Fractured Light (10 page)

By the end of second period, I had to go running again. The tapping of my foot had bothered everyone around me, including the teacher. While no one was looking, I quickly darted outside and headed toward the track. I ran as hard and fast as I could to expend the most amount of energy (although I barely broke a sweat). I hoped that might help me pay attention in my next class, math. I was really starting to fall behind, and for the first time in my academic life, I was worried.

By the end of Mr. Steele’s class, however, I realized the running had been wasted. I left his classroom feeling like I hadn’t learned a thing. I learned more math from watching late night talk shows than I did from Mr. Steele. What was my problem?

At lunch I avoided May and ate in the lunch room, knowing she would never go in there. I really liked May, but I needed things to return to the way they were.

Matt sat a few tables over. Apparently he’d found others to join his book club. Two girls sat next to him hanging on his every word. No surprises there. A guy as cute as him and who could actually understand Shakespeare could have his pick. Maybe down the road I could join a club and be part of social gatherings like this. College perhaps.

After lunch, Christian finally caught up to me in the hallway. “How’s it going?”

“Good. You?” I kept my face forward.

“Good. Do you mind if I come to tryouts again today?”

“Actually, I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”

“Really? Um, okay. Can I see you afterward?”

I opened my locker. “I think my uncle has something planned.”

He didn’t say anything while I switched out my books, but when I closed my locker, he asked, “Did you go running last night?”

“No, which turned out to be good because of the storm and all.”

“What storm?”

“Last night. The sky was pitch black and the wind was going crazy. It was kind of scary.”

“There wasn’t a storm last night. What time?” His body tensed.

“Not sure. I woke up to the sound of a cat howling like it was in heat or something. It was really weird.”

“And you didn’t go outside?”

“No.”

“Don’t go out tonight either, okay?”

“Why?”

“Just don’t, please?”

I sighed. “Look, I appreciate the concern, but if I want to go running in the dark, I will. I’m a big girl.”

Suddenly he grabbed me by the arms, a little too rough in my opinion. “You can’t go outside.”

I shrugged him off. “Let go. What’s your deal?” I hurried away, surprised by his sudden aggressive behavior.

The second day of basketball tryouts went as expected. I completely wowed Ms. Lindsey and gained the respect of all my potential teammates, for the time being anyway.

After tryouts, I raced home, anxious to see Jake.

“Did you make the team?” Jake asked, the moment I walked through the doorway. He was standing in the kitchen wearing an apron, and I noticed he’d shaved and gotten a haircut.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Making cookies.” He turned on the oven light and peeked in.

“Since when do you bake?” I tossed my backpack onto the couch.

“I used to make them all the time, don’t you remember?”

“Vaguely. But why are you making them now?”

“To celebrate. Did you make the team?” Jake poured me a glass of milk.

“I won’t know until tomorrow. I guess we’ll have to save them until then.”

“Actually,” Jake paused. “They’re for my celebration.”

“Does this have anything to do with where you’ve been yesterday and today?”

“Yes, but before I tell you any more, I need to apologize again.”

“No, Jake. I need to apologize.”

“Would you stop? You were right about everything. Ever since Mark, I mean your dad, died, I’ve been living in a fortress of solitude. Your dad, well, he was special, more so than even you know. After your mom died, we went through some crazy stuff together, and I think that kind of messed me up too. I thought I could be like him, but I’m not.”

“What are you talking about?”

He shook his head. “I promised your dad I’d take care of you, but how can I do that? I’m not him.”

“Jake, I couldn’t ask for a better second dad.” I placed my hand over his and mentally transferred Light to him. I hated seeing him like this.

He jerked his hand away. “When did you start doing that?” he asked, almost as if he were appalled.

“Huh?”

“You’re transferring Light to me. When did you learn to do that?”

I shrugged. “Just the other day, I guess. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Your mother. She used to do the same thing whenever I felt bad. I can’t believe you can do it too.”

“But can’t all Aura’s at a certain age?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I only know what your mother did. What else can you do?”

“Just manipulate light and stuff, nothing big. And mostly when the moon is out.”

He nodded.

“Is there anything else I should expect?” I asked.

“I’m the wrong person to be asking. You should call your aunt.”

“No way. She’ll try and make me go to that stupid school again.”

“What’s wrong with Lucent? Your mother went there.”

“A lot of good it did her. I think I’m a lot safer out here than in there. All they do is fill your head with illusions of grandeur.”

He laughed. “I doubt that. Maybe we can check it out together?”

I grunted at the same time the oven buzzer went off. “So you haven’t even told me—what are we celebrating?”

Jake removed the cookies and placed them on the counter. “Well, after our little argument, I called a few people who I haven’t spoken to in years. They were more your dad’s friends than mine, but they did remember me. Anyway, one of them just happens to be living right here in Bountiful. He offered me a job. Last night I was over at his house discussing the details.”

“No way! That’s great, Jake. What’s the job?”

