Moments before John’s arrival.
After John left, I helped Michael set the table early, so that I could find a nice dress to wear for dinner. I wanted to look my best. Michael came in and stood at the kitchen entrance as I set the china out.
“What?” I asked as I set the last dish down.
He smiled. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine, Michael,” I said with a slight frown. Sometimes, he made me feel like such a kid. God, I’m almost eighteen.
“You know I worry about you,” Michael said. “I’m sorry I had to be tough on you.” I realized what he was getting at. “I know how much you wanted to go to that party, but—”
“Michael, please. Not right now,” I said. “Can we just enjoy this evening without talking about that?”
The party didn’t even matter anymore. What if he knew that I not only sneaked out, but also John Slater had come into my room? Not to mention, I had been the reason there was now a huge hole in the parking lot at Milton High.
“You understand I’m only trying to do what’s best for you?”
I came to stand in front of him, simply because I had to get into the kitchen and get the rest of the forks and knives. “Yes, I know. But you don’t have to treat me like a child. I’m almost eighteen,” I said.
Michael smiled but it was a sad smile. I guessed he was just starting to realize that he came into my life when I was ready for my independence.
He moved aside, realizing he was standing in my way. I opened the drawer and pulled out a few knives and forks.
As I turned, he said, “Do you think we should invite Mr. Vasquez and Mr. Claypool? I feel like I’ve neglected them somehow.”
“I thought it was just going to be John, Joseph, and us?” I said.
“Well, yeah, but I just thought about James and Richard. It would be nice to have them over as well. So, are you okay with Dr. Müller, now?” he asked.
“Of course,” I said. “Why?”
“Well …” I could tell he didn’t know how to answer. “He was a little rough on you before. I could understand if you weren’t. In fact, I didn’t think you would be okay with him here.”
“I’ve gotten past that. Besides, he apologized. We’ve made up.”
Michael squinted his eyes, unsure what exactly that meant. I couldn’t blame him. I wasn’t entirely sure what I meant either.
“Well, that’s good, I guess. How are you and John? You know he’s a nice young man. I think he makes a good fit for you.”
I agreed. “I like him,” I said. “I like him a lot.”
Michael gave a smile. “That’s good. You need someone like him in your life, someone normal and down-to-earth.”
If he only knew, I thought. John was anything but down-to-earth and normal.
He scrunched his nose in thought. “By the way I invited Ms. Stephens, too.”
My mouth dropped.
“Ms. Stephens?” I uttered, walking back into the dining room as he counted the spots on the table.
“Claudia, be a dear and add another spot.”
“Michael,” I nearly shouted at him.
Michael looked up, confused as to why I was suddenly upset.
“Who is Ms. Stephens?” I asked. “And why are we inviting her?”
He didn’t answer right away, distant as he counted the spots again on the table. “She’s one of the English teachers,” he quickly answered.
My nose wrinkled, knowing there was more.
“I think she and Dr. Müller are dating. I just thought it would be nice to have her over. What do you think?” Did it matter what I thought if he had already invited the woman? So that’s who I had heard him speaking to while on the phone.
I didn’t really care, but this dinner for four was turning into a social affair.
I concentrated on putting the forks and knives by each of the plates, along with the napkins.
“Why do we have to? I mean don’t you think that’s already too many people? I doubt Ms. Stephens would even want to come to our house.”
Remembering the woman, he was talking about now, and she was my least favorite. She was so vain and rude. Why would a person like Joseph want anything to do with her? But then again, it was obvious, she was very attractive.
“Well, I can’t uninvite her. I already called her,” Michael softly said. “She said she’d love to. I thought I’d bring it up, but I thought if John mentioned something to you in regards to his uncle and Ms. Stephens, it wouldn’t be a big deal. I didn’t think it would bother you having her here.”
“Michael, come on. Why would it bother me?”
“Well, Ms. Stephens is—” He cleared his throat. He was trying to put whatever he was going to say in the best way possible. “She can be hard to get along with, and you’re well … I thought that maybe since you and Joseph weren’t on good terms it would be best …you know, never mind.” Michael said, examining the expression on my face.
“Michael?” I didn’t know what he meant by that comment about me. I wasn’t anything like that witch, am I?
“It’s fine with me,” I said, a little resentfully. After all, he’d already extended the invitation, what was I going to do about it now?
He gazed back at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m sure Joseph, Dr. Müller, would appreciate it,” I said, trying to swallow my pride.
Michael nodded.
“Well, I’m done here,” I said politely, regarding setting up the dinnerware. “I’m going to get dressed.”
