Like always, when I went to bed that night, I got sucked into my reoccurring nightmare—the one where I was being chased by the glowing-yellow-eyed, cloaked creatures in the middle of the forest. But the ending took a turn in a different direction.
After the monsters captured me, the man with the scar stepped underneath the light of the moon and transformed into someone else.
Alex.
His green eyes glimmered hauntingly in the shadows of the night as he grabbed me. But instead of freezing to death, I burst into flames. I woke up dripping in sweat. And for a split second, I was convinced I really was on fire. So convinced that I checked my body for burn marks.
Everything was becoming too stressful, to the point where I considered breaking down and telling Marco and Sophia everything. About Alex and Aislin. About the electricity. Even about the prickle and my feelings. But when I went downstairs to tell them, Sophia had pierced me with a glare before I could even get the words out, and I was quickly yanked back to reality; the reality that I had no one. No one to talk to. No one to help me.
Over the weekend, I tried not to worry about stuff, but it was a worthless effort. So I decided to search the internet for…well, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for, but I hoped I would know when I found it. Most of my research centered on Alex and Ailsin. But when I typed their names into the search engine, I got nothing. They didn’t even have a Facebook page. Then again, neither did I. But really, who was I going to add to my friends list?
After awhile, I gave up and moved on to the electricity. Again, my searches brought up nothing. It was just like when I tried to find out about the prickle. There was a bunch of scientific stuff, but nothing remotely similar to what was happening between Alex and me.
So after hours of research, I still had no clue what was going on.
These unsolved mysteries left me with a massive sense of dread. I wasn’t excited to go to astronomy on Monday. I even went to the extent of trying to fake sick so I could skip out on going to school. But that plan went to crap because Sophia hadn’t bought my lame acting attempt at having the flu.
Thus, here I was, entering the astronomy classroom, my chest feeling like it was going to cave in on me at any moment. And just my luck, Alex and Aislin were already at our table. They were engaged in what looked like a very heavy conversation. I could tell by the seriousness in their expressions, and how they were leaning in like they were trying to create a barrier between themselves and everyone else around them. I could only guess what they were talking about.
I gave myself a quick mental pep talk. You can do this. You aren’t the one who should be nervous. I straightened my shoulders and started up the stairs. I swear my shoes felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each. With every step, my breathing shortened.
For a moment, I thought I might faint.
Alex and Aislin didn’t notice me until I sat down. Then they stopped talking. I avoided eye contact with them as I unzipped my bag and took out my book. But I could feel their eyes on me, watching me like hawks.
After I dragged out the process of taking my stuff out of my bag, I snuck a glance at Alex. He had on a black hooded jacket, and the color of his bright green eyes seemed to look a little darker today. Although it could have been from the death stare he was giving me.
I amazed myself when I actually glowered back at him. I think I might have shocked him too, because his death stare twisted into a look of puzzlement.
Aislin acted the absolute opposite of Alex. Her smile shined almost as much as the diamond necklace she was wearing. “Hi, Gemma.”
By her overly cheerful tone, I could tell she was feigning being nice to me. I decided to play her little game, and I politely smiled back at her. However, I think it came off more twitchy and nervous than I wanted.
Aislin, however, was a pro, her smile never faltering. “How was your weekend?”
“Great,” I lied, sounding grumpy.
“Alright, everyone,” Mr. Sterling said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s get started.”
And that was the last thing I heard. I tuned everything out as the electricity ignited and preoccupied every inch of my concentration. To make things even more distracting, Alex started staring at me. It sucked and made me squirm around uncomfortably.
The bell finally rang and class was dismissed. I quickly collected my things and shoved them into my messenger bag, feeling thankful that Mr. Sterling had been in one of his discussion modes and had left no time for group work.
I stood up, ready to bolt for the door right as Mr. Sterling decided to make an announcement.
