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First class was wow.
Everyone treated our group like royalty. Jake sorted out everything and the airline squeezed me onto the flight at late notice. Even with strict airport security we breezed through with the team’s excess baggage, no questions asked. Jake reassured me we weren’t going far, and they would fly or drive me back home any time I wanted. They only flew up to get to the quake site fast, and were only a few hours’ drive away from my Bellscroft.
Why were they leaving my home town so soon? Wasn’t there any more they could do for people after the earthquake? Maybe they’d done their sweep and were happy no one was trapped under rubble somewhere. We didn’t talk about that at all. Mostly they had questions for me about who I was, and what I knew so far about my abilities. Which I had to admit wasn’t much, with that night being my first experience. But I explained how it seemed like I was moving crazy fast and the firey strength I felt, and they all nodded like they knew exactly what I meant. Because they have felt it too. Then they relaxed into the flight as though they had been working hard, and I relaxed alongside them, basking vicariously in their post-heroism glow.
Once off the plane at the airport, I spotted a payphone while Emma was spending fifteen minutes freshening up in the ladies room and Jake was arranging the valet for his car. I really should call my parents. My phone battery was way too low, but I had some change in my wallet and had one of my parent’s numbers memorized. My mom’s cell. When I rang, it went straight to voicemail. Network mustn’t be back up at home yet. After the beep, I had no idea what to say either. How could I sum up the events that brought me there?
“Umm, hey, it’s me, I’m fine. Don’t worry, everything is fine and I’ll call you again soon to explain.” I hung up, hoping they’d get the message soon. I worried about them being worried, but then Emma was back and Jake was there again too and my whole world turned sunny again.
If the flight was decadent, their house was something from a fairy tale. Not a house. An abso-frikkin’-amaze-balls mansion. Not too old-fashioned, not too modern. Perfectly classy. It was mid-morning by the time we got there and the sun sparkled off the building like a dream. I wonder which one of them has the trust fund. Probably all of them.
At first sight of the mansion, all I could do was splutter like I’d spontaneously learned another language. “Ung, thas, wha?”
This was luxury on a level I’d never imagined. No, that wasn’t true. It was luxury on the level I daydreamed about every day but never dared think I’d experience. I’d fallen in with a group of super-powered superstars and felt more than a little afraid at how I was meant to fit in. If I was meant to fit in. Who knew how long they’d want me around?
“Does anyone else live here?” I asked, when the English language had returned to me.
“Just us. Service staff come and go. A cleaner and a gardener. Oh, and a cook, of course.” Jake pulled his car up at the front steps and we all unloaded. His gorgeous sporty wheels looked right at home parked out the front of this place.
“Of course,” I whispered.
Jake threw a duffle bag over his shoulder from the trunk of the car and made an “after you” gesture with his other hand.
I took a tentative step toward the wide front doors. Emma grabbed my hand and dragged me at a run. “You’re going to have the room next to mine. Come on, I’ll show you around.”
I get a room? For how long? Something felt twisted and defiant, deep down inside me, but this was obviously what I wanted. I wanted to be here, with other empaths, with Jake, with all of this magnificence. I was probably just hesitant because everything was happening so fast.
Emma’s tour was informal at best. She dragged me fast-paced down wide halls that mostly looked the same to me, with walls painted stark white and floor-to-ceiling windows showing a view of the sea.
“Garage is downstairs that way. Living rooms and all the general stuff through there, but there’s a second lounge area back that-away. Kitchen is ’round there; it’s near my room, so that means it will be near your room! The boys’ rooms are all off down that hall in the other wing.” She pointed in vague directions. Even if she’d stopped and showed me each one, I was sure I’d get lost in there anyway.
“Whose place is this?” I asked.
“It’s a serviced rental. We kind of move around a lot. I think Jake’s planning another move soon.”
“Oh?” I asked nonchalantly as my heart sank.
“Or he was before we picked you up.” She grinned at me. “I hope we get to stay here a bit longer now. This is our best place yet.”
“It must be so nice, travelling around, going on adventures, helping people.” I cringed and smiled bashfully at Emma. “So, that sounded lame. But I won’t lie — you guys are my new idols. How did you all get together?”
Emma twirled and started walking backward to look at me while she talked. “Jake and Jamie are brothers. You probably noticed.”
I nodded and followed along after her. They had that brotherly vibe, as well as being like different-sized versions of each other.
“They’ve been doing this gig most of their lives. I guess the whole ’path thing runs in families sometimes, or whatever causes it can hit siblings or people growing up closely together. We don’t really know what it’s all about. We just know we have it and it’s cool.” Emma flicked her hair as if to emphasize the coolness.
I had to agree, but had hoped they’d have more info to share on this ‘whole ’path thing.’
Emma kept talking. “So anyway, Jake and Jamie found Donny first. None of us know much about Donny. He’s the quiet type. But a good guy. That’s when they realized there really were other people like them out there, outside their family, and made more of an effort to look. Wasn’t long after that they found me. At a funeral, would you believe it?”
I wasn’t sure what to say. Who had died? Were the deceased and Emma... close?
Emma kept smiling, despite the flash of grief and guilt coming from her. “Then it’s been, like, forever, with just us. I’ve been wishing for another girl on the team. And here we are. Ta-da!” Emma swung a door open and gave me a nudge into the room with her hip. “Nice?”
