The Reader Read online

  She elbowed me. “Yes, really.”

  “You know what? I feel the same.” Our connection was a warmth my spirit understood regardless of the memory loss. My ability to love was still intact.

  “I know,” she said, and we both stifled a laugh, not wanting to bring on the ire of Ms. Hubbard.

  After class ended, we headed toward the gym. Trepidation no longer filled me as I led the way through the twisty corridors. I had this.

  “When’s the next escape drill? There hasn’t been one since I arrived.”

  Lucy slowed her pace. “Honestly? I think the Elders thought you might run off or something.”

  “Why would they think that?” Did that mean I was a prisoner after all? The walls suddenly seemed closer together, the hallway shorter.

  “They said it was because of your amnesia and considered it as possibility that you might become confused on the outside and make a dash for it. Their worst fear is you could be the Lost One and slip through our fingers.” She motioned into an empty classroom. “Let’s go in here.”

  “Are you going to tell me something I don’t want to hear?”

  “No, the opposite. I just wanted to let you know, if you ever want to go out, you know, into public, I’ll take you myself.”

  Relief calmed my racing heart. “Thank you. My claustrophobia was about to make a return visit.”

  “We can go on a field trip. The Space Needle in Seattle is fun.” She paused. “We’ll have to start slow for your first few trips. Mind-reading can be upsetting at first.”

  “If I even am a mind-reader.”

  She grabbed my hand. “You are; I can feel it. Now, let’s get going. We have to give Devon a smack-down.”

  “Yeah, right.” I rolled my eyes. Devon had a lean, muscular frame and stood about a foot taller. At six-four, he could flatten me with his left pinky. Formidable in jeans and a t-shirt, I could only imagine what he’d be like all decked out in his Kubotan fighting clothes.

  Mats were spread throughout the open room, ready for the class. We entered the gym, and, sure enough, Devon stood in front of the workout machines, looking intimidating with his scowl and tight-fitting, black, fighting clothes. Out of my element, I considered leaving.

  His eyes darted to the wall clock. “You’re late.”

  “Lighten up. I needed to talk to Ann about a few things.” Lucy glared at her cranky brother.

  “What things?”

  “None-of-your-business-type things,” I blurted out.

  He turned toward me, eyes fierce, and asked, “Is that right?”

  With hands on hips, faking bravado, I said, “Yes, that’s right.”

  “We’ll see how cocky you are after instruction.” He continued to keep his laser stare locked on me.

  “Okay, everyone. Let’s get started.” Archer clapped his hands, getting everyone’s attention.

  I hadn’t noticed him with the distraction of His Darkness. Great, six people will get to watch me being flattened into a short stack.

  “This is an advanced class, but we’ll go slow for you,” Devon said, folding his arms and leaning back against the weight machine.

  I’d have given anything to wipe the condescending look from his face.

  Archer came and stood next to me. “I can go over the basics with her.”

  I almost kissed him.

  “No. I’m the certified instructor. It’s my job to get her started.” Devon turned to address the class of six. “By now, you all know about the Kubotan, the stick we use for self-defense.”

  Lucy whispered in my ear, “It’s small and it looks like a keychain. We keep it with us whenever we’re on the outside.”

  Devon held out his palm, revealing a small, carved stick about six-and-a-half inches long. The ridges fit between each finger with the end coming to a point. “The Kubotan is a pressure point device. We use it for attacks in the fleshy and nerve targets. It’s an effective tactic to get out of a close-quarters situation.” He reached into a bag, pulled out a handful of matching sticks, and passed them out to everyone but me.

  I held out my hand.

  “You’ll just watch today. These can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

  Yeah, like if I poked it in his big mouth.

  “You can all get started.” He turned to me. “Except for you.”

  He walked around the room, making sure the participants had the correct posture and attack moves.

  Lucy paired with Archer, and it appeared they were evenly matched. Almost like a dance, they lunged and dipped, avoiding the weapon. I clapped my hands, rooting her on. Uh oh, that happened quickly. Archer had her on the floor with the weapon at her neck. He smiled and offered a hand up. Lucy brushed herself off, and they started again.

