Dark Before Dawn (12 page)

Dawn fingered her necklace, pondering Serina’s words. It made sense. When she was younger, sometimes Dawn would overhear her mother crying in bed and sadness billowed straight into her own heart.

"Tonight I’d like you to practice telepathy, communication across time and space," Serina went on. "Close your eyes and picture a special room with crystals in the walls and ceilings. Imagine that the room has broadcasting and receiving facilities, perfect acoustics for telepathy. Then set the dial for receiving or sending."

She chuckled. "Consider it the most natural form of Instant Messaging."

"I can’t wait to try it," Jamie said.

"Your mind will be particularly receptive just before falling asleep or upon waking up," Serina said. "It might help if you set the stage first. Get into a deep meditative state and visualize yourself walking down a hallway until you reach a door with your name on it. Imagine opening it and finding a staircase. Climb up and step inside your special telepathy room."

Dawn wished she had a notebook. She was never going to remember all that.

"I want each of you to choose a time, then you’ll practice sending and receiving one another's thoughts while wearing the crystals," Serina continued. "Start tonight, around bedtime. We'll do this frequently, helping you to grow stronger."

"I feel like we're in a special club," Dawn said.

Serina gave her an approving nod. "That’s exactly how I want you to feel. Being surrounded by kindred spirits, where you’re free to express your psychic senses without judgment, is essential. You’re all here because you’ve gravitated toward what best serves your growth. You have a gift that others can't comprehend."

"I hope the jewelry makes me stop caring what the kids at school say about me," Jamie said. "I know I let it get to me too much and that I should be used to it by now, but..."

"I dealt with the same problem," Serina said. "When I was in high school, I was ridiculed all the time."

"You? But you're so..."

"So what?"

"Confident," Jamie answered. "Beautiful. I want to be just like you."

Serina smiled, then something dimmed the wattage. "Thank you. But I wasn't confident when I was your age. My father whittled my self-esteem, made me feel inferior. My mother let him abuse me. The other kids sensed my inferiority. I can still hear their taunts."

"What did they say?" Jamie breathed, as if entranced.

"Stupid things to make me feel insignificant. There was one clique in particular that made my life miserable. I hated them. They played horrible jokes, and even told me that the boy I liked actually liked me back." Serina's feminine voice sounded harder than Dawn had ever heard it.

She gazed at each of them in turn before continuing, "I got dressed up and arrived for what I thought was a date. They laughed at me. It was the most humiliating moment of my life. I've never forgotten."

"Where did you grow up?" Dawn asked.

"Does it matter? All high schools are the same. All popular kids are cruel." Serina played with the lace on her black shawl, her voice softer now.

"They're not all bad," Candace murmured.

"You're referring to Tim Travers," Serina said.

"I'm just saying he's different, that's all."

"I have an assignment. Ask him to the Homecoming Dance."

"What? I can't," Candace said.

"You can, and you will."

"But he'll say no. What about Victoria?"

"She doesn’t matter," Serina said. "Don't you trust me?"

"Sure. But
—
"

"Then invite him to the dance."

Candace nodded, the color fleeing her face. Dawn swallowed hard. Serina obviously knew a lot of stuff, but this time, she wondered if their mentor was making a mistake.

***

Ken poked a fork in the air at dinner. "Earth to Dawn."

"You do seem quiet, honey. What a beautiful necklace and earrings. Where did you get them?" Her mother reached across the kitchen table and fondled the star pendant around Dawn's neck.

Dawn hesitated only a few seconds – lying had grown easier. As if by telepathy, she and her mother had called an unofficial truce. Her mother wanted to believe she’d found friends to hang out with and that the uproar over the Scott premonition had died down, so those were the lies Dawn fed her. "At the mall with Jamie and Candace. There were three sets alike."

Her mother's eyes crinkled in the corners. "I’m glad you’re getting out. I’ve seen your friends dropping you off, but they never come into the house. When do I get to meet these girls? They’re like phantoms."

Ken snorted, but didn’t say anything. Dawn didn’t need telepathy to guess what he was thinking. Candace went out of her way to stand out and Jamie didn’t know how to blend in, so phantoms they were not.

"How about inviting your friends for Sunday dinner?" Jeff asked. "We have a roast chicken in the freezer."

Oh, God. Dawn wasn't ready for dinner at home. Jamie worshipped Serina and might mention her name. Her mother would disapprove of Candace’s body piercings and the truce would be over. Dawn hedged, stirred the potatoes and carrots floating in her stew.

"I don’t know," she said. "They're pretty busy."

"That was thoughtful of Jeff to invite your friends over," her mother said in her ‘Don’t give me an argument’ tone. "Besides, you’re with these girls all the time and I’d like to meet them."

"Don't worry, we won't embarrass you," Jeff said. "We’ll be the coolest parents around."

Dawn resigned herself to the dinner party. Even if she made up an excuse for Sunday, her mother would bug her about another time. Jamie, at least, would appreciate the invitation.

"Okay, I'll ask them," she said with an inward sigh.

"Ken, we’ll have plenty of food," Jeff said. "Want to invite a couple of the guys over?"

Ken hooked an eyebrow. "You’re kidding, right? You’ve already given all my friends the third degree, so I think they’ll sit this one out."

After dinner, Dawn changed into her pajamas and did her homework, checking her clock every few minutes. Candace was supposed to send a message at nine, followed by Jamie at 9:05 and herself at 9:10.

Just before nine, Dawn popped in a classical music CD, dimmed her bedroom lights and relaxed under the covers. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply a few times, and pictured herself walking down a corridor. Dawn opened a glowing white door, climbed a soft white carpeted staircase and padded into her special acoustic room. Lapis Lazuli encrusted the walls and gleamed on the control panels. She twisted a sparkling blue dial to receiving and listened for Candace’s message.

