Truths Unspoken

by K. J. McPike

  “I just have to hurry, you know?” she breathed. “Don’t want to be late. Maybe next time.”

  “Sure,” I said. “Next time.”

  She spun around and all but sprinted toward the bathroom, her Sharpie-covered book bag wobbling as she moved. I watched her push open the door to the girls’ room. Waiting for it to swing shut, I let out a long breath, jogged toward the door, and shoved in after her.

  Chapter 27

  Force

  Lali looked like she might pee her pants when she saw me. “I-I think you have the wrong bathroom,” she spluttered.

  I pinned her with a look. “Why are you afraid of me?” No point beating around the bush now that I’d cornered her.

  She shook her head, but the movement couldn’t negate the terror written all over her features. “I-I’m not.”

  “Lali, please. Your face reads like a book. You’re terrified of me, and I just want to know why.” And why you were trying to figure out my last name.

  “I told you, I’m not.” Except her voice quivered, and she was leaning toward her backpack like she was considering using it to attack me. Though I could see she was lying, I didn’t understand her reasoning. If she knew I had her mom, why wasn’t she saying it? Why didn’t she say it yesterday when she first saw me?

  Unless it wasn’t the first time. My eyebrows lifted as I realized the obvious answer. She’d seen me in her house the other night. Maybe it took her an extra moment to place my face yesterday, but she had to have seen me. Nothing else made sense.

  “You saw me too, didn’t you?” I asked.

  Her eyes bulged. “What?”

  “In your hallway. I thought I got us out of there before you noticed me, but I guess not.”

  “You were there?”

  Well, so much for that theory. But if she didn’t see me there, then what was her problem?

  “That was you in the pantry, wasn’t it?” she gasped.

  I cringed at the thought of my embarrassing lack of spy skills. Knocking something off the pantry shelf was just the tip of the iceberg, but at least she hadn’t stuck around to see I’d spilled her pictures everywhere, too.

  “That was an accident,” I said. “You startled me.”

  “But how…?”

  I lifted my shoulders, still grasping for answers myself. “Just how my power turned out. I can project my whole body, and I happened to get the bring-a-friend bonus.”

  Her face stayed motionless, not an ounce of understanding lifting her features.

  “But the more important question,” I said, inching toward her, “is what power did you get?”

  She staggered back, almost falling into the sink behind her. “Stay away. I’ll scream.”

  I raised my palms. “Hey, I just want to know how your power works.”

  The bell rang again, and she let out a yelp. Geez, I must’ve scared her more than I thought. I opened my mouth to explain that I didn’t want to hurt her, but she swung her backpack at me before I could get the words out. Her books crashed into my shoulder, sending a shock of pain right to my bones.

  She lunged for the door, but I caught it and held it closed with my hand. I reached for a calm voice. “Wait a min—”

  “Help!” she shrieked, yanking on the handle like her life depended on it. “Somebody help me!”

  I winced. I didn’t want to terrorize her, but I couldn’t let her get away. If she made it out of here, she would never let me within a hundred feet of her.

  Kicking my foot against the bottom of the door to keep it shut, I quickly covered her mouth. “Lali, just listen.” She screamed, her hot breath on my palm making my mind flash back to when I’d kidnapped her mother. I hated that I was already resorting to these methods. But what choice did I have?

  Lali threw herself back at me and attacked my hand like a wild animal, ripping my skin with her nails.

  I swore under my breath. She was making this more difficult than it needed to be. “You want to do it this way?” I grumbled. “Fine. Then brace yourself. And you might want to close your eyes.” I added the warning in hopes she wouldn’t collapse when we arrived. If she was already this panicked, temporary blindness certainly wasn’t going to help.

  I decided to take her to Lanai. It was a peaceful spot, and it wasn’t like killers took their victims to beautiful beaches. That should at least show her I wasn’t trying to hurt her.

  She was still struggling when we arrived, but she froze suddenly. I could see her blinking and squinting, and I knew she’d ignored my warning.

  Perfect. Now she was going to be even more freaked out because she couldn’t see.

  “Told you to close your eyes,” I muttered.

  Something seemed to snap inside her at my words, and the next thing I knew she was thrashing and screaming, “Let me go!” I lost my hold, and she dropped straight into the sand. She stayed put, gasping for air with her face half buried.

  “You’ll be okay in a minute,” I said, hoping to reassure her. “Projecting with me takes some getting used to.” Feeling the weight of my backpack, I dropped it by my feet.

  As soon as it thudded to the ground, I realized I’d left Lali’s bag on the floor in the school’s bathroom. I projected back to get it before someone could find evidence of our scuffle.

  When I appeared behind Lali again, she was pushing herself up to a seated position. I dropped her bag next to my own, watching as she tried to get her bearings. Not surprisingly, her eyes bulged as she took in the moonlit beach. I moved over to try and explain, but she crazy crab-walked in the opposite direction and told me to stay away.

  I fought to keep my patience intact. “Lali, I’m not trying to hurt you.”

  Her gray eyes were so wide she looked like she was going to die of fright. I knew she must’ve been shaken from appearing on a beach and everything, but honestly. How many times did I have to say I wasn’t going to hurt her?

