Lunacy (15 page)

Conner chuckled. "You're terrible."

"Meh. It helps pay the bills. That's really all that
matters, to me."

The boy behind me put his hand on my upper arm,
leaning in more with a smirk. "And if they knew about your other
job, you know they'd be ordering pizza more than on Sunday
nights."

His eyes sparkled a bit with merriment. "Dancing does
well enough on its own with tips, but... Gotta have a normal front.
Wouldn't exactly be looked upon kindly when it comes down to me
needing to apply somewhere else in a year or two if that's the only
job I've had."

Dancing? Feign was a stripper..? His darkly masculine
chuckle at me blushing was answer enough. I crossed my arms and
made a point of studying the floor by his feet rather intently.
"Oh, fuck you guys... It's not my damn fault I blush easily." I
lightly elbowed Conner right in the diaphragm. "Dick."

"Well, that is part of the job... Depending on who's
paying." Feign added with a grin. Before I could protest further,
he handed me the pizzas and made a salute to Conner. "Have a good
night, guys. I've got some other deliveries to make before my
shift's up."

He half dashed back down the driveway and into his
car, taking off and leaving me at the door with Conner and the
food. We both stood still for a moment before I finally broke the
uncomfortable silence. “Um... You mind getting the hell out of my
personal space before I kick you out of it?” I said over my
shoulder, not wanting to move and accidentally wriggle closer to
him.

His words were close to my ear and I heard him
scenting the air as he said softly, “But you smell so good...”

“What in the hell's taking so long? Get that pizza in
here, you two!” I heard Jimmy's voice calling from the living
room.

Turning slightly sideways and shoving him out of the
way with my hip, I pushed past Conner and ignored his man-chuckle,
leaving him at the door and going to join the others for dinner.
Dinner? Late lunch? Linner, perhaps...

Chapter 14

We ate in relatively comfortable silence, everyone
being too concerned with stuffing their faces to be arguing and
bickering like before. The boys had zipped up and it seemed like
their territorial pissing contest was over, for the time being at
least. Ah, food; the great peace maker.

There was nothing left on the table save half a
pepperoni and mushroom pizza, and I sure as hell wasn't going to
touch it. Mushrooms... It seemed wrong to me, not to mention
horribly unsanitary, to consume something which dined explicitly on
decomposing matter and dead things. I shuddered at the thought and
Jynxx gave me a confused look. “Nothing,” I said simply, causing
him to shrug.

A few more pieces disappeared to Kenshin, Jimmy, and
Gavin. When naught but a single piece remained, the tension in the
room rose significantly. Kenshin backed down, but Jimmy and Gavin
had their eyes locked on each other.

“Come on, pup... You really don't want to do this.
You're still nursing that hangover of yours.”

The younger teen snorted. “And you can kiss my ass,
old man. I haven't turned yet, so I've got no reason to bow down
and respect your position since it doesn't even exist, as far as
I'm concerned.”

They dove for the last slice at the same moment, and
it was Jimmy who emerged victorious. The large piece of pizza was
gone in three disgustingly huge bites and he held his hands curled
into fists overhead triumphantly. Gavin rolled his eyes, sitting
back on the couch and letting it go.

“You're going to give up? Just like that?” Conner
threw out the challenge, seeming surprised that Gavin hadn't
reacted violently to something so small. It made me rethink my
estimation as to how dangerous the beta really was.

“I could snap his skinny ass in half like a tooth
pick if I wanted to, and you know it. There's no reason to be a
total prick over a piece of pizza.”

Conner smirked, and it was full of venom and nothing
nice or humorous at all. “Getting all sentimental and soft since
there's another lady around, are we?”

Gavin snorted, obviously not taking the Omega's bait.
"Not hardly. Would you like to crush the pup for me, Conner? Would
it make you feel better about yourself to pound the ever loving
hell out of a boy who just turned sixteen and hasn't even had his
first change yet, so he's unlikely to heal any of the damage done
to his fragile human frame?" Conner's response was silence. The
beta nodded, then. "That's what I thought."

