Unity and Destiny Pt. 01

Fifteen miles away, Grace and Kat held each other in a sweaty embrace. Only a brief pause in their lovemaking. One of Grace's fingers slid lower, finding Kat's clitoris and for the moment resting still against it. Kat shuddered, and then Grace's thumb pushed all the way inside her lover.

Esther wrenched herself away again. She knew well enough why she spied like this. It was a vicarious thrill, something to fill in for what she couldn't seem to manage in her own body. Kat and Grace had beautiful, ordinary bodies. It actually took more control *not* to spy: to hold a careful distance, knowing without knowing, trusting her subconscious to alert her when something needed her attention. The harder the Watch became, the more frequently that kind of control slipped. And it was particularly hard when she was this horny.

She didn't know what she'd been thinking, telling Javier details. Maybe she'd wanted to give him something new, something to convince both of them that there were more exciting things in their future. Or maybe she'd needed for him to share some of her guilt. She brushed her chest, right over the most sensitive part of her freckles, and something responded deep inside her. She could almost taste the sweet flavor of Nicola's nipple in her mouth. Her mind reached for the silvery sense of her distant friend, and she stopped it just in time.

It had been a fantasy of Nicola that had given Esther that titanic orgasm last month, the one that threw her abilities off for two days. Esther stared at the ceiling and began a meditation. With luck, her mind would calm enough for her to sleep. They would visit Javier's Mamá, which should raise both of their spirits. And then to the forest camp with Mark and Nicola. She hoped she'd be calmer when she got there. Time to rest, and think, and focus on Javier.

* * *

For the first hour Mamá had seemed content just having him and Esther there, eating and catching up with tales of school. But slowly Mamá turned the conversation to more serious matters.

"So, this woman you met in Redding, Mei Li. What was she like?"

Mei Li was an older Chinese-American woman with the Changes, one of several people Abuela had listed as trusted contacts.

"She seemed nice enough," said Esther.

Javier shook his head. "Truthfully, I think she was a little rude. She didn't seem to take Esther seriously as Abuela's successor."

"Well, I'm not," said Esther. "Not yet, anyway. And she did tell us a little about the year she spent with Abuela, back in the 1960s. It was just her and Abuela and Abuela's grandson, Keith. Everything seemed pretty much the same then as when Mark arrived. And we heard the same from Jeffrey, the other man who'd spent time with her a few years later."

"Abuela never talked about herself," said Javier. "Jacob likely knows more about her than anyone left. The other few people were just lawyers and financial people, and they mostly dealt with Keith until he died."

"Surely she had other students," said Mamá.

Esther sighed. "No doubt she did. But she didn't leave their names, and they never visited. Perhaps that means she didn't trust them as fully. Jacob says Abuela admitted she'd clouded the memories of a number of visitors, so that they couldn't find her again easily."

Javier nodded. "And Jacob didn't think she regularly had more than one student, or that she often kept them around more than a year or so. Perhaps Mark was an exception, because that was truly his only home. But adding Nicola, and then Esther—that was probably a sign of Abuela's growing desperation with the situation around her."

"So," Mamá said. "Convince me that things really are as safe now as you've been saying. Because I look at the news and I see all these things going on. The mass shootings in Phoenix. The bombings in London. Every time I wonder, is this related to it all?"

Javier breathed out. He'd known this was coming.

"I think it's just the usual awful stuff on the news, Mamá. See, InfoCorp filed for bankruptcy, and it looks like they're getting out of the security business. The Unit's a totally different place, with a fraction of the budget and different leadership. Lukas thinks the computer virus destroyed their records very effectively. He isn't part of the new agency but he vouched for the people involved. And apparently some of the Changed working there wanted to stay, of all things."

"Lukas seems to have kept his word," said Esther. "He's letting them do what they want. Of course, a lot of them have joined him. But he did save them, after all. Anyway, we're lucky that Lukas is handling all of that."

"From what you've told me, you and your group did just as much," said Mamá. "And it seems like you're trusting Lukas an awful lot."

"What choice do we have?" Javier asked. "And we haven't seen any evidence that he's seeking reprisals. No more murders, bombs, whatever. Raj thinks he's probably genuine when he says he only wants to protect the Changed. But of course we're still not telling him any more than he already knows. Nothing about Esther's abilities. I don't think there's anyone left chasing us."

