I tried to keep my cool since I was standing in a room with a person who can read my mind, and another who can read my emotions. "Explain to me what you are talking about." I said firmly.

Wes didn't waiver. "The more you know, the more danger you'd be in. The more important task at hand is finding out what all you can do, and how to keep your secret. The most imperative thing for you to remember is that anyone finding out is bad. I know some feel it is ok to share with people they are close with, but I don't agree with that practice. The best thing to do is to just keep your distance from any people who aren't like you. I know that's even more difficult for you since you've lived this long, and made connections with people, because you didn't know. Now that you do, you need to create distance. Keep your head down, and it will all be ok."

"You can't just tell me that my birth parents were murdered, and possibly my brother too, and then not explain to me what you're talking about." I argued with him.

"I never sad both parents, I said your mother was killed. Your father is very much alive, but I don't know how deep in this he is, so you knowing who he is, or him knowing you're alive, would be very detrimental to you." He licked his dry lips. "I'm sorry you lost your brother, but just know, he fulfilled his purpose."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked feeling pretty pissed off at this point at his evasiveness.

"Wes, surely you can tell her something." Garrett said. "I think she does deserve to know at least a little about herself if you have the answers."

"I don't have them all." He said quickly. "I only knew of the rumors. It was so long ago. I never believed our kind could be so cruel and underhanded, but I guess that just shows the true humanness of us. Even we, who are supposed to be held to a higher standard, are capable of being drug down into primitive ways."

"Can you stop talking in circles and trying to confuse us? Tell me something!" I shouted.

"You're so much like your mother." He smiled at me.

"You knew her?" I softened my tone.

"I did." He chuckled. "That woman was a firecracker. I sense that in you. Your mother was a truly good person, she just found herself in a bad situation. She was special, just like you. You look like her too." He added on. "Let's have a seat in the study." He said motioning down the hall. "I will tell you about her, and the ancient house you belong to, but that is all I will share today. I can't be found out to have been involved with you either. There is no way of knowing who can be trusted, and although I like you, I'd prefer not to be killed for you."

"Gee, thanks." I said in a monotone.

Garrett trudged along behind us and took a seat on the couch next to me in Wes's study. The room was small, but it was wall to wall with shelves of books, and the smell of them was intoxicating. Wes sat across from us in a nice maroon chair and slowly lit the tip of his cigar. Wes asked Garrett how much I knew of Potentes and he explained what all he had told me.

"I see." Wes said stoically. "We need to get to finding your abilities, but I will give you a tiny history lesson first." He laughed to himself. "In our earliest histories it is written that there were as many as 25 Potente families in existence, whereas now there is only 10 remaining." He paused, giving me a look and then answered the unspoken question that was in my mind. "Because each family only has one heir, it is very important to be mindful of the safety of the heir. If they were to accidently be killed, it would mean the end of that Potente's family name. In addition to that, Potentes must mate with other Potentes to carry on their bloodlines, but there have been occasions where there were not the right number of males or females at a certain time to make a formidable match work. Those two things have led to a decline in the number of true blood Potente families in existence now." I nodded in understanding. "From the earliest writings we have, there have been two families who were known to be the most powerful. They were the McDuffies, and the Trysaimens. Both of these families had only ever given male heirs and so they were never able to be mingled together, which was what was hoped for. The possibility of the two strongest bloodlines joining was something everyone wanted to see happen. Their heirs would be the most powerful beings the world had ever seen. Finally, after hundreds of thousands of years, a girl was born. Your mother, Marrsala Trysaimens."

"My mother was a Trysaimens?" I asked. I felt pride rise in me, even though I didn't know her and I was just now learning of these things, I immediately felt more powerful knowing that I was an heir of such a prestigious family.

"Indeed she was." He smiled. "Now, our families are usually promised to another from the moment a new child is born. Like Garrett is to Carrianne, from their births they have been set to wed. When your mother was born, it threw off everything. All of the previously assumed unions were put into shambles by the birth of a girl from the Trysaimens. Naturally, your mother was promised to Dalton McDuffie. Theirs was supposed to be the union we'd waited so long for. However, they never wed."

"Wait." Garrett cut in. "My dad isn't her dad, is he?" I was horrified by the possibility as well.

"No." Wes said relieving our fears. Garrett and I both laughed nervously. "Marrsala fell in love with a boy from another family, not with Dalton. This boy was promised to another. The rest of the story is all rumor, and I won't tell it to you as if it is truth. We need to move on to you now."

