I opened my mouth but hesitated, not really sure I wanted to know the answer to the question I was about to ask. I forged ahead anyway. “What were you mad about during the meeting?”
He turned back to look at me, his brows pushed together. “Mad?”
“You were scowling,” I said. “Just like you’re doing now. I thought maybe you were mad that I had defended my father. I wasn’t really. Defending him, I mean. It’s just that there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t make sense or add up. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Adrian’s eyes shifted to Caleb and then back to me again. “Don’t worry about it. That’s not what I was upset about.”
“Then what—”
“Paintball!” Caleb shouted suddenly, interrupting our conversation.
“Please tell me he didn’t just say paintball,” I said to Adrian, getting a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Caleb picked his way back to us, a broad grin on his face. “Who’s up for an epic game of paintball?”
It was Caleb, Adrian, and me against Jasmine, Will, and Astrid. Shyla had conveniently disappeared, taking the car with her—to where, I didn’t know—and I silently cursed her for leaving me alone in this. Losing at paintball was nowhere on my bucket list of things to do before I died.
The guys disappeared into the same storage shed where we’d found the bikes and began digging out the paintball gear. Watching Jasmine and Astrid out of the corner of my eye, I tried not to feel too self-conscious about the way they pressed their heads together, or how their eyes kept darting to me. I tried to convince myself they could be talking about anything. Or anyone.
Just when I thought I couldn’t stand it any longer, the guys returned, each of them dragging a clear plastic bin. “We played a tournament last week, so everything’s already prepped and good to go,” Caleb said.
“A tournament?” I squeaked out.
“Yeah. A couple of us play on a team in the next town over. I guess we’re pretty good.”
That sounded suspiciously serious to me. Definitely a lot more serious than just your average game. To me, “game” implied Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders. Something safe and fun where only feelings got hurt. “Tournament,” on the other hand, had a certain last-man-standing sound to it that turned my insides to goo.
Caleb tossed a mask to me. I caught it, after nearly dropping it first, and turned it over to examine the paint job. It had been airbrushed in red and black to make it look like a human skull. Sinister skeletal teeth grinned back at me. I surreptitiously peeked inside the box, hoping there was a Hello Kitty or Disney Princess mask instead. Strictly taking skill into account, that was probably more my speed.
Caleb pulled out another mask and tossed it to Adrian. Flames in orange, yellow, and red flickered across his.
“They’re not just pretty good,” Adrian said. “They’re freaking awesome. Caleb wants to go pro someday.”
“There’s pro paintball?” I laughed a little uncertainly. “I guess I’m glad we’re on the same team then.”
Caleb’s eyes cut to mine but he didn’t laugh. When he didn’t even crack a smile, I realized paintball was a serious sport to him and not some joke.
Suddenly I was back in the smelly high school gym playing girls against guys. In my opinion, there was no punishment worse than making a group of teenage girls play against guys in any sport, especially one that involved a ball, no matter how small it was. I had a feeling this experience would rank right up there.
Jasmine pushed Caleb aside. “Here it is.” Her mask was a bright pink skull with a white rose painted between its teeth.
“Wait. You’re on the team, too?” I cleared my throat, embarrassed that my voice had come out an octave too high.
Jasmine sensed my apprehension and gave me a falsely innocent smile in return. “Yep.”
Caleb started to pass me a gun from the cache but Jasmine’s pert little mouth popped open. “Don’t give her that one, you moron. It’s a four-hundred dollar Tippmann Phenom!”
I should have been insulted, but I let it go—both the gun and Jasmine’s implication that I couldn’t be trusted with it. I had no idea what a Tippmann Phenom was, and I didn’t really care. But there was no way I was going to be held responsible for a toy gun that would put a major dent in my car fund if I accidentally broke it and had to buy another one.
“Fine. Here.” Caleb handed the more expensive gun to Adrian and then dug out one that looked like an oversized water pistol. I definitely wasn’t going to win with that thing, not that I actually thought I stood a chance. He pushed it into my hands.
