues, you know how that goes.”

I rubbed my arms, certain I would have a bruise there tomorrow.

“Even if you think your girl is cheating on you, I don’t think manhandling her and dragging her around is acceptable,” Drake said with quiet conviction.

I looked over at Gavin, mortified that Drake would think I was cheating and wondering if he caught the slight inflection in Drake’s tone.  Did he suspect their relationship?

Collin had the audacity to blush.  “I’m sorry Blake and Gavin,” he said a bit grudgingly.  “I was just worried.  You’re new here and I didn’t know what could have happened to you.  I didn’t know you were with him.  I looked all over the gym and didn’t see you there.  I freaked out.  I’m sorry.”

I looked down at my arms and rubbed the imprints of his hands.  I looked down, longing to tell him where he could go.  If I didn’t realize how important it was for me to find out who else might be working with him, I would have already left him.  I never understood how any woman would subject herself to any form of abuse.

“Blake, sugar, honey,” he tried to wheedle as he drew me into his arms.  “I’m sorry.  Please accept my apology.”

I grudgingly nodded.

“Blake,” Noah demanded my attention.  “If you’re not comfortable going home with him, we can bring you back with us.  Maybe give you both some room.”

“No!” Collin shouted quickly.  Then more softly.  “I mean, that’s not necessary, is it Blake.” He hugged me closer.  “It was all just a little misunderstanding.  She understands I would never intentionally hurt her.”

I looked over at Gavin once more.  He was still angry.  “Maybe a time out would be good.”

“I can drive you home, if you want,” Noah added.  “Gavin, you’re welcome to come along as well.”

I knew this was an opportunity I should take.  Judge Myers and Ella’s words came back to haunt me.  Make your connections.  I could take this opportunity to try to make a connection tonight and go back to Collin’s later so I could continue finding a way to use his same methods of spying.

“Yeah,” I tried to feign a look of apology at Collin.  “Maybe I need a time out.  Sorry,” I whispered softly to him.  “You really hurt me and scared me.  I need some time to think.”

“Come on, Blake,” his voice got real whiny.  “You know I didn’t mean it.”

“Let’s go, Blake,” Gavin insisted.  “I’ll follow you to your spot,” Gavin looked at Noah as if he didn’t know where he was going.

I picked up my bag and followed Gavin to his pickup truck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7

 

I felt like I was coming home, in all sense of the word.  The moments we rolled through the gates I felt a tug on my heart strings.

“I missed home,” I said quietly to Gavin.

He looked over at me with sympathy.  “I don’t know how you do it.  If it was me I would have already told them the truth.  Plus,” he added quietly.  “I don’t trust Collin.  Now more so than ever.  I think you should tell them tonight.”

The truck came to a stop and I looked over to him.  “It’s not that easy. For one, I need to find out who is against them, and I am in the best position to do so; and two, I don’t think they’re ready for it.  It was hard for you at first and we don’t have to make a connection.  I’m not forcing myself into your life, whereas I would be if I drop it on them now.  If I take opportunities like this and let them know me for me and not me as their connected, then I think they’ll be more receptive.”

He shook his head.  “If it was me, I would want to know.  Especially knowing the danger, you put yourself in.”

A knocking on Gavin’s window made us jump.  Noah’s smiling face was on the other side.

Gavin opened the door.

“Everything okay?” Noah asked.

“Fine,” Gavin said sullenly.  “Just talking about the ass.”

I knew he was upset with me as he picked up his bag and started walking towards the house, reminding me this had become like a second home to him 3 or 4 days a week. 

“You’re sure you’re just friends?” Noah murmured quietly with a mocking glint in his eyes.
“Positive,” I said tongue in cheek.  “He treats me like… a sister.”

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully as he guided me in the house.

As we walked through the garage doors, it was as if I had never left.  I removed my shoes, because Sue, the housekeeper/ family friend, hated shoes being worn in the house.  Then I paused in the doorway of the kitchen, taking the scene in before me.  I was filled with mixed emotions.  Part of me was glad to be back, the other, not so much.

We often did our homework as a family (odd I know) in the dining room or family room.  Most of the time I would try to complete mine quickly, so I could help Drake in the kitchen with dinner.  Drake generally waited until after dinner to do his.  On the rare occasions that he felt overloaded with it, he would order take out.  Will had given him a bank card for that purpose.

