Brianna Acero and the Second One's Return

23. The voice is back

"I'll be honest with you, when I first saw your name on Alexa's list, I was shocked. I didn't think you could be Thomas's daughter." Daniel turns to me, tattooed arms crossed over his chest. "But looking at you now there is no doubt about it, you really do look just like him."

It's been about ten minutes since training ended, and I stayed behind, just as Daniel asked me to. Cassie seemed reluctant to leave me, but I assured her I would be fine on my own, so she promised to tell the rest of the team where I was and why I was missing free period. I wipe the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand.

Training had been quite eventful once all the demonstrations were over. Daniel split us up into groups of five or six and started showing us some moves. Not with our Gifts, just with our bodies. I discovered that I liked the punching bags the best. For one, they didn't hit back when I smacked them, and there was just something relaxing about getting to let out all your frustration on an inanimate object.

The moves he showed us eventually became second nature and flowed so naturally it was like we were performing a choreography. Lunge, dodge, swing, kick, right hook, jab, repeat. He also had us practice in pairs once we were done with the punching bags. Dodging was easy when there was nothing to dodge, it was much harder when a fist was headed straight for your nose. I learned that the hard way. I also had a pretty nasty bruise forming on my left side thanks to a particularly fast kick from Liam, who had been my sparring partner.

We started talking while we were fighting each other, and it turned out he was a really nice guy. I kind of pegged him for the dark and brooding type because of his Gift, but he was actually a pretty happy person. He kept cracking jokes all throughout practice, making me lose my focus more than once. I wonder if he did that on purpose. He lived in New Boston and had to leave his family behind to come here. I asked him why he didn't just join the compound in New Boston, it was one of the most recognized Elite training grounds in the country, but he just shrugged and told me he needed to get away from it all. Start fresh.

"With a Gift like mine, it's hard not to get noticed. Practically everyone back home knew who I was, and I don't mean that in a good way. Do you know what it's like to go for a walk and have mothers pull their children to the opposite side of the road because they are scared of you?"

I didn't, and I understood why he decided to leave it all behind. I respected him even more for that.

After class was over Daniel pulled me aside and waited until all my classmates left before he started talking. That's how we ended up here, now twelve minutes since class ended, sitting on the blue mat.

"So," continues Daniel, "do you really have your father's Gift?" He asks, but I have a feeling he already knows the answer. I nod anyways.

"Yes, although I just found out about it a little while ago. Up 'til now, I thought I was one of the only people on the planet without a Gift."

Daniel nods, expression darkening.

"It makes sense," he says, more to himself than directed at me. "He only received his Gift after his mother passed."

My eyes widen. So, he also knows how my Gift works, probably about my family's history as well. I guess it's only fair he knew, if my father was a close friend of his.

"You and my dad, were you close?"

He leans back, staring up at the ceiling before directing his attention back towards my eyes. He must see something in them, probably my desperation to finally find out more about my father, and sighs. He cracks his knuckles. Then his neck. Then his back. I wait patiently, trying not to cringe at every new sound that comes from his bones. Once he's done popping every possible joint in his body, he continues.