“Peter?” he asked, hoping for a little help, in in his mind.
“It’s Maggie’s decision. I trust her judgment.”
“What in God’s name is going on here?” Bish boomed. “What are you all talking about?”
I decided to give him a taste, if nothing else to shut him up. Feeling Caleb’s hand on my arm to steady me, or more probably to keep me away from Bish’s raging form, I let all my feelings come to me, felt all the aggravation at Bish, at being interrupted, at having to explain myself and saw the energy right before I felt it hum. I saw a few ribbons dance in between us and he sucked in a quick breath.
I’m imaging things.
“Nope, you’re not imaging things,” I answered and let the energy on my skin activate the air. The blue haze and energy was everywhere. When the windows started to rattle in the car he just stood, gawking at it, looking back several times to see if everyone else was seeing what he was seeing. Dad gave him a sympathetic tilt of the head and Kyle smirked at me, a glaring ‘show off’ in his mind that I had to ignore and focus. “Go for a walk with me.”
“Are you asking,” he asked looking back to me with a new intensity, “or telling?”
“Asking.”
“Just you and I?” Bish asked.
“You scared of little old me?” I asked playfully but it was one of my fears.
“No, I don’t want Caleb to come,” he said pointedly, glowering at him over my shoulder.
“Fine with me,” Caleb said, not unkindly.
“Let’s go,” I suggested.
He started to make his way to the door and I turned to Caleb.
I’ll keep my mind open to you. I know you’ll freak if I don’t.
He sighed gratefully and touched my cheek.
You know me so well. Be careful.
I’ll be ok.
I know. Just remember that if he doesn’t take it so well now, he will eventually. Just give him time and don’t jump to conclusions. I’ll be right here, waiting for you if you need me, just call me.
He kissed my forehead and I heard Bish growling in my mind, making me sigh and pull away from Caleb. I gave Dad and Peter a smile to assure them as I followed Bish out into the night.
~ Fifteen ~
“Ok,” he said.
His mind was a total blank. He had no idea what to think.
That was the big silence breaker after our long, slow, quiet walk to the shore behind the house. And that was it, he didn’t say another word. He watched me as he walked backwards and sat in the sand with a plop of exhaustion. It was like now that I was gonna let him in on the big secret, he was no longer sure he wanted to know.
“I love you,” I started off, startling him. “I just want you to know that. I have always appreciated you looking after me.” I moved to sit on my knees in front of him, not too close. “You are my brother. I don’t care what some piece of paper says, you always were my brother. I didn’t tell you about everything that’s going on because I was trying to protect you. It wasn’t not trusting or not wanting you to know.”
“Ok,” he ventured cautiously. I’d never seen him so cautious before. “I’m listening.”
I began to unravel the story. I started from the beginning, about meeting Caleb and imprinting all the way to now. The words seemed jumbled and rushed to me. Over the span of I didn’t know how long, I laid it all out and he just sat back and listened.
“I met him…touched we imprinted…my soul mate…have to be together…. Kyle’s mad or jealous…hurt me in echo dreams...Marcus and his hateful family… ascension you get these abilities… kidnapped by Watson clan…theories and this well….got away and Caleb’s family found me…abilities in a dream…family loves me…I love him…airplane to escape…beach house…my hair…you’ve been so….and Kyle is acting so…Dad understands that I need… have to sleep together to keep me safe…I want you to know…. Caleb loves me, he’d never hurt me…his mind is laced with protectiveness…hear everyone’s thoughts…lose control…trying to figure this all out…Visionary, some kinda leader…freaking me out…but, Jen is off limits…but I love you, so much. Please don’t hate me.”
I had felt Caleb checking in on me several times so I figured it had been a while. I assured him I was alright, just needed some more time. Bish watched me and I waited for the thought to come. The same thing Dad had wanted that day, for me to prove it all, to demonstrate my powers, but it never came. He believed me, completely but wanted to get me away from it all. Like Dad, he wanted me safe and happy and thought there was no way for that to happen in this life. I was a little surprised at how well he took it all and believed me so easily.
