Don't Stop Now [Finding My Path Sequel]

Chapter 20

Distantly in my head, I felt something click. My thoughts suddenly sped up, faster than I could follow them. "Dad," I said as my first thought. "Could Dad spiritbend?"

Mom held my gaze for a moment. I tried to read her eyes, but I knew she was trained not to give anything away. "No. And I'll let you know why in a minute. There are other pieces that need to come together first."

I nodded, feeling a strange relief. At least she didn't just use Dad because he could spiritbend. It made me feel at least a little better. Maybe they did really love each other.

"Most of my time is spent in the Middle Ring. When Enide and I aren't telling fortunes, we're meeting with my spiritbender contact. It's completely anonymous, both ways."

"Why are you telling us this?" Lina asked, sounding only slightly annoyed.

"I thought this was what you wanted. Information," Mom explained. I glanced at Lina once again. Was this what I wanted to know? It wasn't originally, but I was suddenly intrigued.

"I want information about my family. Does Andi know about Enide?" I tried a different approach.

She nodded but didn't look happy about it. Enide simply stood motionless by her side. "It was the reason we had our falling out." So, Andi had been holding out on me. Typical. I guess it really was typical, though, because I was doing the same to her. "She couldn't get over her belief that I was using a spirit the way I was."

"Using?" Lina asked. "That was her exact word?" Another nod. "Do you agree with that?"

"I am here on my own free will," Enide chimed in. There was no anger in her voice, just dry fact. "No one is using me."

"How about the people's fortunes you tell?" I asked them both. "You're using them, aren't you? Twisting their lives the way you want."

Mom's gaze hardened on me. She quickly turned defensive. "We don't twist anything. They ask for their fortune, we give it to them. I told you your fortune. There were no games involved."

"Reading my palm," I pointed out.

"That's just a part of the show," she said simply. "People expect something from a fortune teller. I need to do more than just tell them things. I need to sell it, too."

I sighed in defeat, knowing this argument could only go so far. Overall, she was right. She really wasn't doing anything wrong. "Okay fine."

"Fine?" Lina asked me. Her eyebrows shot together as she glared at me. Apparently this was the wrong answer.

"We need to move on," I told her. Then I turned to my mom. "What's next?"

"Enide is still holding out information from me. You either need to ask about it, or tell me yourself."

I stole a glance at Enide, but she was no longer looking at me. Maybe she couldn't, after what she knew.

"What should I ask?" I wondered dumbly. Clearly she didn't have the answers for me. For once, I seemed to have the upper hand. I had to take advantage of it. "Do you know where Dad and I have been living?"

Mom frowned. "Yes, I'm aware. And I'm not happy to hear it. He should've been treating you better than that."

It was my choice. I thought. At least Dad and I were together.

"I was training," I said instead. "Being there is the reason I can waterbend." Maybe if I were Andi I would've said the same thing about living with our grandmother.

"And?" Mom asked, as if she was expecting more.

"And what?"

"All you can do is waterbend?" She definitely knew. Or at least knew about Dad. Maybe this was the information she didn't know.

"You know Dad can bloodbend?" I answered her question with a question.

She looked annoyed again. "Yes. I knew that when we were together."

"And that's the reason you left?" I continued. I needed to hear her no.

"Yes," she said instead, no regret in the words. "I know I've done some bad things, but your fathers actions were far worse. And now he's dragged our son with him. So answer me this time. Can you bloodbend?"

"Just tell her, Tomi," Lina said beside me. She sounded a bit exasperated by the whole ordeal. Meanwhile, Enide's eyes were cutting through me. She knew the truth.

"No," I huffed. "I can't. I wanted to, trained for it and everything. But I can't."

Mom's gaze stayed blank, unreadable. I didn't dare look at Lina. Enide, though, was studying me curiously. Then she spun her head around and shared a look with Adisa.

"What?" I asked. "Is she talking to you? What's she saying?"

"I was saying," Enide's voice chimed, "that I know the reason you are unable to bloodbend."

"You do?" I nearly shouted. Quieter, I asked, "Why? What's the reason?" But did I really want to know as badly as I thought? Was the answer really worth traveling half the world? We would find out.

Another look at my mom. "It contests with your other sub-element."

I felt myself let out a breath I just took in, though it was more of a confused sigh. I looked from the spirit to my mom, unsure of what to say. "What does that mean?" Lina asked for me.

"How do I undo it?" I asked what I really needed to know. If I didn't even know about this other sub-element, it wouldn't affect me, right? I could just outgrow it or something.

"You don't," Mom told me. "Your only options are to learn this element or learn nothing."

"What's the element?" Lina asked again. I could see her wracking her brain for the answer, like it should be obvious. I was coming up with a total blank.

"Tomi," Mom said, like I was a child, "you're a spiritbender."

I felt myself rise to my feet without meaning too. "You're kidding me, right?" Rage flooded to my face. Lina stood up next to me, but Mom stayed where she was.

"This is the same reason your father is a bloodbender and not a spiritbender. I don't make the rules, I just tell you the information," she said calmly.

"The information that just so happens to be perfect for you!" I shouted. Suddenly rage was all I could feel. The disappointment of not being able to bloodbend was washed out in the anger I felt towards my mother.

"I didn't tell you so you could help me--."

"Good!" I said. "Because I'm going to help you. I'm not even going to try it, so we'll never know if you were right or not."

"I am," she told me.

"You can't prove it," I shot back. I sounded much younger than I meant to.

"I already have," she responded. "You know very well I'm not a fraud. I tell people the truth. My strong connection to the spirits only backs it up." I wanted to argue, to find some sort of logical reasoning why this was happening, but I couldn't. Lina stepped up instead.

"You are a fraud!" she said, almost matching my volume. I was a bit taken back. "You don't know anything! You convince people you can see the future, when in reality, it's all Enide. You're deceiving everyone, Tomi and Andi included."