“Nara.” She waved me in from her chair near the bed. As I set the flowers on a nearby table, she glanced at her daughter. “She looks so peaceful, doesn’t she?”
An IV was taped to Lainey’s wrist and a blood pressure cuff was wrapped around her arm, but beyond the scrape and bruise on her forehead and a few more bruises on her arms, she looked like she was sleeping and would wake up any moment. My heart thumped and I felt light-headed, but managed a nod. “What did the doctors say?” I asked in a strangled whisper.
“There’s no change in her condition.” Lainey’s mom ran her hand across her forehead. She looked like she hadn’t slept in three days. “And there’s no need to whisper, hon. The doctors want us to talk to Lainey. They said it might help her recover.”
“Oh, okay,” I said in a crackly voice.
Standing, she arched her back and then stretched her arms. “Would you mind sitting with Lainey while I go talk to the nurses? Her father’s getting us lunch and I don’t want to leave her alone.”
I bobbed my head and waited until Mrs. O’Neal left to sit in the chair she’d vacated. Clasping Lainey’s cool fingers, I pressed my warm ones against hers. “Can you hear me, Lainey?”
Her hand remained limp. Guilt roared through me in flashes of hot and cold. “I’m so sorry. I tried, Lainey. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t.”
Turning her hand over, I ran my thumb across her open palm, wishing she could hear me and know how much I wanted her to get better. “You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about, huh?”
A hollow laugh escaped as a hot tear rolled down my cheek. I brushed it away and squeezed her fingers. “I dreamed about your accident and I tried to stop it. You have no idea how frustrating it is to have this ability to see the future and still not be able to help you.”
Sniffling, I tightened my hand on hers, my voice turning stern. “You need to wake up, Lainey. How are you going to tell Jared off if you’re laying in bed, taking a long nap?”
Lainey’s fingers jumped against mine, making me gasp. When I looked up, her eyes were sliding back and forth under her eyelids, like she was dreaming. “Did you hear me?” I whispered.
Mr. and Mrs. O’Neal walked in carrying their lunch. “Hey, Nara,” Mr. O’Neal said. His overnight beard shined gray against his tan chin and his voice sounded like ground-up glass.
I stood, still holding Lainey’s hand. “I—I’m not certain, but I just thought I felt Lainey’s fingers move.”
“Really?” they said in unison. Hope filled her parents’ faces. As Mrs. O’Neal rushed to Lainey’s side, Mr. O’Neal dashed out of the room, calling for a nurse.
Trying not to get my own hopes up, I laid Lainey’s hand back on the bed and kept my voice calm and even. “I need to get back to school. My lunch hour’s almost over, but please let me know if anything changes, Mrs. O’Neal.”
Reaching for her daughter’s other hand, tears brimmed Julia’s eyes. “I promise I’ll call as soon as there’s any change.”
***
Later that day, I was in the library searching the online catalogue of Biology texts when my phone began to vibrate. Glancing up to make sure the librarian wasn’t around, I answered my cell with a quick whisper, “Hello?”
“Nara, it’s Julia. I just wanted to let you know Lainey woke up twenty minutes ago.”
“Oh, thank God! I’m so glad,” I squealed, then instantly lowered my voice. “How’s she feeling?”
Julia sniffed back tears. “She’s pretty banged up and tired. The doctors are checking her vitals now. They want her to rest tonight. No more visitors, but please come see her tomorrow. Can you let her other friends know the good news for me?”
“I will, Mrs. O’Neal. Thank you for calling.”
I was in such a good mood that I had a hard time concentrating the rest of study hall. I was just about ready to log out when someone set a chair beside me. As Ethan sat down, I beamed. “Lainey woke up an hour ago.”
Relief flitted across his face. “I’m glad she’s going to be okay.” We sat in silence for a couple of seconds before his expression turned serious. “I wanted to talk to you about Fate, about you challenging it.”
Tensing, I exited out of the list of Biology books I’d been searching. “I know you didn’t think it was a good idea—” What would he say about last night?
