“Then stop acting like it.”
“Why are you stalling?” She snapped her fingers. “I know what you’re doing. I’ve been your sister for a long time. Unfortunately, I know your every mood.”
“Don’t forget, I know you even better.”
She frowned. “I wish you took the time to really know me.” Her eyes glanced away. “I wish you took the time to understand Lisa better, too. She’s not the villain you’re trying to make her out to be.”
“Leave me alone so I can read these stupid journals.” I turned away from my sister. How could she say I didn’t know her? Sure, I judged her harshly a lot of the time, but for good reason. She loved to play games with people; cruel, challenging games that no one could ever win. And Lisa, I didn’t try to make her out to be a villain. What was Ally talking about?
I picked up the first journal. There was what looked to be an inch of dust on the wooden cover. I took a deep breath and blew it away. A cloud of gray permeated the air around me. My eyes twitched. It wasn’t from the dust. I can’t even tell you what it was from. You’d think less of me if I did.
It was time to read the stupid journal.
I didn’t want to. My fingers trembled.
I’d forgotten about the person Amie was before. The thought of bringing those memories back seemed pointless. If Ally already read them then why couldn’t she just tell me what they said? Why did she insist on me reading them? What would this do to my relationship with Lisa? I couldn’t hide my thoughts from Lisa anymore. She was too strong. I used to be able to read all of her thoughts, but now, she held the power. Her touch even hurt me. Tiny volts of electricity sent tremors through my body whenever we pulled away. This was a new feeling and it brought back dangerous memories of Amie. But, if reading these journals would help save Lisa, then it was worth it.
I carefully opened the journal. Pages slipped out. I bent over and placed them back inside.
This was ridiculous. What was I afraid of? I took a deep breath before turning on the porch light.
On top of the smaller box was Amie’s picture. She stood in a field, her hair covering part of her face. She looked quite devious. I grinned, remembering what sort of thoughts had raced through her mind that day. She hadn’t known boundaries. If someone told her it couldn’t be done, she defied them. Amie’s eyes darkened with excitement. Her smile was infectious. She stole my heart with one single look. She was my last connection to anyone who could understand me. I was from another era—one Amie knew as well. Ally transitioned through each generation of people with ease. Somehow, I couldn’t. When I’d had Amie it didn’t bother me so much.
Why didn’t I want to read her thoughts? What had she written about me anyway? Would I still look at her the same if I read them? I was beginning to think like Lisa.
I let out a nervous laugh. It echoed inside the old porch. This wasn’t about me; it was about finding a cure for Lisa. I needed to focus on finding the “fix” Ally promised was hidden inside these journals.
April 14, 1713
I’m going to start recording my thoughts to prove my family wrong. Father says I’m shallow and vain. How would he know? He’s seen me a total of three times this year. Do not misunderstand me. I’m not complaining that much. I do like my school. It is boring sometimes; being at an all girls’ boarding school year round but my window overlooks the Mood’s new house. That alone makes this prison worth it. I snuck over there yesterday while Mathew was up on the roof. His shirt was off. I never realized how scrawny he is.
I put the journal down. Amie thought I’d been scrawny? I’d almost forgotten my real name. No one called me Mathew anymore. What else did she think? I picked the journal back up, skimming a few pages in.
May 23, 1713
This is the last straw! Mathew Mood has finally done it. I won’t ever speak to him again. He’s afraid of girls. I wasn’t forcing myself on him or anything. I mean really, did he have to jerk away as if I had lice? He must be a real prude.
Me—a prude?! She’d thought I was afraid of girls? Before I was struck by lightning I was…from being a prude. You really were a stupid nasty girl. You were the prude, giggling when I whispered certain things in your ear. You’d think I’d exposed myself or something.
I wasn’t afraid! I couldn’t touch her. It hurt. What was I supposed to do? Scream out loud right in front of her and let everyone think I was a psycho?
May 23, 1713 continued…
Sometimes I wonder why I bother speaking to him. He is not very social. He says his sister Jane is the talker in his family. What I want to know is where this “Jane” goes and who their father is? I’ve been here a total of three months and have not seen either of them. He’s probably an orphan stuck in the woods alone pretending he has a family so that he isn’t taken to the state orphanage.
She’d thought I was an orphan? Amie was nothing like I remembered.
It felt weird hearing someone call Ally by her real name, Jane, again. She’d been so wild back then. When Ally was Jane, life sort of whizzed by you as if everyone surrounding her was in the same whirlwind. She couldn’t sit still, always exploring the small part of her world that she could venture through. I’d asked her what it was she was looking for once, but she’d never answer me.
My father died many years before Amie. He didn’t change along with us. Reginald did research and explained about cell regeneration. But, whenever thoughts of my father emerge I’m at a loss. My concentration level is a two out of ten.
June 4, 1713
I’ve finally met Jane! She is the greatest person in the world. She has red hair. Can you believe it? RED HAIR! I’ve always wanted to be a redhead. She is wild and free like a barbarian or the offspring of a pirate. Their father must be a scoundrel. They’re hiding out waiting for his return, I just know it.
A pirate? Cute.
