Prologue

Seven years ago

 

You can't catch me!" A young girl squealed. "I'm too fast for you."

     She giggled and shied away from her little sister. Being the older girl out of the two, she was able to outrun her sister with her longer, stronger legs. She hid behind trees and bushes while her sister would try to find her. When she was eventually found, she would run away laughing.

     Nearby, a man and woman sat in the shade of a large oak tree, enjoying the sound of their daughters’ laughter as they played.

     "Such beautiful girls," the father remarked, sighing.

     The mother agreed. "And powerful," she added thoughtfully. The father turned toward her and lifted an eyebrow. "What? You and I both know that it's true."

     The father sighed again. "I know. But I cannot help but wonder how these amazing girls came upon such dangerous power. Things like that don't just happen. None of our family has had anything to do with magic for centuries. You and I were both there when magical disaster struck the kingdom two centuries ago. Who knows what these girls are capable of? What if—"

     "I know what you're saying, my dear," the mother interrupted. "But that does not mean much, does it? They have the power and we can do nothing except attempt to tame it."

     The father looked at her sharply. "You aren't thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

     The mother frowned and replied thoughtfully, "Actually, yes, I think I'm thinking what you think I'm thinking."

     "You don't believe we should take them to him, do you?" the father asked warily.

     "Yes, that is exactly what I'm thinking," the mother said cheerfully. "I don't see any reason why not. He's trustworthy; he has acquired enough knowledge of the art of magic to train others how to use it. I believe he would be extremely well-suited for the task concerning their control over the power they possess."

     The two girls ran out of sight and, therefore, out of mind. The parents continued talking.

     "But don't you consider him the slightest bit odd?" the father protested.

     The mother glared at him fiercely and asked boldly, "Do you have any other suggestions? If you do, rest assured that I will open up my mind to them."

     He opened his mouth to speak, but reconsidered once he realized that she was right—as usual. After a few minutes he commented, "I don't think anyone else should be privy to this information. Do you agree?"

     She nodded. "If this knowledge fell into the wrong hands it could be exceedingly dangerous. It shall be kept a secret between the three of us."

     Silence pervaded the air as the couple ceased speaking. The laughter of the two girls was the only sound, aside from the rustle of the leaves in the breeze and the chirping of the birds above.

     The father watched his wife as she tucked a strand of shining black hair behind a pointed ear. A butterfly landed on her hand and she smiled, studying it until it flew away.

     "Darling, I was just thinking…" He began, but she held up her hand for silence. She glanced at him with a concerned expression on her face.

     "What is it?" He whispered. The concern on her face quickly contorted into fear.

     "Where are the girls and their laughter?" She asked.

     His eyes widened and he immediately sprang to his feet. Without a word, he bolted in the direction the girls had headed before disappearing into the trees. He searched frantically and called their names several times.

     Just when he began to think he would never find them, he heard a tiny whimper from somewhere off to his right. Turning, he spotted two small shapes huddled in the shadows of bushes and miniature trees.

     "Girls?" He called hopefully.

     In response, the girls cried, "Father!"

     Relieved, he took a step toward them, but stopped when the girls suddenly screamed and pointed at something behind him. He turned in time to see a man hurtling toward him, a sword held high above his head.

     He surveyed the man quickly and drew his own sword. He noted the man's broad shoulders and his towering height. His hair was dark and hung in oily strands around his black eyes. His attire was nothing unusual—common villager clothes. It was his eyes that truly alerted the father; they were consumed with hatred and malice. A man lusting to shed the blood of another is always dangerous.

     The two swords clashed together and sparks flew. The attacker's weight and the force of his blow threw off the balance of the father, sending him crashing to the ground. It was all he could do to prevent the man from removing his head from his shoulders.

     Much to his horror, the father heard and then spotted another man running toward them. He grappled with the man on top of him, attempting to shove off his assailant, but to no avail. The second man was fast approaching and the father was still on the ground. Then he heard one of his daughters begin to cry.

     Rage burned within him. Maneuvering his legs until they were against his attacker's stomach, the father thrust them forward, throwing the big man off of him and into the other man, who had just barely reached the site.

     Scrambling to his feet, the father immediately headed for his daughters. He hadn't taken more than one step before his ankle was seized.

     As he fell, the father shouted, "Run, girls!"

    The hard ground rushed to meet him, and oxygen was forced from his lungs. As he gasped for breath, he was relieved to see that the girls had taken heed to his command and were now running toward the forest. Unfortunately, his relief was replaced with dismay when he spied yet another man sprinting toward the girls. Once the father recognized who the man was, he was filled with anger.

     He kicked the man who had grasped his ankle in the face, causing him to release the father to cover his bleeding mouth. The father instantly leapt to his feet and sped toward the foliage, in the direction his daughters had gone. After a few minutes, he entered a clearing, whereupon he saw the despicable man grabbing one of the girls.

     His sword drawn, the father advanced toward the opposing man and demanded, "What are you doing?"

     The man, a striking individual who looked to be in his late twenties but was quite older than that, smiled and replied, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking your daughters."

     The father glanced around and was reminded of the fact that his younger daughter was not present. "It seems you have only obtained one," he commented, drawing nearer to the man.

     The latter also looked around the clearing and a look of disdain was portrayed on his handsome features. "Yes, it seems she has outwitted me, for now. But losing one is better than losing them both, don't you agree?" His grey eyes shone with triumph.

     Scowling, the father hissed, "And what are you planning on doing with her?"

     The other man appeared to think about it for a moment, and then replied, "I'm not going to tell you that, my dear cousin." The father glared at him, wondering how he could possibly use the word "cousin" so lightly after all of the devastation he had inflicted on the kingdom in the past. "Things like that are supposed to be a surprise."

     "Are you quite certain that this ten-year-old girl will be able to handle whatever you're planning?" the father asked, hoping that his voice sounded as calm as he wished it to be.

     "Of course I am," his cousin scoffed, rolling his eyes. The girl twisted in his arms, trying to escape her captor, but to no avail. She whimpered.

     The man began walking slowly backward, toward a platform that was barely noticeable with all the dirt and moss covering it. The father recognized it immediately.

     "Get away from that platform!" He shouted, horrified. "Do you have any idea what it is and what it can do?"

     At that his cousin laughed. "Of course I do; I'm not stupid. This is a Jintis—a rare find. It has unimaginable power that I intend to captivate, using your precious daughter in whatever way I need to for me to achieve that goal." He paused, then said with a smile, "Surprise."

     He took another step back, and the father rushed forward, but it was too late. His cousin planted his feet on the Jintis. Suddenly, there was a burst of light and the father had to shield his eyes from the glare.

     Once it died down, he was able to see that his daughter stood dazed and a little pale on the platform in the middle of the clearing. His cousin had disappeared. Filled with immense relief, the father smiled and took a step forward, but the young girl scowled.

     "If you take another step toward me, I swear I will rip out your throat without a second thought," she hissed menacingly. Hatred and anger flared in her eyes, making the father pause. Was it his imagination or were her eyes lighter than before?

     He stood there, confused. A few seconds later, his daughter turned around and fled deeper into the forest. He fell to his knees and let out a cry of anguish. He felt a small hand touch his shoulder. Turning, he found himself facing his younger daughter, her eyes filled with tears. He took her into his arms, attempting to comfort her.

     After a few minutes, the father stood and said, "Come, my beloved daughter. We must inform your mother what has transpired."

     The little girl nodded sadly. Then she asked, "Do you think she'll come back?"

     "I believe she will," he replied with more confidence than he felt. "Someday."

     With that, he and his daughter walked slowly back to the oak tree where the mother stood, anxiously waiting for their return. When she saw that there was only one girl with the father, she placed a hand to her mouth and tears began rolling down her cheeks.

     The three of them wrapped their arms around each other and the only thing that filled the air then was sorrow.

One

 Jadelyn

(Anaheim, California)

 

My eyes shoot open and I sit up in bed. I lift a hand to my right cheek and a stupid grin spreads across my face. My euphoria lasts only a few seconds, however, because I see something glowing a faint green. I lift my hands up to eyelevel and sigh. They are glowing.

     For a moment I wish that I'm not "gifted" with the things I can do. I wish I could be like any other girl who actually has to work hard to get at least a B+ in their report card. I wish that I could remember the rest of my childhood. I wish—just then I hear the doorbell ring from downstairs. I glance at the alarm clock sitting on my night stand and sigh in exasperation when I see that it's five-thirty in the morning.

     Who in their right mind would be here at this hour? I think distastefully. Then I muse, Those idiots, obviously.

     I still kind of feel slightly loopy from the dream I just woke up from. I'm a little disappointed that I didn’t sleep longer. The scene again fills my mind.

 

     I found myself at school. The last bell rang with finality and teenagers hurried out of their classes and rushed down the hallway, toward the double doors. Except for two.

     A guy whose age seems close to mine—sixteen or seventeen maybe—stood with me in the hallway, separated from the other students. He had jet black hair that shone in the light—kind of like mine—and the most amazing dark blue eyes I had ever seen. They made him look so alive and excited about life. I couldn't stop myself from taking his suntanned hand in mine.

     He smiled at me, and we headed out the door, into the sunlight. All the other students lingered on the school grounds, talking and laughing amongst themselves. They grew silent when we walked past them. Then they began whispering to each other, but I didn't care what they were saying.

     We walked together to a park nearby and sat on a bench in the shade. I rested my head on his shoulder, but then he rose and guided me to a dark alley. Confused, I looked up at him. His eyes did not have excitement in them anymore, and they seemed… dead.

     He removed his hand from mine, his face twisted with revulsion and animosity. I tried to move away from him, but he grabbed my arms and pinned me to a wall with brutal force. Pain shot up my spine and I cried out in agony. He let go of one arm to strike me on the side of my face. I felt blood slowly stream from my cheek and down my neck.

     I looked into his eyes and pleaded with mine. He frowned. For a moment he looked confused, but then his face cleared and he immediately released me. He dropped to his knees, and I collapsed beside him.

     Putting an arm around his waist, I realized that he was shaking. His hands were balled into fists, covering his eyes. Gently, I pulled them away and turned his face so that he would look at me.

     A tear slid down his cheek when he saw what he had done to mine, and I brushed it away with my thumb. I smiled, hoping to reassure him that I was okay. I continued gazing at him that way until, finally, one corner of his mouth lifted in a sad smile.

     Then he said, "I have to go."

     Before leaving me, he gave me a swift kiss on the cheek. He then stood and disappeared into the shadows.

 

     Then I had woken up. Sigh. I wonder what the dream means, but I don't get to linger on it for very long because the doorbell rings again. Sheesh.

     I push off my covers and go to look through one of my two windows that overlook the front yard. The sun has not yet risen, since it is so early in the morning. From up here I can see the silhouettes of three men standing on the porch.

     Who are they and what do they want? I wonder as I head out of my bedroom. I make sure to keep quiet as I run down the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

     When I reach the door, I throw it open to see two expectant-looking faces change to surprise. The third is expressionless. I have a surprised look on my face as well for a couple seconds, but I quickly mask that emotion and replace it with neutrality.

     But why the heck is the most popular guy—and my ex-boyfriend—on my doorstep at five-thirty on Monday morning? He isn't necessarily friends with anyone here (aside from me), and my dad is only acquainted with him because he's acquainted with practically everybody… and the fact that I used to date him. Nevertheless, that's probably who he's here for, because I don’t see why he’d come to see me.

     "Oh, hi," Justin says, obviously trying to hide his surprise by clearing his throat. "You were the last person we expected to open the door." He gives me a heart-stopping smile. Only my heart doesn't stop—it just speeds up a little. I am suddenly glad that we’re not together and I don’t like him anymore; my heart probably would have stopped if I did. (And oh my gosh, I think I called him an idiot before I came out here!)

     "We were actually expecting your dad. Is he home?"

     I was totally right about the dad thing then. I am so good. But why would he come over so freaking early? He’s a popular teenager at school, and getting up early on their own is on no sane person’s agenda.

     The second man has replaced his surprised expression with that of amusement. This is a man named Douglas Grey, which I find kind of funny because he's almost literally grey—his clothes, his skin tone, his eyes (I know I've seen them before but now they seem different somehow), and even his hair has a tint of grey in it, which is weird, considering his age. But he's quite friendly… usually.

     "Yes, it was rather unexpected," he says. He seems to speak his words carefully, and with precision. His voice is as smooth as honey but at the same time it sounds rough. It is an unusual but strangely familiar sound that makes me shiver, and not from the spring breeze that brushes my skin. It sounds pleasant, but dangerously so. I have no idea what he might be doing here, inaugurating business with my dad or otherwise.

     I take in the third man, whom I recognize to be Daren Sherwood, whose dark brown eyes never leave me. He is a young man about the age of twenty and looks uninterested in what is transpiring currently. I suppose he's here with Douglas.

     I explain to Douglas and Justin that my dad had gone to work earlier that morning to deliver triplets at the hospital and that was probably the reason he wasn't home yet. (I know this because he had woken me up so that I could fix him something to eat for later.)

     "Well," Justin says, casting his icy blue eyes on me. "I guess it can wait. I'm in no hurry." He runs a hand through his short blond hair—making it spike up attractively—seemingly to distract himself from me, standing here in some shorts and a T-shirt. His mouth twitches, suggesting a suppressed smile.

     A question nags at my mind. "Why exactly are you here so early?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, it's five-thirty, Monday morning, and you know as well as I do that it's a school day, unless they suddenly canceled again."

     Justin shrugs. "I was hoping to catch your dad before he left, but I guess I was too late."

     Douglas casts his lively—but hard—grey gaze first upon Justin, then me, and says in his polished-but-rough voice, "I was supposed to meet up here with your father around this time, but obviously he had other obligations." He pauses, then adds with a wry smile, "It was extremely coincidental that Mr. King and I arrived at the same time."

     Hearing someone call Justin 'Mr. King' is uber weird. I shrug it off. As long as I'm not called Miss Stone, I'm fine.

     I wonder what the heck they could want from my dad at five-thirty in the morning. Plus, if they wanted to talk to him they could have called—he carries a cell phone wherever he goes, and they should have known that because they've associated with him for a long time.

     No one speaks for a few minutes, leaving us standing there in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Justin interrupts the stillness.

     "Jade," he begins. "I remember that your birthday is this weekend, am I right?"

     "Yes," I reply, caught by surprise. Why would he bother remembering that information? "Why?"

     His only answer is a small shrug.

     We continue to talk about things of little consequence until Douglas excuses himself, saying he needs to get home and do something-or-other. Daren follows. Eventually, Justin has to leave as well.

     After the guys have departed, I head back into the house and ascend the twenty-eight steps to my bedroom. Once there, I crawl back into bed. I haven't stopped thinking about the dream I had since I woke up. There is something strange about it but I can't place what it might be; I'm too tired. I'm also still bothered by the nagging at the back of my mind about Douglas's eyes seeming familiar, but different.

     Deciding I will figure it out later, I drift off to sleep, my mind and hands buzzing like they usually do.

Two

 Bek

(Somewhere mysterious)

 

The sound of rain splattering on the roof of my make-shift hut rouses me, though I wish it hadn't. I'd been dreaming. Usually I will have dreams about me getting tortured, but just now I had a dream that was different. I allow it to replay in my mind.

 

     A teenage girl danced in a forest. My forest. Her suntanned arms were held above her head and her short, slender body swayed to a melody that only she could hear. Though I could only see her eyes and a wave of black hair I immediately decided that she was extremely beautiful. But, unlike with other girls, I didn't feel shy or awkward around her. This girl made me feel special; like a human being that's wanted; alive.

     I gazed into her eyes. I detected something alive and intelligent, but I also glimpsed some mischief and humor in her eyes that compelled me to cross the distance between us, put my hands on her hips, and begin dancing with her. After a while, the girl stopped dancing.

     I asked what her name was, but then she ran, her long black hair streaming behind her. I pursued her, but somehow she was able to outrun me—probably because she was wearing leggings and she could fit into many places that I could not.

