by Marilyn Kaye
Nina knew that Amanda was interested in Ken. Ever since he’d kissed her underwater at a pool party last summer, she’d had feelings for him. (OK, the kiss was the result of a dare from some other guys, but even so, it was a kiss.) In her efforts to get a relationship going, she’d had ups and downs, but right now, things seemed to be going well. There was no way she’d let Nina intrude.
She flashed her most brilliant smile at Ken as he took his seat, but there was no opportunity to talk. Madame called for everyone’s attention.
‘Yesterday, I asked you to think about how you could use your gifts in positive ways. Does anyone have any thoughts on the subject?’
Charles spoke. ‘I’ve done that. I got the gun away from that woman Clare, when she had Emily in her car.’
‘Yes, I remember,’ Madame said. ‘But I’m interested in discussing how you can help others – not just the people in this class, but society in general.’
Martin piped up. ‘You mean, like a superhero? If I could get a handle on my power whenever I wanted, I could run around saving people from bullies.’
‘Let’s not jump that far ahead,’ Madame cautioned. ‘I’m not telling you to become superheroes, we’re just trying to explore the potential of your gifts. If you did have control, you might have opportunities to benefit mankind.’
Emily had a question. ‘But how? Like, what if I had a vision of a plane crashing and I called the airline to warn them? They’d want to know how I knew about it.’
‘What good would it do anyway?’ Jenna asked. ‘They wouldn’t believe you.’
‘And if they did believe you,’ Tracey chimed in, ‘you’d be revealing your gift. Which we’re not supposed to do.’ She looked at Madame. ‘Right?’
Amanda was mildly surprised that Madame didn’t make her usual quick response to that question. The teacher actually seemed uncertain. Finally, she spoke.
‘There may be situations where you will be able to safely reveal yourselves,’ she said slowly, ‘to certain people, and under certain conditions. But that’s not what I want us to discuss now. At this point in time, I want you to think about ways in which you could use your gifts discreetly. To help people without calling attention to yourselves.’
What’s the point of that? Amanda wondered. We wouldn’t get any credit for our good deeds.
Jenna suddenly burst out laughing. Madame looked startled.
‘What’s so funny about that, Jenna?’ she demanded to know.
‘Sorry, Madame. But I was just trying to imagine Amanda doing a good deed when she wouldn’t get any credit for it.’
‘She was reading my mind, Madame!’ Amanda complained. Then she realized she’d just affirmed what Jenna had said, and she sank back in her chair. From the corner of her eye she could see Ken looking at her, and it wasn’t exactly in admiration. Did he really think she was the kind of person who would never do anything for anyone else?
Madame was angry. ‘Jenna, how many times do I need to remind you? You have absolutely no right to eavesdrop on your classmates’ thoughts! It’s rude, and you’re invading their privacy.’
‘But I wasn’t reading her mind,’ Jenna protested. ‘It was my own thought.’
Liar, Amanda thought. And she didn’t care if Jenna heard her.
Tracey spoke. ‘Jenna, you’re not being fair. Remember when Amanda was in my head? She did a lot of nice things for me.’
‘Yeah, because she was afraid she was stuck being you forever,’ Jenna retorted. ‘Look, all I’m saying is that Amanda won’t ever be a superhero. She’s too selfish.’
Madame was losing patience. ‘Could we please get back to the subject? Charles . . . can you think of a way you could use your gift discreetly to help people?’
Charles thought about it. ‘OK, what about this? I’m in a supermarket, and there’s this little old man who wants to buy a can of soup. Only it’s on a really high shelf and he can’t reach it. So when he’s not looking, I make the can of soup come off the shelf and into his shopping basket.’
Martin looked at him scornfully. ‘You think getting a can of soup off a shelf benefits mankind?’
Ken had a problem with this too. ‘And when the old man sees the can in his cart, and he doesn’t know how it got there, he’ll be afraid he’s losing his mind.’
Madame smiled. ‘It was a positive thought, Charles, but you can see there are ramifications and consequences to every action. Sarah, you haven’t spoken. Do you have a comment to make?’
