The Gifted Ones: A Reader Read online

  The oil was taking just a bit too long. Grace’s mind started tossing out alternative explanations for New Boy’s absentee parents. Frequent travelers? Super religious? Secret service spy jobs? Uh, no, probably not. Dammit. Could she ever shut off the nagging voices in the back of her brain? She hurried back to her computer. She really didn’t want to ask for help, not from them anyway, but Ellie’s welfare was more important than any old grudges Grace was hauling around. She typed a few keystrokes, then waited until a familiar face appeared on the screen. She adjusted the volume so she could comprehend the Indian accent.

  “Grace Nagle! It has been so long. Good to see you, mishti!”

  Mishti. After all these years, he still greeted her with Indian pleasantries. Grace gave him a weak smile. “Hello, Rishi. Yes, sorry I haven’t been in touch. You know how it is—busy, busy, busy.”

  “No problem, my friend. Your face is always a welcome sight. What can I do for you today?”

  “I need a little background check. I’m sure it’s nothing, but you know I don’t have the reach you do.”

  He grinned. “No one does, my lady. You have come to the right place. So, which young man are we checking up on tonight?”

  She gave him a wry grin. “How did you know?”

  “The lovely Elodie is sweet sixteen now. It is not hard to figure out what you would be wanting.”

  “Mmm, s’pose not. Okay, his name is Aiden Orcutt.” She started typing again as she spoke, “I’m sending you what I’ve got so far. He’s a new student at Ellie’s school, and he’s been chumming around with her friend Nathan Woodruff. They’re all over at Nathan’s house tonight.” She paused to mentally chastise herself again for asking, then continued, “He sounds like a nice enough boy. I just want to double-check, ya know?”

  “Of course, I completely understand. You can never be too safe. Give me a few minutes, all right? I will ring you back.”

  The screen went black right about the time the smell of burning oil reached Grace’s nose. “Oh, crap!” Grace jumped up and ran into the kitchen, where a cloud of black smoke was rising from the pan on the stove. She grabbed the oven mitts, pulled the pan off the stove, and ran out the back door with it, just in time to set off the smoke alarm.

  By the time she had dumped the burning oil, reset the alarm, shooed a stray cat off the back porch, and aired out the kitchen, she had to admit, she had managed to get her mind off Ellie’s new friend for a while. She checked the clock again. In fact, it had been thirty minutes since she’d spoken with Rishi. The man was nothing if not efficient, so why hadn’t he called her back?

  The fear returned with a vengeance. Grace hurried over to the desk and started typing without even sitting down. Before she could dial him up, however, an incoming call chimed. She clicked her assent and started speaking, “Rishi, what did you—” But the face that appeared wasn’t Rishi. “Elmyra? I-I wasn’t expecting—”

  “Elmyra.” The older woman made a face. “For heaven’s sake, dear, I wish you wouldn’t call me that. People will figure out how old I really am.”

  Grace tried to smile. “Sorry, it’s just, uh, I haven’t got time to chat. I need to make a call—”

  “You mean to Rishi? No need. He called us.”

  Grace couldn’t hide her annoyance. “He did? Just because I had a little attack of paranoia…”

  “No, dear, not paranoia. You were right.”

  “Right, what?! What is it? Tell me!” A wave of heat washed over her, and a growing panic snatched her in its grasp.

  That must’ve been obvious to Granny, who immediately jumped into virtual calming mode, “Now, Grace dear, take it easy. It’s under control. Rishi’s doing some more research for us, but in the meantime, I’ve dispatched some assistance—”

  “Assistance? What—I don’t understand.” Grace gripped the edge of the desk for stability. Her head was spinning. Granny’s words weren’t making sense. All she knew was that something was wrong, and her Ellie was in trouble. Still holding onto the desk, she pushed back and stood. “Elmyra, I’ve got to go.”

  “Wait, Grace, don’t! We’ve got this. Just sit tight. I sent Angel and—”

  “No! Ellie’s my responsibility, and I’m going after her!”

  Since she was already half-way out the door, it was unlikely that Granny heard her.

  # # #

  “Now, you will be mine…forever…mwahahahaha!”

