Chapter 11 - Questions Without Answers
The next day starts early with a lot of commotion out in the parking lot as the only two motels in the one-stoplight town begin to fill to capacity. Vehicles and buses arrive throughout the day, as do other Runners from our compound. Our instructions are to remain in our rooms until Clara arrives later in the morning.
Clara pulls in shortly after ten and takes charge. Clara’s job is damage control and she’s definitely good in that role. Family members of the deceased will be flying in to pick up the bodies later in the day, she tells us. She tells the news reporters that hover nearby, intrigued by the influx of people to their small town, we are all part of a family reunion, and more of us will be arriving.
I distance myself from the whole ordeal as much as possible, which is not an easy task. Clara assigns two female bodyguards to shadow me. Chris and Justin have male guards following them around for safety too.
I need some fresh air, so I convince my guards to escort me to the observation deck on the roof. They stay at a distance, but not out of sight. From the elevated vantage point, I can see the parking lot, swimming pool, and a flurry of assorted people with powers in the near vicinity. The canyon we will be running through to get to the clearing looms ominously in the distance. An uneasy flutter in my stomach makes me nauseous and I walk to one of the tables with umbrellas and sit down.
I hear my bodyguards talking and glance over to see Beth asking them to let her come talk to me. I nod to my bodyguards and Beth walks over and sits at my table.
“Everyone’s wondering where you went,” she says. “I thought to myself, if I wanted to get away from the world, but couldn’t leave, where would I go? I was right. What’s up?”
“Just trying to listen to the wind,” I say.
“Does it bother you to have two escorts following you around everywhere?”
“It’s annoying, but no more so than having to sleep in Clara’s room tonight. It’s like I’m grounded or something.”
“Well, you do kind of take off at night like it’s nobody’s business.”
“Hey, whose side are you on?”
“Yours, of course,” she grins. “I envy your freedom.”
Her comment makes me remember the vision I saw at Cave Falls of Beth in prison. I can’t help but wonder. “Beth, what do you plan to do with your life?”
“I don’t know.” She scratches at her chipped black nail polish.
“You don’t have a plan?”
“Like what?”
“Like something not involving incarceration.”
“What? Do I go to jail?”
The astounded expression on her face amazes me. “Do you mind if I look?”
“Didn’t you already?”
“Sometimes things change.”
She closes her eyes, letting me take over her brain. I find what I’m searching for and withdraw from her mind.
She opens her eyes. “What’s the verdict?”
“Can I ask you a couple of questions first?”
She nods.
“Can you tell when I’m in your mind?”
“Yes.”
“Do you see the future at the same time I do?”
“No, I was wondering what you were finding.”
“Would you block me from your mind so I can test something?”
“Sure.”
Her walls go up, and I focus my attention away from Beth and to the parking lot to reorganize my thoughts. I see Chris talking with Jonas and Tyler. They seem to have lost something. Tyler nudges Chris’s shoulder and points up to me. I don’t want to analyze him at the moment. I turn my head back to Beth. I find her future the same as when she let me into her mind. I try to break through her walls to read what she’s presently thinking, but can’t, until . . . until I think about specific things, such as her relationship with Justin. Then I get right through. She opens her eyes in astonishment.
“You busted in. I need to practice harder on my blocking.”
“Beth, I’m going to tell you something I’m sure you won’t like. Justin is trouble. If you follow him you might end up in prison. That was the future I saw for you at Cave Falls. It’s different now, though.”
“Different? How?” Her eyes light up.
“You’ll be on some type of committee, one that seeks out and annihilates evil amongst the clans. No prison.”
“I broke up with Justin. He’s a jerk.”
“I agree. I’m glad you came to that conclusion.”
“Why did you save him when you could have saved the others . . . when you could have saved Jessica,” she adds, her voice lowering.
“Justin is part of the leadership trio and must be present when the diamond is presented to the Death Clan. If he’s absent . . . well, he simply can’t be absent. Jessica and Michael were already gone, and I couldn’t help them.”
