by West, Tara
Mother shook her head. “Neither of you will be playing sports for a while.”
I closed my eyes again, but it did little to stop the hot tears streaming down my face. I was the only sophomore on the varsity squad. A starter, too. And now, my dreams had been crushed because of my brother’s stupid driving. Because we ran a red light and we were hit.
Another car!
“The other car,” I asked her as fear gripped my extremities like a vice. I’d never forgive myself if the other driver had been killed. After all, this whole accident was my fault. I should have seen it coming.
“You mean delivery truck,” she stated with emotion in her strained voice. “The driver suffered minor injuries. He actually gave you first aid while they waited for the paramedics.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. Slowly, as my aching side couldn’t withstand any sudden movements.
“It hurts to breathe and my head is pounding,” I rasped.
“You have broken ribs and a concussion.”
That’s serious. Why didn’t I see this coming?
Though I dreaded her answer, I had to know. “Am I losing my powers?”
“I don’t think so,” my mother answered before squeezing my hand. “But they are changing.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I don’t know yet. But Aunt Bertrice is here. She can help us.”
Aunt Bertrice? I remembered hearing about my mother’s aunt, her grandmother’s twin sister. Bertrice, my grandmother had said, was far more gifted than any of us. But what was Aunt Bertrice’s gift? I had no recollection of my grandmother telling me.
I knew my mother could see where her loved ones were by closing her eyes. I wondered if my mother had seen the accident. Then I realized she must have by the way she’d described it.
My grandmother could teleport objects. Grandma had once saved Mike’s life by slowing down his fall after he’d stumbled off a cliff. Mike had suffered a broken arm but he’d deserved it after disobeying our mom and going snowboarding at Hell’s Peak.
“There’s our miracle patient,” a booming voice echoed from across the room. “How are you feeling?”
I opened my eyes. An older man with a receding hairline and thick glasses was standing over me. He wore a white smock and clutched a clipboard to his chest. I assumed he was a doctor.
“My head really hurts,” I moaned.
“You have a serious concussion.” He turned to my mother with raised brows. “Or so I thought.”
He looked down at me and held one hand up. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Four,” I answered.
“Good.” He nodded and made a mark on his clipboard. “What’s your name and birthday?”
“Don’t you already have all that on my chart?” I asked, not even bothering to mask my annoyance. Didn’t this guy know I was in pain?
He smiled. “Just humor me.”
“AJ Dawson. April ninth,” I said curtly before adding, “Am I going to miss all of basketball season?”
The doctor laughed.
Grrrr. I wished he’d take his loud voice someplace else.
“Amazing. Simply amazing.” The doctor shook his head while patting my arm. “I’ve never seen a patient with this type of concussion heal so quickly with no sign of brain damage.”
“Look at her recent cat scans.” He pulled a sheet off of his clipboard and held it out to my mother. “Can you believe this? Remember all the swelling and fluid on her brain? Gone! And I didn’t think she’d ever wake up.”
Mother didn’t even look at the image. She simply smiled at me. “It’s a miracle.”
My mouth went dry again, and though it already hurt to breathe, now it felt like I was breathing through a straw. My chest hurt, my limbs went numb. I struggled to make sense of what the doctor was saying. Swelling on the brain? How badly had I been injured?
“If I wasn’t a man of science,” the doctor continued in his annoyingly exuberant voice, “I’d say your daughter had the help of a higher power.”
“Definitely,” Mother said with a twinkle in her eyes.
The doctor patted me one more time before stepping back. “I’ll send a nurse in to get some vitals.”
A higher power? I realized the doctor was probably right. But how? The women in my family were gifted with different powers, but I didn’t know anyone with the power to heal. Then the realization struck me. “Didn’t you say Aunt Bertrice is here? Where is she?”
Mother smoothed her hand across my cheek. “Grandma took her for a bite to eat, but she’s been by your bedside for the past two days.”
“How long have I been out?”
