Indelible (23 page)

“This is Katie.”

“Hi, Mrs. Springsteed. This is Yara. I was calling to see how Brent was doing.”

“He is awake and conscious. They are still running tests.” I could hear Brent’s voice asking for the phone and a voice I didn’t recognize telling them it was time for another test. “I’ve got to go. I will let you know when we know more.” A click and a dial tone sounded in my ear.

Her message was loud and clear. Don’t call us we’ll call you.

Two days later my cell phone rang.

I stubbed my toe in my haste to make it to the phone and bit back a yelp as I answered with a breathy, “Hello!”

“Yara?”

“Brent,” I said, the pain in my toe instantly forgotten. His voice eased the last of the concern I had been feeling about him. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. I’m being released.”

“Great. Are you going home? I’ll come—”

He cut me off, “They don’t know what caused the seizure but I seem fine now.”

“That’s good. Do they—“

“I’m sorry to keep cutting you off, but my mom is timing this call. I’m on lockdown for the rest of winter break.”

“Lockdown?”

“My mom has confiscated my cell phone, computer and laptop. I’m allowed to talk to you twice a day for five minutes. These conversations will be timed.” Brent’s voice sounded hollow but completely serious. “My mom believes that the seizure is stress-related and is forcing me into a week of solitary confinement. I was allowed this call so you’d know. I have to call Steve now and let him know. I love you. I’ve gotta go.”

He hung up before I could respond.

“That wasn’t five minutes,” I complained, even though he couldn’t hear it.

Brent’s mom followed each of the rules and his conversations were timed to the second. His family had decided to celebrate their Christmas on New Year’s while their extended family was still in town, and made it clear it was for family only. Still, Brent had managed to sneak me a few texts. It was definitely anti-climatic to have my phone buzz at midnight and get a New Year’s kiss via text instead of in person.

It sucked, but I knew it could have been worse. He could have been dead. His mom refused to let him come to school with the rest of us the day before classes started. Instead, she dropped him off the morning before classes.

By that time, I was itching to see him, and when we saw each other across campus, I dropped my backpack and raced into his arms. He chuckled as he held me close, his citrusy-musky scent washing over me, smelling better than homemade bread, fresh chocolate chip cookies, and kettle corn combined. He pulled me into an alcove and we kissed enough to make up for the two weeks of separation. When it was time for class, I still hadn’t gotten my fill of him but we forced ourselves to go our separate ways.

v

After class that afternoon Brent and I strolled hand in hand around campus, catching up. We finally stopped and sat on a bench. I leaned my head on Brent’s shoulder, not able to truly believe he had been so sick. He looked perfectly refreshed and healthy. I had been upset with his mom for his forced R&R, but it looked like it had worked. I took his hand in mine, stroking my thumb across his knuckles.

“Yara, I have a really strange question to ask you,” Brent said. He stopped and cleared his throat. “Did something unusual happen during my seizure?” He gave an unhappy laugh. “Something besides wetting myself in front of you?”

I hadn’t told him about that and decided to ignore that statement because it didn’t matter. “Not really.”

He pursed his lips and looked like he was ordering his thoughts. “One minute I was out of it, not even aware, and then the next it was like . . . ” Brent paused and looked me in the eye, blushing so deeply he looked sunburned. “Never mind.”

“What? The next minute, what?”

Brent brought his free hand to his lips, and chomped on his pinkie nail. “The next minute it was like . . . I don’t know how to explain it. It was like I could just, feel you. You know. Everywhere. Like you were part of me. Kinda sounds crazy huh?”

I blushed too. “You aren’t crazy.”

“It was a very . . . intense experience.”

“I know.” My cheeks felt hot enough to fry an egg on. I studied our entwined fingers. “I didn’t mean to do it. I’m not sure I even understand how it happened. I sort of . . . reached out and touched your soul.”

“You projected?”

I shook my head. “It wasn’t projecting. Time was still moving and I was still in my body . . . well, sort of. My hand, I don’t know. I somehow reached down into you. My spirit melted through your skin. I touched you spirit to spirit.”

“We touch when we project. I don’t understand why this would be any different.” Brent ran a hand through his dark hair. “But it was very different.”

