Emerge: The Awakening (24 page)

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FIVE

“Will you stop doing that?” Allie rolled her eyes when Aidan leapt from the couch in the middle of a movie.

“It’s just too freakin’ weird when someone wanders into your head.” He shuddered. “It’s like spiders crawling in your brain.”

“I’m familiar,” she said dryly.

“I don’t even know I’m doing it!”

“Like I do? Aidan, I never know what I’m doing!”

Since that first night, they’d experienced these minor telepathic incidents. It never lasted long, but whenever one of them realized the other had drifted into their thoughts, they lost the connection.

“I know you hate this,” she said, “but you do know I didn’t invade your privacy on purpose?”

“I know. I suppose if I have to share my brain with someone, I’m glad it’s you.”

<><><>

This is so bizarre!
Allie knew she was asleep in her own bed, but somehow she was also in Aidan’s room, and she definitely wasn’t dreaming. 

Aidan, wake up, it’s happening again!
She thought about beating him with a pillow and one was instantly in her hand.

Wake up!
She slammed the pillow against his head.

Jeez, Lex! Not so rough, baby,
he muttered sleepily.

Okay, that’s new.
She hit him again.

What? What’s with the brutality?
he moaned.
I'm awake. Whoa, this is weird. I’m not awake, am I?

I think we’re asleep, but not really.
She shrugged.

Progress, I guess. Wait, why did it feel like you were beating me to death just now?

Like this?
She envisioned the pillow again.

Hey! Stop it, Red! 

Power of visualization.
She thumped him over the head again.

You’re so dead!

She immediately found herself lying on Aidan’s bed as he returned in kind.

Stop!
she giggled. When he collapsed beside her, she noticed how underdressed they were. He was in boxer-briefs and she was in a tank and boy shorts.

This is definitely not helping our boundary issues,
he sighed as a t-shirt covered his bare chest. Allie quickly made a mental adjustment to her own attire.

Sorry I’ve made it worse.

Sorry I’ve been a jerk about it. I know you didn’t want this either. You just missed me.
He smiled.

And apparently, I used my power to force my way into your mind against your will.

I don’t even understand what’s happening right now.
He changed the subject.
But it’s kind of amazing.

Are we really just dreaming?
She tried to wrap her brain around the anomaly.

It’s more than that.
He frowned in concentration as his bedroom faded and they were suddenly sitting in their normal spot on the beach, although they now had separate lounges.
It’s like we’re somewhere between awake and asleep, in a reflection of the real world.

Yeah, it’s distorted, like a fuzzy memory. Hold on a sec, I want to try something.
Allie closed her eyes and focused on a vivid mental image. In a flash of green light, they were lounging in their chairs atop the ruins of Machu Picchu with a giant picnic basket between them.

You have quite the imagination, baby.
He reached for a bunch of grapes.

Okay, what’s with that? 

What?

I don’t know, pookie, you keep calling me baby.

What? No!

Yes, you most certainly have.
She giggled, but her smile faltered when she caught a glimpse of the jumbled thoughts bouncing around his head. His loneliness was so painful. She sensed something dark and forlorn rising within him, something associated with his power.

Don’t get too close, Lex. My demons are all twisted up with my power.

Aidan, I thought I understood before. I wasn’t even close.

Wow, you do think like a mortal,
he said softly.
And you don’t see yourself clearly at all.

Back atcha.
She reached for a plate of cupcakes she imagined into existence.

We better get our story straight, before the mentors have us in session for the foreseeable future. 

Cheers to that. They’ve been salivating over this, just waiting for something interesting to happen.

They don’t need to know everything. Let’s just tell them we had the same dream. It’s almost true...
he trailed off, and just like that, Allie was back in her room. She rolled over and stretched, amazed by how well rested she felt.

Me too,
Aidan said. She could still feel his thoughts but she could also see him in her mind’s eye as he stretched to his full height.

Uh, can we not turn this off? I have to pee, and I’d rather do that alone.
Aidan stood uncertainly at the center of his room.

Crap, I have to take a shower! Are we stuck? 

