The boys raced ahead of me down the stairs. When I reached the door, they already stood in the darkened expanse of grass with Jim. Each held sparklers and drew designs in the air. Nana sat on the porch steps, watching their pretty patterns.
Emmitt waited by the bottom step. The two sparklers he held illuminated his face. A hint of a smile tickled his lips as our eyes met, and he drew me in with his dark-eyed focus. When I stepped down, he handed me a sparkler. Our hands brushed. With that contact, I left the real world behind.
A very young girl dressed in lounge pants and a loose top, sat cross-legged in a spot of sunlight on a living room floor. At first glance, she appeared twelve, but as I watched her move, I guessed she was closer to her late teens than her early teens.
So many open books littered the brown area rug under her that they surrounded her in an almost complete circle. She removed one from her lap and set it on top of another open book. Turning slightly, she pulled a new one into her lap and leafed through the pages. She kept her ash blonde head bent over the text, intently studying it as she took notes in a spiral notebook also resting in her lap.
I looked out the window to try to see where we were. Oddly, despite the sunlight, the other side of the street lay shrouded in mist. I could only see as far as the curb bordering her front yard. Turning back, I tried to look for anything else that might help me figure out who she was.
Next to her lay a huge dog. Its massive head rested on its paws. As I watched, I noticed its gaze on the book set directly in front of it. I looked closer in amazement. Its eyes moved as if it read the words on the page.
Whoever this girl was, she owned an unusual pet. I tried to move closer to get a better look at her partially hidden face, but it felt as if I were wading through mud. I gave up and watched some more. The dog turned to look at the girl who’d been mumbling to herself. It showed its long sharp teeth, not in a menacing way but more of a weird doggy smile. The girl reached over, absently petting him, and he laid his head back down. Whoever she was, she looked peaceful and happy. And so did the dog.
The vision disappeared abruptly.
“Michelle?” Emmitt said, trying to get my attention. His hand still touched mine.
“Sorry,” I whispered in disbelief. “Daydreaming.”
He gave me a funny look but didn’t say anything further.
After years of wishing to have a premonition of something other than the stupid stock market, it finally happened. And when I had touched Emmitt. Holding the sparkler, I pulled my hand away and moved into the darkness. I wanted to think where his watchful gaze couldn’t observe my every reaction.
The premonition didn’t make much sense. I hadn’t recognized the girl, the room, or the dog. I waited for the premonition to repeat, but it didn’t.
I snuck a peek at Emmitt as he helped Aden light a new sparkler. He remained focused on the task and an abrupt pink glow lit their faces. My heart skipped a beat, and my stomach flipped. Maybe Emmitt was the key. I reacted to him physically every time I saw him.
My sparkler sputtered out, and I wandered back over to the porch to sit next to Nana.
The boys burned through the sparklers then sat on the porch to watch Jim’s small fireworks show. They loved it. Their first Fourth of July ever. And it really meant something. Three days without a sighting. Real freedom.
I watched Emmitt and wondered if I’d found where I was meant to be. But, was it actually safe to stay?
Chapter 6
A soft knock on our door woke me early Monday. I slid from between my sleeping brothers and quietly answered it.
“Morning,” Emmitt said. I liked the way he smiled at me.
“Could I borrow your truck?”
“Sure,” I whispered. I left him at the door and went to get the keys. “You can drive it any time you want,” I said handing them over. “But why the change from the motorcycle?”
He frowned a little. “Jim took it to work.”
I smiled at his disgruntled expression. “Tell Jim to take the truck tomorrow.”
After Emmitt left, I showered and got ready for the day. When the boys woke, we went downstairs, still not having any food in our apartment.
Nana called out to us when we reached the first floor. She had breakfast waiting and told the boys that Jim would be at work most of the day. Aden was noticeably disappointed. Three mornings of eating downstairs left me feeling like a mooch, but Nana didn’t seem to mind. When we finished, I insisted on doing the dishes.
Nana and the boys played a board game in the other room until I finished. Then we went outside. I sat on the step by Nana and watched the boys toss the ball back and forth.
The vision I had the day before of Emmitt and me in the bedroom still hadn’t repeated itself, and I suffered no ill effects from it. The sudden variation in my ability worried me because I didn’t know the rules. What did I need to do with the information? How long did I have to act on it? What consequences were there if I didn’t act on it?
I had no answers. I nibbled at my thumbnail, slowly removing the excess with my agitation. It didn’t help that I had nothing to do to distract myself from my thoughts. So, I fidgeted when I ran out of nail.
The crunch of gravel heralded Emmitt’s return several hours later. The boys dropped their ball and ran to watch him pull up to the porch. Lumber, a grill, and a bright yellow slide stuffed the back of the truck. As soon as Liam spotted the slide, he started to cheer. Aden, still clueless, joined in weakly.
Stunned, I sat on the porch and stared at the supplies for a swing set. I hadn’t even committed to how long we would stay. Sure, I wanted to stay, but I still hadn’t figured out what to do about Blake. He would track us down eventually. Leaving here permanently might keep these people safe from him, but it wouldn’t help us. I wasn’t sure what would. I needed to know more about what he planned, but the only way to learn more was to ask him. The thought of facing Blake set slivers of ice through me, and I pushed all thoughts of him away.
The supplies in the back weren’t all Emmitt had purchased. A mountain of grocery bags clogged the front seat. When Emmitt opened the door to step out, I stood and asked if we could help carry in his things.
“Actually, they’re your groceries.”
He’d purchased a ridiculous amount of food, but I didn’t comment. I handed a bag to each of the boys, and they took off into the house. Fewer trips to the store were better, less exposure. Plus, cooking would give me something to do. But the swing set just seemed too much for temporary guests.
“Why the worry?” he asked, studying me as he handed me a bag.
I didn’t pretend I wasn’t worrying. “The swing set is great, but I don’t know how long we can stay here.” It hurt to admit it aloud.
“I told you, you can stay as long as you want.”
He didn’t understand, and I couldn’t explain. Instead, I just nodded in agreement as a feeling of hopelessness and longing consumed me.
“I’m not sure my freezer will be able to hold all of the meat,” I said, grabbing another loaded bag.
“Don’t worry. We’ll put the extra in Jim’s freezer.”
Given Jim’s appetite, I seriously doubted the meat would be there when we needed it.
I continued carrying up groceries while the boys helped Emmitt unload the swing set.