The Key of Hearts by Mia Rodriguez

  Chapter 7

  “The world is complicated,” Grandmother Chela said. “Very complicated.” She took in quick bursts of air while Selena and Xavier took no breaths at all. “What I’m about to tell you must be kept a secret—it’s a matter of life and death. You can’t tell anyone. Not any person—no exceptions. Do you understand?” Selena and Xavier nodded.

  “It was written a very long time ago in the hearts of those who have deep wisdom that the earth is inhabited by three kinds of people: Ordinary humans who manage to get through their chaotic days with pencils and giant erasers. Then there are those who are different to the umpteenth power but don’t appreciate or accept themselves. Finally, there are the ones who recognize their six senses and embrace them to the fullest."

  Grandmother Chela paused before continuing, letting her words sink into Selena and Xavier who eyed her wide-eyed.

  "And also, occasionally, just sometimes, two of these different sorts find each other like powerful magnets.”

  “You’re talking about Selena and me?” asked Xavier, as if it explained a mystery.

  “That’s right,” declared Grandmother Chela, matter-of-fact.

  “But grandmother—“

  “Let me finish, okay?”

  Selena and Xavier nodded solemnly.

  "I’ve got to warn you that underneath this are all kinds of intentions that make up good and evil."

  Xavier frowned deeply. "So not everyone with my kind of abilities uses them for good things?"

  "No, they often use them for very bad things."

  “So it's about power,” Selena stated.

  “It’s always about power in one way or another,” declared Grandmother Chela.

  “I'm just an accident of nature,” Xavier informed bitterly.

  “No, there are no coincidences—no accidents.”

  “I just can’t see how this curse can be something special.”

  “You’ve always felt the need, the inclination, to help others, haven’t you?” Grandmother Chela asked as if it was a rhetorical question. “You’ve protected many kids from bullies, haven’t you?”

  “Yes,” he said uncomfortably.

  “So why do you doubt your destiny?—your destiny to use your gift for good?” asked Grandmother Chela.

  The word destiny collided inside Selena’s psyche.

  “I told you that you were special, Xavier,” Selena stated.

  “He’s not the only one who is special, Selenita.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Selena.

  “You’re special too.”

  “What?!” Selena exclaimed.

  “You also have special abilities.”

  “But I’m not like Xavier—no telekinesis. I have no powers.”

  “Selena,” Grandmother Chela said with a chiding voice, “you’ve got lots of powers.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Selena, completely baffled.

  “For one thing, you’ve got a way with animals.”

  “That’s not a big deal.”

  “It’s a very big deal.”

  “Also, you think with both your heart and your brain.”

  “My heart and my brain?”

  “Yes, your heart and brain work very well together,” stated Grandmother Chela.

  “I don’t see what you mean.”

  “You have an awesome way of looking at things,” stated Xavier. “You dig and dig but you not only use your brain, you also see how everything works on a deeper level.”

  “How is that anything like what Xavier does? How can it even compare?”

  “It’s more powerful,” stated Grandmother Chela.

  “How is that?” asked Selena, shaking her head as if in complete disbelief.

  “What you do on the outside can never compare to what’s inside of you,” stated Xavier. “Inside is where everything is at.”

  “Very wisely said,” affirmed Grandmother Chela.

  Xavier grew pensive. “My mother was the one who used to say that."

  Selena placed her hand on Xavier’s arm.

  “Don’t be so sad, Xavier. You’ll see your mother again someday,” informed Grandmother Chela.

  “I will?”

  “Guaranteed.”

  Xavier's face slightly relaxed.

  “Life has more roads than people think,” Grandmother Chela informed.

  “Grandmother, about those who use their gifts for evil—”

  “I call them the greedy gifted. I call us the heart gifted.”

  “Good names. Who are the greedy gifted?” Selena asked anxiously. Could what had happened at school have anything to do with them? Selena wondered.

  “That’s the tricky part. They can be just about anybody, and you have to be very vigilant and careful. They are masters of deception and lies. Being great manipulators, they are very toxic and very dangerous.”

  Selena’s eyebrows came together with deep concern.

  “Why are you so interested in them?” Grandmother Chela asked suspiciously.

  “They might be at our school,” Selena announced.

  Xavier frowned. “Yeah, that’s true.”

  Selena painstakingly told her grandmother about the strange happenings at Gran Estrella high school, trying to explain in detail the very windy day and the falling bookcase that Xavier had diverted away from Moonflower.

  “I don’t know what to tell you,” she said, worried. “But I will advise you not to jump the gun.”

  “It might not be the greedy gifted at your school but just a shift of energy because of the two of you finally understanding about one another. Your energy is tying itself to each other and building itself up. Sometimes it feels like a separate force from you. That may be the reason for the chaos at school.”

  “That’s a relief,” Selena stated, exhaling a deep breath.

  “On the other hand, don’t let your guard down, my children. Keep vigilant, don’t trust anybody—not a single person at your school except each other, okay?”

  “Okay,” Xavier assured her.

  “We’ll watch out,” Selena agreed.

  “Yes, keep an eye out,” Grandmother Chela murmured. "Be very careful."