Caloric

They all sat in a little circle divided by the bars.

“Now, we know for absolute certain that we were all brought here for a reason,” Skylar began. “All four of us have unique gifts. I am a telepath and telekinetic, Sebastian can cause hallucinations, Phoenyx can manipulate will, and Lily can heal wounds. There is absolutely no way this arrangement could have happened by chance. Even so, what could our abilities have to do with us being abducted? What possible motive could there be?”

“Maybe someone wants us to rob banks,” Sebastian said. “I wouldn’t be against that.”

“If something like that were the case, they wouldn’t have us locked up in here for days without any communication,” Skylar said.

“All right, then maybe this is some kind of X-Men test,” Sebastian said.

“X-Men?” Phoenyx asked, one brow raised.

“Yeah, you know, some group like the X-Men could be out there hunting down people with powers and they test them first to see if they are worthy enough to join or something like that,” Sebastian explained.

“I think you’ve read a little too many comic books, my brother,” Skylar said dismissively.

“Whatever. Bank robbing, supernatural crime fighting group, I’ll take it either way,” Sebastian mumbled to himself.

The four of them sat in silent deliberation for a moment. Phoenyx was still reeling over the fact that she wasn’t the only freak in this freak show. They all had amazing powers. They were all like super heroes. Although she felt her little trick was far less impressive than any of the others. How did whoever kidnapped them and brought them here even find out about their powers?

“Now that is a really good question,” Skylar said to her, making Phoenyx frown at her lack of mental privacy. “There isn’t a soul alive who knows about me aside from Sebastian, and vice versa. It’s not like either of our talents are obvious in any way. No one can tell if I’m reading their mind and I never use my telekinesis in public. No one can tell that an illusion Sebastian creates is fake. What about you girls? Does anyone know about your gifts?”

“Nope,” Lily said. “I’ve never told or shown anyone.”

“No one knows about me either,” Phoenyx said. Well, she suspected her father had known but he was dead. “The guy I’m pretty sure is the one who brought me here knew something about it. He could tell I did something strange to the bartender to make her serve me without ID. It was almost like he was looking for it, now that I think about it. How could he have known?”

Skylar rubbed his chin with his index finger and thumb.

“Well, I don’t know about you guys but I don’t want to stick around here to find out,” Sebastian said. “Let’s use our powers to get out of here.”

Skylar turned and looked at Sebastian, dumbfounded. “Since when do you have good ideas?” Then they both laughed and Skylar clapped his hands with a newfound eagerness.

“You said someone comes in here once a day to bring food, correct?” he asked Phoenyx.

“Yeah, once a day at random times,” she answered.

“So we know that guy will come back tomorrow,” he continued. “We will be ready for him. We can use our abilities to make him let us out.”

“How are we going to do that?” Lily asked.

“Is your mind strong enough to bend the bars?” Phoenyx asked, half-joking.

“Ha ha, although I’ve never tried, I sincerely doubt it,” he said. “It was actually your ability I was thinking of.”

She cocked her head in silent question.

“You can get a hold of the guy and make him unlock the door,” he explained.

“He never walks in past the doorframe. He just stops right there at the door and throws food inside.”

“Then we’ll make it so he has to come close. Sebastian, you can make him see something that will lure him close enough to the cell door so Phoenyx can grab his arm.”

“What should I make him see?” Sebastian asked. “What illusion would make him come to the cells rather than running off to alert someone? I could give him the illusion of the cells being empty but that would just send him running off in search of us.”

“Good point,” Skylar said, then frowned in consideration.

“I have an idea,” Lily said. “As Phoenyx pointed out to me a few days ago, it’s pretty clear they want us alive, for whatever reason. If you made the guy think we were all dead, he would most likely come close to investigate.”

“That’s brilliant,,” Phoenyx said. “It would have to look like we were really clearly dead, not mistakable with being passed out.”

“Oh, trust me, I can make us all look very dead,” Sebastian said with a wicked smile. “Just imagine a scene from a slasher movie. Blood and guts, that sort of thing.”

