Thoughtless
Page 18
There was another knock on the door. This time it was Emma. I was pleased to see her looking so happy. She was tan and she carried a bag of souvenirs from her travels.
"I brought you guys something," she said excitedly. She hurried out of the cold, wiping her shoes on the mat. "Wow, this place looks great! And it smells great."
"Well," I replied impatiently. I tried to grab her bag but she pulled away. "What did you get me, huh?"
"Hang on. And no cheating, Bri." Emma pointed a finger at my forehead. She sat on the staircase after admiring the setup in the family room. "Rory, this is for you." She pulled a thick hardback book out of her bag. It was some kind of marine life encyclopedia.
"Whoa," he said grabbing the book. "Thanks, that's really thoughtful of you." He grinned, excited to look through it during his free time.
"Boring," I commented. Rory ignored me and opened his book to the table of contents.
"And this is for you, Bri." Emma handed me a tiny cloth bag. I opened it and out fell an ankle bracelet. It was silver with a green turtle charm. I smiled. "Because you like green." Emma was pleased by my reaction. She knew it would be a great present the moment she saw it in the gift shop. "And I brought pictures." She pulled out her pink digital camera. "You guys want to look through them later?" I nodded. So did Rory while keeping his head in the encyclopedia.
"I'll put this on right now," I said as I latched the anklet around my ankle.
"And I could read this all day," Rory added. I raised my eyebrows and stared at him. He briefly looked up. "What? You don't read?"
"I have better things to do than read about whales and other fish thingies."
"Uh, whales are mammals." Rory chuckled. The three of us retreated to the kitchen table. The living room was full of people setting up the buffet. The different smells made me anxious to start dinner.
"I am so hungry," I muttered.
"It smells like pie." Emma looked around at the selection of desserts. "Can we steal some dessert before everyone gets here?"
"My mom would freak if we were short a slice of pie," I replied.
"What about that slice of pie?" Emma whispered. She giggled while staring at one of the catering staff - a buff guy that looked like he was in his early twenties. "Think he's in college?" I shrugged. Emma was interested.
"Ok, not listening," Rory muttered. He kept turning the pages of his new encyclopedia. The guy was unloading a box next to our seats.
"Bri," Emma whispered. "You think you could . . . you know?"
"What?" I was confused.
"You know," she continued. "Dive in and give me something to work with?"
"She doesn't use her powers for evil," Rory chimed in.
"I thought you weren't listening," I protested. Rory pursed his lips and restrained himself from saying anything else. "Em, how about you try going the old-fashioned route? If I help you out, you might not like what I find." Emma nodded. She grabbed my arm as she stood up.
"Hey," Emma said. The guy she was crushing on looked up. He really was cute. He had a handsome face; it was tan and acne free. He looked fit too. He smiled at the two of us.
"Ladies," he answered. He had a deep voice. Emma was startled. She didn't know what to say next.
"Uh," I said, taking over the conversation. "So, is this just a day job?" The guy laughed.
"Yeah, I'm a student."
"Really?" Emma said in her flirty voice. He smiled again.
"Say, does one of you want to help me with the boxes outside?"
"I will," Emma immediately replied. She was beaming. She followed the waiter out of the kitchen.
"And there she goes," I muttered as I sat down.
"So what's the verdict?" Rory asked. "Is he a pervert the way you claim every man is?"
"I don't know," I said casually.
"Well, what was he thinking about?" Rory insisted. "Sorbet?" I shrugged.
"I didn't catch anything." I looked around, but Rory set his book down. He stared at me and my heart pounded. Adrenaline raced through my chest and I jumped up.
"You mean he's a complete idiot or was there a wall?"
"Crap!" I ran outside, hoping that I was wrong. I'd let myself relax with Terrence locked up. I hadn't received any threats or surprise visits since. I almost slipped and fell as I ran outside. The cold air shocked my lungs and my feet went red as I ran barefoot through the snow. Emma and the waiter were laughing and gathering boxes. I concentrated and realized the quiet wasn't a coincidence. This guy had a wall that blocked his thoughts. The last time I'd felt something similar was when I dated Terrence. I pulled the knife out from my sweater.
