Ever (13 page)

I groaned inwardly. Not The Chin. It was a gesture that the Jocks and some of the Populars used as a greeting. It was superficial and impersonal and I hated it. Val shot Lanky a coquettish smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his energy touch hers, and then they both seemed to glow a brilliant green for a few seconds. Val slid off the bench, and introduced us to “Mike, the guy from the pizza place.”

It was totally unlike me to initiate any kind of interaction with guys, especially ones I didn’t know. But maybe since I was still vibrating from the energy bump I had just received, I found myself giving Mike my own version of The Chin. He looked surprised at first, as though he hadn’t noticed me until just then. I felt his eyes flick to me with interest, and he looked me up and down. His attention made me feel dirty, like he was painting me with a film of grease as he ogled me.

“Hey, baby.” Mike said, pulling Val toward him. But his gaze remained on me as he spoke the words.

I had been riding on a strange sort of high up until that point, and then all of a sudden, the surge of energy I had felt when interacting with Val disappeared. I felt heavy again, and somewhat…bereft. I shifted on the cold bench. Mike met my eyes over the top of Val’s head and I couldn’t believe it when he gave me a wink.

Then he opened his mouth and out came The Question. Ugh. I shrugged and looked away in time to notice a wisp of red float from his ear. Wow, so maybe I wasn’t as hideous as I thought. Part of me wanted to wink back—to one up Val and her hot older guy status. I would probably get another hit of that nice energy I had just run out of. It would make me feel better than I felt right now. My crystal pricked me hard, as if to disagree, and I nearly jumped out of my seat.

“You okay?” Naomi asked.

“Um…” I could feel a loud hum coming from beneath my shirt and even though I knew it was unlikely, I started to worry someone else would notice my crystal’s reaction to what was going on. I didn’t want to stick around to answer The Question or listen to the Follow-Up Statement, either. I scrambled for an excuse to get away. Using the bathroom wouldn’t work, someone else might have to go.

“I’m still not feeling too well guys. I think I might head back to the cabin for a few minutes.”

I began edging away, waiting for Dara or Naomi to ask if I wanted company. How would I refuse them? Just then, Mike gave The Chin to someone approaching. Two other guys walked up and high-fived him. They were older, too, and scruffy-looking. Both had dark hair. One of them pulled up his sweatshirt to reveal a bottle of liquor tucked into his jeans. There was a collective hiss of excitement from the others.

“Uh, don’t worry about me, guys. I’ll see you later.” I turned to make my escape.

“There’s enough for all of us to party, baby,” one of the other guys called. I didn’t respond, hoping he would think I didn’t hear him.

I was tired and confused, but also restless at this point. I heard Ms. Hardwick’s voice reminding everyone about the field trip rules. One of them was to stay with the group at all times. I let out a derisive snort as I looked back just in time to watch Val, Dara, Naomi, and the three guys sneak back into the trees behind the amphitheater.

I kicked my feet around in the dust, wondering what to do next. I felt like I was coming down from a sugar rush, all jittery and antsy. I figured it had something to do with the energy, but I wasn’t sure what to do to feel better. I guess I could have gone with the other girls, but I had no desire to let some creepy guy get me drunk and try to put his hands on me. Even the thought made me shudder with revulsion.

I ended up walking into a small meadow just in front of the campsite. I knew I was breaking the rules, but I didn’t care. I was all jumbled up inside. Something about the meadow called to me. The closer I got to the grass, the calmer I felt. I made my way to a small wooden boardwalk and looked up.

The stars were so bright against the inky black sky; they looked close enough to touch. I took a deep breath and felt some of the tension leave my body. I sat down on the wooden planks and just stared up at the sky. My mind wandered more and I could feel my awareness expanding. It was becoming second nature to do this when I was alone.

I felt that click in the back of my mind that was becoming more familiar. My consciousness was free to roam. I touched the trees and the meadow grass with my senses. I heard the warble of a bird and my consciousness touched that creature, too. Then I literally bumped into another awareness with my own. I sat up straight and cocked my head to the side. It was really dark, but I knew someone was there. The scent of sandalwood drifted to my nose. I wasn’t sure how I had sensed him, but suddenly there he was, standing right in front of me, as though he had been expecting to meet me here. I felt a rush of pleasure run through me as he spoke.

