by Emme DeWitt
A beam of artificial light trailed into the hall from the room closest to the nurses’ station. I tried to go up on my toes and sneak into it without drawing the attention from the nurses, but I was unsuccessful. Just as I entered the shaft of light, the charge nurse behind the desk noticed me.
“Hey, you can’t be here, honey,” she called to me. Her grey eyes were kind but authoritative. When she waved me over to her, I had no choice but to comply.
“I’m sorry.” I grabbed my hands in front of me. “I just…”
“Oh, are you the girlfriend?” the young nurse next to me asked. Her gap-toothed smile made me pause.
“Um.” I reached my hand behind my neck.
“It’s okay,” the smiling nurse said conspiratorially. “I wouldn’t be able to help myself either.”
“The poor boy’s been awake for two hours,” the charge nurse grumbled. “Any more visitors and he’ll pass out again.”
“It’s young love, Ruth.” The younger nurse clutched her chart to her chest. “Let them live a little.”
“If I promise to make it quick?” I asked, my eyes searching the charge nurse’s eyes desperately. “I just want to see him. Make sure he’s okay.”
“If you make his heart monitor spike,” she pointed threateningly between me and the dancing line on her monitor screen, “you’re banned for good.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said. “Two seconds, I promise.”
I turned to go back toward the occupied room.
“You’re a big softie, Ruth,” the younger nurse cooed. “I knew you had it in you.”
“Oh, I’m using it against him later when he refuses to take his medication,” the charge nurse retorted. “It’s strategy.”
The younger nurse’s twinkling laugh followed me into the room. My hand braced against the doorframe, and I knocked lightly, not wanting to scare him.
Colm lay slightly reclined in the bed, his face turned toward the window watching the sun dancing behind the cloud cover. His eyes flit to the door, returning to the window.
It took him a second, but he sat up, his face swinging back to stare at me in the doorway.
“Hey,” I said, my eyes on the climbing heart rate monitor. “Long time no see.”
“Noah,” Colm said, his eyes pinging all over me, blinking over and over.
“Whoa, calm down.” I stepped farther into the room. “I’m going to get kicked out if you go into cardiac arrest.”
Colm frowned at me, then at the heart rate monitor. His bright blue eyes caught mine.
“You’re really here,” he said, half to himself.
“In the flesh,” I replied. I held out my hands for proof. “I just can’t believe you were here this whole time.”
“What do you mean?” Colm asked.
“I feel a little guilty,” I admitted, my thigh leaning against the foot of his bed. “If I’d known it was going to work or that you were hanging out on the other side, I would have done something about it sooner.”
“You didn’t know me before a couple days ago,” Colm said. “Right?”
“It’s complicated.” I brushed off the awkward question. “I’m just really glad it turned out okay.”
“Noah,” Colm said, his voice dropping. His eyes locked in on mine intensely. “Is it true?”
“What?” I asked, confused at the jog in logic of the conversation.
“Sean,” Colm said. “Is it true he was murdered? The police were in here earlier.”
“What for? You were in a coma when it happened. I’m pretty sure that’s the best alibi ever.” I glanced at Colm’s heart rate monitor. We were climbing into dangerous territory. “Can we talk about this later? I’m going to get kicked out in about thirty seconds.”
“It’s my fault,” Colm said, a blush creeping up his neck.
“What is?” I asked.
“I sort of yelled your name. Earlier.” Colm scratched the back of his head, refusing to make eye contact with me. “I tried to play it off, but I don’t think they believed me.”
I heard the squeak of rubber on laminate, and I knew Ruth was about to bust me for breaking my time limit.
“Did you say anything? I need to know. Now.” I glanced behind me nervously.
“What would I have said?” Colm replied, rolling his eyes. “In my several months of comatose sleep, my brain conjured up a girl that actually exists in real life and she’s the reason I woke up from this coma. I’d prefer not to be transferred to a mental hospital, thank you.”
“So you denied knowing me?” I confirmed. The sneakers squeaked again, and I reached for Colm’s hand in desperation.