“One more thing before you go.” He waited for everyone to settle down before continuing. “As a group, I want you to complete a project. It can be any topic of your choice, just as long as it relates to astronomy. It’s worth thirty percent of your grade, and you’ll have to spend some time out of class working on it.” He ignored the moans and groans that filled the room. “I will need you to tell me a basic idea of what your topic is going to be by tomorrow. There are more specific instructions in this.” He held up a packet of papers. “Make sure you pick one up as you leave class so you can start brainstorming ideas. That’s it. Class dismissed.”
A group project? Great. I swung the handle of my bag over my shoulder and dashed for the door, not slowing down until I made it safely to the corner of the library.
I couldn’t find the book I had been reading—the one about the girl that had a superpower. After searching for several minutes, I finally spotted it lying sideways in front of the Encyclopedias, which were on the top shelf. Now, I was tall, but not tall enough. Even on my tiptoes, with my arm stretched out as far as it would go, I still came up inches short. I was just getting ready to make a jump for it, when an eruption of electricity rippled up my back.
I jolted backward.
“Need some help?” Alex asked, watching me with patronizing eyes.
I had to collect myself before I spoke so my voice would come out even. “No. I’m good.”
He stepped closer and nodded at the shelf. “Which one are you trying to reach?”
“I—that one,” I stammered, pointing at the book. Then I rolled my eyes at myself. Get it together, Gemma.
He reached over my head, the scent of his cologne fluttering in the air. In height, he had me by about four or five inches, and he grabbed the book effortlessly. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” I took the book from him, being extra careful not to let my fingers touch him. If just being near him made my body buzz, I could only imagine what touching him would be like.
Without saying goodbye, I weaved my way through the maze of bookshelves until I was back at my normal spot. I was very aware that Alex had followed me, but was trying hard to ignore him.
I sat down on the floor and got comfortable.
He stared at me, clearly irritated. “I didn’t just come here to get your book for you.”
I opened the book up. “Then why did you?”
It got quiet. The only sound was coming from me flipping through the pages of the book.
“Aislin had me track you down,” he said suddenly. “And since you seem to like hiding back here so much, I figured I’d find you here.”
And there it was. The thing I was waiting for—for them to say they knew I had been eavesdropping on their conversation and had heard all the bizarre things they had been talking about.
Totally dumfounded on what to do or say, I kept searching through the book. The pages fanned my face with a cool breeze that felt nice against my heated skin.
Alex stole the book out of my hands.
“Hey.” I grimaced.
He snapped the book shut. “Aislin wants to know if you’ll meet us here after school so we can come up with an idea for our project.” He spoke every syllable slowly, as if he thought I was slow.
That was it? That was all he wanted?
“Well, can you?” he asked impatiently.
I wanted
to tell him no because I really, really didn’t want to be around either one of them. Well, that was stretching the truth a little since, right now, every nerve in my body was pulling toward him. But that was because of the electricity. The stupid, obnoxious, make-your-mind-go-all-fuzzy electricity.
“If you guys want, you can just pick a topic without me,” I offered, hoping he would say yes.
He shook his head. “Nope. We’re supposed to work together as a group.”
I raised my eyebrows accusingly. “I’m guessing you probably really don’t give a crap whether we work on it as a group or not.”
“Oh, I don’t,” he assured me. “But Aislin does.”
I narrowed my eyes at him as I got to my feet. “Fine. I guess I’ll be there then.” I stuck out my hand. “Now, please give me back my book.”
He pressed his lips together, took an unnecessary step toward me—totally invading my personal space—and placed the book in my hand. As he moved his hand away, one of his fingers brushed against mine. Whether it was an accident or not, who knew? But the smug smile on his face was making me think he probably did it intentionally, perhaps to try and torture me to death. And torture it was. Not the chain-you-up-in-the-basement-without-any-food-or-water kind of torture, but more like the want-it-so-badly-lose-your-mind-because-you-know-you-can-never-have-it kind.