     I stopped in another clearing and put my hands on my knees, fighting for breath. Then I felt something brush across my face. I whipped my head up and found myself face-to-face with the girl.

     I jerked back in surprise and she laughed from behind the cloth covering the lower half of her face. Her laugh was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard and, like a star-crossed fool, I told her so. She seemed to blush and thanked me.

     Grasping her hands in mine, so as to not allow her to run away so easily this time, I asked again what her name was. For a moment her eyes wandered the ground, as though she was deciding whether or not to tell me.

     Then her eyes found mine again and she said, "My name is—"

     But then she was interrupted by a large herd of deer trampling through the underbrush. I cursed under my breath. The girl gazed up at me with her beautiful dark jade-colored eyes. She then leaned forward, swiftly lowered the cloth on her face, and kissed me on the cheek.

     Then she backed away, covering her face once again, her hands slipping from mine. Stunned, I reached for her, but I was too slow.

   She turned and ran again. I didn't follow her this time. I knew it was hopeless.

 

     Then I had woken up.

     I gaze up at the "roof" above me. I listen to the rain hitting the leaves on the forest floor and think about my dream. For a moment I feel content.

     Then I'm attacked.

     A long stick arcs above me and strikes my stomach with tremendous force. For a few seconds, I can't breathe. My lungs gasp for air. Finally I'm able to catch my breath and jump to my feet.

     Big mistake. My head breaks through the roof of the hut, since it is only three feet high, and rain and sticks fall through the new opening. Oops.

     "If I were an enemy you would be dead." A man ducks through the entrance and crouches on ground that has not been touched by rain. "You should always be alert for these things," he says unsympathetically as I rub my head. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

     I shrug. "You've already told me a thousand times," I reply. "One more wouldn't hurt."

     The man scowls and says sharply, "But that's thing: I shouldn't have to tell you a thousand-and-one times. You should have it drilled into your head by now. And by the way, it's time to get up… two hours ago."

     Oops.

     Sighing, I say, "I know, Kadon, and I apologize. It won't happen again. I was just really distracted by the dream I had last night." Seeing his look, I add quickly, "I know I shouldn't let those things get to me, but this dream was different than all the others."

     I sit down on a dry patch of ground and recount my dream to Kadon. He sits across from me and listens patiently as I speak. I kind of skip the parts that betray any attraction I have toward the girl. How embarrassing would that be?

     When I finish, Kadon just sits there silently. After a few moments he says, "Her eyes were green, you say?"

     I nod. "Kind of like a jade. It looked like they were dark green and black, like one of those cool jade stones from the mountains."

     "Hmm," he mumbles. "Peculiar…"

     "What?"

     He ignores me and asks, "Did you see only her eyes?"

     "Well, at some point she lowered the cloth she had on her face, but I didn't really see what was underneath," I reply.

     Kadon's eyebrows furrow. He always does that when he's deep in thought and I want to know what's on his mind.

     "What are you thinking?" I ask.

     He glances up at me and shakes his head. "Nothing."

     I scowl. I hate it when he does that.

     Looking around the three-foot-high hut, I spot a long branch lying on the ground a foot away from where I'm sitting. I go over my options quickly and then spring into action. Ignoring the branch, I throw myself at Kadon.

     He falls on his back and kicks his legs up just as I'm about to land on him. Expecting this, I hit his legs aside with my hand before he can kick me away, which results in me falling on him like I wanted to. Next, I flip him over onto his stomach and pin his arms behind his back. I grin when I see that Kadon is breathing heavily from struggling so much.

     "Alright, alright," he groans. "You win. Now let me go so I can tear you apart."

     I release him and we both laugh. He slaps me on the back good-naturedly as we duck out of the hut. It has stopped raining, and Kadon saunters over to where we keep our wood so he can build a small fire for breakfast.

     I smile. He won't be attacking me for the rest of the day. At least, he shouldn’t.

     An arm wraps around my waist, and I look down at Mayla. She smiles up at me and says, “Morning, sleepy head.”

     Wrapping my arms around her, I reply, “Good morning. When did you get up?”

     She shrugs. “Earlier than you did.”

     I raise an eyebrow. “How much earlier?”

     “To be honest? A few minutes before Kadon woke you up,” she replies, grinning.

     I laugh.

     She laughs with me, but suddenly gets serious when she asks, “What took you so long to get out here?”

     “We were talking.”

     “Ooh, what about?”

     I shrug. “A dream.”

     “Oh.”

     “Yup,” I say, smirking. “C’mon, let’s get some breakfast cooking.”

   Mayla looks back at Kadon and the wood he’s set on fire, then nods, walking over to the food storage.

     I watch her go for a few moments, thinking about the fact that I didn’t want to tell her about my latest dream. It was a little confusing—I never usually had any trouble telling her my dreams. Something stopped me this time for some reason that I don’t understand.

     Mayla has grown. She’s almost as tall as I am. Light hair sways across her back. She inherited the color from our father. I got my black hair from our mother. One would hardly recognize the fact that the two of us are brother and sister if they didn’t see the resemblance in our eyes. We both have the same dark blue shade as our mother did. I feel a pang of longing when I think about our parents, even if I barely remember them. They were executed for supposed treason when Mayla was five years of age. That was ten years ago. I took my sister to the person I was closest to, aside from my parents. We were endangered because we were the children of traitors. We couldn’t be trusted. Ridiculous. Anyway, that person was Kadon. He pretty much adopted us as soon as we knocked on his front door. He left everything he had so he could take us to the safety of the forest, making him a traitor for helping us.

     All three of us are outlaws. I’m okay with that, though. It’s exhilarating.

     Mayla’s voice brings me out of my thoughts. “Any word from the others yet?”

     Kadon glances up at her, answering with a short, “No.”

     Mayla was referring to the other outlaws in the forest. We all allied with each other when we thought it was prudent. Recently, however, none of them have called on us for anything. Very unusual. I searched for them once, but every campsite was abandoned.

     Our food rations are getting low. Either we’ll need to forage on our own or starve. The former would be nearly impossible, despite our skills. All over Lethien, people have taken extra precautions to keep their resources safe from bandits. And the latter is unthinkable. If we don’t have backup soon, we might be in a bit of trouble.

     Somehow, I’m certain that they won’t show up in time.

Three

Jadelynn 

 

I wake up in the morning (again) to hear my alarm clock buzzing the crap out of me. Groaning, I hit the SNOOZE button on the top of the clock.

     Suddenly remembering that I have to meet up with my best friend Alexis before school, I leap five feet into the air, land nimbly on my feet, and promptly throw on a pair of black jeans, a green tank top, and a thin white jacket. In the bathroom I apply the smallest amount of eyeliner and eye shadow (no mascara for me—my eyelashes are thick enough).

     I am super excited, even though I have to go to school. Actually, I don't necessarily mind it that much. I always get good grades (thanks to my freakishness), it's an excuse to get out of the house, I get to hang out with friends, and Justin King is usually there. (Yes, I did say that I don't like him anymore, but he's still good-looking.)

     After brushing my long black hair—making sure it covers my slightly pointed ears—I run out of my room and hurry downstairs.

     As soon as I walk into the kitchen I'm hit by the smell of bacon and eggs cooking on the stove. My mouth waters.

     "It's about time you got up."

     I barely spare a glance at Cassandra, one of my adoptive siblings. She sits slouched over the table, her plate of food momentarily forgotten. It seems like all she wants to do is make my life miserable. However, I've never let her get to me for the almost-seven years I've been here. Interestingly enough, she's the only one who hasn't accepted me.

     My history is pretty boring in the beginning. All I really remember is walking the streets of California at ten years old—remembering only my name and age—being picked up by an old lady, and then being dropped off at my first orphanage.

     That was when things started going downhill. The first few days of living in that place had been a nightmare. The children weren't especially nice, and they were the first ones to call me a freak. Because that's what I was.

     You'd think that my abilities would be amazing to young children, but no. Not these ones. Looking back now, I'd have thought that they must have been hardened criminals or something judging by the way they behaved. I guess I can understand why.

     But anyway, the title 'freak' was given to me when I accidentally bumped into a girl around my age in the hallway of the orphanage. She got upset at me and I apologized a hundred times. As she was about to hit me, I lifted my hands and said something that sounded like a different language. The next thing I knew, the girl's wrist had been snagged by a long green vine that seemed to have sprouted from the wall. It pulled her away from me, toward the wall, and began banging her against it.

     Terrified, I had lowered my hands and yelled at it to stop. The vine had shriveled up. The girl, as you can imagine, was traumatized for a few minutes. When she finally looked at me, she and a few others who had witnessed the incident had told me that I was a freak and I should leave. So I did.

     I was found on the streets again and taken to another orphanage. I ran from that one as well. I went from orphanage to orphanage, learning how to hide my emotions. I learned how to lie, although I hated it at first. I learned how to keep my weirdness hidden. I learned how to sneak around without making a sound. And I stayed fit, even as a ten-year-old.

     Finally I was taken to an orphanage with trees. Lots of them. I had always run from the other orphanages because I didn't have any privacy and nobody liked me, despite my efforts to be friendly. But that last orphanage possessed the very thing that I needed, which was to climb to the tops of the trees and have time away from everyone else. I wanted to be alone, and not only because of my weirdness. I didn't want any friends because I'd leave them eventually.

     I was my own companion. I stayed at that orphanage for only a couple of weeks before I was adopted by a middle-aged couple named Ray and Jane Stone, mostly because they wanted more kids but couldn't have any. I have no idea why they adopted me, however. I hardly thought I could make their lives any better; they already had three kids. Nevertheless, I was kind of glad they took me in, even when I met Cassandra. From the moment I saw her I knew that we weren't going to get along very well, but I was certain that, however she decided to treat me, she wouldn't be nearly as bad as the kids in those orphanages.

     Anyway, the sweet couple had just dropped off their three kids at school when they came to pick me up and take me to my new home. That was the best day of my life right then. Well, the best day of my life that I can remember, anyway.

     Once the Stones brought me to their home—a white two-story building surrounded by trees and had a small patio running the length of the entire house—they immediately showed me where I was to stay. I had almost squealed with joy at the sight of nice green walls and white carpet. The white bed was devoid of any blankets or pillows, the walk-in closet was bare, and the white bookshelf and desk were empty also, but I was sure that I would fill them all up with my own stuff. To top it all off, I had a bay window.

     I'm sad to say that the Stones looked more excited than I felt once I started thinking about it. I was afraid that I would get too attached to this place. If I did, I would have a difficult time leaving if I started getting restless, which is my way of saying 'out of control'. It happened a few times at a few orphanages before I'd learned how to suppress it a little, but that was only when I was defending myself.

     Thankfully, I haven't had to protect myself for almost seven years so I haven't had to leave. And how could I not make any friends in that amount of time? Give me a break. Plus, I didn't have a choice—Alexis was determined to be my friend whether I liked it or not, and only because my accent drew her in—at first, anyway.

     As I was thinking about all of these things, I had grabbed a plate and piled them with bacon and scrambled eggs, along with a couple slices of toast and a glass of orange juice. I don't bother to respond to Cassandra's snide remark.

     I listen to the conversation buzzing around me at the table, but don't care to comment or share anything. Especially the fact that the most popular guy in school dropped by this morning. The girls would totally freak if they found out.

     Across the table I hear Cassandra brag that she is going to a party at Justin King's house this weekend. My ears perk up at Justin's name (I guess I still have something there for him, but not much), but I don't let her see my interest. I hardly look away from my plate while I listen as Paige, Cassandra's twin, expresses to the Mom how important it is for her to go to Haiti and help out with the rest of her class in June. I find it interesting when Jeffery (also adopted) shares that the house next door was sold recently, and the movers are going to be living there soon, if they aren’t already. But my appetite is ruined when I hear Cody say that he is going to join the basketball team.

     Cody is my favorite adoptive sibling. I know I shouldn't have chosen a favorite, but Cassandra hates me and Paige is too involved with the environment and girl stuff for me to hang out with her all the time.

     Cody is perfect. He isn't overly serious but he isn't a humongous goofball like my younger brother, Jeffery. I can share almost anything with him and he will listen and try to understand (the only information I haven't shared with him is my weirdness and my past, not that there’s much to talk about). I almost always hang out with him, along with Alexis (who, by the way, has an enormous crush on him), and we have the best of times together, the three of us.

     If he wasn't my brother, granted he is my adoptive brother, I would totally have a crush on him like Alexis does. The seventeen-year-old is way cuter than any guy I've seen in my life so far. He even surpasses Justin, and that's really saying something. His eyes are dark brown—perfect for puppy eyes—and his shaggy hair is the color of the sand on the beach. Because he works out, he has a pretty strong build. I know this because sometimes Alexis bribes me to snap some photos for her. At first I found it ridiculously immature, but later sneaking around the house outside got kind of fun. I haven't gotten caught yet.

     Anyway! I got a little carried away there. No need for that confession.

     The point with Cody joining the basketball team is: I don't want him to. Surprise, surprise. Him joining would mean that he'll be away from home more often. We won't be able to hang out as frequently as we used to. There has to be a way to keep him from—

     Wait a minute. If he joins the team… Perfect! I know it's selfish, but if Cody joins the basketball team that would make it possible for me to sit out on the bleachers during practices without it being awkward and therefore be able to see the team captain, Justin King. Boom—we're both happy. (Oh my heck, did I just say that? Despite my attempted reassurances that I do not, in fact, like him, I continually make it seem like I do. What can I say? Old habits die hard.)

     Crap, I zoned out again. I barely catch Cassandra say, "Awesome," under her breath. She must have been thinking what I was musing about just now. She has a massive crush on Justin King. And Carson Davis. And Brandon Reed. And Mitchell Young. And, and, and…

~*~

After breakfast, I slip on my favorite green flip flops, shoulder my white backpack, and hurry over to Alexis's cream-colored two-story house across the street, knowing that she isn't home yet but wanting to be there nonetheless. Cody follows me.

     We only have to sniff at the rose bushes for a few minutes before a white Mazda RX8 parks in the driveway. Alexis and her family had spent a week in Paris for her great-grandfather's funeral. I had begged my parents to go with them, but of course they refused. They didn't want me to go to a funeral in Paris just to skip out on school (not that there was any school last week anyway).

     Even before the car stops, Alexis has opened the door and is now running toward me to envelop me in an embrace, laughing. We pull away after a few seconds.

     "It's so good to see you!" We exclaim simultaneously, and then we laugh again.

     Cody steps forward and gives Alexis an embrace of his own. It soon ends and Alexis's cheeks bloom bright red. So, I notice, do Cody's.

     I wonder…

     During the reunion, Alexis's siblings hop out of the car. Brandon, her seventeen-year-old brother, is standing by with his hands in his pockets, while their younger sister Kayla chatters her teenage mouth off.

     "Hey!" She exclaims. "Like, how are you guys? The trip to Paris was uber awesome!" Then she started mumbling, "Except for the part where we went to the funeral—that was boring." Then, "Gosh, I wish you guys could have come. That would have been, like, so much fun! Anyway, so while we were there I got you a whole bunch of souvenirs. No need to thank me—it was sooo much fun shopping for gifts…"

     While Kayla babbles, Cody and Brandon give the traditional "guy friend greeting". Kind of like the handshake, then a hug-type-thing and a pat on the back. I don't know why they do it, and it's kind of weird, but whatever.

     We trudge into the house and head into the kitchen, thankfully losing Kayla to their collie, Lily. I quickly glance at the clock that hangs on the wall above the counter and see that it is seven-thirty. We have thirty minutes before we have to walk over to school.

     Brandon, Cody, and I take our seats around the table while Alexis pulls out little ice cream sundaes from the freezer and says apologetically, "Don't know how long they've been in there, but here they are if you want them." She sets them on the table in front of us. Though they don't look very appetizing, I take one anyway, but only because they need to be eaten.

     Sliding into the seat between me and Cody, Alexis tucks a strand of blond hair behind her ear and says, "So. What have we missed in school this past week?"

