Emotionally Charged Page 3

  Once off the plane at the airport, I spotted a payphone while Emma was spending fifteen minutes freshening up in the ladies room and Jake was arranging the valet for his car. I really should call my parents. My phone battery was way too low, but I had some change in my wallet and had one of my parent’s numbers memorized. My mom’s cell. When I rang, it went straight to voicemail. Network mustn’t be back up at home yet. After the beep, I had no idea what to say either. How could I sum up the events that brought me there?

  “Umm, hey, it’s me, I’m fine. Don’t worry, everything is fine and I’ll call you again soon to explain.” I hung up, hoping they’d get the message soon. I worried about them being worried, but then Emma was back and Jake was there again too and my whole world turned sunny again.

  If the flight was decadent, their house was something from a fairy tale. Not a house. An abso-frikkin’-amaze-balls mansion. Not too old-fashioned, not too modern. Perfectly classy. It was mid-morning by the time we got there and the sun sparkled off the building like a dream. I wonder which one of them has the trust fund. Probably all of them.

  At first sight of the mansion, all I could do was splutter like I’d spontaneously learned another language. “Ung, thas, wha?”

  This was luxury on a level I’d never imagined. No, that wasn’t true. It was luxury on the level I daydreamed about every day but never dared think I’d experience. I’d fallen in with a group of super-powered superstars and felt more than a little afraid at how I was meant to fit in. If I was meant to fit in. Who knew how long they’d want me around?

  “Does anyone else live here?” I asked, when the English language had returned to me.

  “Just us. Service staff come and go. A cleaner and a gardener. Oh, and a cook, of course.” Jake pulled his car up at the front steps and we all unloaded. His gorgeous sporty wheels looked right at home parked out the front of this place.

  “Of course,” I whispered.

  Jake threw a duffle bag over his shoulder from the trunk of the car and made an “after you” gesture with his other hand.

  I took a tentative step toward the wide front doors. Emma grabbed my hand and dragged me at a run. “You’re going to have the room next to mine. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

  I get a room? For how long? Something felt twisted and defiant, deep down inside me, but this was obviously what I wanted. I wanted to be here, with other empaths, with Jake, with all of this magnificence. I was probably just hesitant because everything was happening so fast.

  Emma’s tour was informal at best. She dragged me fast-paced down wide halls that mostly looked the same to me, with walls painted stark white and floor-to-ceiling windows showing a view of the sea.

  “Garage is downstairs that way. Living rooms and all the general stuff through there, but there’s a second lounge area back that-away. Kitchen is ’round there; it’s near my room, so that means it will be near your room! The boys’ rooms are all off down that hall in the other wing.” She pointed in vague directions. Even if she’d stopped and showed me each one, I was sure I’d get lost in there anyway.

  “Whose place is this?” I asked.

  “It’s a serviced rental. We kind of move around a lot. I think Jake’s planning another move soon.”

  “Oh?” I asked nonchalantly as my heart sank.

  “Or he was before we picked you up.” She grinned at me. “I hope we get to stay here a bit longer now. This is our best place yet.”

  “It must be so nice, travelling around, going on adventures, helping people.” I cringed and smiled bashfully at Emma. “So, that sounded lame. But I won’t lie — you guys are my new idols. How did you all get together?”

  Emma twirled and started walking backward to look at me while she talked. “Jake and Jamie are brothers. You probably noticed.”

  I nodded and followed along after her. They had that brotherly vibe, as well as being like different-sized versions of each other.

  “They’ve been doing this gig most of their lives. I guess the whole ’path thing runs in families sometimes, or whatever causes it can hit siblings or people growing up closely together. We don’t really know what it’s all about. We just know we have it and it’s cool.” Emma flicked her hair as if to emphasize the coolness.

  I had to agree, but had hoped they’d have more info to share on this ‘whole ’path thing.’

