by W. J. May
Except for the beds and chairs, the room was empty. Bare feet silent on the cool concrete floor, Rae tiptoed and peered out the door down the hall. Heart thumping erratically, she went back to the bed and organized her backpack. She’d packed a book and some magazines to read and set them on the nightstand. No one came in.
She sat down on the bed, swinging her legs back and forth. Checking her watch, she slid off the cot and went to check the hall again. Empty.
“Weird.” Her voice sounded hollow against the bare walls.
They caged her here like a lab rat, but backed off their “tests” at the first sign of opposition from her? She didn’t trust it. But what else could she do?
The bed frame looked as old as the buildings. It was one of those old metal ones with a crank to bring the head part up instead of by remote. She wondered why something so lacking in technological advancement would be in a school that prided itself on providing students with the best of everything? It didn’t fit. She leaned over and flipped the handle open and began turning. The groan of protest from the hinge made her jump. She gave it a few more turns, hopped on the bed and organized her pillows. Twiddling her thumbs, she watched the door and cocked an ear for the sound of shoes tapping against the floor. Nothing.
It was mildly disappointing really. She’d been expecting something a bit more…sinister for tonight. Well…maybe they plan on doing all their nefarious deeds tomorrow? Rae sighed and tried to relax. She knew her imagination was running rampant.
Alternately curling and uncurling her toes on each foot, she sat on the bed and waited. Before long, her breathing became steady and her lids grew heavy.
I’ll just close my eyes for a moment. Focus on my hearing. A large yawn slipped out, and Rae rubbed her eyes. She could feel her head begin to bob so she rested her chin against her hand. Tired of trying to listen for the dean’s return, she grew weary and let herself slip into the darkness.
She bolted awake, the hair on the back of her neck on end. She blinked rapidly, trying to force the edges of sleep away.
“Who’s there?” She coughed and cleared her throat. She sat up on the bed and glanced toward the door. No one came in.
Kicking the sheet off her legs, she hopped out of bed. She turned her head and glanced out the window, seeing something out of the corner of her eye.
“Crap!” she screamed and jumped away from the window. She laughed when she realized the person she’d thought she’d seen was her own reflection. Grabbing her chest, she tried to stop the crazy stuttering of her heart.
“Everything all right?” A cheery voice called from the door, making Rae leap onto the bed.
The nurse stood by the door, a bottle of water in her hand. She looked as startled as Rae felt. “Sorry, dear. You’d had a visitor but he said you’d fallen asleep.”
“What? Who?” Rae sat on the bed, trying to think who’d been in. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to feel if the hum inside her had changed. There was something new tingling through her veins but she couldn’t tell what.
“One of your classmates.” The nurse set the bottle on the nightstand.
“Devon?” Rae tapped her fingers rapidly against the bed. The hum didn’t feel right. It felt like she’d had too much caffeine, like she couldn’t possibly sit still.
“No, not him.” The nurse smiled. “He’s such a sweet boy. Riley popped in.”
Cheetah-boy. That’s why she wanted to run and felt twitchy. She wished Devon was back.
“Anyways, you try and get some sleep. It can be a long night of waiting.”
“Yeah, I know.” She froze, afraid the nurse would realize her mistake. “I mean, I went through this with Molly. Molly Skye. She’s my roommate. We, uh, she turned sixteen at the beginning of the school year.” Ugh! She sounded like Molly now.
The nurse raised her eyebrows. “I’m in the next room if you need me. Just push the button.” She pointed at the wall behind Rae. “Sleep tight.”
Rae watched her leave and then leaned back into the pillows. It seemed to take forever, but finally she felt herself drifting off. She slept but couldn’t relax. Awful visions and dreams kept her jolting awake. Awaking from the fifth or sixth horrible dream, she vowed to never set foot in the Infirmary again after this night. Turning her back to the window, she closed her eyes tight and focused on abilities she’d like to try out.
Chapter 16
November 15
Rae winced as she slowly came awake. A sharp pain in her neck let her know she’d slept on it wrong. She closed her eyes tighter, the morning sun too bright for her still-tired eyes.