     I share an amused glance at Cody, wink, and say nonchalantly, "Oh, not much."

     Cody joins in the fun, saying "Yeah, not much."

     Alexis looks at each of us suspiciously. "What aren’t you telling me?"

     "Whatever do you mean?" I ask innocently. "You don't believe us?"

     "No, I don't. What aren’t you telling me?" She repeats.

     Sighing, Cody says in defeat, "Fine, you got us. There is something we're not telling you. Something important."

     "We had a school dance," I blurt out just as Alexis spoons some ice cream in her mouth. I quickly clamp a hand over my mouth to give her the impression that I wasn't supposed to say anything about it. The ice cream she had just begun to swallow seems to catch in her throat.

     After a while of Alexis coughing, I ask, "Are you okay?"

     "Yeah," she replies. Then she adds sarcastically, "I just couldn't swallow all of a sudden." The rest of us laugh.

     "Are you freaking serious?" She exclaims after a few moments.

     Brandon nods. "You heard them. They had a school… Wait, what?"

     Obviously, he wasn't completely listening earlier because his expression did a dramatic change from indifferent to horror. Alexis sits there, frowning with confusion.

     "Why weren't we informed?" She asks. Then suspicion sparks in her blue eyes again. "Something's not right."

     She glances at our innocent-looking faces. I try so hard not to laugh. So hard.

     Cody is the one who cracks. He bursts out laughing, and I join in.

     "Honestly, you guys?" Alexis shouts. "Not cool, okay? Not. Cool."

     After a minute or so of laughing I am able to control myself. Cody, however—the boy that he is—keeps laughing until tears stream down his cheeks.

     "Hey!" I exclaim. "I'm the one who cries around here!"

     He laughs harder. Doof. (I'm usually the one who cries when I laugh a lot.)

     Finally, after several minutes of the guy laughing, seeming to be okay, then laughing a little harder three seconds later, we are safe from laughing. Thank goodness.

     Alexis looks at us and asks, "Okay, seriously. What did we really miss?"

     "Nothing," I reply.

     She frowns. "I'm serious. What's been going on? I'm talking about gossip, who's dating who, and all that fun stuff. You know how much I like that kind of info."

     Cody chimes in. "She's right, Lex. You didn't miss a thing. School was canceled for the week you guys were gone."

     Their jaws drop. I almost laugh at their expressions.

     Alexis groans and buries her head in her arms on the table. Brandon sits back and stares at the ceiling. It's extremely entertaining to see these reactions.

     Suddenly, Alexis lifts her head and demands, "This isn't another trick, is it?"

     I shake my head. "No, of course not. Talk about predictable."

     For the next ten minutes we all sit around the table and eat our miniature sundaes. Alexis and I chatter about the big sale at the East Anaheim Shopping Center this weekend while Cody and Brandon talk about sports. Eventually, it's time to leave for school. Cody and I stand in the front room and wait while Brandon and Alexis grab their backpacks.

     As soon as they come back down the stairs, Cody and I bolt to the door, hoping to leave the other two to catch up with us outside. We run out the door and down the sidewalk until we hear them call after us to wait. Fine by me. I wouldn't have been able to keep running anyway.

     I'm laughing too hard.

Four

Bek

 

Keep your eyes on the enemy, Bek."

     Kadon's voice whips me back into reality, and I instantly become alert again. I definitely need to cease thinking about that dream I had last night. It is distracting me from what is important currently, which is survival.

     I shake my head, pushing any thoughts of the girl in my dream to the back of my mind. It isn't easy. I keep thinking about the way she looked at me with those big green eyes and the way her hair flowed naturally around her shoulders—

     See what I mean? I am totally obsessed with this girl and I don't even know her name! Man, I have it bad. I’m suddenly glad Kadon sent Mayla to pick some more berries.

     Kadon doesn't help much with my training, however. Though he tries to keep my mind off the dream by having me train until I practically collapse, it doesn't work. Through all of that training, I haven't thought about anything but the girl. In fact, training reminds me about how fast and agile she was. It almost makes me wish I could move like her. Well, I actually can, but not with the grace and elegance that she'd exhibited.

     I can tell at the moment that I am really getting on Kadon's nerves, unless his huge sigh isn't any indication that he's annoyed. Now I feel terrible.

     "I'm truly sorry, Kadon," I say. "But I just can't get this girl out of my head and I don't think any amount of training is going to help."

     I feel my face burn with embarrassment. I hadn't told him about it before and I definitely hadn't planned on it because I thought that I would actually be able to push the thoughts of her away.

     Kadon straightens out of his defensive stance and regards me thoughtfully. I shift uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

     "You're talking about that girl in your dream?"

     I nod, saying, "I don't know why she's all I can think about. I've never met her in my life—I would have remembered a face like hers. But I don't understand why I feel so attracted to her. Do you?"

     He turns around and goes to sit on a log nearby. I follow. His face betrays some of the emotions he's feeling: confusion, caution, and anxiety. Though I want to ask what he is thinking, I remain silent. I know it would be a futile attempt to get him to inform me about anything that I don't need to know presently.

     Eventually Kadon speaks. "I understand that nothing will be able to tear your mind away from that girl. You've been captivated by her beauty and nothing will change that until you see another who is more beautiful than she. I know what she can do." Seeing my expression, he continues, "Yes, I know who she is. But I won't tell you her name."

     I start to protest, but he silences me with a finger. "I won't tell you her name because I know you will meet her soon enough. That is usually what happens when someone dreams about her. I won't inform you how I know all of this—you're not quite ready. And don't argue." He points a finger at me when he speaks the last few words, dissolving any thoughts I had about protesting. He knows what is best for me—he always does, for some strange reason.

     "Do you know when I'll meet her, and where?" I ask hopefully.

     He shrugs. "It's difficult to say. You might meet her soon, in this forest. However, I hope that doesn't happen."

     "Why?"

     "Because she is extremely dangerous. Just one glance into her eyes will compel you to do anything she wishes. And what she wishes is never a good thing."

     I shudder. His voice sounds ominous and, surprisingly, frightened. I knew that this girl was more than she appeared to be in my dream, but I never considered that she might be a bad person—she seemed too nice.

     Shaking my head free of any images of her, I stand and assume a defensive stance, saying, "Come, then. Let's not dawdle about."

     Kadon recognizes the words as his own and smiles up at me. Then he stands and begins to instruct me on how to knock someone senseless with a stone. And how to avoid getting knocked senseless with someone else's stone. Mayla arrives in time to practice with me.

     After a few minutes of us throwing a stone around, I notice that Kadon has inched out of my peripheral vision. Alarmed, I swing around. Then I hear the distinct sound of a twanging bow.

     Mayla screams, “Bek!”

     Everything appears to be going in slow motion now. I see the arrow zipping toward me, and I think that this must be the end. I can’t dodge or deflect it—it’s moving too fast.

     Then time seems to speed up again. Suddenly, when I had just resigned myself to my fate, Mayla jumps in front of me, taking the arrow in her chest.

     “NO!” I yell as she falls to the ground. “No no no no no…”

     Dropping to my knees beside her, I watch helplessly as her lifeblood drains. Then I deftly pull out the arrow and quickly rip off my vest, pressing it against the wound.

     “Please don’t leave me, May,” I sob. “Please, stay with me.”

     I repeat those words over and over, hoping they might be able to save her. But I know the truth.

     So does she.

     Placing her hands on mine, she whispers, “It’s okay, Bek. I can’t feel it. My body has gone numb.”

   “I can’t let you go, May.” Tear stream down my face. “I can’t lose you too.”

     A small smile appears on her face. “Don’t worry, you’re not losing me. I’m with you, always. But you have to go now. Those guys aren’t through with you yet. You need to run.”

     I shake my head stubbornly.

     “I love you, Bek.”

     Resting my head against her hands, I whisper, “I love you, too.”

     Her hands shift as they open, revealing the ring she always wore. I take it, putting it in my pocket.

     “Bek,” Mayla breathes. “Promise me something.”

     I lean forward. “Anything.”

     Her eyes close for a moment, but they open again as she says, “Promise that you’ll be happy. For me. Don’t let my passing change you for worse.”

     Tough promise. But… for her, I’ll try.

     “I promise.”

     A moment later a rock hits my head, and I fall over, my head landing inches from Mayla’s. Her eyes are the last thing I see before everything goes black.

Five

Jadelynn

 

I open my locker in the hallway after lunch, once again thinking about the dream I had last night, when someone enters my periphery. Assuming the person is just someone who is trying to open their locker, I ignore them.

     But then I hear them say, "Hey, Jade."

     I close my locker slowly. I know that voice. I heard it just this morning. My dream forgotten, I turn to see Justin leaning against a locker two lockers away from mine.

     "Hey," I repeat, trying to keep the surprise from my voice. "What's up?"

     "The ceiling," he replies, grinning. He rubs the back of his neck distractedly and asks, "Hey, um, are you doing anything after school?"

     My jaw is oh-so-close to dropping. Do I want to know why he's asking me that question?

     "Uh," I say intelligently. "No, I don't think so."

     He stands up straight and says, "Great, 'cause I was wondering if you want to study for the biology test at my house later."

     Tightening my arms around my history books so they won't fall to the floor (not that they'd ever reach it, what with my freakishly insane reflexes), I reply, "Oh, yeah that would be great. Thanks."

     I’m not exactly sure why I agreed to it. Maybe it’s because I’m curious. As strange as it sounds, I’ve never been to his house or met his parents. I can’t say why, because I have no idea. Besides, he’s the one who broke up with me, not the other way around. So why is he doing this?

     Oh right. Probably because I’m his bio partner. Go figure.

     Just then the bell rings.

     Justin says, "I'll take you to my place after school, if your mom says it's okay."

     Then he leaves me standing in the hallway, still trying to make sense of what just happened.

~*~

Alexis catches up to me as I walk down the hallway to our last class.

     She starts to say, "You've been awful quiet since lunch and, you know, I'm still not over that thing about…" But she trails off when she looks up at me. "Dude, what's up with you? It looks like your face is on fire, almost literally. What happened? Spill it."

     Crap. My face is red? Why? Since when? And who all noticed?

     These questions race through my mind as I try to find words to answer her. Wait, so I'm tongue-tied, too? I hadn't realized—none of the teachers had called on me to answer any questions in class and I haven't talked to anyone since my encounter with Justin. Now I wonder if I would have been able to.

     Just as I'm about to attempt to give her an answer, Cody comes up behind us and begins to walk in pace beside me, though he takes longer strides than my quick, short ones.

     "Hey, what's up with your face?" He asks. "How long has that been going on?"

     "That's what I was trying to get out of her just now," Alexis responded. "But she can't seem to talk at the moment."

     Cody gives me a puzzled look. After a few seconds, realization spreads across his face and he lets out a short laugh. "I think I know what it is," he says, grinning.

     "What?" Alexis asks eagerly.

     He shakes his head. "I'm not telling. If you want the info you've gotta get it out of her yourself."

     "What?" She whines. "No fair!"

     "Yes, it is."

     "Is not."

     "Is too."

     I roll my eyes at their perfect-for-each-other bickering as I walk into art class and take my place in front of a blank canvas, tying an art apron around my waist. Cody takes up the place on my left, while Alexis occupies the spot on my right.

     The teacher, Miss Rienn, comes in at that moment and calls the noisy kids to order. Then she goes on to talk about art and how it's a good way to express your feelings, blah blah blah. I just want to paint.

     Finally, she instructs us to paint something that expresses an emotion we had felt that day. Oh, joy. This'll be fun.

     "Ha. Nice," Alexis whispers, leaning toward me. "I wonder if Jade will paint something that expresses what she was feeling five minutes ago."

     I almost laugh at her. There is absolutely no way I'm going to paint that emotion. It would probably clue her in on what’s going on. Besides, I have no idea how to portray that particular emotion anyway.

     Instead, I decide to paint something that expresses the emotion of happiness. That should be easy enough.

     I pick up a brush and dip it in green paint. As I stroke the brush against the blank canvas, my mind wanders back to the dream I had last night. Who was the guy? I've never seen him before. And what was up with the affection? And the sudden abuse? It doesn't make sense to me, but it was really vivid. That's strange because I normally have blurry-imaged dreams where I can't see anything very well.

     "Jade."

     Startled, I turn toward the voice and come face-to-face with Justin, almost smearing his art apron with paint. I never realized that he was in this class. Weird.

     "Yes?" I reply, trying to figure out why I never noticed him here before now.

     "I called your mom after my previous class and she said it would be okay."

     "Oh, right. Thanks."

     He smiles and strides back to his easel. For some reason, I'm glad that he didn't get a chance to see my painting.

     Alexis and Cody observed the exchange with flabbergasted looks on their faces. She pokes my arm. When I turn, her mouth is hanging open slightly and she points her finger at Justin, then back at me repeatedly.

     "Studying after school," I whisper.

     She gives me a look that expresses her skepticism. She clearly doesn't believe me. I shrug.

     Minutes go by in silence, and Miss Rienn starts walking around the room, observing everyone's paintings and giving someone a piece of advice every once in a while. When she gets to me, she gasps silently in amazement. I turn to my painting and realize why.

     I hadn't noticed what I'd been painting; I'd been distracted with thoughts concerning my dream and the fact that I figured out why I've never noticed Justin here before: because he hasn't participated in art class since the beginning of time, practically. Now I can see that I had painted a clearing in a forest. The green leaves and brown trees work perfectly together with the sliver of blue sky above them. In the middle of the clearing stands a girl holding the hands of a guy with hair unbelievably black. Their faces are mostly obscured in shadow, but I'm fairly certain I know who they are, regardless.

     The bright colors around the couple portrays my happy emotion but there is, near the bottom left corner, a dark spot that—despite its small size—seems threatening. I shudder inwardly.

     Miss Rienn covers my painting with a sheet and drags the easel to the front of her desk. "Class," she calls. "Gather around please."

     The students look at each other in confusion, but curiously obey.

     "You are all aware of my love for art," Miss Rienn states. "I am going to be blunt and say that quite a few of you don't seem to have the willpower or motivation to paint with conviction. You don't seem to enjoy yourselves. Lastly, you don't seem to grasp the concept of painting with emotion. Now, I'm not going to name any names—" (she makes eye contact with them instead) "—but you know who you are. I want to show you all something that ought to be breathtaking and inspiring to you."

     Until now I had no idea what her intentions were. But realization hits me when she moves to the side of my painting and removes the sheet, displaying it to the entire class, causing them all to gasp. And what can I do about it? Covering it again would look odd, and then everyone would know that it was me who painted it. I decide to watch my classmate's reactions.

     My picture must be pretty good because even the Goth girl, Mindy Fox, who never shows any emotion to anyone—other than her boyfriend—is gawking. Or maybe it's that bad. Eh, who knows?

     Her boyfriend, apparently.

     "Wow." He puts his arm around Mindy and whispers to her, "They look like us."

     He is talking about the two people in the clearing. But that doesn't make any sense. He has brown hair and Mindy has blond hair with black streaks. There's no way those two people look like them.

     Then I hear another girlfriend and boyfriend say the same thing. And another. What the heck? Plus, how in the world am I able to hear them? They're whispering amongst themselves, with almost zilch volume.

     Just then, Alexis comes up beside me and whispers, "Why did you do that?"

     Why is she talking so loud? I'm right here.

     Confused, I ask, "What did I do?"

     She points at my painting. "You painted me and Cody in the clearing. It's unmistakable."

     I frown. "Okaaay… Um, I didn't."

     "What are you talking about? You clearly did."

     I shake my head, saying, "No, I didn't. I painted me and a guy I had a dream about."

     She frowns now, befuddled. "Then why—"

     "I have no idea," I say, cutting her off. "Those two said that it looked just like them. And those two said the same thing."

     She looks more confused than ever, so I say, "You know what? Forget it."

     I make my way to Miss Rienn. Once by her side, I ask, "So what do you think?"

