Third task? I’m vaguely aware of needing to do a task but I can’t remember what it is.
“I’m trying to slowly ease up on it,” Hunter says. “I took it away all at once earlier and it was just too much for her to handle. Oh, I’m also still, uh, keeping a guy. He saw everything.”
Li turns her attention to Hunter. “You’re keeping him?”
“Yeah, he’s pretty heavily under.”
Li sighs. “Release him. Focus on Chrys.”
“But what if he freaks out too?”
“He probably will, but nowhere near as bad as Chrys, I’d bet. Just let him go.”
“But he witnessed everything. He’ll probably tell—”
“Hunter, let him go.”
Hunter sighs. “Fine.”
“By the way, this distance is way larger than your hometown was. And in a pocket universe too, not to mention. Your range is amazing. And you can even maintain it while not even focusing?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of like a background program, I guess? It runs while I’m asleep too. That is, until I get way too drained. Then it just shuts off and I black out.”
“That is truly remarkable.”
“Is that something I should be proud of?”
She shrugs. “Take it how you wish. I just think it’s worth complimenting.”
“But what should I do about Chrys?” he asks, gesturing to me.
“Gradually removing it, like you said you would, seems like the best plan. I’ll get Elise to come and I’ll watch over her cabin for her in the meantime. Maybe she can help counsel Chrys in her mind, to help her deal with it.”
“Elise, yeah. She can probably help.”
Li smiles and gets up. “Just wait here. Try to reduce it a little bit more and see how she does. I’ll try to get Elise over asap. But even if she’s not here yet, you know how to contact her, if you think Chrys needs help.”
“Okay.”
Li leaves.
Hunter turns to me. “Chrys, I’m just going to loosen it up, just a teeny bit.”
The blanket becomes slack, more and more things escaping from the sides. Tiny things.
I touch my stomach, the hunger in it more pronounced, or perhaps it’s just that I’m aware of how bothersome it is now. My mind feels heavy with tiny worries, like what on earth should I do about Hunter? Is Ron okay? What about Carl? Also, don’t I have his scanner in my bag?
The tote bag is still slung on my shoulder since I didn’t have the presence of mind to remove it earlier. I take it off and dig through it. I pull out the scanner.
“Why did you take this?” I ask Hunter.
“It seemed important. That’s the scanner you told me about before we got to town, right? The one you said detects the gifted?”
I nod, turning it over in my hands. I find a power button. I press it.
The screen lights up and reads, “Please point at the target and press the trigger.”
I point it at my arm and press the trigger. A loading screen appears and then a large red X with that buzzer sound I heard when… when…
A sinking feeling in my stomach crawls forward.
I drop the scanner and it clatters on the floor. “Something bad happened. What-what happened?”
Hunter leans over and picks up the scanner. He puts it on his lap. Then, he takes my head between his hands, forcing me to look him in the eyes. He says slowly, “Chrys, you—accidentally—killed Iris.”
I shake my head, making him let go. “No. That didn’t happen. If that happened, I would feel terrible.”
He slumps. “You did feel terrible. That’s why I’m making you calm, remember?”
I look down at the scanner, brows furrowed. “Oh.”
“So you do remember?”
“I’m aware that you’re influencing my emotions but I don’t really know why.”
“I just told you why.”
“Yeah but that-that can’t be.” I look up at him. “I never touch anyone.”
“Well, you touched Iris somehow. I don’t really know what happened either. I only came after she was already on the ground.”
“Then why do you assume I did it?”
“It had to have been you. There’s no way she just died from a natural heart attack.”
“Maybe—” I put up a finger, “maybe she isn’t even dead.”
“Maybe. But, if you did use your gift, would you know if the person is dead without having to check?”
“Hmm.” I put my hand on my chin. “Wait. What is my gift again?”
He sighs and slumps back into the couch. “Oh jeez.”
The door opens. I look back to see Elise coming in. She sits down where Li was and just looks at Hunter and he just looks at her.
I stare at them, fascinated.
Then Elise turns to me. She looks at me as though she’s saying something, but her mouth isn’t moving and I don’t hear anything. I tilt my head to the side.
Elise taps the side of her head and then points to me.
I point at my head and then spread my arms out. What?
Elise points at me then at her head then at her ear specifically.
I shake my head, not getting it.
Elise sighs and turns back to Hunter. She shakes her hands at him then points at me.
Hunter turns to me. “Chrys, can’t you hear her in your mind?”
“No. Was she saying something?”
“That’s weird,” Hunter says. “Maybe what I’m doing is blocking Elise out somehow.” He turns to Elise and is silent for a moment. “Hmm, she can hear your thoughts though. You just can’t hear her.”
Elise slumps into Li’s chair, letting her head fall back with a groan.
“She says I should just remove it completely and she’ll help you through it,” Hunter says. “Are you okay with that, Chrys?”
“No! Don’t remove it!”
Elise sits up and glares at Hunter. She jabs her finger at me several times.
“She’s saying I should just do it anyway.”
“Don’t, please,” I say. I have a faint sense of foreboding about what might happen if he removes it completely. All
