When Orion asked me about my plans for the weekend, I didn’t tell him about the party. Not only did our conversation at the testing center leave me feeling uneasy, but I knew if I mentioned I was planning to venture out to the city, Orion would tell me not to go. He didn’t like me leaving campus, worried that just stepping foot outside the Academy grounds would be enough for every person in Banya to figure out that I was Hamlin Fairbanks’ secret Earth-born daughter.
Of course, I didn’t want anyone to find out any more than he did. Even if my father was still the beloved leader of Ambrosia instead of a disgraced ex-Ambassador who everyone believed was in prison, I still wouldn’t want them to know. The media was annoying enough when they followed Rayne around like a bunch of wolves fighting over a piece of meat, I could only imagine how they would react if they knew who I really was.
Worst of all, the Council basically broke their own law in order to admit me to the Academy. Only natural-born citizens were permitted to attend. The Council said they were allowed to make exceptions as long as the majority agreed, but I was told that if the people of Banya found out they would have the right to sign a petition to have me removed, and there would be nothing the Council could do about it. That would mean the end of my career as a Water Keeper forever.
I understood the risk, and I knew I needed to be careful, but that didn’t mean I was going to hide in a corner the rest of my life, especially when there was a fascinating new world out there just waiting to be explored. I spent so much time focusing on my goals of becoming a Keeper and learning my abilities that I hardly took a moment to breathe, let alone to discover the mysteries of Banya.
When Agent Kelsey escorted me down the hallway to the Threshold, I wanted nothing more than to put the week behind me and find something fun to help me get away from it all.
I couldn’t wait to step through the Threshold wall and feel Rayne’s arms wrap around me. But as Agent Kelsey opened the door, and the undulating blue and silver light of the Threshold waved before me, I knew right away that Rayne wasn’t there.
I had worn one of his big sweaters over my t-shirt that afternoon, like I often did on the days I needed a little extra comfort. I wasn’t sure if it was just in my head, but it felt like I could sense a hint of the warmth from his essence through the fabric. That sensation was faint, though, and I was almost positive that I couldn’t feel Rayne’s actual presence nearby.
I searched through the Hall of Clocks for him anyway, wondering if my ability to sense Rayne’s presence wasn’t as strong as I thought it was, but I didn’t find him anywhere.
I wondered if he had taken me up on my offer the night before when I told him I was perfectly capable of riding the campus shuttle to my apartment alone. But if that was his intent, I knew he would have let me know ahead of time. He would never purposely just leave me there wondering. It wasn’t like him.
I felt suddenly worried and pulled my phone out to call him. But right as I grasped the device in my hand, an image flashed through my mind, causing me to freeze. I hadn’t moved a muscle, yet the Hall of Clocks seemed to disappear around me. A vision of Rayne appeared in front of my eyes, like I had lapsed into a dream despite being fully awake.
I could see Rayne hurrying across a large room with marble floors, clutching his phone in one hand. He pushed through a set of large wooden doors adorned with ornate carvings, and then emerged outside. I realized the doors looked familiar, and when Rayne stepped forward to the grand stone staircase outside, I recognized the Court of Ambassadors building immediately.
As he moved quickly down the steps, Rayne pressed a button on his phone and held it up to his ear as if he were making a call. My mind held to the vision intently, wondering what it could possibly mean.
The phone in my own hand vibrated, causing me to flinch. And just like that, the vision disappeared.
It only took a second for my eyes to adjust, placing me right back in the Hall of Clocks where I had started, but my mind wavered. I tried to focus on the ringing phone in my hand. The screen said the call was from Rayne.
I answered hesitantly, not because I wasn’t positive I wanted to talk to him, but simply because I could hardly believe the coincidence. It was like all I had to do was envision Rayne calling me in my mind, and suddenly my wish had come true.
It was even more astounding when Rayne answered on the other end and said he was, in fact, just now leaving the Court of Ambassadors, exactly like I had imagined.
“Wow. Really?” I said, still in a daze.
Rayne’s tone was apologetic. “I know. I’m sorry. I thought I still had time to beat you there, but I guess you were done a little early.”
I forced my mind back to reality. “Oh, um, that’s okay,” I said. “I guess I figured you were still at the farmer’s market with your brother. I’ll just take the shuttle home. No big deal.”
Rayne apologized again, said he would meet me back at my apartment, and hung up the phone.
As I wobbled toward the doors, the blue and silver light from the Thresholds danced across the walls of the Hall of Clocks, even more mystifying than usual. The room was bustling, mostly with Backers commuting home from a typical day’s work on Earth, but their movements all faded to the background.
