First Project

by Jennifer Rose McMahon

  As the final bell rang, I sprang out of my seat and raced for the guidance office. The halls were a blur, full of students making their long-awaited exit, and I kept my head down, focused on my sole destination.

  I stormed into the main office, and the grumpy secretary acted like I wasn't even there. I waited, out of breath, for her to lift her eyes off her keyboard.

  Two seconds later, I lost it.

  "I need to see Ms. Kelly," I stated. "It's urgent."

  Her fingers paused on the keys, and then she glanced up at me.

  "I'll be with you in a minute." Then her eyes dropped back down.

  My teeth clenched together instantly.

  Without hesitation, I moved past Maleficent and shot toward Ms. Kelly's office.

  "She's not there," she called to me.

  I stopped in my tracks.

  "Why didn't you just tell me that to begin with?" I spat.

  "Return to the waiting area where students belong." She pointed back to the space in front of her desk.

  Shit. I was about to lose it on her.

  I stormed past her and bombed straight out the door.

  My breath heaved out of me as I trekked in the direction of home. I'd never felt more helpless as I marched toward my house without having accomplished anything in the day.

  Losing my mind was the only thing left on the agenda now that the UMAs had fallen silent, and Ms. Kelly was nowhere to be found.

  In my frazzled state, I stopped short on the sidewalk and stared at the old white church with the enormous black doors. It belonged on a historic New England postcard, but that wasn't what had caught my attention at that moment.

  It was Shane's car in the lot again.

  And there was another one next to it this time.

  My heart nearly burst out of my chest as I ran across the road toward the church. Jumping the granite steps two at a time, I opened one of the doors and flew into the lobby area. The door closed behind me with an echoing boom, and then silence hovered all around me.

  I swallowed, then walked toward the assembly area that housed the pews and the altar. I glanced into the dark space, and my eyes fell on three figures, huddled and whispering at the front.

  I stared in disbelief as they turned to me with half-expectant expressions.

  Shane.

  The minister.

  And Ms. Kelly.

  But something was wrong.

  The three of them appeared to be calm, but something very intense surrounded them.

  I sensed disturbance all around me. Unsettled emotions poured off Ms. Kelly, igniting visions in my mind like the reels of a movie. Flashes of the woods. Fire dancing in Courtney's pupils. And then Ms. Kelly's pain. Not like physical pain of burning or being cut. But more like a deep aching pain. A broken, empty hurt that consumed her from the inside out.

  I bent over, clamping my stomach to hold it from bottoming out. A deep moan of sorrow threatened to escape my throat as I willed her pain away.

  "Brynn?" Her voice bounced through the church.

  In that moment, my mind cleared, and the torment dissipated.

  "Ms. Kelly?" I whimpered.

  "Brynn, please, come in to us," she called.

  I froze, not knowing what to do. I hadn't expected to see her there and wasn't even sure why I had entered the church in the first place.

  I should have just let Shane have his meeting time with the minister, without interrupting them. But something had called to my inner soul—something I couldn't ignore.

  Shane ran up the aisle and pressed in next to me. "Are you okay? You look hurt." He reached for my shoulder to steady my swaying.

  "No, I'm okay. I just got a really strange feeling," I said, shaking my head. "It's gone now."

  "Good." He nodded, checking me one final time. "I can't believe you're here. I mean... your timing. It's really good." He led me down the aisle toward the others.

  "How so?" I mumbled, still twitching from the strange emotional assault.

  He shrugged. "I don't know. Just seems right."

  We stepped in front of the alter, and I glanced at the tapestry which was draped across it. An effigy of the mocking of Christ was depicted in its intricate stitching. I withered from the disturbing image of his suffering.

  "Hello Brynn," Ms. Kelly said, stepping closer—her voice comforting me like warm honey. "I'm glad you're here. There's been quite a bit going on. Shane told me everything."

  I nodded my head. "That's good. I tried to find you after school, but you were already gone."

  She smiled gently, as if too weak to do more. "Well, I'm glad you found us now." She turned to the minister. "Brynn, I'd like you to meet somebody very important to me. He's heard a lot about you. This is my husband, Michael."

  My eyes widened without my permission. I couldn't hide my surprise no matter how I tried

  "Oh," I stammered. "Nice to meet you." I reached out my hand to shake his. Looking back to Ms. Kelly, I faltered, "I didn't realize you could... you know..." I tripped over my words, too confused to make any comprehendible sounds.

  "It's okay," Shane laughed. "He's not a Catholic priest. Ministers of this church can marry and have families," he said.

  "Oh." I huffed. "Got it."

  Ms. Kelly chuckled and turned to her husband. "Michael, Brynn's the gifted one I've been telling you about. I really think she can help."

  He gave her a slow nod. "Shane's been keeping me informed on her progress. She may be exactly what we've been waiting for."

  Okay, what was going on?

  They were talking about me like I wasn’t even there.

  "Um, could someone please clue me in a little," I said. "What's going on?"

  Shane looked at Ms. Kelly, and she nodded to him, as if giving him permission.

  He intertwined his arm into mine and tugged me up the aisle. "Come on. We can talk outside."

