Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set

by Amy Miles

  “Aagh!” I jerked my hand from Joel’s and jumped back.

  “What happened?” Joel put a hand on my arm. “You okay?”

  My face went red hot and I stared at him in shock. He’d been picturing me naked! And fairly accurately too, not that that’s the point. Did that mean he liked me? Wait. Was he thinking of me in the buck right now, too?

  Immediately, the slideshow started again. Joel. Me. Kissing. Naked. In theory, it was kind of hot. But, knowing it was a real visual of Joel’s thoughts made me feel faint. I mean, I couldn’t even flirt right. How was I supposed to do any of that?

  For some reason, the slideshow started a third time. I swung my head back and forth. “No! I’m not ready for this!”

  “Ready for what?” Joel said.

  “What did you do?” Julie’s voice sounded far away. “She’s totally wigging out.”

  “I just helped her up,” he answered.

  Suddenly, the images stopped. I took deep breaths, and then opened my eyes. Every student in the cafeteria had gathered around us and all eyes were staring at me.

  Did. I. Just. Scream. AGAIN? My face burned, hot tears filled my eyes, and I did the only thing I could. Pushing past the small crowd, I ran out of the cafeteria.

  ****

  Tears seared my eyes as I pushed open the door to the girls’ bathroom, shut myself in one of the stalls, and tried not to die of humiliation. I’d caused a scene. Me, Kylie Bates, had caused a scene today. Twice. That’s two more than in my entire life and two times too many.

  So, Joel had been thinking of me naked. What was the big deal? He was a guy. And that must mean he likes me. So, why had I freaked out when I should’ve been savoring the moment?

  Maybe I am a mouse like Julie said. Or a chicken. Or whatever’s the most scared, nervous creature out there. I banged my head against the stall door. My reputation, or lack thereof, was so ruined.

  The last bell sounded. I was late for History. I’d never been late in my life. Not that I was going to class now. I couldn’t show my face at Sac Valley High after this.

  The bathroom door squeaked open then. Footsteps clipped across the tile.

  “Kylie?” Julie knocked on the stall door. “You in there?”

  I couldn’t answer. It was too humiliating.

  I heard movement, saw a sweep of blonde hair under the door. “I recognize your shoes, girl.”

  “Go away.”

  Bubble gum snapped. “I’m not leaving till you come out.”

  “That’ll be never.” I groaned.

  “Would you like me to go to your place then? Bring back your Count of Monte Cristo movie posters and some scotch tape so you can decorate your new home?” Another bubble popped and then giggling. “Come on. It’s just me. Now open up or I’m coming under. And it would be cruel to make me slide under the door and get my skirt dirty.”

  I slid the metal bolt to the right, the door swung open, and I buried my face in my hands. “Tell me honestly, Jules. How bad was it?”

  “In the caf? I’d say on a scale of one to ten—with ten being the worst—your performance was a twelve.”

  “Twelve?”

  Julie shrugged. “You asked for the truth.”

  I dropped my hands from my face. “Does Joel think I’m a total weirdo?”

  Julie shrugged. “Don’t beat yourself up. You’re just not comfortable talking to guys yet. It’s no biggie.”

  I banged on the paper towel machine and it spit out a scratchy brown paper towel. “Talking to Joel wasn’t the problem.” I ran the towel under the faucet.

  “Oh, really?” Julie leaned against the wall by the mirror. “Then, what was?”

  I fiddled with the wet paper towel. “I c-can’t tell you. It’s too confusing.”

  She raised her perfectly penciled brows. “Try me.”

  I studied my best friend. Her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulder, her blue-lined eyes were wide with attention, and she’d even stopped chewing her gum.

  “Well . . . ” I hesitated. I’d always told Julie everything. When I got my period. Every time I got an A. My crush on a fictional character. Joel Templeton. But, how could I tell her I had a peeping Tom brain? Would she think I was on drugs? Having a mental breakdown?

  “Hello?” She waved a hand in front of my face. “Just spit it out already.”

  “You’re gonna think I’m weird.”

