Clara maneuvers the car onto the highway and says, “Calli, I want you to know I won’t tell anyone about the diamond piece in your heart. I figure you won’t be telling anyone either,”
“Thanks, Clara. Maetha told me to keep it secret.”
“Are you able to tell me if you still have all the powers?”
“Yes . . . and yes. However, I’ll be trying to keep them a secret as well.”
“That’s why we’re driving instead of running back to the compound. Hopefully this will encourage the belief that your powers are gone. We will have to get a little creative when we get to the border because you don’t have your passport with you. I’m sure we’ll think of something.” She smiles.
I don’t know how to respond, but I feel the need to tell her something else. I say, “I know about Chris and his dual life. I read his mind and saw his future. Justin’s too.”
She nods her head. “I sense a big change is coming for the Runners’ Clan. But we’ll get through it. We always do.”
We continue talking about the happenings at the clearing as we make our way toward the border checkpoint to get back into the U.S. I can’t believe it has been only a handful of days since I was spotted at a track meet and whisked away to Montana with Olympic dreams. My parents will be told I was involved in an automobile accident sustaining injuries that prevent me from being able to compete. They won’t be told anything about the diamond or the delivery.
Clara tells me that after the Death Clan died, Maetha talked to the clans about nature’s will. Her explanation was simple and basic, leaving out many of the points she told me in private. Her main focus, according to Clara, was to address rogue clans or individuals who seek after ultimate power. Maetha said, “Nature always finds a way to eliminate this type of bullish thinking.”
I respect Maetha’s decisions, even though I don’t fully understand them, and I don’t tell Clara anything I’m not supposed to, but I can’t ignore the double-standard with Maetha.
When we are a couple miles from the border checkpoint, Clara pulls the car to the side of the road. “Do you still have the running power?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good. You’ll need to leave Canada the same way you entered—running. I’ll look for you about five miles down the road.”
“No problem.”
I get out of the car and watch her drive away. When the coast is clear, I take off, running south. Having the diamond piece in my heart gives me a little bit of pain at first, but I use my healing ability to eliminate the pain. I can tell I’m not as fast as I was with the whole diamond, but I’m still faster than a human.
I meet up with Clara on American soil and we continue the several hour drive. Clara and I talk about the amazing powers I demonstrated on the mission and the mysterious clues she’d tried to figure out—like the fact she could tell from the beginning something was different about my ability.
She says, “I wondered if you were a new kind of Runner and thought perhaps the running power was dwindling in strength. When Chris called and reported you were displaying multiple powers, I figured it must be part of the new breed.”
I chuckle. “In the end, I’m just a regular human. Ironic, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I was relieved to discover you had the diamond.”
“Relieved? Why?”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “The Sanguine Diamond has been the stuff of myths for centuries. Usually when the diamond appears, an Immortal is also present.”
“I thought you said Immortals weren’t real.”
“I never said that. The legend of Immortals and their existence has been chronicled by Spellcasters throughout many generations. Spellcasters have added their accounts of witnessing the diamond and an Immortal in action. Only other Spellcasters have access to these records. The clans have all but forgotten the real stories. I’ll be adding my account of what I’ve witnessed, leaving out sensitive information, of course.”
“You think Maetha is an Immortal, don’t you?”
She looks over at me. “Yes, I do. I’ve known her most of my adult life as a Spellcaster. Sometimes she crosses the line of nature’s will. However, her involvement with the delivery of the Sanguine Diamond and her special attention toward you leads me to believe she is an Immortal. Pretending to be a Spellcaster is the perfect disguise to hide behind.”
“What do you think she wants with me?”
Clara shrugs her shoulders. “All I know is what Immortals have done in the past. My records only describe past events, not motives or overall endgame strategies.”
“I’d love to read your books sometime.” I smile. I wonder how being an Unaltered fits into the legend.
“I’m sure you’ll get the chance.” She gives me an all-knowing look, leaving me wondering what is meant behind it.
* * *
At the compound, I’m met with overwhelming applause. Runners of all ages greet me with congratulatory remarks and well wishes, and Beth attaches herself to my arm like a bodyguard. I scan the crowd for Chris, knowing even before I look that he won’t be there. I can’t smell him. Beth helps me wade through the sea of curious admirers and escorts me to our room.
