Free Tempted by Elise Marion Page B

I’ve been able to trace. Interestingly, every one of them was also in military service and was involved in every great war this country’s ever seen; the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Dessert Storm, Iraq. You name it, they were there.”
    “ Why didn’t I know about this? How is it that I didn’t discover this until my thirties?”
    “ It happens differently for everyone,” said Sarah. “In most cases, a monumental or very personal event brings a person’s powers to their awareness. Whatever your abilities are, you’ve possessed them your entire life. You may have even used them without realizing it. Something happened to bring it to the surface, Jackson.”
    “ Think about it son,” Vivian said softly, setting the album aside and clasping his hand. “Remember what you told me about that day in the dessert? You described everything with such detail, even though there was so much chaos. Why do you think that is?”
    Sarah could feel Jackson racking his brain for the answer. She also felt his frustration and his fear. Her own pulse beat frantically in time with his.
    Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. She heard Jackson’s rasps as he leaped up from the couch, his hands pulling wildly at the collar of his shirt. He stepped over the coffee table and fell against the wall opposite the couch. He sank down to the floor, burying his face in his hands.
    “ It was like time had stopped,” he said, his voice a raspy whisper. “I could see every bullet as it flew past, and every speck of dust that was kicked up. Everything around me seemed suspended and I was moving through it like a dream and I…”
    His voice caught in his throat and he shook his head.
    “ Time-bending,” Sarah said as it dawned on her. Excitement welled up in her as she stood and moved to kneel in front of him. “That’s your gift Jackson! I know of Guardians that can speed or slow time. That has to be it!”
    “ You were always the fastest kid in the neighborhood,” said Vivian from behind her. “Seemed like no one could catch you once you got going. Those kids would probably whoop your behind if they knew you were cheating by using your powers. Of course, you didn’t realize what you were doing.”
    “ All that carnage,” Jackson whispered, his eyes unfocused and glassy. “All that death around me, and I escaped it. Time slowed all around me like a dream.”
    “ Yes,” Sarah said softly, inching closer to him on the floor. She extended her hand toward him. “Yes, Jackson. It was your gift. It saved you.”
    As her hand came to rest on his shoulder, Jackson shoved her away and leaped to his feet. Anger, raw and jagged, ripped through her, projected from his turbulent eyes.
    “ What, am I supposed to be grateful for that? I’m supposed to thank your precious God for saving me and letting those other men die?”
    “ Jackson,” said Vivian calmly. “Everything has a reason. Everything that happened-“
    “ Don’t talk to me about reason,” Jackson hissed. “There is no reason or rationalization for this. You knew about all of this, and you never told me! You probably even knew that this was going to happen to me and you didn’t do a damn thing about it!”
    Vivian lowered her eyes and fell silent. Sarah could feel her guilt over having kept so much from Jackson. The Oracle had probably foreseen a lot of things. It was a heavy burden to bear.
    “ And you,” Jackson turned on Sarah, his index finger extended accusingly. “You can keep your damned Guardianship, because I don’t want it. You tell your Father that I don’t want any of his gifts. Give them to someone else.”
    Before anyone could interject, Jackson turned his back on them and ran for the door. The sound of it slamming reverberated through the room, vibrating Sarah’s insides.

Chapter 11: Rain
     
    Jackson felt guilty for leaving Sarah at his grandmother’s house. Even though he’d reminded himself several times that she was an angel