Free The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) by J.D. Stonebridge

mall where a huge
fountain featured dancing water, entertaining children and adults alike. She
marveled at the synchronized music and the water movement and found herself
humming the upbeat tune.
    While seated among the built-in benches around the fountain,
a couple of young boys dressed like cowboys sandwiched her. Immediately she
noticed they were identical twins, about six or seven years old. They seemed
forlorn.
    “What’s with the pout and frown, guys?” Charlie looked from
left to right, amused at the thought that she and Jeanne could have been like
them had fate not separated them.
    “Mom says James and I can’t have guns in our holsters,”
complained the one on her right.
    “Justin is right,” James added. “If it’s against the law to
have toy guns, why can cops carry the real thing?”
    Charlie forced herself to keep her composure and take the
grievances of the two boys seriously. “If you can’t have your toy guns, take
out your cowboy kerchiefs and let’s see what we can do with them.”
    The twins’ attention quickly diverted to Charlie. She took
their kerchiefs and taught them how to fold each one and turn it into a soft,
gun-shaped object. It made the boys laugh and taunt her saying her guns would
never fire. Charlie challenged them, “I bet you haven’t seen kerchief guns fire
pennies and dimes.” That made all the difference for James and Justin.
    It was Charlie’s opportunity to use her powers to amaze
them, so pledging them to secrecy, she said, “Make sure the bad guys don’t
notice us, okay? James, be the look out while Justin watches what our special
gun can do. Then you switch roles.”
    Her simple stunt worked and the boys were captivated. She
left a bunch of coins for them to practice on; a bit sorry they would never
learn how to pull a neat trick like that.
    The ride to Kit Carson was extremely quiet. The bus wasn’t
even half full and most of the passengers were asleep. As the afternoon wore
on, Charlie’s thoughts lingered on ANDREI. She pictured herself competing with
students who all had various superhuman powers and wondered if her
above-average intelligence had any bearing on a gift not many receive. She
looked forward to meeting Hilary again, but what loomed larger than anything in
her mind was the prospect of meeting her twin sister. Her left hand
unconsciously stroked the three-inch long new scar on her right arm as her
right hand automatically rubbed her chin in her nervous way.
    Charlie finally fell asleep and was grudgingly awakened by a
crying infant passenger.  Pleasure surged through her as the bus slowed
and passed a huge colorful sign on the roadside that read “Welcome to Kit
Carson, Colorado.”

CHAPTER
5: The Path Less Trodden
    As if on cue, Charlie's phone rang. Sara’s voice calmed her
nerves. "Hi, Princess! How are you?"
    “Hi, Mom. I’m fine. The bus just entered Kit Carson,"
Charlie said softly. There was a short pause on the other end before Sarah
finally spoke.
    “I bet the school looks like a castle. Just like Hogwarts.”
Sarah knew how much her daughter adored the Harry Potter novels.
    "I hope so, Mom. I hope so." Charlie absorbed the
scenery as they chatted. There was vast emptiness as far as her eyes could see:
large patches of land with nothing but grass and only a handful of houses
sparsely scattered.
    Home was what Charlie was going to call this place for the
next couple of years. She was far from the city she grew up in, and far from
the parents who had adopted and raised her as their own. Charlie felt like a
fish out of water, about to embark on a journey of uncertainty. She felt her
usual optimism waning, nervousness taking its place.
    Charlie glanced from side to side, flinching at every bump
in the road. Her nerves betrayed her. “It’s going to be okay,” Charlie
convinced herself.
    They passed by a grocery store, a gas station, and a post
office, all large and decent but with an abandoned appearance. Aside from the
bus engine,