by Kat Stiles
He grabbed hold of my hand. “It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”
“So now that we know it’s today, you can call your mother and warn her,” Roz said.
“Yeah, tell her not to come home tonight,” Tommy said.
I looked at them both as if they were insane. “Apparently the two of you don’t understand the relationship I have with my mother.”
“This is an emergency,” Roz said. “She has to believe you.”
“The woman doesn’t listen to me,” I said. “I’m not sure she listens to anyone.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t go home,” Tommy said. “If you don’t go home, then it can’t happen, right?”
“So I let the doctor kill her instead?”
Roz scratched her head. “Didn’t you say the doctor didn’t affect her?”
“Yeah, last time. But I don’t know if it’s always true. I’m not sure what he’s going to try.” I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath. “No, I have to go. I may need to heal her.”
“Who’s going to heal you?” Roz’s shoulders slumped. “Tell me that.”
“We won’t let him—” Tommy said.
“I’m sorry, Tommy, but we don’t know for sure,” Roz said. “We’ve never been able to stop him before.” She sighed, but then suddenly smiled. “I know! Let’s have Judy go instead.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Tommy said.
I shook my head. “She’s already gone. On a trip with Adam.”
“I’m really worried,” Roz said, her voice teetering on the verge of tears. “I mean, we couldn’t even stop Adam, and it’s not like he was even trying to hurt anyone.”
My heart sank. Could she be right? Was I going to die?
“Roz, shut up,” Tommy yelled. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll get there early, before her mother gets home. Demetri can drive us.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. She reached across the table and took hold of my hands. “I don’t want to lose you, Em.”
“Damn it, Roz, we’re not going to lose her,” Tommy said, in a softer tone, though he was still clearly annoyed. “Don’t be upset. We won’t let it happen. We’ll stop him… We’ll protect her.”
She nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.
I couldn’t find my voice to speak, though I had nothing to say. Tommy pulled me into him again, guiding my head to rest against his chest. He tried to console me, repeating over and over it would be all right, all the while stroking my hair.
But it was all a front. I could feel his anxiety, and coupled with the fear from Roz, I wasn’t the only one who doubted I would survive the day.
* * * *
The afternoon was a joke. My teachers couldn’t understand why I didn’t pay attention in class, and of course I didn’t even try to explain. One of them almost sent me to the principal’s office, which I think I avoided by my pathetic expression, the please-take-pity-on-me-I’m-going-to-die look you so rarely get to genuinely wear. Hard to care about earthworm reproduction when you’re on the brink of death.
After school, we all met by my locker and walked out together. It occurred to me Demetri’s truck didn’t have a backseat.
“How are we all going to fit?”
“I was thinking you could sit on my lap, Em.”
Tommy’s innocent expression was adorable I smiled in spite of my nervousness.
He assisted Roz into the truck and introduced her to Demetri. Then he got in, and I situated myself on his lap, turning into him. His face was pure happiness when he wrapped his arms around me.
“Can you drop us off at Em’s house?” he asked Demetri.
“Sure, no problem.”
The tension rose in all three of us, the closer we got to my house. My mother’s car was parked in the driveway.
“Oh no, she’s already home.”
As soon as the truck slowed to a stop, Tommy flung open the door and we piled out, sprinting towards the house. Demetri asked if everything was okay, and I think Tommy answered him, but I wasn’t sure. I stumbled inside and found the doctor was already there.
He stood near my mother, sweat dripping down his face.
“Mom, are you all right?” I bumped into the end table on my way over to her and knocked the cordless phone off its base.
“Yes, I’m fine.” She motioned to Tommy and Roz. “What are they—”
I screamed, staggering to the floor at the pain that surfaced inside. Grasping my head, the heat instantly flowed. I looked at the doctor, terrified.
Roz ran over to me and knelt down at my side.
“It’s rude to interrupt a session, Emily.” A sick grin formed on the doctor’s lips a second before Tommy’s fist landed and wiped it off his smug face.
“Stay out of her head,” Tommy yelled.
The doctor stumbled back but recovered before he fell. “I see you brought your friends.” He grinned once more, staring at Tommy. The pressure resurged in my head as I experienced the probe’s effects secondhand.
Tommy backed off the doctor, squinting in pain.
My mother’s eyes grew large. “Dr. Hayes, I… I think you need to leave now.” She grabbed his elbow to motion him along.
He yanked his arm back from her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion. The doctor drew back his fist, and I knew his intention, but I couldn’t get there in time. “Noooo!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, but the outburst did little to stop the assault.
My mother lay motionless on the floor. I made my way to her side, kneeling down next to her.
“I know you felt that, Anne,” the doctor said.
“You’re an animal,” I whispered. I rested my hands on her head. Why can’t I feel any heat? She was unconscious, but she was still breathing. And her body continued to resist my attempt to heal it.
Tommy surprised the doctor with a punch square on his jaw. He was about to lay in another strike, but then he stopped, clenching his head.
The doctor wiped the blood from his busted lip and turned to Tommy. “I’m so going to enjoy hurting you.”
