𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧

Fifteen

"I'd never hurt my people," Liana said, trying not to meet his gaze. She shook off the meaning behind what he had just said. "I was protecting them."

Taylor didn't meet her eyes. "You need to convince them that you're safe. You need to keep the acid fog at bay, like in my vision."

"And if I can't?"

"Come to the Forseer's tent during your lunch period. I'll help you practice."

She furrowed her brows. "Fine."

Taylor let out a sigh. "Lighten up, will you? I'm not a fan of grumpy Phsychokinetics."

"Then why are you friends with me?" Liana asked, and for the first time that day, a smile crept onto her face.

After hours of training, her muscles felt like they were strings being pulled back and forth, straining more each time. By the time she reached the red Forseer's tent, she was red- faced, slick with sweat, and probably smelled like roadkill.

Perfect.

She ducked inside, trying to flatten the flyaway strands of hair that had come undone from her ponytail. Liana plopped on an empty cot and crossed her legs, looking at the tent flap.

Taylor arrived shortly after with a few apples and some bread in his arms, which he tossed to Liana. "First thing- you're not going to black out this time, right?"

She shook her head. "I'll stop if I've pushed my limits."

"Let's start small, then," Taylor motioned to the torch in his hand. "Can you blow the smoke away from my face? Or somehow condense it?"

Liana took a deep breath and reached out her hand, imagining the smoke curling into a tight ball, floating away from Taylor. It condensed, forming a silky sphere, with a trail of smoke streaming towards it from the fire. With a final push, she snuffed the flame, dropping the smoke like a bomb onto the floor.

"It's a start."

"What I'm worried about is where I'm going to put the acid fog. Won't the mainlanders just keep it coming until I can't hold the shield?"

"In my vision, you were in some kind of trance. But... there is one other thing I'm worried about. These SEAM guys said that the mainlanders would thank them once they exterminated us. Maybe that means that they'll get rid of us before the mainlanders can even perform the flush."

Liana's gaze dropped to the plastic floor. "How many people do we have on this island?"

"About a thousand," Taylor shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"How many people did these six men kill before I stopped them?"

"Seventeen. And five more wounded."

"Than we don't stand a chance. In between the mainlanders and SEAM...."

He sucked in a breath. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I should be there for the interrogation," Liana suggested, hovering one of her knives in her palm. "I might be able to... persuade him."