Chapter 15
The next few days passed in the same agonizing fashion. It was awkward being around Anna when all I wanted to do was hold her and tell her how I would never let anything happen to her. I was beginning to resent my gift. If it was such a gift, then why did I have to give up so much for it?
The group of us “environmentalists” were scheduled to leave from the school just before first period on Friday morning. I was looking forward to seeing Anna once more before I had to leave. I had just walked into the school with Noah when Anna jogged over to us.
“Hey guys,” Anna chimed. Hearing her voice felt like the breath of air you get when you open a window in an old attic room—a huge relief after feeling suffocated from the thick dust.
“You look great,” I stated, as obvious as it was.
Anna laughed, dramatically flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Don't I always?”
“You have no idea.” An excitement churned inside of me. Anna was being cordial; she wasn’t avoiding me. Was she okay now?
“Yeah, so did you hear about my little visitor last night at three in the morning?”
Visitor? What visitor! I felt instantly protective. “Who on Earth would visit you in the middle of the night?”
“Relax. It was Abby. She was sleepwalking.” Anna laughed.
Although relieved for Anna’s sake, I was now sick about the fact that Abby was sleepwalking outside . . . in the middle of the night!
“Are you kidding me? Why? Is she okay? What did she say? What did you do?” I had a million questions, but mostly I just wanted to know she was okay and that she made it home safely. I hadn't seen Abby this morning before I left for school, so my mind was racing and my stomach was turning.
“She's fine. I walked her home after she was done. Your mom met me at your door after I called her to let her know I was bringing her back. She was frantic. I'm surprised she didn't tell you this morning.”
“No, she didn't. Come to think of it, I didn’t get to see either of them this morning when I left for school. What was Abby doing at your house? Did she clean your kitchen too?” My stomach was settling now that I knew she was okay, although now I was concerned for my mom, who was paranoid enough as it was. This incident would likely cause her to set up camp outside Abby's bedroom door every night for the rest of her life.
“It was weird. She rang the doorbell, which scared the life out of me. Gretta answered the door.” Anna paused, suppressing a laugh. “It was priceless, Jake. Gretta had this frying pan in her hand. She was ready to fry an intruder.” Anna laughed as she recounted her nanny’s actions. “Then Abby politely asked if she could speak to me privately. I could tell she was sleepwalking because she mumbled a lot and her eyes were hardly open.”
“Yeah, that's her,” I said, nodding in confirmation. “So weird that she would do that. It's kind of creepy actually.”
“Yeah, so then she hands me this piece of paper”—Anna held up a folded piece of paper in her hands—“and tells me not to lose hope.”
I took the paper from Anna's hand and slowly unfolded it. I felt the colour drain from my face as I recognized the paper and its markings. It was mine. It was a piece of paper that I had been doodling on in my bedroom a couple of nights before when I was supposed to be doing math homework. I vaguely remembered what I had doodled, and I never dreamed it would end up anywhere other than in my garbage can.
My eyes pinballed the page from the heart in the centre, which encased Anna's name in big block letters, to “Jake loves Anna” in big block letters, to a pathetic attempt at a daisy with three missing petals. My eyes finally rested on a poem at the bottom of the page. The colour returned to my face, in a deep crimson, as I silently read the poem:
No matter where I go,
I need you to know.
No matter what I do,
I will always love you.
I slowly folded the paper and held it out for Anna. My eyes weren’t yet able to find hers. So embarrassing. I felt a slew of emotions toward Abby. Although I was relieved that she was safe, I wasn't sure harming her when I got home wasn’t entirely out of the question. Why would she do this to me—consciously or not?
“Keep it. It's yours.” Anna said as she pushed my hand back toward me with the paper still folded between my fingers.
“This is embarrassing,” I admitted.
“Don't be embarrassed. I thought it was super sweet. So I decided to make one for you too.” She handed me another piece of paper, folded in the same way.
I opened it up to a page full of drawings and writings, similar to the ones that I had drawn with her in mind, but in her own handwriting. And at the bottom, she wrote the same poem and signed her name beneath it. As embarrassed as I still was, I also felt relieved.
“Thank you . . . so much,” I said after I had re-read each word at least three times.
“Thank you.” She winked.
Then I handed mine back to her. “Keep this then. But if you show anyone, I might have to kill you.” I laughed as I pulled her in and held her tightly. The sweet, lavender smell of her hair filled the air. I pressed my cheek to her head and just wanted to squeeze tighter and tighter. I would have to remember to thank Abby later.
“What does this mean for us?” Anna finally asked as I released her.
“Anna,” I started, “I just can't be with you. Not right now. I wish I could explain it better than that.”
“I don't get it, Jake.” She lowered her eyes to the ground and slid the paper into her pocket. “But I trust you.” It was exactly what I needed to hear her say.
Noah and Rachel interrupted us with the announcement that we were leaving now for the airport.
“Can we talk more when I get back?” I hoped.
“Yeah, I'd like that.” She smiled meekly and then winked. “Have a good weekend.”
My heart fluttered as she walked away. I missed her already.
The two-hour plane ride to Toronto was comfortable in first class where I could stretch out and listen to my music with little distraction from anyone; however, the three-hour, cramped car ride to our destination wasn't made any easier by Rachel's constant chattering. Nick drove the rental car, and Claudia sat up front with him, which left Rachel sardined between Noah and me in the back seat. I tried numerous times to nod off, but just as I was starting to drift, Rachel would start with another mind-numbing story.
Nick and Claudia were seniors at Bedford High. Claudia was captain of the cheerleading squad, and Nick was probably the most famous face at Bedford High, as he was the starting quarterback on the rugby team. They had been a couple for as long as I had known of them.
