The Twin Prophecies: Rebirth - Special Edition Page 11

  “Jack, I think you should ask him.”

  They were walking briskly, half a block from the school. It was important that the conversation end before they reached the building, but it was also getting too cold to slacken their pace.

  “Why me?”

  “Because you talk to Dr. Tesla more than I do. It wouldn’t seem weird coming from you. Can you slow down?”

  “No, keep up. I’m freezing.”

  Jack adjusted his backpack over the leather jacket and black hoodie he wore, and shoved his fists in the jacket pockets. Violet was a bit warmer than he in her new red peacoat. She’d gone into Little City to buy it alone with the allowance they each received every month from their parents’ insurance money. Dr. Tesla had opened bank accounts for them; each month, money was automatically deposited into their savings accounts and they were allowed a small monthly allowance for incidentals. He wouldn’t intervene unless he felt they were spending foolishly.

  Jack felt guilty about the money and refused to spend any of it unless it was absolutely necessary, like for lunch at school. Violet also felt guilty about spending it, but she was a girl and required certain toiletries that Jack didn’t. She definitely wasn’t going to ask Dr. Tesla to get them for her, and the thought of Kalina buying tampons made her laugh.

  “And,” Jack continued, “It would seem weird coming from me. He never answers my questions about The Alliance or The Trust. I want to know about my grandfathers and how they died, and he won’t tell me. “

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. He’s waiting for me to have some kind of breakthrough, I guess. He says I can’t handle it until I deal with the other things going on with me. Whatever that means.”

  “Well, break through! Have an epiphany! Cry on the couch if you have to. We need to know how many people outside of The Trust know about us. And you know, the more I think about it, it wouldn’t be so out of place for you to ask. It would just be one more thing you’re curious about as far as he’s concerned.”

  “And one more subject for him to shoot down.” Jack said.

  They reached the corner of the school’s block. Violet stopped walking and chewed her bottom lip. “You know, I bet he has files on us in his office. He has everything in that office. Remember that secret panel I told you about?”

  Jack stopped walking as well and turned to stare at Violet. “Are you insane? Are you suggesting I break into his office?”

  “Well, one of us.”

  “Whoa. Slow down there, Little Orphan Larceny. I’ll ask him, okay?”

  Violet smiled.

  “You really are like the annoying little sister I never wanted. You know that, right? Can we go now?”

  They walked the rest of the way in silence, heads down, pushing against the wind. When they reached the school’s parking lot, Violet turned to Jack and said, “Tomorrow, we take the bus.”

  He didn’t respond. He was staring past Violet. She turned to see what had his attention. A tall, blonde woman had just parked a mini-van in a handicapped parking space. She walked around to the passenger side of the van and slid the door open. Reaching inside, she pressed a button and a ramp automatically descended from inside the van. On it was a thin boy in a wheelchair.

  Students had stopped to watch, some clapping and smiling. The boy looked embarrassed but smiled back, waving for everyone to stop. His hair was cut short and his smile was lopsided, giving the impression he had a private joke playing in his head. Violet turned to Jack, who was watching the boy with a pained expression.

  “Who is that?” she asked.

  “That’s Bobby.”

  Jack walked by Dr. Tesla’s receptionist and headed straight for the office door. He ignored her warning that he wasn’t allowed because he didn’t have appointment. He turned to face her as he twisted the knob and pushed the door open with his back. Upon seeing his face, she simply said, “Oh.”

  Dr. Tesla was seated behind his desk and looked momentarily startled when Jack barged in.

  “Why aren’t you in school?”

  “You knew, didn’t you?”

  “I know a lot of things, Jack, but why you aren’t in school isn’t one of them.”

  “You knew Bobby was coming back to school and you didn’t tell me. “

  Dr. Tesla placed both of his hands flat against the desk and peered at Jack over the top of his glasses.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Have a seat.” Jack mumbled and sat in one of the chairs across from the desk. He refused to sit on the couch. He wasn’t there for a session. He was there for answers.

