Forbidden

fourteen

Muted sunlight filtered down gently through a canopy of tall trees, which sheltered Claire in a realm of delicious coolness. She was strolling through a forest, wearing a beautiful, filmy white dress that reached her ankles—a dress she’d never seen before. The ground, strewn with pine needles, felt springy beneath her sandaled feet. From somewhere not too far off she heard the crash of ocean waves and the cry of a seagull, and when she inhaled, she smelled the salty tang of the sea.
What is this place? Claire wondered. How did I get here? She’d never been in a forest so close to the ocean before. She was possessed by the need to find something—or someone—but she didn’t know who or what.
About ten yards ahead, a soft golden light emanated from between the trunks of two trees. She ran toward the light, which seemed to be calling to her. As she drew nearer, a figure appeared: a dark form surrounded by an aura of gleaming yellow.
Claire stopped, crying out in astonishment. It was Alec. He glided closer, until he stood immediately before her.
“You wondered what I am?” Alec said gently, his voice echoing as if they were inside a cathedral. “Go ahead. Find out.” He opened his shirt, grabbed her hand, and pressed it to his beautifully sculpted chest.
As their skin made contact, the light surrounding Alec increased in intensity, growing so bright that she was forced to shield her eyes with her other hand. Claire gasped again as a sizzling heat ran up her arm and spread through her entire body. Trembling, she saw that she was now glowing, too—although the light around her wasn’t yellow. It was a shimmering emerald green. She felt as if her very blood were on fire—but it was a delicious sensation, an electric intensity more exhilarating than anything she’d ever felt in her life.
Alec’s eyes were filled with undisguised affection as he took Claire firmly in his embrace. “Now you know,” he whispered, his face just inches from hers.
“But… I don’t know anything.” Claire’s heart drummed in her chest as his lean body molded against her own. Was he going to kiss her? Suddenly, desperately, she yearned for it.
Alec lowered his head closer, until their lips nearly touched ….
Claire awoke with a start, sitting up and breathing hard, her pulse thundering.
My God, she thought. That was the most vivid dream she’d ever had. Scooting back in bed, she collapsed against the headboard as she struggled to return to reality.
Where did all that come from? she wondered. Why was Alec glowing in her dream? Why had she been glowing? What in the world did it mean?
She’d been so focused on Neil for the past two years that she hadn’t noticed any other boys, or considered that anyone else might like her. Neil was finally showing a hint of interest in her, but at the same time, here was this other gorgeous, intelligent boy with whom—she couldn’t deny it—she felt a genuine connection. Ever since their hug in the cafeteria, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Alec.
Claire knew she should be excited. But Alec was such an enigma. It’d be one thing if he was just a normal guy who was maybe a little secretive about some things. However, despite his protests to the contrary, something definitely was different about him, and no one could explain it away to her satisfaction. She had never seen anyone glow in real life, but after the way Alec had saved their lives on Friday, she was beginning to believe he was capable of it, and maybe a whole lot more. Whoever—or whatever—Alec was, he was sexy, powerful, brilliant, fascinating … and frightening … all at the same time.
Claire’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her door quietly opening. Her mother stood silhouetted in the doorway.
“You all right, honey?” her mom said. “I thought I heard you call out.”
“I just had a weird dream.”
Her mom crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside Claire, regarding her in the slice of light shining in from the hall. “What was your dream about?” she asked, brushing back Claire’s hair from her eyes.
Claire felt her cheeks grow warm. She sometimes told her mom about her dreams, but she didn’t want to share the details of this one. “I don’t remember much. Just that I was lost in a strange forest.”
“Well, you’re safe now.” Her mom hugged her tightly.
There she goes again, Claire thought. Always talking about being safe.
Her mom’s voice broke as she continued, “All week, I’ve been so upset about that horrible, horrible accident. I keep thinking about how I almost lost you.”
Claire returned her mom’s intense hug. “I’m totally fine, Mom.”
Her mom sat back, wiping the corners of her eyes. “Are you? Are things okay at school?”
“They’re great,” Claire reassured her. “Even history is starting to look up. So many kids got low grades on that first paper that my teacher said it wouldn’t count. He devoted a whole class period to the basics of the analytic writing style that he wants, and how to avoid overwriting. I think I get it now.”
