Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
After breakfast, Arden picked up a blanket and a brown paper bag and told me, “Let’s go outside and work on gaining control of your superpower.” I assumed this would end in disaster, but both my companions seemed optimistic.
Sam got comfortable on a lounge chair on the patio while Arden and I walked out onto the grass. “This is the biggest lawn I’ve ever seen,” I said. “It must take a lot of effort to maintain it.”
“It does. A whole crew works on it. I’d love to let all of this revert back to its natural state, the way I have with the water fountain and the wildflowers around the edges of the clearing. But I keep thinking about how much my grandfather would hate that. I brought it up to him once, and he went off on a twenty-minute rant. I know he’s gone now, and that this place is mine, but I still don’t want to disappoint him.” Arden glanced at me. “Does that sound silly?”
“No, it doesn’t. My mom is like that with the apartment building she inherited. Her great aunt has been gone for years, but Mom still keeps it the color Auntie preferred and tries to maintain it to her standards. To me, it’s a sign of respect.”
He spread out the blanket on the grass, and we both took a seat. “Okay,” he said, “let’s see what you can do. Call those deer to us.” He pointed at a pair of does and their fawns, who were grazing at the edge of the clearing.
“I don’t know. It’s pretty early in the day to get mauled by a hoofed ungulate. That’s—”
Arden smiled at me. “The scientific classification for deer. Science nerd, remember?”
That made me smile, too. “Right. I almost forgot. Seriously though, no good can come from calling them over here.”
“Don’t fear your power, Andy. You’re in control of it, not the other way around. Start by centering yourself.”
“How do I do that?”
“Let yourself relax, and feel the way you’re connected to the natural world—the trees, the earth, the sky. Even in the city, when you’re on pavement and surrounded by tall buildings, all of it is still there, and still available to you. Once you feel centered, it’s much easier to control your abilities.”
I still wasn’t sure what to do, but I tried a couple of the relaxation techniques I’d learned doing yoga. When I felt calmer, I stood up and muttered, “Here goes nothing. You should probably stand up too, and get ready to run.”
Arden leaned back, propping himself up with his elbows. “I’ll be fine. Focus on those four deer. Visualize what you want to happen, and then call them over.”
I did what he suggested. I pictured them slowly walking over and stopping before they got too close. Then I concentrated and tried to call them. The four deer perked up and looked at me, their huge ears pricked as if they were listening to something.
I blurted, “Nope,” as I grabbed Arden’s arm and dragged him to his feet. A low sound started to rumble in the forest. In the next instant, the four deer started running toward us—and their friends were right behind them.
Arden grabbed the bag and dumped out a bunch of apples, and we both sprinted for the house. Sam was already on his feet and holding the back door open. We made it inside and slammed the door behind us, and then we went over to the windows and watched as deer began flooding onto the lawn. The apples distracted the first few, but the rest came right up to the house and peered at us through the glass.
As we watched a large buck climb onto one of the lounge chairs, like he was the king of the hill, Arden whispered, “Wow.”
Sam turned to me and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m better than okay,” I said with a smile. “I almost had it that time.”
CHAPTER 18
SAM
Pine Grove Manor might have been odd and eerie, but Arden went out of his way to make us feel welcome. He quickly became a good friend, in addition to being a gracious host. It was obvious he enjoyed having company, and I could see why. When I’d felt lonely in San Francisco, all I had to do was leave my empty house and go to a club, where I was surrounded by people. But this place never let you forget how isolated you were.
We couldn’t help but feel a bit trapped, too, especially with something in the woods that might rip us to shreds if we ventured past the edge of the lawn. Not that we wanted to take up hiking or anything, but being hemmed in like that made the cabin fever start to build.
Our solution was to keep ourselves occupied, the same way we had at Reg’s cabin. Since Andy couldn’t go for runs and I didn’t have access to a gym, we spent a lot of time on yoga, exercising, and self-defense training. Andy also devoured the books we’d bought at the library, passing them on to Arden as he finished them.