     Smiling at me adoringly, she replies, "I absolutely love it! But please, tell me—what inspired you to paint me and Jim?"

     I'm speechless. James Hale is my history teacher. And Miss Rienn's boyfriend.

     I open my mouth to speak, but then close it again. Eventually, I just shrug.

     "Well," Miss Rienn begins. "I was just wondering if it would be okay with you if I put this on display in the hallway."

     Able to speak now, I reply, "Oh, um, I don't know…"

     "Please, Jade," she implores. "It would mean a lot to me."

     A thought occurs to me. "Okay," I say. "I'll agree, but only if I don't get involved in any contention about it and you make sure that no one knows who painted it."

     She looks puzzled for a moment, but then her face clears and she nods. "I understand. I suppose we can do that."

     I smile and thank her. Just then the bell rings and students gather their belongings and begin heading out the door. I grab my backpack, take off my apron, and start to follow the throng of students when someone grabs my arm. Turning, I again find myself confronted by Justin.

     "I have a question for you," he says. "Did you paint that picture?"

     Alexis and Cody file out the door, glancing back at me and Justin, still looking completely perplexed. They stop and wait for me just across the threshold, but I wave them on. I turn back to Justin. Now I understand why I'd felt glad that he hadn't seen my painting.

     "Which one?" I ask, playing dumb.

     He glances around, looking a little uncomfortable. "You know—the one everyone's talking about."

     I stare at him, wondering why he was asking me about this. Then it dawns on me. Duh. He probably sees him and the girl he likes, corresponding with everyone else who saw the painting. But wait a minute—if that's the case, then wouldn't that mean that the guy in the clearing with the girl (aka, me) is who I like? I don't even know his name! Sheesh. But yeah, there is no way I want anyone else to know I painted it.

     Instead of giving him a direct answer, I remark, "It's a good painting, even for my standards, but no one told me who painted it." That isn't a lie, right? (Wait—since when do I care whether I lie or not? Yeesh, there's something seriously wrong with me.) Then I ask with fake interest, "Who do you think painted it?"

     He shrugs. "I don't know," he says quietly. "But I know who I want to have painted it."

     As he speaks he looks directly into my eyes, seeming to look for something that will give him an answer. I gaze back steadily, not giving anything away.

     He looks away first and finally realizes that he hasn't let go of my arm. Releasing his grip, he clears his throat and declares, "We'd better get going if we want more time to study."

     I blink, uncomprehending. Then I remember—study, biology test, his place. Duh.

     "Oh," I say. "Yeah, okay."

     We head into the hallway, toward the lockers. I open mine and place the books I don't need inside, which is practically all of them. As I do so, a piece of paper falls out and flutters to the floor. I have to force myself to allow it to fall, but it's extremely difficult not to let my reflexes do what they want.

     What the…? I crouch down and pick it up.

     "What is it?" Justin asks.

     Shrugging, I answer, "I have no idea. I'll find out sooner or later."

     "You're not gonna look at it now?"

     I stand, close my locker, and start walking toward the doors. Everyone else is already out. That means it's just Justin and me. Creepy.

     "Nah, I'll take a peek at it when I get home," I say casually, putting the paper in my front pocket. "Whatever it is, I don't want it to distract me."

     "Smart thinking."

     We fall silent, and Justin walks in step beside me.

     Good thing he can keep up with me, I think, smiling.

     "What are you smiling about?" He asks. Caught.

     "Nothing," I lie, stealing a glance at him from the corner of my eye.

     "You're a terrible liar," he says, laughing. We step outside, into the afternoon sun, and I slip on my sunglasses.

     "Oh really? What if that's what I want you to think?"

     He leans in and whispers, "Then I'll just have to figure you out. I still haven’t, you know."

     That sends shivers up my spine. "And how do you expect to do that?" I ask, striving to keep my tone casual.

     He shrugs, straightening as we descend the concrete steps. "I have my ways," he says mysteriously.

     I bite my lip. Admittedly, I'm kind of nervous about that. There is absolutely no way I can let him figure me out. He’s already tried once, and look where that led. If he did get lucky and found out what kind of a person I am and what I’m capable of, he would probably run away, screaming as he went. Then again, maybe that would be good thing.

     On the other hand, he might think my abilities cool and unique. I don’t wanna think about that though.

     He leads me to the parking lot, where his black Porsche Spyder 918 sits. I blink. It's still there.

     "You like it?" Justin asks as he opens the passenger door for me.

     "Nope," I reply, sliding into the plush seat.

     "No?" He asks, sounding disappointed. "Why not?"

     I smile up at him. "Because I love it."

     He laughs and shuts the door, hurrying to the other side.

     "Where'd you get this one?"

     "My dad gave it to me for my birthday last month. He's a wicked cool guy."

     And obviously rich, I muse. Out loud I ask, "Will I get to meet him?"

     He glances at me, his grin widening, and answers, "You bet'cha."

~*~

     As Justin pulls into his driveway, I stare. My mouth opens slightly, but I quickly close it again, suddenly aware of his gaze on me. Looking for a reaction.

     Turning toward him, eyebrow raised, I ask, "You expect me to go in there and study?"

     He grins. "Yup. Why wouldn't you be able to?"

     Giving him a sarcastic look, I reply, "Gee, I wonder."

     "Come on, you'll be fine," he says, laughing. "Nothing you'll do will be something someone hasn't done already. I can almost guarantee that."

     I'm not very reassured, but I allow him to coax me out of the car and to the front door of his mansion. Because that's what it is. A tall, tan-colored mansion surrounded by dozens of different flowers that sweeten the air with their fragrance. A fountain spouting water rests in the middle of the small courtyard. Glancing back at the gate we had driven through, I see trimmed trees, bushes, grass, and even more flowers on either side of it. Strange how I didn't notice them before.

     Two columns guard each side of the two tall oak doors. Justin opens one door and gestures for me to go inside. Hesitantly, I do.

     The walls are the color of cream, most of the furniture black—in the front room, anyway. Across the room is a winding staircase leading to the second—and possibly third—floor. A rectangular coffee table sits in the middle of the room, and two sofas rest on either side of it. A mirror hangs on the wall to my right and a chandelier swings gently on a breeze above.

     A bookshelf captures my attention and I walk over to it. I tilt my head to the side and read the titles. The Middle Ages, The History of the Roman Empire, and other history books grace the first shelf. The lower shelves hold more modern novels and fiction.

     "You enjoy reading, right?" Justin asks, appearing beside me.

     I nod. "I like reading fiction whenever I have the time and motivation, which is quite often. But I’m sure you knew that. I remember you telling me that you don’t like reading."

     He shrugs, and answers, "Not especially. It's my younger sister Jennifer who likes to read. She'll read anything she can get her hands on, including school books. That's probably why she always gets A’s in every subject except for PE."

     At that moment, a girl glides into the room, her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. When she sees me her brown eyes light up and a large smile spreads across her face.

     "Hi," she says.

     "Hey," I reply, smiling back at her.

   She strides over to us, and Justin states, "This is my sister Jennifer, the bookworm I was telling you about. Jen, this is my biology partner, Jade."

     Jennifer smacks him playfully on the arm. "I know who she is. I go to school, too. Plus, she's mentioned so often around he—"

     "Jennifer," Justin quickly interrupts. "Who brought you home?"

     She points at the front door and, as if on cue, a guy walks in. A tall, broad guy. And kind of intimidating. Heck, anyone a foot and a half taller than me is intimidating if they feel so inclined to be. But his face looks friendly enough, with brown eyes, blond hair, and a bigger smile than the other two. How could I not have met him already?

     He joins our little group—making it seem bigger—and rumbles, "You must be Jade. I'm Sam."

     Unexpectedly, Sam wraps his arm lightly around my shoulders. "So how do you like the place?" He inquires.

     "Never mind that," Jennifer says before I can answer. "Are you staying for dinner?"

     "Yes," Justin answers, surprising me.

     "I am?" I ask uncertainly.

     He smiles. "Yup. I asked your mom if it was okay when I called her earlier and she said it would be fine."

     What the heck is he doing? I ask myself.

     After a few more inquiries from Jennifer and Sam, they finally feel obligated to leave so Justin and I can study. Justin leads me to one of the sofas and I sit down gratefully.

     "Sorry about that," he says, settling down beside me. "We don't have many Stones over that often."

     I laugh a little at how funny that sounded, then say, "It's okay. I found their reactions amusing. They seem fun."

     For the next hour and a half we sit there and study. When I finally glance up at the clock on the wall I'm surprised at how much time has passed.

     He looks up at me, then follows my gaze. "Wow," he breathes. "Time flew."

     Suddenly, he snaps his book shut and stands, grabbing my hand to drag me through the doors beneath the stairs, onto the patio overlooking the backyard and pool.

     "Where are we going?" I ask as he pulls me around the pool and over to a garden of flowers. And not just any flowers. These are all… tulips. Everywhere except for where a tall willow tree stands, sheltering a small wooden bench, on which sits a man and a woman holding hands, talking. The woman looks to be in her early thirties. Shoulder-length, straight brown hair frames her beautiful face, and chocolate-brown eyes gaze lovingly at the man, who looks a few years older than her, with blue eyes that gaze back at her in adoration. His blond hair is cut to a bearable length, and I can definitely see the resemblance between him and Justin.

     The woman spots us first, mutters something to the man, and they both rise from their seat to come stand before us.

     "Good evening," the woman says, smiling.

     "Mom, Dad," Justin says. "This is Jade, my biology partner."

     "She's just your bio partner?" Mr. King probes, winking.

     Justin rolls his eyes, replying, “Yes, as of a month and a half ago.”

     "I believe it's time for dinner," Mrs. King announces. "And you are accompanying us, correct?"

     I nod and we head back into the house—er, mansion—and are bombarded with the smell of food cooking. My stomach growls softly, and I hope that it wasn't audible to the ears of those around me. Then again, my hearing was enhanced (though it's not quite as bad now as it was during art class), so it's more likely that it wasn't heard by anyone else.

     Justin and his parents guide me to the dining room and we settle in on the luxurious seats around the table. Justin occupies the seat to my left, while Jen sits on the chair to my right.

     I try not to fidget. Dining with this particular wealthy family is going to be nerve-wracking. Then a thought comes to me: what if they are eating fish? Or something exotic that I have no idea how to cut properly? What if I make a fool out of myself…?

     Geez, I think to myself. Get a grip. Do you honestly believe that they'd have something exotic for dinner?   I pause. Yes.

     Trying to relax, I turn to Justin and ask, "So, what's for dinner?"

     He smiles and, winking, replies, "You'll have to see."

     Oh, great. That doesn't sound good.

     As soon as everyone is seated, people with platters start to file out of a side door that I hadn't noticed before. I sniff at the air and am surprised to smell… everything. The food, the table, the floor… Mrs. King's hairspray—and she is sitting at the far end of the table!

     I blink. When I turn to Justin again I'm attacked by the smell of his cologne. I quickly turn back around.

     What the heck is going on? Why have I been suddenly infused with the ability to smell everything? To hear insanely well? To—

     Wait a minute. Mental facepalm. Duh. All of this must coordinate with my glowing hands and my capability of making vines grow from walls to defend me from bullies in orphanages, like I did when I was younger. But why now? I don't understand why I'm a freak, but that is what I officially think of myself at this moment.

     I take a deep breath through my mouth. Big mistake. I taste everything I had smelled and almost gag. Talk about bad timing. Hastily, I close my mouth and take short breaths through my nose.

     "Are you okay?" Justin asks, looking at me with concern.

     I nod. "I'm fine." I try not to sound freaked out.

     "Are you sure?" he persists as a servant places covered platters in front of us. "Do you want to step outside?"

     Heck no. Not unless I have to.

     "I'm fine," I insist. "Really."

     He drops it for now, but I know that if I continue to act as weird as I have been he'll insist we go outside. I'm not sure if that would be a good idea.

     Looking at my platter, I inhale tentatively. I smell salad. A predictable appetizer.

     The servants behind me and everyone else at the table synchronously lift the platter lids to reveal the salad. It looks better than it smells.

     Everyone begins to eat their salad and I imitate them. For a few minutes the only sound in the room is the clinking of our utensils as they stab at the salad on our plates. Mr. King is the one who speaks up first.

     "So, Jade," he begins, and I look up. "How long have you been Justin’s biology partner?"

     I open my mouth to speak, but Justin answers, "Not long. A few weeks, I think."

   I glance at him quizzically. Why is he answering questions directed at me? Our eyes meet and he smiles, shrugging slightly.

     "What are your interests?" Mrs. King asks me. There's something I can answer for myself.

     "Well, I enjoy reading, for one thing," I begin, and Jen smiles at me. "I also like to hang out with my friends and listen to music."

     "What's your favorite subject in school?"

     "Does art count as a subject?" I ask with a smile.

     Mrs. King laughs. "I think so. In my opinion, everyone should learn how to express themselves on a canvas." She sighs. "Unfortunately, in this day and age, children don't seem to appreciate art as much as they used to."

     Silence envelops the room again, until servants from the side door come in to remove our salads and replace them with another round of covered platters. Deciding to try out my smelling abilities again, I inhale through my nose. What I smell this time is mashed potatoes and gravy, steak, and peas.

     Sure enough, when the lids are removed I find myself correct once again. This ability could prove to be extremely useful in the future, along with my excellent hearing. I smile.

     "Something funny?" Justin whispers, leaning toward me. Sheesh, is he always looking at me or something?

     "Yeah," I reply. "It's called 'life'."

     He smiles and says, "You're right—that is funny."

     My smile widens at the thought that I only told him part of the reason why I'm smiling and he doesn't even know it. Pretty stupid, I know, but right now I don't care about what's ridiculous and what isn't—just as long as I don't make a fool out of myself while I'm not caring about stupidity.

     My smug satisfaction is short-lived, however, because then Justin says, "But that's not the whole reason why you’re smiling, is it?"

     Geez, why does he have to be so intelligent? His perceptive nature is dangerous. I need to be more careful.

     I gaze into his eyes and regret it. They're hazardous to my sanity. Or, what's left of it, anyway.

     "It is," I lie.

     He searches my face for any sign of deception, but I know he won't find it. Like I said, I learned how to lie while I was in those countless orphanages. I'm not going to waste the talent I acquired by telling the truth all the time.

     After a few more seconds, Justin seems to be satisfied that I'm not lying and straightens in his to chair to begin eating. For a second I feel guilty about the lie, but then I become perplexed—I've never experienced guilt after I lied to anyone since I was adopted. Weird.

     I clear the frown that had developed on my face and begin munching on the steak in front of me.

     Everyone else at the table speak amongst themselves. The conversation between Justin and I lulls, but I'm fine with that. Once the dessert arrives, however, Justin can't seem to remain silent any longer.

     "Can I ask you a question?" He inquires.

     "You just did," I reply with a smirk. Then I add innocently, "Oh was that not the question you wanted to ask?”

     Before he can answer, I continue, saying, "Well, out with it—don't be shy. I don't bite… often."

     I flash him a large smile, displaying my teeth. He laughs quietly, then suddenly becomes very interested in the table. I take a bite out of my banana split and wait patiently for him to ask his original question.

     "So. My question," he finally says after a few minutes. "Why do you always have your hair down?"

     This catches me by surprise and I'm speechless for a few seconds. There is no way I can tell him it's because of my ears. But what can I say? … Oh yeah.

     "I don't always have my hair down," I protest. "I put it up during PE." Making sure it covers my ears.

     "Yeah, but I never see you during PE."

     And? I almost retort, but I stop myself. Instead, I ask curiously, "Why do you ask?"

     He shrugs. "Well, I scarcely see you with your hair up."

     "Not that it's necessarily a bad thing," he quickly adds when he sees my skeptical look. "I'm just curious about how you might look with your hair out of your face."

     I blink. Is he for real? I'm almost tempted to pinch myself; everything going on now seems like it could come out of a dream. But no, I'm definitely awake—the sounds and smells are too realistic for me to be dreaming.

