New Sight (21 page)

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Lys asked, shaking her head. This happened a long time ago. If the outlets were plugged, why did any of this matter?

Mr. Mason sat back again, giving Lys an appraising look. “The Old are gone. All killed except for me, and I wasn’t even one of their official numbers, which is why I’m still alive. The New kill anyone who exhibits signs of magic use.”

“Why?” Lys asked. “Why do they care? Why do they have to kill people?” She didn’t want to believe that the New killed anyone. If they were really killers, she would be dead. And they hadn’t actually killed Peter.

“The magic in our world is now unstable. It leaks out around the plugs the New put in the outlets, but there is no balance to it. They don’t want magic users to find that balance. With it, magic would flow as it did before.”

“It would?”

Mr. Mason pointed at the drawing in the book. “With five neutral users, each a different sense, I believe we can undo what the New have done. We can bring magic back into our world.”

“B-but,” Lys stammered. “Magic, back into our world?”

“It belongs here,” Mr. Mason insisted. His eyes glimmered with excitement. “Our world itself is out of balance without it. Consider global warming, ozone layer problems, and pollution.”

Now he was beginning to sound like those crazy environmentalists that Lys saw on the news.

“Most of these things would be eliminated if magic were to return.”

“But what about breaking?” Lys asked. “And the high and the crash?”

“Those would be gone, too. I realize that your newfound powers might be overwhelming and that you have just inherited a great deal of responsibility.” He smiled. “But most kids dream about this—about being special.”

Lys didn’t answer. He was right.

Mr. Mason leaned toward her. “You are the only neutral sight user that we’ve found. Our goal is to bring magic back into this world so that people won’t have to go through what you did. If we can free the outlets of magic, no one will go through breaking. The magic will once again be balanced. As it should be.”

Lys swallowed hard, her mind going a thousand miles an hour. “When the men from the New were interrogating me, they told me a few things that I didn’t understand.”

“Did they?” Mr. Mason raised his eyebrows.

“They told me that you were involved with that mass suicide in Vermont a few months ago. Is that true?”

Mr. Mason sighed and sat back. “Unfortunately, that is partially true.”

How could it be partially true?

“The man who started that cult was, at one time, a guest at my facility.” He waved a hand. “It’s been years, the man was one of the first people I helped. Most users who come through camp stick around, but he didn’t. He went back out into the world to try and live a normal life.”

A normal life? Lys didn’t even know what that meant anymore. Her life was gone, replaced by something so different that Lys couldn’t even compare the two. How did anyone think that they could live a “normal” life after finding out they could use magic? After they found out they were
addicted
to magic?

Mr. Mason’s eyes seemed to be seeing things from his past. Regret registered on his face. “I didn’t know what was going on—we don’t have much access to technology up at camp—until I saw it on the news. By the time I got there, everyone in that mansion, including my friend, were dead.”

“They were all magic users?” Lys asked.

He nodded. “My friend was trying to do the same thing I was—helping those whose magic abilities manifested. Unfortunately he never did learn that you can’t fully control anyone through magic. At least not with taste. He lost hold on his people and they started to break. Violently.” He paused. “One by one, they went insane, and in the end my friend’s own unstable mental state meant ruin for them all. What they did not do themselves, the New took care of.” He bowed his head, “Lys, I can’t keep seeing these things happen. I’ve waited a long time for this. Some of the people here have devoted their lives to it.”

Lys studied him for a moment. “And now you need my help?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Well,” Lys took a breath, feeling the thud of a bowling ball hitting the bottom of her stomach. “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I can help you.”

Chapter 24

Mr. Mason
frowned. “Can I ask why not?”

Everything she’d been through up to this point rushed through her head. The Need, the magic, the crash, the pain, the suffering, her loosing Peter. “I’m not very good at this magic thing.”

“Control is often difficult at first.”

