Foreseen (The Rothston Series)

by Smiles, Terri-Lynne

  The warm power of his hands took me by surprise and a rush flooded through my body – an electric-like surge that sharpened the details of his face, the shaved line of his sturdy jaw, the depth of blue of his eyes, and the bow of his lips. And everything became brighter and more … now. The tingle flooded my chest, filling my entire body until it had to escape back where his hands remained on my arms. I looked up at him, but he was different. It wasn’t my eyes I was using. My adept senses had taken over –flashing down the quantum tunnels – through the turbula – to where divergent futures splintered off. I followed the broadest ones – the ones most likely to happen – and perceived him turning away from the dirt path outside the Hutchins Guest House. Standing with his hand on my back at the Gala. Dancing with me. And then it was gone. My heart was pounding as I found myself back in my dorm room. No time had passed. That was the first time I’d read a person. It left me dazed and breathless.

  “What is that?” I asked, once I recovered the power of speech.

  Greg released me cautiously, waiting to see if I could stand as the thrilling tingle subsided. “I have no idea,” he answered once I took a step on my own. His voice had changed as well. There was a richness I hadn’t heard before. “It must be something we’re doing. Building a static charge or something.”

  I shook my head. “Doesn’t feel like static electricity.”

  “No. It doesn’t,” he agreed. “And there’s some sort of feedback with it.” He flexed his hand in search of an answer. “To the Gala?” he asked, motioning to the door, but we were both still looking at his hand as we walked out of the room.

  ψ

  Greg held out a suited elbow for me as I emerged from Mr. Heisenberg’s passenger seat. I started to wave it off as being too date-like for the short walk to the Hutchins Guest House where the Gala was being held. But one of my heels wobbled in defiance, so I grabbed his arm.

  We walked up the road, resuming our conversation about each other’s likes and dislikes that we had started over the dinner we’d eaten in his room. He thought that would be easier on me than heading to an over-packed restaurant. Childhood heroes was the topic I picked next.

  “Einstein,” Greg said without hesitating. “Albert.”

  “I know who Einstein was,” I laughed, and faltered slightly on my shoes again.

  “I had a book of Einstein quotes when I was a kid. Memorized the whole thing. One of my favorites is ‘God does not play dice with the universe.’”

  “Why that one? It doesn’t sound like you.”

  “That’s why I like it. He was wrong. Quantum physics proves the random does happen – like your rats in the maze last month. It just goes to show you can be brilliant and wrong,” he said, taking easy strides beside me.

  “That’s even geekier than me.”

  He puffed up his chest in response. “Best compliment I’ve ever had.”

  “Glad you like it,” I joked back, and stepped ahead toward the dirt path that cut across the grass to the Guest House. Greg stopped me. He pointed at my strappy shoes and turned back to the road instead. My eyes shot open. It was what I’d perceived back in my room – exactly! I had successfully read Greg’s future. An eerie feeling flowed through me, and I smiled.

  “This is going to be fun,” he beamed, as we entered the white Georgian building. The main room in the Guest House wriggled as the gyrating bodies of students danced to the driving beat of a band. I looked away, trying to focus on the less packed areas around the edge of the room. My eyes scanned across the random clumps of people in search of open space, when a string-bean guy flailed his arms wildly at me. I gave a tentative wave back, pretty sure I didn’t know him.

  Greg gave an easy laugh at the expression on my face. “C’mon. These are my peeps. Let me introduce you,” he said, placing his hand on my back to guide me toward them. “Maybe we can hang with them for awhile. I don’t think they’re into crowds either.”

  “Those are your friends?” I asked in surprise, sizing up the two nerds we were approaching.

  “Glenn Gilroy,” Greg said, introducing me to the gangly guy with light, curly hair. I gave him another little wave and the guy looked like he was about to pass out. His friend, squat, beige and pimple-faced, jabbed Glenn hard with his elbow. This one hadn’t taken his eyes off of my chest. I folded my arms in front of me and Greg introduced me to Dennis Schlembach.

  I gave a nervous glance around. This would be okay. I could focus on talking to these guys, and ignore the throngs behind me. “How do you guys know each other?” I yelled over the music. Dennis and Glenn gave me dumbfounded looks, as if they couldn’t believe I had the power of speech.