‘No, Madame,’ Sarah said.
‘For this class, I asked you to think about how you could use your gift in a positive way. Did you do this?’
‘No, Madame.’
Amanda was shocked. She’d had other classes with Sarah, and the girl was widely known as Little Miss Perfect who always did what teachers told her to do. It was weird that she would actually not do the assignment. Amanda herself hadn’t done the assignment either, but if Madame asked, she would say that she’d thought and thought about it but hadn’t been able to come up with an example. Sarah was such a goody-goody, she wasn’t even capable of lying!
‘Well, Sarah, think about it now.’ Madame’s tone was kind but firm. ‘You have a very powerful gift. More than anyone else here, you have the ability to help people. Sarah, are you listening?’
Sarah had lowered her head, and no one could see her face. ‘Yes, Madame.’
‘Then answer me. What could you do to benefit mankind?’
‘I can’t,’ Sarah replied in an almost inaudible whisper.
‘Why not?’
Sarah raised her head, and now Amanda could see tears streaming down her face. ‘I can’t, Madame. I can’t!’
Amanda was taken aback. The girl looked and sounded unbelievably upset, like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown or something. It was awful, Amanda could feel her pain . . .
Uh-oh, this was dangerous! Quickly she concentrated on coming up with another emotional reaction. Silly girl, why is she freaking out? What a wimp . . .
But now Sarah was sobbing hysterically, and Amanda couldn’t drown out the sound. She had to make this stop before pity overwhelmed her.
‘Leave her alone,’ she said loudly. ‘She hasn’t done anything wrong. She’s doesn’t have to benefit mankind if she doesn’t want to!’
‘You would say that,’ Jenna declared. ‘You’re so selfish, Amanda!’
Madame hurried over to Sarah and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Sarah, you need to calm down.’
But Sarah continued to cry, and Madame turned to Emily. ‘Could you take Sarah to the infirmary, Emily?’
‘Sure,’ Emily said. She got up and went to Sarah’s desk. ‘Come on, Sarah.’
Still sobbing, Sarah rose from her desk and left the room with Emily.
For a moment, the room was silent. Then Martin asked, ‘Why does she get so upset when we ask about her gift, Madame?’
Before Madame had a chance to reply, the chiming of three bells sounded from the intercom. It was followed by the voice of the school secretary.
‘Madame, could you come to the office, please?’
Madame sighed, and went to the door. ‘Class, continue discussing positive ways in which you can use your gifts,’ she ordered them before walking out.
Naturally, everyone started talking about anything but that.
‘Do you think Carter is telling that doctor all about us?’ Charles asked.
‘He can’t talk,’ Martin pointed out.
‘But he can,’ Tracey piped up. ‘Remember? I told you guys, I saw him talking to that Serena.’
Amanda didn’t care what Carter was doing. She was more concerned about what Ken might be thinking after that little exchange with Jenna. Did he think she was selfish too?
‘Ken . . .’
He was staring straight ahead, and he didn’t seem to have heard her. Or maybe he was intentionally ignoring her. Nervously, she nudged him. ‘Ken.’
He turned. ‘Oh, sorry. I was listening to someone.�
��
Immediately, she turned on her most sympathetic expression. ‘A dead person?’
He nodded. ‘You remember that sweet old lady I told you about? The one who was hooked on a soap opera before she died?’
She didn’t remember, but she nodded anyway.
‘She wanted to know what happened in the last episode.’
It came back to her. ‘Oh, right. You’ve been watching it for her.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Isn’t that a drag? I mean, it’s a really stupid show.’
‘Yeah, it’s awful. But it meant a lot to her.’
‘Well, you’re doing a good deed, I guess,’ Amanda said. Are dead people still considered part of mankind?’
Tracey interrupted their private conversation. ‘Ken, what do you think?’
‘About what?’ Ken asked.
‘Carter. Do you think he’s talking about us?’
‘He might be telling the doctor,’ Ken suggested.
