The Second Heart (37 page)

Dr. Wells slammed the bowl down onto the
table and tossed the cup inside. “I can’t believe I’m sucking in
for this,” she remarked, settling back into her chair with another
loud scrape.

Meredith managed to stop coughing and caught
her breath. “We weren’t sure if you were coming back.”

“Just get on with it.”

Meredith swallowed and focused her attention
on the Dixie cup. It began to smoke a little before blossoming into
a steady orange flame. She smiled triumphantly and watched Dr.
Wells’s face as she processed the information.

Dr. Wells’s eyes were fixated on the little
flame inside the metal bowl. She couldn’t deny what her eyes were
telling her, as hard as she found it to believe. She’d picked out
the Dixie cup herself; this was no trick. “Why are you showing me
this?” Her eyes penetrated Meredith’s, searching for
understanding.

Meredith relaxed a little, seeing the
open-minded curiosity that was taking root inside Dr. Wells.
“Because my growth--my new organ--is what allows me to do that.”
She nodded to the little flame that still flickered on the
table.

“We have good reason to believe that anyone
who has this growth removed will die, and the only way to prevent
that is to go public with what we know,” Nate added. He didn’t
mention Aleric, not wanting to push his luck with Dr. Wells’s
tentative acceptance of their story.

“And you need my help to legitimize your
claims,” Dr. Wells surmised with a frown.

Meredith had expected her reluctance, and a
shadow of a smile crossed her face. “Yes,” she agreed. She
remembered her initial impression of Dr. Wells, that the doctor was
focused on her career and building her own notoriety. “In exchange,
I am prepared to submit to any testing you want to do, except
anything that could injure me or my organ. I would also let you
publish the results.”

Dr. Wells was practically salivating. “I
would require some testing to be conducted up front to see if we
can get a better understanding of how it works. Depending on what I
find, I may be willing to come forward to support your claim.”

“The longer we wait to go public, the more
people there will be who erroneously remove their growths,” Nate
warned. “We can give you a week, but then you would have to stand
up with us.”

“I can’t get much done in a week,” Dr. Wells
countered.

Nate stood. “Then we’ll go to someone
else.”

“No, wait.” Dr. Wells grabbed his arm,
looking up at him with a calculating expression. “You have a
deal.”

* * *

Nate was good at his job. A crowd of at least
two hundred reporters and interested spectators had gathered in
front of Phoenix Mercy hospital. A small stage and podium had been
erected near the lobby doors. Meredith was wearing a conservative
suit, and her red hair was twisted into a bun at the nape of her
neck. Nate had instructed her to look as normal and trustworthy as
possible, so she went with the classics. Dr. Wells stood next to
her, wearing a pale green dress underneath her white lab coat. They
both certainly looked the parts that they would play.

The last week had gone by in a blur of scans,
blood tests, and various prodding. It had all been relatively
painless, however, and the worst thing Meredith had suffered was
boredom. Outside of the medical testing, she had spent several
hours each day with Eleanor, working on learning to control her
magic.

After their experience with Dr. Wells, Nate
and Meredith agreed that they needed to go bigger--much
bigger--with today’s exhibition. There had to be no doubt in
anyone’s mind that the feat was anything other than magic. No
tricks, no gimmicks, no room for argument. Meredith’s new influx of
power was definitely helping their cause; because of it, she would
be able to manage a much more impressive display.

“Are you ready?” Nate asked in a low voice.
He, too, had dressed up for the occasion. He was wearing a charcoal
gray suit with a red tie, which complemented his honey colored eyes
perfectly. He was the perfect picture of the handsome, confident
news reporter.

Meredith looked up at the sky. There wasn’t a
cloud in sight, and she enjoyed the warmth of the morning sun on
her face. “As ready as I’m ever going to be,” she said breathily.
Her stomach was aflutter with nerves.

“You’ll do great.” Nate gave her arm a
reassuring squeeze and moved on to talk to Dr. Wells.

Nate and Dr. Wells were both probably making
their careers this morning, while Meredith was still moving along
without a plan. She had been so focused and driven for as long as
she could remember; it actually felt good to have the freedom to do
whatever she liked. She was honest with herself, however; though
she wasn’t making a career, her life would be irrevocably changed
after this morning.

