The guy was exactly how he looked in the dream. Sandy blond hair. Beautiful blue eyes. Tan skin. Muscles. I could feel myself blushing just looking at him.
The guy felt me staring and looked up. His eyes locked on mine. I didn’t look away. I couldn’t stop staring at him. It seemed that he, too, felt some type of familiarity. The feeling seemed to take him by surprise because he dropped his fork, making a loud ding sound on the plate.
The sound startled Jack and he looked up. Angie broke the tension. She grabbed my arm and shook it.
“Brittany. Don’t stare. It’s rude. Besides, you know Erik, don’t you? He’s just a year or so older than you. He went to your school for cryin’ out loud. Wasn’t that long ago he graduated. Teenagers. Never could understand them. Even when I was one.” Angie laughed, looking over at Jack.
“Nice to see you, Brittany.” Jack held his hand out toward me but the look on his face showed that he didn’t believe I was Brittany.
“Yes, nice to meet, I mean, see you, too.” I shook his hand, then looked back at the guy I now knew as Erik.
Erik seemed confused. I could tell his mind was trying to figure out if I really was this Brittany girl from his high school. “You’re a cheerleader, right?”
“Um, yeah, that’s right.” I played along, but I could feel both Erik and Jack questioning my words.
Before Erik could continue, Angie started pulling me out the door. “Well, I gotta get her back to school. Enjoy your food there boys and I’ll be back real quick.” Angie grabbed me closer so she could whisper. “Brittany, stop that. What’d I tell you ’bout starin’?”
But I couldn’t stop looking back at Erik. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay with him. And I didn’t know why.
Angie had an old red pickup truck behind the diner. When we got in, she started lecturing me. “Why do you got to go starin’ at boys like that? Lord knows that boy is a looker—heck, if I weren’t so old, I might—” she stopped herself. “At any rate, it ain’t good manners to stare. And you ain’t gonna get anywhere in life by bein’ boy crazy. Boys are trouble, Brittany. Pretty girl like you gets sucked in by their charm. And soon enough you’re pregnant, droppin’ out of high school, and stuck in this old town to die.”
I let Angie talk, nodding now and then to make her think I was listening. But all I could think about was this guy, Erik. I had to know who he was. Finally, I interrupted Angie, after not hearing a word she had said. “I don’t really remember Erik from school. Are you sure he went there?”
“What are you talkin’ about him for? Did you even hear a word I said? I swear, I think there’s somethin’ wrong with the brain at your age.”
“I just wondered how old he is, where he lives.”
Angie shook her head, giving up on talking sense into me. “I suppose he’s around 19, maybe 20. Jack and him live way outside of town. A farm somewhere off a dirt road. I don’t know exactly where. They don’t come into town much. Fact, I was surprised to see ’em today. Haven’t seen ’em in the diner for months.”
The high school was just a few miles out of town. Angie pulled into a side parking lot. It must have been a lunch break because people were sitting outside at tables—a sight you’d never see at a Minnesota school in January.
“I don’t wanna see you skippin’ class again, Brittany,” Angie said, waving me out of the car. “You get your butt in that school, you hear me? Or I swear, I’m tellin’ your mom. She’s doin’ my nails when I get off work today. You know how us ladies get loose lips when we’re at the salon.”
I nodded, then got out of the truck. “And brush your hair, girl,” Angie yelled out the window as she drove away.
I made sure she was out of viewing distance. Then I ran over to a row of thick bushes away from the lunch tables and ducked down so people couldn’t see me. The scene wasn’t that different from my old school. The jocks were gathered together at what appeared to be the best tables, hidden under some shade trees that shielded them from the hot sun. The cheerleaders were nestled among them, some sitting on the tables to show off their short skirts.
The next tables had the wanna-bes who listened to and watched whatever was going on at the jocks’ and cheerleaders’ section. After that was the quiet group, who minded their own business, wishing high school would just end already.