A cloud moved in front of the sun, making everything seem a tad darker and colder. I snuggled further into the warmth of my jacket, the stone bench growing chilly beneath me.

Brent’s whistled a few bars of ‘Can’t Stop Dreaming of You.’ “I want you to try it again.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah,” he said. The flush from his face was creeping down his neck. “Unless you don’t want to.”

A puppy dog couldn’t have made a more pleading, irresistible face, but I didn’t really need convincing. “Okay.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Just hold still.” I bit my lip. “I might not be able to do it again. It might have been a fluke.”

“That’s okay,” Brent said, taking a couple of deep breaths. “This is just in the name of science.”

I gave him a small grin before closing my eyes and breathing in deeply. My fingers tightened around his. I visualized my spirit’s fingers reaching out of my skin and moving through Brent’s warm body until it found his soul. Brent sighed as our souls touched. His warm essence flowed over me and it felt like sunshine licking my skin.

I slid closer to him, the warmth intensifying. A golden glow shined behind my eyelids and I peeked between my lashes and gasped. My body hadn’t slid closer to Brent, only my spirit had. I had entered Brent’s body, sharing the space with him. I yanked myself back, coming fully back into my own skin. I felt horrified, knowing I had crossed some sort of line.

Brent’s eyes popped open and they looked sad, lost. “Yara—”

“I’m sorry,” I said immediately, sliding away from him. I had just recreated the worst experience in his life. Another spirit had entered his body just like it had last year. “I didn’t realize . . . it must have felt like Thomas all over again.”

“No.” Brent eased closer to me, and lifted my hand to his lips where he kissed every one of my fingers. “Don’t apologize. It wasn’t like Thomas at all.”

“You’re sure?”

Brent grinned. “I swear. It comforted me.” He took a stray piece of my hair and wrapped around his finger. “I’ve needed some comfort in my life recently.”

“So you really didn’t mind?”

He shook his head. “You can try it anytime. I enjoyed it.”

“Me too.” I lifted my hand to his face and pictured my spirit fingers sinking past his skin. They did and I stroked Brent’s spirit lips, running my fingers slowly across them. He shivered and let his eyes slide closed. Even though I was touching Brent’s spirit it didn’t feel foreign, it felt like an extension of myself, as if we were one.

My fingertips trailed to his cheekbones, over his eyebrows, down the bridge of his nose. My heart beat a slow steady rhythm, a feeling of contentment burning inside me. I hadn’t felt this connected to Brent since we were both ghosts, attached by an invisible string. We had been able to read each other’s minds then. I wondered if I could do it again now. I let my mind stretch out and as easy as flipping a switch, Brent’s thoughts burst into my head.

His eyes popped open wide as I let my inner dialogue go out to him. We stared into each other’s eyes as the floodgates of our thoughts enveloped us.

You’re back, he thought. I’ve missed hearing your voice.

I heard what you were just thinking, I said into his mind. You’re lucky my dad didn’t hear or you’d be looking down the blade of that sword about now
.

Color rose in Brent’s cheeks. You know what they say about eavesdroppers. I continued caressing his face. He relaxed and calmed under my attentions and that feeling of peace spread to me, too. I twined my fingers through his hair, completely lost in the sensation, feeling nothing outside of Brent.

My fingers grazed the nape of his neck and a shot of cold pulsed through me, like I had fallen through a hole in the ice, completely doused in freezing cold. It hurt. My visions blurred and I released the connection between us. Thick threads of a dark, tar-like substance clung to my soul. Before letting my hands back into my body, I shook them, freeing myself from its grasp. With a flash of insight I realized I could literally feel his illness.

My limbs and torso trembled and I panted for air. That had been intense. Brent, who had heard every thought until I severed the connection, stared at me, not knowing what to say.

“You could feel it couldn’t you?” he finally asked. “Whatever’s wrong with me?”

I nodded, flexing and unflexing my fingers to try and work the icy burning sensation away.

“Can you?”

“No. But I know it has to be there.” Brent rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t worry. The doctors did a full work up on me while I was in the hospital. If there’s something wrong, they’ll find it.”