  “All physics majors,” Greg answered, putting his fist into the circle we formed. Dennis and Glenn, too quickly, bumped it with theirs.

  “Cool. Physics nerds,” I nodded, but they still just stared at me. Please talk, I pleaded in my head. I don’t want to think about all the people behind me. But the silence lingered.

  “Did you guys finish the e-mag homework?” Greg asked loudly. They both nodded but didn’t say anything. Greg shot me a quick glance to apologize for them. I shrugged. “So what’d you do for number three?” he asked in an effort to jumpstart a conversation.

  “Lagrange equation,” said Glenn. “Series expansion.” Dennis nodded and we all stood there staring at one another. I felt like all the eyes of the room behind me were searing into my back. Dennis finally launched into a lengthy, detailed description of something I didn’t understand, but I listened raptly, trying to suppress the panicked gallop of my heart. I was just starting to get an idea of what he was saying when his voice sort of just trailed off and he stood there, staring into space.

  Greg stepped between his nerdy buddies, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders. “Relax, guys. You’re never going to get dates this way.” They nodded in agreement, and Dennis returned to staring down my dress again. Greg just shook his head as he came back to my side. “We’ll see you guys around.” I opened my mouth to protest. They were okay, and there were only two of them! But Greg’s firm hand on my back directed me away. After a step, he looked back at his friends. “Loosen up, guys! You’re going to scare somebody.”

  I kept my eyes tightly focused on the floor as we weaved through the bodies on the dance floor. Two thirds of the way across, Greg stopped and whispered to me that my resident advisor was near the doors to the patio. I looked up to find her but all I saw were bodies pressed around me. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to run, but my body wouldn’t move. Greg turned me to face him.

  “Look at me, Kinzie,” he ordered, but I couldn’t make sense of the words. “Kinzie. Me. Focus on me.” My eyes obeyed, and slowly came into focus on the concerned blue pair watching me. “It’s okay. Just keep looking at me and nothing else.”

  I didn’t look away, studying his beautiful face, imaging he was the only person here, as he half danced, half led me in the direction of my R.A. After whispering that she was watching, he pulled me close to make her think we were together, not just here as friends – something she’d definitely remember. The feel of Greg’s strong body wrapped around mine flooded my brain, and all I could think of was that I was safe. I burrowed against him to drown out any sounds. I could pretend no one else existed here, and hoped he’d never let go and spoil the illusion.

  But just as I was settling into the warmth, Greg jumped back like he’d been shot. I followed his eyes to find Jenna White storming over.

  “Stay here,” Greg said to me seriously. “Right here. It’ll be okay. I’ll come back.”

  As he intercepted Jenna, she shot daggers at me with her eyes, but I didn’t stop watching them. Jenna snapped at Greg, her mouth twisted in anger. His face grew hard in response, and I knew I’d been wrong. It did matter if I’d influenced him to be here with me. It wasn’t right, and now he was paying the price.

  I looked away, only to find a sea of bodies, undulating like the tide. Sweeping in. Smothering me with their closeness.
I forced my lungs to take in more air, but I was drowning. I couldn’t move, but I had to get out. My heart was pounding in my ears. My hands grew clammy and a gray mist seemed to fog my vision. A guy crashed into me with his flailing dance moves, and it snapped me into action. Run!

  I pushed blindly through the crowd, cutting through gaggles of girls and dividing amorous couples. My heart was galloping out of my chest as I focused on the red exit sign on the wall. Almost there. I broke through the final cluster, when my heel caught on the floor, or a foot, or a leg. I didn’t know what. I was hurtling forward, out of control, with a forest of arms groping out at me. My mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out. A pair of hands clasped firmly around my arms, pulling me up straight.

  “In a hurry?”

  I tried to pull away, but the hands tightened, holding me in place. “Kinzie!” the same voice yelled at me as I began to make out the face of Rex Brolie. I studied his pale eyes, and the light fringe of lashes around them, trying to block out the noise and bustling around me. Rex held me out at arm’s length and scanned me up and down and gave a chuckle. “You clean up better than I would have guessed.”

