Blue Violet (17 page)

By the time
Ellie and Griffin were in their early adolescence and coming into their powers,
the worldwide community that had once numbered in the hundreds had been
whittled down to only about fifty. They had all banded together for support and
protection.

Ellie
remembered the heavy feeling of fear that had permeated this time in her life.
People with extraordinary gifts—gifts that should have protected them and their
families, should have allowed them to fight back— these people had been killed
in the attacks. No one knew when or how the attacks came. The survivors were
most often younger and weaker or had only just come into their powers. For some
reason, they seemed to go undetected by the wolves.

The attack on
the one remaining tribe had come eventually. Even her great-grandfather, a
metamorph of incredible size and strength, hadn’t been able to prevent it…or
survive it. The wolves had attacked him first, along with the other strongest
members. And somehow he hadn’t been able to morph in time. The Vyusher seemed
to know what powers each Svatura possessed. It had been coordinated and
strategic. And deadly.

This part
Ellie showed in patches, like she remembered it. She also tried her best to not
really think about what she was showing. Emotional transfer tended to be a part
of the ability to show people memories, or at least it had been when she’d
practiced this on Griffin. This was the worst moment of her life, and she
didn’t want anyone else to experience that pain if they didn’t have to.

Ellie and
Griffin had been the only survivors. Ellie suspected two reasons behind their
supposed luck. As adolescents their powers were still new and underdeveloped.
So they would have been left for last, possibly even overlooked if they’d tried
to hide. They hadn’t, though. They had done their best to try to help protect
their family. But to no avail.

 In the end
they’d survived because of their combined powers. They had each discovered new
powers that night, which is why Ellie suspected the wolves hadn’t been prepared
for what happened.

Toward the end
of the attack, after most everyone else was dead, Ellie and Griffin had been
surrounded. Ellie had already discovered her ability to morph into her falcon
form. But that night she’d discovered something new – usually, when she used
other people’s abilities, the second she lost physical contact with them, she
lost the access to that power. That night she learned that once she touched
another metamorph she would
always
have access to that form, as if it
were her own, even after the physical contact had been broken.

A huge black
wolf had been circling them. As it lunged for Ellie, she’d held up her hands
and touched it, immediately morphing into a wolf. The attacking creature had
stumbled back in bewilderment. In the wolf form, Ellie had been able to hear
all of the wolves, their thoughts, their memories. They truly were a pack,
including their minds.

What she
hadn’t realized was that the pull of that hive-like mind would immediately
start to affect her. Metamorphs tended to take on some of the aspects of their
morphic form. Consequently, some of the more predatory animals were harder to
control as the metamorph battled between their humanity and their animalistic
instincts. The wolf form, at least with the Vyusher, could start to completely
take over. Ellie, still linked to the pack, had seen that some of the wolves
hadn’t been in their human form in many, many years.

The large wolf
had beckoned her to join them, and she’d started moving to comply. Griffin had
saved her….and that moment was also when he learned he could project his
defensive shield. He’d thrown it over both of them, keeping the wolves from
getting anywhere near. Then he’d touched her, linking her to him, allowing her
to use his power.

Ellie’s power
manipulation at that time was so untutored that she couldn’t control it. The
second she touched someone she was linked to them, tuned in to their power.
Griffin had counted on that fact. She instantly started using his mind reading
ability, and he had screamed her name. As if she was coming out of a fog, Ellie
had pulled out of the wolf form.

In tandem,
each reading the other’s minds, they’d both morphed into the falcon. Griffin
kept the defensive shield around them as they escaped… flew as far away as they
could before becoming physically exhausted. They’d been alone ever since.

Because of
Ellie’s brief connection with the Vyusher community mind, she’d learned they
only attacked large gatherings of people with powers. So she and Griffin had
deliberately avoided others of their kind after that. As long as it was just
the two of them, they wouldn’t be a target for the wolves. It’d stayed that way
until Ellie had had her dream about the Jenners and Pierces.

