by IsYourH3artTaken

Hear No Evil

06

Misery Loves My Company

I go home that night with a clearer head. Despite my conscience being a tangled web of guilt and paranoia, at least I'm in a better frame of mind to tolerate it. I know everything won't magically be solved in one day. Or at least not by the boys' definition of 'magic.' If it were that easy, I'm sure we'd all be able to go back to our undisciplined ways like that night at the Dells. I'd never be able to hold a cup of spiked punch in my hand again without thinking of police sirens, taking a nasty spill outside the party-zone grounds or power wielding teenage boys who almost ended up on those recorded car chases you see on Tv.

Driving to my house at night feels pretty weird now, like my car is about to fall to pieces. It wasn't a bother before as the roads leading to my neighborhood are pretty tame by the time I pull into the driveway, but now it feels like something is waiting for me in the bushes every time I get out and walk up to the front porch. Seeing the lights through the windows though makes me feel better, knowing my parents are inside and safe. I don't want to imagine what it'd be like coming back to find it dark and empty. Whatever is going on with these visions, with the person that's causing this ugly thing to awaken in me, I have to keep my parents out of it.

Locking the front door, I trudge up the stairs, my school bag feeling heavy as bricks the higher I go up. I sigh in comfort when I finally open my bedroom door, drop my backpack at the foot of my bed and start to change into my sleepwear. My parents went to bed early tonight, so I know I'll have to tip toe around the kitchen when I go downstairs to peruse the pantry. I'm just pulling an old t-shirt over my head when my cell vibrates on my nightstand.

"Hello?" I answer through a yawn.

"Hey, it's me," Kate greets.

Something about her tone makes me pause. She sounds sad. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

It's quiet on the other end of the line for a moment. "Pogue and I had a fight."

"Why? What happened?"

"I don't know. He came to my room tonight and started going off about Chase, saying he didn't trust him and how I should stay away from him," she vents and her tone angrily shifts. "It's like he thinks I'm gonna cheat on him or something. Can you believe it?"

Awkwardness pools at my ankles and I can't help but the think of the same gruff concern Pogue had expressed toward Chase and me talking in the hall at school. Did his disdain for the fellow swimmer really go that deep? Maybe he was just a protective guy, especially toward his girlfriend. I can't blame him when he has someone so great as Kate but I don't grasp why he'd be bothered about who I speak to.

"Maybe he's just trying to look out for you," I tell her. "I mean, I know jealous guys are annoying but... he cares about you a lot and doesn't want to see any creeps around you."

"It's not only that," Kate admits. "He's been acting weird lately. When we're together it's like he has something else on his mind."

"He's probably thinking about beating Chase up."

"So not helping, Cora!" Kate exclaims but her laughter bursts through the receiver and it makes me giggle too. "I'm being serious, though. What if... what if he's thinking about someone else?"

Uh, oh. "That's impossible. Pogue's crazy about you."

"He's not acting that way. His head isn't in our relationship anymore. It's been like this since the party at the Dells."

My conscience does a sickening flip. Is the thing I have been dreading finally taking course? Is my best friend and the guy I've been harboring a massive crush on, who happens to be her boyfriend, coming to an end? Because of me? But how? Yeah, I tend to act a little awkward and emotionally sporadic in front of Pogue, maybe even a tad spastic but I can't remember doing or saying anything that would show signs of my feelings. And he doesn't act any different with me than he does with Reid or Tyler.

Right?

"Maybe he's just worried someone is gonna take you from him. It's not weird for guys to think that way. They get insecure about stuff like that too, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kate murmurs. She sighs softly, but sounds a little more at ease than she was when she initially called. "I gotta go now. Sarah just walked in. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, definitely. Goodnight, Kate."

"Night, Cora."

I pull my phone away from my ear and toss it on my bed with an exhale, watching it bounce on my comforter a few times. The whole situation feels like it's stemmed from my own doing somehow. On top of the reoccurring nightmares, mirrors breaking in my face and every little life threatening detail, the last thing I want is for other people to feel the effects of whatever is happening to me... this curse. I don't want to become a bad omen to my friends and family, but I guess I was all along and I just didn't know it; it just took my whole life and a late night party with a band of warlocks to switch it on. Now my best friend's relationship is crumbling because of it.

If I didn't feel like a bad friend before, I really do now.