  I turned back to see Ms. Kelly one more time. Her eyes had filled with tears, and she moved closer to Michael. He reached his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close, and I could swear his eyes glistened too. He watched me with narrowed lids as if studying me with skepticism. His reservation proved he wasn't so sure about me yet.

  I whispered to Shane, "What the hell is going on?"

  He took a long, slow inhale. "Hell. That's what's going on."

  He opened the black oak door, and we stepped out onto the granite stairs. He sat on the top step, and I joined him.

  "I don't get it. What's wrong with Ms. Kelly?" I asked. "Is she in trouble?"

  I balled my fists, wondering if Laney had anything to do with this.

  "She knows we went to the woods last night," Shane started. "This is the project we've all been training for. It means a lot to all of us."

  "I know," I said. "It's important to me too. Every bone in my body knows I was meant to be a part of this. I'm just not sure why."

  He stared out at the road, watching cars zoom by. "We know. Ever since you arrived, we've all felt more energy, more focus. Like you were the missing piece. It's almost like you awakened something in this town that had been sleeping for a very long time."

  His words confused me.

  "You're starting to freak me out a little," I interrupted.

  "It's Tommy," Shane said, lowering his gaze to his knees. "We haven't seen him in years. And for him to just show up last night. It was unbelievable. We thought he was gone forever."

  I ran my hands through my hair. "I don't understand. I thought he was gone. We just saw some crazy mind trick. Collective consciousness hocus-pocus. Right?"

  Shane shook his head. "We thought so, too. But now, seeing him again. We know he's still out there. We can feel him more than ever."

  A chill ran through me, causing my arm hairs to stand up.

  "What?" My voice shook out of me.

  "We've never given up hope." He glanced back at the big black doors. "Tommy was my best friend. Getting him back has been my life mission."

  "And they're help
ing you?" I looked up at the church doors, knowing Ms. Kelly and Michael were still inside.

  "No. I'm helping them," he stated.

  I hesitated, staring at him. He'd completely lost me now.

  "But why?" I whispered, frightened by the sound of my own voice.

  Shane cleared his constricted throat. "Because Tommy was their son." He coughed. "He is their son."

  Chapter 18

  The insidious fear that coursed through me was deep-seeded and powerful. It wasn't the kind of fear that triggered fight or flight. It was more like a feeling of doom that poisoned my insides. It was the worst kind.

  After detonating the bomb about Tommy, Shane walked me home, knowing I needed air and space.

  "Sorry to blow your mind like that," he said. "I know it must all sound crazy. But this is the truth behind our project."

  I closed my eyes for a second to clear my mind.

  "I just can't believe they are the parents," I said. "Their heartache must be unbearable."

  "The only thing that has kept them going is the fact that I can still sense him," he said. "His essence is still all around us. We just need to find him and bring him back."

  I wondered how anyone could hold onto hope for so long. Seven years. With no proof. No evidence. Only hope.

  Shane's conviction was impressive. He'd helped the Kelly's through his powerful gift of perception. He'd been able to feel Tommy, but now, he saw him again, for the first time since the dare at the woods. The light in Shane's eyes proved he believed he was getting closer.

  Our deliberately slow pace delivered me to my house, much to my chagrin. I wanted more time with him, but I knew he needed to get back to the Kelly's.

  Shane left me at my door once he was sure I was ready to go inside. I watched him from the stoop as he walked back toward the direction of the church and felt a twang of loneliness.

  Sitting alone in my room wasn't the worst thing I could think of to do. My mind was a scrambled mess, and I just needed to sit on my bed and process the multiple layers of this situation. But still, I couldn’t help missing his company.

  Stepping inside, I cringed as my mother accosted me.

  "I've been waiting for you to get home," she barked. "What kept you?"

  Hoping for a quick escape from the impending assault, I said, "I stayed after with a study group for one of my classes. We have a big test coming up."

  "Oh." She blinked and stood up from the couch. "Well, I have some news."

  My heart stopped.

  It always started with that sentence.

  Every time, she would act like it was good news and that I should be excited. Then she would crush my world with the plans to move again—either for a better house, a better town, or more job opportunities that she would never pursue.

  "What is it?" I murmured.

  Her face twisted in annoyance. "Well, first, I got a call from the DPW that I’d benn hired."

  My eyes brightened. "Really? That's amazing."

  "Yeah, it was," she said. "I haven't had that feeling in a long time." Then she balled her fists. "But then a second call came in. Apparently, someone sandbagged me to the boss, telling him lies about a non-existent criminal record. They say they can't hire me now."

  My shoulders sank as my world imploded.

  Mom was not good at rebounding. She excelled at avoidance and running away from her problems.

  This was the first warning sign that we wouldn't be long in this town.

  "So, what are you going to do?" I asked.

  "I don't know," she murmured as she crashed back down on the sofa. Reaching for the remote, she took on her glazed expression, staring at the TV, and went silent.

  This was the point where I typically started packing.

  But not this time.

  I had no intention of letting this derail me.

  I believed Lakefield was where I belonged. I'd never felt more connected to a place in my entire life.