     … Unfortunately.

Six

Bek 

 

My head is throbbing. My body aches all over. And it's probably safe to say that I am not in the best mood at this moment in time.

     Cracking my eyelids open ever so slightly, I discern that the sun is setting. When I try to move I realize that I'm lying on my stomach on the wet forest floor, my hands are bound behind my back, and I'm in a lot of trouble. Surprise, surprise.

     I think I hate surprises. Especially ones that involve killing my sister.

     I open my eyes wider and reach the conclusion that I'm not in the clearing anymore. I'm in the Jintis grove. And I can't see Kadon anywhere. Terrific. I’m all alone now.

     A pair of leather boots suddenly appears in front of my face, and I have to force myself to remain motionless.

     "Excellent," a voice says. "You're awake."

     The person in front of me is a girl. Just great.

     She crouches down beside me and tenderly brushes aside a lock of hair that had been covering my eyes. I try not to flinch. My instincts are screaming at me that this beautiful girl is more dangerous than I can imagine. Oh yeah, and I need to get out of this predicament as soon as humanely possible. Problem is: how in the world am I supposed to do that?

     I hear heavy footfalls a short distance away. This informs me that there are a lot more people—most likely men—who are in this vicinity, making escape seem nigh impossible. Great.

     I look up at the girl. And regret it. Her eyes captivate me. They are very similar to the girl's eyes in my dream, and they seem to be in the same face, cloth over the bottom half and all. But these eyes are a shade of green so light that they almost look white, and lack any kindness or humor. Instead, they are filled with resentment, anger, and evil intentions. I shudder inwardly.

     Yup, I decide. This girl terrifies me.

     I try to look away from her piercing eyes, but I can't. Uh-oh.

     "What a pleasant surprise we have here," the girl purrs. "A strong young man to do my bidding. It looks like he won't be able to put up much of a fight, regrettably. I always enjoy a good brawl." She laughs, and the hair on the back of my neck prickles. Can she get any creepier?

     Yes, it turns out.

     Finally taking her gaze off of me—to my immense relief—the girl stands and calls to one of the men nearby, removing the cloth from her face. When he stands in front of her at attention she sidles up to him and drags a lithe finger down his cheek. Seemingly against his will, the man's eyelids droop and he unconsciously leans toward the girl's retreating hand.

     "Ryu," the girl sighs. "What are your thoughts? Should we recruit him or kill him now?"

     My mouth falls open, but I quickly close it again when Ryu glances at me. That girl talks about killing me as though it's normal routine, and she can't be older than me! Could I have been captured by anyone worse?

     Probably.

   Ryu gazes at the girl for a few moments, then says, "You know as well as I do that I have absolutely no choice in the matter, and neither do you, Lady Amaya. It's a decision the captive makes for himself. But I’m willing to bet that he’ll be resistant after what’s happened."

     Oh goody. It sounds like I get to choose if I want to join a terrible conspiracy or die. Well, that's a slightly challenging decision to make. No, seriously—it is.

     The girl—Amaya—looks at me again. I make sure to keep my gaze averted from hers. I don't want to get entranced again.

     "I suppose you are correct, Ryu," she concedes. "He does, indeed, decide for himself."

     I attempt to swallow my fear, but I don't quite succeed. I'm filled with dread and frantically try to come up with an escape plan. I look around, searching for anything that might be able to assist me.

     Then I see it. Metal. It's only a few feet away from me—to the left—and it's almost completely covered with leaves, dirt and ferns, but if I can somehow get my hands in front of me then I'll be capable of grabbing it from the ground and defending myself with it. Though the chances of me getting out of here alive are… nonexistent.

     Oh well,   I think. It's not as if I have much to live for anyway. Though I really would have liked to know that girl's name.

     "So," Amaya says, crouching down next to me again. "What will you choose? Do you wish to join my faithful forces against the royal family? Or is it your desire to die a drawn-out, excruciating death?" Her lips curl into what must be a smile. A wicked one.

     Peering up at her (but careful not to look at her eyes), I ask, "What are the conditions that I'd have to uphold if I agreed to serve you?"

     She tilts her head to one side, as though she's never been asked this question before, and in such a calm demeanor. She's probably accustomed to men instantly agreeing or disagreeing with her, no questions asked. Not me.

     "Well," she says. "You'd need to swear fealty to me and my cause. Simple as that. If it was discovered that you had betrayed this organization you would be killed immediately."

     "What, exactly, is your cause?" I inquire. "What do you have against the royal family?"

     Ryu begins to come forward threateningly, but Amaya keeps him at bay with a flick of her hand. Leaning in closer to me, she answers with a cold smile, "My goal is to kill every single one of those pathetic, so-called 'rulers'. They are in the way of what I want: the throne. It doesn't matter to me that they are family. I decided a few years ago—when I discovered some of what I can do—that they don't deserve such a title. They need to be destroyed."

     I'm barely able to keep my jaw from falling to the ground. She's the princess! The one who had run away seven years ago after threatening to rip out the king's throat. The one who is now leading a conspiracy against her family. The one who is now looming over me, waiting for me to…

     Oh great.

     You remember when I said I could probably be captured by someone worse than her? I take that back. Rumor has it that this girl has never felt any positive emotions ever since the king's cousin had attempted to use the Jintis's power for his own selfish intentions. She is plagued with malice, loathing everyone and everything, and a never-ending supply of animosity. I have just now discovered that she is ambitious for the throne. And won't stop at anything to attain her objective.

     "I don't suppose you'll untie me before I give my oath?" I ask, doing my best to sound casual. "I'd be honored if I could touch your gauntlet while I swear fealty to you."

     After studying my face for a few seconds, Amaya stands and instructs Ryu to lift me up onto my knees and untie my bonds. When he begins to protest, Amaya lifts her hand to strike him but he apologizes before she gets the chance to bring it down on his face.

     "Be warned, dark stranger," she hisses. "If you try to escape, my archers will be ready. My men have been thirsting for blood to spill, but it would be a shame if you were to be wasted. You are very interesting."

     I rub my wrists after Ryu grudgingly unties them. That was so easy, it's almost amusing. I try not to smile as I say, "I understand. What am I to say?"

     As Ryu answers me, I take in my surroundings quickly. The metal object is still three feet away. I remind myself not to smile.

     After a moment I realize that Ryu has stopped speaking and I clear my throat dramatically to say, "Lady Amaya, I swear by my life and my honor… that I will never be influenced to serve you or your cause."

     I leap for the metal object at the same instant Amaya yells, "Kill him!"

     The sound of arrows being fired fills the air, and one manages to pierce through my right arm, exiting out the other side a millisecond before my skin meets the metal.

     White light blinds me. Then nothing.

Seven

Bek

 

Forget about my head. My arm is on fire. When I finally regain consciousness I immediately groan in pain.

     I crack my eyes open and comprehend that it's dark, my shirt is off, and someone is sitting next to me, stoking a small fire.

     Alarmed, I sit up. Too quickly. My head spins and the wound in my arm erupts in a new wave of pain.

     "You're an idiot, you know that?" the person beside me growls.

     "Kadon!" I exclaim, relieved. "What happened? Where were you? How did you get here? And wait… where is here?"

     Kadon holds up a hand to stop my flow of questions and has a look of mock terror on his face. "Take a breath, boy, else you might risk passing out again."

     I take a deep breath. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him.

     "To answer your first question," he continues. "You got captured by the princess and her band of mindless dogs called men. Secondly, when you were knocked out I slipped away so that I wouldn't get caught as well. Fortunately, only one man spotted and pursued me. We had a short clash. I then headed for the Jintis grove, and I was fortunate enough to get there before the others. I touched the Jintis and was transported to where we are now."

     When he falls silent I ask, "So where are we?"

     He gazes at me steadily and leans forward enough to allow the glow of the fire to illuminate his rough features, making him appear ghost-like. Then he replies, "Earth."

~*~

Earth? Kadon has talked about it on numerous occasions but I'd never considered that it might be real. I also recall that recently he had been saying that we would go to Earth soon. Then he had begun teaching me about the history of it and its inhabitants. I had thankfully been intelligent enough to listen to him and file away the information in my mind for later reference, even though it sounded ludicrous at the time. For some reason, I never wondered how he had gained the knowledge.

     Kadon gazes at me steadily as he asks, “Where is May?”

     I stare into the fire and answer, “She’s gone.”

     Taking a deep breath, he asks quietly, “How?”

     “Arrow,” I whisper. My vision blurs. I can’t seem to blink away the oncoming tears, and they flow freely down my cheeks.

     Kadon rests his arm around my shoulder and we sit there for a while. All of my trauma and sorrow are put into my tears and soon there’s nothing but the anger simmering beneath everything else. I drag my hand across my face and take a few deep breaths.

     “You good now?” Kadon asks.

     I nod.

     He reaches for a bag with many pockets on it. He pulls on something attached to one of them and it makes a loud zipping noise. I jump at the sound.

     "This is a backpack," he says. "It's very common among Earth's residents and is used to contain things."

     He pulls something out of the backpack and hands it to me. "These are Earth clothes," he explains. "Put them on."

     I blink. Frowning, I take the clothes and unsteadily rise to my feet.

     "There's a big tree in that direction," Kadon says, pointing.

     I nod and head toward the tree he'd indicated. Once behind the tree, I replace my filthy clothes with the strange but clean Earth clothes, making sure to be careful with my now-bandaged arm.

     I emerge from behind the tree a few minutes later and place my bloody clothes in Kadon's outstretched hand. Next, he produces socks, shoes, and a jacket. I accept them gratefully; the night air is a little frigid and my shirt has short sleeves.

     "Now that you are decently dressed, we'll go to the house." He stands and slings the backpack over his shoulder.

     "Wait - what?" The house? What house?

     Kadon rolls his eyes. "We're going to the house I secured for us yesterday. Come on."

     He puts the fire out and starts sauntering away. Hastily, I follow.

     "So did you come here all those times you went out alone?" I ask, striving to keep up with his long strides.

     "Yes."

     "But why? Did you know something was going to happen?"

     "Nooo." Sarcasm.

     "How did you know?"

     "It was a gut feeling. That, coupled with your dream, made me cautious."

     We hike to the top of a small hill, and I'm speechless as I gaze out over the land stretched out before me. Millions of lights are everywhere. The sight is breathtaking.

     As soon as I can speak, I ask, "Where on Earth are we?"

     Kadon laughs quietly and answers, "The place you are now seeing, Bek, is a part of the vast state of California. We’re going to a city named Anaheim."

     "But now we need to get to the house," he continues. "We're not safe quite yet." He begins descending the hill and I hesitantly trail after him.

   Kadon walks a short distance before coming to a large bush. After checking to make sure no one else is around, he quickly begins pulling aside the branches, revealing something shiny underneath.

     “What is that?” I ask in awe.

     “A car,” he answers. “Get in.”

     Along the way, Kadon educates me on how to speak the language of this century's teenagers and how to act like one. He helps me to understand the principles of school, updating me to two grades higher than the one I'm supposedly expected to be in at my age. He teaches me about the electronic devices that this generation is fond of and gives me a phone that is activated by the warm touch of a fingertip. I learn all of this information quickly and by the time we reach the house that Kadon insisted we get to, I'm walking and talking like any teenager should. I feel somewhat proud of myself, but I don't allow myself to get a big head about it. Mayla wouldn’t have wanted me to.

     "What time is it?" I ask as Kadon unlocks the door.

     "Check your phone, Einstein," he huffs.

     Rolling my eyes, I do just that. The numbers on the screen inform me that it's eleven P.M. I'm suddenly exhausted.

     I follow Kadon into the house, blinking rapidly when he flips on a light.

     "Welcome to your new home," he says, spreading his arms out wide.

     I gape at my surroundings. And this is only the front room. I can only imagine what the rest looks like. Wait a minute… no, I can't.

     I look at Kadon and say, "I'll sight-see as soon as I get some sleep."

~*~

     Sunlight creeps under the curtains, endeavoring to envelop me in its warmth.

     Go away, I think groggily, cracking my eyelids open slightly. I'm not ready for life yet.

     The sunlight must not hear my brain waves because it continues to inch toward me. I glance at my wristwatch and see that it's seven-thirty.

     I wonder what Kadon will want me to do today. He'll probably try to stuff my brain with as much information as he can about Earth. And I'm just fine with that; I want to find out as much as humanely possible about this strange place.And I want to occupy my thoughts with those things instead of dwelling on the fact that Mayla isn’t learning with me. Her ring hanging from a chain around my neck feels heavier when I think about her.

     After a few minutes, I force myself to get out of bed and head for the dresser. With a bundle of clothes in one arm, I walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower the way Kadon showed me. I would have taken a shower last night, but I was exhausted—as you well know. But I'm so filthy it's ridiculous. I can't believe I slept in that amazing bed without being clean. I feel despicable.

     After my shower, I promptly put on my clothes—feeling clean and refreshed—and exit my first bedroom, wondering how in the world I could have possibly lived my life without this luxury. Oh yeah. I lived in a forest and had no idea that there was anything better than a cottage. (Aside from the castle, but I've never been in there so I have no clue what kind of stuff they are privileged with.)

     My arm is feeling much better since last night, probably because Kadon put some healing salve on it before I went to bed.

     Speaking of, I locate Kadon sitting in the kitchen at the table, reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of… something. I don't know what it is but it smells good.

     I slide into the chair across from him and fold my arms on the table. "So what's on the agenda today?"

     He replies without glancing up at me. "Learning."

     I knew it. "What am I learning about?"

     This time he takes his gaze from the paper and looks at me. "Girls."

     My eyes widen and my jaw drops. "What?" It almost comes out as a squeak.

     "You need to learn how to cope around and with them. How to approach a girl you like. How you should behave and talk around them. Believe me - it's quite different from the other stuff I taught you last night."

     "Can't I just act like myself?" I ask desperately.

     He lifts an eyebrow. "That's just like asking if you can make a fool out of yourself. Besides, by the time I'm through with you, 'yourself' will be something anyone would be proud of. Only then will I allow you to act like yourself."

     He stands and says, "You have demonstrated that you can learn quickly. It's quite remarkable how well and how hastily you absorbed the information I have given you thus far. It will prove to be very beneficial in the near future."

     He goes on to teach me about how I should act around girls, and how I can garner their attention without making a fool out of myself (though he mentions that just my looks could do that). It's all interesting and probably useful information, but I don't believe that I'll have to make use of it any time soon. At least, I hope I won't.

     Then Kadon does the unthinkable.

     "No no no no," I protest. "There is absolutely no way I am going to pretend that you're a girl."

     "Bek, this is important," he replies.

     I raise my eyebrows and spread my arms out as if to say "really?" and exclaim, "You pretending to be a girl is important?"

     He sighs, saying, "No—it's the concept that's important. We don't have a girl around here so I'm a substitute."

     That stings, but I don’t let him see the hurt in my eyes. We would have had a girl on hand if she hadn’t been shot dead yesterday.  

"But why in the world are you teaching me about this in the first place?" I ask, exasperated.

     "Because you're going to be associating with them soon," he says. "Duh."

     I stare at him, dumbfounded. Firstly, he said I'm going to be socializing with girls soon. Secondly, he just used a word that I'm not familiar with, but I want to know what it means so I can use it as well.

     "I've enrolled you in a school not far from here,” he explains. "You begin tomorrow."

     Well, gee. I guess I'd better start learning. And I'd better do it fast.

     "One thing you need to know before you go, however," Kadon says. "Background story and names. You will stay Bek, but I want you to call me Kade."

     I smirk. "Are you sure you want to be Kade? What about Kadie? After all, you are a girl."

     I'm extremely glad that I'm a faster runner than Kadon. If I was any slower I would be flattened by now.

 

Amaya

 

So, she thinks. That's how they do it.

     She smiles smugly. After waiting five years for someone to transport themselves, she'd finally witnessed it. She had recognized the blinding white light that had momentarily blinded her and her men when that boy had touched it. Now she knows that it still works.

