CHAPTER FOUR
You know that feeling you get when someone is secretly looking at you? And you don’t want to glance their way because you don’t want them to know you can tell? It was like that with Farrell during dinner, and again at breakfast. Normally I wouldn’t mind a super hot guy checking me out, but this was different. It was like he knew me, or knew a secret about me. And then, for just a minute there, I thought he knew about my visions. But that would be impossible. And so I decided to ignore him so I could focus on my immediate problem: being the new girl at a new school.
My old school back home was small, with less than a hundred in my class. Now that I was in a big city like Houston, everything was different. Mom had said there were over five hundred students in the senior class at Harmony High. I had even googled the giant tan-bricked, three-story school, just two miles away from our new house, and read up on it. The school was just four years old and had every extracurricular activity you could imagine: Robotics, Band, Chess, MathCounts, and Dance. They were also the soccer champs in their division every year since the school opened. It was cool and all, but I closed the browser window. None of that stuff mattered to me, since all I could think about were my visions, my visit with Jan, and now the hot guy who had just moved in with me.
At exactly seven, a car horn blared out front—Infiniti. I had texted her about Farrell last night. She had a ton of questions, but I had no answers. I could only tell her the basics—that he was hot, tall, blonde, and had green eyes. That was all I knew, and that was all she cared about.
When we got in the car, me in front and Farrell in back, the smell of weed, coffee, and perfume assaulted me. The windows were cracked, but I rolled mine down all the way.
"Oops, sorry," Infiniti said, grabbing a perfume bottle out of her purse and giving it a few squirts. She looked back at Farrell. "So you’re the new roomie?"
"Yes, I’m Farrell Walker. Nice to meet you."
"Very, very nice to meet you," she said with smile. "I’m Infiniti Clausman." She turned back around and mouthed the word "wow" at me. I hoped he didn’t see.
She put her black Mustang in gear, and hauled out of the neighborhood. A little kid at the corner bus stop even flipped her off, yelling at her to slow down. "Infiniti, what the hell?" I asked.
"I had to do this stupid report over the Thanksgiving break for extra credit and I forgot to email it to my teacher last night. If I can get there in time, I can hand it in before homeroom. Otherwise, I’m screwed."
We got to school in less than five minutes. She screeched to a halt in the nearest parking spot and took off. "See you guys here after school," she hollered over her shoulder as she ran to the building.
"Your friend is very…interesting," Farrell said.
"Yeah, I know."
When we walked through the double glass doors, every nearby girl stopped and stared at Farrell. I had absolutely no claim to him, but a pang of jealousy settled in me anyway. I pushed it aside, and took out my schedule. Farrell didn’t have his yet.
"You know where you’re going?" he asked.
The school smelled like fresh paint, and I wondered if they had painted over the break, or if the school just smelled like that since it was only four years old. There wasn’t a single mark on the white walls, and shiny blue lockers lined the hall. Bodies bustled all about me and Farrell, and the stairs on either side of us were filled with people making their way to class. Luckily Infiniti had looked over my classes and told me where to go. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any classes with her. "Yeah, sorta. You?"
Farrell glanced down the hall. "I gotta go to the office and get my schedule."
The first bell rang so loud it jarred me a little. "Maybe we’ll have some classes together," I offered.
He gave a nod. "Maybe."
For some reason I didn’t want to leave him, but why? I didn’t even know him. Maybe it was because we were both new and thrust into a new school against our will because of our stupid parents and their jobs. Or maybe it was the knowing way he looked at me. I wasn’t sure, but it made me uncomfortable. "See ya, Farrell."
"All right," he replied.
There were about twenty students in my homeroom class. Infiniti had told me that Veronica was in most of my classes, and sure enough, she sat in the back row, her blonde hair perfectly combed. Her face ready for a photo shoot. I slipped into an empty seat near the front and pulled out a book.
The homeroom teacher breezed in just before the tardy bell. Tall and thin with long red hair pulled back in a ponytail and blunt bangs that formed a perfect line along the middle of her forehead; she looked more like a model than a teacher. She wore dark pants, tall black boots, a white camisole, and a long-sleeved black jacket.