She looked at his eyes. The Need stirred. She could feel the magic stirring, too—a desire to let it flood her tickled the back of her mind. “I just don’t want to hurt anyone else.”

“What do you mean?” Mr. Mason asked. “It was my understanding that the injuries were not your fault.”

She shook her head. “No, they weren’t, but it’s my fault that Peter got caught.”

“Caught?”

Oops. “Yeah.”

“Mark said Peter got hit with a collar.”

Lys swallowed. “Well, that’s what we thought, but then I saw him.”

“Saw him through your magic?” Mr. Mason asked. “Mark told me that you can see through other people’s eyes.”

Lys nodded.

“And he’s alive?”

She nodded again. Her thoughts turned to Inez, and the anguish that filled the other girl’s eyes every time someone mentioned Peter’s name. “Doyle has him.”

Mr. Mason sat back on the couch, steepling his fingers. “If they haven’t killed him, that must mean they want him for something. Do you have any idea what that might be?”

Lys shook her head. She decided to go out on a limb. “Can we help him?”

He shot her a sidelong glance. “We’re not exactly equipped to take on the New. Not right now.” He sat forward. “But if we could get more power we’d have no problem getting him back.”

The whole set up was so juvenile that Lys almost rolled her eyes. Seriously? If she agreed to try this magical unplugging thing, he’d agree to go help Peter?

“Lys,” he said, shaking his head. “It is not my goal to keep magic users in the dark, or to make them forget about their powers—that they’re special. It is my goal to bring magic back into our world.” He gestured to the book that lay open on the table. “Our world needs magic to survive.”

She swallowed, thinking. Did she want to help him? He said that people wouldn’t go through what she went through if the magic of the world was balanced. But would the world know what to do with magic?

“I don’t mean to shock our world,” he went on, as if reading her thoughts. “But to gradually bring magic back into society. It might take years, generations even, but I believe it’s the right thing to do.”

He did believe it. Lys could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

What if he was wrong?

What if he was right?

“Are you willing to trust me?” He sat forward. “Give us a week. Work with some of our users to see if you feel more comfortable with your magic, and then the decision is entirely up to you.”

Lys thought about Peter and Inez. What had they gone through? Breaking without having anyone else around to help them or explain to them what was going on? They made it through, but Lys wouldn’t have. Not even close.

She searched Mr. Mason’s face, looking for deceit or malice. Her eyes found a man concerned about people and the world as a whole.

The doubts Mr. Doyle had planted still inhabited her mind, but Mr. Mason had explained. And hadn’t the New proven that they were the bad guys? Hunting them, throwing them in prison, trying to use force to bring them back, and taking Peter? They killed magic users. How many innocent people—people who didn’t understand what they were going through—had they murdered?

Her mother’s face swam in her mind as did her aunt’s. Had Aunt Della been addicted to magic? Is that why she could never break free of it? If doctors knew about magic then they might have been able to help.

Slowly, deliberately, Lys nodded. She looked at Mr. Mason. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good,” he said, lips pulling back into a thin smile, although she saw disappointment in his expression. “I’ll make sure you get introduced to our other sight users. They’ll be able to help you through the first few weeks of using.”

A knock came at the door. Mr. Mason didn’t look surprised.

“Come in,” he said.

The heavy door swung open, and Ayden stuck his head inside. “You ready?” Ayden asked. He frowned when he saw Lys. “Sorry, I didn’t know you had anyone in here.”

“We’re finished,” Mr. Mason said, standing. Lys followed suit. “Please think about it. I’ll be around whenever you want to talk.”

Lys knew a dismissal when she heard one. She moved across the room and slipped through the door while Ayden held it open.

Something didn’t feel right. Too many stories—possible lies—swam in her head, and nothing added up. Lys couldn’t make the puzzle pieces fit together. Her mind reeled, and she needed someone to talk to.