  Emma kept talking. “So anyway, Jake and Jamie found Donny first. None of us know much about Donny. He’s the quiet type. But a good guy. That’s when they realized there really were other people like them out there, outside their family, and made more of an effort to look. Wasn’t long after that they found me. At a funeral, would you believe it?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. Who had died? Were the deceased and Emma... close?

  Emma kept smiling, despite the flash of grief and guilt coming from her. “Then it’s been, like, forever, with just us. I’ve been wishing for another girl on the team. And here we are. Ta-da!” Emma swung a door open and gave me a nudge into the room with her hip. “Nice?”

  I shook my head. Not nice. Incredible. There was a king-sized modern four-poster bed with billowy sheer white drapes. Wide-screen wall-mounted television. Doors to what I imagined were a walk-in-robe and en suite. Wide bay windows. Ocean view. A balcony. I panted a little.

  “I know, right?” She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze, sharing in the excitement. “I told you you’d love it here. I called ahead and got Ms. Penny to set the room up for you while she was cleaning. You probably want a shower after being up all night. I know I do. There’ll be towels in the bathroom, and you can borrow shampoo and stuff from my bathroom next door. Help yourself to whatever you like.”

  Emma opened the door and showed me the en suite. The other door was a walk-in closet, empty except for a bathrobe and slippers. I was suddenly conscious that I only had one set of clothes with me—the ones I was wearing.

  I compared my average, straight-up-and-down figure to Emma, who was tall and impossibly curvy for her slim frame. She was dressed like a celebrity’s supermodel girlfriend, in a tight leather skirt and deep-necked dress-shirt and high heels. I doubted she’d have much that would fit me, let alone suit me.

  “I didn’t pack,” I muttered, dazed. I didn’t do anything other than get on a plane without planning. I sat down hard on the bed, opposite the doorframe where a small white box was mounted. What was that? Where were the phones? I hadn’t even told my parents where I was going. What was I doing? I didn’t think things through very well. My skin turned clammy.

  “Honey, we’ll buy you whatever you need. You’re special, like us; you can have whatever you want. And now I have a girl to go shopping with! We are going to buy you so much stuff.” Emma came and sat next to me. She put her arm over my shoulder and squeezed. “You okay? Oh, you’re probably coming down from the buzz. That would have been your first major use of the powers, right?”

  “Is this what happens? I feel like I don’t know anything yet. Do I need training or something?” I flopped back onto the bed, my feet still dangling over the edge.

  “We don’t really do the training thing. More like learn on the job. It mostly comes naturally anyway.”

  “So it just happens? Or do I need to make it happen?”

  “A bit of both. Some of the power kicks in naturally, but you can focus to absorb even more.” Emma lay back on the bed as well, propped up on one elbow. Her hair fell around her like a curtain and smelled of raspberries. “It’s like when someone is feeling a strong emotion, it sort of floods out of them. Like the human mind—or heart, I don’t know—can’t hold so much feeling inside.” She made her hand into a fist and placed it on her chest. “Ever felt like that? Like your emotions are more than you can stand? It’s that excess we can tap into. I mean, emotions are powerful, right?”

  I put a hand on my own chest, mirroring her. “When those looters came at me, I managed to protect myself, sort of. They were so angry and it was like their energy rushed in
to me, and I moved faster than I’d thought I could. And I should have bruises and cuts, but I don’t.”

  Emma shifted down onto her back as well and punched her hands at the air above her. “It’s bad ass, right? Hate sets up our bodies to fight, gives us strength and healing. Excitement gives us energy. Fear speeds us up. There’s obviously a lot of overlap with emotions so it all gets a bit fuzzy.”

  “What about other emotions? Sadness?”

  “Ick. Avoid sad people. Despair is just useless.” Emma stuck her tongue out like she’d tasted expired milk.

  “Love?”

  “Aw, you’re cute! I wouldn’t go holding out to experience tapping into true love if I were you. Lust is where the power’s at.” She winked at me and I blushed.

