by Aileen Erin
The screen door squeaked open, which shocked me. Besides our two cars, there were no others here. A man stepped onto the porch, and we stopped goofing off. Mom straightened her shirt, and Dad knocked on Axel’s window. “Quit texting.”
I didn’t fully turn to Dad’s new boss until Axel was out of the car. I don’t know why I was surprised to see the older man from my vision walking out of the house. He was the one who hired my dad, so he’d most likely held the papers that gave me the vision. But I was still caught with my mouth hanging open. The whole thing was weird, and that was saying something for a girl who was used to weird.
Now that I was seeing him in the flesh, Dad’s boss looked a bit younger than my parents. Light brown hair curled around his neck. He hadn’t shaved, giving him a rugged look that went along with his scarred hiking boots. He didn’t make a sound as he walked down the steps, which was eerie enough without adding the fact that he’d co-starred in one of my oddest visions ever.
I didn’t know I’d made a noise until Axel elbowed me. “Dude. You okay?”
I cleared my throat. “Totally. Why wouldn’t I be?” Axel had been pestering me ever since I had the vision in Dad’s office, but I hadn’t spilled much. Maybe I should’ve told him, but I couldn’t bring myself to. For some reason, my connection with the younger guy felt personal.
“Thank you for getting here so quickly, John,” he said to Dad. “I’m Michael Dawson.” His grey T-shirt was a smidge too tight around his arms, making it strain against his biceps as he reached out a hand.
Dad stepped forward to shake it. “Wasn’t a problem. This is my wife, Gabriela, my son, Axel, and my daughter, Tessa.”
Axel and I stayed by the car while our parents greeted him. It was better to keep my distance, less chance of a vision that way. But when Mr. Dawson reached to shake Axel’s hand, he abandoned me. I sighed. This was going to be awkward.
Mr. Dawson held out his hand to me, but I didn’t take it. “Welcome to Texas,” he said. It sounded a little like a question.
Mom gave a nervous laugh instead of her normal booming one. “It’s been a long drive, and we’re a little cranky. But we can’t wait to get settled in.”
Nice save.
A breeze picked up, blowing my hair in my face. It’d finally grown past the bottom of my shoulder blades. I pulled a rubber band out of my pocket and yanked the wavy mess into a sloppy bun.
I followed them to the house. As soon as my flip-flop hit the bottom step I had a feeling that this house was going to be full of stuff for me to “see.” I shoved my gloved hands in my pockets. Better safe than sorry while Mr. Dawson was around. Mom and Dad were touring the house with him. Axel hung back with me. “What’s your deal?”
I shrugged. “Didn’t you see how he walked?”
“No.”
“Remember when we went to the San Diego Safari Park and spent the night and we went into the tiger enclosure?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Those cats were crazy. They were inches from us the whole time, and we didn’t even notice it until the guide shined her flashlight on them.”
“Exactly.”
“And what does that have to do with Mr. Dawson?”
“He didn’t make a sound coming down those stairs.”
Axel shoved me. “You’re messing with me.”
I shoved him back. “No. I’m actually not. Pay better attention next time.”
We walked through the door and went the opposite way my parents had gone, ending up in a living room.
“Look at this yard,” Axel said as he looked out a back window.
“What yard? All I see is forest.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
I shook my head. He was so weird sometimes. “I’m going to go claim my room.” I found it upstairs, first door on the left, complete with en suite bathroom. It was even better than the pictures Dad had shown us. A bay window with a bench faced the front yard. The unpaved driveway disappeared around the corner, hidden by the forest.
Axel stomped into my new room. “Oh, this is for sure my room.”
“No. Yours is next to Mom and Dad’s. This is mine.”
“No way. I’m older. I get this one. With the tree, it’d give me maximum sneaking-out capabilities.”
“Dude.” I smacked him on the back of his head. “You’re not really going to be living here.”
“Right. Forgot about that part.”
I snorted.
“This can be your room I guess.”
