AllFreeNovel
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“We should probably get going.” He stands up, and since he’s holding my hand, I stand up with him, dusting the snow off the back of my pants. “Before we go, though, I want to show you something.” His grip on my hand constricts.
“What …?” My words fade as his eyes illuminate, casting an eerie glow around us, and bright images pierce through my thoughts. Images connected to memories, but not mine.
No, what I’m seeing are Foster’s memories, bits and pieces of how he struggled to control his powers while growing up. How he used to start fires, floods, and lightning storms all the time. How he struggled with being the only one of his kind. How lonely he felt when he realized he’d never be able to get close to anyone. But as the memories drift closer to the present, his feelings and isolation begin to shift. He became more comfortable with what he is as he accepted his fate of being alone, of never being with anyone, of knowing that his power could do good one day, of—
For a flame flicker of a second, an image of me approaching his car that awful day ghosts through me, along with a tremendous amount of fear. But it hastily fades as he jerks his hand away from mine and breaks the connection between us.
“What was that?” I breathe out, the air between us electrified.
“That was one of my gifts.” He slips his hands into his pockets and kicks at the snow with the tip of his boot. “I can project my thoughts and emotions to others.”
“Wow.” I shake my head in astonishment. “That’s seriously crazy. Crazy cool, but still crazy.
“Yeah, but it’s usually pretty useless.”
“No way. You should use that power all the time.”
He shakes his head. “Why would I want to share my feelings and thoughts with others? It’s … personal.”
I rub my hands up and down my arms as the cold air finally begins to wear on me. “Then, why did you share them with me?”
He gives a nonchalant shrug. “Because you need reassurance that things won’t be so hard to deal with in the future.”
“Well, thanks, I guess.” I pause. “I saw the memory of when I approached you that day, and I’m trying to figure out how that helped you deal with your gift easier.”
He stiffens. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to show you that memory.”
I want to ask him why he felt so afraid that day, but he doesn’t give me the opportunity.
“We should get going,” he mumbles then hurries for the car, his boots crunching the snow.
As I silently trail after him, I can almost feel the wall go up between us, whatever connection we felt in those bushes dissolving like the snow underneath my boots, leaving me to wonder what started the connection to begin with.
Chapter 19
“You two have fun playing hide and seek in the bushes?” Easton teases after Foster and I climb in the car.
Foster looks at me and rolls his eyes.
Despite everything that’s happened, I can’t help smiling at the fact that we get to share a private look instead of the other way around.
“Actually, we did,” Foster replies, starting up the engine.
“It took Foster a while to find me,” I play along. “And then I spent, like, five minutes trying to explain to him the concept that it was his turn to hide.”
Foster smiles as he straps on his seatbelt, and I do the same.
“Aw, look at you two, being all BFFs.” Easton scoots forward and rests his arms on the console. “Makes me really wonder, though, what happened in those bushes.” He waggles his eyebrows at me.
I pinch his arm in response, and Max chuckles from behind me when Easton winces.
“So vicious,” Easton mutters with a smirk, sliding back in the seat.
We grow quiet as Foster pulls out onto the street, driving slow because of the ice glazing the asphalt.
“I can’t believe we caused all this,” I mutter as I eyeball the frosted trees around us. “Although, it does make it feel more like the holidays. You know, if we wanted to, we could probably cause a big enough snowstorm that they will have to cancel school for at least a few weeks.”
Foster and Easton chuckle, while Max says observingly, “She’s speaking more openly about her powers, yet that damn wall is still up around her. It makes no sense.” He leans around the headrest and studies me with a crinkle at his brow. “Although, the crack is a little bit bigger now. My bet is the wall is really strong so it might take us some time and quite a few more attempts before we can get it down.”