“I played it off as two different words. You know. No. Ahhh.” Colm squeezed my hand.
In real life, his warmth was even more comforting. I kicked myself mentally, scolding my brain for getting distracted.
“Okay, then, slight hiccup because I pretended to be your girlfriend to sneak in here,” I muttered.
“You don’t look anything like Aileen.” Colm’s eyes creased in amusement. “Not even remotely.”
I pulled my hand from Colm’s.
“Pretend not to know me. And pretend you’re sleeping right now.” I walked back toward the door. “It’s safer that way.”
“What are you talking about?” Colm was clearly ignoring my request to play asleep.
I waved him down, pleading with my eyes for him to just listen to me.
“I’ll explain later,” I mouthed at him. I turned to leave the room just as Ruth filled the doorway. She looked past me, a frown creasing her tired face. I turned around to find Colm’s eyes shut, stirring just enough to toss his head to the other side of his pillow, obscuring his face.
Probably best. The boy didn’t look like he could play a convincing possum to save his life.
“Time’s up.” Ruth ushered me out into the corridor. “Visiting hours don’t even exist here.”
“Thanks again,” I said. “Just seeing him stir was so relieving.”
“Off you go.” Ruth escorted me to the elevator. “Back to the dorms. Lockdown is still in effect.”
I nodded, letting the elevator doors shut in my face before I sank against the wall. The elevator hummed down automatically to the ground floor, and I took the alone time to rub my face vigorously.
Colm was awake.
Sean was dead.
The Elevated were everywhere, and I was upstream without a paddle.
“Up shit creek,” I muttered to myself, waiting patiently for the elevator doors to open.
“I couldn’t put it better myself,” Mags said, her righteous smile greeting me on the other side of the doors.
She stood blocking the doors. I crossed my arms to mirror her stance, bending slightly to get in her face.
“You know you have to move so I can get off the elevator, right?” I said, wiping the smile off her face.
“The dean’s asking for you,” Mags bit back, storming off without me. “She doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
I stepped off the elevator, sighing to the ceiling in frustration. I followed without another word, hoping if I trailed behind Mags far enough, I could limit her sassy remarks. If she wouldn’t see it coming, I would probably have punched her when no one was looking. I thought hard about it as we crossed the courtyard and along the covered walkway leading toward the dean’s office, planning to do it right outside the administrative building.
Mags slowed in front of me, twisting to scowl at me. A laugh escaped me, and I shoved past her into the administrative building. The door almost shut in her shocked face, and I smothered my smile as I had the last laugh.
Twenty-Seven
I walked down the hallway, feeling Mags’ hot breath on my neck. I shoved my shoulder into the door marked Dean’s Office and walked up to the receptionist’s desk.
The same woman from my first day sat in the chair, her ear permanently fixed to the phone lighting up on her desk as she transitioned between several lines, placing people on
hold.
“You can’t go in there,” she called desperately as I walked past her. Her hand flapped at me to stop, but she chose to stay tethered to her desk rather than block my way.
My hand was on the doorknob, ready to twist as it opened in front of me.
Suddenly, I was face to face with Ms. Xavier, who raised her eyebrow at me. I looked behind her at the dean and the chief of police, who seemed displeased at my late arrival.
“I handled it,” Ms. Xavier said. “Let’s go.”
Mags finally caught up to me, blocking me in between the receptionist’s desk and Ms. Xavier.
“Well, this is kind of awkward.” I glanced back at Mags. “I guess they didn’t need me after all.”
Ms. Xavier waved me back, and I dodged around Mags before she could catch my arm.
“Margaret,” the dean called from within her office. “Come here.”
Mags scowled at me, bumping me in the shoulder as she obeyed the dean without hesitation.
“Walk,” Ms. Xavier said in my ear.
I moved, trying to get as far out of line of sight as was possible in the small reception room. As relieved as I was not to have to talk to the dean, the steel edge to Ms. Xavier’s voice told me I wasn’t free from rebuke just yet.