My hand shook as I fought to stay calm. I knew the worst thing to do was to let him see how much of an effect his touch had on me. On the inside, however, my body was going wild. My heart was erupting. My blood was racing. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be close to him.
For a split second, I thought I saw Alex’s eyes widen, building my hope that maybe the touch was having the same effect on him. But it happened so quickly, I couldn’t be certain if it actually happened. And before I knew it, he turned his back on me and left without saying another word.
What did my life used to be like? That was the question that ping-ponged through my brain during the rest of the school day. What had my life been like before I’d been able to feel? Before Alex had come along? Before the electricity had shown up? Oddly enough, even though the majority of my life had been spent without all of this, it didn’t feel like it. In fact, my pre-feeling, pre-Alex, pre-electricity days seemed like such a long, long time ago.
But what was life without feeling, really? Nothing. And maybe that was why I was having a hard time remembering.
My last class of the day was a big crap-fest. I was called on three times, which has never happened to me before. But for some reason—who knows, maybe Alex’s touch had left my skin glowing—I was the opposite of invisible. At least to Mr. Montgomery, my seventh period English teacher, who continued to call on me.
Gemma, can you tell us what one of the major themes is in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet? Gemma, what is the significance of the poison in the play? It wasn’t like I didn’t have the answers to his questions, but I hated being put on the spot. And I hated the fact that I stammered out my answers.
To top it all off, my locker got jammed, and in the middle of kicking the crap out of it, a teacher strolled by and scolded me. By the time I sank down into a chair in the library, I was in no mood to deal with any more crap. Really, I probably should have skipped out on the meeting, since Alex had the tendency to get under my skin.
I also had a major headache. My brain felt like it was boiling inside my skull. God, I was going to have to take up yoga to deal with all this stress.
I rested my head on the table. The wood was cold against my warm skin. I massaged the sides of my temples, and let my eyes drift closed. I took a slow breath and tried to bury all of my problems.
But then a current of electricity weaved its way up my spine, and I groaned as my endeavor at relaxing flew out the window.
Alex dropped his bag on the table. “Headache?”
“Yep,” I replied snippily. And it’s sitting right next to me.
“Gemma, what’s wrong?” The voice belonged to Aislin.
I raised my head up. She was standing on the other side of the table, a pink purse draped across her shoulder, her forehead creased over with concern.
“She has a headache,” Alex answered for me.
“I’m fine,” I told her. “Really. It’s not a big deal.”
“Hold on, I think I have something.” She retrieved a bottle of Tylenol from her purse. “Here you go.”
I gratefully took the bottle, poured two in my hand, and gave it back to her. “Thanks.”
She smiled and tossed the bottle back in her bag. “No problem.”
I plopped them into my mouth and forced them down my throat. Hopefully they would kick in quick. If I was lucky, maybe they would also numb out the electricity along with the headache.
Aislin sat down. “Okay, so does anyone have any ideas on what we should do for our project?”
“Whatever’s easiest,” Alex said. Then he glanced at me and added, “And takes the least amount of time.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Alex,” Aislin said, like it was the most absurd thing ever. “We need to do a good job. I would really like to get an A. And I’m sure you would too, right, Gemma?”
Typically, sure, but right now…hmm…not so much. All I wanted right now was to leave.
“I don’t mind if we do something easy.” I flicked a glance in Alex’s direction. “And short.”
“Good, then it’s settled.” He leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head. “We’ll pick something easy.”
Aislin scowled at him.
“So, what I am thinking,” he continued, ignoring Aislin’s scowl, “is that we could just make a galaxy map and type up a report to go with it. That way we wouldn’t have to spend very much time working on it together.”
“Great. Sounds good.” I got up, my chair tipping backward on two legs, then falling forward on all fours again. I snatched by bag off the table and turned to leave.
“Gemma, wait.” Aislin leapt up from her chair. She put her hands on her hips and pinned Alex with an angry look. “Don’t you think that project is a little too easy?”
He waved his hand, brushing her off. “It’ll be fine.”