  Her mouth crept into a smile. “You’ve already crossed that line, sweetie. Half the student body just saw you wig out in the cafeteria. Now, what gives?”

  Why was I hesitating? She was my best friend. That meant I was obligated to tell her. Then, she’d have to help me figure this out. “Okay, I’ll tell you. You have to keep it in the vault though.”

  Her penciled brows went up as she nodded.

  “This morning.” I leaned toward her, my heart pounding wildly. “This sales guy came to our front door. And you’re not gonna believe this, but when I shook his hand, I was able to read his—”

  The bathroom door burst open. “You two have hall passes?”

  It was Guadalupe, the patrol lady. She was in her thirties, had a pixie haircut, weathered cheeks, and a no nonsense look.

  “My friend’s not feeling well,” Julie said, quickly.

  That was an understatement.

  Guadalupe gave me the once over and then nodded. “Okay, that’s her excuse. What’s yours?”

  Julie smiled casually. “I was waiting to take her to the nurse. She just blew chunks in the toilet.”

  “Thanks a lot,” I said. Why’d she have to make me the sick one? I glanced at my reflection. Pale face, sweaty forehead, glassy eyes. Oh, that’s why.

  “I’ll take her.” Guadalupe put a hand on my elbow and then gave Julie a look. “You. Get to class. Now.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Julie said, rolling her eyes when Guadalupe turned away. “Feel better, Kylie. I’ll call you later.”

  I nodded and let Guadalupe lead me out the door with a grip on my arm that was surely cutting off circulation. It would’ve been good to share my secret with Julie so she could reassure me I was normal. What would Guadalupe think if she knew? I glanced at her squinty eyes and figured she’d probably just give me detention.

  My legs felt numb as we made our way to the nurse’s office. When we got there, the nurse gave me a glass of water, called my dad, and told me he’d pick me up right away.

  So, I waited on her couch, stared at my untouched water, and tried to think of a way to tell my dad his daughter was a freak.

  ****

  Dad and I left the nurse’s office and walked to the parking lot in silence. Once behind the wheel, he turned the key and started his car as I climbed in. “We’ll pick up your car later. You’re not feeling well, kiddo?”

  “Not at all.” I slid into my seat, staring at the tan school building with red trim. We pulled out of the parking lot, turned the corner and the high school disappeared from sight.

  Tears blurred my vision. Surely, everyone was whispering about me. Probably saying things like: “Kylie turned into a psycho”,“Did you see her unleash on Shawn this morning?”, or “I kinda thought she was cool, but she obsessed over mascara and screamed like a crazy person when I touched her hand in the cafeteria.”

  Clearly, my only option was to go home, bury my head under the pillow, and never come out again.

  Dad made a left turn. “Did the nurse take your temperature?”

  “Yeah.” Not that it mattered. Nothing did. Not after the damage I’d caused today.

  “And?”

  “It was . . . normal.” Unlike me.

  “Your stomach upset?”

  “Sorta.” That, and my life was ruined.

  Dad stopped at a red light and turned to me with that “I mean business” look of his. “Why don’t we stop playing twenty questions? You haven’t gone home sick since the seventh grade. What’s going on?”

  I chewed on my lower lip as the tears threatened to spill over. “Something h
appened at school.”

  Dad nodded. “Well, it must’ve been pretty upsetting for you to miss your afternoon classes.”

  “You could say that.”

  The light turned green and Dad stepped on the gas. “Maybe I can help.”

  “I seriously doubt it.”

  A minute later, Dad pulled into our carport and turned off the motor. “I’m sure whatever happened seems like the end of the world, but it can’t be as bad as you think.”

  I gave him an ‘if you only knew the half of it’ look.

  “Really, kiddo. You can tell me. I’ve lived through the teenage years myself. I also have a PhD and twelve years experience as a psychologist. Trust me, there’s nothing I haven’t seen or heard.”

  “Oh, really?” I turned to him with a deadpan look. “Well, then. Get this. Your daughter can read people’s minds.”

  Dad blinked. “Come again?”