"You can't stop there!" I protested. "Who did my mother fall in love with? Why was she killed?"

"Dear, we mustn't go into all of that. I promise you will find out eventually, but for now, we need to focus back on you and finding your power." Wes said firmly. It was obvious I wouldn't be getting any further with him on the subject today.

"Will you promise to tell me one day?" I asked hopeful. Wes sighed thoughtfully and then reluctantly nodded his head. "Ok, then we can move on. Where do we begin?"

"We already know you are gifted in your skill for telekinesis, we also know that you are a protector." Wes stood and walked to the wall of books and selected a title. "This book is all about the family history of the Trysaimens. Our powers are sometimes hereditary. Of course there are some that we get at random, much like Garrett's, but we usually will display some form of what our ancestors were able to do." He began flipping through the pages. "Trysaimens displayed an array of different abilities, so we will start there. We can test you to find out if you can do any of these. I know you can't read minds, I know you aren't gifted with language or strength, and you aren't particularly fast."

"Making me feel real good about myself right now." I joked, Garrett and Wes laughing with me.

He turned another page. "Here." He said pointing to a page. "Trysaimen's were notorious for being able to control the elements."

***

We spent the next three hours testing me for any and all abilities. It had been a strenuous few hours, but they had been well worth it. I left the house feeling like a whole new person. We found that I am able to move water, which was amazing. I had lifted water straight out of a cup and floated it through the air. Wes said that with time and practice I'd be able to do so much more than that. I couldn't set fires, but we found I could suck the air from the fire, and thus put it out, and with a neighbor like Carrianne, that may prove to be a useful skill. We already knew that I had been able to move the ground, but we decided I shouldn't try to do that again.

The coolest thing we had gotten to do today was speaking telepathically. I still can't master how to hear someone else, but I was successfully able to speak to Garrett with my thoughts.

"Do it again!" He said in front of me on the bike as we road to my house.

I focused on my breathing, and then thought "Garrett is such a total tool."

Garrett laughed loudly in front of me. "That's so cool, Cade. I wish I could do that. It's literally like I hear you saying it in my head."

Wes had promised to tell me more when we go back over there on Sunday, but for now he was really satisfied with how much and how quickly I had learned. The whole ride back to my house I was caught up in my thoughts of my mom and her secret romance that must have led to me and Stephen. I wanted so badly to talk to Stephen about all of this, but I tried to just be happy that I was finding out the truth for us both.

Garrett stopped a few houses away from mine and I walked the rest of the way to my place. I had texted my fake parents this morning to let them know that I was fine, not that they had bothered to call or anything. I was especially happy to see that they weren't home.

I turned to walk up my driveway and was startled to see a handsome blonde sitting on my front steps. "Cali Cade!" He called. "Where have you been?"

I walked to him and he wrapped me in a tight hug. "I've had a lot going on." I said, the understatement of the year. "What are you doing here, Derrek?"

He kissed the top of my head. "I was afraid you were sick since you ditched school early yesterday and didn't come today. I wanted to ask you something." He smiled easily.

"Ok." I smiled back.

"I want to take you to dinner tonight, and before you say 'no' or that you 'don't do dates', I am asking you as a friend."

Derrek's smile was so contagious. Being around him was always so fun and easy. "I could eat." I laughed. "I haven't eaten all day, actually." Now that I said it I was insanely aware of how ravenous I was.

"Well go get ready, I will wait." He said following me up the stairs to my front door.

I left him in the living room and ran up to my bathroom to grab a quick shower and change. When I passed by my bedroom window I felt that weird feeling again. I turned and pulled the blinds up so that I could see her.

Carrianne's face was strained and I could recognize the look in her eyes now. She was trying really hard to channel her emotions. Despite how hard she tried she just got more and more frustrated by the fact that it wasn't working. I couldn't stop myself from smiling at her.

Just like had happened in my dream, all of a sudden, my curtains were covered with flames. Carrianne smiled back to me now, but it fell quickly as I easily put out the fire with my mind.

I wish I could have taken a picture of her face. It was truly priceless.

I left her standing there and went back to getting ready.

It wasn't until I was finished, and walking back into the living room to find Derrek, that Wes's words popped back into my head.

"Keep her away from the Montclairs." He had said. "You can't let anyone know what you are."

I pushed down my nerves and grabbed Derrek by the hand. "You ready to go?"

"I've been the one waiting on you." He reminded me. "I'm thinking steaks, that good with you?"

My mouth watered at the very mention of it. "Let's go!"