The Irangel | Prequel Story |

Chapter 26 ~ A Secret Ability

Meanwhile Eamon found Cole on top of the ski lodge, scowling as he faced the picturesque winter landscape below him. He had his hoodie pulled up over his head, his wings spread out over the snowy roof. The moonless starry sky was glittering brightly over the still landscape. It was eerily quiet, Eamon's flapping wings the only noise in the peaceful silence.

Eamon landed beside Cole, furling his wings as he sat beside him. "It smell like fish to you or something?" he asked good-naturedly, trying to cajole him into a better mood. "I see no reason why a frown should rest upon this beautiful landscape."

"You know why I'm sulking," Cole said back, about to toss him another glare when he realized he would only persist in frowning, so he dropped the scowl and sighed heavily. "Leave me alone, Eamon. I don't need a stupid pep talk or whatever."

"I'm not here to talk," Eamon said, slowly reaching for something beside him. "I'm here to have a snowball fight. Wanna throw snowballs at that mountain over there? I wanna see who throws the farthest, you or me."

Cole looked at him as if he had just asked him to drive a pink Barbie car. "You wanna throw snow at a faraway mountain? Are you serious?"

Eamon shrugged. "Why not? We're both on a roof. It's pretty high up here. There's plenty of snow around us. And that mountain is directly in front of us. It's the perfect way to blow off some steam."

Cole seemed to think about it for a moment, conflicted between thinking this was a stupid idea and agreeing to Eamon's suggestion.

None of the irangels knew it, but Eamon had an ability none of the irangels were aware of, not even Tori. Eamon was a pathokinetic with the ability to change other people's emotions and alter the way they feel. Meaning, he could change other people's emotions just from them being around him. That was why Cole was susceptible to having his emotions change from bitter to better from Eamon's influence. Eamon himself wasn't aware of it since it wasn't an ability as easily shown off like telekinetic and shapeshifter abilities, but he did feel like some sort of a counselor to some of the irangels, particularly Cole and Justin. Had he known about his own ability, his ego would probably have been strummed up to high skies and he wouldn't be as humble as he was now.

Eamon saw the slight indecision in Cole's eyes before Cole gave in and said, "Sure, why not. I can pretend the mountain is Tori and smack it hard into her face." He scooped some snow up into a ball and threw it as hard as he could. It smacked right into a tree at the foot of the mountain.

Eamon readied the snowball he was forming and threw it. It fell just a few meters from the ski lodge. Cole smirked and got another snowball ready, aiming it higher. Eamon threw as well, his snowball smacking into Cole's midway in the air. The two continued to throw snowballs, getting into the fun activity. Cole started throwing it in the air and using his wings to smack it like a tennis racket, trying to beat Eamon who was better at it than he was.

It was long after nightfall when Justin came out to call them in. Cole's spirits lifted, he dove right into a warm bowl of soup and went to bed in a good mood. Eamon grinned at Justin, who looked relieved. "Whatever you're doing, thank you," he told Eamon appreciatively.

Eamon smiled unpretentiously as he rinsed the last of the dishes in the sink. "Somebody's gotta keep an eye out on you guys. Might as well be me," he said, folding the dish rag. His dark, beautiful eyes looked at Justin curiously. "You know, Justin, I don't think Tori made the right – "

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Justin interrupted. "Also, Nate told me we're headed home tomorrow." Justin stopped at the mention of the word 'home', startled to realize that he'd thought of the glass building as his home now.