Michael stared over. “Dressed? But I thought you weren’t planning on dressing up?”
“I think it’s only proper to dress up for dinner. It’s not often that we have a special dinner with friends,” I offered.
Michael shrugged and said, “You’re right. Okay, go on then.”
I headed to the second floor and entered my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I thought about what Michael had said about Joseph and Ms. Stephens. I honestly didn’t have a problem with it, but I didn’t like the woman at all. Whatever. I was more interested in seeing John, anyway. Handsome John.
Claudia…
John, where are you?
I’m coming, baby. I just had to stop at the school to do some work, but I’m coming. I promise.
My heart lit up when I heard him. But the sensation of him quickly vanished. Did he dial his watch back? Why would he do that? It had to be for good reason. Maybe Joseph is close.
Walking over to my closet I picked through what I had. I wanted a dress, but I only had a couple of those. I had never liked wearing them. I had two— a red one and a maroon one. I had always loved red, and I chose the one that was as red as a freshly bloomed rose.
I plucked it from the closet and put it on the bed. Does John like red? No, blue. That is his favorite color. John wouldn’t mind what I wore, though. That thought made me blush.
John was a sharp dresser, that was a fact. I still couldn’t believe he had shared everything with me. I felt so connected to him and so lucky to know him. I loved him. He made me feel more connected and complete. He seemed so out of place here among the regular folks.
I liked that about him. The way he protected me, especially when that man tried to get near me. It made me feel warm to think about it. Even Joseph stood guard. Joseph really was the big guardian that John called him. I missed the protection of a family. I missed my parents, but not as much as I had thought I would. There were parts of my family life I hadn’t realized I was missing, and other things I didn’t miss, like my father’s abusive tone.
I walked over to the window, the sun was going down, even though it was only six. If Dad were here, we would’ve been getting ready for one of his meetings, or he’d be planning one of his trips to his New York office. I was the dirty secret my parents both wanted to hide. Why did it take their deaths to make me see that?
Most certainly Dad wouldn’t like John.
Maybe, he might’ve liked him because John had a rich family. Well, sort of. Then again, he wouldn’t have ever let me out. So, we probably would have never met.
“First, you must learn how to control your gift. You think anyone would want to go out with you if they discovered what you can do?” my dad would say. What he meant to say was I was a freak. Although mom said it more than he would.
He always scolded me for losing control. I didn’t miss his scorn or my mother’s lack of concern. When I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t see her. Dad always said I looked like mom, but I didn’t believe it.
My dad was a handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes. He was nothing like me. My mom was a very beautiful Latina woman, the complete opposite of my father. Beyond her rich complexion, we shared no similarities. I often wondered why people lied and claimed I did. Not just in appearance, but in our personalities. I had never felt emotionally connected to either one of them. I was far more connected to John, and he had been a complete stranger not long ago.
I rested my head on the window ledge and watched the sky for a moment. Are they truly in heaven as the good book says? Does it matter? I guessed it didn’t anymore. I had more now than I ever had with them in my life.
John had offered to take me to New York. I wondered if he’d meant that.
My father had been a CEO for a successful financial firm. As far as I knew, he had been in charge of a lot of money and had worked a lot of hours. Mom and Dad attended many fancy dinners and sometimes hosted them. I’d hated it. Dad was all business, he had to be tough. He ran his business like he ran his household.
The night was cold, and a breeze blew in through the window, bringing me back to the present.
I walked away from the window, looking down at the dress I had chosen for the evening. I meant to go back into the closet and find a pair of shoes when I felt something come alive within me.
Suddenly, thoughts of him filled me, his voice whispered, “Why hadn’t you considered my invitation”. Honestly, I didn’t want any part of it, but I couldn’t resist him. There was poison in me when we came together. Once I had thought I wanted him, but now I feared him.
“Have you considered my offer, my pet?” his voice said from behind, now loud and clear. When I spun around, he was on the ledge of the window, perched like a bird.
He leaped down, landed soundlessly on the floor, and walked deeper into the room. His legs carried him swiftly towards me. I had no time to react before he was within inches of me, nearly touching my lips with his. His body was so close that I could feel his warmth. He looked intoxicated, staring into me with the eyes of a madman, hungry to approach, but for whatever reason being unable to.
“Quentin?” I whispered, my heart beating wildly in my chest. “I’m with—"
“Does he, matter?” he took hold of my chin. “I’ve missed you. I couldn’t bear being away from you for so long,” he admitted, looking lost.
I wouldn’t deny that almost immediately, he made me want to be in his arms flying through the sky like before.
