Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances
Page 184
“I’m fine, why?” Had I said something out loud? I scrunched her eyes, drew her brows together and put her hands on her hips.
“Because you had a strange look on your face just now, that’s why. What’s wrong with Jennifer? Why is she looking you up and down like that?” She leaned over, and whispered again. “She is being weird.”
“She thinks that I got prettier than her over the summer,” I whispered back before I thought better of it.
Stacy started to laugh. “Elizabeth, you’re so silly!” she exclaimed. “You say the funniest things sometimes. Come on. Let’s get to homeroom, I don’t want to be late.” She grabbed my arm and off we went.
I felt everyone’s eyes on me as we were walking away. I heard Jennifer’s voice in my head again.
“Wow, I can’t believe how beautiful she got over the summer. The boys are looking at her like she could walk on water. I never thought she would be prettier than me.”
I glanced over at Jennifer. I nodded my head at her and raised my eyebrows, letting her know I was acknowledging her. She jumped a little and her mouth fell open for a second. Well, that is really wrong! She must need her head examined. I have never been the pretty girl at school. I giggled, and looked over at Stacy. “I think this is going to be an interesting school year.”
When we arrived in homeroom, Stacy immediately nudged me. When I looked at her she widened her eyes and jerked her head over in a direction of a new boy. He was sitting in the center of the room with all the girls crowded around him. The other boys were sitting in the class giving him rather dirty looks.
I looked around the room to see who was there from our classes last year. Jimmy caught my eye, and did a double take. His eyebrows shot up, and he looked me up and down. I didn’t like the way it made me feel with him checking me out like that. Suddenly, there in my head was his voice. “Wow, what happened to you this summer? Hot is not even a good enough word for you, honey.”
I frowned, and gave him a dirty look. His head flew back like I had just slapped his face. I don’t think that I’m going to like being able to hear people’s thoughts. I knew that I was going to have to talk to Jeremiah and ask him how to block people’s thoughts out, if I could.
I started across the room and felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise up, I glanced over towards the new boy and saw he was watching me. He got up, and started towards me. I tried to read his mind, but couldn’t. Something about him was giving me a creepy feeling.
“Hello, I’m Jason Hudson,” he said, smiling at me. He was just a little taller than me, and his hair was almost black. I noticed his eyes were a shade of green that had yellow specks mixed in. He had a slight build, and his skin was so pale that he looked like he had never spent one minute outside. I didn’t think that he was in any way attractive, and it confused me how the other girls and Stacy were looking at him like he was a prize to win.
“Hello, I’m Elizabeth Bard.” I looked at him and saw that the smile didn’t go to his eyes, either. He made me very uncomfortable, I felt myself stutter as I tried to say something else. I backed away, feeling like my legs were made of rubber. I saw just a quick something in his eyes flash.
He gathered himself quickly. “Nice to meet you, Elizabeth. And you must be?” he turned towards Stacy, as if to dismiss me.
When I looked at her, she was smiling at him with that look that I knew too well. Here we go again. Stacy fell in love very easily, and very often.
I grabbed her arm and steered her towards the other side of the classroom. Jason was watching us with an unreadable expression on his face. I knew as soon as I could that I would have to call Jeremiah to talk to him about this boy. I also was going to remind Stacy about Samuel.
After the teacher walked in, everyone had to pay attention and get our class assignments. Once the homeroom bell rang, I couldn’t get out of the room quickly enough. I prayed that Jason wouldn’t have any classes with me. Something about him made me want to crawl out of my skin. Maybe I’m just getting paranoid because of everything Jeremiah talked to me about, I thought to myself, for what felt like the hundredth time.
When I got to my first class I glanced around quickly. No Jason. I started to relax. I found a desk towards the middle of the room and sat through the first class of the morning. It sure wasn’t easy trying to hear the teacher with the thoughts of all the kids in the classroom going through my head.
When the bell rang I headed out into the hall, and checked my schedule to see where I was going to next. I was just getting ready to head to my second class of the day when I felt someone come up behind me. I turned, and caught my breath. Jason was standing there, staring at me.
“May I walk with you to your next class?” Jason asked standing a little closer to me than was comfortable. Again the hairs on my neck stood on end. He was too close to my arm, my hand almost touching his. I felt myself flinch and took a step backwards.
“That’s okay.” I said, with a little more anger than should have come out of me. I saw that same flash in his eyes for a second before he covered it up. “Sorry, I just get a bit touchy on the first day of school. I don’t like to be late for any of my classes.” I tried to smile at him.
“That’s all right, I hate being late, too. Being a new kid in the school doesn’t make it any easier. I don’t know anyone yet.” He looked at me, and smiled. Again, the smile didn’t reach his eyes. I figured I better watch this boy very closely.
“I guess it would be okay for us to walk together. I have a boyfriend,” I blurted out. Jason looked at me, and raised one eyebrow.
“That’s cool. Does he go to this school?” He was keeping pace with me easily as we rushed along the hallway to get to the other side of the school before the bell rang.
“Yes, he just moved here this summer. His name is Isaiah.”
“Cool,” he replied, trying very hard to make his voice sound light. “Maybe we could get together and go for a burger?”