“I’m so glad.”
“How are things with you, Mom? You okay?”
“I am. More than okay, actually. Work is going great. And … well… I wasn’t sure whether or not to mention this, but—”
“What?”
Her mom took a breath, and despite the low light in the room, Claire thought she saw a blush creep up her cheeks. “I thought about what you said the other day. About me living like a nun. And how maybe it’s time for me to start … going out a little.”
Claire’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Did you meet somebody?”
“Yes. Well, sort of. It was at Peet’s Coffee Shop on Sunday. I was just leaving, and I forgot my laptop bag on the table. This handsome man came running after me to return it, and after I thanked him, we chatted for a few minutes. His name is Dennis and he was … nice.”
“Mom, this is major!” Claire cried, ecstatic. “Did he ask you out?”
“He asked me to meet him for coffee sometime and gave me his email address. I didn’t want to do anything, though, until I’d talked to you first, to see how you’d feel about it. All these years, it’s just been the two of us—I want to make sure you’re comfortable with the idea.”
“Of course I am! It’s just a coffee date, Mom. Say yes, for God’s sake! Go! Have a good time.”
“Thanks, honey. Maybe I will. Go back to sleep now.” She kissed Claire’s cheek, hugging her again, and then stood up and moved to the door. “I hope you have better dreams.”
“Good night, Mom.” Claire settled back beneath the covers, closing her eyes. She couldn’t stop smiling. It’d be great to see her mom have a boyfriend. Maybe she’d lighten up and let Claire date, too.
More importantly, it might keep them in L.A. a little longer.
“It’s Thursday, people,” Claire announced as she smashed the Ping-Pong ball across the table toward Brian. “Do you know what that means?”
“That tomorrow’s Friday?” Brian returned the ball with a swing of his good arm.
“Oh!” Erica gasped from her spot on the sidelines, clearly getting Claire’s meaning. “Thursday! Did you get your Spanish quiz back?”
“Yep.” The three of them were relaxing in the Student Life Center after school. Aside from them, the place was deserted.
“So how did Neil do?” Erica prodded.
Claire smiled proudly. “B minus.”
“Wow,” Erica noted. “That’s a huge improvement from what you saw.”
“When he gets here for your little study session,” Brian asked, “we don’t have to be all after-school-special, do we? With the thumbs-up and the encouraging grins?”
“Please, no. Just keep a low profile. I think Neil already feels self-conscious enough about the tutoring.”
As Brian nodded, Erica held up a Ping-Pong paddle like a microphone and quipped in her announcer voice, “Congratulations, Claire Brennan! You have proved, without a doubt, that the future is not set. And that the voices in your head are clearly aligned with the forces of good. Now, which man are you going to choose: Neil, your long-time crush, or Alec, an even more handsome and brilliant guy, who has a crush on you?”
Claire blushed. “I don’t want to choose anyone. At least not yet, until I get to know them both better.”
“Ah, a ménage à trois,” Erica mused. “That’s an interesting approach.”
“Erica!” Claire protested, her blush deepening in dismay.
Just then, Brian slammed the ball to the right corner. “Success! Yao beats Brennan, twenty-one to fifteen. One-handed, no less!”
“Oh, that was fair,” Claire grumbled, extending her hand for a conciliatory shake.
Brian stowed his paddle in his sling and reached out to accept, but then recoiled. “Whoa, CB, are you crazy? I’m not gonna have you spelunking through my psyche and foretelling my future. No touching! ”
Claire sighed, retrieved the ball, and propped her paddle on it atop the table. “Great, now I’m a leper.”
“You’re not a leper,” Erica said, trying to be reassuring. “But I know what Brian means. I’d love to know what my future holds, if I could be sure it’d be good. But what if it isn’t? And the idea of you touching me and maybe seeing something through my perspective—that’s creepy. What if it’s something I’d rather keep secret?”
“Fine,” Claire muttered, tugging at the sleeves of her hoodie until they reached down to her fingertips. “I’ll keep my hands to myself from now on.”