June 4, 1713 continued…
I will run away with them. Since Mathew won’t let me touch him I will have to marry another pirate. This will enrage him and they’ll fight over me to the death. How romantic! I would love to have two men duel for my love. I have Mathew right where I want him. He will grow out of this shyness soon enough.
What did that mean? She hadn’t had me just yet. Okay, yes she had. But really: me in a duel? I smiled. Amie had had quite the imagination.
June 4, 1713 continued…
Jane and I will then control all the men. She and I are very much alike. She is my soul-linked friend. More than a best friend—she is my secret twin soul. The only problem with Jane is she wears her heart on her sleeve. One day it will get her in a lot of trouble.
Control all the men? What in the world was a soul-linked friend? Wouldn’t best friend work better?
August 2, 1713
If I get thrown out of school because of Jane Mood I will murder her! She is not going to get away with such treason. I won’t allow it. She did this to save her own skin. I know she is hiding something from me. I can feel it. Mathew still will not let me touch him. Maybe he does not like women. Why else would he run away from me? I am one of the most beautiful girls in Lynn. I was stopped by two older businessmen just last week. One thought I was grown and wondered where my husband was. They were flirting with me, yes me, because I am so desirable.
Amie, Amie, Amie…your father was right. You were vain and shallow.
August 2, 1713 continued…
Even if Mathew does not like women I will get his affection. No one can turn me down and get away with it! I just can’t stop thinking about the other day. Jane did the strangest thing. We were over in the old graveyard. A tomb fell sideways onto her foot. She didn’t even notice! How is that possible? She says it was shock. But I’m no fool. She’s going to slip eventually. I’ve got the patience of a saint. I’ll let her think she has me fooled until I get enough out of her.
Who was this person? Amie had been nothing but smiles and kind words. She’d encouraged everyone to follow their hearts. She’d never let anyone put themselves
down. This couldn’t be her journal.
September 14, 1713
Okay, I am tired of playing nicely with Jane. She is beginning to notice things about me. Jane called me something I dare not repeat. I would like to. The word is wicked and dances inside my mind. Only someone like Jane can get away with it. Mathew has a secret and I have figured it out.
Could she have really learned about me on her own so fast? What did she mean by ‘playing nice’?
September 14, 1713 continued…
Mathew is possessed. They are abominations. I saw Jane in the graveyard crying over a tombstone with her exact name on it. I think whatever they are has to do with that old burned house by the graveyard. Didn’t Mathew live there before he built his house by the lake? I wonder why he decided to move.
November 3, 1713
I need to work on my strategy. Being mean to Jane has only cut me off to a lot of information. I’m going to cry and tell her I miss our friendship. She really is the only person around who does not bore me to tears in this lame town. Mathew used to be intriguing, but these days he talks too much. Am I his mother that I should listen to him?
***
I couldn’t read anymore. My throat burned. Amie wasn’t at all like I remembered. Maybe her heart changed after we grew close. This couldn’t be the same person.
I thought back to the day I almost lost her. We were just outside her school saying our goodbyes. Her father decided boarding school near a guy like me wasn’t working out. He wanted to send her away to some European country. The thought of never seeing her again made me do the one thing I promised to never do without permission. I struck her.
What had she really thought that day? I searched the box for 1715. The entire year was missing. How was that possible? Did she not record anything that first year? Ally would know. I covered the boxes up with a blanket and headed for C I N.
LOSS OF CONTROL…
Ally sat across from Donna Denning who never stopped talking. Ally’s eyes portrayed her annoyance while Donna babbled. “Now, Ally, tomorrow I’ve got the whole day planned. We’re going to the mall and then we’ll stop at that new restaurant. I know it’s during the school year, but if I don’t get out of this place I’m going to die of boredom.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad…” Ally spoke under her breath. I chuckled. Donna dismissed her and continued.
“Afterwards we can try out the fish market, see if we can get something decent. I swear I haven’t had a good salmon in about five years, forget Maine tails. They’re tasteless these days. Don’t you think so?”
“If you’re just going to spew words at me then don’t expect me to listen and respond.” Ally tapped her fingers on the table.
“Whatever. You know, just as well as I, that things are losing their appeal. Either it’s the world we can’t see doing stuff to our food or we’re getting bored. Who knows? All I can tell you is I miss salmon.” Donna’s eyes sparkled. “Should we ask Reginald to come?”
Ally said nothing.
“I mean, he’s been so busy trying to figure out what’s wrong with me that I thought—”
“He’s a man whore.” Ally blurted. “Why do you want to cause more heartache for yourself?”
“I don’t. He’s not so bad. I’ve spent a lot of time being analyzed by him lately, ever since I began changing, ya know? Reggie and I have become good friends.”
“He doesn’t befriend women. Really Donna, you’re pathetic.”
“Just because he likes me and not you doesn’t mean you’ve got to get jealous.” Donna’s eyes glowed yellow. “He finds me to be an interesting subject. Do you know what that means?”
“You’re his favorite lab rat?” Ally laughed. Donna let out a frustrated groan and Ally leaned closer. “Want a special cage, too?”
“Just be ready at nine in the morning. Don’t be late.”
