Seclusion (2 page)

Aunt Janice interrupted,
“Oh honey, my little sun Rae!”

Embarrassing!

“Sweetie, I think this
finally might be something you could be interested in,” she said, reaching her
hand out to lovingly pat my shoulder.

“Aunt Janice, I hardly have
any special talent. I don’t know where Dr. Taylor got her facts, but she is
sadly mistaken. Not that this brochure doesn’t look cool! I mean, who wouldn’t
want to go to a school with a four star cafeteria, a pool, two Jacuzzis, and a
day spa? This looks way over our budget, and I have no talents to speak of!”

Dr. Remington continued,
“Ohh, I’m so glad you like what you’ve seen of our school! We are very proud of
it! We have many talented kids at our school, and very generous parents who
have made donations. Raegan, I wouldn’t be here if I did not think that you met
our qualifications! As far as money goes, we have a special scholarship fund
that you would have to apply for.” She sipped from the delicate floral printed
tea cup and smiled at Aunt Jan.

Aunt Janice interjected,
“Uncle Jeremy and I spoke with Taylor before you returned home from school, and
we have decided that this is a big decision. Right off the bat, I would have
said no, because the school is so far away. I consider you my daughter and I
wouldn’t like you being out there alone. However, if this is something you’re
interested in, we’ve decided that we would look into moving. We’d expect to be
transferred by your senior year. Taylor mentioned you could move in as soon as
you wanted, and that way you’d be acclimated by the time the school year began.
If all goes well we could be moved out there even sooner!” she said as she
began to stand.

“Aunt Janice, where would I
live? I think this is going too quickly.”

“Sweetie, Taylor will
explain everything. Your uncle and I need to discuss some things privately. Why
don’t you and Taylor have a nice chat? We’ll just be in the other room.”

I was astonished that this
was all happening so fast.
And what talents do I have? My powers? How could
they know about that?
I watched Aunt Janice leave the cozy front room.

“Rae, dear, let me know if
you need more tea or scones,” I heard her say from the hallway. I looked at Taylor, feeling dumbfounded. Taylor smiled toward Aunt Janice’s exit and looked at me with
a sweet smile.

“My job is in admissions at
the school. When there are prospective students, I usually meet with them,
discuss things about the school, and get things started for them. Raegan, I
know you have many questions.”

“Dr. Taylor, I…”

“Oh, call me Taylor please!
I hope that we will be on a first name basis soon!”
Well, this is unlike any
other psychologist or school advisor I’ve talked to.

“Okay, you can also call me
Rae. My family and friends,”
if I had friends
, “just use Rae.”

“Okay, Rae,” she said with
a smile. “I know this is a lot to take in. Don’t worry; I will give you plenty
of time to decide. I’m just going to be blunt. I know the word talent might
confuse you. The best way I can explain is to show you.”

On the coffee table, there
was a huge vase holding a dozen red roses that Uncle Jeremy had bought for Aunt
Janice for her birthday. Taylor lifted her hand above one rose and spread her
fingers out above the bud, and immediately, right before my eyes, it blossomed,
each petal spreading and opening. Slowly, she repeated the process with the
other rosebuds, sometimes even shutting them again, or creating new buds. I was
so shocked, I almost wanted to cry.
Someone else with abilities! Could this
be real?

Taylor
looked at me and smiled in
a motherly way. “I know, it’s shocking! I know most kids’ talents don’t start
out as powerful as they can become,” she said as she moved a Swarovski crystal
bangle from one wrist to the other.

I was so curious about
everything now, and a tad skeptical. This sounded too good to be true, but my
intuition told me she had been telling the truth. “All of the kids at the
school have talents like this?”

“All in varying ranges.
That’s why if you apply, I will give you some short tests and will go over the
results with you to see where in the program you would be placed.”

“What other abilities do
they have?” I asked, still in shock.

She thought for a split
second. “Well, the last child I met was able to mentally put up a barrier
against other psychic powers, which is a way of guarding oneself, but that is
just the beginning of her power.”

“How come I have never
heard of this school before? This should’ve been on every news channel out
there!” I asked, flipping through the flyer from front to back and then again
from back to front.