     Her smile broadens, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. That stranger had vowed that he would never serve her or her cause. But, in reality, he had unconsciously assisted her by touching the Jintis and being transported to who-knows-where.

     Snapping her fingers, she barks, "Ryu!"

     Instantly, he appears by her side and salutes. "Yes, Lady Amaya?"

     "Gather as many recruits as possible," she commands. "They need to be trained promptly."

     "Will we be raiding the castle soon?"

     Amaya laughs callously and gazes down at the plant-covered Jintis. "No. My eyes have been opened to a greater prize."

Eight

Jadelynn

 

Well. Last night was… different. As you well know. I can safely say that I don’t want another surprise experience like those enhanced senses again.

     After dinner everyone migrated to the living room and just hung out until I eventually had to leave. Justin, of course, volunteered to drive me home.

     The trip home was uneventful and quiet. I could tell that Justin was dying to say something to break the silence. Interestingly, he kept his peace after realizing that I wasn't very talkative. We arrived at my house soon enough.

     Before I climbed out of the car, Justin seized my arm and asked, "You're coming this weekend, right?"

     He was talking about the party.

     "Only if my presence is desired," I reply with a small smile.

     Returning my smile, he said, "Consider it desired."

     I stared at him for a few seconds in slight confusion before I stepped out of the vehicle. He was acting very strange recently.

     I reached the door and turned to wave back at Justin before turning the doorknob and stepping inside. There I find my parents sitting in the living room, both of them reading a book. I almost laughed; they didn’t fool me.

     Mom looked up from her book and asked, "So? How was it?"

     I smiled, wondering how they would react if I told them everything. "It was fun."

     "That's all? 'It was fun'?" She looked at me incredulously.

     "Yes, it was fun." I laughed and climbed the stairs to my bedroom. Once there, I draped my jacket on my desk chair and ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

     Afterward, I remembered the piece of paper I still had in my jeans pocket and I pulled it out and opened it. What was written on it didn't make sense. Well, it did, but not really. All it said was this: Hey, what's up? - 47

     What the heck? Who is 47? And why did they have to write it? Why didn't they want me to know who they were? I was suddenly glad I hadn't read it earlier.

   After getting into some shorts and a T-shirt, I brushed my hair and teeth before crawling into bed. Thankfully, I didn't have any weird or confusing dreams last night, so this morning my thoughts are clear and somewhat normal. For now. Plus, my senses aren't as enhanced as they were yesterday, which is slightly relieving.

     I quickly eat breakfast so I can meet Alexis at the curb before school. I notice that Cody isn't at the table, but I shrug it off. He's probably still in bed.

     I run out the door—noting that the sky is filled with rain clouds just waiting to burst—but immediately skid to a halt when I see Alexis and Cody standing on the curb together. Holding hands.

     Approaching at a slower pace, I ask, "So when did this happen?"

     Alexis looks up at Cody and back at me again, her face turning red. "Well," she began. "Yesterday when you went to Justin's house to, um, study, we decided to hang out alone with each other, and… Cody told me he liked me."

     I knew it. I'd had my suspicions about it yesterday. It's very strange to have this sort of unbelievable theory confirmed.

     We proceed to walk to school. It is extremely disconcerting to see that my two best friends are holding hands. I mean, I'm uber excited that they finally got together, but… it's still weird. I almost feel like the third wheel in our circle now.

     When we arrive at school we spot a bunch of giggling girls clustered together in a group. Alexis, being one of the most popular girls in school, strides over to the clique.

     "What's the news this morning?" she asks. "Why are you giggling like a bunch of weirdos?"

     "Probably because they are a bunch of weirdos," I mumble under my breath as I brush past them. I catch bits and pieces from their scattered conversation.

     "… new guy…" "… so hot…" "… amazing and cool…"

     There's a new guy in school. So what?

     "… new girl. She his girlfriend?" "… I'm so jealous…"

     There's a new girl, too? Supposedly the new guy's girlfriend? Who cares?

     That's when I see her.

     Blond. Tall and slender. Bratty countenance. She looks a little different, but I know who she is immediately. She's the girl I had accidentally bumped into at my first orphanage. Why the heck is she here? Doesn't she live a few cities away? I remember seeing her once—after I ran from the second orphanage—in Bakersfield, but that was years ago.

     Someone touches my arm and I jump away from them before I realize that it's only Alexis.

     "Whoa, what's up with you?" She stares at me as though I've sprouted wings. With the kind of luck I've been having recently, I wouldn't be surprised if I have.

     "Sorry, I'm just a little wound up is all," I reply. "But who's the new girl?"

     Alexis glances at the girl, who is now chatting with another Brat. "Oh, her? She's Eris Blein, the daughter of a rich guy who owns a bunch of orphanages in the state. Her dad is here doing business for a while. I hear that she's the new guy's girlfriend, but I don't think so because I was told by someone that they didn't arrive with each other."

     Oh great. If that girl recognizes me she'll probably mention the fact that I'm a freak and I was originally an orphan. I can't have that—I've worked exceptionally hard to keep those facts hidden from everyone in school, aside from Alexis and my adoptive family. (Well, okay, not the part about me being a freak. They still haven't figured it out yet.)

     I see Cassandra make a beeline for Eris. Crap. This means… not good.

     I hurry inside, wanting to be as far from Eris as possible. I quickly unlock my locker and pull out only the books that I need. Another piece of paper begins to fall, but this time I catch it in midair. It reads:

     Everything okay? - 47

     Unbelievable. Again I wonder who would leave me notes instead of talking to me.

     I start to walk away from my locker, but my foot catches on something. I have to use my arms to steady myself, resulting in me dropping my books. Now I have to pick them up—preferably before the bell rings.

     Dropping to my knees, I begin to gather up the loose papers that have scattered on the floor. Suddenly, another pair of knees land on the ground in front of me and someone who smells like soap and pine needles starts to help me pick up my things.

     I look up to thank them, but the words die in my throat. The world seems to fade away. I can't help but stare into those familiar blue eyes, full of intelligence and kindness. They gaze back at me with surprise.

     "Hello," the boy says. He seems to have an accent, but I can't place what it is.

     "Hi," I reply quietly.

     My things all gathered, we stand up and I finally find my voice to say, "Thank you."

     The corner of his mouth lifts, and he replies, "You're welcome."

     Not knowing what else to say, I ask, "So you're a new student?"

     He nods and rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, I just transferred from Los Angeles. The name's Bek."

     He sounds British and he's definitely lying about coming from L.A. "I'm Jadelyn Stone, but everyone calls me Jade," I say. "It's nice to meet you."

     "Nice to meet you, too," Bek replies. Then he says, "But I have to ask: Have we met before?"

     How do I answer that? Oh yeah, in my dreams we have. We were together, but you wouldn't know about that because it never happened.

     Ha. No.

     I give him a small smile and reply, "I don't think so. You're not one I would forget."

     Before he can respond, I hear the principal call my name.

     "Excuse me," I say to Bek. "I'll be right back."

     I make my way to Mr. Palmer and greet him, saying, "Hey, Mr. P. What's up?"

     He smiles at me and answers, "The ceiling."

     I laugh. "Really? I didn't notice. Do you want me for something?"

     "As a matter of fact, I do. I'd like you to show the new boy around the school. Most of his classes are with you, so I just thought it’d be a good setup.”

     "Sure, no problem."

     "Thank you."

     As I head back to Bek, I try to sort everything out. That guy from my dream is real. He's here. He has most of the same classes I do. He is incredibly hot. I was just asked to escort him around school.

     And Eris Blein. That's all I have to say concerning that situation.

     I think it's safe to assume that life as I knew it has been absolutely corrupted.

Nine

Bek

 

Wow. I didn't see that one coming.

     There I was, minding my own business next to my new locker, when suddenly a girl dropped her school books. Being taught by Kadon to help whenever possible (especially when it comes to girls), I hurried over and started picking up papers for her. Then we had both looked up, making eye contact, and time seemed to stand still.

     I thought that I must have been dreaming. But I wasn't. So why was she here? Last time I checked, this girl was in my head. I couldn't have made her real.

     But I can't express how glad I am that she's not just my imagination. She looks like a replica of Amaya, excluding her eyes. Even so, she is definitely more beautiful. And I finally know her name!

     You know how I said that I hate surprises? This is an exception.

     The only letdown is the fact that her looks remind me of Amaya, the one who caused Mayla’s death and tried to recruit—and then kill—me. That and I’m not sure that I want to get into a relationship with anybody here. I might have to leave unexpectedly and I wouldn’t be surprised if I got someone into a big mess with my world.

     Besides, I don’t even know if Jade is available. She could have a boyfriend that I don’t know about yet. It definitely wouldn’t surprise me. She’s too attractive not to be in a relationship.

     After a few minutes, Jade comes back from wherever it was she went and states, "Apparently, you're in most of my classes so I've been asked to show you around."

     "Oh, okay," I say. "Great."

     She leads me down the hall and to my first class—or, our first class—which is history.

     "You got lucky," she says. "There's an empty seat where Dillan used to sit, but he moved last week."

     I'm a little thrilled to see that the desk is next to hers, and the fact that she didn't sound too upset when she talked about Dillan leaving, whoever he is. I know I said I didn’t want to like her, but I’d rather sit with someone I know at least a little bit than a complete stranger.

     The time goes by quickly, probably because I'm extremely eager to learn about everything I can in this class. The bell rings and Jade leads me to our next class: algebra.

     By the end of that class, my head is reeling with numbers and formulas that I have no idea what to do with. I decide to shove the information into an unused corner of my brain for future reference.

     Next is biology. When we walk through the door, a guy saunters over to Jade and asks, "You ready for that test?"

     Could this guy be her boyfriend?

     She smiles, and I'm jealous that she's smiling at him and not me. "As ready as I'll ever be."

     I hear something in the tone of her voice. She sounds… reserved. But she makes her face look so open and pleasant. She hides her emotions well. Now I don't feel as envious toward the guy—that smile was too forced. Maybe she’s not attracted to him, but he’s definitely into her.

     "Jade," the teacher calls. "Come here, please. I need to speak with you."

     Jade glances at me, then obeys. I watch her face as she converses with the teacher, and I detect a hint of disbelief in her eyes. Other than that, her outward appearance is a constant façade displaying polite acceptance to whatever she is being told. She glances at me, then over at the other guy, who is now sitting behind one of the desks.

     When she looks back at the teacher, she nods. Then she comes back to me and says, "It looks like you're to be my new biology partner. My other one is being put with the new girl."

     She seems relieved, but at the same time, troubled. "Let's take our seats."

     There's nothing I'd rather do right now.

     Okay, that's a lie. But still.

     We sit behind our assigned desk and wait patiently for everyone else to do the same. I want to say something to her, but I don't know what. My mind has gone blank.

     The guy who had spoken with Jade earlier watches as the new girl sits beside him and then glances back at us. Then he's glaring at me. I try to ignore him, but it's a little difficult considering the fact that I can feel the anger and hatred emanating from him. I shrug my shoulders as if to say, "What? It wasn't my idea."

     Shaking his head slightly, he points at Jade and mouths the words: She's mine. Stay away.

     When he turns back around, I grin inwardly and think, In your dreams.

 

     At lunch time, I enter the cafeteria with Jade by my side. Or maybe I'm by hers. Whichever.

     "Would you like to sit with me?" She asks as we line up behind the other students getting their food.

     "Oh, yeah. That would be great." I try to keep my voice upbeat but not overly so.

     "I figured you would," she says, a dimple forming on her cheek.

     "Why's that?" I ask.

     "Well, you're kind of new here and probably don't know anyone, aside from me," she replies philosophically. "It's only logical to sit with someone you know, even if you don't know them very well."

     I say, "Good point. Where are we sitting then?"

     We reach the end of the line and she leads me to a table that occupies a space next to a window that looks out over the lawn, which is now being pelted with rain beginning to fall from the bloated clouds. A few people are already there.

     "This is Bek," Jade announces. "Bek, this is Cody"—she points to a guy with brown eyes and hair the color of sand—"Alexis"—this is a girl with blond hair and pretty blue eyes—"and Nikki." This girl has fiery red hair that compliments her hazel eyes.

     I give a little wave and a small smile before placing my food tray on the table. I quickly pull out a chair for Jade. She looks at me quizzically and I shrug. After a few seconds, she finally takes the seat and I sit down in between her and Nikki.

     We all begin eating. It's silent for a few minutes, until Cody asks, "So where are you from, Bek?"

     "L.A.," I reply, taking a bite out of a potato chip.

     "Do you like it there?" Alexis inquires.

     I shrug. "It's okay. However, so far I like it here better."

     I have to force myself not to glance at Jade. I don't want them to know that she's the only reason I would prefer here over L.A… excluding the fact that I've never been there and I have to look past the fact that she looks like a murderer I know.

     I wonder if I would have met Jade if I hadn’t encountered Amaya. Would Kadon have brought Mayla and me here soon after the other outlaws disappeared? Would Mayla still be alive if Amaya hadn’t interfered?

     Most likely.

Ten

Jadelynn

 

I find it very intriguing to listen as Bek answers everyone's questions. His accent fascinates me. A memory stirs in the recesses of my mind of a similar accent other than my own that I heard recently, but I ignore it.

     "What do you enjoy doing to pass the time?" Cody asks.

     A corner of Bek’s mouth pulls up almost secretively, and he replies, "I like to learn new things, whether it be from a book or some other source. If I'm not reading, you could probably find me outdoors doing something-or-other, like running."

     That's probably why he looks so fit. He passes the time by exercising.

     "And that's fun?" Alexis stares at him, unbelieving. She seems terrified at the thought that a teenager could take pleasure in voluntary exercise.

     He thinks about it for a few seconds, then replies, "Yup. It's saved my life on more than one occasion. The latest occurrence took place yesterday."

     Humor plays out in his eyes as he takes a drink of milk, so I dare to ask, "What happened?"

     Glancing at me, he answers, "I called my uncle a girl. It's pretty amazing how fast that man can run."

     I choke back a laugh, but everyone else bursts out laughing, save for Bek. He just smiles a little. I have the thought that I want to hear him laugh. And I want to be the one to make him do it.

     After a few minutes, Nikki speaks up. "So, how old are you, Bek?"

     Good question.

     "Seventeen."

     "Oh really? Jade is turning seventeen this weekend." She turns to me. "Isn't that right?"

     My eyes narrow slightly. Who is she to give out that information? I take a sip of my orange juice, not bothering to answer.

     She turns back to Bek. "In L.A., was there anyone you were particularly close to that you left behind? A girl, perhaps?"

     My eyebrows lift seemingly of their own accord, and I quickly lower them to their original position. Is she serious? Digging for information like that? Something tells me that I'm going to have a slight problem with Nikki if she continues to pursue Bek. Besides, why is she here in the first place?

     Oh yeah. She's a part of the popular clique and decided to sit with Alexis, a fellow member. Yeah, right. I can see right through her.

     Bek’s eyes cloud over with sadness, but he quickly covers it up and replies, "Yes."

     I can tell he’s not making that up, but there’s something he’s holding back. I don’t believe he left a girlfriend. However, judging by the sad look in his eyes, he did leave someone.

     One side of my mouth turns up triumphantly at Nikki's poorly concealed look of disappointment. In my periphery, I catch Bek stealing a glance at me before returning to his lunch.

     Unexpectedly, I have a feeling that this gorgeous guy sitting beside me is more than he looks. He's hiding something. Some sixth sense informs that it has to do with me. I am determined to figure out what it is.

 

     After lunch is French. It totally weirds me out that Bek has most of my classes. Not that I mind, but it's still unusual.

     Not much happens during French, but Bek's presence is enough to keep me from getting bored. He has a strange effect on me that I don't quite understand. There's definitely been some kind of connection between the two of us, though. He seems so familiar to me, like I've known him for a while, but of course that's ridiculous.

     It's also weird how Bek arrived shortly after Dillan left, and uber freaky how he's here the day after I dreamed about him—heck, it's freaky that he even exists!

