Seclusion (22 page)

“Are you serious? You can’t
even look at me and say it,” I said with all the anger I could hold on to so I
wasn’t an emotional mess. “Why aren’t we together?” I yelled.

After that comment, Damen
just stared at me. It was the first time I felt like he was really serious.

“Raegan, I’m not ready for
us to be back together. I know you can tell that I care about you, and you know
I’m attracted to you, but so are many other guys. Can you please just accept my
friendship?”

“No.” I supported myself
with anger or I would’ve completely fallen apart.

“So we’re no longer friends
then?” Damen asked.

“I guess not,” I replied.

My anger was the only thing
fueling me as I rushed through the dream, explaining that Dr. Z might have
something to do with it and that Dr. Z was afraid of him…the boy with the power
that was too strong. I told him about his mother and father and what they had
to do to get him off the island. I also told him I saw no clues to where the
island was, except that his mother told him to go south, go south, go south.
So, assuming that he did that, and depending on where he was found, we might be
able to locate the island.

Damen stared at me,
shocked. “Do you think our Dr. Z is the same one from the dream?”

“I’m not sure, but we
should stay away from him just in case. He hasn’t done anything to anyone that
we know of. Plus, we should try not to jump to conclusions. We need facts! What
about the Z name that was on my mother’s letter before she disappeared?”

“Raegan, I don’t know, but
I’m going to figure it out.”

My heart was crushed, and
there were still so many unanswered questions. “I’ll have Elsie discuss
anything else I remember with you. And I don’t need your help figuring out my
dream,” I told him. “I think it’s best we leave each other be.”

“Aren’t you being a little
dramatic, Raegan? We need to work together on this,” he said and made a grab
for my hand.

When I jumped out of the
bed, I realized I only had my clothes from the previous night. I went to his
closet and, without even asking, pulled out an old hoodie to wear for my walk
of shame. I pulled up my jeans as quickly as I could, grabbed my pile of
belongings, and headed toward the door.

“What about all that leftover
food?” Damen asked before I walked out the door.

“Keep it,” I said.

I rushed up the stairs to
my suite, unable to hold back the tears.
He is so stubborn! At this point,
we are fighting about nothing
, I thought.
He doesn’t even know why he’s
mad! I mean, Caleb and Chase are no longer in the picture, not that they even
compared to him anyway.
I opened the door and threw all my stuff onto the
bed. Then I grabbed a bowl of cereal and attempted to eat it through my tears.

I looked up and saw Elsie
walk in with serious bed-head. She was wearing boxers, a tank, and slippers.

“Rae, are you okay? What’s
going on now?” she asked as she grabbed a bowl and landed on the stool next to
me, making herself a bowl of oatmeal squares.

“He’s so frustrating! We
had the best night ever, thanks to you!” I said.

“Then what’s the problem?”
she said, her eyebrows scrunching in the center.

“Well, he still just wants
to be friends.”

“Oh…he is a stubborn
jackhat, isn’t he?” she frowned.

Stalkishly, I used my power
to see what he was doing. He had his iPod, and he was reading a book like
nothing had happened.

“Stupid boy,” I said out
loud, hoping he’d heard that part of our conversation.

After Elsie and I cleaned
up our breakfast mess, we headed toward the couch in the common room.

“Well, let’s think about
something else,” E. said.

“I can try. I just don’t
know what to do about this,” I said.

“I don’t think there is
anything you
can
do right now. What about the dance tonight?” E. said.

“Are you kidding? I’m not
going! I don’t have a date or costume. I really don’t feel like going.”

“Chase is going stag with
us. You could tag along just to get your mind off things.”

“Hmmm. Well, I’d like to
distract myself, but what if Mr. Jackhat thinks I went with Chase? That would
probably only make things worse.”

“I doubt he’ll even come.
You’ll just have to make it evident that you’re not with Chase.”

“I’ll think about it,” I
told her.

“Great. Just leave your
costume to me,” she said. “There will be so many boys vying for your attention,
you’ll forget about him, at least for tonight. So…spend the day getting ready
and relaxing. You will be even hotter when I’m done with you.” Elsie gave me a
wink and drank a glass of o.j. before heading off to the shower.

I went to my room and
concentrated on reading the assigned chapters for my classes. I was thinking
about all the things I had learned to do with my powers and wondered if I was
missing anything else. I practiced my prediction skills and checked on my
friends’ locations. I even tried Caleb. I saw him lying in bed, flipping
through TV stations. His groggy expression made me laugh. Damen was the
complete opposite. As soon as he woke up, he was out of bed, showered, and
looking for something to keep him busy. My curiosity won out, and I attempted
to see him. He was in the library reading some gene theory book. Seeing him in
study mode was completely sexy; I wondered if there was anything he didn’t look
good doing.
Interesting
…
I didn’t realize he was a science guy
, I
thought, which made me even more depressed. After all the time we’d spent
together, I didn’t even know that about him.