I did a mental count to ten while I waited to see if they would say anything else. They didn’t and I left.
Outside, a ghostlike fog blanketed the parking lot. I made my way in the direction of where I hoped my car was. I was still all riled up over Alex and how he had made it clear that he wanted to see as little of me as possible. I was also kind of mad at myself for not telling him off.
I was in the middle of figuring out whether or not I was walking around in circles when I was hit with the feeling that someone was watching me. Suddenly, I became hyperaware that there wasn’t a single soul in sight.
I picked up my pace, my black DC sneakers thudding against the ice. It was the only sound that filled the air until a crackle rose over it. I glanced down at the ground. The ice looked like it was moving. Yes, moving, right along with the pace of my footsteps. My heart stuttered as my nightmare flashed through my mind. Me running. The monsters chasing me. Ice moving underneath me.
I ran, but not very fast since the ground was one big accident waiting to happen. I kept telling myself nightmares don’t come true. Glowing, yellow-eyed monsters that kill people with their death chill aren’t real. But as I felt the air abruptly descend to a bone chilling temperature, I freaked out.
I searched frantically for my car, slipping all over the ice like I was trying to be part of the Ice Capades. But I couldn’t spot my car anywhere. I desperately strained my eyes against the thick fog, and then I saw it: not my car, but a flicker of yellow.
My heart stopped.
I gasped as the prickle traced the back of my neck. I had felt fear before, but this was a whole new level of fear; a run-for-your-life-or-you’re-going-to-die kind of fear. Which was exactly what I was going to do. I spun around, preparing to make
a mad sprint back to the school. Except before I could work up a run, I slammed into something hard and warm and static charged. I stumbled backwards, scrambling to get my footing.
“What is wrong with you?” Alex asked, his voice a mix of irritation and concern.
I regained my balance and stood up straight. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
His dark brown hair was damp from the fog, and tucked underneath his arm was a book. “It doesn’t look like nothing. You look scared.”
My heart drummed violently in my chest. I was scared. I glanced back over my shoulder. Nothing but fog.
“Gemma.”
I turned back to Alex. “Huh?”
“Are you okay? You look a little…lost?”
I was lost. And confused. And terrified.
The air was starting to warm back up. It was still freezing and everything, but a normal freezing instead of a deathly freezing.
”I, um…” I swallowed hard, choking on the mental image of the yellow lights. Had it really been there? I hadn’t actually seen the cloaked figure; just two little lights shaped as eyes. Or at least they looked like eyes. Without the overload of adrenaline pounding though me anymore, I wasn’t so sure.
Alex’s gaze wandered over my shoulder. “What were you looking at over there?”
“Um…nothing.” There was no way I was going to tell him what I thought I saw. “I just thought I saw…a dog.” I did a mental eye roll at myself. A dog? Really, Gemma? You can’t come up with anything better than that?
He eyed me over suspiciously, and then his eyebrow arched up. “You’re afraid of dogs?”
“No,” I responded automatically.
“You were scared though,” he pointed out. “So scared you ran into me.”
“Well…” I wanted to smack myself for being such a terrible liar. I struggled to think of an excuse—any excuse I could give. “What does it even matter to you, anyway?” I snapped. “I mean, it’s not like you really care.”
“Yeah, good point.” He shoved the book he was holding at me. “You left this in the library by the way.”
I furrowed my eyebrows at the book, perplexed because I couldn’t remember taking my book out of my bag while I was in the library.
“This is the part where you say thanks,” he said arrogantly.
I wanted to slap the arrogance right off his pretty little face, but I didn’t. I snatched the book from his hand and said, “Thanks.”
He pressed his lips together and gave a quick glance behind me. “Well…drive carefully.”
I gave him a funny look. Drive carefully? What was that supposed to mean? Well, I know what it means in the literal sense but…I gaped at him as he sauntered away, feeling, once again, as lost ever.
After he vanished through the fog, I ran like hell to find my car.
Chapter 6