Now she and Griffin
were here with the people she’d seen in her dream. It seemed like forever ago.
And the Vyusher were once again threatening their lives. If their incredibly
powerful ancestors hadn’t been able to survive, how could just the two of them
stand a chance of helping this family?

Feeling the
mood shift uncomfortably around her, Ellie turned her focus away from her fears
and to the last few months. Meeting the Jenners. Befriending them. Protecting
them.

With a deep
breath and mentally poking at Griffin to check that she hadn’t left out
anything important, Ellie stopped projecting her thoughts into the other’s
minds. She released Griffin’s hand before sinking into Alex’s arms. She shivered
both from exertion and emotional upheaval.

No one spoke,
trying to simply absorb and assimilate what Ellie had revealed.

“So let me get
this straight…” Nate finally broke the silence. “You’re a gypsy princess?”

The
incredulity in his expression made Ellie laugh and had everyone else chuckling
with her as they all moved back to their original seats. Even Griffin. She
suspected Nate had done it on purpose to lighten the mood, and it had worked.

“Out of all of
that, that’s what you decided to focus on?” She raised her head from Alex’s
shoulder to tease in return.

“We have to
leave,” Lucy said, fear evident as she wrung her hands.

Griffin shook
his head. “They’ll expect that and follow you.” Suddenly, he swung his head
sharply to look at Ellie as she mentally sent an idea his way. “
Really?”
he asked, also using his telepathy.

She nodded in
response. “
They won’t be able to know.”
She paused and thought for a
second. “
I think we could…”
She paused again thinking through her plan,
letting him follow along with her mental process.

Everyone else
in the room sat forward, glancing at each other with baffled expressions.

“Can you do
that?” Griffin asked her aloud, having noticed the confusion in the room.

“If I have
enough time to heal and then to practice, I think so,” Ellie answered, aloud as
well, sitting up.

“You’ve never
tried.” He popped up from the sofa to pace the room.

“I’ve never
had the chance to try the first part,” she reminded him quietly. “And the other
part, well you’re powerful enough now to contain me if I can’t control it.”

Griffin stood
at the window staring outside as he thought. Finally he turned to look at her
and then nodded. Ellie relaxed slightly. Her reluctant brother had agreed to
help her protect this family.

 “Would you
care to clue the rest of us in?” Alex murmured in her ear. He slid his hand
under her hair to rest lightly at the nape of her neck. He was the only one who
seemed amused by the interchange between the twins, as everyone else appeared
equal parts confused and frustrated. Ellie felt secretly relieved by his behavior,
wondering why he was taking all of this so well. But she didn’t want to press
it.

“That was
about a couple of different things. First, during my fight with the pack today,
I touched several of them. I learned a few things, although in flashes only.” She
paused, remembering.

“That black
wolf wasn’t there tonight,” she continued, plucking at a loose thread in her
sweatshirt. “Although he did give the orders for the attack. He’s the king of
the Vyusher, as far as we can tell. His name is Gideon. All of the Vyusher are
wolf metamorphs, but like Griffin and me, some have additional skills. Someone
in the pack—it’s hard for me to tell who, but it seems like it might be Gideon—has
the ability to see anyone with powers, what those powers are, and how the
person uses those powers. Past, present, and future. But it’s easier for them
to zero in on large groups. They have a hard time when it’s only a couple of
us.” 

She turned to
Griffin as he resumed his seat beside her. “That seems to be part of how they
were so effective at decimating our clan. They knew
exactly
what our
powers were. They prepared a plan around each of us, and in what order to
attack. And they always attacked the strongest first, although there seems to
be more to it than that.”  Ellie’s brow furrowed, frustrated with the gaps in
her vision.

“Is there a
way around Gideon’s power?” Hugh asked. He steepled his fingers as he
contemplated the brother and sister.