She ran down the stairs and to her room, hoping to find Inez there. When she found it empty, she grabbed a pair of boots and headed back out the front door. Stepping outside felt like emerging from a dark tunnel. The sun hung just above the trees, and a dozen or more people milled around. Some were using magic—Lys could see the touch users tossing a tire in the air—while others sat in small groups talking. She didn’t recognize anyone.

Lys sat down on the front porch and laced her boots tight, tying a double knot bow. A few people stole glances her way, and a set of girls not much older than herself said hello as they went into the cabin, but most people were engaged in something more interesting than ogling the new girl.
Good,
Lys thought,
the less attention the better.
What would these people think of her if they knew she might not help them? They were just people; most of them kids. Who was she to refuse to help them make their dream come true? Mr. Mason’s dream.

She stood and walked down the wooden stairs. At the bottom she turned and followed a path to the back of the cabin. When she cleared the corner, Lys caught sight of the small tent city pitched within the trees. At least a dozen tents in varying colors and sizes stood scattered around a large fire pit. Lys walked straight toward the nearest group of people that she saw.

Six or seven older teenagers stood chatting. She caught the eye of one of the boys as she approached. He stopped talking to his friends and looked up.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Lys said, trying to seem shy.

“You just came in, didn’t you?” one of the girls asked.

“Yeah.” Lys nodded. She went on before anyone else could speak. “I was wondering if you knew where they put the two boys that came in with us. I’ve got a message for one of them.”

“Sure,” the boy continued to smile. “They put them in the green tent over there, but I think the touch user is already gone off to play.”

Lys laughed. “Sounds like him. What about Kamau?”

“The guy from Africa?”

Lys nodded.

“I haven’t seen him come out yet.”

One of the girls in the circle shook her head. “He came out a few minutes ago and went that way.” She pointed. “I think all of the other sound users are up the hill right now. He is a sound user, isn’t he?”

“He is,” Lys nodded again.

“What kind of user are you?” the boy asked.

Lys tried not to hesitate. “Sight.”

“Oh, awesome!” The girl smiled. “I am, too. With you, we now have two girls that are sight users.”

“Oh, great,” Lys tried to make it sound sincere. “Cool.” Before the conversation could go any further Lys walked away, waving. “Thanks. I’ll see you guys around.”

Her feet felt heavy again. All of these kids used magic? None of them looked like they were suffering any adverse effects from it. They all seemed happy, and excited. Did they all know about Mr. Mason’s plan? Is that where their hope came from? Lys felt her own heart sink—they would all hate her if she didn’t try.

The trail the girl had indicated rose steadily through the trees. Lys found herself short of breath as she climbed. It must be the altitude, she thought to herself, or the fifteen pound hiking boots.

She didn’t meet anyone on the path, although she could hear things moving around her. The thought of wild animals made her cautious, but with this much human activity, she doubted if any animal would be willing to get close.

The trees here were pine, tall and slim with bare trunks for a dozen feet up. A canopy of boughs and branches spread over her head, spotting the trail with moving light as a breeze lifted the limbs.

Lys finally found Kamau standing with a group of five other people. They all turned as she entered the clearing.

“Sorry,” she wheezed, forcing a smile. “I’m probably kind of loud.”

“Lys,” Kamau said, stepping toward her. “What are you doing here?”

She almost whispered that they needed to talk, but if these were the other sound users, then it would be useless to try to be soft enough that they wouldn’t hear.

Before she had to answer, a tall woman clapped her hands. “Take a break everyone, but be back here in fifteen minutes.”

Lys gave her a grateful smile. Kamau said a few words to his group before he came to meet her. Most of the others filed by, nodding or saying hello. A lump formed in her throat as she watched them pass. They would all hate her when they found out that she wouldn’t help them.

Kamau walked toward her, smiling, but the expression faded when he saw her face.

“Can we talk?” she asked, looking around.

“That might be problematic,” he said.

“Yeah, I kind of figured.” She sighed. “It’s important.”

