

LEARNING ME

Lightworker Trilogy, Book One

By

Jamie White

Copyright 2015

Smashwords Edition

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. An unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and situations are a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locations is entirely coincidental.

Dedication/Acknowledgments:

For my husband, whose support and love means everything.

I can hardly believe this is happening. This is the first time I have published a book on my own since The Life and Times in 2012. I ended up publishing several books through a small press and got comfortable with that. Now, I'm stepping into scary territory again. Taking the chance of doing it myself. Of taking full control over the process, and doing it during NaNoWriMo of all things. I guess it's fitting. This book was the result of NaNoWriMo back in 2014. It was the first book I outlined, and the muse decided not to stick to the plan. How the story will ultimately end, I don't know. What I do know is, it'll be a fun ride figuring it out. It's unreal to think this first installment is now in readers's hands.

There are lots of people who have helped with this book, and my writing in general. Elaine Roughton, my editor, has been working with me since Clutter. She is awesome, and I am in awe of her speed and efficiency.

Vicki Rose, whose Platinum Book Reviews events have been amazing for me. I've connected with so many awesome people who have been supportive fans: Dawn, Donna, Vicki P., Jennifer, Kathy, Tia, and many others.

Thanks to Laura Deluca, Marni Mann, Shay West, Michelle Cornwell-Jordan, Marilyn, Denise, my White's Wyrd World street team, and my mailing list. You guys inspire me, and have kept me pushing forward to get this book out. And I apologize, Michelle, for all the pain my characters put you through. LOL.

Thanks to Cheyanne Young for an amazing cover.

Finally, thanks to Angelique Mroczka for getting me back on the publishing track by taking a chance on the Stains trilogy.
Chapter One

The chatter of the audience carried backstage, where Courtney waited for her cue. No matter how many times she performed, the sound never failed to inspire a panic attack. Her mind blanked and a numb sensation traveled up her body as she approached the stage. The sounds coming from the auditorium dimmed as though her ears were filled with water. Courtney swallowed hard and grabbed onto the nearest object her trembling hands could reach in an effort to gain a sense of stability in the chaos.

Her cue sounded from the stage and, like magic, her mind and body calmed. Courtney didn't know how she never missed a cue, but she hadn't. She stepped onto the stage and panic gave way to confidence. Once again, she surrendered to her character. Every word she spoke resonated deep within. Before she knew it, she was soaking up the cheers from the audience with the rest of the cast. Courtney took her bow, and then retreated to the wings where their drama coach and crew waited.

"Bravo, everyone," Miss Hernandez said. "That was better than rehearsal! Courtney, your parents are waiting outside. They seemed like they were in a hurry, so you should go get changed. I'd like to talk to you tomorrow, though, so stop by my room after school, okay?"

"Sure, Miss Hernandez." Courtney waved goodbye to her cast mates while forcing a smile. The way her parents rushed out of these things, Courtney was surprised they'd never tried to grab her right off the stage in the middle of curtain call. She turned and retreated to the dressing room while trying to block out the excited chatter of the others.

Courtney washed the makeup off her face and changed back into the jeans and t-shirt she'd worn for the ride to school. She hung her costume with care, gently fingering the soft material before leaving the room. She wished she were partying with the rest of the cast rather than facing another night of boredom and indifference. She stopped wondering about their lack of pride in her performances a long time ago. Truth be told, she wondered why they even bothered going. It wasn't as though they were going to discuss the play on the ride back. The last time they'd shown any enthusiasm for her acting was in Kindergarten.

She trudged down the hallway, sighing deeply before stepping through the double doors and into the parking lot. She scanned the area, spotting them on a bench several feet away. Her parents looked to be deep in conversation until she came closer. Instantly, they stopped talking and stood to greet her.

"Sorry about that. Removing that gunk takes forever." She thanked whatever deity was responsible for her acting skills. She even believed that apology for a moment. She'd been doing everything she could to extend her post-show cleanup for years, but had yet to get it over a half-hour.

"It's fine, Sweetie. We'd better get moving, though. Don't you still have homework?" Her father raised an eyebrow.

Courtney learned long ago that look was dangerous and she generally did what she could to avoid it being directed her way. She nodded and forced a smile. "Just a little. I'll be done with it in no time."

"Good." Her mother adjusted the strap of her purse as she turned toward the car.