I was completely bewildered. Had I really just seen a vision of Rayne’s exact location? Did I really just watch him pick up his phone and call me from the other side of the city? Was that even possible? Was there any chance it was real?
As I sat at the shuttle stop and waited for my ride, a new thought popped into my head… why not? Why not believe that it was real? I had been shot in the head and recovered without a scratch. I had used some kind of miraculous healing energy inside me to save my father from the brink of death. I had moved to a place where people lived for hundreds of years, where nobody ever got sick, where the trees and countryside shimmered with light from the Healing Water naturally streaming through their veins.
So, why not believe that it was real?
And then, a more important question came to the surface. What did I need to do to make it happen again?
I had to wonder if this little vision of Rayne could be part of my newfound ability to connect with a person’s thoughts and inner being. With my healing abilities I was restricted to testing outside the border of Ambrosia because I needed an illness or injury to heal, and those didn’t last around here for more than a few minutes, or seconds even.
But maybe, I didn’t need to be at the testing center in order to test all of my abilities. Maybe I was meant to learn some things on my own, without any scientists or doctors or imperious members of the Council analyzing my every move. After all, everyone here had thoughts. Everyone here had feelings and memories just like on Earth. Everyone here had souls.
Then a doubt crept in. What if it only worked because it was Rayne? We were so close. I could sense him so easily. What if it wouldn’t work on anyone else?
There was only one way to find out. I had to at least try. It made sense to start with someone I was also close to. Someone I had spent a lot of time with. I immediately thought of Jax.
I closed my eyes and focused on his face, picturing our last conversation. I could easily see him and remember it in my mind, but it was just a memory. Nothing out of the ordinary came to me. I focused harder, trying to think about him on a deeper level, concentrating on who he was as a person, how I felt when I was near him.
Still, nothing came.
I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, then closed them to try one last time. Jax, I thought. Jax, where are you?
I repeated his name in my mind, over and over again.
Then it happened. A flash.
It wasn’t strong, just a brief glimpse, but it was something.
It wasn’t enough to see where he was. All I could see was his face. But I was almost certain it was some kind of connection, not just me picturing his face on my own.
I couldn’t hold it, though. His face disappeared as quickly as it came.
I wanted to try again, but the shuttle arrived, compelling me to stop.
I sighed, feeling disappointed, and crossed the sidewalk. I stepped through the doorway, glancing around the half-empty bus.
Two seconds later, I was outside again. I wasn’t ready to go just yet.
Another shuttle would come in fifteen minutes.
I looked back across the grass to the Hall of Clocks, glad that the stream of exiting agents were headed to the train station or to the parking lot to get their cars. None of them seemed to even notice me.
I returned to my place on the quiet bench and took in a breath. It was strange. My plan was to try to find Jax, but when I closed my eyes to focus, all I could think about was my mom.
Of course, I thought. My mom. Why didn’t I think of that before?
It made perfect sense. If any two people had a close connection, it was me and my mom. If this could work on anyone, it would work on her. We hadn’t talked to each other recently and I had absolutely no idea where she was, but a few weeks apart couldn’t break a lifetime of love and affection.
I closed my eyes again and pictured her—her smile, her voice, anything I could think of that would remind me of the bond we had together. Then, I concentrated on her physically. This wasn’t about knowing my mom’s feelings; this was about her actual, physical location.
I couldn’t believe it. Within just a minute or two of concentrating, I started getting flickers and flashes. It was actually her. As soon as I felt the bond working, a wave of excitement surged through me, making the connection even stronger.
I could see more than just her face now; I could see a bubble of clarity all around her. She walked up to a metal counter and grabbed a plastic tray from a stack. I couldn’t see the whole room though, only a few feet around her. She carried the tray a few steps and then stopped in front of another metal counter to reach for something. A plate maybe?
Yes, it was a plate. She took a plate and then moved slowly along another counter, perusing bins of what looked like food. She must have been eating dinner somewhere. I never thought I would feel so excited to see my mom eating at a cafeteria. I wished so badly that I could call to her. Mom! I’m here. I see you!
The connection started to break. I didn’t want her to disappear. I struggled to keep the image in my mind. Then, a hand touched my mom’s waist, causing her to turn. My heart leapt. Was it my dad?
The vision flickered. I fought to hold on a little longer. Yes, it was him—my dad. I could see him. He gave her a kiss.
