The Voice

by Jennifer Anne Davis

“You know, when you said breakfast, I thought you meant eggs and bacon.” I had no idea what an acai bowl was.

  “This is California. No one eats that crap here.”

  “So when in Rome. . . .”

  “Exactly!” She dropped three sugars in her coffee before adding some creamer.

  She slid the other cup toward me. “I don’t drink coffee.”

  “When in Rome!”

  I rolled my eyes. “Remember, I am trying to gain weight, not starve myself like everyone else here. See those women in exercise clothes?” I nodded toward a group of women sitting at a table. “Their hair is perfect and they have makeup on.”

  “So?” Kate asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

  “Look at them! When I exercise, I sweat. If they did anything physically exerting, they’d probably break in half.” I ate a spoonful of acai. Oh, that was good. “Their form of exercise must be not eating.”

  “I’m sure they’re doing something physically exerting,” she laughed, but caught herself, looking concerned or afraid that she might have upset me with her insinuation.

  “Kate!” I exclaimed.

  She quickly recovered. “Oh, please. I teach people like you. I hear the way you guys talk.”

  “Is there any physical exertion in your near future?” I asked. Kate choked on her coffee. “What?” I asked innocently. “I hear how you adults talk. Don’t act so shocked.”

  It was wonderful to see Kate smile. A real smile, with her teeth showing and her eyes glowing. “I want details on your date,” I continued. “And don’t leave anything out. My brothers shelter me enough, so you don’t need to.”

  “To be honest, the date was okay.” Really? It looked far better than just okay to me. “After Mike left, I thought my life was over. I had been with him so long that I forgot I could take care of myself.”

  “Sorry, but what does that have to do with your date?” I asked, taking another bite.

  “I realized other men want me.” Her eyes lit up. Of course guys would want her. She was awesome. “And it feels good to be wanted—especially after being cheated on.”

  “So you’re over Mike?” I asked.

  “I’m not over what happened, but I’m definitely ready to move on and live my life.”

  A guy who was leaving accidently brushed against me. He apologized. “Wow,” Kate commented. “You’re doing well.” She was right. Interacting with people was getting easier every day. “Speaking of which, I take it things between you and Justin are good?” There was something in her voice that indicated she wanted to know more.

  “I think we’re friends.”

  “Really?” she said sarcastically.

  “We’re supposed to talk today.”

  “Talk?” Kate laughed.

  I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. There were a few tables outside. One guy caught my attention. He had a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey shirt on. He must have noticed me staring, because he turned toward me and smiled. Naturally, I smiled back, until I realized he looked familiar. Who was he? I was certain I had seen him before, but where? Then it hit me. Last night at the football game.

  “Kate!”

  She was busy texting. “Yeah?”

  “Look at the guy outside in the Penguins shirt.”

  “Where?” she asked, putting her phone aside.

  I pointed to where he was sitting, but he was gone. “He was there a second ago.”

  “I’m sure it was just a coincidence that you saw someone wearing a Penguins jersey,” Kate said, not sounding convinced.

  I told her about meeting him at the football game. Kate decided it was best to head home and call the police officer investigating the case so we could report the incident. I wanted to get home too, but for a very different reason.

  Chapter 21

  I decided that not only was it time to start repairing my relationship with my family, but that I needed some information. I called my oldest brother, Dillon. He went to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and I figured he was the best person to ask about Justin.

  “Squirrel,” he said, answering on the second ring. I hated when he called me that. Dillon chose the nickname after I started climbing trees. “It’s about time you called your oldest brother.”

  “Sorry I haven’t called sooner. I know it’s been too long.”

  “Everyone’s been worried about you. You sound good, though.” I heard the concern in his voice.

  “Thanks.” There was so much more I wanted to say to him, but I was still afraid to burden him with the details of what had happened.

  “Audrey . . . I’m so glad you called. I’ve wanted to email you or call, but I wasn’t sure. Bret said you were doing better.” There was an edge to him that I hadn’t heard before. My stomach twisted as I realized that he was in as much pain as I was—just a different kind of pain.

  “I am. A lot better.”

  Dillon took a deep breath. I imagined him pinching the bridge of his nose. “Glad to hear it. And it’s good to hear from you. You have no idea.” His voice turned raspy.

  I needed to change the focus of our conversation before I lost it. My brother’s pain was difficult to endure, and greater than I had realized. “How’s school going?” I asked. Dillon wanted to be a doctor ever since my brother Carter fell down the stairs and broke his leg. At least that’s the official story, although I’ve always believed Dillon played a role in the ordeal.

  “Good. I’m swamped with studying and don’t have much time for my girlfriend, Maria. But it’s going well. What about you? Mom said you’re in school out there?”

  “I am and it’s been good for me.” But I didn’t want to talk about me. “I have a question for you. I need your expertise.”

  “Of course.” He sounded so serious, almost like a real doctor.

  “In your vast experience”—he was only in his second year of med school, but I always got more from him when I appealed to his ego—“what do you know about mind reading?”

  Dillon snorted. “I thought you were going to ask me something serious.” This was serious. When I didn’t respond, he said, “Oh, you’re not joking?”