Drake loved cooking and didn’t mind being the person to do all the grocery shopping and meal preps.  He almost treated it like a business.  The menu for the week was posted by the fridge on the bulletin board.  Another separate sheet had the list of groceries for the next shopping trip.  Everyone would write in a request for meals or groceries on a separate piece of paper.  He tried to make everyone happy, but on occasion he would flat out refuse.  Like when Jemmy would write ‘chicken fingers with spaghetti’ every week.  He didn’t mind indulging her on occasion, but he wouldn’t often give in to the five-year-old trapped in her body.  Seriously, what 18-year-old girl thought chicken fingers and spaghetti were a tasty food combination?

My stomach clenched when I saw Tamara sitting on Jaxson’s lap while she did her homework and he read from his American Literature book.  Tamara was Zach Young’s daughter, and she was a beautiful mix of black and white. She had inherited her father’s blue eyes and slightly upturned nose, and I hated her.  Even if she wasn’t Jaxson’s girlfriend, she was a pretentious, vindictive, and generally hateful girl. 

Gavin had found a spot next to Jemmy.  He was already diving into his work, while she doodled in a notebook.  She never was a serious student.

“Hey, everyone,” Noah called as he put an arm around my waist.  “This is Blake, she’s a friend, Blake that’s my brother Jaxson and his girlfriend Tamara, and that’s my sister Jemmy.”

Everyone said ‘hi’ with various levels of emotion.  Everyone looked at me, and I was promptly dismissed as non-threatening in Tamara’s eyes.  I’m sure I looked like a hot mess in my shorts, Gavin’s oversized sweatshirt, and my hair wild from my run.  I wished I had thought of that before coming here, at least taken a shower first.

“Dinner won’t be done for some time.  Do you have a change of clothes?  You can hop in my shower if you would like,” Noah stated.

I smiled gratefully at him.  “That would be great.”

“If you don’t have a change of clothes I’m sure I can find you something to wear,” Jemmy said with a bright smile.

Tamara snorted as she wrote something in a notebook.  “Like the Oompa Loompa could fit in your Gigantean clothing.”

Jemmy was tall and leggy with light brown hair and pink highlights.  She was a subpar student, but she had fashion sense for days.

Jaxson gave her a long-suffering sigh.  “Really, Tam?  Is that really necessary?”  He was looking at me in contemplation.

Tamara started laughing. “I was only joking.”

Jemmy rolled her eyes.  “Way to hide the ugliness with a joke.”

“Sensitive much?” Tamara bit out.  “Learn to take a joke.”

“I have my clothes from earlier,” I cut in and then smiled at Jemmy.  “Thanks for the offer, though; that was really sweet of you.”

“Normally, not a synonym used for Jemmy,” Noah joked as he winked at her.

Jemmy stuck her tongue out at him as the back door opened and Drake came in.  “Hi, I’m Drake,” he stuck his hand out to me and I took it with a smile.

“Hi, Blake,” I suddenly blushed.  “Thanks for helping out today.”

“Where’s Rose?” Noah asked.

Drake shook his head with a frown.  “She wasn’t feeling good, so she decided to head home.”

I looked over at Gavin and it looked like he was done being mad at me as he gave me a pointed look.

“Oh, okay,” Noah said.  “Well come on, Blake, I’ll show you where you can take a shower.”

“Is Stacey coming over?” Tamara asked intentionally wanting to instigate.  Her and Stacey had never gotten along, but they had teamed up once before against me.  Bonding over a common enemy, once again, me.   

I never understood how someone so beautiful and spoiled could be so miserable.  At least now I knew she always had this character flaw.  When I had met her previously, I had thought it was just me.  After all, I had taken Jaxson away from her. 

“Nope,” Noah replied.  He never seemed to allow her to get under his skin.   “And not that it’s any of your business, but I broke up with her.”

I gave him a startled look because this is the first time I had heard about it.  He seemed to avoid my eyes as I followed him out of the room and up the steps to his room.  I had never been in there before.  It was as large and spacious as mine had been.  His room looked almost sterile in all whites.

“Taking your med-school-feel seriously, aren’t you?” I teased as I dropped my bag next to the bathroom door.

“Nah,” he laughed.  “Pops always told me to decorate it how I would like.  I’m just not that imaginative, and I didn’t trust Jemmy to touch my sanctuary.”

“Not imaginative, huh,” I said suggestively.

We had spent the last few weeks flirting shamelessly.  When he was free he would generally text me on the phone that Collin gave me, things like ‘How’s your make-up work coming along?’ or ‘Are you ready to schedule your next quiz or exam?’ If Collin was nearby, I would text back that I was still working on xyz, or ‘I should have a better update for you later’, something along those lines.  Generally, after Collin or I retired to bed, I would pull out Gavin’s phone and text him back.

