‘No way. Science has proven that the world was created with the big bang. Humans would live much happier lives if they just accepted that everything is their fault. They believe in an outer god, or being, so they don't have to take responsibility for what they do. They can plead ignorance and ask for forgiveness.' I tutted as I shook my head.
Sitting on her knees, Kerry planted her hands on the bed. ‘What about aliens?'
‘Don't you think they would've conquered us by now?'
She pushed against the bed, making it bounce. ‘No, they're probably too intelligent to bother with us.'
‘Yeah, alright, if you say so. If they were there, they would've taken over by now. You know I'm right.'
I chewed on the edge of my fingernail. Her eyes sparked when they looked at me. She wouldn't admit defeat yet, but it wouldn't take too long.
‘What about miracles?'
‘No such thing. Everything is luck.'
She snorted as she ran her fingers through her hair. My gaze followed the movement.
‘I don't believe that. Why do positive people tend to have better lives?'
‘Who says they do?' I replied.
The bouncing of the bed intensified when my leg went into overdrive.
Kerry leant forward and put her hand on my thigh. I smiled when she couldn't force it to stop.
‘Why did you get into fitness?'
I shook my head quickly. The change in topic threw me off guard.
‘It was the only thing I was good at. Don't change the subject, you need to admit I'm right.'
She let go of me when I stilled my leg. I waited as she looked into my eyes. My usually fuzzy brain was clear for a change.
‘Right about what, exactly?' Her sing song voice made me grit my teeth.
‘Everything … '
‘You seem like an intelligent person-'
‘I am.'
Her growl of frustration brought a smile to my face. I loved winding people up, especially pretty, uptight women. Not that I had often wound women up. Since quitting my course two years ago, I had kept to myself most of the time.
‘Why did you give it up?'
If I believed in psychics, she could have been one. Every thought I had was counteracted with a question related to what had gone through my mind. I was having a good time debating with her.
‘I knew that if I carried on, I would probably fail at that too.'
I surprised myself with the honest answer. I had never told anyone why I had dropped out. Yes, I had taken drugs and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to continue, but it wasn't the real reason I stopped.
‘Are the drugs just a cover up?'
I growled. How did she do that?
///
‘What are you, a therapist?' I asked. I actually had no idea what she did.
‘No, I'm a hairdresser.'
I choked on my reply. The last place I would have put Kerry was in a salon.
‘What's so funny about that?' she said, smacking my leg.
‘Nothing, I'm just surprised that's all. Aren't hairdressers usually … ?'
Her eyebrows rose. I was treading on dangerous ground. I shut my mouth before she attacked me. I could imagine her trying to scratch my eyes out.
‘Just don't,' she muttered.
Rubbing her eyes with her small hands didn't help her to disguise that she was tired.
‘Will you lay down?' I asked, moving over on the bed so she had enough room.
She shrunk back. Before she could clamber off the bed, I leant forward and took her arm.
‘What is it? I know you don't know me, but I promise I'm not a monster.'
She glanced at my scabby knuckles. I released her when she tried to smile at me. Something had changed. The easy debate had shifted into an uncomfortable stalemate.
‘I'm sorry, I'll go sleep on-'
‘No! It's okay. It's just … I'm not used to sleeping in the same bed with a young man I don't know very well.'
My muscles relaxed as she laid down next to me. She was on her side, pushing herself as far into the wall as possible. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, knowing that she didn't want to be near me.
‘I can go in the other room,' I said, going to move again.
She tried to wrap her hand around my bicep. I paused, smiling when she struggled to get a grip on the muscle.
‘It's fine,' she said, pulling back.
‘I'm not that much younger than you,' I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.
Her eyes drifted shut. My own eyes followed. It was well into the middle of the night. When I didn't have drugs to help me to sleep in the past, I stayed up all night. The sound of her breath in the room made me feel tired.
‘Night, Taurus,' she whispered as I let myself drift off after our pleasant conversation.
Chapter Eleven
‘Don't tell Aries!'
Cancer swore down the phone.