I rolled my eyes. “Perfect. Thanks so much.”
Mom called from downstairs.
“Coming.” We walked down to find her.
“How are you guys doing?” she asked as soon as we entered the kitchen. Dad and Mr. Dawson were standing around the kitchen island with her. It was a nice, bright white kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances.
“My room is much better than Axel’s and that’s what counts, right?”
“That’s right,” Dad said.
“Hey!” Axel said.
Mr. Dawson chuckled and the sound gave me goosebumps. There was something off about him, and I wanted to figure out what it was.
“I opened all the windows down here to air it out a bit with that nice breeze,” Mom said. “But it’s so hot out, we’ll need to close them in a minute. Help me with that?”
“Sure,” I said.
“This is going to be great for us,” Dad said.
“It’s a good house. I hope you’ll be comfortable here,” Mr. Dawson said. “But it’s important to remember that it’s more secluded than you’d think.”
I stifled a snort. My teeth were still rattling from the last mile of “road.”
Mr. Dawson smirked. Guess I hadn’t stifled it quick enough.
“Behave,” Mom whispered to me.
“There’s lots of wildlife in this forest, especially wolves,” Mr. Dawson said.
“Wolves?” Dad laughed. “You’re kidding,” he said with a slightly high pitch to his voice. Dad always did that when he was lying to us. He knew exactly what Mr. Dawson was talking about.
I glanced at Mom. She shrugged, not giving me anything to go on.
Now I knew my vision was real. Something was definitely up with St. Ailbe’s and the people who went there. Mr. Dawson had my full attention. I wanted to see how he was going to explain away these “wolves” of his.
“Unfortunately, I’m not kidding.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for misunderstanding. His gaze met mine with such a force that I wanted to look away but couldn’t. “If you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone. You’re safe here. Just stay close to the house after dark.”
“Thanks for the warning. We’ll keep an eye out,” Mom said.
“I’d advise staying away from my St. Ailbe’s kids. They’re not like most other teenagers and can be a bit unstable. Even violent. Which is why we need the help of people like your Dad.” He paused. “They might look normal, but they’re not. Under no uncertain terms should you make friends with them. You’d be risking your life. Your future. Understand, Tessa?”
His intensity made me nervous. “Sure,” I said, although I wasn’t sure I understood at all. In fact, the only good his little speech did was make me want to find a St. Ailbe’s kid to befriend.
His gaze was suddenly too much, and I looked down at my feet.
“I doubt you’ll run into my students too often,” Mr. Dawson said. “They stick pretty close to campus, and John, you’ll be doing everything from the offices downtown. The school isn’t too far from here though—just on the other side of the creek.”
That sounded far. “Where’s your car?” I said. Axel elbowed me. Jeeze. Was it elbow Tessa day or what? My question was perfectly valid. It wasn’t out front when we pulled in.
“I hiked.” I must’ve made a face because Mr. Dawson explained. “The creek backs up to the house. You’ve got maybe fifty feet of trees before you’ll hit a steep drop. The bottom is the bed of the creek.
It’s been dry for years though. It’s only a couple mile hike from here to the school.” A honk sounded from the driveway. “That’s one of my former students now. He graduated a couple years ago, and teaches occasionally. John, you’ll get to know him well. He’s my second here. I know you’ve got movers coming in a bit, but I thought you might want help unloading your cars after such a long drive.”
“Perfect. Thanks, Michael.” Dad grabbed the keys from his pocket. “Axel, get to it.”
Dad tossed the keys to Axel, but I caught them. “I’ll help.”
Dad shared a look with Mr. Dawson. “Axel, go with your sister.”
That wasn’t awkward at all. Why didn’t Dad want me to go outside? Axel and I walked out the front door, but I stopped just outside.
He was here. The younger guy from the vision. The one who could tell that I was having the vision. The one I linked to.
