{Original Story}
Having supernatural powers should feel like a blessing, but for Jack Parker, the most powerful Gifted in the world, it means he gets to be haunted by ghosts, hallucinations, and premonitions. Oh, and he's also on the run to stay on...
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Maya felt out of place. Her whole life, she'd dreamed of living somewhere more interesting than Colorado, or at least in Denver instead of some random town that was mostly acres of blank land with the occasional house in between. But now that she'd gotten what she wanted, to be in a big city with lots of people, having traveled so many miles and having seen so much, she wished she was anywhere else. That dream was for a grown-up version of her who knew what she was doing, not for the one who, with every passing minute, grew doubtful of her mission.
Portland, Oregon.
Maya counted how many hours she had spent on a bus in the past day and a half—the answer was more than she'd ever spent during her entire life. Hilarious. She stepped into a convenience store to get a bottle of water, hyper aware of her surroundings. Everything made her flinch: the little kid who ran past her to show his father what great candy he'd found, the woman who slapped down coins on the counter as she rifled through her purse for a quarter, the man taking things off displays in preparation for closing. Maya didn't know why she was so tense, but there was no one looking out for her but herself, and that in itself was intimidating.
She paid for her water and stood at a crosswalk just outside, tapping her foot on the ground. As expected, the connection had come back, but it wasn't nearly as strong as she hoped. He was in the city. Where he was in the city was a good question. Walking around and hoping she got close enough to pick up a stronger signal—like a freaking metal detector—wasn't a great idea but the only one she had. If he left Portland before she found him, she was calling it quits and going home.
Her chances were slim. It was eleven pm; scouring the city at night was not going to be fun, especially since she had to make sure no police officers noticed her and asked why she was out so late, all alone. And, yeah, she had to not get kidnapped. Or assaulted.
For the hundredth time since she left her home, she thought, This is such a stupid idea.
And yes, it was a stupid idea. Not a single person—not her, not her parents, not Jack, not Anna, not Jemma, not Nick—would ever say it was a good idea if they ever looked back on it.
But not a single person could say it didn't work, though, because Maya suddenly felt a buzz of energy building up in her head, making her squeeze her water bottle to the point of crushing it.
He was standing right there, on the other side of the road, waiting to cross.
Wow, she thought, disappointed in herself. Her connection must be really bad if it took her that long to notice he was across the street from her.
In one hand he had a clean shovel, and in the other was a bag. She could see some rope and something else—is that a spade?—sticking out of it. Maybe he really was a murderer, after all, or an enthusiastic gardener who'd chosen to get tools at eleven pm.