Mother’s eyes clouded over as her lower lip trembled. “Five days. You were in ICU for the first three. Like the doctor said, the concussion was serious.” Then her voice broke off as she stifled a sob. “They told us you might stay in a coma forever.”
Though my head throbbed, I seemed to be thinking clear enough to realize I was lucky to be alive. And here all I cared about was being able to play ball. I knew without a doubt why this aunt I’d never met had come to my bedside after the accident. Aunt Bertrice had the power to heal.
Chapter Three
Krysta
“Do you want to play with me?”
She couldn’t have been older than five. She was adorable. Pudgy hands and cheeks, big brown eyes, dark, curly hair. She actually looked a lot like me when I was little. I tried to imagine her with olive skin like mine, but this child’s skin was deathly pale with a slight blue tint. Her tattered dress dripped with what looked like water. She had a large gash on her temple.
Tears pricked my eyes, but I plastered on a smile. “I’d love to, but if I played with you, people would think I was crazy.”
I scanned the few people in the hospital waiting room. A middle-aged couple was gawking at me. An elderly woman had moved to the far side of the room while she glared at me from beneath her lashes. They probably thought I’d escaped from the mental ward. The only person in the room who knew I wasn’t crazy was Sophie, but my BFF was snoring on the bench next to me.
I sighed while rolling my eyes. “They probably already think I’m crazy.” To an outsider it must have looked like I was talking to myself.
“That’s okay.” The little girl shrugged. “There are other kids here.”
“I know.” I nodded, as again, I fought to hold back the tears. “I’ve seen them.”
Gawd, how I hated hospitals. Hated them. I’d never seen more dead people in all my life.
The little girl scrunched her brows. “How do you see us?”
“I’ve been curs—gifted with the power to see spirits.” I lifted my chin and tried my best to sound upbeat. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about ghosts, they don’t respond well when the living cry, scream or faint when they see them.
Her eyes brightened with an unnatural glow. “My brother is here, too. Do you want to meet him?
“Sure,” I said, but then I spied AJ’s mom, Mrs. Dawson, out of the corner of my eye.
She was walking briskly down the main hallway, one hand waving me over. Her eyes were puffy and red, just like they’d been for the past five days, but thankfully, this time she was smiling.
I leaned over and shook Sophie.
She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “What is it?” Sophie mumbled. “Is AJ okay?”
Mrs. Dawson had turned and was walking away.
A jolt of excitement shot through my spine. “I think so,” I said. I turned toward the little girl. “I’ve got to go and see another friend. I’ll catch you later, okay?”
The little girl smiled and waved goodbye.
As I watched the child’s apparition disappear, I thought of AJ and how, for five long days, I’d been expecting AJ’s ghost to visit me in the waiting room. I was so ready to say goodbye to the puke green walls and uncomfortable chairs with suspicious stains.
I looked at Sophie who was still untangling herself from
her blankets. She had turned the hospital waiting room into her own personal bedroom, preferring to sleep there rather than stay awake and listen to all of the depressing thoughts of the hospital patients and their families.
This was such a horrible place, the last place people like Sophie and I needed to be camping out.
Hot tears slipped over the rims of my eyelids and down my face. My nose dripped, and I had nothing to wipe it with but an old napkin I had to dig out of my purse. I flipped open my little cosmetic mirror and stole a quick glance at my reflection while Sophie put on her socks and shoes. My eyeliner was smeared. My skin was blotchy. My hair looked like an electrified mop. Before AJ’s accident, I would never have been caught dead in public without my makeup looking perfect.
But almost losing your best friend puts life into clearer perspective.
At the moment, the only thing I cared about was if AJ was going to live.
***
Sophie
AJ was waiting for us. She was propped up against some pillows. One arm was in a cast, and the other rested at her side attached to a long IV tube. The broken arm I was able to stomach, but I had a hard time, a really hard time, looking at my BFF’s head. All of her beautiful pale hair was gone. She had two rows of stitches on her bald and bruised scalp.
