Deception

by Stacy Claflin

  He smiled. "I want you to drive it. You'll love it."

  My heart raced. I couldn't believe that he wanted me to drive it. He threw the keys at me, I nearly missed them. He opened driver's side door, then waited for me to sit down behind the wheel. I shook my head and sat down. He closed the door and I started to look around the inside of the car and adjusted the seat.

  "How do you like it?" he asked, already sitting next to me. I jumped in surprise. How did he get in so quickly and soundlessly?

  "It's extraordinary!" I cringed at my choice of words. Why couldn't I just say something less nerdy?

  "Start it up! I can't wait to see how much you like the way that it drives."

  I put the key in and turned it. The car came to life soundlessly. "That's amazing!" I pushed the gas pedal and nearly gave us both a case of whiplash. "Sorry."

  He laughed. "Take it easy. It doesn't take much!"

  "Are you sure you want me to drive?"

  "It just takes a minute to get used to. I did the same thing when I got it."

  "Really? So, where are we going?"

  "Anywhere that you want. Show me some of your favorite places to go in this town."

  "There's not a whole lot around here."

  "Then take me to the park where you met up with Brooke. That sounds like a nice place."

  "You mean the lake. That's one of my favorite places to go." I managed to drive to the lake without killing anyone. We got out of the car and walked toward the lake in a comfortable silence.

  "You look like you're in your element here," he said, breaking the silence.

  "I am. I love how peaceful it is. It really helps me to relax, and forget about whatever happens to be bothering me."

  He reached toward me, pulled a strand of hair from my face and placed it gently behind my ear. His hand lingered there and my heart nearly stopped. I looked into his eyes and my heart began to race.

  He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "You smell amazing."

  "I'm wearing new perfume."

  He opened his eyes and looked deep into mine. He shook his head. "No, it's you that smells so incredible."

  I tilted my head looking deeper into his eyes, trying to figure out what he meant by that.

  He cupped my chin with his hand. "Do you realize how stunning you are?"

  I opened my mouth but could not find any words. I put my hand on his arm and noticed how unbelievably smooth his skin was. "You're many times more remarkable than I am," I breathed.

  He took my hand and kissed it. He had a tear in his eye. "I've dreamed of this for so many years. You've been gone too long." He pulled me close and held me in a strong embrace.

  I knew that what he spoke of was as real as the lake next to us. I didn't know where or when we had known each other. Unless the dreams were real. Was it even possible that he the boy in my dreams? Did we grow up in that castle together before I was adopted? It couldn't be...or could it?

  ***

  We were seated in the back corner of a very fancy restaurant that I had never been to before, and I had again let Cliff order for me. The meal he had chosen the night before was the best thing I had ever eaten, so I figured that he would do well again.

  While we were eating our appetizers, we laughed and talked about the night before. I asked him how he had managed to get the crows to do what he said.

  "You probably won't believe that I'm the crow whisperer," he said with the same grin as the boy in my dreams.

  I nearly choked on my iced tea. "The crow whisperer! No way. Who would want to get inside the mind of those gross birds?"

  His face showed hurt and disappointment.

  "Oh please don't tell me that you're serious!"

  He started laughing. "No I'm not serious. I was just teasing you. Do you have any idea why the crows have chosen you to stalk?"

  I sighed. "I don't know if I really want to know. I did some digging online and when I saw that crows represent death, I pretty much got discouraged and stopped."

  "Representing death?" he asked. "I haven't heard that one before, that's very interesting."

  "You think the possibility of my death is interesting?" I gave him a fake scowl.

  He smiled. "No, that's not it at all. I just find the fact that you read they are associated with death as interesting. You're going to live a very long time."

  "Now you know the future?" I asked. "You're a man of many talents."

  He almost spit the bread out of his mouth from laughing.

  Our meals were served, and as we were digging in, he asked me when the crows initially showed up. "It was the same day that I ran into Brooke. They showed up right after she left."

  "Did anything else that was strange happen around that time?"

