by Kristi Cook
For several seconds we all sat in silence, digesting that.
Finally Kate turned toward me and smiled. “I guess you haven’t met your GC yet, huh?”
“GC? I’m almost afraid to ask what that stands for.” I grabbed another tissue and blew my nose.
Cece laughed, and her friends joined in. “Guidance counselor,” she finally said. “You’ll get assigned a guidance counselor is all.”
“What, to tell me how to use my gifts to save the world? To benefit humankind? To fight off super-villains?”
Sophie smirked. “Ha-ha. Very funny. Your guidance counselor will do what any guidance counselor does—help you apply to college, decide which careers best fit your talents, that’s all.”
Cece nodded. “There are psychic coaches available, though, if you need one. Like if you’re having trouble with control or something like that. Or just want some help strengthening them.”
“My powers, you mean?” I asked incredulously.
“We try not to use that word here, Miss McKenna.”
I looked up and saw Mrs. Girard standing in the doorway, smiling at me.
“We say ‘gifts’ or ‘talents.’ I see you’ve come to understand Winterhaven’s unique situation,” she said, moving to stand beside my bed.
I rubbed my temples, desperately trying to wrap my head around everything I’d just learned.
“I’m willing to bet that you’ll come to appreciate it much sooner than you think,” Mrs. Girard said. “After all, this is a safe haven for people like us, like you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “I’ve brought you this.”
Warily, I took it. With trembling hands, I unfolded the page. Code of Paranormal Activity was written in script across the top, and beneath it was a long list of numbered items. Rules, I supposed, given what the girls had told me. The famous COPA.
“Read it, study it, absorb it. And when you’re done, bring it to Dr. Blackwell’s office to be properly disposed of. At that time, he will answer any questions you might have. I trust you girls will help her out in any way necessary through this period of adjustment?”
They all nodded in unison. “Of course,” Cece said, reaching over to hug my shoulders. “We’ll take good care of her.”
5 ~ Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself
Okay, please tell me I’m not the only dork who freaked when they figured it all out,” I said, setting down my dinner tray on the table and sliding into a seat.
Cece sat down beside me. “Of course you’re not. It’s just that we all came in as freshmen—it was a long time ago, and it was different, anyway. We sort of figured it out together by the second day of orientation. All the upperclassmen have to keep it under wraps until the newbies catch on. But it’s different with a transfer student. You were on your own.”
Sophie nodded. “I remember being pretty upset when I figured it all out. I mean, my whole family is really into academics, and I’d never met anyone with gifts before.”
“Luckily, Marissa was in our orientation group,” Cece said, “and she’s a legacy. She already knew, and that made it easier on all of us.”
I glanced around at the group of girls surrounding me. “So, besides Marissa, do any of you have relatives with . . . you know, gifts?”
Cece nodded. “My grandma does. Remember that voodoo stuff I mentioned? We’ve never really talked about it, but it’s just kind of understood, you know?”
“Nothing in my family,” Kate said with a shake of her head. “Unless it came from my dad’s side.”
“My dad doesn’t even know about me and my mom,” Marissa put in. “We decided it was probably better that way. Anyway, it’s not like we have a gift you can actually see.”
I was still a little unclear as to what Marissa’s gift was. I wondered if the admission requirements were a little more lax for legacies, but I didn’t dare ask.
“What about her?” I asked, tipping my head toward a tall brunette at the table beside ours. “Why is she wearing gloves?”
“Clairsentience,” Sophie said. “Like me, but a different form. When she touches stuff, she absorbs all the energy from people who touched it before her. Totally distracting. The gloves protect her from that.”
“And the blonde sitting beside her?”
“That’s Stacy Dalton, the head cheerleader,” Cece answered. “Also some form of clairsentience—same types usually stick together. I’m not sure, but I think Stacy’s gifts are weak, though. Kind of vague.”
Marissa frowned at her from across the table. “Just because you can leave your body and travel around doesn’t make you all that special.”