“We don’t ever use this one,” he said.
“Because that one’s for beginners,” Jasmine pointed out. “Don’t worry. It’s pretty idiot-proof.”
She put up her hands, brown eyes wide with mock innocence. Her smile was all sweetness and charm and made me want to barf. “Not that I’m implying you’re an idiot, but you know.”
I smiled back, the corner of my mouth pulling up in a sneer. “Whatever.”
After the guns had been passed around and I’d been given a quick demonstration on how to pull a trigger, Caleb let loose an ear-piercing whistle through his teeth and made a sweeping follow-me motion with his arm. We started off into the woods and shuffled single-file along a path that was only visible because of how often the brush had been tamped down.
The sun was out in full force now, reaching us even under the cover of the forest. The air was heavy with humidity, and I felt wet and sticky. Wisps of hair lay plastered against my neck and cheeks and I swiped irritably at them. The pungent odor of skunk suddenly assaulted my nostrils, making me gag, and I put a hand over my mouth and nose. Jasmine saw, elbowed Astrid, and both of them rolled their eyes and giggled.
After what felt like a lifetime later, we finally came upon a clearing in the trees. The space was nearly the size of a football field. My lungs ached and I got shin splints just thinking about running for my life while dodging Jasmine’s bullets. I hadn’t a clue what I’d ever done to her, but I knew I was going to end up her primary target.
Suddenly, this game was personal.
Bits of old fencing, rusted-out cars, strategically placed burn barrels, and bushes and spindly trees provided cover. I quickly realized this wasn’t some slapdash obstacle course.
“Everything beyond those trees is off limits,” Caleb instructed as he pointed toward the outside perimeter of the course. “If you try to hide out in the woods or use them to circle around to get to your opponents, you’re automatically disqualified. Stay within the boundaries of the field. Everyone got it?”
Jasmine saluted her brother. “Got it.”
Caleb ignored her and instead swiveled to point at what looked like some sort of fort on the far end of the field. “The dead zone is over there.”
“What’s a dead zone?” I said.
“It’s where you go if you get hit.” Jasmine rolled her eyes again at me but at least left off the implied stupid.
Astrid, who’d been relatively quiet up to that point, snorted and muttered under her breath, “What an idiot.”
“Since this is Sarah’s first time—” Caleb turned to me and said in an undertone, “This is your first time, isn’t it?”
“Does she look like someone who actually has any sort of experience?” Jasmine said. “She probably still plays tea-party in her bedroom with her American Girl dolls.”
My cheeks burned. I opened my mouth to make a witty comeback when Adrian cut me off.
“Not everyone has your level of experience, Jasmine. And we all know it’s not ‘tea party’ you’re playing at in your bedroom.”
Will hooted with laughter and offered his fist to Adrian. “Burn, man. Burn!”
Jasmine gave Adrian a piercing look and then grabbed Will’s hand, pulling him off balance. “Hey, idiot! Whose side are you on anyway?”
Astrid’s hands went to her hips as she turned on Jasmine. “Don’t call my boyfriend an idiot!”<
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Caleb looked at the ground and shook his head, muttering a few choice swear words under his breath. “I knew it was a mistake to ask you two to play. There’s always girl drama whenever you’re around.”
Jasmine turned to her brother and thrust her chin at him. “Then how about we leave, huh? You won’t have a game at all then.”
Caleb sighed. “Fine. You can stay. Just keep your mouth shut, all right? Be a team player for once.” He turned to the rest of us. “Now, this is a simple game of elimination. If you get hit, you’re out.”
“And a hit is an actual hit. Not just a splatter,” Jasmine said, popping over his shoulder like an annoying Jack-in-the-Box.
“Right,” Caleb said. “If it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t count.”
My head bobbed as if I actually had a clue as to what they were talking about, and then my stomach dropped as his words registered in my mind. “Wait. It’s gonna hurt?”