Jimmy looked a bit miffed at being dismissed so
easily, but also seemed relieved that there hadn't been anyone
happy to jump up and kick the crap out of him for scarfing the last
piece of pizza. Gavin's standpoint seemed logical to me. But to be
fair, I've also seen groups of normal human boys get into fist
fights over things as simple as the last slice of pizza...

It seemed as if the bomb had been diffused, so
everyone started talking about the samling, and what had to be done
to prepare properly for it. Gavin was giving Jynxx pointers, tips
on how to speak to the entire Clan, and advice on how to keep his
cool and not get eaten.

Being the only two girls present, and not really
privy to displays of dominance and aggression, Elomina took me
aside. We were on the other side of the room, far enough away that
the voices of the boys were much quieter and it was easier to focus
on what she was saying and trying to teach me.

"Being that you and Skadhi are as one, Kacea, there
are many things you are capable of doing. She was a frost giant,
and as such you should have much control over the weather and the
element of water in general. Obviously, it should be easiest for
you to work with snow and ice, but since it has not been quite cold
enough for that outdoors yet... We shall make do with what we have
on hand."

She left the room, and me completely puzzled, before
reappearing with a glass three quarters full of water in her hands.
It was cold enough that perspiration beaded on the outside of the
glass, frosting it from the heat of the room around us. She sat
down next to me on the carpet and held the glass above her crossed
legs. She motioned me to mimic her pose, so I followed suit and sat
the same way.

Scooting slightly forward so our knees were touching,
I felt an almost electric spark when her legs came into contact
with mine. She was full of power. Enough so that it made me
terrified of what Elomina was capable of; for a brief second,
anyway. I also knew that, thus far, she'd proven to be more helpful
than harmful. Keeping that in mind, I gazed down curiously at the
water in her hands.

"So... What are you expecting me to be able to do,
exactly?" I asked. Being straight forward seemed to be the best
course of action, especially considering we could all be in danger
if I didn't make a point of learning everything she felt I needed
to know before next weekend. I didn't like thinking about the
unpleasant possibilities, so I waited patiently while she seemed to
ponder the most effective way to answer me.

"You are going to make this water into a block of
ice, firstly. Once you have mastered that, we shall see where it
goes from there."

Stunned? I wanted to be, but after what I'd just done
a few hours ago, I had no doubts that I'd be able to do something
as simple as turning water into ice. Earlier this morning, I would
have scoffed at something that seemed so ludicrous and impossible.
Clearly, it defied the laws of nature to be able to effect change
in such a way with the mere power of one's thoughts. However, human
beings use less than a paltry ten percent of their grey matter. Who
knew what we could be capable of if we could find the key to unlock
all that potential? Telekinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis... The
possibilities were nearly limitless.

Feeling like a smart ass, I asked with a smirk, "I
suppose that putting the glass in the freezer is not an
option?"

My response was a swift bop to the forehead with the
tips of Elomina's fingers. "No, foolish girl. Using the freezer is
not an option."

I frowned at the glass. "How do you propose I do
this, exactly?"

She shrugged lightly. "It works differently for each
of us. You managed to drag the beast from inside both Conner and
Jynxx without much instruction. I believe you can do the same with
something such as this. Try what feels right to you. Experiment, as
they say." More pointed frowning on my part. "I do not believe that
making a face at it will get you the results you are seeking
however, Kacea."

It was my turn to shrug. "Hey, you never know. Maybe
I'd frighten those molecules into huddling together in fear, and
thus becoming solid ice rather than liquid water."

She rolled her eyes and I was awarded another bop
between the eyes. "I am glad your sense of humor is returning to
you, but you must focus, child."

I nodded, turning my gaze from Elomina to the glass
in her hands. I looked intently at the water, doing my best to see
it in my mind's eye as the very molecules I'd just been talking
about. Almost like it was a transparency for an overhead projector
laid down on top of the glass. In my mental view, I saw two things
simultaneously. I shoved all of those molecules close together, and
I visualized the ripples coming to a halt and the whole glass being
filled with ice.