0000

The next morning, the halls of Spenser Academy resumes like it would during any other semester where I had no knowledge that teenage boys could levitate their cars with their minds. Private schools have a tendency to pile on the homework load compared to charter or public institutions; or if the assignments are fair, they're just insanely difficult to finish. The professors are no small influence either. I guess I'm doing alright given the fact that they haven't sent me to Provost Higgins office yet and students usually see him under negative circumstances.

I feel confident enough to keep focused during classes, but the part of the day that really unnerves me is going home and having to finish the work in the comfort of my own room. Or lack thereof. I know I won't be able to keep this under wraps from my parents for long. The visions won't stop coming and as long as they do, the more I'm going to scream and put those around me in danger.

"It became apparent that the view of civil liberties..." the History teacher's voice pulls from my thoughts. "... needing no special protection was not widely shared." Someone knocks on the door. "Come in." A girl I recognize from Geometry walks in then and hands the teacher a note without a word. "Thank you," the teacher says as she turns to leave. "Twelve amendments were suggested, called the what, Ms. Snider?"

"The Bill of Rights."

"Right you are. Arguably, the first being the most important. Read it for us, Mr. Simms." He gazes toward a concentrated Chase. "Mr. Collins, you're wanted in the Provost's office," he tells him before nodding back at the youngest warlock. "Mr. Simms."

Tyler rolls his eyes. It's the first time I've seen his baby faced features look irritated, but not so much of a scowl to where he rivals blonde best friend. He begrudgingly opens up his textbook and flips to the appropriate page. "Congress shall make no law, respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

I zone out for a moment to the sound of Tyler's monotone voice, tapping the erasure end of my pencil against my notebook. Chase quietly steps down from the aisle then and makes his way to the door, throwing a small smirk over his shoulder at Caleb who looks less then recuperative. He almost downright glares at the Collins kid. That's weird. They acted fine to each other before. Why is Caleb suddenly so standoffish?

Boys... I think glumly to myself, shaking my head as I listen to Tyler finishing up reading the passage.

When class ends, I gather my book bag and head out for my locker. My next free period won't be until another couple hours and in a haste, I switch out some books and supplies for my next class. This one I'll be sharing with Kate. I hadn't seen her since yesterday and I can't wait to talk to her since she sounded so frustrated about Pogue over the phone. And speaking of which... I've been trying my hardest to avoid the guy. I spotted him earlier in the halls a few times and it took superhuman will for me not to acknowledge him or make a dash to a different door before he could see me first.

But I haven't seen him for hours. I can only hope that pattern goes on until end of the day.

"Cora."

I freeze.

Oh, no.

"Hey, Cora."

Turning my head, I see none other than Pogue Parry shouldering past a group of students blocking the way to my locker. He has one thumb hooked under the book bag strap on his shoulder, a handsome grin pulling at his lips and I swear I feel my heart pound against my rib cage. The last of my courage leaving me.

Not wanting to be too obvious, I smile faintly and wave in his direction before closing my locker door and rushing off down the hall, hoping the wave of students would hide me from him. After finding out about him and Kate's fight, it doesn't feel right talking to him. They should make up before I resume any sort of contact with him, even if it's just me waving 'hello.' Coupled with my crush, it's like going behind my best friend's back. Especially when you take into account that the happy pair, or once happy anyway, are on the outs.

Would things still stayed the same if I hadn't talked to him so much? I can't but think about that.

It sucks.

I walk into my next class and join the free space next to Kate. Her hair is pulled back into a smooth ponytail and it swishes from side to side when she looks over at me.

"Hey," she smiles brightly. "What's up?"

I hope the anxiety of seeing Pogue in the hall earlier doesn't show on my face. "Nothing," I shrug with the answer. "Just been tired lately."

"Yeah, me too," Kate frowns. "My head's been killing me."

"Do you wanna come by my house later?"

"Sure. Sarah has a date with Caleb so I don't wanna be myself tonight."

I smile at that. "So... nothing from Pogue?"

"He called me, like, ten times last night. Can you believe him?" She rolls her eyes. "He's crazy if he thinks I'm gonna take him back just like that."

"But you are, aren't you?" God, please say 'yes.'

"Not until he admits he was being stupid."

"I'm sure he will soon," I say. "Maybe it's all the chlorine going to his head."

Kate giggles, clicking the top of her mechanical pencil.

