Roots and Wings

Table Of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Acknowledgements

About The Author

Roots and Wings

Book Two of the Gifted Teens Series

Copyright © 2012 by Talia Jager. All rights reserved.

Second Edition: 2020

Editor: Christine LePorte

Cover and Formatting: Streetlight Graphics

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-9836164-6-7 (eBook)

ISBN: 9798601178785 (Print)

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Kasslyn.

Chapter One

Daxton and I sat in a cave behind an enormous, crystalline waterfall. Three rock walls surrounded us so that we were cocooned in our own little world. We leaned against one of the walls which felt cool and wet despite Daxton’s body heat.

The water was a curtain between an amazing view and us. A landscape of rolling hills covered in green trees spread before us. The steep drop of the water beyond the edge of the cave was dizzying, and the roar of it was almost deafening.

It was a good thing we weren’t trying to have a conversation.

He ran the back of his hand along my cheek and jawbone and kissed the spot right under my ear that always sent a shiver through my body. With his finger on my chin, he turned my face to his. I waited for him to make the next move, which he did very slowly, drawing it out.

His lips brushed mine and then he leaned into the kiss. Our lips moved in harmony for a minute. I ran my hands up his back and grabbed a handful of his shaggy, sun-kissed hair. I pulled him closer to me; his heart raced against mine.

He nuzzled his face in my neck and then began kissing his way up to my ear. Breathing heavily, he said, I love you, Kassia.

Breaking apart, we opened our eyes and stared at each other. I could never get enough of his gorgeous brown eyes with specks of gold floating in them.

Looking around, I noticed the waterfall had disappeared and we were back on campus, behind the dorms. We hadn’t had a lot of time alone together since the battle and today we had snuck away for some us time. We were sitting against the brick dorm facing the lush forest that surrounded Glendale Institute. Our fingers were still tightly interlaced.

Amazing, I said, breathless. One second we’re in this beautiful place and the next we’re back here.

He smiled. I hope you enjoyed it.

Daxton was a dreamer. With his gift, he was able to travel away to a different world. Sometimes they were real places like beaches, mountains, or cities. Other times they were fantasy places with crazy things like chocolate streams and purple trees. All he had to do was touch someone to take them with him.

Sometimes when we were intimate together, our gifts took on a life of their own. They got stronger somehow and when my power rose, we would be whisked in and out of Daxton’s dreamlands quickly. That was always an extraordinary experience.

Words couldn’t adequately express how I felt about him or our time together. I loved it. We need to do this more often.

I wish we could do it every day. Guess we should get back, he said, his voice sad.

We stood up and folded the blanket. Hand in hand, we walked around the dorm. The cluster of buildings that made up the institute appeared before us. They were all identical: all made of gray, weathered stone that soared several floors high. Two of them were dorms, one for the boys and one for the girls. Another larger building held the academic classes, while a short, square compound housed the cafeteria and gymnasium. A large courtyard separated the buildings. It was where the kids liked to hang out on the benches around the pretty marble fountain that had been recently installed.

He kissed me gently before he strolled confidently off to his dorm. How did I get so incredibly lucky? Daxton was an amazing guy and he had fallen for me. It baffled me why anyone would willingly want to be with me, because I had a gift that most people were afraid of.

I was a mind-blower. I could cause pain to anyone in my sight. If pushed far enough, I could even cause death. It was a rare, but dangerous, gift, and most people had stayed far away from me because of it. It wasn’t until recently that I had been appreciated and people had begun to warm up to me.

My gift had come in handy during the battle between good and evil a few weeks ago. One of the demon leaders, Kern, had unleashed demons on the world, starting with the gifted schools. We had to fight back, taking down the demons, and finally Kern.

But, other than that, it just seemed to get in my way.

I took my time going inside the girls’ dorm and up to the room I shared with my best friend, Mira. We had shared the same room since we had arrived at Glendale, although the décor had changed many times since then. We went through many phases—first the stuffed animal phase, then the pink phase, and even an animal pattern phase. I didn’t say they were good phases.

Opening the door, I found Mira curled up on her bed with her teal comforter pulled to her chin. I glanced at the clock that rested on the white nightstand we shared. It was too early for Mira to sleep. It wasn’t even curfew yet.

Her head rose a little bit and I realized she had been crying. I hurried to her side and sat on the edge of her bed, stroking her long, ash-blonde hair. I didn’t quite know what to say.

Is there anything I can do for you? I finally asked.

No, she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Want me to sleep with you tonight?

Yeah.

She scooted over and I crawled into bed with her. I held her until the sobbing subsided and her breathing became regular. My body relaxed once I knew she was asleep.

A few months earlier, Mira had been attacked and raped. She had been taking the car that I had wrecked to get fixed. Our friend, Noe, whose gift was being a predictor, saw the attack before it happened. But I failed to get to Mira on time. By the time I got there, one of the two men had already violated her. My gift took on a life of its own when I saw her lying on the hood of the car, half-naked and crying, and I killed the two men. It wasn’t something I had meant to do, but I certainly didn’t regret it.

