Page 63 of Lion's Share
“But now we know,” Ben said, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. He couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to learn something so earth-shattering about yourself, but he needed to make her understand that she wouldn’t have to face this alone. “We understand the pattern, the history, the reason you’re so powerful. That has to count for something.”
Sidney nodded, but her expression remained troubled, graceful brows drawn together and her mouth taut. “It also means that Dr. Rosenthal was right about one thing. If my abilities are this strong and still developing, I really could be dangerous. What if I can’t learn to control them? What if the electromagnetic disturbances get worse instead of better?”
Ben tightened his clasp on her hand, and he could feel the way her fingers wrapped themselves around his, hanging on for dear life. “Then we’ll figure it out together,” he told her. “Your grandmother’s journals prove that the women in your family have been managing these abilities for generations. If they could do it, so can you.”
Even as he spoke, however, Ben couldn’t shake the feeling that they didn’t have much time to get this figured out. Dr. Rosenthal was still lurking somewhere in town, determined to capture Sidney and use her abilities for God only knew what.
The question was whether they could stay ahead of the federal agents long enough for Sidney to learn to control her strange gifts…or whether DAPI would find them first.
Right after they returned the journals to the box where Sidney had been keeping them — and stowed the box in the closet, just to be safe — they headed back out to the living room. By then, the sun had begun to set, casting long shadows across the street outside.
However, those shadows weren’t long enough to hide the sight of a black SUV cruising slowly down Sidney’s street, its tinted windows making it impossible to see who was inside.
“We need to go,” he said in an urgent whisper. “Now.”
They left through the kitchen window as quickly and quietly as they could, retracing their path through the neighbors’ yard and back to the forest trail. But as they disappeared into the trees, Ben couldn’t help but wonder if they’d learned enough to save themselves…or if the knowledge they’d gained would only make them more dangerous in Dr. Rosenthal’s eyes.
Chapter Nineteen
The walk back to the Henderson farm felt like the longest hike of my life, even though Ben and I had covered the same ground just a few hours earlier. Every shadow between the trees seemed to hide a federal agent, every rustle of leaves sounded like pursuit, and the weight of what we’d discovered pressed down on me like a physical force.
My grandmother’s journals had definitely changed the equation. The way a series of electromagnetic disturbances had coincided with the births in my family made me realize this all went much deeper than I’d ever imagined.
I supposed the real question was…would I be able to handle it?
“You’re quiet,” Ben said as we picked our way along the old logging road. Dusk had fallen, and out here there weren’t any streetlights to guide our way. Luckily, it wasn’t full dark yet, or we would have been forced to use the flashlight function on our cell phones to avoid tripping and possibly falling.
“Just thinking.” I stepped over a fallen branch, grateful for his steadying hand on my elbow. “I can’t get that last journal entry out of my head.”
“About the electromagnetic instability awakening your abilities?”
I nodded. “What if it’s more than that? What if the portal becoming unstable isn’t just triggering my powers — what if it’s because of my powers?”
At once, Ben frowned, although he was quiet for a moment, obviously considering my words. “You think you’re the one causing the portal instability, and not those carvings in the woods?”
We still didn’t know the true reasons for those carvings, but I thought he had a point. On the other hand, I was starting to get the feeling that the anonymous vandalism in the forest was just the tip of a very big and scary iceberg. “I think I might be connected to it in ways we don’t understand yet.” Part of me didn’t want to go on, wanted to continue to believe this was all someone else’ fault, but the situation was too dire for me to be so casually obtuse. “I mean, think about it. The electromagnetic disturbances started getting worse around the time my abilities really began to manifest. What if the women in my family aren’t just observers and guardians? What if we’re necessary to the way the portal functions somehow?”
It was a terrifying thought, but it explained so much. Why the unicorn had appeared to my great-great-great-great-grandmother in the first place…why my family had remained in Silver Hollow generation after generation, even when it would have been easier to leave and move somewhere with a lot more opportunities.
Why my grandmother had been so careful to document everything, and how both she and my mother had been careful to teach me control, even when I didn’t really understand what I was controlling.
“If that’s true,” Ben said, the words coming out slowly, as if he wanted to think each one over before it left his lips, “then leaving Silver Hollow really isn’t an option for you.”
“No, I don’t think it is.” The realization should have felt crushing, but instead, knowing the reality of the situation brought an odd sense of relief. “I think I’m supposed to be here. I think my family has been guarding this place for over a century, and now it’s my turn.”
We reached the narrow trail that would take us back to the Henderson property, and I paused to get my bearings. In the distance, I could see the warm glow of lights from the main farmhouse, a welcome beacon in the deepening darkness, and I pulled in a breath.
Not too far now.
But just as we started down the trail, a strange tingle at the back of my mind made me freeze in place.
“Ben,” I said in an urgent whisper, “someone’s out there.”
He immediately moved closer to me, his hand finding mine in the darkness. “Rosenthal’s goons?”
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on that weird little tickle, the way I’d been attempting to do when my telepathic abilities kicked in. It was getting a little easier to control, to direct my attention instead of just being overwhelmed by random mental noise.
There — just ahead and to the right. A mind focused and alert, with the disciplined mental patterns I’d begun to recognize as military or law enforcement training. But I sensed something else, something that felt like…doubt?
