Seer

by Ashley Maker

  After exchanging a look with Kade, Tarry pulls me into a loose hug and says, “I’m so glad you’re okay. I came to see how you’re doing.”

  I hold one bandaged arm up when he steps back. “All patched up. But according to your dad, I’m a heart attack waiting to happen.”

  Tarry’s brow furrows. “You’re what?”

  Kade ignores Tarry. “I need to go. But remember you’re supposed to get some rest, okay?” He smiles just enough to make my heart beat faster. “We’ll pick back up tomorrow.”

  I nod, not trusting myself to speak. I’m not ready for him to leave.

  With one last glance, Kade disappears down the staircase, the thudding of his feet on the steps echoing back to me.

  When the footsteps fade to nothing, Tarry looks over with narrowed eyes. “Has he been bothering you? Outside of training?” There’s so much venom in his voice it makes me stiffen.

  “No. Why?”

  Tarry shoots a glare in the direction Kade went. “I can’t stand that guy. Everyone around here thinks he’s some sort of god, but I know what he really is.”

  My heartbeat speeds up. “What do you mean?”

  “He strings girls along until he gets what he wants from them, and then he walks away. I watched him do it to my sister, and” —he glances at me— “I’d hate to see it happen to you, too.”

  His words leave me stunned. I want to tell him he’s got it wrong, that there’s no way Laila and Kade were ever together the way I’m pretty sure he’s implying. Sure, they might have dated. But it was only one time, and it wasn’t serious, right? Kade wouldn’t do something like that. There’s no way I’m going to believe he’s that type of guy. He told me he wasn’t that guy.

  He kept my secret.

  The silence stretches too long. I clear my throat, but my heart still feels stuck there. “I think you have the wrong idea. It’s not like that between us.”

  “Then why was he thanking you?” His jaw clenches. “I heard you on the stairs. You haven’t even been here a month, and he’s already got you doing favors for him.”

  “Look, you don’t—” I swallow and edge back a step. “You don’t understand, okay? He’s been helping me adjust to all of this. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

  The disapproving look in his eyes cuts straight through me as Tarry shakes his head and lets out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure that it is.”

  “Tarry—”

  He holds a hand up. “Don’t. You don’t have to explain it. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

  “Thank you.” But it doesn’t feel like enough, and the strangeness between us is killing me, so I cautiously add, “And for what you did in class, too. For what it’s worth, I think being heroic is another virtue you can add to your collection.”

  His lips twitch and he looks away. But almost immediately he looks back again with a crooked smile. “Glad you’ve finally noticed.”

  My shoulders slump forward as I let out a breath, so relieved he’s no longer mad. That was way too close. And then it hits me that I care.

  I really care what Tarry thinks.

  25

  I don’t know how to feel when I’m around Tarry the next day—happy because everything is normal between us again and he’s waiting for me at the cafeteria like he usually does, or completely freaked out because my stomach does this little dip when his hand brushes against my arm as we maneuver around the cafeteria tables. Then, before I can make sense of this new jumbled mess, I realize breakfast might have been a bad idea to begin with.

  People have stared at me before, but nothing like this.

  They stare at my bandages. At my eyes. At the fact I’m with Tarry. Snatches of their whispered conversations taunt me as we navigate through the crowd to the breakfast line.

  Seer.

  Cuts herself.

  Went crazy.

  Hospitalized.

  By the time I place silverware on the tray, I’m no longer hungry. All of the other students think I’m insane, and after yesterday’s episode, it’s not like I can blame them. But I hate that they’re all staring at me. Don’t get me wrong—all girls, whether they admit it or not, want to be stared at, but only if it’s in a good way. Like look-at-that-girl-she’s-so-gorgeous kind of staring. This isn’t that kind. It’s more like the hey-that-girl-is-trailing-toilet-paper-let’s-laugh-at-her.

  I’d take the toilet paper scenario over this any day.

  “Hey.” Tarry leans down, his voice low in my ear. “What’s wrong?”

  “They all think I’m crazy.”