“Awesome, but what do we do after getting out of this room?” Phoenyx asked. “We have no idea what’s beyond that door. They could have guns. I can only control people when I’m touching them, basically one at a time, and there could be a whole army of assholes out there guarding this room. Sebastian, how many people can you make see your illusions at once?”

“I don’t actually know,” he replied. “I’ve never tried with more than three people at a time.”

“Skylar, how strong is your telekinesis? Can you move people, too? I mean, if someone comes after us, can you push them away with your mind?”

“I’ve only had to do that once,” he said, “when Sebastian and I were on the run from some muggers. That was only one guy I moved. I never had to find out if I could defend myself against more than one person with my mind.”

“Look, there may be more dangers waiting out there but we have to try,” Sebastian said. “Whatever’s out there waiting for us, we can cross those bridges when we come to them.”

“Sebastian’s right,” Skylar said. “We have to get out of here.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to be here long enough to find out what they want with us,” Lily agreed.

Phoenyx nodded.

“Besides, the sooner we get out of here, the sooner I get to see you in that bikini, ” Sebastian said to Phoenyx with a wink and a smile.

Skylar frowned and said, “I’m sure I don’t want to know what that’s about.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” Sebastian said. “We’re getting out of here tomorrow. Now we just have a whole twenty-four hours to get through in the meantime.”

“Well, I know how I’m gonna start,” Phoenyx said. She sat back, took the apple out of the paper bag and bit slowly into it, savoring the juices. The burger hadn’t even begun to satisfy her hunger, so she figured she had better take her time with the apple, give her body at least the illusion it was getting more food.

“Why don’t we play some cards,” Sebastian suggested. He took a small, tattered old cardboard box from his jacket pocket. “Here, it’s much more entertaining to watch you deal.” He tossed the box at Skylar.

“That’s a great idea, you’re two for two today.” Skylar laughed, emptying the cards into his hands.

“Yeah, I have those every once in a while,” Sebastian said.

Phoenyx watched Skylar eagerly, guessing that Sebastian’s comment about how Skylar deals meant he wasn’t going to be using his hands much.

Without saying anything, Skylar gave her a knowing sideways glance, a silent message that he heard her thought and that she was not wrong.

The cards lifted out of Skylar’s hands, above his head, spreading out as they did so, and dancing playfully around one another like a swarm of dalliant butterflies. Round and round in circles they flew, forming various shapes in the air. It was such a beautiful thing to see. To have telepathy was one thing all by itself, but to use it with such artistry, such a spark of the imagination, it was simply awe inspiring. Beside her, Phoenyx heard Lily softly sigh at the spectacle.

Then the cards gracefully and softly fluttered like falling feathers into a neat pile in Skylar’s right palm.

“So, what are we playing?” Skylar asked, his voice snapping both Phoenyx and Lily out of their stupor.

“Strip poker,” Sebastian said, jackass smile in full blaze.

The three of them frowned at him.

“Kidding!” He laughed. “Any game requiring guessing or bluffing is out because Skylar will always win, so I say we play blackjack. That way it won’t matter that Skylar knows what cards we all have.”

Just like that, the cards lifted out of Skylar’s palm and dealt themselves, two to each person.

As the cards went on their merry way, Skylar turned to Sebastian and asked, “Has it ever occurred to you that I don’t always like being able to hear everyone’s thoughts constantly? If I could block you all out and play a regular game like everyone else, I would do so happily.”

When he turned back to the cards, Sebastian looked at the girls and shook his head with a frown that said Skylar was just blowing smoke.

Phoenyx smiled. It was nice to see the way they behaved—the bickering, the joking, and laughing. It was like the comic relief to the horror movie of their situation. Sebastian made it all seem like they were just casually hanging out, like their lives weren’t in imminent danger.

Everyone picked up their cards. She had a six of diamonds and a four of spades.

“Phoenyx, you’re up first,” Skylar said. “What’ll it be?”

“Hit me,” she said.

A card slid from the top of the deck and glided face down right to her.

She took hold of it and said to Sebastian, “Does this ever get old?”

