Endless (13 page)

“Michael,” I gasped. “Look—I didn’t mean
to—look!”

He shifted, trying to follow the direction of
my horrified gaze. I knew when he saw it, because I felt his
shock.

“What do we do?” I whispered, as if someone
might overhear us.

He rubbed my back. “Shhh. It’s okay. We were
here in the car. No one can connect it to—to us.”

I slid my leg up and over him, dropping back
into my own seat as gracefully as I could even as I stretched out
my mind to hear what was going on. “That guy called emergency
services. Someone is coming to put it out. I hope it doesn’t spread
to the other palms.”

Even as I said it, sirens filled the air and
disorienting lights of two fire trucks pulled into the lot. Michael
opened his door, climbing out, and I followed his lead. I listened
to him formulating a plan for dealing with this new mess I’d
created.

We joined the small knot of people standing
out of the way, watching the firemen pull out a hose and quickly
extinguish the fire. Michael caught the eye of one of the guys next
to him.

“What happened?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just on my
way to pick up my girlfriend. I didn’t see anything until I came
around the corner, and then it was like—bam! Fire.”

“Weird.” Michael struck a perfect balance of
interest and boredom. “We just got back from the movies. Saw it
when we were getting out of the car.”

One of the firefighters sauntered over to us.
I culled through his mind, picking up that they had no idea how the
fire had started and that he was pretty tired of dealing with
college kids.

He took our names and brief statements on how
we’d come to see the blaze. And then he lifted one shoulder and
shook his head.

“Who knows?” It wasn’t really a question
directed at any of us. “Crazy stuff. Those palms go up fast, but
nothing else was damaged. If any of you hear anything, let us know.
Otherwise. . .” He waved his hand vaguely. “You know, go about your
business.”

Michael gripped my hand, leading me toward
the doors of Rollins Court. We climbed the steps in silence, but
just before we started down the hallway that led to my room, he
tugged me closer against his chest and brushed my lips with
his.

“At least no one can say I don’t make you
hot, huh?” he murmured.

I punched his shoulder, relieved that he
could joke about this, and we made our way to my safe and boring
room, where I could already hear Sophie studying chemistry.

Cathryn and I met on campus over the next two
weeks, mostly hanging out in her small office or on the green. Our
time together consisted of her testing my abilities, determining
the distance at which I could hear thoughts and making me work on
my mind guards, as she called them.

She seemed satisfied with my progress, and
when we met on the first cool Monday in October, she had her car
keys in hand.

“Today we’re going up to Harper Creek. I have
some practice exercises for you that need to be done in a. . .more
protected environment.” Cathryn’s face was impassive.

I followed her to the convertible. “What kind
of exercises?” I focused on keeping up my guards so that Cathryn
couldn’t gripe at me again.

“Practice that goes beyond your mind hearing.
We want to test your telekinesis.”

I wanted to make a flip joke about nobody
touching my telekinesis, but I’d learned that Cathryn had no sense
of humor to speak of, and my sarcasm would not be appreciated. So I
took a deep breath and answered her seriously.

“I’m not comfortable with that. You recruited
me for my mind-hearing, didn’t you? Let’s leave the other stuff
alone.”

“On the contrary. We hired you for the full
package. Your mind reading is important, of course, but one of our
main goals is to help you control your newer powers. Your parents
seemed to think that was important, and we do, too.”

I thought of the crystal goblet so narrowly
missing Cathryn’s head, and I smirked. “I guess maybe my aim could
use a little work.”

She started up the car and pulled out of the
lot. “You need to learn to control the emotions that feed those
powers. Once you do that, being able to use them more precisely
will be much easier. At least, that’s how I understand it. I don’t
have those gifts.”

The ride up to Harper Creek was mostly
silent. Cathryn was not one for small talk, and I definitely didn’t
have much to say to her. I was less surprised—but still
impressed—by the beautiful white home as it appeared over the
rise.

Cathryn pulled the car around to the side,
where I saw now that there was a small parking lot. I assumed the
valet who had parked my parents’ car was only there for special
events.

Apparently the front door was also for new
visitors only, as Cathryn led me around to a small entrance on the
side, tucked between two large bushes. She used a key and carefully
closed the door behind after we entered.

We stood in a hallway, much narrower than
anything I had seen in the house on my first visit. There were a
few small rooms there, and I could see desks and filing cabinets
beyond the open doors.

“This used to be the servants’ wing,” Cathryn
explained. “Now it’s our administrative offices. We use this
entrance when we’re just coming into work. The front door is
reserved for clients and recruits.”

“So we work in the servants’ quarters?” I
asked, eyebrows raised.

“No, we work upstairs, but we use what used
to be the staff’s staircase. Come on, follow me.”

The stairs were steep and winding, but the
room upon which they opened was bright. There were couches and
chairs flanked by simple wooden tables; it seemed to be a lounge of
some sort. Two girls sat in one of the smaller sofas near a wide
expanse of windows. They both looked up expectantly as Cathryn and
I came in.

“Fiona, Emma, this is Tasmyn. She’s here on
her first visit to the Creek as one of us.”

I attempted a smile, flashing back to all of
my first days of school. But this time, it was really different.
Fiona stood up with a genuine smile, extending her hand to me.

