Revolutionary Read online

  Our team couldn’t put everything on hold for our grief, though, especially since the town was in a tizzy, both good and bad, about what was to come. We couldn’t mourn him properly. Jade was handling everything much better than I thought she would—better than I was. She wore her grief as a pin, a reminder of her loss but also of who he was as a person and the kind and welcoming nature he exuded. It was something I needed to adopt as well. I let the song wash over me again as I vowed to do just that.

  I would honor Dane by living my life, welcoming those I met, and facing the trials to come.

  CHAPTER 2

  Finally approaching the large white farmhouse, I took the time to appreciate its welcoming facade. A few steps led up to the wide and expansive wrap-around porch. If I walked around to the rear of the house, it deposited me in the bright breakfast area. It had quickly become home even if I didn’t consider some of the inhabitants to be family.

  “What’s that look about?” Jade’s question broke my appraisal, causing me to flinch just as my feet landed from the top step and onto the porch. I moved my attention to my best friend, giving a small smile that I worked to be devoid of sorrow. It was hard. I couldn’t look at Jade and not remember the loss of Dane, but my pain was a drop in the bucket compared to hers. Holden, Devlin, and especially Commander James had all known Dane for years, known what a good guy—an asset—he had been. More than that, they’d been like family. Brothers and Father, they had been the true family unit of our makeshift team.

  I leaned against the white wood slats next to my pint-sized Sage friend and exhaled deeply. “I was just thinking that I really like this old house. I’m not looking forward to leaving it. I’m sure the next place won’t be as nice. Probably an apartment so we’re all still near each other. Maybe they’ll give us a floor to ourselves. Though, both buildings pretty much suck… especially compared to this.” I swept my arm in a grand arcing gesture, exaggerating the sweep so that my arm knocked Jade in the nose in its extension.

  “Brat,” she huffed, annoyed as she pushed the arm away from her face. The quirked smile she threw my way as she smoothed out her floral-patterned shirt let me know she wasn’t really mad. Her thoughts did, too, but I’d been trying to stay out of those if I could help it. Jade’s grief was her own. It was not my place to know the how and why of everything she felt.

  Yes, that’s exactly why I was on this team. It was the reason I’d been brought into the EEA, as we’d taken to calling it. The Enhanced Enforcement Agency was the key to the Enhanced having the option—the freedom—to venture outside the walls that had kept us in exile for more than fifty years. Caged like criminals, unable to mingle or co-exist with the humans who had not evolved to possess “gifts.”

  Those gifts had been the curse that disallowed us the freedom other humans enjoyed by right. Finally, enough of those Non-Enhanced had rallied to our cause, voiced that we, too, deserved the same rights as any other class of human. With the rise and spread of the internet, we were able to add our voices to the fight. Many Enhanced took to social media to show that we were just “regular people” even if we did possess a “kicker.” It worked. It raised awareness and brought eyes onto us—however filtered—forcing the ruling bodies to look into integration, apparently. Sages were the masters of manipulation—they could show just what they wanted—so I was sure we were shown to be flower-smelling hippies or something. Our darkness hadn’t seen their light yet. Something to look forward to...

  “What are your plans for the afternoon, my friend?” I asked while surveying the open field in front of me, noting the tips of the long grasses now turning brown as September settled in. The large trees bracketing the property acted as a nice barricade to prying eyes, as well as a natural beauty that I enjoyed heartily. I didn’t want to leave it.

  “Why’d you get sad?” Jade wondered aloud.

  I kicked my boot sullenly across the wood planks of the patio, my eyes watching the little dirt that clung to the treads get scraped to the floor then disappear through the cracks. “I like it here. Don’t want to leave. I’m kinda dreading where we’ll end up. I’ve seen the condition of the apartments in town… not really where I’d choose to live if I had an option.” Ugh. Now, I sounded like the petulant child.

