“But she is in some of my classes.” Rachel said reluctantly. “Why do you want my help? What do I get out of it?”
“Your life,” I blurted. “You get your life back. We get our life back. We were happy. Every weekend we went home to the Bell estates and we had fun, we were loved. We could eat all day, play music, swim, and we laughed…a lot. I know you hate it here. I know you go back to your room every night with no cell phone and dream of going back to your old life. I need—we need—information on Bridgette. I think she’s a major player in this game that stuck us here.”
I saw a glimmer of longing in her. “I was friends with the Bells?” she asked hesitantly. “What kind of info do you need?”
I nodded emphatically. “We were all a family. A dysfunctional family, but it worked for us. I need to know what her gift is, although I already have a feeling.” I grimaced at Gavin. “I hope I’m wrong, though.”
Gavin looked at me, puzzled. I looked at him and then Rachel. “It was once believed in gifted families that they could only produce two off-spring, max” I explained even though I knew Rachel already knew this. “However, in families like Rachel’s and…mine, our parents were able to produce more than two.” Rachel softly gasped and I continued. “My mother has produced five of us…that I know of.”
It was time for Gavin to gasp, “That could explain why my parents wanted more children but couldn’t.” He had a shocked expression on his face before his eyebrows furrowed. “But my parents aren’t gifted,” he insisted.
“Okay, so apparently there are many low-level gifted, one’s and two’s, that never even suspected they were gifted. It could be that they run a little faster than a normal person, or they have the ability to remember details, like someone having an eidetic memory. Nothing remarkable. They’ve done some research, but nothing has been positively proven. It’s a possibility both of your parents were just carriers of the gifted gene. Who knows, maybe your great-great somebody or other was gifted. Some gifts can be hidden,” I explained with a shrug.
Gavin looked at me in wonder and fascination. Sometimes I forgot he was new to all this.
“Anyhow,” I continued, “Will heard that I may have a sister out there that is capable of messing with people’s memories. I have a dreadful feeling that Bridgette Mason is my half-sister and she’s been messing with the memories of the Bells.”
We all jumped as a hard knock came on our window. We all turned shocked eyes as we saw William Bell and a security guard standing poised outside of my window.
I feigned a smile as I looked at him and rolled down my window. “Mr. Bell, so nice to see you again,” I said brightly.
He gave me an exasperated sigh. “I see you haven’t changed much, Blake, or should I call you Amanda?”
We were all being led back into the high school, but I stopped short as I heard the bell ring for the next class.
“Mr. Bell,” I said insistently. “I know you have questions, and I have answers, but can I suggest that we do this elsewhere?” I looked over at the security guard that was still trailing us.
I never met the security guard and I didn’t know if he could be trusted with our secrets. Plus, I didn’t like the idea of Bridgette seeing us. I was supposed to be in class, and I didn’t want her to suspect that I was reaching out to Rachel. I already felt like I had to protect Gavin. I didn’t want to add one more.
He gave me a long-suffering sigh. “Ms. Thomas, I don’t think you are in any position to tell me what I should do. You were caught just weeks ago trespassing, and now you two,” he looked slightly disappointed at Gavin, “…have taken another student from her class. While one of you were impersonating me.” He looked at us suspiciously. First at Rachel, then Gavin, then me. “Is Jaxson in on this. Is he around?” He gave a pointed looked around before narrowing his eyes on Gavin. “Did you imitate him?”
I knew he wasn’t in the mood to hear any excuses. I focused hard, which was difficult since I was sick, and my body was failing me. I had used what little energy I had helping Gavin with his illusions. “Please,” I pleaded silently. “I know you suspect nefarious individuals working for you. Your suspicions are correct, and I don’t want anyone especially, Bridgette Mason, Zach Young, Tamara Young, and Collin Scott seeing us together. Not like this.”
His eyes widened, and I realized that he had heard me. I sagged in relief, before I felt myself falling into the darkness, my body finally giving out on me. I had ignored it for too long.
I suffered from debilitating nightmares some nights. Especially in times of high stress. My life was filled with stress lately. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a good night’s sleep. In the past, Jaxson had always been there for me. He had always known when they came, because our mental connection had been strong. Since I woke up in the ‘past,’ the connection had been severed and that only added additional stress to my life.
My nightmares were generally the same. I had been abused, and when I was awake I was capable at handling the demons that wanted to suck the joy from my life. At night, I was unable to stop them from coming when they wanted to intrude into my dreams. They were the soul sucking kind that wouldn’t just release me immediately. They infiltrated my brain to the point I would be frozen for moments, unable to move, forced to feel and see the horror repeat in my life. Oftentimes I would wake with a scream and tears on my face.
Today was no different. I woke with a scream and was momentarily still locked in my nightmare. I still saw the hands that pinned me down and as I fought to push them away; I realized my mistake, too late, as I watched the blood gush out of my hand to soak into the white sheets beneath me.
I looked up in shock as Will and Gavin came running into the room. I blinked in confusion as I realized my surroundings. I was in a stark white room, in a hospital bed. The ‘hands’ I thought had been pinning me down was, in fact, a needle and its tubing from an IV drip. I blinked again as I looked up at the machine it was attached to. I could see the sun out of the single window in the room. I struggled to sit up.
“What’s wrong?” Gavin asked in concern as he rushed to my side. He tried to staunch the bleeding on my hand, as he gently pushed me back down in the bed. He reached over, and I could hear the whirl of the bed as the bed mechanism adjusted to a sitting position.
Will turned immediately when he saw the mess I had made of my hand, and I could hear him calling to someone in the distance.
I blushed and ducked my head. “Just a nightmare,” I mumbled, embarrassed.
“Hey, honey,” a distinct voice sounded in my head. “Where have you been?”
I stiffened for a moment before a small smile curved my lips. “Right here, I’ve been right here.” I answered back.