Page 26

Chapter 26

" D on't look now, but we've got company," I said.

"Where?" Against my exact wishes, Penny looked around in search.

"I said don't look now. Just get down and we'll go see what he wants."

"Okay." Penny watched me with wide eyes as I scaled the wall down to the ground, leaning back tentatively as she tested the hold of the attendant holding her rope down below.

Without waiting for Penny, I dusted off my hands and made my way over to Shawn. He unfolded his arms and pushed away from the wall as I approached.

"You're not following us, are you?" I said. "Because that's pretty creepy."

"An unfortunate part of my job." Shawn slipped his hands into his trouser pockets. "Do you have a moment?"

"Penny's just coming down." I gestured behind me at Penny, who was spinning around and around on the end of her rope, and I stifled a laugh.

"Actually, it's not Penny I need to speak to. It's you," Shawn said.

The adrenaline spurting through my veins eliminated any fatigue the climbing had accomplished, and I pulled my most surprised expression. "Me? Why?"

"Perhaps we should go somewhere less public? I wouldn't want to start any rumours between you and your peers."

A prickly sensation blossomed in my gut. Was that a threat? Either way, he clearly thought I had a little more to do with the Franklin break-in than before.

I didn't exactly want to be alone with this guy, but a short walk out of earshot of other people would give me a little time to collect myself and prepare for whatever he was about to throw at me. Besides, saying 'no' to him would only raise his suspicions.

"Sure," I said, throwing a casual shrug in there for good measure.

Shawn nodded his thanks and headed for the door to the main corridor that connected all the leisure rooms. I followed him, glancing back to see how Penny was getting on. No longer spinning, she clung to the wall for dear life halfway up as the attendant shouted instructions up to her. Well, we would have time to talk alone if that was anything to go by.

Out in the corridor, a strong smell of chlorine assaulted my nostrils, and the sound of bowling balls crashing into pins echoed from the other end. Shawn led me straight to a small adjacent hallway where a janitor's trolley stood and a stack of yellow caution signs leaned against the wall. Strange how he knew exactly where he was going to take me to talk. Almost as if he had this planned.

He can't know it was me. I was certain of that. Nobody had seen anyone but Hecate, and there was no way Shawn could link me to her.

"What's all this about?" I asked, as he checked up and down the corridor to make sure nobody was coming.

"I've come across some rumours and I just wanted to run them past you to see if they have any validity," Shawn said.

"Rumours?"

"Yes. I hear through the grapevine that you may have a certain power...to remove supernatural abilities from other people."

I snorted, ignoring the dread gathering in the base of my stomach. "I wish."

Shawn tilted his body a little further in my direction, one of his hands emerging from a pocket to scratch the back of his head. "Are you saying you don't have that power?"

"I'm saying I don't have any power. Not that I know of, anyway."

That was what I told everyone who knew my name. Anyone who knew I had that power didn't know my name, besides everyone I lived with, and Penny.

Except...

"Who exactly did you hear that from?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Like I said. The grapevine."

Ugh. Talking to a private investigator was even more frustrating than talking to a cop. Shawn would keep everything to himself unless he felt it served him somehow.

"Well, I don't know who you're talking to, but they're wrong," I said. "What does that even have to do with a burglary?"

Shawn’s eyes flashed with a touch of danger, and I smiled. He had given away more than he had intended to.

"Is that what was stolen?" I asked. "A power?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that." Jeez, this guy really did think he was a cop. "So, you're saying you don't have a power to steal powers?"

"That's what I'm saying."

"And you don't know anyone who does?"

"Nope. Any other weird-ass questions you'd like to ask me or can I get back to my climbing session?"

Shawn shoved his hand back into his pocket. "By all means. But I may be back in touch."

"Better make sure it's not too often," I said as I walked away. "Or I might just have to get a real cop to give you a restraining order."