‘They've replaced the men this morning. I'm sure they'll give up soon. If you tell Aries, it's going to cause a lot of grief.'
I paced the living room floor as Kerry made breakfast. My whole body was shaking. I needed something to take the edge off.
‘I need to tell him. I can't just leave you both there.'
Her whinging voice filtered to me. I bit my tongue to stop myself from snapping.
‘Give it a couple more hours, then call me again.'
Her sigh made me clench my teeth.
‘I don't think I can wait, it's not fair on Kerry.'
‘Will you just bloody wait?!' I shouted.
My temper flipped. I lifted my hand in the air. I was about to throw the phone against the wall. Kerry was frozen in the kitchen doorway. Her wide eyes brought me back down to earth.
‘Okay, I'll ring back soon,' Cancer agreed.
‘You have a temper,' Kerry stated when I hung up the phone and went back to the window.
The men hovered in the street, trying to blend in with the crowd of people that made their way into the underground. Ignoring her statement, I lifted the net curtain.
‘What are you doing?' She rushed over and snatched my hand away.
Growling, I spun and thumped my fist into the thin wall. If Nick's men didn't have guns, I would have gone down and beat them. My main priority was to make sure that Kerry was safe. I should have been rude to her when she had insisted on going to Big Ben. Maybe if I had, she wouldn't have come.
‘You need to quit the drugs,' she said, going back to the kitchen.
‘What's that got to do with anything?'
I cracked my knuckles as I waited for her answer. The shaking of my whole hand made me hold it up. Why hadn't I been able to move the tree yesterday? I watched the movement of my fingers as I tried to steady them. I had taken drugs for so long, I wasn't even aware that I got the shakes when I was sober.
‘You've got a problem. You're an addict.'
Her words filtered from the kitchen. I was glad she stayed in the other room. I might not have been able to control my temper if I saw her face.
I had never had a problem making earth and nature do my bidding. My power was the only thing that made me feel like there was something worth living for. When our parents told us about the Dysfunctionals, I had sworn to ignore them for as long as possible.
The first time I had found out about my power, I was in the park. I had been digging a hole, looking for treasure when the earth started to dig itself. I moved handfuls of mud, just by a flick of my hand.
///
‘I'm sorry to be so harsh. I've only been with you for a couple of hours and I can see it.' Kerry came back into the living room. Her gaze shot to my raised hand. I quickly scrubbed my shaved head and took the plate she offered.
‘My siblings say the same thing.'
The rush of heat that had enveloped my body at her words left me. If everyone was saying it, maybe it was true. My beating heart was faster than normal and my powers had left me.
‘Have you admitted it to yourself, though?' she said, lowering herself onto the sofa and tucking into her bacon and beans.
Sitting next to her, I joined her in devouring the small breakfast. I hadn't eaten since lunchtime the day before. Maybe the reaction was due to low blood sugar. When my knife clattered against the plate because I couldn't hold it steady, I knew I was in denial. I needed to take something, anything, to stop the shaking.
‘I need a beer,' I mumbled as I chewed my food. ‘Just because it's so boring being stuck in here.'
‘Thanks!' she exclaimed, slapping me on the arm. ‘Do you know what? Under all that fog of alcohol and drugs, you're a good man.'
Rolling my eyes, I put my empty plate on the table. ‘Well, I know that, it's everyone else that has a problem.'
Her laughter made me smile. It wasn't a giggle, like Sophie. It was full on open mouthed laughter. She threw her head back with it too. I liked that. It was good to make someone laugh. It made Kerry even more pretty.
‘What about you? Do you have any dark secrets?'
I didn't mean to lower the tone. Her mouth snapped shut, her head came forward and the light left her eyes as she looked at me.
‘Doesn't everyone?' Her whispered words shot straight into my chest.
My whole life was a dirty secret. Missions, soulmates and men that tried to kill anyone that we became involved with. The thing that made it so hard was that I didn't even know why we were fighting. Being told that the Dysfunctionals didn't want the earth to become positive, didn't convince me. There was motivation to everything. People lived life by motivations. What drove Nick and his men to want to make a bunch of young people miserable?