I decided to skip Mrs.
Travis’s class. I couldn’t deal with seeing Damen in person again. However, I
did practice watching her class from my room, which I thought she’d be proud
of.

Damen and Jay were talking
animatedly. They seemed to be arguing, which I thought was weird. The last I’d
heard, they were becoming fast friends. Through the wall, I thought I heard Jay
say, “That’s not how it works, Damen. Why’d you do something so dumb?” That put
a smile on my lips, even if I didn’t know what they were discussing. After
twenty minutes, I got a horrible headache and decided to take a nap.

*
* *

DAMEN

“How can you leave when
she’s in danger?” Jay asked.

“I’m the danger, Jay, you
said so yourself.”

“No, don’t blame this on
me! I said you were connected to it. I’m as clueless about it as you are. One
thing I know is you should never try to interpret it yourself. I’m always wrong
when I try to figure them out. I suggest you just prepare for something
coming.”

“If there is a chance that
it’s me that hurts her, I’m not taking it!”

“Oh, and breaking the link
will be a piece of cake? That won’t hurt her? How do you know that’s not the
pain I’m foreseeing, Damen?”

“She has Chase and her
friends. They will watch over her. I need to get this Dr. Z stuff straightened
out. What if she’s next on his list? Can I trust you to watch out for her?”

“She’s my friend too, but
you’re the one that should be staying to watch out for her. I don’t want to see
her go through this anymore than you do! Of course I will, though. Are you sure
you don’t want me to come with you? I might be able to help.”

“Thanks… I might take you
up on that later.”

“Alright, man. I have to
leave for this mission Taylor has me going on. She’s making me miss the dance!”

“Sucks.”

*
* *

I fell asleep and found
myself in the cave.
I guess now’s as good a time as ever
, I thought. I
explored the cave, but I came up with nothing. It was pitch dark, and I had no
senses available, only my mind. I walked around, but I could not even feel my
feet on the ground, and when I stuck my hands out, there was nothing. I
couldn’t see or smell anything either. I couldn’t even see my own fingers. I
could imagine them, but they weren’t there. So I just stood in the cave waiting
and waiting, and I began to get a little anxious when nothing happened. It was
creepy, and when my fear gave out, I began screaming. It no longer felt like a
dream. It felt like an endless void of nothingness, with no way to tell how
long I had been there.

“RAE! RAE! It’s okay. Wake
up, wake up!”

I woke with a start and saw
E. hovering over me. I hugged her close to me.

“Bad dream?”

“The worst! It was so
creepy.”

I felt movement on the
other side of Damen’s wall for a second, and I thought I felt concern. Then it
was gone, and the wall remained. There was no longer even a door, which I
thought was childish on his part.

“Well, get up, Rae. It’s
time to start getting ready. Go bathe now.”

She pointed to the bathroom
and threw bubble bath and bath gel at me, and then she began picking out nail
polish and pulling out her manicure supplies.

“So, who am I going to be?”
I asked as I turned the hot water on.

“Juliet, of course.”

“Great. A star-crossed
lover. And one who dies without her love,” I said grumpily.

“I thought it appropriate.”

After what seemed like
hours of primping and plucking and curling and pinning, I had to admit Elsie
did have a way with make-overs. When I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t help
but think that it maybe wouldn’t be so bad if Damen came.
I’m sure he’d be
second guessing himself
, I thought.
HA!

“E., what would I do
without you?”

“It’s not what I did. It’s
just how you are,” she said with a proud smile.

I put the old-fashioned
dress on. It was very low-cut, with a deep maroon velvet overlay and long,
sheer lace sleeves. The finishing touch was a lace-up bodice. It was beautiful.

E. squeezed until I
couldn’t breathe anymore. “Is that necessary?” I complained.

“Oh yes. It gets you into
character.”

“Who are you going to be?”
I asked. Elsie blushed the deepest shade of red I’d ever seen. “Oh, this is
good! Who are you?” I ran into her room and found a tiny white skirt, a tiny
white top, a gold belt and a crown, and a sword. I laughed so hard. “You’re
going as She-Ra, the Princess of Power?” I laughed again. Elsie just fell onto
her bed in a mortified lump.

“Aren’t He-Man and She-Ra
cousins?” I asked.

“I think so! But I lost a
bet and it was Connor’s choice. That’s the only way he was going to get me into
this costume! I think he has a thing for She- Ra.”

I wanted to roll on the
floor with laughter, but I could barely breathe in my dress.

We didn’t have to wait long
for the boys to pick us up. My finished appearance made me look like I had just
walked out of a play. When I saw Chase and Connor, I laughed even harder than I
had when I saw Elsie’s costume. “He-Man and Zorro! What a funny pair!”

Chase just laughed. “You
look awe-inspiring. Great costume!”

“Thanks, it was from E.”