“Well, Dr. Zeke wants to
make sure that our school, and our talents, stay confidential. He believes that
if the world found out about them, there would be chaos, and people would abuse
us and try to use us as lab rats,” she explained. “Dr. Zeke is like us himself.
He just wants what is best for us. He also conducts research, so that when we
do come out to the world we will be able to explain what is going on in our
bodies and why we are different. Dr. Zeke believes he has discovered that
talents have a hereditary component. He has also discovered the gene
responsible, and believes it looks as if it has been manipulated, almost
manufactured by someone. Oh, I’m on a tangent again! Don’t worry, we will teach
you everything we know, so you can be in control of your own future. We hope to
inspire more scientific study in this area,” she said.

I thought this was all very
curious, so I decided to use my ability. It was a good thing I decided to forgo
my gloves. I needed to be very sly about touching her, since Taylor was aware
of these abilities, or talents, as she called them. I smiled and offered Taylor another scone, handing the plate out to her. Sure enough, Aunt Janice’s famous
scones were never turned down. I purposely twisted my hand at the last moment,
grabbing a napkin to offer as well. I barely touched her, and automatically I
got a surging pain in my head. I was used to this and composed myself quickly.
It just meant that Taylor had a headache. Headaches were a cinch to fix. I
could heal her from across the room now that I knew something was wrong.
However, with bigger ailments, touching was better. All I got was a sense of
clarity and peace flowing through her. I was satisfied with this, although I
expected more. Maybe what you see with Taylor Remington is what you get. I
smiled to myself and thought,
maybe I should trust her
. Sometimes a bad
headache can be distracting, so maybe that’s why I didn’t get much from her. I
concentrated on her headache pain and assumed that I had healed it.

I was completely astounded
by all of the information about the science school. Taylor went over the
mission statement and showed me a map of the school. She also explained where
the suites would be, not coed apartments; the boys and girls were separated.
She said that it was a small school and they wanted to keep it traditional,
since it is a high school, and it depends on the support of investors to
survive. She picked up her tea and started sipping, realizing I needed some
time for all this information to sink in.

I thought about the mission
statement, which discussed helping the students control their powers so that
they could function in daily activities. I was curious if I’d ever be able to
wear a tank top and shorts, and that alone almost completely swayed me to go to
the school. I immediately felt guilty for being shallow, but I am a teenager. I
mean, I need to learn how to function and control these “talents” as Taylor says. The school couldn’t be that bad if Aunt Janice and Uncle Jeremy approved,
right?

“So, hypothetically, if I
am interested, how would it all work?” I found myself asking.

“Well, first of all, you
have plenty of time to think about it. I’ll be here for a week before my return
flight, so if you decide by then, I can come back and do the application with
you and administer the tests, which I know you’ll pass. They’re mostly about
placement in classes. Our scouts are usually 95% sure about our students. Then
we can move you in as soon as the beginning of July. I need to process your
paperwork and prepare your suite.”

I got extremely excited
about the possible changes in my future and was surprised to hear the word
flight. I had forgotten all about Aunt Janice’s comment about moving!

“Taylor, where is the
school?” I asked, tearing a scone into pieces. I watched as it became a mess of
crumbles on my plate.

“Oh right, how careless of
me! We are located in Loving County, Texas. Our school’s main concern is
confidentiality, so we are very secluded.”

Hmmm, secluded, sounds like
a great place for a new beginning. I wonder how she gets all her designer
clothes in that Podunk town. Probably the Internet
, I thought.

“How does a high-class
school keep secluded in that tiny town?” I asked.

“Dr. Zeke has called it a
science academy. Most people just think it’s a private science school, which it
technically is. We look pretty insignificant from the outside. However, on the
inside we have all the latest hi-tech equipment,” she said.

“Do you really think that I
might be able to control my powers – I mean talent?” I said with a smile.

“You catch on quick!” She
gave me a slight wink, sipping her tea again. “Our terminology is just another
way we help our students to function outside of the school and in the world.
Raegan, I truly believe you will never need to wear those ugly black gloves
again, unless you’re going to prom, of course!”

“Wait…there are dances?”

“It
is
high school!”
she chuckled, patting my knee over my jeans.

My mind was going over all
the possibilities and opportunities I had thought I would never have. Taylor started gathering her purse and briefcase, which was definitely a real Louis. With a
pat on my shoulder, she stood to leave.