“Hey,” Jaren said. “You okay? I shouldn’t have left you alone, but you took off. Figured you needed space.”

“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully.

I was glad to see him. His presence filled me with a sense of security and warmth…and something else. I heard some rustling and realized Jaren was spreading a blanket out on the boardwalk. He sat down and looked up at the sky, much like I had been doing. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I didn’t move.

“Everleigh.”

Oh, how did he do it? When he spoke my name I felt like I was slowly being immersed in warm water. I struggled to pay attention to what he was saying. “Yeah?”

“This blanket is big enough for both of us.”

I could tell he was smiling. My heart was pounding as I scooted closer to him, careful to avoid brushing against his body.

“Today was pretty crazy, huh?” Jaren’s voice was serious now.

“What
is
it?” I asked. Now that I had seen the strange glow that seemed to come off every living thing, I had to know more about it.

“My aunt, she called it
the Ever.
”

“The
Ever?
Are you kidding me?” It was weird that the energy phenomenon, whatever it was, shared my nickname.

Jaren’s gaze remained on the star-studded sky. The stars looked so bright against the inky black backdrop they glittered from. “Because it’s ever-present and ever-powerful. At least, that’s what my aunt used to say.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a wisp float up from the center of his chest. It was darker hue than I had seen before. As I focused on it, I felt it—I felt exactly what he was feeling. It was sorrow. I had felt exactly this brand of melancholy when my Gram had passed. I could feel how Jaren’s heart hurt. Without thinking, I reached out and laid my hand on his chest. My palm went hot, and there was a tangible crackling sound. My crystal jerked and then fell still.

Jaren sat straight up, and I could hear how he sucked in his breath in surprise. I yanked my hand into my lap. What had I been thinking, touching him like that?

“Uh, I’m sorry…” I said shakily.
Did I really just touch his chest?

“How did you do that?” He asked me, like he could see right into me even though the darkness was punctuated only by starlight.

“Do what?” I looked down at my hand. It felt normal now, but seconds before, it had been burning with heat. Jaren was waiting for me to explain.

“I just—I could feel where you had pain and I don’t know why I touched you like that,” I babbled.

“You took my pain away,” he said, a hint of wonder in his voice.

“Pain? Away?” Oh great, now I sounded like a deranged parrot. “How—how is that possible?”

Although it was dark, I could sense Jaren running his hands through his hair.

“Man, Everleigh. My aunt, if she had met you, she would have flipped her lid….there’s so much you can do to help us.”

“Um, help who do what?” I was scared to hear the answer. Suddenly, I felt everything I had been suppressing for the past month come bursting to the surface.

“Look, I have no idea what is going on. All I know is that I got this stuff on my hand, and things have been crazy ever since! I’m seeing weird smoke everywhere, birds are giving me seeds—I’m hallucinating all over the place. If you know something, and I am pretty sure you do, just spit it out.”

I was angry with him. I was also confused and scared and tired. Jaren chuckled, which only angered me more. I stood up in a huff, ready to march straight back to my cot. I didn’t need some guy making fun of me after everything I had been through.

Then he was standing, too, and he was grabbing my arm. At his touch, I went all hot inside yet I froze like a statue. He spun me around to face him and I was unable to move, unwilling to look at him. Did he know how his touch sent my senses reeling? Warmth pooled low in my belly as he pulled me closer. I felt like I was watching myself from far away as Jaren Wilder gently tugged me to his chest, and then wrapped his arms around me.

At first I stiffened. It felt so awkward to be held like this. I argued with myself to resist but then I just sort of melted into him, feeling the warmth of his body and the security of his presence. My entire body let out a deep, internal sigh as I breathed in his clean, woodsy smell. I marveled at how perfectly we fit together. My ear rested atop his chest, and I could hear his heart beating.

The slow rhythm was hypnotizing. I had never been held like this. Not ever. For some inane reason, part of me wanted to push away. I wasn’t pretty. I wasn’t sexy. I was just an Outcast who had never even held hands with a guy. What on earth was I doing in Jaren Wilder’s arms?