 “There is for
your family. Apparently, someone in this group is able to block their ability
to see and understand your gifts. They can tell that you have them but not what
they are. It seems like Griffin and I were also protected under this power.
Based on what I could see in the pack collective mind, that small attack had
been more recon than anything— they don’t know how many of us there are, or
what powers we have. It gives us an advantage.” Ellie paused for a second and
then added quietly, “Unless you want to scatter and live apart the rest of your
lives. And even then, you’d be in constant danger. We’re going to have to fight
them. And defeat them. There’s no other option.”

Everyone
silently pondered this bleak news. Regardless of the advantage, none of them
had ever had to fight before…especially not for their
lives.
The room
seemed to take a collective breath, everyone changing position. Ramsey moved
restlessly to stare out the window. Ellie caught Lila’s surreptitious but
concerned glance at the red-haired boy.

“You said
‘first’,” Lucy reminded her, reclaiming her attention. “Is there a second?”

Ellie nodded
slowly as she pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged on the couch. Alex
adjusted his position to accommodate her. “I have two other ideas, and both of
them have to do with my gifts.” She looked each person in the eyes, gauging
their possible reactions. “But you’d really have to trust me.”

No one said
anything, so she continued.  “My first idea is to use my ability to tap into to
your powers. But I want to try to use it with all of you at once.”

“What do you
mean all of us?” Adelaide asked, tilting her head.

“I’ve never
tried this before since my power didn’t develop until… well… you all saw. I’ve
only ever had Griffin to practice on.”  She gave Griffin a little nudge with
her knee.

“But I think
that if we’re all touching at once, maybe by holding hands, I can channel all our
powers. Try to coordinate us somehow. I can at least protect us using Griffin’s
defensive shield. I can move us around using Charlotte’s teleporting, and so
forth. Between Lucy’s ability to see intentions and Griffin’s mind reading, I
should be able to stay a step ahead of the wolves.”

Alex frowned.
“You said you’ve never done it before.”

“Like I said…
only Griffin to practice on, and he only let me do so much.” She gave a little
apologetic shrug. “We’d have to try it out.”

“What’s your
other idea?” Alex was still frowning.

“This is the
biggest question mark in my mind.” Ellie grimaced. “I’m fairly sure I can do
the first part, and we’ll be able to confirm that soon enough, but this other
idea is much harder.”

Ellie paused.
She wasn’t quite sure how to go about explaining this. One had to see it to
believe it.

Sensing her
hesitation, feeling the tension in her body, Alex said dryly, “I’m guessing
it’s not something you’re entirely comfortable with.”

Ellie took a
deep breath.
It’s now or never…
  “You know that one of my gifts is the
ability to morph. I have four different forms.”

“But wouldn’t
that be multiple gifts?” Adelaide asked, wrinkling her brow.

“It’s a facet
of my two gifts combined. Two of my forms were inherited. Two other forms I…
ummmm
absorbed
is the best description, I guess. I showed you how I got
my wolf form on the night my family…” She trailed off.

 “What
shapes?” Nate prodded, clearly fascinated.

“You’ve seen
the falcon, which is my strongest and inherited through my grandmother. The
jaguar I pulled from someone in my tribe, although I didn’t know it at the
time. I hadn’t yet realized I’d come into that power. You saw that I have the
wolf, but I never use it. The pack mind is too powerful…it’s too dangerous.” 
She paused.

“That’s only
three,” Alex said, and felt her body tense.

“My fourth form
I’ve only ever tried once, when I was very young. The attempt was a…” Ellie
searched for the right word.

“A disaster,”
Griffin supplied quietly.

“Is this what
your plan is about?” Hugh asked.

With a nod,
Ellie continued. “From my great-grandfather, I inherited the ability to change
into a…well, a… dragon.”

Total silence
greeted this declaration. And then Alex let out a loud exhale.

“Did I say
whoa
earlier?” Nate asked, his eyes the size of saucers. “That really doesn’t quite
cover it….I mean Holy mother of all that’s crazy
WHOA
!”

“That is so
cool!” Lila added, practically clapping her hands in excitement.