Sage Hill and the Stones of Power

Chapter 5

The first thing I noticed was that he sounded unbelievably stuck-up.

"I didn't ask for you name." I retorted instinctively.

"Sage, don't." Zack's tone was one of extreme warning. "He's-"

"Silence, Zack." Julian commanded. To my shock Zack did as he was told, though he didn't look in the least bit happy about it, he started tapping his foot like he was counting beats.

"Now, if I just answered all your questions, where would be the fun in that?" He kept a smile on his face the whole time, it wasn't as fake as Cynthia's, more mocking.

"Yes, well, being completely in the dark as to who you are isn't all that 'fun' either." As much as I hated the situation, I did enjoy the verbal chess match, they were my forte, and the only way I could get an upper hand on my brothers. Zack was looking at me like I was missing some very big.

"Oh, well, that is quite a shame for you now isn't it, Sage. Then again you must be used to it by now, growing up with two older brothers would do that to you."

"How'd you-" I smirked, because he was much too blunt to be discreet. Zack looked like he was going to explode if I didn't get whatever hint he was trying to tell me. "You'd think, wouldn't you, but you see, I just got better at getting my information other ways. Like how, without anyone telling me, I know you're a mind reader."

"Observant, very good. That will be helpful."

"Helpful?" As I said it I realized something else, there was a rhythmic pattern to Zack's frantic tapping- morse code. I suddenly wished I payed more attention at my summer camp's decoding activity.

"Ah, see now there's a question that I think you already know the answer to. Yes your being observant will be helpful." I tried to decipher what Zack was trying to say: M, I, N... the last letter I didn't get.

"And how so?" I was stalling now. C, O, N...something... R, O, another letter that I didn't know.

"And that is a question in which it would be much more fun if I didn't answer, not, at least, in front of all these people, which brings me to my original point. Follow." He said forcefully. Min_ con_ro_, whatever that was supposed to mean I didn't get it. Julian started walking away, I gasped and stumbled forward, almost tripping, it was like I had to follow him. Julian paused just to turn around and smirk at me.

"Forget how to walk?" That obnoxious grin still on his face. I was just thinking about how I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of asking how on earth he could make me follow him when I realized it, what Zack had been trying to tell me this whole time: He could somehow use mind control. "Ah, and now you know why you're friend had that quite entertaining hissy fit with Lizabeth when she mentioned my name, though I had hoped you have been a bit quicker figuring it out." Zack's face turned bright red.

"It was not a hissy fit." I said for him.

"Oh, I beg to differ, it's amusing how protective he is of you, too bad that he completely failed in every way he could." At that Zack marched straight up to Julian, who I was pretty sure was toast at that point, but that was before he commanded Zack to stop.

"Don't take another step." Zack looked furious, his fists clenched at his sides. I wondered how powerful Julian was, no one had mentioned him as someone who could take my necklace, so he must be less powerful than me, and by that logic, if he could use mind control, why couldn't I? The only problem was, I had no idea how to do that and I was missing my necklace.

"I wouldn't try it," Julian told me, "attempting mind control with a stable power supply is risky as it is and you don't even have that."

"Must you always be reading my mind? I wouldn't care other than it's getting annoying, really." I lied, of course I cared, all the mind readers here had the common decency to not eavesdrop on random people's thoughts, this arrogant boy did it without a second thought.