Gifted Connections 1

He smiled. “I forget how new you are to this sometimes.” He grabbed another chair. “You are definitely stronger than me. You're probably equal with Jax, Jace, and Will. They are the most powerful in our community that we are aware of. We have no power to choose who God decides our connections to be.” He shrugged. “Generally, He is right, and when I’ve seen a well connected pair that worked on it they far exceeded many others, including the pairs that connected ‘down.’”

His words stopped me for a moment. “You believe our gifts are from God?” I asked hesitantly. I wanted to believe that there was a God, but I struggled with it. Why would God have let all those dreadful things happen to me? On the other hand, I couldn’t deny someone had helped me through the struggles, had given me some good, and had brought these people into my life.

Noah nodded with a smile. “I do. In the Bible, it tells us about the gifts He bestowed upon His people. In the Old Testament, they even had men with multiple wives. Of course, there are some discrepancies with us and the Bible, but I believe in Him.”

“Hmmm,” I said out loud, considering his words.

“Look, next time you want me to put on a shirt, just go give me one,” Jax grumbled at me as he passed me.

“Oh, quit crying,” I shouted after him. “We’re done and look, so is Sue. She would have been out here for at least another hour.”

“Did you just call me a crybaby?” he looked at me with mock sternness.

I put my hand on my hips. “And if I was?” I asked cockily with a raised eyebrow.

He clearly saw it as a challenge, as he charged me, lifted me over his shoulder, and went running into the pool house.

“Jax!” I screamed. “No, no. Don’t you dare!” I tried to ineffectively pound on his back, but it was like a fly buzzing around a horse; sure they were annoying, but they couldn’t do any real damage.

I barely had time to hold my breath as I was launched into the deep end of the pool.

I was just getting out of the shower when I realized I still hadn’t seen Drake, Remy, or Troy. It was getting close to lunch and after Rick and Noah helped me throw Jax in the pool, we came in. Okay, well, I physically didn’t throw him because, let’s be real, he outweighed me and towered over me, but I had asked them kindly to help me and they did.

Sue had appreciated all our help and offered to give us a treat soon. Noah had brightened up and immediately started to sweet talk her into making eggrolls and bulgogi (a Korean beef dish, I was informed) for us. He even offered to run out and get her the ingredients that weren’t in the kitchen.

It seemed she had a soft spot for the family and agreed with not much convincing. Jax had explained to me that she was Korean and sometimes went above and beyond her job duties to spoil the family. She liked to share her heritage with them and they treated her more like family than the hired help.

I couldn’t help but notice Stacey’s sour disposition when we came back inside. She had obviously been pissed at me…again. I could care less. I felt no remorse for coaxing them into doing what was right or decent, even if that hadn’t been my intentions. I would have stayed out there if I had to, to help Sue. She shouldn’t have even been expected to clean it up to begin with.

Them coming out was just a testament to their characters. Just because they hadn’t seen the problem with it, didn’t make them callous. They had been conditioned nearly their whole lives that it was the norm.

I put some product in my hair to tame the frizz and make my curls tighter and neater. It was a product Jemmy had insisted I get. It smelled nice, and I liked the effect it had on my curls; I didn’t look like a wild, homeless person any longer. I decided to skip the makeup and pulled on a soft, green cashmere sweater and a pair of jeans. I liked this color on me. My favorite clothing to wear had been blacks and drab colors, so all the colors Jemmy added to my wardrobe had been a drastic change.

With determination, I set out to find Troy, Remy, and Drake. I hoped my behavior from last night hadn’t turned them off or made them think poorly of me. Drake had been withdrawn from me most of the night and I thought maybe it was because Rose was there, but maybe my outgoing, unedited, unfiltered, and overly affectionate nature had made him think less of me. He was quiet and reserved, and maybe that was too much for him. His girlfriend had been picking on me and the boys had protected me against her and sternly told him to handle her, but maybe he felt personally attacked. Maybe he felt Rose was justified to psychoanalyze me. After all, he was a psych major as well.

I didn’t want to face him just yet, especially after catching Rose with Collin, but it had to be done. I couldn’t alienate the guys before they truly knew who I was, and I got to know them better.

I was mystified with Remy and Troy’s absence. Had I said too much? Was I too damaged for them to get involved? I was seventeen, almost eighteen, years old and I had more baggage than an airport. They were older, more mature, and probably passed that drama stage long ago. Not that I was drama personally, but I brought a lot of drama with me wherever I went.

I had two options: I can wallow in my self-pity and go back to the music room, or I can grab life by the horns and figure out where we go from here. I know I needed to make these connections. After meeting them and seeing Troy play with his fire last night, watching Noah heal, and seeing Remy carry six folding tables out at once, I knew their gifts were a part of them. If they were to lose their gifts, they would lose a part of themselves, and I couldn’t do that to them.

I went downstairs and was surprised to see Will and Ella still playing chess. I figured her attention span wouldn’t have allowed her to sit that long.

“Are you going to be the next Bobby Fischer?” I asked as I dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

Will sat back and smiled at me. “Something like that, huh, Ella?”

His words seemed mysterious and if I weren’t so preoccupied with my own personal difficulties, I would have realized I was missing something.

Ella let out a painstaking sigh. “Bobby is a boy’s name. I’m not a boy!” she exclaimed, missing the point.

I smiled endearingly at her. “Blake’s a boy’s name and I’m not a boy,” I said with a straight face.

She started to giggle, covering her mouth, “You have two boy names, Blake Thomas!”

I smiled at her. “You’re right, I do.” I turned to look at Will and asked, “Have you seen Drake, Remy, or Troy?”

The smile playing around his lips died, his eyes guarded, closing off all expression. “Remy had an emergency at his new restaurant, so he left. He’ll probably be back in a few days. Troy is probably downstairs working out, and Drake left shortly after you guys went outside to clean. Thanks for that by the way,” he winked at me. Then he looked nostalgic for a moment. “I have been outnumbered for years. I tried to instill in them some sort of responsibility, some of it sank in…other’s not so much.” He shrugged ruefully.