  “Yes, I knew Bobby would be returning to school. The school counselor called me. But I didn’t know it would be today.”

  “Well, then why didn’t you tell me?” Jack’s voice was raised. It seemed wrong to speak that way in an office that looked very much like an old library, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “I didn’t know it would be so soon. I wouldn’t have blindsided you like that, Jack.” Dr. Tesla leaned forward in his seat. “But I have to wonder, would that have changed things? Hmm? Would you have started ditching again to avoid whatever it is you’re avoiding?”

  “No, I wouldn’t have.” And Jack meant it. Having Violet at school made being there tolerable.

  “I can’t help you, if you don’t trust me. You are in pain, Jack. I’ve known it for a very long time. I am not speaking now as your therapist, but as your guardian. Let me help you.”

  Jack felt the tears falling hot against his cheeks. They felt like shame. “You… you won’t….”

  “Jack, I can help you.”

  “No. You won’t. Not when I tell you what I did. What I let happen.”

  Dr. Tesla walked to the other side of his desk and sat in the chair next to Jack. “What, Jack? What did you let happen?”

  “I let him get in the car. I knew it was going to happen and I did nothing.” Jack confessed through the tears, barely able to catch his breath between words. “I am evil, Dr. Tesla. I am in the one in the prophecy and you’ll have to kill me, too.”

  Ms. Harkin’s garden was the envy of the neighborhood. She grew exotic plants and herbs, things that most of her neighbors had never heard of. Amazingly, she was able to grow almost anything under the harshest conditions.

  Violet wore a pair of pink gardening gloves and helped Ms. Harkin dig holes for plants that were being relocated. Her fingers ached; the gloves doing little to protect them from the cold, damp soil. Despite the discomfort, Violet was truly enjoying herself.

  “Okay, I think we’re done for the day. What do you say we head inside for something hot?”

  Ms. Harkin stood, brushing dirt from her slacks and helping Violet to her feet. They left their dirty gloves by the flowerbeds and went inside. Ms. Harkins’ kitchen was small, yet cozy. It always smelled like lemon cleaner and baked goods. A wooden dining set took up most of the room and the appliances were white and pristine.

  Violet watched from the kitchen table as Ms. Harkin lit a kettle for hot cocoa and cut two slices of pound cake. It would be dark soon and she was due to meet Kalina at the house, but she didn’t want to leave. The time she spent at Ms. Harkin’s always seemed to go by too quickly. It was nice having someone to talk to about school and her changing relationship with Jack. Of course, Violet knew she couldn’t tell her everything.

  Ms. Harkin placed a dish with a slice of cake on it in front of Violet. “So, it sounds like Jack has become something of a brother to you.”

  It was true. The more time she spent with Jack, the more natural their relationship felt. She often wondered if it was the way Ashlyn felt towards Lincoln. They fell into an easy rhythm when they were together. Most times, she felt annoyed by him and protective of him at the same time. It was how she always imagined a brother and sister relationship would be.

  “I guess. It has helped knowing at least one person in school. And as sad as it sounds, it’s nice having one other person in this world that knows exactly how I feel… about almost
everything.”

  “How are things with Dr. Tesla?” Ms. Harkin asked while spooning mini-marshmallows into Violet’s mug.

  “Thank you. They’re okay. He can be a little over protective, but it’s not like he doesn’t have good reason.”

  “Oh?”

  Violet sipped from her mug to stall for time. She had no idea why she’d said that. She’d been very careful not to talk about anything supernatural around Ms. Harkin, no matter how comfortable they’d become.

  “I just meant that I think he senses how hard it is for Jack and me. The first few weeks he seemed surprised any time he came home and found that one of us hadn’t run away.”

  “You still haven’t told him about your visits here?”

  “No. It would just be one more thing for him to worry about. He’d get all psychologist on me and start talking about healthy attachments, blah, blah, blah.”

