"Yes, I know," I laughed.
Emma brought her finger back to her face, turning it around and bending it, making a thorough investigation. "Wow, Jacey. That is totally amazing. You really do have a gift." She looked at me in astonishment. I smiled. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet, spilling the second can of soda onto the blanket. "Do you know what this means? I mean for you?"
"What are you talking about?" I stared up at her, shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand so I could see her.
"Jacey, you're going to be famous. You are the cure for cancer, diabetes, heart failure. This is amazing."
"What?"
"Come on, Jacey. We need to go...go tell someone, tell everyone."
I scrambled to my feet. I grabbed Emma's arms, forcing her to stop and listen to me. "No, Emma, no. We can't tell anyone. You can't tell anybody!"
Emma frowned, disappointment splashing across her face. "Why not?"
Shaking my head, I released my hold of Emma and dropped my arms to my sides. "Because it will be very dangerous for me. You have to help me keep this quiet."
"Dangerous? For you? Why?"
Rubbing my forehead, I told Emma about the Fury and the Fury's desire to kill me and take my powers.
"Oh," was all Emma said in response, sheepishly sitting back down on the blanket.
I sat down next to her. "It's okay Em. You didn't know. But now you do. So, you will help me keep this secret, right?"
Emma leaned closer and embraced me. "Of course. You don't even have to ask again."
I sighed in relief. "Thanks."
Emma nodded.
"So, that's what happened between you and Jamie?"
"Yes, if you mean the healing part."
"Yes, of course I do. Wow, Jacey. All I can say is wow."
"I know, crazy, huh?" I replied, smiling.
"No, not crazy. Amazing. Absolutely and utterly amazing."
I reached in my pocket to check the time on my phone. As soon as the power came on, it beeped to let me know about multiple missed calls and messages. Closing my eyes in exasperation, I groaned.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I mean it is something. It's just Jamie. I really need to call him. He thinks I'm avoiding him."
"But you are avoiding him," Emma pointed out.
"Thanks," I said, frowning again. I stood up and brushed the excess sand off my jeans. "Em, I need to get home. I hope Oma will be there tonight."
"Oh, okay," Emma said reluctantly. She also stood and brushed the sand off herself. Then she bent over and picked up the blanket. "I guess I'll need to wash this, won't I?" She held the wet, sandy blanket away from her.
"Yes," I giggled, bending to retrieve the two empty soda cans. We walked back to the parking lot and her truck, shuffling our feet in the sand as we went. Emma was silent the entire walk back. Once to the pavement, we both wiped the sand off our feet with the blanket before putting our shoes back on and getting into her truck.
We drove back to school so I could get my car. The student parking lot was empty except for the cars that belonged to students involved in after school sports. Emma drove up to my car and let me out.
Leaning through the open truck window, I said, "Remember, you can't tell anyone about all this."
Rolling her eyes in response, Emma retorted, "I promise, Jace. My lips are sealed."
"Thanks. Call me later?"
"You know it," Emma exclaimed, her green eyes sparkling. I watched her red truck pull out from the lot and onto the road without stopping. Shaking my head, I reached in my pocket to get my car keys and unlocked the door. Just as I was about to turn the key, my phone buzzed again. Jamie's number again flashed on the face of the phone. Biting my lip between my teeth, I brought it to my ear and answered it.
"Hey, I really wasn't expecting you to answer. I was just going to leave you another message." Jamie's voice only sounded a little annoyed.
"Surprise," I replied, weakly.
"So, Jacey, what's been going on?" Jamie tried nonchalantly. "Anything you want to tell me?"
"No," I said, even weaker then before.
"No?"
I remained silent, biting my lip nervously.
Jamie let out a frustrated sigh into the phone. "Jacey, we're friends right?"
"Yes."
"Okay, then, since we are friends, can we just hang out as friends? No expectations? I thought that's what you wanted. At least that's what you told me the last time we talked." Jamie was frustrated with me, I knew that. I could hear it. I was frustrated with myself.
"Yes, Jamie. That is what I want. I do want to see you."
"But...?" Jamie hesitated.
"But...nothing."