Courtney focused her attention on the crickets in the distance while they walked, hoping that would be the extent of their conversation. The same thing happened every time she did a play, and she didn't understand it. Shouldn't they be proud of how well she did?

The whole ride home, Courtney stared out the window and replayed the performance in her mind. How she remembered any of it, she had no idea. She went into autopilot every time she stepped onstage. The words flowed out of her as though she had no control of herself. It was a terrifying, yet exhilarating feeling that she chased without a second thought. Maybe one day she'd get them to understand just how important acting was to her. She wasn't going to place any bets on it, though.

****

Courtney dug through her backpack and pulled out a small container of tuna salad she'd made for lunch that morning. She picked up the fork that came with her container and took a bite, savoring the salty and sweet mix.

"Hey, Babe."

Courtney's pulse accelerated. Sam Roberts stood before her, looking every bit as hot as he had the first day she met him sophmore year. She fought the urge to laugh as she thought about how flustered she'd been. Something about those deep brown eyes and dark hair had shut off any higher brain function. She maybe got one coherent word out, but somehow he still asked her to a dance. Courtney chalked it up to luck on her part. She couldn't think of any other explanation after the horrible first impression she'd made. "Hi, yourself."

She patted the space beside her. Sam plopped down next to her with a tray of food in his hand, most of which Courtney couldn't identify. She wasn't sure she wanted to. Her nose wrinkled at the stench. "How can you eat that stuff?"

Sam shrugged and scooped up a heaping spoonful. "It's good. So, how'd it go last night? Sorry I couldn't be there."

"It's cool. The play went great! Well, ya know, if you don't count the ride home." She laughed, trying to keep her tone as light as possible. She had no intention of getting him riled up the night of a game.

"What happened?" He narrowed his eyes as he took another bite of his food.

"Eh, same old thing. Ya know, a long, quiet ride filled with nothing but boredom and dreams of being elsewhere. It was a long day."

"They rushed you out again, huh?"

Courtney nodded. "So, what's the plan for tonight?"

"There's a party after the game if you want to go. Dan's throwing it, assuming we win, anyway."

Courtney laughed. "Figures he'd say that. So, I guess I'll be ready about six?"

"Sounds good."

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period. Courtney stood, gathering up her things. "I better get going. Oh, before I forget, you're on your own this afternoon. I've got to meet Miss Hernandez after class."

"Really? Did she say why?" He followed suit, retrieving her bag from its spot on the bench.

"No, but she did say I did a great job right before that, so who knows? Maybe there's another production coming up she wants to talk about."

"Good luck!" He handed her the bag and then held his hands up defensively. "Sorry... Break a leg!"

Courtney laughed. "Thanks." She turned and made her way back into the building, her nerves on edge. The end of the day couldn't come fast enough. Whatever she wanted, Courtney couldn't help feeling as though it would be much more than she could imagine.

****

Courtney arrived before Miss Hernandez did. She plopped down in one of the seats, trying her best to keep the nerves at bay. To distract herself, Courtney started working on the paper she had due in English next week. There was nothing better than concentrating on a task to steady her nerves. She became so engrossed in her work that a sound to her right made her jump. The sight of her teacher brought a sense of relief.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to step out a minute."

"It's okay. So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Miss Hernandez?"

Miss Hernandez took the seat beside Courtney, her face serious. "Well, as I said last night, you were great. You really do have a gift, and I'd like to see you use it to its full potential."

"I don't get it..."

"Have you heard of Steven Miller?"

Courtney's heart raced as the name registered in her mind. "Are you talking about that producer who does a bunch of indie films?"

"That would be the one."

Courtney shifted in her seat and put her notebook away. "What about him?"

Miss Hernandez smiled, opening her briefcase. She dug through the contents and pulled out a yellow sheet, which she gave to Courtney. "He's casting a new project next month and there are plenty of roles available. I thought you might be interested in checking it out."

Courtney blinked. This had to be a joke or something. "I'm sorry; did I just hear what I thought I heard? You want me to audition for this?"

"Why not? Courtney, you're a very talented young lady, and I don't see why you couldn't get at least a small part in this. You've been talking about applying to a drama program and this would look great on your resume. Not to mention the pay could go a long way toward tuition."

"Wow, I don't know. I mean, I appreciate you thinking of me, but—"

"You don't have to make a decision right now. Just promise you'll think about it. It never hurts to keep your options open."

Maybe she has a point.