“Come away with me,” he said.
I turned my head away.
“Why do you resist me?” He turned me back to him. “I want you, and it’s obvious you want me,”
I pulled away and nervously moved a few steps away from him.
“Why do you shun me?” he asked, coming closer again. Although I fought with every part of my being, I couldn’t resist him, just as he couldn’t resist me.
I fought the pull. “Why me?” I softly asked, turning to face him. His hypnotizing eyes were staring madly back.
“Because we belong together. Don’t you feel the connection between us, my pet? I’ve been searching for you. ” He put a hand to my cheek. “Let me take you away from all of this.” He lifted my chin.
I held onto his hand, only now he moved back to stand by the window.
“I must leave soon. I can no longer stay here, but I want you to come with me.” He narrowed his eyes over at me again. “All you have to do is let go of this world. It doesn’t own you; you don’t belong here. I promise I will make all the confusion disappear.”
I felt the butterflies spinning in my stomach.
“Then you’ll understand who you really are,” he said. His eyes were smiling back. “You’ll never be lonely again.”
There was a knock at the door. Startled, I spun around. Michael called from the other side of the door. When I looked back Quentin was gone. I rushed to the window, but I couldn’t find him.
“Come to me, my pet,” the wind whispered. “Come to me. I’ll be waiting, just called out to me and I’ll be there.”
Michael was knocking hard, drowning out the sounds of Quentin’s pleas. Through the door, he called, “Claudia?”
I opened the door. Michael stood there, his face in a firm line. “Why didn’t you answer when I called?” he demanded.
I felt my face burning. “I was in the bathroom.” God, I’m a bad liar.
Luckily, Michael was a trusting man. He bought it and asked, “Well, are you ready yet?”
I gave him a frown.
“What have you been doing for the past thirty minutes?” He paused. “You know what, never mind. I know how you girls are about finding the right outfit. Will you mind watching for our guests while I get ready?”
“But Michael, I’m not finished,” I said, glaring up at him.
“I won’t take long,” he offered and hurried through the open door of his bedroom, shutting it behind him.
Frowning, I headed down the stairs, but not before grabbing the red dress on my bed to admire it while I waited downstairs.
My mind was briefly on Quentin and then, like as if he had never been there, my mind regained its original thought process. It seemed whenever he was around, I couldn’t concentrate on anything but him. Once he was gone, it felt like I could easily push the thoughts of him out of my mind. I didn’t understand that at all. I feared my weakness. I honestly wanted no part of him. I was in love with John Slater. There was no doubt about that.
When once I had felt something maybe even a slight affection for Quentin, I no longer did. Perhaps I had never loved him, but quite the opposite. Maybe feared him. What was he doing to me? More importantly, how was he doing it?
A shuddered raced up my back, as I hurried into the kitchen trying to distract myself with something else. There was a bottle of red wine on the kitchen counter. Joseph would like it and I was pretty sure Ms. Stephens would as well. While sampling the mashed potatoes and other dishes, the doorbell rang. From where I was standing, I could see it was Mr. Vasquez and Mr. Claypool.
I raced out of the kitchen towards the doorway, with the dress still in my hands, making sure to hide the dress behind my back. Michael called from the second floor, about getting the door.
“I’m on it, Michael,” I called back. I swung open the door to find both Mr. Vasquez and Mr. Claypool smiling warmly in greeting. Mr. Vasquez hugged me, so did Mr. Claypool. It wasn’t until they moved aside that I noticed the blond woman behind them step forward.
“Hello, you must be Claudia Belle, Michael’s ward. I’m Karen, Karen Stephens. She said again before I reply.
“But you can call me Ms. Stephens,” she jokingly added.
Dressed in a bright red dress, and with a full head of bleached-blond locks, she strolled right in ahead of Mr. Claypool and Mr. Vasquez. The men didn’t say anything as they watched her step inside.
“Cute,” she said looking around. “This is a nice little house,” she said, but the disgust was obvious in her tone.
Joseph liked blonds, I guessed all guys did.
Closing the front door, I led Mr. Claypool and Mr. Vasquez in through the foyer.
“So, where is the chef?” Mr. Claypool asked with a smirk.
“He’s getting ready,” I politely answered, disappointed with the fact that Ms. Stephens was wearing my color of choice. I kept the dress behind my back, taking a step back up the steps. The color of her dress made her look far fairer. I was a bit jealous. She was beautiful. I could see why Joseph would want to be with her, as long as she kept her mouth closed. They would be perfect together.
“Would you guys like anything to drink?” I asked.
