Free Quake by Patrick Carman

each other and realized they’d have to intervene. Neither Carl nor Clooger had a second pulse, and Jade had lost all control. But Dylan and Faith were discovering, more and more, that when they worked together they were even more powerful.
    Dylan picked up the house-sized boulder Clooger and Carl were hiding behind and hurled it into the air with his mind. Fifty feet overhead it smashed into one of the cables and the flying ski lift wrapped around rock like an octopus, the whole mess flying over the lodge and down the side of the mountain in a tangled, earsplitting knot of stone and cable and metal.
    Faith moved in quickly, wrapping her arms around Jade and holding her in a bear hug. She lifted off the ground, carrying them both to the roof of the lodge before setting her back down. She could feel everything Dylan was doing, as if they were somehow connected. She looked skyward, saw Dylan there, and thought: This is new. Something different is happening to us. Something bigger.
    But Jade was crying softly, all the steam gone out of her rage, and now was not the time to explore hidden new talents. “Are you finished or should I expect more stuff to start flying around?” Faith asked.
    Jade wouldn’t answer, so Faith took a deep breath, calmed her nerves, and tried to lighten up.
    â€œLook, I understand you’re angry, okay? But this power you’ve got and didn’t tell anyone about is dangerous . Do you understand that? You could have hurt yourself.”
    â€œI know how to control it,” Jade said, wiping away tears.
    Faith wanted to say, Oh, really? And did you know other people can feel a pulse that big? Did it cross your mind we might be detected? But she knew that was the wrong way to help Jade.
    â€œThis is going to take some practice to master, and we’re going to need to be very careful. I had a lot of trouble with my pulse when I first started using it. I was all over the place.”
    â€œI don’t care,” Jade said, softer and sadder than Faith had expected.
    Poor kid , Faith thought. She put an arm around Jade and pulled her in close.
    â€œNo one is going to come up here, and we’re not going down until you’re ready,” Faith consoled. “Just take it easy. Breathe.”
    Jade sucked in a big breath and finally looked at Faith, but by that time Faith was looking to the sky, making sure it was clear of something far worse than Jade could possibly imagine.
    â€œI’m confused,” Jade said.
    â€œI know,” said Faith. She pushed the loose hairs away from Jade’s face and looked into her puffy, tear-stained eyes. “This power you have, how long have you known about it?”
    Jade shrugged her usual shrug and looked down at her shoes. “A while, I guess.”
    â€œDoes Carl know?” Faith asked. She couldn’t imagine that he did, or he would have said.
    Jade shook her head. “I didn’t tell him. I guess I wanted something all to myself. I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.”
    â€œParents are complicated,” Faith said. “Especially when the world is messed up. My parents left me, too. Did you know that?”
    Jade looked at Faith as if she was crazy.
    â€œYou think this is about that ?” Jade said, exasperated. She looked out into the open space below, as if she was about to start throwing objects with her mind again.
    â€œWhoa, hold on,” Faith said. “What’s gotten into you?”
    Jade shook with frustration and pounded the side of a fist into the roof. She looked at Faith, laughing sadly.
    â€œI know Carl loves me, and Clooger’s fine. Two dads, and they’re brothers—it’s weird, but it’s fine. I’ll survive. I’m practically grown-up anyway.”
    Faith’s heart broke at the thought of such a young girl, just thirteen, being forced to become an adult in the crazy world she’d been born into.
    â€œIt’s