“Bish, she left after you did. You got a scholarship; they didn’t need to worry about you. It wasn’t anything you did.”
“I’m not a good person, Maggie. It really doesn’t matter about Jen because…I wouldn’t be good for her anyway. I’m like a disease. I infect everything I touch-”
“Stop it!” I insisted and went to stand in front of him, touching his arm.
He was shaking with fury. I went on my tiptoes and still couldn’t reach his neck very well but I hugged him to me. He resisted for a split second before crushing me to him in a hug that hurt in more ways than one. His mind ran wild with painful past memories and future wants. He was so tired of feeling alone and all by himself. He thought this whole time I was pulling away from him because I no longer wanted to be his family. Like when Mom left she took the glue for our family with her.
“That’s not true,” I told him firmly and heard the strain in my voice. “She doesn’t matter. She has nothing to do with you and me. You will always be my family and I’m sorry,” I said and couldn’t hold my tears anymore. He placed my feet back to the sand. “I’m sorry that I’m not a normal girl, I’m sorry I lied to you about it and made you doubt us. I’m sorry and I love you.”
“I love you too, kiddo. Ah, come on, please don’t,” he pleaded as he eyed the tear sliding down my cheek.
“I know it’s no excuse but I’ve been so worried about you, freaking out really, that you‘d find out and…I‘m not sure what I thought you‘d do. I just didn’t want you to get hurt and Caleb’s family has never told humans what they are before, ever. Do you understand? Their family trusts me with their secret. So that I could tell you and Dad what we are.”
“You said ‘we’.”
“What?”
“You said ’what we are’, not ‘what they are‘,” he said quietly.
“I am what they are, Bish. They are my family now, too. I wanted to keep you and Dad in my life, no matter how naïve I was about you finding out or being suspicious of who I was. They are sacrificing everything…for me, so I can keep you in my life.”
He blew a breath out of his pursed lips, his hands loosely on his hips. His thoughts were shifting, almost against his will. He didn’t want to like them, didn’t want me to be bound to them. He knew he had no say and he’d have to either like it or lose me. He looked up to see me watching him and gave me a wry smile.
“You can hear everything I’m thinking right now, can’t you?”
“Yep.”
“So you know my answer then.”
“You’ll try to let me be even though you still don’t like it?”
“I don’t like Caleb, at all. I think he’s manipulative and-”
“Nope, that’s not trying in my book,” I told him. “Everyone is included in this; his whole family and even Dad. We are what we are. There are gonna be things going on that are weird and unexplainable and supernatural. I can’t have you throwing a fit about my safety or anything else every time something comes up. Agreed?”“Your safety is not negotiable,” he said hotly.
“Yes it is. Caleb is my protector now. He’s in my mind, my body, my… soul. He can feel my heartbeat in his chest - literally in his chest, Bish - all the time, and it tells him when I need him. As a matter of fact, he’s checked on me a few times already since we’ve been out here.”
“I haven’t seen him.” I pointed to my head for an answer and he opened his mouth in realization. “Oh, I should have known. So you guys can speak to each other in your minds?”
“Yes, and he keeps everything bad away while we sleep. His touch can cure any cut or broken bone or disease. I’ll never be sick again, never hurt again, never be safer than I am with him.”
“I can’t like him Maggie. He took you from us.”
“Why is it so hard to believe that I’d go and get a boyfriend one day, get married and move away?”
“It’s not hard to believe but that’s not what happened. For one, you’re only seventeen. For two, he didn’t date you and ask you, he took you.”
“I took him too. That’s how it works. We imprinted on each other. It has to work both ways.”
“Says him,” he spouted just as I heard Caleb in my mind, checking on me once again.
You ok? You seem to be getting pretty worked up.
I’m fine. He’s just being difficult. I’m defending your honor, so to speak.
I heard him chuckle.
Thanks. I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry you have to do this.
It’ll be better this way. I promise I’m alright.
Ok. Just…please calm down if you can. Your heartbeat is making me crazy.
I’ll try.
Would it be better if I came out and helped you convince him?
No, definitely not. It’s ok. I’m wearing him down I think.
Alright, I’m here if you need me.
I know.
“Bish, you don’t have to like him. But you do have to be civil. I love you but I promise you if you keep trying in interfere and make Caleb feel worse about everything than he already does, I’ll have to leave with him. We have a lot going on right now and I can’t concentrate when I’m worried about you and him.”
“So…this Visionary thing? You’re like their queen or something?”
“No,” I groaned. “I’m not really sure what it is. I’ll find out soon. We’re heading to London to their council for them to meet me.”
“London?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s gonna happen?”
“No idea. In the vision I had,” I looked at him to see if his face would change at my talking so freely about it but he just listened, “I was told that they’d lost their abilities because of pride and greed. I’m not sure what they’re going to say to that.”
“So my little sister is going in to tell an ancient family of people with powers that they are full of themselves.”
“Pretty much.”
“Hmmm, that should go over well, coming from you. Maybe that’s why you were chosen, because you’re so cute.”
I laughed and was so happy. So free from the burden of this thing over Bish and me. No more lies, no more sneaking, no more pretending. It was awesome.
“Maybe,” I say coyly and he laughed. “Are you ready to head back inside now?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I noticed how you avoided my request earlier. I need you to promise me.”
“Promise that I’ll be nice to Caleb, look the other way when you’re all over him and stop hounding you about everything and let you do whatever it is you’re supposed to do?”
“Nicely put, yes, exactly.”
“I don’t like it,” he said pointed a finger. “I just want to make that perfectly clear.” He sighed. “But I promise that I’ll back off and won’t talk to Caleb at all. I will try to tame my brotherly comments to a minimum about you and Caleb sucking face, how’s that?”
“As good as I’m gonna get, I guess,” I muttered.
“I’m glad you told me,” he said and put his arm around my shoulders as we walked through the sand. “I can’t believe all this is happening. I can’t believe more that you thought I’d disown you over it.”
“It’s not just that. I wanted to keep you safe. If the other clans find out that we have humans who know about us, that’s not gonna go over very well. It‘s not just us that we‘re risking.”
“There’s no risk,” he insisted and squeezed me. “It’s not like anyone would believe me anyway,” he muttered wryly under his breath.
“I know that and I know you’d never jeopardize me but the council doesn’t know that.”
“I promise, they’ll never know. I’ll keep my big mouth shut and keep pretending to be the disgruntled ignorant brother, which isn‘t gonna be too hard.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re my sister,” he said as if that statement alone was explanation enough to cover it all.
And it was.
“So, why did you send me out here with them?” Bish asked Dad, who met us at the sliding glass door on the patio. “You knew I couldn’t protect her from…whatever it is that’s going on. What did you think would happen?”
“Peter needed his family home. He needed the ones with abilities to stay with him and try to work out everything. We figured you’d come and keep an eye out and just be here. I had no idea you were having such a hard time out here, son. I mean, Maggie said you were a little over the top but I thought you were just being protective, being you.”
“Well, it’s done with now,” he said just as Peter, Caleb and Jen came through the door to greet us.
Ralph and Beck were sound asleep upstairs. Bish and Jen locked eyes and I waited. Caleb stood by Jen and glanced between the two as did we all.
“So, you knew all along too. I’m the only one who didn’t know what was going on?” he asked her and no one.
“I’m sorry,” Peter answered. “It get’s complicated when humans are involved.”
“Yeah, I heard,” Bish said, not taking his gaze from Jen. “So, you don’t have any abilities right? You can’t read my mind or anything?” he asked her.“No,” she breathed. “You don’t get your abilities until you ascend and you don’t ascend until you…imprint.”