Anomaly by Jessica Gilliland

Author:Jessica Gilliland [Gilliland, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessica Gilliland
Published: 2019-02-12T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Jason and I finished cleaning up my latest testing mishap and made our way up to the Perch. I was definitely gaining strength, but my power certainly wasn't what it had been pre-raid, and Stone never missed an opportunity to remind me of it. I was getting a little self conscious because of it. Things were slipping, and I was finding it hard to conjure my power when I wasn't emotionally charged. My reaction time was off, and I just couldn't focus after I'd made a mistake. We didn't end up covered in gunk this time, but it definitely didn't meet the standards Stone had set for me. That irritated me more than anything else.

"For someone who doesn't give a damn about Stone, you sure are trying hard to impress her." Jason picked at me, giving me a wry smile.

"I'm not trying to impress her. I don't want her to have any reason to criticize me."

"Fine, fine." He opened the door to the faux fridge and allowed me to pass him as we walked up the spiraling stairs. "I'm just saying."

"Well, you can stop saying. I'm just not as confident in my ability as I was before. I might not ever be again."

"You'll get it, Liv. Maybe if you were a little more open to her suggestions? Try to loosen up a bit? You’re all stiff, and honestly, you always look angry.”

“She just rubs me the wrong way.”

“You never even gave her a chance.”

"Can we not talk about this now?" I cut him off and immediately felt badly about it. "I'm sorry, I just want to have a moment when I'm not thinking about my power, or Stone."

"Fine," Jason said solemnly, sensing my desperation.

In the weeks since I’d come back to Hawthorn there had been an occasional sourness between Jason and I. I felt like he was frustrated that I wasn’t as powerful as I’d been before I was taken. He kept trying to get me to push harder. I could tell he was only trying to help, but I needed time. I also felt like I only knew part of what was going on there, and no one would let me in on the bigger picture. I didn’t like feeling bitter about things, and I really didn’t like the judgment I'd get when Jason could sense me being bitter. I just wanted to stop thinking about it and enjoy myself with the people I loved. Thank the heavens for the Perch. Jason and the others worked hard at Hawthorn. Their refuge provided much needed downtime to unravel, and I was grateful for it.

"Look who decided to take a break," Lexa said as Jason and I emerged from the staircase at the entrance.

Mia was sitting next to her. It looked like they were going over some photos on Lexa's tablet. Her body stiffened and I felt a trembling nervousness buried inside her, but no obvious disdain for me. She didn't bother to look up from the tablet when I came in, but she didn't storm off either.

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