"Nothing...hmm." Jamie's laughter started softly and grew loud and hysterical.
"What? What are you laughing about?" I started giggling. Listening to Jamie's laughter made me want to laugh too.
When Jamie finally stopped laughing, he cleared his throat. "So, when can we see each other?"
"Well, how about tomorrow night? You can come over for pizza."
"Pizza. I can do pizza."
"So, see you tomorrow?"
"I'll be there. Thanks."
"See you then. Oh and Jamie?"
"Yeah, Jace," Jamie answered.
"I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. I just needed some time to myself. I'm sorry." And I was sorry. I had made it clear to Jamie at our last encounter that I wanted to spend time with him and instead totally ignored him for days. I knew I was giving him mixed messages. I understood his frustration with me.
I heard soft laughter through the phone. "I've already told you. You don't have to apologize to me. I get it. You needed some time to sort things out. No problem."
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you aren't special, ya know," I said.
"I'm not, huh?" Jamie joked.
"That's right McMann. You're not special one bit. I've avoided everyone equally the last few days."
When Jamie's laughter finally subsided, he said, "Well, Miss Brindle, your logic is flawed."
"How so?" I responded, smartly.
"You assume much when you assume I felt bad about the avoidance."
"Hmm. Quite so," I answered. And we laughed together.
"See you Friday, Jace," Jamie said.
"Bye, Jamie." I put my cell phone on the seat next to me, and shook my head in bewilderment. Jamie was a special individual. He always knew how to make me laugh. I chastised myself for avoiding him the last few days. With Oma gone, I was lonely at home, with only my own thoughts to occupy me. I had been thinking a lot, replaying the events of the past weekend, daydreaming about future events, some very serious thoughts. Jamie's easy-going personality and humor were the antidote to the seriousness in my thoughts. I should have answered his calls earlier.
I turned the key. My car tried to turn over and failed. I turned the key again. The car whined in protest, the lights of my dash dimming, then nothing.
"Come on, come on, come on," I pleaded, "Start."
I tried again, the vehicle started to turn over but then went silent.
"No, start, please!" I yelled, hitting the steering wheel with the palms of hands. I stared at my hands on the steering wheel. If only they could heal machines too.
I decided to try one more time. Closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer for my car to start. It didn't work; this time it didn't do anything when I turned the key. It was completely dead. Groaning, I reached for my phone and dialed Jamie's number.
"Hey, it's Jamie. Leave me a message." Jamie's voicemail picked up.
"Jamie, it's Jacey. I'm stuck at my school because my car won't start. Just my luck, huh? Well, if you get this, can you call me? I need a ride. Bye."
I ended the call. I looked at the phone cradled in my hands. I could try to call Oma, but her cell phone was rarely on. I smiled, remembering Oma's frustration with the "fancy gadget" that she didn't seem to understand. I insisted that she have one for emergencies. She kept it - in the bottom of her purse. I was confident her cell phone wouldn't even be on. I quickly dialed Em's number. She picked up on the second ring.
"Hi, Jacey," she greeted, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm.
"Can you come get me?"
"Where are you?"
"Still in the school parking lot. The ol' Taurus won't start."
"Oh, Jacey. I can't. I've got to get to Oakton. I have a dermatologist appointment in fifteen minutes that I'm already going to be late for."
"Um...that's alright. I'll figure something out." Disappointment filled my voice.
"Maybe you can call Jamie?"
"Yeah, maybe." Emma didn't need to know that I had already tried him.
"Well, call me later so I know everything worked out, okay?"
"Sure. I gotta go, Em."
"Talk to ya," Emma ended.
"Yeah, later," I mumbled darkly.
I turned my phone nervously in my lap. What to do now? I could walk home. It was only a few miles away. I tried Jamie again.
"Hey. It's Jamie. Leave me a message." Voicemail again.
"Uh. Jamie? It's Jacey. Again. I need your help right now. Call me." I nervously laughed into the phone.