Beth stares toward the distant mountains. She clears her throat and says, “What will happen tomorrow?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is the meeting going to go wrong?”
“Define ‘wrong.’ ”
She looks at me, one eyebrow raised.
“Things will go as they need to go, as nature intends them to go,” I say, trying to reassure her.
“Oh.” She studies her fingernails, then looks in the direction of the parking lot. “Chris is watching you from the lot. He cares for you. A lot.”
“I’m aware.”
“Of course you would be. You can read his mind. Is it cool to be able to read other people’s minds?”
“Well, not too long ago I thought it would be cool to be able to read minds, especially a guy’s mind. But not anymore. I always thought it would be awesome to predict the future, but I can tell you: no, it’s not. The only cosmic power I like using is the healing power. I only wish I would have been able to save our friends.”
A silence falls between us for a few seconds.
“Does your future hold anything with Chris?”
“I can’t view my own future.” Which isn’t true. I visualize my future through the future of others.
“When the two of you saved each other on the riverbank, I cried at the passion of it. I was confused when he pushed you aside afterward. What happened?”
“I don’t know for sure.”
“He’s still watching you, you know. I don’t mean, like, from the parking lot. I mean from his room. He asks us to watch you and report. He calls on the phone because apparently you can’t read his mind through the phone lines. He keeps tabs, like he’s doing now. He loves you.”
“That’s not love, Beth. He loves the fact I possess all these powers. I’m handy to keep around . . . at arm’s length, at least,” I try to jest. Beth doesn’t know about the crazy future-vision Chris clings to.
“Whatever, girl. I see it differently, and I’m pretty sure you do too.”
Talking with Beth feels so natural, so much so that I find it hard to believe she ever hated me. The other Runners have changed their opinions of me as well. It’s only been a couple days since I arrived at the compound and was the slowest Runner. Now, everyone wants to be around me. I consider that what everyone is drawn to is my artificial self. The diamond I carry in my pocket makes me someone I’m not—someone with powers. Those powers make me seem more mature than I really am, but the whole thing’s a lie. I’m a fraud, a swindler they follow as if I have all the knowledge and solutions. Maybe I do, for now, but only because of a magical stone.
I look down at Chris and enter his mind immediately, almost as if he opened the door and let me in. I feel his amazement that I’ve gained entry yet again, but he continues to remain in my eyesight when he could walk away.
At the forefront is his shame for being a hypocrite on the bank of the river. He didn’t want to die, and he didn’t want to lose me. So he pleaded with me to help. After that, his guilt set in. He fully comprehends he encouraged me to go against nature. He believes I have ventured down the evil path because of him and feels responsible for the heart-attack guy and my torturing of Justin. Misusing my healing powers is his fault . . . or at least that’s what he thinks.
I also experience his dilemma about the age difference between us, mainly my younger age, which has him tied up in knots. Apparently I am older in the vision he’d had, and he essentially understands now is not the time for us to be together.
Some of his own personal demons continue to haunt him, including dishonor and deception. He can’t figure out how to relinquish his position of fastest without Justin rising to the top and revealing his sensitive information—this is the damaging info that he feels puts all of us at risk.
I look for Chris’s intentions. I get the message loud and clear: he needs to fix certain things in his life and find his own happiness before trying to make anyone else happy. He wants me to experience my youth and he knows I can’t do that if he’s in my life. He desperately clings to the romantic vision he’s been given, believing one day we will meet again. All because I currently possess the healing ability I had in his vision. For now, he wants to distance himself from me for my own good.
At least he figures it’s for my own good.
I wish with my entire being to be able to speak to his mind. If I could, I’d tell him to move on with his life, that I don’t hold any power, and certainly not the healing power. His vision is wrong. I’m nothing!
An all too familiar swirl of mist swims around my body. Chris, the parking lot, and the entire surrounding area is replaced with four walls and a desk. I’m looking through Chris’s eyes at a man seated on the other side of the desk. His name plate says General Stanley Harding. I recognize him as Chris’s father. On the desktop calendar, I see the month is July of the same year.