Kamau took her hand and tugged her further up the hill. “Why don’t we go this way? We might have more privacy.”

Oh, great,
Lys thought. If the other sound users just heard that, they would for sure think that she and Kamau were going to make out.

Lys followed Kamau up the hill for a few minutes, grateful for his hand in hers, but also afraid of what she wanted to ask him. To their left, the setting sun lit the horizon with beautiful orange and red hues. When they could no longer see anyone behind them, Kamau stopped.

“What is it?” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “You look upset.”

Lys drunk in his dark eyes. “Does any of this scare you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” Lys waved a hand. “This! Being addicted to magic. People trying to kill us. Having all this power . . .” She trailed off as her emotions shot straight into her throat. Swallowing didn’t help. A tear gathered in the corner of her eye, pooling until it overflowed down her cheek. Kamau placed a hand on the side of her head, smearing the tear with his thumb.

“I didn’t realize that you could be afraid,” he said, stepping closer.

Lys laughed, but only a pinched squeak came out. “Whatever.”

“Really,” he said. “The girl that dragged me around in the basement of what she thought was a haunted building to find a boy she hardly knew but thought might be in trouble? That’s not exactly cowardly behavior.”

More tears streamed down her cheeks, but Lys smiled at the words. “Brady was in trouble.”

“And what about the girl that was ready to take on a handful of thugs in an alley in Vegas?”

Lys shook her head. “You saved me from that one.”

“You were doing just fine,” he said, putting his other hand around her back.

Butterflies started in her stomach. Lys looked into his eyes and found peace there. She lifted her face as Kamau lowered his lips to hers. That same feeling of electricity ran through her as their lips brushed. He took his time, kissing her once, twice, and then pulling away. They held each other’s gaze for a moment. Lys thought that in his eyes she could see the wisdom of ages. He leaned down and kissed her on the neck, slowly making his way up to her ear.

Is this what love felt like? Real love? Or was this just primal attraction? Kamau stopped, looking down at her again. Lys wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She rose upon her tip toes, and this time she kissed him.

All of the books and movies that described the world standing still when two people kissed were right. Lys had scoffed at them, even after having kissed a few boys, but now she knew better. For those few seconds, only Kamau mattered to her. She hoped she was the only thing that mattered to him. They were, in that moment, a perfect match. It felt like they had forever. They could be the only two people in the world.

She had to come up for air, and they studied one another.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” he asked softly, hands stroking her neck.

Right now Lys didn’t care what she’d come to talk to him about. “Just something Mr. Mason asked me.” She snuggled into him, wrapping both arms around his waist.

“What did he ask you?”

“He asked me to help him. It’s hard to explain.” She paused, rearranging her thoughts. “I asked him about the people in Vermont.”

“And what did he say?”

“He said that he knew the guy who initiated it, and that he tried to stop them, but got there too late. And he said that the New do kill magic users.”

Kamau pushed her away so he could look into her eyes. “Do you believe him? Do you trust him?”

“I don’t know,” Lys said.

Kamau nodded. “What did he ask you to help him with?”

She took a deep breath. “He asked me to help him unplug the magic so it can return balance to the world.”

“What does that mean?” Kamau asked.

“He had a book that showed the flow of magic in our world. There are five places where a bunch of the gold lines crossed, and he said that the New plugged the magic that came from the outlets.”

“I don’t understand. What did he tell you exactly?”

Lys gathered her thoughts. She told Kamau as much as she could about the book and the explanation.

“He needs neutral users?” Kamau asked.

“That’s what he said.” Lys went on. “He asked for my help, and I asked him if we could go after Peter. But then he said we needed more power to beat the New.”

“Peter?” Kamau asked, his fingers tightening on her arms.

Lys nodded. “I saw him. I mean I saw through his eyes. Doyle has him.” She started stumbling over the words. “Right before we pulled up to the cabin. I saw him.”

“Does Inez know?” Kamau asked before she could ramble anymore.