She lit up. “They’re great … chemistry is
unbelievable; I’m learning so much, and I have the most incredible
professor for world civilization.” As Kate spoke, her enthusiasm
grew and I smiled. Love of knowledge was her gift, as Edna would
say. The movie played on, and we changed into our pajamas. Kate
made popcorn, and I told her about the classes at the community
college.
“Did you get your hair cut?” Kate asked.
“Nope.” I focused on the TV.
“There’s something different about you. I
can’t quite put my finger on it, but you look … I don’t know …
better.”
“Well thanks, I think.” I grinned; Kate grew
flustered.
“You know what I mean, you always looked
great but—”
A loud rap at the door made us both jump.
Kate and I shot up and popcorn flew everywhere; my stomach flipped
as we headed to the small entryway.
“Who is it?” Kate aggressively whispered.
“Lemmee in,” came a garbled reply. A hand
slapped the front of the door making us both jump again.
“Holly?”
“Lemmme innnn…. You sure are a cutie.” Holly
mumbled through a fit of giggles from the other side of the door. I
stood behind Kate as she turned the knob. Standing there in the
doorframe, draped over incredibly broad shoulders, was a very
inebriated Holly.
“I am sorry to bother you ladies, but your
friend was about to get herself into a situation I couldn’t allow.
I thought the best course of action was to deliver her safely
home,” Gavin quietly explained. Holly leaned into him; her eyes
alight with excitement and alcohol. She tried to kiss him, but he
turned his head. Her hand sloppily found his face, trying to wrap
her arm around his neck. He firmly held her arm to her side.
“Come ooooon gorgeous,” she whined. “I’ve
been lookin’ for you aaaaaaaall week.”
Gavin dragged Holly unceremoniously to the
bed and plopped her down. Turning immediately, he marched back
toward the door. My heart lurched. Gavin was with Holly. Her black
mini skirt and bright blue blouse was stunning. I painfully
blushed. Kate and I were in matching hot pink pajamas, and my hair
was pulled back in a high ponytail. We both looked ten.
Kate’s face almost lit the room red when
Gavin took my hand and led me to the hallway. My pulse picked up
its pace. I rested against the wall needing a little support; the
door clicked shut behind him. Visions of Holly raced through my
mind. They looked great together, even if she were a few sheets to
the wind, as Edna would say. Gavin sighed.
“I wasn’t at that party, Nora. I happened to
see Holly and knew she was your friend.” His voice was low and
sincere; his eyes searched mine.
“That’s okay, you don’t owe me any
explanation,” I mumbled. It wasn’t any of my business where he
went. I mean … I didn’t have a claim on him or anything.
Frustration flamed through me. My brow creased as I tried to
process why that was … I always felt random emotions, alive and
brilliant in strength, when I was around Gavin.
“I hadn’t planned on being here at all, but I
knew you were coming to campus,” he tried to explain.
“Are you following me?” I asked.
“I wanted to make sure you made it here
safely. We had to pass this way to get home. Please don’t be
upset,” his soft plea echoed down the hall. I smiled, my face
warming again. How could I possibly be upset? … He actually meant
it.
“Well, thanks….” My smile grew, and he took
my hand and brought it up to his chest. I could feel my fingers
start to shake under his large palm. The hall was deserted, and I
tried to breathe as quietly as possible so Gavin wouldn’t see the
crazy effect he had on me.
“I’ll see you soon,” he whispered. Giving my
hand one last squeeze, he let go and headed down the hall.
We stayed up the rest of the night talking
about Holly’s alarming partying habits, and I finally confessed
that Gavin had come to see me at the hardware store. I didn’t tell
Kate I spilled my guts about my father. She had never heard that
story, and I didn’t want to discuss it again. I couldn’t believe it
when I glanced up; it was already past two. Kate finally turned out
the lights. Even though it had been a very long day, sleep did not
find me easily. It seemed I had drifted off for just a moment when
Kate’s alarm rang.
“You sure you have to go?” Kate quietly
asked, as she got up and helped fold the blankets off the
floor.
“I’m picking Edna up for Sunday school. Why
don’t you come with me? I can bring you back this afternoon.” She
shook her head.
