Awaking (The Naturals, #1) (14 page)

At the large mahogany desk in the windowed corner of the office there sat three chairs. Morgan sat down, Corbin and Lucas on either side of her, and Orrick walked to the black leather chair behind the desk and took his seat. Framed by sky and tops of buildings, he looked even more impressive.

Morgan suddenly felt incredibly underdressed. She tugged at the hem of her tank top.

If Orrick noticed her actions, he had the grace not to say anything. Instead, he offered them all a benign smile. “You have questions, I assume.”

Morgan glanced surreptitiously to either side of her, waiting for either Lucas or Corbin to say something. When neither spoke, Morgan realized the reason why: It was her place to speak now. After all, she was the original psychic.

“We know a little bit—about the Veneret. And we know that we’re Naturals.” Morgan paused, indicating Lucas. “Well, I assume Lucas is—Kellen didn’t seem to be sure about it, but if he wasn’t, I doubt he’d be here now.”

She turned her attention back to Orrick who inclined his head slightly. Morgan took this as a cue to continue.

“What we don’t know is—why? Kellen keeps saying I’m special, but why? And why are these… abilities showing up now?”

Orrick folded his hands on the desk before him. He seemed to be considering how to answer. After a minute, he spoke.

“There was a time when the Veneret were powerful. Revered. Known. But then the common became jealous of us, our abilities. They knew that we were stronger, better than they were, and they began to hate us for it. They hunted us, killed us. And it was decided that, in order to protect ourselves from annihilation, we needed to go into hiding.” A sneer marred Orrick’s handsome features momentarily, then he continued. “We removed ourselves almost completely from the common for generations before assimilating into the mundane world again. But our exile was not bitter: there was an end foreseen.

“One day, a Natural would be born. That Natural would restore the Veneret to its rightful position in the world. No longer would the Veneret have to live with their abilities hidden, as though they were something shameful, unworthy to see the light of day. One day, she would lead us back to the light.”

“She,” Morgan asked, incredulous.

Orrick inclined his head kindly. “You’re the One we’ve been waiting for.”

Morgan stared blankly at him for a moment before turning to Lucas and Corbin in turn, hoping to exchange incredulous looks with them. However, both Lucas and Corbin wore identical looks of understanding, as if what Orrick said made sense to them.

She turned her attention back to Orrick. “You’re kidding, right?”

“On the contrary,” Orrick said, looking slightly bemused. “For centuries, it has been foretold that you would be born, and that you would lead the Veneret back to our rightful place in the world. Your strength—your power—has been what has kept our hope alive through the generations.”

Morgan just stared at him, waiting for the punch line. When, after a few moments, it became clear that Orrick was being serious, Morgan suddenly felt as though the air had been sucked from the room. What was she supposed to do? What did he mean about her strength and her power? She had neither. How could a group of people she had never heard of be placing their hope in her? Her breathing became shallow; she felt her heart begin to pound. It had to be a joke, a misunderstanding—something. He had to be wrong. He couldn’t mean her. He couldn’t.

Gradually, things began fading away. Morgan was no longer aware of the chair she sat in, of Lucas or Corbin beside her, of Orrick watching her. All she could feel was the pounding of her heart and all she could hear was a rushing sound in her ears. She felt a hot, bubbling sensation fill her from the center of her being outward.

How much time passed, Morgan wasn’t sure, but slowly, by degrees, she came back to herself. The bubbling ceased, rushing in her ears subsided, her heartbeat slowed. She became aware of warm hands on her forearms. To her left, she felt Corbin’s panic, his fear. To her right was Lucas, and Morgan realized he was the one calming her down. She glanced at him.

“There you are,” he said quietly.

Morgan gave him a confused look, and Lucas glanced over his shoulder. Morgan followed his gaze. The artwork on the walls had been knocked off center, and the papers that had been neatly stacked in baskets on Orrick’s desk were scattered haphazardly around the room. It looked as if a strong wind had ripped through the office.

Morgan turned back to Orrick, prepared to stammer out some sort of apology, but the look on Orrick’s face stilled her tongue. His gaze implied curiosity, fascination, and—Morgan could almost swear—something like pride.