  “We don’t know that’s where we’re going, Nat,” she reminded me gently. Ironically, Jade seemed to be softer, more amenable and mediating since we’d lost Dane. Her empathy was in full swing, but she was leaning into the feelings instead of pushing away like she used to. I guessed we both had changing views of our abilities. That’s definitely one thing that the enforcers, this team especially, had taught me: Embrace your gifts, for they are good.

  I just wish mine had an off switch. So did Jade, but we had assuredly improved our ability to filter, if not choose when and where to use our abilities. “Do you think the walls will be thinner wherever they send us? I wonder how many more people I’ll be hearing at all times. Geez, I thought it was bad here when we’re all together—”

  Little hands wrapped around my shoulders and shook. On the downswing, my eyes were able to focus on the pixie who was making me feel like a ragdoll, her green irises glinting with a fire I hadn’t seen in a while. “Knock it off, Nat. Don’t spiral like that. You’ll—we’ll—deal with it. We are stronger than a location.” She was boring holes into my peepers, willing her determination onto me. Problem was, I could hear the fear and worry in her mind, the sadness that was ever present but that she didn’t let control her. I needed to follow her example. Grieve for everything but push through. Help others.

  I nodded.

  That was the crux of it. I had people to help. Everyone in Minefield needed me to be alert and on my game. Even those who were picking fights. They needed me there to prove I could do it, that our team and the rest of the enforcers could keep them safe even if it was from themselves. We needed their trust. That’s the only way things would work. Things would also be much easier if other people didn’t give in to their fear. Fear is a tyrant. We can’t let it win. I chided myself mentally.

  “Want to pal around town with Holden and me this afternoon?”

  A braying hyena-type cackle left the airway of my empathic best friend in response.

  “Hey now, we're not that bad!” I defended adamantly as my cheeks heated, having heard Jade's thoughts. She was singing the kissing song: Holden and Nathalee sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes lo—

  The hand that I flung across her mouth was wholly ineffectual in forcing her to stop. She did stop, but only because she was laughing at me. I wish I had mind control, I thought in consternation. That would be a neat trick. I could sit here and make Jade bark like a dog whenever she got to thinking embarrassing things about me. I scoffed. Because that wouldn't be an abuse of power, at all!

  With Jade's mind finally reeled in, I asked again. Well, begged really. “C'mon Jade! I haven't seen much of you lately. I need my bestie time.” I fluttered my eyelashes and made the most pathetic puppy-dog eyes I could muster, even going so far as pushing out my lower lip in a dramatic pout.

  “Really, Nat, I don't want to be a third wheel,” Jade mumbled sullenly as she took up my shoe-scuffing activity, trying to avoid saying more. But her mind was still open to me, whether she remembered that fact at the moment or not.

  “Jade. You are my best friend. You will never be a third wheel to me. I'd love to hang out just the two of us, but that's just not safe at this point. We need a more experienced enforcer with us damn near all the time—at least in public—with the way the Enhanced are acting since Councilman Douchebag made his announcement.”

  Remembering where we'd been when the news came down the pipeline, Jade's eyes turned angry, not sad like you'd expect. “I hate Alan Davidson. He needs to go. The man has no respect for anyone or anything that does not have to do with him. He disgusts me, and I will not be responsible for my actions if I'm around the next time his douchery rears its head.”

  We stared each other down, eac
h burning with conviction and loathing. “I'll help,” my hissed reply drawing a rather devilish smirk from Jade. I knew my friend well enough to know she wasn’t bluffing. She knew the same of me.

  Blinking, I clapped my hands together jovially. “Now, let's get downtown. We can chat about all things life and make sure no one does anything monumentally stupid at the same time,” I chirped with false cheeriness. I was all about spending time with my peeps, but with the frequency that residents had been getting into “scuffles” lately, the time wouldn't be carefree and could even end up being a catastrophe. “I really need you, Jade,” I begged. Her empathy picked up my sincerity, “buzzing” at my frequency.