"Mmm," Mamá said. "That's a relief. So, no reason you can't go get a summer job?"

Javier started. "Mamá—"

"Relax, mijo," she said. "I know you're going to be helping Esther somehow with her abilities. It feels good to be able to tease again, doesn't it?"

Javier smiled and looked over at Esther. She had a weirdly distant expression on her face, the sort he'd seen more and more often. Esther was always thinking too hard, he suspected. The summer would be good for her. For both of them.

When Mamá had gone to sleep, Javier found Esther sitting on the guest bed, rubbing her eyes. She was wearing the cute pajamas he'd bought her, the ones with math symbols on them. He sat next to her and put his arms around her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Tired?" he asked, and she nodded.

He half wanted to crawl into bed with her. They'd agreed it was kind of rude to Mamá to do any of that while they were at home, but—

He sighed and helped tuck her in. It was going to be a long two weeks.

* * *

"Javier?"

He looked up from his book. Mamá had gone to work already, and Esther had spent the last two hours sprawled on the couch with a math textbook. She was rubbing her forehead, eyes closed.

"What's up, sweetie?"

"There's someone—someone needs our help."

"Who?" Javier's heart raced. "Raj? Someone at the camp?"

"No, no," Esther said, opening her eyes. "Closer than that, someone I haven't felt before. She's not in immediate danger, but her abilities are causing her trouble. She's extremely upset and confused. I think we should go meet her."

" ... Really? You mean, just show up at her house or something?"

Esther nodded. "Yes. I've been thinking about this, you know. Abuela never explained exactly how she decided who needed to come to the camp. She said she'd learned to know when someone needed it. But she was a hypocrite. She didn't truly ask people for permission. She just pulled them to her, and I think she felt guilty about that. I'm going to do this a different way."

Javier stared at her. "You mean, you're going to invite her to the camp, too? Just like that?"

Esther nodded again. "I'm sure we can help her. I have to start out somewhere."

Javier didn't like this idea at all. "Didn't you say you needed the summer to get some space? Now you're ready to start teaching? Adding people we don't even know?"

Esther didn't say anything for a while, but she was getting that stubborn look on her face. Javier wasn't going to win this argument.

"She needs help," Esther said finally. "I have to do this, Javier."

An hour later they were heading towards LA. Esther couldn't quite pinpoint the location on a map, but as they got closer she was able to direct him. Eventually they reached what seemed to be a very expensive neighborhood, and Esther pointed to a huge house on a cul-de-sac.

No one came when they rang the doorbell.

"She's there," said Esther. "By herself. She heard the doorbell." Esther pushed the bell again with no response. "All right, I'll pull on her a little. Just so she answers the door."

A few seconds later the door opened, and a woman squinted at them suspiciously. She wore baggy jeans and a sweatshirt, but she seemed to have perfectly done makeup and carefully styled dark brown hair. Javier couldn't quite tell her age. Late thirties? She was medium-height and looked very athletic.

"I'm not buying anything," she said. "Don't know why I even answered the door."

She moved to close it again.

"Ma'am?" Esther asked. "Have you always felt out of place, maybe more so lately? Have you been unusually healthy over your life, but you still feel as though there's something not normal about you? Perhaps you have unusual senses that you've learned to hide?"

The woman stared in shock for a moment.

"Who the hell are you kids? Is this a prank? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"There are others like you," Esther rushed on. "I'm one. We can help you understand—"

But the woman was shaking her head, reaching for the door.

"I know it sounds crazy," said Javier. "But we can help. Do you know a place called Sierra City?"

The woman paused, confused, and then nodded slowly. "Up north, near Tahoe. Good snow."

"There's a sort of camp there. Do you have e-mail?"

The woman didn't answer, squinting at him and shifting uncomfortably.

Javier wrote down an address on a piece of paper, shoving it towards her hand. She jerked away, then snatched it and took a step back.

"We'll be around all summer. The place is really off-grid but we can check messages this way. Get in touch and we can arrange to pick you up from the town, by the post office. My name's Javier, by the way, and this is Esther."

