Part 4 (1/2)

Book Two

Chapter Three

Ilida sat up, leaning against her plain, white bottom cabinets. The sharp, throbbing pain in her frontal lobe receded to a dull ache.

Another telepath? Of course, she knew there were others out there but she'd never made contact, or did she contact him?

Angry Man had skill. He knew she was lying on the floor on something cold at least. She smiled to herself thinking about his terse questions and statements. He's used to being in command. Oh, man, way too much mental energy spent on a stranger.

Ilida stood up, wiped her eyes, and walked to the bathroom. She walked out backwards with her aunt Ca.s.sandra walking toward her. Ilida hunched over and her fists clenched at her sides. ”I swear can't you ever knock or call first?” She made an unintelligible sound as she sat on the couch.

All she wanted was to get on with her night, type out her reports for the daily meeting. Every time her aunt popped over it was a reminder of how different she was no matter how hard she tried to pretend. She wondered what her father would say if he knew, she was having psychic headaches. He'd probably flip. He'd punished her at fifteen for using her powers- grounded her for a month.

The tall woman with the worn straw hat, long amber dreadlocks littered with dried leaves shook her head. ”I knew this would happen, girl.”

”Knew? About my leaks? Can you stop it?” Ca.s.sandra was the only one she knew and trusted to stop her telepathic leaks, but as she watched, her aunt's crow's feet deepen. She had a feeling it wouldn't be easy.

”Tut, tut. It won't be easy.”

Ca.s.sandra was a psychic of unknown potential. Unknown potential to Ilida that is. She knew Ca.s.sandra was a telepath and diviner, but that's all she knew. Ca.s.sandra had skeletons in her closet she wouldn't share with her. ”You're kidding me. Please tell me this is one of your bizarro jokes.”

”Not my only gra-niece! I could kill you.” She shook her head. ”Do it I will not.” Ca.s.sandra took off her straw hat in a dramatic gesture.

With each moment, her hope faded. ”Why would it kill me, Ca.s.sandra?”

”Strong in mind you are. Something in you would resist.”

Resist? All she ever wanted was to be normal. ”You know I don't want this... power.”

”You have it in spades. You may have more.” She clutched Ilida's chin, rubbing the side of it. ”You took after me.”

”Great! I need morphine to celebrate,” she said as she walked into her bathroom again. Ilida moved her shoulders in a circle and prompted herself to think back to that imaginary place, but thoughts of her angry psychic...friend intruded. Okay, she was curious as h.e.l.l about him. Why? What was she going to do storm troop his head again and offer him her help? He asked her to stay out of it. She didn't blame him. What happened was weird, to say the least.

”Will you help him?”

Ilida jumped hurting her neck. Ca.s.sandra had the softest footsteps. She thought the woman floated rather than walked. That was the mystery of Ca.s.sandra. She faced her aunt. ”It's none of my business, Ca.s.sandra.” She opened the lacquered pine and oak medicine cabinet, moved a few bottles of over-the-counter pills aside, and grabbed the small bottle of ibuprofen.

”But you know you will. I sense fire in your blood. Curious you are.”

Ilida popped the pill in her mouth. Ca.s.sandra stepped aside to let her out. Ilida grabbed a gla.s.s from the upper cabinets in the kitchen then filled it with filtered water from the tap. She drank the water swallowing the pill down. ”For once I'm going to stay the h.e.l.l out of people's business and do my work. I have reports to type up.”

Ilida heard the scratch on wood then flame eerily illuminated Ca.s.sandra's nose and hazel-brown eyes much like her own. Genes are strange, Ilida mused.

”How long will you let this insane behavior continue?” She took a drag then blew smoke.

Her aunt loved to smoke her cherry flavored, slim cigarettes. Ilida didn't like the smell it left in her apartment, nor Ca.s.sandra's need to remind her of what she'd left behind five years ago. ”What insane behavior, Ca.s.sandra?”

”Stop pretending to be anything other than what you are,” Ca.s.sandra said, pointing her finger and cigarette at her.

”Go away, Ca.s.sandra.”

”Stubborn girl.”

”Stubborn wom-” Ilida peered to her left then right. She was alone in her apartment once again. ”Call next time!”

I walked back into the living room. The woman's voice remained in my head...and my heart. Alec and Tania's eyes were heavy on me. I put up mental s.h.i.+elds to block out their questions. My family meant well, but they were intrusive at times.

As I walked to my desk Alec held up my Ninja mask.

”A Ninja? All this time you never told me you were a Ninja,” Alec said, as he tossed the mask into my waiting hands. I didn't talk about myself much. How do you tell your brother you're a trained a.s.sa.s.sin? He should have figured it out a year ago when we fought the Jacquerie together for the first time. That night was a night of firsts for all of us. ”I learned Ninjitsu as well as Bus.h.i.+do.” I wasn't in the mood for a lecture. Alec may be pus.h.i.+ng one thousand but I have an old soul. I'm too seasoned for a lecture on proper family functionality. ”It just never came up.”

”What happened on the balcony?” Alec asked.

”Nothing to concern yourself with.” I don't know what happened. It was strange, exciting. It was something had to be pondered another day.

”Daedalus?”

I rolled the opening of the mask. The micromesh material is stretchy and adheres to itself. ”I have to find my daughter. Are you coming or not?”

”I'm coming.”

”So am I,” Tania said.

”No!” We spoke simultaneously then looked at each other, surprised. This was none of my business. She's my friend and sister-in-law, but... I had to intervene. I care about Tania too much to let her get hurt. Besides, I want to see my niece or nephew one day. Women's lib be d.a.m.ned tonight.

Before I pulled on my mask I said to Alec, ”Meet you on the roof.” I opened the balcony door again, jumped on the wall and climbed on all fours up the red brick facade. I settled on the roof of my dojo, waiting for Alec. I couldn't help but hear Alec and Tania's conversation.

”Now you're going to listen to him?”

”He's right,” Alec said. ”You are trying to get pregnant. What if you are now?”

”Alec?”

”I'll meet you at home.”

”I'm Queen and I belong by your side.”

”Yes, and if I'm killed tonight you take over.”

”I have to do something besides make like June Cleaver and twiddle my thumbs at home. I'll make some calls to Matt.”