  “Don’t worry about what they think. They’re not important.”

  I try to follow Tarry’s advice, but it seems like the more I try, the worse the whispering and the staring becomes until I feel like every single part of me is a spectacle to be scorned. To make it worse, Aaron and Piper are staring right alongside the rest of them. My hands tighten on the edges of my tray as we approach our table.

  “Clare, I am so sorry about what happened yesterday,” Aaron says the moment I sit down. “I was just joking around—”

  Piper snorts. “More like showing off.”

  “Being a huge pain,” Tarry adds before shoveling a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

  Aaron glares at them. “Bottom line is I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “Thanks, but it’s not your fault.” I pick at the paper around my blueberry muffin. “The timing was bad, but the whole spazzing out thing was kind of inevitable.”

  “I didn’t ‘spaz out’ the first time I phased,” Piper says with a frown. Her ponytail bobs as she tilts her head to the side and regards me skeptically.

  Aaron leans forward. “Yeah, what happened out there? Morris wouldn’t let anyone else leave the gym.”

  I swallow and stare at the crumbs that have gathered on the tray. There’s no way I can eat right now. I put the muffin down and push it away from me.

  “Just let it go, guys. She’ll talk about it when she’s ready.” Tarry nudges me with an elbow. “You want to get out of here?”

  Of course I do. Does he really have to ask? I don’t even care where we go, so long as we get out of this room. Ignoring the very pointed looks from the other two, I scramble out of the chair so quickly I would have fallen flat on my butt if Tarry hadn’t reached out and steadied me with a firm grip on my upper arm.

  A mumbled apology to Aaron and Piper is all I can manage. I reach for my tray, but Tarry grabs that, too, and after one last gauntlet to the trash receptacles and the exit, it’s over and we’re walking down the sidewalk. I don’t stop until we’re more than halfway to the gym. Only then do I breathe in one giant lungful of air after another until I no longer feel like I’m going to lose it.

  “You okay?”

  “Not even close.” I sigh and rub a hand across my eyes.

  He bumps a shoulder into mine. “I’m getting pretty comfortable in this shining armor, you know.”

  A lightness replaces the pressure that’s built up in my chest. I blush and look away so he won’t see the heat stealing across my cheeks.

  “All I need is a white horse. And maybe to grow my hair out, like Fabio.”

  “You talk too much, Tarry.”

  “Then you should know my listening skills are second to none. Seriously, I’d make a killing as a shrink.” He touches his chest in a heartfelt gesture. “So how ‘bout it, Clare? Care to tell me your troubles?”

  Really, I don’t know how he does it, how he can make me smile at a time like this. My cheeks actually hurt from smiling so wide.

  “I think I’m good.” At his hand-gesturing encouragement, I groan and say, “I just hate it when they stare at me. Every time I walk into a room, it’s like bam, eyes. Like I turned green and started smashing buildings or something.”

  “Did you just refer to yourself as the Hulk?”

  “That’s what you got out of that?”

  “The right question is who wouldn’t?”

  Hi
s eyebrows are raised and his expression is so dead serious that I giggle.

  He cracks a smile. “My work here is done. I’ll even waive the shrink fee this time, so long as you schedule a follow-up appointment.”

  Oh, this boy. I really don’t know what to do when it comes to him.

  When I can finally manage a straight face, I say, “So, what now?”

  “We could go to class early.”

  I make a face. “And do what?”

  “No one will be there.” His eyes gleam with mischief. “And if we’re the first ones there, you can stare at each of them as they walk into the room.”

  * * *

  The genius behind Tarry’s idea is put to the test once we’re in the gym and the countdown for everyone else’s arrival begins. I didn’t think about the twenty minutes of staring at the walls and twiddling my thumbs when I agreed to his plan.

  I’m about to ask Tarry what we’re supposed to be doing when he gently grabs and pulls me onto the mats.

  “Spar with me.”

  “Right now?”