Courtney just wasn't sure how to bring the subject up at home without starting World War Three. She had to suppress a laugh as she imagined the looks on their faces. "Maybe."

Miss Hernandez grinned. "Wonderful." She glanced at her watch and stood. "I should be going now. Why don't you think about it, and we'll talk about this some more later?"

"Great." Courtney navigated through the halls with her mind reeling at the possibilities Miss Hernandez's offer brought. She pictured herself standing on a set, preparing for the director to call "action." Could she really win a part?
Chapter Two

The chill of the rink seeped into every inch of Courtney's skin as she took her seat in the bleachers. She zipped her jacket up and sipped the warm cocoa she bought at the concession stand. It'd become a tradition for her since she started going out with Sam, the star goalie for their school hockey team. She'd never been interested in sports until then. Now, the energy from the crowd got her blood flowing and she eagerly waited for the start of the game.

Moments after she took her seat, the team came out to start their warm-ups. She watched as Sam slid from side to side on his knees for a while, and then skated over to the net. One after the other, his teammates converged on him, the puck a blur to her eyes as they shot at him. Sam faced each one with an intense gaze that sent chills through her before shooting an arm or leg out to block the puck. On one drill, he even did a flip to stop it. She never failed to be amazed by his ability on the ice. She could barely take a step without getting to know the ice intimately. After her first couple of attempts, she was a black and blue mess.

The horn blared, signaling the beginning of the game. As if on cue, her friend Matthew Williams plopped down beside her, followed closely by her cousin Lauren. Lauren graduated two years ago, but still came to games with Courtney. They'd been almost inseparable for as long as Courtney could remember.

"We didn't miss anything, did we?" Matthew asked.

"No," she assured him. "It's just getting started now. What took you so long?"

"I couldn't decide between a pretzel and nachos," he confessed with a sheepish look. He held up the bag in his hand as if presenting evidence.

"You were this close to being down a friend," Lauren added, putting her pointer finger and thumb a quarter inch apart. "How do you put up with this guy?"

"I'm one-of-a-kind. People everywhere consider it a privilege to know me."

Courtney nearly spit out her cocoa. "I'll try to remember that."

They settled in to enjoy the game, screaming and waving banners with the rest of the crowd. Halfway through the second period, a player from the opposing team charged down the ice with a speed rarely seen in players at their level. He appeared to accelerate the closer he got to the goal. Courtney held her breath as the she watched Sam stand there, unflinching. The other player took the shot, aiming high. Sam was ready, though, and snagged the puck.

Courtney clapped and cheered with the rest of the crowd as the players all lined up again for a face off. The game flew by and before she knew it, their team had won, four to two. Her throat was raw from screaming and her hands were throbbing, but she never felt more alive. How had she never enjoyed the sport before?

Once they made it outside where they'd planned to meet Sam, they started talking about the game.

"That jackass from the Knights should have gotten a penalty. Did you see the way he slammed into our guy?" asked Matthew.

Courtney nodded. "Tell me about it. He was definitely looking to hurt Brad." Brad was one of their centers, and probably the second-best of the team. That reputation came with a cost, though, making him the target of cheap shots from the opposition. Courtney was just glad her boyfriend was usually out of the line of fire. Well, unless you didn't count staring down a speeding puck. She could deal with that a lot better than watching him get into a brawl, which occasionally happened even thought it wasn't allowed.

"I think they threw the rulebook out for this one," Lauren agreed. "I'd better head out now if I'm going to finish my reading for class. I'll see you this weekend?"

"You bet! I'm all packed and ready. Are you sure it's okay with your roommate for me to stay over?" Even though it was Lauren's apartment too, Courtney had yet to meet her roommate, and she couldn't help feeling like an intruder.

"Sure. And even if it wasn't, she owes me a favor anyway, so that'd be too bad for her."

Courtney laughed. "Great. Drive safe." The two girls hugged and Lauren retreated to her car, with the others watching until she got in.

Matthew's gaze strayed to the door of the building. "Hey, where's Mister Perfect? Shouldn't he be out here by now?"

Courtney ignored the teasing. There'd always been a little bit of flirting between her and Mathew, but Courtney never thought much of it until she started dating Sam. Sometimes, she wondered if there wasn't just a twinge of jealousy behind his quips. "He said he wanted to shower because we're going out tonight."

"How much longer is he going to be? I should go soon, but I don't want to leave you standing here alone." He glanced around the lot, which was getting emptier and darker by the moment.

