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what he said today I am hoping his condition is temporary and wherever he is he's okay and he will come back. But until then we have to wait. So quit feeling sorry for yourself. If you feel this is all too much and looking after Samuel is a burden , then by all means leave. I'm sure we can find someone else to take care of him."
    I'd never voiced my opinion to Cassia before. I'd always steered clear of her, left her to her anger. Now, in the face of my words and my own fury , she seemed startled, unsure of herself.
    "You can't make me leave." She lifted her chin.
    Really? After everything I said, that was all she got? "I'm not making you leave, Cassia. I'm just saying if you aren't happy taking care of Samuel, we can find someone else." I was careful to use the word 'we'. A gentle reminder that my presence here was with the kind permission of Samuel's extended family. Not that I needed their permission, but they had eased Cassia into accepting me in the house and I appreciated that.
    Now, I watched Samuel's niece as she considered my words. She didn't respond and for Cassia, being short of words was unusual. Then she turned abruptly on her heel and left the room.
    "Well, I suppose I got my answer, then," I said to myself.
    Samuel chuckled and when I glanced at him, a little shocked, my heart sank with disappointment at the blank expression in his eyes. Then he tilted his head and stared out the window. Sighing, I got to my feet and kissed his cheek. Then walked out of the room and left him there alone again.
    As I drove all I could think about were Samuel's words. "I'm not done yet. The girl . . . She needs me."
     
    ***
     

Chapter 5
    I left Samuel's, my thoughts a blur. What had he meant? Who was the girl he mentioned? My subconscious knew already where I intended to go and though my mind replayed Samuel's words over and over again, I drove myself through Chicago's abandoned quarter, heading for Storm's place.
    Surely he would be able to make some kind of sense of what Samuel had said. I parked and headed up the stairs of what used to be an old high rise apartment building. Today it was owned by Storm, and housed a few hundred special kids, gifted kids, paranormals who were lost. I'd been one of those children not so long ago. Would have fallen through the cracks in the human system if Storm hadn't found me. If Fulbright had had his way I'd have ended up in Juvie with all the hardened human delinquents. Would not have been good for them.
    But I'd been lucky. I met Dr. Chloe Murdoch and that got the ball rolling in Storm's direction. Fulbright had wanted an assessment, had been positive he'd get one back saying I was a psycho family killer. He'd sent me to a social worker, Dr. Murdoch, hoping to get a recommendation to have me put behind bars. Only it didn't work that way. Not for Dr. or Chief Murdoch.
    Chloe Murdoch just so happened to be a Sensitive. I'd been supercharged after the murder, so high on adrenalin I couldn't see straight, terrified of anything that moved. The sight of seeing my parents slaughtered had shocked me so badly I'd jumped for the first time in my life and been lost in the ether. Terrified , I'd struggled to get back despite having no idea how. Panic or adrenalin worked eventually and I returned to the bodies of my dead parents and to a missing sister. Then, I had Fulbright hammering me hour after hour to confess to knowing something about my parents' murder, to admit I was protecting the bastards who had stolen my sister. He insisted I give them up if I knew what was good for me. I was eleven, grieving, guilty and terrified.
    By the time I'd been taken in to see Dr. Murdoch I'd wet myself, from fear, from waiting too long, who knows. Chloe helped get me cleaned up, got me some clean clothing and calmed me down just by laying her hands on me. I didn't know it at the time but Chloe had the ability to take away fear and anxiety just by touch. And she'd chosen the best profession to be in to use such a