  And with that, the Vampire Duchess dug her long black nails into a handsome young man’s bare back, then proceeded to sink her fangs into his neck. As she pulled back to admire her handiwork, the camera zoomed in on the trail of blood oozing out the side of her mouth.

  Ellie made a retching noise and jerked her head away from the screen. “Ugh! Did they have to go there?”

  Wanda laughed at her. “Oh, El, you’re such a wimp. It’s not like you didn’t know it was coming. You’ve seen this three times.”

  “Shhhh!” Liane chastised them, “I’m trying to listen. This is my favorite part. I love seeing the Duchess get melted by the flame-thrower.”

  “Oh, great, now you’ve ruined it for me!” Liane’s baby brother threw his arms up in disgust and then nudged Ellie. “Hey, El, can you pass the Crunchos?”

  She picked up the bowl, saw that it was empty, and decided to go refill it for him. She really didn’t need to see the Vampire Duchess get melted this time. In fact, she hated creepy horror movies and would much have preferred an old Tracy-Hepburn flick, or maybe Myrna Loy or Jimmy Stewart. Now those were movies.

  She found the Crunchos bag on the counter of the little mini kitchen that Nathan’s family’s rec room offered. His parents had fixed it up with a stereo, a wide screen TV, game tables, and some big soft couches, making it an ideal place for a group of young friends to hang out. It was probably also an ideal way for Nathan’s parents to keep tabs on him, just the way Aunt Grace did Ellie.

  “Here ya go, kid.” Ellie slid back into her spot on the floor, with her back resting against the couch, and handed Liane’s brother the bowl. The boy’s only response was to stuff a handful of the chips into his mouth and make some kind of grunting noise as he did so.

  “I think that was a thank you.”

  Ellie looked up, startled, at the young man who had spoken. It was the new kid, Aiden. He was sitting on the couch, on the other side of Liane’s brother. It was actually the first time he’d spoken directly to Ellie. She gave him a brief smile, and then quickly shifted her focus back to the movie, wondering if she should respond somehow. She was so-o-o not good at interacting with guys her own age. Well, except geeky ones like Nathan, whom she’d known for years.

  After two or three more mouthfuls of Crunchos, Liane’s brother spoke up again, “Hey, when are we gonna get some food? I’m starving.”

  Ellie quirked an eyebrow at him. “How could you be starving? You’ve eaten non-stop since we got here.”

  “I’m a growing boy!”

  Nathan spoke up, “Nah, El, he’s right. It’s time we got some real food into everybody.” He checked his watch. “My mom ordered the pizza for eight. It should be ready in a few minutes. You and I can go get it.”

  Nathan’s new friend sat forward on the couch. “I’d be happy to pick it up…if Ellie will come with me.” Aiden looked directly at Ellie, giving her the slightest grin.

  Ellie felt her whole face flushing and quickly looked down at her jeans, focusing on an imaginary crumb stuck there. What was up with this guy? He was painfully cute with his dimpled cheeks, hazel eyes, and sandy colored hair tossed every which way. He was wa-a-ay cooler than any other boy who’d ever paid any attention to her, and there had been precious few of those—mostly, as she’d pointed out to her aunt, boys looking for help with their homework or maybe a dependable lab partner. None had ever flirted with her the way Aiden seemed to be doing. If only she had a clue how to flirt back.

  “Oh, I don’t know. My Aunt Grace wouldn’t—”

  “Oh, go on, El,” Wanda goad
ed her. “It’s a ten minute ride. You’ll be right back.” Wanda rolled her eyes in Aiden’s direction, telling Ellie she should take a chance on their handsome new friend. Of course, Wanda thought sneaking out her bedroom window at night to hang out at the video arcade was a good idea, too.

  “I-I really shouldn’t.” She looked at Aiden, “You don’t know my aunt. She hasn’t met you, and—”

  He made a pitiful face. “Really? She wouldn’t approve? She wouldn’t want you to show a little kindness to the new guy in town?”

  Cripes. Talk about pressure.

  Jammer jumped up, speaking through a mouthful of cheesy puffs, “Hey, if she won’t go, can I come? I’m dying to try that ride.” He moved to the window, pulled back the curtain, and pointed to some kind of snazzy red sports car parked in Nathan’s driveway.