“Nope,” he said and they laughed.

She looked at the card. Eight of hearts. That makes eighteen so far. Three away from twenty-one.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Skylar asked, before she could say it.

“Eh, I’m a risk taker.” She shrugged. “Hit me.”

Another card glided through the bars and into her hands. Two of diamonds.

“Stay,” she said, without a change in her facial expression.

Skylar merely nodded and turned his gaze to Lily.

“Hit me,” she said.

She took one look at her card and said, “Aww, bust,” then put her cards on the floor.

Skylar smiled indulgently at her and then turned to Sebastian.

“Stay,” Sebastian said, his face stoic.

Skylar raised a scrutinizing eyebrow at him for a moment, then turned to his own cards. On their own, the two cards on the floor before him flipped over face up for all to see: a Queen of clubs and a seven of spades.

“Dealer stays at seventeen,” he said. “Show your hands.”

Phoenyx laid hers face up. “I have twenty.”

“Twenty-one,” Sebastian said, laying his cards face up to reveal a King of hearts and an Ace of diamonds.

“Sebastian,” Skylar chided.

“What?” Sebastian asked in forced innocence.

“What do you really have?” Skylar pressed.

“Just what you see, a King of hearts and an Ace of diamonds,” Sebastian replied.

Skylar narrowed his eyes at him.

“Ugh, fine,” Sebastian scoffed. Suddenly, the faces of the cards washed away in ripples and became a two of clubs and a ten of spades. “How did you know? I concealed my thoughts.”

“I’ve known you for twelve years, I don’t need to read your mind to know when you’re lying.” Skylar laughed. “This round goes to Phoenyx.”

She smiled.

“Trying to rob me of my win,” Phoenyx said, shaking her head. “That’s no fair using your powers like that.”

“Well, you know what they say,” he said. “All is fair in love and war.”

“We’re not at war and no one here is in love,” she retorted.

“Not yet, darling.” He winked.

Even as she rolled her eyes, she couldn’t help but swoon inwardly at the way he said “darling” with that perfect British accent of his.

“Did you say that you concealed your thoughts from Skylar?” Lily asked him.

“Yes,” he answered.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

“Lots of practice,” he answered. “It takes too much focus to keep it that way all the time. It’s all about visualization really. Visualize that you are wrapped inside a soundproof bubble. Feel it wrap around you. When you can feel it like it’s almost tangible, then your mind is your own—a closed book.”

She nodded. “I’ll have to try that.” She looked at Skylar and blushed. “No offense to you. I just enjoy my privacy.”

“Of course,” he said. “I will try to ignore as much as I can.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“When did you first know about your powers?” Phoenyx asked him.

He cocked his head to one side and looked off at nothing. “I think I’ve always known. As far back as I can remember, I heard the thoughts of everyone around me. It’s always been a burden to me, but on the bright side, it did make it easy to learn to speak.”

“What about your telekinesis?” Lily asked.

“I don’t remember when I became aware of it but it was pretty early too. Although I didn’t really start using it until Sebastian and I went into business for ourselves.”

“What about you?” Lily turned to Sebastian as Skylar dealt another hand. “Have you always known about your power, too?”

“Oh no,” Sebastian said, looking at his cards. “No, I’ll never forget the day I discovered my power. It was a cold winter afternoon, not long after my parents died and I was living at that godforsaken foster home. I was walking home from school and some of the bigger, older kids, the bullies, saw me and chased me. I was pretty torn up right about that time. I was alone for the first time in my life and terrified being in a strange town, I had no one to protect me and really thought that getting caught and beaten up by those kids would be the end of my world.

“Well, they chased me into an empty alley, which, as it always does in those situations, led to a dead end. I was completely cornered with no way out. So, as a means of protecting at least my mind, I imagined a giant black dragon standing behind me, putting its wings around me—I was obsessed with dragons back then. I squeezed my eyes shut, ready for a beating, and wished for that dragon with all my might.