‘I’m not worried about that,’ Jenna said. ‘Doctor Paley’s a good guy. He already knows about me. And Madame wouldn’t be talking to him every day if she didn’t trust him. But there are a lot of creepy people living at Harmony House. Serious losers, kids with bad connections. I hope he’s not talking to them.’
‘Yeah, I wish I knew what was going on over there,’ Charles commented. ‘Too bad he’s not allowed to have any visitors.’
Martin turned to Jenna. ‘Couldn’t you get into the place?’ They know you there.’
Jenna shook her head. ‘Doesn’t make any difference – they’re really strict. There’s a guard who won’t let anyone past the reception area unless they’ve got a pass.’
‘I could get in!’ Tracey declared. ‘The guard wouldn’t see me if I’m invisible. I could follow Carter around and find out what he’s up to.’
‘Forget it,’ Jenna said. ‘Remember what happened when you tried to spy on him before? And you became visible again? No offence, Tracey – I know you’re improving but you just don’t have enough control of your gift. You could get into serious trouble if you’re caught there.’
‘I’ve got an idea,’ Martin said.
Jenna rolled her eyes. ‘Let me guess. You’ll punch out the guard.’
‘Jenna, don’t tease him,’ Tracey hissed.
But Martin really did seem to be developing some control. ‘I’m thinking Amanda could get in.’
Aghast, Amanda turned to him. ‘Me?’
‘Like Jenna said, the place is full of losers,’ Martin said. ‘There’s got to be someone checking in who you could feel sorry for. You could do your body-snatching thing, take over and go in as that person.’
Amanda stared at him in horror. What kind of insane idea was that? Then she caught Ken’s eye. He was looking at her with interest.
‘You think you could do that?’
‘She could,’ Jenna broke in, ‘but she wouldn’t. Do you really think Amanda’s going to do something to help us?’
Amanda swallowed hard. ‘Don’t speak for me, Jenna. I could try . . .’
‘Today?’ Jenna asked.
‘Um . . . let me think . . . I don’t even know where Harmony House is . . .’
‘I’ll take you there,’ Jenna declared. ‘Right after class.’
That was definitely admiration on Ken’s face. Amanda swallowed again and smiled thinly.
‘Great.’
CHAPTER FIVE
THE PAIN IN HIS head was gone by the time Carter returned to Dr Paley’s office. Even so, something in his head was different. It was like the TV of his dreams was embedded somewhere in his brain. At some point in the last session, it had been switched on. It was off again now, and Carter preferred this state of mind. Now that he was entering Dr Paley’s office, he had the sensation it could be turned on again, and he didn’t want that. But he’d been told to return, and he did what he was told.
Dr Paley seemed different too. His eyes were brighter, his smile was wider. Change meant danger. Carter began to shiver.
‘Sit down, Carter. I want to show you something.’ He wheeled a trolley to the middle of the room, and positioned it in front of Carter’s chair. On top of the trolley stood a television, smaller than the one in his dreams, but still a television. Carter felt his heartbeat quicken.
Dr Paley didn’t notice his discomfort. ‘I want to show you the tape I made of our session this morning.’ He touched a button and slipped a disk into an opening. Then he sat down behind his desk, where he too could see the screen. He held a remote control towards the TV, it flickered to life, and Carter saw himself, sitting in this same chair. He couldn’t see Dr Paley on the screen, but he heard his voice.
‘I’m going to count back from ten,’ Dr Paley said. ‘Close your eyes. You will feel yourself getting sleepy. When I reach the number one, you will be in a deep sleep, but you will continue to hear my voice. Ten . . . nine . . . eight . . . seven . . .’
The pain was coming back. Carter covered his ears. Quickly, Dr Paley took the remote control. The tape continued, but Carter didn’t hear anything.
‘Actually, we don’t need the sound,’ Dr Paley said. ‘You never spoke. Now, watch carefully, Carter. Here it comes.’
Carter didn’t have any expectations as to what he might have done under the spell of the doctor’s hypnosis, but even so, it was a shock to see himself get smaller and smaller.
Dr Paley had said Carter had a gift. Was it a gift like Tracey’s? Then he realized that the chair on the screen wasn’t vacant. A small white rabbit sat there, twitching its nose.