Once inside, we both breathe sighs of relief.
“Thanks for that, Beth.”
“No problem. You’re our biggest celebrity! Someone needs to look out for you now, ’cause you certainly watched over us. I would never have guessed you had all those powers because you carried the real diamond. Are they gone now?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” I fib.
“What can you still do?”
“I can read minds a bit. That one is my least favorite.”
“Can you still heal?”
“Maetha told me if I concentrate on that power, I might be able to keep it.”
“I’m so jealous, Calli.”
“Don’t be. What I went through in the last few days was hell. Have you seen Chris?”
“Sorry. No. Will you come back to visit us?”
“Probably not, but you can always email me.” We exchange email addresses and then I say, “I need to go find Chris.”
“Good luck. If you ask me, he’s trying to keep from being found.”
“He must hate me for lying to him over the past few days.”
“Why? I don’t. Clearly you’d been ordered to keep quiet. The stone did its job, and you lived, so what’s the problem?”
“I really need to explain everything to him, in my own words. If you find him before I leave, will you tell him I want to speak with him?”
“Sure.”
* * *
Later that night I wander the halls of the compound looking for Chris. He didn’t attend dinner, not surprisingly, and no one has seen him—I know, I’ve checked their minds. I walk around a corner and find Justin at the end of the hall. He didn’t come to dinner either. He catches a glimpse of me out of the corner of his eye while he talks with some boys. I think for sure he’ll run the other way, instead he excuses himself and starts walking toward me.
My mind-reading abilities are so advanced now because of the diamond in my heart I only need to be in someone’s mind for a split-second, and that tiny moment in Justin’s head is all I need to get the information I want concerning Chris.
“Hey, Calli,” Justin calls out, “remember when we ran into each other on your first night and I called you a muck?”
“Vividly. Do you know where I can find Chris?”
“Funny thing, though, you weren’t a muck after all. You are just a pathetic, plain human who doesn’t belong in our world. How does it feel to have it all, then lose it?”
One thing I could count on throughout the whole ordeal would be Justin remaining a jackass. I reply with the intent to irritate him. “Hey, remember when you and I sat outside Harold Bates’s office after Chris went inside? The secretary had the real diamond and tried to give it to you, but you wouldn’t take it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s when I received the diamond, right in front of you, because you were too scared to take it. When she handed me the stone, your mouth fell open, sort of like it is right now. She put a spell on your mind to make you forget the whole thing. When we passed the fake stone around inside the office, I already had the real one in my pocket. Up until that point I believed myself to be the slowest Runner, a muck, but I learned then I’m merely a human. And that’s fine. Have you seen Chris?”
“Yeah, I have. What’s the matter? Can’t you read minds anymore? You’re pathetic.” He walks away laughing.
No way am I going to tell him I still have most of my powers. I will admit, I’m quite tempted to make him run to the bathroom again, but I restrain myself. I leave the hall and walk toward the front foyer. Justin’s mind showed me Chris’s location: Frank Kinsington’s cabin, the clan’s Healer.
I exit through the main doors into the bright floodlights and inhale the crisp Montana air. I catch a whiff of Chris’s unique smell as I round the corner and see Frank’s cabin along the edge of the property. The darkness of night brings me comfort because I will be alone on my walk. As I approach the Demons who linger beyond the bright lighting, I notice new forms: white snakes. That gives me something to ponder. I’ve started to wonder if there’s a way to eliminate the threat of the Shadow Demons. I’ll be sure to ask Maetha when she comes to visit.
Frank’s cabin has ill-fitting curtains in the windows which allow me a clear line of sight to Chris. I decide not to knock and make my presence known. He wouldn’t be able to run because of the Demons and would be forced to talk with me, and as I know he doesn’t want to see me, I choose to remain outside his vision. I peer through the window and note right away the sadness in his eyes. His hair is disheveled from the many times he’s run his fingers through it. Instead of reading his thoughts, I use my intensified hearing to listen to his conversation.
