Chapter Twenty-two
"Can we talk?"
Lucas Parker's voice sent almost as many chil s through her as the slight pressure of his hand against her back. Almost. But not quite. She fought against the urge to shiver as he nudged her away from the group of kids standing about fifty feet to their left. While his words lent itself to a question, the fact that he was moving, and taking her with him, implied she didn't have a choice. The warm feel of his hand on the smal of her back took her back to last night's dream-the one where they were swimming together. That thought reminded her that she'd interrupted Lucas and his girlfriend earlier today. Kylie blinked, praying she wouldn't break out in a ful -blown blush.
"What do you want to talk about?" she managed to ask, but she guessed he meant Derek and her. He'd seemed plenty angry when he'd caught them on the rock-she just didn't know why. She tried to stop walking, but he kept moving her along. Unless she wanted to trip and land on her face, she had no option but to put one foot in front of the other.
Kylie's Reeboks rushed to meet his pace. Then she saw the line of thick trees in front of her and no way was she going in the woods with him. Nope.
"Stop!" She jerked away from his hand and tripped, losing her grip on her phone. It landed with a thud on the grass. And Kylie almost joined it. He caught her by her forearm and lifted her with complete ease. Catching her breath, she realized the back of his hand rested against her breast. She stared at his hand, against the swel of tingling flesh, her heart racing-racing from fear and from something else. That something else having everything to do with the dream she'd had last night and where his hand was now. "Let me go," she seethed. He released her and held his palms out. "I wouldn't hurt you, Kylie."
"How would I know that?" She took a step back and waited to see if he'd say something about knowing her before. Maybe even remind her that he'd saved her from a bunch of bul ies. At which time she'd have to remind him that he'd stil kil ed her cat. But he said nothing. He just stared at her and the expression in his eyes appeared hurt. Like he had that right. God, did he even remember her? Or Socks?
He passed a hand over his face and asked, "What was that al about?"
What was what all about? Then she thought she knew. "Derek drew my name. We were just talking." Unlike what you and your sidekick were doing. And not that it was any of your business, anyway.
In the bright sunlight, Kylie noticed Lucas's beard stubble, something most seventeen-year-olds didn't have. Then she recal ed he was a werewolf and wondered if that explained it. Or was he just one of those guys who matured early, who had a ful beard by the time they graduated high school?
"I saw how you two were talking, but that's not what I'm asking about."
"In that case, I'm sorry I interrupted you and that girl." She reached down and picked up her phone. When she stood back up, he was frowning, but to his credit he didn't try to claim she hadn't interrupted anything. She couldn't explain why that almost upset her. But damn it. What was wrong with her? An hour ago, she'd wanted Derek to kiss her and now she was having the hots for the guy who kil ed her cat?
Stress, she decided. Stress obviously brought on the hook-up hormones. Or did a brain tumor do that?
Lucas let out a sigh. "I didn't mean that, either. I meant what did the FRU want with you?"
Kylie pressed a hand to her left temple to assuage the ache and tried to think how to explain it. Then she wasn't even sure she should explain it.
"I don't know." She didn't know enough about what the FRU suspected to make sense of it herself, let alone to explain it to anyone else. His eyes tightened. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I mean, I don't know. Nothing is making sense to me these days."
Skepticism fil ed his expression and insisted she give him more. But why was he asking? Could he be behind whatever it was the FRU
suspected her of doing? Her own suspicion started to build.
"Why do you want to know?" she asked.
"They've been hanging around and I can tel Holiday is upset. I asked her about it, but she said I didn't have to worry. If something's going on, I want to help her."
Kylie remembered Holiday had brought Lucas with her last night when she'd had the dream. Maybe the two of them were friends, but if Holiday chose not to tel him anything, far be it from Kylie to interfere.
"They wanted to talk to me because they think I'm an anomaly. They're trying to figure me out like everyone else is."
The disbelief in his gaze lessened. "Did they do it? Figure you out?"
She shook her head. "Apparently I'm a real puzzler."
"Girls general y are," he said, and smiled. And holy crap, if his smile wasn't one of those that made a girl's heart fal over on itself. She caught herself from being lured into his smile and mental y slammed on the brakes. Then, because she didn't want to stand there while her heart did somersaults, because she needed to find Helen and see if she could detect a tumor in Kylie's brain, Kylie held up her phone. "I have to make a cal ."
* * *
It took Kylie twenty minutes to find Helen. During that time, she'd texted Sara a bunch of smiley faces, but had foregone cal ing her. Now that Sara's trauma was over, Kylie felt justified in concentrating on her own. And the first order of business was to get her brain scanned by a certain half fairy. Moving across the dining hal , she studied Helen who was sitting at the table, her nose in a book. The girl came across as the quiet but real y smart type-the kind who never had to study in school, but wasn't real y proud of it.
"Hi," Kylie said when Helen didn't notice her.
Startled, Helen jerked her attention up. A strand of sandy blond hair fel across her face and she brushed it back. "Hi."
Kylie opened her mouth to speak, only to realize she didn't have a clue how to ask if she would check her for a brain tumor. The silence hung heavy and Kylie forced herself to start taking. "I ... I just..."
