Free Legacy by Kate Kaynak

dessert.
    Archer cackled. “Trevor, I like her already!”
    A little tremor of pleasure rippled through Trevor at this unexpected approval.
    Lilith’s lips had disappeared in a thin, pale line that clearly conveyed I was definitely not making the Christmas card newsletter. She looked at Archer with narrowed-eyed dis-approval and regarded her husband’s enthusiasm as a form of betrayal. What kind of strange people has the boy fallen in with? I expected him to make better choices. She returned to the kitchen and the dishes and pans clattered excessively as she put the finishing touches on dinner. A concern for Archer’s health simmered under the rest of her thoughts, causing a constant, nebulous anxiety that made her even less tolerant than she otherwise might’ve been.
    Archer had me guess five more numbers before Trevor told him, “She’s not a toy, Archer.”
    I don’t mind, I told him. But I was glad to stop.
    “So, Trevor, are you a telepath, too?”
    “Telekinetic.”
    “What? Like spoon bending?”
    “More like this.” The heavy, glass coffee table rose into the air and hovered halfway to the ceiling. Under us, the couch springs creaked as the weight of the coffee table displaced through Trevor’s body.
    Archer gave another cackle of delight. “That’s amazing!”
    Trevor IS amazing, I agreed.
    As Trevor lowered the coffee table, Archer gave me a long look. “So, you two are…dating?”
    I nodded, feeling a blush warm my cheeks.
    “How long have you been together?”
    Since October . Nearly eight months.
    “Getting serious?”
    I nodded again. More blushing.
    “Being safe?”
    “Geez, Archer!” Trevor turned a mortified red, as well.
    After all we’d been through in the past few days, I thought it was funny. You can tell your wife to stop worrying. I’m not pregnant .
    Archer laughed, slightly embarrassed. Oh, I guess she picked that up from our thoughts. Wow, mind-reading. That’s...neat-o!
    I hadn’t expected to, but I found that I liked Trevor’s grandfather. I grinned at Trevor. Hey, he thinks I’m “neat-o! ”
    Trevor hid his smile behind his water glass as Archer small-talked me about my family and our flight until Lilith called us into the dining room.
    At the table, we obediently folded hands as Archer said grace. The main course was a noodle casserole of some kind, but we didn’t eat much. Trevor explained that Isaiah was hunting people like us, and that he’d killed Jared Davis and his two kids. They had no affection for the man who’d gotten their teenage daughter pregnant, but Jared’s death still caused flashes of yellow shock in both of them.
    “I think you both should come back with us to Ganzfield.” Trevor looked from one to the other. “I want Laurie to bring her family, too. Isaiah’s getting even worse now—bolder. And he’s not too far away. You all need to be somewhere safe.”
    I’m not going anywhere near the “freak school.” Lilith’s thoughts stung like acid and I bit my mental tongue. She was important to Trevor. I’d be nice if it killed me.
    “What’s it like there?” asked Archer, intrigued.
    Parts of it are great. I projected a memory of one of last winter’s Fireball games . People at Ganzfield can do some incredible things. It has its good points and bad points, just like everywhere else. But you’d be safe there, and I know Trevor wants you to come.

Archer looked at his wife’s face, taking in her pursed lips and hard eyes, and he deflated inside. “We’ll think about it.”
    I suddenly understood more about the family dynamic that’d made Trevor’s childhood so difficult.
    “Trevor, clear the table.” Lilith rose and carried the glass dish of mostly uneaten noodle casserole into the kitchen.
    “Yes, ma’am.” Trevor didn’t move, but the plates flew one after the other into the kitchen behind her, stacking neatly on the counter next to the sink. Her shout of surprise made all three of us shake with silent