Whisper (Whisper #1)(56)
My interest is snared by his bitter-sounding words, but before I can ponder his attitude further, Cami intercedes.
“Maybe so, but I was the one who had to clean up the mess you made.” She shudders dramatically. “I can’t count on both hands how many injuries I healed today, mostly thanks to you. It was icky. People are gross.”
Good thing Cami doesn’t have her heart set on becoming a doctor. Her bedside manner leaves much to be desired.
“I take it you’ve finished for the day?” Ward says to them, moving to stand beside me.
“All done,” Enzo confirms. “We wanted to check in and make sure JD was still alive. I’ve gotta ask, though, do you two need more time alone?”
I frown a little, not sure what he means. But when he sends a look over my shoulder, I follow his gaze and see the king-sized monstrosity of a bed that I called forth.
“I was just practicing.” I frown even more at how that could be interpreted, so I quickly add, “Control. I was just practicing my control. My Speaking control. You know, like every other day.” When not just Enzo but all of them look at me with amusement, I blurt out, “It’s a cat.”
Cami gasps. “You turned Schr?dinger into a bed?”
Understandably, my roommate has come to love my adorable kitten, so I can appreciate her horror at the idea of my having turned him into an inanimate object.
“No!” I promise. “I mean, it’s meant to be a cat. But it’s not — it’s a bed. Which is good, since it wasn’t supposed to be a cat at all, really.”
There’s silence for a moment, until Keeda says, “Did you mess with her brain when you healed her, Cam? ’Cause something’s not right in there.”
Considering the nonsensical babble that just came out of my mouth, I can’t blame her for wondering. “Never mind,” I mumble. “It doesn’t even matter.”
“Whatevs,” Keeda says, blowing her gum into a bubble large enough for it to burst with a pop. “None of us have any idea what you do down here all day, and I for one am good to keep it that way.” She eyes the bed as she says this, then turns her gaze to Ward, before settling it back on me with a sly wink.
“This sure is one comfy bed,” comes Sneak’s timid voice.
I hear a rustle of material and watch as the feather doona indents with the weight of what I’m guessing is his body.
“Hey, Ward, can I sleep in here tonight?” he asks. “This is way better than having to listen to Crew’s snoring.”
The glare Crew shoots toward the indented quilt is powerful enough to make me want to back up a step. At the same time, I feel the inexplicable urge to jump in and take the Slayer’s attention from the innocent younger boy, so I blurt out, “I had a sinus problem as a kid, and my dad used to joke that I snored like a congested walrus.”
The moment the words are out of my mouth, I want to snatch them back. But for all that I can do with my Creator ability, for all the lack of limits I supposedly have, there are still things I can’t do. Anything that goes against the natural order of the world is impossible for me — things such as bringing people back from the dead or creating something that doesn’t belong, like a dragon. I’m also incapable of reversing time, which is unfortunate, since I would very much like to go back a few minutes and seal my lips. But no Speaking ability, Creator or otherwise, will allow me to do so.
I don’t meet anyone’s eyes, and I pray they will let my comment slide. I haven’t spent enough time with Crew, Keeda and Sneak yet for them to realize the importance of what I just gave away, but Ward, Cami and Enzo all know by now that there are certain things I don’t mention. Things like my past. Things like my parents.
A loaded silence falls upon us, until Sneak — God bless him — says, “That’s really gross, Jane.”
A breath of laughter leaves me, and suddenly everything is all right again. Ward is watching me, but Cami and Enzo are giving me space. I love them both a little more for that. They must know there is a reason I refuse to talk about anything before Lengard, yet they have never once pressed me. Not even Ward has tried to make me talk about the past, for which I am grateful.
“Does one of you want to share the reason for your visit?” Ward asks, bringing the conversation back to where it started. If I didn’t resent him so much for all he has put me through, I would be grateful for that, as well.
“Aunt Esther dropped by earlier,” Cami says. “She’s booked the kids in for a special night-safari event at the zoo but forgot that she and Uncle Rick have dinner plans, so she asked if we can take them. These guys —” she indicates Enzo, Crew, Keeda and the invisible Sneak “— invited themselves along, so I figured it might be fun if we all go. Jane’s training is going so well — she deserves to be rewarded with a night out.”
Topside again. I experience a flare of envy at the freedom these other Speakers enjoy, yet I also revel in the idea of leaving Lengard once more.
Until Ward says, “Out of the question.”
Cami’s brow furrows. “Why?”
“Because I already have plans. A group of Genesis Speakers are briefing me on their recently failed mission to collect a new Exodus recruit.”
“What does that have to do with Jane?”
Ward leans forward slightly. “If I don’t go, she doesn’t go.”