“Still.”
Morgan was spared having to answer because the valet pulled up with Corbin’s car. It took some work, but she and Corbin managed to get Ris into the back seat. When Morgan took her place in the passenger seat, she cast a dubious glance at her friend.
“I hope she doesn’t throw up.”
Corbin didn’t dignify her concern with a response. Instead, he put the car in gear and headed out of the city.
The ride to Ris’s house passed in silence. Ris’s living room light was on, and Morgan hoped that Ms Perry was asleep on the couch, not awake doing Sudoku.
Corbin was able to get Ris out of the back seat. Instead of the two of them supporting her weight like they had before, Corbin insisted on carrying Ris into the house himself. Morgan walked ahead and tried the front door. As expected, it was unlocked. Morgan eased the door open, poked her head in, and smiled. Ms Perry was asleep. She turned back to Corbin and waved him in.
The trip into Ris’s room was quick and quiet. Morgan took Ris’s shoes off and covered her with a blanket. Corbin smoothed Ris’s hair away from her face and kissed her on the forehead. Then they snuck back through the house and closed the front door. They didn’t speak until after Corbin had pulled out of Ris’s driveway.
“I think you should drop me off at my car,” Morgan said. “I can get home from here.”
Corbin shook his head. “It’s late. I want to make sure you get home safely.”
“Then follow behind me. I need my car.”
“For what?”
“What do you mean, for what? It’s my car and I need it.”
“Tonight?”
“What?”
“Do you need your car tonight?” Corbin repeated.
“Well, no, but I need it tomorrow—”
“Then I’ll pick you up tomorrow and I’ll drop you off then.”
“Corbin, don’t be ridiculous—”
“Morgan, drop it.”
There was a finality in Corbin’s voice and Morgan realized she wasn’t going to win the argument. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window grumpily until Corbin pulled up to her house.
“Morgan?”
Morgan glanced at him. “What?”
“Is any of this stuff, you know, kinda freaking you out?” He wasn’t looking at her.
Morgan thought about it. “Is it crazy? Abso-freaking-lutely. Is it freaking me out? No.”
“Why not?” This time, Corbin actually looked at her.
She shrugged. “I guess because I’ve always been different from other people. And let me tell you, being different because you’ve got some sort of crazy ability is a helluva lot better than being different because your mom up and disappeared and everyone in the school thinks it’s because your dad killed her.”
“That’s why Lynna stopped claiming you as family, wasn’t it?” Corbin asked. “Joss, I mean.”
Morgan nodded. “Kids are terrible. After my mom disappeared in second grade, it seemed like the whole school knew about it. I’m sure they did—I mean, it was kind of big news. My dad was taken in for questioning and everything. He was a suspect until the cops realized his alibi was airtight. Still, they called my dad a psycho and they called me a psycho. And when Joss stood up for me, they started calling her a psycho, too.” Morgan sighed. “She’s always cared more about what people thought about her than I have.”
“Cared more about that than her own family.”
“Thing is, I don’t even blame her—not really. Not for that. The thing I can’t stand is that she turned into somebody I don’t even recognize. She’s completely consumed by other people’s perception of her.”
Corbin reached across the car and covered Morgan’s hand with his. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.
Morgan looked down at their hands and then over at Corbin. “Wow. Talk about things that kinda freak you out.”
At this, Corbin laughed. He removed his hand. “I guess we are a strange pair.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow at him. “Pair of what?”
Corbin shrugged. “Naturals, I guess.”
Morgan nodded. “I guess.” She glanced at her house. “Look, I should head in. You’re not gonna, like, insist on walking me to the door, are you?”
Corbin shook his head. “But I will sit here until you’re in the house.”
“Fair enough.” Morgan looked at him. “Thanks, Corbin.”
“You’re welcome,” Corbin said. “For what?”
“For being a completely decent person to have my first freaky experience with.”
Corbin smiled. “Well, then, thank you, too.”