Chris says, “I’m done. I’m resigning.”
“From what?” his father responds. “There is no such thing as resigning, Chris. This is who you are,”
“Not anymore.”
“I’ll march troops in and wipe out your little compound if you quit.”
Chris doesn’t say anything. In his mind he’s sweating bullets.
“I’ll hunt you down and charge you with abandoning your post.”
He replies as calmly as possible, “I never signed up for this. I volunteered, so good luck with that.”
“Maybe not, but you are signing death warrants for all your friends by quitting.”
“I can’t protect them forever. Do what you must, but I’m done being your spy.”
Daylight floods in, crowding out the vision of Chris’s future.
Chris is a spy?
Chris walks toward the motel and disappears from sight.
I ponder the new information I’ve gathered. Justin knows Chris is a spy for the government, Chris knows Justin works for the Death Clan. Their mutual agreement to keep each other’s secrets is dependent on Justin continuing to allow Chris to hold the fastest position. How long the agreement has been in place remains unknown to me. Clara Winter obviously knows about Chris’s spying, but does Justin know Chris is a double agent? So many questions with no answers . . . yet. The knowledge of Chris having a future solidifies in my mind the diamond delivery will be successful. This brings tears to my eyes.
Beth still sits next to me. She asks, “So, what’s going on?”
I have to let my throat relax before I can speak. “I don’t understand a lot of what I’ve seen. I need to think for a little while.”
“Do you want me to kick his ass?”
I laugh and wipe my eyes. “No, I just can’t figure out why he feels the way he does.”
“Well, if you ever need some advice or experienced female help, come and find me.” She smiles and I smile back.
“Beth, you’ve become a good friend. I’m glad we’ve reached this level.”
“Me too.”
“Promise me you won’t be upset with me after the exchange?”
“What does that mean?”
“I only hope you will still be my friend afterward.”
“Girl, you’re not making any sense.”
“I guess not.” I smile at her again.
She gets up and leaves me alone on the roof. I think about what I’ve seen in Chris’s mind and the fact that after the diamond exchange I will be dead. Chris’s intention to distance himself after the delivery will be for naught. He will be devastated because his “destined Healer” dies, no doubt. But with time he’ll recover.
* * *
Later, when I come in off the roof, Clara sits down with me and we have a private chat.
“Well, Calli,” she says, “I’m impressed with everything you’ve accomplished this far.”
I suspect Clara hasn’t had a hand in the diamond plot. I can’t help but check. Her mind reveals I’m correct. “You heard about my many powers from Chris?”
“Yes. I must say, I wondered about your ability as a Runner when I first picked you up. You weren’t as fast as the others, but I couldn’t tell you that. Also, and I’m not sure if you paid any attention, but the Shadow Demons didn’t tear your shirt the same way they shredded mine. The biggest difference though is your physical frame is not that of a typical Runner.”
“I noticed.”
“After what happened with your heart monitor, I certainly wondered about you.”
“Wait, what about the heart monitor?”
“Runners and all other people with abilities have quiet heart beats. You don’t. You have a regular human heartbeat. Yet you aren’t fully human anymore. When did your additional powers first emerge?”
Not fully human? Ha! “In the late afternoon of the first day, at Cave Falls. They emerged one by one within a few hours.”
“You’re the very first one to possess all these powers, Calli. It’s quite astonishing.”
“Well, now you’re just embarrassing me.” I know the powers will be gone soon enough.
“You’re young, Calli. Maybe that’s why nature gave them to you, because of your age and inability to grasp what you’ve got.”
“I don’t know about that. I do have a lot of questions, though.”
“I’ll answer as many as I can for you. But, I would like to ask you a question first. What will be the outcome of the delivery tomorrow?”
“The hostages will be freed, and the Death Clan’s progress will be halted. However, some people will die.”
“I don’t suppose you will tell me who will die.”
“No. Telling you might change the outcome.”
