Ruby waited rigidly in one of her chairs in her brother's office.
Her eyes roamed across the pictures on the walls and the knick-knacks on
the desk. It had been almost a month since the intruder – well, since
she'd come 'back' from her father's push. She was slowly getting the hang
of everything, but she felt as though she were adrift, every point of
reference she had known was gone.
After all, her parents were dead. Jamie had lost track of most of her friends, and she had no way to find them – not that she was sure she wanted to. They would all be over sixty. Her very best friend, Julie, had known about her father's talent, and had been one of the few who'd believed Jamie and stayed in touch. Unfortunately, Julie had died of a stomach cancer eleven years ago.
Ruby snorted. Eleven years ago she'd been a child. It was utterly bizarre to believe that she'd missed forty years of everyone else's life. Even her brother was a complete stranger to her now.
She felt incredibly lonely.
She stood as she heard voices in the hall. A shadow hovered, visible through the bubbled glass window of the door, and she heard Jamie talking to someone – a student, from the sound of it, though she only caught a few words. There was a burst of laughter, and Jamie came in, shaking his head.
He smiled when he saw her. "Sorry about the wait," he said, moving around his desk and gesturing her into a chair.
She perched on the edge of the chair she'd vacated.
Jamie chuckled. "I love teaching these precocious kids."
"I never thought you'd... you'd want to be a teacher."
He smiled at fond memories. "The teachers here gave me everything. I can't imagine being anywhere else." He straightened up and looked at her, and a stack of papers fell into his hand from nowhere. He set it on his desk and abruptly looked uncomfortable.
Ruby sighed. That was the look he got when he wanted to tell her something unpleasant.
He skirted around the topic. "How are you getting along? You like the new place?"
She shrugged. "It's nice. I guess I'm getting used to things."
He nodded. "Good. Well, I wanted to see you today because – no more visions?" he interrupted himself.
"Nothing since the first week." That wasn't strictly true. She seemed to have developed a strange sort of double vision, seeing things happen seconds before they happened. She'd spent hours people-watching; it was something she could actually control, among her powers and among her life. Perhaps the only thing in her control.
If Jamie sensed her holding back, he gave no indication of it. He took a breath, as though to gather himself, and said, "I tracked Richard down."
Ruby's heart gave a lurch as she felt simultaneous waves of hope and despair. Jamie handed her a piece of paper from his stack. "I didn't know what you'd want to do, but you can get in touch with him that way. We haven't talked since – well, we had a fight about you coming back."
"He didn't believe I was alive," Ruby said softly.
Jamie's slow nod seemed loaded. Ruby ached to see Richard, to have him hold her, but... even if he had believed Jamie, it had been over forty years. She knew, even as she wished it were otherwise, that he couldn't have simply put his life on hold all that time and pined for her.
She wouldn't really have wanted him to.
She wanted to go home.
"I'm sorry," Jamie was saying.
"It's okay," she cut in quickly, before he could elaborate. "It's not like he could have stopped aging for me or something." She stood abruptly. Jamie looked at her in surprise. "I'm gonna go... go."
She folded the piece of paper with Richard's address.
"Anything you need, Ruby, just let me know," he called after her. Just like he always offered.
Ruby bit her tongue and held back tears. Anything she needed, James got for her. He'd arranged a house for her, a little cottage just outside the school grounds. Someone came and mowed the lawn every couple days. He'd given her a credit card, and offered to get her a ride any time she needed to go anywhere. He made sure her kitchen was stocked, and several times friends of his had stopped by to drop of casseroles. Ruby munched on fruits and veggies and the casseroles grew cold in her fridge.
She broke into a trot as she came into sight of her cottage, and was running when she hit the door.
She let out a scream of frustration as soon as the door was shut. She pounded her fists against the wall and kicked the door, then sank to the floor and pounded on that. She indulged in an all-out temper tantrum, until she lay red-faced and gasping on the floor.
Slowly, she got her breath back. "Good thing I'm so well balanced and non-suicidal," she whispered into emptiness.
She levered herself off the floor and walked into the bathroom. Splashing her face with cold water restored her equilibrium, but she still didn't want to think.
She changed into shorts and a tank top. Her running shoes were new, courtesy of James.
