I view Chris’s mind as if I’m inside his head, looking out through his eyes. I feel what he feels, see what he sees.
Chris’s anger toward Justin hangs on the edge of his mind, along with the dissatisfaction of knowing Justin is a faster Runner than he is—a secret only the two of them know. Chris carries a deep level of insecurity and self-loathing on his shoulders. He doesn’t feel he deserves to be in the lead position, but continues to hold on to the title as a form of penance for his past mistakes, and to keep Justin from being the leader.
I feel the way Chris’s body buzzes when he looks at me, holds my hand, or is close enough to take in what I discover he senses as the flowery aroma of my hair.
Whoa! I wasn’t expecting this!
I yank my eyes away from his, my heart races, and I try to recall what we were talking about. I recover and say, “The last thing I want is for everyone else to think I’m trying to step on your toes. You know, me being the new muck and all.” I half-laugh in an attempt to relieve the pressure in my chest. “Look, it doesn’t matter if you take the credit for finding the cave or if Justin does. I just don’t want this on me, all right?”
“I’ll figure something out. Go check out the cave.” He turns away and runs to the others, and I lose the intimate connection to his mind.
What the heck! I thought he didn’t like me. I let out an exasperated huff. Mind reading is nothing like I thought it would be. I’ve always wanted to read minds, constantly wished I could tell if someone was lying or being deceitful, but this . . . this is completely different.
Chris’s perception and emotional dilemmas still course through my body and brain as I recount his thoughts like an instant replay of a football game. This is the same type of recounting or download I experienced with Maetha in Mr. Bates’s office.
In his head, I’d witnessed the personal race against Justin where Chris lost, but Chris threatened Justin with something in order to keep him quiet and maintain his position in the number two spot. I try to sift through his memories to see what the threat was exactly, but only hit brick walls in that regard.
I’m astounded to discover, however, exactly what Chris sees whenever he looks at me: I glow. I mean literally, because through his eyes, he can detect my iridescent aura. Beth had mentioned something about it on my first day, but I didn’t understand her at the time. Seeing my aura with my own eyes through Chris’s memory is nothing short of remarkable.
Chris’s memories of yesterday morning in Clara’s office filter into my mind. He recognized me as the same girl he’d recently seen in a vision, a vision shown to him by a powerful Seer. Apparently, I am to be Chris’s future-destined-love . . . and I’m supposed to be a Healer.
I am beside myself! Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d find that in his mind.
When Chris saw me sitting on Clara’s couch, with my vibrant aura, he knew in his heart the vision the Seer showed him must be true, and would happen in the future. That explains why he seemed to recognize me. It also explains why he became so distant. The vision the Seer had inserted into his mind had shown an older, beautiful woman who was a Healer—not an underdeveloped teenager, and a Runner to boot.
When Clara told him I was a Runner, his hopes and dreams crumbled in front of him. My presence in Clara’s office turned his reality upside down. He had his own paradigm shift at the same time I did.
Of course, I hold no powers or abilities after all, so Chris’s vision of me being a Healer is moot. So much for that particular Seer’s powers.
Earlier this morning, as I finished last in the time trials, Chris’s heart rate increased. He concluded before I did I would be part of the trio on this delivery. He had already intended to bring me along as one of the team so he could keep an eye on me, but finishing last meant he’d have to hold my hand at some point. Doing so was standard procedure. If I’d only been a fellow team member, I would have held hands with someone else, most likely another girl.
Through his memories, I revisit the feeling of my hand in his as we ran through the forest after leaving Harold Bates office, the softness of my skin, and the excitement that rushed through his body when I smiled at him.
I shake my head as if I can empty Chris’s memories from my mind. Naturally, I can’t. Taking a deep breath, I head to the cave.
As I approach the entrance, some of the other Runners are beginning to arrive with small bundles of tinder to make lighting the fire easier. Our eyes adjust to the dark interior, and we notice the cave opens up into a larger chamber. Ancient cave-dweller drawings are carved onto the walls, and on the ground a couple of rock circles indicates where fires once were. A freshwater spring dribbles water down the back wall and has carved a small stream on the rock floor toward the back of the waterfall.