She rolled over to her side and slowly let her eyes open and focus. The room was bright, but outside still looked dark. She’d never closed the curtain and forgotten to switch the lights off. Groaning, she checked her watch to see it read only a bit after five a.m. Ugh! Why am I awake?
Suddenly remembering where she lay, she shot straight up.
Dean Carter sat, elbows resting on his knees, in the orange vinyl chair. He grinned, wide awake and waiting for her. He stood and the overhead lights caught a flash against something silver he held in his hand.
Rae held her hands up and edged toward the hospital bed, Terrified and thinking that he held a gun, she wondered if she could outrun a bullet, or maybe at least get out of the way.
Slowly dropping her gaze to his hands, she realized he was holding a camera. Not wanting him to know how he made her nervous, she yawned and stretched trying to hide her fear from a moment ago.
“Stand,” Carter said. He raised the digital camera, focusing on the lens at the back.
She stared at him, letting the word sink in. She’d finally slept so heavily, her head still felt groggy, even after the scare a moment ago. The bed creaked as her weight came off. “Do you want me to smile and say cheese?” She woke fully when she realized she’d said the sarcastic words aloud.
“Not funny. Not funny at all,” The dean snapped. “Turn.”
She huffed, spun around, and lifted the back of her shirt up slightly.
“Oh blimey! What the heck kind of tatù is this? It’s huge.” The camera flashed a number of times. “This isn’t the ink of your mother or father.”
“May I see it, sir?” Rae smiled mischievously. She got a kick out of having the upper hand knowing that the dean had no idea she already knew.
“What? Yes, here, have a look.” He grit his teeth as he tossed the camera in her direction. He disappeared out of the room, his shoes clicking rapidly down the hallway.
Rae turned back to the pillows and stared at the picture on the little screen. The photo showed the tatù in full detail. What Rae hadn’t been able to notice the past two days was now seen in full view. The ink design made any real tattoo look like a child’s artwork. The fairy seemed to be grinning and watching her as she moved the camera, staring at it from different angles. She was drawn so deeply into admiring the ink art that she jumped when Dean Carter hovered over her shoulder. She hadn’t heard him return.
“What can you do? What’s your power?” He sounded frustrated.
“I-I’ve n-no idea, sir.” She stepped out of his reach, paranoid he planned to grab and shake her.
“Neither do we at the moment. Your ink’s original, like Simon’s.”
Rae froze at the mention of her father’s name.
“You’re up now so let’s get started. I want to run you through a series of tests, so we can figure the ink out.” It was not a request. It was a demand.
Rae exhaled the breath she’d been holding. Dean Carter didn’t know her tatù was like her father’s…yet. And she’d just assume it stay that way for as long as possible.
Two hours later, what had started out as a bit of fun by not showing the dean what she could do, had long since become tiring. He’d drilled questions, asked her to try things and only become more and more annoyed with her lack of favorable results. Rae figured Riley must’ve touched her in the night as she’d been able to react to certain e
xercises extremely fast and continued to have the overly-caffeinated feeling running through her veins. Interesting, she felt she could control it at times and then make it feel less charged inside her. My body’s still probably trying to figure out how to use this tatù.
Dean Carter picked up a chair and dropped it heavily back down. It clattered and vibrated against the floor.
Rae jumped, surprised at his frustration.
“This is impossible!” he shouted.
A response flew out of Rae’s mouth before she could stop herself. “No one ever said life was fair, only eventful.” She couldn’t resist using the dean’s words against him. “If we can’t seem to figure out much about my ability now, maybe it’s going to take some time to grow.” She wanted to get out of this stupid room.
“Don’t mock me, woman.” Daggers shot from Dean Carter’s eyes. “You’ve NO idea of my power.” He enunciated each venomous word as he spat them at her.
Rae dropped back down on the bed, suddenly terrified. He was right. She didn’t know what his ink allowed him to do. The only thing she really knew about him was that he hated women, especially her.