She stretched quickly and set off at a job for the running path that circled the luxurious school grounds. She pounded down the path, then made an effort and smoothed her gait.
At least when she was physically exhausted she slept dreamlessly. It was hardly a solution, but Ruby had thrown herself into whatever exertions she could think of. Then she focused on the pain of protesting muscles and ignored self-pitying thoughts.
And, one small positive thing... she could see her improvements in her body. It took a lot longer to wear herself out, and that meant a lot more of her time was occupied.
It took her a little while to realize that she was being followed. She slowed her page just a little and the doubling of footsteps slowed to match. She might have thought it was her own footfalls, echoing, if she hadn't run here a dozen times and not noticed a similar effect.
She sped back up to her normal pace, listening hard. Not entirely sure what she was doing, she concentrated like she had as she'd developed her foresight over the last month.
Then, without actually doing it, she thought about turning her head to look back at whoever was shadowing her. In a flash of red like an afterimage – a foreimage – she saw who it was following her, and then changed her mind about turning her head.
It was the man who'd flown the helicopter when James had come to get her. She was less concerned with that than the fact that she'd seen him with her power. She wasn't sure how useful that could be, but it was something to think about.
Ruby wondered why he was following her. She'd seen him around a couple times – he was noticeable, with his short, stocky build and wild appearance. She wondered if he was a teacher – she wondered what he could be a teacher of.
She kept running, finding his presence, oddly enough, almost comforting. He probably was just jogging, perhaps pacing her without even being aware of it, but having someone so in time with her made Ruby feel a little less lonely.
At last, lungs burning and calves aching, Ruby slowed to a walk. The pilot – if she'd heard his name, she didn't remember it – fell into place beside her. She noticed that he was barely winded.
"Must be nice," she managed, "to be in such good shape."
He chuckled. "I try to keep up."
She forced a deep breath and her lungs stopped protesting so much. "I don't know about keeping up. Seems you could have passed me a while ago."
He laughed again but kept his answer to, "Maybe so."
They walked in silence for a few minutes. Ruby expected him to pick his pace up again, but he seemed content to walk now.
"How do you like it... here?" she asked, almost timidly but eager to talk to someone.
He shrugged. "It has its good points."
He didn't seem inclined to elaborate, but she didn't think it was because he minded the question.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"Hmmm." He scratched an ear. "Suppose Canada, near's it can be reckoned." He paused a moment, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "You?"
"Massachusetts."
"Ah, right. Where we picked you up. Are you Redbourne's niece?"
Ruby stopped walking. "His sister," she said softly. He turned to regard her with curiosity. "It would have told you more to ask when I'm from."
They had nearly completed a circuit of the grounds, and Ruby's cottage was within sight. She leaned against a tree and really looked at him.
He raised an eyebrow in response to her comment, and something in his expression told Ruby that somehow he could understand. She found herself telling him – an abbreviated version of – the whole story.
"So a month ago I was visiting home from college, to tell my parents about my fiancé, and now they and all my friends are dead or gone." She reddened a little and hoped she wasn't whining. "I'm sorry. You probably don't – "
"It's all right," he cut her off. "Everyone needs someone to talk to sometimes."
"Thanks," she said. She liked that he was the same height as her. "I haven't told anyone... much of anything. Now I've told a stranger...."
"Call me Logan," he said.
"I'm Ruby." She held out a hand, which he shook. As they touched she got a startling image of him wearing only pants, running toward her with a ferocious expression on his face, and carrying a strange set of blades. Before she could make sense of it the image was gone.
"You okay?" he was asking.
"Yeah, I just... saw something...."
He looked over his shoulder doubtfully, then back at her.
She shook her head. "Sometimes I see things before they happen."
"What did you see?" he asked slowly.
She responded just as slowly. "It looked like... you were attacking me. But," she searched for words, "when I see things, I sometimes get feelings. I don't think you were going to hurt me."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, and Ruby realized they still had their hands clasped. She reclaimed hers and he looked at her again.
"Thanks for running with me, Logan," she said quickly. "If you're ever bored," she pointed, "that's my house. I could use some company that isn't my brother's friends."