  Emma’s pocket started pinging and she tugged out her phone from the skin-tight skirt. “It’s Jake. Ooh, another job already?”

  Wow. This place was so big, they texted each other inside.

  “Come on. Let’s go get the info.” She grabbed me by the hand and we were off again. I was caught up in a red-headed whirlwind and her enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself giggling at how lost I was when we reached a lounge room lined with bookshelves where the guys waited.

  The boys had showered, and somehow, they looked even more handsome than they had before. It made me self-conscious of the scent of overnight flight I wore. Jake had changed into a tight black tee under a leather motorbike jacket. I barely noticed the other two guys who stood either side of him. It was as though their hotness just enhanced Jake’s. Side-kicks beside the most powerful superhero.

  He smiled at me and I felt like I was in the right place again.

  “What is it?” Emma bent at the knees and sprang up like an excited child.

  “I’ll tell you on the way. We have to leave right now if we’re going to get anything done. Livvy, I’m sorry to do this to you, but we really can’t miss this one. I’d bring you along, but it’s too dangerous for someone so fresh.”

  My inner voice whined like a little puppy being left home alone. I didn’t understand why they couldn’t even tell me where they were going or what they were doing. Paranoia scratched at the corner of my brain. Jake patted me on the shoulder and all my worries floated away. Don’t be selfish, Livvy. They’ve just got important hero stuff to do. “Yeah, I understand. Umm... what should I do?”

  “Get settled in, cleaned up, relax. Ms. Penny left after her morning rounds but Sophie, our cook, is in, so feel free to call the kitchen on the intercom for whatever you need and she’ll help you out.” Jake pointed at an intercom near the door. I had seen one like it in my room too, but I hadn’t known what it was at the time.

  “Take a car into town if you like, or just hang here. We’ve got all the channels,” Jamie added, and they headed to the door and down the hall.

  Emma popped her head back in. “I’ll take you shopping tomorrow, I promise!”

  I nodded and remained planted in the room as their footsteps faded.

  My first move was to inspect the intercom, and press the button labelled ‘Kitchen’.

  A husky woman’s voice buzzed out of the box. “This is Sophie.”

  “Hi, um, I’m Livvy.” I paused, embarrassed.

  “Hi, love. What can I do for you?”

  “I think I’m lost.”

  Chapter Six

  Sophie managed to find me from my description of the room in which I had been left, and gave me a slightly more formal tour than Emma’s. The house layout was actually well structured and not nearly as daunting as I’d first believed. She made me a range of cute brunch-style snacks that looked like they were from a fancy restaurant and left me to explore.

  It had been so good spending last night with them all. A bond had formed between us, and it was as if I really belonged. A secure contentedness had made me glow and want to stay with them forever.

  Now I was on my own, hours from home. I felt like an intruder here without the team. I kept feeling confused, concerned about how I’d ended up here and what I’d left behind. Like a pair of uninformed parents, and my phone charger. My phone lay lifeless on the bed.

  The day was getting on. Even if Trevor had assumed I went home, or my parents had assumed I’d stayed longer at the shelter, sooner or later one would contact the other and there would be trouble. What was I thinking? My parents must be freaking out.

  I attempted to turn on my phone, hoping for a last scrap of power, but it didn’t respond, and there were no cables of the right kind in the house. Even Sophie had left her phone at home, and this palace seemed to be designed for room-to-room communication only with no visible landline. And with Jake off who knew where for who knew how long, getting home again was off the cards as well, for now. I felt stuck. Almost trapped.

  I filled my stomach, took a shower, and put my dirty clothes back on, feeling apprehensive and, well... flat-out grouchy. Angry at myself for getting into this situation. Upset at being left alone.

  To fill the time until the team returned, I decided to find the garage.

  I never found it.

  Instead, I stumbled across what had to be a prestige car showroom. When Jamie said to take a car, I didn’t realize what sort of selection he meant. They had six cars between them, each of which probably cost as much as six ordinary cars, or, you know, a house. I barely recognized the badges, except ones like Maserati, and I only knew that one from TV shows about rich people.