Beth runs over and catches some of the water in her hand. “Sweet!” She smiles as she splashes the water on her face. She looks good with a smile.
I wander toward the front of the cave to where the back of the waterfall pours down before me in a giant curtain. I stand and let my thoughts fall away like the water in front of me. Ohio and my past life seem so far away. What kind of craziness brought me into this magical world? Maybe I should have answered differently when Clara Winter asked if I still wanted to call my parents.
The echoing voices of teammates bringing firewood into the cave gives me comfort. It seems everyone breathes easier knowing they now have a safe place to sleep.
I twist around to find Chris nearby, watching me. “Oh, Chris, you startled me,” I say. More than you know. I try not to make eye contact with him because I don’t want to be thrown into his mind again. I turn my attention back to the waterfall. “I was just checking this out.”
“Thanks again for saving me, Calli,” he says in a low voice.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t save you. I only pointed out the obvious.” I stare straight ahead, wishing he would go back to avoiding me. My brain knows differently now, and I recognize how the quiet and gentle tone of his voice reveals his feelings.
He says, “My thoughts were on . . . other things instead of where we needed to get to tonight. I lost track of how far off course we were and the possible dangers I’d exposed our team to, all because I couldn’t control my mind.”
“I know the feeling,” I say. “You don’t need to thank me, though. I’m the muck, remember? I’ll go help gather firewood.” I turn to walk past him, but he blocks my way and steps close. I can smell his unique masculine scent and feel his body heat. All my senses seem to be on hyper-drive.
“Calli, I’ll do a better job of controlling my mind from here on out. That way, you won’t become distracted with it too.”
Breathlessly, and only half-way meeting his gaze, I ask, “What do you mean?” My heart races even faster because of what he implies.
“Look at me, Calli.” He places his hands on my shoulders to command my attention. Hesitantly, I bring my eyes up to his as he says, “Not everyone can tell when their mind is being read, but I can. I also know how to block my thoughts, but I wasn’t aware I needed to do that with you.”
“I’m sorry.” I cast my eyes to the ground as they fill with tears. I don’t have the right to invade his privacy. I feel I’ve been caught committing a crime.
He gently squeezes my shoulders to bring my gaze back up to his and says, almost whispering, “Are you a Runner or a Mind-Reader? ‘Cause you can’t be both.”
I pull away from his grasp and walk over to the falling water. I can’t tell him the truth, so I dance around it. “This whole world is new to me, so much so I’m still reeling with confusion.” I wipe away my tears. “We’re on our way to meet with people who can kill others with their very thoughts, and I’m scared. I looked into your eyes and slipped into your mind on accident. I don’t understand why this is happening, Chris. I didn’t mean to read your mind.”
“Calli, you did more than simply read my thoughts, you delved into my memories. Only a few Mind-Readers can get that fa
r into a brain, and the process usually takes several hours and years of practice on the Mind-Reader’s part. I know most of what you saw. Please don’t be frightened by what the Seer showed me about you—about us.”
“Frightened? Confused would be a better word.” I continue to stare at the water.
“I’m confused too. You being a Runner didn’t fit into the vision, and you should be older. Calli, please try to understand what I’m feeling here. I’ve always thought visions of the future couldn’t be fabricated, yet here you stand in front of me, a complete contradiction to the vision I was shown. It’s as if the vision was a huge lie or something. Try to imagine how I’m feeling now that I know you can also read minds.” I hear his footsteps as he moves closer. His voice becomes even quieter as he says, “I cannot have you looking into my thoughts.”
I turn around and face him. I look deep into his eyes for understanding, for peace. “Well, I’m looking at you now, and I’m not seeing anything. Maybe that ability went away.”
“No, I’m blocking you. You’ll learn how to block your mind too. It’s not hard, and it comes in handy when you’re around Mind-Readers.”
I continue to peer up into his eyes, testing his mind barrier, looking for his thoughts. His expression softens, and his head tilts slightly as he gazes into my eyes with the same intensity I had when I looked at him. I observe the reflection of the falling water in his eyes, the length of his lashes, and the thickness of his eyebrows.
My surroundings seem to lighten and I feel like I’m in a dream. The shadows and dancing firelight of the cave disappear and become bright as day. I look around and find the same large clearing or meadow I saw before in Mr. Bates’ office. Tents and people are lined up along the edge of the forest, surrounding me.