  Even Nathan seemed determined to push Ellie out the door. “Oh, go ahead, El. We’ll cover for you, if your aunt calls my mom or anything.”

  “Well…okay. Let me just text her one more time before we go, so she won’t worry.”

  “You do that, honey.” Aiden put his hand lightly on Ellie’s back and moved her toward the door while she typed. His touch sent the slightest quiver up her back. She wasn’t sure why.

  Chapter Three: Room Service

  Ellie could just see Aiden’s head through the front window of the pizza parlor. He was talking to the cashier. He turned toward the window and raised a single finger, telling Ellie he’d be just a minute. She had found it odd that he’d suggested she wait in the car while he went in, but she had zero experience being out alone with a guy like Aiden, so she figured maybe this was normal for the A-crowd.

  It certainly wasn’t normal for Ellie, just as riding down the city streets in a fancy sports car attracting attention wasn’t normal for Ellie. When folks glanced her way in Aunt Grace’s ten-year-old station wagon, it was usually because the muffler was dragging or one of the tires was losing air. She couldn’t help wondering how it was that Aiden had this nice car at his disposal and seemed expertly skilled at driving it. Apparently, his parents were not only wealthy, but had complete trust in their teenage son.

  When he emerged from the building, he was talking on his phone and not carrying any pizzas. He did have a drink in his hand in a paper cup with a lid and a straw. As he slid back into the car, he tossed his phone in the console slot. “They’re not ready. They said it would be another ten or fifteen minutes. I brought you something to drink.” He handed her the beverage.

  Oh my, another ten or fifteen minutes alone with Handsome New Boy. Ellie felt her heart rate speeding up. What would they do for ten whole minutes? Could she make witty small talk with this complete stranger without boring him to death or having him realize what a total egghead she was? Er, um, assuming he wanted to talk. Oh dear God, what if he tried to kiss her or something? What the heck would she do then? Ellie started feeling a little lightheaded. What had she gotten herself into?

  Aiden nodded toward the drink in her hand. “Go ahead, try it. It’s my special mix.”

  Ellie gave him an odd look as she sipped, then wrinkled up her nose. “Cherry, cola, and…something else. Orange?”

  He shook his head and turned the car on. “Sorry, not giving away my secret. Wanna take a little ride around the block while we wait?”

  “Uh…sure.” Ellie bit her lip as he started to drive. What would Aunt Grace think? Maybe she should’ve said no.

  “Hey, I know. Aren’t we pretty close to the Chattahoochee River here? I keep hearing about how pretty it is. Let’s have a look.”

  “Oh, yeah, let’s do that.” Whew. Ellie let out a breath. She loved the river, and that would give them something concrete to do, so she wouldn’t have to try to be cool or clever. She was so relieved to not just be sitting still in the car with him for ten minutes that at first she didn’t notice, but after riding just a short way, she began to feel it. A chill, like the air conditioning was on. But it wasn’t. And a prickliness, as though she was wearing scratchy wool right up against her skin. But she wasn’t.

  She shrugged off the strange sensations, took another sip of the drink in the paper cup, and pointed toward a street sign. “Right up there, near that coffee shop. Just turn down that road. It goes down to—”

  He drove past the point she had indicated. “Oh, sorry, Ellie. I wasn’t fast enough. Let’s try the next one.” He turned on the next street, which Ellie had never been on before, and proceeded to the end. The road ended in a T-intersection with a narrow street that ran along the edge of the river. There were a couple of vehicles parked along the waterway, but no other people around besides Elodie and Aiden. “There now, we can have a nice view from here.”

  As soon as he stopped the car, Ellie opened her door and hopped out. She stepped up to the railing that stood between the sidewalk and the natural area along the water. There was only a sliver of moon out, but quaint, lantern-style streetlights offered gentle illumination to the walkway, the trees, and the slowly moving river. It was so quiet and deserted. With just the right company, Ellie imagined it would be terribly romantic. With the wrong company, or no company at all, it would be rather creepy.

  When Aiden caught up to her, he stood behind her, looking out over the water with her. She motioned in that direction. “See how pretty it is?”

