The Mind Readers (8 page)

“Everything okay?” Lewis
suddenly appeared at the end of the hall.

My terror fled and rationality
rushed in on a heated wave. “Yeah.” I nudged George aside, shoving my elbow
into his gut and racing toward Lewis.

“Annabeth is asking for you,”
Lewis explained, slipping his arm around my waist and drawing me near. And I
let him, because I was pathetic and scared and he knew it. Both of them knew
it.

George’s face flushed and he
rubbed that short crew cut. “Oh, sure.” Without a backward glance he hurried
away.

For one moment we merely stood
there, while I was wrapped in my shame and embarrassment. George had
practically mauled me and I’d let him, too stunned and afraid to react. “Go
ahead,” I whispered, moving away from him. “Tell me I told you so.”

Lewis watched me with a
sympathetic, but knowing look upon his face. He’d either read our minds, or he
knew from experience that telling Anne wouldn’t work. “She’s leaving.”

Anne. I pushed past Lewis and
stepped into the main room.

“Come on, George, we’re leaving.”
Anne gripped her murdering boyfriend’s hand and pulled him toward the front
door.

He looked confused, worried. He
should be worried. “Oh, okay. Is everything all right?”

She sniffed, as if offended.
Anne was finally showing some backbone. Unfortunately, it was for the wrong
reason. “Yeah, let’s go.”

“See ya,” George said, turning
and waving. “It was nice meeting you.”

I didn’t wave back. Trembles
raked my skin. I couldn’t stop shaking as I watched them leave together. Why
wouldn’t she listen to me? We’d been friends since I arrived in this stupid
town. I rested my hand on the back of the booth, resisting the urge to go after
her. I couldn’t very well force her to stay. “Tell me he won’t hurt her, at
least tonight.”

Lewis stood next to me, staring
out the window. “He won’t. She’s his cover. His attempt at looking normal.”

“She’s not even seventeen, he’s
twenty-five. How normal can they look?”

“I didn’t say it was a good
plan.”

We were silent, watching them as
they drove away while Elvis sang about hound dogs in the background. “I tried
to warn her. I said I didn’t trust him. I said pretty much everything I could
without admitting the truth.”

“She didn’t believe you.”

I nodded, tears burning my eyes.
“You said we could help.”

“We can.” He took my hand, his
fingers warm and strong. “And we will.”

I was shocked by his sudden
touch, even more surprised when he leaned forward and pressed his lips to my
forehead. Was it a brotherly kiss or something more? My heart slammed wildly in
my chest as I prayed it was something more.

“I’ll take care of it,” he
promised.

Maybe I was too afraid to deal
with the situation fully, or perhaps I actually trusted him, but I knew Lewis
would do as he said. The question was… how?

Chapter 6

Lewis said he’d take care of
George. And I’d believed him. But with a forty-eight hour time period to gain
perspective, my trust in a guy I barely knew was starting to waver. How would
he take care of psycho George? What could he possibly do without admitting his
own ability?

“Did you hear?” Emily paused
next to my locker, a smirk on her perfect face. She wore a dress so short she’d
make a hooker blush. Always comfort before fashion, I was dressed in my typical
jeans and zip-up hoody, my dark hair in a ponytail.
  

I was surprised Emily was
talking to me again and instantly suspicious. She had to be after something. It
was way too early and I’d had too little sleep to play her guessing games. But
I didn’t have a choice. Her excitement rolled off her in waves, and with her
excitement came her thoughts. Annabeth.

I heard her name whisper through
Emily’s mind. She wasn’t the only one. I glanced down the crowded hall. Anne’s
name was bouncing against the walls, back and forth in the minds of everyone
present. Thoughts so fast I could barely catch full sentences.

Crying...

Can’t believe she didn’t know…

Her own boyfriend…

Arrested...

I slammed my locker shut and
spun around. “What happened?”

“What a freak,” Emily said
loudly enough to be overheard. Of course she loved the attention. But underneath
her glee I realized there was something more… Emily’s parents were getting a
divorce. It had pushed her over the edge. She was looking for anything to focus
on and Anne had become her target. I should have felt sorry for Emily, but I
didn’t.