Whew, I thought. That was a close one. I don't know what I'd do if they'd split for good. Yeah, I'd have to avoid Pogue for the rest of my high school life and if graduation wasn't so far away, that wouldn't be such a bad thing. But Pogue has a tendency of showing up everywhere and unintentionally flexing his biceps whenever he moves his arms. And smirking. And smelling like the most expensive mall store cologne. Just thinking about him is enough to make me blush and I quickly open my text book to hide that fact from Kate.

Class starts then and I sigh with relief as my thoughts subside for the time being. Even though finding out what I am has been unraveling parts of my life, it'd be nice to hold on to control of something and school hasn't been showing signs of completely falling apart in my hands. Not yet anyway.

0000

With the sun setting early in the evening now, by the time classes are over, the sky is cloudy but still a faded powder blue. My free period for the day lets me out an hour before everyone else so I eagerly skip down the stairs to my car waiting in the parking to get ready to go home and prepare for when Kate comes by later. It's been a while since she came over. Usually when she does I have the house to myself but it won't be so bad with my parents there. At least if we make a mess in my bedroom and spill nail polish on my carpet they won't be able to see the stain.

I walk leisurely to my parking spot, the front and back windshield littered with orange crunchy leaves. The wind blows strand of hair in my eyes as I dig in my school bag for my keys, so strong that it sounds like whistling and I can't hear anything else beside that. Then a hand touches my arm.

I spin around and my back slams against the driver's side door, heart hammering. But it's just Pogue.

Somehow seeing him doesn't help my accelerating pulse at all and I feel that dry lump forming in my throat again. I swallow stiffly.

"Um... hi," I say, adjusting my book bag over my shoulder.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he says, sounding just as uneasy which is weird coming from him. Earlier in the halls when he first saw me he appeared calm and collected like he always is, but maybe he finally realized I was intentionally dodging his every move. "Did I do something? You've been avoiding me."

Guess he did. "No, of course not. I've just been pretty busy. You know... lots of homework."

"Yeah, I've figured." His sticks his hands in his pockets then, thumbs jutting out. "You going home?"

I nod. "I was, yeah."

"Can we talk for second? Just me and you? I, uh-" He reaches up and runs a hand through his locks, the very tips a little damp. He must have had swim practice today... no, no, the mental image of him in sopping wet trunks is not something I need right now. Be appropriate, be appropriate. "There's something you should know."

"What is it?"

"No, not here." He glances over his shoulder then at his bike parked a few spaces down. He inclines his head toward it. "Let's go."

"What?"

"I know a place where we can be alone. Away from school."

"Right now?"

"Come on, I know you're not a girl who's scared of bikes."

"Maybe I am when you're the one driving it."

That makes him pause and just gaze at me, his eyes roaming down my features and the corner of his lips quirk up more the seconds pass. "You trust me, right?" His voice is unusually quiet.

"Of course," I reply, shifting my weight. "But I sort of made plans with Kate after school. She's coming over my house later."

Pogue nods, not looking bothered at all by it. "I'll drive you back to your car after," he insists, sounding near desperate to talk.

It must really be important then. I ponder what to do for a moment, gazing down at my school shoes and thinking about going home anyway and getting ready for the night or sparing half an hour and listening to whatever my best friend's boyfriend has to say... maybe he needs relationship advice on how to fix their fight? I don't know why he'd come to me for that when he has three male best friends to go to for better advice. Well... maybe Caleb. I don't know so much about Reid and Tyler. Especially Reid.

With a sigh, I follow Pogue to his bike. I feel bad for avoiding him all morning but I tell myself it was in the name of friendship, even though I don't know how well that will work out in the end considering I haven't been totally honest with Kate. But how can you admit that all your life you had this inhuman ability inside that allowed you to see certain visions, pictures of the past, present and future and you couldn't keep from screaming bloody murder whenever it happened? And surprise, the guy who also pertains to this mystical power is the same one you're dating - the one I have a crush on. You can't say that.

I can't anyways. But if he meant what he said and that it'll only take a minute to talk and he'd have me back here before it gets dark, I guess I can play along.

Who knows. Maybe I can convince him to apologize to Kate sooner and they'd finally make up. And avoiding him will be a lot easier again.

