Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,57

pulled apart. “Better go in,” Alex said.

As they entered through the kitchen and then walked out into the living room, Ellie saw the whole family had gathered and stood waiting for her.

Hugh spoke first. “We’ve discussed everything you suggested and agree that your ideas seem to be our best option.”

Ellie glanced at Alex, who frowned. “You don’t agree?” she asked quietly.

He shook his head and pressed his lips together as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I know you’re amazing. But the only time I’ve witnessed your powers is when you were under a pack of wolves being torn to pieces. I just worry about your being at the center of the fight. That’s all.” He shrugged helplessly.

Nodding, Ellie turned back to the room.

“How do you want to start?” Hugh asked.

Ellie had thought about little else all day… just one of the reasons she’d had such a difficult time getting through her classes, and already she had a plan in mind.

“Well… I still don’t know all of your powers, so I’d like to start by finding that out. Then I’d like to spend a little time with each of you individually over the next few days so that I can learn your abilities and try them out a little bit. We’ll see where that gets us.”

“Whose powers don’t you know yet?” Lucy asked quietly.

Ellie took her time answering as she went into the dining room to retrieve a chair. “Here’s what I know,” she began as she sat down. “I know Adelaide sees relationships. Lila sees if people are being truthful. Lucy sees people’s intentions. And Hugh has the ability to heal. I’m guessing the girls got their powers from you, Lucy. Did they inherit anything from Hugh?”

She looked to everyone questioningly. Hugh smiled. Actually, all of them smiled, seeming amused. “We’re not sure yet,” Hugh answered. “Maybe you’ll be able to tell us.”

Ellie nodded. It took years to discover what powers could do, and sometimes centuries to master them.

“Charlotte is a teleporter. Nate is extremely strong…” she continued.

“I’m pretty much indestructible and frickin’ fast.” Nate flexed his bicep and gave it a kiss. Everyone laughed.

“So I guess the only people I don’t know are Alex, who I think can either freeze things or stop time. He refuses to tell me which…” She wrinkled her nose at him. “And Dexter and Ramsey.”

“I’m able to turn my body into metal,” Dexter explained. “Any kind of metal. And I’m developing the ability to turn things I touch into metal. But that’s still a work in progress.”

Ellie nodded, her mind already spinning with ideas for that skill. But she held back her multitude of detail-related questions until she could touch Dexter and find out for herself. She looked to Ramsey. So far, Ramsey was the quietest one of the bunch. The red-haired boy seemed to be extremely intense and generally unsmiling, although Ellie got the impression that he loved all of his family very much.

Ramsey suddenly grinned, transforming his face from good-looking to wickedly handsome. She saw everyone shift position. Ellie glanced toward Griffin.

“Smiles from Ramsey are rare,” he relayed to her telepathically.

Her attention returned to Ramsey as he snapped his fingers, and flames instantly appeared in the palm of his hand.

“Wow!” Griffin exclaimed, sitting forward. “Firestarters are supposed to be extremely rare. My great-grandfather told me about them once.”

“Did he tell you why they’re so rare?” Ramsey’s grin hid behind his intense expression again, as if the sun had disappeared behind the clouds.

Griffin grimaced. “I remember something about it being a dangerous ability that is extremely difficult to control. And it also goes along with volatile personalities, which doesn’t help the control part all that much.”

Ramsey gave a sharp nod. “Got it in one,” he said. A bleak expression momentarily flitted across his face.

“Actually, it’s dangerous for me to even be around my family.” Ramsey glanced around the room. “If I lose control, I could kill them. So I try to stay fairly separate from them and not use the fire. It’s why I’m not in school.”

Ramsey darted a look at Lila, who lowered her eyes and turned her head away subtly. Ellie wasn’t sure if anyone else caught that interaction, but she suspected there was something going on there.

“He finds it easier to control it when he’s with us though,” Dexter added.

Ellie made a snap decision. “Let’s start with you then, Ramsey.”

“No!” Alex and Griffin both shouted.

Ellie frowned. “I have to start somewhere--”

“Then start with a less dangerous skill,