Talented (On Hold)

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Kaolin and Gage stood at a fork in the path. “Which way do you think she went?” Kaolin asked. 

“I’ll check.” Gage shifted into a small falcon and flew off. After a moment, she landed again and shifted back. “She’s down the right trail, in a clearing. I couldn’t get close, though.”

“Why not?”

“You’ll see.”

When they got to the clearing, Kaolin did see. Alina was standing motionless in the center, surrounded by what looked like her own personal tornado, minus the wind. Sticks and leaves, anything not anchored down, spun around her rapidly, forming an impassible barrier. “Alina!” Kaolin yelled. Alina didn’t turn around, but the tornado slowed and most of the things previously trapped in it fell to the ground. Kaolin pushed one out of the way as she walked closer to Alina. It spun off, like it was floating in invisible water. Gage followed close behind. “That was impressive.” Kaolin said, breaking the silence

“Things move when I get upset.” Alina said, still not turning around. Her voice shook slightly, but she steadied it.

“I suppose that’s how you wrecked the room.” 

“Nightmares.” Alina replied softly. “I have them most nights.”

“What did Conner show you?” 

“Newspaper articles about my past.”

Kaolin paused. “Why did Conner call you a bank robber?”

“Because he’s an idiot.” Alina sighed and turned around. “And because I am.” A mark on one cheek showed where a single tear had fallen. Her eyes were black, as Kaolin had noticed they always became when she used her talent, or when she was really upset. As she watched they began to fade back into purple. 

“How?” Kaolin asked. “Oh, and I agree Conner is being an idiot, and Zack too.”

Alina was silent for a moment before answering. “I had a lot of really bad foster parents, especially toward the end. The people in charge of me, they stopped trying to find me good homes and just started shoving me in any home that would take me. Word gets around, you see. Rumor was that I was a destructive, and violent, child. Most of the time I tried to make the best of things, and when things got really bad, I ran. That’s when my talent came in handy.” As she spoke, things fell from where they were suspended.  “I can pick locks by touching them, by moving the tumblers inside. This worked, up to a point. “Alina frowned, remembering. “He wasn’t like any of my previous foster parents. He was like me, talented. A what-do-you-call-it, um, telepath.  That kind of wrecked my plans. He could read my mind, and… put things in my mind.”

“Like the nightmares?” Kaolin asked.

“Yea. I mean, I had them before, but he made them worse. He could also cause pain without touching me. That’s why I learned to put up mental shields. Of course, after I stopped him mentally, he did it the old fashion way.” She rolled up her left sleeve, revealing a long, thin scar that ran up her arm from below her elbow to her shoulder. Kaolin finally understood while she always wore long sleeves. “Oh, and he could control peoples minds as well, but that never worked on me, which drove him crazy. That was probably how he became my foster father in the first place, because, no mater how bad the system was, they would never put me in the care of a career criminal on purpose. Well, back to my cheerful story, he was greedy as well as a jerk, and when He found out about the lock picking part of my talent, he decided to put it to use. He started small, electronic stores and the occasional jewelry shop, and worked his way up to big stuff.”

“Like banks.” Kaolin said. Gage stayed silent, listening. 

“Yes.” Alina stopped. Why was she telling these girls anything? She never talked to anyone about her life. Never.

Gage could sense her apprehension. “It’s okay. You don’t have tell us anything that you don’t want to.”

Alina thought about it for a moment. “No. You… You are-” She realized she was about to call them her friends and stopped. One of her major rules was never to call someone her friend. She had broken enough of her rules that day. Maybe someday she would break that rule. Not today, though. Continuing like her blunder had never happened she said, “Well, um, so one day he went a little to far. We tried to rob a large city bank; I don’t remember where. When the police showed up, he tried to have me try to break their cars.”

“How many?” Kaolin asked.

“Well, there were five cars, but I only tried to lift two.”

“What happened?”

“I succeeded, but then I passed out. Remember, I was already tired from opening the bank vault. When I woke up I was in the hospital. A woman came and spoke with me. She told me that I had two options. Stay, and hope I wouldn’t be sent to jail or back to another awful foster home, or come to her school. Obviously I chose the school.”

“I’m glad you did.” Kaolin said. 

After a pause, she said, “Why did he call you a murderer?”

“That’s a lie.” Alina’s eyes blazed. After a moment she relaxed a bit. “I hope.” She said under her breath.

Kaolin didn’t hear her. “I believe you.” 

Alina stiffened a bit. “Good.” She said shortly.

They walked back along the forest trail. On the way Kaolin looked for Cassandra, but she was gone. Next time I see her, she thought, I’ll thank her. Oh, and ask her how she knew my name.