  Bored after thirty minutes, I decided to try to get in on the fun. I called across the room, “Hey, Devon? I’d like to hold the Kubotan to get the feel of it. Unless, of course, you think I might hurt you?”

  Lucy and Archer snickered, but stopped when Devon shot them a death glare.

  “You want a lesson?” His hands tightened around the weapon.

  “Yes?” My confidence from a minute ago had left the building.

  He walked over and stood in front of me. “Put out your hand.”

  Please, oh please, don’t let my hand tremble. I stretched it out with my palm up, my hand staying steady. What a relief. “I’m ready.”

  He placed the Kubotan in the center of my palm, and it felt . . . nice. I wrapped my fingers around it. Warm, of course, Devon held it throughout the class, but there was also a weird vibration. I tightened my grip and let the sensations travel up my arm. The same feelings from the beach came whooshing back—oh no, that couldn’t be right. I dropped it on the floor, the sound making a pinging noise as it bounced from me back to Devon. All activity stopped.

  Devon smirked. “You don’t have to be afraid of it.”

  Something inside me snapped, and blinding, white-hot anger took over. Not afraid or intimidated anymore, I picked up the Kubotan and said, “Come at me.”

  Devon held up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just because your pride—”

  “I said, come take this weapon.”

  “When I take it, will you follow directions from now on? You’ll listen? I know what I’m doing.”

  “You have a deal. If you can get this Kubotan from me, I’ll follow every instruction.”

  His arrogant smile was back. If the powerful tingling, surging through every cell in my body, was an indication of this outcome, his smile would be short-lived.

  Devon circled around me. I envisioned his every move, focusing on my defense.

  He didn’t have a chance.

  How did I know this? No matter, I kept my attention on his slow perusal. I stood still, turning only when he moved out of sight.

  He would try to maneuver a right wrist hold to force the Kubotan out of my hand. The simplest move, without a risk of injury. He lunged, going for my wrist. I rotated it so my thumb lined up with his, bent sharply, and pulled away, moving a few feet back. “Aw, you can do better than that, can’t you?” I didn’t know what had come over me, but I couldn’t stop.

  His eyes narrowed. “Lucky move.”

  My size, weight, or strength didn’t matter. The laws of physics were on my side. Strategy was all I needed.

  Again, I anticipated each move. A bear hug from behind would be next. I let him grab me, putting his arms around my middle. Autopilot kicked in. I stomped his foot while grabbing one arm, and, with my other arm, elbowed him in the nose. He hesitated for half a second, and I took advantage, landing a roundhouse kick to his kneecap. He yelped and landed on the floor, wheezing with a bloody nose and an injured leg.

  Oh no. What had I done?

  “I’m so sorry! I don’t know what came over me. Are you hurt?”

  He tried to get up, but lay back down. He wiped his bloody nose with his shirt then smiled.

  What?

  �
�You get to keep the Kubotan. I’m pretty sure you know how to use it.” He groaned. “Is everyone just going to stand there?”

  Archer and Caleb, another student, grabbed each arm and pulled him up. He steadied himself and winced a little when he tried to put weight on his left leg.

  “You’ll need an x-ray,” Archer said.

  “No, it’s not broken. The muscle is just bruised. I’ll be fine.” He continued to wipe the blood from his nose with his t-shirt.

  “Anything else bruised?” Archer laughed, which earned him a fixed stare from Devon.

  “Go ahead. You take her on and see what happens.”

  “No, thank you. I’ve seen enough.” Archer turned and asked, “How long have you known about your ability? Were you saving it so you’d have some fun?”

  “No.” I pushed the hair from my face. “I didn’t know anything until the Kubotan was in my hand.” I kept my expression blank, but inwardly did a happy dance and victory cheer.

  “Interesting. What do you think, Archer?” Devon asked.

  “It must have triggered a memory. Or unleashed superhuman powers.” He chuckled. “I never thought I’d see the day when anyone took you down. Especially a girl like Ann.”