The woman didn't reply, but she did look at the piece of paper. Finally she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said as she closed the door. "I think you have me confused with someone."

Esther looked as though she wanted to ring the bell again, but Javier took her hand.

"She's considering it. I think that's the best we can do, since you don't want to force her to come."

Esther let him lead her back to the car, and she collapsed in the passenger seat. Javier started up the car and headed home.

"She really needs help," Esther said eventually. "I made a mess of it, didn't I? I'm glad you were there. You always know what to say."

Javier felt a wash of guilt at her praise. Mostly he hoped this woman didn't take them up on the offer. The e-mail wasn't traceable to anything, so he didn't mind giving it out. But Esther didn't need to be worrying about yet another person. She needed to take care of herself first.

* * *

"Amor prohibido murmuran por las calles ..."

Esther laughed and tapped on the steering wheel as Javier sang to the radio. It was good to see her like this. Often when she drove she had this terrified intensity, as though she might lose her concentration at any moment, which was silly. She was a good driver even if she'd only had her license a few months.

Staying with Mamá had been good for both of them. But Javier couldn't wait to see their friends at the camp.

"Remember the first time we did this? In my station wagon, with me trying to pretend it was just a fun road trip?"

Esther sighed. "How could I forget, Javier? I was so terrified. It seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"

Javier nodded, then casually put his hand on her thigh. Esther jerked slightly.

"Oh, sorry, Javier. Maybe that's not a good idea while I drive." She smiled slightly.

"I know," he said, pulling away his hand. "I'm just remembering those first times. God, I'm horny."

"We'll have our own bed soon enough. Plenty of time for that."

"Good," said Javier. "We should probably set aside a day or two. Maybe a week. Put up a do-not-disturb sign and have the others deliver us food."

Esther frowned and glanced over, only then realizing he was joking.

"I miss it too, Javier."

Javier swallowed. He was pretty sure she was referring to more than just the last two weeks. But he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't make her feel worse. So he patted her softly on the shoulder and started to sing with the radio again.

* * *

When they came around the last turn, Nicola was in her overalls by the truck, a huge grin on her face. She put down her tools and came to greet them both with a hug, kissing Esther on the cheek.

"Finally!" Nicola said. "God, it's good to see you again. Too quiet here. I love Mark, but if I didn't keep talking we'd probably spend entire days in silence. He's out, but he knows you were coming. I'm sure he'll be back soon enough."

The two of them had clearly been busy in the months since Esther and Javier last visited. There was a newly graded gravel path and a raised border around the old vegetable garden. Esther could already feel herself relaxing. She liked the farmhouse well enough, but this place was home.

It wasn't just that, though. She was physically near three of the people she kept Watch over, and much closer to Jacob than she normally was. He was the hardest to keep in her mind, probably because of his careful work over the years to dampen his own abilities. Even Mrs. Sanchez was easier.

Javier was eagerly inspecting the new planting bed. It had really been his project, and Esther hoped he took over again. He needed something to keep him occupied during their time here. As he talked he kept glancing at Nicola and then looking away. She understood what that meant well enough by now: Javier was the same kind of distracted with any woman he found attractive. She loved that he was far too polite to ever be rude about it.

Anyway, she could hardly blame him. Nicola was good-looking, and the overalls just added to her charm. Esther felt herself warming as she thought on the times they'd been intimate. Javier knew about that, but she didn't think he liked to think about it.

Esther closed her eyes and inhaled the crisp air, the sharp tang of pine. The trees whispered to each other under the light breeze, connections from tree to tree, root and earth and needle all forming a single substance. A soft footstep resolved into Mark's body, moving as always as though he was aware of every needle on the ground. She sighed as her mind casually touched his familiar, solid body, and then she resolutely drew her attention away to a more appropriate distance.

"Hello, Mark," she said softly, and she knew he'd heard. When he arrived shortly, he gave her a simple, joyful smile that warmed her from the inside. She was home, and her family was here.

* * *

Javier lay with Esther in Abuela's old cabin, listening to Esther's steady breath and letting the evening's pleasure wash over him again.

