Channeler's Choice by Heather McCorkle Page A

Caitlin, she gave in to the instinct to run. She held back a bit so the others would be able to keep up. Aiden jogged beside her, a big grin on his face. Caitlin ran slightly behind Eren on her left side, while Fane fell into the same position next to Aiden.
    The feeling of running with them was amazing. There was a sense of unity, a feeling of rightness. Eren didn’t have to wonder if Caitlin was still on her flank or if Fane was still on Aiden’s, she could feel them. It was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced.
    They ran until they couldn’t run anymore. A brief stop for a rest and a drink at the river was all they needed to reenergize before running back. Eren realized she could feed Caitlin and Fane’s energy when they got tired and it re-energized them. It was one of the strangest, but coolest feelings ever. With her adrenaline still pumping, she found she wasn’t nearly as shy about the others seeing her with her energy raised. At first, the blue mist that poured from her body had been embarrassing, but it was starting to feel as natural as breathing.
    They collapsed into a pile in the middle of a grassy area illuminated by a sunbeam. Eren curled up onto Aiden’s chest, not bothering to pull her legs from beneath Fane. Though they had drawn their energy back in, she could still feel it around her like the comforting heat of a warm fire. Being in the middle of that feeling was so calming that it melted her worries away.
    “ That was so cool. Eren you’re so fast,” Caitlin said. Her voice was weary but euphoric.
    Eren wondered if her comment meant that Caitlin had felt the unusual sense of oneness too, or if she had felt her feed power to her and Fane.
    “ Definitely the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced. It was like I could feel all of you, as if we were in tune,” Fane sighed.
    “ You guys felt that too?” Aiden asked.
    Both Fane and Caitlin said they had.
    “ That is so awesome. That book your father gave me talks about how a Society works so closely it’s like they’re of one mind and can feel each others’ energy. I think that’s what that was,” Aiden explained.
    “ Wow,” Fane said, at a rare loss for words.
    It occurred to Eren that it was odd that they all enjoyed running. Most of the kids she used to hang out with in L.A. didn’t like to run.
    “ So, is the desire to run a channeler thing?” she asked.
    Pushing himself up onto an elbow, Aiden gave her a thoughtful look. “Kind of I guess. Running and fighting are the two basic instincts in all animals. Because we’re closer to the Earth, we’re closer to our instincts.”
    Caitlin nodded. “Perfect history book answer. But really, who wouldn’t love the ability to run faster than anything on the planet? Running with our energy raised is like flying.”
    That’s exactly what it was like. Eren smiled. “So true.”
    A comfortable silence fell as they relaxed and caught their breath. Aiden’s heart beat so loud against Eren’s ear that it drowned everything else out. She laid her hand atop his belly button, fingers idly playing with the hairline just below it. It was embarrassingly close to the top of his jeans but she didn’t want to move her hand up. His heartbeat never slowed and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with his recovery time from running.
    Something wet and cold fell on her cheek. She opened her eyes and realized the sun had disappeared. More drops fell from the sky.
    “ Oh no,” Fane groaned as he and Caitlin sat up.
    “ It’s okay. I’ve got to get home before my parents send out the troops,” Caitlin said.
    Fane stood and helped her to her feet. The way the two of them stared at each other made Eren smile.
    “ Thanks for the run. It works wonders to clear the chaos from my head. I’ll call you tomorrow, Eren,” Caitlin said.
    They turned to leave and Fane glanced back as he said, “I’ll meet you guys back at my place.”
    Giving in to that magnetic pull that was ever-present with