“I think I’ve given you
enough to think about for now. I’ll come back in three days. I hope you’ll have
a better idea of which decision you might choose.”

“What about Silver Fox?”

She looked at me and raised
her eyebrows.

With a smile, I said, “My
mustang. I’ll need a car, even if we are secluded!”

“Well, the academy has a
whole line of rental cars. All you have to do is sign one of them out once you
get your Texas license. Although, I am meeting with another prospective student
today. I suppose if you two wanted to carpool in Silver Fox, we would be fine
with that. It is your summer break, after all!”

The thought of carpooling
with a strange kid with who knows what talent was daunting, yet exciting. I
could have a friend before even starting school!

Taylor
saw my face and laughed.
“After I speak with the student, I believe his name is Chase, I’ll speak with
your aunt and uncle.”
Yeah right
, I thought. There’s no
way they’ll
let me drive with
him
all the way to Texas!

I walked Taylor to the
door, all the while contemplating where I should begin my shopping!
I don’t
care what others think, I’m starting this new school as myself
.
If I
want to dress cute, then I am going to!
I felt uneasy about leaving Aunt
Janice and Uncle Jeremy. But the possibility that my personal curse might be
ending and that I might get an actual life was thrilling!

I
found myself in Mr. Adams’ class on the last day of school, about to present my
monologue. I chose a classic scene from Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
. I wasn’t sure if it would qualify as touching, but to me it was. I
tried to ignore my peers and remembered what Mr. Adams had taught me. I needed
to focus on what this meant to me and try to embody these feelings.

I
attempted to calm myself down by focusing on my breathing, but I was extremely
hot, and worried I was sweating all over. Today, I was wearing a hoodie, long
sleeves, gloves, a skirt with tights, and my calf-high boots. I attempted to
dress down for my monologue.
Ha!
I thought, and began:

Act I, sc. 1 (line 181)

HELENA

Call you me fair? That fair
again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair: O happy fair!

Your eyes are lode-stars;
and your tongue's sweet air More tunable than lark to shepherd's ear, When
wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. Sickness is catching: O, were favour
so, Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go; My ear should catch your voice,
my eye your eye, My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody. Were the
world mine, Demetrius being bated, The rest I'd give to be to you translated.
O, teach me how you look, and with what art You sway the motion of Demetrius'
heart.

As soon as I finished I
realized my mistake. I peered across the room. I could see nothing but smugness
and pity. I was embarrassed and angry at myself, because I was not used to
caring what others thought. But this was taking it too far; this was careless.
I had thought I found a monologue that suited me. All I wanted was a good
grade. I didn’t think about the reactions. The only upside to this mess was
that I could possibly never return to this school after today. I could already
hear the under-the-breath comments and the laughing. I’m almost certain Princess
Asshat had a smug look on her face.
Huh, like I’d ever want to be like her.
Ugh…

I couldn’t even focus on
what Mr. Adams said about my performance, which didn’t really matter. I knew it
would be some form of an A. I had worked my butt off to get it, too. I forced
myself to sit back down until the bell rang.

After this social disaster,
I’ll be calling Taylor. Hopefully I can set up my tests and interview as soon
as possible.

When I heard the bell ring,
I could hear others saying, “Have a good summer!” “Call me!” The usual end of
school stuff. As soon as they signed each other’s yearbooks and began leaving,
I stood and headed out of the room and heard kids laugh. I heard the names so
often used for me - freak, weirdo, loner. It never mattered how nice I was or
even who I was. I was a complete outcast. At least two people felt bad for me,
and I was sure they would have talked to me if I had allowed it. But I had too
much pride to allow myself any friends here, especially “pity friends.” I raced
out. I walked as quickly as possible to the side street where Silver Fox waited
for me, fighting the tears with anger at the unfairness.
What it would be
like to be normal…

I yanked my iPhone out of
my bag and noticed I had a message from Taylor. I smiled to myself as I checked
my voicemail. “Hi Rae, this is Taylor from the science academy. I was curious
how you were doing after our conversation. If you need something, or any more
questions answered, give me a call.” After getting settled in my car and
turning on the air conditioner, I called Taylor back.

“Hello, this is Taylor.”

