Stained (19 page)

"It's going too fast," she moaned as she sank to her knees.

"Julia, listen to me." Rosa's voice was clearer now, and very calm. "Slow it down."

Julia licked her lips. Her mouth tasted like chalk. "What?"

"Think of something calming."

Julia grasped for something to aid her. She found Cayne's face and focused on his eyes, deep green pools of calm. She thought about the way he'd looked at her when he squeezed her hand. She thought about how his fingers felt in her hair. She thought about his smile.

Miraculously, her panic abated, and with it the train's terrible swaying. It still hummed beneath her, but only the way trains were supposed to hum.

Julia opened her eyes. "It slowed down now."

"Good," Rosa said. She sounded more distant again. "Now, look out the window."

Julia did. Her gaze landed on a giant white pillar jutting into the sky. "The Washington Memorial," she said. As the train continued, she saw other famous landmarks. The Capitol building. The White House. "I'm in Washington."

"Very good." Rosa's voice was a whisper now. "Are you alone in the room?"

Julia nodded. It was tiny. No place for anyone to hide. She checked the small closet and shower, to be safe. No people and no clues. No bags, even.

Having some idea of what she was supposed to do, Julia said, "I'm going to check the train."

Rosa didn't respond, which Julia took as an affirmation. She strode to the door and thrust it open.

Chapter 24

A warm breeze lifted Julia's bangs off her forehead. It tickled the tiny hairs on her arms and--
Bangs
?

She squinted in the bright sunlight as she brought a hand to the crown of her head.

"What the hey?" She jumped at the sound of her voice. It was too high. She rubbed her temples with her hands, then squealed when she saw them. They were too small! Like her arms and legs and the rest of her. "What..."

She was standing on a familiar white wood porch, surveying a familiar back yard: the Rayson's backyard. It was a large rectangle framed by colorful flowerbeds that ran along a weather-beaten wood fence. They dead-ended before a row of oaks, one of which had a rope swing. Several boards had been nailed between two trees, creating a crude clubhouse. Billy and his friend Richard were on the other side. They were snickering at something.

Julia tried to remember why she had come outside. She usually avoided Billy. He had never been all that nice, but for about a year, since he turned twelve, he had gone out of his way to torment her.

It had only gotten worse since Julia had her first period. For some reason, Jan had told Billy about it. And what it meant. Julia could've died of embarrassment. And Billy? The jerk went snooping in her bathroom, and when he found her girl things he showed them to all the kids on the street.

Julia's fists clenched. Jan hadn't believed her when she'd told. She had looked up from her pimento-cheese sandwiches and--

Lunch. That was it. She was supposed to tell them lunch was ready. Julia considered yelling it across the yard, but she changed her mind when something behind the clubhouse squeaked.

They couldn't be doing anything too bad. Whenever Richard was around, Billy tended to behave better. But it still might be a good idea to check.

Julia hopped down the stairs and tried to not skip the rest of the way. Julia Pratchet. Mrs. Richard Pratchet. Mrs. Julia Richard Pratchet.

She rounded the corner and both boys' heads jerked up. Billy had short, dirty blond hair that he didn't comb, blue eyes that were large and cold, and a crooked nose that took the rest of his face with it. He was taller than Richard, who had soft brown hair that curled when it grew and beautiful green eyes.

They had been hovering over a clear plastic box. It was open-side down, and there was a small cat inside. It was mewing mournfully and looked injured.

"What are you doing!" Julia demanded.

Both boys jumped. Billy looked at her angrily. Richard looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Get out of here," Billy growled.

Julia shook her head. The cat was definitely hurt. Its front right paw seemed broken, and it had blood matting parts of its speckled fur. "I'm gonna tell Ms. Jan."

Billy's face hardened. "She won't believe you."

"Then I'll tell your father." Billy said he wouldn't believe it either, but Julia didn't care. "I'll tell anyway."

She turned to leave, but like a striking snake Billy grabbed her hand and jerked her to the ground. "You will not."

"Ow!" His fingers were like a vice on her arm. Julia trembled as he leaned over her. His face was red and angry. "Stop it!"

"Let her go, Rayson."

"Shut up, Richard!" Billy turned his attention back to Julia. "You ain't gonna say a word."

"Let me go!" she pleaded.

Billy didn't. He put a hand over her mouth and put his knees on her stomach, pushing the wind out of her. He grabbed both of her arms and pinned them above her head.

"Stop it!" Richard was hovering over them. "Let her go."

Billy turned purple, and Julia thought his head was going to explode. "I told you to shut up!"

"Let her go!"

"Make me."

Richard tackled Billy, and the force of their impact squashed Julia's lungs. She wheezed as they grappled. Predictably, Billy got the upper hand. He hit Richard in the stomach, then in the face, then stood and kicked him in the side.

Richard moaned as Billy stalked back to Julia. She tried to get to her feet, but he grabbed her shoulder and threw her back to the ground.