Ms. Stephens spun around at once. “Sure, I’ll take a cocktail,” she said without giving me the slightest look.
“We have wine and beer,” I politely said.
She frowned before she said. “What kind of wine? I only drink white wine.”
“We only have red.”
She made a face. How does Joseph like this woman?
Thinking of Joseph and our last dinner party, recalled a bottle Michael had in the pantry. “I think Michael might have a bottle left of white.”
Her eyes regarded me now, maybe she thought I was being a smartass with her. “Well, will you be a good girl, and see? I just can’t drink red.” She made a pouty lip. Then dug through her little red purse, grabbing a mirror and checking her lipstick. Again, making those pouty lips to the mirror in her hand.
Entering the kitchen and making faces as I came in, I stuck out my tongue back toward the living room in the direction of Ms. Stephens. Swinging open the pantry, I began looking for the bottle, which was sitting in the back. I pulled it out and set it on the counter. As I did, I could hear Michael join our three guests near the entrance. They were talking and laughing, but it was Ms. Stephens’s laugher that seemed the loudest.
She sounded like a banshee when she laughed. Soon their voices died down, and I heard Mr. Vasquez and Mr. Claypool retire to the living room.
Michael entered the kitchen with Ms. Stephens. She looked over at me, in search of her drink. She noticed the red dress in my hands, and narrowing her eyes over at me, she said, “Well, aren’t you lucky you didn’t wear that? That would have been embarrassing for you.”
“Ms. Stephens, you wanted white wine, correct?” Michael asked as he saw me and nearly snatched the bottle from my hands.
“Claudia, can you make yourself useful and get Mr. Vasquez and Mr. Claypool a beer each? Please,” Michael ordered smiling back at Ms. Stephens. He reached into the drawer and pulled out the corkscrew and proceeded to open the bottle.
I angrily walked out after grabbing two Budweiser’s from the refrigerator. Both Mr. Claypool and Mr. Vasquez didn’t notice me as I set the beers in front of them on coasters. They were busy watching the game between the Rockets and Lakers. I made a comment that went ignored.
Furiously, I walked into the foyer and noticed Joseph coming up the path of the house through the glass of the door, immediately wondering where John was.
Joseph had a bottle of wine in one hand and a bouquet of daisies in the other. Daisies, I thought. Did Ms. Stephens like daisies? Somehow, I doubted it. John must have given those to him for me, I thought with a delightful grin.
He looked quite handsome, I wondered if John would get all dressed up for me. The butterflies in my stomach swirled, making me nervous as he neared. Just thinking of John, I was a mess.
At once I rushed up the stairs and ran into my room, closing the door behind me. I tossed the red dress on my bed and hurried into the closet, looking for the only other dress I owned.
“Claudia, did you reveal your gift?” my mom asked, I blinked staring over at her, but somehow, she knew the truth. The memory was clear as if I were there again. My Mother smiled at the uneasiness in my eyes. “Are they asking …” Now it was obvious I had done something, I wasn’t supposed to.
“It was just Trent, Mom. He’s a friend… I trust him,” I said as mom helped me clean the makeup from my face. She handed me a tissue.
“My dear, you’re so naïve …you know he loves you. Give him a chance. He can be good for you.” I fidgeted when she said that. She gave me a grave smile. I didn’t understand what she meant by that.
We had just returned from the fundraiser Dad’s client had held. He was an old man in his nineties, I’d met him a few times. He frightened me because he was always so interested in me.
She meant to say more but she didn’t get a chance.
“Claudia, nobody in that family can be trusted.”
I turned toward the masculine voice. Dad stood by the door. Mom got up and stepped over to his side; she looked up at him. He gave her a stern look, and she left without saying anything else.
Dad came to sit beside me on the bed.
“Why are we moving away?” I demanded.
“It’s work-related,” Dad said. I looked over at him. I was aware of the truth, and he knew that.
“That’s not true, is it?” I said.
“Don’t,” he very quickly answered. His voice became firm almost immediately. He was good at what he did because he could read minds, just like me. And because of it he had become a wealthy man and made our family very powerful.
“But I like Trent. I trust him,” I said, hoping that he realized it was my choice.
“No,” he firmly said, nearly yelling. “You don’t know what you say. You don’t understand what you are talking about. No one, not even he, can be trusted… I’ve given everything I’ve had. And this is far too much. It ends here. I warned you about using your gift,” He lectured. His voice softened slightly. “You don’t know them like I do. You have the gift, but you don’t see the entire picture.”
He lifted my chin, and stared into my eyes. “Your time will come…but it is not now.”
