Star Gods, стр. 25
“A female with what?” Tyce asks.
“A…a male twin.”
“Now you…understand.” My voice wavers as my barrier eats up all the energy I have left.
“He’s bleeding again,” Sage suddenly says, and my brothers turn as one and swear.
They place their hands back on me and Tyce lifts his head to stare at me.
“Let it go, Zeke,” he says. “We can’t fully heal you with your barrier up. You’re using up too much of your energy. Drop it, Zeke, we won’t hurt her.”
“You won’t hurt her because she’s our sister,” I respond and drop my barrier. My energy is spent, and my body can’t fight back. I reach a hand out to Sage and I feel her ability extend into me and to our brothers amping up their abilities. Ashe turns his head and his expression is unbelieving.
“I’m not leaving,” Sage says and my eyes close.
7
Saturday, April 16, 2039
I can’t believe it, I’m a twin.
I lean against the wall near the kitchen watching Sage with our brothers in the living room. I woke in our parents’ room in clean clothes and inwardly cringe at who saw me naked. I see it now, Sage’s resemblance to our mom as she looks at a photobook open on the coffee table. I can’t believe I was blind to it before now. The same color hair, same smile, same strong, self-preserving demeanor. Even without our mom’s presence in her life, Sage still managed to be like her.
I lean my head against the wall and Sage lifts hers, smiles at me, and excuses herself to come to me. I can see and feel it, just under the surface and hidden behind her smile; sadness.
“I knew when you woke,” she says. She’s wearing one of Claire’s shirts and jeans. “Must be the twin thing, or my ability.”
“Probably both,” I answer.
“This is kinda weird.”
“Yeah, it is.”
She tilts her head, examining my face. “You’re still tired though, I can feel it. Ashe told me it takes a while to completely rejuvenate. They can heal injuries but not exhaustion.”
“That’s right. I’ll be back to normal soon, thanks to you.”
She grabs my hand and tugs. “C’mon. I have so many questions.”
I suck in a breath as her ability pushes into me giving me a massive head rush. “Whoa.” I drop to my knees, my hand pressing against the wall to keep me upright.
Sage grabs me around my chest increasing our connection. “A little help here!”
Our brothers rush to us, my body feeling the connection between my sister and me and I’m still not completely sure what’s happening. “Don’t touch us!” I call out, stopping them in their tracks. “Wait a minute.”
“Holy crap!” Sage exclaims, inhaling a sharp breath.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. My eyes feel strange, my body as if a jolt of adrenaline has been administered through my veins. My fatigue leaves in a rush forcing me to take in a gasping breath. I force my eyes to look at my twin. Her eyes are open, staring at me with a glowing violet and silver that slowly dissipates. I blink rapidly, lowering myself to sit on the floor.
“What the hell just happened?” Tyce exclaims.
“A twin connection?” Ashe replies.
Sage smiles and sits next to me. “I think our wonder twin powers have been activated.”
Tyce’s brows rise as he crouches in front of us. “Wonder twin powers?”
“Read it in an old comic book once.”
“You’re both okay?” Ashe asks.
“Uh, huh.” Sage nods, getting somewhat clumsily to her feet.
“Actually, I feel better.” I smile. “Sage is right, something else activated that must’ve been dormant until we were reunited.”
Tyce reaches out a hand to me. “That’s not creepy at all.”
I chuckle, taking his offered hand and letting him pull me to my feet.
“Good?”
“Yup.”
He stands there, cocking a brow at me.
“I’m good, really. I could use something to drink though.”
Ashe pulls out the chairs at the table while Tyce removes bottles of water from the fridge. He hands one to me, then to Ashe, and when it comes time to give one to Sage she’s still standing in the hall wringing her hands nervously.
Tyce holds out a bottle. “Coming to join us?”
“I have a confession to make.”
“You mean something other than chocolate making you the energizer bunny?” Ashe jokes.
She only cringes.
“Sage, I told you, I’m fine—if that’s what you’re worried about?”
“It’s not that. It’s something totally unrelated to our wonder twin powers.”
“Whatever it is, you can tell us.” Tyce pulls back a chair and straddles it. “Go ahead. You have our undivided attention.”
She licks her lips while extracting something from her back pocket. She holds what looks like folded paper in between her fingers looking uncertainly at us.
I can feel her nervousness, her hesitation, as if it’s my own feelings. “It can’t be that bad, Sage.”
“This is the only thing left for me from my biological parents,” she begins, averting her eyes. “My mom gave this to me shortly before she died. She told me my biological parents named me and left this for me. I was to receive it when I was old enough to understand, but I think my mom knew she was dying and had no choice but to give it to me earlier than expected.” She moves toward me. “That first night when I was in your room, that’s when I had a feeling of who you all were—except for the twin thing.” She hands whatever it is to me.
I unfold it, staring at it in disbelief; the same family picture that sits on my nightstand, only Sage is in it cradled in Mom’s other arm. “That’s why my picture always looked odd to me. I wondered why Mom cut part of herself out of it.”
“Why was I given up and the rest of you weren’t?” Sage’s voice wavers. “What haven’t you told me?”
“I’ve told you everything,” I answer.
“Are you sure?”
“Other than