Cursed

Chapter 6

I sat, staring blindly at a blank page. I started with one line—the horizon, but as I continued, the line became ragged and broken by tall elms with points as sharp as needles. I pressed harder, giving the shadows more depth, more secrets. The drawing wasn’t working, but I couldn’t stop. Smudged lines flowed across the page.

“What are you doing?”

I snapped the pad shut and twisted toward the voice. Hayden. In the sun, his hair shone a dozen colors of red and brown.

He took only one step closer, pulling his hands out of the pockets of his jeans. “Ember?”

I jumped to my feet. “Don’t come any closer.”

Hayden stopped. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you.”

“Not going to hurt me?” I backed up, successfully trapping myself against the wall. “You said that right before you knocked me out for three days.”

“I’m really sorry about that.” He looked away, drawing in a deep breath. “I know you, Ember. You’re a fighter—”

“You don’t know me. We only talked for five minutes in the library.”

A lopsided smile pulled at his lips as he turned toward me. “Since the accident, we’ve checked in on you. Sometimes I came with my father. I saw enough.”

A fine shiver coursed through me. I wrapped my arms around me, but it didn’t help. “Saw what?”

He looked away again, staring off at something I couldn’t see. “How hard it was for you. The way those kids at school treated you. How you managed to survive when there was no one there to help you.”

The striking lines of his face turned hard. “I know you’re scared, but you don’t have any reason to be now.”

“Really? Because you tell me so, huh? And this is coming from a boy who has been stalking me with his father. Not to mention the fact that you guys have kidnap—”

“I wasn’t stalking you, Ember, and we didn’t kidnap you.” He faced me once again. “We just… relocated you.”

“So Olivia can be among her ‘kind’.” I rolled my eyes. “Are you serious? I don’t have a ‘kind’, and neither does Olivia.”

“But you do.” Hayden moved fast. I flattened myself against the wall as if I could somehow disappear into it. I held the pad between us. It made for a weak, stupid barrier. “Jonathan Cromwell really isn’t my father, did you know that? My parents—my real parents—didn’t want anything to do with me. They were scared of me. When I was young, I couldn’t control it.”

A voice inside my head screamed at me to shut up and run, but I didn’t. “Control what?”

Hayden’s lips twisted. “I’m what they call an ‘enerpath.’ I can drain energy from just about anything there is, including the air around us. With people, I can drain a little of their energy. Or I can take it all. It works the same with people who are gifted.”

“And what did you mean about the air?”

“I could bring this entire house down if I wanted to.”

My mouth dropped open.

“I was in foster homes for several years. If Jonathan hadn’t found me, I don’t know where I’d be now.

He told me what I was and taught me how to control it. Never once did he ask for anything in return. I owe him my life, Ember. As does every kid he’s ever saved.” His eyes flicked up. “I’ve scared you, haven’t I?”

“I… that’s…” I shook my head, “freaky?”

Silence stretched out between us while he studied me in a way that made me feel transparent. His brown eyes shifted to a much darker color, almost black. Then he moved away, going back to the railing.

“I’m sorry.” I found myself apologizing without even knowing why. “I didn’t mean—” Hayden threw up his hand, cutting me off. “It’s okay. Being called a freak by you is sort of a compliment.”

Was that an insult? “What happened when you touched me? I mean, for a few seconds nothing happened. No one—nothing can touch me.”

“I can touch you for a minute or two. It’s like a buffer, Ember. I can handle small portions, but it would overwhelm me if you held on and I didn’t drain your touch.”

“But you knocked me out, like, hard-core.”

Hayden ran the tips of his fingers over the railing. “That’s what happens when I drain your touch. With others, it just stops whatever they are doing. If someone is telekinetic—can move things with their mind—

my touch would stop them from doing so. If I drain just a little, it can take the edge off some of their gifts.

For some reason, with you, it just knocked you on your butt.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “Maybe it’s because your gift is so tied to your life-force now. I don’t know.”

“So we can touch, but one of us ends up… hurt?”

A slow smile spread across his lips. “If we aren’t careful, yes. Anyway, how did you discover it? I—

we never saw that.”

