Cursed

Chapter 9

I felt like a ghost.

Gabe, the blond guy who’d thrown me across the room telekinetically, left the room if I walked in.

The twins, Phoebe and Parker, just flat out refused to acknowledge my existence. Never in my life had I felt more like a loser—and that was saying something. By the time Cromwell basically ordered me to the kitchen, I was grateful. At least someone wanted to talk to me.

Once there, I found myself sitting in the same spot I had two days ago, but this time Hayden was with us. He wasn’t talking much since he was busy shoving a foot-long sub in his mouth.

“I wanted to discuss the school situation. You’re already registered and set to go tomorrow,” Cromwell said.

I watched Hayden. He ate amazingly fast, and he was sloppier than Olivia. Pieces of tomato and turkey fell to the plate, along with globs of mayonnaise and mustard.

“At no time are you allowed to discuss any of our gifts with the outsiders.”

“Yeah, I think I already know what will happen if I do,” I snapped.

Cromwell sighed. “Ember, I’m sorry about what happened to your friend. However, you left me with no other option.”

“Adam didn’t know anything,” I said for the hundredth time.

Cromwell folded his arms on the table. “I will not continue to discuss this with you, Ember. But do understand—if I think you have told any outsider about us, I will do the same. Again.”

“Or you could just ship me off.”

He took a deep breath, visibly struggling for patience. “Yes, that is always an option. Do you understand, Ember?”

Hayden stopped eating long enough to hear my answer. “Yes. I understand.”

“Good,” Cromwell said. “I have some questions for you.” I stared at him until his smile strained.

“May I ask how many times Olivia has used her gift? Besides the time she used it with you.”

I thought about lying. “Only a few times since: a cat, a pigeon, and Squeaky. I’ve gotten her to understand not to do it, but I can’t promise you that she won’t if she sees a dead animal.” I glanced over at Hayden. The sub was gone. Now he stared at me. “Olivia has a soft spot for animals.”

“Squeaky? The hamster upstairs?” Cromwell asked.

I got a twisted amount of pleasure from seeing Cromwell’s eyes widen with surprise. “Yep. Squeaky died. I buried him. Olivia dug him up. I woke up the next day with the thing sitting on my chest.”

Cromwell blinked. “Oh. Okay. Well, most children her age usually don’t attend public school until they have a strong grasp on their gifts. Over the past few days, I have seen no reason to believe that Olivia will be a risk in public school.”

“What about the kids who do pose a risk?” I cut in. “Do they go to the Facility?”

“Someone has been listening to our conversations.” Cromwell glanced at his son. “Yes. Children who could benefit from a more specialized school would attend there. Hayden went there for several years. He was taught to control his gift.”

I stole another quick peek at him. “From what I overheard, it doesn’t sound like a fun time.”

Hayden’s lips slipped into the half-smile, but he said nothing. Cromwell ignored me. “As I said, Olivia will do fine among outsiders. She is such a bright child. She has an old—”

“An old soul,” I finished for him.

Cromwell’s smile was real this time. “And that brings me to you, Ember. There are some reservations.”

“Naturally,” I muttered.

He ignored that, too. “Your inability to control it is a concern of mine.”

“You know, I’ve lived two years with this.” I started tapping my fingers on the table. “It’s not like I run around and touch people. What happened with… Dustin will never happen again.”

“That may be true, but there have been several situations of you losing your temper since you arrived here,” Cromwell said. “That’s a concern.”

I snorted and continued to tap my fingers. I could tell by the way Hayden stared at my fingers it was annoying the crap out of him. “That should probably tell you something.”

“It has told me quite a bit. When you’re frightened or confused, you react violently. Unstably, even.

Throwing you into a new school with new people may provoke the same reaction from you.”

My fingers froze over the wood.

Cromwell’s smile turned smug. Just for a second, but I saw it. “I know you would never want to hurt someone innocent, but I fear you just may not be able to control yourself.”

I returned to tapping my fingers. I had no problem with Cromwell thinking that. Whatever. His opinion

—

Hayden placed his hand on my arm. I shot him a dirty look, but when he released my arm, I didn’t start back up with the tapping.

“That’s why you need to do everything in your power to control yourself, Ember. I want to keep you with your sister, but if something happens I will have no choice.”

“But she won’t do anything. Will you?” Hayden asked, speaking to me for the first time since, well, yesterday. We’d crossed paths a couple of times today, but he’d ignored me, too.

“Um, I’m going to go with no.”

“Then I’m relieved to hear that. You already have one strike against you, and I’m not playing baseball,” Cromwell said. “You won’t get three strikes with me.”

It took everything for me not to roll my eyes—or laugh in his face. I doubted he’d appreciate either.