“Do you know what my tatù is?”
Rae slowly shook her head, afraid to speak.
Dean Carter pulled up his sleeve and showed his tatù. On his skin lay a triangle with an eye in the center.
“I’ve a very unique ability.” He stared down his nose at her. “By touching someone, I’m able to see their past. Flashes of it, and usually it’s the secrets people prefer to keep hidden. My father had the same ink and did wonders with the police in interrogation rooms, and later in the military with captured enemies. He taught me firsthand how the ink worked.”
As he spoke, Headmaster Lanford walked into the room, whistling. “Good morning! How’s our birthday student doing?”
Dean Carter stepped away from Rae and turned, a fake smile plastered on his face and his entire demeanor changed from raging to polite.
“She’s fine. Her tatù is some new, original ink.” Dean Carter tried to put the camera away, but Lanford stopped him, taking the camera from his hands to look at the picture. Dean Carter stayed very still, eyes focused intently on Lanford. “Not like her father’s or her mother’s ink.”
“Interesting…very different.” Lanford continued to study the picture as a large, toothy smile split his face. Headmaster Lanford walked over to Rae, ignoring Carter, and sat down beside her on the bed, patting her knee in a friendly, fatherly manner. “Able to try anything?”
“Dean Carter tried about a hundred different tests on me, but I’m afraid I haven’t been able to do much so far.” She wanted to hug him. She was so happy he’d come. “I figured since my ink has wings, I might be able to fly. However, no go. Something feels different. I just don’t know exactly what.”
“Hmm…well it’s good to see you’re trying.” He slapped his leg and stood. “When I learned to raise myself up, I had to focus on something outside of what I was actually trying to do. I’d stand in the center of the room and focus on a lift or elevator, something that could rise up but needed assistance.” He offered her his hand. “Would you like to try?”
“Sure, why not?” Rae got off the bed. She glanced over toward the dean. He stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest in the corner of the room by the broken chair. He had a scowl on his face, but he didn’t say anything.
Rae faced Headmaster Lanford. He held his arms out to her, palms up, so she stretched out her arms with her palms down. She closed her eyes and focused on his steady voice. She knew it’d work. She’d felt the power of his ink run through her veins when he offered her his hand. Within seconds, the two of them were three feet above the floor. When Rae opened her eyes to glance down, she felt herself begin to fall.
“Focus, Rae! Be the cable that keeps you suspended.”
She regained control of her balance and gingerly brought her body back up to his level.
“Well done.” His steady voice helped make the rest of the room disappear. “Focus on the feeling of letting go of gravity. Think back to the day in the Oratory when I lifted you. This is the same feeling, but now you’re the one controlling your own movement.” He made large circles with his arms. “Concentrate on the air. See how it appears thicker than you think? It’s thick enough to stand on and step up higher. Focus, stay focused.”
This is SO FRIGGIN’ COOL! Having walked on air for ten minutes, the headmaster decided it was time to “come back to earth”. Slowly, they sank back to the ground, with Lanford’s combover now a mess. They landed in front of Dean Carter. The dean’s scowl erased Rae’s high-spirited mood from a second ago.
“Finally.” Dean Carter threw his hands up in the air. “Women! They don’t understand anything.” He shook his head and turned to the headmaster. “I wish you’d come by at seven this morning. Would have saved us all that time of useless experimenting.” He tapped his finger against his lips. “I think this ink has more. If it was just a gravity-thing, the stamp would be similar to yours. Neither of her folks had that ability.”
“Andrew, the ink is unique,” Lanford said. “We, Rae included, won’t figure it out in the course of a day. Give her time. Everything’ll be fine.”
“Possibly.” Carter glared down his nose at Rae. “However, I think we should continue to closely monitor – sorry, teach Ms. Kerrigan how she can best use her ability or abilities, for the good of the school and her future well-being, of course.”