“Sure, I’ll talk to him and get back to you, okay?” I said. The door to the room I was heading to loomed in front of me. Thank God. “Hey, I’ll catch you later.”
I turned and hurried off towards my next class. I refused to turn around and look, hoping that he wasn’t still trying to walk with me. I hurried through the door and looked around the room, hoping that Isaiah would be in this class with me. I had no such luck, but I did see some of my friends in the back of the room, and an empty desk right next to Brad.
Brad was one of the biggest football players on the team. It seemed to me he had grown bigger over the summer. His shoulders seemed broader and his biceps were definitely bulging.
Brad had always been really friendly and easy to get along with. He kept his blond hair done in a crew cut, and had a nice smile with dimples. His blue eyes were always sparkling, and he had such a witty personality. I hurried and grabbed the desk next to him before anyone else could.
“Hey Brad,” I said, hoping that I didn’t sound upset.
“Hey Elizabeth, how are you?” he said, in much the same way he always addressed me. He glanced over and smiled, and suddenly everything about his demeanor changed, and he seemed very interested in me, he leaned closer and looked me slowly up and down. “You sure changed over the summer.”
“Thanks, I’m good. I spent a lot of time at the pool this summer.” I smiled back at him.
I never remember you looking this good. Man, I hope you don’t have a boyfriend. He was still leaning forward. “So, what are you doing Friday? Some of us are getting together at my house, and I sure would like it if you would come along.”
“Thanks for asking, Brad. I can ask my boyfriend, Isaiah, if we can meet up with you. What time is everyone going?” I said, sweetly. I certainly didn’t want to alienate him with Jason wandering around. He would be a good friend to have on my side.
Brad sat back quickly with a look of disappointment on his face. “You have a boyfriend? That’s cool.” Then under his breath he murmured, “I guess.”
I felt a sudden rush of disappointment overtake me. This is really going to suck, reading people’s minds and not being able to keep from insulting them so that they ignore me. Luckily, Jason wasn’t in this class. I sat back at the desk and started settling in.
When the teacher started talking, everyone turned forward. I saw Carl and Brad both smile at me. I smiled back and heard both of them thinking at the exact same time how hot I was. Oh boy, this is going to be a long class. I could feel my face turning red. This attention, even though it was only in their minds, was something that I wasn’t used too!
As soon as the class was over I gathered my things and headed for the door, Brad and Carl both trying to walk beside me. As we walked out the door, there across the hall stood Jason, watching me intently. I turned towards Brad and Carl. “Do either of you have Mr. Tanners class next?” I asked, praying that they both did.
“Nope,” both of them replied in stereo. Brad looked at me as he said, “But I would be happy to walk you, if you like.” Both his eyebrows were moving up and down.
I laughed. “Brad you still look silly doing that! I don’t want you to be late for your class. Are you in a room at least near Mr. Tanner’s classroom?”
“Nope, my class is in the other direction. Sorry,” he said, and ran to catch up with Carl. They were laughing as they turned the corner. Brad glanced back at me and smiled.
I turned and started walking, trying very hard to pretend that Jason wasn’t on the other side of the hall. Suddenly, he was there beside me. I jumped.
“Sorry Elizabeth, I didn’t mean to startle you. I heard you mention Mr. Tanner’s class; that is my next one, too. Do you mind if I walk with you?”
“I guess not,” I heard myself say. I put my head down and tried real hard to get into his mind—nothing. I glanced up at him. He was looking at me with a half-smile on his face.
“So, what are you thinking in that pretty head of yours?” he asked, striding just a little closer to me.
“You don’t know?” For some unknown reason, I just blurted the question out. I watched for his reaction. I moved further away from him. I had no idea how this mind reading thing worked, but it was something I would be talking to my father about later.
“Why would I know?” He looked at me with inquisitive eyes. “I can’t read minds, or anything.”
“I was just wondering. Most of the boys that I have known for years always seem to think they know what we girls are thinking.” I hoped that was a good enough cover-up for my slip. “So, where are you from?”
I felt myself relax a little. He said he didn’t read minds. I felt foolish to even think that he could. But then again, after this last week, why wouldn’t I believe that anyone could hear or read someone else’s mind? I had been doing it all day.
For just a second Jason looked uneasy. Again, he smiled that smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “We just moved here from California. How about you? Have you always lived in Maryland?”
“I have lived here my entire life,” I said before I could catch myself. I didn’t want to tell this boy anything about my family or myself, so what the heck was I doing telling him that I had lived here forever? I reached out with my mind again, trying to contact Jeremiah.
Suddenly I heard Jeremiah’s voice in my mind. “What’s wrong Elizabeth?”
Thank God. I looked over at Jason and smiled. “Class is just down the hall this way.”
As soon as we walked into the door I picked up the pace a little, wanting to get a seat as far away from him as I could.
That new boy, Jason Hudson, keeps showing up outside my classrooms wanting to walk with me. He keeps asking me questions. He is really creepy. He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, and he seems to be the only person that I have met today whose mind I can’t read. I can’t tell what he is thinking.
