The Empaths (Book one in The Empaths series)

Chapter Twenty

May... June... July... August...

The months flew by and Lucy was having real trouble keeping up. Her eighteenth birthday was now only a few days away, and her nerves were frayed and falling away at the ends. Despite that, she felt ready. So damn ready that she just wanted it to be over and done with so that they could get on with opening the gates to Eleos.

Waving her hand in the direction of the kettle, she watched as little bubbles slowly began to rise from the base of the water. It only took a few seconds before the water had completely boiled. Calling the elements had now become second nature. It was so easy. She smiled as the kettle flicked off, steam billowing from its spout.

"Perfect," she murmured to herself as she poured out her tea.

"Show off."

Lucy jumped as her brother gave her a light punch on the shoulder.

"Jealous much?" she replied, grinning.

"Of course, I am," Jared said with a laugh. "It's unfair that you have super strong powers and I don't." He pretended to pout, and Lucy scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You're just as strong as I am, Jared," Lucy said. She took out another cup and began making her brother his morning coffee. "It's just a little harder for you, that's all."

"I know," Jared replied with a nod. He turned to the pantry and opened the doors. "Do you want some toast?"

"Actually, I was thinking of making pancakes," Lucy replied, glancing over her shoulder.

Jared's spun around, rubbing his hands together. "YES!!!"

"Did someone say pancakes?" Tristan wandered into the kitchen, startling both Lucy and Jared.

Lucy put down her cup and sprang into his arms. "Good morning," she said with a smile. "I didn't hear you come in."

Tristan laughed. "Good morning. Sorry if I scared you." Carefully placing her back on her feet, he leaned down to give her a kiss. "I thought I'd drop by this morning to see if you guys wanted to do something fun today. I know someone is feeling a little nervous at the moment," his eyes lingered on Lucy for a second, giving her a wink before he continued, "so I thought it would be nice to do something distracting." He smooshed her against his chest and kissed the top of her head.

"Gross," Jared grumbled into his coffee.

"Oh please," Lucy replied as she extracted herself from Tristan's arms. She gave Jared a shove before going about finding the ingredients to make pancakes. "I'd definitely welcome a distraction today," she continued. "Anything to keep from thinking about what will be happening in only a few short days."

"That's what I figured," Tristan said with a smile. "And besides, it's far too nice outside to waste it!"

"So, what are we doing then?" Jared asked as he watched his sister making the pancake batter, looking into the bowl to stick his finger in the mixture.

"I was thinking we go for a hike," Tristan replied, grinning when Lucy slapped Jared's hand away.

Jared shrugged and picked up his coffee. "Sweet."

Lucy stopped stirring the batter and bit her lip.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Tristan asked as he slid down onto a stool at the kitchen bench.

She put the batter down and looked across at him. "Should we hike to the gates?"

Tristan and Jared looked at each other and then back at Lucy.