Dude, I am so dead.
He groaned. 

Hey, I do not like where your thoughts are going, mister!

No, no, this is not happening!

Aidan Loukas!

Allie, I’m a guy. You mention taking a shower and my brain immediately goes on naked girl alert.

Try thinking about another naked girl?
she glowered.

I know, I know! We need to figure this out. Any ideas? If not, I’m going to the bathroom, so brace yourself for a whole new level of intimacy issues.

I am not watching you pee. So we’ll…just try our best to ignore each other? And no peeking!
she added firmly.

Yes ma’am.

Allie tried to concentrate on a strong mental image to keep her mind off Aidan as she raced to the bathroom.

“This is so ridiculous!” She let her focus slip for a moment.

Alexis Ann!

Sorry!
She clamped her eyes shut and hummed to herself.

This has to stop!
he snarled through mentally gritted teeth.

I’m sorry, Aidan. Let’s just try to get through the morning.

It took a Herculean effort, but Allie struggled the most when they were showering. It was distracting, catching quick flashes of his naked flesh and tattoos she didn’t know he had. But it was even more distracting when she caught the random thoughts he was trying very hard to control.

I must have done something awful in my past and I’m paying for it now!
He dressed quickly and stormed out of his room.

<><><>

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SIX

Get out of my brain!
Allie hissed.

Back atcha, Red!

“What’s with you two lately?” Chloe asked.

“Sorry, Chlo,” Allie said. It was proving very difficult to keep this latest development from their friends, but the connection they shared was such an intimate thing, neither felt comfortable discussing it.

“We have to tell them,” Aidan said. He was driving home from the girl’s first volleyball game of the season, which they lost.

Stay out of my head next time and we might actually win!

“It’s not my fault you can’t listen to instructions!”

I know how to play the game!
“And we’re not telling anyone!”

“I was just trying to help!”

Think quieter next time!

“Quieter? Really?”

“Do you two have something you’d like to share?” Quinn laughed.

“What?” Allie snapped, completely oblivious of the strange, half conversation they were having.

We did it again.
“We have to tell them.”

“It’s about time,” Graham said. “You two have been at each other’s throats for weeks.”

“Allie seems to be sharing an emerging gift with me,” Aidan announced.

Like I did it on purpose?
“It’s not a gift, it’s a curse straight from the fiery pits of Hell!” she fumed. “Apparently, I’m telepathic, but only with this idiot.”

Retract the claws, will ya?
“It started a few weeks ago and we’re having some issues,” Aidan sighed.

“Because someone has trouble telling the difference between my thoughts and when I’ve actually spoken aloud!”

“It sounds the same, you evil little harpy!”

“So, you guys are in each other’s heads all the time?” Chloe giggled.

“Not always.” He lied. No one needs to know how strong this is already.

“Dude, you have my deepest sympathy,” Graham said solemnly.

“Has she tried to dismember you yet?” Quinn laughed.

“Har, har. You guys are so freaking funny,” Allie muttered.

<><><>

Do you ever stop thinking?
Allie sighed.

Do you always ask stupid questions?
Aidan growled.

Sorry, this is just so…

Exhausting?

Cheers to that,
she agreed as Naeemah and Sasha chattered about their vacation plans for spring break.

“Allie, you’ll be going to Paris with us,” Gregg said casually. “If need be, we’ll have Daniel talk your parents into coming along.”

“What? No, we already have plans!”

“We can’t leave you unprotected. You know better than that,” Naeemah said.

“Seriously, Red? You’re complaining about going to Paris?”

“Seriously, Gregg?” she mocked. “I’ve seen Paris a dozen times! I’m going boating with Vince and my parents. We’ve planned this for weeks!”

“Even if we weren’t concerned with your safety, you can’t take two weeks off training. I’m sorry, but you have to come with us,” Naeemah said kindly but firmly.

“What am I going to tell Dad? He’s so excited about this trip.”

“Well, now, let’s talk about this, Nae. What if we sent the guys with her?”

“Babysitters?” Allie frowned.

