The Wanderers Beginning: The Wanderers, Reborn, & Unforgiven (138 page)

             
“Here honey, this is for you.” She handed me a small purple pouch. I pulled the strings open and dumped out the contents. “It’s an ankle bracelet,” she said as I held it out. “I picked it up at one of the Indian reservations I was at.”

             
It was off white with blue and purple ribbon braided into the cord. “I love it Gran, thanks.”

             
“What’s the matter bumble bee?”

             
Without even saying a word, Gran always knew when there was something wrong. “I just don’t think I’m ready to go back and face everything.”

             
“Oh sweetie, from what you told me, I don’t think there’s anything you can’t handle.”

             
I smiled and hugged her tight. “I’m so glad I got to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

             
“I know dear, but you know you can call or write anytime. I might not get back to you right away, but you know I will always be here for you whenever I can.”

             
“I know,” I said, pulling back. “So does this anklet have any cool powers?” I asked, hopeful.

             
“No sweetie,” she smiled. “Just decoration, but you don’t need any more powers. I see your father has given you my bracelet. He was supposed to give it to you on your eighteenth birthday, but better late than never.”

             
“Oh, that’s right. I can’t believe I almost forgot. Dad thinks there’s something wrong with it.”

             
She looked at me doubtful and examined the bracelet anyways to humor me. “Seems okay to me,” she shrugged. “Why would he say there’s something wrong with it?”

             
“Well, see, I added my own charm to it and when I did, it blasted me in to the closet.”

             
“Oh dear, what did you put on it?”

             
I pointed to Josie’s heart charm. “It was Josie’s. I gave it to her when we were younger.”

             
“I remember this,” she smiled, twirling the charm in her fingers. “You two had me travel to several different stores to find all the charms you wanted.”

             
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” I smiled sheepishly.

             
She squeezed my shoulder and then kissed my temple. “It’s okay. It was worth it to spend all that time with my favorite granddaughter.” She looked back at the charm and scrunched her brow. “Did anyone else have this?”

             
“Do you mean the charm?” She nodded. “Not that I know of. Dean said he found it in Josie’s jewelry box.”

             
“Where was it before you put it on the bracelet?”

             
“I attached it to Tristan’s watch. What does that have to do with anything?” I looked at her puzzled. “I think you should double check and make sure it’s still working right,” I said, holding out my wrist.

             
“Ella honey, there’s nothing wrong with it,” she smiled, patting my hand.

             
“But then why did it do that when I put the heart charm on it?”

             
“Because of the power of the heart charm,” she said simply.

             
“But there isn’t any power in it,” I said, shaking the charm.

             
“None that you can see,” she laughed. “Ella, you alone possess the power. The power from within you is what blessed this charm. The love you share for your friends is what made it act that way.”

             
“Wait, because I love my friends it blasted me across the room?”

             
“Because of the intent,” she said kindly. “The love that you share is so strong, it overpowered everything. It was too much. So I guess it kind of had a little kick back.”

             
“A little, it threw me across the room.”

             
“You do have a big heart and a lot of power and someday you’ll learn how to control both.”

             
I rolled my eyes and laid my head in her lap exasperated. “I’m getting tired of people telling me how powerful I am and how big my heart is,” I sighed.

             
“Would you rather we lie?” she teased.

             
“Maybe that’s why my heart keeps getting broken. It’s too big.”

             
“There’s nothing wrong with having a big heart. You just have to learn how much of it you should give away and to who,” she said, while stroking my hair. “Ella, do you remember anything else strange happening with the bracelet?”

             
I thought for a minute, but nothing came to mind. “No, why?”

             
“Just checking,” she said, letting out a small breath. I laid there with her, my head in her lap, until I feel asleep.

When I woke up in the morning there was a letter next to my pillow. I froze for a second afraid to read it.

             
My precious bumble bee,

You gave me great joy being able to spend the past two days with you. I forgot how beautiful you are inside and out. I have never been so proud of you and I know whatever you do you will amaze us all. Never let anyone tell you you can’t do something. I believe in you Ella, always. And don’t forget to believe in yourself. You can do anything.

Love, Grandma Bea

              I placed the letter against my chest and inhaled her scent that was left on the page. The sweet smell of honey and vanilla tickled my nose. I checked my alarm clock and I had two hours before I had to leave. I decided to get up and shower to wake myself up. Oh how I missed my shower.

             
I stood under the stream, letting the water absorb into my skin. It felt so good to be in my shower again. As I washed my hair the bracelet got caught. I carefully tried to untangle the mess only to end up cutting my wrist on one of the charms.