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Oh, sorry, Ann.” Archer continued to laugh.

  Lucy put her arm around my shoulder. “Well, I’m proud of her. But she looks like she could sleep for a few days. Let’s go back to your room and order pizza from the kitchen.”

  “Sounds great.” I turned to get my bag.

  “Wait.” Devon limped toward me and reached out his hand, his eyes locked on mine. “No hard feelings.”

  The only times we’d touched were on the beach and just now during the fight, both uncomfortable with the same warm and tingly sensation. Today, I hoped it had more to do with the Kubotan weapon. If it wasn’t . . . No, it couldn’t be. I hesitated. He cocked his eyebrow and tilted his head. Would he be able to tell I was possibly one of his groupie Readers who got all sparky when he touched me?

  Not wanting to give him the satisfaction, I grabbed his hand and gave it a good shake. “Thank you for the . . . instruction.” I dropped it quickly, grabbed Lucy by the arm, and marched out of the gym. “Let’s go.”

  Once in the hallway, my head spun, and I became short of breath. This wasn’t the warm tingles from before. More like I’d been in a steam room for hours. My skin burned hot, and a frenetic sparking sensation started at my hand and worked its way through my body.

  “Ann! You’re red as a beet. Are you all right?” Lucy’s worried gaze traveled over my face.

  “I think I’m having a delayed reaction to the fight.” I fanned myself hoping to cool down.

  “We’re going to see Doc.” She tugged my arm in the opposite direction.

  “No!” I pulled free. “All I need is a cold shower. Really, I’ll be fine.”

  “If you aren’t your usual white self after the shower, I’m calling Doc. Okay?”

  “It’s a deal.” It better work. How would I explain this? Dear God, let the shower take this burning feeling away. I didn’t want to get their hopes up that I had some sort of soul mate thing going on with Devon. Sure, he was gorgeous beyond belief, and funny when he wanted to be. He loved his sister, even though she drove him crazy, which was kind of sweet. But I also found him irritating and impossible, infuriating and stubborn. I didn’t have any feelings for him. None. Not at all.

  After returning to my room, Lucy took over. “You,” she pointed down the hallway, “get in the shower. Don’t come out until you’re a light pink. I’ll call for the pizza. What do you want to drink?”

  “Tea, maybe?”

  “I can do that. Get going.” She gave me a gentle push.

  A loud knocking at the door interrupted us. “What now?” I groaned.

  Lucy approached the door and looked through the peephole. “You’re going to love this.” She opened the door and there stood Susie.

  Could this day get any worse?

  “Susie, uh, what are you doing here?” I asked.

  She stepped inside, and her eyes traveled up and down my body. “Why are you so red? What’s wrong with you?”

  Ugh. “Nothing. I’m just a little overheated. I’m on my way to the shower. Can I help you with something?”

  “Yes, you can. I, uh, came to ask you a question.” She tucked her picture-perfect, glossy hair behind one ear. “I’m having a party tomorrow night, and I wanted you to come.” She said it so fast, I almost didn’t understand the words.

  Lucy asked, “Who? Both of us?”

  “Yes. Both of you. I want you both to come. Eight o’clock in the Hub. It’s my birthday. It’s for me. Okay. Good-bye.” She turned and walked out the door.

  “That was weird,” I said.

  “So strange.”

  We both stared at the door.

  “I wonder if Archer or Devon had anything to do with this,” I asked. It was hard to imagine Susie would want me anywhere near her birthday party.

  Lucy snapped her fingers. “Of course! That’s it.”

  “Should we go?”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s bound to be a spectacle.”

  Twenty-four hours later and there I sat while Lucy prepared me for Susie’s party. With my skin color back to normal, all systems were go. Now I just needed Lucy to back off.

  “I don’t need any more make-up,” I said, swatting her hand away.

  “Wait. I’m almost done. It’s called the smoky eye. You’re going to knock ’em dead.”

  “Someone’s going to die if they don’t get their hands off me.”