I snapped back into the present, looking into the closet for the maroon dress. It was strange to think I could have been married to Trent Valentin III. My life would have taken a completely different path.
Modeling the dress in the mirror, it looked wonderful. I had worn it only once in the past. The boots were an added combination, not too shabby. Truthfully, they were all I had except for those ugly, black shoes I refused to wear again because they were five-inch heels. I hadn’t even worn them for Trent, so I sure wasn’t going to wear them for dinner.
Coming out into the hall, I could hear voices in the living room. Mr. Claypool and Mr. Vasquez were talking to Joseph, and I could hear him as I came down the stairs. In the background, I could hear Ms. Stephens laughing with Michael and discussing wine and whatever else adults like Ms. Stephens liked to discuss.
She had Michael under her spell.
I came down the last step as I heard Mr. Vasquez offer, “So, would you like to join us? I was just about to head into the kitchen for another drink. You want us to get you a beer?”
“No, I’m fine. I don’t drink beer.” Joseph answered.
Joseph was suddenly popular with the men, he and John were different. Milton was not used to having them around.
“No, of course you don’t, sir,” Mr. Claypool responded. He sounded a little bashful and embarrassed.
“I’m just not a beer drinker, gentlemen,” Joseph politely said.
I couldn’t believe John had told him about what he had revealed to me. What did he really think, I wondered? John said he was okay with it, but I wondered if he would say anything directly to me.
I came from behind him. None of the men saw me. I could see he was nicely dressed in a suit. He was always well dressed. I had never seen him in a casual shirt or jeans. I was starting to think it wasn’t his thing to be casually dressed. He was such a professional in appearance, especially in comparison to Mr. Claypool and Mr. Vasquez; they both looked sloppy.
“Where’s John?” I asked, Joseph spun around immediately. The silly grin that I had often found on his face was there now. He was a nice person. His look softened.
Coming into the living room, Joseph greeted me with that same smiling face. Not one I was use to, but it looked genuine. He was a large man, intimidating, and nothing like Mr. Vasquez or Mr. Claypool.
“Claudia, you look beautiful,” Mr. Vasquez kindly said.
Mr. Claypool came forward and said, “Now, I feel out of place. If I knew we were going to get all dressed up I would have just come straight here wearing my school slacks and dress shirt.”
Not that it would have made a big difference. Mr. Claypool’s school attire wasn’t much better than what he was wearing to dinner. A pair of jeans and dress shirt, with no tie. Which was just about close to what he normally wore in school. The difference was the suit and tie, without the jeans.
“I just felt like getting dressed up for dinner,” I said regarding Mr. Claypool’s words. I looked up at Joseph, who was still grinning.
My face was burning. I had never had so many eyes on me before, including Joseph’s, if only John was here.
“You do look rather lovely, Miss Belle. I think John will agree with me once he sees you.”
“Where is he, may I ask?”
“I asked him to get my laptop. I swear, I’d lose my head if it weren’t attached to my body. I asked him to pick it up from the school and take it back home. So, if I’m not mistaken, he’s probably just now getting home and getting ready. He should be here shortly, Miss Belle.” He came slightly closer, looking rather innocent and bashful.
“By the way, John bought you some flowers.” He chuckled. “Apparently, my date thought they were for her.”
I knew it.
“I guess I owe you and John one.” He winked.
“Dr. Müller, so we meant to ask, should we come in tomorrow? I know some of the teachers weren’t planning on it. We schedule to open tomorrow, correct?” Mr. Claypool interrupted from behind.
Joseph had that did-anyone-hear-my-speech look across his face. “The school will be open tomorrow, Mr. Claypool. Nothing’s changed since my little speech. We will be open.”
Mr. Claypool grew silent, and he and Mr. Vasquez returned to watching the game. If it hadn’t been clear what the schedule was to them tomorrow, it was now.
Joseph turned to me again. “John should be here shortly, Miss Belle, don’t tell him I didn’t give you the flowers.” He smiled then winked once again.
A voice form behind nearly startled me.
“I opened the white wine instead. I hope you don’t mind, Joseph.”
Ms. Stephens walked into the living room. She handed Joseph a glass of wine and drank out of her cup. I didn’t understand his fascination with her, besides her beauty. He seemed like a well put together person and she was quite the opposite.
Ms. Stephens ignored me as she walked past me. She probably just thought of me as a child.
I just stared at her, wanting to turn over the sofa she was sitting on. The sound of her laughter was bad enough. How did he not get annoyed by her?
Stop, Claudia. Control yourself.