I slide the strap of my book bag across my chest before hopping on the back of Pogue's bike and tentatively holding onto his waist. He kick-starts the motor and it revs up with a deafening roar, zooming out of the parking lot and into the street within seconds. I really hope no one is around to see that.

Pogue's bike speeds ahead for several minutes down the narrow stretch of linear road and I have to peer around his wide shoulder to see where we're heading. There's still daylight out but it wanes a little as we near the woods, a big patch of oak trees that I'm sure very few people actually walk through unless they like hiking. Or have some creepy mansion with magical books hidden in the basement. Some real Hitchcock stuff.

The wind has died down too as the bike slows to a stop on the side of the road and Pogue kicks out the stand. His big hands grip the sides of his red helmet and he lifts it from his head, his hair ruffling by the motion and something in my gut stirs deep. God, he's too good-looking. Is it too late to run all the way back to Spenser? Probably. Maybe if I took off my shoes I could make it back before they tape new announcements to the bulletin board.

Anxious to be away from his attractive vibes, I hop off the bike first, holding the strap of my bag like it's a life preserve and wait for him as he sets the helmet behind him and swings off too. No, don't look at his thighs, I tell myself and turn my head away like the nearest tree trunk is fascinating. It's cool. It's totally fine... I don't want to throw myself in front the next oncoming car by how nervous I am.

"Come on." Pogue gestures for me to follow deeper into the woods then and stalks ahead of me.

I hesitate and just watch him for a moment before eventually trailing after too. The ground is packed with fallen leaves, a mix of cherry red, faded yellow and lime green with broken twigs everywhere that my foot ends up getting stuck in a shallow hole and my knee almost gives out.

"Whoa, careful," Pogue murmurs and his hand automatically stretches out. His fingertips graze mine but I don't hold on right away. "I won't let you fall."

He looks into my eyes and the sudden moment of clumsiness makes me giggle, looking down as I squeeze his fingers with my own and pull my leg out, hand holding his. When I look up, his lips are quirked in a subtle smirk. But I let go as soon as I regain footing and walk ahead, shadowing his lead while he strides past towering trees and ones that have been cut down to stumps. There's even a few broken down gates built in square or circle shapes, like there was once a house there and it got torn down.

We stop in the middle of a clearing after a while of walking and Pogue turns apprehensively to me.

"Do you bring Kate here?" I ask.

"No." Pogue runs a hand down the back of his neck and his gaze darts away for a second. "I used to come here with the boys when we were kids. We did all kinds of crazy shit."

That makes me laugh a little. "I can imagine."

Silence falls between us. My eyes linger away and so does his, but no matter how hard I try I can't get myself to relax. It's making me feel terrible enough that I'm out here with him to begin with when Kate is going to come over my house later and she can't know that I had a secret conversation with her boyfriend that she's still annoyed with. But we're not doing anything. I'm even keeping a three-feet distance rule... but why does it feel wrong? It does.

"So what did you wanna talk about?" I say after a beat and look at Pogue again to see him absently loosening his school tie.

He pauses at that. "Look, I know I was a dick to you earlier about Chase, but-"

"Pogue, it's fine, you don't have to explain it to me again. I know why you freaked. It's okay, seriously."

"That's not it."

"What do you mean?"

"Chase is-" He takes in a breath then. "He might not be what you think. Caleb says he's hiding something, that he might be one of us."

"He has the Power? But I thought the fifth son died."

Pogue shrugs. "He did. That's what the Book says anyway, but Caleb saw his eyes turn black when he raced him in the pool."

Oh, that. I remember hearing about that after getting out of gym earlier and it was a huge deal for the swim team and regular faculty alike. Caleb Danvers losing in his prized stroke? No one has beat him in years. "Are you sure Caleb wasn't just mad?" I ask, doubtful. Picturing the Collins guy, his approachable grin and infectious laugh, is hard to paint over in a light like Aaron. Adding magical powers to the equation, on the more destructive side, was even more ridiculous. "You guys can be so dramatic sometimes too."

"What?" Pogue frowns then. "No, Caleb wouldn't lie about what he saw. When one of us uses, you can't fake that. Everything about you changes... you don't look or feel human."

"Whoa," I muttered, wringing the strap of my book bag in my hands. A part of me can relate. "So he could be like you guys? A warlock?"