Erik said I was a cheerleader, I thought. I looked back over at the group of cheerleaders. None of them were eating. A few had cans of diet soda, but most of them were busy applying lip gloss, whispering to each other, or messing with their hair. I wondered if I should go over there and pretend to be this “Brittany” person.
“Hey, Brittany.” A guy pulled up in an old red mustang convertible. “Brittany!” He continued to call out the name as he got out of the car. Everyone looked at him. Oohs and ahhs started coming from the crowd.
“Oh my God, Brittany. That car is so hot,” I heard one cheerleader say to another girl. I looked closer to see that the girl looked a little like me. The guy from the car went up to the girl and picked her up, planting his lips on hers.
“Hey, babe. So what do you think? Sweet car, right? Let’s go for a ride and then maybe . . .” He put her down and slapped her backside.
She laughed and ran over to the car, closer to where I was hiding. From there, I could see her face better. She didn’t just look a little like me. She looked almost exactly like me, except for the overdone makeup. She had dark hair just like mine but she straightened it so it was smooth and shiny, which explained Angie’s comments about my hair. She had my eyes, too, and we seemed to be the same height.
“I love it Blake! This car is awesome!” Brittany jumped into the front seat, then looked up at her boyfriend who was about six two and all muscle. Had to be a football player—which was top dog at any high school, but especially in Texas, where football ruled. “I can’t go for a ride until after school, Blake. You know if I miss one more class they’re kickin’ me out. And then I won’t graduate.”
“Damn you, Brittany! Why you gotta be like that?” Blake went from excited to enraged in a second. He got into the driver’s seat and yelled at Brittany looking like he was about to explode. “Get out! Now!”
“But, Blake . . .” She gave him the whiny voice and sad eyes. Blake leaned over her and pushed the passenger side door open. He put his huge hand on Brittany’s arm and shoved her out, spilling her onto the dusty parking lot. One of the blond cheerleaders ran over and helped Brittany get up.
“Blake, don’t push her like that,” the cheerleader said as she pulled Brittany away from the car.
Blake ignored the two girls and turned toward the other cheerleaders. “Amber, you wanna ride in my new car?”
A girl with a very dark tan and very long, blond hair pushed her way through the other cheerleaders to the car. She leaned down over Blake, greeting him with her cleavage. “Sure, baby. Love to.”
Amber sauntered over to the passenger side and got in. Blake revved the engine, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on Amber’s bare leg, as her short skirt barely covered anything.
The two of them peeled out of the parking lot, leaving a trail of dust in the air.
“Bitch,” Brittany said, crossing her arms and watching them speed away. A red-headed cheerleader had joined the blond cheerleader to help console Brittany.
“I should have gone with him,” Brittany said. “Who cares about school. What’s it gonna do for me anyway? I’ll be a hairdresser like my mom. Stuck in this stupid town. I don’t need school for that. I need Blake. He’s my only hope outta here, ya know? That football scholarship is gonna take him places.”
“Britt, he’s just mad. He’ll get over it. You know he loves you.” The blond girl tried to sound convincing.
“Yeah, well he’s gonna love Amber in about 10 minutes,” Brittany replied. The girls said nothing, knowing it was true.
“He’s taking you to prom, right? So he’s gotta love you. He doesn’t care about Amber,” the red-haired girl chi
med in, trying to sound hopeful.
“That’s like months from now. He’ll probably change his mind by then.” Brittany looked like she might cry.
“Britt, don’t say stuff like that. You’re head cheerleader. He’s quarterback of the football team. You have to go together.”
The red-haired cheerleader gave the blond cheerleader an annoyed look. “What she means is that even if you weren’t head cheerleader, he would still go with you because you’re meant to be together. You’re soulmates.”
The statement seemed to cheer Brittany up. A bell rang and the girls started to head toward the school. A wanna-be girl ran to catch up with Brittany. “You left your algebra book. Here, I got it for you.”
Brittany turned to look at the girl, who was about 50 pounds overweight and struggling with acne. “God, get away from me. And don’t touch my stuff.” She grabbed the book from the girl and turned back to her friends. “Why do some people have to be so ugly?” she said loud enough for the wanna-be girl to overhear.