Lately, he’s been texting me almost every night.  It led me to assume that he didn’t spend as many late nights with Stacey as he once had.  I hadn’t realized they may have broken up.  I liked those late-night conversations that sometimes went on to the early morning hours.  I got to learn more about him than I ever had.  The stupid trivial things like his favorite color (green), his favorite food (Philly cheesesteaks), his favorite movie (Patch Adams), his favorite season (summer); little things like that.  I also got to finally find out why he was adopted by Will.  His past wasn’t nearly as dramatic as most of ours.  His parents had sent him to another boarding school by the age of five, never really wanting to have children.  They both were doctors that crossed oceans to third world countries, helping other children rather than being with their own child.  His previous boarding school had threatened to close by the time he was 9.  They placed him in the newly opened Knightstown Academy and barely bothered to spend any time with him.  He spent a lot of time with the Bell boys, and when his parents died after contracting a disease overseas, he had accepted the invitation to live with the Bells permanently.

“I’m more than imaginative, where it counts,” he murmured as he took a step towards me.

I don’t know what was coming over me as I raised an eyebrow and slowly removed my sweatshirt.  “Actions speak louder than words,” I dared him.

He visibly gulped; desire in his eyes, warring with indecision.  “I just got out of a relationship and you’re in a relationship.  I’m not sure if we should rush this.”

I removed my tank top next, leaving me in just my sports bra and shorts.  Part of me was trying to seduce him to establish our connection, but the other part of me wondered what it would be like to be with him.  He once told me he had an insatiable appetite in the bedroom and that’s why he kept Stacey around.  She was easy, and she was available for him whenever he wanted.  I hadn’t been.  I couldn’t be.  I was technically a virgin and new to the dating game, on top of fostering five other relationships.

“I understand, but honestly he isn’t my boyfriend.  He never was,” I stated as I turned, dropping my sports bra, then shorts in front of the bathroom door. I walked to the large glass enclosed shower, turned the faucet, and waited for warm water to emerge from the shower heads above and from the fixtures mounted on the walls.  I intentionally kept the bathroom door open and I knew he had taken steps to fill out the doorway.

“How could someone look so innocent, be so…” his voice was filled with desire.

“Wanton?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, turning around and stepping into the shower, knowing the glass enclosing the shower did nothing to hide anything. 

I pretended like he wasn’t there as I opened his shampoo.  It smelled like vanilla, which surprised me.  “Mmm,” I purposely taunted him as I closed my eyes.  “Smells good and slightly unexpected.”

I felt the cool air hit my body and felt his presence beside me.

I opened my eyes, feeling somewhat empowered as I saw the look of desire in his eyes.  He lifted me with ease and began to kiss me passionately.  We had never shared a real kiss before and I was surprised at the sensuality in it.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, returning his kiss with abandon.

I moaned deep in my throat as he pushed me back against the wall, pinning me against it, so his hands were free to roam my body.  I was petite, but I had curves.  Well I had.  My lack of appetite and exercise regimen, of late, had reduced quite a bit of my curves.  My breasts and rear had been larger than most girls with my frame.  He seemed especially enamored in my rear as he rubbed reverent hands on it.  I could feel his excitement as it nudged against my stomach.

“Are we sure we want to cross this line?” he asked out of breath as he kissed the sensitive spot behind my ears and down my throat.

I didn’t have the words to answer him, so I just reached down and took his manhood into my hands, stroking it.

“Actions speak louder than words?” he queried.

I nodded and grabbed the back of his head, delving my tongue into his mouth, showing him how much I wanted him. 

He groaned as he slid me down his body, showing me how much he wanted me.

I watched as he reached for a condom at the top ledge of his shower.  My eyes widened slightly as he rolled it on him.  It was slightly erotic to me. 

“Turn around,” he commanded.

I complied and turned around.

“Bend over,” he ordered.

I braced my hands on the seat that dominated the back of the shower.  I felt him adjust the angles of the sprays in the shower as he ran his hand down my back, my rear, and finally his fingers found my core.  He rubbed it and I moaned with the liquid heat that built in my lower stomach.

“So, ready already,” he murmured as he bit my shoulder lightly.

I pushed back into his erection.  “As if you aren’t,” I teased.

“Oh, I’m more than ready,” he said as I felt him slide into me.

I gasped as I felt the resistance.  I was more than ready, but my body wasn’t.  Again?!