I needed to be in control of my anger. Joseph’s watch was moving rapidly, and I didn’t want to alert him to something strange happening in our house. I began my breathing technique again. It was something I had always done whenever I was nervous. It worked for me.
What’s this? Now?
Joseph glanced over at me. What’s she doing? Why is she doing that again? Is she okay? Will I have to give her mouth to mouth? I hope she’s not having breathing problems. She might need to have that check… For a moment it was his words, the very words coming from his thoughts that froze me to the spot. Why could I hear him?
“Everything okay, Miss Belle? You sure you’re not having an asthma attack?” I’d forgotten his watch was slightly defected and I could actually hear him.
Stay calm, I repeated to myself, quickly shaking my head back. His watch was moving again, I could see it from the side view of his sleeve.
“I’m not much for red wines,” Ms. Stephens said again, “Michael opened up a nice white wine. Try it, you’ll like it.”
He seemed consumed with me. When he glanced over at his watch, his eyes squinted. He adjusted the dial. He must have increased the voltage. From this view, the hands moved rapidly. They turned left and right, just as they had done when John had shown me what they could do once they located a disturbance of the energizes. Joseph sat up, something had alerted him and piqued his interest. He was waiting for the hands to come to a stop.
What is happening? Here? The energy source is here? Come on baby tell me where …lead me to it …Then, Dr. Nicholson will have his prize and I will have my promotion …come on, baby…track it….
I heard it straight from Joseph’s mind before I lost the connection. He must have increased the frequency. Or in some way, the watch had adjusted itself.
I stumbled back away. He stared at the watch as if it were a foreign thing to him. Then, it suddenly came to a stop, pointing right at me. Our eyes met and his widened enough for me to know he was suddenly aware of what that meant. When I moved the watch moved, even when I tried to stay from its immediate path, it followed.
I knew clearly what he was thinking, even if I could no longer hear him. He looked like he wanted to race at me. He hadn’t moved, but I could clearly see him edging to rise. Everything continued around us, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion within those moments. I wished I could’ve heard what he was thinking, but his eyes begged for it not to be true. His gaze wouldn’t leave me. It was as if he thought that if he stopped concentrating on me, I would disappear.
Ms. Stephens put her glass of Zinfandel down on the side table next to the couch. I turned to leave, but Joseph suddenly rose and took two steps forward. I froze. Our eyes once more met, I bit my lip hard. Ms. Stephens gazed up at him, grabbing at her glass again. She seemed to be longing for his attention. For the first time, I was happy she reached for his arm, to try and stop him.
“Miss Belle, may I have a word with you?” Joseph said, trying to entice me with a softer tone. “Come here,” he ordered, motioning me with a long finger.
I swallowed, shaking my head back. Is no one else seeing this?
John, where are you? I thought frantically.
Joseph looked back at the men watching the game. They were all too busy yelling at the T.V. The only other person interested in his attention was Ms. Stephens. She spoke again, trying to get his attention.
“I forgot to thank you for the flowers, Joseph. But I really prefer tulips to daisies. How could you have known if I never told you? So, now you know.”
He squinted his eyes back at her, he appeared annoyed. I moved back.
“Miss Belle.” He motioned me over. “I just want to talk, that’s all, sweetheart.” His smile now looked sinister. He seemed like an entirely different person.
“Joseph, didn’t you hear me? What are you doing?” She turned back to look over. I wanted to ask her to help, but she rolled her eyes over at me.
“Joseph, remember Mrs. Whitney? You know her, right?” she continued.
Once again, her voice seemed to annoy Joseph as he moved toward me. Ms. Stephens grabbed his arm. He looked back over at her, then, at me.
He seemed so irritated. He wanted to get to me and, at the same time, seemed unable to react. I had an advantage until he did something I never expected. I didn’t know the extent of what he and John could do.
He turned to Ms. Stephens, put his hand on her cheek, and said, “Schlaf.”
“What?” she said glaring up at him.
“Will you shut up, Karen?” he softly said.
A metal spider emerged from the dial of his watch. She didn’t even see it as it injected her on the side of the cheek so quickly that if I hadn’t been looking, I wouldn’t have noticed. He slowly lowered her head onto the couch, catching hold of her glass, and placed it on the table. Mr. Vasquez and Mr. Claypool didn’t even glance back. They were too busy with the game.
I moved back slowly. Joseph motioned me to him again. He dug into the side of his jacket pocket and pulled out a metal device. It looked like a metal collar with electrical lights.
“Come here, Miss Belle. Come to me. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I shook my head.
“I said come here.” His voice became stern as he neared, slowly. “What did you do to, John? How do you control him?”
