Page 43 of Tainted Gifts
She looks up, a stinging burn in her eyes when I cut away from her gaze.
She's seriously looking to me for permission to answer? She should have asked for permission to sleep with the only guy I've ever loved.
"For fuck's sake, Aria. We didn't sleep together the way you're assuming," Jase scolds, making me ready to endure the headache and escape his touch.
I rip away and plop down on a bunk beside some quiet, trembling children.
"Yeah," Simone huffs, finally acknowledging Jase as I try to think of a way to help these kids.
"You never took my blood, and you wanted to find a way to help Aria. Now's as good a time as any," he murmurs, letting me feel his chastising eyes falling on me.
I ignore him as I lean over and pull out my contacts in front of the violet-eyed children. For the first time, they all make a sound, gasping as they stare at me in disbelief.
Kellan smiles when he sees what I'm doing, and he joins me on the bunk, following my lead as he too pulls out his contacts. The children all fall over each other to wiggle to the end of the bed, feeling my face with their dirty hands.
The blood has healed their wounds that show on the surface, but I can't imagine what it'll take to heal the scars we can't see.
"You're one of us," a little girl whispers. "You both are."
Kellan nods as a little boy takes my hand, feeling the lines with his fingers as he stares attentively at it. "You're more than us," he murmurs, glancing up from my hand.
He's already gifted. "You can tell what I am just by feeling my hand?" I ask, suddenly curious about his ability.
"It's my gift," he says, and then he takes Kellan's hand.
I stare, watching the small child no older than seven, as he studies the lines in Kellan's hand. His tattered shirt reveals his side and part of his back. His ragged pants are barely even staying up on him. It's enough to make me want to cry, and without worrying about anyone seeing my secret, I let the tears fall freely.
"You ready?" Simone asks, holding a knife over Jase's arm.
"Do what you need to, but keep anything you find to yourself," he whispers, making her eyes glisten with curiosity.
More secrets?
My mental scoff goes unanswered. Jase stares at the bed of children as they all fawn over Kellan and myself.
"Let's cook," Kellan murmurs, kissing my the side of my head that is trying to explode.
I force a smile while standing up and heading to the kitchen area. At least the children are warming up now that they know they have someone on their side. I'll make sure they grow up... if they can.
Emergent hybrids rarely live past puberty. How will we help them?
"Kellan?" I murmur in a whisper too soft to be overheard.
"Mm?" he says while pulling down pans and sifting through the small fridge.
"How did you make it? Mom had a drug given to her when she was a child that blocked out the full brunt of her power until she was centuries old. It saved her life. What about you?"
He glances over to the children, realizing the tragic prompt for my query. "I just got lucky. That's all it was. It's rare we survive past twelve or thirteen, and though it was a painful change, I survived it. Did you have any problems?"
"None," I murmur in huffed disappointment.
I was really hoping for insight. Pure dumb luck isn't going to disperse very well around a group this big.
Maybe Simone can come up with something. The oldest kid here looks barely eight. That gives us a few years to work with.
As Kellan prepares the food, I wobble to the back. The sound of the shower falling rings out, and I smile lightly as I hear a small cluster of giggles. Something as simple as a shower is exciting them.
I find the back room where there are changing areas and various other things. I see something foul, and then I smell it. A child got sick back here. I bet that's what Jase was doing with the little girl. She ran when she got sick, and he had to coax her out.