  “Yeah, why not? We can do a handicap match. Neither of us will use our arms.” When I still hesitate, he adds, “We don’t have to, but I heard this is what we’re going to be doing in class today. I can give you some pointers, if you want?”

  Handicap sparring matches? And here I’ve been looking forward to a few days without someone trying to kill me in the name of combat training.

  I shrug. It would be nice to get some pointers. “Okay, let’s do it.”

  Tarry rubs his hands together. “Excellent. So here are the match rules. No hands, no arms, no elbows. That includes blocks.”

  “So, what, we just kick each other a lot?”

  “Where’s the imagination in that? I’m sure we’ll find ways to be creative.” He steps closer and wags his eyebrows, making me laugh as I push him away. “Hey, no hands, remember?”

  “The match hasn’t started yet.”

  “Then let’s go.” That same flirtatious challenge shines in his eyes when he steps back into fighting stance, challenging me to do the same.

  I mirror his posture and hold a fist out to him as a sign that I’m ready.

  We touch fists, and it’s on.

  Tarry sweeps his foot toward my legs, and I jump to avoid it. Going with the momentum, he turns in a left leg spin kick, leaving his back open to me.

  That’s when I make my move.

  Before he can strike out, I front snap kick his back. The satisfaction of landing the kick stuns me as Tarry throws both hands out for balance and takes a few steps forward. Then he whirls around with a crescent kick I have to drop to the mat to escape.

  I regain my footing at the same time he bounds forward.

  Out of instinct, my right knee comes up, and Tarry steps into it. Our bodies connect with my knee pressed against his chest and his thigh against my left leg, and the next thing I know his strength is pushing us back, and I’m falling.

  We’re both falling.

  Throwing the match rules out the window, I grab onto his shoulder, but that only serves to pull him down with me in a jumble of arms and legs.

  My back slams against the mat, and somehow Tarry brings his arms down on either side of my head so we don’t bash our faces together. His eyes are closed and he groans, making me realize my knee did a little more damage than I’d intended.

  “I’m so sorry,” I gasp between breaths. “Are you okay?”

  He nods but doesn’t open his eyes, and his voice comes out raspy when he says, “I’m fine.”

  “You’re sure?”

  Finally, his eyelids flicker open, and he stares down at me with his bright green eyes. There’s pain there and something else, something heated that sends my stomach into a fluttering mess. Suddenly, I’m aware of how our bodies are pressed against each other, the way his chest moves against mine with each breath he takes.

  His gaze shifts to my lips, and I can’t help looking at his. They’re wide, and not as full as Kade’s, but they’re just a little pink, and they’re parted and—

  What am I doing?

  This is Tarry. Sure, I think he’s cute and funny, and he always smells a little bit like rain, but I can’t do this. I can’t let him kiss me, and I just know he’s about to.

  He whispers my name and adjusts to touch my face, his fingers feather-light against my cheek, and I’m all kinds of panicking because this cannot happen.

  “Please don’t.” I turn my head away, only to meet the same pair of hazel eyes that are hovering in my mind.

  More than ever before, I want to disappear. And die.

  I have no idea how long Kade has been standing in the doorway, but he clenches and unclenches his fists, the rest of him remaining perfectly still. I’ve never seen him like this. Under the dark furrows of his eyebrows, there’s a look in his eyes like he wants to take down the entire world. His lips are a tight line, and his jaw is clenched so hard it looks like he won’t be able to talk, but he does.

  “You heard her, Blaydell. Get up now.”

  Tarry stiffens. Soft bangs brush across my face when he turns his head. His chest rises as he draws in a breath to say something, but he must change his mind because he rolls to the side in one fluid motion, then offers a hand to pull me up.

  I scoot back onto my elbows, not taking Tarry’s hand, eyes flickering between him and Kade. A slight twinge on my right arm pulls at my focus. The bandage is tugged down, revealing a hint of pinkish lines. I sit up all the way and try to fix it, but I can’t quite manage with my left hand. On a second glance, I discover the Velcro holding the bandage in place has been ripped halfway off.

  My head jerks up when Tarry says, “Chill out, man. We were just getting in a little practice before class.”