“It’s working in one of the petroleum plants at the Point of the Mountain.”

“It sounds awesome.”

“I hope so. I was there this morning checking it out.”

“So when do you start?”

“Well,” he frowned.

“What?”

“I haven’t officially accepted yet.”

“Why?” I cried.

“Because. I’ll only take it on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

He looked directly into my eyes. “I will take this job, completely change my life, but only if you promise to do the same.”

I leaned back into the chair. “What?”

“I know how you are, Tink. You keep everyone at arm’s length and other than sports, you don’t do anything. You have no life to speak of, and I think that needs to change.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, I do. This is your last year of school and you should be enjoying it, not hanging out here, plotting out every move of your future. Life is not meant to be scripted. Your mother and father would want you to be happy.”

“I am happy,” I mumbled.

“You’re about as happy as a dill pickle. You’re not being who you were meant to be.”

“I like pickles.”

“Seriously, Llona, let’s do this together. What do you say?”

“Can I think about it?” I asked.

“No! No more thinking. Take a chance and say yes. Come on. You can do it, right here, right now. Say yes, and you can have one of my famous cookies.”

I wasn’t sure if it was Jake’s pep talk or the Light within me that made me say it, but all of a sudden I heard the word “yes” roll from my lips. Before I could take it back, Jake had his arms around me, jumping up and down.

“This is going to be great,” he cried.

I tried not to laugh along with him, but I couldn’t help it. I would have fun this year, I resolved. All the things I hadn’t allowed myself to do before, I would do now. The possibilities flashed before me, especially with Christian. I laughed even louder at this new thought and danced with Jake around the room.

Things were finally looking up.

T
HE NEXT MORNING
I
COULDN’T WAIT TO GO TO SCHOOL AND
find Christian. I would’ve called him the night before, but Jake insisted we go out to dinner and a movie, and I couldn’t turn him down.

It was both strange and liberating to walk down the hallways with my head up. I was no longer afraid to be noticed. I said “hi” to several people. Some of them said “hello” back out of habit, but I saw their surprise when they realized whom they were talking to.

I made it to Christian’s locker just as he was placing his bag inside. He seemed shocked to see me.

“Llona. Hey, about yesterday—”

“Forget it. I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight? Maybe go running together or something?”

His eyebrows lifted. “Of course. I have football practice until seven, but I’m free after that.”

“Great. It’s a date then.” I turned away, but he stopped me. “Hey, congratulations!”

“For what?”

“You made the team. Haven’t you checked yet?”

“I was on my way.”

He frowned. “I hope I didn’t ruin it for you.”

“No way. I’d way rather have heard it from you.”

He smiled, but his eyes narrowed as if he didn’t believe me.

“See you,” I called over my shoulder.

I headed to May’s locker and found her talking to a bunch of people who I thought were in band. I walked right up to her and squeezed my way into their circle. “How’s it going, guys?”

They stared.

“Are you working Friday?” I asked May.

Her eyes widened and she stopped chewing her gum. “Yeah.”

“Shoot. I wanted to hang out. How about Saturday? We could go to Lagoon. I hear their Frightmare rides for Halloween are pretty cool.” Lagoon was a theme park nearby. I’d always wanted to go but could never bring myself to do it.

“Awesome. I’m in.”

I looked around at the others. “Anyone else can come too, of course.”

A couple of them smiled, but the others were still in a state of shock.

“See you at lunch, May.”

I walked away feeling great. Was this what it felt like to be normal?

In science class I felt like sitting in the front, so I did. I even answered one of the teacher’s questions about mitosis. He couldn’t have looked happier.

I deliberately arrived early to English class and waited for Matt outside the door. He moved obliviously down the hall as if he were strolling through a park instead of a school.

“Matt?”

“Hey,” he said and nodded. He tried to get by me into class, but I blocked him.

“I was wondering if I could still join your book club?”

His nose wrinkled. “Why?”

“It sounds fun.”

“Really? Huh. Well, we’re meeting Monday at 7:00.”

“Where at?”

“The city library.”

“Perfect. What book are you guys reading?”

“
Asher Lev
.”

I nodded. “Cool. I’ll see you then.”

So far this social thing was really working out.

And so my senior year at Highland High officially began. And I was happy. The only problem with being happy was my slippery grip on time. There never seemed to be enough, but this was a consequence I could live with.

May and I became even better friends, and at least a few times a week we hung out after school when I didn’t have basketball practice and she didn’t work. I learned a lot about her. She’d been adopted from Italy when she was two and her adoptive mother was an artist, and quite a good one. The only problem with that was they often fluctuated between very rich and very poor. They’d moved to Bountiful four years ago so her mother could teach art classes at the community college.

As for May’s adoptive father, she hadn’t seen him in years. Her parents had separated when she was six. Last she heard he was living in California, working as a building contractor. Every once in awhile she’d receive a letter from him, and I could tell that she resented his absence.