“It's not Caleb's fault,” Tiffany said. “I just got in the middle.”
McGraw scowled. They couldn't do anything. They'd have to chalk the whole thing up to a hysterical girl thinking she saw things in a graveyard that she didn't. Two boys getting in a fight was not a police matter.
Garcia turned to Mia. “Are you sure that you saw a dead woman? Or are you willing to recant your testimony?”
“Recant?” Mia asked.
“Take it back. What you said. All of it.”
“Yeah... yes... I recant. I don't know what I saw.” She looked so helpless that I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
“I guess we'll have to be satisfied with that,” Garcia said.
“But know this: I thought I smelled a skunk, so there must be one.”
Weird, just like Morginstern. A strong breeze blew, whipping my hair and lashing my face.
Garcia pointed his pen at me. “You have my full attention, Caleb, and for the record, I don't like being played. If I find out you're a cadaver manipulator, we are lawfully bound to report that to the proper authorities. Don't let me find out you've been holding out on us.”
He rested his hand on the baton strapped to his utility belt.
McGraw smiled toothily, then his face took on an odd look of concentration. Raising his hand, he said, “Be still.”
The wind that had been so annoying stopped abruptly. Yet, about fifteen feet away, the low branches on the fir trees danced. We were in the eye of some kind of storm. McGraw was showing his juice was working as an air elemental.
Terrific.
McGraw gave us a tight smile, closed his hand into a fist, and drew it toward his body. With an audible pop, the wind rushed in to lash our faces again.
CHAPTER 14
Once the cops were gone, Tiffany turned to Mia. “You're such an ass-potato!”
Mia looked around for support. Getting none, she said, “It looked bad to me. The old, dead woman and all. I didn't know what to do!”
Bry walked up to Tiffany. “Leave it, Tiff. We all did the best we could. AFTD has been hard for you, too.”
Tiffany eyed me. “I thought I was the only one.”
“No. I just found out that I had it.” If I'd known sooner, we wouldn't have needed to be alone.
“How?”
I gestured at Gran’s grave. “It was an accident the first time. I told Carson and Brett that I could hear the dead. Actually, John did.”
“Why would you guys tell them? They're dickheads.” She caught Mom's look and hastily amended, “They're jerks to everybody.”
I nodded.
“Because I found out in biology. The frogs...” I shuddered. “Anyway, I wanted to prove that I wasn't some kind of coward for passing out.”
“Who the he—” She glanced at Mom. “Um… who the heck cares what they think?”
I shrugged. “They were being jerks, and I was tired of it. Jonesy thought it would be a good idea to show them what I had, that I wasn't a poser.”
“Does that seem like a good idea now?” she asked.
“No way.” I smiled.
Dad clapped his hands. “This is all well and good, but we need to discuss what happened, the possibilities.”
Always with the science.
Dad asked Tiffany, “Can you raise cadavers?”
“Zombies? No. Sometimes I know where murdered people are. And I can sense the dead.”
“Do you mean you can hear them like I do?” I asked.
She shivered. “No, it's not like those loud voices you hear. It's like impressions of their feelings or thoughts. I don't know. It's hard to explain.”
We shared a moment of complete understanding.
“Jade told me about that bird thing outside of gym.”
Tiffany looked confused for a second then said, “Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that. LeClerc, right? Aren't you guys going out?”
“Yeah.”
Mom said, “We need to go. We have some things to discuss.”
“Okay, but I wanna add Tiffany to my contacts before I forget.” I grabbed my pulse out of my back pocket.
I thumbed my pulse and thought, Add contact.
Tiffany walked over and laid her thumb on the pad. Her contact information appeared:
555.455.9830: Tiff Weller
“Tiff?” I asked.
“Yeah, I hate 'Tiffany'.”
“Why? Tiffany is a swell name,” Dad commented.
I gave him the lame-parent stare.
Dad said, “All right, brother, chillax!”
I shook my head. “Dad, don't try okay?”
Tiffany started picking up the scraps of her hoodie. Seeing that it was beyond repair, I took off mine and handed it to her.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. I'll get it back on Monday.”
“I don't know,” she said. “We may not test in the same building.”
That was true. It was alphabetical. Hart, Weller—probably not.
“Tuesday then?”
She shrugged.
“So I have a huge favor to ask....”
“What?” she asked with barely contained skepticism.
“Can you guys keep this thing a secret?”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah. You worried you're gonna have to go away to that special school, like Parker?”
“Yeah, like that.”
She shuddered. “I'm so glad that I don't have the effed-up corpse raising to deal with. But that was pretty cool that you raised your grandma.”
“Great-grandma.”
Tiff smirked at my correction. “Did ya know her?”
Bry rubbed his mouth. “It was pretty tight how strong she was.”
“What grade are you in?” I asked Bry.
“Sophomore.”
“What did you do on your AP Test?”
“Math science,” Bry said. “Abstractions and patterns.”
Tiff looked down at Gran’s grave.
“I've seen a raising on pulsevision, but to see it done in front of you, how we put her back and now it looks like it never happened? Weird.” She waved at Mia. “Come over here and check this out.”