  “Sounds like you’re getting to know him pretty well, too.”

  Violet paused with the mug halfway to her lips. She grinned. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

  “Well, you’d better get going soon. I don’t want him to worry about you.”

  “You’re right. I have a session with my tutor, too. She gets cranky when I’m late.”

  After they’d eaten, Ms. Harkin walked Violet to the door. She helped her adjust her backpack over her coat and smoothed her hair.

  “You’re welcome here any time, sweetheart. Maybe next time you could bring your brother. I’d love to meet him.”

  “Thanks, Ms. Harkin. I’ll see you soon.”

  Violet was on the bus before she realized that Ms. Harkin had referred to Jack as her brother. She smiled to herself. It didn’t sound so bad.

  Violet stopped smiling almost immediately upon walking in the door. Dr. Tesla and Jack were in the living room. Jack was seated, leaning forward with his hands clasped between his open legs. He didn’t look up when she entered. Dr. Tesla sat next to him.

  “Oh, God. What now?”

  “Violet, I fear that you and Jack have not been honest with me, but I am not angry or upset with either of you. On the contrary, I blame myself. I thought the best approach would be to ease you into everything… considering all that has happened. Without all the information, you’ve obviously underestimated the situation we’ve all found ourselves in. I’m going to fix that right now and when I’m done, I’m going to ask you something, and I don’t want you to lie to me.”

  Violet thought this was all very dramatic for sneaking away to hang out in her old neighborhood, but if there was one thing she’d gotten used to living in this new reality, it was theatrics. She blew out a deep breath and sat by the fireplace.

  Dr. Tesla began. “Lincoln and Ashlyn were only slightly older than you are now when their powers first emerged.”

  “Wait.” Violet interrupted. “No virtual reality movie? No popcorn?”

  “Violet.” Jack’s voice was sharp. He shook his head, two quick movements left and right indicating Violet should give it a rest.

  “The construct is able to show us the past, due in part to advanced technology, but mainly because of magic. What I’ve shown you before were stored memories. Memories volunteered by people that actually witnessed the events. Sometimes there are gaps, but the memories are so vivid, so strong, we are able to simulate the missing pieces. The origin of the supernaturals would be one such case. We’ll have to do this one the old fashioned way: I’ll talk and you’ll listen.”

  Properly put in her place, Violet kept her mouth shut. Dr. Tesla continued. “Their mother was a very powerful witch within The Alliance. She was married to a human, Nathan Bale. He was in the military and had no idea that his wife was a witch. Therefore, he didn’t know that there was a chance he’d have teenagers with special abilities. He was killed in action overseas when the twins were fifteen. They’d spent most of their lives moving from one military town to another, but after their father died, Grace moved the family to New York City. For her entire life with Nathan Bale, Grace had pretended to be something she was not… in more ways than one. She came from money. What you may have heard referred to as ‘old money.’ She came from a long line of warlocks who were also influential politicians: senators, governors, one even running for President decades ago. She’d cut all ties to her life of money and privilege to live as a soldier’s wife.”

  “What did she do that for?” Violet asked.

  “No one knows, but once he was gone, she was welcomed back into the fold of high society like she’d never left. What she’d done was even seen as noble - giving up luxuries to live with a human, as a human, and give her children a normal life. By the time the twins were eighteen, they were fully accustomed to their new life. Their mother’s name and money afforded them a good private school education, culture, and automatic admiration and respect just because of who they were; not for anything they might have done to earn it. They’d also developed their powers far more quickly than the average witch and warlock their age. We know now that this was their mother’s doing.”

  Violet shifted in her seat and leaned forward, “So, what, she used her own magic to advance theirs?” She looked to Jack, annoyed that he didn’t seem to be more interested. He remained sitting there with a look on his face like he was going to be sick; leaving her to look like the nerdy kid in class who raised her hand at all the questions. What was wrong with him?