I began to succumb to the negative thoughts, feeling that heaviness again. Then a comfortable wave pushed my insecurities away, and a pleasant warm buzz overshadowed the critical voice in my head. Somehow, I knew Jaren was responsible for my change in mood. Instead of running away, I pressed closer, nestling my cheek into his chest and breathing deep.
God, he smells so good!
With Jaren’s arms wrapped tightly around me, I allowed myself to bask in a feeling of supreme safety and contentment. I had never felt this way before.

And I loved it.

I don’t know how long we remained like that, in a darkened meadow bathed in starlight. It could have been a second, or an hour, but the only thing I knew was that I didn’t want him to ever let me go. My eyes closed, and then his hand moved from my upper back to stroke through my hair. The sensation was light and feathery; my eyes nearly rolled back in their sockets. Oh, this boy was a magician…and he had me totally caught in his spell.

My eyes flew open at the thought
.

Is that what this is? Is it magic?

“Ready to talk now?” he murmured against the top of my head.

Reluctantly, I pulled away. I was not the kind of girl who spent time in the embrace of a Popular Senior. I wasn’t sure what to do.

“Let’s sit.”

He tugged me down, opened his legs, and pulled me back so that I was sitting between his knees with my back resting against him. He wrapped his arms around me, encircling me with his body. It felt new and wonderful and awkward all at the same time. The delicious warm flutters started up again in earnest, making it impossible for me to form a coherent thought.

“I’ll go first,” he offered, saving me from trying to speak.

He started talking, in a low voice that tickled my ear, causing little sparks of heat to dance across my neck. Despite my efforts to remain alert, I felt myself being lulled into a drowsy, warm puddle as I listened. When Jaren paused, I found that I could hardly move. I was weighed down by what he told me and also by the warm, molten sensation that had built up as I sat within the protective circle of his body.

There was a war going on—one that not many people knew about. It was an energy war. Everything, at its core, was pure energy, Jaren explained. Humans, plants, animals, everything that lived, vibrated with a kind of energy. It was kind of like a life force. It sustained us, and everything else living on the planet. We were all connected, he said, and I knew that he spoke the truth.

Most of us have forgotten this connection, Jaren told me. People have forgotten that we are all the same energy and that we must protect the places of high energy that sustain us. Over time, due to destruction of places of power, such as old growth forests, humans have depleted natural sources of this energy. The energy still exists, though, and it is especially strong in nature.

Humans needed to remember how to connect to this source energy, Jaren said, because we were currently living in a very artificial environment. Pollution, violence, wars…these were all symptoms of the depleted energy in our world today. Just as we required healthy foods to feed our bodies, we needed source energy to nourish our inner selves, our souls, and to find true purpose and contentment.

Because the natural sources of energy have been largely destroyed, people have found a new way to get energy—they steal it from other people. Jaren called these people “energy vampires.” As he described them, I found myself thinking of Val. People like Val had learned to siphon away the energy of other people, in order to bolster their own low stores of energy. I realized that I had done the very same thing earlier that evening. It was addicting, Jaren warned, and he was right. Once you steal another’s energy, it is very hard to stop doing it. You get a high (and I had experienced it), but it quickly dissipates and you have to steal more.

So, the energy smoke I was seeing
was
real!

Well, it was good to know that I wasn’t going nuts. Jaren said that very few people were tuned in enough to witness these energy exchanges. Many could feel the energy, he said, but most didn’t understand what was happening to them. He had only met a handful of people who could actually see the energy—the way I could.

That’s what made me different…right?

“It’s late,” Jaren said, looking up at the moon’s position in the night sky.

Even though I was practically delirious, I had the wherewithal to be impressed by his knowledge of nature. He was so confident and sure of himself. Jaren told me we would finish our talk later—that there was much more to discuss. I quivered with anticipation, knowing that we were connected somehow, and that our interactions would continue. He stood up and helped me to my feet. He walked me straight back to my tent cabin, and I realized that I hadn’t told him which one I was staying in. I looked at him questioningly.