Page 56 of Bound By Water
For the next thirty minutes, I put Talia in different holds. She does well. I’ll definitely ask her to join us. Fast thinker and light on her feet. Plus, I believe she has the ability to control air and wind. Very useful.
“Okay, let’s break up into pairs,” I tell them, gesturing to the area around us. “One person will practice the holds, and the other will try to escape. In fifteen minutes, we’ll trade off.”
The young electro immediately walks up to Greer, and I see her smile in return. She points to an area in the gym, and they walk over to the spot. Interestingly, she takes on my role and puts him into a chokehold first. I watch him easily get out of it by following the techniques I taught them. Forcing my gaze to leave her, I walk around and slowly correct a hold or escape as needed. The whole time, my attention constantly drifts back to Greer and electricity boy.
David, that’s his name,I mentally snap, irritated at my lack of detail.
Finally, I get around to where they’re practicing and stop to watch them. All the laughing and joking ceases when they realize I’m watching. With a cough, David gestures for Greer to turn around so he can put her in a hold. She reluctantly presents her back to him.
He places her in a rear chokehold. She dips her chin and quickly escapes. Much faster than I anticipated. Maybe there is more to her defensive skills.
Intrigued, I decide to keep watching. They go through a few more, and she easily escapes each time. At first, I think he’s letting her off the hook, but the longer I watch, the more I realize she has actual skills. Maybe Lionel taught her. That would make sense. Last hold.
David turns to face Greer, and I watch as her breathing increases. She’s nervous about this one. He raises his hands and wraps them around her neck. Greer freezes, then shakes her head. Her expression changes to fear, and her movements become desperate. Her hands come up, and she beats against David’s arms, but he remains firm.
Her eyes glaze over, and she raises her hands high, bringing them together in a circle. She looks up, and I follow, but there’s nothing above her. I move to stop the exercise, but water suddenly shoots out of the bottles next to me, and I jump back.
“Greer! Snap out of it,” I order her in a hard voice, but it doesn’t pierce the barrier of the nightmare she’s reliving. “David, let her go and back up.” I’m hoping the removal of his hands helps her return to the present.
Eyes wide, David releases Greer and steps back several feet.
I move to her side and stroke a hand down her back. “It’s okay, Greer. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” Water flies toward me, and I incinerate it with my fire. Hissing fills the air, and the faintest of smoke rises along with it. Greer pauses at the sound, then lifts her left hand and sends another stream of water at me. She’s locked in the nightmare. The energy surrounding her increases exponentially.
With a grunt, I let the water hit, then spin her around, and clasp my arms around her in a chokehold, trapping her hands inside it. “Listen to my voice. You’re safe. Release your powers.” If she doesn’t snap out of it, I’m going to have to put her to sleep.
“Please,” she whimpers. “I’ve never done anything to you. Why do you want to kill me?” Her voice trails off as her hands continue to weave intricate patterns with the water. Fists clenching, she pulls the air taut as if a rope is in her hands.
After watching her movements for a minute, I realize what she’s unconsciously doing. She’s recreating a scene. I watch every motion and slowly realize what she’s done.Damn it.I lean in close. “Greer. It’s Quaid. You’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”
“You promise?” Her voice is barely a whisper, but the fear in her tone is high.
“Nobody will hurt you,” I assure her, tempering the anger in my voice. I want to know who attacked her. No wonder she’s suppressing her power. She’s terrified of it.
She shudders and sags in my arms, and I slowly release my hold. I turn her around to make sure she’s back with us. Her green eyes stare steadily back at me, clear as crystal, then drop to the floor. I reluctantly step away.
With bright red cheeks, she turns to the class. “Sorry. I got a little carried away.”
Her chuckle is forced, but few will judge her here. We’re all in this together.
After seeing their acceptance, she walks over to David. “I’m so sorry. If I’d known that would happen, I’d have warned you.”
He flashes her a wide grin. “We all have our demons, sweet pea. Don’t worry about it.” Walking over to her, he slings an arm across her shoulders. “Do you want to try again or give it a rest?”
It takes a minute, but her chin slowly rises. “Again.” She looks at me in defiance as if expecting me to say no. But getting back on the horse is the best thing she can do, so I give her a nod of encouragement. Besides, I’m too busy reining in a storm of emotions.
My phone alerts me to the time. “Okay, one more hold, then get to your next class. That’s all for today.” I watch David gently put her in a wristlock. Good choice.
Deliberately leaving them, I stride out of the gym to text Oliver. I’ve learned a few things about our little bird today. She definitely has a trigger. More interestingly … I didn’t feel her power until she used it. Then it was like a tidal wave exploding into the room. We typically feel powers, active or not, but hers is completely dormant until it isn’t. Like a switch.
When it’s on, it’s almost sentient, searching for water. But when it only found the small amounts in the water bottles, it wasn’t appeased. She wasn’t appeased. I felt her power increase. Unconsciously, she wanted more. Tried to pull it from the very air. It’s why I put her in a hold.
Someone attacked her, choked her, and she used her powers to kill him. Although she didn’t admit it, I’m absolutely sure. Lionel never mentioned it to us. Did he know? Was he afraid we wouldn’t accept her if he told us? Or did he not know? Why the secrecy?
More unsettling was the tug I felt when she used her powers. Familiar and rare. It doesn’t make sense. Why her?
CHAPTER29
WILLA / GREER