  The look of death in Kade’s eyes doesn’t lessen. “Without supervision? You know the rules around here, even if she doesn’t.”

  Tarry matches the intensity with a glare of his own. “Yeah, and what are you going to do, turn us in?”

  “You really want to test me on that?” Kade smiles darkly. “I’m sure your dad would love to find out you’ve been putting a Seer at risk, the same one who was almost hospitalized yesterday.”

  “Everything was perfectly under control,” Tarry snaps.

  “Would the two of you stop?” They both look at me. “We broke the rules by sparring, and things got a little out of hand. We won’t do it again. Lesson learned. Now can someone please help me with this stupid bandage?”

  They both take a step toward me at the same time, which all three of us notice, and then they’re glaring at each other all over again. Like overgrown toddlers fighting over a toy.

  Except, I’m not a toy.

  The fact that they’re treating me like one in their little swagger smackdown really ticks me off. And so do these bandages. They’re clunky and annoying, and I could hardly brush my teeth this morning without getting toothpaste everywhere.

  “Never mind.” I start unwinding the damaged one. “I’ll do it myself.”

  Kade must know my intent to take the stupid things off because he says, “You sure that’s a good idea?”

  I push away the gauze wrapping. “Positive.”

  Whoa.

  What kind of crazy super medicine did the doctor put on me? I raise my arm to the light and gape as I hesitantly run a finger across my skin. All of the scrapes have closed over, leaving only pink lines where nasty half-healed scratches should have been. The ones on the inside of my wrist and arm are a little worse and still tender to the touch, but most of the others look like they’ve been healing for a week instead of a day. I yank down the bandage on my other arm—maybe the first was some kind of fluke?—and find it similarly healed.

  My fingertips brush the pink lines softly, tracing each one.

  I’m still staring at them when the rest of the class starts to arrive.

  26

  True to Tarry’s word, Instructor Mara announces the class will be taking part in handic
ap sparring matches. The significant look she shoots in my direction practically screams I’m the reason why. After leading the class through a set of exercise drills, she starts hollering the names of students to pair off for the matches. My teeth worry my lower lip as I wait to see who I’ll get. Not Tarry, apparently, since his name is called out with Aaron’s.

  Next I suspect I’ll be paired with Piper, since she’s a Seer, too, but that doesn’t happen either. My name isn’t called out at all. It’s the most awful feeling being overlooked like that. Mara motions the first pair to the center of the mats.

  What am I supposed to do now—watch?

  I shift my weight from one foot to the other and am still chewing on my lower lip when Kade approaches. He nods at a set of practice mats on the other side of the room.

  “You’re with me.”

  I’m not sure if I should be happy about the turn of events, or if I should vomit. It was one thing to spar with Tarry. But Kade? I knew I’d have to go up against him eventually, but not on the same day he walked in and found Tarry on top of me. Sure, it wasn’t what it looked like, but still. That part I definitely didn’t factor in.

  “Are you familiar with the rules of a handicap match?”

  I lick my lips and have trouble keeping eye contact. “That didn’t work out so well for me earlier. Can we spar with light contact instead?”

  Kade glances over my head at Mara, who is still barking out instructions to the current fighters. “What about your arms?”

  “They’re fine.” At his raised eyebrow, I add, “Seriously, I’m fine. They hardly hurt at all.”

  My relief at him agreeing to spar with light contact is short lived. Unlike the others I’ve sparred with, Kade doesn’t stand still when he fights. He sort of bounces on the balls of his feet and shifts a few steps every couple of seconds. There’s a grace to his movements that’s mesmerizing.

  Dangerous.

  He’s like a snake charmer. I’m so caught up in watching him that I don’t even see his first attack until he moves in and grabs me from the side. One arm snags around my waist, the other around my neck. He pulls my back flush against him, effectively pinning me in a headlock I have no chance of escaping. His breath is warm against the back of my neck, stirring the little hairs that have escaped my ponytail and sending a cascade of icy shivers down my spine.