“Sorry, can’t. I have a ton of homework, and
I’m a little worried about Hol.”
“Me too.” I looked at Holly’s voluptuous
frame, which hadn’t moved. “Take care, you.” I hugged Kate one more
time and headed out the door.
It was still dark when I walked down the
stone steps of the dorm. Swinging my backpack over my shoulder, I
zipped up my blue jacket. The visitor’s parking lot was across the
student lawn, which appeared even larger without the usual heavy
traffic. September mornings brought a chill to the mountains, and
water vapor billowed around my face.
Holly had crossed the line last night. She
had to learn soon. What if Gavin hadn’t been there? Worse, what if
Gavin had been that kind of guy? My feet slowed a bit as a new
awareness heightened my senses. The dark took on a new, menacing
dimension. I peeked behind me, fearing something unknown; the hair
on the back of my neck stood in defense. I never thought about how
creepy an empty campus could be, especially with the colors leeched
from the full moon’s light.
Don’t be such a chicken
, I chided as I
sped up through the frosty grass, heading straight for the
sanctuary of the Jeep. My nose crinkled; a hint of rancid dirt
drifted on the breeze, reminding me of a rotting compost pile.
Folding my arms across my chest, I stared at the ground,
concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. The
silence was deafening, and adrenaline kicked in. Anxiety made my
blood run cold. Shadows loomed in the distance. Three ominous
silhouettes appeared in the limited predawn light. They seemed to
be hovering over something. Anxiety swiftly became fear.
The air grew colder, and I pulled my jacket
tight. Fear was growing with every quickening step, every
heartbeat, when out of the darkness something hit the pit of my
stomach. Cold air stabbed my nose and battered my lungs with the
effort it took to breathe. Grainy dots briefly hindered my sight at
the sucker punch, and my knees buckled from the weight of its pain.
I caught my balance and stumbled, but managed to stay upright. I
didn’t understand—there was nothing near me except the night.
A second wave hit stronger than the first,
and the ache of it had my stomach violently protesting as the
bitter taste of bile appeared on my tongue. Pain radiated from my
center, and for a brief moment I wondered if my appendix hadn’t
ruptured. Shock spiked the adrenaline pumping ... this was not a
physical being—it was emotional, and it tortured me.
Another wave hit, and my erratic pulse
sputtered. Panic set in. The darkness danced with despair, and I
realized that these feelings were not coming from within. Trying to
re-evaluate the sensations, I tightly closed my eyes willing myself
calm. How could this be possible? Breathing in the cold kept the
black fringes of unconsciousness from claiming me.
“I wonder what fraternity he belongs to?” A
muffled voice drifted through the haze of pain.
“Twenty bucks says he’s just drunk,” said the
tallest of the three.
His insolent tone snapped the hill back into
focus, and I realized that they were huddled over someone on the
ground. A small part of my consciousness noted a normal person
would run away. But then I realized a normal person wouldn’t think
they were being assaulted by emotions that weren’t their own.
“Do you think he has any money?”
The stranger swam in and out of focus as
agony riddled my body. An innate compulsion to protect welled deep
within. I trudged forward, and the crunch of my boots on the frosty
grass announced they were not alone. The tallest man turned and
smirked.
“Hey Blondie, where are you going in the wee
hours of the morning?”
Squaring my shoulders and completely ignoring
him, I turned to his friend. “How long has he been lying there? Is
he all right?”
“Who knows? Who cares?” he laughed, as the
other two joined in.
“Don’t worry sugar,” the first insufferable
man took a step closer. “I’m sure he’s just sleeping off last
night’s party.” I became acutely aware that my jeans hugged in the
right places. The familiar stench of excessive alcohol, so
ingrained in my childhood, slapped my face.
Anger swelled, both from inside and out,
making my temper flair. I didn’t like jerks, and I really hated men
who thought they were God’s gift to women. But I was also aware I
was in a sparsely populated area, and the men were too close for
anyone to consider me safe. I bit down the retort about where he
could shove his sugar and counted to ten.