  But I didn't want to believe that.

  Believing only made me more vulnerable. It raised the stakes on what I had to lose.

  But I couldn't help it. There was hope here in this town, and I latched onto it like oxygen.

  Heading to my room, I felt an unfamiliar sense of stability beneath me. It empowered my soul and gave me courage to dive headfirst into my project without reservation.

  It was exactly what I had needed.

  I wasn't going to allow Mom's mess to change my destiny. It was time I took control of it.

  I quickly planned out how I would spend the rest of the evening and the following days, researching supernatural occurrences and psychic abilities, until there was nothing else to find on the topics. I knew I'd be distracted by the worry of Mom's predicament, but for once, I'd push those feelings aside, knowing I had something bigger to focus on.

  At this point, I was sure everyone in school would continue to lay low, avoiding contact, so that would allow time for me to practice my sensing abilities.

  Maybe at some point, my skills would be able to help my mother. I could only hope.

  Little did I know, though, the distraction of my unstable world would riddle me with the disappointment of performance anxiety, creating a block that wouldn't budge.

  No matter how hard I had tried, I couldn't get the purple glow to reappear in my hands. Although, I still felt the tingle of the power within me. I continued to practice any chance I got, but frustration seemed to be my only result.

  I was sure I needed to be around the other UMAs to get it fully operational and the next X-block was still a few days away. Patience was proving to run thin as I continued to be distracted by my mother’s issues and I waited painstakingly to be able to see the UMAs again.

  Finally, several days later, advisory period rolled around, and I couldn't wait to get there.

  The UMAs had remained silent for days, avoiding Laney's tight scrutiny—clearly threatened by her for reasons unknown. But I was determined to finally get some answers now that we could officially gather together again.

  I held my breath waiting for the bell that would trigger my launch to the guidance suite.

  The trill of the bell sent adrenalin coursing through me, and I shot through the halls toward my destination. Poorva followed close on my heels, but just far enough away to avoid any unwanted scrutiny.

  Rounding the corner by the main office, I bumped directly into a solid blockade.

  Shaking off the shock of it, I focused on her stern face.

  Laney.

  "Someone's enthusiastic about getting to their X-block," she seethed.

  "Look out, Laney," I shot, trying to get around her.

  "Not so fast," she whispered. "You need to slow down to actually absorb what's happening around you."

  Her words sent unease through me. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

  She smirked. "You'll see. Maybe you'll finally learn your lesson and back off." She stepped to the side and walked away from me, swooshing her hair over her shoulder.

  My stomach clamped into a knot of anxiety, and I hated her for ruining my elated mood. Now I headed toward my advisory group with apprehension and fear.

  Damn it. What was her deal? She had a sick need to ruin everyone's day.

  I tried to brush off the encounter, but my mind raced with thoughts of whatever it was she was up to. Maybe she'd spread some lies on social media to try to destroy me. Maybe she'd talked to Dom and twisted his thinking. None of it seemed bad enough to match the sinister look in her eye.

  She'd done something worse. Far worse.

  Entering the guidance suite, I went straight for the conference room.

  Everyone was there, including Ms. Kelly, and I relaxed in the knowledge that I wasn't the only one who had raced to X-block.

  I closed the door behind me, and in the same instant of it clicking shut, the energy in the room ignited.

  Poorva's voice rose above the others at first. "Laney's at it again," she called out. "She cornered Brynn just no
w, and she's got us all in hiding."

  "She's threatening to out us," Shane added. "Like she knows way too much about who we are."

  Dom stood. "Jesus. I thought it was just me," he spat. "What the hell is she doing?"

  Ms. Kelly pressed her hands in the air to calm us, and Dom sat down.

  "We've entered a volatile level of our project," she said. "We're making progress, and it's causing a rift to those around us."

  "That means we're doing something right," Poorva announced.

  "True," Ms. Kelly agreed. "It means we're making considerable progress." She smiled at us. "I'm impressed with your teamwork. Together, you are very strong. Shane has shared the most recent report with me." She glanced at each of us. "It's time now that you work in the groups I originally structured. The six of you combined are generating too much mixed energy. If you break into teams, you will find much more control over your abilities."

  Blake dropped his head back. "It seems safer when we're all together."

  Ms. Kelly nodded. "Yes. It would seem. But the energy gets gnarled and tangled, creating chaos instead of focus."

  I considered her words. It seemed like she may have had a good point.

  When we had been all together in the woods, hysteria and panic resulted when things got too intense. We became caught up in the same situation with no one to turn to. If we were split into two groups, we'd remain more clear in our senses and would have the other team to turn to for help in a time of panic.

  "Makes sense," I said. "Being in two teams doesn't mean we're not still working together."

  "Exactly," she agreed. "So, have you generated a plan for next steps?" She searched our faces for details.

  Shane turned to us. "Our focus has become clear," he said.

  We all nodded in agreement.

  It was clear that our mission was to save Tommy. And everyone knew we'd made a significant leap toward it becoming possible.

  We'd made some form of contact with him. And now we needed to figure out how to cross him back over to our realm of existence—pulling him out of his strange limbo.