“He means us,” he said to Rosalie, who looked a question at her parents. She wanted to stay and find out more, but she also felt drawn to Justin, and did not despise a chance to know more about him.
Frank signified assent, and Rosalie led the way to the front door. Once outside, they made their way to the sidewalk of the deserted street and sat down.
Silence reigned for a while. It was a clear night with a warm breeze, and she was highly conscious of the seemingly relaxed boy next to her.
Rosalie had been attracted to boys before, but it had been a visual matter. She liked this boy’s smile; she thought that boy’s eyes were quite beautiful; and so on. With this one, her attraction seemed to originate from the center of her mind. She felt pulled to him in the most disturbing manner, and the smell that seemed to emanate from him was like the hook at the end of a fishing line…pulling her in whether she wanted to be or not. The thought made her frown.
Justin was not as relaxed as he seemed. Years of dissemination had enabled him to look like he had nothing better on his mind than keeping an eye out for the next pretty girl to come into sight while every sense was on the alert for trouble. But at this particular moment, he was not really anticipating trouble. He was, however, extremely interested in this pretty girl, and it wasn’t to check out her legs. He was more interested in her mind.
Rosalie had a million questions in her mind, but none of it showed in her face. Experience has taught her that the less she said, the less she revealed. Let him make the first move.
He did, but in the most unexpected way. Rosalie felt a sudden tug that seemed to occur at the front of her brain, like a hand rattling the knob of a locked door. Her eyes flew to his face, startled.
“Fascinating,” he murmured, with no sign of discomfiture. “You’re locked down pretty tight. Is that usual for you, or only when you have company?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said coldly, looking at him resentfully.
“Of course you do,” he said calmly. “You’re a Seeker. That’s why we’re here.”
Rosalie found herself with nothing to say, but she wasn’t really surprised. She had known for some time that she had…abilities. She always knew when something was about to happen, could see it happening, in fact. They were small things, like a pop quiz, or someone spilling milk at the cafeteria. Not all the time, such as the pushing incident, but often enough. Sometimes she had dreams, and they were usually more serious. One time she dreamed about a plane crash, and the next evening it was all over the news. At first she found it disconcerting, even frightening, but she had learned to live with it. But she hadn’t anticipated the arrival of the Fosters, nor had she an inkling of their intentions.
“No, I don’t, actually,” she finally answered, starting to pleat her blouse to avoid looking at him. She never liked people seeing more than she wanted, and this guy seemed to see more things about her than even she knew about. “I don’t know why my being a Seeker--if I am, which I don’t really know--has anything to do with you, or anybody else.”
“You’re being deliberately obtuse. You must realize by now that having Seekers would be a great advantage to the elders,” Justin said impatiently. “You’re being recruited to help track down the rogues.”
Rosalie gave a laugh as she stood up. “Right! I’d make a great Seeker. I didn’t even know about you guys, and you’re right next door!”
“Oh, you don’t have the training yet, and it helps that I’m a Seeker, too,” Justin said airily. “Like mother, like son!”
She saw that beneath his light tone he was serious, and her brows twitched together. “My parents would never agree.” She thought about her normal life and everything that came attached to it: her friends, school, plans for the summer…but deep down, a tingle of anticipation coursed through her, which she sternly suppressed. It was crazy.
Justin just smiled maddeningly, and she began to feel really annoyed.
Just then, the front door opened, and Brandon appeared at the doorway. He merely nodded to Justin and gave Rosalie an unsmiling look. Justin heaved himself up and grinned at her.
“Wanna bet?”
Chapter Nine – Needs Must
Moira looked upset as Rosalie walked into the living room, and Frank looked worried. Ned merely looked at her as she sat down.
“Honey…” Frank began and looked to Ned for guidance. “Does she really have to do this?”
“She doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to,” Ned said evenly. “But you know the situation, and she can really help us get through this crisis.”
“But she’s only 16,” Moira pleaded. “She’s so young!”
“She’s actually a lot older than the ideal,” Ned countered. “The training for Seekers is normally begun at age two, when they begin to show their abilities. Justin started training right after his mother died, and he was 4 at that time. But the situation calls for older Seekers, even if they are untrained. It’s going to be more difficult for Rosalie, but it can be done.”
“She can already block very well, Dad,” Justin offered. “I only got glimpses, and I was really trying. She’s been having dreams.”
Ned looked alarmed. “Not Seekers?”
“I don’t think so,” Justin looked at her speculatively, and Rosalie had an insane urge to stick her tongue out at him.
“I am in the room, you know,” Rosalie said pointedly, eyes sparkling with indignation. “I can hear you.”
“Have you been dreaming about Seekers, Rosalie?” Frank asked her worriedly.
Rosalie shook her head, keeping her lips firmly shut. She wasn’t about to tell him about her recurring dream.
The dream seemed to start in the middle, and it felt horribly real. She was running, and she could feel the sweat trickling down her back and hear her breath rasping in and out. She was terrified, but she didn’t know why. She seemed to be in the woods, and it was terribly important that she get to higher ground. She heard the sounds of pursuit behind her and she looked back, her sweat-drenched hair fanning out around her head. A hazy figure was gaining on her, and she gave a breathless scream.