“So they can stare at us and have something to aspire to,” the blond cheerleader responded, laughing as she let the school door slam in the wanna-be’s face.
I felt like I was back in high school. So much had happened since my last day of school that I hadn’t even given it a thought. But now, here I was—different high school but the same characters, same scenes.
After everyone had filed into the school, I sat down under a giant shade tree trying to understand what I had just witnessed. Who was this Brittany girl and why did she look almost exactly like me? My parents didn’t have any siblings, so Brittany couldn’t be a cousin. I wondered if the whole thing was a coincidence. Lots of people look similar. Maybe I simply happened to run into the person who looked just like me.
I was deep in thought when I heard a voice nearby. “Hey, there. Brittany, right?” It was Erik, the boy from the diner. The boy from my dream.
I stood up, startled to see him. “What are you doing here? I thought you graduated.” I felt excited and a little nervous seeing him again.
“Yeah. I graduated last year.”
“I’ll be 18 in a few weeks,” I said, not sure why I was telling him my age. I felt my cheeks turning red.
Erik laughed. “Um, okay. So don’t you need to get to class?”
“Oh, um, no. Not just yet.” I couldn’t stop staring at this guy. Images from my dream were flooding my head. Just seeing him again was making my heart beat faster.
“You seem nervous. Are you okay?” He smiled and gently touched my arm. The instant his hand hit my skin, I felt a jolt of energy go through me. He must have felt it too because he quickly backed away.
“Sorry about that. The air must be dry. Static shock, you know,” Erik said, trying to break the tension. “Here, I feel bad about that. Let’s try this again. Hi, I’m Erik.” He stretched his hand out. I went to accept his handshake, but when our hands met, we each felt another jolt of energy. It wasn’t as jarring that time, but more of a synchronized energy flow from him to me and back. It was like nothing I had felt before.
We looked at each other unable to speak.
“Erik, I think the truck is fixed now. We can get going.” I heard Jack’s voice behind me. “Anything wrong, Erik?” Jack’s question seemed to have some hidden meaning.
“No. I just saw Brittany here and thought I’d say hello.” Erik said “Brittany” in a strange tone.
Jack picked up on the change in tone. “And did you learn anything new about Brittany? Seems like you didn’t quite remember her from school.”
I didn’t like the way the two of them were talking in some type of secret code. Something was up with them. I looked around to see nothing but farmland. If I was in danger, my only way to get away from them would be to run to the school. I was sure they would catch me, but I decided to try. As I turned to run, Jack grabbed my arm and jabbed it with something. Within seconds, I was lightheaded and then everything went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Erik
I woke up feeling weak and groggy. For a minute, I was sure I was back at GlobalLife. I was so used to being drugged there that waking up weak and groggy had become the norm. But I didn’t have that overwhelming feeling of fear and panic that I had at GlobalLife. Instead, I felt somewhat at peace. I thought I might be dead. But then I heard voices.
Footsteps seemed to be approaching. My vision was too blurry to make out who owned them. The footsteps stopped and someone sat next to me. “Hey, there,” a voice whispered. “Are you awake?”
I felt a hand rest on mine and could feel my body slowly warming, like someone had placed a blanket over me. I wasn’t sure who this was but I wasn’t afraid.
“How do you feel? Can you hear me?” The voice talked softly now and I seemed to recognize it.
I opened my eyes, but even the dim light seemed bright. “Who’s there? Who is that?” I said, my voice hoarse from the drugs.
“It’s Erik. We met at the diner. Do you remember?”
The scene at the school yard came rushing back to me. Erik approaching, Jack walking up, and then the needle. I tried to pull my hand away, but Erik held it firmly in his.
“I know. I’m sorry about that—that whole thing at the school. I can explain later. Now you need to let me know how you feel.”
“What is this? Why am I here?” I asked, still feeling like I was half asleep.