“I'm not going over there.” Mia folded her arms across her chest.
Tiff sighed, “Okay, I am sorry I called you an ass-potato. You just pissed me off, bailing like that.”
She gave one of those top-shelf eye rolls. I struggled not to laugh. She was funny, tomboyish, and smart. The story Jade had told me didn't match up with the Tiff in front of me.
“What had you all emo about the bird?” I asked.
She lowered her head. “It was the first time I heard them. And the whispering… it's nothin' like what you hear, but it’s still pretty creepy.”
I nodded. I was freaked out the first time too.
The day had blown itself out and the wind was gone, leaving behind a pregnant stillness.
We said our goodbyes with assurances of secrecy then left the cemetery. Mom glanced back at Gran's grave. Her grandma was truly lost, not just to death, but with a different memory superimposed over the old.
CHAPTER 15
In the car on the way home, Dad said, “I suppose it isn't too redundant I mention the timing was less than ideal when Officers Garcia and McGraw made an appearance.”
Mom answered, “Yes, that was the worst of luck.”
“What intrigued me was they didn't ask any questions regarding what experiments I was conducting.”
“It terrifies me to think that those two are hanging around like sharks, scenting blood, waiting for any confirmation that Caleb exhibits AFTD. I mean, corpse raising.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Mom, is that the politically correct word?”
She blushed. “Cadaver manipulator.”
Dad turned to her, surprised. I wasn't, she came up with the most obscure crap on the planet.
She shrugged. “I’ve been doing some reading on the subject, what little I could find. There isn't much more written than what
John gave Caleb.”
Dad pulled the car into the garage, and the door folded down behind us. He turned off the engine, and our harnesses automatically unlocked and retracted.
Dad turned in his seat. “What you have here, Caleb, is too big to go untrained. I don't know who to trust, but we need someone to help you hone your skills.”
I barked out some laughter. The Parents startled.
“No offense, Dad, but who even knows anything? I mean, who can we trust? I know they'll send me to Kent Paranormal High, but what good will that do if I’m hiding my power? You heard Garcia.” I clenched my hands. “He said that he had to turn me in, that it’s the law.”
Dad said, “I’ve read the percentage of the student population for the paranormals in the high school you'll be attending. There will be others like you, and they have a trained AFTD teacher to help you gain a measure of control. They have detailed literature—”
I broke in. “How does that help me? I mean, if I can't tell anyone what I can do?”
“Knowledge is power, Caleb. Just learning some practical application can speed the process of discipline and control.” He sighed. “The officers… is another matter entirely.”
Dad parked the car in the garage and we got out.
Walking into the house I was struck by how odd it seemed. The parents stood completely still, the fine hairs on my body rising like static electricity gone berserk.
Dad turned his face to mine, his eyes too wide in their sockets, wild, and shook his head, no noise.
I nodded my understanding.
Stepping into the living room, I noticed everything was overturned and messy. I froze, and so did Mom.
Dad grabbed the baseball bat to the left of the door and held it tightly in his left hand, his knuckles showing white in a bloodless grip, keeping it close and slightly behind his body.
He coasted along, his butt to the wall. He rounded the corner, his body blocking our line of sight, and the living room came into view.
We should have worried about intruders but the room was in such disarray we were stopped in our tracks.
My eyes roamed the mess, some things destroyed. All Mom's indoor plants drooped like sad streamers from a party, discarded.
Mom started to rush forward, but Dad blocked her with an arm.
“No Ali, it's not safe,” he said.
Mom's hands were wrapped around Dad's forearm, which was still barring her way. He looked into her eyes, big as fifty-cent pieces, and she straightened, silently letting go of his arm.
Dad's briefcase and papers were strewn about like confetti. His pulse-top was open, the blue screen of death staring blankly, a winking eye that never closed.
Dad's mouth tightened into a hard line.
“Wait here,” he said, walking off down the hallway.
Mom and I stood together while Dad cruised the house, searching for the A-holes that had violated us. What could I do to protect Mom? Five minutes later—the longest five minutes of my life—Dad came back, face grim.
“They're not here, but we're not staying here tonight.”
“We'll have to pulse the police.” Mom walked over to the Fam-pulse.
“Wait! What if Garcia comes?” I asked.
“Yes, most interesting,” Dad said, and Mom harrumphed at that. “What I mean is, we have done nothing wrong. We are the ones in danger, not the people hiding things or perpetuating crimes.”
“Smart,” Mom said.
Dad nodded at Mom, and she hit the touch pad.
I walked over and watched the screen over her shoulder.
911 Dispatch: 911, your emergency?
Alicia Hart: My house has been vandalized.
911 Dispatch: Your address is 26503 Kensington Heights. Is this accurate?
Alicia Hart: Yes.
911 Dispatch: Our sensors do not indicate bodily damage. Is there need for an ambulance at your dwelling?
Alicia Hart: No.
911 Dispatch: Police response will arrive momentarily.
Please stay on your pulse-phone in case intruders re-enter dwelling.