“I’d say anytime, but…”
Corbin laughed. “Goodnight, Morgan.”
“Goodnight.”
Morgan got out of the car and walked up the driveway to her house. She unlocked the door and let herself in. It was only after she closed and relocked the door that she realized her father was sitting in the living room.
“And who was that?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye.
“Banish that thought right away,” Morgan said, walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch. “Just a friend. Kind of.”
“He’s kind of just a friend?”
“No, he’s just kind of a friend. What are you doing, anyway? Peeping out the window at me?”
“That’s a father’s right.”
“A father’s right to be a creeper?”
“Absolutely.” He smiled. “By the way, speaking of things fathers have a right to know: where’s your car?”
“Ris’s house,” Morgan said quickly. It was almost true—it was still near there. “I went over there earlier to get ready and Corbin picked us up there. And after he dropped Ris off, he wouldn’t let me take my own car home. He said… He wanted to make sure I got home safely.”
“Well, that’s nice. A bit inconvenient, but nice.”
“Don’t worry. He said he’d take me to my car tomorrow.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
Morgan raised an eyebrow in return. “I don’t like your tone, sir.”
He just smiled. “Did you have a nice time?”
Morgan nodded. “It was alright.” Morgan yawned. “On that note,” she said, standing.
He stood too. “Goodnight, hon,” he said, hugging Morgan and kissing her on the top of her head.
“ ’Night, Dad.”
Chapter Seven
Morgan called Corbin at seven thirty the next morning to ask him to shuttle her to her car. He arrived just after eight o’clock and handed a brown paper bag to her after she slid into the passenger seat.
“What’s this?”
“For you.”
Curious, Morgan opened the bag and pulled out a round, wrapped package. She unwrapped it and found a bagel. “Spinach Asiago—how’d you—” Morgan stopped herself, realizing she knew full well how Corbin knew what kind of bagels she liked.
Corbin glanced at her as he started down the street. “Creepy?”
Morgan took a bite of the bagel and chewed thoughtfully for a minute. “Just strange,” she said finally. “There are people who know me better than you do who don’t know what kind of bagel I like.”
“There are people you might be more familiar with, but, at this point, I doubt there’s anyone who knows you better,” Corbin corrected.
Morgan sighed. “Creepy.” But she smiled.
They drove in silence until Corbin pulled up beside Morgan’s car.
“So, what’ve you got going on today?”
Morgan shrugged. “I’m gonna go check on Ris, see how hungover she is. Then I’ve got to meet up at the school for some yearbook stuff. Might head out to the Daily Grind later. You?”
“Band practice in a bit. And then, yeah, maybe I’ll kick around the Daily Grind.”
“I didn’t tell you so you could stalk me.”
“You didn’t lie so I couldn’t.”
Morgan rolled her eyes. “Creepy.”
Corbin just smiled at her. Morgan got out of the car and closed the door behind her. Corbin immediately rolled the window down and leaned across the passenger seat toward her.
“Hey, Morgan?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell Clare—” He let the sentence fall, unfinished.
Morgan nodded, understanding. “I will.” She clicked the remote to unlock her car, opened the door, and slid into the driver’s seat. She glanced back at Corbin and he waved before he drove away.
Morgan drove the short distance to Ris’s house and parked in her usual spot out front. She went to the front door and knocked first, but no one answered, as she’d expected. Ms Perry had already gone to work for the day and Morgan suspected Ris was in no shape to be answering the door. Morgan hopped off the porch and jogged around to the attached garage. She entered the code and waited as the garage door opened, then she entered the house.
Morgan poked her head into Ris’s bedroom slowly, not quite sure what to expect. But when she looked in, Ris appeared to merely be asleep. Morgan was slightly surprised by this, as Ris was notoriously a morning person. Quietly, she made her way to Ris’s bedside. “Ris?” she asked, giving her friend’s shoulder a gentle nudge. When there was no response, she nudged a little harder.
Gradually, Ris stirred. When her eyes focused on Morgan, she looked confused.