“Aye, like Liam? And maybe Darius, too?”

“Really? Would they come?”

“For you? My boys would do just about anything. I’ve never seen anything like it. One visit and you’ve got them all wrapped around your little finger.” He winked. “We’ll even lend you our sailboat so everyone has a cabin, and the guys will go along to keep you out of trouble. It’s a win-win.”

“Alright, but I’ll handle my parents.” She hated the thought of Daniel messing with their minds. 

<><><>

“Little one!” Liam grinned when she rushed into the common room, not hesitating for a second when she flung herself into his outstretched arms.

“Warn a guy before you do that!” Darius flinched.

After careful experimentation, it was apparent that Allie was immune to Liam. An anomaly he enjoyed, but one that made others nervous.

“Hey Darius!” she winked.

“Oh, am I special too?”

“Of course!”

“Good to see you too, Killer.”

“We’ve got two days of hard training before we leave, and I mean to make the most of it,” Liam said. “Ems wants us to work on your gymnast training while she’s gone, so let’s get to it!”

They coached her on the vault, balance beam and rings, working on her control and upper body strength until her arms ached and her legs felt like mush.

“I wouldn’t mind spending more time on this and less on swords,” she said as she did a graceful handstand on the rings. 

“Allie, you have to get over your aversion to weapons.”

“And how do you know I’m averse to them?” she asked tersely.

“You don’t exactly hide it,” Darius said.

“I’m perfectly willing to fight if I have to, but I don’t have to like it,” she said by rote, dismounting with a perfectly stuck landing worthy of team U.S.A.

“No one’s asking you to enjoy it,” Liam growled. “We’re just afraid you’re going to learn a very hard lesson one of these days.”

“Duly noted.” She gave him her best scowl.

“Stubborn little minx.” He swept her up in a massive hug. “I can’t tell you how much it means to relax with another person for the first time in my life.”

“We so need to work on your definition of relaxing.” She giggled.

“Get her out of here.” Liam lobbed a towel at Darius.

“So what are we doing today?” she asked as they headed for Naeemah’s terrarium.

“We are going to try using your solar gift as a weapon,” Darius said.

“You’ve met me, right? Short redhead, doesn’t like weapons?”

“Your sarcasm is a weapon.” He rolled his eyes. “Today we’re going to experiment. I want you to study the process of reaching for your power without grasping it. It will be difficult, but you might discover some slight irregularities that may allow you to use your gift in different ways.”

“Sounds hard.” She flopped onto the grass.

“It actually helps if you relax.” He stretched out beside her.

Allie settled back and reached for that coil of warmth in her core, letting the layers of heat flood her body, but she refrained from embracing the hottest layer—her solar gift. It took all her concentration to keep her power at bay and she trembled with the effort.

She felt a sudden odd spike of excitement that didn’t fit the situation.

“That’s it! Now study it. Look for anything you might be able to grasp.”

AIDAN?
She caught his random emotions. He was desperately trying to block her, but she saw flashes of naked arms and legs intertwined and she felt things she should not be feeling.

I do not want to see this!

Back off, Lex.

“Focus, Allie!” Darius pulled her back.

She tried to block what she was seeing, but she needed all her strength to deal with the task at hand. She frantically shoved Aidan and his date from her mind, but ignoring them proved almost impossible.

Allie covered her eyes, her face flushed scarlet. His block just wasn’t strong enough. She muttered under her breath as she tried to grasp hold of that elusive thread, but it never gave purchase.

“Naomi?” Darius frowned. “What about Naomi?”

“What?” Allie snapped.

“You’re muttering—rather violently, about her and—Oh!” he grinned. “I do believe it’s night time in good ole’ Parie. Little brother’s busy, huh?” He waggled his brows devilishly.

“I’m never going to get that out of my head!” She threw herself into the exercise, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, but it did nothing to dispel the vivid images from her mind.

“Give the kid a break; Naomi has a soft spot for the McBrien boys.”

“You really want to piss me off too?”

“Definitely not. Bad Aidan!”

She couldn’t help cracking a smile at his attempt to distract her.