“You’re a virgin?” he asked in awe and shock.

I didn’t answer him, I just pushed back into him, letting him know I was ready to feel all of him.

“Ahh,” he said gritting his teeth.  “How is this even possible.  Damn girl!”

“Shh,” I demanded him as I pushed my hips back into him again.  “Just show me how imaginative you can be.”

He obeyed immediately as he grasped my hips with one hand and worshipfully stroked my rear with the other, pushing in and out of me.  I could hear the sounds of pleasure he was making deep in his throat and it turned me on.  I could tell he was getting close as he started to tense, one of his hands reached around and with sure, steady fingers he started to stroke my core. 

“Ahh,” I threw my head back.  “I’m so close,” I told him breathlessly as I felt the tension within begin to build with intensity.  I missed this sort of intimacy.

I was so carried away unraveling and feeling my body shatter in a million pieces, that I didn’t hear his muttered words.  He followed me soon after, and then another jolt engulfed my body.  A mixture of pleasure and pain enveloped my body.  I could feel the world spin, and I felt like I was falling through a dark tunnel.

 

I woke up cradled in Noah’s lap, his back against the wall as he sat on the floor of the shower.  The water was cascading down on us, and he was looking at me with both wonder and shock.

“What just happened?” he breathed out.

I sat up, a bit embarrassed.  I had never passed out before when I made a connection and I knew I had made one.  It was undeniable. 

“Umm great sex,” I said flippantly with a smile.

He looked at me with a penetrating gaze.  “It’s more than that isn’t it?”

Suddenly there was knocking on his bedroom door.  “Hey Noah,” Jaxson called.

“You should get that,” I turned from him to grab his soap to finish my shower.  I wondered if they had felt it like last time.

In the past, the guys could feel it when I made a connection.  In the beginning, they had rushed in to find out what the heck happened.  As it occurred again, I demanded them not to make it any more embarrassing then it had to be. 

“Coming,” Noah called as he hopped out of the shower and grabbed a towel.

Jaxson came striding in the room, his eyes widening slightly as he looked beyond Noah’s shoulder and saw me washing myself.

“I said I was coming,” Noah said with irritation.

“I heard come in,” Jaxson didn’t seem to want to tear his eyes from me.

I was frozen with my leg on the seat, since I had been washing it.

Noah gave me an apologetic look as he hastily shut the door behind him and I quickly finished my shower.  I felt slightly embarrassed and unsure now.  I took my time drying off and trying to get most of the moisture out of my hair.  I smiled when I realized Noah had a good curl tamer in his medicine cabinet.  I squirted a little bit of it in my hands and distributed it into my curls, releasing the smell of apples.

I opened my duffel bag and pulled out the jeans and black fitted tee I had worn earlier today.  I was left contemplating exactly what just happened.  I was filled with confusion, elation, and mortification.  How could I be a virgin again?!  I know my body had reverted to the way it had been, but I didn’t think it was possible for me to be a virgin once more.  I was happy I made my connection with Noah, but I didn’t know why I had passed out.  Then there was the little detail of Jaxson finding us in a compromising position.  Jax was never good at keeping secrets, so I imagined everyone would know by the end of the day.

Jax would tell Tamara, who would in turn tell Stacey.  They had just broken up.  There was also Drake to consider, he may share some pillow talk with Rose, who in turn could potentially tell Collin.  I had no doubt where Rose was tonight—I’m sure she had taken the opportunity to go over to the apartment while I was out.  Life just got more complicated than it was, not that it hadn’t been already.

When I came out of the bathroom, Noah was already dressed and waiting for me on the bed.  His eyebrows were furrowed, although he attempted to give me a smile.

“What just happened?” he asked hesitantly.

“Umm, what do you mean?” I asked evasively as I pushed my hair out of my face.

“When we…well at the end of what we just did, you passed out, and I felt this strange warm feeling spread throughout me and my…tattoo started burning.” Noah leaned forward so his elbows were on his knees. 

“I would say that was…mind blowing sex,” I joked halfheartedly as I brought my phone out of my bag.  I noticed I had missed some messages from Collin.

Please tell me you’re coming home.

Come on, Blake, you know I didn’t mean it, please forgive me!

Blake, please answer me!

I started gnawing on my bottom lip.  Not knowing how to handle this situation or how I should respond to Collin.  I kind of wanted to let him stew a bit longer. 

“As if you know the difference,” Noah ran a hand through his short curls.  Tousling them attractively.

“Is Jaxson going to say anything,” I asked worriedly.