Morgan smiled. “Hey, sleepy head. How you feeling?”
Ris rolled onto her side. “Tired,” she sighed.
Morgan nodded. “Do you feel thirsty? I could go get you some juice or something. Or are you queasy? I could make some food.”
Ris looked confused. “Am I sick?”
Morgan laughed. “I don’t know. But you did have a awful lot to drink last night.”
“Last night?” Ris asked.
“Yeah,” Morgan said. Ris had clearly drunk more than Morgan originally thought. “Remember, we went out with Corbin? To the party?”
“A little,” Ris whined. “Morgs, I’m sleepy.”
“Okay,” Morgan said slowly. “I guess I’ll let you sleep. You sure you don’t need anything?”
Ris grumbled incoherently.
“Call me later.”
Ris didn’t respond.
Morgan let herself out the same way she’d come in, making sure to close the garage door after her.
She would be the first to admit that her experience with people who were hungover was less than minimal; still, Morgan couldn’t shake the feeling that Ris’s behavior wasn’t quite typical. However, having nothing to compare it to, she decided to do the only thing she could: check on Ris later.
Morgan hadn’t anticipated her visit with Ris being so brief. Today was day one of the ad-selling campaign for the yearbook, but they weren’t supposed to meet at the school until nine o’clock. She sighed. “Guess I’ll be early,” she grumbled, putting her car in gear and heading toward the school.
A few minutes later, Morgan pulled into the small staff parking lot Mr. K had instructed everyone to park in. Hers was, not surprisingly, the only car in the lot. Morgan grabbed her purse and dug out the book she was glad she had foresight enough to bring.
“Guess it makes me psychic,” Morgan said quietly, smiling to herself.
She was still getting used to the idea that she really did have some kind of ability. While Kellen’s assertion that she possessed powers might not come as a surprise to many who knew her—or knew of her—the news shocked her.
If she was being honest with herself, she was glad that someone else was going through this with her. If she had her druthers, she certainly wouldn’t choose Corbin to be that person, but even that situation wasn’t as bad as it could be. After their mind-meld yesterday, Morgan had to admit that Corbin wasn’t really a bad guy. His mind might be a little dirty, but, she figured, what seventeen-year-old guy’s wasn’t?
Morgan looked down at her open book and realized she wasn’t reading it. She took in a breath and tried to focus on the words in front of her, but to no avail. After a minute of trying to read, she gave up and stuffed the book back in her purse. As she did so, she noticed another car joining hers in the parking lot. She smiled. She recognized the car.
Morgan got out of her car and walked over to the other one as its occupant was climbing out. “Hey, Mr. K,” she said brightly.
Mr. K turned and smiled at Morgan. “Why does it not surprise me that you’re the first one here?”
“What can I say? I take my responsibility to the yearbook very seriously.” Morgan smiled.
“Since you’re here, why don’t you make yourself useful?” Mr. K held a clipboard out to Morgan. “Hold this, please.”
Morgan took the clipboard dutifully. “Anything else?” she asked as Mr. K leaned across the front seat of the car.
“Nope,” he said when he emerged, carrying a box. “Except, could you close the door?”
Morgan nodded and went to close the car’s door as Mr. K walked to the front of the car and placed the box on its hood. Once the door was closed, Morgan looked down at the clipboard she held. “Are these the selling assignments?”
Mr. K nodded. “And the teams. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do any creative editing on those. You’re grouped with Stew and McKenna.”
Morgan smiled. Last year he grouped her with two newbies and Lia Roderick. To say it had not gone well would be an understatement. “Finally realize I don’t play well with others?”
But Mr. K didn’t look amused. “You’re a leader, Morgan,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically serious. “I don’t think you realize it, but you are.”
Morgan shifted uncomfortably. “Um, thanks, I guess.”
Mr. K just looked at her for a moment before giving himself a shake. Then he smiled. “Anyway. How’s your summer been? Before you said it was busy. Anything more specific?”