  “I don’t know where she is,” she wailed out of nowhere.

  What? “You don’t know where who is?”

  “My mom. She left, and I have no idea where she went.”

  I tried not to let my relief show. I didn’t know why Lali was telling me this, but if she thought her mother left, then she didn’t know I was behind Xiomara’s disappearance. That good-bye note actually came in handy after all. But if Lali didn’t know I had her mother, why was she so terrified back at the school?

  “Why would I care where your mom is?” I asked, praying that playing along would lead to some answers.

  But Lali wasn’t listening. Her eyes darted toward the trees across the beach.

  “Hey, take it easy,” I pleaded. “Let me help you up.” I reached out to her, but she winced as if I’d raised my hand to hit her. It was like dealing with an abused puppy.

  I sighed. “Or you could just hang out in the sand.”

  Finally, the worried creases between her eyebrows faded back into the smooth olive skin of her forehead. She reached for my hand, hesitating just before she touched it. “Why did you bring me here? What do you want?”

  Hallelujah. Time to be rational. Leaning to help her up, I started to answer. The second I opened my mouth, she launched a handful of sand at my face and took off running.

  Chapter 28

  Proof

  I shouted profanities around a mouthful of sand. Lali’s cries for help were growing more distant by the second, but my eyes had already teared up so much I could barely make out her form racing for the trees in the darkness. I wiped my face with my hand and spit. This was what I got for trying to spare her the trauma of kidnapping her in the middle of the night?

  “Lali, wait,” I called after her, though I knew she wouldn’t. I’d be lucky if she didn’t try to swim home from here.

  Forcing my already swollen lids shut, I projected just ahead of her. The next second, she crashed into me and knocked me backward into the sand. All the breath ejected from my body at once, but somehow Lali managed to stay balanced and keep going. Frustration
must’ve fueled me faster, because I rolled onto my hands and knees and caught her around the waist a moment later.

  She fought me and screamed for me to let go, but I wasn’t about to subject myself to another faceful of sand. Instead, I got a headbutt that made my teeth slice into my tongue.

  Cursing again, I wrapped my arms around hers in a bear hold, refusing to let her do more damage to my body. “Just stop for a sec!”

  She kept screaming, but eventually she would have to run out of energy. Then I could get a word in edgewise.

  Seeming to realize I wasn’t letting up, Lali finally stopped struggling. “What do you want?” she wailed.

  “I want you to calm down so I can explain.” The words reflected my impatience more than I’d intended, but I was too exasperated to care.

  “Calm down? I’m not going to calm down, you psycho! I know you’re working for that murderer!”

  My arms loosened out of pure shock, and she almost fell to the ground again. “What are you talking about? What murderer?”

  She turned on me, rage twisting her features so they cast heavier shadows in the moonlight. “The man with the scar,” she snapped. “I saw him shoot that woman.”

  The man with the scar. That had to mean Cade. She must’ve seen him when he’d gone on his drunken rampage with Solstice the other night. And if they hadn’t noticed her, Lali must have been hovering somewhere above them. Which meant…

  I thought my heart might explode out of my chest. “So you can travel,” I said, willing it to be true.

  She started to speak, but couldn’t get whatever she was trying to say out.

  “I knew it,” I went on. “That’s why you drew that picture in your notebook. You saw my uncle with Solstice, didn’t you?” Lali must have heard the gunshot as she came out of her projection. That had to be why she thought Cade killed Solstice.

  “Look, you’ve got it all wrong,” I told her, though after her thrashing session, I doubted she’d believe anything I said. I’d just have to take her to Solstice and prove that my uncle wasn’t a murderer.

  Thank God I left Solstice at her apartment.

  I reached out to grab Lali’s hand, but she whipped back like a slingshot. “I just want to show you Solstice is okay,” I explained. “Cade didn’t shoot her.”

  “I saw him.”

  “You’re wrong.” I tried to rein in my frustration. This was such a waste of time, but I knew I had to do it if I was going to get Lali to calm down. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

  I reached out again, and she backed up. Her chest rose and fell like she was trying to think of a way to run, but I caught her by the hand before she could go anywhere. If she wasn’t going to come willingly, then I was going to have to take her without permission. It was for her own good, anyway—she was only panicked because she had her facts wrong.

  Lali collapsed when we appeared at Solstice’s place, but I was already on my way to get the woman she thought was dead. “Solstice?” I called, heading for the bedroom. I was halfway there when the sound of running water stopped me. It sounded like Solstice was at the bathroom sink.

  I didn’t have time to wait; we’d already wasted enough time as it was. I shoved the door open and slammed it shut behind me.

  Solstice cried out and almost fell backward into the tub, her light purple robe barely managing to keep her covered. The towel that had been wrapped around her hair slipped over her face and piled onto the floor beside her. The fear in her expression turned to anger when she saw me.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she shrieked. “Get out.”

  “I need your help,” I said, undeterred. “Can you come out for a second and show this girl you’re still alive?”

  “What?”

  “I’ll explain later. You don’t even have to say anything. Just come out here.”

  “No way.” She stood up and gestured to her light purple knee-length robe.

