Page 54 of The Lost Ones

"I'll just give you a very brief explanation about what happened outside because I think everyone needs to know more about our link to Sage first.” Says Papa Bear.

Who apparently is called Joey, thank god I found out his name it was getting super awkward calling a man I don’t remember, Papa Bear even if it was just in my head.

“Then I can explain more thoroughly about the Soulmate Bond once everyone knows the story behind how Sage was separated from us.”

Levi looks around at all of us to make sure we are all in agreement, after all the Soulmate Bond involves us all. We all nod.

"That seems fair." Levi agrees.

We dig into the selection of cold cuts, bread, olives and cheeses that are spread out in front of us.

“Well, as you have probably guessed by now, we are part of a Soulmate Bond. What you won’t know is that because of that bond we each have a gift.” Joey looks around at all of us, giving us time for the information to sink in. “Willows gift, or power, is teleportation, she can teleport herself and a small number of others to any location so long as she has either been there before, can see it or has an extremely detailed and up to date picture of it.”Joey explains, although that’s all he explains as he sits back and starts eating, letting us absorb the crazy ass information he’s just dropped on us.

“Really?” I narrow my eyes; I know I witnessed her do it outside, but powers? I’ve never heard anything like it ever existing in real lifebefore. Admittedly, Imprint Tattoos appearing out of nowhere could be considered magical, but actual powers seem too unbelievable to believe. I watch my mom, waiting for her to tell me that it’s a joke, when suddenly she just isn’t there anymore and I’m left staring at her empty chair.

I feel a kiss pressed to my cheek and gape up in shock at my mom who is now standing behind me grinning.

“Yes, really.” Her smile widens at my obvious shock.

“No fucking way!” Kai blurts.

“I have one more question before we learn more about Sage.” Levi asks, flicking his eyes towards me to ask if I’m ok with it.

I nod, curious about what he’s going to ask.

“Go ahead.” Thomas says.

“How did you know I would need that book about Soulmates?”

“Ah that was me,” Willow answers Levi, walking back around to her chair. “I have a weak secondary gift of premonition. I didn’t see who, I just knew that you would need the book because there was a possibility, not a certainty, that you’d meet your Soulmate.” Willow says.

“It’s rare to have more than one gift even as a Centre, which is what we call the person who the Soulmate Bond is centred around. For us it’s Willow. For you boys it’s Sagely-Wren.” Micha explains.

“Is everyone finished?” Willow asks.

Like with my dad’s, I can’t quite get used to calling her mom, so for now I’m going to just stick to calling her by her first name.We all nod that we’ve finished and after thanking Willow for the meal, we get up to help clear the table. Once that’s done Thomas shoos us all into the large but cosy living room.

“Go sit and get comfortable, I’ll make some coffees and then we’ll explain the history that we have with Sage.”

In the brief moment that Thomas’ eyes connect with mine, I can see the shadows that haunt them and like Willow, the pain that’s hidden in them.

The connection is broken as he asks us how we take our coffee and then turns towards the kitchen.We all find seats in the large living room and I once again notice that Jax sits as far away from me as he can get. It sends a stab of hurt through my heart. I honestly don’t know what I’ve done wrong.Before I can dwell on it, Thomas brings in the coffees, handing them to each of us and waiting for us to be settled before he starts to speak.I glance around at the others noticing that Willow has a white knuckled grip on the hands of Micha and Joey.

“This isn’t a pleasant story, but you need to hear it to understand and there are still some mysteries surrounding it, that we are hoping you can fill in for us.” Thomas states seriously before continuing. “As you have already learnt we are your parents, technically speaking Micha is your biological father but somehow you ended up with characteristics from each of us.

You were a shock, in the most wonderful way, we had always been told by both, the scriptures and by the elders that a Soulmate child had not been conceived for hundreds of years. The theory the elders had, as to the reason why no Soulmate child had been born for hundreds of years, was that when the war broke out and the Soulmates were forced underground because so many of us were being hunted and slaughtered, it just wasn’t safe for Soulmate children to be born. That period of time was so stressful, it just stopped happening.” He explains before continuing.

“You see you didn’t have to be bonded in order to have a child with a Soulmate bond. However, those children whose parents were bonded became the stuff of legends. Their power was unrivalled. Even before the war, the children born from a Soulmate Bonded group, were rare. We were so incredibly happy when we found out your mother was pregnant with you.” He pauses smiling gently.

“We were also incredibly worried. There is a group that not only know that Soulmates still exist after the war but also somehow found out about the existence of you, a child that by birth alone was going to be more powerful than anyone we had seen in century’s. By the time you were three years old your gifts were already emerging,” I raise my eyebrows, “yes, I said gifts, you had more than one and they were already so strong.”

Before I can ask, he answers my unspoken question.

“You had telekinesis which allows you to move things with your mind, an affinity with the earth that meant we would constantly find flowers and vines growing around your room and you absolutely adored to be outside. We often camped under the stars, so you could be closer to nature. Your strongest and most terrifying power since you were only three years old, was fire. You could create and control it without the need for a flame to be lit elsewhere. Fortunately, because you were the one wielding it, it didn’t burn you, but it did burn everything else like a normal fire would.

Because of this we decided that, for your own safety and the safety of everyone else, as well as to keep you hidden from the dangerous group I mentioned before, we bound your gifts. The elders told us that the Bonded that had children all those centuries ago, used to do it for their children if they developed dangerous gifts before the age of properly being able to control and train them.” He pauses to take a sip of his coffee whilst we try to absorb all the information, he has given us.

“We were reassured by the Elders that it would not harm you in anyway. We took you to an Elder that worked at the training academy.”