“I’m not going to spend a whole day listening to you talk.”
“Oh, yes, you will! I don’t have anyone to hang out with and if you don’t come with me then Alex won’t let me leave campus. I hate being stuck here. You owe me.”
“You’re the one who’s always betraying me. I’ve had to deal with your treachery for over twenty years.”
“Stop bringing up the past.” Donna’s eyes watered. “I can’t help what’s happening to me. I’m trying to enjoy the little things in life just like you asked so don’t make me do it all alone. Besides, I don’t remember ever betraying you.”
“Ally,” I interrupted. “We need to talk.”
Donna narrowed her eyes at me. She didn’t trust me, not that I blamed her. She didn’t have any good reason to exist in my world and she knew it. Reginald and the groupies used their skills for research purposes and their own cosmetic line, creating financial gain for us. The others, too, had purposes, but not Donna. She shopped and talked. No one liked her except Lisa. And even Lisa found her to be annoying sometimes. The one person Donna continuously gravitated towards was Ally, the person least interested in “Donna” that one could find. She made Ally go everywhere with her, asked her opinion on every decision she thought to make or remake, since all she did was change her mind, and when Ally went anywhere without her this only confused her.
Three years ago Pig bit Donna, thinking he was protecting Ally. Whenever the Boston terrier touches someone they immediately lose their longevity and begin aging. For some reason, Lisa simply touched Donna and was able to regenerate her longevity. At first, nothing happened until Lisa started transforming. Donna didn’t have powers like Ally, Lisa and me, but now she was beginning to gain power at a very slow rate. There have been a few strange things happening to her that I’ve never seen before; her eyes turning yellow, when she’s frustrated: weightless or anti-gravity moments (for everyone and/or thing around her) and emotional breakdowns when Ally is missing for long periods of time. Donna’s hair and eyes fade when the two are separated.
I still haven’t been able to wrap my mind around why Lisa would save the girl. She’s wicked in all forms of the word. There hasn’t been a bigger backstabber or jealous stalker at C I N before or after Donna.
“What do you want?” Ally waved her hand in my face. “You’ve got Reginald and his groupies floating in the hallway right now because Donna is hyperventilating.”
“This place has turned into a mad house,” I said. “Come with me into the garden.”
“You don’t want to go there right now.”
“Why not?”
“Lisa is up there with Michael. They’re having a moment.”
I covered my face with my hands. “I’m gone half an hour and he’s already moving in for the kill.”
“What do you want?”
“1715 is missing. That’s the year I struck Amie. I need to know what she thought.”
“She’s nothing like what you remember, is she?”
“Forget it; I’ll pick up where I left off.” I stomped up the stairs.
“After you pry Lisa away from Michael?” Ally giggled. “Wait for me, I’ve got to see this!”
Sitting on a stone bench, Lisa leaned forward, smiling. Michael’s forehead rested against hers. My blood boiled. She drove me crazy. Who did Michael think he was? It was hard to know who to hate.
“Leave them alone,” Ally said. “This is your fault for being so stupid.”
My fists tightened. Michael caressed her outer thigh. How dare he touch her!
“There are things you can’t control and Lisa’s one of them.” Ally frowned. “She’s going to choose someone who doesn’t reject her. She can’t handle rejection; all those years of feeling like her mother didn’t love her really scarred the girl.”
I knew my sister meant well, really she did. “She’s not going to leave me for him.” Lights flickered around us. Michael and Lisa glanced our way. Her eyes locked with mine.
She disappeared into the garden. I chased Lisa, and grabbed her wrists. She struggled, zapping me with electrical currents.
“Lisa!�
� I flew backwards. Michael stepped away. I glanced at him.
“Why don’t you just give it up already?” He asked, shaking his head. “Don’t manhandle her. She’s not your property.”
“You think she’s yours?” My voice thundered. The ground beneath us shook along with it.
“Calm down, Alex!” Ally screamed, holding onto the patio door. Her knees buckled. “Stop before you do something horrible!”
Michael’s brown hair covered his face. He spoke softly. “She’s never going to love you now. Thanks for making it easier for me.”
Frogs jumped out of the little pond beside us. They croaked hiding in the greenery. Bubbles exploded on the surface of the water. Steam rose.
I unclenched my fists. He was right. I was acting like a moron. Out of the corner of my eye, Lisa stood hiding behind a tree. She trembled, clutching its wide trunk.
“Go away,” she said. Tears streamed her face and rain drops sprinkled my nose. Gray clouds covered the skies. “Leave me alone so that I can calm down.”
Lightning zigzagged across the sky. The rain came in thick sheets. Michael and I raced for the patio awning. Rain hit the metal roof like shots from a gun. Was that hail falling? Big clumps of ice smashed into the fire pit.
“Do what she says. We can’t keep changing the weather around town. It affects crops and creates tsunamis and even earthquakes for other areas. We’re ruining the earth around us. If we keep it up, Dr. John will come around here investigating us.”
She was right. That was the last thing we wanted to happen. If Dr. John arrived in C I N that might be the end for Donna and Lisa. The last time Dr. John came to town people died.
The C I N Series Bundled Page 20