  “Beautiful.”

  His voice was deep and soft, and she could tell by the direction of the sound that he was no longer looking toward the water. She cursed her own stupid geekiness. At that particular moment, she would have gladly traded her straight-A average for a few ounces of cheerleader cool. Here she was with this handsome boy who actually seemed to like her, and she had no idea what to do with him. Just being this close to a boy who was not an old chum, like Nathan, was freaking her out. So much so, in fact, that she felt a little dizzy. She took a firmer grip of the handrail and steadied herself.

  Aiden seemed to sense her instability and slid his hand up her spine. When he reached her neck, he left it there a moment, then gently turned her head up and toward his and looked right into her eyes. His hair was even more askance, and his eyes, intense and sparkling. He was studying her, and, she supposed, considering kissing her. Thank God she’d finally gotten the contact lenses. How awkward would it be to have great big clunky glasses on right now?

  As his eyes bored into her, Ellie’s heart beat faster. For just a moment, she thought she would melt. But just as quickly as it had come, the sparkle faded. There was a coolness sneaking up on her. She wished she had grabbed that sweater Aunt Grace had mentioned. And, oddly enough, the weird lighting was making Aiden’s face look dark. His pale skin had taken on a purplish glow. In fact, there seemed to be a dark haze all around him. Maybe contact lenses affected the eyes in ways Ellie wasn’t aware of.

  “Elodie.” He said her name slowly, sounding out the syllables.

  Interesting. Most everyone called her Ellie, and most everyone assumed that was short for Ellen. Elodie was an unusual name, and she hadn’t mentioned it to Aiden. Nathan must’ve told him. But why? Had he asked? Had Aiden picked Nathan’s brain for details about her? It wasn’t typical high school boy conversation, and she had never even spoken to Aiden before tonight, so why would he be interested? Maybe it didn’t matter. Her thoughts did seem to be jumbling a little.

  With his free hand, Aiden pushed a loose strand of the curling-iron curls away from Ellie’s face, and a hint of a smile formed on his lips.

  “Aiden, I-I think—” Cold, cold, cold. A wintry breeze was blowing in from somewhere. The chill caught her tongue and her lips. She couldn’t finish the sentence.

  But Aiden was having no trouble. “You know, everyone says you look just like your mother…”

  Ellie wrinkled her forehead. It was true, but how did he know that?

  The hand that had pushed back the curls now trailed down the side of her face, brushing her cheek. “But you know what I think? All I can see is dear old Dad, right there, right in the eyes.”

/>   What? How would he have any idea what her parents looked like? The coldness became an arctic blast, and the prickles morphed into an army of porcupine quills. Aiden’s face was shrouded in a black cloud. Something was not right. She tried to jerk away, but the hand on the back of her neck tightened, gripping her to him. “Stop it! Let go of me!” She felt tears springing to her eyes.

  Aiden started to laugh. “Where you gonna go, Ellie?”

  “With me!” A female voice rang out from some distance back up the street that had brought them there, and the sound of light, rapidly moving feet accompanied it.

  “Aunt Grace!”

  Aiden straightened up, still holding Ellie by the neck, and looked in Grace’s direction. “Oh, brother,” he muttered, rolling his eyes, as though Grace’s appearance was merely an inconvenience.

  “Let her go!” Grace was within twenty yards of them now.

  Aiden turned in the direction of the cars parked along the cross-street and waved his hand, motioning in Grace’s direction. Immediately, the doors on a black SUV opened and two large men stepped out, one black, one white. Grace froze in her tracks momentarily, but then continued moving toward Ellie and Aiden, placing herself between them and the big men, who were now heading her way.

  Ellie again tried to pull away from Aiden. “What’s going on? Why are you doing this?”

  Aiden released her neck, but only to reposition himself, so her back was pinned to his front, and his arm was wrapped around her chest. “Shhhh, honey, take it easy. No one’s gonna hurt you.” He pressed his free hand over her mouth and nose so she couldn’t speak, scream, or even breathe very well. She struggled to free herself from his grasp, but it wasn’t much of a fight. Her thoughts felt strangely disconnected, and her legs had turned to gelatin.