I press the button on the dash to change the tire tread so the car finds better traction on the slick surface, and then we surge forth with even more speed. I’m catching up with the ones who left before us now, and it pisses me off to know I’ll have to slow down and follow their more cautious speed. I can see Jase and his sister coming in behind us, and my stomach turns into a tangled mess of knots instantly.
My phone rings, and Rex puts it on speaker for me.
“Aria Banner,” I answer, not having seen the number that rang in.
“Aria,” Uncle Grayson says in a leery tone. “You’re taking lead. You need to get up front because you’re the best at spotting mines. Also, you’ll be the lead tracker on this, so you’ll need to have an unobstructed view.”
A smile spreads to my face, and Rex grimaces while tensing up and holding on tighter.
“Got it, Unc.”
“And Aria, be careful. The drones spotted something out of place, but we can’t tell from the blurred images what it is.”
"I'm always careful."
I smile as I end the call, and then I shift gears again while sliding out of line and surging toward the front. My boot rattles against the excited accelerator, and the engine roars louder than my adrenaline rush as we rocket past our line.
“Fuck! Why in the hell did I ride with you?” Rex gripes as he tightens his seatbelt.
“Because I drive like Hale,” I joke, and he rolls his eyes.
Eyes pop open as they follow us passing by them in less than a blurring motion, and they do their best to try and keep up. It’s no point though. I’m too good, too fast, and too damn in need of this thrill behind the wheel.
I look in my rearview to see Jase and Melania - his sister - are following us as we barrel past everyone, so I decide to show him who’s the better driver as I take the ninety degree turn without slowing up.
Rex squeals in a girly octave when I slingshot us through the curve, and I surge forth with more power while shifting again.
“I’m going to be sick,” he mumbles, his hand covering his mouth to emphasize his words.
I stifle a grin, and I look back to see Jase becoming a mere shadow amongst the torrential rainfall.
“Can you see anything?” I ask while I catapult us around another curve, the mud sloshing up as my haste digs up the road.
“A little bit of something. It seems like there’s a shadow following a big ass metal thing, but the image is too blurry and I can’t get the focus right. It’s like looking through a streaked camera lens in the dark.”
“Do you remember when we were little and you could see anything you wanted to with absolute clarity?” I ask in a near whisper.
“I do, but my powers grew. I just have to learn to control them.”
“I used to be able to shift the house off its foundation by accident. Now I struggle to move pebbles with my mind. Do you ever wonder if Mom found a way to block our abilities?”
He sighs a little, and then shrugs.
“It has crossed my mind before,” he says mildly, as though he’s hiding something.
“Spill it, Rex. I know when you’re holding back,” I growl, and then I take a sharp, almost impossible turn to head south to Cantenbury.
He relaxes his body on the straightaway, and then he lets out a frustrated sigh.
“I had a horrific but blurry vision when I was fifteen. I saw men taking me from our home, probing me, torturing me until I gave them the vision they wanted. I told Mom right away, and even though I was damn close to being a man, she slept in the bed with me for at least three months. I never told her how glad I was that she was that overprotective because I wouldn’t have slept at all had she not stayed in there.
“The vision came through with more clarity after that. I saw my attackers, and Mom made them look like dust when she was done with them. She took me with her so I could see with my own eyes that the monsters from my visions were ash. But I was scared after that. I worried someone might use me against her, you , Dad… anyone I loved. My gift is not very offensive, usually, but it’s damn dangerous in the wrong hands. I asked her to help me find away to dilute it. She did.”
Holy shit.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?” I huff out.
“Because… well, I did want to, but then you damn near killed me by accident one day. Mom decided until you were old enough to handle your strength, you needed to be diluted as well. On you, it worked too well.”
