The Weight of Blood (60)

She looked up and realized Charlotte was staring at her, waiting.

“Oh. I . . . right. Yeah, of course,” she mumbled, handing the stack back over, annoyed that the sight of a name had elicited such deep feelings. After all, this was her plan, and Maddy being nominated would add fuel to the feel-good story. It didn’t really mean anything. Besides, no one would ever vote for Maddy.

Charlotte smirked. “So, where do you want them?”

Wendy pivoted, busying herself with another table setting as she tried to gain control of her face.

“Um . . . I guess, just put them on each table.”

“Hey, Wendy!”

The girls turned to the door.

Rashad pointed a thumb at the exit. “The king and queen chairs are here.”

“You ordered thrones?” Charlotte balked.

Wendy ignored her. “Just put them on the stage. I’ve marked the spots.”





Fifteen


MADDY DID IT

EPISODE 8

“Another Theory”

Caleb Adler: I heard you guys talked to Keating.

Michael: laughs Yeah. He was something.

Caleb: Did you know his real name’s Bob Smith?

Michael: Are you serious? That’s hilarious!

Michael [narration]: That’s Mr. Caleb Adler, accompanied by Mr. Kit Bernaski, both top specialists and leading experts in telekinesis. Because let’s face it, our last expert didn’t give us much to go by, and I couldn’t move forward without some fact-based intel.

Caleb: We pretty much all know the gist of what telekinesis is. I mean, who wouldn’t want to call a remote over from across the room? But telekinesis is actually quite spiritual. We’re all born with the ability, but various factors, such as nature or nurture, can hinder it. To make any object move, you have to have faith in your abilities to actualize those powers.

Tanya: So are you suggesting that Christianity is the key to telekinesis? To believe in the unseen?

Caleb: Jesus said you could move a mountain with the faith of a mustard seed.

Tanya: I find it highly doubtful that God, if she does exist, would give superpowers to every human being ever created.

Kit: Ah! A skeptic! Well, let me break it down scientifically. All objects are made up of atoms. Thus, moving objects involves manipulating those atoms through the four forces of nature: the strong nuclear, the weak nuclear, the electromagnetic, and the gravitational force, which are all powered through the mind.

Tanya: So, if this is something that everyone has, why can’t it be proven? The lack of repeatability prevents further research.

Kit: TK is a human capability, and we, at our core, are ever-changing flawed creatures. The same blood in my fingers today could be in my toes twenty minutes from now.

Michael: So how was Maddy able to do it?

Kit: Given what you’ve told us, other than her father’s religious influence, her mind was a proverbial blank slate. She had no interaction with other people or media until she was twelve, thus wasn’t subjected to skepticism or acculturation forcing her to adhere to societal norms. All the perfect conditions to hone in on one’s power. Other qualities would help, like muscle coordination, proper nutrition, and having enough iron present in your body, as it assists with the ability to call on atoms.

Michael: Wait, iron? Maddy had anemia! Her doctor prescribed her iron pills three months before prom.

Kit: That would explain the sudden discovery, which would make her first period the original catalyst of her powers.

Michael: Wow!

Caleb: But . . . I’d like to offer an alternative theory.

Michael: Please. I’m all ears!

Caleb: I’m not sure we’re dealing with just a normal girl embracing her powers. See, we in the TK community understand that our abilities can be limited. I mean, we are human after all. But we also know it’s nearly impossible for a human to have every macro and micro psychokinesis trait known to man. So one would think to maybe question whether she was human at all.

Tanya: Great, now she’s an alien?

Caleb: No. But that type of power wouldn’t live in a regular girl. More a . . . supernatural one.

Michael: Supernatural?

Kit: What we’re saying is . . . given everything we know and heard, Maddy Washington seems to have all the markings of a witch.

Tanya: Oh, come off it!

Kit: Think about it—the ability to call her powers on demand, controlling fire, metal bending, the birds . . . it all starts to add up.

Michael: I’m . . . I’m . . . I don’t know what I am. Do you think she knew?

Kit: I think she had a feeling there was “something.” Hence, her studying TK. But if she was a witch, the intensity of her powers might have only manifested when she was under extreme duress and needed to protect herself.

Michael: Like prom. Holy shit!

Caleb: Consider this—a girl with that much untapped, untamed raw power, believed she was just innocently learning about TK. But that was the equivalent of studying a math textbook for a French exam. The wrong concentration consequently opened a Pandora’s box she wasn’t prepared for.

Kit: Then there’s the high-frequency sound that only kids heard when she used her powers. One described it as mic feedback? She could’ve inadvertently been communicating via telepathy. But without guidance, she was a mic standing too close to the speaker. That could also explain the birds. Back in 2011, one thousand blackbirds were found dead in Arkansas due to a silent sonic wave that skewed their senses.