Jasmine stared at me as if I really was an idiot. Caleb lifted the hem of his tee-shirt and pulled down the waistband of his shorts to reveal a silver-dollar sized bruise blooming across his hip. It was a nasty shade of green and yellow. He smiled to show how proud he was of his war wound.
“Heck yeah, it’ll hurt. I got this one a week ago.”
I looked down at my own naked arms. “Aren’t we supposed to be wearing protective clothing or something?”
Caleb pointed at the mask in my hand. “That’s the most important part. Don’t get hit and you’ll be fine. Everyone ready? We’ll play a twenty-minute game to start, just to keep it short and sweet.”
Jasmine hoisted the gun over her shoulder and looked directly at me. “Doubt it’ll even take that long.”
I turned my back on her as Caleb raised his arm in the air and made a sort of swirly motion with his finger. Everyone took off in opposite directions, except for me, who just stood there. Apparently I’d missed the signal. I broke into a jog to catch up with Adrian, staying as close to him as possible. How in the world had I got roped in to playing paintball? Adrian took my hand and led me to where Caleb had taken cover behind a section of old fencing.
“Get your mask on,” Caleb said to me, not even bothering to hide his irritation at my apparent stupidity.
“Oh. Right.” I fumbled getting it on, barely able to control my trembling fingers. I had to remind myself repeatedly that this was only a game, that it wasn’t real. I might get bruised, but I wasn’t going to die. Twenty minutes, probably less, and this would all be over.
“So how do we do this?” I asked, my voice muffled behind the thick plastic. “Is there some, like, tactical mumbo-jumbo I should know about?”
Adrian looked at me and laughed. “Tactical mumbo-jumbo?”
“The plan!” I shrieked at him as I got a heavy dose of adrenaline. “What’s the plan?”
Caleb jabbed my shoulder with his finger, which made me rock back on my heels. “The plan is for you to stay away from Jasmine and Astrid. Especially Jasmine. Don’t worry about Will. He’ll go after me or Adrian. Got it?”
I guess I wasn’t too shocked that Caleb had picked up on Jasmine’s apparent hatred of me. And for what reason? I mentally dog-eared all the questions going through my head. Adrian and I would definitely have to talk later.
“Got it.”
“Are you ready?” Will’s question carried from across the field.
“Ready!” Adrian and Caleb yelled together. I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer to whoever might be listening.
“Game on!”
EIGHT
I rose and dressed before sunrise, and had my bag packed and ready to go. I’d barely slept at all—not with what happened during paintball running on a loop in my head.
Everyone was still asleep. I crept into the kitchen and measured out water and grounds for coffee, and then flipped the switch to ON. While I waited, I poured myself a glass of orange juice and took it outside where I could be alone with my thoughts.
Only I wasn’t alone, after all.
Caleb didn’t turn around as I approached him from behind. I knew that he knew I was there—the door had groaned on my way out—but neither of us said a word. Instead, I stood staring at the gray tee-shirt stretched taut against his back, and his blue-tipped hair, spiked in its ridiculous faux-hawk, even at this hour.
“It’s early,” I said at last. “What are you doing here?” I sat on the step next to him and closed my eyes for a moment, basking in the quiet early-morning light as it struggled through the trees and tried in vain to warm my prickly-cool skin.
Caleb had been making a small pile of twigs and leaves on the concrete step between our feet. His hand hovered over the debris for a moment before it smoked and finally caught fire. It quickly fizzled out, though. “I still suck at that one,” he said.
I licked my lips, my breath catching in my chest. This was exactly what I had suspected yesterday, and he’d just confirmed it. “Does anyone else know?”
“My mom,” he whispered. “And Jasmine.”
“H-how . . . what . . ?”
Caleb’s shoulders rose and fell. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
I wrapped my arms around my knees, feeling suddenly very cold. “Adrian doesn’t know?”
“Nope.”
“Or Shyla?”
Caleb laughed under his breath. “Definitely not her.”
“Why not? They’d understand, Caleb. Especially Shyla.”