“I recognized her immediately, Frank, the first time I saw her, but it was all wrong and nothing like the vision shown to me. She was supposed to be a Healer, not a Runner. Of course once her multiple powers emerged, I was relieved. But now . . . now she’s powerless. In fact she never had any powers to begin with. You know, after everything went down and Maetha addressed the crowd, the whole thing made sense. Maetha was the one who gave me the vision of Calli in the first place. I thought she was a Seer, not a witch.”
Frank asks, “Are you going to ask another Seer about your future?”
“Why would I want another Seer messing with my head like that? Maetha tricked me with my vision of Calli. She used me, and she used Calli. We were just little players in her game.” He runs his fingers through his hair again. “It got me thinking. Wiping out the Death Clan was a good thing, but who monitors Maetha?”
“No one I’ve spoken with knows much about her,” says Frank. “We all agreed her intentions were for the betterment of mankind, but I do wonder the same as you: who does she answer to?” He shifts the conversation. “You are aware Calli’s leaving tomorrow, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, are you going to say goodbye?”
“No. We were never meant to be together, and she knew it. She even tried to tell me before she . . . anyway, I need to fix my own situation. I’m going to see my father and resign.”
“What will you do after that?”
“Disappear for a while and get my head back on straight.”
“You know, I’m not a Reader, but even I can tell you have feelings for the girl.”
“Of course I do!” Chris slams his palm down on the table. “But they were placed in my head as part of an overall plot or goal. Maetha took advantage of my desire to find out if there was anyone out there for me.”
“Yes, but perhaps this is your ‘how did you two meet?’ story.”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, really. She’s too young and I’m too messed up.”
“For the moment, but given time, she just might be your one and only whether Maetha tricked you or not.”
“I don’t want to think about that right now.”
I step away from the side of the building feeling dejected. I think about the vision on the stone altar and feel reassured to know we do, in fact, have a future together. He is right, though, I am too young . . . for now.
He refers to himself as “messed up.” I wonder why, exactly. Knowing I can perform a mind read in a split second, I use the knowledge about Chris being a spy to enter his memories. Images and scenes fly by, showing a younger Chris, maybe twelve, being studied like a lab-rat by his father after his running power surfaced. Once Chris became “certifiably abnormal,” as his father put it, he was used to gather insider information on the clans. Apparently, General Harding didn’t know that at some point Chris turned on him and became a double agent, working for the Runners’ Clan.
This is what Chris feared I would find if I read his mind—that he’s a double agent. Chris knows his father would retaliate in a “take no prisoners” kind of way. Keeping his secret was, and is, of utmost importance. It’s the only way he’ll be able to resign without his father coming after the Runners.
I have a better understanding of why Chris feels the way he does.
Even though Maetha warned me about looking into my own future, I make the decision to look anyway. I only want to find out when I’ll see Chris again. I peek through the curtains and feel for his future. A vision opens up to me, revealing a small room similar to a hospital room. Chris lies in the bed with two broken legs. He looks to the door, and a beautiful woman enters. She walks to him and places her hands on his legs, healing them, and then she hugs him. Chris whispers, “I knew you’d come, Calli.”
I pull out of his future in shock. That woman is me!
In the cabin, Chris scratches the top of his head with a confused look on his face. I turn and begin my slow walk back to the compound.
* * *
Two weeks have passed since I arrived home. After saying goodbye to everyone except Chris, I rode to the airport with Clara where she put me on an airplane bound for Ohio.
Everything’s back to normal around here. I take out the trash, scrub the toilet, and go to school. The school year is almost over, summer break is approaching, and I can still do almost everything I could when I carried the diamond. I’ve kept my abilities hush-hush, though. The last thing I want is for anyone to find out what I can do.
Suz and I hang out a lot—at the mall of course—people-watching. However, I see everyone through different eyes after everything I’ve been through.
I used my healing ability for the first time yesterday. My eighty-year-old next-door neighbor fell down his front steps and broke his hip. I called 911 and hurried over to him. I searched his body, found the broken bones, and determined they were not life threatening, so I mended him. He could tell I’d done something, but when the paramedics arrived at his house his excited ramblings about miracles went unheard under the oxygen mask they placed over his face. I smiled all the way back to my house.
Last night I received an email from Beth telling me all the latest gossip about life at the Runners compound. It read:
Calli,
I hope things are going good for you. Things here have been a mess. Chris left the compound, but before he did, there was a big meeting with all the leaders of the compound. They basically kicked Justin out of the clan. Justin was going to leave anyway, so it was a wasted effort. I’m glad he left. Not sure what I ever saw in him.
