Page 49 of Secret Gifts
My face turns ashen, my body fights the burn of fire and ice at once, and I stiffen to the point I almost break. I don’t have that memory, and I should.
“What did I do?”
“You don’t want to know this, Aria. Just know Mom did what she felt she had to.”
“Damn it, Rex, tell me!”
Tears burn through my blue contacts, and he sighs out loudly while showing his slouch of defeat as he drops his tight grip on the door.
“I was sixteen and you were nine. You wanted me to swing you, and I said 'make me.' Playing around, you were going to use your gift to jerk me over and force my hands to swing you. You didn’t have that sort of control though, and when you used your gift on me, it broke all the bones in my body.
"You screamed, Mom ran out, and Dad rushed blood into my mouth. For some reason, you never remembered it after that day. I asked Mom if it was her, she said no. I’m not sure what happened to erase it from your mind, but Mom decided you were too strong. The problem is, once she blocked your powers out, she couldn’t figure out how to reverse it. She’s hated herself for centuries. She doesn't even know how she blocked either of us. That’s why Dad forced you to stay inside the compounds instead of letting you go out on field detail. He didn’t want you relying on your gifts because they worried they would never surface again.”
I slap the steering wheel, fury pouring out of me. How dare they keep this from me!
“I can’t believe no one ever told me this. I’ve been thinking I was a degenerate disgrace for so long because I’m so powerless.”
“You’re not powerless; you’re too fucking strong for your own good. You’re so eager to go savage, and I'm honestly glad you never have. You have no idea how terrified I am every time my sanity dissipates and I lose control. Aria, it's not such a fucking blessing to lose yourself to the monster you have inside. It's terrifying, and when I’m savage, my visions come in by the multitudes… not to mention what I do to the minds of those around me. What if I strike the wrong person because I'm too fucking psychotic to control it?"
His voice trails off to a near whisper as he looks away, hiding the tears that have sprung to his eyes. I forget how scared he is of his own savage. I've only ever seen it a few times, and though I shouldn't get envious, I am. That power is so surreal, and I want it. I want to harness it; be the gifted hybrid everyone expected.
“But at least you save lives. Everyone expected me to be the hero Mom is, but she took that away without telling me.”
“Aria-”
He stops short when we roll up on the fields. Immediately, I smell uranium, and my eyes fall on the disturbed grounds surrounding the field like a massive spider-webbed trap.
“Don’t step past the first row of clovers,” I caution, my personal issues dropping as I stare ahead at the scene.
Jase pulls up behind me, and he gets out to stand beside his car and phones the rest.
“Tell them there are too many landmines to drive any closer,” I say, ignoring his exhausted posture.
His eyes burn into mine like he wants to say something but can’t right now. I can't pretend it doesn't affect me, so I turn away and kneel to the ground to smell the gasoline imbedded in the mud.
The rain is merciless, but it hasn't had a chance to wash away everything yet. I can still read the trail.
Someone’s tank was leaking, but they drove through here not too long ago. These landmines are barely three hours old. I can still smell the dirt being freshly stirred.
“We’re here, but it’s trapped. We can wait on a disarming team,” Jase says into the phone.
“I don’t suppose you could give me a boost?” I whisper to Rex.
“Hell no. Even if I thought I could throw you that far, I wouldn’t risk it. You’re giving my strength way too much credit,” he scoffs, a little anger in his tone.
“Didn’t think so," I mumble.
I turn back and walk toward Jase, ignoring the urge to give him too long of a gaze as I pass. Curiosity fills his eyes, but my stoic expression gives nothing away. I make my way all the way back to the distant woods before he finally lets his delicious voice free from his perfectly soft lips.
“What’re you doing?” he asks, his curiosity obviously piqued.
I smirk, and Rex turns around with wide eyes just as the rest of the convoy starts to catch up.
“Fuck,” my brother gasps, his body frozen as I start digging my toes into the ground and sprinting faster than eyes can see me, becoming nothing more than a blur. I charge toward the mines that are spread around a clear center.
Whatever is in that center is what they’re protecting.
Jase’s eyes shift as though he’s figured out what I’m doing, but I barely catch them in a glimpse as I dig in deeper and surge forth faster. My legs burn from their overexertion and rapid speed, and the friction causes the insides of my pants to singe.