And then, they were gone.
I opened my eyes but my head was a daze. My hands gripped the edge of the bench, trying to steady myself. I closed my eyes again and breathed several deep breaths. You can do this, I thought. You don’t need to pass out. You can do this. You’re going to be okay.
The spinning improved, but I still needed a minute to get my strength back. I laid my head against the top of the bench and let my mind go blank completely. There wasn’t any energy left for thoughts.
Several minutes must have passed. When the sound of the shuttle pulled into my stop I was only half awake. By this time, I was more than ready to go home.
I staggered onto the small bus and found a seat. There was only one other student sitting in the back, and she seemed deeply interested in whatever she was reading. I closed my eyes again and let myself rest.
The ride was peaceful. Without even thinking about it my mind lapsed into an almost meditative state. After a few minutes, I could sense the function in my body that was struggling to recuperate. I stayed there in my mind, sending thoughts of healing and repair, not even sure how I knew it would help. Somehow, I just knew.
My energy gradually returned, and by the time the shuttle approached my stop, I felt normal again. Not only was I back to myself, I could feel Rayne’s presence waiting for me in my apartment. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to see him. I couldn’t wait to share with him all that I had just experienced.
As soon as I reached the top floor, I rushed from the elevator to my apartment and threw open the door.
Rayne was right in the front room, sitting on the couch, looking down at his phone. His head jerked up at my entrance.
“Hey!” I said.
He stood to greet me. “I was just about to text you.”
I was too distracted for chit chat. I grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the couch.
“I need to talk to you,” I said, excited.
His brow pinched. “Is everything okay? You took twice as long to get home.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “It’s good news.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Okay. What is it?”
I started rambling with enthusiasm, hardly taking a breath as I explained everything that happened from the moment I left the Hall of Clocks, how I saw him in my mind at the Court of Ambassadors right before he called and it was like I knew exactly where he was, and how I tried to find Jax a bunch of times but all I could see was his face, and how I could see completely around my mom in my head and where she was right at that moment, and how I knew it was real and not just a thought in my head, and how I even got to see my dad for a few seconds, and how I felt all tired like I might pass out but then I rested and concentrated and could figure out how to heal myself faster so I could get my energy back, and pretty much anything else I could think of to explain what happened, right up to the second I sprinted off the shuttle to come tell him.
I finally stopped to take a breath.
Rayne stared at me, dumbfounded.
“I’m… confused,” he said. You think these images, or visions of people, have something to do with your healing ability?”
I realized I hadn’t even mentioned anything to Rayne about anything like this before, not about me feeling people’s emotions or seeing things in their minds or anything.
“Well, maybe,” I said. “I need to try a few more times to be sure, but yeah, it feels like maybe there’s more to my abilities than just healing people.”
“Wow,” Rayne said. “I’m not sure what to say. That’s a lot to think about.”
“I know,” I replied. “It sounds kind of crazy, right?”
Rayne looked to the side as if deep in thought. “So… if I understand you right, you think you can see people in your mind?”
“Right,” I said happily. “But it’s not just memories or thoughts. I think I can see them for reals, like where they are right this moment.”
Rayne dragged his hand through his hair and paused, holding the back of his head. His eyes squinted as he contemplated.
“Here’s an idea,” I said eagerly. “What if I try again right now?”
“Right now?” he questioned.
“Yeah,” I said. “I should think about someone we know, and then we could call them right after and see if I was right.”
Rayne hesitated. I sensed he didn’t want me to do it.
“It’s okay…” I urged. “If I lose my energy I can just heal myself again like I did on the shuttle.”
Everything in Rayne’s body went tense. I knew he was going to say no.
“Sure,” he said. “You should try it.”
I paused. “Really?”
Rayne was worried inside; I could feel it.
“Sure,” he said again. “If you want to try, and you have the energy to do it, then you should do it.”
I eyed him carefully, not sure what to think. “Okay,” I said. “I guess I could try it on your sister.”
“Do you need me to do anything?” Rayne asked.
“Uh… just have your phone ready I guess. I’ll figure out where I think she is and then you can call her right after.”
Rayne held up his phone. “Ready when you are.”
Then I felt it again—the worry inside him.
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” I asked one more time.
Rayne just shrugged as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Yeah, go ahead.”
I smiled nervously. “Um, okay. I guess I’ll get started then.”
He nodded encouragingly and waited for me to continue.
