Seclusion (7 page)

E. grabbed a yogurt and
some fries, and then grabbed my arm, pushing me toward the table. Damen was
gone.

“Who was that?” I couldn’t
help but ask.

“Oh, Damen?” she said with
a knowing look. “He’s just a friend. He sticks to himself, mostly. I saw him
give you the ‘What’s up, sexy?’ look! He usually ignores everyone, but he seems
calmer around me. I guess I have that effect on people.”

I had a billion questions,
but we were already at our table. We sat down, and Chase and I started gabbing
about everything we wanted to check out on campus. I noticed that Connor was
fun and kind of goofy, which I thought was weird. E. could obviously get any
guy she wanted, including that hottie, Damen. I pictured him in my head again
and saw a replay of that smirk he’d given me. I blushed. I thought his name was
appropriate, considering there was only one person you could compare him to,
and that was Damon Salvatore from
The Vampire Diaries
. I had to make
myself focus on my original thought that had led to him…Connor and E. I guess
they had been dating a long time. He did seem to treat her well. Then again,
seems like anyone would treat her well.

The conversation at the
table had turned to basketball talk, and Chase looked like he was in his
element. I started zoning in the direction Damen had walked off in with his
to-go bag. I had this nagging feeling that his ability just might be some kind of
mind reading. The way he looked straight at me after he’d flipped through his
iPod, -
at least I assumed it was his iPod
- just as I would’ve done,
had me scared.
How embarrassing. This school might be scary. Nah, E. didn’t
mention it.
I wanted to ask her what his power was, though. However, I
didn’t want to chance sounding interested in him. I was pretty sure every
straight girl here would’ve given her soul for that guy. He was probably an
arrogant asshat.
I mean, what was that smirk about, anyway? He heard me
mentally gushing about his hotness, then…what? He nods at me…?

We finished dinner and
began the tour. We stopped at every level and walked around. Elsie and Connor
showed us the rec areas, the pool and spa, the classrooms, and the orientation
room for the next day. Chase grabbed my hand as we were walking. We looked like
two couples - Connor and E., and Chase and me. I felt semi-pleased, and a
little irritated at the same time.

“Something wrong, Rae?”
Chase asked me.

“No, no! Nothing’s wrong.
Just getting a little tired, and I still want to see the library,” I lied. I
had picked the library just because it was a better alternative to the sports
areas, where I would no doubt be bored to pieces.

Elsie turned around and
smiled as she looked at us. “Hey Chase, why don’t you have Connor take you to
the sports center while I show Raegan the library and coffee shop?”

“Sounds good to me! Take
care of Raegan for me, Elsie.” He pulled me to face him. “So, do you want to
meet in the caf at about nine, before our class?” he asked.

“Oh, sure.”

I really would rather call
in food from the cafeteria, but…maybe I’ll see Damen there again and figure him
out. I guess that wouldn’t be so bad. Ugh, why do I keep thinking about him?
I told myself that it was
just because he seemed mysterious and he was the sexiest boy alive. In fact, I
bet there was at least one other girl who was also swooning over him at that
very moment.
He definitely must have a girlfriend, or maybe a groupie. Oh
m’gosh, I don’t think I should get near him, my thoughts are uncontrollable.
What if he really can read minds?

I figured that this must be
how others felt around me all the time. I knew Chase’s mind was centered on
athletic stuff the school could provide him with. Elsie had lists of things to
be done on her mind. Connor was thinking about a documentary on space he wanted
to record. I guess I was the only one who had thoughts I’d rather not share.

Elsie grabbed me and
started walking with me arm-in-arm down some corridor to an elevator. We took
it up to floor zero, which housed all the food areas, and walked in.

“Okay, the coffee shop is
right over here,” she said as she gestured toward it.

Java Circle
was printed on the glass
door. I stepped through the door, and the smell was delish, sublime in fact! We
ordered our drinks, and someone came running up to us. She was a short redhead,
very slender. She reminded me of a rose.

“Elsie, I have the best
gossip to tell you. You won’t believe it! I already got asked to the summer
fling dance!”

“Oh, Sara, I’ve missed you!
I can’t wait to hear your story, but I’m showing Raegan around, and we were
just on our way to the library.”

“Oh,” Sara said, her face
falling in a disappointed frown.

“E., just tell me where to
go and I’ll find it on my own!” I told her.

“Oh, okay then! I’ll meet
you in our suite later! You want to go up to floor E from here. Go to the west
wing, and the library is right past the computer labs. There are maps on the
walls if you get lost, okay?”

I gave her a quick hug and
started walking off with my fresh vanilla latte still steaming. I couldn’t hold
E. back from new gossip, though I knew she felt bad about not coming with me.

I entered the library and
began scanning the shelves as I walked around. I figured I might as well find a
book.
Home away from home!
I thought about how a library could be a
sanctuary. It was like salve to my soul. The library was huge – it took up
almost the whole floor and was complete with a kids’ section and an area that
had rentable DVDs and books on CD.

I was browsing through the
DVDs when I walked straight into a wall – it was actually a black hoodie. I
inhaled the hoodie, and the smell was intoxicating and reminded me of my
dreamland from the morning – weird. The scent was like an ocean breeze, relaxing
and comforting.

I immediately realized this
hooded figure was Damen. We had both reached out to grab
Bram Stoker’s
Dracula
, the one with Keanu Reeves. Not the best movie, but I hadn’t seen
it in a while. When I touched him, I got a shock of intense pain. My breath
caught in my throat, and I winced away from him. We looked at each other. He
gave me the most irritated look I’d ever seen, like I had just caused him
physical pain, too. He pushed me back, mumbled he was sorry, and shoved the DVD
into my hands.

