“What is it?”
“Stuffed French toast. Would you like a piece?” I pushed up from the table and gave him a slice. My fingers brushed his hand accidently and my face heated. “I-I was going to get you one like mine, but I didn’t know if you’d even like cream cheese. My mom doesn’t… didn’t.”
“Delicious,” he said between mouthfuls.
His voice sent shivers through me. Jacqui looked from Amar to me and shook her head. Could Jacqui tell I was debating Amar’s feelings toward me? Probably.
We waited for Amar to finish and Jacqui sipped on a water bottle. “What are you going to do if we can’t find your dad? I mean your mom couldn’t…”
“Couldn’t what? Get him to be a dad and husband? No, I guess not. She was only human.” I picked at a hole in the table, then tried to soften my words. “Maybe he left to protect us. But it didn’t work. Mom’s gone, and I’m running. If he had trained me, then maybe I could have defended myself, or at least escaped, and we wouldn’t be here.”
She placed a hand over mine. “Look. I was raised a shifter and a human. Yet, even I had problems going up against those things. My dad never told me about them either, just the run of the mill chameleon stuff, like concealment and making someone believe they are seeing what you want them to.”
We both looked down at her hand on mine, then burst out laughing. “Well, not on you. I wouldn’t do that to my best friend.”
“If you did, I’d have to ink you.”
We were still laughing when Amar walked up from the woods, a look of impatience on his face with an armful of soda cans. “I’ve got an idea.”
“You’re going to join the litterbug society?” Jacqui asked sweetly.
I rolled my eyes at her, then faced Amar. “What do you have in mind?”
“Target practice.” He set the cans along up at varied heights in tree branches, a fallen log, and a large rock. “Now. Focus your ability and try to hit one of them. Or all of them, you’ve got the capability to do so.”
My mouth dried. I had no idea how I yanked on my power before. How could I do so now?” But with him watching me so expectantly, I didn’t have the ability to say no, I can’t do this.
“Okay.” I took a breath and focused on a beer can nestled in the knot of an oak tree. Sweat trickled down my neck making me itchy, but I kept my glare on the can. It didn’t budge.
“Try imaging it as Ms. Moor.” Jacqui clicked her tongue. “Or Betty who broke your favorite pair of sunglasses last year.”
This had to be easy for both of them. They’d had training and at least one parent who was a shifter that stuck by them. Still, I squared my shoulders and focused on another can. This one a diet with a dent in the side. Shouldn’t be too difficult, I’d done my phantom limbs before at Jacqui’s house. I narrowed my eyes, imagining the can flipping over. A pounding formed across my skull, but I still didn’t stop.
“Are you all right?” Amar asked, touching my elbow. An electric current raced through me and a gasped, blinking.
“Yes, why?”
“Cause none of the cans moved, and your face was turning purple.” Jacqui’s eyebrows were knitted together in concern.
I let out a huff. “Let me try again.” It couldn’t be that hard to use a gift I’d been born with, right.
“And give yourself an aneurysm?” She frowned. “No way.”
“We can try again later.” Amar patted my shoulder and collected the empty cans.
Jacqui and I helped and we threw the trash in an overflowing receptecial as bees circled around.
“Ready?” She looped her arm in mine. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it. Took me years to figure out how to be able to blend into the background.”
“Thanks, but that’s not encouraging.”
She chuckled. “Guess not, but I know you can do it.”
I wish I had as much faith as she did.
After some finagling, including using her chameleon powers to help disguise Amar’s wings, we piled into the
“Stuffed French toast. Would you like a piece?” I pushed up from the table and gave him a slice. My fingers brushed his hand accidently and my face heated. “I-I was going to get you one like mine, but I didn’t know if you’d even like cream cheese. My mom doesn’t… didn’t.”
“Delicious,” he said between mouthfuls.
His voice sent shivers through me. Jacqui looked from Amar to me and shook her head. Could Jacqui tell I was debating Amar’s feelings toward me? Probably.
We waited for Amar to finish and Jacqui sipped on a water bottle. “What are you going to do if we can’t find your dad? I mean your mom couldn’t…”
“Couldn’t what? Get him to be a dad and husband? No, I guess not. She was only human.” I picked at a hole in the table, then tried to soften my words. “Maybe he left to protect us. But it didn’t work. Mom’s gone, and I’m running. If he had trained me, then maybe I could have defended myself, or at least escaped, and we wouldn’t be here.”
She placed a hand over mine. “Look. I was raised a shifter and a human. Yet, even I had problems going up against those things. My dad never told me about them either, just the run of the mill chameleon stuff, like concealment and making someone believe they are seeing what you want them to.”
We both looked down at her hand on mine, then burst out laughing. “Well, not on you. I wouldn’t do that to my best friend.”
“If you did, I’d have to ink you.”
We were still laughing when Amar walked up from the woods, a look of impatience on his face with an armful of soda cans. “I’ve got an idea.”
“You’re going to join the litterbug society?” Jacqui asked sweetly.
I rolled my eyes at her, then faced Amar. “What do you have in mind?”
“Target practice.” He set the cans along up at varied heights in tree branches, a fallen log, and a large rock. “Now. Focus your ability and try to hit one of them. Or all of them, you’ve got the capability to do so.”
My mouth dried. I had no idea how I yanked on my power before. How could I do so now?” But with him watching me so expectantly, I didn’t have the ability to say no, I can’t do this.
“Okay.” I took a breath and focused on a beer can nestled in the knot of an oak tree. Sweat trickled down my neck making me itchy, but I kept my glare on the can. It didn’t budge.
“Try imaging it as Ms. Moor.” Jacqui clicked her tongue. “Or Betty who broke your favorite pair of sunglasses last year.”
This had to be easy for both of them. They’d had training and at least one parent who was a shifter that stuck by them. Still, I squared my shoulders and focused on another can. This one a diet with a dent in the side. Shouldn’t be too difficult, I’d done my phantom limbs before at Jacqui’s house. I narrowed my eyes, imagining the can flipping over. A pounding formed across my skull, but I still didn’t stop.
“Are you all right?” Amar asked, touching my elbow. An electric current raced through me and a gasped, blinking.
“Yes, why?”
“Cause none of the cans moved, and your face was turning purple.” Jacqui’s eyebrows were knitted together in concern.
I let out a huff. “Let me try again.” It couldn’t be that hard to use a gift I’d been born with, right.
“And give yourself an aneurysm?” She frowned. “No way.”
“We can try again later.” Amar patted my shoulder and collected the empty cans.
Jacqui and I helped and we threw the trash in an overflowing receptecial as bees circled around.
“Ready?” She looped her arm in mine. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it. Took me years to figure out how to be able to blend into the background.”
“Thanks, but that’s not encouraging.”
She chuckled. “Guess not, but I know you can do it.”
I wish I had as much faith as she did.
After some finagling, including using her chameleon powers to help disguise Amar’s wings, we piled into the
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