  "What is this, twenty questions?" I asked.

  "I'm only trying to help you solve this mystery."

  "This is going to sound completely stupid, but since we're on the topic of the strange already, I may as well go with it."

  "I promise that I won't think it's stupid."

  "I won't blame you if do though," I said. "The day before that, I got really mad at my parents, more mad than I've ever been in my life, and light bulbs started bursting all over the place. They burst in our driveway, my room, our living room, and even at the school gym."

  He nodded his head in complete seriousness.

  I continued. "Then the next morning, one exploded in Brooke's room when she purposely made me mad. I think she wanted to see it for herself."

  "Has there been anything else?"

  I debated whether or not to admit hearing my sister's thoughts or Brooke and Steve's conversation from all the way across from the house.

  He was looking at me intently while I had my internal debate. I looked deep into his eyes and heard his voice say, You can tell me, Alexis. His lips hadn't moved!

  My face went pale and my mouth dropped open. I was thoroughly speechless. I didn't want to say anything, just in case he hadn't just thought that. The more that I thought about it, the more I wanted to jump up and demand what on earth was going on.

  It's okay Alexis, we have a lot more in common than you think. I've been through all of this too.

  "So, how's your dinner?" I asked, purposefully changing the subject. "Mine is delicious! It's at least as good as the meal that you suggested last night, and that was outstanding."

  "Alexis, I'm not trying to upset you. I know that what you are going through must be extremely confusing. I can't imagine going through it without any knowledge of what is going on or having anyone to talk to about it."

  "What is going on, Cliff?"

  "That is a long story and I want to tell you everything," he said. "You deserve to know everything."

  "That sounds good to me," I said.

  "First, I need you to tell me everything," he said. "You've got the crows after you, some mind reading powers and object manipulation. Anything else?"

  "Object manipulation?"

  "Causing the lights to burst."

  I smiled. "I thought you meant I was being manipulative!"

  "I don't think you have that in you. I see a pure heart."

  I raised an eyebrow. "You obviously haven't seen my new temper."

  "You'll learn to control that in time," he said. "It's just part of the process. What else have you experienced that's out of the ordinary?"

  I thought for a moment. "I run so fast that they want me on the track team. I heard Brooke and Steve having a conversation all the way across the house, when it should have been impossible for me to hear them."

  "Any dreams?" he asked.

  My eyes nearly popped out. "How did you know that?"

  "Brooke purposefully chose the same pattern from your favorite childhood dress," he said. "She was hopeful that it would trigger your buried memories. What did you dream about?"

  "I was in a big, beautiful castle nestled between some mountains and forests," I said. "A boy about ten years old name Clifford and I were running through a fl
ower garden. He was telling me that we would use our powers to fight bad guys when we got older."

  "You remember that?" he asked excitedly. "That is one of my fondest memories."

  I smiled. "It was a nice dream."

  "It was no dream--it was real," he said, and then his face saddened. "That was the last day that I saw you before yesterday. You were taken from us that night."

  "I dreamed about that too. I was so scared when it happened."

  "I'm just glad that you were kept safe in a loving family."

  I snorted. "I wouldn't exactly call them loving, but yeah, they have kept me safe."

  "I have so very much to tell you," he said cupping my chin in his hand. "I would love to blurt it all out here, but I think that it would be best to go back to Brooke's house where we can explain it all to you together."

  "You're going to make me wait until after dinner to answer to all of my questions about my past?" I asked, pouting.

  "Let's just enjoy the rest of this meal, then we'll go over there," he said, smiling.

  "This is going to be the longest meal of my life."

  #

  Thank you for reading Deception, The Prologue.

  You will be able to continue reading the story in the full book, Deception. It will be available in early December 2012.

  Start reading at the beginning of chapter 7 to pick up where you've just left off!

  Visit www.StacyClaflin.com. If you sign up for my newsletter, you will receive periodic updates and occasional free bonus chapters!

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or wherever you got this book!

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