  Dr. Tesla managed a small smile. “You could say that, Violet. Grace used her money and resources to travel and obtain access to the darkest of magic and she taught it to the twins, but it was even more than that. The mere fact that they were twins seemed to amplify their powers. They were more powerful together than apart. I believe that all of the power and influence mixed with the magic is responsible for the path they chose.”

  “They’d also developed a reputation. Lincoln was a tall, athletic, handsome young man. He had dark hair and brown eyes, like you, Jack. He had what people call boyish good looks: deep dimples, perfect smile, quite the charmer. It wasn’t enough though that all the girls in his social circle wanted him. Lincoln was a sadist and took pleasure in… taking what he wanted. Ashlyn was, in a word, stunning; statuesque, with dark hair. She was used to getting anything she wanted and didn’t take well to being told no. It’s important that you understand their personalities because they play a key role in what powers developed and how they were used.”

  “Just as there’s no guarantee that the offspring of a witch or warlock will have powers, there is no telling what kind of powers they’ll have when they emerge, or even how many they’ll have. We do know that the powers seemed to be linked - some powers are related to touch, others mind control, and others are based on forms of transformation. They’re endless, really. That’s not to say a witch or warlock couldn’t learn other powers after studying and practice, but the powers they are born with are always the most powerful.”

  “Lincoln’s abilities were all related to touch. His first was the ability to touch someone and see a flash of their past. He used this to blackmail people into doing whatever he wanted. By the time he was twenty-two, he was a pretty successful businessman, but it was all based on intimidation and blackmail. He’d also attacked several female associates.”

  Violet shuddered. “Charming.”

  Dr. Tesla nodded. “Remember what I said about personality playing a role. Ashlyn’s powers were not based on touch. They were neurological. She was an empath. She could feel what other people felt.”

  Violet began to feel sick to her stomach. She didn’t like where this was going.

  “Later, she was able to manipulate moods and erase memories. After Lincoln would assault women, Ashlyn would remove all memory of the attacks from their minds. But the mind is only but so strong. When Lincoln would go after the same women, women who were business associates and friends, Ashlyn would wipe them – what we call memory erasure – every time. This took a toll and some started to have recollections of what Lincoln had done. They thought they
were going insane.”

  Violet gasped. “Is that what she did to Sam?’

  “Sam?” Jack asked. Violet almost forgot he was there. “Yes, the man Ashlyn tried to have killed at the hospital.” Jack nodded.

  “Yes. Sam had been wiped too many times. His mind couldn’t handle it. Once we were tipped off that the two of them were practicing dark magic, assaulting humans, and endangering our ability to remain hidden, we appealed to Grace. She pretended to be unaware of their behavior, at first. Then she claimed she couldn’t control them. She did all of this to stay close to our investigation while secretly supplying them with information on what we knew. Before we were able to stop them, the twins caused a lot of damage. They wrecked a lot of lives. They never really stood a chance with Grace for a mother. They’re the perfect example of what happens when powers go unchecked… when they’re used for the wrong reasons.”

  Dr. Tesla rose and faced both children. “I can understand the need to keep some secrets. I really can. I’m on your side, but I cannot help you, nor can I protect you, if you don’t tell me the truth. Jack has just informed that when he touches people, he sees a bit of their past and future. So, now, I must know. What can you do, Violet?”

  Chapter Twelve

  We Train

  Violet turned to Jack. “You can do what?”

  Jack looked embarrassed. He cut a quick look at Dr. Tesla before answering. “It started a few months ago. I touched my friend Bobby, the kid you saw today at school, and I saw a car crash. Nothing specific, just his car crashed into a tree. Later that day, he had an accident and now he can’t walk.”

  “Are you sure that’s what happened? I mean, could it have just been some kind of déjà vu thing? A premonition? A bad feeling?”

  “Not unless a bad feeling comes in super surround sound and hi-def. I saw it in my head.”