“Hey.” I sat beside AJ’s bed and gently placed my hand on hers. Her skin was cold, probably because they kept the temperature in the hospital near freezing. One more reason I hated hospitals.
“Hey,” AJ rasped as she offered a weak smile.
Words couldn’t describe the relief I felt seeing my best friend alive. Just yesterday, we hadn’t known if she was going to wake up from her coma. A shudder stole up my spine and chilled my flesh at the thought of AJ gone from me forever.
What would I have done if she hadn’t woken up, or if she’d been killed in that accident? How could I have gone on without my best friend?
Krysta sat beside me and placed her hand on AJ’s bent knee. “We’ve been waiting forever to see you. How do you feel?”
AJ’s smile faded. “Not so good.”
Krysta nodded, and then she spoke in a voice laced with emotion. “W-we thought you were going to die or at least be brain dead.”
AJ swallowed before looking at both of us with a glint of determination in her eyes. “I know, but I’m going to recover. I might even be able to play softball.”
“Basketball is out then?” I asked and then instantly regretted the question. Duh. Of course basketball was out.
AJ’s gaze dropped to her lap. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry,” Krysta said.
AJ would probably need a lot of physical therapy this fall. She was lucky to even be alive.
My throat tightened as I squeezed AJ’s hand. “I’m sorry, too.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s mine.”
Not a muscle in AJ’s face twitched, making her appear to be carved of stone. Her eyes, however, were simmering with rage.
“This isn’t your fault,” I said.
AJ averted her gaze, but not before a single tear slipped over the rim of one eyelid. “I should have told my mother about my brother’s driving. I put too much faith in my powers.” Her gaze slid to the window. “I’ve been having the same stupid dreams every night. I don’t even think it’s a vision because everyone acts and dresses like they’re from three centuries ago. I should have known something was wrong.”
“Your mom told me your powers are still strong,” Krysta said. “They’re just changing.”
“Yeah, she told me that, too.” AJ heaved a sigh. “But I don’t know.”
I supposed now was as good a time as any to let my friends in on my secret. I warily eyed them, gnawing on my lower lip as I wondered what they’d think about my newest gift. “My powers are changing, too.”
“They are?” Krysta turned on me with a sharpened gaze. “How?”
I wasn’t too sure, but I thought I heard a note of accusation in Krysta’s voice. It was too late not to tell them now. Besides, I needed to tell someone or I’d go crazy. After all, being a mind reader was hard enough, but the power I could wield with my newest gift was actually scaring me.
I swallowed a knot that had formed in my throat before fixing Krysta with a hard stare. “You know how Mr. Sleznick decided not to give us that pop quiz?”
“I would have failed.” Krysta groaned before waving a hand at AJ. “It’s been too hard to focus on studying with AJ like this.”
“Exactly,” I said. “He changed his mind because I told him to. My mind told him to cancel the quiz.”
Krysta’s mouth fell open. “What?”
AJ leaned toward me as her eyes narrowed to slits. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I breathed.
“So you are a mind reader and a mind controller?” Krysta’s voice was laced with awe.
I nodded.
“Holy crap!” AJ jolted upright, causing all of the little lights on the monitor beside her to blink and beep. AJ ignored the monitor as her wide eyes centered on Krysta. “Are your powers changing, too?”
“Nope.” She shrugged. “Just the same old curse of being woken up at strange hours by dead people.”
I thumbed toward Krysta. “She’s had a lot of extra company at the hospital.”
“Oh, Krysta, I’m sorry,” AJ said. “How are you holding up?”
“It’s okay, for the most part.” Krysta’s gaze focused on something in the corner of AJ’s room.
Chills swept up my spine as I realized she was probably staring at a ghost. I rubbed the goose pimples on my arms. One of these days, I’d get used to Krysta’s gift. AJ’s voice dropped. “You guys didn’t have to wait here for me.” One didn’t have to be a mind reader to know AJ was suffering from guilt.