The probe intensified, the pain washing over me in waves as the doctor focused on Tommy. I knew he was in trouble when he cried out. He stumbled backwards and lost his footing. The doctor’s journal tumbled to the floor.
He snatched the book up. “So you’re the ones who broke into my office!” After a brief inspection, he smiled, tucking the journal neatly inside his jacket. “This next entry will mark my greatest achievement yet. Four weak minds… succumbing to my power…” The doctor closed his eyes and let out a satisfied groan, shuddering.
The pain amplified as Tommy cowered lower, still holding his head. I reluctantly left my mother and hurried over to his side, right when Roz lunged at the doctor.
I placed my hands on Tommy’s head but kept my eyes fixed on the doctor, watching his every move. He grabbed Roz’s arms to halt her ineffective attack and then stared into her eyes.
I winced at the pain Roz experienced, its intensity building every second. If I didn’t stop the doctor soon, the pain all three of us were experiencing would kill me.
Tommy stirred, his body feeding off the healing energy. I didn’t want to leave him, but I had to stop the doctor from hurting Roz.
I stood and faced him, my legs wobbly. “Leave them alone. It’s me you want, isn’t it?”
He let go of Roz’s arms, and she fell to the floor, curling herself into a tight little ball. His cold eyes turned to me. “Actually, I came for your mother. I can’t get inside her. I thought if I … incapacitated her, I could get in.”
He attempted to probe my mother again. Still I couldn’t feel any of her pain, and from her lack of movement, I didn’t think she felt anything either.
I stepped in front of her, positioning myself between her and the doctor. “I won’t let you hurt her.”
“What are you going to do?” He laughed maniacally, the kind of evil laughter from old horror movies.
“You’re just a girl. You don’t really think you can stop me, do you?”
The doctor tossed me aside effortlessly. I hit the adjacent wall hard and then slumped down to the floor. My head throbbed at the impact and the lingering pain of the probes.
He knelt down by my mother’s side. “Anne, you need to let me in,” he cooed in a sickly sweet voice. Cradling her head in his hands, he stared at her. My mother’s eyes flickered open.
“What are you—” she said.
“Shh. Relax, Anne. I’ll take care of you.”
She fainted, her head going limp in his hands. Did he get through? Was he hurting her?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tommy and Roz moving slowly, still trying to recover. I felt the doctor’s frustration, in what I hoped was his inability to penetrate my mother’s mind.
“Get away from her,” I said, barely above a whisper.
“It’s not working,” he concluded with a sigh, dropping her head to the ground. He directed his sinister glare at me. “Not what I intended, but you’ll do nicely.”
My heart raced out of control at those words. I knew what would happen next. My stomach sank as he walked over to me, grabbed me firmly by the shoulders, and began the probe. The pain was like nothing I’d ever experienced. It became so intense it stopped hurting. And right when my vision started to fail, I had another moment of clarity.
I was able to neutralize Scott’s power by healing him. Maybe the doctor could be healed, too.
“He’s not…dead,” the doctor whispered, his lip quivering.
I didn’t have time to ponder the outburst. His hands released me, and I fell to the ground. For a second, I thought I was dead. But the pounding in my chest reminded me I was still alive. Tommy was nearby—he must’ve knocked the doctor off his feet.
The doctor refocused his attention on Tommy. The pain came flooding back in an instant, more acute than ever. Tommy let out a stifled cry, followed by silence.
What happened? I can’t feel his pain anymore. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Roz kicking the doctor.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said in a menacing growl, right before he probed her again. Her scream echoed off the walls, her knees buckled, and she toppled to the floor. The doctor kneeled down next to her, gently stroking her hair. “What secrets are you hiding, pretty one?”
My head was on the verge of exploding, and I pictured brain matter splattering everywhere, like in Scanners. The pain was a steady throbbing, exacerbated by each beat of my heart. But I knew what I had to do. I looked around the room frantically, searching for anything I could use as a weapon. On the end table, the cordless phone lay on its side. Crawling over to it, I pawed at the tabletop until I finally grasped the phone. Still distracted with Roz, the doctor didn’t hear me approach. I swung down at his head and he fell over, unconscious.
I positioned myself next to him and placed my hands on his head. His head was on fire. It actually hurt to leave my hands there, but it was the only shot I had. If I had a chance, even a remote possibility of neutralizing his ability, I had to take it, no matter how painful it was.
I waited for the heat to subside before I lifted my hands. Then the doctor opened his eyes and sat up.
“What the… what are you doing?” he mumbled.
Did it work? Could he still hurt us? Guess there’s one way to find out.
“Stopping you,” I said. “Can you imagine? A girl.”
The doctor grunted in disbelief. He scrambled around to face me, still woozy from the healing. An evil grin appeared.
He focused on me. I held my breath, bracing myself for the pain. But it never came. I sighed in relief, and then smiled at him. “You’re finished.”
“What are you talking about?” He attempted the probe again.
“It’s over.”
Roz stirred quietly, still recovering. But Tommy lay motionless.
I crawled over to him and shook him. “Tommy, wake up.” He didn’t respond. My heart sank when his chest didn’t rise. No, this can’t be happening.