“I’ve already seen to it.” Lanford waved a hand. “Rae’s in my afternoon class, and there’s a very bright student mentoring her two evenings a week.” He turned his attention back to her. “Rae, it’s your birthday. Go. Enjoy your day before it’s over.”
“Thanks, sir.” She was so grateful for his presence and his pronouncement she wanted to reach over and fix his messy hair. Instead, she turned, grabbed her backpack and rushed to the bathroom to change her clothes before the dean could change Lanford’s mind.
Taking the quickest shower of her life, she dried off in record time with a crappy, stiff hospital towel. She threw on jeans and a sweatshirt, running out of the Infirmary without glancing back.
The fresh air hit her like feathers from heaven. Rae inhaled deeply, enjoying the breeze and slowed to a walk. A lovely warm wind blew and the sun shone from a cloudless sky. She headed toward the dorms, pausing when a familiar voice called out to her.
“Happy birthday!” Andy caught up to her. “I was just going to come see what was taking you so long.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever escape. The dean’s a royal pain in the arse.”
He laughed. “How’d everything go?” He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
“All right.” Rae tried to free her hand from the sweaty one holding it. “Carter’s a pain in the rear. My tatù’s some kind of fairy. Lanford came by and was totally cool. He figured my ink has something to do with gravity.” She grinned, wiggling her hand loose. “Looks like I might be able to do some flying.”
“Trying to make me jealous?” Andy laughed, reaching for her hand again and missing. “You should tell Rob. I’m sure he’d love to fly without having to turn into a bird.”
“It’s an eagle. His gift’s super cool. I wouldn’t change that ability at all.” Rae thought back to Friday afternoon and then realized what she’d said. “I-I mean, it s-seems pretty cool. Shape-shifting. You guys are so lucky.” She forced a laugh. “I definitely won’t be turning into some fairy and sprouting wings.” Maybe…I wonder if that’s a possibility.
Andy winked and grinned. “You’d make one helluva hot fairy.” He looked her up and down. “When do I get to see this ink-art?”
Rae blushed and pulled the back of her shirt down, paranoid he might lean back and try to check it out. “Uh… I’m not much for being flashy.”
Andy grinned. “I like that about you. Anyways, you’re still coming tonight, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it. Sort of like a pretend birthday party fo
r all of us sixteen year olds.” She started toward Aumbry House and then turned around to ask Andy another question. “Is Devon back? I, um, was wondering how his mom’s doing.”
“He got back about half an hour ago. He said everything’s all right. She broke both bones in her lower leg, just above her ankle.” His face puckered up like it hurt him to think of it.
“Ouch! Glad to hear she’s going to be all right.” Awesome! I get to see Devon today! She started up the concrete steps of Aumbry House. “See you later.”
Rae headed inside and met Molly on the marble staircase. Molly screamed with excitement when she saw Rae. She grabbed her hand and dragged Rae up to their room.
As soon as she shut the door, Molly lifted Rae’s top. “Oh my goodness, you’re tatù’s totally awesome! By far the best ink art I’ve ever seen.” She lightly touched Rae’s back. “It almost like you painted glitter sparkles on the wings. That Celtic design’s going to look awesome when you wear jeans. You have to make sure your tatù shows off just above them.” She headed for Rae’s closet. “Wear low riders so guys can catch a good glimpse.”
Rae couldn’t stop laughing. Molly was completely and utterly nuts. Molly tossed a pair of Rae’s dark blue jeans on her bed, along with a bunch of Rae’s tops. “Start trying these on. I’ll help you find something hot to wear tonight.” She ran to her closet and threw a handful of clothes on Rae’s bed. Then she ran into the hall, calling the other girls into the room to see Rae’s tatù.
Rae had her head stuffed inside one of Molly’s long sleeve shirts when she heard her roommate in the hallway, talking to Maria and Haley.
“It’s about time a GIRL has unique ink instead of a guy. And she’s my roommate.”
The girls filed into the room.
One of the twins dropped onto Rae’s bed. She turned to Molly. “Awesome clothes. I love designer brands. How do you keep your side of the room so neat.”