  “Just one more swipe and I’ll be done.”

  “One swipe? You said that ten minutes ago.” Nothing short of a powerhouse, Lucy couldn’t be stopped once something lodged in her brain, so I gave up and let her continue. She finished working on my eyes and stood back to admire her artistry.

  “Your eyes . . . I can’t believe how beautiful they are. I wish mine were bright blue and oval like yours.” She handed me a mirror. “What do you think?”

  “A raccoon?”

  “Oh, stop it.” She nudged my shoulder. “Now, we’ll need the perfect dress.”

  “Can’t I wear my usual t-shirt and jeans?”

  “This is a party. Haven’t you . . . Never mind. No, you can’t wear casual. Birthday parties are a big thing around here. Everyone gets dressed up, and there’ll be dinner and dancing. You’ll love it.”

  “Dancing? Will there be a band?”

  “No. They usually pipe in music from a pre-recording. Susie loves the fifties, so we’ll probably have to listen to doo-wop all night,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “I like that music. Oh, no. Do you think I’ll have to be friends with Susie now?” I laughed.

  “No, but I think I’ll need to broaden your music base. Have you listened to any grunge rock yet?”

  “Not yet. My music appreciation class has only made it to the sixties. I really like the Beatles.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll need to skip you ahead to the Nirvana years. Anyway, plenty of time for that. For now, let’s find you the perfect dress.”

  Lucy stood before a line-up of party dresses in my closet. She whipped through and grabbed a little black swatch of fabric.

  “This one.” She grinned with a glint in her eye.

  “What size is that? It looks like an eight-year-old would need to squeeze into it.”

  “It’s made for you. You’ll look stunning. Now get out of those sweats, and let’s get this party started.”

  A few minutes later, stuffed into a tight-fitting, black dress, we prepared to leave for the party. “Are you sure this isn’t too tight?” I pulled the fabric up to cover my chest then pulled it down to cover more of my legs.

  “It’s just right, take my word for it.”

  “And these heels, I think I might fall off them. How about some flats?”

  “Did you or did you not ask me to help you?” She crossed her
arms and waited.

  Did I? What was I thinking?

  “Yes. But—”

  “No buts. I’m your stylist for the evening. Trust me, the men won’t know what hit them.”

  “Your dress isn’t as short. How about we switch? This black number would look terrific with your skin. Have I told you how beautiful you look?”

  “Flatterer. Don’t try to sweet talk me out of the dress. Now come on.” She pulled me out the door before I could argue anymore. Halfway down the first hall, I wobbled on my heels.

  “You’re going to need more practice. We’ll take the long way to the Hub,” she said.

  “Won’t that make us late?” The last thing I wanted to do was give Susie another reason to hate me.

  “I have a feeling Susie didn’t even want us to come. So, no, we can take our time.”

  “That’s probably true. Can you give me some tips? How do I walk in these things?”

  “All you have to do is—”

  “Hey, girls.” Archer came from around the corner. “I was looking for you.” He stopped mid-step and gasped. “You look, you look . . . I’m speechless.”

  “You can thank me.” Lucy bowed. “I’m the artist and Ann the canvas.”

  Devon joined our small group and asked Lucy, “What did you do to her?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I curled her hair, applied make-up—”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. She can’t go out in public looking like that.”

  A sudden coldness hit my core. “Like what?” I asked and shot my iciest stare at him.

  “Things are . . . things are showing,” he said as his hand swept up and down.

  “Yes, she has legs. Get over it.” Lucy hooked her arm in mine. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a party to get to.”

  With my head held high, we left the two standing in the hallway. Archer shouted, “I think you look great, Ann.”

  Without turning, I waved, wishing I could disappear.

  We stepped around the corner, and I pulled at the clingy fabric. “I told you this was too short.”

  “Don’t listen to Devon. He’s been acting weird lately.”

  “How so?”

  “Moody. Well, moodier than usual I should say. He also seems distracted a lot.” She stopped and lowered her voice. “You don’t feel anything for him, do you?”