Rory was right behind me. He saw the knife and looked shocked. I switched open the blade. That caught Emma's attention. Her eyes went wide and I motioned for her to back away.
"Get away from him, Em." The waiter's smile left his face. He took one look at me and my knife, and grabbed Emma, putting her in a headlock. She struggled but he was stronger. "Let her go!"
"Why should I?" he replied. "You didn't show Dru or Terrence any mercy."
"This again?" Emma gasped. "Really?"
"How about a friend for a friend?" He laughed the same way Terrence used to. I kept a straight face. If only I could take over his thoughts and force him to beat himself up. I took a few steps closer. He got nervous. "Back off or I'll snap her neck!" I stopped, still holding out my knife. "A BB blade." He sniffed the air.
"Yeah," I replied. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I played on his fear. If that was what my knife was called, he was scared of it. "You hurt her and I'll stab you."
He took a minute to weigh his options before throwing Emma to the snowy ground and lunged for my knife. I jumped back but not before my legs were kicked out from under me. I fell in the snow and dropped my knife. The waiter raised a fist.
"That was easy," he said. He aimed his fist at my jaw. I could hear cracking followed by a surge of sharp pain. I held my mouth. It was bleeding all over my green turtleneck. I could hear Rory yelling. I looked up and saw him throwing punches. The waiter grabbed my knife and slammed Rory against the garage door. "Ready to watch your friend die?" He raised my knife, preparing to stab it through Rory's chest.
I watched in horror. My heart was pumping and adrenaline surged through me once again. I felt angry. That was my knife! He couldn't kill Rory with my knife! My face got hot as I stood up. I switch went off in my head. I looked at my knife with intensely possessive feelings and demanded that it come to me – its owner.
The knife slipped out from the waiter's grasp. He turned around looking shocked. As I held up a hand the knife's handle fell into my fingers. You're finished, I thought. I imagined my blade stabbing Terrence's avenger. The knife left my hands again and flew through the air. It pierced the waiter's chest, obeying me without question. His body dropped to the ground and rolled down the driveway into a pile of snow. I demanded that the blade return to me and it did.
The waiter screamed as his body convulsed. His face turned red and his skin began to bubble. Emma, Rory and I watched. We weren't sure what was happening or whether we should turn our heads.
"Sick," Emma whispered.
"Fascinating," Rory muttered.
"What the . . . ?" I stared as the waiter's body got so hot that he burst into a flame. Seconds later, a burnt heap of black lay in the snow. Snowflakes drifted towards it, eventually covering the black with a white sheet.
"Who gave you that?" Rory asked looking at my knife.
"Professor Matthews." I was still stunned by what I'd just seen.
"I could use one of those," Rory said as he turned and walked back inside. Emma followed.
I stood alone in the snow. Deep down, I knew that this was only the first attempt of many. I didn't want to leave my friends but suddenly, I was really looking forward to my trip to Hartfield Manor. I was ready.
I'd survived this long. I guess that was my real Christmas present.
For updates and information about
Thoughtless Book 2, visit www.jacquelinegardner.com
Other Works by the Author:
Mutiny, a M.E.R. novel (March 2012): Eric's life aboard a top secret stealth submarine as a member of the government's M.E.R. program has been about discipline, cunning and survival. As both a soldier and a natural born regenerator, he can heal from any wound, but to stay alive he must accept a vein-burning serum that prevents his DNA from over-mutating. In exchange Eric must follow his Chief Commander's every order. And never ask questions, no matter the assignment.
When he goes ashore on his first solo mission he runs into a complication he didn't expect; Mariella, the target's daughter. She's about to change everything.
Jade (coming April 2012): It was only a game – a contest of wits. But the night Crystal snuck out to meet her competitor was the night she didn't return.
Now her younger sister Jade has returned to Silver Hills, the place Crystal disappeared, only to find hostile townspeople and a creepy admirer. Silver Hills isn't what it seems, and Crystal's ghostly image has made reappearance. Jade's suspicions only lead to trouble as she slowly starts to realize that history is about to repeat itself.
No wonder grandma slept with a gun under her pillow.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One