Gifted Connections 1

“Who are you talking to?” Jemmy gave me a playful smile.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I joked back.

“Well, I can take six guesses,” Jemmy said tongue in cheek.

“Yada, yada, yada,” I playfully sulked.

Soon, it was her phone going off. She took it out of her purse and threw it at me. “Can you read that for me?” she asked.

Which totally surprised me; she struck me as a person that would text and drive. I also was surprised that she would trust me enough to read her messages.

She gave me a huge smile. “We’re going to be best friends. Heck, we’re almost sisters. I never had a sister. I like it!” she said as if she read my mind.

“Can I be your sister too!” Ella exclaimed from the back seat.

“Of course,” Jemmy grinned at her from the rearview mirror.

“Yay!” Ella smiled.

I looked back at Ella and smiled at her. I had never seen her so happy, I realized. This constant turmoil surrounding me was well worth it to make sure she stayed that way. She would never have to worry about our next meal. She would never be scarred by her mother’s actions any longer. She would never be put in harm’s way, ever again. I just needed to suck it up and figure this all out. I needed to make this work.

Jemmy’s phone went off once more.

I opened her messages and saw she had three missed messages.

The first one was from someone named Tamara, “Hey girl, why is Jax acting all sketchy?” I read aloud.

Jemmy cursed under her breath, and I raised a brow at her.

I continued, reading the other two. “Tamara: Can you tell me where Jax was the last few days? Stacey: Why isn’t Noah answering my text? He isn’t talking to me!”

“So, you can’t get mad, but Tamara and Stacey are their girlfriends,” Jemmy said quickly.

I would be lying if I didn’t admit it bothered me, but what had I expected? These guys were hot. I wouldn’t expect them to be single. Plus, this couldn’t be any easier on them. They had guessed that they may have a connection out there, but how were they to know when they would meet me, or if they would? It would have been preposterous for them to keep their lives on hold forever.

I shrugged. “I’m not. They have lives. I don’t expect them to put them on hold for me. I mean, what happens if we don’t connect? A connection doesn’t guarantee a true bond, right? Does it guarantee I can love them, or they can love me…eventually? This is crazy!” I laughed a bit hysterically.

Jemmy looked pensive for a moment. “I mean, I’ve heard of some people denying their bonds, but it never ended well. Imagine that you are a cell phone. You go on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and make phone calls constantly. Eventually, it would die unless you plug it in. When we use our powers, we are essentially tapping a power within us. People with connections need to connect, or their power gets depleted. They basically become useless. For some gifted, they

don’t care. They don’t want their gifts any longer, but they are not only sentencing themselves to a life of no power, but also sentencing their connection to a life with no power.”

“Wow,” I breathed, not realizing the gravity of the situation. “What happens if—and I mean a big if— I were to connect with them. Can they continue living their lives normally without me? Like can they date other women, marry other women?”

Jemmy laughed dryly. “I’ve heard of a few people able to pull it off, but it’s really rare. There are not many men or woman willing to know that their partner needs another person in their lives or they become giftless. Honestly,” she frowned “I only know of Brian, Heather, Harry, and Caitlin that make it work but Harry and Caitlin are weak. They can care less that Brian and Heather are connected. They are willing to fit anywhere into their lovers lives that they can. It’s not easy, but they manage.”

I chewed on my bottom lip, and then I pulled out my phone to send a group message to Jax and Noah.

Me: I don’t think you should be so quick to throw out your existing relationships.

I looked over at Jemmy. “Are any of the other guys dating?”

Jemmy looked over at me, looking torn between telling me the truth and lying.

“Lay it all on me,” I urged her. “There’s no use keeping secrets. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

She sighed. “Well…as long as I’ve known Remy, I’ve never seen him in a relationship per se. I’m not stupid, I know he’s not celibate, but he’s extremely private about his bedroom activities. Jace and Troy are his best friends, and I know they are privy to his sex life, but they won’t ever divulge his secrets.

Jace has had an on-again, off-again girlfriend since he was a freshman in high school. Molly is very sweet, but very busy. He won’t commit to her,” she looked over at me. “And now I know why they are currently off again, but she’s also one of his good friends, so,” she grimaced at me, “don’t be surprised if you see her around.