Mom rolled her eyes. She hated all the automation.
Alicia Hart: Connected.
That would allow her to move around.
Dad still held the bat. I mentioned that he should probably put it away. He looked down at it blankly, as if he’d forgotten about it, then nodded and put it back in the garage.
Then it struck me. My room.
Racing up my coffin step staircase I flung open the door, heaving a big sigh of relief. Everything looked exactly as it normally did.
Dad and Mom came up behind me, staring at my room.
Dad made a gasping noise, like a fish out of water. His eyes moved from one mess to the next, like a frog leaping from lily pad to lily pad, “Is this normal?”
I nodded vigorously, relieved. “Yeah, it doesn't look like they made it this far.”
Dad had a spacey, dazed expression. He looked at Mom. “He really... his room...”
Mom said, “Yes, honey. I told you he never listens about cleaning.”
“I thought you were just...”
I helpfully added, “Ranting?”
Mom squinted at me. “Watch it, pal.”
My pillowcase lay in a tightly wadded ball in the corner of the bed with the bare pillow bunched up next to it. Clothes covered the floor. My desk stood at the end of the room where the ceiling and eave junction met. A precariously balanced mess of candy wrappers, pizza boxes, and neatly crushed soda pop cans obscured the top. My dirty clothes hamper was a great holder for anything that was not actual trash or laundry.
Dad looked an unspoken question to Mom. “Yep, he's ours.”
He shook his head again, walking out of my room and downstairs without word.
“What's the matter with Dad?”
“He's had a shock, honey.”
“Yeah, the losers that wrecked our house.”
“Well, I think it's a toss-up between what happened in our house and him discovering that your room looks like it was ransacked.”
I didn't get it. “But my room wasn't messed with.”
“I think that may be the shock, that this is the normal state of your room.”
Huh. Parents.
I heard the pulse-chime. The cops had arrived.
Show time.
I went downstairs, and two new cops stood in our foyer. They had their guns out and pointed upward. That one thing made me more nervous than anything could.
When Mom and I appeared, they turned, guns at the ready.
Dad said, “Whoa, guys. It's just my family.”
The tiny woman cop looked reluctant to lower her weapon. In a husky voice that didn't match her body, she said, “Sir, we need to secure the house.”
“Of course, go ahead,” Dad replied.
She of the small build and tough attitude gave a curt nod. Her gaze lingered on me for a second, then she and her partner went down the hall, guns drawn.
We watched them as they disappeared and reappeared around corners, exploring every part of the house. A few minutes later, they returned to stand in front of us. An awkward silence ensued.
Dad nodded toward the male officer. “So Ali and Caleb, this is Officer Ward.”
“Chuck,” he corrected with a wink.
Dad gestured at the woman. “And Officer Roberta Gale.”
Officer Gale stepped toward me.
She smiled, but not like she meant it.
“What are you?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Then she let me have it, but it was nothing like it had been with Tiff. With Gale, it was a soft breeze, a gentle thing, as if someone took my heart and squeezed it until it burst through her fingers. The breath left my body, and I sagged to my knees, sucker punched.
Mom screamed, “Caleb!”
She reached out to grab me.
I held out my hand, warding her off.
With Gale’s extra creepy still running through me,
I reached down where that special power always lay and prayed for enough to deal with it.
The power rose to my call, a life force welling up and pouring out of my body like a vessel. I visualized a spear and aimed it at tough chick Gale. I’d never used my power like that, but she'd hurt me, and I was in defense mode.
She flew back as if shoved by an invisible hand and slammed against the wall. A high-pitched whistle escaped in a rush, leaving her mouth opening and closing seeking air that wouldn't come.
Chuck pulled his gun and aimed at me. Keeping his eyes on me, he said out of the side of his mouth, “Bobbi, what's this about? Tell me right now, so I don't have to hold my gun on a teenager. I hate this paranormal crap,” he muttered.
Officer Gale wasn't talking just then, thank you very much. But her eyes were on my face, her hands pressed to her chest, as if I had shot her. We kept serious eye contact and finally she spoke.
“He's AFTD,” she gasped out.
“Didn't I say I hate that paranormal crap?”
Dad's helped me to my feet. My parents stared at Officer Gale as if she were an alien.
“Put the gun away,” Gale told her partner. “It was a test.”
“Great,” Ward said as he holstered his weapon. “Think you could warn me next time?”
The tension eased down a notch.
“I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. It was what I was trained to do when I encounter another paranormal, an AFTD paranormal in particular.”
“What, suck the life out of me?” I asked with a touch more sarcasm than I intended.
She lowered her eyes. “I wasn't expecting it to be quite like this.”
“How’d you know about me?” I asked.
“It's hard to explain, but it's like when you know someone is American.”
I nodded, there were so many foreigners living in the U.S. that it was getting harder to identify, but I knew what she meant. There was a look, an arrangement of features. I knew it when I saw it.
“Or it's similar to a scent in the air.” She bowed her head for a second. “Or a taste. But you… I haven't encountered that before.”
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