Dark Before Dawn

by Stacy Juba

  Jeff backed up on the grass a few inches. "We need to talk about how you’ve permitted my stepdaughter to lie to her family. She won’t be coming here any longer."

  Serina rested a casual hand on the empty flower box, a whiff of her rose perfume hovering in the air. "Jeff, your stepdaughter has a tremendous gift. Without guidance, it could turn into a curse. The results could be devastating."

  An image of her father rushing home from work darted through Dawn's mind. Serina was right. If he’d had a better teacher, that wouldn’t have happened. She eyed the cottage with uncertainty. Jamie and Candace must be inside, drinking tea and waiting for their lesson. Sadness welled up in her throat. She should be with them.

  "It wasn’t your responsibility to teach her," Jeff said. "How could you work with these girls without talking to their parents?"

  "Would you have given permission, Jeff? I doubt it. Having a talent like Dawn's makes it difficult to find friends. Until they drifted together, high school was a miserable experience for my three girls."

  "First of all, Dawn isn’t your girl and I'm sure she won't have trouble making new friends," Jeff said, his voice chillier than the autumn air. He leaned forward, staring into Serina's face, as if he were trying to decide something. "How long have you been in Covington, Miss ...?"

  "Serina. I rented the house earlier this year."

  "You've never lived in town?"

  "I can’t say that I have."

  "Nothing personal, Serina. I don’t know you. But I know the kind of dangerous nonsense you’re teaching these girls. Do I want to rescue Dawn from that? You bet."

  Dawn groped in her pocket for another tissue, wishing her abilities extended to invisibility. She’d never seen Jeff so ticked off.

  Serina’s sea green eyes grew colder. "Rescue? Not a word I thought you would be familiar with."

  Jeff shook his head. "Don’t even bother telling me what that’s supposed to mean." He put his arm around Dawn’s shoulders. "Come on, honey. Let’s go home."

  "Not so fast, Jeff. Now that we’ve dispensed with the pleasantries, let’s get down to business." Serina watched him, her face intent. As if on command, Jeff released Dawn and turned back. He and Serina locked on each other in silence, almost as if they were involved in an unspoken conversation.

  Oh, my God. Dawn recognized Jeff’s glassy stare. She’d seen it several times on other people.

  Serina was using mind control on Jeff.

  Then Serina snapped her gaze on Dawn and all other thoughts faded.

  GO HOME AND IMMEDIATELY USE MIND CONTROL ON YOUR MOTHER AND STEPBROTHER. ORDER THEM TO SUPPORT YOUR PSYCHIC LESSONS WITH THE GROUP. INSTRUCT YOUR MOTHER TO STOP INTERFERING IN YOUR LIFE.

  REMEMBER THAT YOU DID THE MIND CONTROL, BUT NOT THE REASON WHY. REINFORCE THE MESSAGES AS NEEDED. IF JEFF ARGUES, CONTROL HIM AS WELL. YOUR OWN INNER DOUBTS ABOUT CONTINUING LESSONS WILL BE ERASED FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD.

  GO.

  Dawn followed her stepfather toward the car and they both slid into the front seat.

  "I liked her," Jeff said. "I’m sure we can convince your mother to let you keep coming here."

  "Thanks, Jeff. I’m glad you’re on my side." As she fastened her seatbelt, Dawn glanced back toward the house. She was meant to be with Serina. Soon her mother would realize it, too.

  Chapter Sixteen

  When Dawn and Jeff got home, they found Dawn’s mother dumping sliced carrots into a steaming pot. Dawn dropped into a chair, exhausted. Something needled at the back of her mind. What was it?

  Her mother scraped curls of carrot skin down the garbage disposal and rinsed the cutting board under running water. "I’m making chicken soup for Dawn’s cold. How did it go?"

  "We made a mistake, honey," Jeff said, pecking her cheek. "Dawn needs to keep studying with Serina."

  The cutting board clattered into the sink. Dawn’s mother stared as Jeff reached into a box of wheat crackers. "Are you kidding? Jeff, this woman’s the Pied Piper of teenage girls."

  "Come on, Mom, you’ve never even met Serina," Dawn said.

  "I don’t need to meet her. I thought this was settled, that if you were going to take lessons, it would be from your grandfather." Her mother yanked out the cutting board and slashed a celery stalk.