That act, however, set my destiny in stone. We found out that because my gift had reached its full potential, Kern, the leader of the demons, wanted me. My friends and I took off, trying to evade the demons he kept sending to capture me. After a couple of weeks on the run, we realized we couldn’t keep running forever. We sought out a shaman, who told us that I had to sacrifice my life in order to save my friends, school, and the world. No pressure there.

After saying tearful goodbyes to Mira, Daxton, Noe, Auralee, and Zane, I let myself be caught and brought to Kern. I shoved a dagger through my heart in front of him. Little did I know the dagger was special, and more importantly, I was special. My body was brought back to Vala, the shaman, and when she removed the dagger from my heart, it started to beat again. She later explained to me that I was part angel and the dagger had been made by faeries and sealed by angels, meaning it couldn’t kill me.

Lying next to Mira in bed, I shuddered as I remembered that time. I trained for months learning to control my gift. The whole time my friends thought I was dead. When the battle started, Vala, Ramsey, and I rushed to Glendale to help protect the school, surprising everyone that I was alive. Then being able to focus and control my gift, I was able to kill the demons. And with the help of a couple of my friends, I killed Kern.

Hours later, I snuck out of Mira’s bed and sat on the comfortable black cushion that rested on the window seat. It was my favorite place. It looked out over the courtyard and I had a habit of making sure everything was okay. I knew it was a false sense of security. Demons were always out there waiting for a chance to advance.

The next morning, Mira got out of bed and immediately began gathering her clothes for the day. She was pretending that nothing had happened the night before—again! I understood that dealing with what she had been through hadn’t been easy for her, but I was her best friend and it hurt she wouldn’t talk to me. Lately, she had been cutting herself off from everything. Mira had always been the strong one. She was the one I always turned to for advice, and now here I was with no idea how to help her.

Do you wanna talk? I asked her.

No. Mira folded her pants and avoided making eye contact with me.

I rolled my eyes. I should have known not to expect anything different from her. I watched her as she got her stuff ready to go down to the showers. It was driving me crazy that she wouldn’t talk to me. I wanted to help, but she wouldn’t let me in.

Are you coming? she asked me with her hand on the doorknob.

I pulled myself up and followed her down the dimly lit hall to the bathroom we shared with Auralee and Noe. I was drying my hair when Mira finally emerged from the shower. I watched her from the corner of my eye—she was already fully dressed. Ever since she was attacked, she changed in the shower stall as if she were ashamed of her body.

I glanced over at her. Mira—

I told you, Kassia, I don’t want to talk about it. Her sad eyes looked down at her fists, which were clenched at her sides. With that, she turned and stormed out of the room. The door slammed loudly behind her.

My shoulders sagged and I hung my head over the sink, letting a few tears fall. A hand rested on my shoulder and I spun around, coming face-to-face with Noe. Bursting into tears, I grabbed her and cried into her long, brown hair.

Noe held me and stroked my hair. It’s okay, she said gently.

Will she be okay?

I think so—

Noe! I whined. You’re a predictor, you should know! Every time I look at her, I want to bring those jerks back from the dead so I can kill them all over again.

Even though Noe’s gift was seeing the future, it was limited. The future was subjective—it could always change depending on what one decided. She also couldn’t see the future clearly if demons were involved.

It’s gonna take a while. Noe frowned slightly. We just need to give her time.

I groaned and threw my brush in the shower basket. She won’t open up to me. She doesn’t get out of the room enough. She’s not eating right. I’m worried about her. I stared blankly into the bathroom mirror, tapping my fingers on the sink. I was so frustrated. I hated that I didn’t know how to fix things for one of the most important people in my life.

A lot happened. She’s dealing with it. Noe picked my towel up off the floor and tossed it to me.

I just wish she’d talk to me! I don’t know what to do.

Noe’s amber eyes twinkled. Her hair cascaded down her back in perfect waves. Noe was one of the sweetest people I had ever met and her dainty, oval-shaped face showed that. You’re doing just fine. You’re there for her. That’s what she needs the most.

I nodded as I turned on the faucet and leaned to splash cool water on my face. After I dried off, I glanced in the mirror, looking Noe up and down. She was already dressed in a long brown skirt and a teal shirt. I commented, You’re ready early.

Mr. Eaton wanted to see me before classes. She peeked around me into the mirror and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Oh. I mashed my lips together deep in thought. Mr. Eaton was the headmaster of the school. I wondered what he wanted with Noe this early. Well, you look really pretty.

Her cheeks turned red and she looked down. Thanks.

Just then, Auralee popped her strawberry-blonde head into the room. Let’s go.

You’re going too? I placed my hand on my hip and stared back and forth at them. They were obviously keeping something from me. It didn’t bother me too much, but my curiosity was piqued.

I’m just walking with her. She pushed open the door. Auralee had the perfect heart-shaped face to go with her pixie haircut. She always wore funny T-shirts, and today’s was no exception: I know what you’re thinking.

I laughed. Nice shirt. Auralee was a mind reader, so that shirt fit her perfectly. She smiled back at me and winked.

Have fun, I told them.

After they were gone, I took a few deep breaths before I headed back to my room. The door was