It was distracting to feel Rayne’s energy right next to me while I tried to concentrate. All I could feel was apprehension from him. It didn’t make sense. Did he want me to do this or not? I couldn’t tell. All I knew was that I definitely wanted to try.
I had to take a few long breaths to wipe the concern from my mind.
When I was finally relaxed, I thought about Violette. We hadn’t known each other a long time, but we did live together. I saw her every single day. It seemed like that had to create at least some kind of bond.
It was harder to picture her than the others. I tried to replay the last few times I saw her in my mind, us chatting after my training, her eating breakfast when I left in the morning, trying to think where she could be right in this moment.
Nothing felt right, but I wasn’t going to give up. I thought of her name. Violette... Violette... come on, I know you’re out there.
Finally, I saw a glint. It was so fleeting, I almost missed it. It was just her face, same as with Jax, only this time it was even harder to hold on to. It was just a blur, and then poof, it was gone.
I grumbled in frustration and opened my eyes.
“What happened?” Rayne asked.
“Nothing,” I complained. “I mean, I think I saw something for like, a split second, but it didn’t work.”
Rayne reached for my hand. “Maybe you’re just tired.”
Right then, the front door swung open, and there was Violette, standing right in front of us.
“Oh good, you’re home,” she said. She dropped a bag full of books in the entryway.
My expression dropped. I couldn’t believe it. She was so close, right outside the door, and I still couldn’t see her.
“I’m going to grab some dinner with a friend before the party,” she said. “Should I come back here later, or do you guys want to meet me?”
“What party?” Rayne asked.
“Oh, I meant to tell you,” I said, fidgeting in my seat. “Your sister invited us to a party in the city tonight.”
“It’s a ‘rush’ party,” Violette explained. “The guys throwing it are third-years. There will probably be a bunch of Academy kids there.”
Rayne sent a pointed look in Violette’s direction. “Great,” Rayne said dryly. “Sounds like a real blast.”
Her response was just as dry. “Nobody’s forcing you to come. I’m sure Sadie and I will be fine without a babysitter.”
A new wave of stress clenched through Rayne’s body. I knew right away that he didn’t want me to go, especially not without him there to protect me. The last thing I wanted was to upset him.
“No, that’s okay,” I said. “We can just stay home tonight.”
Violette laughed and turned to Rayne. “You know she’s just saying that to make you happy. But, no big deal. If you’re fine with forcing her to hide out in this apartment like a pariah, then it’s fine with me.”
She looked at me slyly, as if to say, don’t worry, he’ll change his mind.
“Actually,” Rayne said. “I was just about to say that I thought it was a great idea.”
He did not want me to go; I was sure of it. I could still feel it.
“You thought what was a great idea?” I asked.
He didn’t even blink. “The two of you going together,” he said.
“To the party?” I said in disbelief. “Without you?” I didn’t understand what I was hearing.
“Well,” he began, “I keep telling you that you need a break from working so hard, and if I went with you we would worry all night about attracting unwanted attention. I mean, just a few hours ago in the park I ran into Jax with an entourage of fans following his trail, and the next thing I know, I’m taking photos and signing autographs.”
Violette grinned. “Then it’s settled. We’ll leave here at eight. I’ll be in the shower if you need me.”
As soon as she left the room I turned to Rayne with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
Despite the obvious, uneasy vibe coming from his body, Rayne smiled and said, “It will be fun.”
I hesitated. “Um, okay.”
“I guess I should get going,” Rayne said. “You have a party to get ready for.”
He stood from the couch before I could protest.
“So then, what are you going to do tonight?” I asked.
Rayne pulled me into him for a hug. “Oh don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.” Then he gave me a quick kiss and said, “Just... promise me you won’t do any of that locator stuff while you’re in the city. We wouldn’t want you passing out in front of all those cocky Academy kids, right?”
I laughed. “Good point. I think I’ll hold off on that for now.”
Rayne took a step back but continued to hold my hand. “Unless,” he joked, “you just miss me so much you want to picture me all night in your head.”
I laughed again. “It’s too late. I already miss you.”
He smiled and drew me into him again.
When he finally stepped back he said, “And don’t worry about it not working on Violette earlier, okay? We can try again later.”
I nodded appreciatively.
He turned to leave but I reached for his hand. “Hey listen,” I said, “about the whole locating-ability thing... you’re the only person I’ve told and I don’t even know if it works, so do you think we could just keep this between us?”
Rayne grinned. For the first time since I got home, the expression on his face actually matched the feelings I sensed from his essence.
“Of course,” he said gladly. “Your secret is safe with me.”