“Give me a break, I don’t ‘leave my body.’ Only my astral self does,” she said with a grin.
I still didn’t know what it meant, this astral projection thing. I’d have to ask her later. There were so many things I didn’t understand. The Hitchhikers at least got a Guide to the Galaxy. I got nothing.
After Mrs. Girard had left, I’d sat there in stunned silence reading the COPA while the other girls got ready for dinner. I felt stupid, totally blindsided by things that I should have picked up on.
It was all just so surreal. I mean, I’d come to New York for one reason—to be normal. To hide my so-called gift from the world. That had been the plan, and I’d been totally committed to it. But the amazing thing was, by Winterhaven’s standards I was normal. I had nothing to hide.
“What about him?” I nodded toward a tall, blond guy headed our way. He looked pretty normal, like any high school jock.
“That’s Jack Delafield,” Kate answered with a smile. “A tellie like me, and hands off, he’s mine.”
“Hey,” he called out, bending down to kiss her cheek. “Coach called a special practice, but I’ll be around later if you want to do something.”
“Sure. Hey, Jack, this is Violet. Violet, Jack.” Kate made the introduction. “She’s Cece’s new roommate. A precog.”
Precog? It was going to take me forever just to learn the lingo.
“Cool. Nice to meet you.” Jack smiled warmly, then turned his attention back to Kate. “I’ll call you when I’m done, okay?”
“’Kay,” she answered, then blew him a kiss as he walked away.
“He seems nice,” I said as soon as he was out of earshot. “How long have you two been going out?”
“Almost a year now. He’s the star running back on the football team,” she added, pride in her voice.
“You said he’s tele . . . telegenetic, like you?”
“Telekinetic,” she corrected. “Yeah, but we’re different types. I’m a macro, he’s a micro.”
“There’s more than one kind?”
“Show her, Kate,” Marissa said, gesturing toward the salt shaker on the table between us.
Kate shook her head. “Nah, I shouldn’t. We’re not really supposed—”
“Oh, just do it.” Marissa picked up the shaker and moved it directly in front of Kate.
“Geez, all right.” She took a deep breath and focused her gaze on the salt shaker.
My heart began to pound in anticipation, and I clasped my hands together beneath the table. Seconds later, the shaker slid silently down the length of the table, stopping right at the edge. I let out my breath in a rush, my skin tingling all over.
“There, are you happy?” Kate asked. “Anyway, Violet, that’s macro. I can move big stuff, stuff you can see. But Jack, he’s micro. He can move molecules, atoms, stuff like that. Stuff you need a microscope to see. Apparently it’s pretty handy in the chemistry lab.”
“But . . . but I thought you couldn’t use it in school,” I stuttered. “Isn’t that against the COPA?”
“He can’t use it in chemistry class. But he can do his own stuff in the lab, in his free time. He and Aidan are always working on projects together.”
“He and Aidan are friends?” I asked, somehow surprised.
“Well, I wouldn’t call them friends, not really. They don’t hang out
together, except in the chem lab. Oh, look over there. That’s the shifters, that group there in the corner.”
I turned to watch as five perfectly normal-looking kids sat down and started to eat—three girls and two guys, nothing remarkable about them at all.
“Don’t stare,” Cece whispered, and I turned back toward the food that sat in front of me, getting cold. Beef stew, and not half-bad, really, though I had zero appetite.
“So, what kind of projects do they work on? Aidan and Jack,” I clarified, curious now.
“Research,” Kate answered. “Medical stuff. I don’t know what Aidan’s working on, but Jack . . . well, he’s got a little brother who has this really severe type of epilepsy, so that’s what he’s working on.”
“I still don’t get the whole brother thing,” Sophie said. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“What? That he has epilepsy?” I asked.
Sophie shook her head. “No, the fact that he has a brother at all.”
I was completely confused now. What was so weird about having a brother? “I don’t get it,” I finally said.
