CHAPTER 7

“What will they do to them?” her mother was asking as Dawn and her parents sat at the dinner table later that evening.

“I don’t know. The council will convene and review the evidence. Some of them will be prosecuted by the council, and others will merely be reprimanded by the school,” her father replied.

“What about Tommy? Will they punish him for what he did?”

“I don’t know, Dawn. He confessed nothing. His side of the story is that Harlan just went off and attacked him and the witnesses present during the incident that caused the injury are standing by him.”

“They are lying!” Dawn said angrily.

“I know they are lying, Dawn, but we have to be able to prove they are lying, and I don’t know if we can do that.”

“I’ll talk to the council. I’ll tell them what I saw.”

“I won’t have you revealing your gift to the public, Dawn. It’s dangerous for them to know your full power. Besides, even if I allowed you to do it, it is still not admissible in the court. It is still your word about what you saw in his mind against theirs. Unless he comes around and is able to tell his side of the story to them firsthand, there is little that can be done other than punish them for the bullying that can be corroborated by accounts from multiple sources.”

Dawn stood up and stomped angrily away, running upstairs to her room. Her parents began to whisper, constantly forgetting that it did them no good to quiet their voices when she could see everything that went on in their minds. She reached out for Liam, but he couldn’t be found. Perplexed and anxious, she sat on her bed and considered her next move.

Grabbing a jacket and a scarf, she headed downstairs, quickly darting out the front door before anyone could stop her. Her father called out to her from the front door, but she ignored him, headed toward the gravel pits to see if she could find Liam there. Perhaps he was hurt and that was why she couldn’t find him. The thought sped her along.

“What are you doing?”

Liam jerked his head up in her direction. He seemed surprised to see her there. How had he not known she was looking for him? She had been reaching out to him all morning. Still, she could tell he hadn’t, and even more curiously, she couldn’t see his thoughts.

“I was just poking around. I hadn’t heard from you this morning, so I came down here alone.”

“What do you mean you haven’t heard from me? I’ve been trying to communicate with you all morning. You haven’t answered my calls or texts, and I’ve not been able to feel you at all.”

“Really?” he said, fidgeting around in his pockets. “Oh, crap. I know why. I left my phone in my pants last night, and Mom came in and scooped up all my laundry before I was out of bed. I hope she didn’t wash them with it in there. I haven’t even thought about it.”

“And you’ve been blocking your mind? Did your mom wash that, as well?”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been wide open.”

Dawn looked at him, studying his face since she couldn’t read his thoughts. What was happening here? He didn’t seem to be lying, but why couldn’t she make out his mind?

“Are you okay, Dawn?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

“That sounds like a great idea. I’m starving.”

“You are always starving.”

“Hey, I’m a growing boy! I’ll be eighteen soon, you know. I’ll be a man and all.”

“What does that mean? You’ll eat even more?”

“Maybe,” he said playfully, kissing her lightly on the cheek as he passed by and took off across the nearby meadow for her to follow.

Dawn felt flushed. It was the first time he had ever kissed her. Even though it was pretty innocent, she felt her pulse quicken. It felt like her blood was all rushing through her body, trying to pulse its way outward to the daylight. Then, everything went gray.

“Dawn? Dawn!” she heard Liam call, but his voice seemed far away, lost in a sea of fog that seemed to envelope her and send her spiraling down into a darkness from which no light could escape.

She could feel him lifting her, carrying her off somewhere. Would he ravish her out here in the meadow? Was this what it felt like to be wanton and wild? Everything else become nothing and your body centered on only its wants and its needs? It was nothing like she had imagined it would be. How could she possibly enjoy her first time with Liam – with anyone for that matter – if she was in some sort of odd sex coma?

Her mind tried to reach out to his, but there was only a blinding pain. The black turned to red and swirled together. The world seemed to spin madly out of control. Still, she could feel Liam’s arms around her, and she could feel the motion of him carrying her away. Carrying her away to bliss, but the pain grew stronger. It screamed throughout her head and ricocheted off her skull, trying to escape.

Liam’s voice slipped away from her. The feel of him disappeared. Everything faded into nothingness as she fell into a place where she couldn’t escape. Her last thought was more of a realization. She was dead. This is what death felt like. She had no idea how it had happened. She had only been basking in the glow of Liam’s kiss. Now, she was dead. The kiss of death. It had a romantic ring to it, and yet, it didn’t feel very romantic at all from this angle.