In reality at the same moment, the water went from
liquid to solid so quickly that the glass exploded outward in a
shower of shards that stuck into my arms and legs, but I'd thrown
my arms up quickly enough to protect my face. Elomina had tossed up
some sort of energy shield so the tiny daggers of glass bounced off
the air around her harmlessly, falling to the carpet around us. Me,
on the other hand... I looked like a damn pin cushion, and blood
was starting to trickle down my arms from where some of the glass
had flown past, striking me and dragging me open, but not sinking
in.

The boys rushed over immediately, even though neither
Elomina nor I had made a sound. I lifted my head and saw that her
silver eyes were full of mirth. "Do not fret, young one. The power
is indeed there. In abundance, apparently. Rather than seeing what
you are capable of from here on, perhaps we should work on some
exercises that focus more on control rather than raw
potential."

I nodded and Jynxx and Conner both knelt beside me.
Both of them were flustered and frantic, and it took me a minute to
address either of them. It was a little overwhelming to try and
think over the cacophony of their combined voices. "Get me some
tweezers, a towel, and something to clean these soon-to-be very
much worse wounds out with." I said simply, swallowing loudly
against the bile that rose in my throat and my thundering pulse
that threatened to choke me before adding: "Please." They both
rushed off to get the items I’d asked for like someone had lit a
fire under their asses.

The pain was just now starting to register, sharply
throbbing and insistent. Air hissed out between my teeth, but I
still didn't move much, not wanting to drive any of the glass
deeper under my skin. The possibility of having to have some of it
surgically removed did not sound like my idea of a picnic, so I
stayed as still as I could. The worst part was the smell of the
blood, my blood. It was a nearly suffocating wash of copper that
assaulted my olfactory nerves, thick enough that I could almost
taste it on my tongue, like being shoved face first into some musty
antique coin collection. I’d always had a sensitive nose, but
throwing this whole Goddess nonsense into the mix apparently
heightened my senses. In some cases -this being one of those times-
to intolerable levels.

Elomina offered to soothe all the wounds for me and
extract the glass herself, but I shook my head vehemently. “No,” I
said forcefully. “Let me see if I have any freak healing powers
yet...”

She leaned back and sighed. “As you wish, but know
that healing will take almost as much out of you as forcing the
boys to shift did.”

“I'll be fine. It's not even as bad as when I dragged
my arm open in gym a little while ago...” I said through gritted
teeth. Blunt force trauma I could deal with. Punches, bruising...
No problem. But sharp, stinging pain? I freaked when I got a paper
cut. This tingling, almost itching and burning sensation wasn't
exactly on my Christmas wish list.

Conner and Jynxx finally rolled back in, medical
supplies in hand. Elomina got to her feet and moved out of the way,
letting them set everything down within arm's reach for me.

"Are you sure you don't want any help with this,
Kacea?" Jynxx asked, his black eyes full of worry and concern.

I nodded, not wanting to say it but feeling the need
to warn him. "It's better if I do it myself. With the way this
power's just been misfiring, the last thing I need is for someone
to be touching me when it goes off and have someone get seriously
hurt. I mean... I could probably turn you into an inside out
quivering mound of flesh and nerves if I had a wrong stray thought
right now, Jynxx... I'm not focused enough to feel safe letting
anyone else assist." I looked up at him, my eyes feeling a bit
watery from the constant stinging in my arms, and apparently my
chest and stomach as well. "You understand, right?"

His eyes looked haunted at the prospect and he backed
away, going to sit on the couch without a word, even looking away
from me. I let a tear slip from the careful control I had over it,
masking it by grabbing those tweezers and preparing myself. Taking
a deep breath and with slightly shaking hands, I started the slow
process. Grasping the end of the broken glass protruding from my
flesh, and exhaling slowly to focus on something other than the
encroaching stab of pain that followed as I yanked it loose. Over
and over again, each time setting the blood coated pieces of glass
on the towel. Many other small rivers of blood joined the few that
were flowing slowly, like an icy stream through the forest in
winter. Down my pale flesh in weirdly intricate and turning
patterns.