Oh, and I guess since we are talking to each other you can tell that not only can I hear other people’s thoughts, but I guess I have opened myself up to you, too.
I glanced again at Jason, trying to make sure that he couldn’t tell I was talking to someone in my head. He didn’t seem to be aware.
“Here we are! See you later. I’m going to go sit with some of my friends,” I said in a rush.
I found a seat in between three of my friends, which was good, because that left no open seat close by for Jason to take. When I glanced over he was taking a seat at the back of the classroom. He sat down in his chair and literally threw his book bag to the ground, anger written all over his face. Suddenly he looked up into my eyes, and his entire demeanor changed. He smiled and waved at me. Of course I smiled back, thinking again that I needed to really keep an eye on this one.
Just then I heard Jeremiah. “Elizabeth, where is this Jason boy now? What is he doing?”
He is sitting in the back of the room. I managed to slip into a seat between some friends so he couldn’t get close to me. What do I do now? You should have seen his face. He was so angry.
“Just sit with your eyes forward, and don’t look at him again. I’m going to get in touch with some others I know, and see what I can find out about him and his family.”
He said they moved here from California, I told him. At least, that’s what he told me while we were walking to class.
“Good, if that’s true it gives me a little something to go on. Make sure that you’re not alone with him for any reason. Do you understand me?”
Yes, I promise to do the best I can. I felt myself leave my mind open to him, it was like leaving a doorway cracked open just enough for his thoughts to come through. I turned and started listening to Mr. Tanner.
I had heard that Mr. Tanner’s class was one of the best. I had been hoping to get him so that I could be challenged. I wished that Isaiah had this class with me, since he loved to read, too. Hopefully we would have art together.
Mr. Tanner handed out the list of must-read books for the year. I glanced down through the list, and wasn’t surprised to find that most of them I had already read. When are teachers going to expand their lists to include something other than these old dusty classics?
“That is something that students have been wondering about for years,” Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah, I was thinking to myself, not to you. I laughed to myself. I was going to have to figure out how to keep my mind open to him, as well as to have some thoughts that were my own. Mental note to self: Ask him how that is done.
“We will discuss that later. Please keep your mind open to mine while this boy is in your proximity,” Jeremiah told me.
I will I promise, I turned my attention back to what the teacher was talking about.
This class was going to be wonderful, with the exception of not having any new books to challenge myself with. I was taking notes about the different papers and reports that would be due each semester. Mom was right when she’d said that this was going to be a tougher year. I didn’t think I could use anything that I’d researched during the break, considering what Jeremiah had told me, so I sure was going to have my work cut out for me now. I guessed later that week I could talk to Mr. Tanner, and see about adding some different books to my list. I didn’t think a teacher could possibly object to a student wanting to add books.
When the bell rang, I gathered my things, and watched for Jason to walk out the door. Of course he was standing there watching me, and waiting for me to leave. I was trying to think of what I could say to discourage him from walking with me when I heard Isaiah call me from the doorway. I looked up and smiled at him. What a relief that he was there.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I have lunch break now, and was hoping we could go together. Stacy told me you had Mr. Tanner this period,” he said, smiling at me. I quickly glanced at my schedule and saw, to my relief, that I did have the same lunch as him.<
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“Yes, I can go, this is my lunch break now, too. I have art after lunch, how about you?”
“Yep, art is after lunch, Miss Pearson’s class. What about you? I sure hope we have more than lunch together.”
“I have Pearson, too,” I said. I wanted to tell him about Jason, and how uncomfortable he was making me.
As we started out the door, Jason walked up. He looked Isaiah up and down, and stuck out his hand. “Jason Hudson,” he said. “You must be Elizabeth’s boyfriend, Isaiah.”
I could see from Isaiah’s face that he was very happy that this boy knew about him. “Yes, that would be me. It’s nice to meet you, Jason.”
“I was wondering if I could join you guys for lunch, since I don’t really know anyone else?” he said.
Before I could get anything out, or even give him a look, Isaiah was telling Jason that he could join us. I couldn’t think of anything that I wanted to do less than have lunch with Jason.
I took Isaiah’s hand and started walking with the two of them to the lunchroom. We walked through the line, with Jason and Isaiah talking like they were old friends.
I reached out to Jeremiah again. Are you there? Isaiah invited Jason to have lunch with us. I don’t know how to let him know that I don’t want Jason knowing anything about us.
“It’s okay, Elizabeth. This might be a good thing. You let them do all the talking, and listen very carefully to everything that he asks Isaiah, and what he answers when Isaiah asks him a question. You don’t do anything but listen so I can hear through you. Do you understand what I’m asking of you?”
Yes, I will listen and process what they are saying so you can hear it. I smiled to myself, thinking how quickly I was getting this hearing-him-in-my-mind-and-talking-back-to-him thing. I guess I had to admit to myself now that maybe there was more truth to what Jeremiah had told me than I really wanted to believe. I don’t know how I feel about the fact that I might be turning into a vampire.
I walked over to the table in the corner of the lunchroom, my favorite spot that kept me out of the crowds. There were only a couple of us who liked that spot, as most of the kids wanted to be right in the midst of things.