Beside me, Cece shrugged. “Most of us here at Winter-haven are only children—at least, everyone I know is.”
“Except for Jack,” Kate put in.
“But . . . but why?” I stammered, looking around at the other girls, hoping for an explanation. “I mean, why is everyone an only child? It’s got to be more than a coincidence, right?”
“I don’t know,” Sophie said, shaking her head. “No one’s ever been able to explain it.”
I shifted in my seat, strangely unsettled by this latest revelation. “I should go,” I said, pushing back from the table. “I’m supposed to go to Dr. Blackwell’s office, if I can find it.”
“I’ll walk you there,” Cece offered, and I nodded gratefully as she stood and picked up her tray.
Minutes later I was following Cece through several mazelike halls, up a flight of stairs, and down another hall that seemed to go on forever. Finally we climbed another flight of stairs and made our way past the old headmasters’ portraits before at last reaching the carved wooden door that led to Dr. Blackwell’s office.
“Here you go,” she said, a little breathlessly. “Do you want me to wait for you?”
“No, I’m fine.” I was breathless too. Probably nerves more than anything else. “Thanks, though.”
“Okay, I’ll see you later, then. Have fun,” she added mischievously, then turned and left me there.
I took a deep, calming breath, trying to steady myself before I faced the headmaster and the truths he’d no doubt tell. Just as I raised my hand to knock, the door swung slowly open, creaking on its hinges. “Come in, Miss McKenna,” he called out, and I stepped inside, my palms sweating like crazy.
“Sit down,” he said, gesturing to the same chair I’d sat in the night before.
I did as I was told, wiping my hands on my jeans. “Thanks,” I murmured.
“Tell me, how was your first day here at Winterhaven?”
“It was . . . good,” I said, barely able to speak. Why was I so nervous? He’d never been anything but friendly. Even now he was smiling warmly at me, his silver eyes twinkling in the firelight.
“I’m glad. Mr. Gray assures me that you will have no trouble whatsoever catching up with your coursework. All the classes were to your liking?”
I cleared my throat before speaking. “Yes, sir. I . . . um . . . unfortunately I missed my fencing class, but—”
“That’s fine, don’t worry,” he said, waving one hand in dismissal. “You’ll get there tomorrow.”
For a full minute he said nothing, and I started to squirm in my chair. Finally he spoke. “Now I suppose you see that Winterhaven is unique in more ways than one. I hope that does not make you uncomfortable.”
“No, I . . . I’m a little surprised, that’s all.” I couldn’t help but wonder what his psychic abilities were. After all, my new friends had told me that everyone at Winterhaven had them, even him.
“And you’ve read the code?”
“Yes, sir.” I reached into my back pocket and pulled it out, unfolding the page with damp hands.
“No questions?”
“No, it’s pretty straightforward. A lot of it doesn’t apply to me anyway, since I don’t really have any control over my visions. They just . . . come.”
“To the contrary, Miss McKenna. I think you will find that your visions can be harnessed, perhaps put to good use. But all in due time.”
A bubble of hope welled in my chest, and I nodded.
“Also, keep in mind that adherence to the code is very important where extracurricular activities are concerned. We want your school experience to be as normal as possible, which is why we allow our teams to participate in the All-Ivy League. When interacting with students from other schools, it is vital that you keep the COPA in mind at all times.”
“Of course,” I said. I got it—don’t let the regular kids see what freaks we were.
“Very well, if you’ve no questions, I’ll take back your copy of the code. You must sign here”—he pushed another piece of paper across the desk toward me—“to acknowledge that you’ve read it and agree to abide by it. A pact, if you will.”
I took the paper and glanced down at it, my eyes quickly scanning the words.
