Interference: Book One Page 12

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  “Mercy, explain what happened again.”

  I sat in Fitz’s office—cornered by him and Dr. Lee. “I’ve already told you twice.” My patience had worn thin. It irritated me that everyone acted like I had lost my mind. I glared at Fitz. “You were standing in the hall when I came back. It’s kinda hard to miss a blood-covered girl passing out at your feet. I mean, does that happen often?”

  Fitz rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “Work with me, Mercy. Think about it. You got out of bed, went on this brief excursion, then woke up in bed. You’re a smart girl, what do you think happened?”

  The truth of his words broke through my frustration as chills ran across my skin, and my stomach dropped. “Someone used subconscious interference.”

  “That’s right,” Dr. Lee spoke up.

  “It was all in my head?” I asked.

  “Thu Dang.” Dr. Lee replied. “I know him from Seregalo.”

  “Who is Thu Dang?” I asked.

  “An Elder that works with Aadya. He’s the only one powerful enough to pull this off, and he matches your description. You said it felt as though he wasn’t alone. I’m assuming she was with him, spying on you. If they were looking through your eyes, then they know where you are.” Dr. Lee’s eyes were heavy with concern.

  I glanced toward Fitz. “There’s something else. A homeless man assisted me on the subway. I couldn’t focus well enough to figure it out at the time, but now I think it could have been my father.”

  “Mercy, she invaded your mind, using anything she could against you. Understand it wasn’t real, okay?” Fitz responded.

  I nodded once, biting my lip.

  “We need to ramp up security until we figure out our next move.” Dr. Lee said. “I already have alarms on the doors and windows, but I’ll construct wards around the property to deter their power. It won’t be easy. I’ll also assign nightly guards.”

  “I’m leaving that in your hands, Gavin. Whatever Thu Dang did to Mercy, he brought forward her gift. She has to get a handle on it before it’s too late,” Fitz added.

  . . .

  Elise dropped off a new schedule. First, elemental training in the pool, then psychokinesis on the tennis court, and emotional interference on the roof. Fitz decided I needed to strengthen those three before more powers surfaced. I had the sneaking suspicion he thought I was running out of time.

  Ren met us in the pool, smiling with that cocky grin I loved. “So, you think you’re ready for me now?”

  “I don’t know, the last time we were out here, I seem to remember you not being ready for me,” I replied.

  The grin dissipated, and he mumbled under his breath.

  “Alright, enough. Get in the pool and quit trash-talking,” Fitz demanded. “Mercy, concentrate on the water, the way it moves, looks, flows, everything. I want you to force it toward Ren.”

  “Force it how? Like splash him?” I asked.

  “Ren, demonstrate,” Fitz called out.

  The water rippled, and soon a small wave formed, rolled toward me, and gently slapped against my chest. My eyes shifted to Ren’s face, unimpressed.

  “Don’t give me that look, Mercy, I’m trying to take it easy on you.”

  “Mercy, give it a go,” Fitz called out.

  I focused on the water for several minutes, but nothing happened. My eyes burned from the strain of trying to force it. I ran my palm out in front of me and a ripple formed.

  “Nope, that’s cheating!” Ren called out.

  “How is that cheating?” I asked, outraged.

  “You were using psychokinesis, Mercy, a different source. Elemental is forged with your mind and water alone—not the energy around you,” Fitz explained. “Keep your hands down.”

  The water hated me. I didn’t know why, but it definitely had something against me.

  “Emotions, Mercy. Use your emotions to fuel it.” Fitz paced back and forth, watching.

  I thought of my family, sacrificing themselves for me. The parents I never knew. I thought of my aunt, who raised me, and it surprised me how the pity for what she’d become replaced the bitterness inside me. The ripples grew and eventually formed a wave I pushed toward Ren.

  “Excellent! Now, bigger.” Fitz called. “Your powers seem fueled by your connections—people you care deeply for.”