He grinned and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
They trotted off in different directions, and Ruby was left to a more peaceful solitude than she'd felt in a month. "That's better," she murmured as she closed her door and headed toward the shower. It seemed a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and there was an unfamiliar sensation on her face – a smile....
After all, her parents were dead. Jamie had lost track of most of her friends, and she had no way to find them – not that she was sure she wanted to. They would all be over sixty. Her very best friend, Julie, had known about her father's talent, and had been one of the few who'd believed Jamie and stayed in touch. Unfortunately, Julie had died of a stomach cancer eleven years ago.
Ruby snorted. Eleven years ago she'd been a child. It was utterly bizarre to believe that she'd missed forty years of everyone else's life. Even her brother was a complete stranger to her now.
She felt incredibly lonely.
She stood as she heard voices in the hall. A shadow hovered, visible through the bubbled glass window of the door, and she heard Jamie talking to someone – a student, from the sound of it, though she only caught a few words. There was a burst of laughter, and Jamie came in, shaking his head.
He smiled when he saw her. "Sorry about the wait," he said, moving around his desk and gesturing her into a chair.
She perched on the edge of the chair she'd vacated.
Jamie chuckled. "I love teaching these precocious kids."
"I never thought you'd... you'd want to be a teacher."
He smiled at fond memories. "The teachers here gave me everything. I can't imagine being anywhere else." He straightened up and looked at her, and a stack of papers fell into his hand from nowhere. He set it on his desk and abruptly looked uncomfortable.
Ruby sighed. That was the look he got when he wanted to tell her something unpleasant.
He skirted around the topic. "How are you getting along? You like the new place?"
She shrugged. "It's nice. I guess I'm getting used to things."
He nodded. "Good. Well, I wanted to see you today because – no more visions?" he interrupted himself.
"Nothing since the first week." That wasn't strictly true. She seemed to have developed a strange sort of double vision, seeing things happen seconds before they happened. She'd spent hours people-watching; it was something she could actually control, among her powers and among her life. Perhaps the only thing in her control.
If Jamie sensed her holding back, he gave no indication of it. He took a breath, as though to gather himself, and said, "I tracked Richard down."
Ruby's heart gave a lurch as she felt simultaneous waves of hope and despair. Jamie handed her a piece of paper from his stack. "I didn't know what you'd want to do, but you can get in touch with him that way. We haven't talked since – well, we had a fight about you coming back."
"He didn't believe I was alive," Ruby said softly.
Jamie's slow nod seemed loaded. Ruby ached to see Richard, to have him hold her, but... even if he had believed Jamie, it had been over forty years. She knew, even as she wished it were otherwise, that he couldn't have simply put his life on hold all that time and pined for her.
She wouldn't really have wanted him to.
She wanted to go home.
"I'm sorry," Jamie was saying.
"It's okay," she cut in quickly, before he could elaborate. "It's not like he could have stopped aging for me or something." She stood abruptly. Jamie looked at her in surprise. "I'm gonna go... go."
She folded the piece of paper with Richard's address.
"Anything you need, Ruby, just let me know," he called after her. Just like he always offered.
Ruby bit her tongue and held back tears. Anything she needed, James got for her. He'd arranged a house for her, a little cottage just outside the school grounds. Someone came and mowed the lawn every couple days. He'd given her a credit card, and offered to get her a ride any time she needed to go anywhere. He made sure her kitchen was stocked, and several times friends of his had stopped by to drop of casseroles. Ruby munched on fruits and veggies and the casseroles grew cold in her fridge.
She broke into a trot as she came into sight of her cottage, and was running when she hit the door.
She let out a scream of frustration as soon as the door was shut. She pounded her fists against the wall and kicked the door, then sank to the floor and pounded on that. She indulged in an all-out temper tantrum, until she lay red-faced and gasping on the floor.
Slowly, she got her breath back. "Good thing I'm so well balanced and non-suicidal," she whispered into emptiness.
She levered herself off the floor and walked into the bathroom. Splashing her face with cold water restored her equilibrium, but she still didn't want to think.
She changed into shorts and a tank top. Her running shoes were new, courtesy of James.
She stretched quickly and set off at a job for the running path that circled the luxurious school grounds. She pounded down the path, then made an effort and smoothed her gait.