“My boyfriend went to call 911 while I ran
over here.” He sneered at the obvious lie. “Maybe you should stay
to help give the police a better understanding of the situation,
since you were first on the scene,” I suggested. The atmosphere
immediately changed from smug to uncomfortable.
“That’s all right, s’all good,” said the
pick-up artist, and they quickly made their escape.
I watched them scurry away like rats. Purples
and blues warmed the mountains, as the light of a new day etched
its way across the horizon. Adrenaline rushed through my veins; my
pulse pounded in my ears. I must have been more frightened of the
three drunks than I realized.
Finally, I had the opportunity to observe the
person on the ground. My heart stopped. I knew those broad
shoulders anywhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter
4—Phenomenon
“Gavin?” I whispered in horror. He was face
down and his arms and legs were splayed out as if he had dropped
unexpectedly. I ran and knelt by his side, silently praying he was
all right.
“What happened to you?” A sob broke from my
chest. Weak and shaking, I leaned over his body and grabbed his
hand, desperately feeling for a pulse.
Electricity started where our palms met and
ran up my arm. I calmed myself by concentrating on the sensation.
The center of my chest felt very warm, as if a light were shining
deep within. Despite the cold, his wrist was almost hot to the
touch. Relief flooded through as my fingers found a steady
rhythm.
The sun peeked through the mountains, and the
campus had taken on its glow of hope. Inhaling deeply, the sense of
panic receded. I gently pushed the hair from his forehead.
“Are you hurt?” I asked, hoping there was
some logical explanation for all of this. An external feeling of
sorrow and a strong desire to protect washed over me. These did not
slam painfully into me as before, but seemed to gradually seep into
my being, like a warm blanket on a frigid day.
“I am not mortally wounded. Please give me a
minute, I think I can move,” his rich voice softly pleaded. I kept
his hand in both of mine. His palm didn’t have the usual lines and
creases, but was warm, soft, and polished. Visions of his hand
against my face rolled through my mind, and my face blazed crimson
at where my thoughts were leading. I was drawn to Gavin like no
other.
The ache from the emotional assault continued
to burn, and I rocked back and forth to ease the pain. Instinct
whispered that the emotions that were not my own were connected to
what had happened to Gavin. Truly, I might be going crazy. Maybe
this was the common thread with my birth family I had always
dreaded. Maybe I finally reached my limit and had simply lost my
mind; who knows how these things go? I quickly discounted that idea
... I knew I was too strong for insanity.
Gavin struggled to sit up. The strong
attraction I felt for him served as a balm, and it quickly
smothered the hot ache of despair. I cleared my mind and was
surprised to feel the attraction surging through me was at war with
the outer emotions emanating to me. The fact they were so tangible
and much stronger than my own was confusing. At this moment, I
simply was one big ball of emotion, tumbling helplessly, totally
out of control … like a rag doll in white water.
“Nora, honey, are you all right?” he
murmured. My heart jumped. I stared at the sunlight dancing off his
shiny hair. His normally tanned skin was pasty white, and the dark
circles under his eyes almost looked like bruises. Whatever it was
obviously had taken a great toll on him. Maybe he hit his head. As
I thought of nothing but trying to help, the feeling of security
deepened.
“What happened to you?”
“I’m not sure. I was walking towards campus …
and the next thing I remember is hearing your voice.” He spoke with
conviction, but his brow lowered, and his beautiful eyes
narrowed.
At that very moment, it seemed imperative to
him I not pry. For some strange reason, the buntings in the barn
came to mind. They flew so close I could touch them, but I never
tried, wanting to honor their trust. I would give Gavin the same
respect. I cautiously rose, hoping my legs could stand.
“Where’s your brother?”
He smiled weakly. “Waiting for me to give him
a call.”
Those brilliantly green eyes searched my
face. Without warning, that now familiar sense of anguish was back.
Instinctively, I knew these emotions were coming from him. The
truth of it rocked every fiber of my being. Somehow, I was picking
up his emotional atmosphere, like a satellite to a dish. I searched
back and finally understood. That gentle physical pull in my center
before I see him—the feelings that blazed through my soul—I was
experiencing an echo of his feelings.