She threw a hand out and a weak light shot out, forming a sort of shield along the path. The figure pursuing her ripped right through it with hardly a pause. For an instant, she saw a white blur of a face, but all she could make out was a ferocious grin and red eyes. And then the face suddenly appeared and it was a woman, and she was laughing even as she reached out a hand to grasp Rosalie.
Just then, Rosalie’s foot caught on a protruding root, and she pitched headlong. She seemed to be falling in slow motion and she thrashed her arms to break her fall, but she just kept falling…and falling….
No, that was one thing she was keeping to herself.
Ned visibly relaxed. He addressed Moira. “That’s good. If she had been dreaming about them, then they can probably sense her. Right now, the best they’ll be getting is some static from her general direction, nothing they can pinpoint.” He turned to Rosalie. “Justin told you what we needed you for?”
“To fight the bad guys,” Rosalie said with a wry smile. “I’m not sure I can do that. Aren’t there others who can do the job?”
“Well, yes and no,” Ned said, leaning forward in his chair, clasping his hands together and regarding her solemnly. “There are other Seekers being trained, but many are too young. Their powers have not fully developed yet. We have reason to believe that the Seekers are up to something big, which is why time is of the essence. Justin here,” he inclined his head in Justin’s direction, “is one of a dozen Seekers who are active right now, but we need more. Rosalie was on the top of the list because of her age. We’re scouting 2 others.”
“How long will the training take?” Rosalie asked.
“That depends on how quick a study you are,” Justin interpolated. He was running a coin across the knuckles of his right hand without looking at it. Rosalie found herself watching it closely, willing it to fall. She smi
led a little at the mean thought, then glanced up to see Justin watching her, smiling faintly as if he knew what she was thinking. She frowned, a little flustered.
“What do we tell her school if we pull her out in the middle of the year?” Moira asked helplessly.
“A serious illness of a close family member is the easiest. She could be the only compatible bone marrow donor or something. We can get the necessary documents that will show the need for her to be absent over the long term,” Ned said coolly. “If we’re lucky, she can be back here in a month or so.”
They discussed the details of Rosalie’s pending departure for about an hour after before the Fosters finally left. All that time, Rosalie contributed little, her face giving nothing away.
But her mind seethed. She wasn’t sure if this was something she wanted to happen. The Fosters’ descent upon them did answer a lot of questions in her mind, and it seemed likely that there were a lot of things that she will be finding out along the way. This new development also brought in its wake a change from her otherwise uneventful life. Whether welcome or not remained to be seen.
However, she was old enough to know that there were consequences. This wasn’t a pleasant interlude in her life like a vacation; she wouldn’t be able to just pick up her life where she left off when she’s done. Homicidal vampires were gunning for the Fosters, and it was highly probable that she would come to their attention pretty soon as well if things pan out as the Fosters believe.
Rosalie would never jeopardize her friends’ safety simply by being around her. They might assure her parents that her training was in the nature of following the Boy Scout credo of being prepared, but chances are they were being overly optimistic. Why else the sense of urgency if things were just peachy at the home front?
No, their assurances were lip service, and everyone in the house knew it. Rosalie would probably never come home again.
Chapter Ten – Preparations
By tacit agreement, Justin picked Rosalie up from her house on their way to school the next day. The preparations for Rosalie’s absence were underway but would take some days. In the meantime, things should go on as usual, so Frank went to work, and the kids went to school.
As they walked side by side, not talking, Rosalie was again conscious of the scent coming from Justin. She concentrated on it, trying to identify it. It wasn’t sweat, it wasn’t cologne. It wasn’t any smell of fabric conditioner that she’s ever smelled; besides, the sensation wasn’t exactly in her nose. In fact, she was coming to the conclusion that it wasn’t a smell at all. More of an aura…
Rosalie was bundled up in a jacket because a nippy wind was blowing. Not that the cold bothered her; it had become a habit for her to be inconspicuous, and it was cold enough to make it unusual to be in a sleeveless shirt. Justin was just as cautious, and he even huddled into his black leather jacket as a strong breeze ruffled his hair.
“So you’ve been in the know since you were four,” Rosalie abruptly said, looking up at him. He smiled down at her.
“Well,” he drawled. “My family’s a little bit screwy, as you’ve probably guessed. My dad’s family handed down a tradition of paranoia about the possibility of a Seeker rebellion, and Brandon’s been training to be a Soldier since before I was born. My mother, understandably enough, was against my being trained as a Seeker.” Justin gave a bark of mirthless laughter. “It seems the height of irony that my dad would marry a rogue Seeker!”
Rosalie reflected that he got that right on the button. But, on the other hand, if Helen had not informed on the conspiracy, there would have been a couple of hundred, maybe even more, people to be wiped off the sidewalk of an anonymous Holiday Inn. She suddenly remembered her own great-grandparents would have probably been there as well.
“Why did she change her mind?” she asked curiously.