“Good plan.” Brian turned to Erica and said in a humorous accent, “So, Miss Fischer, do you dare to challenge the Ping-Pong Master?”
Erica grinned cockily and took Claire’s place at the foot of the table. As the two began to play, Claire crossed to the activities bulletin board, which was littered with brightly colored sign-up sheets. Her attention was drawn to one entitled “Homecoming Assembly Entertainment Auditions.” She scanned the list of student names scrawled on it. There were some solo acts, some duets, and even some trios. Claire suddenly remembered Erica’s suggestion that Alec should try out, but his name wasn’t listed. She’d have to remind him about that. He had a great voice and deserved a chance to show it off.
That was when the vision hit.
Heat infused Claire’s body, and she began to tremble, her knees giving way beneath her. She fumbled dizzily onto the nearby couch and closed her eyes. Why is this happening to me now? she wondered, alarmed.
She heard Erica cry, “Oh my God, she’s having another one.”
Then Claire’s mind emptied of thought, replaced by an image—the same image she’d seen in that weird episode a week ago.
A shadowy figure stood surrounded by inky darkness, lit from behind by a bright yellow light. The face was indistinguishable, but an arm was stretched out toward Claire, beckoning, accompanied by a whispering voice.
“Claire! Claire!” The voice was weathered and raspy, as if it required great effort to speak. The ensuing words were distorted and filled with gaps, like a radio transmitting on a bad frequency. But this time, Claire recognized a decidedly feminine timbre in the speaker’s voice, and a British accent, and she could understand more of the warning than before:
“You’re in danger … because of your special gift. Only … can protect and help you… Come to Twin Palms… Helena.”
It finished with the same eerie pronouncement: “Don’t tell anyone.”
Claire gasped aloud, her eyes blinking open as the voice and image disappeared from her mind. Her heart pounded with anxiety as she struggled to ground herself in reality once again. Brian and Erica stood over her with confounded expressions.
“Wow. Was that what I think it was?” Brian asked.
“What did you see?” Erica cried, excited.
Claire mopped the sweat from her brow with a shirt-sleeve. Should she answer? It was the second time she’d been told not to tell anyone. But they both already knew! And she desperately needed their help to figure this out. “It was that same weird vision again with the raspy voice, the one I got last week in the bathroom.”
“Yeah, the one that told you to help Neil,” Erica said.
“I think I was wrong about that.” Claire shook her head slowly. “I heard more words this time—it was definitely a woman, and I think she was trying to tell me that I’m the one who needs help.”
“You? Why do you think that?” Brian asked.
“She started off saying, ‘You’re in danger … because of your special gift.’ Then it cut out again, but I caught: ‘can protect and help you.’”
“Wait a minute. I thought this gift of yours was all about touch,” Erica said. “What did you touch?”
“Nothing. I was just standing here.”
Brian pursed his lips, thinking. “When you had this vision before, were you touching anything or anyone?”
“No.”
“So it was a female voice that said the exact same thing as before, only more clearly?” Brian asked.
Claire nodded.
“Maybe it’s Claire’s own subconscious that’s warning her,” Erica suggested.
“I doubt it,” Claire replied. “The voice had a British accent.”
“Interesting,” Brian mused. “Claire, I think you’ve got two different psychic phenomena going on here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think the visions you get when you touch people or things are one type. But this one’s not a vision at all. It’s a message.”
“A message?” Claire repeated, intrigued.
“Yeah, like that alien signal in Contact,” Brian continued. “A repeated warning, sent from somewhere else, by someone else.”
“He could be right,” Erica exclaimed. “You’re seeing a figure talking to you, instead of being inside someone’s body.”
“Oh—that’s true.” Claire shook her head, puzzled. “But who is it? Why is she sending the message? Why does she want to help me, of all people?”
“Good question.” Brian scratched his head.
“And what is she warning me about? What could I possibly be in danger from? Death by meteor? Am I going to be hit by a bus? Do I have a brain tumor?”
“You’re joking, but I’m deadly serious, Claire,” Brian said. “If you’re really in danger because you’re psychic and there’s someone who can help or protect you, we’d better find out who it is.”
“And fast,” Erica added, frowning with newfound worry.