We kept up the fast pace in the hallway, and I kept my mouth shut.
“I’ve convinced them the murder and the coma boy waking up are not only unrelated to each other but unrelated to you,” Ms. Xavier said through clenched teeth. “If you go anywhere near that boy again, I can’t protect you.”
“How did you know I visited Colm?” I asked under my breath, unsure if even mentioning it was against the treaty Ms. Xavier had bartered for on my behalf. “And what do you mean convince?”
“I’m trying to play the long game here, Noah.” Ms. Xavier glanced over at me through the sides of her black-framed glasses while neatly dodging my questions. “You’re important, but not that important if you can’t help stirring up trouble.”
“It’s not my fault trouble finds me first,” I argued. “If I could stay under the radar, believe me, that’s exactly where I’d be.”
“You have to take some responsibility for your actions,” Ms. Xavier said. “You don’t exist in a vacuum.”
The admonishing words felt weird coming from anyone other than Adele. No other adult had cared enough to tell me to act right. As I watched Ms. Xavier stride across the courtyard, I realized she was probably the same age as Adele, give or take a few years. The same age my mother would be if she were still alive.
I followed Ms. Xavier back into the academic building, climbing the grand staircase carefully so as not to slip on the slick surface. The realization brought my mood down, and I counted the steps up the staircase to myself.
Ig waited for us at the top of the stairs.
“Go back to the office. Keep your head in the books until everything blows over,” Ms. Xavier instructed me. “Next slip up, and you’re on your own.”
I nodded, my feet pointed toward the office.
“And Noah,” Ms. Xavier said, making me pause. She looked at me, her head hanging slightly to the side. “The Elevated are given only the amount of power they can handle. The next time you doubt yourself, remember no one else can handle it like you can. You don’t get to be perfect overnight.”
“Is that the voice of experience?” I asked, curious to unwrap the mystery behind the young teacher. At the very least, I needed to learn her rebuff technique. Whatever her Elevation was, it kept me guessing.
Ms. Xavier laughed.
“If I knew at your age what I know now, let’s just say the need to play the long game would be nonexistent,” Ms. Xavier replied. “Now go fill Evangeline in before she explodes from curiosity.”
I nodded, my feet already halfway to the office before I looked up again.
Evangeline scurried out from the office, hooking my elbow with hers.
“If my range were any better, you’d have a stalker for life. All the drama surrounding you is intense. It’s like I’m living a telenovela.” Evangeline pulled me into the office. She shoved me down onto my chair, boxing me in. “Spill.”
“Wait, what do you mean by drama?” I said. “I was gone for an hour or less.”
“The entire campus is buzzing. Particularly the dean’s office,” Evangeline said. “Normally, that place is a black hole and very annoying to crack into, but the emotions were all over the place today.”
“Explain to me again how the Sentient plane works?” I bluffed, taking advantage of Evangeline’s flightiness to sate my own curiosity. If I was going to be dishing about my mini adventure away from the confines of the office, I was going to get information in return. Ms. Xavier might be playing the long game, but I was just doing my best to stay in it and not get steamrolled.
“I read waves of consciousness from living things,” Evangeline said, the words falling out of her mouth so quickly I had trouble understanding them until after my brain had decoded the individual words. “Mostly emotions, but sometimes thoughts and memories if the person broadcasts loudly enough. Kind of like you. You read like a billboard sign. Big, bright, and very catchy. Anyway, everyone’s been having strong feelings wherever you go, even the dean’s office which, like I said, is normally very dark and boring. Not today. Also, Colm. Wow. He’s got some thoughts and feelings about you.”
I reached out to steady Evangeline, worrying her hyper buzz would cause her to pass out from lack of oxygen.
“Whoa, how many cups of coffee did you have while I was gone?” I asked, counting the vending machine cups that filled the waste basket by the door. It was definitely in excess of ten.
“What else was I supposed to do while you were gone? Just sit here and take notes? With all that happening?” Evangeline’s nose crinkled distastefully. “Even Ig was out making rounds. It was too quiet around here.”