I look where Chris was standing a moment ago, but he’s gone. I am now staring at a slab of stone in front of me and see people in white robes gliding toward us. I look to my left and see myself surrounded by my iridescent aura, facing the stone altar. I realize I am in Chris’s mind, observing the scene unfold from his perspective. I see several hundred people standing in front of the tents, organized by clan, and the hooded, ivory silhouettes of the Death Clan as they stand in front of us, awaiting the presentation of the diamond. Chris pulls out his box, opens it, and sets it before the leader, who then examines the stone and becomes angry. The leader launches into a tirade about being tricked, and I watch myself step up to present the real stone. The clan leader is so enraged at the deception he declares someone must die.
Then the vision jumps to an enclosed area, where my entire clan waits for a decision. Through Chris’s eyes, I stand with the Death Clan leader, who demands I choose the first person to die. I watch myself choose Chris without any hesitation. I feel everything in Chris’s body cease, including his heart. His vision fades to black while his body collapses to the ground.
“No!” I yell, and the darkness of the cave comes back into view.
“What is it?” Chris clutches my shoulders again. I push at his chest and get him to release me, only to stumble backward toward the drop-off. Just as my body leans over the edge, he grabs me and pulls me into his arms.
The strength of his embrace calms me, and I feel my body relax into him. I don’t want to move, I don’t want to speak, but more than anything, I don’t want the future I’ve seen to ever come true. I feel his strong hands caress my back and shoulders in an effort to comfort me and get me to talk.
He says, “What did you see? Did you get into my mind again?”
“I think I just saw a part of your future,” I whisper.
“Well,” he says, letting go of me and stepping back, admittedly stunned. “Of all the stars above and below, what can’t you do? So, what happens to me?” His voice reveals he’s amazed, scared, and even more confused than before.
“What does it matter? I’ll make sure nothing happens.” I wipe my freshly watered eyes.
“Do I die?” he asks.
“The future isn’t set. The visions are four weeks out, so I have time to make changes to ensure this doesn’t come true, right?” I try to step around him, only to be blocked by his massive, rock-solid frame.
“What did you see? Please, Calli, tell me.”
“I’ll change things,” I say.
“No. That’s not allowed. Everyone dies. Don’t try to stop it.”
He doesn’t know what I’ve seen. He can never know! I try to get around him once again, but when he tries to stop me, I push my hands against his chest with all my effort and yell, “You will not die because of me!”
He steps aside as I rush past him and out where everyone stands, frozen in their shoes, having obviously overheard my last words. I storm out of the cave. I run down the path to the edge of the stream, far away from the waterfall, making a mental note of the position of the sun so I won’t be caught off guard by the Shadow Demons. However, I can’t help but wonder about the Demons and if they’re even interested in me. I am, after all, just a normal human.
The memory of my torn shirt raises some doubts.
I sit down on a rock, take off my shoes, and put my feet in the cool water. I stare into the pool as the water ripples against my ankles and recall the vision I had about Chris’s death.
I can’t believe how insensitively I acted in my vision. I rub my temples to try to suppress the mess of information circulating through my brain. Why would I choose Chris? And without hesitation? Everything about the vision is wrong, and I vow to fix it. I’m not sure why, but I can sense if the future plays out like the vision, then the world will never be right again. Plus, the Death Clan didn’t die in the vision this time. I sense an ominous, heavy reality settling into my mind where the future is concerned, and I don’t like it.
What did Maetha say about the proper time to present the diamond? She said I would know. Is this the right time? No, she said not to show anyone, and she was emphatic that I’d know clearly when the time was right. Perhaps I should switch the stones at the last minute so the one Chris presents will be the real one.
That’s what I’ll do. I’ll get him to let me carry the box with the fake stone and I’ll exchange the diamonds before the meeting.
“Calli,” Chris calls out as he approaches. He sits down beside me, turning halfway in my direction. His close proximity unnerves my heightened senses.
“Can I have a moment to myself, please?” I ask.
“No, night is approaching, and we should all be in the cave soon.” His eyes are on mine, gazing deeply as if searching for a hidden video recording of what I’ve seen.