  “You know, people’s thoughts? I can see them. It comes to my mind as a slideshow, sometimes fuzzy, sometimes clear, and I watch it all.” I swiveled in my seat, suddenly angry. “Like this sales guy at the door this morning. He had been taking notes in his office while some brunette was bawling her eyes out. And there was a Chem sub in Mrs. T’s class who is gunning for her job.” And Joel stripped me naked under the bleachers, but I wasn’t gonna tell him that. “Has a patient confessed to mind reading before, Dad? Huh?”

  “Not a sober one.” Dad laughed like it was all some kind of joke. “What’s really going on? I’m here for you. You can tell me anything and I’ll still love you just as much.”

  My eyes narrowed. “You don’t believe me.”

  Dad gave me a condescending look. “You’re telling me you’re serious?”

  I crossed my arms. “Why would I make up something that horrible?”

  “Okaaay. So, you’re telling me you can—what was it?—read minds?”

  “Didn’t I just say that? Yes.”

  Dad studied me. Then his smile dropped, he leaned forward, and smelled my breath. “Have you been drinking?”

  “Of course not! I can’t believe you just asked me that.” I opened the door, got out, and slammed it as hard as I could. Some psychologist. It was a wonder his patients came back for a second session.

  Dad hopped out of the car. “Wait a sec.”

  “Why? So you can call me a liar some more? No thanks.” I stormed up the walkway of our apartment building.

  Dad jogged up beside me. “I can see you’re upset. But, are you honestly expecting me to believe you have some kind of psychic power?”

  “You know what? I’ve just had the worst day of my life. I don’t need to take this on top of it.” I stopped, reached out, and shook his hand. Buzzing fizzed up my arm, into my head, and a slideshow started—clear pictures this time, unlike the sub’s and Joel’s.

  “Have you lost your mind?” Dad looked seriously worried now. “What are you doing?”

  I let go of his hand and thrust my fists on my hips. “You had two appointments this morning. One with a guy and one with a woman. The man had a beard and the woman seemed to be flirting with you the entire session. Which is just . . . ew.” My nose crinkled in disgust. “You had your assistant reschedule your third appointment so you could pick me up from school. Then, you dropped your keys on the way out of the office.”

  Dad stared at me, wide-eyed under his glasses.

  “And you really need to lay off the coffee, Dad. You had two cups at home. Black. And a venti from Starbucks that your assistant fetched for you. I’ll bet she has a crush on you, too.”

  His mouth dropped open.

  “I’ll be inside when you’re ready to apologize.” I walked off, but Dad didn’t follow. I’d probably shocked him too much. Whatever. That’s what he got for doubting me.

  ****

  Leaving my dad outside, I unlocked our front door and went to my room, skipping my usual routine of watching The Count of Monte Cristo. What would Edmond think if he found out his girlfriend could read minds? Not that he really existed, but still.

  It was hard to believe, but impossible to deny. Four for four. I could definitely read minds. Literally peek into someone’s head with the shake of a hand. Incredible. And scary.

  There was a knock on my bedroom door.

  “Go away.” I flipped onto my stomach, squeezed my eyes shut, and pulled the pillow over my head.

  “We need to talk.” Dad sounded serious.

  “I don’t want to.” What good would it do? It couldn’t erase the freaky things I could see or the mess I’d made at school today.

  The door creaked open and the mattress shifted as he sat on the bed. “Everything’s going to be okay.” He rubbed my back, like he did when I was little. It actually felt kinda good. “You’re not going through this by yourself. We’re a team, kiddo.”

  “Great, the freak team.”

  Dad’s hand rested on my arm. “Tell me exactly what happened. When did this start?”

  I opened my mouth to tell him everything. That’s when the dam broke. I shoved the pillow aside, threw my arms around him, and started bawling. “Oh, Daddy. I screamed in class and everyone thinks I’m a loser now. My life’s ruined.”

  “We’ll work this out together.” Dad sounded sad. “It’s my fault. I should’ve known something like this could happen. I should’ve warned you.”

  My breath caught on a sob. “W-what?”

  His hand froze on my back. “I’m sorry I never prepared you for this. I should’ve told you the whole story.”

  Was he saying what I think he was?