“Oh,” I said, completely thrown and unsure how to feel. I tucked my shaking hands under my legs. “What do they say? Any idea what’s going on?”

“I haven’t received the results yet, but I’m sure I’m fine.”

I wanted to believe him but for some reason I didn’t.

v

The next day, after dinner, I decided to finish unpacking. Cherie had a study group so I had jazz playing loudly to fill in the silence. I was reaching for a hanger to put away my black sweater when I froze. Great. Someone on Pendrell had projected. It could be Brent. But I knew he had a video game night planned with Steve. It was most likely DJ and his mysterious organization.

I immediately projected, irritated that I hadn’t taken the ‘time slip pill’ Vovó had given me. I motioned for the window to open and it only took two of my full-bodied arm waves for it to slide open.

“Hey,” Brent said already up the fire escape stairs. “So was this you?”

“Nope. It must be DJ and the people trying to recruit us.”

Brent rocked back on his heels and grinned. “Want to see if we can find them this time?”

I grinned right back. “Let’s start with DJ’s room.”

“I doubt they’re meeting there.”

“True. It’s not like it’s just him.” I swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. “Okay. So where should we start looking?”

“Either the administration building or the new Alumni House.” Brent sounded like this wasn’t a guess.

“What makes you so sure?”

He ran his hand under the neckline of his tee shirt. “Well it would make sense. I mean, we know that they gave DJ his scholarship. So they are obviously involved with the school. They sound organized. They hired people to follow us. They probably have some pre-arranged meeting place. So it would have to be someplace that most people wouldn’t have easy access to.” He didn’t sound like these were spontaneous thoughts. It must have been on his mind for awhile. He snapped his fingers. “My money’s on . . . the new Alumni House. The portions that haven’t been remodeled yet would make a good hiding spot.”

We ambled down toward the alumni building. We walked around a few of our classmates suspended in time. They looked like human statues from a horror movie randomly placed around campus. I imagined their eyes following us on our journey.

The campus was unnervingly quiet in the dark evening.

We were halfway to the alumni house, and had turned a corner, when I saw something move from the corner of my eye. I stopped and Brent turned to see why.

“Brent,” I whispered quickly, pointing to where a familiar figure maneuvered around the frozen people.

It was DJ. Brent and I ducked behind a bush and watched.

“Where’s he going?” I whispered.

“The Alumni House. I knew it!”

We followed him, keeping to the shadows made by the moon as DJ walked straight towards the new Alumni House. Before he went in, he turned toward us and waved before disappearing into the building.

“He knew we were following him,” I whispered, even though no one but Brent was around to hear me. “When did he realize we were following him?”

Brent’s face looked both focused and angry. “The whole time. He wanted to lead us here.”

“But why?”

“Remember we thought they were waiting for something?”

“Yeah.”

“I think it finally happened.” Brent grunted. “But it would be nice to know what it was before going in there.”

He bit his fingernail nervously for a few seconds and then lowered his hand back to his side with a sigh. “Alright,” he said finally. “I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I was hoping for later, but I suppose that was too much to ask.”

“I’d be happy to just know who they are.”

Brent scrubbed his face with his hand. “I have a hypothesis about that.”

“You do? And you didn’t tell me?”

Brent sighed. “Remember when I told you I needed to talk to my dad?” I nodded. “He didn’t answer my questions, but . . . ”

“Yes?” My heart was pounding with anticipation. I couldn’t believe he had found out something so big and had kept it from me.

Instead of answering Brent reached up and touched my necklace. “I’m glad you wear this at all times and I’m sorry,” he said slowly. He stepped back, worry lines creasing around his eyes. “I think this is all my fault. I just didn’t want to say anything until I was sure.”

“What?” I asked.

Something moved behind me. I jumped around to find DJ leaning against a tree.

“Can you hurry it up? We’re waiting.”

“You want me to go with you now. I thought you told me to run?”

“I wish you’d listened, but it’s too late now.” His usual flirty smile was gone. He took a long, labored breath and let it out. “You two need to come with me.”

Brent tucked my hand inside of his. His face remained calm, controlled and focused. I, on the other hand, was a complete mess.