Caleb remained tight-lipped, though, and I knew I wasn’t going to get any more out of him today. The fact that he had intentionally revealed what he could do, to me, of all people, didn’t make sense. That he even possessed these mystical powers at all was mind-blowing.
I absently rubbed my right arm at the memory of Jasmine’s paintball digging into my skin the afternoon before. Our team had ultimately won, no thanks to me, but not before Jasmine had cornered me and got off three rounds at close range. One of the bullets had hit my thigh. I was pretty sure I’d be wearing jeans for at least the next week. The second bullet hit my arm. And the third . . . it had inexplicably exploded in a mess of paint mere seconds before slamming into my chest.
I’d looked around, confused, but the only other person in sight had been Caleb. Before I could question what happened, Adrian had appeared from out of nowhere and got off a few rounds of his own, taking Jasmine down.
I looked at Caleb out of the corner of my eye now. “You stopped that bullet yesterday, didn’t you? You didn’t have to do anything at all, and I would never have known.”
“At the meeting,” he said. “You . . . felt something. Between us.”
“Yes,” I said carefully, not knowing what he was getting at.
Caleb shrugged. “Stopping that paintball . . . it was pure instinct. But maybe I’m just tired of keeping secrets, you know? Maybe I’m tired of no one knowing.” He turned to me then, a deep sadness in his dark eyes. “And maybe I’m just tired of being alone.”
Before I could respond, Caleb rose and jogged off, not looking back at me. I almost called after him but let him go.
“What was that about?”
I spun around to see Adrian in the doorway. “How long have you been there?”
The line of his jaw hardened as he studied me in silence. “Long enough,” he finally answered.
“What did you see?”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. “Is there something I wasn’t supposed to see?”
If Adrian saw what Caleb had done with the fire, he would have said something. I shook my head. “No. Nothing.”
Caleb’s fire was still smoldering. Little wisps of smoke and ash drifted up. I stood and stamped it out with my foot, trying to ignore the look that Adrian was giving me.
“The others are getting up,” he said, somewhat tersely. “Come in for breakfast when you’re ready.”
We left soon after we ate. No one came to tell us goodbye or to say how much they had enjoyed seeing us or that we’d be missed at all. It was almost as if we didn’t exi
st. As much as I wanted to remain estranged from these people—my people—there was part of me that also craved their acceptance. To what lengths would I have to go in order to earn their approval?
“Don’t worry about it for one minute,” Imogene had said to me as we packed up the cars. “They’ll come around in time.”
“Or as soon as I prove myself to them,” I said, only half-joking.
As we drove along the road leading away from the reservation, walking toward us were Jasmine and Caleb. Shyla blared the horn, honking it in wild spurts, and swerved as if she meant to cause a hit-and-run. I silently vowed never to get in the car with her again.
Adrian rolled down the window to shout something obscene, and Caleb spun around as we passed and waved his arms over his head. He was laughing. So was Adrian, who was leaning so far out the window I thought he might actually fall. Shyla hooked a finger around the belt loop of his jeans and yanked him back.
Turning in my seat to watch Jasmine and Caleb fading into the distance, I suddenly realized that although Caleb was waving at all of us, his eyes were fixed only on me.
NINE
Priscilla pumped her arm in the air and bounced on the balls of her feet, turning a full circle next to me. “I’m winning! Omigod, I can’t believe I’m actually winning!”
“I don’t understand why my score’s not going up,” Meg complained as she performed a slight variation of the same move. Her dancing wasn’t nearly as good as Priscilla’s.
“Time out,” I said after a moment, discovering Meg’s problem. I paused the video game and the music cut off. Swiping Meg’s remote out of her hand, I turned it around.
“Hold it this way. You have to point this end,” I said, giving the controller a shake, “at that sensor up there, or you won’t score any points.”
“What sensor?”
Tapping the thin black bar taped to the top of the entertainment center, I said, “This sensor. It’s what tracks your movements.” I looked at my aunt in exasperation. “Haven’t you ever played a video game before? You’re not that old.”
The Prophecy Page 6