"You bitch," he yelled, and then his hands were on her shirt.

Julia saw the same bright light behind her eyes. She pushed it out, and the whole backyard became a supernova. She heard Billy scream, and Richard cry out. For a second everything was dark, but when her sight returned, she saw that Billy was on his back, unconscious. So was Richard. The cat was on its side. It wasn't moving.

Shaking, Julia climbed off the ground and walked toward the house.

Margie, her big sister at the girls' Haven, had told her not to use her power. How many times had she told her about the bad things that would happen? Julia had used it anyway, when she was with Margie, and it had been a disaster. But what had happened this afternoon was worse.

As she approached the house, Julia somehow knew what she would find. Jan and John would be unconscious, Jan on the kitchen floor and John on the couch in the den. Mr. Jenkins, their next-door neighbor, would be waiting in the kitchen. He would usher Julia up to her room and tell her to hide under the bed. He would call 911. He would tell the police that Billy and Richard had created some sort of bomb. He would tell Julia to never tell anyone what really happened.

Julia shook her head. How did she know that? And what was she doing here, anyway? Wasn't she supposed to be taking a trip?

Julia opened the back door and remembered. She was supposed to be on a train!

"Julia!"

Billy. Screaming her name.

Julia whirled, shocked, but it wasn't the Billy. He was taller and wider. He had a shadow on his face. His arms were heavily muscled. And he had a starburst birthmark on his forehead, right between his eyes.

Julia was back to her right age. Seventeen. Which meant Billy was nineteen.

Julia stared at him, amazed. He was supposed to be in the hospital. He and Richard both. He'd wake up in about two weeks. Richard wouldn't.

She felt a sharp pain in her heart. She had willed those violent bursts away because of what she did to the boy that tried to help her. It had left her empty even then, but she couldn't forgive herself.

"I'm gonna kill you!" the teenage Billy screamed.

He charged, and she slammed the door. "Help!" she cried, hoping she was right about Mr. Jenkins. She dashed into the kitchen and slid to a stop. It was empty. "Mr. Jenkins! Jan! John!"

Julia heard the back door crash open. Billy swaggered into the kitchen, and she screamed for Mr. Jenkins again. She ran to the den, but Billy dove and grabbed her foot. She landed hard on the wood floor. She kicked back with as much strength as she could, hitting Billy in the face.

He cried, and she scrambled away, through the small entry hall and up the stairs, with Billy hot on her heels. Julia dove for her door and slammed it shut.

She locked it just as Billy plowed into it.

Chapter 25

Julia pushed against the door and screamed for Rosa and Cayne. The wood groaned under the force of Billy's blows. A splinter spun past her, then another.

She frantically searched her mind for the secret she had buried that day in the backyard. She needed that wild power now--even if she couldn't control it.

Past fractured faces of friends and the muted colors of their auras, through pieces of memory and imagination, Julia searched. Deep into the hidden spaces of her mind, wading in the experiences she had buried and the actions she regretted, Julia searched. And there, in the depths of her shame, she saw it: her starburst, pulsing, calling...

The pounding stopped and the white behind Julia's eyes disappeared. The loss left a frightening ache in her chest. She had been only moments away from obliterating Billy. Probably the entire house, too. Cautiously, she scooted closer to the door and held her breath. She didn't hear him.

Sighing, Julia turned to survey her room, but with a shock she discovered she wasn't in it. She was standing in a hall that stretched as far as she could see, which wasn't far on the right; down that side it was completely dark. She could see a speck of light on the left, what might have been a mile or more away.

Julia shivered. The place was horror-movie creepy. There was a draft, and the air felt wet. She ran her hand along the wall, looking for the door, but it had disappeared.

"Rosa?" she whispered.

Julia heard a small hiss, but she couldn't make out the words.

"Rosa?"

A sound like thunder answered from the right. An instant later a gust of wind sent her tumbling several yards. Julia huddled on the floor, bruised and aching, as the wind passed. It snuffed out whatever light illuminated the far reaches of the left side of the hall, and she realized the difference even a spec of orange made. Terrified, she called for Cayne until the noise died and her voice echoed around her.

The little light returned a moment later.

"Rosa?"

Julia resisted the urge to stay on the floor. She needed to move, and she decided to go left, toward the light.

She tried to count the minutes she spent in the unchanging hall. About five after the first blast of wind, a second came. By the third, she knew to hit the floor the moment she heard the distant rumble.

It was horrifying, waiting in the absolute dark that followed the hall's outbursts. Julia half expected some monster or murderer to appear beside her when the light returned. Neither did, but she had to endure two more gusts before something changed.

Carpet. The cold, stone floor had, at some point, become carpet. Julia wasn't sure when, but she noticed as she picked herself up after the fifth gust. She also realized that she could see her hands.

She almost jumped for joy.

Sooner than she expected, she was close enough to see the source of the light: a candle in a stand, floating about chest height. There were others, spaced dozens of feet apart, on both sides of the hall.