  "Honey, you’re overreacting. Serina is a kind, wise woman. We’re lucky she’s interested in Dawn." Jeff touched her shoulder, but Dawn’s mother jerked away.

  "I can’t believe you’re saying this."

  Dawn got up and opened the refrigerator. Jeff’s turnaround surprised her also. If she hadn’t trusted Serina, she might have wondered if he had been brain-jacked, but Serina wouldn’t coerce him without her blessing.

  An urge seized Dawn, a longing she couldn’t resist. Her mom could use a dose of mind control to shut her up. Dawn concentrated, energy spiraling around her sixth chakra. Let Dawn study with Serina. Stop interfering in Dawn’s life and let her do whatever she wants.

  "I really think you would have liked Serina," Jeff said.

  Dawn poured herself a glass of Coke at the tiled counter. She sipped it, watching her mother intently. Not answering Jeff, her mother lowered the knife and rubbed her temple.

  "Are you okay, hon?" Jeff asked.

  "I’m just hungry, that’s all. What was I saying?" Dazed, her mother jettisoned chunks of celery into the soup.

  You were saying that you think Dawn should study with Serina. Dawn aimed her thoughts at her mother like darts.

  Ken joined them and grabbed a bag of chips from atop the refrigerator. He snapped off the plastic fastener and dug inside. "What’s going on? Dinner ready yet?" He shoved a handful into his mouth.

  Dawn’s mother resumed her chopping with renewed vigor. "Almost. We were talking about how Dawn’s lucky to be studying with Serina. We decided she should continue her lessons."

  "You’re letting her study with that devil worshipper?" Ken demanded once he finished crunching. "Are you serious? Dad, you’re going along with this?"

  "Sure. Why not?" Jeff asked.

  "You’re gonna let her keep going there? With no one around to see what they’re doing except Jamie and that nutbag Candace?"

  Dawn polished off her Coke and sent her stepbrother a message. Ken, mind your own business. Serina’s great. Jamie and Candace are great. Stay out of Dawn’s life.

  "It’s nice you’re so concerned for Dawn, but we wouldn’t let her do anything dangerous," Jeff said. "Her lessons are a wonderful gift."

  "You’re right," Ken said mechanically. "Serina, Candace and Jamie are great."

  "I knew you’d come around." Dawn grabbed a Popsicle out of the freezer to soothe her itchy throat.

  While her mother and Jeff set the kitchen table, Dawn ambled out to the living room. As she sat down on the couch, hot pain blistered between her eyeballs and the Hijacking sign torched in her mind.

  Moaning, Dawn tucked her head between her knees and the Popsicle slipped out of her hand. Heat seared her skin, her muscle, her bone. It emanated from her forehead and stabbed straight down her body, as if she were being charred into cinders from head to toe. As if she were being cremated, her organic matter burning into fine white powder.

  Please, make it stop. Please.

  Without warning, the fiery knives dulled, leaving her balled in a quivering mass on the floor. Tears glazed Dawn’s eyes and she forced herself to draw long slow breaths. Purple Popsicle juice pooled on the beige carpet.

  Should she admit to Serina that her symptoms were worsening? No, Serina would say she must have buried guilt and to get over it. But what if these episodes were occurring for a good reason? What if Dawn had done something terribly wrong? She locked her arms around her knees, gooseflesh crawling over her.

  ***

  Dawn returned to school the next morning, armed with tissues and cough drops for her cold, but defenseless against whatever had caused her body to attack itself.

  Between periods, Candace stopped her in the corridor and searched Dawn’
s face with probing eyes. "You coming to Serina’s today?"

  A strident voice bellowed in Dawn’s mind: Act sick. Make sure she knows you have a cold. Don’t tell her about the headaches.

  Weird. After a sleepless night, Dawn had resolved to seek Serina’s advice, or else she’d never feel safe practicing mind control again. So why hide the continuation of her problem from Candace? And why exploit the cold?

  Dawn made a split second decision to go with the instinct. She sneezed and pulled a tissue out of her pocket. "Definitely. I got my mother to mind her own business, if you know what I mean. Too bad I’m feeling lousy. I can’t get rid of this stupid cold."

  "Good job. I’ll bet Serina’s herbal tea will help. See you at lunch." Candace walked down the corridor.

  Dawn retreated to the library for study hall. She found an unoccupied table near the reference section and opened her English notes, but something drew her attention away from dead poets.