  “No. Just curious.” To put it mildly. If he didn’t answer my question, I was going to have to research the topic on the Internet. Not that I needed confirmation to know that Justin was doing something with my mind.

  “You’re not getting all Star Wars on me, are you?” Dillon laughed.

  “What?”

  “You know how Obi-Wan Kenobi would talk to Luke in his mind. ‘Feel the Force, Luke’ and all that.”

  Dillon had nailed it—being able to speak to another person through thoughts. But I wasn’t referring to movies; I needed to know about real life. “Is that possible?” I asked.

  “What exactly are we talking about here? Mind reading or thought communication?”

  “Both.”

  “Audrey, you’ve read one too many books. It’s just not possible.”

  “Oh.” But I knew otherwise. There was no other explanation for Justin.

  Dillon must have sensed my disappointment. “What you mean is telepathy. Telepathy is the transfer of thoughts or feelings between people. In other words, being able to read the thoughts and stored memories of others.”

  That sounded like Justin. He definitely could read my thoughts. I desperately hoped he couldn’t read my memories. Unease overwhelmed me, and I felt violated in a way I never thought possible. Even though Bill had taken something from my body, he never took anything from my mind. “What about talking in someone’s head?”

  “Squirrel, telepathy’s a joke. The scientific community doesn’t acknowledge it.” He enjoyed being the expert on everything, and he was never wrong—except that he had to be. Otherwise, I was losing my mind. “Why all the questions?”

  “Um,” I wasn’t sure what to tell him. “I met someone who claimed to be able to read thoughts.”

  “Then you should stay away from that person. Most people who claim to
be telepathic have a personality disorder. Usually they’re loners, isolated from society.” That also sounded like Justin—especially at school. But I had seen him be social too. “Or twins,” Dillon continued. A chill ran through my body. “Twins often claim they’re telepathic with one another. Some special twin bond or something. Listen Audrey, I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have a midterm in ten minutes.”

  I wished him luck with his test, thanked him for his help, and promised to call more often.

  I tried to look at the evidence objectively. Dillon claimed that telepathy didn’t exist. Okay. Then what was going on with Justin? The night before, he seemed to have been reading my mind. And his voice—it sounded like the voice I had been hearing. In Justin’s letter, he claimed to somehow be able to sense me.

  It was time to really think about the voice. Could it have been Justin all along? Was it possible? Could he communicate with me across the country like that? It seemed insane and unfathomable. But somehow, somewhere in my gut, I knew it was true.

  And the only way I was going to understand what was going on was to allow Justin the opportunity to explain himself.

  Caleb opened the door. He smiled at me, and that was all it took—I swung and hit him in the stomach. Caleb hadn’t been expecting that.

  “Crap,” he whined, holding his midsection. “What was that for?”

  “The party.”

  “Guess I deserved that,” he said, laughing.

  I pushed past him and went inside.

  “Justin’s in the shower,” Caleb said, straightening back up. “You can hang out in my room until he’s done.”

  “No, thanks. I’ll wait for him in his room.”

  “If it’s okay with you, I want to talk for a sec.” Caleb didn’t wait for me to respond. He turned and ran up the stairs, two at a time.

  I found Caleb in his room, facing the window, an unusual stance for him.

  “What’s up?” I flopped down on his bed.

  “You’ve figured out there’s something going on with Justin.” Caleb still wasn’t looking at me.

  “Yeah, but I want to talk to him about it. Give him a chance to explain.” I didn’t need Caleb trying to run interference.

  Caleb turned to face me. “Audrey, I need to tell you something.” Little beads of sweat sprung up on his forehead.

  “Okay.” What could he possibly have to tell me that had him acting so funny?

  “We’re friends, right?” I nodded, not sure where this was going. “I like you. A lot. Like the sister I never had. So, I probably should have told you sooner.” I sat up, not wanting to hear any more. “I can sense other people’s feelings and emotions.” He looked at me, probably reading my reaction before I even understood how I felt. What was with these brothers? Dillon did say something about twins, though.

  Caleb sat down next to me. “It’s not as bad as you think. If I want to read someone’s feelings, I have to concentrate. It takes a lot of effort.” I had no idea what to say to that. Certain events were starting to make a lot more sense. “I just wanted you to know, and it might help with Justin. I know how you feel about him.”

  Did I ever have a thought or feeling around these brothers that they didn’t know? Was there no privacy?

  A rustling caught my attention, and I looked up. Justin stood in the doorway, wearing jeans that hung low on his hips, revealing boxers underneath—and nothing else. He was towel drying his hair.

  Oh, dear God. He was beautiful. And now he knew I thought that. Lovely. This was impossible.

  Justin wasn’t focused on me. He was staring at Caleb.

  “Yeah, I’ll leave you two alone,” Caleb said, answering an unspoken question. He grabbed his car keys, kissed my forehead, and left.

  “Um, my room’s this way,” Justin said clearly. I felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on me. It was surreal to hear the voice out loud.

  I followed Justin to his room. I wasn’t sure where to sit or what to do. His skin was so smooth. I felt the urge to touch him. Crap. Now he knew that thought too.