He glanced at E. and
smiled. “Connor, I think I’m starting to understand your fetish,” he said.

E. smacked him and we all
laughed, but I couldn’t stop the feeling that someone was missing.

I used my abilities to see
Damen. He was in a dark suit and vest, complete with a dark cape, and there was
a rose lying on the coffee table next to a white half-face mask. He was
definitely eye candy, but that didn’t surprise me. “The Phantom,” I
accidentally said out loud. I figured he was planning on coming, which was
surprising. I watched him begin to get out of his cape and kick his shoes off
like he’d decided not to go after all.

“What?” E. said.

“Oh nothing. Damen,” I
murmured to her quietly.

“Ohhh. Hmph, Phantom…”

We walked into the main building
and discovered twinkle lights, mood lighting, and a huge dance floor. The place
was crowded with strangers.
Everyone must have returned to school
, I
thought. There were dozens of people yelling to Elsie and Connor. I was amazed
by the crowd surrounding us.

“They all come back on this
day,” E. said. “Let’s dance,” she said, kicking her shoes off and laying her
purse down at a table. Chase and I followed her to the dance floor. The
costumes were crazy!

We danced in a circle
together. I was dancing next to a Trojan warrior I assumed was Achilles. I
wasn’t sure if everyone had dressed for the “Love Through the Ages” theme or if
they just used the dance as an excuse to wear a costume. The warrior leaned
over and asked if I wanted some punch. I couldn’t really tell who he was, but I
accepted his offer.

As he left, Chase walked up
to me. “Who is that guy?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said
breathlessly.

“Maybe we should take a
break?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said, smiling. I
followed Chase toward the punch table.

“Here you go, Raegan.”

I looked up to see the
tall, muscular warrior. He took off his helmet, and I was surprised. “Carson, I didn’t realize it was you,” I said.

“Yeah, I figured. So you
ended up not coming with a date after all?”

I nodded.

“You look great,” he said.
“But what happened to Damen? I thought he would be here hovering over you like
usual.”

“Oh, we’re just friends,” I
said as we all sat down at our table.

I was barely staying in the
conversation with Carson and Chase. I couldn’t help but use my power to see
what Damen was doing. He was dressed again and pacing with the flower.
Apparently he couldn’t decide if he should come or not. He looked extremely
handsome, like he was just attending an everyday formal event instead of a
costume party. He oozed romance and sensuality. How he was able to pull that
off was beyond me.

I felt like I was turning
into a regular old stalker with my ability. I knew I could probably watch him
for hours, but that would just be too creepy. Suddenly, I got this feeling that
I didn’t want him to come to the dance. There were way too many girls here. I
tried to feel our link to see if he was leaning toward coming or not, but I
felt nothing.
The walls are up stronger than usual
, I thought.
Strange.

“Let’s go dance, Raegan.” Carson said.

I heard a slow song begin
and turned around to see couples rising and heading toward the dance floor. I
turned to face Carson.

“No thanks. I don’t think
it’s a good idea,” I said as I looked up at his face.

“I think you do want to
dance with me,” he said firmly.

Chase stood up, as if to
put a stop to the discussion, and grabbed my hand.

Then I heard myself say, “I
do want to dance with you.” I tried to force myself to sit back onto the chair,
but I couldn’t.

I heard Carson chuckle.
“That’s what I thought.”

Carson
pulled me onto the dance
floor as Chase stood there watching us. Chase quickly surveyed the room and
asked the closest girl to him to dance.

Carson
wrapped his arms around my
waist, and my hands found their way around his neck as he looked into my eyes.
“Finally, Raegan, you’re all mine.”

“I’m all yours,” I
repeated, although in my head, I was yelling. I felt confused and could not
focus on anything except what Carson was saying. Professor Travis’s voice
echoed in my brain: “
Some people have the ability to control others with
their mind, and it can be used for evil.
” I also remembered how Damen had
made the valet forget he saw us and how he had convinced Caleb to take him with
us to his parents’ house. “The force,” he had called it.

“Raegan, you can’t keep
your hands off of me. When Chase tries to cut in, you will tell him to leave us
alone.”

“Okay,” I heard myself
saying again.

“Where is Damen, Raegan?”

“Sulking in his suite,” I
said.

Carson
laughed. “Perfect.”

I could feel my hands
roaming his body. I tried to stop them, I really did, but I couldn’t.

“Raegan, I want you to stay
as calm as possible and only focus on my voice.”

*
* *

DAMEN

This is ridiculous. I’ve
been pacing in my room for almost thirty minutes. If I go, I risk falling
harder for Raegan, if that’s even possible. I also risk hurting her more. Even
though her walls are up, I know she’s trying to have fun at the dance. She’s
already danced with her friends, and now she’s dancing with someone else,
although I can’t tell who. Chase is there though. He’ll watch her. I’m sure she
is fine.