  “How do you know that?” I raised one brow, suspiciously.

  “I could feel your emotions,” Fitz admitted.

  That answered my question about his gift. I tried over and over, but the water never moved more than a few inches. I almost quit for the day out of frustration when the door opened and a loud screeching voice entered the room. Great. Just what I needed.

  “Awe, is Missy taking swim lessons?”

  Drake followed Cassie in with a towel, and I realized they were planning a little pool time together. I almost threw up in my mouth.

  “Start with the doggy-paddle, Missy. I’m sure you’ll be great at that one. Come on, Drake, we can go back to my room.” The door closed behind them with a loud bang.

  All at once, the water spun, and the force of it almost took me under. A wave rose high into the air and crashed down on top of Ren with a strength fueled by resentment. Poor Ren. He stood, water dripping from his face, as he stared at me with hurtful eyes. He knew exactly what that was about. He turned to jump out of the pool.

  “Ren, I. . .”

  “We’re done for the day.” He grabbed his towel and left me standing in the water.

  Fitz’s eyes were full of sorrow. I couldn’t tell if he felt bad for Ren or for me.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Ren is such a good guy,” I told him.

  Fitz smiled, sadly. “Doesn’t mean he’s the one, Mercy.”

  “My mark is fire. It makes sense.” I exhaled and closed my eyes, irritated.

  Fitz didn’t acknowledge my comment about the fire mark, and I felt as though he was avoiding the topic.

  “Mercy, did you know my mark is a heart? The first girl I ever fell in love with had the gift of emotional interference. There is no magic greater than the power of true love. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind who I would spend the rest of my life with—until an eye formed on her shoulder. Shortly after, it was apparent who her mate really was. They were so in love. It devastated me and I never found mine—some never do. It’s a big world, Mercy. Your mate may not be in Fremont, especially with the rare mark you carry. Give yourself time, okay?”

  I nodded, thoughtfully.

  Fitz stood to leave, but there was one more thing I needed to know.

  “Fitz?”

  “Yes?” he asked.

  “It was my mom. Wasn’t it?”

  He looked down toward the floor, then back up at me. “Run on over to the tennis court. Neela will be waiting.”

  . . .

  Neela stood on one side, a tennis ball in one hand. She smiled, a little too giddy, as she sent it zooming toward my head. I stopped it mid-air and sent it flying back her way.

  “You ready for more?” she asked.

  “Yep, let’s do it.”

  The ball traveled at twice the speed, and it took more effort to return it. She started asking me questions about my nightmares, friends, food, or anything to distract me. It didn’t work. I kept focus on the ball, finding creative ways to move it across the court, kinda like kinetic-tennis.

  It was when she threw a second object at me that I faltered. I didn’t expect it, so when the racket spun toward my head, my focus abandoned the ball and switched to the racket. I felt the crack of the ball against my cheek as my vision blurred. Thankfully, it immediately went numb. Neela ran across the court, apologizing repeatedly.

  “Mercy, I’m so sorry! I wouldn’t have done that if I thought it would be too much. You were doing so well.”

  I lowered my hand from my face as I blinked to clear my vision. Neela gasped and covered her mouth with her palm—tears forming in her big brown eyes.

&nb
sp; “Heck of a lesson, Neela. Remind me never to cross you.”

  We stared blank-faced, then burst out laughing at the hilarity of it. Doubled over on the floor, we couldn’t regain control, even if we wanted to.

  “Mercy, Fitz wants you to take a break before meeting him and Nora on the roof. What’s going on?” Ren asked as he walked toward the court.

  I held one finger up toward Ren, “Give me just a second.”

  “Mercy! What the hell happened to your face?” Ren looked angry.

  Again, the hysterics overwhelmed us. Ren eventually gave up on getting answers and left, shaking his head in exasperation.

  . . .