The bitter look on his face had me grinning. Called it. That guy hadn't quite reached his goal of joining Nexus and had settled for the next best thing.

But the smile slipped from my face once I had my back to him. Whoever had told him about my power had officially put me in the investigation's spotlight, and I would find out who if it was the last thing I did.

"Okay, that's just weird ," Penny said, hanging up her coat. "You changed your name. Surely he couldn't have spoken to your family? Where's the connection?"

"Unless he somehow found out I was related to them." I took one last drag off my cigarette before flicking the butt out the front door and closing it. "They are the only people except you guys who know I have a power."

"But if he asked them, they would tell him, wouldn't they?"

I kicked off my shoes and walked toward the kitchen to grab a protein shake, and Penny followed me. "They haven't told anyone about me, because if they did, they would have to reveal that I've taken all their powers."

Luckily for me, their shame outweighed their need for practicality. For months after Hecate had released my powers, and I had inadvertently taken their powers from them, I worried Nexus agents would come knocking at the front door with a warrant for my arrest. But my entire family had decided, or rather my grandmother had decided for them, that they couldn't reveal what had happened. The biggest motivation for this was definitely pride, as it dictated almost everything my grandmother did. Shame was her kryptonite.

To tell Shawn that I had the power to steal the powers of others meant the Franklins would find out, and there was no way my grandmother would allow that. To lose the respect of one of the most important families in the country? Unthinkable. For her, at least.

However Shawn Donnelly had found out it wasn't through the Bishop family.

"Are we sure they wouldn't-?" Penny snapped her mouth shut as Edward barrelled down the corridor and whisked her into her arms, lifting her up off the floor.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck as they span, and I mimed being sick into the umbrella stand.

"Did you fall off?" Edward teased when he finally set Penny on the ground again.

" So much. I don't know how Bea does it." Penny cuddled up against his chest.

"I'll come with you next time and I'll catch you."

I pretended to puke even louder as I passed them, punching Edward on the shoulder.

" Ow !" Edward swiped at me but I dodged out of his reach. "Maybe instead of making a nuisance of yourself, you could check Hec. She's not been looking well today."

"Not looking well?" I frowned. Hecate never got sick. The perks of being a magical creature were many and getting ill was high up there on the list. If she wasn't well, something was seriously wrong.

I hurried up the flights of stairs to my room and burst through the door. Sure enough, Hecate lay on her side on my made bed, yowling in low tones.

"Hec, what's wrong?" I dashed over to her and made to pick her up, but she hissed at me, so I held both hands up in surrender. "Okay, jeez. At least tell me so I can help?"

Hecate reached out a paw and I held out my hand to her. She placed her paw in my palm. "Get three of your empty jars."

The ones I had prepared with enchantments to house stolen powers? What did she need with those?

But I didn't question her, and pushed through the bookcase to my workspace. Grabbing three empty jars out of the wicker basket by the cabinet, I hurried back to the bed.

"Open them," Hecate instructed, slowly getting up.

I did as she asked and placed them on the bed next to her. Hecate's entire body rippled, her back arching, and she bobbed her head as if she was about to eject a hairball.

A ball of light travelled up her throat, shining even through her big fluffy coat, and with one final retch, Hecate vomited it into one of the jars.

"Ew, Hec. What is that?" I asked, leaning in to get a better look.

But I immediately drew back again as Hecate resumed her awful retching. She continued to puke two more balls of light, one into each of the empty jars. When the third fell into the jar, Hecate toppled onto her side, panting.

"Hec." I picked her up, and this time she didn't fight me as I cradled her in my arms. "What just happened?"

Hecate licked her lips, meowed softly, and promptly fell asleep, purring. Well, at least she was okay.

Trying not to jostle her too much, I leaned forward again to see what it was she had just vomited up. In all three of the jars, the little balls of light flashed with images, just like the memories we had seen at the Franklin house.

My blood ran cold. Hecate had stolen three of the Franklins' memories.