Moving Objects

Chapter 16

I made my way quickly to where Dimitri and I went swimming the other day and pulled my shirt and shorts off before diving into the water. It was cool but I enjoyed the freshness of it. I pushed my hair back from my face as I broke the surface and sighed. I could feel Lissa's concern in the back of my mind but I ignored it. I needed to just shut everything off and process what happened yesterday.

I let my body float in the water and I closed my eyes, listened to the water move. I breathed deeply and focused on the water moving over my body as I played the events over. It felt like I was washing the sins of yesterday away. An emotion was trying to push through but it wasn't coming from Lissa. It was understanding and compassion.

It was coming from Dad.

I opened my eyes and started to tread water. It was a strange sensation to feel someone else's emotions, aside from Lissa's, but his positive emotions were blanketing my negative ones. I wasn't sure how long I floated there but I could hear footsteps on the wood and I sighed, turning around to find Dad leaning against the railing.

"Feeling any better?"

I snorted a laugh. "I don't know, you tell me. You seem to be able to feel what I'm feeling."

Dad shrugged and set a towel down on the planks, indicating that he wanted me to get out of the water. I rolled my eyes but obliged him anyway and pulled myself out.

"Wait, if you can feel my emotions, is it all the time?"

"No, only when they are particularly strong emotions. I could tell that you were extremely 'happy' the other night, for example," he said while raising a brow at me.

I suppressed a shudder as my eyes widened like saucers. Oh gross, my dad could feel how 'happy' I was with Dimitri the other night. Dad's laugh interrupted my thoughts.

"I see you've come to the realization. How do you think I felt?" he chuckled. I shook my head and buried it in the towel, groaning and mentally cursing him. I shook my head and wrapped the towel around my shoulders before leaning back on my hands.

"How did Lissa take it?" I asked quietly, kicking my feet in the water. Dad shifted his weight and slipped his shoes off before joining me, letting his feet dangle in the water.

"She was quiet and a little hurt. She said that she was disappointed that you hadn't told her about your abilities, and it's clear that she was upset that Castile knew about you and Belikov before she did. But to be honest, if she was paying attention she would have noticed. I did within a few weeks."

I nodded and chewed my lip, taking it in. I knew Lissa would be upset that I didn't tell her about my abilities, but I didn't want to add any more stress on her while she was dealing with learning her Spirit. Not to mention, I didn't want to worry her. And then with Dimitri, I hadn't meant for Eddie to find out before her, but Dad was right, if she really had paid attention, she would have seen it too.

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"I believe she went for a walk with Castiel. Belikov is waiting for both of us."

I nodded again and sighed. "Will you teach me how to do that? The whole emotion thing? I can do it with Lissa, but it would be cool to learn that too. Do it extend to other people?"

Dad chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes, I can teach you, and yes it extends to other people. I used to use it on your mother all the time, not that she ever knew," Dad said with a wink.

I gasped and smirked at him, bumping him with my shoulder. "Dad, you manipulated Mom?" I gasped in faux horror but started laughing halfway through.