Page 51 of Ordinary Secrets

I trail her. “How ’bout some coffee?”

“It’s almost seven.”

“And?” Caffeine doesn’t affect Zordis the way it does Ordis. Our bodies absorb and filter the caffeine way too fast for it to give us any energy. It’s the same reason why Zordis can’t take Ordinary medicines and drugs. Our bodies need stronger remedies. I still like the taste of Ordinary coffee though.

“Sorry,” Arella says. “I don’t drink coffee, so I don’t have any. I could make you some tea?”

“Tea sounds great.”

From the cabinet, Arella pulls down a mug, fills it with water from the fridge, then sticks it into the microwave. Since I don’t wanna be the one to tell her that’s not how you make tea, I keep my mouth shut. Next, she grabs a large pan from under the stove and starts heating it up with some oil.

“What can I help with?” I ask as I slip out of my jacket and drape it over the back of a worn dining chair.

“You can just set the table while I do all the cooking.” She points at a drawer. “Place mats are here. Silverware is right above it.”

The tiny thing she calls a table looks like it belongs in an office with a printer on it—asmallprinter. Her apartment couldn’t handle anything bigger anyway. I decorate the table with plum-colored place mats, then set down some napkins and silverware.

Since I can’t be of more help, I casually saunter the two steps it takes to get to her living room. Off an end table, I pick up a framed photo of Arella standing next to an old couple. The man is tall and lean, with salt-and-pepper hair. The woman has wavy hair like Arella’s, except it’s shoulder-length with silver streaks.

“Are these your grandparents?”

Arella peeks her head out of the kitchen as I hold up the frame. “Yeah. That’s them.”

I set the frame down, then pick up another one. It features a kid version of Arella behind a cake with a 7 candle on top. Something drags the corners of my mouth down.

That was the last age I had a birthday cake. It’s also the last age I celebrated a holiday, or had a family dinner of any kind—up until I met Liz.

She makes it a point to celebrate every holiday with me, which is good for her, too, considering her family has basically deserted her. For my birthday, she always gives me two gifts: onefor that year and a second to make up for a past year. She does the same for Christmas. For Thanksgiving, she cooks me a huge meal with at least six sides, even though it’s always just us.What did I ever do to deserve Liz?

The rest of the photos in Arella’s living room all tell me the same thing: She lived a good childhood with two people who love her. There are pictures of her as a kid on rides at the fair, petting animals at the zoo, and getting piggyback rides from her grandpa at a playground. I’ve never gone to a fair or a zoo. Maybe my parents took me before they died, but I don’t remember.It woulda been nice to be able to do stuff like that...

With a heavy heart, I plant myself onto the chair holding my jacket. The wood creaks under my weight. “How did your weekend go with your grandparents?”

Arella sets a steaming mug in front of me with a tea bag already in it. After I thank her, she goes back to the stove. “It was wonderful. Grammy and I baked some cookies, and we ate them while we played Scrabble.”

“You any good at Scrabble?”

“I’m decent. Grammy is the best though. I swear she makes up words, but when I check them online, they’re legal. Like, do you even know what a Q-A-T is?”

“Not a goddamn clue.”

“Exactly. It’s a legal word though.”

While Arella cooks the taco meat, I focus on her emotions—or lack thereof. I concentrate as hard as I can, but nothing comes. I’m still sensing all the people from the surrounding apartments.

After a few deep breaths, I try again. This time, I close my eyes and imagine myself touching her heart. I do that for a few seconds before a sharp pain pinches my temples, then a headache eases into me. It’s the same type of headache I getwhenever I don’t consciously dial back my Empath power all the time and I’m sensing too many people at once.

“You’re quiet today,” Arella says as she cuts up some lettuce.

“Just thinkin’.” I take my first sip of the warm tea.Mmm. Earl Grey.

“About?”

The last thing I’m gonna tell her is the truth.Oh, I was just thinkin’ about how, for some mysterious reason, I can sense everyone’s emotions but yours.She would question the fact that I have the ability to sense emotions more than the fact that I can sense everyone but her.

“I was just wonderin’ if you think your grandparents would like me or not.”

Arella throws her head back, laughing so hard, she has to set the knife down on the counter.

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