“Of course. I apologize. I don’t know how you’re able to see the near future, but I’m happy you can.”
I change the subject. “Clara, I don’t understand why this clearing was chosen as the location of the delivery.”
“Well, because you told Chris the clearing was the one from your vision.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. I foresaw the delivery happening a few days ago before I located the clearing. I thought we were heading up to the Death Clan’s caves to do the transaction, somewhere in Canada.”
“Originally, yes, the caves of the Death Clan were where you were headed—that is, until you found the clearing. It’s an ideal location for all the clans to meet, because it’s near a town, but far enough away to be secluded.”
“But the clearing was not the original planned destination?”
“There was no planned destination. Once your team reached the Death Clan’s caves, a location would have been selected at that point. The caves were not the destination, they were a scheduled stop. Remember when I told you our Seer couldn’t determine the future because it was too foggy? It’s still foggy to all Seers. Well,” she amends, “except for you. Yet, therein lies the beauty of everything: because you selected the clearing, we can be assured the site is safe and hasn’t been booby-trapped.”
“You’re telling me I envisioned a location that I would eventually choose to be the location? That’s deep.”
“What’s deep is you hold all these powers for a reason none of us can grasp.”
I say nothing for a moment, then change the subject. “Are we going to have a memorial or candlelight vigil for the dead?”
“Yes, we’ll gather tonight and remember our friends. Tomorrow this delivery will be behind us and we can begin to heal.”
She is more right than she could ever know.
* * *
After a tear-filled memorial for our friends that evening, there’s a phone call for me.
“Ms. Courtnae, my name is Charles Rhondell,” the voice on the other end of the line says. “I’m Head Reader in my clan and I’ve obtained some information you might be interested in, concerning the safety of your team.”
I politely reply, “Then I think maybe you should be speaking with Chris, the fastest Runner in my group.”
“No, you’re the one I need to speak with, Ms. Courtnae.”
I scan the room looking for Justin. “Me? I’m the weakest. What about Justin?” Justin must have told the Readers about my multiple abilities . . . of all the selfish, arrogant, mindless . . . I will wring his neck!
“I will only share this information with you, Ms. Courtnae.”
“Let me guess: you’ve hired more Hunters.” If Justin didn’t have to be at the delivery, I’d . . . ugh.
“What makes you think we hired Hunters?”
“One told me . . . right before the Shadows got him.”
“You mean you read his mind, don’t you?”
“Interpret how you wish.”
“I’m told you can walk amongst the Demons. If this is true, then you should come to my motel right now so I can give you this information.”
“Why don’t you tell me over the phone?”
“I don’t trust the line. Anyone can tap these days.”
“Good point. I’ll meet you in the lobby in a few minutes.”
“Oh, and Calli, leave the diamond behind.”
“What?” My heart pounds in my chest. He knows! Somehow he knows I’m carrying the real diamond. But how? Maetha said the stone would be protected as long as I kept it in the pouch, which I have.
“Leave the diamond, Calli. My purpose in calling you is not to get hold of the stone. If the Hunters weren’t able to capture it, then we certainly don’t have a chance either. But you’re not the only one who can walk among the Demons. Don’t give anyone the opportunity to swoop in and take the magical stone.”
“Okay. Look for me in a few minutes.” Relief sweeps over me as I end the phone call. He must have assumed because I possess multiple powers, I must be the leader of the Runners’ Clan now. It would make sense in his mind that I would be the one carrying the diamond.
Clara asks, “Where are you going?”
“I’ve got to talk to Justin.”
“It’s dark. Can’t this wait?”
“Nope.”
My blood is boiling. I leave the room and head straight to Chris’s room, hoping Justin is there. With all the readjustments in sleeping arrangements, I’m not sure where Justin is staying. I pound on the door. Jonas opens it a crack.
“Calli. What’s up?”
I can see Justin standing by the far wall. “I need to come in.”