I’ll admit I left him hanging by saying what I did, but I can’t tell him that at some point in the future, I’ll have to select who dies, and I’ll choose him.
“Calli, read my mind.”
“I thought you said you could block me.”
“I can. But I can also control how much of my thoughts you can access.
I search his eyes and try to read his mind. He thinks, I don’t know much about you, but I can tell you would never do anything to hurt me, Calli. What did you see?
“Are you able to read my thoughts?” I ask.
“No.”
“That’s too bad, because it’s the only way you’ll ever find out.”
The breeze shifts and an overwhelmingly delicious aroma hits my nose, intoxicating my senses. The scent is so yummy, my mouth begins to water. I wonder if Chris smells it too. “Do you smell that?”
“What?”
My stomach starts to growl in anticipation of a scrumptious feast. “Do you want some fresh meat for dinner?”
“What?” He sounds intrigued.
“There are a few rabbit holes nearby.”
A subtle grin creeps around the corners of his mouth. “Oh, I don’t think I’d get very full on rabbit holes.”
I can’t help but smile at him and he smiles in return. An exhilarating thrill races through my body at the sight of his wonderful smile. Feeling his happiness and my own conte
ntment at the moment warms my soul and shoots lightning bolts to my heart.
“Come on,” I say. I jump up and slip my shoes on and take his hand, pulling him in the direction of the mouth-watering scent. The smell! Oh, splendid, now I’m a Hunter too? I wonder if Chris is thinking the same thing, so I try to read his mind. He’s blocking me. “Chris,” I say as we weave between the trees. “How were you able to let me read your thoughts but not allow me to read everything in your mind? That was impressive.”
He actually blushes from my compliment. “I can teach you how. I’m guessing it would come easy for you. Apparently everything else does.”
I know my mind is safe from the probing of readers because of the spell Maetha placed on me, so I’m not too worried about learning to put up that boundary.
“Shhhh,” I whisper as we near the source of the scent. Then I freeze. The smell I pick up on is more than rabbits, it’s the tang of seasoned, cooked rabbit. I close my eyes to try to picture what has happened.
Chris whispers in my ear, “What’s wrong?”
“Someone else is here.” A strange stench tickles my nose, teasing my senses with its confusing origins. The stink reminds me of my Uncle Thaddeus, who only showers about once a year, coupled with the memory of being at the firing range with my father and the lingering smell of gunpowder. Gunpowder! “Run!” I spit out.
Chris doesn’t hesitate. He turns, grabs my hand, and runs back to the cave in a flash. A few individuals are still outside, and we hurry them inside the cave to safety.
Justin comes over, rudely pushing through the group until he’s standing in front of everyone. “What’s happening?”
My mind wanders into Justin’s, and I see he is familiar with the same stench—the rank smell of Hunters. His mind also divulges he’s left markers along the way, some kind of scent, for the Hunters to follow.
So, Justin is a traitor, bent on compromising this assignment!
As I am about to say these words aloud, Justin’s mind opens to me, displaying even more appalling revelations. Right up front and center is his past nefarious involvement with the Death Clan. Chris had tried repeatedly to convince Justin not to continue in his ways, insisting working with these individuals will only result in an early death. Then I see Chris speaking with Justin, informing him he will be the third member of the trio because he can’t be trusted to be left alone at the compound. But the reason Justin continues to relinquish the fastest position to Chris is information that remains hidden from my view.
“Hunters,” I say, still amazed to find these mind-reads only take a few seconds of real time.
“Hunters?” Chris is beside himself. “They’ve found us already?”
I am a little surprised, but pleased, to see that Chris completely and wholeheartedly believes me.
Justin, however, squirms in his spot. “What is she talking about? She wouldn’t know what a Hunter even looks like.”
A couple of the others come over and join in.
Shanika panics. “Oh no, how do we get away from them?”
“Are they going to hurt us?” Ricky asks.
Justin says, “Did you see them, Chris?”
“No, but Calli did.”
“And you believe her?”
I try to add, “Well, I didn’t actually—” but Beth interrupts.
“How did they get here so fast?”
My eyes dart to Justin.