He stared at me intensely for a moment.  “No, he knows better.  Blake, why are you filled with so many secrets?”

I looked up at the ceiling and sighed.  “What do you mean?”  I asked stalling for time to formulate a credible excuse.

“I mean, you were still a virgin, yet you touched me and responded to me so…acutely.  Like this wasn’t your first time.  Jaxson told me he and Drake felt something odd course through them right before Drake sent Jax up here, and now I’m getting texts from my other brothers asking if I’m okay.  You obviously live with Collin, and you guys say you’re in a relationship, but the vibe is all wrong.  The way he treats you is abhorrent, yet you won’t leave him.  He was physically manhandling you today.  You evidently don’t want him knowing about a gift you may or may not have, even though he’s gifted.  Not to forget, you must keep a second phone to have normal conversations with your friends.  It’s just so suspect and wrong on so many levels,” he said ardently. “Then to top it off, as I sat here replaying the amazing thing we just shared, I found myself wondering how you got those scars on your body, and I knew.  I knew without asking you.”

I stared at him in wonder and hope.  “How did I get them?” I asked, not addressing the rest of his speech.

“You had a step mom, whose boyfriends cut you and threatened you.  How did I know that?  Or that the cigarette burn marks on your spine are from her mom!” His eyes were slightly wild as he looked at me attentively.

“You’re not wrong,” I said quietly.

“What is going on,” he took a few steps and drew me into his arms, his lips finding mine once more.  “Tell me, please,” his breathing was heavy when he finally pulled away.  He pulled me in close, my head resting in the middle of his chest.  He was the shortest of all the guys, but at 5 feet 10 inches or so, he was still above average and a lot taller than me.

“I wish I could,” I sighed.  “It’s just a lot, and I’m not even sure if you would believe me.”

“Try me,” he begged softly.

“Dinner time,” Drake came into the room.  His gorgeous blue eyes were assessing me behind his black frame glasses.  No judgement was evident, but there definitely was a deep inquisitiveness lurking in there.

I squeezed Noah’s hand in reassurance.  “Soon,” I promised him. 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8

 

I followed the guys back down stairs and stopped in shock when I entered the dining room.  Tamara was laughing uproariously at something a pretty blond was saying beside her.  The long, bleach-blond hair, with carefully done beach wave curls, was too familiar.

“Hello, Blake,” Will’s cool voice said, pulling my attention away from the blond for a moment. 

“Hello, Mr. Bell,” I stated.

“Welcome to our home,” he said as he looked at me with intense scrutiny.  I had forgotten momentarily that the last time he had seen me was with my hair straight; with my hair now in curls, I’m sure I reminded him more of the girl I use to be.

“Grab a plate,” Jaxson said warmly.  “I hope you’re hungry.  Drake made his Chicken Picata with lemon cream sauce and homemade angel-hair pasta.”

“Thanks, famished actually,” I said stiffly as my green eyes finally met the cold blue eyes of the blond.   Bridgette Mason was staring back at me.  The blond who bullied me and tormented me relentlessly, since my sophomore year in high school.  All because Collin Scott had showed a little bit of interest in me.

 

I dug into my food with gusto, even though I was wound up tight.  I could feel Drake, Noah, and Jax looking at me repeatedly as if they were all trying to dissect me.  Will just watched me contemplatively.

“Are you okay?” Gavin whispered quietly to me as the conversation turned to the big game tomorrow night.

“I know her,” I whispered back quietly.  “Something just feels…wrong.”

“Bridgette?” Gavin looked at me flummoxed.

“Yes,” I explained.  “She went to my old high school and use to bully me…a lot, and she used to date Collin.”

“That’s not good,” Gavin muttered.

“My thought exactly,” I agreed. 

“So, Blake,” Bridgette turned her gaze on me finally.  “I heard you convinced Collin to finally start dating you.”

I took a bite of my chicken and looked at her coolly.  “It didn’t take that much convincing, in fact, he pursued me.”  I stated.  “Again.  Isn’t that the reason you bothered me in high school?”

She let out a loud high-pitched laugh.  “You’re so silly.  I never bothered you.  In fact, I ignored you, like everyone else did.”

Will cleared his throat at the end of the table.  “You girls know each other?”

“You can say that,” Brigette smiled at Will.  Then she looked over at Tamara.  “She used to wear hideous baggy clothes and sulk around the school,” she whispered loudly to Tamara.

Tamara giggled.  “All black and emo like…I can see that.”

“How did you guess?” Bridgette laughed.