“If you want this, you can
have it!” I said, flustered.

He looked me up and down
and said, “I don’t.”

I knew we were talking
about the DVD, but the rejection hit me hard. He stalked off toward another
room. I grabbed the DVD and went to check it out.

That was the strangest
thing ever! If only he wasn’t wearing so many clothes, I might’ve been able to
sense what was wrong. Maybe I could have helped him.
Just from bumping into
him, I could tell there was some major pain going on, but I couldn’t tell if it
was emotional or physical – or both. I wasn’t even sure if I could heal that
type of pain without major concentration, but I was intrigued by the mystery he
presented.

One of my previous
questions had been confirmed though – his features were more attractive than
I’d remembered from an hour ago. He also, apparently, had good taste in leisure
activities, I thought as I drifted to sleep.

My dreams were filled with
a dark, sensual, mysterious figure. They felt so real, as if I was completely
enthralled with this dark stranger. When I awoke, and remembered the intimate
nature of my dream, I refused to believe it could be Damen that I had dreamt
about.

*
* *

The next morning, as Chase
and I were walking to our orientation class, I kept feeling bummed that I
hadn’t seen Damen in the cafeteria at breakfast. I hoped he’d be at the
orientation, but no such luck. Chase wrote me notes throughout the orientation,
telling me his thoughts on what the teacher was saying. I was very distracted.
The teacher went over everything Elsie had already told us. He also discussed
the current and upcoming classes that were available for us to take. Of the
lists of classes that were offered, the ones that stuck out to me most were
Physical Strength and Your Abilities, Learning to Control your Abilities, and
Multiple Abilities of the Telepathic Mind. Chase and I both signed up for
Learning to Control Your Abilities, which was recommended for everyone. The
summer session was just beginning, so we were able to take our first class that
same afternoon. I also registered for the telepathic mind class as well, but
that didn’t start until later in the week. At orientation I was able to make
appointments for an annual physical, retinal scan, fingerprinting, and a
meeting with my counselor. I was surprised to learn that Taylor actually met
with kids and that she would be my counselor. I had thought she just stuck to
recruitment.

It was afternoon when I
rushed into my Learning to Control Your Abilities class after finishing all of
my random appointments. I knew Chase would be there saving me a seat, and I
felt comforted by that. All day, though, my thoughts hadn’t strayed far from
Damen. But I really was happy with how my relationship with Chase was
progressing. He was a sweetheart!

As I walked into the class,
there was a swarm of girls introducing themselves to Chase. He was smiling
politely and responding to them. When I walked in, his head popped up, and he
grabbed me and pulled me into the seat next to him before giving me a hug and a
quick kiss on the cheek. I was so shocked, I couldn’t help but blush.
Apparently, there was no need to be jealous.

Just then, a hooded boy
came in, and I silently watched him take the seat farthest across the room from
us in the back corner. I watched as he adjusted his iPod and then began
doodling in a notebook on his desk. I felt like I was looking at myself just
last week. I wondered if he had seen our P.D.A.

Suddenly, I was startled by
the tapping on my desk.

“Do you know that guy?”
Chase asked nonchalantly. “He looks like a loner.”

I was irritated by his
comment, so I just shrugged and focused on the teacher. He gave me a confused
look, and then grabbed my hand and squeezed. He sent me an
I’m sorry,
forgive me
message. Weird to have someone using my own power for their
benefit. It was sort of intimate. I squeezed back and grabbed a pen.

Professor Stark was
discussing the different types of abilities and attempting to categorize them.
It was all very interesting, and all of the students were looking at each
other, wondering who could do what.

“Okay class, I’ve read over
your files, and I’ve already selected a partner for each of you. Your partners
are based on similar abilities, so this will help you. Find what works for
them, and it might work for you. Your first assignment is to spend at least an
hour with your partner before the next class. I want you to read the
personalized chapter for your individual talents on building and controlling
boundaries. This is the most important thing you will learn in this class. I
want you to meet with your partner in class, decide when and where you will
meet, and exchange numbers. You may then go. I don’t want to hear any
complaints about who your partner is. You aren’t in elementary school anymore.”

As Professor Stark began
calling out partners, people were giggling and moving seats.

Chase looked at me and
whispered, “I don’t think we’ll be partners. Bummer! Meet me in the second rec
area after you meet with your partner, okay?”

“Chase and Chloe will be
together…”

I looked over at this Chloe
girl, who looked like she had just won the lottery. She jumped up quickly and
ran for my seat. She might as well have just kicked me out of my chair!

“Raegan and Damen, you two
may use my office to meet,” Professor Stark said.

That was strange.
OMG!
He does have an ability like mine. I knew he could read minds!
My heart
started pounding fast, and I got really nervous all of a sudden.

I walked slowly to the
office.
Maybe I should have told Damen that Stark called his name since he’s
had his iPod on the whole class
.
There’s no way he could have heard who
his partner is
. As I sat down in one of Professor Stark’s chairs, I saw
through the office window that Damen had already been following behind me. He
turned around and looked at Chase, threw his hood off, and gave him a look. I
saw Chase turn red and begin discussing something with Chloe. Damen came in and
shut the door, smiling to himself. Unfortunately, that smile had me forgetting
that he knew everything I was thinking. I had to refrain from gawking at his
utter perfection, and I made a mental note to make sure my mouth wasn’t hanging
open.

“What was that about?” I
asked.

He glanced in my direction
with a grimace. “Oh, your boyfriend thinks I’m going to try to steal you from
him and he’s worried you like me. We both know you think I could be the next
McSteamy!” He laughed with a smug expression on his face.

“How dare you! That is so
rude! You should not be intruding into others’ thoughts.”