Page 46 of Bound By Water
Stunned, I sit there and stare at him. Does he honestly think I created the pond? For what reason? “Seriously? Why would I do that?”
“Maybe you used the water to cushion your fall. It would have been an instinctive move. Something your power would leap to do naturally,” he informs me, unaware of the bomb he’s just dropped on me.
“That’s not possible,” I tell him, pissed that he would even suggest it.
“Why does that upset you so much?” He asks calmly.
Shaking my head back and forth, I stand and look down at him, angry tears falling down my face. His theory is preposterous. “No. It’s impossible. You’re wrong. Do you hear me? Wrong. I didn’t have any powers back then.” Swallowing hard to dislodge the knot in my throat, I continue, “If I had, I would have used them to put out the fire that burned my parents alive.” With a sob, I leave him sitting there and dash out of the room.
CHAPTER23
WILLA / GREER
Beckett jumps up to run after me, but the second I hit the door, I look at River. “Stop him.” River immediately stands and moves toward Beckett with raised hands. Shouts fill the air, but I don’t stop.
At the end of the hall, I slam my hands against the door to the outside and keep going. Sobs slip from my throat at the thought of having the power to save my parents from burning alive. Their screams haunt me to this day. Could I have saved them?
Images and noises from that night bombard me. Bright lights. Something slamming into the car. Spinning on the road. My mom’s screams. My dad shouting, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. The window opening, and my body flying through it. Darkness. Waking in the pond. Shivering in the cold water. Trees swaying in the night air. Crickets singing. A bright, steady light in front of me. It’s our car. My parents. Burning. Darkness again.
Stumbling to a halt, my tears flow as I stare at the ground in front of me. There’s something bugging me about that night. What is it? I begin walking again, hoping to clear my head. I’ve gone through that night so many times. What’s different? Come on.
People start shouting, and I clap my hands around my ears to shut them out.Shut up. Trying to think here.Air stirs my hair.Thud.What in the world? I turn around and see the shadowy outline of a head nailed to a wooden post. It’s a shooting range target. I move a few feet closer and see the hole in the center.Shit.Knees shaking, I drop to the ground. Was someone aiming at me or the target? Unsure, I stay low. Then I hear the sound of thundering feet.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a familiar voice shouts at me. I look up and see the guy who escorted me to the cafeteria yesterday. What was his name? Gabriel?. “You could have been killed. Did you not read the fucking sign?”
What sign? “Are they still shooting?” I ask shakily.
“What?” he spits back, then exhales loudly. “They’re… taking a break. Did you not see the sign?”
“No. What sign?”
He practically throws his arm out of the socket, pointing to a red sign hanging on the fence about two hundred feet away. “The big fucking sign that says ‘Stop. Gun range. Shooting in progress.’”
Right. Lesson learned. Watch out for signs. “Missed it.” I’m sure he’s wondering how someone could miss a sign that big, but I don’t enlighten him. “Thanks, Gabriel.”
He reaches down, grabs my arm, and pulls me to my feet. “It’s Gabe. I know you’re new, but you need to take this seriously.” Folding his arms across his chest, his brows lower into a stern look. “You’re damn lucky he missed.”
“I never miss.” A guy with white-blond hair sweeping across his forehead, a tattoo sleeve, scruff for days, and brilliant blue eyes strolls up. My height, but a little leaner, he stops in front of me. His hand, also tattooed, fingers my hair. “Although, surprisingly, I might have been off by an inch. Maybe the scope is off… or perhaps it’s fate?”
“You’re the one who shot at me?” I ask coolly, unimpressed with his casual admission.
I scan the length of him. Ragged jeans with holes in the knees. Combat boots. Black T-shirt. Probably doesn’t care that he scared the crap out of me.
He laughs. “Not a chance. I shot at the target. You stepped into the bullet’s path. Good thing you didn’t die. I hate to do paperwork.” His eyes sweep across my face. “You were crying. Must have been why you didn’t see the sign.”
Thanks, Captain Obvious, I mentally scream, but instead I lift my chin and quietly assure him, “I’ll make sure to stay away from this area in the future.”
Blondie shakes his head. “Unfortunately for you, you’re in my afternoon class. Make sure you’re on time. Two p.m.” He turns and motions for Gabriel and the small crowd gathered around us to move back. “I’m Jax, by the way. I’ll be teaching you how to use all sorts of weapons.” His walk toward the cover at the far end of the field is pure swagger, but my eyes linger on every step he takes. He’s almost there when he turns around and waves, catching me staring.
If there was a wall close by, I’d bang my head on it. Repeatedly.
* * *
Walking slowly down the hallway,I peek around the entrance to Beckett’s office and see the interior door closed and the light on. River’s gone, too. I look up at the clock. Fifty minutes have passed since I ran out of here. My tablet and the two pieces of paper are sitting on the coffee table. I pick them up and quietly walk out of the office.
Great. I missed one class, and my power class started ten minutes ago. There’s no way I’m disrupting the class so everyone can stare at the new girl. I’ll wait and go to the next one. With a sigh, I walk outside and find a bench in the sun.
Miserable and adrift without Lionel’s comforting presence, I sit there contemplating the past. What if Beckett was right and my powers manifested that night? Everything happened so fast. I don’t even remember all the details. Like how did I escape the car and my parents didn’t? Water wouldn’t have helped me. Did my dad use his power? I lean my head back, wishing I could remember.