"I'm sure it'll only be another minute or two. If you're in a rush, why don't you leave?" Courtney didn't mind being alone at night. It was actually relaxing to her, and it would give her time to think over the offer from earlier. She walked over to the benches and had a seat.

"Not a chance," he argued as he joined her. "And get in trouble with the boyfriend for leaving you all by yourself in the dark?"

As if on cue, Sam's voice sounded from behind them. "Good thinking, Williams." He turned his attention to Courtney. "Sorry it took a while. There's some construction going on in there, so there was a long wait."

"I try," Matthew joked. "Good game, man. I'll see you all later."

"Night," Courtney replied.

"Later," Sam added. "So, Court, are you ready to go?"

She nodded. "You bet. So, where's this party at anyway?"

Sam slung his equipment bag over his shoulder. "That new club over on Pine. Hey, how'd it go with Miss Hernandez?"

So much for the pre-emptive strike.

Courtney forced a smile. "It went fine. Can we talk about it later?"

Sam gave her a concerned look and draped his other arm over her shoulder as they navigated the near-empty lot. "I guess so. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Sure, I'm just not in the mood to talk acting right now. It's been a long day and all I want to do is have a little fun." She liked that he had a protective streak, but sometimes she wished he would keep it in check.

"If you say so." He led the way to the passenger side of his old beater and opened the door for Courtney. She climbed inside, pulling the door shut as he went around to the driver's side. The thing looked like it belonged in a junkyard, but it ran perfectly and Sam considered it his baby. He'd even named the thing, which led to Courtney teasing him.

Courtney reached over and scanned the radio stations in search of something decent to listen to. It didn't take long to rule the radio a lost cause, so Courtney popped in one of Sam's mix CDs. His taste in music was eclectic enough that she never knew what she'd get when she put one in. It was part of what she liked about him — his unpredictable side.

A mix of metal, R&B, and country filled the air as they drove down the quiet street. Before long, the houses and small stores gave way to apartment complexes and malls. Courtney watched as people travelled down the sidewalks. Each one fueled her imagination and she found herself making up back stories for them to pass the time. She knew better than to try and engage Sam in conversation while he was driving.

"Court, you there?"

Courtney snapped to attention, glancing over at her boyfriend. "What was that?"

He laughed. "I thought so. We're here..." He gestured to the modern building several feet to their left. The front was decorated with a large awning stretching over the walkway to the door. Outside, a group of people stood around talking while music seeped out into the night as the doors opened and closed.

"Sorry," she said with a sheepish grin. The smile on his face told her he wasn't offended. That was another thing she liked—he knew her well enough to not get offended by her occasional daydreaming. She supposed it came from being an actor.

Sam reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as they approached the front door. She returned the gesture while they got in line. "This looks like a great place."

"Yeah," she said. "Did you hear that music when they opened the door? It sounds like they have a live band in there."

Sam nodded as they moved forward. "I heard they're only doing that once a week, so we lucked out."

The line moved much faster than Courtney anticipated, and before she knew it, they were exploring the club from the inside. A huge crowd was gathered around the stage, while others were dancing in another part of the building. Lights swirled around, adding a little color to the dim space.

Once they finished chatting about the game with the rest of the team, Sam turned to Courtney and asked, "You want to get something to drink?"

"Sure." She followed him to the bar, narrowly avoiding getting trampled by a group of people rushing to the dance floor. She thought she recognized a few from school, and maybe one of the guys from the rival football team.

"What do you want?"

The tall, skinny guy at the bar looked bored and she could swear she saw some plugs in his ears. How he'd hear their order, she had no idea. "A Coke, please."

"I'll take a Sprite," Sam added.

The guy nodded, and then turned to get their drinks. He kept his gaze on the band as he set their drinks on the counter. "That'll be four dollars."

"Here." Sam pulled some cash out of his pocket and shoved it into the guy's hand before steering Courtney away from the counter. "Come on, we can sit over there." He pointed at a table to their left.

"So, how'd it go today? You have a show tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Courtney replied. "I'm freaking, as usual. I hate the lead-up time to a show. It gives me a chance to think about what could go wrong."

Sam reached for her hand, stroking it with his thumb. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Courtney raised an eyebrow at him and responded cautiously, "Yeah... what made you say that?"

"Because you're doing that thing with your hair again. It usually means you're hiding something."