“Hi, it’s Raegan. I just
got your message, and I decided that I do want to get things started. I’d like
to move as soon as possible.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear
that! Let me call your aunt and set things up. I was thinking since you wanted
to drive the Silver Fox out, that maybe we could do a meeting with Chase. You
guys could get to know each other beforehand, and your parents can meet each
other. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great! How
soon can we do it?”

“Well, since I have to
leave in a few more days, hopefully soon,” she replied. “I’ll text you when
we’ve decided on a date.”

“M’kay, bye,” I replied.

Hmm... making a friend
soon, and possibly moving
, I thought.
It is past time for a makeover!
I picked up
my usual coffee and headed home. I wanted to call Aunt Janice, but I knew she
was probably talking to Taylor. My begging to go shopping would have to wait
until I got home.

I pulled into the driveway,
feeling relieved that I might be completely finished with McKinley High. Our
cute little two-story home with its blue panels and big white eaves over the
windows was so inviting. I began to feel a little nervous. Leaving would be
harder than I’d planned. Aunt Janice had said it wouldn’t take longer than one
year for her to get things in order to move and hopefully get transferred.

I could hear the 80’s rock
music blaring from my phone, and knew I had a text. It was Taylor.

- Hi Rae, it’s all set! We
are doing dinner with the Knights at your house on Friday at 5:00 p.m. We’ll do the testing after dinner.
J
- Taylor.

I hopped out of the car and
headed in. Uncle Jeremy works late most nights at the dealership, so I was
hoping my aunt would be free to go shopping with me.

I entered the kitchen and
was greeted by warmth and rich smells of vanilla, cinnamon and something spicy,
all of it overwhelming my senses. “Home sweet home” was no joke, I thought. My
aunt was flipping through one of her recipe books. Restaurants contracted with
her to set up menus and find new recipes for them when they didn’t have big
chefs, or when they were transitioning from one chef to another.

Oh, darn it! She’s working
after all
.
I ran over and gave her a giant hug.

“Hey sweetie, I guess
you’re happy it’s the last day of school!”

“Yes, I guess I am. What
are you doing right now?”

I grabbed some cut up
apples from the fridge and jumped up on a barstool next to Aunt Janice in the
kitchen. She looked at me and smiled.

“Why do I get the feeling
you’re about to start buttering me up for something? To answer your question,
I’m considering what to prepare for Friday night.”

“Oh, yeah that’s important,
I guess. Aunt Janice, anything you make will be delicious, we all know that!”

“Thanks, honey. I just want
it to all go well.”

“Well I think you should
make your apple turnovers and apple crepes. Those are my fave.”

“Okay, sweetie! What if I
do my Thai duck and dumplings with noodles, and for an appetizer I’ll make some
mini shish kebabs and egg rolls?”

“Oh, yes! Yum! And use
those long big noodles. I’m hungry just thinking about your food!”

 “Oh Rae, did you eat
lunch? I can whip you up a sandwich. Want a French dip? I have chopped…”

“Actually, I was hoping we
could maybe go to Costa Mesa and do some shopping, and schedule a hair
appointment, get some new shoes. You know… for my move.”

“Rae…are you feeling okay?
You never want to shop, unless it’s for me.”

“Well I want to turn over a
new leaf, starting with Friday night.”

“Oh darling, okay! Let me
call Jeremy. I’ll need to call and see if Tori can squeeze you in. I’ll see if
I can bribe her with some goodies. Good thing I’ve been baking all day! I’ll be
ready in an hour!” she said.

I loved my aunt. If she had
a talent it would be preparing food and schmoozing with others. Thankfully she
didn’t use her schmoozing powers on me.

I rummaged through the
baked goods and grabbed a particularly scrumptious looking apple muffin with
some kind of crumb topping. The muffin was as big as two of my fists.
I
don’t remember seeing any pans this size
, I thought. Odd… My aunt was an
artist with food.

I ran upstairs and began
browsing for online photos of haircuts while sipping my latte. My phone began
buzzing. I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Raegan? This
is Chase. Taylor suggested I give you a call so it’s not weird on Friday. I was
thinking maybe we could meet up. I’m in Long Beach.”