Finally, Nick interrupted one of Rachel’s monologues. “So, Jake and Noah?”
It didn’t matter what he had to say because it had to have been better than listening to Rachel. I sat up straight and leaned forward. “Yeah.”
“Have you been told yet about your other gifts?” Nick asked in a casual tone.
Other gifts? What is he talking about?
“They haven’t,” Claudia answered.
“What other gifts are you talking about?” Noah said.
“Well, they’re not really gifts since anyone in the world is capable of having them, but they’re abilities that you will learn to develop.”
“Which are?” I asked.
“The two big ones are extreme strength and speed,” Nick answered plainly.
“What do you mean?” Noah pressed.
“You’ll learn more this weekend, but basically the human body has been designed to run speeds of over thirty metres per second, and to lift weights of over thirteen hundred pounds. Our motto is 'If you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right,'” Nick explained.
“So you're saying if I think I can run as fast as a cheetah, then I can?” Noah questioned, unconvinced and a bit sarcastic.
Claudia answered, “At least as fast as a cheetah. But the trick is to believe it. Not often do humans one hundred per
cent believe something. You have to want it bad enough. Truly want it so bad that nothing will stand in your way. That is how athletes win gold medals, you know. It's all about who wants it and believes they can have it. They’re all capable, so it comes down to desire and faith.”
Nick added, “It's like the example of the mother whose child was trapped under a three thousand pound vehicle. She knew that if she didn’t get her kid out of there immediately then he would die, so she was able to lift the car up with one hand and pull the toddler free with the other.”
“And we will learn how to have this superhuman strength and speed?” I asked.
“It's all in your mind. Everything is in your head. If you think you can, you are right,” Nick answered.
Nick’s deep voice commanded attention and respect. He seemed only to speak when necessary, which created an aura of mystery around him.
“Can you guys do it?” I asked.
“Yes,” Nick and Claudia answered together.
“What about you?” Noah asked Rachel.
“Sometimes,” she said quietly, appearing somewhat ashamed. She had been quiet up until this point so I wondered what she was thinking.
Claudia added, “Sometimes it’s really difficult for prophets to master strength and speed. Being able to achieve these goals requires you to one hundred percent believe that you can do it. Prophets rely on their visions for faith; if Rachel can’t see herself with these superhuman skills, then she won’t be convinced that she can do it, and if she isn’t convinced that she can do it, then she won’t be able to do it.”
“Why aren’t you able to see yourself doing it?” I asked Rachel.
She rolled her eyes and although she clearly thought the answer was obvious, she continued, “Because I don’t believe I can do it. And I don’t believe it because I can’t see myself doing it.”
“It’s a circle,” Claudia added, “but once she breaks into it, she will be great.”
Everyone was quiet after that, and Rachel must have decided not to add anything further to the conversation. Before long, Nick announced that we had arrived. I peeled my forehead from the window and looked around as we made our way down a long, bumpy drive. We finally reached a large gravel parking lot which was already half full of rented vehicles. We slid in between a Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen Beetle, and then started unloading our gear.
“So does anyone even know what exactly we will be doing here?” I finally asked.
“This is training camp for your skills,” Nick began. “Claudia and I have been here a couple of times. You guys are gonna love it.”
“A couple of times?” Noah repeated.
“This is our third year,” Claudia said.
“I didn't realize that you've known Ms. Peters for three years. Didn't she just move here?” I asked.
“We did just move here,” Rachel answered. “Mom isn't the only Seeker. There are Gifted Ones everywhere. We're only a small part of what's happening all over the world.”
The amount of new information was becoming overwhelming.
“So let me get this straight,” Noah began. “This training camp is for gifted people from all over the world?”
“No,” Claudia laughed. “This is only North America. There are training camps happening all over the place.”
“Do we work on our gifts here too? Or is this just for our strength and speed?” I asked as we followed Nick and Claudia down a well-trodden path with our backpacks and sleeping bags in tow.
“All of it,” Nick explained. “You'll do it all this weekend. It's quite intense actually.” He stopped and turned to face Noah, Rachel and me, then continued with a depth of seriousness that I feared, “And this will make or break you. If you’re truly cut out for it, you will be great. But if not . . . you're out.”
I exchanged a troubled look with Noah.
“Ms. Peters already told us we're great,” Noah said.
Nick turned and started walking again. “Well, let's just hope you've got your head in the game this weekend.”
I thought about what Nick had said as we continued down the path. What did it actually mean to have your head in the game? I was eager to get started because it was already pretty cool being able to heal people, and I could only imagine how awesome it would be to be able to run super fast and be super strong. How could I not do well at the training camp? I certainly wanted it bad enough. I had given up so much for it.
As we neared the camp, the commotion of dozens of voices filled my ears. We came to the end of the path and were greeted by a half-dozen men in black suits, black sunglasses and earpieces, standing guard at the gate. It was then that I observed the high-velocity electric fence that ran along the entire property. I guessed that they were protecting our kind from being targeted by the Defiers, but I also couldn't help but notice that once we were in, there was no getting out either.
Beyond the security gate I could see clusters of people. About a hundred or more, I guessed. Some were playing soccer in the field to the right. Others were socializing by the main lodge entrance, which was further beyond the field. I could see a group of teenagers, roughly our ages, with their sleeping bags and pillows, getting instructions on where to unload their stuff. There was also a group of little kids, no older than Abby, sitting on the grassy hill by the soccer field. Was this their first time here? Or had they been discovered even younger?
“Alright, come on guys,” Nick said as the huge metal gates slowly opened.
I hesitated before crossing the threshold. Once through, the gates swung closed with a deafening sound. I took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”