"What thing with my..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she was absentmindedly playing with a strand that had come loose from her bun. "Oh. It's really not a huge deal, just an audition Miss Hernandez told me about today. There's a producer coming to town to cast some indie movie and she thinks I'd be good for it. I don't think I'm going to go for it, though."

"Why not? You want to keep acting, right? Even if you don't get it, it sounds like it would be a fun to at least go for the audition. I'd even come with you if you think that would make it easier."

"I'm not scared to do it; I just don't think there would be a point. You know my parents, they hate me acting. They think it's a waste of time, and just thinking about me in a movie would make their heads explode."

Sam sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Court, I really don't get it. You're almost eighteen... why are you so worried about what they think of this?"

"I care, okay? I'd rather not live in a war zone until I leave."

"All I'm saying is, you should do what you really want to do. Do you want to regret missing out on this because you're afraid of what they might think?"

"Sam..." She studied the pattern on the wood table while she struggled to counter his logic.

"Just think about it, okay? That's all I'm saying."

Courtney sighed. She supposed she could concede that much. "All right. I'll think about it, but I'm not making any promises right now. Come on, let's go dance."

"Cool," he replied as he got up and led her to the dance floor.
Chapter Three

A couple of days later, Courtney gathered the books she would need for the weekend from her locker. She couldn't wait to get on the road to her cousin's. Her body practically hummed with energy as she closed the locker and turned to walk out the front entrance.

"Courtney!"

Courtney turned, her mood instantly souring as she watched Miss Hernandez approach. She still hadn't given an answer about the audition and she figured an interrogation was on the way. "Hi, Miss Hernandez."

"Hi. I wanted to talk to you about that audition."

Courtney gestured to the door. "I was actually in a hurry. I'm spending the weekend with my cousin, so I really should get going."

"This will only take a minute. I just wanted to know if you'd given any more thought to what we talked about. The deadline to sign up is coming soon and you'll need time to prepare."

She figured her excuse would fail. She had yet to meet a teacher who wasn't hard to sway when their mind was made up about something. "Right. I haven't actually had a chance to talk to my parents about it yet. They've been busy with work and I had a ton of homework to catch up on."

"Well, I'd suggest you make some time very quickly or you'll miss out. I'd hate to see you lose an opportunity like this."

"I promise, as soon as I get back from my cousin's I'll talk to them about it." Her entire body tensed at the idea, but she figured the only way she was going to get everyone off her back about this would be to tell her parents and wait for them to blow their collective fuse. A refusal from them would be hard for the teacher, or her boyfriend, to argue with.

"Wonderful. I look forward to hearing what they say. Have a good weekend!" Miss Hernandez turned and made her way back to the auditorium.

As soon as the teacher was out of sight, Courtney turned and rushed outside to get as far away from the school as possible to avoid running into Sam as well. Knowing him, he'd probably ask the same question, and she didn't want to have to admit the truth.

The ride to her cousin's apartment was exactly the reprieve she needed. The road was almost hypnotic, while the pop music blaring from the speaker boosted her mood. The closer she got to the place, the more her excitement built. She'd been there once before, but only for a quick visit with some family, so she didn't really count that. There was something intoxicating about the idea of being parent-free for a weekend, even though her parents did generally let her do what she wanted. The only exception seemed to be when acting came into the picture. While she didn't understand it, she figured it was better than them policing her clothes or music choices, or worse yet, her friends.

As she pulled into the building, she couldn't help feeling a bit jealous. While the apartments weren't huge, they were nice, and the outside was gorgeous. A garden in front accented the small lawn, while the windows were all adorned with the same old-fashioned blue shutters. It was a simple look that appealed to her, especially when contrasted with the brick houses and fancy roof tiles in her neighborhood.

Courtney parked her mom's car and got out. As she pulled her bags out of the trunk, she tried to remember what apartment her cousin lived in. They usually communicated through calls and late-night chat sessions on the computer, so she blanked on the number.

Where did I put that?

Courtney set a bag down to search her pockets for the piece of paper she'd hastily scrawled the information on last night.

"Eighteen B," she read aloud. Courtney grabbed the bag she'd set down and made her way into the building. A simple wooden staircase greeted her as she entered. On her left was a wall lined with mailboxes, while some pictures dotted the wall on her right. Most of them looked old, featuring the same building she stood in. A few changes here and there marked the different years of each shot, but it was clear it was the same place. The decorative touch appealed to her, and she found herself wondering about the people in the snapshots.

