The Chosen (A Talents novel)

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The roaring in my ears drowned out the room, and I felt like I was underwater. Cut off from the rest of the world. The only sound was my heartbeat, thumping in my ears.

The tingle shot from my fingers and toes throughout my body, until I was practically shaking with energy. Cam shifted on his feet, and I knew he could see the power coalescing around me.

Calm down. Let it go.

I forced a slow, silent exhalation, imaging the energy dissolving into the air.

You’ve got to control it.

When I was younger, situations like this would trigger my talent. I would imagine something happening, and it would. I had no idea I could learn to control my power until I came to Delcroix. Last semester, Barrett and Mr. Fritz had taught me how to muster the energy when I needed it, and release it when I didn’t. I had practiced for months to develop that control. 

I needed every bit of that practice right now.

Though I knew logically that I needed to stay calm, the desire to throw Mr. Judan into the air or out a window was intense. Equally desirable were the images of collapsing the ceiling or throwing chairs into the air. Deliberately, I replaced those visions with an awareness of the room as it presently stood.

Barrett’s voice sounded in my head. That’s it, D. Rise above. Be present. Don’t let the fear win.

Trevor cleared his throat, but didn’t speak. A floorboard squeaked under Cam. Mr. Judan beamed, teeth gleaming in a cheerful, benevolent smile, meant to communicate how proud he was of us, and what an honor he was bestowing.

I blew out another silent breath, and felt my heart begin to slow. The roaring in my ears grew muted, then fell away all together. I allowed myself a moment of fierce pride. Mr. Judan might have all the power right now, but he’d never really been in control of me, or my talent. I had to remember that.

“Will this process be public?” Cam asked.

“The results will be public,” Mr. Judan said. “But the panels will have to do their work in closed session, obviously, for the protection and privacy of all involved.”

Obviously.

The only thing obvious about any of this was that Mr. Judan was planning to use his power to intimidate and coerce people into doing whatever he wanted. I couldn’t tell if he knew that we were beginning to doubt him, but it almost didn’t matter. If we had something to hide, the loyalty panels would show it. If we didn’t, but had been thinking about it, the loyalty panels would drive us apart.

It was brilliant.

The meeting ended soon after that. Mr. Judan thanked us for agreeing to come to school on short notice, and told me that he would send me details once he’d made my travel arrangements to the Annual Meeting. Cam gave Mr. Judan a half-salute, and we all filed out.

The summer sun filtered through the banks of windows on the far ends of the hallway and at the entrance to the hall, leaving the area just outside Mr. Judan’s office in shadows. We walked down the hall silently, all in a row like a set of comic book heroes. Except that we weren’t all that heroic, and truth be told, we were no match for the bad guy.

I might have been able to take on Mr. Judan. His skills of persuasion were powerful, but they were also dependent on his being able to speak. He could convince you with his words, but he couldn’t control you with his mind. I’m not saying it would be easy, but as long as I could find a way to shake him up or send him flying, I had a chance at beating him. I also mistrusted—no, hated—him. As I understood it, persuasion worked with your native beliefs. The more you agreed with what you were being persuaded to do, the easier it was to force you to do it. I probably had a better shot than most at fighting off any suggestions Mr. Judan might send my way.