More footsteps entered the room. “I think she’s slept most of it off,” I heard Erik say to whoever walked in.
I felt Erik’s other hand on my arm and then felt a prick from a needle. Soon I could feel the grogginess go away and the strength in my muscles return. I opened my eyes and could see normally.
Erik was sitting at my side, still holding my hand. “Ready to get up now?” His smile was so warm and kind that the anger I had prepared to unleash on him was quickly disarmed.
Jack stood behind him, arms crossed, studying my every move.
“Amazing,” he said. “But I can’t quite understand it.”
Erik shot him a glance of annoyance.
“Um, yes. Well, let’s get started then, shall we?” Jack said, sitting on a chair at the end of my bed.
Erik sighed, disappointed in how the old man was handling things. He turned back to me. “I know it may not seem like it, but we’re actually trying to help you.”
I gave him the look that I had heard that line before.
“Sure. You don’t believe me,” he continued. “I wouldn’t believe me either. Someone drugs me and I wake up in some strange place, I’d be pretty pissed.” He flashed a slight smile.
“But here’s the deal. We have a lot of stuff to tell you. And we’d like you to tell us some stuff, too,” he paused, sensing my hesitation, “if, and only if, you want to. Okay?” He waited for me to shake my head yes.
“I’ll start with the basics.” Erik let go of my hand and sat in the chair next to my bed. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m a little like you.” I glanced over at him, unsure of what he was trying to tell me. “You see what I mean? Not everyone can do this.”
I looked at him confused. Not do what? I thought. This guy is cute but not at all good at explaining things in clear and simple terms.
“So you think I’m cute, huh?” I looked up to see him smiling. “And by the way, I think my explanation is very clear. You just need to pay attention.”
“I AM paying attention!” I said loudly. And then it hit me. My voice had filled what had been a silent room. Nobody had spoken for at least a minute. Erik hadn’t said anything. And yet we were having a conversation. A two-way conversation—without spoken words. He could read thoughts! That’s why he said we were alike.
“Finally you understand that, so let’s—” Erik continued, this time out loud.
“Wait a minute. So you could hear my thoughts and I could hear yours? What about him?” I looked over at Jack, who seemed to be deep in thought, staring at the floor.
“My dad? I mean,
Jack? He heard nothing. Well, nothing but his own thoughts.” Erik looked over at Jack. “He’s somewhat of a genius. He kind of lives in his own head solving equations, coming up with new theories.” He turned back to me. “So what do you think? Pretty cool to meet someone who can think back at you, right? At least I thought it was. I thought I was the only one.”
“But how did you know?” I still couldn’t believe any of this.
“I wasn’t 100% sure until just now. At the diner, it was more of a feeling. I could hear your thoughts and I could sense that you had some abilities, like I have. Then I felt something else. A connection to you. A strong connection. It was strange. I felt it again when I saw you at the school. I wanted to ask you about it because I could sense you felt it, too. But then I heard your thoughts—that you were planning to run—and that’s when I gave the signal to Jack. We had to get you here, where we could talk, in private.”
“What did you give me?”
“Just something to make you sleep and relax your muscles. You’ve only been asleep a couple hours. Can I ask your name? I know it’s not Brittany.”
I can’t tell him my real name, I thought. I can’t trust him.
“You can trust me. Well, both of us.” He looked over at Jack, who was focused on me again.
“We’re not going to harm you,” Jack assured me. “In fact, Erik was more worried about you harming us. He could sense that you’re very strong, maybe even more so than him.”
Erik looked embarrassed. “Let’s not go that far, Dad.”
“So he’s your dad?” I asked, seeing no resemblance.
“It’s a long story,” Erik said looking at Jack. “He’s the only dad I know, even if we’re not biologically related. So how about that name?”
“I can’t tell you. I need to know more. Like where are we?” I looked around and saw what looked like a basement. There were no windows, but it wasn’t like my room at GlobalLife. The place looked like a house. I was in a normal-looking bedroom. The other room I could see appeared to be a living room with a sofa and television.
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