Fear sparked through Claire’s veins. “You’re right. But how are we going to do that?”
“Did the voice say anything else?” Brian asked.
“Yeah. It said, ‘Don’t tell anyone.’”
They all laughed nervously. “Too late for that,” observed Erica.
“It also said two other things. ‘Come to Twin Palms.’ And ‘Helena.’”
“Twin Palms?” Brian asked. “You mean like the mall in the Valley?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Do you think her name is Helena?”
“Could be.” Erica whipped out her phone and browsed the mall’s website. “Maybe Helena is a psychic, and she’s waiting to talk to you at the Twin Palms Mall.”
“Let’s go check it out,” Brian suggested.
“I’m all for being proactive,” Claire intoned dubiously, “but how would we find one particular person named Helena at a mall?”
“Maybe she’ll find you,” offered Brian.
Erica, focused on her phone, added, “We can come up with a plan in the car. I say we head up to the Valley right now and check this out.”
“Who’s checking out what now in the Valley?” Neil had popped into the room and was looking at them all questioningly.
The three of them froze.
“Um … ,” Claire stammered, embarrassed that in all the excitement, she’d completely forgotten her study date with Neil. “We’re checking out …”
“… whether or not they still have this awesome pair of boots on sale at Twin Palms!” Erica finished for her, flashing an advertisement on her phone.
Neil’s face fell. He glanced at Claire. “Wait. You guys are going to a mall? In the Valley? I thought we were gonna study Spanish.”
Claire was flattered by the look of disappointment on Neil’s face. She hesitated. She didn’t want to cancel on him so last minute, but she couldn’t tell him the truth, either. “You did so well on your quiz, Neil. I think we should postpone this till tomorrow, take a day off, and celebrate. Come with us.”
“I didn’t do that well, Claire,” Neil responded.
“It’s a matter of perspective, amigo,” Brian said with an overenthusiastic smile and a thumbs-up. “You could have failed that quiz, but you didn’t!”
“Yeah!” Erica said brightly, flashing a covert, reluctant look at Claire. “Join us. It’ll be a field trip. We can speak Spanish in the car.”
“Don’t you take French?” Neil asked, as they herded him out the door.
“Whatever,” Erica replied. “?Vamanos!”
Claire and Erica pretended to browse in the Boot Shack for ten minutes, then left the guys at a video game store and strolled out into the crowded shopping center.
“What were you thinking?” Erica said in a low, exasperated voice. “Why did you invite Neil? It makes this all so complicated!”
“It would have been rude to just ditch him. We can do this, even with him here. Let’s just make a plan.”
“It was your vision. You make the plan.”
“You’re the one who said we should come to the mall and look for someone named Helena!” Claire hissed.
“It sounded easier in theory, I admit. God. There are hundreds of people here, and three stories of shops. Where are we supposed to start?”
“Maybe Brian was right. Maybe we don’t need to do anything. Maybe whoever sent the signal can sense that I’m here and will come to me.”
Erica popped a piece of gum into her mouth. “I’m always a fan of doing nothing.”
They stood there, eagerly watching for any glimmer of interest from the stream of female shoppers passing by, but no one in particular glanced their way. After a few minutes of that, Erica said, “This is weird. I feel like a hooker. A lesbian hooker.”
Claire’s eyes were suddenly drawn to a large fixture on the mall floor six feet ahead of them. Oh my God, she thought. How could we have missed it?
“What?” Erica said, noticing Claire’s stunned expression.
Claire strode forward and pointed to the mall directory and map. Under Specialty Stores, it listed a shop on the second floor called Helena’s.
“Holy crap,” Erica said. “We’ve been so short-bus about this.”
“So where are we going next, amigos?” Neil asked, carrying a bag from the video game store as he and Brian caught up to them.
Claire gestured toward a spot on the map. “Helena’s.”
“Helena’s?” Brian repeated. “Why do we need to go there?”
Claire and Erica shot him a silent glare of death.
“Oh! Oh! ” Brian cried, his eyes widening with comprehension. “I’ve … heard about that place. I’ve always wanted to go there!”
“Why? What do they sell?” Neil asked.