I, Violet Ashton McKenna, do hereby vow that I have read the Code of Paranormal Activity, herewith referred to as the COPA. My signature certifies that I fully understand the COPA and agree to abide by it at all times, at all costs. I also acknowledge that if I fail to abide by the COPA, I may be duly expelled from Winterhaven. Signed in the presence of Dr. Augustus Blackwell, Headmaster of the Winterhaven School, on this third day of October, in the village of Tarrytown, New York.
Beneath it was a blank line for my signature. Dr. Blackwell handed me a pen, and with shaking hands, I scrawled my name.
There, it was done. I stared at my signature, still a little stunned by the absurdity of the situation.
Dr. Blackwell retrieved the page and folded it in thirds before sealing it with an old-fashioned wax seal. “And into the fire it goes,” he said, taking the folded paper along with my copy of the code. He tossed them both into the flames behind him. “Secrecy is a prized thing here at Winterhaven, and we leave no written evidence of that which we wish to keep private. The contract is symbolic—a gentleman’s agreement, if you will.”
I nodded, watching as the flames began to lap at the pages, curling the edges till they at last burst into flames. A full minute later they scattered to the grate below in charred bits.
“You must understand how important strict adherence to the code is to this school’s security, to its very integrity,” he said, swiveling back to face me.
“Yes, sir,” I said, swallowing hard. “I understand.”
“Very well.” He drummed his fingers against his desk, watching me. “Some students choose to learn to block their thoughts, if need be, for privacy’s sake. If you would like to learn, we can assign you a coach.”
“Sure,” I said with a nod. It seemed like everyone else already knew how to do it, so I figured I should learn too. Particularly since Aidan could read minds, and I definitely didn’t want him knowing my thoughts when I was with him.
“I’ll have Mrs. Girard make the arrangements. I suppose our business here is done, then.” He rose from his chair and reached across the desk to shake my hand. “But do not hesitate to return, if any questions arise that Mrs. Girard cannot answer to your satisfaction.”
“Thanks.” Just as before, his hand was cold as ice.
“Can you find your way back to the dormitory?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said, though in reality, I had no clue how to get back.
“Hmmm, perhaps I should send for someone to see you back safely,” he said with a chuckle, reaching for the telephone that sat on his desk.
“I can find it, really,” I said. How hard could it possibly be? Down a hall, up some stairs .
. .
He released the phone with a shrug. “If you’re sure, then. I might remind you that you are to be in your bed by eleven.” His silver eyes were twinkling again. “Good night, my dear. And good luck.” I could still hear him laughing softly as I closed the door and set off.
A quarter hour later, I was ready to admit that I was totally and hopelessly lost. I’d gone down the same hall—the one with the headmasters’ portraits—at least three times, and up the same staircase twice. I was beginning to panic when I spied a door I hadn’t remembered seeing before.
I hurried over, hoping I’d finally found a means of escape. It led outside; I could see the moon in the square panes of glass at the top. For a minute or so I stared at the door, considering my options. I might get just as lost outside, but at least I wouldn’t be wandering these same halls.
Please don’t let it be locked, I thought, giving it a hard push. Thankfully it wasn’t, and I found myself out in the cool, clear night.
With no clue where to go.
A grassy lawn stretched out before me, maybe for a hundred yards. I could make out the faint outline of buildings beyond the grass, but I had no idea which building housed the dorms. I had always traveled indoors between the administration building and the dorms, in connecting corridors of some sort. If I could just find the courtyard, maybe I could find my way from—
“Need some help?” a voice called out behind me, and I nearly screamed in fright.
My heart beating wildly, I turned to find Aidan standing there, leaning against the side of the building.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I asked, running a hand through my hair. It was the second time in one day that he’d scared the living daylights out of me. Still, I had to admit I was glad to see him—so glad I was almost giddy.
With his hands shoved into his pockets, he walked over to where I stood. “Sorry about that. Happy to see me, huh?” He grinned at me in the moonlight.
It was a good thing it was dark out, because I was sure my face was scarlet. “You’re not allowed to do that, you know,” I scolded. “It’s against the code.”