Relieved by the subject change, Morgan shrugged and walked toward Mr. K. She leaned against his car. “Well, business, of course. And some reading. Ris and I went to a couple parties.”
“And… any college hunting?”
Morgan laughed. “That’s a very teachery question,” she accused.
He shrugged. “Well, I am a teacher.”
“I’ve looked at a few possibilities,” Morgan admitted.
Mr. K nodded and regarded Morgan for a moment. “Forgive me if I’m crossing a line, here, but—have you met someone?”
Immediately, Morgan felt herself blush, but she wasn’t entirely sure why. “No. Why?”
Mr. K shrugged. “You just seem a little different. A little happier. You’re kind of glowing.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow at him. “I didn’t think it was possible, Mr. K, but you just did it, you crossed the line into creeperdom.”
“It had to happen sooner or later.”
Morgan smiled at him. “Well, I haven’t met anyone,” she said. “I mean, I’ve made a couple new… friends, I guess, but not like that.” She demonstrated her distaste for the idea by giving a pronounced shiver. “But I’m… I’m learning some things about myself.”
For a moment, Mr. K just looked at her. Then he opened his mouth, but what he was about to say was lost when two cars pulled into the lot. He took a step away from Morgan and turned his attention to the new arrivals. Unsure what else to do, Morgan did the same.
Soon, the parking lot filled. McKenna arrived and started chatting with Morgan. When Lia Roderick arrived, she immediately reported to Mr. K and relieved him of his clipboard. Morgan watched as Lia took a pen and started scribbling on the pages. Morgan figured no good could come of this but kept her opinion to herself.
When everyone had arrived, Mr. K called for the staff’s attention. He went over the process for the day—a refresher on how to sell ads to local business owners. As he spoke, Lia circulated through the crowd, organizing groups and handing out location assignments. By the time Lia got to Morgan’s group, Mr. K had finished talking.
Lia handed the location slip to McKenna and moved
on to the next group. When Morgan glanced at the sheet, she noticed that Mr. K’s typing had been crossed out and Lia had written something else in the margins.
McKenna seemed to notice this, too, and she didn’t look pleased. “Unbelievable,” she grumbled. “She crossed out all the places we’ve had ads with before and gave us all brand new places. If the fuehrer thinks we’re taking this assignment, she’s out of her mind…”
Morgan and Stew exchanged glances as McKenna stormed off after Lia. Then, in unison, they held their fists out toward each other. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors later, Morgan was on her way after McKenna.
On her approach, Morgan heard McKenna’s and Lia’s raised voices. She sighed. This was getting ugly quickly.
“No, we’re not,” McKenna was saying. “We’re not gonna take a whole route of new places just so your group can have an easy day!”
“This is your assignment,” Lia insisted. “So go do it!”
“No!” McKenna yelled back.
“I’m telling you, go do this route.”
Morgan finally arrived and stepped next to McKenna, ready to back her play, but when she looked at McKenna, she saw the anger draining from her face.
“Okay,” McKenna said simply.
“Okay,” Lia echoed, sounding both surprised and pleased.
“Okay?” Morgan demanded. She looked from Lia to McKenna and back again. “No, it’s not okay.”
Lia sighed. “Morgan, I’m telling you—go do this route.”
“No,” Morgan snapped.
Lia looked slightly agitated. “But I’m telling you—”
“Shut up,” Morgan snapped. “Mr. K!”
“Really, it’s okay,” McKenna said. “Let’s just do the route.”
Morgan looked at McKenna incredulously. “Like hell. Mr. K!”
“What’s going on here?”
Morgan turned to see Miss Ellie Scotford approaching. “I have to talk to Mr. K,” Morgan said.
“Maybe I can help,” Miss Scotford said. “What seems to be the problem?”
Morgan looked at her doubtfully. “Lia took it upon herself to edit our route from the route Mr. K assigned us.”
The Naturals Trilogy Page 7