Brian stared at him blankly, like a deer in headlights. “Uh …”
“We don’t want to spoil the surprise,” Claire said, boldly taking Neil by the arm. “You’ll see when we get there.”
Five minutes later they stood outside the shop, its name emblazoned in metallic purple script: HELENA’S. The shop windows were stuffed with New Age and occult trinkets, from crystal balls and pentagrams to Ouija boards and funky-looking candles in every shade of the rainbow.
“This is the shop you were all so excited about?” Neil asked Brian curiously.
“No …” Brian feigned surprise. “I thought it was the other Helena’s, the one that sells … cookies.”
“Well, we’re going in,” Claire said emphatically. “How about if you guys go do something else for a few minutes?”
“Great idea,” Brian and Neil responded in unison. They took off like a shot.
Claire and Erica pushed open the glass door, triggering a motion sensor that chirped melodiously. Soft, atmospheric music drifted from speakers above. Sun-, moon-, and star-shaped ornaments of all sizes hung from the ceiling, and several shelves of books stood at the back.
“Okay. This is… ,” Erica began.
“Lame?” Claire finished under her breath.
“I was going to say cool.”
“You’re into this kind of stuff?”
“Not really. But I’m trying to get into the spirit of things. This could be promising! It’s much more likely that you’ll find a psychic here than in a clothing store or a cookie shop.”
They moved to the long glass counter, where silver jewelry was on display, and a middle-aged woman with frizzy red hair and flowy clothing was affixing price stickers to a stack of glittery picture frames. Claire smiled at her. “Nice store.”
“Thank you.”
Claire deflated a little as she realized the woman didn’t have a British accent.
“We just opened a couple of weeks ago,” the woman continued with a smile. “I’m still trying to get things in order. Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“No. We’re just browsing,” Erica said.
“I’m curious, though,” Claire added, “about the name of the store. Are you Helena?”
“Oh, no. Helena is my kitty.” She gestured behind the counter to a basket at her feet, where a large calico cat was resting.
Claire and Erica exchanged a look. Was this what had brought them here? Claire wondered. A psychic cat?
“Can I pet her?” Claire asked.
“Sure. My Helena loves people.”
Claire scooted behind the counter and crouched down by the cat’s basket, then hesitated. What would it be like to get a vision off an animal?
The cat stared back at her. As Erica knelt down beside her, Claire tentatively extended her hand and began stroking the animal’s soft fur. It purred contentedly.
“Anything?” Erica whispered.
“Nothing,” Claire whispered back. “I think it’s just a cat.”
“Maybe we were wrong. Maybe it’s not a person—or animal—named Helena after all. Maybe it’s the store itself, at this mall, that you were supposed to visit. There might be something here that’s important.”
“You think?”
“Why don’t you try touching some other stuff and see what happens?”
Claire stood up, remarked how beautiful the cat was, and began wandering around the shop. She picked up merchandise randomly but didn’t get a reading off anything.
The entry chime sounded as Neil and Brian entered. “So, have you two found anything cool?” Brian asked, eyeing them meaningfully.
Claire shook her head. “Just a nice cat. Named Helena.”
“Ah,” Brian responded with a nod.
The entry chime chirped again. Claire turned and couldn’t help but stare at the new arrivals: two guys and a girl who looked to be in their early twenties, all of whom had a bunch of piercings and tattoos. It was as if the whole atmosphere in the place changed with their presence. They reminded Claire of rock stars. They exuded confidence, and for some reason she felt drawn to them.
The trio glided into the store and instantly separated, like fighter planes breaking formation. As the two guys browsed, looking a bit bored, the girl strolled in Claire’s direction, nodding at her with a friendly but commanding smile. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Claire responded. The girl was tall and breathtakingly beautiful, with long, inky black hair that flowed down her back. She wore a tight, red plaid dress over black leggings, dark lipstick, heavy eyeliner, black nail polish, and lots of dangly silver jewelry. The girl casually studied the merchandise, pausing when she reached Claire’s side. Feeling self-conscious that she’d been staring, Claire glanced away.
The girl plucked a small, silver dream-catcher pendant from a display. It was decorated with turquoise beads and tiny silver feathers. “Have you ever used one of these?” Her voice was soft, rich, and elegant, like molten chocolate. And it was decidedly British.