"I don't know," Pogue admits. "It sounds too crazy to be true for me too. I don't like the dude, you know that, but I can't believe that there could have been someone out there like us and we didn't know about it. Why would he come around now?"

This was unreal. Chase has been talking to us for weeks and has done nothing except maybe getting a little too close to Kate's merchandise. "Maybe he wants to know his lost brothers?"

"Maybe." Pogue's brows furrow then and he slides his hands in the front pockets of his slacks. "Caleb wants to find some answers tonight. If what he thinks is true, I just wanted to tell you to watch your back. And Kate's. If anything happened to her and you-"

"I'll look out for her. I promise."

"Thank you." Appreciation saturates Pogue's eyes as they skim down my face slowly and my cheeks burn so much I have to act like I'm tucking a strand of hair behind my ear to disguise it. Relax, I tell myself. Just calm down. Don't look at him. It's easier to live that way.

"Why did you bring me all the way out here to tell me this?"

"Seemed like a safe bet. No one really comes around here anymore."

I guess that makes sense. Given that him and Kate are on a rocky road, it won't be good if someone saw us talking in seclusion in Spenser's parking lot, especially if they were the gossiping kind who loved to twist scenes out of context. People like Kira. The idea of someone catching a glimpse, even way out here sends paranoid chills down my back. What if someone who goes to our school drive down the highway and sees Pogue's infamous bike?

"I'm guessing Kate told you about our fight." His voice pulls me out of my worried musing.

I nodded awkwardly, looking down at my leaf covered shoes.

"She still mad?"

"Well, you didn't exactly make the best case for yourself."

"I know. I just hate thinking of that tool hurting her." He stops then and just studies me for a moment when I stay quiet, not knowing what to say and not trusting my pounding heart to refrain from blurting something incriminating. "Still think I'm a good boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I do, actually," I respond and meet his gaze. His eyes, clear and bright, lock with mine and as if reading my thoughts his expression lifts. Don't you do it, I say in my head. Don't you dare smile at me-

But he does.

I'm toast.

"I mean," I hurry to cover up my flub. "She knows how much you love her."

Just like that Pogue's features darkens a little bit again. "Right," he murmurs and clears his throat. He turns his head to the road where his precious bike waits, the yellow paint peeking in between the thicket of bushes and tree trunks.

"We should go back to school before the bell rings," I say.

"There's more."

"What else?"

His face turns back toward me, breeze rustling the ends of his hair and dear god, he looks like something out of a high fashion magazine right now and I can't think straight when it's just him and I. Clear and cohesive sentences form in my brain but the constant outrageous spinning in my gut chops it up like mushed carrots when I try to express it. It's bad. My crush has always been a game breaker since I met him, but it gets progressively worse and worse.

Pogue hand's lifts slowly, reaching for my face and his thumb is inches away from meeting my cheek until it stretches for a chunk of hair above my ear as he dislodges something thin and crispy. A leaf. I didn't even feel it fall in and I absently pat the spot where he found it, noticing him smirk and let it fall down next to his shoe. I giggle nervously, trying to mask his sudden wave of anxious by how he's looking at me and push my loose hair behind my ears. Okay, at least act like you got it together.

"Cora, I-" Pogue says then, his voice more serious than I've ever heard from him. I lift my chin to look at him, seeing him slowly lick his lips and swallow, like he doesn't know what to say next. He shifts his footing. "Nevermind. It can wait."

"Are you sure?" I say, confused by the abrupt switch.

He just nods. "Yeah. I'll take you back to your car."

"Okay."

I hold the strap of my book bag close to my chest as I follow him to his bike, waiting without a scratch. He mounts it in two simple motions, helmet glossy in his giant hands and I take a little more time in getting myself situated behind him, stuffing my school bag between us but having to press myself a little bit closer to him so I can hang on to his wait. His narrow, toned waist. Is that an ab muscle I feel? Oh hell no, I can't faint right now. I'll just die.

When we pull up to Spenser's parking lot, every car is gone except for mine and a few faculty member's. I haul myself from Pogue's ride and wave 'bye', watching him grin back and I turn around so quickly I nearly give myself whiplash.

What a great way to end the day.

0000

Kate and I spend the evening in my room, the radio turned on low to a station she likes, curled up on my carpet with toe separators on her feet and she intricately paints her nails while gabbing to me about everything juicy going on at Spenser Academy. Not once does she bring up her boyfriend. I had to mentally thank God for that as I nodded my head along to whatever she was saying, half listening and the other half getting pulled back under the waters of my own paranoia. Not because I had a secret meeting with Pogue but more and more, I've been wondering how long this ruse will last.