  Justin gave me a shy, knowing smile before throwing his towel on the floor. Thankfully, he grabbed a shirt and put it on so I could concentrate. Then he sat on his bed and leaned against the wall.

  Our eyes locked. “You can sit next to me,” he said.

  I hesitated. Maybe I should sit at his desk. I didn’t want to push and have him shut down again. There was a flash of pain across Justin’s face. He quickly concealed it. I decided to take a chance and sat down on the bed next to him.

  He didn’t say anything, so I began, “In your letter, you said you could find someone?”

  “I also said it was more complicated than that.”

  “So, you what? Read thoughts? Communicate with people’s minds?” I decided to be blunt. I didn’t have the energy to dance around the facts.

  Justin sighed and took my hands in his. Closing his eyes, he said, “The people around me, I can hear their current thoughts. They slam into me, overwhelming me.”

  “Has it always been like this?” I asked. His hands were warm and sweaty.

  “No. When I was younger, I could only communicate with Caleb. Over time, my mom. But when I turned twelve, I suddenly could hear the thoughts of everyone around me. I couldn’t deal, so I shut down.” He opened his eyes and pulled his iPod out of his pocket. “Never leave home without it.”

  Justin attempted a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His hand was shaking as he tossed the iPod on his nightstand.

  “Is it still overwhelming?” I asked, trying to get him to relax.

  “It’s getting better. I’m learning to filter and shut thoughts out.” His fingers absently played with mine.

  “So you can read my thoughts.” I looked at him for confirmation. He nodded. “And you can communicate mentally?”

  “To an extent, yes. I have to want to communicate, visualize, and force my thoughts forward.”

  So far I was following along. Now for the big one. “What about me? Are you the voice that was with me all along?”

  His hands froze, his grip on me tightening. “Yes,” Justin whispered, relaxing his grasp.

  “I don’t understand how that’s even possible.” When he had first started communicating with me, we had never met, and I was on the other side of the country.

  “Neither do I.” It looked like he was trying to organize his thoughts. I patiently waited for him, massaging his hands in encouragement.

  Taking a deep breath, he began, “I had only ever spoken in Caleb’s and my mom’s minds. When Kate moved in last year, my mom took us over to meet her. Kate had your picture sitting on the coffee table. Something about your eyes drew me in. And then I heard a whisper. I had no idea what was going on. Over the next few months, the whispers continued, and I couldn’t get your image out of my mind. Whenever I thought about you, I heard a girl whispering, so I figured it had to be you, even though I couldn’t understand what you were saying.

  “When you went missing, I saw your picture on the news. Your whispers continued to get louder until you became a voice in my own head, asking for help. I could hear you clear as day, as if you were in a room with me. I began to feel a physical pull toward you.”

  My heart pounded so hard I was sure he heard it.

  “And,” I prodded.

  Staring at our entwined hands, he continued, “I had to find a way to communicate with you. First, I tested my abilities with random people. It appeared to work.” He chuckled. “I would think a thought, then push that thought forward to a person that I saw. I practiced on the golfers out back. I’d think ‘miss’ right when they were swinging, and sure enough, they would jerk or look around, confused.

  “Then Caleb and I practiced communicating from a distance. I was able to talk to him when we were in different classes. Then I tried from the house to the school. Distance didn’t seem to be a factor, so I got your picture and kept staring at it, searching.”

  I was numb with disbelief.r />
  “Your voice led me to you.”

  I tried pulling my hands away, embarrassed. He knew everything I had been through with Bill, didn’t he?

  “Yes,” Justin said.

  He knew my darkest demons.

  “I also know what an incredibly strong person you are. At first, my focus was to help you escape. Then I found myself fascinated with you, and I wanted to know you better. It killed me when Bill would arrive.”

  I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths so I wouldn’t cry.

  “Did you . . . stay in my mind when he was there?” My voice quivered, but I wanted to know the truth. My eyes filled with tears, and I forced myself to look at the ceiling.

  Justin pulled me to him, embracing me gently. “Not at first,” he said. I buried my face against his shoulder, unable to look at him. “Then I thought, if I could listen in, I might get a better idea of where you were being held.” His hand braced the back of my head, holding me against him. Justin felt warm and safe.

  “It’s easiest to find a mind I’ve already heard if I have either a mental image or a picture. Since that wasn’t the case with Bill, I had to go from your mind to his. I was able to jump to him because he was next to you and thinking about you. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have worked.”

  “What about the hunters who found me?” I asked.

  “That was luck. Whenever I was with you, I tried to keep my mind open in case I sensed Bill coming. It just so happened that I was following him when he left so I would know you were safe. That’s when I sensed the other minds nearby.”

  What Justin said seemed impossible.

  I remembered being on the mattress in the cabin, and then suddenly the voice was frantically yelling at me to scream. At first I thought Bill was coming back, especially when I heard the door rattling. But the voice kept telling me to scream for help, and I did because I trusted him.

  “That’s why I couldn’t face you.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, my head still buried against him. He stroked my back, comforting me.

  “After you escaped, I decided to leave you alone. All I wanted was to help, and I had accomplished that. Even though . . . even though I—.” Justin froze, suddenly at a loss of words.