  I buzzed Sophie in the kitchen again and told her I’d be going for a walk. I didn’t have a driver’s license yet—thanks again to my parents’ no-car policy—and even if I did, the stress of scratching up one of those cars could turn me prematurely gray.

  But I did want to get out of that place. The big building left me at a loss without the others around, and I was never very keen on watching TV alone. On screen, I saw changes in the faces of the actors, but they lacked energy or the connection I felt in real life.

  I figured I’d head into town and kill time at a cinema. While TV left me cold, I always loved going to the movies. I guess I understood why now. My empath abilities couldn’t pick up emotions across a small screen, but they could pick up the vibe of a room of people sitting in the dark, all feeling the same thing.

  Sophie asked if I’d be needing dinner. I still had twenty bucks cash on me, so I said I’d find something while I was out. I hoped I’d also find a pay phone. She gave me the visitor’s security code for the keypad entry to get back in and I headed off. I felt almost surprised, and relieved, that I was allowed to leave. Was I being paranoid or what?

  The mansion was at the top of a hill, and a long, winding road led down into town, past a few other mansion-like estates perched on the rocky cliff-side, overlooking the sea. A salty breeze from the ocean pushed at my back.

  Sophie had given me directions to the cinema and it proved easy to find. I bought my ticket but was disappointed when I went in and was the only person there. It proved more depressing than watching TV.

  By the time the movie was over, it had grown dark, and so had my mood. I found myself wandering aimlessly through the unfamiliar town, trying to get my thoughts in order. I questioned how long I’d been wandering but had no way to check the time. I’d made my way into an area where every second storefront was boarded up and layered in crude graffiti.

  Despite the lofty elite on the hillside, the town looked like it had seen better days. It made my hometown look downright posh with its little boutique shops like Mom’s.

  Mom.

  I swallowed hard. Mom and Dad must have been frantic. I hadn’t found a pay phone that hadn’t been vandalized and was no longer functioning. I dreaded making the call to my parents even if I did have a way. I had no idea what I’d tell them, or how much trouble I’d be in.

  I tried not to beat myself up too much. I’d just had some life-changing events take place. I was fine, and I’d let them know as soon as I could.

  It was fine. They’d be fine. Everything was fine.


  Who am I kidding? I went missing during a natural disaster. There was probably an amber alert out on me.

  I’ve stuffed up big time when I really need my parents to be okay with this.

  I needed to be able to tell them that my dreams were coming true and I had to follow them. Could they be okay with that? With me staying with the team? I would have been off to college in a year anyway... now I didn’t even know if I was going back to school. I had no idea what was ahead of me, but it wasn’t as though college had an Empath 101 course I could take. But still, how did working with these guys equate to money? Earning a living? Or would their trust fund look after me?

  Shaking my head, I decided I needed to stick with Jake and the team. Regardless of anything else, I trusted Jake. One way or another, I felt that he’d look after me. It was why I was here, despite it seeming completely crazy.

  While my mind did loop-de-loops trying to justify my actions, a sound caught my attention. A range of noises reminding me all too clearly of my confrontation with the looters—taunting, laughing, the sounds of anger and hard objects thudding against flesh.

  It came from a side street up ahead.

  My pace slowed. If someone was in trouble, maybe I could do something. It wouldn’t be like last night. Surely I could use my powers properly, now I knew what they were.

  I wasn’t the old me anymore. Now, I was superhero princess me. Awesome Olivia was there to help.

  I approached the side street carefully, going over the pros and cons in my head. No chance to call the cops this time. My flat phone had been left back in my room. If I did this, I’d have to do it with caution. I’d have to be clever. Jake hadn’t mentioned secret identities yet and I didn’t see the other guys wearing costumes, but I assumed it was best not to flaunt my powers.