“No, that’s not it. I think that might be exactly what you need to do.”
I stared at him, wide-eyed. “You want me to challenge Fate? You said it was dangerous.”
He blew out a harsh breath. “I thought about this all last night. In the library and again in the parking lot, I think Fate was trying to make you pay for getting involved. I don’t think it was trying to scare you, Nara. I think it was trying to take you out.”
Terror shot through me. Fate had gotten personally physical last night at a time when I’d felt the most exposed, but was it really trying to kill me? “But we talked about this. Since I know my future, I would’ve known what Fate was going to do and I would’ve avoided the situation.”
“I agreed with that idea at first, but the sense of wrongness I’ve felt has stayed with me, and then after I felt it again last night at Jared’s and it still didn’t go away, I considered what’s happened recently in a whole new light. I think all of this ties into the fact I’m not in your dreams.”
Intrigued, I turned to fully face him. “You figured out why you’re not in my dreams?”
“Not that part, but just hear me out. In the past, you had your dreams and therefore you knew your future. With me in your life, you’ve lost your dreams.”
“But you’ve told me the important stuff, so I didn’t really lose them.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” He rubbed his jaw. “Neither one of us have seen me in your dreams, which is about your future. What if Fate is aware that you don’t have your dreams any longer? That’d be a pretty big deal. Without your dreams, Fate would assume you wouldn’t be able to protect yourself against “future” stuff that would happen to you.”
Like what happened to me last night. I was totally surprised by Fate’s attack.
Ethan continued, breaking into my train of thought. “But since you can’t see me in your dreams, maybe Fate can’t see me either.”
“That’s an interesting theory,” I said, my head spinning.
Ethan slid his palms across his jeans. “If that’s true, then Fate would have no way of knowing that I would’ve been there to help you when things were ‘predicted’ in your dreams—things you couldn’t have anticipated because you didn’t dream anymore. Like when the bookshelf in the library almost fell on you. I stopped it because I knew your future.”
“And right after that the bookshelf fell on us anyway,” I whispered.
“Which had no reason to fall since I was holding it,” he said in a hard tone.
“But that was because the one behind it fell—” I started to say, but stopped at the “ah, now you see where this is going” look on his face. Feeling lightheaded, I continued, “I—I was supposed to be hit by those runaway pipes.”
Ethan looked solemn. “Since the accident woke me up, I didn’t know how bad you were hurt by the pipes, but I’d seen your future and made sure you were on the other side of the parking lot.”
“Where the light pole would’ve fallen on me if I hadn’t glanced at the raven flying away from it.” Everything he said made total sense. My stomach suddenly felt as if lead had been poured straight into it. “You think Fate’s never going to stop coming after me.”
“You told it last night at Jared’s that you weren’t going to stop, remember?”
I was referring to stopping Lainey’s car accident when I’d said that, but by blatantly challenging Fate a few hours later, I’d meant “everyone” then. I didn’t regret it though. Fate was bullying me, and I was fighting for Ethan, Lainey and anyone else Fate went after.
Ethan looked grim and worried. “I don’t think Fate will stop until you ma
ke it stop, Nara.”
Was last night in the shower a stronger warning? Could Fate have thrown me hard enough to kill me? Panic set in and I spread my trembling hands wide. “I couldn’t stop it before. Maybe this is my Fate.”
A determined look settled on Ethan’s face. “That’s the whole point. All of this feels unbalanced to me. I think Fate is messing with your destiny. It shouldn’t be able to alter your timeline. I think you can make Fate stop if your will is strong enough.”
“But how do I do that?” I felt powerless last night. Totally at Fate’s invisible mercy.
Ethan leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees. Steepling his fingers, he pressed them against his lips.
“How do I fight something I can’t see?” I finished in a helpless whisper.
Ethan lifted his head, eyes alight. “That’s it!”
“What? You have an idea?”
“Maybe. I have to check something first. You’re safe today. I didn’t see anything in your dreams. Can you meet me at your house?”
