Deviants

Chapter 23

Jesse

It's quiet for the longest time. I stare into Amee's serious gray and gold eyes. I notice her fingers slowly fiddle with her rock necklace. She looks at Kate, who stands to the side, a look of worry and guilt upon her face. I'm bursting to know what Amee's ability is, but the longer she doesn't answer the quieter it seems to get. She looks back at me and I slightly raise my eyebrows in question. Her arms are still folded. She drops the rock necklace and cocks her hip.

"I'd like to see you demonstrate," she says. I raise my brows. Her lips twitch and I see that challenging look in her eye.

"With your ability?" I ask.

"With Kate's." I turn and look at Kate, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Do you mind?" I say. She looks worried.

"What exactly are you going to do?" She asks.

"I'm going to borrow your ability," I say.

"Wait, so you'll... 'borrow' it... and I won't have it?" She asks. I turn to face her, remembering what she told me while we were waiting for Amee. That she believes she is some sort of freak.

"Does the idea of not having your ability bother you, Kate?" I ask. I hear Amee shift, but I keep my eyes on Kate. Her mouth drops open as the idea of being rid of her ability comes to her mind.

"If I hadn't just seen Cassidy, then it wouldn't... but..." Kate says. Amee steps up next to me.

"But if you didn't have your ability, you'd feel vulnerable," Amee says.

"No, I never said that," Kate says, shaking her head.

"But you basically just did," Amee says. I feel more comfortable with the way Amee thinks about her ability.

"Good, so you've been talking some sense into her and telling her that you guys aren't freaks?" I say to Amee. She shakes her head.

"Oh, no, I definitely think we are freaks," she says.

"What?! What's wrong with you guys?" I say.

"We've just seen a darker side to the effects of our abilities," Kate says, shrugging her shoulders.

"Freaks or no freaks, I'm still wondering what your ability is," Amee says to me. I smile at her. I look at Kate and a warm, almost burning feeling begins in my chest. But instead of painful, it's almost comforting. It's strong at first but after a moment it lessens and is a small warm sensation.

"Okay," I say, holding my hands out, "who should I turn into."

"It's not that easy," Kate says. I point at her.

"Yes, it is." I look at Amee. "Who do you want it to be?"

"Change into me," she says. I frown and look at Kate then back at Amee, who is smiling.

"Okay, it's not that easy," I say, and she laughs. Kate even smiles. "Pick a male person. It could be anyone, as long as I know them. Shad? Justin?" I study Amee. "Clint?" I say. Her cheeks go slightly pink, but she makes the moment pass quickly.

"No, I want to see what you would look with a different hair color instead of that light brown." She gets a very evil, but sort of cute smile on her face. "I want to see it red," she says, clapping her hands together, her mischievous smile getting wider. I frown but can't help smiling.

"No, you don't, I can promise you that," I say.

"Yeah, let us see it red," Kate says, smiling.

"What the hell is this?" I say, frowning at both of them. I look at Kate. "Can you change yours pink?" She blushes and runs her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah..." she says, bashful.

"Okay, then let's see it green," I say. Her blush deepens.

"No!" She says.

"Okay, okay!" Amee says. "We'll settle with your eyes. Make them go..." As she thinks about the color that she wants I imagine my eyes as Amee's. Suddenly an odd, pressing feeling comes over me, almost as if I'm being crushed. As if gravity is pressing in on me. The girls' eyes widen when they see the new color of my eyes but I'm too uncomfortable to try to impress them anymore.

"Is this what you have to deal with every time you use your ability?" I ask Kate. She gives me a confused look.

"What?" She asks.

"This bloody pressure feeling," I say.

"Oh. Yeah, every time."

"Well, know wonder you don't like your ability."

"So, how long do you keep her ability?" Amee asks me.

"I can keep it for about an hour before it becomes too difficult," I say.

"But that doesn't make sense. Is her ability as strong as it is with her? Or is completely weak, like a muscle that is never used?" Amee asks.

"It's as strong as my ability is," I say.

"So, you could stay like that for an entire hour?" She asks. I shrug my shoulders.

"Maybe not that long. I am using two abilities right now," I say. She sighs and her face suddenly becomes serious as she shakes her head. "What? Does this not meet your standards?" I tease. But she doesn't smile when she looks at me.

"What is it that you think I'm doing?" She asks.

"Practicing with your abilities?" I ask.

"No. If we trained with our abilities, Kate never would've lost control of hers and you wouldn't even be here," she says. I frown.

"So, then what are you two doing? Why do you have a bunker if not to practice in it?" I ask. She sighs and I see her reach up and touch the rock necklace.

"It'd be safer for all of us if you didn't know," Amee says.

"She hasn't even told me everything yet," Kate says to me. I frown.

"What could you possibly be doing that is so secretive? I mean, our you planning to overthrow the government or something?" I ask Amee. She doesn't say anything for a moment as she stares at the ground. She then looks back up at me.

"I don't think you should come here anymore. And don't tell anyone about any of this," she says.

"What about that Cassidy woman?" I ask, still trying to let them know that I want to know what they are doing.

"She is here, Amee. I did see her," Kate says. Amee looks between the both of us.

"I don't think she's here for you, Kate. Remember that you said she didn't even see you in real life," Amee says.

"But if this Cassidy is the person that killed Kate's parents-" I start.

"She is," Kate says.

"I'm sorry, Kate, I don't mean to make it sound like I'm doubting you. But she's the one that killed Kate's parents, what is she doing here?" I ask. Amee hesitates.

"I will keep an eye out for her," she says. I'm bewildered by her reply.

"Amee, you can't deal with a murderer all on your own," I say.

"Yes, I can," she says, not a falter in her voice.

"Yes, she can," Kate says, immediately after words. I remember what Kate said right before she had called Amee. Amee is so well trained that Cassidy wouldn't have been able to take a step towards me. I look at Amee.

"What the bloody hell is your ability?" I ask. She bites her bottom lip.

"I'm not going to say. It's already too dangerous for you knowing what you know," she says. I sigh and rub my eyes with frustration. Maybe she'll open up eventually. But until then, I'm not about ready to let this all go like what she wants.

A/N:

I think I'm getting writer's block with the author's notes...