After another few moments, Nate approached
the podium and addressed the crowd. The murmurs quieted down as
Nate spoke. Meredith knew what he was going to say; she’d watched
him rehearse it half a dozen times. He would talk about the strange
weather events that coincided with a rash of unusual medical cases,
leading to the possibility that the two might be related. He would
briefly tell the story of a vast repository of energy that had
ruptured, leading to the recent happenings. Then he would explain
that the energy would change our understanding of the world
forever. He would never once use the word magic.

Meredith tuned him out as he talked,
rehearsing what she would do in her mind. As much talking as Nate
and Dr. Wells would do, in the end it would all come down to her.
After Nate concluded, he introduced Dr. Wells, a world renowned
endocrinologist in her own right who had had the chance to study a
patient with one of the strange new growths.

When Dr. Wells started to talk, Meredith paid
attention. The doctor hadn’t bothered to share any of her findings
with Meredith, so she was learning almost as much as everyone
else.

“The first thing we want to share is that the
patient is in good health, and it is not medically indicated to
remove the growth. In fact, we have studied it carefully and come
to the conclusion that it is a vital, necessary organ. Though much
more study is necessary, I have determined that this organ secretes
a hormone that has previously gone undiscovered. This hormone
affects the way that the patient perceives and interacts with
external stimuli. In a few moments, we will introduce you to
Patient Zero, who has agreed to come forward and demonstrate her
condition. We have named this condition the Wells Phenomenon--”
Meredith rolled her eyes, “--or more colloquially, the organ can be
referred to as The Second Heart, due to its pulsating presentation,
similar to that of a beating heart.”

Dr. Wells fielded a few questions, clarifying
again that the condition was not life threatening. When asked about
symptoms, Dr. Wells replied, “I think that question is a perfect
segue into introducing our patient, who can share her symptoms with
you firsthand.”

Meredith took her cue and stepped to the
podium. Even in October, the sun beat hot overhead, burning her
scalp along the part in her hair. Two hundred sets of eyes stared
up at her expectantly, and for a moment she froze. Meredith closed
her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Feeling steadier, she
opened her eyes and found Amelia, Rob, and Vi standing in the
crowd. She focused on their faces and began to speak.

Meredith described the pain as her new organ
grew, but quickly explained that the pain was only temporary. She
continued, “As I started to feel better, I noticed that I was able
to sense things in a different way. I also found that I had some
new abilities that were unexplainable.” She chuckled. “Actually,
they’re
still
unexplainable. So I think I’m just going to
have to show you.”

There was dead silence as the crowd waited
for her to continue.

On a whim, Meredith asked, “Can anyone tell
me what the weather forecast is for today?”

About fifty smart phones were whipped out,
and the quickest of the bunch called, “Sunny, high of eighty-five.
Zero percent chance of rain.”

Meredith smiled. Perfect. “Thank you,” she
said. After a brief pause, she leaned her head back and raised her
arms in the air. She threw her other sense outward, seeking out
every last drop of moisture that could be found in the atmosphere.
She gathered it all together overhead, and soon large fluffy clouds
formed, blotting out the sun. As the clouds filled with moisture,
they grew darker and darker, until finally, a light rain began to
fall.

Meredith opened her eyes and looked at the
crowd. About half were staring up at the sky while the other half
gaped at her with their mouths open. She smiled wryly and said
casually, “So, I can do that now.”

Pandemonium.

# # #

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for reading my first novel, The
Second Heart. As a new author, I rely on satisfied readers to help
spread the word about my work. If you enjoyed this book, please
consider telling a friend and leaving a review at your favorite
ebook retailer. Also, please add me on Facebook to stay informed
about other forthcoming books--Meredith, Vi, Nate, and Eleanor's
story is far from over!

All the best,

K. K Eaton

K. K. Eaton lives in Phoenix, AZ and works as a
professor of marketing at Arizona State University. When she isn't
teaching or writing books, she is usually chasing her two toddlers,
trying out new recipes, or camping.

Read her Smashwords interview
here
.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kkeatonbooks

Email:
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