Cromwell stood and pushed his chair back in. “I’m glad we’ve had this conversation.”

I slid Hayden a wary look as Cromwell clapped him on the shoulder before leaving the room. Alone, Hayden and I stared at each other. Growing uncomfortable with the awkward silence, I started to stand.

Hayden leaned across the table.

I jerked back, but he flashed me a lazy grin and wrapped his hands around a thick, brown candle.

Immediately, the candle collapsed in on itself. The scent of maple and cinnamon permeated the air.

“Well, aren’t you just special,” I said dryly.

“Not as special as you.” He leaned back. “Why are you so argumentative?”

“Were you on the balcony last night?” I asked instead.

Hayden draped his arm over the back of his chair. “No.” His eyes dropped to where I fiddled with the button on my sweater. “But I was in your room last night.”

It took me a minute to respond. “Look, I don’t want you following me around anymore. Or whatever it was you were doing in… my bedroom.”

He arched a dark eyebrow. “I wasn’t doing anything in your room, Ember. Liz was looking for Olivia.

I checked your room and found her.”

“Oh.” My cheeks flushed.

“Why do you ask if I was on the balcony?”

I shrugged. “I thought I saw someone.”

“Well, did you?”

“I guess I was seeing things.”

He made some sort of affirmative sound and I looked up. His dark eyes were narrowed on the wall, the lines of his face tense.

I cleared my throat. “So, yeah, thanks for… um, getting Olivia.”

His dark eyes swiveled back to me. Strands of hair fell across his forehead. “I think you can control your gift.”

“It’s not a gift,” I blurted out. “It’s nothing like you or Olivia. I’m just screwed up. That happens when you die, I guess.”

“That can’t be it, Ember. I don’t believe that.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, then.”

Hayden stared at me silently, and I grew uncomfortable again. The way he did that made me feel like he could see right through me.

“I can help you,” he said finally. “There isn’t any action out there in the world that doesn’t occur without a thought—a want or need behind it. If we can figure—”

“No.” I shook my head. “You were told not to do this.”

He sent me a sly grin. “I don’t always do what I’m told.”

“Neither do I, but it’s my ass on the line. Not yours. I heard Cromwell. He’d send me away.”

“We wouldn’t get caught, and he wouldn’t send you away. He was just saying that to make the others feel better.” He paused as he saw my doubtful look. “Look, it wouldn’t hurt anything. Don’t you want to be able to touch someone? Hold your sister’s hand?”

“It’s not going to work, Hayden. I’m not like you.”

He swung his legs around so he faced me. “So you rather not do anything? Just give up?”

“Why do you even care?”

“Do you want to be sent away?” he said, instead of answering my question. “Because there are some here who are hoping you do screw up.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“But if you could control your touch, then no one has anything to worry about.” He shifted closer, his knees pressing against mine. My stomach went all fluttery. “I never thought I could control my gift, but I did. You won’t know until you try.”

“I don’t want to try and fail.” The words came out. I wanted to stop them, but couldn’t. “And I couldn’t deal with hope and then failure. You know? ‘Cuz that’s what’s going to happen.”

An array of emotions flickered over his face, his eyes swiftly turning from brown to black. He reached forward.

I scooted back. “Don’t.”

He stopped, one arm extended. The heat from his skin blew back at me.

“I don’t want your pity.”

“I don’t pity you, Ember. If anything, I admire you. Not many people our age could deal with what you’ve had to. You know, my dad has always thought that Olivia was the amazing one, the one who has this remarkable gift. But I’ve always thought it was you.” He stiffened and looked away. “So yeah, I don’t pity you.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks. Compliments nowadays were so few I had no idea how to act. Part of me warmed, and not in embarrassment. Hearing him say that didn’t make me feel like so much of a freak.

I shifted awkwardly, and finally, I said something really stupid. “I’m remarkable because I can kill people. So I’d say you’re obligated to say that. Or else.”

Hayden gave that lopsided smile. A dimple appeared in his right cheek. I wondered if the left cheek had one, too. “It’s not what you can do, Ember. It’s who you are.”

“But you don’t really know me. Yeah, you saw me a couple of times. Whatever. But you don’t know who I am. Or what I am. The whole dying thing took something from me, I think. And…”

“And what?”

“Nothing.” Shaking my head, I pushed back from the table. “I don’t know what I was saying. Just forget it.”

He looked like he wasn’t going to let it go. “Okay, but we are going to try.”

I hugged my elbows. “But—”

“You have no reason not to. We won’t get caught. You won’t hurt me. I can control it. I’m like your kryptonite.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“Nope.”

I let out a breath. “Why are you doing this? Why do you want to help me?”

Hayden’s eyes locked with mine, and his had this weird, magnetic pull to them. “I’m doing it because I want to.”