“How could you not know your
boyfriend was a murderer?” She shivered dramatically.

Oh God, Lewis had taken care of
George! I wasn’t sure if I should be thrilled or horrified.

“I knew he was a sicko the
moment I met him. I can’t believe she brought him to my house.” Emily pressed
her manicured hand to her heart. “He knows where I live! I could’ve been his
next victim.”

Surprise quickly gave way to
irritation. Unbelievable. How had I been friends with Emily for so long without
strangling her? Please, if George wanted to kill her, he was going to have to
get in line. “Where’s Anne?”

She slammed her locker shut with
a flick of her hand. “Who knows and who cares. In my opinion, she’s just as
sick as him…”

I spun around and started down
the hall, leaving Emily behind. She didn’t need me anyway, she had her ego and
the entire school to hang on her every word.
 

As I pushed past students
hurrying to get to class, I couldn’t help but notice people giving me sidelong
glances, their whispers ringing through my mind. They all knew I was friends
with Annabeth and they wondered if I had realized her boyfriend was a murderer.
Wonderful, guilt by association. I pushed aside the hurtful feelings,
determined not to care. I had to find Anne. I had to make sure she was okay.
How could Lewis do something so dramatic and not tell me?
 

Tara was walking toward me,
another girl who worked at Lakeside. “Tara,” I latched onto her arm. “Have you
seen Annabeth?”

She frowned, tucking a black
curl behind her ear. “My God, Cam, did you hear?”

I nodded, wishing she’d skip the
pleasantries and answer my question.

“Can you imagine what could have
happened to Anne?”

Finally someone who actually
cared about Annabeth. “Have you seen her?”

“She’s in the bathroom, but—”

“Thanks.”

I had five minutes before school
started, but I’d be late if I had to. So much for that perfect attendance
record. I pushed the door wide and burst into the girl’s restroom, a white
space smelling of lemons that had provided more than one student with solitude.
The place was surprisingly empty, as if the female population could sense the
depressing aura and was purposefully keeping away. “Annabeth?”

No response, but I heard her
thoughts whispering from behind one of the closed stall doors.

Why is she here? It’s her fault. God, I hate her. She did this on
purpose…

I cringed, feeling her words
like a knife to the gut. “Anne.” I paused outside the middle stall, resting my
hands on the cold steel door. “Come on, please, come out.”

Why does she care? She wanted to humiliate me. She did it. I know she
turned him in. She’s just like Emily. I never should have trusted her. George
told me not to.

“I’m not,” I cried out. “I swear
I’m not like Emily.”

There was a stunned moment of
silence and then,
Oh my God, how’d she
know…

I realized my mistake and at the
same time, I didn’t care. I was tired of hiding. Tired of being alone with my
secrets. Meeting Lewis had taught me that I didn’t have to live in fear. I felt
more in control of my life than I’d ever felt before. Anne was a friend, she
would understand.

“Anne? Please, come out.”

The bolt screeched back and the
door pulled inward. Her round face was splotchy, her eyes wide and bloodshot
from crying. The dress she wore was a wrinkled mess. In our shallow school
where fashion mattered, her state of disarray wouldn’t help her cause.

“Did you turn him in?” she
demanded.

“No, of course not.” Resisting
the urge to tell her the truth, I bit back Lewis’ name.

Her brown eyes narrowed. “You’re
lying.”

“I’m not! I didn’t, I swear.”

She looked reluctant to believe
me. I wanted her to believe me, but at the same time, wondered why she cared.
Shouldn’t she be happier that her life had been saved? Or was it merely
embarrassment that had her crying?

I grabbed some toilet paper and
handed her the wad of tissue. “Anne, I’m just so relieved you’re okay.”

She ignored my offer. “He didn’t
do it.” She moved to the sinks lining the wall and turned on the water. “I know
everyone thinks he did, but he didn’t.”

She splashed water on her face
and I stared at her, horrified, the toilet paper forgotten in my hand.
Wonderful, she was going to be one of those women who stood by her man, even
when he went to prison. She’d marry him and write to him every day, proclaiming
his innocence on some talk show. I sank back against the wall, sick. They’d
write a movie about her and it would be on
Lifetime
,
that channel Grandma liked to watch. She didn’t want to believe because if she
believed, then she’d wonder if there was something wrong with her for falling
for a guy like that.

