Page 18 of A Tempest of Intrigue (Tempest of Shadows #4)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ellery

I spent the next hour feeling like a kicked dog. I debated holding off on telling Ruby and Mr. Fletcher about my ability. I trusted them with my secret, but I wasn’t ready for them to be mad at me for keeping it from them.

However, I couldn’t hold off forever, and it was better coming from me than someone else. While the road had been unusually quiet given what happened last night, it was only a matter of time before word spread about a female lightning bearer.

And once they heard the details, they would know it was me. As much as I dreaded it, I couldn’t let someone else tell them.

It would be up to them to decide if they hated me or not afterward, but I was tired of the secrets. They were the only family I had left… even if they weren’t blood.

After I told them what happened, Fletcher Willson—or Mr. Fletcher as I preferred to call him—stood and gawked at me. He kept opening and closing his mouth like he was trying to say something, but no words came out.

Ruby didn’t speak at first, but after a couple of minutes, she nodded. “Well, now it makes sense.”

Mr. Fletcher and I looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “What makes sense?” I asked.

She smiled as she clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels. “Once, when you were eleven, you fought with one of the boys in school. When your mother heard the commotion, she rushed out of the building, nearly fell down the steps in her haste to get to you, and pulled you away.

“I’d never seen her look so panicked and found her actions odd, considering she’d always let you fight your battles. When she was walking you toward the house, I saw something flash between your fingers. At the time, I’d attributed it to a rock or some toy you’d picked up that reflected the light, but I understand everything that happened now.

“She pulled you away because you were losing control, and she was scared you’d reveal your power. That strange flash was lightning between your fingers.

“After that day, she called an early end to the school season. She said it was because the kids had been working hard and deserved a longer summer break; I accepted her reasoning, but now I understand she was trying to keep you away from possible conflict until you could better control yourself. Your mother was strangely overprotective of you that summer, but by the fall, she’d returned to letting you run wild.”

I pondered her words as I tried to recall that day. “My ability manifested when I was eleven, shortly before the summer break. I don’t recall losing control of it, but I do remember being excited about having an extra week of summer vacation.”

“You didn’t lose complete control. It was simply a moment.”

“Do you think it was a moment some other kids might have seen?” Mr. Fletcher asked. “Once word spreads about a female lightning bearer, you might not be the only one who put two and two together.”

My heart stopped before an icy chill pumped through my veins. “I doubt it; everyone was so busy scattering to run home they didn’t stick around to watch Meredith lead Ellery away. Besides, it was only a flash. I’ve noticed the same thing from you, Scarlet, Billy, and countless others when the sun glints off something in your hands, on your face, or a piece of clothing. Someone would have commented on it then if it was more.”

“I became very good at suppressing my ability,” I said.

“You had to,” Mr. Fletcher said. “It was the only way to keep you safe.”

“You’re not mad at me for this?”

“Of course not.”

“Scarlet’s furious.”

Ruby rested her hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “She’ll understand soon enough.”

“I’m not sure. I told Ryker before her.”

Ruby winced before covering it up, but it was too late. “It will take time, but eventually, she’ll understand.”

“Until then,” Mr. Fletcher said, “what do we do about you?”