     French passes by in a blur. It's difficult to remember what Mrs. Lavier was teaching. For some reason, I don't really care.

     After class, I lead Bek to the gym for PE. We separate as we head for our designated locker rooms, and I feel a small pang in my chest.

     Frowning, I walk through the door to the girls' locker room and change into a t-shirt and some shorts. I try to distract myself from the intensifying pain in my chest by pulling my hair back into a ponytail, but it quickly becomes almost unbearable.

     I file out the door with the other girls, wincing in pain. It feels like my chest is burning.

     The coach blows his whistle, and to me it sounds like someone screaming directly into my ear. I attempt to tune out the noise, but my head is reeling. Everything starts to become unfocused and blurry.

     I quickly scan the crowd and make out Bek's distinct shape before passing out.

 

     That hurts, Amaya thinks as she pulls the knife from her chest. But it is worth it.

     She grimaces a small smile as the beasts that surround her greedily lick up the blood pooled at her feet and, one by one, become her slaves.

     Yes, precious ones, she says to them with her mind. You will grow bigger, stronger, and will be my pets to do my bidding until the day I die.

     You will help me retrieve what is mine.

Eleven

Jadelynn

 

Jade, wake up! Please, get up."

     But what if I don't want to? I think groggily. I'm comfortable.

     The voice becomes more persistent, so I open my eyes and prepare to tell them to leave me alone and let me sleep. However, the words don't make it past my lips because the person trying to get me up is Bek. And we all know I can't talk to him that way because I don't have the willpower.

     Then I realize that he's not the only one staring at me. Everyone in the gym peers down at me with concern.

     Getting slightly uncomfortable, I say, "Hey. What's up?"

     The coach smiles with relief. Then he replies, "Us."

     Bek helps me to my feet, and I ask, "What exactly happened?"

     "You passed out," he replies, still gazing at me with concern in his eyes.

     I grimace a little, suddenly remembering the searing pain I had endured. "How long was I out?"

     "Only a few minutes," he answers. "But you worried us. Coach said it had never happened with you before."

     That's true. This is one of the only times I've actually passed out, so I can understand their concern.

     "But I think it's really our place to ask you what happened," Coach Fields says. "You were just fine yesterday."

     I open my mouth to tell them exactly what had transpired, but when I think about it, the whole thing seems unrealistic. I've never had any health issues, and the pain I experienced felt like something was being plunged into my chest.

     I'm pretty sure that wouldn't enlighten anyone, so I say, "I'm not sure. I just got really dizzy and a little nauseous, and then I passed out."

     Coach Fields nods. "You must have over-exerted yourself. That's the only sensible explanation. I think you should sit out today." He points at Bek. "I know you're new and need to be checked out, but I'd like you to stay with her for the rest of the period."

     "Yes, sir."

     "I'll pull a few strings that’ll give you both the rest of the day off," Coach Fields whispers to us, smiling conspiratorially. "Go get something to eat. Jade could use the protein; she looks a little pale."

     He takes out a couple hall passes, signs them, and then whispers something to Bek before turning around to bark out orders at the other students. Gosh, I love my coach. He's awesome.

     Bek leads me through the hallways, clutching my hand tightly in his, as though he's afraid I might pass out again without support. I have to admit: I like the feeling.

     We pass the door to art class, but we don't quite make it past the picture on the wall. Bek comes to an abrupt stop and stares. At my painting.

     "Where did this come from?" He asks barely above a whisper.

     "Someone painted it during art class," I answer. "Why?"

     He gazes at me speculatively. Then he shakes his head and resumes walking, pulling me behind him.

     Okaaay… That was anything but weird, I think sarcastically as I easily keep up with Bek's strides.

     We walk through the front door and into the rain. I tilt my head up and let the droplets fall onto my face. Some people dislike the rain, but I don't fully understand why.

     "So what do you want to eat?" Bek asks.

     I shrug. "I'm not really hungry."

     "Well, you have to eat something. Coach Fields said so."

     "Fine," I concede, sighing. "But if I'm to eat something, I want it to be sweet and sugary."

     "Where do you suggest we go then?" He inquires as we head down the sidewalk. "I have no idea where anything is."

     "The nearest place I can think of is a fast food place a couple blocks away," I reply.

     "Then that's where we'll go."

     "Do you want to walk or drive?" I ask.

     "Walk," he answers hastily. Then he adds, "If that's alright with you."

     I smile. "It's okay. I'd rather walk, too."

     What I don't tell him is that the main reason why I want to walk is the fact that I can spend more time with him, and I can't do that if we drive. Plus, I didn't drive to school in the first place, so my car is still at home.

     "Are you sure that you won't faint again?" He teases as we walk down the sidewalk.

     I pretend to be offended that he'd say such a thing and nudge him lightly with my shoulder. It's weird how natural everything is when I'm around him. I know that if I'd done that to any other cute guy other than Cody, I'd feel really awkward and embarrassed. So you could say that I'm a little surprised at myself.

     I realize that neither of us has spoken for a few minutes—having been lost in thought—so I break the silence. "You say you transferred from L.A., correct?"

     "That's right."

     "Did you live somewhere else, you know, before L.A.?"

     He takes a deep breath and hesitates a little before answering. "Yes."

     "Was it somewhere in Europe? 'Cause it seems like you have an accent from around there. England, maybe?"

     He glances at me with a hint of surprise in his eyes. "I have an accent?"

     "You didn't know that?" Weird.

     "Well, um," he stutters. "Not exactly. I… You're the first person to say something about it. Kinda caught me by surprise."

     "Huh," is my brilliant reply.

     We walk in silence again. I don't mind, though. I take the elastic band from my hair and put it around my wrist, allowing my dark hair to cascade around my shoulders. I feel Bek's eyes on me as I tilt my head up to catch raindrops on my face.

     Meeting his gaze, I smile and say, "I love rain."

Twelve

Bek

 

     "Me too," I reply.

     Dang, she's beautiful, I think to myself. And perceptive.

     I really was surprised when she mentioned my accent. Honestly, I had no clue I had one. Kadon never told me I had to change the way I spoke my words, so I didn’t. Perhaps this girl is special.

     No, duh.

     Although she hasn't told me, I'm almost positive that she painted that picture in the school hallway. I don't know why she'd want to keep that information to herself, but okay. It was just a little disorienting to see me and a girl in my forest as an Earth person’s painting.

     We arrive at the fast food place that Jade had talked about. I don't pay any attention to the name of the place, or what it looks like for that matter, because I'm focused mostly on Jade. I open the door for her and we walk inside.

     The first thing I notice is the smell. It's terrific. Kadon has taken me to a couple restaurants for etiquette lessons, but they hadn't smelled nearly as appealing as this place.

     Jade glides over to the counter and peers up at the menu on the wall. Then she looks at me and asks, "Are you gonna get anything?"

     I shrug and reply, "We're here for you. I don't need anything."

     She rolls her eyes. "Oh, please," she says sarcastically. "Come over here and see if you want something. I don't want to be the only one eating."

     I give her a small smile and sigh in defeat, saying, "Oh fine. Any suggestions?"

     She tilts her head, contemplating. "Hmm. Well, I personally like the ice cream that's made here, so that's probably what I'll get."

     "Okay," I agree. "What flavor?"

     "Vanilla."

     I look at the girl patiently standing behind the counter. She flutters her eyelashes at me, smiles, and asks, "What can I get for you?"

     "Two vanilla ice cream cones, please."

     "Wait just a moment." She winks and hurries to get our order.

     "I think that girl has taken the term 'friendly service' to a whole new level," Jade mutters.

     I'm about to ask what she means by that, but the girl comes back and gives us the total price.

     Jade reaches into her pocket for what I'm assuming is money, so I quickly pull out a five dollar bill from my back pocket and hand it to the girl.

     "Keep the change," I say, winking.

     Picking up the ice cream cones before Jade can protest, I head for a table in the corner. Jade follows.

     I wait until she sits down before I take my own seat, placing her ice cream cone in front of her. She raises an eyebrow at me. I make myself grin, and it doesn't take long for her to smile hesitantly back at me.

     She lifts her cone to her mouth and licks it a few times before she seems to realize that I haven't touched mine.

     "You gonna let that melt?" She asks, sounding amused.

     "Perhaps," I say, picking up the cone and examining the ice cream in mock suspicion. "Sometimes one must truly decide if they really want to eat something that looks so… twisted."

     I actually do want to try it. It looks delicious and refreshing. Across from me, Jade smiles and laughs quietly under her breath.

     "You're different," she states, and I quirk an eyebrow. Then she adds, "You're strange. But in good ways. I kinda like that. It sets you apart from other guys I know."

     She smiles warmly at me, and I'm not very worried about the ice cream melting—there's me to worry about. And here I thought I was going to be a hardened guy after all that I’ve been through.

     I realize that I'm staring when her cheeks turn red, and she continues to lick her cone. Smiling inwardly, I take a tentative bite out of my ice cream. The taste explodes in my mouth, and I have to force myself not to consume the whole cone in two bites.

     Jade regards me thoughtfully. "How is it?" She asks, lifting one cheek to form a half smile.

     "It's…" I try to find a word good enough to fully describe it, but then I remember that I'm supposed to have eaten one before, so I say, "It's pretty good. Best one I've had, actually."

     She smiles in satisfaction, but it quickly turns into amusement.

     "What?" I ask. What did I do?

     "You have a, um…" she trails off, pulling a napkin from a box on the table.

     Leaning over the table, she gently dabs at the side of my mouth. I'm a little mortified that I made a mess of my face, even if it's a small mess.

     I look at Jade. Suddenly, I'm gazing into her eyes and can't look away. For a second I'm alarmed, but my mind senses no immediate danger like it did when Amaya had looked at me. This time I have a good feeling, and knots form in my stomach. She hasn't pulled away, and her hand still clutches the napkin above the table.

     I barely register the fact that I quietly say, "Thank you."

     She starts leaning toward me, but I sit back in my seat, not wanting to be too close despite how comfortable it seems.

     This can’t be happening. This girl bears too much resemblance to the one who killed my sister. The memories that flood me are painfully overwhelming. This has to stop. I have to do something.

     "Hi, Jade. Bek."

   The voice makes us both jump and Jade sits back against her seat, looking slightly embarrassed before she quickly masks her surprise. I’m barely able to restrain a huge sigh of relief.

     "Oh," Jade says. "Hey, Ashley."

     I glance up at the girl who saved me from an awkward situation and wondered why I hadn’t seen her before she showed up out of nowhere.

     Ashley brushes light brown hair away from pretty green eyes. I can tell that she's short, even though I'm sitting down. She's tan, like most girls in California. She wears a white t-shirt with the words "Embrace Insanity" on it and blue jeans capris. In her hand is an iPhone with a green and black case. She seems to be occupied with it, quickly typing in words to a text or something.

     After a few seconds, she looks up and smiles mischievously, raising an eyebrow. "You should seriously consider waiting a little while," she says to Jade. "Not trying to be the bad guy—'cause there's a way better candidate than me—but you should keep it down to a bare minimum, unless you want spider coconuts crawling into your dresser drawers and haunting your dreams."

     Creepy. "Wait, how do you know my name?" I ask.

     She winks at me, replying, "I know everything. Don't forget that. Anyhoo, I'll see you later."

     As she begins typing again and walking away, I hear her exclaim under her breath, "Ooh, brain storm!"

     I watch her walk toward another table and sit down next to a guy with sandy blond hair and blue eyes. Strange how I hadn’t noticed him before. He glances at us and smiles, waving his hand a little in response to our confused stares.

     "Who was that?" I ask, turning to Jade.

     "That was Ashley Green, the craziest person I know," she replies in bewilderment. "And the guy with her is Aiden. Dunno much more about him than that, other than he's really nice."

     We sit there in silence for a few minutes, finishing our ice cream.

     I decide to break the silence by asking, "What do you think she meant? About waiting, I mean."

     She shrugs shyly. "Well, think about it. What was going on when she appeared out of nowhere?"

     “Gotcha.”

     "Yeah."

     A few minutes pass in a somewhat awkward silence. Jade breaks it this time.

     "She's pretty, though," she remarks. "Despite her total insanity."

     I look behind me and take in Ashley's features again. She glances up from her laptop (wait—laptop? Where did that come from?) and wiggles her fingers at me. Then she whispers something to Aiden and they both laugh.

     I turn back to face Jade and reply, "Eh. She's okay. Not to be rude or anything, but I've seen better." Besides, I muse to myself, it looks like she already has a boyfriend.

     Jade seems to notice that I gazed at her while speaking and she lowers her eyes to stare at the table, a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips.

     "We should probably go now," she says, checking the time on her phone. "School is almost out."

     I nod. "Okay. I'm finished with insanity."

     She laughs, and I realize that I like her laugh. "So am I. For a while, anyway."

     "Good luck escaping it!" Ashley exclaims from her table.

     We leave the building more quickly than is probably necessary.

Thirteen

Jadelynn

 

That has to be one of the weirdest things that has ever happened to me. First I get caught up in Bek's eyes, then Ashley appears out of the blue and threatens us with spider coconuts (whatever those are) if we don't wait, and then she suddenly has a laptop in front of her. And what's she doing out of school, anyway?

     "I wonder how…" I start to say as we head down the sidewalk, but I trail off.

     "You wonder how…?” Bek encourages.

     I stare at him, confused. "I can't remember what I was going to say."

     He raises an eyebrow at me. "How can you forget what you were going to say in a span of—?”

     A blank look crosses his face and he stops walking. "That was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced," he says. "I knew exactly what I was going to say and then I just… forgot. It's almost like someone erased the thought before I could say it."

     I have to laugh at the expression on his face. "That's how I felt." I take his hand and pull him with me toward the school that is now spitting out eager students from its doors.

     Quickly, I withdraw my hand and shove it in my pocket when I see Alexis, Cody, and Justin. Wait—Justin? What's he doing with them? I didn't think they got along very well with each other.

     Bek and I approach the trio. Justin eyes us both in suspicion, but Alexis and Cody don't seem to care that we were out of school before they were.

     "Hi," I say.

     "Hey," Cody replies. "Where did you come from?"

     Okay, so they might care a little. Raising an eyebrow at him with a grin, I say, "Rephrase that question."

     He rolls his eyes but smiles and demands, "Okay, where were you five minutes ago?"

     "At that one fast food place in that one area down that one street." My grin widens.

     "Oh, okay," Cody says, nodding in understanding.

     Alexis frowns. "What were you doing there?"

     "Getting some ice cream," I answer.

     "Did you guys ditch?" She asks, her eyes widening.

     Laughing, I reply, "You know I don't ditch."

     "Then why were you there?" Justin inquires.

     I'm about to answer, but Bek beats me to it.

     "Jade passed out right before gym," he explains. "Coach Fields wanted me to stay with her while she got some food."

     "You passed out?" Alexis exclaims, reaching for my free hand. I stuff that one in my pocket as well. "Why? Did you exhaust yourself somehow? Are you gonna be okay?"

     Sighing, I say, "Lex, I'm fine. I just got dizzy and a little nauseous. Nothing serious. Don't worry about it."

     Cody wraps his arm around her shoulders and hugs her close to his side. She looks up at him and smiles. I mouth the words "Thank you", and he winks at me.

     "Would you like a ride home?" Justin asks me.

     I force a pleasant smile and answer, "No, I think I'll walk. Thanks anyway."

     His eyes shift from me to Bek, then back to me again. "Okay then. I'll see you later."

     He walks swiftly toward the school and disappears into the gym with a couple of his friends.

     Turning to Cody and Alexis, I ask, "Are you two going home?"

     Cody shakes his head. "Nah, I'm going to basketball practice. Alexis is gonna watch. Wanna join her?"

     I bite my bottom lip. So that's the connection between Justin and Cody. The idea of sitting through practice had appealed to me yesterday, but now… it doesn't.