I was more worried about him. “You’re going straight home until then?”
When he nodded, my tension lessened a little. “I’ll come home right after practice,” I said, feeling excitement build at the idea of spending some time alone with him.
“Get back to your research.” Standing, Ethan slid the chair back under the table.
“You’re leaving me all tied in curious knots. I’m so not getting anything done now.”
Ethan ran his hand from the top of my head to the ends of my hair, then spoke in a calming voice next to my ear. “Feel better?”
As I watched him leave, I was curious what he planned to “check” but the fear was gone. Not only had he settled my sea-sawing emotions, but his touch had left me tingling all over. His power to sweep my worries away still amazed me, but Ethan had his own special ability to affect me that had nothing to do with him being a negative energy magnet.
***
Soccer practice was more interesting than usual. Miranda was the only one who spoke to Sophia the entire time. Everyone else took their annoyance out on her like they’d done to me not so long ago. Even Coach rode her incessantly, though he couldn’t possibly have known about Sophia and Jared hooking up at the party. Maybe there was something to that whole “what comes around, goes around” theory.
An hour into practice, Sophia was near tears. I almost felt sorry for her, until I caught her glaring at me. I glared back, then kicked the ball hard in her direction. The wind hadn’t let up all day and it seemed to increase the ball’s speed. Sophia had to dive to keep from being pegged in the face. I couldn’t help but snicker.
The windy gusts had been a problem all practice, but we’d soldiered on, doing our best to compensate for its effect on our accuracy with passes and shots on goal.
With twenty minutes left in practice, I was surprised when Coach said, “I’m cutting practice short. I know Lainey can’t have visitors today, but if anyone wants to go get flowers and a card, head on out. Who wants to volunteer to collect the gear?”
“I will,” Renee said.
“Me, too,” I raised my hand, since I wouldn’t be staying alone. “I’ll put the gear in my trunk until next practice.”
The rest of the team collectively called out, “Thanks, Coach,” then immediately ran over to gather their bags.
After everyone took off for their cars, Renee started picking up cones on one side of the field and I headed for the other side. Orange practice cones littered the field, blowing around the open space at the wind’s whim.
We were almost done when Renee’s boyfriend drove up and honked his horn.
Renee looked sheepish. “Would you mind finishing up?”
Tension welled inside me, but I couldn’t live my life in fear. “It’ll only take me a couple more minutes.” I waved her on, and then spent the next five minutes chasing down the last couple of tumbling cones and rolling balls.
The field lights popped on as I grabbed the net bag. Dragging it over to the goal where Renee and I had dumped all the gear, I began to fill it with the cones and soccer balls.
When the buffeting wind spun the net bag around, I grumbled and untwisted it. Shoving the cones in, I grabbed a couple of balls and had just dropped them into the mesh, when a bird’s loud cawing drew my attention.
The sound came from the top of one of the soccer field lights. Squinting, all I could see was the bright light as I called out over the wind, “What is it with you birds and light posts?”
No sooner had the words left my mouth, then the bird swooped down straight toward me. Ducking to avoid being pegged in the head, I immediately turned and called out, “No, you crazy bird!” It was going to get caught in the goal’s netting.
At the last second, the bird folded its wings and shot through one of the openings, clearing the net. Breathing a sigh of relief, my gaze snapped to the goal’s base. It was rocking with the wind.
Heart racing, I glanced to the metal tie downs that normally held it in place. Both sets of ties had uprooted from the moist ground and were covered in grass and mud.
At that moment, a huge gust of wind whipped across the practice field, wrapping the net bag around my ankles and sending the metal goal over, heading straight for me.
I tried to dive to clear the goal area, but my cleats caught in the sports bag, sending me tumbling instead. I knew the goal could crush my spine, so I rolled at the last minute and caught the metal post with my hands to keep it from slamming onto my chest.
