yet received any talents?”
“You know I have. I’m an empathe. You left me a nifty little note about it, remember?”
“Note?”
“Yeah.” I reached into the backpack and pulled out the note I had thrown in on a whim. I handed it to Alaina and watched her eagle eyes flick across the scroll as she read.
Her brows lowered, her lips set in a firm line. “I did not give this to you. I have no answers as to who did. But…you can read this?”
“Of course I can read it. Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
Kendall jumped up and strode to Alaina. She peaked over her shoulder at my note. “Oh, yeah, that’s not English.”
I scrambled to my feet. “What? Of course it is!”
Alaina handed me the paper. “The empathe feels the emotions of others. This power is meant to guide by ‘listening’ to those in need of aid.” I read out-loud. “Seriously, are you guys messing with me?”
“Celeste.” Alaina’s tone was patient, if slightly bewildered. “That is written in Gaelic.”
“No it’s not.” I argued and checked the scroll again.
“An Bhfuil Gaeilige agat on will gale-geh ah-gut?”
“Gesundheit.”
She looked at me like she wanted to tie me to a table and do experiments on me. “Fascinating. You cannot speak the language, but you can read it.”
I threw my hands in the air in frustration. “Well what the heck does that mean? And who left me this note?”
“It means someone else is attempting to guide and influence you.” Alaina’s delicate jaw tightened as she spoke. “As we do not know who it is or what their motives are this is a matter of great worry.”
I held the parchment between two fingers and eyed it like it was a snake about to strike. “Someone that may want me dead left a note on my pillow? Fantastic. Anyway we can tell the Gryphon about this, so he can zap me a way to protect myself?”
Alaina folded her hands in front of her. “He already knows. He keeps an ongoing link with your thoughts so he is aware of any situation that may require his attention. When he knows you are in need, he will grant you the power.”
The Gryphon was in my head? The ‘Protector of the Divine’ rummaged around in my thoughts whenever he felt like it? I tried to think back to where my mind may have wandered since my bump on the cranium. No doubt there had been some unsavory stuff in there.
Alaina noticed the sweat that broke out across my forehead and my pained expression. She took my hand in hers. Her touch was unbelievably soft, like the whisper of a feather being dragged over my skin.
“Celeste, he only uses your thoughts and experiences to be his eyes and ears here on earth. He does not pry any further than that, or pass any judgments.”
“But…but…I’m eighteen! Teenagers…as a rule…think dirty stuff!” The hyperventilation portion of my panic attack approached right on schedule.
With an exasperated sigh, Gabe grabbed the back of my neck and shoved my head between my knees. “Breathe, you dope.”
“Is she okay?” Kendall tried to brush my hair back off my face. I swatted her hands away. “She turned kind of grey.”
“She’s fine. She just needs to grow a pair and deal with it.” Gabe joyfully reveled in the opportunity to throw my own words back at me.
Kendall scooted closer and bent down to peek at me from under my knee. She spoke in a confidential whisper. “If you have some sort of sick or kinky thoughts that you’re worried about, maybe you should just tell Alaina. It might make you feel better to get it out.”
That brought me around quick. I flipped my head up and glared at my sister, who wore the sincere expression of someone who thought they were helping. “I DO NOT HAVE ANY SICK OR KINKY THOUGHTS!”
Gabe snorted his disbelief.
“Oh, like your mind is squeaky clean!”
“Never said it was,” Gabe shrugged. “I’m a twenty year old guy. If the Gryphon was in my head, he’d probably feel the need to shower often, if you know what I’m sayin’.”
“You’re disgusting.” Kendall grimaced.
“Yeah, he’s gross. But he’s making my point for me!”
Alaina intervened as the voice of reason. “Celeste, the Gryphon is an imperfect being that makes mistakes just like everyone else. In my village he took lives. Human lives. He knows what he has done. He will pass no judgments on you. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Fine.” I huffed. “But I am NOT okay with this.”
“Noted.