Snap out of it. Lauren's probably wondering what happened to you.

A couple of minutes later, she stood outside her cousin's apartment. She'd barely gotten a knock in when the door opened and Lauren greeted her with a concerned tone. "Where have you been? I thought you were going to be here twenty minutes ago."

"Sorry. I took a wrong turn," Courtney apologized.

"No problem. Here, let me get that." Lauren relieved Courtney of her bags and ushered Courtney inside.

"Wow." Courtney studied the living room, taking in every detail. "You got some new furniture in here, didn't you?"

"Yep. God bless the rich people up in The Hills. They're always tossing their stuff out to make room for something more 'in,' so we replaced the monstrosity."

Courtney laughed as she pictured the huge, lumpy couch with the uneven arms her cousin had owned when she'd first moved in. "Where did you get that thing, anyway?"

"Annie found it at some second-hand store. She thought it was unique. I think that was a good thing; the world didn't need more than one."

"Where is Annie, anyway?"

"Knowing her, she's probably at her boyfriend's house right now. So, what do you want to do first?"

"How about a movie night?" It was their usual standby, but Courtney never tired of it.

Lauren grinned and set Courtney's bag underneath a table near the front door. "Sounds good. Go pick something and I'll get the junk food."

"Gotcha." Courtney examined the contents of the entertainment center Lauren's parents gave her when she moved in. There were some sci-fi things off to one side that she decided must belong to Annie, so Courtney skipped over those. She spotted one of the cheesy '80s movies she and Lauren loved on the bottom shelf. Satisfied she'd found the perfect choice, she popped the DVD into the player and took a seat on the new couch. The material was surprisingly plush and she felt as though she could sink into it.

Much better than the monstrosity...

"What'd you pick?" Lauren walked back into the room balancing a couple of cans with some bags that looked as though they were going to fall out of her arms any second.

"Start the player and you'll see," Courtney teased as she stood to relieve some of her cousin's burden.

"I should've known you would say that. It's times like this I'm glad I never had a little sister," she retorted. "I don't know if I could handle one of you full-time."

Courtney just rolled her eyes and returned to her seat, digging into a bag of chips while her cousin started the film. For the next hour and a half, they consumed way too much junk while giggling over the movie and the hot actors. It was a welcome distraction that kept her from thinking too much about the decision she had to make.

In no time, the ending credits scrolled across the screen and Lauren moved from the couch to select another one. "So, how's everything going, anyway? I heard you did great the other night in that play. I wish I could've seen it."

"It was pretty good," Courtney agreed. "We've been having a great time. I'm just sad we'll be wrapping up the performances at the end of the month."

"When's the next show? I want to make sure I don't miss it."

Courtney waved it off. "You don't have to worry about it. Aren't you busy here?"

Lauren put the next movie into the player and took her place back on the couch. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it. We never miss each other's stuff. Hell, you were barely out of diapers and you were at my dance recital."

The memory of all the old shows she'd seen brought a smile to her face. "True. We're doing a few performances next weekend if you can make it. There's one Friday night and another Sunday afternoon."

"I'll be there," Lauren promised. "So, what else is going on? I feel so clueless now that I don't live in Elkswood anymore, and I need a massive gossip fix."

"Well, there is one thing... but I want it to stay between us, okay?"

Lauren raised an eyebrow before making the 'cross my heart' motion. "You know it."

"Miss Hernandez said some producer's coming to town to cast an indie movie and she wants me to go out for it."

"Oh, my God! That's amazing. So, when's the big day?" Lauren shifted in her seat and sat with one leg crossed under the other.

"I haven't exactly said I'll do it yet."

"Why not? I would be lined up now!"

Courtney shrugged. "You know my mom and dad."

"Ah." Lauren paused for a minute to consider what Courtney said before continuing, "Courtney, you know what the most terrifying part of moving out was?"

"What's that have to do with anything?"

"It has a lot to do with it, 'cause we're a lot alike. Anyway... the scariest part was not knowing what to do. I spent about eighteen years doing exactly what everyone wanted me to do. All of a sudden, there was no one there every day to make the decisions for me. I had to figure it out all on my own and I barely even knew who I was. You really don't want to go that way. Seriously. Think about what you really want and don't worry about what they think. They won't be able to help forever, you know."

