Page 7 of Stranger Gifts

“What about you, Flip?” asked Gaspar.

“My gift is simpler. I see something and I can move it. Just about anything. Boulders, weapons, vehicles, anything.” They all stared at him and he chuckled. “Watch.”

Standing he walked toward the edge of the grove, looking at the beautiful stone fountain. It easily weighed a ton or more. Lifting it, he moved it toward another path and set it back down.

“Phillip Cho! You best put my fountain back where it belongs right now!” yelled Mama Irene.

“Oh shoot. Sorry, ma’am. I’ll put it back.” He did exactly that and she smiled at him, nodding.

“Good man. I’ll get you an extra piece of cake for that.”

“I love cake,” smirked Flip.

“You’re gonna love it here,” laughed Tailor.

“Were you in service as well?” asked Ghost. Flip nodded. “I heard about you. They were afraid of you because of the things you could do. Flipping vehicles, even tanks, pulling weapons toward dying men, removing weapons from the reach of the enemy. They thought you were some sort of voodoo or witchdoctor magic.”

“People didn’t understand and were afraid of me. I tried to help that’s all,” he said.

“We understand those feelings,” said Nine. “We don’t have your gifts but it doesn’t change that sometimes trying to do something good doesn’t win you any friends.”

“Nat is a fire starter. If you anger her, watch out or you’ll get burned for sure,” he chuckled. They all frowned at him and he shook his head. “I’m kidding. She has great control now but she can definitely do some damage. We try to keep her and Nash somewhat close because he can bring the rains or water from any source.”

“Spook? What about you?” asked Ian.

“Unfortunately, my brain hears every wireless communication, airline call, trains, cell phones, e-mails, anything. If it’s digital data, wireless data, it passes through my head. Where we were in Wyoming, it was somewhat limited but as we were traveling, it was horrible.”

“Fucking hell,” muttered Nine. “I hate hearing the ping of a message on my cell phone. That has to be miserable.”

“It’s not bad here. I think because of the shields you have on the property it’s preventing some of it. I’ve felt much better. My wife, Valentina, she can turn hate into love, or love into hate. She feels it with people and is able to manipulate that but it can also make her sick if it’s too much. Especially the hate.”

“It’s just insane that we’re even talking about this,” said Ghost. “If I hadn’t seen it all for myself, I’d say you were crazy. What about the others?”

“Well,” said Kane with a long sigh. “Ivy can make plants grow. Anything that once inhabited the ground, she can bring to life again. It’s how we’ve been able to feed ourselves when things are lean. Kelly can blend in with any surrounding, camouflage herself and she’s literally unseen. Her husband, Juan can transport from one location to another just by visualizing where he’s going, but he’s naked when he does it. Not very convenient.”

“No, I don’t suppose it is,” laughed Ian.

“You saw some of what Garrett is capable of, the winds and Griffin and David, speed. Ashley & Akin can block sound, creating absolute silence.”

“I need them around Mama when she’s yelling at me,” smirked Gaspar.

“We’ve lost a few along the way. Some were with us for a while, others only briefly,” said Kane. He shook his head looking out over the grove.

“You did what you could, Kane,” said Adam.

“It wasn’t enough. I should have reached out for help sooner,” he said.

“Why didn’t you?” asked Ghost. “A brother never turns a brother away. Not in our house anyway.”

“We’ve not experienced that much in our history, Ghost. I could only hope that you would remember us, remember me and not turn us away. Honestly? I’m not sure what I would have done if you had. We’re about at the end of our rope and our energy.”

“I remembered you, brother, and this all explains a helluva lot.”

“Is there somewhere we can rest. We’re all pretty damn tired.”

“Of course,” said Gaspar. “Mama has cabins ready for you on an island where we live. Most of our children and grandchildren live here on the main property. The older team members moved to another island quite a while back. Something we’ll explain later. For now, let’s get you all to your new homes.”

CHAPTER FIVE

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