Free Revival (The Variant Series, Book 1) by Jena Leigh Page A

Alex wondered if she’d used the verb correctly. “You said that not all Variants pass on the mutation to their children. And even if I could teleport like my mom, or move things with my mind like my dad… I’m almost seventeen. Wouldn’t I know about it by now?”
    Grayson looked about ready to agree with her when Declan interrupted him.
    “She’s a Variant.”
    He said the words with such assurance that every head in the room swiveled in his direction. Even Brian glanced up from his homework with a quizzical expression.
    Alex felt her stomach drop.
    “What makes you say that?” Kenzie asked in surprise.
    Declan pulled himself back into a seated position and looked squarely at Alex. “Ever had a problem with electronics?”
    For a split second she wondered how he could possibly know about that… And then she remembered what had happened in the clothing store that afternoon when Connor had startled her. Declan had been standing right there. He’d seen the whole thing.
    “Ever accidentally short-circuited a microwave when you realized you were running late for something important? Or scrambled the television reception when someone pissed you off?”
    “What does that have to do with anything?” Alex’s mouth had turned as dry as the Sahara.
    “Electricity,” he said. The smug smile had returned. “Before I jumped on my own for the first time—before I learned to control it—I used to wreak havoc on nearby electronics. I don’t know why, maybe Brain over there can explain it. There’s something about the electricity we need to be able to harness in order to use our ability. An entry in one of my dad’s journals said that we build up a powerful static charge right before we jump. Until I learned to control it, I had a habit of… frying things.”
    Somewhere beneath the smiling facade, Alex could sense Declan steeling himself, as if the mention of his father’s journal and the tiny glimpse into his childhood were opening the door to other, more painful memories.
    Alex felt lightheaded.
    She wasn’t a Variant. She couldn’t be.
    Kenzie snorted in amusement. “I remember those days. You were public enemy number one to our household appliances for almost a year.”
    “Weren’t we going through, like, four toasters a month at one point?” asked Nathaniel.
    Declan rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t half as a bad as you sending the toaster flying across the room every five minutes. If we’re comparing cost of damages, you’d take the prize, my friend.”
    Grayson cleared his throat and tried to steer the conversation back on course. “Well, if that’s the case, Alex, then–”
    “Yeah and don’t forget Nathaniel’s birthday party when Kenzie locked Declan in the utility closet with Joanne Boathouse!” Brian interrupted. His face lit up in another thousand-watt smile.
    Grayson groaned, sidetracked from whatever it was he had been about to say by the unpleasant memory. “Thought I’d never get that water heater working again…”
    Declan scowled. “Brian, I don’t know why you love that story so much. You weren’t even old enough to know what was happening at the time.”
    Nathaniel leaned in conspiratorially. “Joanne Bode -house was a year older than Declan, built like a tank, with afro-like red hair, an unfortunate case of acne, the temperament of an angry Doberman and god-awful breath. She had a huge crush on Declan when we were younger.”
    Declan looked pointedly over his shoulder at Kenzie. “Still haven’t forgiven you for locking us in there, by the way.”
    “It was for the greater good,” she said.
    “What? And how do you figure that?”
    “You’d just melted my computer’s hard drive! You needed to get your powers under control. I figured trapping you in a closet with the Boathouse might provide you with the motivation you needed to finally jump.”
    The sound of their bickering continued, but it was soon eclipsed by the escalating clamor of Alex’s thoughts.
    She flashed back