             
I cussed to myself and looked at my wrist. It was just a small nick, but the blood was trickling down my arm as if I sliced it open. I watched it fall slowly, hypnotized. I just stared at the blood, watching it drip down. I wiped my hand over the crimson red liquid, smearing it. I saw a small flicker of blue light. I flinched, but didn’t take my eyes off of it. I flashed back to the engagement party right when Jasa asked me to be her maid of honor. Then something else, something I didn’t remember. Jasa grabbed my wrist and then pulled her arm back, holding it tight to her chest. She hissed and then when her eyes opened they were glowing.

             
I jumped, slamming my back into the tile wall, nailing my head at the same time. I knocked everything off the shelves creating a loud crash and almost slipped. I looked back at my wrist which was no longer bleeding. It didn’t even look like there was anything there to begin with.

             
I just kept staring at the nonexistent mark. Was I just imagining things? Did any of that really happen?

             
“Ella? Are you okay?” my mom called.

             
“Yeah…sorry.”

             
“What happened? What was that noise?”

             
“I accidentally knocked some stuff off the shelves.” I learned that if I danced around the truth I could lie to my mom. As long as I didn’t flat out lie, she couldn’t always tell if I was speaking the truth.

             
“Okay sweetheart. When you’re done I have breakfast for you.”

             
“Hey, mom?”              

             
“Yes?”

             
“What happened at the engagement party?”

             
“What do you mean?”

             
I decided to just keep it to myself. No use worrying her. Didn’t want her to think I was losing my mind and force me to stay home so she could smother me. “Never mind,” I said, finishing my shower.

             
After I dried my hair and got dressed, I met everyone downstairs for breakfast. I couldn’t stop staring at Jasa wondering if I imagined it or not. Dean noticed and projected to me,
“Hey Ella, if you’re jealous about Xander marrying Jasa and not you, try to make it not so obvious by staring.”

             
“Shut up dick,”
I replied back, but in my head. Dean stopped mid bite and looked at me. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” I said out loud.

             
“What did you say?”

             
“I said, why are you looking at me?” I repeated like he was slow.

             
“No, before that.”

             
“I didn’t say anything.” He just looked at me.
“God Dean, you need to stop drinking so much,”
I said to myself.

             
“Shut up, Ella.”

             
“I didn’t say anything?”

             
“What’s going on?” my mom asked.

             
“Dean’s losing it,” I replied.

             
“No, Ella keeps saying shit, but she’s pretending she’s not.”

             
“Dean, language,” my mom chastised.

             
“Ha-ha,”
I laughed in my head.

             
Dean dropped his fork and pointed at me. “She just did it again. She laughed at me.”

             
“I think everyone is laughing at you,” I said, making Xander chuckle. Dean glared at him and then turned back to me, scrunching his brow and trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
“And he says I’m the crazy one.”

             
“I’m not crazy,” he snapped.

             
“No one said you were, but I’m sure now we’re all thinking it.”

             
Dean started snapping his fingers in the air like crazy, like he just had an epiphany. “That’s it. You were thinking it and I –” Xander coughed and nodded toward Jasa and the conversation ended just as quickly as it began.

             
After breakfast Dean pulled me aside. He gripped my arm and stared at me. “Why do you look like you’re constipated?” I asked.

             
“I’m concentrating, ass.” He stood there, looking like he had to poop. It took everything I had not to laugh. Having enough I shook my head and walked away.
“Why does my family have to be so weird?”

             
“If anyone in this family is weird it’s you,” he said and I snapped back around.

             
“Wait, how did you…?”

             
“Because you just said it.” He rolled his eyes.

             
“I didn’t say it out loud.” He stopped and turned around, then slowly walked over to me. “Wait, you can read minds?”

             
“No. I tried it at breakfast and I couldn’t get anything, but I think you can now project thoughts,” he sighed.

             
“Are you serious?” A wide smile spread across my face.

             
“That would explain why only I could hear you and no one else and I’m not losing it,” he narrowed his eyes at me.

             
I laughed. “How do you know for sure?”

             
“Let’s test it out. Call Cameron.” I took out my cellphone. “Not on the phone. And you call me a moron.” I glared at him. “Project to her,” he said.

             
I gave it a shot. I projected to Cameron or so I thought. When it didn’t work I tried screaming at her in my head. Dean gripped the sides of his head and covered his ears. “Stop yelling!”

             
“Sorry, wait, you heard me?”

             
“Yes, maybe you weren’t thinking right. Picture her. Picture her long, soft brown hair. Her big beautiful, steel gray eyes and the way –” I cleared my throat. “Well, you get the picture,” he said looking away. I eyed him skeptically before I tried again. Like he said I tried to picture Cameron in my head and projected a thought to her.

             
When nothing happened I sighed. “It’s not working. Maybe I can only do it with you because you can too.”

             
“Or maybe it only works with family. Try mom or Xander.”

             
“Why not dad?”

             
“Because he can project thoughts too. You want to try someone who can’t.”