“Oh. Hhh… hi.” I tried to
shake off the panicky sound.
It’s okay, he’s like me
, I thought.
“Shh…sure, I think that’s fine. I’m actually going to be in Costa Mesa tonight.
I need to ask my aunt, and I’m not sure what time I’ll be free.”

Chase’s laugh had a rich,
deep sound that calmed me. “Well, I guess it’s my lucky day. That’s not too far
from the LB. Just give me a ring when you’re free. I don’t have any plans
tonight. My number came up on your phone, right?” he asked.

“Yes, it did. Just to let
you know, you don’t have to drive with me if you’d rather fly to Loving. It was
just Taylor’s idea,” I rattled.

“Well, thanks for the out,
but I’m not the kind of guy that leaves a damsel in distress. It’s a long ride,
and something could go wrong. Plus, I’d like to start school with a friend if
possible,” he said.

I was glad we were on the
phone, because I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face. “Well, you still
have an out if you want it, and I’ll call you tonight.”

“Okay, bye Raegan! Can’t
wait to meet someone else… like me.”

I hung up contemplating if
he sounded cute. He definitely sounded nice. What if I was a freak even at this
school? I could feel the butterflies racing in my stomach. I looked at my
watch. Time to go.

“Sweetheart?” Aunt Janice
called. “Tori said she could fit us in at 5:30. She had a cancellation.”

“Okay, I’m on my way down!
Not like she’d refuse a basket of your goodies!”

She just smiled and gave me
a knowing look. “We’ll be able to get a little shopping done beforehand!”

On our way out to the car,
I asked, “Aunt Janice, can we take two separate cars? I might be meeting up
with that other student from the academy while I’m down in the area.”

“Oh, okay sweetie! I’ll
meet you in Brass Plum then?” she asked.

“Yeah, and I printed out
some new hairstyles that I liked. Will you look through them and see what you
think?”

“Yes, of course! Honey, if
you’re really going to this school, we need to get you living necessities.
Let’s talk to Taylor about that on Friday, okay?”

Twenty minutes later, Aunt
Janice and I were sipping our milk teas with boba while the sales
representative was bringing out the latest fashions.
Mmm, I definitely need
two pairs of those jeans and some dresses and skirts
, I thought, when Aunt
Janice said, “We’ll get you three pairs of jeans, sweetie.”

I gave her my
are-you-sure-you-aren’t-going-overboard look.

“Sweetie… you never go
shopping, and you’re our only child. Let me pamper you for once.”

I laughed, and began trying
on the clothes.

“Sun Rae, it’s about time
for you to see Tori. I’ll finish up here. You get down there.”

“Sounds good,” I said.
“Should I drop the basket off for you? Or are you going to make it to the
salon?”

“Um, I think we have a bit
more shopping to do here. I’m going to just pick up what I like, and we can
return what you don’t want later,” she said.

I started laughing. “Wow,
you’re really into this, Aunt Jan!”

“The only thing I’m upset
about is that you’re finally willing to wear real clothes, and I won’t be there
to see it. I’m giving you one rule: you’re only allowed to bring one hoodie
with you!”

I gave her a smile, and
said “Okay.”

I started walking away when
Aunt Jan yelled back at me. “Sweetie, sweetie! Here, take this!” It was a bag
of clothes. “I threw this together for tonight, for when you meet your friend.”

I immediately started
panicking.
Ugh, it feels like the first day of school all over again! What
if he hates me? What if we don’t have anything to say to each other? What if I
don’t like him? What if he’s a slimeball and I have to fight him off? Okay,
calm down Rae
, I told myself.
I’m way overreacting here. I’m sure he’s
like any normal boy… with a talent, whatever that means.

At the salon, I sat in the
styling chair while Tori looked over the different cuts I had chosen. She read
over the comments my aunt had left on the pictures. Tori was my aunt’s
hairdresser, and she looked like she could have been a movie star. I rarely
went to her, since my style had never really been a priority before. I tried my
hardest to not accidentally touch her, which was surprisingly not all that
difficult once the cape was on. Tori was young, and very into the current fashions.
I could imagine her trying to stick some multi-colored rooster’s butt feather
in my hair.
Ugh…

“So, gorgeous, what’s the
deal with the new look? Not that I’m saying it wasn’t needed.”