Then it came:
We could charge money for this down the Center. We could read people’s minds and be a carnival act.

Dawn laughed. She wanted to try responding, but it was Jamie’s turn next. She listened for Jamie’s voice. After a few minutes, a word bounced back at her twenty times.
Apple, apple, apple.
Dawn felt how hard Jamie was trying to send the word ‘apple,’ how she must have her forehead scrunched, determined to follow instructions. Dawn smiled, her eyes closed. I’m actually pretty good at this.

When her turn came, Dawn invited her friends to dinner that weekend.
Don’t mention Serina or any of this psychic stuff. My mother would go nuts if she heard what I’ve been doing with you guys.

Dawn opened her eyes and yawned, exhaustion engulfing her. Her last thought as she dropped her head into her pillow was: I can’t wait to see what Serina teaches us next.

***

The next afternoon before lunch, Dawn found a frustrated Jamie in the hallway. Jamie swung open her locker a little harder than necessary as she said, "I couldn't tune into you or Candace. I tried, but I couldn't do it."

"I got the word you were sending. Apple. You must have done something right."

Jamie glanced up from unloading her books. "You’re kidding. You heard that? I couldn’t think of anything better and I ate an apple right before bed. Do you think Serina will be happy with me?"

"Sure she will. You try so hard."

Dawn, too, yearned for their teacher's admiration, to move her, to interest her, to propel herself into Serina's esteem. It disturbed her how much she wanted to impress a woman she barely knew, but the more Dawn proved herself, the more techniques Serina might be willing to share – techniques that Dawn wouldn’t learn anywhere else. Not in Covington, Maine, anyway.

And Dawn had to admit, hearing Serina’s praise felt good after all those years of discouragement from her mother.

"I have something to ask you," Dawn said as they started down the hall. "My mother wants you and Candace to come over for dinner Sunday."

"You mean, go to your house? I’d love to."

She sounded so excited that Dawn wondered how long it had been since Jamie had visited a friend.

"Just do me a favor, and don’t talk about Serina or being psychic," Dawn said. "My mother wouldn’t understand."

"Don’t worry, I want your mother to like me. There’s Candace." Jamie pointed down the corridor. Candace rammed her fist into her locker and jiggled the door.

"Uh oh," Dawn said. "I’ll bet she invited Tim to the dance and he
—
"

Her words trailed off as Tim and a cluster of football teammates pushed their way down the hall. His friends jeered when they saw Candace. She glared back.

"I don't know, man," someone cracked. "You're sure you want to go to the dance with Vicky and not her sister, Miss America?"

"Come on, guys, shut up," Tim said, shifting uncomfortably.

"You're all jerks!" Candace burst out.

She whirled around and rushed into the bathroom. Dawn and Jamie hurried after her. They found Candace anchoring herself against the white porcelain sink, clutching the sides.

"I knew I shouldn’t have asked him," Candace mumbled, meeting their eyes in the mirror. "I could tell he wanted to laugh in my face, but he didn't because I was Victoria's sister. He told me he was flattered, but that he loved Victoria and could never hurt her."

She sobbed, then repeated, "He actually said he loved her!"

"I'm so sorry." Jamie lowered an uneasy arm onto Candace's shoulder.

"Then he went and ratted to his friends. He’s such a pig!"

"You don't want him anyway, if he'd do that. There's someone out there for you. Ask Serina to read your fortune."

"Serina should never have made you do this," Dawn said.

"Don't blame Serina," Candace snapped. "It's not her fault."

"But, it was her idea. If she hadn't pressured you, this never would’ve happened."

"I said: don't blame Serina! After all she's done for you, I can't believe you have the nerve to talk about her."

"I didn't mean anything. I was just–"

"Before I brought you to her, you were nothing."

"Nothing?" Dawn asked. "Thanks a lot."

"Now you're developing these awesome talents that you've never dreamed of, that no one's ever dreamed of." Candace's voice dropped till it was barely audible.

"Except maybe in their nightmares."

Chapter Ten

A
ll day, Dawn wondered what Candace meant by her strange comment. The words chilled Dawn, made her dread visiting Serina’s that afternoon. Did she really want to learn things other people feared? Then again, stumbling in the dark as she’d done her whole life was scary, too.

Jamie bolted to Dawn's locker after last period and announced, "I just talked to Candace. Serina gave us the day off."

Dawn’s tight shoulders slackened. Maybe taking a break would recharge her batteries. "Good. I could use one."

"I think we should surprise Candace at her house. We can buy fudge on our way. She loves fudge. Have you been to the Center Sweet Shoppe yet?"

Dawn checked her hair in a magnetic mirror, stalling. Candace had never invited them over before, and after the scene with Tim, today might not be the best timing. "I don’t know, maybe visiting her isn’t such a great idea."

"Come on," Jamie urged. "If she seems upset, you can blame it on me."

"Oh, all right," Dawn said. "Let’s go."

They walked the half-mile to Covington Center. Most businesses were shut down, garage doors lowered. "For Rent" signs hung in a half-dozen windows. Abandoned water slides and flumes sloped in the distance, behind the boarded-up carousel. Covington had gone from thriving beach resort to desolate ghost town in a matter of weeks. Dawn bought a pound of chocolate walnut fudge at the sweet-smelling candy store. Delighted to see customers, the owner offered free samples of caramel corn and salt water taffy from colorful plastic bins.

Dawn and Jamie continued another mile to Oceanview Estates. They found Candace’s house at the end of the cul-de-sac. Dawn stared at the cream federal front mansion with a pillared porch and widow's walk. A cool breeze ruffled the trees, carrying the sickening odor of salt water.