Read Old Magic for Free Online

supernatural talents either realize it early, or never at all. And so it can thrive—as in your case—or lie dormant. Those unfortunate ones who remain oblivious usually do so their entire lives. I’ve seen it happen so many times. Years ago, Denise Hiller’s baby used to pick the phone up every time someone was dialing their number. It used to annoy Denise when people would complain her line was always busy. She scolded her daughter continuously until the child learned it was bad behavior. Now the child is grown, and there’s no way she will ever harness that strength of power again. She can do little things with a remarkable sixth sense. But that’s all. We’ve been trying to regain more, but most of it is lost.”
    “Jarrod’s power is immense, yet he’s completely unaware of it.”
    “That’s strange, like something’s triggered it.”
    I try to follow her line of thinking. “Do you think there’s a reason his power is emerging now?”
    She shrugs. “I don’t know, Kate. Just guessing.”
    I think about this for a minute, but something else is wrong too. “If Jarrod’s power is so strong that he can manipulate the weather, and he doesn’t learn how to control it, anything could happen. The science lab was nearly destroyed today. Sheer luck no one else was hurt.”
    “You need to hunt around in his past, see what turns up. Unleashed power can cause mass destruction, Kate. But go slow. He seems somewhat frail.”
    She’s being subtle. He comes across as spineless.
    We stop whispering as Jarrod comes back. He thanks Jillian and we go outside. But even the brilliance of the bright blue sky can’t stop Jillian’s warning ringing in my ears.
    Jarrod
    Not much point going back to school now.”
    I look at her; she has to be kidding. We’re standing in the quiet cul-de-sac outside her grandmother’s wacky shop. I glance at my watch: 11:00 a.m. “That’s fine for you, but I don’t want to face a suspension on my first day.”
    “I want to show you something.”
    “Sorry, I don’t think so.” I start down the road, and can’t seem to get away quick enough. Kate is definitely weird, her grandmother, too. Now I know where she gets it from. Poor kid, she hasn’t got a chance. It’s in her genes. “Another time, maybe.” Like never!
    “It’s not far.” Her persistence is manipulative. “C’mon, Jarrod. Give me a break. I want to make up for what happened this morning, with Jillian and the . . . you know.” She shrugs. “Snakes.”
    The incident with her grandmother shook me up more than that unusual storm in the lab. That at least is a foggy memory. I try to look unfazed. “Forget it.”
    “You’ll love this place. It’s enchanted.”
    Enchanted! That does it. “Uh-uh.”
    She realizes instantly her mistake and scrunches up her nose. “No, I don’t mean . . . You know, in a magical sense,” she corrects quickly. “Just pleasant, endearing.”
    “Hmm.” I’m being obstinate, but I’ve had a gutful of this magic nonsense.
    “Look,” she persists annoyingly. “This place is really special to me. And I bet you haven’t seen much of the mountain yet.”
    She has me there as we only arrived a couple of days ago, and I’ve spent most of that time fixing the old place up to make it comfortable for Dad, easy for him to get around with his crutches. “So what?”
    She takes my arm by the elbow. Her fingers are firm and warm. I look down into her face. She’s a fair bit shorter than me, at least a head length. Her blue-gray eyes reflect the sunlight as her face expands into that smile again. She tugs my arm, and without giving it any more thought, I follow her into the forest. “You’re dangerous.”
    She laughs but doesn’t answer. And for the next twenty minutes neither of us says anything as we fight our way through a maze of thick hanging vines and half-rotted fallen trees that are now probably residences for goodness knows what forest animals. My mind flips through a mental