Gathering him on my lap, I placed my hands on his chest. The warmth that usually comforted me was absent. He felt cold. Too cold. “No!” I screamed. A lump formed in my throat. I can’t lose you. Not now.
I propped him up against me, wrapping my arms around him. “Tommy, I need you,” I sobbed. “Come back to me.”
Still no movement. I gripped his body tighter. “I…I love you.”
In a flash, the heat surged through my entire body, exiting out through my hands and entering him with a jolt. He gasped, his lungs filling with air once more. His body started to feed, the energy healing me as it traveled through to him. In a matter of minutes, his gorgeous eyes opened and stared into mine.
“Hey, beautiful.” The words had no sooner left his lips than that warm smile appeared.
I cried again, this time in happiness. “Thought I’d lost you.”
“Can’t resist that heat. Still feel it.”
I felt such an overwhelming affection from him. Or maybe it was my affection for him—I was so overjoyed I couldn’t tell anymore. Unable to resist any longer, I leaned down and kissed him.
“I heard you say something, when I was out.” He tilted his head to the side. “Maybe it was a dream.”
“No, that was real.” I stroked his hair. “I love you.”
“Really?” He propped himself up to my level, his eyes suddenly alive.
“Really.” I kissed him again, slower this time. “I really love you,” I whispered.
He grinned. “It’s about time, beautiful.”
Chapter Nineteen
My mother groaned from across the room. I joined her and touched her head. Still no heat.
“Emily, is that you?”
“Yeah, Mom, I’m right here.”
While her eyes were still closed, I positioned my hands directly above the bruise on her face. The temperature should’ve been substantial, if not from her body, then at least from my hands. Instead, it was the same coldness that was always there. Her eyes began to flicker open. I retracted my hands.
She took her time sitting up, still dazed. “What’s going on?”
Before I had a chance to answer, a shout sounded from behind me.
“Get your creepy hands off me.”
I smiled at the sound of Roz’s voice. The doctor retreated from her, cursing under his breath. From the injury he inflicted on my mother, he was dangerous, powers or not. Roz tried to get up, but stumbled and fell again. I ran over to her, and Tommy joined us, never taking his attention off the doctor.
“What happened?” the doctor said.
“I stopped you, remember?” I placed my hands on Roz’s head. She let out a deep exhale as the heat started to flow.
The doctor glared at me. I could tell he was trying to use his power again.
“What did you do to me?”
I simply smirked by way of response.
“You little bitch.” With a start, the doctor lunged at me.
I flinched, but Tommy cut him off before he reached me, his knee making full contact with the doctor’s head. The doctor fell backwards and landed with a thud on the floor.
“Stay down,” Tommy yelled. “Or I will hurt you.”
The doctor grumbled, but didn’t move.
The heat subsided from Roz’s head. “You’re still alive.” She smiled. “Did we win?”
“Yeah, we won.” I couldn’t help but smile back.
“The doctor… he tried to hurt us, didn’t he?” my mother said. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Tommy protected me,” I said. “As always.”
To my surprise, a flicker of a smile appeared on her face. “I noticed.”
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I’m a little sore.” She touched the bruise under her eye and winced. “But I’ll be all right. Did you call the police?”
“There wasn’t any time.”
She glanced at the en
d table. “Where’s the phone?”
I grabbed it from the floor a few feet away and passed it to her. “Pretty handy weapon.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “I’m not going to ask…”
The doctor stood. For a second, it looked like he might try to make a run for it.
Tommy moved next to him. “Chill. Your ride is on the way.”
The doctor narrowed his eyes at Tommy—I imagined as a last ditch effort to see if there was any of his ability left.
I laughed. “Still not working?”
He sat back down, grumbling again.
My mother hung up the phone and turned to me. “Emily, can I talk to you a second?”
I followed her into the dining room, where I’m sure she thought we would be out of earshot of the others.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I was wrong about Tommy. You’re free to see him.”
“Seriously?” I gave her a big hug. “Thank you.”
I returned to the living room and found Tommy grinning.
“And I thought the day couldn’t get any better,” he said.
“I’m so happy you’re alive!” Roz hugged me. “You were right, Tommy. We did stop it.”
“Yeah,” he said. “We make a good team.”
The police arrived and the doctor immediately rose. “Thank God you’re here.”
My forehead wrinkled. What is he up to?
The doctor pointed out my mother and me. “These are my patients. I came here for a private session, and this boy attacked me.” He grabbed Tommy by the shirt. Tommy shoved him off, and the policeman sighed.
“W-What?” was the only word I managed to produce.
“Well, actually, he’s got it backwards,” my mother began, but the doctor interrupted.
“Anne, we talked about this. Your delusional fantasies have nothing to do with reality.”
The policeman taking notes paused. “But you made the call to 911, didn’t you, ma’am?”
My mother was busy glaring at the doctor, so it apparently took a second for the question to reach her brain. “Yes, that’s right. I made the call because the doctor assaulted us.”
“Of course she made the call,” the doctor said. “She thought I was threatening her life when I was merely trying to heal her fractured psyche.”