  I wanted to respond to the half-insult, but my mind was still blank. “Need some air,” I choked out. I tried to move around him, but my body was frozen again.

  “Come on,” he consented, pulling me toward the side door.

  Space gloriously opened on the other side of the exit. Cool, clean air. Soft light from the glittering strings across the ceiling of the large white tent we entered. Only a few other people were here, quietly dancing to a slow melody. Rex’s arm grabbed around my waist to move me stiffly to the music.

  I pushed back, wanting a moment to calm down. “Please, leave me alone,” I begged, as my head began to surge in pain.

  He laughed and pulled me closer, and I wriggled to insert some airspace between our bodies. His eyes gleamed, as he pressed me firmly against him, his hands moving lower on my back. My brain stabbed in pain, and I thought about burying myself in his chest, like I had with Greg. But this was Rex, and all I really wanted was space. I tried to push him away again, but his grip tightened. I tensed, feeling a scream building inside, when a warm hand came down on my bare shoulder. My head spun with the electric jolt that rocketed through me, calming and energizing me at the same time.

  “Get away from my date,” Greg’s voice growled.

  Rex released me and locked eyes with Greg. My mind flew down the paths in the turbula that was suddenly so clear. I saw every decision each of them were making. The broad tunnels were hostile, leading to a fight.

  “No one forced her to be here,” Rex sneered to Greg’s challenge. A smile curled on his lips.

  Greg pushed me behind him and stepped up to Rex. “She’s still my date.”

  “And she was dancing with me. What are you going to do about it?”

  Crap. Their decisions were set. This was escalating fast. Greg’s arm reared back. I needed to do something. Now. I pushed my way between them.

  “Stop!”

  Chapter 11

  Greg

  Kinzie’s command rang in my ears, freezing my arm in the air. Her brown-black eyes bored into mine as her tiny body stood between me and Brolie. My chest heaved, but my arm became heavy in the air where it had been poised to strike. It dropped uselessly to my side, as sanity returned. My heart was pounding in my chest, and it was all I could do to bury the rage.

  “Leave my date alone,” I ordered Brolie.

  “Your date?” Brolie spat. “You’re such a common loser. She’s got no business being with you.”

  Kinzie turned on him. “Shut up, Rex.” The words shot out of her mouth like a cannonball, and Brolie nearly staggered from the impact. “Go away,” she demanded with a funny look on her face, like she was staring through him. Brolie gave us both a glare, then surprisingly complied without another word, but Kinzie’s eyes stayed on him as he left the tent. He turned back once, but thought better of it and kept going.

  “I think you just made an enemy,” I told Kinzie, as I took her in my arms to dance. Her body relaxed as couples floated past us, oblivious to what had almost happened beside them.

  “Rex was just being a jerk,” she informed me, in case I hadn’t noticed. Her terrified expression when I walked in had said it all. Brolie’s hands were headed for her butt – here in the middle of the dance floor – and Kinzie looked like she was watching a horror flick. “What happened with Jenna?” she asked, reminding me of my own problems.

  “She was just being a jerk,” I parroted with an attempted smile, then added more seriously. “She dumped me.” I looked out over Kinzie’s head, not wanting her to see the half-truth. Jenna had given me an ultimatum – get rid of Kinzie, or get lost. I’d planned to find someone for Kinzie to hang out with, or at least make sure she got back to her dorm okay, and go back to Jenna, but Brolie changed my mind. To hell with Jenna. I wasn’t going to leave Kinzie dateless, for any obnoxious, unattached guy who came along. Especially the way she looked. I glanced down at the girl swaying in my arms. She was beautiful in ways I never would have guessed. Long, smooth legs, tiny waist, sparkling eyes. She was stunning, turning heads everywhere she went tonight. And she was totally oblivious. That made her so much more …

  “Want me to talk to Jenna?” Kinzie offered, bringing me back from where my head was going. “I can tell her there’s nothing between us.” There was nothing between us, and never would be. We were friends – something I wouldn’t give up just to satisfy my physical curiosity.

  “It’s not important.”

  She raised her head and her probing eyes assessed me. “I had a feeling you’d say something like that. Why do you date girls you dislike?” she asked.