  Finally, she acquiesced with a nod. “All right. For you. Because I love you.” She smiled softly. A finger came up to wag in my face suddenly, nearly flicking me in the nose as she qualified her terms. “If you and Holden get all googly-eyed at each other, I'm taking the truck and leaving you there,” she scoffed as she began her descent of the few stairs leading back to the ground and ultimately the vehicles, which would carry us away from the farmhouse and its seclusion.

  Situating myself in the driver's seat, the stupid itch once again began niggling at my senses. Only this time, I didn’t have a long object to stick down in there to give me a few moments’ peace. I had to settle for my own fingers and nails, hoping that I could wriggle them far enough in to actually be effective.

  “When's that thing come off?” Jade asked as she observed my plight with more than a little humor from her spot across the worn, faded bench seat.

  “Ugh, not soon enough.”

  “You're all good under there, though, aren't you?” she stated, only a mild inflection making it a question. I nodded, starting up the truck. “Still amazing,” she said almost under her breath as she turned to look out the window. The browning fields began to blur as we picked up speed.

  “I've come to realize the blessing it is,” I answered.

  “Yeah, you've definitely given it a workout the last few weeks.” I heard the smile her face held even if I couldn't see it. Jade, of course, was referring to when I'd broken my foot a while back, courtesy of a tap-dancing horse, and then breaking my wrist—in multiple places—while investigating a couple of murders.

  Turns out the murderer had been Devlin's girlfriend. Talk about a mood-breaker.

  “So?”

  The inquiry was perfectly timed to keep me from sliding down into the memory of Dane… “So, what? Oh, the cast! I’m not sure. I guess it depends on whether I’m letting the cat out of the bag.” It still scared the crap out of me, and I wasn’t one for just laying it out there.

  “It would change people’s response to you… you know… tactically.”

  That was probably true. The team wouldn’t worry so much about me being vulnerable and creating weaknesses in our tactical soundness. I had to admit that, but, “It scares me, Jade. Dad has instilled in me an innate fear that if anyone knows I not only have abilities of both Sage and Primal but that my physical ability is to heal myself…” I shuddered involuntarily while thinking about it. “Could you imagine what some would do?”

  Jade was remembering our lives, growing up just a little different from the rest and the complications that arose from it. Conceding, she acknowledged my fear. She was close enough that she could feel my emotional state. She knew I wasn’t just making excuses, but she was on the fence about keeping it quiet herself.

  “Jade, I was so afraid to tell anyone that I didn’t tell you, my best friend.”

  “No shit. That stung, by the way, just in case I hadn’t told you that yet.”

  That was our running joke, because she told me all the time. She’d been hurt but ultimately understood. Just like Holden had. But if anyone reminded Jade that Holden had found out before her, she’d really go off on me. Again, a bit of joking…but a bit not. I still had to placate her. “If it hadn’t been a situation where he’d been present and known something was up, I wouldn’t have told him either, Jade.” It was a recurring argument that we used to both vent and reassure.

  CHAPTER 3

  After pulling Old Faithful up to an open spot on the curb near The Corner Bean, I leaned over the steering wheel, mouth agape at the sheer number of bodies moving around in the vicinity, many more than would have been considered normal… two weeks ago. I had no idea what constituted “normal” anymore, though. Heaving a breath, I threw a glance at Jade and prepared to enter the unknown. “Thanks for coming with me, girl,” I said sincerely.

  I still wasn’t comfortable in large crowds, but at least I’d have my best friend around to help me weather whatever mental obstacles we encountered. She may even be able to defuse a situation. Maybe. “Showtime,” I muttered, pushing open the creaking door and stepping warily out onto the weathered sidewalk. Joined a moment later by an equally-cautious Jade, we began to make our way to caffeine, to Holden and the possibility of violent shows of abilities. Go Team!

  It seemed there were two responses to the revelation of open gates: mass congregation or shut in. Those embracing the new possibilities were out and about, often times boisterously, while those who were scared out of their minds about the change were holing up in their homes or at their place of employment with their heads in the sand, hoping to be overlooked.