I remembered how I thought he’d looked familiar when I first saw him. I had caught glimpses of him.

“Ember?”

“After the accident,” I said finally. “I had a cat named Sushi.”

“And?” He pushed off the railing, coming to stand in front of me again.

“I picked it up.” I took a deep breath and looked away. Part of me didn’t even know why I was sharing this, but it felt liberating telling the truth for once. “It died, right then and there. Then I tried to hug Olivia.”

“Whoa,” Hayden murmured. “Poor kid. Poor kitty.”

“Yeah… well, I told Olivia the cat ran away. That was before I understood what she could do. I mean, really understand.” My cheeks were hot, but I kept going. Diarrhea of the mouth, I supposed. “I quickly learned plants and animals pretty much keel over right away. People are different. My touch hurts at first, then… well, you already know what happens.”

“It was an accident,” he said without hesitation. “And he touched you.”

“Does it really matter how it happened? He’s dead because of me.”

“It’s not the same thing.” He appeared to want to say something else, but shook his head. “Why were you upset earlier? Was it the phone call?”

Lying would be pointless. The lump in my front pocket was obvious. “I had to call my friend and let him know I was okay.”

“Did you tell him where you are?”

A frown tugged at my lips and I lied, sort of. “No.”

Hayden seemed to relax. “We can be ourselves here. Outsiders are rarely trusted. My father wants it to be different. Being the mayor has helped.”

“He’s the mayor?” Cromwell’s words came to back to me. I have all the right. This is my town.

“Not illegally or through manipulation.” He stepped back and leaned across the railing, crossing his long legs at the ankle. “Outsiders just love the man. Everybody does.”

“Great.” I started chewing my lip. “Does he think I’m going to run around and kill people now, because you know, that’s how I roll? Is that why he brought us here?”

Hayden tipped his back and laughed, really laughed. It was a nice sound. Rich. “No. I don’t think he believes you want to kill anyone.”

I zeroed in on his word choice. Want to kill people versus kill people by accident. I sighed again, feeling uncomfortable in my own skin.

His dark eyes flickered over me. “You’re not a freak. None of us are. And maybe I—we can help you get control of it. All you have to do is trust us.”

Just trust us.

Trust was a two-way street that usually didn’t start with being kidnapped.

I weaseled my way out of dinner even though Olivia threw an epic tantrum. She didn’t understand I needed time alone to think all of this through, to figure out what the next course of action should be.

So I skipped dinner, but still had no idea what to do. Now I was freaking starving. When I was pretty sure I was going to start gnawing on my arm, I sucked it up and tried to find my way back to the kitchen.

The hardwood floors didn’t creak under my sneakers and the paint was an array of soft, welcoming colors. It was nothing like our worn-down home in Allentown. I kind of missed that old place, no matter how sad it had been for the last two years. It felt like us, and this house didn’t.

Eventually, I found the right hallway, but the kitchen wasn’t empty like I’d hoped. I lingered outside the entrance, torn between running back to my room and busting in on the obvious family meeting about… me.

“You can’t be serious? She’s been awake for a couple of hours and she’s already tried to attack you.”

“She’s scared out of her mind, Gabe. She woke up in a complete stranger’s house. Think if we’d done that to you. Or to Parker and Phoebe,” Hayden said, his deep timbre recognizable.

“I’d throw you across the room, not kill you with my touch!”

“Knock it off. She’s staying. For now.” Cromwell sounded like he was accustomed to the two arguing.

Something slammed down. “You’re letting her go to school with us on top of it? What if she hurts someone?” Gabe said.

“She’s not going to run around and touch people on purpose,” Hayden snapped. “She went two years without hurting a single person.”

“She killed a boy!” said Gabe.

“That was an accident,” Hayden responded. “The asshole attacked her! He grabbed her. It wasn’t her fault.”

Nice of him to defend me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I leaned against the wall.

“If she hurts someone, or if I think she will, then I will handle it,” Cromwell said. “I’ll turn her over to the Facility.”

“What?” That was Hayden. “You can’t be serious! You know what they’ll do to her there.”