     So instead of accepting his invitation, I say, "No, that's okay. I've got stuff to do at home. Maybe some other time."

     Cody shrugs and then pulls Alexis toward the gym with him. She waves at me, shouting, "See you tonight!"

     I wave back and start walking away.

     "So where do you live?"

     I jump away five feet from where I was originally standing before I take another breath.

     Bek stares at me in surprise.

     "Don't scare me like that!" I exclaim, my ears starting to burn with embarrassment.

     He replies calmly, "I apologize for scaring you. But I have a question… Where on earth did you come from?"

     I blink. "Excuse me?"

     He shakes his head quickly, like he's trying to erase a thought from his mind. "Never mind. Sorry." He takes a deep breath and smiles a little. "Shall we go?"

     I nod quickly. "Sure."

     We walk down the sidewalk in silence, lost in thought. Every now and then I catch him looking at me as though he's trying to put together a puzzle.

     Thinking about the incident, I berate myself for losing control of my reflexes. What if anyone else had been around? It’s bad enough that Bek was standing right there, and noticed what had happened.

     Does he think I'm weird? I wonder. Some kind of freak? Man, I really blew it. Good thing I didn't jump twice as far—that probably would have put him into some kind of shock or something. And why'd he ask me where I'm from? Where does he think I'm from?

     Sigh. Too many questions without answers.

     Eventually, we turn a corner and we're on my street.

     "You live on this street?" Bek asks in surprise.

     "Yep."

     "Which house is yours?"

     I don't answer right away. Instead, I lead him and take longer strides until we reach my house.

     "This one," I say.

     His eyes widen, and he glances down the street a little (looking at another house?), then back again.

     "Seriously?" He says in a disbelieving tone. "You're joking, right?"

     What's wrong? Does he not like the house?

     "Um, no," I answer, a bit perplexed. "This really is where I live. How about you?"

     Raising his eyebrows, he points. At the house that was sold recently.

     No freaking way. This has to be another dream. Inconspicuously, I pinch my thigh and almost wince. Definitely real.

     "Oh," I breathe out. "Cool. Coincidence much?"

     He shakes his head and gives me a half-smile. "I don't believe in coincidences."

     There's a short silence. I shift my weight from one leg to another.

     "Hey, um," Bek begins, rubbing the back of his neck. "Would you like to meet my uncle sometime?"

     His question catches me by surprise, and it takes me a few seconds to respond. "Uh… sure." I smile. "After you meet my parents."

     Without waiting for him to respond, I pull him up the porch steps and into the house.

Fourteen

Bek

 

Jade drags me through the door, muttering, “I just hope they’re home alone…”

     In my head I’m panicking, trying to remember what Kadon taught me if I was ever placed in this situation. Don’t get me wrong, I listened to what he had to teach. However, I didn’t believe I would have to use the knowledge any time soon. Everything was moving so quickly.

     “By the way, my dad is a doctor,” she informs me. “Just so you know.”

     She leads me into the living room, where a man and a woman are relaxing on the sofa. The man has blond hair that has the silver streaks of age and dark brown eyes. The woman’s eyes are blue, and her hair is dark brown. She looks to be at least three years younger than the man. I notice that Jade doesn’t resemble either of them.

     They look up from their books when we enter.

     “Mom, Dad,” Jade says. “This is Bek. He’s new in school and I was asked to show him around. He and his uncle are the ones who bought the house that Jeffery talked about this morning. I thought you’d like to meet him.”

     Suddenly, I feel self-conscious in my black jeans, t-shirt, boots, and leather jacket. I didn’t realize that my taste in clothes might not be approved of by other people. But then I decide that if they don’t like me for who I am, it’s not necessarily my problem.

     Dr. Stone stands, along with his wife, and shakes my hand.

     “Nice to meet you,” he says, the smallest amount of caution in his eyes.

     Mrs. Stone peers around his shoulder and gazes at my clothes suspiciously.

     “You aren’t a part of any gangs, are you?” She asks, direct.

     “Mom,” Jade protests under her breath as Dr. Stone murmurs, “Leah…”

     I try to smile reassuringly. “No, I’m not. I never have been, nor will I ever be.”

     Mrs. Stone bobs her head in satisfaction and then gives me a pleasant smile. “Please understand—I just don’t want any of my children to associate with people like that.”

     Nodding, I reply, “Yes, I understand perfectly. You don’t need to worry, Mrs. Stone.”

     She looks at me speculatively, then states, “Good. Call me Leah.”

     She brushes past us with a small smile and pauses in the doorway leading to the hall.

     “Would you like to stay for dinner, Bek?” She asks, pausing in the doorway.

     “Um…” I hesitate. The offer is tempting, but it’s taking everything I have not to do something regrettable. “Thank you, but I actually have other plans for tonight. Maybe some other time?”

     The last sentence comes out as a question because I’m a little unsure of what these people make of me so far.

     Mrs. Stone nods. “That’ll be fine. Anytime you feel like coming over…”

     Her voice trails off as she disappears around the corner, causing the three of us to stand in a short silence.

     “So, Bek,” Dr. Stone begins. “Your uncle… Since you’re so new to the city, does he need job options? Because I’m certain I could find something for him.”

     “I’m not sure,” I answer, shrugging. “You’d have to ask him.”

     He smiles. “I’ll pay him a visit sometime.”

     Giving me one last look, he follows his wife out the door, leaving Jade and me alone.

     “I’m sure he’s standing at the door, in case we try anything stupid,” she whispers to me.

     I force a small smile. “Trust issues?”

     Rolling her eyes, she answers, “Protective.”

     “Isn’t that a good thing?” I almost ask, but I stop myself. Not all people appreciate the protection they’re provided with, and for all I know, Jade could be one of those people. I wouldn’t want to risk offending her by asking such a question. Instead, I look around the room and spot a grand piano sitting in the room across the hall.

     Nodding my head in that direction, I inquire, “Do you play?”

     Her cheeks turn a slight shade of red and she glances down at the floor, responding, “A little.”

     “I’d like to hear you play sometime.” I realize with mortification after a few seconds that I said that out loud and inwardly I kick myself. Idiot.

     She smiles shyly, looking down at her hands. Where did this side of her come from? One moment she’s as outgoing as ever, the next she’s withdrawn. I’m beginning to feel curious as to why she’s suddenly this way, when I remember what Kadon told me about women.

     “They’re bipolar,” he had said. “Or, most of them are. But I’ve never met a woman that doesn’t have some serious mood swings. Be careful when dealing with them.”

     Problem is, I’m not sure what exactly to do in this kind of situation. Should I change my attitude as well? Or should I continue on like nothing is different?

     I hear the front door open and close. It’s made obvious that Jade heard it as well when she jumps and whips her head toward the sound. When she looks back at me her eyes have the slightest amount of irritation in them.

     “It’s Cassie,” she growls, taking my arm and pulling me toward what I assume is the kitchen. Just inside the door, she pauses and tilts her head to one side as though she’s listening to something. She scowls, and I have to keep from raising my eyebrows in surprise. This is the first time I’ve seen her act this way.

     “What is it?” I dare to ask.

     She begins pulling me again, toward a door on the other side of the room, and hisses, “Eris.”

     Admittedly confused at her attitude toward this person (and how she could have possibly known who was there), I say, “And they are…?”

     We reach the door and Jade opens it, pulling me through with her. Quickly, she closes it behind us.

     We’re outside now, I realize. In the backyard.

     Turning around to face me, she suddenly blushes, “Sorry about that,” she says, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. “Instinctive reaction to those I want to avoid.”

     “Why do you want to avoid them?” I inquire, failing to stamp down my curiosity.

     Sighing, she answers, “Well, Cassie, for one, gives me migraines and short tempers. She seems to know exactly how to get on my nerves. As for Eris… I’d just rather stay as far away from her as I possibly can. It doesn’t help that she transferred to my school and buddied up with Cassie. The backyard was the closest place to avoid them, and probably the best because Cassie never comes back here.”

     An old rusty swing set rests underneath a tree, unused and uncared for. Jade makes her way to it and sits on one of the swings. I follow her, taking a seat on the other.

     “Have you met Eris before?”

     She hesitates, swaying back and forth on the swing. “Once.”

     “She must have made a pretty bad impression then for you not to like her now.”

     Nodding, she says, “Yeah, but I could say the same thing about me, unfortunately. That’s why I don’t want her to recognize me.”

     Surprised, I ask, “What happened?”

     She gazes at me thoughtfully, but quickly looks away, replying, “It’s not important right now. It happened a long time ago. But she’d probably hate my guts if she knew who I am.”

     I see the firm set in her jaw and know that she won’t be revealing anything more. I can’t help but wonder what she did to make her feel the need to fear recognition. Something is definitely different about this girl. My thoughts go back to earlier today when I’d accidentally frightened her. One second she was beside me, and the next thing I know, she was five feet away. No normal human being would be able to do that. At least, that’s what I understand from what Kadon has told me. Only the people from our world could do things like that.

     But maybe, just this once, he was wrong. I discarded the thought. Kadon knows a lot more about this place and its inhabitants than I do. But then what would that make Jade, if she’s not from here?

     There are obviously things that she’s hiding, and she clearly doesn’t want anyone knowing what she’s capable of. For some reason, I want to be that one person she’d be comfortable confiding in. The one to know all her secrets.

     Then reality kicks in. I’m a stranger to her, and that’s how it should stay. She already has at least two friends that are more likely to be her confidants than me. I don’t stand a chance. Unless…

     Unless I give her a reason to trust me. But how? What could I possibly do to instill a sense of security in her thoughts when she thinks about me… if she thinks about me?

     In my pocket, my phone chimes. Pulling it out, I read the text from Kadon.

     WHERE ARE YOU?

     I quickly text back.

     IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WHY?

     “Who is it?” Jade asks. “Your uncle?”

     I nod, and read the next text.

     WANT YOU BACK BEFORE DUSK.

     “I should probably go,” I say regretfully. “Got stuff to do.”

     I stand up, and Jade does the same. “Like what?” She asks.

     I start walking away. Pausing at the gate that leads to the front yard, I answer with a smirk, “Guy stuff.”

     Then I push open the gate and walk across the front lawn without looking back.

Fifteen

Bek

 

     At home, Kadon sits on a couch in the living room watching television.

     When I walk in, he remarks, “That was quick.”

     Shrugging even though he’s not looking at me, I reply, “I wasn’t that far away. Next door, in fact.”

     “Who lives there?”

     I sit beside him and sigh. “An acquaintance from school.”

     I don’t know why I’m withholding the existence of Jade from him. Normally, I tell him everything. What changed?

     “Oh? Making friends already?” He smiles.

     “Something like that.”

     A pause. Then, “Do you feel like you fit in?”

     “Not in the slightest.”

     Nodding, he states, “Good, good.”

     I glare at him, puzzled. “How’s it a good thing to feel totally out of place around here?”

     Finally, he tears his gaze away from the TV and replies, “Everyone needs a chance to know what it’s like to feel out of place. It’s a way of showing that you’re different from everybody else, and that’s usually a good thing. Perfectly normal. Don’t change who you are just because you want to fit in. Be your own leader.”

   Sighing again, I let the subject drop. “What’s for dinner?”

 

     After filling myself with some store bought pasta heated up in the oven, I tell Kadon that I’m going for a walk.

     “Don’t be out too late,” he calls from the other room. Appearing in the kitchen doorway, he adds, “And be careful.”

     I nod. Closing the door behind me, I head down the sidewalk, toward Jade’s house. I was planning on going right by, but I hear something that stops me.

     Music.

     I look around to make sure no one is nearby, and then—keeping to the shadows—creep over to the window that must be one belonging to the room with the piano.

     Luckily for me, the curtains are open. Light pours through the window. Inside the room, I see Jade sitting at the grand piano. She’s smiling widely as her hands flow gracefully across the keys. I can’t help but stare. She’s absolutely amazing. Nothing interrupts the melody that she plays. She turns her head to speak to someone else in the room, and then she laughs, without missing a beat.

     The song ends too soon and, to my alarm, she gazes out the window. I trust that it’s too bright inside for her to see outside. If that’s not in my favor, I’m hopefully too far into the shadows for anyone to see me.

     A few moments later, the guy I met earlier today at school—Cody—appears behind her and rests a hand on her shoulder, smiling. He says something to her that I can’t hear, and they both laugh. I feel envious of the closeness they share, and my heart aches. Mayla should be alive right now, not me. That arrow had my name written all over it, but for whatever reason, Mayla erased it and wrote her own name. For pitiful, unhappy me.

     I turn away from the window and make my way back to the sidewalk. I enjoyed their laughter before, but now—even though they didn’t know I was there—it feels like they’re mocking me. Showing me exactly what they have and I don’t, all because of a girl with Jade’s likeness in appearance.

     Shoving my hands in my pockets, I trudge down the street, not knowing where I’m headed but not wanting to go back to the house.

     Out here in the open air, I feel like I can think more clearly. Those buildings sometimes make me feel claustrophobic. I wasn’t raised in a house—the forest was my home. All the sounds here are so strange, nothing like the noises of the forest.

     Don’t even think about feeling homesick, I scold myself. This is your home now. Get used to it.

     Sighing, I take in my surroundings. I’m surprised to see my new school in front of me. Then I wonder why I’m here. Sure, I was wandering, but here? Of all places?

     Shaking my head, I start to head back the way I came.

     That’s when I hear them.

     Footsteps.

     They come up behind me. I wonder where they came from and if they’re following me.

     Whatever they’re doing, I decide not to worry about it. If they were out to hurt me, they wouldn’t be making so much noise. Unless they wanted me to know they were there before attacking me.

     I stop at a corner before crossing the street. The footsteps behind me—male, from the sound of them—stop as well. That tips me off.

     This guy is definitely following me.

     Meaning, I won’t go back to the house until I find out what he wants.

     Crossing the street, I recall seeing an alley around the area. I decide to go there.

     I walk at a normal pace to give the guy behind me the impression that I don’t know he’s there. That way, he probably won’t do anything unexpected.

     Arriving at the alley, I suddenly wish I had a weapon. Just in case.

     I swivel around.

     It’s dark, but not too dark to see surprise cross over the face of someone I recognize.

     “You lost, pretty boy?” I sneer. I don’t know what comes over me, but I suddenly feel derisive.

     Regaining his composure, Justin remarks, “I could ask you the same thing.”

     “Why are you following me?” I demand quietly, taking a step toward him. Direct and to the point.

     “Who says I’m following you?” He shoots back.

     I reply with a humorless smile, “Something tells me that you don’t live here, and neither do any of your friends.”

     He doesn’t say anything, just glares at me.

     “There’s no one else around to follow,” I continue, cocking my head to one side. “So I’ll ask you again. Why are you following me?”

     A few moments pass before Justin says, “I came to warn you.”

     “About what?”

     “Stay away from Jade,” he states bluntly.

     Oh, so that’s what this whole thing is about. Justin has a crush on Jade and I’m clearly a threat. Nice. And here I thought it was something to worry about.

     Chuckling, I reply, “No promises.”

     He frowns. “I don’t think I made myself clear,” he says, taking a step forward.

     I’m glad I took my hands out of my pockets while we were talking. If I hadn’t, I would have had to dodge or allow Justin to take advantage of me.

     As it is, his fist is in my hand, the result his attempt to punch me in the face. He drives his other fist toward my stomach, and I grab that one as well. In his eyes I can see astonishment and rage as he unsuccessfully tries to make me let go. Yeah, I’m stronger than I look. Kadon saw to that.

     “I think you made yourself perfectly clear,” I tell him calmly. Backing him forcefully into the wall, driving the breath from his lungs, I add, “And I’m quite certain that I made my answer very clear.”

     I step back, letting him go and giving him space.

     “You’ll leave me alone if you know what’s good for you,” I say. “Next time you try to hurt me I might not be so nice about it. However, if you insist on bothering me further, I’d advise you to bring backup. It would be more fun for me, and I hope not as easy.”

     Then I walk away.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 22.11.2014

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