“Was that a smile?” he grinned. “How about you turn that anger on lover boy and think about using your gift to fry his ass when he gets home?”

Allie tried, but she couldn’t ignore Aidan and the older Naomi, lying naked wrapped in each other’s arms, talking softly and sharing the kind of intimacy he typically only shared with her.

I’m sorry.

“Screw your apology!” She reached for her gift. Beads of sweat rolled down her back as she teetered on the edge, keeping her power at bay. Every time she thought she had it, it vanished. “It’s like trying to catch smoke!”

“That’s enough for today, you’re loosing control.” Darius pulled her up to sit with him.

Allie…

“Again!” she insisted.

Alexis Ann, answer me!

“So not talking to you, McBrien!”

“I’ll assume you don’t actually mean this McBrien, so it’s definitely time to stop,” Darius said.

“One more time.” She sat facing him.

“Alright, focus on me. Hold my hands and look into my eyes. Deep breaths, Allie.”

She did as he said and immediately felt her anger diminish. Darius’ midnight blue eyes held her gaze as she took three long, calming breaths.

“Let’s hope you never get that mad at me.” His eyes twinkled. “Ready to try again, Killer?”

She nodded, grasping his hands tightly. It was different this time. She felt stronger. Allie pushed herself, but she just couldn’t manage it.

A drop of scarlet landed on her sleeve and she reached to wipe the blood from her nose.

“Enough! You’re pushing yourself way too hard. We’ll give it another shot tomorrow.”

Lex, please don’t be mad.

Aidan…how could you?  

<><><>

“You seem distracted,” Vince said as they drifted further from the bonfire party.

“Just enjoying the silence,” Allie said dryly.

Yeah, silence would be great right about now!
Aidan growled.
You’d think with an ocean between us we’d get a break from this thing!
He punched his pillow irritably.

Is that what you were counting on? Distance?

Allie, I wasn’t thinking. Period.

“It is nice having you all to myself for once.” Vince snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her in closer as they walked along the jetty. “Watch your step, it’s slippery out here.”

She shivered when a spray of cool water showered them.

“Let’s sit.” He pulled her down in front of him. She settled back against his chest, eager for some alone time, but wondered if they’d ever actually get it.

“Better?”

“Much.” But she wasn’t. She wasn’t really mad at Aidan for sleeping with Naomi—he was a big boy and could do what he wanted, but she was furious that he’d done it knowing she’d be nothing more than a voyeur. And she was outraged on Kayla’s behalf.

We have an understanding—

I don’t want to hear it.

“You alright? You seem kinda tense.” Vince traced a kiss along her temple. His arms wrapped around her and she snuggled into his warmth.

“I’m fine, just cold.”

“I love you, Allie,” he murmured softly.

She couldn’t help her grin. It was the first time he’d said it. “I love you, too.” She turned to face him. She really did love him. It wasn’t, “I’ll-die-if-I-spend-one-minute-away-from-you,” love, but it was still love and it meant the world to her. With Vince, they had just the right amount of heat to make it interesting but not so much that it eclipsed everything else.

“The past six months have been crazy for me, Vin. With the move and everything. So much has changed and you’ve just made it all so easy. You have no idea what that’s meant to me.”

Do I really have to listen to this?

You did not just say that!

“I’ll always be here for you, Allie.” He smiled as his lips found hers in a slow sweet kiss that made her heart pound.

This is payback, I suppose? You know I’m just lying here looking at the ceiling with nothing to distract me from what you’re feeling and thinking. You know, one day you will be ready for something a little more spicy and—

Back off, Aidan!

You know, I find it totally awesome to realize your boy Vince is a great kisser. Can’t get enough of that. Always wondered what kissing a dude might be like.

OUT!
She pushed him as far from her thoughts as she could manage and tried to focus on Vince.

“Allie, you know you’ve been a lifesaver for me too?” Vince said. “I was in a bad place for a really long time, even before Vanessa died. You’ve brought so much normal back to my life.”

“Back atcha,” she snorted. The irony was ridiculous. “Excited for our trip?”