Hopefully until graduation. At least then I'll be out of high school, away from town to a university and maybe whatever has been stalking me will have subsided. Or the boys will have caught. Well, here's to hoping anyway...

After Kate leaves, I retire up to my room and shut the door. It's boring and quiet without her to shake things up but now I can finish up assignments due tomorrow. I flop on my front on the bed and flip through my binder, humming along to the song playing on the radio.

Then someone knocks on the door.

"Come in," I say.

The knob turns slowly and squeaks open an inch. "Cora?" Mom's head peeks around the gap. "Good, you're not asleep." She walks in all the way then and shuts the door behind her, leaning her back against it. "Can you turn that down? There's something I want to ask you."

I huff as I slid off the bed and click the 'off' button on the radio. The whole room goes silent now and Mom shuffles closer to the mattress, sitting pensively at the edge. "We haven't been seeing much of you lately."

"Yeah, I've been getting tons of homework," I answer and climb back on my comforter.

"Are you okay?"

Her tone and the way her brows pull low over her eyes make me pause. "What do you mean?"

"You've been acting different. Even when you're at home, you don't leave your room and you don't talk to me or your Dad anymore." She stares at me plainly. "And it started when your mirror broke."

Damn it, I think mentally, my pulse pounding. Remember, Cora, poker face. "Oh, it's nothing, I'm fine," I lie. "I feel bad Dad had to spend that much money to get me a new mirror but-"

"No," Mom interrupts then. "Not that."

I swallow the lump in my throat, surprised that she saw through that so quickly but at the same time, it isn't a shocker. She is a mother after all. "To be honest, Mom, I have been having a rough time. It's... it's hard to explain. I wouldn't know where to start." More like, I don't know if I can at all... for the sake of both her and Dad's safety.

"Why don't you start with your dreams?"

"What?"

Mom smiles. "You're having dreams, right? Nightmares?"

"Yeah, but how did-"

"You're not the first to get them." Mom situates herself more comfortably on my bed, turning so she can look at me better. "I remember the stories your great-grandmother used to tell me of the Salem Witch trials. Not an appropriate subject for an eight year old back then but she did what she could to make it light. I always knew she was different but it wasn't until her funeral when I was about your age that I knew why. My mother came to me and told me everything."

Her words sink into me slowly, like honey on my fingers. "Mom," I whisper. "Are you one too? Are you a-" I struggle to remember what they were called in the book. "An Oracle?"

She chuckles. "No. But this gift runs in the women in our family. The only one I knew who possessed these kinds of abilities was your great-grandmother and the one she knew what her mother's mother. I know, I know, it's complicated." She waved her hand at my stunned expression.

"But why does this happen?" I ask. "What do we have to do with the families that were accused all those years ago and their ancestors today?"

"It's on our blood, I suppose. You know, it took me awhile to realize something wasn't right myself. I kept hearing stories about our family, the generations before us and none of it made sense because there was no proof. No surviving family from these stories and no pictures. It wasn't natural. So much history but nothing to account from it."

"We had to go into hiding, right? Change our last name so no one could find us?"

Mom nodded. "We couldn't risk being found, in case the families needed us. To warn the survivors of the five families if something threatened that line between a natural born gift and a tyrant." She stops then and thinks for a moment. "The night you came home from the party when your mirror broke... you met them, didn't you? The sons?"

I nod. "One of them is Kate's boyfriend." I leave out the part where I'm crushing mad on him.

"It was the same way for your great-grandmother when she met the last descendants. Your abilities lay dormant until the time comes when they need them the most."

So the Book really is true. I'm supposed to be like an alarm system to the boys power usage and outside threats that could possibly out them of their secret. Or people like themselves looking to wreck havoc. Is that why Caleb suspects of Chase? Thinking of the baby faced, blue eyed boy, I can't imagine him acting malicious to anyone, let alone to students he hung out with more than once.

Maybe whatever is happening inside me is making us all jumpy.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I say.

"I didn't want to scare you," Mom responds with a frown. "Or worse, put you in a situation that you weren't ready for yet. This gift passed down to us is fate and getting in the way of it, even if it meant warning you and drawing danger to you sooner, didn't feel right."