Corbin’s hand shifted on Morgan’s arm as he spoke. “So, Morgan’s some kind of long-awaited messiah for the Veneret, but—what about me and Lucas? Why is this happening to us?”

“The prophecy speaks of other Naturals the One will depend on,” Orrick said.

When Orrick didn’t elaborate, Morgan spoke. “So, that’s it?” she asked. “I’m the One and these two are supposed to help me make things right for the Veneret?”

Orrick nodded. “Yes. And for now, that is really all you need to worry about.”

Morgan opened her mouth to say something but closed it when she felt Lucas squeeze her forearm.

When he saw no one was going to speak, Orrick continued. “Can you control it?” he asked, looking at Morgan. When Morgan just stared at him, he added, “The Moving?” He gestured around the room.

Morgan looked down, shaking her head. “Last night was the only other time I’ve done it.”

“With the chai,” said Lucas quietly. “The parking meter. And the fedora.”

Orrick nodded. “Anything else?”

Morgan shrugged, glancing up at him. “I never really thought so, but lately…”

As Morgan recounted the events of the past few days and Corbin and Lucas added their experiences, Orrick listened, nodding occasionally. Nothing they said seemed to surprise him at all. When they finished recounting events, Orrick spoke.

“We’ve been watching you for quite some time, Morgan. No one expected you to mature in your abilities so quickly; Naturals rarely do. And you two,” he looked at Corbin and Lucas. “Your development is quite surprising. Especially yours, Mr. Kenrick. You, Mr. Starling, were already known to us.”

“Like that,” Corbin said. “What does that mean?”

“As you have probably surmised from your own experiences, our abilities manifest themselves in a variety of ways. In the past, we had a great many abilities at our disposal, but today they are somewhat… diminished. It seems every few generations or so, another ability becomes all but extinct.

“Five abilities remain predominant today. There are the Movers, Feelers, Seers, Pushers, and Knowers. Sadly, Knowers are declining in number at an alarming rate.” Orrick sighed, staring down at the desk before him. It was a moment before he looked up and spoke again. “Seers and Feelers have been following you, Morgan, for years. And you, Corbin, were Seen a few months ago.”

“But how?” asked Corbin.

“This is something you’ll learn more about as your abilities develop. Needless to say, I am looking forward to seeing what abilities manifest in the three of you.”

“So…” Lucas said unsurely, “these abilities are gonna continue?”

“Of course,” Orrick said. “I see no reason why they shouldn’t.”

“But—” Lucas stopped. He glanced at Morgan before continuing. “But, you seem so surprised by me. No one Saw me. How can you be sure I’m a part of this and not just—I don’t know—under the influence of Morgan’s powers or something?”

Orrick studied Lucas for a minute before responding. But when he spoke, he directed his comments to Morgan. “What can you Feel? Can you Feel Corbin?”

For a moment, Morgan was confused. Corbin had removed his hand from her arm a while ago; the spot he had been touching was markedly cooler than the rest of her skin now that his warmth was gone. But then she realized what Orrick meant. Taking in a breath, Morgan allowed her mind to reach out. Immediately, she Felt Corbin beside her, feeling both excitement and apprehension. Concern. He was concerned about… something.

Morgan looked at Orrick. “Yes.”

He nodded. “And Lucas?”

Again, Morgan reached out, but this time, she didn’t receive any impressions. She could tell that Lucas was there, but she couldn’t access his feelings at all.

“It’s like… he’s behind a wall or something. A glass wall. I know he’s there, but I can’t… you know—touch him.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Lucas said quietly. When Morgan glanced at him, he raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think you realize you’re doing it,” said Orrick, “but you’ve been shielding yourself. Unless someone very skilled were actually trying to penetrate your wall, so to speak, your thoughts and feelings would remain private.”

Lucas’s eyebrows furrowed. “So… I am one then? A Natural?”

Orrick nodded. “A Feeler, most definitely. And, as I understand from last night’s events, you may manifest secondary gifts as well.”

“Is that… normal?” Lucas asked.

“It used to be commonplace for us to not only inherently possess but to be proficient with a number of abilities.” Orrick smiled. “And if you three are any indication, those days may be upon us again.”

Lucas gave a slight smile and glanced down. Morgan thought she saw a blush on his cheeks.