“Better than what she’d do to us,” Gabe spat.

“You have no idea what it’s like there,” Hayden said. “I do. She doesn’t deserve that. We could try to work with her.”

“Hayden,” Cromwell said, clearly exasperated.

“What? We could try to control her gift.”

“She’s not gifted.”

I didn’t recognize the voice, but his words were cold.

“The damn girl is a freak of nature, and if anyone belongs at the Facility, she does. Her sister is one thing. That little angel has a gift, but Ember doesn’t.” There was a pause, and then the man laughed. “Oh, for the love of God, Hayden, don’t look at me like I just kicked a baby. I’m just stating the truth.”

“Kurt, you’re an ass,” Hayden said. “She should’ve hit you harder.”

My eyes snapped open. The lion man—the one in the cowboy duster—was here.

“Whatever. At least I’m not the one hung up on the Grim Reaper,” Kurt retorted.

A string of curses erupted. Behind my head, the wall trembled. I jumped back, staring at the wall. It writhed like a snake for a second, then stilled. Plumes of plaster floated down from where the wall met the ceiling.

“Hayden, don’t!” Cromwell ordered sharply. “She stays for now. It’s done, and I refuse to continue to argue it. And Hayden, stay away from her.”

Someone snorted loudly. I’d put my bets on Gabriel.

“I know you think you can help her,” Cromwell said. “And I know you want to help her, but I won’t have you risking your life for her. You have no experience with a gift like that. I know what will happen.”

“Father—”

“I won’t lose everything I have worked for—I won’t lose you for anyone. If you push this, then I will remove her from this house.”

Out of the stark silence that followed Cromwell’s warning, Hayden finally spoke, “That won’t be necessary, Father.”

Wishing I hadn’t eavesdropped, I pushed away from the wall. My heart thundered in my chest as I crept down the hall, feeling sick to my stomach. What was this place called the “Facility,” and did he really think I’d let him turn me over to them?

I roamed the many rooms until I stumbled upon my sister and two people I hadn’t seen yet. They looked so much alike I knew they must be siblings.

The guy was handsome in a cold, methodical way, like he’d been chiseled out of stone and someone had forgotten to give him a touch of warmth. He didn’t look up, although he stiffened when I entered the room.

The girl was playing dolls with Olivia. She was stunning, with black hair, bright green eyes, high cheekbones, flawless skin, lush red lips, and a body I’d kill for. She was kind of girl that I wanted to look like and knew I never would.

Olivia shot to her feet once she spotted me in the doorway, screeching my name loud enough to make me cringe.

The guy glanced up from the book he was reading. His stare wasn’t hostile, but I wouldn’t call it friendly. The girl, on the other hand, stood and motioned to the guy. They left without saying a word to me.

Sitting down beside Olivia, I tried to ignore their reaction to me. I picked up one of the dolls and realized it was the one Olivia had been whining about for weeks.

“Emmie? Did you know that Parker and Phoebe are twins?” She pointed at the door the siblings had used. “I like the people here.”

“You do?” I made the doll walk over to hers.

She bounced her head up and down. “And Liz is nice. She plays dolls with me when Mommy is sleeping.”

“Who’s Liz?”

“She lives here.”

I dropped the doll on the floor, irate by the idea of some stranger buddying up with Olivia. “Has Liz been with you since you got here?”

“Yes. She came to the school when we left home and got me a Happy Meal.” She picked up my doll.

Happy Meals—the unofficial way to a child’s heart. How devious of this Ms. Liz.

“Everyone is nice,” she went on, dancing the dolls between us, “to me and Mommy.”

Hearing that just pissed me off, and I knew it was stupid, that I should feel relief that everyone was so damn nice to Olivia. I stood, scanning the huge room for a window to throw open or break.

“Don’t you like it here, Emmie?”

“It’s great.” I frowned down at her bowed head. “But this isn’t our home, Olivia.”

“Ms. Liz said it was our home now.”

Oh, did she? I was really starting to dislike this woman.

“And Emmie… I like it here,” she said in a small, tentative voice.

Of course Olivia liked it here. All the toys in the world to play with, and Liz, who could pick her up and hold her hand.