Claire’s pulse leapt. She darted a look at her friends, who seemed equally mystified that this goddess was chatting with her. “No,” she answered.
“They’re like spiderwebs,” the girl replied, twirling the pendant in her fingers. “They trap your nightmares, so only the good dreams filter through. When the morning sun hits the net, all your bad dreams are instantly burned to ash.”
“Like a vampire net?” Brian said.
“Kind of,” the girl replied with a raised eyebrow, as if she considered that a strange question.
“That’s cool.” Claire nodded.
The girl fixed her eyes on Claire for a long beat, almost studying her. “I think you should buy this. I think it will help you.”
“Why do you say that?” Claire asked, taken aback.
“You look like a very intuitive person. Like someone who dreams a lot—even when you’re awake. This would protect you.”
Claire almost gasped. Protect her? Oh my God, she thought. This must be the person she’d been searching for! She had a British accent and everything! It wasn’t as raspy as the voice in her vision, but that warning had been very garbled. Did she have a message for her? Claire exchanged a look with Erica, who was clearly on the same page and silently acknowledged her excitement. Before Claire could respond, however, Neil piped up brightly, “You are definitely the most persuasive salesperson I’ve ever met. Do you work here?”
The girl laughed politely. “I don’t believe in work.”
The two boys joined them, flanking the group on either side.
“How’re you guys doing?” one of them asked with an inviting smile. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with colorful tattoos covering his neck and forearms, his shoulder-length black hair pulled into a ponytail. A heavy silver chain dangled from the studded belt that held up his strategically ripped jeans.
“Celeste, who’re your new friends?” added the other. He was shorter and stockier, with a shaved head and bushy goatee, and piercing dark eyes in a bulldog face. Both guys wore black T-shirts stretched across their muscled chests.
Celeste? Claire thought. Then she realized it didn’t matter what the girl’s name was, if Helena’s was just the place where they were supposed to meet.
“We haven’t been properly introduced yet,” Celeste said with a slow smile, as she replaced the dream catcher on the jewelry rack with a smooth, manicured hand. “I’m Celeste. The tall one’s Javed. The other one’s Rico.”
“I’m Claire. This is Erica, Brian, and Neil.”
“So what are you guys doing later?” Javed asked, still smiling.
“Do you like hockey?” Rico added.
“We won seven rink-side seats to a Kings exhibition game tonight, and four of our friends just bailed,” Celeste explained. The threesome spoke in such quick succession, it was as if they were completing one another’s thoughts.
“Oh, wow!” Brian exclaimed.
“I’ve always wanted to see the Kings!” Claire heard herself say. She glanced at Erica, sensing that she understood how important this could be. If she was in some kind of danger, and these people knew something about it, it made sense for her to go with them—didn’t it? She couldn’t explain it, but even though they’d just met, she somehow felt connected to all three of them. They had a carefree, casual manner, but still seemed genuine and sincere. On the other hand, she didn’t know a thing about them. Why didn’t she feel more nervous?
“I’m sorry if we’re coming on a little strong,” Celeste said, as if noticing Claire’s wary expression. She grinned, flashing her perfect white teeth. “You guys just seem cool.”
“If we left right now, we’d make it downtown in time for dinner,” Rico added.
“They make great nachos at Staples Center,” Javed chimed in.
“What do you think, Erica?” Claire said slowly. “You’re our chauffeur.”
“I’d love to go,” Erica replied cautiously. “We probably need to check with our parents first—school night, and all. But I’m sure they’ll all be cool with it.”
Yeah, as if my mom would ever be cool with it, Claire thought.
Surprisingly, Neil reached over and put his arm around her with a warm smile. “It all sounds great. How about if we follow in our car?”
Before Celeste could answer, the door chimed yet again, this time accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps. Claire’s eyes widened in surprise.
Alec strode toward them, halting only a few feet from Claire and Neil. He was wearing a hooded black leather jacket that fell midway to his knees. It hung open to reveal an olive green army surplus vest, its multiple pockets full of—something. His black canvas guitar case was slung across his back like a knapsack.
And he looked really, really pissed.