Free Wanderlove by Belle Malory Page B

seemed to possess a lively sparkle in his. There was no sparkle in Gabe’s eyes. They were just dark and penetrating. . .
    “Lola, are you alright? It’s just that you’re Miriam’s granddaughter and so I assumed that that’s what you are. . .I didn’t know for sure. Are you a Rom ? I won’t tell anyone, you know. It’s my secret, too.”
    I shrugged, a little dazed from thoughts of Gabe. “Yeah, I’m a Rom . And it’s no big deal,” I said. “I knew you and your brothers were-- I mean Miriam told me about you and how you are--”
    “Abandoners?” he finished for me.
    “Yeah,” I admitted, sheepishly. Abandoners were frowned upon in gypsy society and were usually never again welcomed amongst the tribes. Strangely enough, I was relieved to hear Cam say it. It meant we had something in common. Though I hadn’t intended to leave the gypsy world behind, there would be many who would consider me a disgrace to have left my father’s troupe.
    Gypsy women never left their father, with the exception of marriage. On the other hand, if a man left his own troupe, it was usually out of disloyalty. And once a man had become disloyal, it was a discredit to his name. I couldn’t help but wonder why Cam and his family had chosen abandonment.
    “Does it bother you?” Cam asked me a few moments later.
    “What? Of course not! I’d have to be a hypocrite for it to bother me.”
    “Ah, so you are a fellow abandoner,” he surmised. “I have to admit I didn’t expect you to be one. There are so few of them.”
    “I guess that’s what I am. I ran away. And since I really don’t intend to go back any time soon, I suppose that would make me an abandoner.”
    “It’s nothing to feel guilty about,” Cam said.
    “Who told you I feel guilty?”
    “Nobody. I can hear it in your tone.”
    “Oh. So you have some kind of special ability?”
    I had not intended my question to be perceived as a joke, but Cam laughed at me. “Yeah. It’s called humanity,” he replied.
    I’m not sure why, but I didn’t like that Cam was laughing at me. I guess it just annoyed me how easily I could be read.
    “I am completely normal-- disappointingly. What about you?” he asked.
    “I’m normal, too,” I said. A little bit too normal, unfortunately. Too much like the gaje. But I didn’t relay to Cam the fact that I couldn’t remember my past lives.
    “My brother Gabe can see things.”
    “Oh really?” I tried not to sound very interested. “So what does your brother see?”
    “He can see everything around him, within a few miles’ distance.”
    “You mean, like everything ?” I looked downwards, trying to appear somewhat nonchalant. If I could hear the curiosity practically dripping from my voice, there was no doubt that Cam could too.
    “Yeah. If I take our dog out for a walk, Gabe can see exactly where I am in the neighborhood-but only if he is looking for it. He can see the present happenings surrounding him. It’s very weird. I’ve never met anyone who can see in the same way he can.”
    A lot of gypsies referred to their psychic abilities as the ability to “see.” I believed it was common for them to feel as if they had a second sight.
    “That is weird,” I agreed. “I’ve never come across anything like it either.”
    I suddenly found myself wondering if Gabe could see me in Miriam’s house. The thought was a little creepy. . .and yet oddly comforting. I wondered if he saw me the night in the storm. Was it because of Gabe that I was rescued?
    Thankfully, Cam’s voice regained my attention. “My third eldest brother, Rex, can sense things too. But he never talks about it.”
    “How many brothers do you have in all?”
    “Just three. Baro, Gabe and Rex. We have a sister, too, Molly. She attends Frightwell. She’s a senior.”
    “Wow. It must be interesting, having such a full house. I don’t have any siblings, so I’ve never really known what its like, that bond.”
    “Really? That’s odd for a Rom