Page 114 of Ordinary Secrets

Another shrug. “I hope not. I’ve been too worried about Arella to even think about that.”

“I’ll back you up. I’ll say you two are just friends.”

I let out a light scoff. “Like they’re gonna listen to you.”

She puts a fist up. “I’ll make ’em!”

Liz checks in and gets a name sticker from Sara, and then we head into the waiting room. There’s a different kid’s movie playing on the TV now. On the table, I push the unfinished puzzle aside to give us space to eat our tacos.

Between bites, Liz asks, “Do you think it’s possible that she’s one of us?”

With my mouth full, I say, “No, why?”

“Because I don’t think you have a mental condition. Crazy people don’t think they’re crazy, and you’ve admitted that this thing you have for Ari is bizarre. Yeah, you like to sleep around with Ordis, but I think that has more to do with your past and your gifts than having an actual attraction to them. But to fall in love with one? And to experience the glimmer? I doubt that’s stemming from your trauma. There’s gotta be anotherexplanation, and the only one I can think of is that Ari’s one of us. What if immunity is her power? What if her immunity is what blocks us from feeling the zense around her?”

Wow.That’s a lot to take in. “First off, my past? My trauma? How does that have anything to do with why I’m willing to sleep with Ordinaries?”

Liz eyes me, lifting an eyebrow. “Do you really wanna unpack that right now?”

I’m about to say yes because I want to hear her explanation, but now, I’m not so sure. I’ve got a feeling she’s gonna say things I won’t like.

“I’ll give you a hint. It has to do with your low self-worth, what you think you deserve, and how your past affects that.”

Yeah, I don’t wanna hear any more.I clear my throat. “Moving on...”

After I chew down the rest of my first taco, I lean back in my chair. “The idea that Arella is a Zordi has crossed my mind. I did some research on it over the z-net a while ago, and the closest ability I could find to her immunity is force fields. Even then, Blockers can only blockexternalpowers, and Arella’s immunity seems to only block theinternalones.

“Also, those Zordis can’t block the zense. According to the z-net, nothing can. If Arella was a Zordi and didn’t know it, she’d feel the tingle around us, and I don’t think she does. Plus, she doesn’t have any other powers.”

Liz finishes the taco she’s working on as she thinks. “Maybe she’s defective, and that’s what causes her body to not feel the zense or have any other powers?” Liz is doing what I did before: looking for any possible cause that could explain the anomaly that is Arella. I’ve stopped trying to explain the unexplainable. It didn’t amount to anything.

I pick up another taco and bite into it. “The correct term isrestricted, not defective. Zordis with complications in their gifts get offended when people call them defective.”

“I know, but my family calls me defective all the time, and it’s true, so why correct them?”

This isn’t the first time Liz has called herself defective, and I hate it. In the Zordi world where everyone’s born with three powerful gifts and natural beauty, having anything wrong with you results in immediate disownment. Liz’s family is no exception, and it’s part of the reason why I will forever stick by this woman’s side.

I scowl at her. “You’re not defective. Your body power works—just not in a way you’d like it to.”

“You know, you’re the only one who ever gets mad at me for calling myself defective. Everyone else just agrees.”

I shake my head, sighing. The Zordi community needs to do better. “Anyway, if Arella is one of us, then explain how she gets cold all the time? Or how she sweats when she’s hot?”

Liz bites into her second taco. “Hmm. Good point. With our bodies’ natural equilibrium, it’s not possible for us to sweat.”

“Exactly. Also, Arella sleeps every night. She even has dreams and nightmares. She doesn’t heal as fast as we can. She can’t see as far as we can, either. The other day, while in the car, I asked her if she could read a sign way down the road. While I could read it perfectly, she could barely see it.”

After wiping her mouth off with a napkin, Liz says, “Ya know, I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to have dreams or Ordinary vision. Once, I Googled what Ordinaries see when they take off their glasses. Did you know that some of their eyes are so bad, they can barely make out shapes or colors?”

“Yeah, I knew that.”

A knock on the doorframe causes Liz to jolt.

“Sorry!” Sara giggles. “Just wanted to let you know she’s done. You’re welcome to see her now.”

I shoot out of my chair before the nurse even finishes her sentence. Liz and I follow her down the hall and around a corner before stopping at a closed door. I don’t sense anyone on the other side, so it must be Arella.

Sara turns to us. “Maybe just one at a time?”

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