"Does Dad know?"

"No. He doesn't seem to have a clue about any of it, in fact, and I'm thankful for it. You know your Dad's never been the best at managing stress."

She's right about that. Between all the work he does down at the dentist's office, he wouldn't be able to grasp, let alone cope with the fact that his only kid knows a band of warlocks. And is having visions. If I think things are already splitting at the seams now... nothing will compare to that kind of fallout.

"But how do I do this, Mom?" I tell her. "How do I control what I have to help them?"

Mom sucks in a breath and slowly lets it back out. "I wish I had all the answers, but all I can say is... you gotta go with your instincts, babe. Whatever it is. This gift was passed down to you for a reason and whatever lied inside your great-grandmother and all the women before her is in you now."

No pressure, I guess.

"I'm sorry I'm not more of a help but-" she shrugs her shoulders. "I wasn't one of the chosen."

"Of course you are. You're my mom."

Mom smiles and covers my hand with her own, broader but soft. "I'm proud of you for trying to handle this on your own, but for God's sake, tell me next time when something is wrong. I'll never know what it's like to see the things you see, but I'll always be here for you when you need it... whatever I can do."

"Thanks, Mom. I will."

Tying her robe more securely around her waist, Mom stands and heads for the door, peering down at the tiny bundle of laundry propped next to my clothes hamper and shakes her head as if she can't believe such an untidy person could come from her. The door handle creaks when she twists it open and steps out into the darkened hallway, but before she clicks the door shut again, she pauses in the middle of the door frame and just stares at me. Her eyebrows knit together in a shallow line.

"What is going on, Cora?" She murmurs. "What kind of danger are you sensing?"

Apprehension swims laps in my gut like waves of nausea. She wants to know... she wants to know everything but I can't tell her. Whatever is stalking me might find out about it and come after them and I have to do everything in my painfully human ability to prevent that. After all, I am still human, aren't I? I'm not super strong and can't move things in my mind like the boys can but what I can, even if it is just pictures in my head of the past or future, can be put to good use. I just have to figure it out.

My supernatural stalker once wrote 'I know' onto the school's bathroom mirror to scare me. It worked. It did scare me. I'm scared of letting my friends and family getting harmed because of me, so much that I can't take it anymore. I won't. And it's time to do something about it.

"One of the boys are about to ascend," I finally answer Mom so she doesn't grow too suspicious. "They're using too much of their power."

I cross my fingers behind my leg so she doesn't see. The crinkle between Mom's brows deepens and it doesn't look like she's catching on to the filtered truth but maybe it's false; maybe she's pretending to be satisfied with the answer because she knows eventually she'll find out the truth, like tonight. It's just a matter of time. And that's the problem.

"Be careful," is all Mom tells me. "It's a dangerous world."

"I will."

Mom shuts the door then, leaving me alone in my drafty room with the ceiling fan spinning round and around above. The homework laid on neatly on my comforter becomes forgotten as I flop down on my back and stare up at the wall, fingers drumming on my stomach in thought, but they're not as much of a complicated jumble as they usually are when I'm left alone to dwell on them. All thanks to Mom. It's such a weight lift to finally spill the secret that until now only the boys knew and could only ever know. Now that Mom has pieced it together, I don't have to walk on egg shells inside my own house so much anymore, which will make school a hell of a lot easier. And living in general.

Still, I can't shake the feeling that there's a clue staring me right in the face and I can't see it. For once, I can't see it. All these turn in events has to mean something... Caleb growing suspicions of Chase Collins, Mom confronting me about my ability, and the relationships being tested because of it. It has to have a link. I wish I could go to the boys for this, but what's been happening with the Collins guy, I'm sure they have plenty on their minds. At least I have my parents now... one of them nevertheless.

But after tonight, it has to stay like that.

It's a dangerous world.

Don't I know it, Mom, I think to myself. Don't I know it...

A/N: Things should be picking up more now that we're getting close to the end of the movie but the final events won't be happening for a little while longer since I need more time to built stuff up. I know it seems like Pogue and Cora won't be going anywhere because of Kate but I think I have it all planned out and I hope you like how it ends. :)

Sorry for these long breaks between updates but I promise I haven't lost interest in the story. I'm still determined to see it through!

Thanks for reading! Love you guys.