Jonas opens the door and I storm across the room. Conversations come to a halt. My overly-attuned senses locate Chris off to my right. I don’t even need to look with my eyes to confirm. I can smell his scent. Justin realizes I’m here for him and he changes his stance to a defensive posture. I grab him by his jacket front, shove him up against the wall, and press my body against his large frame. He is dumbfounded by my actions—along with everyone else in the room—and doesn’t fight back. I hiss through gritted teeth, “You just can’t keep your mouth shut, can you? Are you carrying a cell phone?” I slide my left hand down across his belly and over the zipped pocket in an attempt to locate a phone. Nothing. “How do you do it? How do you tell people?”
“Tell what?” he whimpers, belligerence for once has drained away.
I push him harder. “My abilities! You told the Mind-Readers didn’t you?”
“They would’ve found out soon enough anyway. I don’t know why you’re all upset.”
I let go of him. “Why would I be upset? Sheez, Justin, you were the one with the Hunter’s target on your head—Hunters sent by the Mind-Readers. Now you sidle up with them and give away vital information?” I turn to leave the room, but before exiting I say, “If I only had half a brain I’d have twice as much as you! You are the muck, Justin!”
Chris follows me out the door. “Where are you going?”
I stop and turn to face him. “I’m on my way to meet with the leaders of the Mind-Readers, thanks to him.” I point in Justin’s direction.
“They might be dangerous,” Chris says. His eyebrows draw together.
“No more than I am.”
“Be careful,” Chris adds before I walk away. I can tell he’s worried and wishes he could go with me.
As I walk in the direction of the other motel, I think about Chris and the fact someone other than my parents and my cheek-squeezing grandma is concerned about my safety.
* * *
The cool night air does wonders to calm my anger. I inhale deeply and try to gain control of my emotions. I need to be on alert, not caught up with the stupidity of others.
I can see the motel and three men wearing jewel-toned robes standing near the glass doors. As I near them, one opens the door. I remember what Maetha told me about the protection she cast around the diamond pouch. The spells will protect my mind from being probed about its presence. I’m confident no one will be able to tell it’s the source of all my powers.
“Hello, Calli, I’m Charles Rhondell,” says the tall, kind-looking figure in the middle. I shake his hand and immediately view his future. Charles’s wife is one of the hostages being held by the Death Clan. They will be reunited after the exchange. Experiencing their joy brings tears to my eyes.
“Are you all right?” Charles asks.
“Yes, I am.”
The other two men, Grant Winbush and Steven Zufelt, shake my hand, introducing themselves as images flash through my mind of their futures. Grant will relocate near the east coast and assist the leaders of our country with his abilities, and Steven will get married to a woman he’s been dating. For once, I’m encouraged to see happy futures. No death, no destruction, only peace, joy, and contentment.
They lead me to couches in the lobby.
“Your walls are extremely strong, Ms. Courtnae,” Charles tells me with admiration.
“You can sense my walls?”
“Yes, and I must say, they are unlike any I’ve encountered. Blocking takes training and time to achieve. You’ve accomplished this in a matter of days. Who instructed you?”
In truth, no one. But I can’t tell them Maetha placed the walls within my head. I decide to give the credit to Chris. “Chris Harding instructed me.”
“He’s the topic of our discussion, Calli,” Charles says, his eyes widening.
Grant joins in, keeping his voice low. “He’s been feeding information to the enemy.”
“What? I thought Justin was the spy.”
“Justin is an afterthought. His intentions are self-serving. Chris, on the other hand, is dangerous. His connections go much higher than Justin’s.”
I know exactly what they’re talking about, but I pretend I don’t. If it wasn’t for the fact that I envisioned Chris’s future and the positive outcome for him, I might be worried.
I say to the three men, “So, the important information you couldn’t tell me over the phone is that Chris is more dangerous than Justin?”
“Yes.”
“That’s it?”
They look at one another and shrug their shoulders. Charles says, “Calli, you obviously don’t understand the severity of the situation.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve been inside both Chris’s and Justin’s minds, and believe me, Justin is the one to be worried about, not Chris.”
