Head trauma. That was what the EMT said in his little walkie-talkie attached to his shirt. I kept hearing it over and over. Head trauma.
I balled my fists at my sides and clenched my teeth so hard that my jaw hurt. One name came to mind when I thought about Drew. And it wasn’t the name people might’ve assumed. It wasn’t Azazel I wanted to see beaten and cowering at my feet. No, it was someone else. Someone we trusted. Someone we thought had our back. Someone who’d pay for this.
Jake.
***
It was no surprise that Drew didn’t make it to school the next day. It was during calculus that my phone vibrated. I dug it out of my pocket and read the text message.
Drew: Sprung! Yay! No more barrel-butt nurse wanting to know how much I peed.
Me: TMI, Drew.
Drew: Yeah, well, it was creepy.
Me: It’s creeping me out thinking about it now.
Chay: I’m not sure I like knowing my friend is talking to my girlfriend about peeing.
Me: I didn’t know this was a three-way. Wait, that came out wrong.
Chay: Ha!
Muriel: It’s a four-way.
Me: And things get even creepier. How long have you been in the convo?
Muriel: Since measuring pee. By the way… gross.
Me: Second that.
Chay: Yeah. Gotta say I could have gone without knowing that.
Drew: Yeah, well, there isn’t much to keep you entertained there.
Me: Everyone want to come over for pizza tonight?
Drew: Yup.
Muriel: Yes. Gotta go.
Chay: Yes. Why?
Me: Good. TTYL.
I clicked out of the conversation. I knew Chay would interrogate me the first chance he got. He was so predictable. As soon as calculus was over, he leaned his hip on the locker next to mine and drummed his thumb against his books. “What’s up with the pizza party tonight?”
“I just want to have a meeting and see how everyone is doing now that Jake’s turned. I worry about Steven.” Shutting my locker, I turned toward Chay.
“I know.” His voice sounded strained, and the skin between his eyes wrinkled. “Me too.”
I pushed off my locker. “You sound funny. Why? Did something happen with Steven?”
“No. Not that I know of, anyway. You have the visions—you tell me.” Chay placed a quick kiss on my nose, and we started toward our English class.
“I haven’t had another vision about anyone turning.”
“So, see, we’re fine. When do we meet at your house?”
“Around six.” I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head that I was missing something. It felt like a brick had fallen into my stomach. And the harder I searched my mind for whatever was nagging at the fringes of my memories, the farther it moved from my reach.
***
The group filed into my house at six o’clock on the nose. When pizza was involved, they were all over it.
“Can we eat and talk? I’m starving,” Steven said, walking through the door.
I smiled. He seemed like his normal self. And I hoped Jake’s turning didn’t affect him like I worried it would.
“It’s on its way. So we have to talk first.”
Steven gave me a disgusted look, and I laughed. Yes, definitely his normal self.
We all sat in the living room. The room was full of noise from everyone talking at once. I stood and cleared my throat—no one paid any attention. “Hey!” I called. No one even glanced in my direction.
“Maybe if we start making out, they’ll pay attention,” Chay said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes. His answer to everything, although I was usually more than willing to oblige. “No?”
“No. The only person’s attention you’d get is my dad’s.”
“Hmm, okay.” Chay let out a loud whistle, and everyone turned and looked at me.
I didn’t waste time on small talk. There was only one question I needed the answer to. So I asked it. “I’ve had another vision. Who’s changing?”
No one answered. I didn’t really need them to. I was gauging their expressions, watching their body language. I couldn’t always see what I was looking for, since some people had a more pronounced tell than others.
As I looked around me, studying each face and body movement, I felt a current of electricity sizzle through the room. It seemed to stretch from me and touch everyone in the room. A wave of panic washed over me, and I stumbled backward a step. Chay’s arm darted out and steadied me.
The electrical impulse didn’t hurt, and I forced myself to take two deep breaths to calm myself. When I started to relax, I remembered what my dad had told me: ‘You can’t read minds, but you will develop the ability to read people’s emotions and perhaps even know what they might do just before they do it.’
“Jake, Lily, Shayla. Who’s joining them?” My eyes roamed over everyone in the room. The electrical current seemed to follow my gaze. It touched each person as I looked at them, flowing from me to them. It created a bridge, of sorts, between us.