Esther hadn't been this into sex for months. He'd almost forgotten what it was like. Something had been different tonight, and thank God for it. Within a minute of arriving he'd already been fantasizing about Nicola getting out of those overalls, and the fantasies were all too realistic, because Nicola had zero sense of modesty. He'd seen her stark naked more than once, and probably he'd be seeing her that way again soon. And of course he'd seen her and Mark having sex in that motel in DC. Hard to forget that. Then at dinner tonight he'd been thinking about Esther and Nicola together, and it was such a mess in his head.

But it was amazing what a good orgasm or three could do. Esther hadn't let up, and even though she only seemed up for one of her own, she'd obviously been really into it. Not one of those orgasms where she went into her own head and didn't notice anything for many minutes. She didn't seem to need sex to do that anymore, which was faintly disappointing to Javier. But she'd always said that she enjoyed herself better staying firmly in her body. He was just glad to have something more like their old, carefree sex. And he was glad to see Esther sleeping well. Lately she always seemed to be short of it.

Esther made a sweet little noise in her sleep, and her brow furrowed. Then there was a soft moan, unmistakable after the evening they'd had. He watched her through whatever sexy dream she was having, until she woke with a start, looking briefly panicked.

"Oh," she said slowly, rubbing her eyes. "For a minute ... well, never mind. I can't remember."

She seldom could remember dreams. Such a contrast to her perfect recall during her wakeful life. Maybe it was a reprieve of sorts. Javier rolled over to kiss her, and she returned it happily. One of his legs rode up between hers, and she pressed herself against it. They were both naked, and it seemed she was wet again. His dick hardened, clearly ready for yet another round.

"You're so sexy," Esther said into his cheek, her hand finding his cock even as she ground against him. "Maybe you're right. We should just stay in bed for a week. Everything feels so right."

Javier had to agree. As he stroked her low on the back, she shivered against him. His precious Esther. She deserved some time away from her worries.

* * *

The next morning, Javier was so energetic that he joined Mark on one of his hunting excursions. Esther and Nicola lingered around the dining area.

"Poor Javier," said Esther. "He kept complaining all spring that he was out of shape, though he seems fine to me."

"Does he, now?" Nicola said with a smirk, and Esther turned red.

"Hah, I thought you guys had that look after dinner. Sorry, I won't tease you any more. Nice to know things are going well with you two. And I'm glad to have some time with you, Esther. I've needed to talk to you anyway."

"No trouble with your abilities, I hope?" Esther said.

Nicola frowned. "Well, let me put it this way. I like to pretend I'm over what happened last summer, but I'm not sure I ever will be."

Esther shivered, thinking of Abuela's corpse, and Andrew's dead eyes. Nicola had killed Andrew with her abilities, and even now they weren't sure exactly how she'd done it.

"Are you making progress using your abilities passively, the way you were before everything happened?"

Nicola nodded. "A little. But mostly it's just the same old. I know I have these other capabilities inside me, and I'm terrified of them. I'm starting to think if I can't experiment a little with manipulating matter, I won't ever know what I'm capable of. At least I guess I've gotten myself somewhere safe."

"Do you think you could learn to be satisfied with that?" Esther asked.

Nicola sighed and shook her head. "It's not in my nature, is it? I *want* those abilities. Part of me is always trying to reach for them. And that terrifies me. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with things as they are."

"OK," Esther said. "Why don't you show me how you usually practice. Do you mind if I get closer?"

Nicola smiled and shook her head. "Of course not, Esther."

Esther crouched next to Nicola's seat, and then hesitantly put her arms around the other woman. Nicola relaxed against her, putting her hands on the table.

Esther felt Nicola's attention narrow, and she extended her senses to envelop the other woman. Abuela had been able to do this from a distance, and Esther had tried something like it a few times before. She thought she was getting better at it.

She could feel Nicola's breath synchronize with hers, the joyous rhythm of their dual heartbeats. And she felt some of Nicola's senses: the feel of clothes on her skin, the prickle of sweat, the sense of frequencies even beyond what Esther normally could discern. The table beneath her fingers, its rough texture a result of the microscopic ridges and valleys in the wood fibers. The fibers themselves, the remnants of individual plant cells and even individual molecules, pressing and pulling against each other in the pattern unique to their substance.