“None of us were able to break into Chris’s mind. How did you?” Steven asks.
“I don’t know, I just looked in.”
“His defenses, like yours, are impenetrable. Clearly you possess a much stronger ability to break through tough mental walls than we do. Perhaps it’s because you are the first multi-powered individual.”
Grant asks with complete sincerity, “What can you extract from my mind, Calli? I’d like you to test my walls.”
His mind is blocked. However, knowing his future as a political aid, I use the knowledge and enter his mind—a trick I learned from my experiments with Beth. “You wish to work with the President,” I say. “You’ve been fascinated with politics since childhood, and you’ve spent countless hours researching the world’s governments.”
“Amazing! I felt you enter that part of my mind. It’s been years since anyone was in my head. Absolutely incredible! How did you access my childhood dreams?”
“I honestly don’t understand my abilities or why I can do what other learned Readers can’t,” I say, trying to sound as calm as possible. I’d hoped these men would be able to shed some light on why my powers are stronger than theirs.
Charles says, “Will you test my walls?”
I look at Charles and enter his memories about his wife. “Your wife is beautiful, and I’m sorry for your pain. You two have had many happy years together.”
Charles bows his head.
I turn to Steven and say, “I hope someday you can marry her.” His eyes widen, bewildered at how easily I can enter his mind and find memories about his love.
None of them can comprehend how I’ve gotten into their minds, and a little nagging voice in the back of my mind says to keep this a secret. Let them continue to think I’m all powerful.
Charles says, “Do you understand how many years of training a Reader goes through to develop the ability to see memories?”
I shake my head.
“Years of training, years of learning. In fact it took me five years to learn how to retrieve someone’s recent memories. But, here you sit, mere days of mind-reading under your belt, and you can pull up Grant’s childhood with no effort. That’s incredible!”
I say nothing.
“Calli, you broke through our walls. We three are the strongest of our clan, but we still can’t read each other.”
Grant asks, “How do you do it?” His mind reveals he suspects I’m an Immortal.
I say, “I was kind of hoping you could help me understand my ability.”
Charles informs me of what I already know. “You are an anomaly, Calli. You tell us what it’s like.”
“It’s a burden.” That is the truth. “I witness and experience the insecurities, pain, anger, fear, depression, and anxiety of everyone around me. I don’t—”
“You feel? You actually experience other people’s emotions?” Grant is astonished.
“You don’t feel emotions when you enter other people’s minds?” I ask the three of them. I watch their heads shake in unison. I look to the floor. Great! Another ability unique to me.
“How do you walk amongst the Shadow Demons?” Steven asks.
I shrug my shoulders.
Charles leans forward. “I’ve searched the archives of prophesy and found nothing that tells of a girl with the multiple powers of running and intense mind-reading.”
They must not be aware of my other abilities, and frankly, I’m a little shocked Justin didn’t tell them everything. I decide I will always be careful about what I volunteer up to anyone until I figure out what they know about me.
“I should get going now.” I stand and they follow suit.
“Are you a witch?” Steven asks in an unexpected rush. “That would explain how you can do these things, why the Demons ignore you. Are you?”
“I don’t think so. A few days ago, I was a less-than-popular girl in high school trying to fit in, and now I’m a freak living among freaks in a world I didn’t even know existed. Does a witch gain abilities, or does she learn how to enchant herself with them?”
Charles intervened, “She’s not a witch, Steven. She’s simply a girl with a destiny. The Seers foresaw her running ability surfacing, but nothing more.”
“I don’t know what I am, or if this is my destiny. I’ve always wanted to be able to read minds, but I now despise that skill. I wish the ability would go away. I don’t want these powers, and I haven’t enchanted myself with them. Frankly, I’m at my wit’s end.” I can tell my frustrations are evident in my tone of voice.
Charles extends his hand, and I shake it. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Calli. I wish you the best with the meeting tomorrow.”
“Thank you. Goodbye.” I turn and leave the building and don’t look back once.