‘That’s not really a rabbit, Carter,’ Dr Paley said softly. ‘That’s you.’
He picked up the remote control. ‘I’m going to fast-forward for a minute. There, now watch this.’
The rabbit on the chair seemed to puff up. Then it became fuzzy, almost impossible to identify as a rabbit. As it enlarged, it changed form. The form became too blurry to see anything in detail, but then Carter could see the outline of arms, legs, a torso . . . The focus returned. It was Carter, in the same position as before, still sitting in his chair. And all this happened in less than a second.
‘You’re suffering from Acute Faculative Allomorphy, Carter, commonly known as shape-shifting,’ Dr Paley said.
Carter took his eyes off the screen and looked at the doctor. His whole body began to tremble.
Dr Paley came out from behind his desk and drew another chair closer to Carter. He placed a warm hand gently on Carter’s shoulder.
‘Don’t get upset, Carter. You’re going to be all right. You’re safe here, nobody is going to hurt you. As I told you this morning, you have a gift. It’s a very unusual gift – very few cases have been recorded, and these cases have been kept secret. My own interest in extraordinary abilities has given me access to information that has long been hidden from the public.’
His voice was calming, and Carter stopped shaking. But was he really safe? How could he be sure?
The doctor continued. ‘You must know by now that uncommon gifts like this exist. Think about your classmates.’
Carter stiffened. He could hear Madame’s voice. ‘Never tell, never tell.’ He’d told Serena, and he’d been sent away from the class.
It was almost as if Dr Paley could read his thoughts. ‘You’re not in trouble, Carter. No one is going to hurt you, or any of your classmates. I know everything because I’ve been talking with Madame. She has always suspected that you too may have some kind of special ability. We both have your best interests at heart. We want to help you.’
The words rang true, and Carter had always trusted Madame.
‘I’ve learned from Madame that many of your classmates’ gifts arose through extreme situations – a trauma, a crisis of some sort – and I believe this may be true of you too. We need to know why you became a shape-shifter. From your reaction in watching the tape I could see you were shocked, but I don’t think that was the first time you’ve ever shifted. Your state of amnesia has erased all memories of your gift. But the ex
planation for your ability is buried deep within your subconscious. I can’t reach you through traditional hypnotic procedures, so I need to try something else.’
Carter’s eyes followed the doctor as he rose and went to the white cabinet in the corner of the room. He opened a drawer.
‘I’m going to give you an injection. It’s perfectly safe – it’s just a sedative which will help you to relax completely and allow you to overcome the inhibitions which are preventing you from speaking. Hopefully, you will recover some memories and be able to tell me about your past. Would you roll up your sleeve, please?’
It was a direct order. Carter had to obey. But Dr Paley must have sensed the fear that engulfed him, because his voice became even more soothing.
‘You’ll only feel a little prick, and retrieving the memories shouldn’t be painful. You may not even remember what you tell me. But I’m taping you so you’ll be able to watch it all later. I’m keeping no secrets from you. You have to trust me, and you must not fight the need to express yourself.’
It was just as Dr Paley said – the injection was just a little sting in his arm, and then he felt nothing.
‘We’re going back in time, to six months ago. Close your eyes, Carter.’
Carter closed his eyes, but what he saw wasn’t darkness. At first he thought he was dreaming, because he could see the boy of his dreams. But then it was if he was inside the boy, and it wasn’t a dream. The boy was him.
He looked around, and everything he saw was familiar and comforting. The room held a sofa, two armchairs, a bookcase. At one end of the room, there was a large wooden table and chairs. On the floor, there was a colourful rug. There were windows, and through the windows he could see flowers.
He knew this house. He knew about things he couldn’t even see, like the basketball hoop over the garage that held two cars. He knew that through the archway there was a big kitchen. He knew that if he went past the table and through another archway he’d be in a hallway, and off the hallway were three bedrooms. One of those bedrooms belonged to him.
Someone was singing. He could hear a woman’s voice drifting out from another room. He knew the voice. It belonged to his mother.