Justin shrugged. “Who knows? An attack of conscience?” By this time they were approaching the school. She saw Ben and Simone talking idly up ahead. Rosalie and Justin went up to them and she introduced them to each other briefly. Simone sized Justin up speculatively, and gave him a sunny smile. Ben kept his face neutral, and gave Justin a nod. They turned together to go to their various classes.
Rosalie listened with half an ear to her Algebra teacher, storing the lecture in her memory for later review. Math was one of her weakest subjects, and she had to work to maintain average grades. But her mind kept thinking about the events of the previous night, and mentally rehearsing a convincing lie to tell her friends.
She had an opportunity at lunch. Justin was nowhere to be found, but Ben and Simone were saving a place as usual at their table. She greeted everyone, and was immediately aware that they were all getting ready to ask about the new guy.
“Come on, Rosalie, give!” Simone said, wriggling a little in anticipation. “What’s he like?”
Rosalie shrugged. “How should I know? I just met him myself.”
“He’s cute,” declared Kate, a small girl with corkscrew curls. “We share a class, biology, and he fitted right in as if he’s been there from the start.” Ben snorted, but said nothing.
It seemed to be true. Without turning her head, Rosalie was aware that Justin had walked into the cafeteria, part of a group that was apparently made up of his new-found friends. They sat down at a table near the windows which let in a stream of bright sunlight.
“Why was he walking with you?” Simone demanded, her eyes on the subject of their interest.
“His family just moved into the Connelly’s old house on my street,” she told them indifferently. “My mom went over to say hello and they had dinner at my house last night.”
“So you do know a bit more than you’re telling,” Simone said shrewdly. You’d be surprised, Rosalie thought wryly. But she saw an opening for what she needed to do.
“I wasn’t really paying too much attention. I had some bad news last night,” she said but didn’t elaborate. She would do that later when she and Simone were alone. Simone could be trusted to let the others know when Rosalie wasn’t around, sparing her some awkward moments.
They kept at her for a few minutes more, and then a chance reference to the upcoming auditions for the school play changed the direction of the conversation. Rosalie was happy to encourage this as she didn’t really like lying to her friends. She had to, but she didn’t have to like it.
Predictably, Simone cornered her the first opportunity she got, which was as they were walking to homeroom. “You said you got some bad news last night?”
Rosalie nodded. “My grandmother has leukemia.” Simone’s face immediately filled with concern.
“I’m so sorry, Rosalie!”
“We’ll be going up to see her pretty soon. The doctors say we have to be screened, as possible bone marrow donors,” she trotted out, feeling like a fraud in the face of her friend’s obvious distress.
It was a long day for Rosalie, made slightly more hideous by an encounter with Mandy, who made snide remarks about their very own Lucy Lawless from her perch by the low wall bordering the sidewalk flush by the school grounds. Mandy was surrounded by what Simone called her “groupies” and they chimed in with nasty giggles. She ignored them as usual, but couldn’t help noticing that Justin’s attention seemed riveted on Mandy. He was standing by some boys under one of the trees bordering the front walk. She didn’t think it was because he was captivated by her beauty.
A second later, a sudden commotion drew her attention, and she saw that Mandy had one hand clapped to her eye. Her groupies were gazing at her in stupefaction. Simone, who was standing beside her, was likewise afflicted.
“What is she doing??” Simone asked in a squeaky voice, and as Rosalie watched, Mandy’s free hand rose in the air, fists clenched into a fist except for her extended pointy finger. She then proceeded to poke herself in her other eye. It seemed to Rosalie that Mandy was regarding her own finger with some horror before it made contact with her unprotected eyeball. The force was enough to tip her over and she l
anded on her back on the grassy verge of the school’s front lawn.
Those who saw what happened were in various stages of surprise, but Simone burst out laughing as Mandy’s groupies hurried to her aid. Her high peal of laughter was contagious, and she was soon joined by most of those in the area. Rosalie grabbed Simone by the arm and hurried her away, still doubled over with laughter.
“Did—did—y-you—s-s-see--!” she spluttered, gasping for breath in between guffaws. Her laughter really is contagious, Rosalie thought in amusement, and began laughing as well. But she had an idea what was behind what just happened.
She tackled Justin with it as they walked home from school that afternoon.
“You made her do it, didn’t you?” she said accusingly.
“Me?” he said, the picture of innocence but he had a twinkle in his eye. “I was nowhere near her.”
“You were giving her the evil eye. I saw you,” Rosalie said, making her mouth prim but feeling a reluctant response to that twinkle.
“Perish the thought!” he said mockingly. After a while, he added thoughtfully, “It was very funny, wasn’t it?”
She met his eye, and they both started to giggle.
As their merriment subsided, Rosalie asked, still smiling, “Is that something all Seekers can do?”
“Suggestion? Sure,” he said airily. “Some Soldiers can do it, too. It takes practice though, and some are naturally better at it than others. I’m about average. I’m much better at tracking.”
“Is that how you found us?” she asked curiously.
“That’s how I find Seekers, yes,” Justin qualified. “We could find your family easily enough, you’re not exactly in hiding. But there would have been no reason to as there’s nothing to suggest you were a Seeker other than that your maternal great-grandmother was. Lots of families have one or two Seekers in their direct line, but not all descendants become Seekers. “
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