Gifted Connections 2

He nodded with his own goofy grin before a frown settled on his face. “Let’s go get that coffee.”

“Sounds good,” I nodded, wondering what he had to tell me.

I took Collin’s phone and purposely stuffed it in the cushions of the seat I had been sitting in. The seats were barely used and were more for decorative purposes. If someone found it, so be it. Right now I couldn’t care less.

I followed Gavin out of the building.

“Ugh, I don’t do sick, well,” I moaned with self-pity.

He gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. I don’t either. Maybe you can skip the coffee and get some orange juice instead.”

I shook my head. I hadn’t had any caffeine this morning yet and whether it was just mental, I know I needed one. “Nah. I’ll double fist it, if I have too!”

He chuckled but then frowned. “Well, I was talking to Jemmy all night long, and this morning she asked me how I got her number. She didn’t remember any of our conversation last night, but it was in her phone.”

I frowned. “That’s really weird. Was she…drinking?”

He shook his head. “No, and I texted Remy this morning to apologize for last night again, and he said he had forgotten all about it, but we saw him before we left.”

Chills ran down my spine. “Let’s go,” I said.

“Where?” he asked mystified.

“Let’s go to the high school. You’re going to the office and asking for Rachel.” I explained as I headed towards the parking lot.

“How? They’re not going to just let me see her.” He hedged nervously.

“They are, if you’re William Bell,” I said slyly.

“I can’t cast illusions without Jax,” he sighed.

“Yeah, but you can cast illusions when you imitate my gift.” I stated. “I feel like crap, so I can’t go in there, but you can.”

He paused and looked at me. I knew he was using his gift. “It’s not gone. He’s not blocking you anymore,” he said excitedly.

“I know!” I exclaimed. “I think when I made my connection last night, it made me stronger. He’s not strong enough to handle me anymore.” I paused for a second, excitement building.

“Let’s do this,” he said more enthusiastically. I knew his budding relationship with Jemmy was a motivating factor to getting this done sooner than later.

He started his truck and made his way over to the high school. He didn’t have the pass necessary to park there, but we didn’t care. We were on a mission.

It wasn’t long before I saw Will, Gavin, and Rachel making their way over to the truck. It was slightly unnerving to see them at first. I missed Rachel, and seeing the illusion of Gavin next to Will was pure craziness.

I could see the confusion on Rachel’s face as she slid into the back seat. I tu

rned and looked at her as the illusion was dropped. Anger and panic replaced confusion as Gavin employed the child locks, preventing Rachel from leaving.

“Who the hell are you, and why have you locked me in here?” she seethed as she vainly attempted to leave the truck.

Gavin looked uncomfortable with the whole ordeal, and I looked at her beseechingly. “Hey, Rachel. We’ve met before. I’m Blake and this is Gavin. I’m sorry we had to do this, this way, but I need a favor from you, Rachel, and I know you’re a naturally distrustful person.”

Her eyes narrowed at me as she spoke between clenched teeth. “And that’s a lie and a truth.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “She’s a human lie detector,” I explained to Gavin. I sighed. “Okay, my birth name given to me is Amanda, but I haven’t gone by that name since I was like, five.”

She looked at me with the same distrust, but I also saw the surprise in her eyes. “How do you know that? Who sent you?”

I sighed again. “What I’m about to tell you is a little hard to swallow, but we were once best friends. Jemmy Bell, you, and I used to hang out with each other all the time.”