Lily lay on the couch in Jason’s living room, staring at the TV on the wall as it played the news.
She didn’t realize it at first, but he had media...
One TV.
She also realized by now that Aunt Melody was gone...
Jason wasn’t lying despite every part of her wanting to believe he was…
Except the single part of her that wanted to believe every word that came out of his mouth…
She erased the thought, looking back to the TV which held the reason why she knew he said the truth.
Right there on the screen.
The tagline said, “House Fire at 1345 West Kidstripe Lane. Adult body found.”
She shivered at the sight, turning her head into the sofa when the icy hand squeezed her stomach again…
Lily just waited until it reached her throat…
And suffocated her.
She saw a shadow hovering over her through her closed lids, and she managed to open her eyes to see Jason standing there, tilting his head to the side curiously.
“Why are you staring at me?” she said, sitting up.
“I’ve been staring at you for a while,” he responded, making her cheeks burn. “Over there.” He pointed to the arm-chair that rested on her right. “But you never seemed to notice.”
“You told the truth…” she said suddenly, staring back at the TV. When he didn’t respond, she looked back to him. “About the house catching fire… and…” she stared down at her hands, “about my Aunt….”
“I did,” Jason said. “I try not to lie. I’m not perfect at it, though.”
“So…” Lily whispered, twiddling her thumbs, “were you telling the truth… about the magic thing…?”
He sat beside her, studying her darkened blue eyes. “You suddenly believe me now?”
She was starting to, but she kept silent.
She didn’t want to trust him yet.
“The answer is ‘yes,’” Jason stated, “I was telling the truth.”
Lily looked at him then, seeing her reflection in his dark green irises.
But he only continued. “We call ourselves ‘the Enchanted.’”
“‘We’?” Lily questioned, looking at him then.
“Yeah. ‘We.’ I’m an Enchanted, too,” Jason stated.
“What’s your power?” she asked, actually interested.
That was a first.
“‘Ability,’” Jason said, chuckling. “‘Powers’ usually mean that you learned them. Ability means that you were born with them.” He laughed softly. “Jeez. You watch a lot of anime, don’t you?”
He looked down at Lily, who stared at him, clearly wanting the answer to her question.
Jason sighed, though in amusement. “Alright, fine. I have three powers. I’m a mind reader, I can use telepathy, and I can use telekinesis. Which by the way,” he added, “I am still learning.”
“You can read people’s minds?” Lily’s eyes widened. Then she gulped down fear, breathing out while she thinned her lips and shook her head. “That’s fantasy. You’re just messing with me.”
But really… it made sense…
Jason chuckled. “You’re so cute when you lie.”
She glared at him.
She then decided to change the subject. “Are there more of you?” Then she added sharply, “the ‘Enchanted’?”
“Billions,” he responded, ignoring her sarcasm. “All spread across the world.”
She studied him from the side, watching his tilted smile get a little wider.
“Fire,” she said then, looking down to her thumbs. “That’s my power.”
“One of them.”
“How many do I have?” she asked, trying not to sound surprised even though shock was rattling through her.
“Everyone’s different.”
Frustration burned her inside with his short answers. “How come my powers didn’t appear until now?”
“Because powers are based on emotion,” he stated. “Your emotions were heightened, so your fire burned.”
Something was clearly wrong in that head of his.
She suspected he was making this up as he went along, so she decided to test him, seeing how long he could keep up the act, wondering how many more questions before he started faltering. “How did I burn myself?”
“Because you don’t know how to control it yet.”
“So… I can use fire, but I can still end up burning myself whenever I use it?”
He smiled. “Yep. See? You got it.”
Lily started twiddling her thumbs again without noticing. “If I can use fire, won’t I be resistant to fire?”
“If you get control over it.”
She shook her head, aiming her gaze to the ground.
She then decided to test him about the powers he claimed he had. “What am I thinking?”
“Huh?”
“You said you can read minds,” she explained. “Prove it.”
He smiled then, making her cheeks burn. “Your mind is battling itself,” he said. “Part of it wants to believe me but the other wants to hate me. You’re siding with the angry one ‘cause you have trust issues.”
Lily glared despite knowing he was right on point.
How would he know she had trust issues if he couldn’t read minds?
“Do you need help?” Jason asked, offering a hand to help her up.
“No.” She rested back down onto the couch, using her hand like a pillow. “Maybe I’ll just lay here for a little while.”
Jason grabbed underneath her armpits, making a slight gasp escape her lips when he lifted her. “No, you haven’t eaten yet.” He carried her over to the kitchen, his touch sending jolts of heat through her.
When he set her down onto the stool, he gave her a mischievous grin. “Now, don’t try to escape this time.” He cupped the side of her face but she turned her head away, only to feel his breath on her cheeks when he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “If you try to get up, I’ll drag you back. You’re going to eat right now, and I don’t care if I have to force-feed you.”
How did he know exactly what she was thinking? How did he know everything about her?
“How long have you been stalking me?” She placed her hands in her lap while Jason went to the kitchen and shuffled through the fridge.
“You sure you want to know?” he said with a slight warning in his tone.
She kept her gaze to her hands, but still had a sharp tone. “Answer me.”
Jason slid a plate with a bagel and cream cheese spread in layers along the bread.
Just the way she liked it...
Something warm consumed her at this, and she stared up at him, wide-eyed. “How did you know I like this?”
He raised his brows. “You ask a lot of questions.”
“And you don’t give me answers,” she said back.
He stepped over to her seconds later, pressing his thumbs to the front of her throat and tipped her chin up.
She pushed her hands against his chest, attempting to shove him away.
Too close… Too close…
“Don’t pull away. Look at me.” His soft tone sent something warm through her blood, and she ended up listening even though she didn’t want to.
His eyes... they reminded her of her happy place... Dark green woods... and how the sun shone on the pines like the lights reflected on his pupils.
Jason captured his sleeve with his thumb and wiped Lily’s cheeks that were drenched with tears.
She didn’t even feel her eyes burn...
“I know that you’re scared,” he whispered gently.
She kept her gaze with his, watching his eyes look deep into hers like they were a tunnel to her thoughts...
“I know that you’re hurting...” he whispered, trailing a finger down her neck and to her chest, hovering over her heart, “here. And I know you feel broken... Cursed... But I promise you, Lily, that none of this is your fault. There’s a reason why you have no control over these things. And I know...” he said softly, “what it feels like to lose control over your life... And I had no one to help me through it... Until I met a sweet girl... and she loved me for who I am...
“I will stay by your side,” he promised. “I will support your decisions. And most importantly, I won’t leave you.”
Lily stared back into his eyes, knowing he was telling the truth with the slight hardness to his gaze...
But what she didn’t understand was... why?
“Who was the girl who loved you?” she whispered softly, looking into his dark eyes. “Did she die?”
He shook his head, and his eyes darkened more. “No... There was a tragic accident... and she’s forgotten me....” But he smiled then. “That’s a story for another time, Sweetheart. Now... I want you to eat.”
He released her and went to the kitchen, washing dishes in the sink.
Did that mean… he moved on…?
He looked so... sad... Like his world turned up-side down and he was left dangling off the edge of the Earth...
Slowly losing control of what he had...
Lily looked down to her plate, and picked up a bagel, not noticing Jason watch her with a sad smile when she ate it.
So... maybe she should trust him.
At least a little…
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhtDpnn5L1
