Gifted Connections: Book 2(61)

“But they’re not all gone,” Ella said mutinously.

“Ella,” I said with warning. “Rachel’s brothers were taken from her, and we have to be respectful of her loss.”

Ella rolled her eyes as if we were dense. “But they’re not gone. Not all of them.”

Rachel’s head snapped around. “What are you saying, Ella?” she said her voice filled with hope and despair.

“Herman is alive,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, and your dad.”

A pin dropping could have been heard in the vehicle. “Ella, did you see this. When does it happen?” Rachel asked eagerly.

Ella shrugged again, her little eyebrows knitting. “I don’t know.”

“Ella do you ever see the same visons twice?” I asked gently.

She nodded. “Sometimes. I saw Chip and you together all the time.” She grinned at me. “Now you guys are!”

“Ella, can you tell me next time you get that vision, if you get it again? Maybe you can remember more details if you tell me right away.” Rachel sounded almost dejected.

Ella nodded. “Sure.”

I don’t think she realized how much she had changed the mood in the car.



When we finally met the guys for lunch, we had already made two trips back to the car. In true Rachel fashion, she had shaken her forlorn thoughts and had dove head first in our shopping expedition. She seemed happy not to look at price tags as she picked up a complete wardrobe and then some. I remembered when I had been shocked at Jemmy’s blasé attitude with money. I had hated when she insisted on loading me down with clothes. Ella and Rachel had no such reticence.

The longer I spent with them the more natural it felt to be with them. We fell easily back into the way we use to be. I wasn’t crazy about going shopping, but I was happy to feel closer to normal again.

It was as we were heading towards the food court that Jemmy stopped in front of a Halloween store. “You know Halloween’s in a few weeks,” she smiled at us suggestively.

“It is,” Rachel said excitedly. “Oooh, look at that Harley Quin costume!”

“I was thinking more of that cat woman costume!” Jemmy exclaimed. “Come on, let’s get our costumes. We can all be super hero characters!”

“Two things,” I tried to stop them. “Super heroes, don’t you think that’s slightly cliché, and where in the world and when would we wear them?”

“To the Halloween party we’re going to have at our house,” Jemmy said as if I was dense.

“I think we need to ask Pops,” I insisted. “With everything going on, he might not want to have a party.”

Jemmy waved a hand at me. “Then we get them now and return them if he says no.”

“I want to be a cat too!” Ella exclaimed.

It was clear I was out-voted, and like always, I was steamed rolled into a costume I would have never picked out for myself.



Over lunch, I explained to the guys what Ella had told us in the car. They seemed to be as concerned as we were.

After a few minutes of silence Jace finally spoke up. “What if Ella was taught how to draw,” he suggested. “Remember how that boy told us that he draws things and they come true in dreams? What if we were to get them together, and he can explain how he does it. When she has a vision, she can draw it immediately, so we can have a better idea what may come to fruition.”

I smiled. “That’s a brilliant idea, let’s find out where that boy was placed, and we can start having ‘play dates.’”

Jace gave me a knowing smile and a wink.



By the time we got back to the house, we had already broken the news to the children about their security guards and asked them if they would be okay with their blood being drawn. Ella wasn’t too keen on the idea, but Alex and Micah assured her that they would hold her hand, so she seemed more receptive to the idea.

I wanted to get home sooner because Will had planned a big dinner for us to meet our security detail and get familiarized with them. I didn’t know how Drake would be after having that huge bombshell dropped on him, and I wanted to help him with dinner. It wasn’t until we were on our way home that I found out Steven, Cora, Beth, and Nadia would be there as well.

Troy and Remy should be done with their improvised training program for the Knights and swipe team. They were going to present their plans tonight as well.

We had two hours remaining before our guests were to arrive. Drake was telling me how he was thinking about making some lasagna, garlic bread, and fresh tossed salad. He said he was going to make a chocolate cake with chocolate icing as well. As he told me this, I wondered if he remembered that was the first meal he made us, when Ella and I had been adopted.

When I walked into the house, it was eerily quiet. I’m sure Will had liked the rare quiet, especially since my brood had come along. I took my bags up to my room and made my way back downstairs. Noah, Jemmy, Gavin, Rachel, and Jaxson had already told the children to get dressed so they could spend some time in the pool before dinner. The indoor Olympic size pool came in handy. Especially when you wanted them to burn off any access energy.

I wanted to text Drake to see if he was okay, but our phones hadn’t been returned. Troy had turned our phones in to one of his security teams to see if he could get any information off it. Plus, I no longer had his phone number. Will had once lamented how technology was great and convenient, but it also made us lazy. Thus, the reason why he still read an actual newspaper and memorized all the phone numbers of his closest contacts. I had never bothered remembering anyone’s numbers accept Judge Myers and Ella’s old burner phone number.