Overtaken by Mark H. Kruger

Author:Mark H. Kruger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

I poured a stream of hot, black coffee into a purple ceramic mug and handed it to Maya. She clutched it, happy for the warmth and the pick-me-up. I poured a second cup for myself, hoping that the caffeine would help me refocus. In the ten minutes since Maya had arrived, I’d begun to feel better. Less alone, at least. Her presence was comforting, familiar. In a way I felt like I was back at the beginning, just arriving in Barrington and being pulled from my loneliness by Maya’s kind hands.

At first I hadn’t even known what to say. When I’d answered the door, my moorings were loose. I had nothing to hold on to, and I felt the darkness closing in. The hug that she offered as soon as she stepped forward was so genuine and full of love that a spark lit deep within me. I didn’t know how long it would stay aflame or if it would spread and catch and bring me back, but in that moment it was enough.

“Come in,” I said, barely getting the words out. Maya crossed the threshold and entered the house. I closed the door behind her and locked it. Neither of us knew what to say next.

“You look exhausted,” she said, concern etched across her face.

Maya looked remarkably rested, at ease, and more beautiful than I’d remembered. She was a far cry from the terrified girl who’d left town in the middle of the night so long ago.

“I can’t believe you’re back.” We stuttered over each other’s words, each trying to be the first to explain, but got nowhere. She laughed. Then I laughed. Just a chuckle, but that little flame in my soul grew. I’d never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

I settled in kitty-corner to Maya at my kitchen table, ready to hear her story. “Okay,” I said. “You first.”

She sipped her coffee. “The first few weeks I stayed with my sister in Chicago. But people around the university began to talk and ask too many questions. So I thought it was best to keep on the move.”

“You’ve been traveling all this time?”

“Mostly in the east,” she admitted. “Trying to stay off the grid.” She’d also taken the opportunity to strengthen her abilities during her self-imposed sabbatical.

“How,” I asked, eager to hear if her methods were like mine, “did you even get your powers to stay around without the pulse to activate and reactivate them?”

“Exercise,” she declared. “Not physical, but mental. By the time I hit the road, I already felt my telekinesis fading, but I was determined to hold on to it. I spent a lot of time practicing.”

“I’m impressed,” I said truthfully.

“Anger’s a great motivator, Nica. All I could think about was how pissed I was at Bar Tech and Cochran and Chase. At having to leave Barrington—even if it was just for my own safety. And then rage at feeling my powers draining away. I’m one pissed-off chick.”

“Glad you got in touch with your inner demon,” I joked.

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