Control him? I stared at the object in his hands nervously. The slit of his lip curved slightly, as his fingers did on the metal of that object in his hands.
“This is not gonna hurt, I promise.”
“Don’t… Joseph, please, you’re scaring me.”
“You’re it, aren’t you? The person from the video in the parking lot? The one my boss wants? You disrupted our watches. You’ve been hearing me, haven’t you? Come here.” He motioned for me again.
I sprung from my place and up the stairs. Joseph was on my heels He wasn’t as fast as John, but he was quick enough. I managed to make it to my room and was trying to close the door when he barged in. I backed deeper into the room. He slowly came in. He closed the door behind him, clutching the device in his hands.
“It’s okay, Miss Belle, I just want to talk.”
“Talk?” I said to him nervously looking for a way around him.
Joseph smiled, playing with the device in his hands. He pressed a few buttons on it. It started blinking rapidly.
“What is that?” I asked, glaring at the object he was holding.
“It’s a little something to keep you calm… nothing more.”
“There’s no way you’re putting that thing on me.”
He grinned.
“Stay away. I mean it, Joseph.”
“Miss Belle, just relax. I’ve been doing this for so long it won’t hurt a bit.”
“Why? What do you want?” I moved back. A breeze from the window hit my backside.
“You’re a curiosity. The way you made my watch shut off, even a minder can’t do that.”
Joseph began closing the distance between us. I backed away as far as I could go. Minders, I had heard of those from John. People, or rather girls, could read and move things with their minds.
“Please, Joseph, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Joseph chuckled loudly. “Little girl, you can’t hurt me. Just walk to me. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” The same creepy smile curved the sides of his lips. “Miss Belle, relax.” He leaped forward onto me.
I pushed back. All I could see was his body fly back onto the wall. I dropped to my hands, something was pulling me down. There was a beeping sound near my ears. Around my neck, I felt a strange cold surface hug my throat. There was a click and I dropped hard paralyzed on the floor. Joseph immediately appeared beside me on the floor.
“I told you to relax, darling,” he said. The tone of his voice sounded unreal to me. It was the same tone he had given me when I had gone up the roof. Cold and uncaring. It was the same tone a teacher I knew always used when I tried to explain why I was late to class.
I couldn’t move, nor could I speak. My lips would not come together to even form the simplest of speech. Something was keeping me still. My body felt stiff and held in place. I could hear and feel a buzzing energy stream down the nerves of my skin.
“Relax, Miss Belle, you won’t be able to speak or move. Let me adjust it.” He moved a few buttons on the metal device hugging my neck.
My jaw relaxed and loosen and I was able to speak. “What have you done to me?” I whimpered.
Joseph lifted me in his arms easily and placed me on my bed. I narrowed my eyes over at him but was unable to move my neck or face.
“Please, Joseph, let me go. What are you doing?”
He sat alongside the bed. “My job, Miss Belle. This is what John told you we do.” Joseph grinned. “I never pictured you to be my target, but in this job, you have to be prepared for anything. Sucks, I was starting to really like you. John’s not gonna take this well, but we have a job to do.” He glanced back over. “Tell me, Miss Belle, do you know what you are?”
Joseph took out another device. He dialed a part of his watch back. A few metal spiders came out. He directed what I guessed was an energy meter over at me, a blue hued light washed over me. It appeared to scan me before it started beeping. Joseph squinted.
“Off the charts. Dr. Nicholson is going to be very pleased with this. He’s been looking for you. I was beginning to think you didn’t exist.” He grinned.
“Once I report to him that I have you, he’ll be here within the hour just to pick you up himself. He never makes house calls, but for this? Wait—” he wrinkled his nose and narrowed his eyes over at me— “that’s right, you’ve met him, haven’t you?” He started laughing, “He’s going to have a field day with that when he discovers you were right in front of him the whole time. He likes that sort of humor. Odd that the watches did not sense you. You must be able to control it at times. Did John tell you how to do that?” Joseph shook his head. “Does John know? There’s no way he can’t. I’m gonna have to have a serious discussion with that boy, or he’s going to end up in the containment unit for a month.”
What is he talking about? What did they do to John if he disobeyed?
A few metal spiders crawled onto his arm and across his shoulders. He glanced down at them, allowing one of them to climb his fingers.
“These things are so useful.” He flashed me a playful grin. “Das Haus zu sichern. Schlafen.” (Secure the house. Sleep.)
I blinked my eyes back at him. What is he saying to those things? They crawled off his arm and shoulders, leaped onto the floor, crawled away under the door, and disappeared.