Noise from the other side of the room erupted and Kylie looked at the other campers. "I'm Kylie Galen. You and I were in the group-"
"I remember," she said in a mel ow voice. Kylie didn't know Helen, but she instantly identified with her. She was another cliqueless wonder. A loner. Kylie couldn't help but hope that the girl had someone like Sara who made her life easier.
"Can we talk?" Kylie asked. "Somewhere else?"
Helen glanced over at the other campers, and then picked up her book and backpack.
When they stepped out of the dining hal , Kylie noticed several groups of hungry teens congregating near the building. She headed away from them, and tried again to find the words to ask Helen. "I was wondering if ... I sort of-"
"Derek told me," Helen said.
"He did?" Kylie's chest pinched at the thought of Derek trying to help. Behind that pinch came guilt at stil not being able to trust him. Was she wrong to be unsure of her feelings for someone who could control them as easily as he could breathe?
"There's a quiet spot behind the office," Helen said.
"Not there." While Kylie didn't think Lucas would already be hooking up again, she didn't want to chance it. She saw the path back to her cabin was mostly unpopulated, so Kylie headed that way.
They passed a group of kids, laughing at something one of them said. In the midst of the group, she spotted Lucas's girlfriend, and before Kylie could look away, the girl met her gaze and snarled. Why did the she-wolf hate her so much?
Trying not to focus on Lucas or his girlfriend, Kylie glanced at Helen. "Do you think you can help me?"
Helen shrugged and everything from her expression to her posture appeared uncertain. "I've only done it with my sister. I'l try, but..."
"But what?" Kylie asked as they continued down the path.
"Aren't you scared?" Helen asked.
Kylie stopped walking. "Should I be?"
Helen did another one of her insecure shrugs. "Maybe. I don't know. Al I know is that I'm scared."
Oh, just great. Kylie swal owed the nervous tickle down her throat. "Is it going to hurt or something?" When Helen didn't immediately answer, Kylie asked, "Did it hurt your sister?"
"No," Helen admitted.
A sigh left Kylie's throat. Second thoughts started building, but then she remembered how badly she wanted to get to the bottom of everything. "I need to know."
Helen motioned Kylie to move behind a row of large oak trees. The girl tossed down her backpack and then looked at Kylie.
"How do we do it?" Kylie asked, her stomach knotting.
"Honestly, I don't know. With my sister I just ... We were fighting. She had stolen my diary. And then al of the sudden..." She let out a breath.
"So we have to start fighting?" Kylie asked, unsure what Helen was getting at.
"No." She shook her head. "It was almost like ... You know how we can peek into everyone's mind?"
"No, I don't know," Kylie answered, frustration tightening her tone as her headache returned with a new vengeance. Surprise registered on Helen's face. "You real y can't see people's brain patterns? But I thought we al could do that."
"I can't," Kylie answered. "Which is why I don't think I'm one of you guys." She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Her heart lurched at the thought that she honestly might have a tumor. Then her mind went back to the idea of reading brains. "Have you always been able to do it? Always?"
"Sort of. I mean ... I could do it, but I didn't know what I was doing. I just thought it was like closing your eyes real tight and seeing the different splotches of red. But now that I know what it is, it's so much clearer."
Their gazes met and Helen twitched her eyebrows.
"What do you see?" Kylie asked, her heart racing.
"Just your pattern." Helen continued to stare, unfocused like when Kylie looked at one of those posters where if she stared at it long enough, she might see a hidden image. "You aren't like ... normal people. They have these even waves. Yours is ... up and down and then you have some weird kind of scribbles. But you aren't letting me read you."
"I don't know how to let you read me." Kylie bit down on her lip and tried to stare at Helen, unfocused to see if she could see anything. Nothing happened, but her eyes crossed.
Blinking, Kylie asked, "Do I have to let you read me before you can see if I have a tumor?"
"No, but..." Helen refocused her eyes.
"But what?"
The girl let go of a sigh. "Like I told you, I don't know how it works. With my sister, I had my hands..." Helen raised her hands on each side of Kylie's head. "I was ... holding her head." She hesitated. "Do you want me to try?"
Kylie nodded, even though doing it made her pulse race. Helen placed a hand on each side of Kylie's head. Kylie watched the girl close her eyes. Her smooth forehead wrinkled and her mouth tightened in concentration. Kylie stood there staring and hoped no one stumbled upon them. She could hear the rumors now. Kylie and Helen were making out behind the trees. Right.
Several seconds ticked by, and with each increment of time, Kylie felt more awkward. She was about to cal it quits when her head began tingling. The tingles turned to heat. Al at once, a comforting warmth radiated from Helen's palms.
"I'm doing it." Excitement rang in Helen's voice. "It's working."
The heat from Helen's hands eased inside Kylie's head. Kylie continued to stare at Helen, trying to read her expression. What was the girl seeing? Should Kylie be cal ing her mom and having her go out and start shopping for wigs? No way was Kylie walking around bald. Slowly, the hold Helen had on her head lessened. The fairy dropped her hands to her sides. After two deep breaths, she opened her eyes.
"And?" Kylie blurted out. "Do I have a tumor? Do I?"