“You know, it’s not typical for Quarters to be romantic with their Counters. In fact, that’s one thing your generation has done differently than the rest of us. When I was a girl, it was strictly forbidden.”
Her eyes looked far off as she remembered. “Back then, Counters traveled through blood lines, same as Quarters. Generation after generation, we knew who would be our Counter without any doubt. Of course, since we were forbidden from sharing our gifts, our Counters were also burdened with hiding theirs.”
“That sounds horrible.”
She only nodded. “He lived down the street from us. We grew up inseparable and at first, our families thought it was adorable. But as time went on and our bodies changed, hormones took over and we started exploring our relationship beyond friendship. Our moms noticed the shift and forbade us from seeing each other again. Of course, that only made us want it more. It wasn’t long before I fell pregnant.”
She smiled sadly at the memory, and I wished I had Kyle’s ability to look inside her head and relive whatever moment had popped up into her mind with her. It seemed like a happy one.
“He came up with a whole plan for getting out of Beacon Grove and leaving it all behind. For raising our child as normal people. And on the night we planned to leave, his father found his suitcase.”
“Oh no,” I gasped.
“He beat him to a pulp, and then told my parents about our plans. We had no choice but to tell them about the pregnancy, and they were terrified to find out what that would mean for our gifts. What would become of a child who was born as a Quarter and a Counter?”
I thought about Remy and Storie. About me and Kyle. If we ever chose to have children, what would become of them? What would they be?
“What happened then?”
“Things were different back then. I was only seventeen at the time—not a legal adult. I kicked and screamed the entire way to the clinic. I wailed at the top of my lungs, gnashing and clawing against the car when they attempted to dig me out of it, hoping someone would hear and save me. They had the nurse come out and inject me with sedatives because I was refusing so severely. I didn’t want to give it up. It seemed so senseless.
“There were women out there who genuinely needed those services and didn’t have access to them, and here my family was, using their privilege to eliminate an inconvenience. The child wasn’t at fault for my decisions, and they were a product of love. They deserved a chance at life.”
The bitterness still lingered in her voice as she recalled the horrific events that had happened to her. There was still a lot of hurt there.
“I woke up a few hours later, and it had already been done. I left Beacon Grove that night with the clothes on my back and an aching in my womb. I didn’t look back for years. By the time I returned with your mother, both of my parents had died. I never even got a chance to say goodbye, but that mourning mother inside of me still resented them too much to care. And my Counter had already moved on with a wife and two kids.”
“I’m so sorry, Grammy.” I reached over and grabbed her hand in mine. “You shouldn’t have had to go through all that.”
“When your mother came of age and didn’t inherit her gifts, I thought it was my fault. That maybe somehow, by terminating the pregnancy of my firstborn child—the one who was the rightful heir to them—I had ruined it for all the next generations. That was why we didn’t tell you about them right away. Because we weren’t even sure if they existed anymore.”
It made sense. Why bother unloading the burden onto me if there wasn’t a reason? But she should have warned me. She should have realized I could handle it all sooner. That I could help her carry that load. That mom could, too.
“I knew you had your gifts when the town began accusing the Quarters of killing those girls and you agreed with them. I had snapped at you over it. I didn’t like that you were taking the side of the people who were against the Quarters—against us. You looked at me, and your eyes glowed green. Not like how they shine brightly in the sun. No, they actually glowed. And you placed your hands on the table and it shook beneath your touch.
“It was so subtle; I don’t even think you noticed it. Neither had Storie. But I did. And then, I felt a shift within myself, and I knew it was the gifts. I knew they were transferring at that moment, and all my priorities shifted.”
“So, all of this… helping the Quarters, working with Kyle, tracking down Rayner… it’s all been for me?”
“Blaire, every single step I take in this life, I take with you and your mother in mind.”
I didn’t doubt that for a second. I’d always known that Grammy was willing to do whatever it took to keep us safe and protected. That, for some reason, she carried that burden with her every day. I used to think it was silly. There were no threats looming against us, the lowest members of our little society.
But I didn’t have the full picture back then. Now that I did, I was so grateful for every single sacrifice she and my ancestors made for the sake of our safety. I had been so angry and ungrateful when they told me about the gifts because I didn’t understand any of it. Now, I could only hope that when future generations of Grangers looked back on my tiny blip in the family line, they’ll see something worth being proud of.