  My stomach clenched at the question, but I had to answer those inquisitive eyes. “Because it doesn’t get better for a guy like me.”

  Her brow knotted skeptically. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because ...” I stopped suddenly, uncertain what came next. There were no alternatives, but how could I explain that to a girl who was so unlike the others. And maybe I was wrong. The last thought felt like a hand prying open my chest to find nothing but darkness inside.

  Kinzie’s eyes narrowed at my silence, “You ought to find someone you care about.”

  A flash struck the darkness inside me, locking it away again, and I laughed to shake it away. “No one should be cursed with being that girl.”

  She smacked my arm, thinking I’d made a joke. The DJ started a new song, and she laid her head against my chest, perfectly comfortable with being my friend. I ran my hand along her back. She was relaxed now, and calm. The tension of dealing with Brolie and the fear of all the people were gone. I smiled to myself. If somehow I made her life easier, that was good – more than I deserved.

  She raised her head and gave me a quizzical look.

  “Sorry, I got moody on you,” I said, plastering a smile on my face. Her eyes searched my face, ready to press me on what I was thinking, but the dance photographer slid up and motioned for us to stand still. I pulled Kinzie in front of me, with my head next to her beautiful hair and we both grinned as the flash went off. Thankfully, the diversion was enough for Kinzie to leave my thoughts alone, letting me bury them again.

  After two songs, we found Pete, Boomer, and their dates, along with Murphy who didn’t have one, holding down a table in the refreshment tent. I guided Kinzie over, whispering in her ear as we approached, “Will this be okay?” Her eyes scanned the gap in the sheeting behind the table. It led out into an empty courtyard, and she nodded.

  Murphy went off to get everyone punch while Pete introduced Suzie and Christie, ditzy, fake-blonde roommates. We positioned our seats so that Kinzie faced the gap. The two girls giggled and eagerly included Kinzie in their excited chatter about what other girls were wearing. Kinzie attempted to listen, but her attention kept wandering out the courtyard, then around the tent, then back to the courtyard. She looked like she was testin
g herself. Making herself confront the crowd at the other end of the room, while having the safety of retreating to the empty space beyond us. After a moment, she smiled and I followed her eyes to find Sasha Reynolds waving from the other side of the tent. An overly-muscled guy was beside her, staring down her almost non-existent dress, and Sasha was loving it.

  “Who’s the guy with Sasha?” I asked Kinzie, as Murphy arrived with a tray of paper cups filled with red punch. I took two and handed one to her.

  “Matt Harmon. Football player. Sasha convinced him to ask her to this,” Kinzie answered with distaste, then blushed dropping her eyes to her lap like she was embarrassed to have said it. I could imagine what Sasha might have done to convince a guy to date her. Come to think of it, I didn’t have to imagine. God, that girl disgusted me.

  Brolie lurked on the other side of the tent, lording over the punch table as he surveyed the crowd from the end of his nose – too good to look people in the eye. Kinzie saw him and glanced around like she was waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, her eyes returned back to the opening to the courtyard. She rubbed her head, and quickly downed her cup of punch.

  “I didn’t know I was so thirsty.” She took a second cup, and began to gulp it as well, until I took it from her and set it down. She grinned guiltily, before she turned to study the two girls at the table who were still blathering on about clothes.

  I leaned into Kinzie. “I call them spacers,” I whispered in her ear. At that moment, Christie began waving eagerly to someone she knew across the room with a moronic grin spreading across her face.

  “Spacers?” Kinzie asked, picking up the punch cup again.

  “No intelligent life. They just take up space.”

  She snorted in her punch, nearly choking. I laughed and patted her back as she sputtered it out. She gulped down the rest of the cup to soothe her throat, and reached for another. We sat watching the shallow social interaction play out in front of us. Friends of Suzie’s and Christie’s kept stopping by, plainly sizing up the guys at the table to see how their dates ranked. It seemed to go on for hours. I never understood why that mattered to girls, but knew I was a prime catch. I suppose it had made life easy for me. Too easy maybe. At times, I thought that’s what was missing from my life. A challenge. Any sort of challenge. But there were none. So different from Kinzie, for whom simply walking into this party was a major obstacle.