Justin states, acting innocent, “Maybe they are only following us, not hunting us.”
Will says, “Yeah, right. Since when has a Hunter just followed someone and not killed them?”
Kayla puts in her two cents. “We’ve got to stop them. How about we climb into the trees and ambush them?”
Chris replies, “No, they would detect your scent on the bark.”
Everyone begins discussing among themselves different ways to defeat the Hunters.
I study Justin’s eyes again and enter his thoughts. This time, I see he was given a special scent to spray on the trees as we ran, like leaving breadcrumbs for the Hunters to follow. But who gave the scent to him? That particular part of his brain is blocked. I search his mind to see the scent bottle he used. No way! It was my perfume!
The image abruptly disappears. Get out of my mind, muck, Justin says wordlessly with his thoughts. He stands and storms away from the group.
My gaze flies over to Beth. I wonder if she gave the bottle to Justin, but her mind is blocked. My eyes wander over to Chris, and his thoughts ask me, Are you able to tell what Justin knows?
“Yes.”
Did he know you were reading his mind?
I nod, wondering how Chris knows what I did.
Is he responsible for the Hunters following us?
I nod again.
How?
I pretend to spray perfume and rub my wrists together, then with my thumb I point to myself.
I’m going to kick his butt!
“No, we need him to talk.”
“Well, we’re in a dilemma now, aren’t we?” Chris says aloud, at last drawing the attention of the group away from their discussion. “The sun is setting and the Shadow Demons are deadly. Hunters have their own ways of avoiding the Demons at night, but the moment dawn breaks tomorrow, the Hunters will be hot on our trail once again.”
“Then we’ll have to beat them up,” I say, then correct myself. “What I mean is we’ll have to wake up in the morning before they do and get on our way. We can all wash in the waterfall and try to minimize our scents, making it harder to track us. Until then, I guess we’re staked down for the night.”
He takes my arm and leads me away from the group. Once we are far enough away from everyone he says, “I need to go talk with Justin.”
“But you don’t know what to ask him. Someone else is orchestrating this. They gave him my perfume for the Hunters, but he closed his mind before I could find out who it was.”
“I’ll talk to him. Stay with the others and try to figure out a plan.”
My eyes follow him as he walks away and over to the far corner where Justin sits alone.
I walk back over to the group and listen as they hash out plan after plan of how to defeat the Hunters. With every idea comes a problem that will have to be resolved . . . and every problem results in our capture or death.
I fully comprehend now why the real Sanguine Diamond is being transported secretly. If the Hunters catch us tomorrow, they’ll take the diamond in Chris’s pocket, thinking they’ve accomplished their goal.
I walk over to the fire by the entryway and glance over my shoulder at everyone. No one seems to care that I’m so close to the doorway, so close to the Shadow Demons. I slowly pull my foot out of my shoe, and, using my toes, fling it out of the cave into the dark. Even though I am fairly sure I’m immune to the Shadows, I’m not certain.
My shoe has fallen out of sight, so I pull one of the burning sticks from the fire and toss it out near where I figure my shoe landed. I need to find out if the Demons shredded it. The flaming stick lands almost on top of my untouched shoe. Now I have a bigger problem. My shoe is about to burn!
Clearly, the Demons have no interest in me or the diamond, so I run out of the cave.
“Calli!”
Chris is closer to the entryway than I’d thought. I hadn’t realized he was on his way back over to me when I ran out of the cave. The last thing I want is for him to think I’m being devoured by the Demons, so I answer him. “Chris, I’m all right. I’m going to go scout the Hunter’s camp.”
“How? Come back . . . the Demons . . . you’ll die!”
“I’ll be fine.”
The rest of the Runners crowd around the cave opening, murmuring in amazement, as I slip my shoe back on. My actions are highlighted by the burning stick I threw out. I leave the small flame burning and make my way out into the night and into the midst of the Shadow Demons.
Isn’t it interesting, I think to myself, that from a normal human’s viewpoint being able to
run fast or read minds or to possess any of the other cosmic abilities would be every person’s dream? How many times have I wished to see the future or know what others are thinking? Yet, now, at this exact moment my lackluster human-self possesses more abilities than anyone in the cave because I can walk among the Shadow Demons unharmed.