Orrick clapped his hands together once, sharply, and Morgan, Corbin, and Lucas all jumped.

“Enough history,” Orrick said, a smile touching his lips. “I think what would benefit you the most would be to spend time with others like yourselves.”

“You’re going to arrange for us to hang out with a bunch of other Naturals?” asked Morgan.

Orrick shook his head. “That would be rather difficult to arrange as there are so few of you. I mean Veneret—of your own age, of course.”

Morgan sensed rather than saw Corbin shift uncomfortably. Orrick seemed to notice, too, and he turned his attention to Corbin. “Yes?”

“I kinda… had plans tonight.”

“With the charming Clarissa Perry, no doubt,” Orrick said. When three sets of surprised eyes turned in his direction, Orrick just chuckled. “I am not without the resources to be well-informed.” He smiled, turning his full attention to Corbin. “Miss Perry is, of course, welcome to accompany you, if you and she are able to accept that some areas of the party might be off-limits to her.”

For a moment, Corbin seemed dumbstruck by the terms, but finally he managed to say, “Um, sure.”

Orrick clasped his hands together. “Splendid. Well, the event doesn’t begin until later tonight. You’ll be picked up between eight and eight fifteen. Until then, Kellen will take you home.” Orrick nodded toward the elevator and Morgan turned to see Kellen standing there. She immediately wondered how long he’d been there, and how he’d known to come back for them.

Morgan stood but didn’t move toward Kellen. While Orrick had given them a lot of information, she realized he hadn’t touched on the subject she most wanted to know about. Did he know anything about her mother? She opened her mouth to ask a question, but at the same moment, Kellen cleared his throat.

When she glanced back at him, Kellen jerked his head toward the elevator, and Morgan took that as her cue to leave. She turned briefly to wave awkwardly at Orrick and mumble an “It was nice to meet you.” Corbin and Lucas followed suit, and the three of them were soon in the elevator with Kellen.

No one spoke as the elevator took them down floor by floor. When the doors opened, Kellen led them through the lobby. He nodded to the doorman as they exited the building. His car was waiting just outside and the four of them got into it wordlessly. It wasn’t until Kellen was on the freeway that someone spoke.

“So, do you… work for Orrick or something?” Corbin asked from the back seat.

“Not exactly,” Kellen said.

“Because it kinda seems like you’re his errand boy.”

Morgan watched as Kellen’s jaw clenched. She pushed forward with her mind—an experiment—to see if she could sense something from him, but she seemed to run into the same sort of wall she hit with Lucas.

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Kellen said shortly. He glanced at Morgan. “And you’re sloppy.”

“Not like I’ve had any formal training or anything.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Besides, I didn’t think you’d notice; you’re a Mover, aren’t you?”

“Primarily, yeah. But I think since you’re learning that you can focus your abilities, you’re pushing too hard. Like a tsunami rather than a spring breeze.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Pretty easy to detect.”

Corbin leaned forward. “About Orrick, though. What do you mean, appearances can be—”

“My parents died,” Kellen said stiffly, cutting Corbin off. “When I was young. Nine, I think. Orrick’s been watching over me ever since. He’s taken care of me.”

“Oh,” Corbin said softly, and Morgan could feel his chagrin, his discomfort. Immediately she wondered if she could do the calming-down thing that Lucas had been able to do. She took in a breath and focused her energy on Corbin. Not sure what else to do, she repeated Calm down over and over in her mind.

Lucas began chuckling, breaking Morgan’s concentration.

“What?” Morgan demanded, turning in her seat so she could face him.

Lucas just shook his head, still smiling. “Nothing. By all means, continue.”

Morgan shot him her best evil look, but Lucas was unfazed by it and continued to smile contentedly. Morgan turned forward again and stared out the window for the duration of the drive.

Chapter Eleven

Morgan sat on the couch watching TV until around six when her dad came home. He announced he was pulling out the grill for cheeseburgers and assigned Morgan sous chef duties. While Morgan was making macaroni and cheese and steaming broccoli, she heard her phone’s ring tone sounding in the living room.

When she got to the phone, she saw Ris’s name on the caller ID. She answered the call. “What’s up, lady?”

“Guess who’s got another date tonight?” Ris asked, her words tumbling out quickly.