“When the bullies caught up to me, they stopped dead in their tracks. I opened my eyes and saw them staring up, open-mouthed, above my head. I didn’t know what they could possibly be looking at and what could have them so scared. I turned around and saw nothing. Wishing desperately for them to just go away, I imagined the dragon in my head roaring at them. To my surprise, they all screamed like little girls and turned tail and ran. I think I even saw one of them pee their pants.” He laughed. “I realized what must have happened. Somehow, they saw what I wanted them to see. I thought up that dragon and somehow made it real to them. There was no other explanation for their behavior. So I tested it, small things like imagining I was giving someone a five dollar bill instead of a one dollar bill and successfully walking out of a corner store with five dollars’ worth of candy. Ever since then, I’ve used it to full advantage.”

“Wow, that’s cool,” Phoenyx said. “Sounds like it really comes in handy.”

“Only for as long as I can imagine,” he said. “There have been quite a few times that I lose focus, get distracted, and then get myself into trouble.”

“Yes, Sebastian has quite a knack for that,” Skylar said. “Only surpassed by his talent for getting out of trouble.”

“How was it that you two came to know about each other’s powers?” Lily asked.

“We were already becoming close friends at the foster home,” Sebastian began. “When I came home that night, Skylar came up to me and told me he knew about my gift because he heard me thinking about it. Knowing that I was different, too, gave him the courage to open up to me about his gift. That secret between us made us thick as thieves.”

“Literally,” Skylar said with a smile.

They all laughed.

“And you?” Sebastian asked Lily. “When did you discover your power to heal?”

“Oh, uh, well,” she stammered, clearly surprised at having been invited to share the history of her gift, “when I was twelve, I had a pet canary named Sunshine. I loved that bird. It was the first pet I was ever given, and I fed it and cared for it almost religiously. One day while refilling her water, I left her cage open for a second too long and she got out. She flew circles around the room before crashing into my window and falling dead to the floor. I was completely devastated. I rushed to her and picked her up and held her in my hands. I wanted more than anything for her to come back to life. I felt my desire for it all through my body and my hands. A few seconds later, as if nothing had happened at all, Sunshine shook her head, popped up to stand on my palm and chirped at me. Totally stunned, I cupped her in my hands and rushed back to put her into her cage before anything else could happen.

“Of course, I doubted for a long time that it was me, that I had miraculously brought her back to life. I believed that she just knocked herself out and then snapped out of it, denying the fact that her neck was clearly broken by the crash. Then one day—years later—when I was driving home from school, I hit a dog by accident. I freaked out and pulled over to check on it. Its hips were broken and it couldn’t get itself off the street. I picked it up and carried it to the sidewalk. I felt so horrible for harming such a cute little animal, for not being more cautious. I had to find some way to help it. Then I remembered the incident with Sunshine. Feeling a bit foolish but, fully committed to helping the dog, I put my hands over its hips and just tried. I concentrated on wanting to make it well again. Just like with Sunshine, a second later the dog stood up on all fours, shook itself off, and then ran off into the bushes.

“I always knew I wanted to be a nurse but that day I realized I had an amazing gift. I could really help a lot of people, which just made me want to be a nurse even more.”

“That’s amazing,” Phoenyx said reverently to Lily. She really was something special.

Lily shrugged humbly, looking embarrassed.

“How did you know it would work on people, too?” Sebastian asked. “How did you know it wasn’t just animals you could heal?”

“I just believed,” she said. “I’ve tried it on a few patients before, when I volunteered in the children’s ward before I graduated high school. All it takes is the true desire to make an ailment go away and it works.”

“Your desire to help people is very admirable,” Skylar said. “In our line of work, all we see is selfishness. There aren’t many people out there who put the needs of others above their own.”

She blushed and looked down at her lap.

“All right, Phoenyx, now it’s your turn,” Sebastian said.

“Oh, uh, hit me,” Phoenyx said.

He shook his head. “I mean to tell us how you learned about your gift,” he clarified with a chuckle.

“Oh, ha, ha. Actually, I think I’ve always known about mine too. There was no one moment I remember as being the first time I used it. It’s always just been kinda second nature to me. I want something from someone; I touch them and ask for it; I get it.”