Her gift had failed her, and she blamed herself.
Krysta’s brows shot up beneath her bangs. “Are you kidding? You’re our best friend. We’re not leaving you, AJ.”
AJ leaned back against her pillow. “Thanks.”
“I’ve dealt with plenty of ghosts before,” Krysta said. “I’m just glad I wasn’t getting any visits from you.”
“Me, too.” AJ sighed and closed her eyes.
She had already begun to snore by the time Krysta and I slipped out of her room. I slumped against a wall and exhaled as a wave of tension rolled off my shoulders. I’d been so worried over AJ. At least she was going to make it. But what would happen to her after she returned home and began her recovery?
What would happen to all of us?
There was no doubt in my mind our gifts were changing. How much more would they change? Would we be able to cope with the changes? Would Krysta be visited by more than dead people? Maybe demons or angels? Would AJ see more than the future?
What kind of person would I become when I had mastered the power to read and control people’s thoughts? And if I developed even more powers over the next few years… How could I learn to control them? It was tempting enough to spy on other people’s thoughts. Would I have enough restraint to keep from bending people to my will?
***
AJ
Even before I opened my eyes, I sensed she was near me. Aunt Bertrice had this aura that permeated the air and enveloped me. When Aunt Bertrice was in the room, I more alive than ever before. It was as if her essence had crawled beneath my skin and made my flesh hum with energy.
I liked it.
I remembered her now, from when I was in a coma. Visions were coming back to me of her holding my hand, touching my head, and a soothing warmth flooding through me. Weird, how I’d been unconscious but still sensed she was near.
She was smiling down at me when I finally managed to pry my eyes open. Aunt Bertrice looked just like my grandma. In fact, it was obvious she was Grandma’s twin. She even wore her grey hair in the same long braids that draped over her shoulders. Though she was small in size, she more than made up for it in the way she carried herself. She radiated confidence,
from the twinkle in her wizened eyes, to a sure smile set in a strong jaw. The only difference I could see between the them was that Grandma had blue eyes like mine. Aunt Bertrice’s eyes were grey and maybe a bit cloudy.
“Good morning.” She patted my hand.
I gasped.
Just the slightest contact from her, and it was as if sparks were igniting between us.
“Hi, Aunt Bertrice.” I strained to sit up. It was hard with a broken arm and a head that felt like it was stuffed full of rocks.
She adjusted the lever of my bed until I was raised to a sitting position. “How do you feel?”
“My head hurts.”
“Sorry I couldn’t heal you more.” She frowned, patting my hand again. “The doctors would have been suspicious.”
My eyes widened. Though I’d suspected my aunt was a healer, it was still shocking to hear her say it. “So it’s true. You saved me.”
She shrugged as a playful smirk pulled at one corner of her mouth.
“Thanks.” I sank into the pillows behind me.
“Any time, sweetheart,” Aunt Bertrice sweetly intoned before leaning over me. She reached out a palm and pressed it against my head. “Here. Let me try to dull that headache.”
I let out a sigh of relief as the warmth from her hand seeped into me. Her touch felt like adrenaline, tranquility, and morphine all rolled into one.
“Better?” she asked after pulling away.
It felt as if a huge weight had suddenly been lifted from my skull. “Much.” I sighed. “You’re amazing.”
The blurry hospital room was suddenly in focus. I had at least a dozen vases of flowers at the foot of my bed. Strange how I hadn’t noticed before. It was as if my headache had impaired my vision.
Aunt Bertrice’s eyes sparkled with what looked like amusement. “Being amazing runs in the family.”
“I wish,” I groaned. “My gift failed me. That’s why I’m here.”
She shook her head. “Your gift is changing. In time, it will be stronger than ever. I thought your mother told you that.”
“She did,” I said, though I still didn’t understand why the change would allow my gift to fail me.