My breathing was shallow as I watched him move. I didn’t want to make a noise, not even from breathing. I wanted to watch him in real life for a second. He was at least as fit as Mr. Dawson, and had the same soundless stride. I could feel his restlessness as if it were my own. He pulled off his sunglasses and stuck them in the collar of his blue t-shirt. I smiled when I noticed the band artwork on the front—The Helio Sequence. That album was in heavy rotation on my playlist.
Axel called out to him and my moment of watching unnoticed was shattered. I stumbled back a step.
“Tessa?” Mr. Dawson said, suddenly close. “Are you okay?”
I tried to move away, but he was already reaching out to steady me.
“Don’t touch her!” Dad said.
Too late. He gripped my bicep, skin-to-skin.
Running. Panting. Wind ruffled his fur. His paws slammed the ground at a fast pace.
Faster. Must go faster.
Mr. Dawson was there with me. I could feel him in my head, an unwelcome visitor, seeing what I saw. It felt like an invasion, and I wanted him gone. I pushed him out as the vision faded. And just as quickly as it started, I was back on the porch, staring into Mr. Dawson’s hazel eyes.
I knew I should pull away from him, but the look he was giving me warned me not to even try. I was paralyzed as I waited for one of us to break the silence.
That was the second time my visions had gone wonky. This time was way more unsettling than the last.
And shit. Dad was going to be pissed.
His lips turned up as that thought ran through my mind. “I see we’ve both got our secrets,” he whispered so that only I could hear it.
Crap. Was he reading my mind? If he were telepathic, that could explain why my visions were weird with him. I’d never met anyone with gifts before, not since my abuela passed, and I was too young to really remember her anyway.
He smiled.
Crap. I’ve got to stop thinking stuff.
Mom stepped between us and pulled me away from him. “You okay, Tess?”
“I think so.” Sorry, I mouthed. So much for making a good impression.
“My daughter doesn’t like to be touched.” Dad tried to explain. “She’s got this condition—”
“It was my fault.” Mr. Dawson stared at me as if he could see right through me. Then he nodded, and took the keys from my gloved hand. “Head’s up, Dastien!” He threw the keys.
Dastien caught them without looking from fifteen feet away. He didn’t take too much notice of me. Not like I wanted him to. He walked to the cars as a breeze whipped through the house, slamming the screen door shut behind me. He spun. His eyes, dark before, flashed to glowing amber.
That had to be a trick with the light.
We stood there staring at each other. I couldn’t look away, and I was sure he couldn’t either.
He was too far away for me to hear, but his lips moved and I knew what he said. It was the same thing I’d been thinking. “It’s you.”
Mr. Dawson cleared his throat. “Maybe it’s best if we leave you to it.”
“Yes, but thank you for your offer,” Mom said. “Tessa’s not great with strangers.”
Perfect, Mom. Way to make me sound like a freak. I shot her a look that said as much.
“Let’s talk on Wednesday, John.” Mr. Dawson walked to the car. His movements were not only silent, but also graceful and efficient. Almost like a dancer’s, but somehow more dangerous. The two men argued, but then Dastien’s shoulders drooped. He placed the keys on the hood of our car and headed to his. He stared at me before getting into the passenger side.
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until they were gone and I was left gasping for air.
“You okay?” Axel said.
I swallowed. “Yeah. Of course. I’m fine.”
“You sure, mija?” Mom said. “You look pale.”
“I’m fine,” I said it with a little more force than was necessary, but didn’t apologize for it. I headed to Dad’s SUV and stared at the keys. I thought about taking off the gloves and holding them for a second just to see what would happen, but I had a feeling my mind had taken in all the information it could for today. The gloves had to stay on, at least for now.
I unlocked the doors and started unloading our bags.
Chapter Four
For days I kept staring out the windows, hoping Dastien would come back, but he never did. I guessed he didn’t really have any reason to come back. That didn’t stop me from wanting it. I was curious about him and needed to figure out why I was so drawn to him. Hours filled with unpacking endless boxes went by, and I started to wonder if what I’d seen, what I’d felt, had been a figment of my imagination. For a girl who was used to seeing things that weren’t there, it wasn’t completely out of the realm of the possible. But it’d be a damn shame. Just the thought of seeing Dastien again had my palms sweating and I kind of liked it.