“Sounds like the perfect arrangement,” Sebastian said. “I wish I could do that. Wanna trade powers?”

“Sure,” she said jokingly.

“So, basically, you’re an only child who always got everything she wanted,” Skylar summed up. “Aren’t those people typically insufferable spoiled brats? How did you manage to escape that trend? You seem pretty well-rounded to me.”

“Oh, trust me,” Phoenyx said, “I was well on my way to becoming a spoiled brat. Losing your father kinda breaks bad habits.”

“Or creates them,” Sebastian said. “Exhibit A.” He smiled proudly and waved his hand up and down his body in a displaying gesture.

Phoenyx laughed at him and rolled her eyes.

“I used my power to get whatever I wanted when I was growing up,” she continued. “I guess I thought I was entitled to it because of what I could do. Once I saw that it couldn’t get me what I really wanted…it couldn’t save my dad’s life, it couldn’t bring him back…I don’t know, I guess I stopped taking and started earning. I stopped using it for everything and only for small things, whereas the bigger things, I tried to get them the old-fashioned way, like everyone else.”

Skylar raised his brows and nodded. “Nice to see that people can grow up, rise above their circumstances—both the bad and the good. We just aren’t used to seeing that sort of thing. Maybe there’s hope for the world yet.”

“If you ask me, not much,” Phoenyx scoffed. “Look at where we are. The prime example of someone just taking what they want, whatever that is.”

“True,” Skylar nodded.

The room was silent for a moment as everyone stared off in synchronized dejection.

“Hmm-mm, Lily, it’s your turn, right?” Sebastian broke the silence.

“Oh, yes,” she said, coming back to herself. She looked at her cards. “Stay. No busting this time.” She giggled.

The game continued, the pace changing to one of lightheartedness.

“So, who’s missing us while we’re gone?” Sebastian asked the group. “Skylar, I already know that nobody is missing you because I’m your only friend.” He smiled teasingly at Skylar, whose face said it was pointless to protest and that the statement was mostly true.

“What Sebastian is so eloquently trying to get out of you two ladies is whether or not you have boyfriends back home,” Skylar said.

Phoenyx and Lily laughed.

“I’m afraid Nursing School is the only boyfriend I have time for,” Lily said.

Sebastian nodded. “Aww, that’s too bad. All work and no play, that’s no way to live, Lil.” He looked at Phoenyx. “And you? Got a boyfriend waiting for you back in Illinois?”

“Nope, no boyfriend,” she replied, unable to hide an amused smile. “I had one but I dumped the loser after he ruined my prom night.”

“Ah, so you’re on the market,” he said. “Excellent. I know we have our little hot tub arrangement but, seeing as we’re getting out of here tomorrow, how about you let me take you to dinner tomorrow night?”

She burst out a laugh. “You just don’t give up, do you?”

“Never,” he said proudly. “So, what do you say?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “You still have yet to answer the question yourself. A good looking guy like you, with that British accent and a talent for deception, I bet you’re quite the playboy in Vegas.”

“Please don’t inflate his ego anymore; his head can’t afford to get much bigger.” Skylar snorted.

Sebastian sneered playfully at Skylar, then turned back to Phoenyx. “To answer the question, no, I do not currently have a girlfriend. Sure, I may have had a few romantic mishaps…” Skylar cleared his throat loudly. “…but that’s just what growing up is all about, right?” Skylar made a snide comment under his breath that Phoenyx didn’t hear. “Besides, like you said, I’m a talented, great looking guy with a British accent.”

She couldn’t help but giggle at how he twisted her words around. They really don’t make ’em in a more charming package than Sebastian Reid.

“Oh, for the love of God,” Skylar blurted. “Just tell him ‘yes’ already so we can get on with the game. I mean, really, Sebastian, you have to try to pick up a girl while we’re all trapped in a dungeon?”

Everyone but Skylar laughed.

“All right, yes, tomorrow night, it’s a date,” Phoenyx said, still laughing.

“Woohoo,” Sebastian exclaimed.

Tomorrow night. Here’s hoping.