I shook my head. Not nice. Incredible. There was a king-sized modern four-poster bed with billowy sheer white drapes. Wide-screen wall-mounted television. Doors to what I imagined were a walk-in-robe and en suite. Wide bay windows. Ocean view. A balcony. I panted a little.
“I know, right?” She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze, sharing in the excitement. “I told you you’d love it here. I called ahead and got Ms. Penny to set the room up for you while she was cleaning. You probably want a shower after being up all night. I know I do. There’ll be towels in the bathroom, and you can borrow shampoo and stuff from my bathroom next door. Help yourself to whatever you like.”
Emma opened the door and showed me the en suite. The other door was a walk-in closet, empty except for a bathrobe and slippers. I was suddenly conscious that I only had one set of clothes with me—the ones I was wearing.
I compared my average, straight-up-and-down figure to Emma, who was tall and impossibly curvy for her slim frame. She was dressed like a celebrity’s supermodel girlfriend, in a tight leather skirt and deep-necked dress-shirt and high heels. I doubted she’d have much that would fit me, let alone suit me.
“I didn’t pack,” I muttered, dazed. I didn’t do anything other than get on a plane without planning. I sat down hard on the bed, opposite the doorframe where a small white box was mounted. What was that? Where were the phones? I hadn’t even told my parents where I was going. What was I doing? I didn’t think things through very well. My skin turned clammy.
“Honey, we’ll buy you whatever you need. You’re special, like us; you can have whatever you want. And now I have a girl to go shopping with! We are going to buy you so much stuff.” Emma came and sat next to me. She put her arm over my shoulder and squeezed. “You okay? Oh, you’re probably coming down from the buzz. That would have been your first major use of the powers, right?”
“Is this what happens? I feel like I don’t know anything yet. Do I need training or something?” I flopped back onto the bed, my feet still dangling over the edge.
“We don’t really do the training thing. More like learn on the job. It mostly comes naturally anyway.”
“So it just happens? Or do I need to make it happen?”
“A bit of both. Some of the power kicks in naturally, but you can focus to absorb even more.” Emma lay back on the bed as well, propped up on one elbow. Her hair fell around her like a curtain and smelled of raspberries. “It’s like when someone is feeling a strong emotion, it sort of floods out of them. Like the human mind—or heart, I don’t know—can’t hold so much feeling inside.” She made her hand into a fist and placed it on her chest. “Ever felt like that? Like your emotions are more than you can stand? It’s that excess we can tap into. I mean, emotions are powerful, right?”
I put a hand on my own chest, mirroring her. “When those looters came at me, I managed to protect myself, sort of. They were so angry and it was like their energy rushed into me, and I moved faster than I’d thought I could. And I should have bruises and cuts, but I don’t.”
Emma shifted down onto her back as well and punched her hands at the air above her. “It’s bad ass, right? Hate sets up our bodies to fight, gives us strength and healing. Excitement gives us energy. Fear speeds us up. There’s obviously a lot of overlap with emotions so it all gets a bit fuzzy.”
“What about other emotions? Sadness?”
“Ick. Avoid sad people. Despair is just useless.” Emma stuck her tongue out like she’d tasted expired milk.
“Love?”
“Aw, you’re cute! I wouldn’t go holding out to experience tapping into true love if I were you. Lust is where the power’s at.” She winked at me and I blushed.
Emma’s pocket started pinging and she tugged out her phone from the skin-tight skirt. “It’s Jake. Ooh, another job already?”
Wow. This place was so big, they texted each other inside.
“Come on. Let’s go get the info.” She grabbed me by the hand and we were off again. I was caught up in a red-headed whirlwind and her enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself giggling at how lost I was when we reached a lounge room lined with bookshelves where the guys waited.
The boys had showered, and somehow, they looked even more handsome than they had before. It made me self-conscious of the scent of overnight flight I wore. Jake had changed into a tight black tee under a leather motorbike jacket. I barely noticed the other two guys who stood either side of him. It was as though their hotness just enhanced Jake’s. Side-kicks beside the most powerful superhero.
He smiled at me and I felt like I was in the right place again.
“What is it?” Emma bent at the knees and sprang up like an excited child.
“I’ll tell you on the way. We have to leave right now if we’re going to get anything done. Livvy, I’m sorry to do this to you, but we really can’t miss this one. I’d bring you along, but it’s too dangerous for someone so fresh.”
My inner voice whined like a little puppy being left home alone. I didn’t understand why they couldn’t even tell me where they were going or what they were doing. Paranoia scratched at the corner of my brain. Jake patted me on the shoulder and all my worries floated away. Don’t be selfish, Livvy. They’ve just got important hero stuff to do. “Yeah, I understand. Umm... what should I do?”
“Get settled in, cleaned up, relax. Ms. Penny left after her morning rounds but Sophie, our cook, is in, so feel free to call the kitchen on the intercom for whatever you need and she’ll help you out.” Jake pointed at an intercom near the door. I had seen one like it in my room too, but I hadn’t known what it was at the time.
“Take a car into town if you like, or just hang here. We’ve got all the channels,” Jamie added, and they headed to the door and down the hall.
Emma popped her head back in. “I’ll take you shopping tomorrow, I promise!”
I nodded and remained planted in the room as their footsteps faded.
My first move was to inspect the intercom, and press the button labelled ‘Kitchen’.
A husky woman’s voice buzzed out of the box. “This is Sophie.”
“Hi, um, I’m Livvy.” I paused, embarrassed.
“Hi, love. What can I do for you?”
“I think I’m lost.”