Hyacinth - By Abigail Owen Page 0,5

get a grip. You can do this.

Chapter 4

Selene started to move toward the house but then paused, slightly puzzled. She shaded her eyes with her hands and scrutinized the layout of the home more closely. Where was the front door? There was something next to the garage, but it looked more like an entrance to a side room. There was also a set of double doors up on the second story porch, next to some stairs that wound down around the side. The driveway also looked as if it continued on and around to the back of the house, so Selene assumed there’d be an entrance there as well.

Finally, she decided to try the double doors on the second floor. She made her way up the stairs, took a deep breath, and then knocked.

She didn’t have long to wait. The door was opened by a young, petite woman with striking eyes.

“Hi, Ellie,” Selene said quietly. She was surprised at how nervous she was about Ellie’s reaction to seeing her again.

After a brief, stunned silence, Ellie broke into a huge smile. “Oh my gosh! Lucy said she felt someone coming. I was hoping it would be you!”

“Oh… I…” Ellie’s reaction was not what Selene had anticipated, and she glanced over her shoulder in case Ellie was talking to someone else. But she was the only person in sight, so Ellie must be talking about her. “I… thank you,” she said, bewildered.

Ellie’s smile widened. “I have so many questions for you. And I’m not known for patience.” She wrinkled her nose. “But I knew that you probably needed some time to figure stuff out. Besides, Alex and Griffin would probably kill me for trying to find you because you’re Vyusher. My only consolation was that Adelaide saw some kind of relationship between you and our family – not that she’ll say what – and I figured you’d probably come to us one day. When you were ready.”

Selene blinked at this unexpected outburst. “I see.”

“Will you come in?” Ellie opened the door wider and stepped to the side.

“Thanks,” Selene replied.

The inside of the house was as quaint as the outside. The double doors led directly into the main living area of the house. Large windows let in the light, making the rooms look bright and airy.

Ellie led Selene to a couch. “Please, make yourself comfortable. May I get you a glass of water?”

“Sure… thank you.” Selene gracefully sat down and crossed one dainty ankle over the other. She placed her purse on the table beside her and carefully folded her hands in her lap while she waited for Ellie to return.

“Alex is at work, and Griffin and the others aren’t here at the moment,” Ellie called from the kitchen. She returned with the water and handed Selene a glass, then sat on the other end of the couch. “So we have some time to get some things straight between us.”

Selene nodded. She noticed that Ellie was studying her intently and tried not to smile. She knew that people found her hard to read. Years of practice around her brother, she guessed. She knew that she sometimes came off as unemotional, when, in fact, the opposite was true.

“I came as a courtesy to let you know that I would be attending school at CSU starting this fall,” Selene said.

Ellie only nodded, her expression unsurprised. “I appreciate the gesture, but I do think we deserve some answers.”

Selene didn’t so much as bat an eyelash; she’d anticipated a request along these lines. “You have every right to an explanation. I’ll try to answer your questions as much as I am able.”

Selene swallowed. Here we go. Ellie and her family were not going to like what she had to tell them. And as soon as they got the explanation they were looking for, they’d turn their backs on her. She’d hoped, perhaps in vain, that she might find friendship with this family.

Ellie sat back for a second, clearly organizing her questions in her head. “You and Gideon were related, right?”

“Yes, he was my twin brother.”

Ellie tipped her head. “Did both your parents have multiple powers?”

“Two powers each,” Selene confirmed.

Ellie frowned. “Were twins common among the Vyusher?”

“Well, not really. But then, my mother once told me that twins occur when there are more than three or four powers to pass on. Something to do with one person not being able to handle more.”

“That explains a lot,” Ellie muttered under her breath. “We get that with the Svatura too,