Read The Vampire Diaries: Bound By Blood (Kindle Worlds Novella) for Free Online Page A

the way, I could see the Mystic Grill, with its slew of cars parked out front and people coming and going. Each time the door opened, I could hear music emanating from within.
    “There’s something happening to me,” I finally said.
    “You think?” said Tom, looking at me with an expression I rarely saw on his face: complete confusion. But then the confusion turned into a grin. “You’re messing with me, right? Ha! That was good one. Who all’s in on this—”
    “It’s no prank or joke, Tom,” I said, and raised my upturned palm again, and as I did so, the leaves beneath my feet began swirling into a slow vortex… .
    Tom gasped and moved his feet. I didn’t blame him.
    As I raised my hand higher, the vortex swirled faster and faster. Today, I had discovered that I could control the shape of the wind with my mind. That the raising of my hand sort of activated the wind, and the image I held of it in my mind was what followed. In this instance, I wanted a slow vortex centered near my feet—and that’s exactly what I got.
    “My God,” said Tom again. “What’s happening?”
    “I don’t know,” I said. “It’s kinda why I wanted to see you alone.”
    He continued staring down at my feet, transfixed. Hell, I was transfixed, too. “You’re doing that.”
    “Yes.”
    “But how?”
    “I haven’t a clue.” I lowered my hand and the leaves drifted down, settling on the sidewalk once again.
    “That’s some Criss Angel ‘Mindfreak’ stuff.”
    “Except this is real,” I said. “Although my mind is no less freaked.”
    Tom looked at me, squinting. I saw my old friend’s mind working. Tom had worked as an insurance investigator. Although Tom was not as cool as me, he had a pretty good logical mind and saw through crap quickly. After all, he could sniff out a fraudulent claim a mile away. “Then, do it again,” he demanded.
    “Tom—”
    “Are you afraid?”
    I laughed. “I’m not afraid. I’m just freaked out.”
    Tom wasn’t listening. Instead, he shot his head up and looked around. “Over there. Do you see those piles of leaves?”
    I looked to where he was pointing. It wasn’t much of a pile. It was getting dark now, but a nearby street lamp illuminated the area well enough. The leaves were piled under a big, leafy sycamore. “I see them.”
    “Go over there and do the same thing, so I will know it isn’t rigged.”
    “You think I’m messing with you, Tom?”
    “I don’t know what to think. Just go over there and do the—”
    “No,” I said.
    “I knew this was a trick—”
    “No, I mean, I don’t have to go over there. I can do it from here.”
    So, I did. I focused my thoughts on the area in question—about 50 feet away. I raised my palm slowly and the leaves rose with them, now swirling in a slow circle.
    “Holy hell,” said Tom.
    I decided to remove all doubt from Tom’s mind—and maybe to show off a little. I stood and raised both my palms. As I did so, the slow-moving vortex turned into something not so slow moving. I whipped them around faster and faster, gathering more and more leaves.
    “Okay, stop! Make it stop!” There was a hint of panic in his voice.
    I lowered my hands and the wind subsided almost instantly. We were alone in this section of the square, but the whirlwind, which bordered on a mini-tornado, hadn’t gone unnoticed. Others were either fleeing or coming closer to check out the commotion.
    “Tell me I’m dreaming,” said Tom.
    “I’ve been saying the same thing all day.”
    “When did this … when did this happen?”
    “Today, I guess, but… .”
    “But what?”
    I thought about what to say, how to say it. And decided there was just no right way. It was all just too damn weird. “I started feeling off a few nights ago.”
    Tom cocked his head a little. “What happened a few nights ago?”
    “Nothing, other than I was watching the meteor with the rest of the town.”
    “I’m not following.”
    “Truth is, I’m not either,” I