But Dastien wasn’t the only thing on my mind. The house was a minefield of visions. Sometimes they were normal, everyday stuff—people laughing, fighting, getting ready for work. Then I’d touch something and rage would fill my body. My blood would boil and an animalistic urge to destroy things would consume me, but I wouldn’t exactly see anything. It was all emotions, which I was adding to the weird and new category. So far, Texas was turning out to be pretty interesting.
By the end of the weekend, the house was mostly in order—all the essentials in the right spots even if they weren’t totally organized—so I started attacking the boxes in my room. I dusted my books off, placing each one—sorted alphabetically and by genre—on the shelves Dad installed. What some people might call “anal,” I’d call efficient. What good was it to have a book if you couldn’t find it when you wanted it?
When I was done, I sat on the bed and stared at my collection. Axel and Dad were arguing over what station to stream music from. Dad wanted classic rock and Axel wanted hip-hop. Dad informed Axel that there were no “thugs” in the house.
I was laughing at their verbal sparring when Mom came into my room holding a stack of clean towels. She pointed at my gloveless hands. “How’s it going in here?”
“Fine.” I waved toward my books. “Got them unpacked.”
She set the pile down on my bed. “What about the rest? The house giving you any trouble?”
I shrugged. “Define trouble.”
“Anything you need to talk about?”
“Nah. I think I’ve got it covered. But thanks for the offer.”
She settled down next to me. “You okay? Your brother’s leaving in a week and half, we’re living in a different state, and your new school starts tomorrow. It’d be totally cool to admit you’re nervous.”
“Have you met me? This whole no-brother, new school combo is going to rock.”
Mom gave me her patented I’m-not-buying-the-line-of-crap-you’re-selling look.
“Axel leaving is gonna suck.”
She kept silent as she stared at me.
“Okay, so I’m nervous about next week. I’m a freak, but I’m also human. Who wouldn’t be?”
“I don’t know why admitting it was helpful. It didn’t do me any good.”
“Well, it made me feel better.”
I laughed.
“Kidding. But admitting your nerves is the first step to getting over them.” She smiled. “And you’re not a freak. You’re gifted.”
“There’s a difference?”
Her smile turned into a full-on grin. “I’ll admit. It’s slight, but there is a difference.” She put her arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into her. “You’re going to do great. People here are nice, more down to earth.”
“So you’ve said.” But I wasn’t holding my breath. I was a freak to the core, and even if the people were “down to earth,” chances were they wouldn’t be down with me.
“And now your cousins are only an hour away. Once we get more settled, we’ll have them over for dinner. They’ll understand you, even if the other kids don’t.”
She had me there. If they were “gifted” too, then maybe I could finally figure out how to have a normal life. “Sounds like a solid plan.”
“Have you eaten anything?”
I thought for a second. “Zone Bar?” I might have forgotten to eat again. When an organizational task was put in front of me, I was a girl on a mission. Puny matters like eating faded away.
“A woman cannot live on Zone Bars alone.” She gave me another squeeze before getting up. “Don’t worry so much. It’s all going to work out. Your dad and I are leaving for dinner. Date night, remember?”
I nodded. Every Sunday, rain or shine, Mom and Dad had a date. It was cute. I kind of envied them, but I had time to figure the whole boyfriend thing out. One day I’d find a way to be a regular girl with a totally awesome guy by my side.
Okay, so I’d take an average one. I’d even settle for a mediocre one at this point. The blame wasn’t on them; it was totally me. No one needed to be inside the head of a teenage boy when you’re the object of their thoughts. Because seriously, eew. Which defeated the purpose entirely.
“There are frozen pizzas in the freezer, and we’ll leave money in case you and your brother want to go somewhere. Eat. It’s an order.”