  Though there were both Primals and Sages in each thought camp, they still didn’t agree with each other for the simple fact that they weren’t the same as each other. Never mind that this future affected all of the Enhanced. We were all in the same boat, and we’d soon be that much more open to scrutiny by the ninnies. That train of thought was too logical for them to grasp, which was funny, considering the Sages prided themselves on their intellect. Maybe logic just didn’t fall into the “intellectual” category? In reality, they just thought they were better than everyone else.

  To be fair, each division seemed to adopt the same way of thinking. They were better than everyone else because of whatever advantage they had. It must have been a human thing, something that characterized us all as having the human condition. Personally, I thought it was because everyone coveted what everyone else had and downplayed personal weakness.

  Once again, we saw this division in full effect as we plowed toward the counter where Rolph attempted to stay cordial as he was inundated with order after order, then berated for actually wanting to collect money for said orders. It was a newly-implemented change that we needed to get used to, something the rest of the world relied on. No one else could expect to be able to barter for goods or services. Money made the world go ‘round. That it was now expected in Minefield was a wakeup call, an unwelcome one, like a cold bucket of water to the face.

  Holden was acting like a silent bodyguard near the rear of the space. He stood sentry along the wall, unassuming in his grey long-sleeved shirt and dirty jeans. A pretty royal-blue baseball cap hid his beautifully-unruly hair from sight, though tufts stuck out around his ears. The vibrant cerulean eyes I adored scanned the entire premises, missing nothing while he watched for my entrance and kept an eye on those Rolph interacted with. He blended by being himself, no chameleon powers needed.

  The moment Jade and I broke the plane of the doorway, Holden found us. His eyes captured me in their stare while he kept additional senses tuned to everything else. Ever vigilant.

  I’m glad to see Jade with you, he said mentally and with complete sincerity while approaching us. As he delivered a quick kiss to my lips in greeting, his dark stubble scraped tantalizingly against my skin. The kiss was far too quick and polite for my liking, but I’d have to be content with that while we were both in public and on the job. How’s she doing?

  “We’re having a good day so far. Right, Jade?” I asked as a relay for Holden’s silent inquiry.

  “Totally. Super excited to be out and about the hungry masses of Minefield. Speaking of, I need to ask Rolph to whip up my usual. You want your chai, Nat?” At my nod, she carefully made her way the few feet to where Rolph was once again ex
plaining that he needed to take a small charge for his concoctions as per ninny directives. That was the main source of contention as of late. People were expected to pay for things they’d normally have bartered for, given a return item or service. It was a foreign concept that a piece of plastic would dictate whether they could get what they wanted.

  “How’s it going so far?” I asked Holden as I mirrored his stance, mimicking his easy surveillance as best I could. Luckily, it seemed many of the patrons were choosing to enjoy the coming fall weather and took their coffees and pastries to the outdoor seating, if not away from the area entirely, leaving the coffee shop fairly sparse of bodies and mental signatures to monitor. It didn’t really help my tension level.

  People don’t know how to handle having to pay for things, having to keep money or a card representing phantom money on their person. The NE’s forgot that we didn’t really have a bank system before. It’s going to be a struggle for many.

  Wasn’t that the truth. They hadn’t taken into account that we’d not needed a financial institution, because we weren’t on the same system as the rest of the world. We couldn’t just hop on the internet and get something delivered to our doorstep. No one from outside was allowed on our doorsteps, which made it hard to receive goods. Of course, there were exceptions to the rule… the Davidson family being the most notable. “Who do they have in mind to run it? Do you know? I’m not sure many Sages will want a mundane office-type job, though I think it will fall to them and the ninnies, I guess.”

  I only know that the Primal construction crews are currently working on it. This month’s train supplies have been mostly things for the needed renovations everywhere. But the unknown is making everyone… edgy.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure those pushing for freedom really understood all that would change to obtain it.” My cheeks heated in embarrassment as I realized this statement most definitely applied to myself. I was naïve in my want to leave. While it seemed I would have that opportunity soon, it would undoubtedly turn my known world upside down in the process.