“What are you doing? What are they going to do?”
“Securing the house, Miss Belle. They’ll make sure we’re not interrupted until I can notify the retrieval team that the target, that’s you, has been secured. I think I’m making this delivery myself. Fuck those guys.” He looked excited, something I had never seen him display.
“Let me go, please. I didn’t do anything to you.”
“I can’t be reasoned with, Miss Belle. This is what I do for a living.” Joseph examined me with care. “You’re certainly not a mindbender. From the readings, I’ve been taking. I’m thinking along the lines of the Source. Dr. Nicholson is gonna be very pleased.” Joseph chuckled excitedly.
I tried to move my arms but could do nothing.
“There’s no point in fighting. That collar was specially designed to keep you secure and from using your powers against me.” Joseph laughed again. “Got to love those things, makes my job a lot easier.”
Above, the pipes began to rattle, and strange sounds came from the bathroom sink and tub. Joseph looked toward the bathroom where the sounds were coming from. The sink gurgled along with the tub.
I gasped and my breathing rapidly increased. I felt the hair on my arms rise. A damp sweat dotted my forehead.
“He’s here,” I whispered. Fear was gripping my body. He was here, and he was angry. I could feel it even with the device, I could feel it.
A shadow spread into the room, moving across the walls. Joseph walked towards the bathroom. The pipes were making cranking sounds as though something was trying to crawl from inside them. The house seemed to crack and settle, moaning as if it were coming alive.
The metal collar around my neck began flickering and making strange noises, like an alien dialect I couldn’t quite understand. I felt the numbness in my limbs slowly beginning to loosen. Is this device failing?
Around us, the shadow figure moved on the ceiling and down into the corners of the room. A shadow arm swung down and slammed Joseph back against the wall. He fell hard, collapsing to the ground.
At once, he rose and grabbed at an object from inside his jacket pocket. He lifted out a small metal globe. It lit up and began to hover slowly. It moved into the bedroom, shining with a bluish glow.
Around my neck, the collar popped and fell off. I sat up as I saw a shadowy figure move across the room towards Joseph. The globe challenged it by releasing an electrical charge. It did nothing.
The shadow hands bent its metal body, breaking it into shards. The pieces of metal fell to the floor. The shadow moved towards Joseph, pushing him across the other end of the room. Quickly, it came over him, lifting him and suffocating him.
“No! Stop!” I yelled. But nothing happened.
I looked around my room for anything I could use to fight. From the side of the bed, a red light caught my eye. It was coming from inside the drawer. Pulling open the drawer I found a crystal, like the one Michael had shown me, and the one I had seen on Alex’s wrist.
I grabbed it and rose from the bed walking over to the thing. Joseph seemed to be losing his fight with it. His eyes were rolling to the back of his head.
“Stop!” I yelled.
The thing turned. I saw two purple eyes glare from the mass. Its shapeless dark hands dropped Joseph and he fell hard against the floor. He didn’t move.
“You are powerful, and you are mine! I won’t let them take you from me!” a voice cried from the large mass.
The crystal in my hand glowed brighter. The shadow began to pull back into the corner. Its shapeless form disappeared. I dropped to the floor. The crystal had taken something from me. I felt drained and weak. It dropped from my hand as I sat on the floor.
The metal spiders returned from under the door and crawled back into Joseph’s watch. With a gasp, he opened his eyes. As he blinked, he caught sight of me. Joseph sat up and reached for me just as I dropped into his arms.
“You saved my life,” he said.
I looked up at him as he gazed down, holding me. He couldn’t believe what he had seen, even though I knew he had seen a lot. Joseph looked over towards the window of the bedroom. Behind us, the door opened, and John dropped on the floor alongside us.
“Claudia?” he cried. “What happened?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at Joseph.
He was unresponsive at first, but then, I heard him say, “She saved me.”
John didn’t understand.
“John,” I whispered, reaching out to touch his face before everything went dark.
When I awoke, I sat up in bed, recalling what had happen, the shadow had attacked Joseph.
“We showed them. We showed them we’re a force to be reckoned with. No one will challenge us ever again. Once we’re together, you and I, no one will challenge us. They can’t, you see. We are powerful together, very powerful. All I need is you.”
Quentin was there by the window, looking towards me, even in the darkness. I could see his shape sitting on my window ledge.
His shape leaped onto the bed like a flash of light and I screamed, waking once more upon my bed. But this time John and Joseph were standing in my bedroom, one on each side of my bed. I looked around, but I could not sense Quentin any longer. It was a dream, a dream.