Chapter Nine
Age thirteen.
Ma and Pa were gone to a town meeting. Several of the children from around the Territory were at Ty's house. He was the oldest kid in the Territory so everyone trusted in him to make sure their kids would remain safe.
It's been four years since his ordeal at the hospital and he's never been quite the same. Nightmares come and go as they please. He was ashamed of his gift. It caused him much pain and he was afraid that if his parents found out that it didn't go away, they would move away from Benthic Territory and move Topside. He couldn't let that happen.
His seven year old sister Zoe and Hewitt were in the kitchen. Zoe was having Hewitt guess the various temperatures of water from the sink with dipping in one finger. Hewitt always got it spot on. They always played with their Gifts and had fun with them no matter how many times he told them not to play with them. He kept looking over the reading assignment that he had for homework. He ignored the others around the room.
They all ran around and played with each other, showing off their Gifts and deciding whose was the best. Hewitt had a Gift to determine the temperatures of water, water pressure and many other things that no human could determine without a lot of scientific tools. Zoe had a powerful electric shock like an electric eel. Another girl could withstand cold temperatures. Another boy could dive deep and not be affected by the water pressure. The possibilities were endless.
"That's enough!" he said and through down his school work. The kids quieted down and looked up at him. "Don't you guys understand? Our Gifts aren't something to be proud of! If our parents found out what we are, we'll all move to Topside and be given to the hospitals to be experimented on. You want to know what I got up there? This." He pulled down the collar of his shirt, exposing a thin, silver line at the base of his throat that he usually covered up. He has never showed it to anyone, the scar he received from the doctors.
"Hide your Gifts," he said and readjusted his shirt. "It's not something you should be proud to have." He picked up his book and disappeared into this room, closing the door firmly behind him. He threw the book down on his bed and sat down at his desk where he started to clean a crown he found out in the ocean a few days ago. Cleaning valuable treasures usually got his mind off his troubles. He traced the surgical scar on his throat and took in a shuddering breath. He began to scrape off the bits of mud and crust off the crown revealing gold.
His message got through to the other kids of the Territory. They hid their Gifts and became ashamed that they ever had them.
It's been a week since the Specter left Lottie's. The time has passed by so quickly that Ty hasn't given it a second thought. He was practically the outlaws' equal. Almost. He was still their dish boy and slept on a padded bench, but other than that he was one of them. Not entirely an outlaw but he was still with them and it no longer bothered him. It was a strange feeling, but he now understood why they did what they did.
With his shoulder healed, he could do more. He organized the gear room. That took a very long time to complete. First he had to figure out where everything was supposed to be then he had to pull everything out and reorganize it all. He only finished today. Shade was proud they hadn't left him behind to die. He kept saying that to Pretty, who was the one who suggested they should leave him behind. Pretty would only roll his eyes and walk away.
They let him eat at the table with them now, no longer eating after they ate. He didn't take up much room and kept quiet while they talked. He only responded if he absolutely had to.
"You got a Gift, Guppy?" Kale asked.
Ty nodded and stared down at his food. "Yeah, I've got one." He looked up at Shade for a moment. He just sat there with his arms crossed over his chest. "It's echolocation or biosonar. I make these clicks in the back of my throat and they bounce off any nearby objects and come back to me so I can create a mental picture in my mind of my surroundings."
The outlaws nodded and began to explain their own useful Gifts. It was clear that they were proud of their Gifts unlike him.
"Shade's is probably that most impressive since you can actually see his," Eel explained. "But we wouldn't be as successful without all of our gifts. Mine is electromagnetic pulse. I'm the reason why the lights go out when we pass over."
"You think you're so high and mighty," Hatchet muttered and barred his teeth. "I'm the muscles behind the Gang here."
"Like the shark he resembles, he's got the strength of a Bull Shark," Kale said.
"And the brain capacity," Trilo said quietly. The outlaws laughed at Hatchet and stared back at Trilo and kicked him under the table.
"What about you, Kale?" Ty asked. "What's your gift?"
"Heightened senses," he said and relaxed against the padded backing of the bench. "I can see better, smell better, and hear further than any other human." Ty looked in Trilo's direction. The young outlaw's eyes glowed radioactive green as he fingered one of the many charms he wore around his neck.
"I see in thermal vision. I can turn it on and off like a switch. It comes in handy when your crown lights don't work," he said and gripped one of the charms.
The only person left to explain about their Gift was Pretty, but he wasn't exactly the talking type of person. Eel filled in for him.
"Hypnotism," Eel said. "Pretty's Gift can put you into a trance."
Ty looked at Pretty and almost wished he hadn't. The cold blue eyes stared back at him. Ty said nothing and looked away.
"Got any scars, Guppy?" Shade asked and leaned forward.
"You mean besides the one you gave me?" That earned a few laughs. "Yeah, I've got one." He looked down at the remnants of his food. "It's right here." He looked up and pulled down the collar of his shirt to expose his scar. The outlaws leaned in to get a closer look at it.
"When'd you get that one?" Eel asked.
"When I was nine," he explained. "I told my parents about what I could do and they didn't like that. They took me to the hospital and the doctors took it from there."
"Your own parents just gave you up?" Trilo asked.
"They brought me to the hospital because they cared about me. They didn't know that the doctors would test me and operate on me."
"Sounds like they really care about you," Pretty said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Do they even know about your Gift?"
He shook his head. "They think it went away. They'll move Topside if they knew it came back."
"You're ashamed of your Gift aren't you?" Shade asked. Ty didn't say anything. "What's to be ashamed about?" Ty shrugged.
"Take it from the people who know it best," Hatchet said. "Your Gift is something to be proud about."
"Don't let anyone tell you different," Kale said. The outlaws all nodded.
Dinner was finished and the outlaws moved off. Kale patted Ty on the shoulder as he walked by. Only Shade remained.
"Are you okay, Guppy?" he asked.
Ty stood up and nodded. He cleared the table and began to wash the dishes and stack them away like he did every day. Shade passed by him but said nothing. Ty's had his fill of talking for the day. Too many memories uprooted that he would have preferred to keep rooted down.