"I wish Varick had a number I could call," I said out loud. Resigned to the fact I was going to have to walk home, I grabbed my purse from underneath the passenger seat and shoved my keys and my phone inside the purse. I stepped out of the car and locked it before slamming the door shut. I was hopeful that it wasn't anything serious. I would have Emma's older brother check it out. He was a mechanic at Mike's Auto Body and Repair in town.
I took a deep breath and started out of the parking lot to the sidewalk that wrapped behind the school and out to Pine Street which would ultimately take me home. This was going to be a long walk. I glanced up into the paling evening sky. Thankfully, it was a clear evening. At least I wouldn't get rained on. As I walked, I reached in my purse and fished out my iPod and ear buds. If I was going to be walking home, I needed some fast music that was heavy on the beats. My work out playlist would be perfect.
Just as I was about to stuff the ear buds in my ears, I noticed someone walking out the south entrance of the high school, just to my left. I looked closer and my eyes grew wide with shock. The strange boy from earlier stood just outside the door of the school, his backpack hanging from one shoulder. My stomach lurched as the boy smiled at me in recognition.
Except the smile didn't look like a smile. It looked more like a snarl. His lips curved up over his teeth in a way that made my skin prickle. I offered back a weak smile in an attempt not to provoke him. I turned away from the kid, forcing my attention toward the roadway in front of me.
Placing the ear buds in my ears, I glanced around to see if there were any people in case I needed some assistance. I tried to calm myself by arguing that the kid was likely harmless, just a little on the weird side. But, there was something very serious about his eyes and the way they stared at me. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, making my heart pump faster and my lungs breathe quicker. Anxiety filled my gut, and I tasted bile rising up my throat.
Although the ear buds were in my ears, my intuition told me not to play the music. I needed my ears to be able to hear. I continued walking, turning slightly to begin the trek down Pine Street that would lead me home. I glanced over my shoulder and sucked in my breath when I saw the boy had moved from the school entrance and was following me. He was moving fast, but he wasn't running.
I started walking a little faster, my feet kicking little pebbles of asphalt ahead of me. My heart hammered in my chest and my ears. Looking over my shoulder again, I was alarmed to see he was closer now, just a couple of yards behind me. I turned back towards the roadway. My blood turned cold with fear.
"Jacey. Stop running. I just want to...talk to you." The voice I heard was far too sinister, far too evil to have come from the strange underclassman, although he was the only person who could have voiced it.
I started to run. I looked back to see the boy start running after me. I thought I heard him hissing.
"Stop it! Stop chasing me! Leave me alone!" A sob caught in my throat.
The hissing sound grew louder.
What does he want from me?
This was obviously more than fascination or admiration. He wanted to do something terrible, but why?
I looked back again and screamed. He was just a few feet from me, his arm outstretched. "Jacey....I almost....have you." he hissed.
All of a sudden, everything around me began to slow. The world snapped into sharp focus. My breath was loud in my ears, but had slowed so that I could hear each alveoli in my lungs fill with air. My steps slowed so that each contact my flip flops made with the asphalt reverberated up my leg forcing my muscles to constrict in response. The asphalt, the grass, the trees, all had a sharp clarity so that I could see each pebble, each blade, each leaf.
Then a cold breeze blew past the nape of my neck, making my entire body break out in goosebumps. The world very suddenly snapped back to the present as I realized with sickening dread that the cold breeze had been the boy's hand brushing past my skin. I ran - faster.
"Leave me alone. Please!"
The boy snarled in response. A low, rumbling deep from within his throat. His snarl increased growing louder, more urgent, more desperate.
I ran harder, as fast as I could without falling in my flip flops. The boy's snarl became so loud, that it actually hurt my ears. But I didn't stop
And he didn't either.
Just then, I heard another sound, a high pitched whining of gears downshifting. I knew that sound. I had heard it before.
In a flash of shiny black and metallic silver, a motorcycle came screeching into view. The whining increased as the motorcycle downshifted and increased speed.
With a spray of loose asphalt and gravel, the cycle spun and squealed in front of me, blocking my path and making me come to an abrupt stop. Relief flooded through my body as I saw the thick, black tattoo snaking up the driver's left arm. I knew who was operating the cycle, even before he flipped up the shaded visor of his black helmet.