“Anne, he did it.”

She spun around, her face
furious and red. “He didn’t. They don’t have any legitimate proof.”

“I know he did it.”

She snorted. “How? How can you
possibly know?” She turned her back to me and grabbed a paper towel.
How dare she think she knows my boyfriend
better than I do.

“I do know him better.”

She stiffened and I could see
her face go pale in the mirror.
Oh my
God. How’d she know what I was thinking?
There was a moment’s silence.
What else does she know? Can she read my
mind? What the heck’s going on?

It was my opportunity. Prime
opportunity to tell her the truth. To finally tell someone the truth. My heart
slammed wildly against my chest, knowing once I admitted it, I couldn’t go
back. I could leave, leave her here to deal with her problems alone. Go back to
my old life. But I’d had a taste of freedom and I craved more. I wanted to tell
the truth.

“Yes,” I whispered and touched
her gently on the shoulder. “I can read your mind.”

She spun around and flattened
herself against the edge of the sink, her eyes wide with terror…afraid of me.
Startled, I pulled back. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen that look. My heart
sank.

“I’ve never told anyone. My
grandma told me not to, but I don’t care,” I blurted out, hoping she’d
understand, praying she wouldn’t judge me. “We’re friends. I have to tell you.”

She shook her head. Obviously I
hadn’t gotten through to her. Perhaps she didn’t understand. I started to reach
for her, but thought better of it when she flinched. “Anne, I can read minds,
I’ve pretty much always been able to.”

“No.”
She’s crazy.

I stiffened. The word hurt more
than she could understand.
Crazy.
What Mom had called me the day she’d dropped my off at Grandma’s. God, I hated
that word. Hot tears stung my eyes.

“I’m not crazy.” I stepped
closer to her. She shrank back. “I can read minds and I heard George’s
thoughts. He killed Savannah.”

She shook her head. “You’re
crazy.” She released a harsh laugh. “They say George is insane? And all this
time I stood up for you when people whispered behind your back.” She moved away
from me, scurrying toward the door. Outside the bell rang.

“Anne, please! Wait!” I latched
onto her arm before she could escape. If I didn’t make her believe me…

She jerked away. The expression
of disgust upon her face was like a punch to the gut. “Don’t touch me. Don’t
talk to me, nothing.”
She’s a freak.

Anne rushed out the door, into
the empty hall.

I raced after her, no longer
worried about making her understand, but worried about keeping her quiet. But
she was already running toward her next class. Chasing after her would only
cause a scene. How long before she told someone else? Oh God, what had I
done?
 

“Stupid move, Cameron,” Lewis
said from behind me.

I spun around, furious. “Excuse
me?”

His blue-eyed gaze had turned
icy hard. He was angry. I’d never seen him angry. “You never tell your secret
to people who aren’t like us.” He raked his hands through his hair; his fingers
were trembling. “Shit, you have so much to learn.”

Incompetence and sorrow dug deep
into my body like a bur. I wrapped my arms around my waist as tears slipped
from my eyes. I’d told her my secret and she hadn’t believed me. She was my
friend, why hadn’t she believed me? “This is your fault!”

“Are you serious?”

“How could you do this to her?
She hates me now.”

He released a harsh laugh. “I
saved your friend’s life.”

I stomped my foot, the thump
echoing down the empty hall. “You humiliated her!”

His jaw clenched and he took a
step back, intending to leave me as well. I didn’t want him to leave, at the
same time I blamed him for this mess.

“Better humiliated,” he said,
“than dead.”

********

I felt miserable. More than
miserable. I felt like someone had drained me of all energy. I’d always been
able to at least dim the thoughts coming from people by focusing on other
things, but not today, not now. Every feeling, every thought burst into my
brain like an explosion, leaving me weak, trembling. I knew why, too much had
happened. My defenses were down. I needed to go home, be alone with my thoughts
and no one else’s. I needed sleep. Unfortunately, first I needed to get through
French class.