  Renee sat alone in the corner, a hump in her shoulders and her books unopened. She’d always been skinny, but today she looked downright anorexic. Dawn had rarely seen her without her entourage.

  "Hey, Renee, where’s your face paint?" a football player cracked, brushing by her.

  Renee’s glossy peach lips trembled and guilt slammed Dawn in the gut. She raised herself out of her chair, bewildered by an intense desire to approach Renee. Her feet directed her to the other girl’s table.

  As Dawn neared, Renee’s cobalt blue eyes darkened and she gripped the seat of her chair as if bracing herself. Emotions spiraled around her like poisonous vapor. Anger. Depression. Confusion. Fear.

  "What do you want?" Renee asked.

  "Your mother didn’t kill herself. Someone murdered her."

  Where, oh where, had that come from? Dawn faltered backwards, her body dripping with ice. The words had jumped past her lips, but she knew they were true. She’d had another premonition.

  Shock slackened Renee’s face. "You’re lying. I can’t believe you’d be so cruel."

  "First of all, you’re the cruel one," Dawn said. "All I’ve ever tried to do is help people. I would never lie about something this serious."

  "Yeah, right. Why should I believe you?"

  "Because my father died, and I know how much it hurts. Besides, I was right about Scott, wasn’t I? I have a strong feeling someone made your mom drink that poison."

  "That’s impossible. How could someone force her to drink cyanide? Point a gun to her head? There wasn’t any sign of a break-in. She even left me a note." A mixture of anger and desperation twisted Renee’s features.

  "She could have been forced to write it. Look, sometimes things pop into my head. That’s all I’ve got for you. I’m sorry."

  Renee didn’t answer, and Dawn debated whether she should return to her seat. She should never have said anything. When would she learn that people would rather wear blinders, that the world didn’t value psychic insights?

  Moistening her lips, Renee tapped a pencil against the table. She started to speak, broke off and then squared her shoulders. "What if you came to my house and I showed you her note? And some pictures? Would you be able to, like, get more information?"

  "I don’t know. I don’t feel well today. Let me think about it."

  Dawn asked the librarian for a bathroom pass and locked herself in a stall for the rest of the period. She’d worry about Renee later. She had other problems.

  A few minutes before the bell, Dawn left her sanctuary to wait outside Jamie's biology classroom. At the class change, Jamie emerged in a sunflower yellow sweater. Her hair fell in even waves.

  Jamie's eyes widened. "Dawn. Hi."

  "Can we go somewhere? I’ve still got late passes, so we’ll be fine."

  Her friend looked down the hall and then back to Dawn. "Um, okay."

  They walked to the empty girls' locker room where the smells of strawberry body spray and sweat turned Dawn's stomach. They planted themselves on a wooden bench before the lockers.

  "In case Candace didn’t tell you, everything’s all set," Dawn said. "I used mind control on my mom and Ken. It was the only way."

  "What about your stepfather?"

  "He came around on his own for some reason. He said he liked Serina." As Dawn voiced the words, it struck her how unlikely they sounded.

  "It’s strange how he changed his mind," she murmured. "He was really against the idea." Her heart gave a tight squeeze. She curled a lock of hair around her finger and abruptly released it. "You don’t think Serina used mind control on Jeff, do you? She wouldn’t do that, right?"

  A strangled noise escaped Jamie’s throat. "I think she might have. When Serina came into the house, she and Candace exchanged this look, like everything was taken care of. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I wondered."

  "I was standing right there. I didn’t notice anything weird." Or had she? Dawn wrapped her thoughts around the meeting with Serina. She remembered getting out of the car. Walking to the porch. Jeff and Serina exchanging heated words. Going home. How had the conversation ended? Was something missing?

  Jamie waited a beat, licking her lips. Shock waves rippled through Dawn as comprehension washed over her. "Oh my God, Jamie. You think she controlled me, too. That can’t be. I’m too strong for that."

  "Are you sure?" Jamie asked. "Serina told us that spiritual or metaphysical people can be tougher targets, but not impossible."

  Dawn stared at the row of gym lockers. During their telephone conversation, Serina had suggested influencing Dawn’s mother with mind control. Dawn declined.

  What changed? What made her brain-jack her mother and Ken? The idea had popped into her head and she’d gone along with it, but why?