She dropped the dolls. “I wanna stay here.”

I kicked one of the dolls, sending it clear across the room. It hit the wall and the head fell off in the process. “We can’t stay.” My stomach turned. “This isn’t our home.”

Olivia watched me, eyes wide and lips trembling. “But I like it here.”

“I know.” I pulled a hair tie off my wrist and yanked my hair up into a messy bun. The back of my neck felt damp. So did my forehead. “But these people are strangers, Olivia. We can’t trust them.”

“I trust Ms. Liz.” She climbed to her feet, her hands balling into little fists. “They’re nice to me. They said I’m gifted—”

“I don’t care what they say—dammit!” I dropped down in front of Olivia. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired… and I don’t know what to do.”

She took a step back, eyes wide.

I let out a sigh. “Olivia, I know you like it here. They have all this stuff to play with, but this is not our home. Our home is in Allentown.”

Olivia’s cheeks puffed out, a sure sign she was about to have a major throw down again. She picked up one of her dolls, a porcelain one with pink-painted cheeks. I so knew what was coming next.

“This is our house!”

“No,” I said quietly, coming to my feet. “This is a nice house, but—”

“No!” she screeched as she launched her doll across the room. The face cracked and a leg fell off.

“No! No!”

I winced and rubbed my temple. “Olivia, knock it off. My head is pounding.”

“No! I don’t wanna leave! Ms. Liz—” My temper snapped. “Ms. Liz isn’t your mom, Olivia. Your mom is upstairs! And if I say we have to leave, then we have to!”

Like a mini-volcano, Olivia erupted into a fit of screams and tears. For someone so small, she could make a lot of noise. Seeing her like this didn’t make me feel good. I felt terrible, like some kind of evil creature hell-bent on destroying all her dreams.

She hit the floor, stomping her feet.

I tried to get her to stop, but not being able to touch her complicated the whole process. So I stood by helplessly, hoping she’d just tire herself.

“Is everything okay? Sounds like a freight train coming through the house.”

A slender, dark-haired, and neatly-polished woman stood in the doorway.

It seemed a switch was thrown; Olivia’s temper tantrum shut off. Now on her feet, her eyes fastened on the woman. “Ms. Liz! I don’t wanna leave.”

Liz smiled fondly. “Honey, you don’t have to leave. I’ve told you already. This is your home as long as you want it to be.”

I snapped. “Shut up! Stop telling her that. This isn’t her home. You aren’t her mother!”

She blinked, taking a step back. “I’m not trying to take your mother’s place, Ember.”

“Bullshit.” Anger and something akin to hatred boiled through me. I stalked across the floor.

Olivia darted in front of me, cutting me off before I could reach Liz. She held out her arms, wiggling her fingers. In one quick swoop, Liz cradled Olivia in her arms.

I froze mere feet from the two. Olivia reached up and wrapped her arms around Liz’s neck. A hot, fierce emotion cut though me and stole my breath. Betrayal. I recognized the stupidity behind the emotion.

Olivia didn’t know what she was doing, but whatever fight I had left burned out.

“What’s going on in here?” Cromwell asked, standing behind Liz.

“Ember wants to leave,” Olivia said. “Do I have to leave?”

Cromwell stepped into the room, resting his hand on Olivia’s back. “No. You don’t have to leave.

Ember is just tired and confused. Perhaps she should make it an early night. I’m sure she’ll feel better in the morning.”

Olivia pushed her head into the crook of Liz’s neck. She mumbled something, but I couldn’t hear her.

There was a buzzing in my ears, a sick feeling in my stomach. Head down, I darted around them. I walked down the wide hallway, and then bolted up the stairs. My heart felt as if it would shatter into a million pieces.

Once inside my bedroom, I slammed the door shut behind me. Once. Then twice. Doing that always made me feel better whenever I’d gotten into an argument with my parents.

I didn’t feel better now.

Slowly, I slid down the closed door and gulped in air. I’d lost control of Olivia to complete strangers in a matter of minutes. And they hated my guts and planned on shipping me off to some godforsaken place the moment I made the wrong move.