  “Look, I don’t have to let you stay here,” I reminded her. “I could have easily made you stay with Cade. Now can you please just come out here for two seconds?” I opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom, gesturing for Solstice to lead the way.

  She huffed, grabbing up the towel that had fallen in her scramble and twisting her hair back into it. I followed behind her as she marched down the hallway.

  Lali was back on her feet when we walked into the living room, but she froze and turned white as a sheet when she saw Solstice. “You’re alive,” she gasped.

  I rolled my eyes. I’d just told her the woman was alive a few minutes ago. I gestured toward the walking proof. “See? Solstice is fine. She’s not dead.”

  Moving with all the grace of a drunken giraffe, Lali stumbled forward and held out a hand to steady herself on the back of the smaller couch. She stared at Solstice like the woman was part of some freak show.

  “Now do you believe me?” I asked.

  But Lali didn’t take her eyes off Solstice. “Your lip,” she breathed.

  Solstice glared at her. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Your lip,” Lali repeated. “Pull it down.”

  Now what was she doing? Checking to make sure the tattoo was there? Did she think Solstice had an evil twin or something?

  Solstice responded with a snort, making it clear she had no intention of following the command. Not that I blamed her. I didn’t bring Lali here for show and tell. Just seeing Solstice’s face should have been enough.

  Without warning, Lali dove at Solstice and pulled down her bottom lip.

  “Are you crazy?” I yelled, grabbing Lali’s wrist to pull her back. As soon as her fingers released the woman’s lip, I projected us out of there. After what had happened with Cade last night, I didn’t need anyone else attacking Solstice.

  Lali and I appeared in Lanai again, and I released my hold on her. “What’s your problem?” I shouted, pressing my fists into the sides of my forehead. She sank into the sand, and I paced to keep myself from flying off the handle. “Why would you attack Solstice after I just proved she was still alive?”

  Her only response was a whimper.

  “If you would just listen,” I went on ranting, “I could explain everything. Aren’t you even a little bit curious why I went to all this trouble just to talk to you?” My whole body clenched, but watching Lali try to push herself up and make it exactly nowhere diffused my anger.

  A little.

  I blew the air out of my cheeks. “You’re going to have to stay put for a while. Projecting is draining, especially when you’re not used to it.”

  “Great…can’t…get away.”

  “Well, hanging out with you hasn’t exactly been a bowl of cherries so far, either,” I shot back. I regretted it immediately. We were never going to make any progress if we kept going back and forth butting heads.

  Taking a deep breath of salty air, I sat down next to her. Maybe the way to get her to act normally was to appeal to her compassion. “But I need your help,” I admitted. “If you really can travel, you’re the only shot I have of finding my sister.”

  She blinked at me but stayed quiet. I shoved my hands through my hair, hating how weak I felt. No wonder Cade preferred forcing people to cooperate over asking. But I couldn’t keep up this battle of wills with Lali. It was probably my fault she was acting this way, anyway. I’d completely butchered my plan to talk things out with her.

  “Please,” I forced out.

  Still looking shaky, Lali sat up. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. For once, her face didn’t give away what was going on in her head. Based on the struggle it had been to get her to this point, I had to say something to get her on board. Anything.

  “Look,” I said. “What if I offered you a trade?”

  “What?”

  I studied her eyes, praying this would work. “Help me find my sister, and I’ll take you to your mom.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You—” She swallowed hard. “You have my mom?”

  My stomach dropped as I
realized what my offer implied. I’d just screwed up everything.

  Chapter 29

  Clash

  “What? No!” I backpedaled. “No, I meant I’ll help you find her.” I held my breath, waiting for Lali to blow up and accuse me of all the things I was guilty of—kidnapping her mother, keeping the two of them separated for months, destroying her family for the sake of trying to get back part of my own. But her body just slumped like a week-old balloon, making me feel even worse.

  I started to explain, but then she scoffed and said, “If you can’t even find your own sister, how are you going to find my mom?”

  Her words were a slap in the face. Every ounce of guilt in me dried up. Who would say something like that? She had no idea what I’d been through, no idea that I could get her mom back in three seconds while there was no telling how long it would take me to find my sister. Yet, here she was making fun of me for being powerless.

  I took a deep breath and shifted my legs to fold them under me, hoping to let out some of the tension building inside my body. Maybe she didn’t mean it to come out so harshly. Even if she did, I still needed her help.

  “That’s how my power works,” I said, somehow managing to keep my tone even. “I can project to anyone I see, even if I only look at a picture. That’s why I could appear right in front of you when you were running across the beach, screaming like a banshee. All I have to do is think of someone, and I end up right next to them.”

  Her face lifted and then fell a second later. “If you can appear next to whoever you want, then why do you need me to get to your sister?”

  “Because I can only find people if I know what they look like.” I resisted the urge to slam a fist into the sand.

  “You don’t know what your sister looks like?” Though I was pretty sure Lali hadn’t intended to be condescending, her question still stung. The fact that I wouldn’t be able to pick Kala out of a crowd killed me. She could walk right past me and I wouldn’t even know it. What kind of big brother was I?