Legacy (23 page)

You were, but then there was this flash of energy…

Gah! I scrunched my eyes shut and shielded. This was a private, Trevor-and-me thing. I didn’t want to talk about it with someone else. I could see the pamphlet now:

There comes a time in a telepathic relationship when you’ll feel the urge to connect as pure energy. This feeling is normal.

Maddie?

I dropped the shield.
Yeah. It’s just that…well, it’s so…intense. We’re pretty private about it.
I gave a quick laugh and rolled my eyes.
At least we try to be. Sorry about this morning.

Not a problem. You know how it is—we see all kinds of personal stuff. It’s just part of the whole telepathy thing.

You’re doing really well this time.

Ann shrugged.
It feels easier now. Maybe it’s the lower dose. And the nastiest charms at Ganzfield are gone. Since the—since this spring, I guess—the place has a lot less of that terrible, cruel feeling now.

Although everyone’s still scared.

Not so much in this group, though.
She waved a hand in the direction of the new building. Excited voices echoed out to us.

And yet, we’re the ones Isaiah is probably coming after
.
Ironic, huh?

But you can shield Trevor’s mind from Isaiah, right?

I nodded.
And he’s stopped bullets to protect me.

So, your special connection—?

I blushed again.
Probably related to the thing you felt from us this morning.

I wonder—
She began to flush, too, and didn’t finish framing the thought. She didn’t have to.

Maybe. If Zack—if Zack’s the right one for you, you might be able to
. My face warmed even more.
It’s…well, you have to be totally open to the other. No shielding, no holding back. I don’t actually know how it works.

Ann’s eyes drifted away, as though she could see the past in the middle distance
. I didn’t want to be a minder again. I thought—I thought I wanted a normal life.

I get that now. I don’t think I could’ve stayed without Trevor. I focus on him and other people’s thoughts fade into the background.

Now all we need to do is find some girl who can shield and who can stand Seth
.

I cracked up.
I think it’d be easier to find one who can shield than to find one who can stand him.

He wants to do the right thing—

—
but he’s just so obnoxious about it!

She nodded enthusiastically.

I stopped smiling.
He’s still hurting, you know.

I know.
Pearl-grey concern bubbled up within her. Seth annoyed us, but it was like he was family—our minder-brother or something.
He felt all those people die, didn’t he?

Yeah. It was horrible. Did Zack ever talk to him? Do some of that “charm-therapy” stuff?

She shook her head.
I don’t think Seth let him try.

I sighed.
I can understand that. Zack tried to help me with the Belinda thing—

What Belinda thing?

I bit my lip.
Belinda planted some…nasty memories in Trevor’s mind. Made it so he couldn’t stop thinking about them. Seeing them—I kinda went ballistic. Zack cleared them out of Trevor’s thoughts, but…I don’t know, I just couldn’t let him mess with my head after the time he—
I cringed away from that line of thought.
But then Zack charmed Belinda into a small part of the property.

Ann winced.
Yeah, I heard her talking when they brought her past my cabin, but I stayed inside. She was…well, REALLY mad at you. Actually, she seemed pretty angry at everyone at that point.
Her memories included several harsh words she didn’t frame to me.

I haven’t seen her since, although half the male population of Ganzfield seems to have Belinda sex memories.

THAT’S who that was? I just thought they’d all been watching the same porn.

We laughed.
Nope. She’s really twisted, but Jon thinks she’s too useful.

He’s not—?

No. I sort of asked. I don’t think he’s felt that way about anyone since Elise.

Ann grew sad.
You know, she was like a mom to me before she died.

I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.

Isaiah—he killed my parents. Jon and Elise took me in when I was six. Then Isaiah killed Elise. I was thirteen. She’d gone down to D.C. to charm someone in the State Department who’d found out about Ganzfield. Isaiah followed her onto a Metro train and gave her a stroke. She died in seconds. Jon saw him in the minds of two of the witnesses he tracked down. I’ve seen his memories.

I’m so sorry,
I repeated, knowing there was nothing else to say.

If you get the chance, Maddie, please—

Cold slivered through me, but I nodded as I met her eyes.
I’ll end him. I promise.
I wanted to kill Isaiah for what he’d done to so many families. To Trevor. To Ann. He’d ruined
so many
lives. I felt a surge of righteous wrath, which quickly morphed into a shudder as I remembered the feel of his oily-black killing energy spreading through my mind. What would he do when he came for us? Would we be ready? Did I really stand a chance against him?

Ann seemed to shake herself.
So much for girl-talk, huh?

I laughed breathlessly, feeling a little queasy.
Well, if two telepaths can’t silently discuss killing their shared mortal enemy using only their minds, I just don’t know what we’d have left to talk about! Do you want to practice shielding now?
Maybe I should, as well…

Actually, I want to seek out my charming, mysterious, could-be boyfriend right now.

I felt a wave of Trevor-longing, myself.
Let’s go find out what all the shouting is about.

“ARENA FIREBALL, baby!” Drew yelled in greeting.

A series of skylight panels near the roof peak let in a portion of the afternoon sun. At either end of the building, two rectangles looked like they’d been drawn on the siding with charcoal, and several scorch marks already marred the walls.

There goes our security deposit.

Ann edged along the wall to Zack. He leaned against the side, watching with interest and keeping out of the way. Ann’s heart seemed to leap as she laced her fingers with his. Even with my pathetic face-reading ability, I didn’t miss the way Zack lit up. Against the far wall, Hannah sat in the corner and read a book, ready to heal the inevitable burns. She gave a vague wave in our direction, but her eyes never left the page.