“Tasmyn, it’s so nice to meet you. I’ve been
looking forward to it.” She cut a glance to Cathryn. “Does she
know. . .?”

“No, I haven’t told Tasmyn about any of you.
I figured it would be easier for her to keep you all straight if
she met you first.”

Fiona nodded. “Okay. So. . .I’m Fee. I’m a
precog.”

I wrinkled my forehead. “Precog?”

Fee cocked her head to the side.
“Precognitive. I can tell the future. See it, I mean.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t really considered any of the
other talents that might be lurking up here. “How does that work? I
mean, is it hard to do? To know what’s going to happen before it
does?”

Fiona shrugged. “Now that I’ve learned more
about it, it’s not so bad. The hardest part in the beginning was
when I saw things and they didn’t happen. Then no one believed
me.”

I shook my head. “Wait a minute, you see
things that
don’t
happen?”

“The future is fluid. It changes because we
change—our plans, our feelings. . .nothing is set in concrete. So
right now, when I look at you, I might be able to say that you are
going to see Michael tonight and. . .” She closed her eyes for a
moment and then smiled. “Wow. Yeah, let’s hope for your sake I’m on
target this time. He’s a cutie.” Fee winked at me, and I blushed,
wondering what exactly she was seeing.

“Anyway, that’s what is going to happen at
this point, but if anything changes for either of you, that
scenario is out the window. You could get stung by a bee and end up
having a bad reaction. Or Michael could find out that he has to
study for a big test. Who knows? But right now, with the conditions
the way they are, I can tell you about your evening.”

Beside me Cathryn radiated annoyance, which
only made me smile.

Emma leaned around Fee and smiled at me. “Hi.
I’m a broadcaster.”

This one I knew. “You’re my counter part
then. I can--”

“—hear minds. Yeah, Fee told me. I guess
you’re our mini-Cathryn.” Her ironic half smile made me feel in on
the joke, not the target. Cathryn’s irritation ratcheted up one
more notch.

“Emma is an influencer, too. She can plant
suggestions in people’s minds,” Fee patted the other girl’s arm.
“We work together sometimes.”

“Fee lets me know when my stuff is working,
when the future has changed for the person I’m trying to help.”

I was impressed and would have asked more
questions, but Cathryn grabbed my arm.

“Sorry, girls, but Tasmyn has work to do. I’m
sure she’ll catch up with you later.”

I shot them a rueful smile and a little wave
as I followed Cathryn out of the room and down the hall.

“They were nice,” I commented. I wasn’t
positive, but it sounded as though Cathryn snorted as she opened a
door and gestured for me to go inside.

“Yes, they’re great. Fiona and Emma have both
been with us for a few years, so I’m sure they’d be good contacts.
You know, reassure you we’re not running a spy ring or recruiting
for vampires.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks. So what are we
doing here?” We were in what might have passed for a conference
room if we were in a typical office building. There was a long oak
table at one end surrounded by well-padded easy chairs. My eyes
narrowed when I saw the line of glass orbs in the center of the
table.

“I told you. We’re working on
telekinesis.”

Setting my mouth in a firm line, I swung
around and headed to the doorway. “If this is some kind of
joke—it’s not funny.”

“Tasmyn, stop. What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Gee, I don’t know, Cathryn.
Maybe it’s the orbs on the table. Did you get them from Marica? Is
the athame in here somewhere?” Outside the room, I heard a loud
crash, and both of our heads swiveled toward the sound.

Cathryn stepped out and looked down the hall.
When she glanced back at me, her face was inscrutable.

“That was the portrait of my great-great
grandfather that now lies in pieces. Tasmyn, if you don’t learn to
get this under control, we’re going to have to start docking your
pay. And believe me, with the number of priceless antiques in this
house, you don’t want that.”

I dropped into a chair. “I’m sorry, Cathryn.
It’s just the orbs—they threw me.”

Cathryn sat down near me and touched my arm.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea, really. I know I haven’t always been. .
.” She trailed off, gazing out the window. “I know I’ve tried to
push your buttons from the start. But I truly didn’t mean anything
today. The orbs are standard for this kind of practice. And since
you seem to have a particular affinity for glass, I made sure to
choose them.”

“Marcia used them to teach me. When I saw the
orbs on the table, I just assumed—I’m sorry, Cathryn. Maybe you’re
right. I do need your help.”

She stood. “Actually, I’m not the one who can
help you. But I know someone who can.”

Zoe Hamilton was perhaps the oddest womea I
had ever met, and considering my recent acquaintances, that was
really saying something.

She appeared in the doorway that first day,
her multi-colored hair wild around her pixie-like face and her eyes
huge. She wore a diaphanous black blouse over tight denim capris
and adorable silver slippers. Her cheeks dimpled as she grinned at
me.

I couldn’t hear her mind, of course; I’d
stopped being surprised about that anymore here at Harper Creek.
But I could feel her delight and enthusiasm, and they were
contagious.

That first day, Zoe just sat across from me,
sipping some kind of odd-smelling tea from a thin china cup and
talking about all of my abilities. I found it much easier to talk
to her about the moving things with my mind and the elemental
magicks, even sharing details about fire casting and my water
work.