Guess what? We held a new time trial and I’m now the fastest of the clan! Isn’t that great?
Maetha the Spellcaster made individual amulets from the broken pieces of the diamond you carried and gave one to each clan. They each look like a chandelier light bulb on a leather cord. The diamond shard magically floats inside the bulb to prevent accidental contact with its bearer, and the amulet gives small doses of each power to whomever wears it. Currently, Clara wears the Runners’ Clan amulet.
Well, I hope everything is going well for you. Hope to hear from you soon.
Beth
I write Beth back and tell her how everyone here has forgotten I’d set a world record in track and everything is back to normal, just as I prefer. It’s a short email, but I don’t know what else to say.
I suspect Maetha played a hand in making everyone forget my supernatural moment of fame. No matter. I used to be an ordinary girl who liked to fly under the radar, but then I was pushed out in front and was forced to take on the role of a superhero. Honestly, grandeur wasn’t everything I thought it would be. Being back to normal feels good.
* * *
Today, I’m going to the mall by myself to feel people. As perverse as it sounds, it’s actually a great way to exercise my powers of healing and detecting problems.
As I sit on a bench in the busy mall, I enter the bodies of passersby and search for their small illnesses and disorders. Some of them I fix, while others I don’t. I don’t make instantaneous decisions selfishly, but more with nature in mind. I glimpse each person’s future along with the defect in their body to determine the natural order of their ailment. I can’t even begin to describe how disheartening it is to observe so many future deaths walking the halls of the mall.
At one point, I see a mother and teenage daughter squabbling over a purse the daughter wants to buy. In the mother’s body, I find leukemia. Her future is not bright. This is a prime example of an individual who will die and one I shouldn’t help. A quick mind-read tells me no one is aware of the disease yet. I am compelled to act—not to heal the illness, but to begin the healing process between mother and daughter before the hourglass drops the last few precious grains of life.
I walk over to the two bickering females, push myself between them, and turn to the girl. She isn’t any older than I am. “You shouldn’t be so quick to battle everything to the death with your mother. One never knows when death will come knocking on the door and take away the most important people in our lives.”
The girl’s response has several four-letter expletives, but she basically says “mind your own business.”
I turn to the exasperated mother and say very quietly, before walking away, “Go to your doctor soon, and treasure your remaining days.”
Into my mind comes the words Chris spoke in the bathroom of the motel room: “Wise Healers know when not to heal, when not to help, and when to walk away. Someday you’ll be a wise Healer.”
I’ve accepted the fact I won’t be hearing from Chris any time soon. By understanding and coming to terms with this, I can move forward. He helped me learn all the different aspects of my abilities, explained the importance of respecting nature’s wishes, taught me what it means to truly love someone, and how that love has nothing to do with attractiveness or lust. True love means being able to put your own selfish needs and wants aside and to be willing to sacrifice . . . or even die . . . for the other person.
He was willing to die for me, and I was willing to die for him. I did die for him. I’m still saddened when I think of the last time I saw him in the cabin. If I could have told him at that moment we would see each other again, his spirits would have lifted dramatically. But I knew then, like I do now, that everything has to play out naturally. He will find out down the road, or as Maetha said, “He’ll learn soon enough.” I only wish I could give him the same positive outlook on life that I have.
I’m consoled by the fact that Chris is resigning from his position with his father. However, this will forever be the skeleton in his closet. I’m saddened to learn of Chris’s past and what kind of suffering he’s been through. I fully appreciate how frustrated he must feel, thinking he’s been “used” by Maetha. Someday he and I will both learn more about the journey we’ve been on together. It’s not over.
When I think about the vision of Chris with broken legs, I’m always confused as to why he’s in a hospital and why he hasn’t had a Healer fix his legs. I guess I’ll just have to wait to find the answer. Until then, I’ll await Maetha’s visit. I’m anxious to have her teach me about the Sanguine Diamond, Immortals, and the world of the clans—the world I never knew existed. I will live my life as an ordinary teenage girl who’s been given a second chance and a gift above all gifts: a diamond in my heart.
# # #