  Neela brought a bag of ice for my face before I ran to the roof to meet Nora and Fitz. The swelling had gone down, but a nasty blue haze spread across the left side of my cheek. Surprisingly, I still hadn’t felt anything.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d make it. Using your powers this much has to drain your energy,” Nora called out as she walked toward me.

  “I don’t feel too bad, honestly.”

  Nora froze. “Mercy, what happened to your face? That looks horrible!”

  Fitz stepped in front of me, turning my face from side to side. He stepped back with his arms crossed in front of his chest, glaring. “Well? Did you learn your lesson?”

  I chuckled.“Yes, sir. I believe I did.”

  “Good. It was worth it.” He turned away and sat down on the lounger in the corner.

  Nora and I followed silently. My battered face agonized her sympathetic nature, and I gave her a half-smile to soothe her distress.

  “Alright, round three for the day. Emotions. I expect this one to come naturally for you, Mercy. Your heart seems to be at the root of everything. There are varying degrees of this gift. Nora is more compassionate, and I am more of a realist. Can you tell me what I’m feeling right now?”

  I searched his eyes but came up empty.

  “You’re like a black hole. A black hole without feelings, you heartless beast.”

  He grinned at my assessment. “Nice, but no. There’s feeling in there somewhere,” he said, patting his chest. “Try with Nora.”

  This would be easy, I’ve been able to read her ever since she told me about her parents. I searched deep, but this time was different. I knew the compassion and love were there, but I didn’t have the strength to reach them.

  “Something’s off,” Nora replied. “She’s been reading me for days, she should be able to get through easily.”

  “Mercy, tell me what you’re feeling right now. From your head to toe, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing, Fitz. I promise. I don’t feel anything.”

  His forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Nothing? Even after Neela almost broke your cheekbone?”

  “That went numb as soon as it happened. I can’t even feel it.” I admitted.

  “Sensory interference. Your body is protecting itself from pain.”

  My eyes widened. “What?”

  “Your body is using sensory interference to keep you out of pain. Maybe you can’t use one source while the other has control.”

  “So, I can only use one at a time?”

  “Looks that way, but I honestly don’t know for sure. You may be able to do more as you strengthen. Get some rest, and Nora can work with you tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes then.”

  I sat on the roof for a while after Nora followed Fitz inside to discuss my training plan. Lunchtime came and went, and I remained on the rooftop, contemplating all I’d learned the last few weeks. How does someone’s life change so quickly? It felt as though ten minutes had passed when the sun started to set. A bright orange brilliance hidden behind the top of a skyscraper had cast a beautiful glow over the city. Someone entered my peripheral vision, and I spun to find Drake—walking toward me with a brown paper bag.

  “Thought you might be hungry.” He handed me the sack, and I opened it to find a sandwich and water tucked inside. He sat down beside me, staring out over the skyline.

  “Thanks. I haven’t had much of an appetite,” I admitted. He’d surprised me by coming out there and I wasn’t sure what to say.

  Drake turned my chin toward his direction, inspecting my face. His eyes darkened, and his thumb ran over the shadow across my cheekbone.

  “It doesn’t hurt,” I whispered.

  “Because you’re using your power to numb it.”

  “Learned my lesson, though, didn’t I?” I asked, grinning.

  He frowned. “I wanted to say I’m sorry about Cassie earlier. She isn’t very tactful.”

  I nodded, not wanting to talk about her—but a question had been bouncing in my head like a ping-pong ball since I met him, and I couldn’t contain it any longer. “Why are you with her?” My heart squeezed painfully at the words.

  He exhaled before answering. Sirens wailing in the distance and blaring car horns were all I could hear as I waited for his answer.

  “I wouldn’t say that I’m with her—more like a friend, Mercy. She can be a horrible person, but she is also lonely and lashing out. She has no one, so I let her cling to me.”

  “You called her your girlfriend on the rooftop that day. I remember.”

  “Yeah, but I also just found out you wore someone else’s mark.” His head tilted toward me, and his gaze locked on mine.