So, Caleb knew if you touched him, this would happen?
“No,” I answered his internal question. “No, he didn’t. The imprints had been dormant for over twenty years. He had no idea. But it happened and it wasn’t anybody’s fault. It’s not a bad thing.”
“Debatable.”
“No, it’s not actually.” I crossed my arms and looked at him sternly. “I didn’t tell you all this so you’d have more ammunition against Caleb. I told you so you’d be aware and stop trying to find reasons to pummel him all the time and to get off my back.”
“So, you’re saying Jen can’t date anyone. Unless they touch each other and sparks fly or something,” he said the sarcasm evident.
“Yes. It wouldn’t be fair-“
“That’s the dumbest thing I‘ve ever heard. You’re telling me that no matter if I like her or not, no matter what she might feel for me, she and I can never date? Never try to be together if we wanted to?”
I was blown away.
“Out of everything I said that’s what you chose to fight about?”
“You’re such a hypocrite,” he spat with vehemence and stood, brushing sand from his pants angrily. “You’re telling me that you and Caleb are meant to be together, that it’s life or death, that you need to touch him or you have a fit or something and that’s all ok but the ones who haven’t magically touched anyone are just out of luck? No chance at having a life?” He scoffed. “Easy for the ones who have someone to say that, huh?”“It’s not my rule,” I grumbled, agreeing with him. I’d said that to Caleb. “The rule has a purpose you just don’t understand how imprinting works. What if one of the people who got married and had kids imprinted with someone later on? They wouldn’t be able to help what they feel and they’d have to be with that person. What happens to the wife then?”
He groaned, but hadn’t thought of that. I felt so bad.
“Look. I know about what happened to you. I’ve seen it all. I hate it, Bish. I hate that that happened to you. I hate that you feel the way you do about yourself. You are so…” I walked up to him and he held up his hands to ward me off.
“Don’t, Maggie.”
“Bish, you didn’t deserve that and didn’t do anything wrong. I saw enough to know that.” I had to talk louder to speak over his protest to stop once more. “I love you and you don’t have to do this to yourself. You’re not a bad person, not a monster and you don’t have to stay away from people because you’re spoiled or tainted.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Everyone has just loved you all your life. You’ve never done anything to deserve what I got.”
“Neither did you, but mom left and it wasn’t all Dad’s fault, according to her. I didn’t appreciate her. I wasn’t what she wanted.”
“That’s not true.”
“She told me, Bish.”
He looked at me sharply.
“She said that to you?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head and gritted his teeth angrily.
“Well…she was just trying to justify her leaving. She’s was just…”
“No, don’t make excuses for her,” I spouted, crossing my arms over my chest to stop the wind chills.
“She loves you,” he insisted in a whisper that somehow carried to me in the crush of loud waves.
“She left,” I croaked.
“I wish I knew why she did. I wish I knew where she went,” he muttered to himself.
“California, but I don’t know where, she’s been living with other guys, Bish. She doesn’t care about us.”
“What?” he asked softly. “She told you that?”
“Yes. I talked to her a couple times. She just bragged about how happy she was and how she wished we’d be happy for her too.”
“Maggie, I didn’t know all this. Why didn’t you tell me?” he said taking a step closer to me.
“I didn’t want you to feel bad too. Now I’m really glad I didn’t tell you. It would just have given you one more reason to hate yourself.”
He rubbed his face and I heard him grunt into his hands.
“Maggie…I know that some things weren’t my fault…but my real mom was beat on because of me. My dad hated me and then hated her for having me; that’s my fault.”
“It’s not your fault you were born. You have no choice in the matter.”
“It’s doesn’t matter if I had a choice, neither did she!” he yelled. “And then she hated me too because of it. I have never been with someone who wanted me before; never, until your parents decided to take me in. I still don’t know why they took me but we were fine. And then for some reason, Mom left. I don’t know why but maybe the stress of having me and worrying about my school in New York was too much for her.”