  Serina had been patient and helpful, making Dawn feel as if she were worth something. They might not agree with each other every moment, but they shared mutual respect. Serina wouldn’t strong-arm Dawn into submission.

  Or would she? Dawn toed someone’s dropped barrette and it skittered across the dusty gray floor. Why was it difficult to accept that Serina would stoop to mind control to get what she wanted? After all, she’d taught Dawn to do the very same thing.

  "What’s the matter?" Jamie asked. "You look—"

  Adrenaline surging through Dawn, she bolted upright. "How could Serina do this? I trusted her. If you’re right, then Candace knew, too. Some friend she is."

  "I don’t think you should say anything to them. Serina won’t like how mad you are."

  "I don’t get it. Why was it so important for me to stay? Why do they even care?"

  Dawn couldn’t go to the cottage that afternoon, not when Serina had manipulated her so easily. She pressed a finger to her lips, thinking hard. Luckily, Candace knew she was ill. Dawn mentally thanked her spirit guide, Higher Self or whatever force had prompted her to inform Candace she was under the weather.

  "I’m going to play sick and get dismissed," she said. "Tell Serina and Candace that I have a fever and got sent home. I read that crystals can be programmed with negative vibrations. I want to cleanse mine, see if I can figure out what’s going on."

  Jamie’s face drained of color. "They’ll know I’m lying. What am I supposed to do?"

  Dawn knew Jamie was right. It would take more than Jamie alone to face Serina and Candace. Dawn turned to her friend, slowly. I’m sorry, Jamie, but it’s for your own good.

  She steeled herself, then brain-jacked her only friend. Go to Serina’s house after school and tell them Dawn is very sick with a fever. This is the truth. Her mother had to get her from school. Dawn is sick, very sick. Be aware of anything suspicious. Call Dawn later today and report everything that happened with Serina and Candace.

  Blankness replaced the terror on Jamie’s face. Dawn promised herself she would never, ever, control anyone again. Please don’t let me get that awful burning pain this time, she prayed. I didn’t want to do it. I had to.

  This is different, her inner voice replied. This is survival.

  Ch
apter Seventeen

  As Dawn waited in the nurse’s office for her mother, she spotted Vicky leaving the guidance department across the hall. Dawn hopped down from her chair. She had to find out whose side Candace was on. Who better than Vicky to offer insight?

  "Can I run to my locker?" she asked as Mrs. Tremont, the school nurse, took another girl’s temperature. "I forgot a book."

  Mrs. Tremont ripped off a hall pass and Dawn bolted into the hallway.

  She caught up to Vicky halfway down the corridor. "Can I talk to you?"

  Vicky recoiled as if she had been touched by a python. Her black sweatshirt and baggy sweatpants could have been from Candace's closet, the effort to pick out clothes apparently too much for her. She elbowed past Dawn. "I’m busy."

  Dawn hurried after her. "Did I do something wrong?"

  Vicky halted near a glass display showcasing clay vases and bowls from the art class. "You tell me."

  Paranoid, Dawn glanced around to make sure Candace wasn’t in earshot, but they were alone. "I need to know whether I should trust your sister."

  "Why should I trust you? You’ve been her Siamese twin for weeks." Vicky laughed shrilly.

  "Candace and I have been taking lessons from this psychic named Serina." Dawn spoke in calm tones, hoping it would ease Vicky’s hostility. "We’ve learned some intense stuff. Serina isn’t who I thought she was. Candace has been studying with her for a lot longer, so…"

  "I’ve seen her car in that fortuneteller’s driveway. You want to know if Candace is evil, too. That’s what you’re leading up to, right? That Serina is evil?" Vicky folded her hands on her hips.

  Evil. Dawn had been thinking manipulative. Cold. Yet Vicky was right. ‘Evil’ had entered Dawn’s head the first day she noticed Serina’s cottage.

  "Why do you say that?" Dawn asked.

  "Oh, come on. I’ve seen the cruel things my sister can do. She never did anything like that before she hooked up with Serina."

  "What kind of things?"

  "Don’t play innocent. Renee didn’t draw on herself because she was stressed out. You made her. I’ve seen the same intense look on Candace when she forces people to do things." Vicky backed away, her face paling as if she was afraid she’d admitted too much. She bumped into the display case with her elbow, rattling the glass.