  I couldn’t move. I closed my eyes, trying to ease the knot in the center of my stomach. “I wish things were different,” I admitted.

  “Me too,” he whispered.

  “It’s strange, you know. My source feeds off you, as though you’re a part of me.” I didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know, but I needed to say it anyway.

  “I know. I wish I understood.” His hand reached over to hold mine as though he knew I needed the comfort. I felt guilty for how much I craved him—my mate was out there somewhere. Drake released me when I pulled my hand back.

  “How long have you been here?” I asked.

  Drake shook his head and faked a smile. “This is probably not a story you want to hear.”

  “Please?” I asked. “Tell me everything.”

  He exhaled. “Alright. My father, Dorian Moreno, was born in Spain and moved to Seregalo where he met my mother, Victoria. When Aadya went off the rails, they decided to leave before things went downhill. So, they moved to Queens and had my brother, Asher, and then myself.”

  “So, you were born here?”

  “Yep, eighteen-years ago. My father was a sensory interferer and my mother was an emotional interferer. Luckily, my father could work with me, teaching me how to control it from a young age.”

  “What about your brother?”

  “That is more complicated. Asher had . . . difficulty with control. His source would surge forward halfway, then cower back as if it was afraid of itself. Having an emotional gift like my mother, his frustration and anger was over the top because he never fully learned to use it.”

  “That must have been horrible for him. Where are they now?” The deafening silence that followed made me wish I hadn’t asked.

  “Around five years ago, there was an attack in New York, close to where we lived. I’m still not sure about the details, but they were both killed, and Asher and I went into foster care.”

  “Drake, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “It’s fine. You have a right to know. Plus, we only stayed in foster care for about a year. We couldn’t take it anymore. My brother and I ran away, living on the streets for a couple of years. It wasn’t easy. Sleeping under whatever shelter we could find, especially in the winter. Sometimes my gift was the only thing that saved us—stealing food, finding shelter, and even surviving street fights. Asher resented me for it, unable to use his own. He wanted to contribute to our survival, and he felt useless.”

  “What happened?”

  “They ambushed us in an alley one night. Men came at us from all sides, men that I now know to be Custos. They gave us two options, surrender or die. The darknes
s of the alley, rattling of garbage cans nearby. . . I remember it like it was yesterday. I’m still amazed at how quickly my brother abandoned me for them. When he left my side, all I could focus on was the crunch of gravel under his shoes as he walked away. When he stood in front of me, side by side with them, an evil grin spread across his face. My source exploded at the pain, knocking them flat on their back in the alley, and I escaped.”

  “Fitz sensed my emotional outburst three streets away and found me that night. As soon as he saw my face, he said, ‘Dorian was a close friend of mine. You can trust me.”

  Nora was right, Drake had several reasons to be angry with the world. “Have you seen Asher since?”

  He exhaled. “Just once, with you on the subway.”

  I thought back to that day, and I remembered the leader—the guy that threatened us. The one that looked familiar. He wasn’t nearly as attractive as Drake, but the features were similar. I’d never forget the contempt and bitterness in his voice.

  “Drake, that is awful. Thank you for telling me.”

  For the first time, Drake didn’t shield his emotions. He typically protected himself from everyone, letting very little through. He wasn’t fighting me right then. I felt a slight throb in my cheek as my sensory gift backed off my injury, then my emotional gift reached forward. Anger at his brother, mourning for his parents, grieving for love lost and longing for me.

  I looked up into his eyes and saw him in a new light. Still Drake, but more layers that defined the hard edges and explained the surrounding wall. There was a deeper significance to the way he gazed at me. Unfortunately, this only caused my feelings for him to intensify.

  “I don’t know what this is between us, Mercy. I’ve lied awake at night trying to figure it out. If it goes on much longer, I’ll take the chance of fighting your other half for you one day. I’m very close to that.”

  His words confused me. “What about your mate? Do you have a mark?”

  “That doesn’t matter to me.”