Page 1 of The Discovered
Chapter1
The winds of autumn brought a chill into the heart of the city, whistling against windows that revealed a stunning cityscape view. I swiveled around on a stool and faced my roommates, glancing every so often at the glittering lights of towering buildings and backlit figures moving within. I absentmindedly ran my fingers through Steph’s faux fur coat that was draped over the marble counter. She hummed softly beside me as she blended out Rena’s smoky eyeshadow with her fingertips.
“Áine,” Rena said, careful not to move her head as Steph worked. “Are you sure you don’t just want a girls’ night? It’syourtwenty-second, babe.”
“Yeah honestly,” Steph added. “Are you still feeling up for going out?” She peered over at me, setting down the eyeshadow palette and studying my face.
“Of course,” I assured them, smiling. “I’m glad the guys are coming over. It’s going to be a memorable night. I can feel it.” What I didn’t say was that the more people who came out with us tonight, the easier it would be for me to pull an Irish goodbye. However, the way Steph was looking at me, I wondered if I didn’t need to say it.
The guys in question included the man Rena was seeing, two of Steph’s friends from her fashion magazine internship, and the only other person in our friend group who’d stayed in New York City after college, Nick.
“Fantastic!” Rena typed furiously on her phone with one hand and sipped on Chardonnay with the other. “Because Cole’s here.”
Steph and I exchanged glances, raising our eyebrows at each other and then laughing as Rena went to buzz him in, completely oblivious to our reaction. We weren’t Cole’s biggest fans considering how often Rena had gone from smitten to disappointed and back again, all within a couple weeks’ time. She wasn’t the greatest judge of character, but then again, not everyone had my gift.
“Shot?” Steph asked me, already pouring tequila into the cheesy NYC shot glasses we got from street vendors during freshman orientation. The deep brown skin along her cheekbones glimmered, creating an iridescent dance of color as she turned her head beneath the kitchen pendant lights.
“Sure, why not?” I tapped my glass to hers and threw it back. The burn of the liquor traveled down my throat and pooled into an enveloping warmth in my stomach.
Rena opened the door to a tall, blond man with a strong nose and lightly freckled skin. He looked like he’d come straight from Wall Street, and he walked with a kind of lazy swagger that threw his center of gravity off as if he was leaning back on his heels.
“This is Cole,” Rena said after he entered. She beamed ear to ear.
He waved at us with a short flick of his wrist. “Hello, roommates. Who’s the birthday girl?”
“That would be Áine, the one in that gorgeous little red dress,” Rena said animatedly, making an exaggerated gesture with her arms.
“Ahn-ya,” he attempted to repeat back to us. It didn’t sound right on his lips.
As Cole stepped closer to me, his energy coursed out from his body in wisps of red and murky gray hues. It reached for me, bubbling up and overflowing into the space between us. It was lustful, but not entirely directed at any single target. It was just a general state of being, longing, dissatisfaction. It felt like frustrating attempts at getting warm on a cold night—icy hands reaching toward flames that continuously moved out of reach at the last second. It was an uncomfortable, restless aura, and I had to try hard not to make a face.
I met Steph’s eyes, coming back into the present moment and letting Cole’s energy slither back to him and away from my perception. She lifted her eyebrows slowly as she discerned my judgement. Then she gave me a small nod, as if to say,I knew it.
Rena scrunched her face at us, sending me a sharp glare from behind Cole.
“Hey, nice to meet you,” I said quickly, extending a hand to him. “You want a drink?” Who was I kidding? Of course he did.
He didn’t seem to notice the wordless conversation that had just taken place. “Yeah. For sure, but could I use your bathroom first?” he asked.
“Of course,” Rena said, her excitement slightly deflated. “It’s just down the hallway.” She gestured to our right. As soon as he shut the door behind him, she turned to me and crossed her arms. “I told you I didn’t want you to do that anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Sometimes I can’t help it.” Okay, maybe I could’ve helped it.
Steph cast a glance down the hall before leaning in. “We’re just trying to protect you. Why would you want to be with someone with bad vibes, dude? Not just regular bad vibes either, but like psychically, cosmically bad vibes…”
Rena sighed dramatically but looked back at me in spite of herself. “How bad?” she asked.
Before I could open my mouth, Steph gestured to the front door. “Be right back.”
“Well, I don’t think he’s a serial killer or anything,” I started. “But possibly some kind of addict? And certifiably… horny.”
Rena rolled her eyes. “Right, well, that’s more than half the people in this city.” She stared me down.
“Fine! I’m sorry. I’ll stop. Just be careful.” It wasn’t going to end well. Butfree will, and all that, right?
Multiple voices echoed from the hallway as Steph opened the door. At the same time, Cole came back into the kitchen, sniffling loudly. He helped himself to a tequila shot and tilted his head back to take it in one decisive gulp.
Nick’s voice rang out. “Hey, witch bitch!” He sauntered over to me.