At least when she was physically exhausted she slept dreamlessly. It was hardly a solution, but Ruby had thrown herself into whatever exertions she could think of. Then she focused on the pain of protesting muscles and ignored self-pitying thoughts.
And, one small positive thing... she could see her improvements in her body. It took a lot longer to wear herself out, and that meant a lot more of her time was occupied.
It took her a little while to realize that she was being followed. She slowed her page just a little and the doubling of footsteps slowed to match. She might have thought it was her own footfalls, echoing, if she hadn't run here a dozen times and not noticed a similar effect.
She sped back up to her normal pace, listening hard. Not entirely sure what she was doing, she concentrated like she had as she'd developed her foresight over the last month.
Then, without actually doing it, she thought about turning her head to look back at whoever was shadowing her. In a flash of red like an afterimage – a foreimage – she saw who it was following her, and then changed her mind about turning her head.
It was the man who'd flown the helicopter when James had come to get her. She was less concerned with that than the fact that she'd seen him with her power. She wasn't sure how useful that could be, but it was something to think about.
Ruby wondered why he was following her. She'd seen him around a couple times – he was noticeable, with his short, stocky build and wild appearance. She wondered if he was a teacher – she wondered what he could be a teacher of.
She kept running, finding his presence, oddly enough, almost comforting. He probably was just jogging, perhaps pacing her without even being aware of it, but having someone so in time with her made Ruby feel a little less lonely.
At last, lungs burning and calves aching, Ruby slowed to a walk. The pilot – if she'd heard his name, she didn't remember it – fell into place beside her. She noticed that he was barely winded.
"Must be nice," she managed, "to be in such good shape."
He chuckled. "I try to keep up."
She forced a deep breath and her lungs stopped protesting so much. "I don't know about keeping up. Seems you could have passed me a while ago."
He laughed again but kept his answer to, "Maybe so."
They walked in silence for a few minutes. Ruby expected him to pick his pace up again, but he seemed content to walk now.
"How do you like it... here?" she asked, almost timidly but eager to talk to someone.
He shrugged. "It has its good points."
He didn't seem inclined to elaborate, but she didn't think it was because he minded the question.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"Hmmm." He scratched an ear. "Suppose Canada, near's it can be reckoned." He paused a moment, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "You?"
"Massachusetts."
"Ah, right. Where we picked you up. Are you Redbourne's niece?"
Ruby stopped walking. "His sister," she said softly. He turned to regard her with curiosity. "It would have told you more to ask when I'm from."
They had nearly completed a circuit of the grounds, and Ruby's cottage was within sight. She leaned against a tree and really looked at him.
He raised an eyebrow in response to her comment, and something in his expression told Ruby that somehow he could understand. She found herself telling him – an abbreviated version of – the whole story.
"So a month ago I was visiting home from college, to tell my parents about my fiancé, and now they and all my friends are dead or gone." She reddened a little and hoped she wasn't whining. "I'm sorry. You probably don't – "
"It's all right," he cut her off. "Everyone needs someone to talk to sometimes."
"Thanks," she said. She liked that he was the same height as her. "I haven't told anyone... much of anything. Now I've told a stranger...."
"Call me Logan," he said.
"I'm Ruby." She held out a hand, which he shook. As they touched she got a startling image of him wearing only pants, running toward her with a ferocious expression on his face, and carrying a strange set of blades. Before she could make sense of it the image was gone.
"You okay?" he was asking.
"Yeah, I just... saw something...."
He looked over his shoulder doubtfully, then back at her.
She shook her head. "Sometimes I see things before they happen."
"What did you see?" he asked slowly.
She responded just as slowly. "It looked like... you were attacking me. But," she searched for words, "when I see things, I sometimes get feelings. I don't think you were going to hurt me."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, and Ruby realized they still had their hands clasped. She reclaimed hers and he looked at her again.
"Thanks for running with me, Logan," she said quickly. "If you're ever bored," she pointed, "that's my house. I could use some company that isn't my brother's friends."
He grinned and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
They trotted off in different directions, and Ruby was left to a more peaceful solitude than she'd felt in a month. "That's better," she murmured as she closed her door and headed toward the shower. It seemed a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and there was an unfamiliar sensation on her face – a smile....