After she entered the room, Trent came in right behind her. He looked better than I remembered—tan and muscular with eyes so blue they sparkled from across the room. His shirt was wrinkled, his jeans torn and faded, much more so than the average guy. He was either in a huge rush, or didn’t care about what he wore, which I kinda liked. He caught my eye right away, and sat in the desk next to mine.
The teacher went up to the chalkboard. She wrote her name in a fancy cursive, Ms. Ryken. She was new, too? What were the odds?
"Class, my name is Ms. Ryken. I’m your new homeroom teacher. Your former teacher has taken a leave of absence." She began handing out slips of paper. "The time is here for your follow-up meetings with your college advisors. On these slips of paper is the name of your advisor and the date and time of your appointment. I recommend you take this seriously and be on time, prepared to talk about your futures, especially since—" She stopped and focused on me. "The deadline is near."
Chattering excitement burst through the room, while my stomach twisted tight. Why did she stare at me? I didn’t know and I didn’t care, especially since I had already picked my school and mailed my application. I was going back home to Northwest Michigan College in Traverse City, and nobody could stop me.
Ms. Ryken dropped my paper on my desk. I wasn’t even going to open it except she nodded at me. When I looked at the appointment, I saw her name. So she wasn't just my new homeroom teacher. She was also my college advisor, and our meeting was set for tomorrow afternoon, right after school. But I had no intention of going.
"You will be there, Ms. Wells." Her eyes narrowed on me, her eyebrow slightly raised. "Correct?" She glanced at the clipboard in her hands. "Especially since you're a new student."
What? How could she tell that I was going to ditch? And who cared if I was new? "Um, yeah, sure."
When the bell rang, I bolted, eager to get out of Ms. Ryken’s room, when a body came running up beside me—Trent.
"Hey, Dominique," he said. "It’s me, Trent. I met you at Infiniti’s."
Of course I remembered him, but decided to play it cool. "Oh, yeah. Hey, Trent."
"Can I walk with you?"
"Sure."
He kept his eyes on me while responding with a wave to all the hellos and what ups from just about every person we passed. Trent was definitely a popular guy. "That was some party at Infiniti’s. I’m sorry you had to leave early."
I had no idea what to say. Luckily, he continued. "So I hear you’re from Michigan. Must be pretty different here in Texas."
"Yeah, it’s different. But everyone’s been real nice." Except Veronica, and I just hoped she wasn’t around to see me walking with Trent, even if she did have a new crush like Infiniti had said.
As we made our way down the hall, I sensed someone staring at me. I looked around and saw Farrell standing by the lockers. He started to come my way but stopped when he spotted Trent at my side. His face took on a blank expression before he turned and walked the opposite way. I slowed my pace, wondering if I should go after him, when Trent gripped my arm. "Hey, you okay? You’re completely zoning out."
"Oh, sorry. My mind just, uh, went blank for a minute there."
His eyes studied mine. His body inched closer. "Am I boring you???
? He let out a laugh.
My face grew hot, and I hoped it wasn’t turning red. "No, no, nothing like that."
Luckily the bell rang, and not a moment too soon. "Come on," he said with a grin, taking my hand and pulling me into the next open door and our first period class. A big group came in right behind us. I took the last empty seat near the front, forcing Trent to go to the back. As I sat there, I kept replaying the look on Farrell’s face when he saw me with Trent, and I didn’t understand it. Nothing made sense since moving here, and all I wanted to do was run away.
The day crawled by and I only saw Infiniti at lunch. We sat together along with Veronica and Billy, Veronica's new boyfriend. Short and stocky with bright red hair and freckles, he laughed and joked the entire lunch. I couldn't see fake glam Veronica with him at all, but I was glad she had found someone else. As for Farrell, I didn't see him again the entire day. And Trent, well, he was in all of my classes.
When the final bell rang at the end of the day, relief washed over me because I had survived my first day as the new girl. I grabbed my stuff and made my way to the parking lot and Infiniti’s car. There was no sign of Farrell. I started twisting my hair, worried that he wouldn’t show, when I stopped and lowered my hands.
Why was I worrying about Farrell?