  I pushed away from him, off the bed, and onto my wobbly feet. “You mean you knew this would happen to me? That I could dip into people’s heads?”

  The guilt on my dad’s face was enough of an answer. After all our years together, just him and me, he’d known and had kept it from me.

  “How could you keep something like this from me?” My heart ripped in my chest, but my tears had suddenly dried up. The one person I trusted most in the world had turned out to be the biggest liar.

  Dad looked away, unable to meet my eyes. “Why don’t we go make ourselves some coffee and have a serious heart to heart?”

  “I don’t drink coffee,” I snapped. “You knew this would happen?”

  Dad pushed his index fingers under his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this.”

  I frowned. “You haven’t talked about jack yet.”

  “I’m sorry it didn’t occur to me straight off. It’s been a long time since I’ve dealt with the paranormal.”

  Tingles slid up my spine. The word paranormal sounded so creepy.

  He pulled off his glasses and wiped the lenses with his shirt, like he did when he was thinking hard. “I don’t quite know how to tell you, so I suppose I’ll just say it.” He pushed his glasses back on his nose and took a deep breath. “Your mother had certain, special . . . abilities.”

  My eyes grew wide. I’d been four when she died, but the few memories I had were happy. Normal. Was she a freaky mind reader, too? Had she had outbursts in school and lived to tell about it? “You mean Mom could see people’s thoughts?”

  “No, nothing like that.” He shook his head. “But she could . . . it seems so silly to talk about her unusual talent now when she’s been gone twelve years.”

  Talent sounded better than paranormal. “Don’t you think you’ve kept this from me long enough? Spill it.”

  “You’re right.” He reached for my hand but I moved away before he could touch me. “I may have kept this secret, but I always have your best interests at heart.”

  What a bunch of bull. “Lying is lying, Dad. You’re the one who taught me that.”

  He nodded, then took a deep breath. “To put it plainly, Mom had the power of telekinesis.”

  My brows crinkled. “Tele-ki-what?”

  “Telekinesis.” His voice went into lecture tone like he was leading a seminar on the subject. “It’s the power to m
ove objects without physical contact.”

  I shook my head. “That’s impossible.”

  “Just like mind reading is?” Dad raised his eyebrows. “I know it sounds crazy. We didn’t tell anyone about it. But, she did have that ability. I witnessed it.”

  I crossed my arms. “How come you never told me?”

  He raised his hands. “What would be the point?”

  “Honesty, for starters.” I dropped back on my pillow and stared at the ceiling. “So, you’re telling me psychic powers run in the family? That I have super genes or something?”

  “It would appear so. Others in your mom’s family had similar powers, but your mom wasn’t comfortable with it, so we just left it at that.” He adjusted his glasses. “The person’s visions only transfer when you shake their hand?”

  “I think so.” My body felt numb as I processed the super gene factor.

  “And this is the reason you wanted to come home?”

  “Sort of.” I thought of the sub. Joel Templeton. Yelling. Everyone looking at me like I’d gone postal. “Seeing people’s thoughts actually kinda freaked me out. I screamed. In front of half the student body.” I covered my eyes with my hands. “Now, I can never show my face at school again.”

  “Everything will be fine. You’ll see.” He patted my shoulder. “Like I told you, your mother had the power of telekinesis, but she didn’t use it. It made her nervous for some reason. Maybe she’d had outbursts at school, too.”

  I dropped my hands to my sides. “Is that supposed to be funny?”

  Dad chuckled. “Oh, sweetheart. Things like this happen.”

  I gave him a look.

  “Maybe not exactly the same, but my point is you’ll get through it. Your friends at school will forget about your outburst in a day or two and that’ll be the end of it.”

  “So, I’m supposed to just forget I can read minds?”

  He put a hand on my arm. “Why not? It shouldn’t be too hard. You can control who you shake hands with, right?” He smiled, trying to be encouraging.

  “Maybe.” How many people did I usually shake hands with? Very few. So, I’d just avoid those rare times. Get on with my life. Be normal again. I liked the sound of that. “I’ll just ignore it and blend in like I used to.”