Trevor played goalie at the far end of the building. Fireball rules were basically the same as soccer, played by using the sparks’ abilities to move a burning sphere with their minds. I’d seen enough games over the past few months that I even knew many of the players’ favorite moves.

Trevor and Drew faced the combined team of Harrison, Dave, Ellen, Mel, and Jonah. Jonah had the “ball”—a bunch of burning rags tied to a lopsided wire frame—hovering over him. He kept it above him as he ran, passing quickly to Mel, who made the shot. Trevor caught the ball in his invisible grasp, and then lobbed it the length of the building where it hit the wall just inside the rectangle of the far goal.

Drew let out a whoop in Harrison’s face. “That’s twelve to three, baby bro! We are DESTROYING you!”

Harrison grinned as he flipped a rude gesture back at him.

I edged over to be near Trevor. I knew he sometimes played Fireball, but his ability gave him such an advantage that he usually didn’t. The telekinetic portion of their ability was the most difficult for the sparks. To Trevor, it was easy, so it took a lot of the fun out of playing.

Totally unfair,
I teased.
You should play with one invisible arm tied behind your back.

I am,
he admitted with a rueful grin
. But don’t tell them.

I laughed.
Maybe I should send you distracting images.

With Ann here?
He caught the ball as it flashed at the goal over his head. “Drew!” he yelled as he lobbed the ball to his position. Ellen and Dave promptly double-teamed him.

I glanced over to where Ann and Zack stared into each other’s eyes, oblivious to the ball of fire whooshing around in front of them.
Not a problem.
I wondered if they’d notice a bomb going off.

You’re okay with that?
He indicated the two of them.

It’s different from how Rachel and Sean were. Ann and Zack are both shielding. I’m not forced into voyeurism against my will.

The ball flashed directly at Trevor’s head. He blocked the shot and the ball bounced loose and rolled across the cement floor, leaving a sooty, uneven trail.

Where’d you get the ball?

We found a bunch of wire coat hangers in Hannah’s trailer closet. And Drew sacrificed a t-shirt
.

The game continued until the score was fifteen-four. Trevor begged off a rematch, and the sparks divided in more equal numbers for the second game. We slid down to sit against the wall in the corner opposite Hannah and watched the sparks play.

The sound of a helicopter approaching jolted the action to a halt. Icy shards of fear filled the sparks as the chop of the rotors fanned terrible memories to life. I strained to hear the thoughts of the approaching people.

Ann had the range advantage, so she relaxed first. “It’s just Martin Martinson. He had a meeting in the City.”

The City. That reminded me—I hadn’t heard back from Coleman. I checked my phone and found that he’d sent me a message this morning.

Call me.

I rolled my eyes. Coleman
knew
I couldn’t talk.

Would you?
I asked Trevor.

Sure.
He took the phone from my hand as soon as I’d speed-dialed Coleman’s direct line. I still thought it was funny that I had my
lawyer
on speed-dial—just like all seventeen-year-old girls.

“Nick Coleman.” The speakerphone gave his voice a tinny resonance.

“Hi, Nick. This is Trevor Laurence, translating for Maddie Dunn. You asked her to call you?”

“Oh, right! I didn’t consider her speech issue when I sent that message. Sorry about that; I should’ve said ‘contact me.’ I wanted to go over the documents that she requested before I sent them to her to sign.”

“Actually, that’s extremely convenient. I’ll be flying out this weekend for my next…treatment. I know that at least two other, um, Ganzfield alumni are planning to come out from New York with me, as well. I can bring the papers for signatures then. Let me just make sure I have things the way she wants them.”

“Go ahead.” Trevor looked at me quizzically.
What’ve you been up to now?

“It’s pretty straightforward. Primary beneficiary: Trevor Laurence. Also bequeathing $750,000 to her mother, Nina Dunn, and a trust in the same amount for the child of Rachel Fontaine and Sean McFee, with Ms. Fontaine as the trustee.”

I nodded.
That sounds right.

“I’ll bring out the paperwork when I come. I also took the liberty of drawing up the papers to give Maddie emancipated minor status so the will and trust will be valid, even though she won’t be eighteen until next year. If that’s all right, I’ll have the judge sign them tomorrow.”

Trevor didn’t respond.

“Still there?”

“Yeah, that’ll be fine.” Trevor distractedly passed along my affirmative nod. He hung up without saying goodbye and pulled me bodily from the building.

He turned to me as soon as we were outside.
What was that about?

My will.

And you put me in—

For just under three million dollars.

Why?

If anything happens to me I want you to have it.

Trevor’s mind felt like it was about to erupt.
Maddie? “If anything happens to you?” Do you realize that I wouldn’t want—that I don’t think I could stand to—
“I’m
not
living without you.” Anguish snaked through his gut at the thought of it.

I hugged him close, trying to quell the twists of fear that slithered through me.
If you commit suicide, I’ll kill you
.

Not funny.

Not meant to be. Okay, maybe a little. But seriously, don’t you DARE. What if I have to fake my death at some point?

What?
He looked at me with raised eyebrows.
You think you might have to…to fake your death?

I shrugged.
We did it once already, remember? It happens. Promise me you’ll go on, even if I’m not there; even if you’re sure I’m dead. If I’m not, I’ll come find you as soon as I can. If I am, then…well, try to be okay again.

Wait. In what reality is this a normal conversation?
He shook his head and relaxed as the absurdity hit him.

I smiled.
If you wanted normal, you shouldn’t have fallen for me.
I could’ve pushed for his promise at that moment, but he was no longer upset so I decided to let it slide.