"Hey, where’s your hot new roomie?" Infiniti asked, smacking gum like she had shoved an entire pack in her mouth.
Before I could answer, Farrell came up.
"There you are," Infiniti said. "Let’s get outta here."
He avoided my eyes. "You guys go on. I gotta go back to the office. Fill out some more paperwork."
I couldn’t help but think he was trying to get away from me after seeing me with Trent in the hall. But why would he even care who I talked to?
"How will you get home?" I asked.
"I’ll figure it out, it’s not far."
"Well, okay. I’ll see you later then."
We watched him make his way through the parking lot and back to the school. "Holy shit, can I move in with you guys?" Infiniti asked, leaning against her car. "Just for a little while? I mean, he is H-O-T. The whole freakin’ school was talking about him you know. How can you stand it?"
"Yeah, he’s hot and all, but he doesn’t talk much," I said. I thought back to how he looked at me when we met, like he recognized me or something, and how he looked at me when he saw me with Trent, his face covered in disappointment.
"Ooh, the strong silent type," Infiniti said. We got in the car. "I like that," she added.
Infiniti sped out of the school parking lot. She talked the whole way to my house, about what I had no idea. All I could think about was Farrell. He would be staying with me for who knows how long, and I didn’t know if I could live with a gorgeous guy that also freaked me out a little.
When I got home, I put my backpack in the kitchen and made my way to the fluffy white couch in the living room. While I wasn’t too crazy about our generic red-brick exterior, I did like the inside. The room was big and open, with tall windows that lined the back wall and looked out over a lush shrub-filled backyard. Mom had the room painted a soft and soothing mint green, and the floors were a dark wood.
Our furniture fit perfectly in the space, even the large black armoire that Dad had sanded and stained himself. Instead of a TV, Dad put shelves inside for his collection of rocks and fossils from his various expeditions. There were also a few pictures. One of them was of my mom and dad with some college friends. They stood in front of a cabin they went to every summer, arms linked, and faces smiling. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen my parents smile like that.
The living room was separated from the kitchen by a double-sided fireplace. Back home the leaves had fallen, the air had cooled, and frost covered the ground in the mornings. Here, it was still warm, and every tree hung on to its coverings. I wondered if it would ever get cold enough to even need the fireplace.
My eyelids grew heavy, and I decided to stretch out on the couch for a while. My mind drifted, and I was on the verge of sleep when I found myself standing in the same red desert. Heat wrapped around me, a hollow silence filled my ears, and I found it hard to breathe. For a moment, I wondered if I was even alive, but my hand on my chest detected my heart’s vibrating rhythm. At least I wasn’t dead, even though death surrounded me.
When I brought my hands down, I was surprised to see that I was clutching a long white feather. My eyes fixed on the feather, my hand opening to expose it fully. It was beautiful—a crisp white with hues of yellow and gold at the edges—and I thought I knew it, like I had seen it before. Afraid to drop it, I tightened my grip, panic seizing me. My eyes darted around to make sure I was alone. After scanning the area, I brought my attention back to the feather. I gasped. It had escaped my hand and floated down to the red dirt. I watched it drift back and forth, my entire body stuck on pause. When the feather reached the red dirt, white light illuminated from it, like a glowing ribbon reaching up toward me before fading away. The feather looked lifeless, out of place. I should’ve held on tighter. I shouldn’t have let go.
Guilt consumed me.
After what seemed like a few minutes, a sharp pain shot through me at the same spot as before—at the nape of my neck, right at my hairline. This time I sensed a dark and heavy presence behind me. My entire body froze with fear. I knew the presence, and I hated it. Dread filled me, sending shivers up my legs, slow-moving shivers that washed over me like ripples of water reaching out over the sand at high tide. Something very bad was about to happen.
My heart pounded through my ears. An unspoken thought filled my head.
You belong to me.
It was the force behind me.
And I’m going to find you.
My hand went to my birthmark, the pain shooting through my body like a burst of electricity that nearly knocked me down. I blinked, trying to snap myself out of the vision, when I noticed the feather at my feet was gone, replaced by a swirling black mist.
Farrell, I thought, all my senses cut off by the pain. Where are you?