“Well, the lockdown has everyone else sequestered in their dorms. Except Mags,” I said, my thoughts turning dark.
“Of course.” Evangeline rolled her eyes. “Princess Margaret is always on snitch duty.”
“Ms. Xavier mentioned she was the dean’s student assistant,” I said. “Is that true?”
“Yeah.” Evangeline sighed. “She’s been the dean’s assistant since freshman year. We used to be friends, you know. Mags and I.”
Evangeline looked past me, her eyes glazing over momentarily.
“Evangeline?” I waved my hand in front of her face.
She stuttered back to life, her cheeks blazing crimson. “Sorry.” She shook the fogginess from her head. “I was too distracted by your drama across campus to put my barriers back in place. Someone took me by surprise.”
“Back up.” I tried to catch Evangeline’s eye again so I knew she was with me. “Barriers?”
“It’s the only way I stay somewhat sane,” Evangeline replied. “I’ve had to build more since I first started hearing people. I still don’t do well with crowds, but I can pay attention for short periods of time if I’m prepared.”
Evangeline grabbed a lock of hair, twisting it idly around her fingers.
“I’m guessing somehow Mags was involved.” I caught the subtle pause in Evangeline’s dancing fingertips to prove I was dead on with my leap. “Was that before or after Mags turned into a snitch?”
“Still a little foggy on that myself.” Evangeline grabbed at her hand to still the nervous twitch. “All I know is one day we were friends, and the next we weren’t. I got sent away after they found out I’d stopped taking my medication.”
“And you think Mags sold you out,” I continued, picking up the hint Evangeline had laid out for me.
“It had been her idea, too. We were both on some pretty heavy anti-psychotics, and she decided they were blocking our naturally given Elevation. I couldn’t handle the constant barrage of feelings and thoughts though, and I got caught.” Evangeline shrugged. “When I came back, Mags was the dean’s number two and I could still barely handle
eating meals in the dining hall with everyone else.”
“That’s messed up,” I said.
Evangeline had sobered from the serious conversation, and I let her shoulders go since she’d stopped bouncing up and down. She slid her back down the wall, resuming her seat from earlier.
“Ms. Xavier was the one who got me practicing my barriers,” Evangeline said with a sheepish grin. “She even gave me a metaphysics book that’s helped me think of the energy waves in a better way.”
“You get a manual? No fair,” I joked, scuffing my shoe on the floor.
Evangeline chuckled. “Hang on, I have it if you really want to look at it.” She rifled through her book bag and producing a weathered green hardcover.
I took it, dutifully flipping it open and thumbing through a few chapters. The paper was stiff and yellowing, and my fingers caught on the spine and cover where the title was stamped into the cardboard. Snapping it shut, I took one final glance at it before handing it back to Evangeline. At the last moment, I pulled it away, Evangeline’s fingers grazing the cover.
“One sec.” I ran my finger down the spine. My eyes locked on the bottom, tapping the spine where the publisher had stamped its emblem. I held it back out to Evangeline. “Look familiar?”
The Elevated symbol was stamped at the bottom of Evangeline’s beloved metaphysics book.
“No way,” Evangeline whispered, pulling the book toward her. “How did I miss that?”
“A bunch of books here have the same mark.” I pulled out several to show Evangeline. “See? All different topics. It looks like a run-of-the-mill academic press, but I thought there might be something more.”
Evangeline licked her fingers, flicking through her book for the copyright page. She lifted it up to her face, squinting to read the faded ink.
“Compass Rose Books. Boston, Mass.,” Evangeline read aloud. “Boston’s not very far at all.”
“What’s the year of publication on that one?” I asked, leafing through several of the nearest symbolled books for dates.
“Nineteen thirty-six.” Evangeline let out a low whistle. “It’s been a minute.”
“All of these were published in the thirties and forties.” I stuck my pen in my mouth for safe keeping as I grabbed another handful of books to check the date. “Is the Wi-Fi still down?”