The jolt jarred my arms all the way up to my shoulders, but I held the metal pole as long as I could before my muscles began to shake under the weight. Panting, I lowered my elbows to the ground. Wind howled around me as I tried to think of a way to squirm out from underneath it. A rumble of thunder rolled, followed by streaks of lightning veining across the dark sky. Great, another storm’s coming and I was trapped holding a huge lightning rod. “This is just freakin’ fantastic,” I muttered.
The air turned cooler with the impending storm and my breath began to mist in front of me. My gaze landed on the bag of balls a few inches from my foot and an idea formed. If I could somehow reach the bag without losing my grip on the pole, then maybe I could bend my leg and push some of the balls under the pole, creating a temporary wedge so I could slide out from under the goal.
I was surprised when a raven landed on the bag of balls. His feathers ruffled in the wind and he didn’t make his usual gronking sound. Instead, he just stared, turning his head this way and that, as if he were surveying the area around us.
“What do you want?” I snapped, feeling cranky as the cold, wet ground seeped all the way to my bones. “This is all your fault.”
He hopped off and pecked at the netting, then tilted his shiny dark head and made a low tok-tok noise. Rain started to fall in random fat drops and a cold chill rocked through me. My wrists and forearms began to ache and as I turned my head and groaned, I saw that the bird had inadvertently moved the netting closer to my shoe. Maybe if I talked to him some more, he’d play with the bag again.
“I guess you helped by flying toward the goal.” The bird bobbed his head, then fluffed his feathers. I grimaced that my plan wasn’t working. “Think you could grab—” I started to say, when the bird pecked at the bag once more. “That’s it…closer to my shoe.” This time, he flapped his wings and lifted the bag’s string, dragging the netting over the top of my shoe before taking flight.
“Smart bird!” I said and immediately tried to bend my leg to the side, but the rain and my movements made the pole slip in my hands. I grimaced in pain as I rearranged my grip on it once more.
Making sure that I had the pole secured in my hands, I tried to pull the bag toward me once more, but I must’ve strained too hard because my elbows began to slip in the dewy grass.
No, no, no, no! I mentally screamed as the heavy goal began to slowly inch its way to my chest. My fingers clawed and my palms scraped against the painted metal, but at th
is new angle I couldn’t regain my grip.
Terror rippled through me and I let out a yell as the full weight of the goal pressed on my chest. Heavy. So heavy. Why did it feel heavier now than it did when I was holding it? I wondered hazily as my ability to breathe was slowly pushed out of my lungs.
Spots floated in front of me and I thought, I’m going to die. Mom, Aunt Sage and Gran’s faces appeared in my mind next. You meant the world to me. I love you all.
My vision grew fuzzy and I gasped one last raspy breath as Ethan’s face, so intense as he started to say, “I lo—” flitted through my mind. I’m sorry I never told you how much I loved you, Ethan.
Chapter Twenty-Two
My vision cleared as the soccer goal slammed against the ground. The jarring was so hard I was surprised I didn’t feel the vibrations under my feet.
“Nara!” Ethan called above the shrieking wind, drawing my attention.
Ethan saved me? Why didn’t I remember him helping me stand up? I turned to smile at him, but Ethan was on his knees bending over someone. Running to his side, I fell to my knees to see who else was hurt. I froze when I stared at my own face. My green eyes were staring sightlessly at the lightning-streaked sky.
“Nara.” Ethan looked frantic. He pressed his fingers to my throat, then leaned down to listen to my chest. Rocking back on his heels, he shoved his hands through his hair and anguish rolled across his features. “No, Nara! God, no!”
“Ethan,” I called out, but he flattened his palms against my chest and pumped, counting. When he moved to pinch my nose and then breathe into my mouth, I waved my hands to get his attention. “Ethan, I’m right here.”
He kept going. While he pushed on my chest again, fear and anger filled his face. “Don’t you die on me.”
“I’m here!” I screamed, but he didn’t hear me. That’s when I realized that I saw the wind buffeting his hair and his fleece, but I didn’t feel a thing.
I glanced down at myself and sat back on my heels, curling my hands into fists. I could see through my fists to my thighs underneath. I really was gone.
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