"I get what you're saying, but you aren't living with them. They barely talk to me on show days and they're always rushing me out of the auditorium the second I leave the stage. Do I really want to spend my last few months at home fighting over something that might not happen? Come on, the chances of me getting a part are, like, nil. It just doesn't feel worth it."

"Hey, don't get all defensive on me," Lauren said with her hands up in surrender. "I'm just giving you some advice. Do what you will with it."

"Right."

Lauren turned the next movie on and the two watched in silence. Courtney wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but her cousin's words kept echoing through her mind, mixing with what Sam had said as well. Finally, Courtney turned to her cousin. "Hey, Lauren?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think I have a chance at getting a part?"

Lauren laughed and nodded. "No doubt!"

****

When Courtney got back to her house Sunday night, she still had the conversation with Lauren running through her head. Sam's advice crept in again as well, creating an annoying mix that was impossible to ignore. The more she thought about it, the more she realized they were right. It did sound like fun, and she likely wouldn't get a part. At least she'd be able to say she auditioned for Steven Miller.

I'm going to do it.

She nodded to herself as she unpacked her duffel bag. Her parents were waiting downstairs to hear about her weekend, so she figured there was no better time than now. At least it would be out in the open and she wouldn't have to feel like a sneak anymore.

"Hey," she said as she entered the living room with a smile on her face. Years of school productions and acting class had taught her how to look happy no matter what the circumstances, so she used those skills now to appear calm and casual. Maybe it would be catching. She had a feeling they might need all the calming influence they could get.

Her dad looked up from the paper he'd been reading. "Hi, Kiddo. How was your weekend?"

"Not bad. We watched a ton of movies and talked a little."

"What about?" Her mom reached for the remote and clicked off the TV.

"Oh, just about school and campus life. This cool opportunity I found out about."

Her parents exchanged a look and her mother responded, "Oh? What opportunity? I hope you didn't get it into your head about taking some classes there. You have enough going on with that play and your school work."

"No, nothing like that. It's silly, really, and there's no way it will happen, but it might be fun to try."

"What's that?" Her father narrowed his eyes.

Maybe now isn't the best time.

"Ya know, it was a long drive and I'm getting tired so why don't we forget about it?" Courtney yawned for effect. "I had no idea how tiring a long drive really is. You're just sitting, so you wouldn't think it would be that big of a deal, right?"

"Courtney, is there something you should be telling us right now?" Her mother regarded Courtney with obvious suspicion. Her arms were crossed.

"No, really... it's nothing. I'll see you guys in the morning. Night, Daddy." She hugged both her parents, and then made a beeline for her room to escape any further interrogation. This was going to take a lot more prep than she thought at first.

"You are such a wimp," she muttered, leaning against her closed bedroom door.

Chapter Four

"You still haven't told them, have you?"

The accusation took Courtney's attention away from the assignment she was working on. Sam peered down at her from her spot in the courtyard. "Hi to you, too. What makes you say that?"

"Because you probably would've told me by now if you had." His expression dared her to prove him wrong.

Courtney couldn't help but smile sheepishly at that as she slammed her book shut. "You'd be right. I was about to and then my dad got this weird look on his face and I thought it'd be smart to wait for a better time."

"Aren't you running out of 'better times?'"

Courtney groaned in frustration. "Did you, Lauren, and Miss Hernandez get together to plan this or something? I swear, you're all reading the same script."

"I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass," Sam assured her. "And I don't think they are, either. We just don't want to see you miss out, that's all. I mean, you have a great chance. You're talented... hot..." He winked, and then laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I promise I'll tell them about it tonight. No backing out." She crossed her heart to emphasize the vow.

Sam smiled. "Good, now I don't have to get Williams on your case too."

"You wouldn't," she said with mock terror in her voice.

"Don't underestimate me. You know how I am when I want something...."

"Believe me, I know," she said with a laugh. He'd been after her for weeks to go out before she finally agreed. As cute as he was, she'd known little about him other than he played hockey. She figured he'd be another of those stuck-up jock types. Plus, who in his right mind would want to go out with someone who was barely coherent the first time they talked?

"Want me to be there when you do?"

"No, I think this is something I should do on my own. Thanks anyway, though. I mean it."

He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Anytime. So are we still on for tomorrow?"

She nodded. "As long as you're up for the challenge." He'd finally talked her into going skating at the local ice rink, and she was sure he would have to spend the majority of the evening keeping her on her feet.

"I always am." He glanced down at his watch. "Shit, I better get going. I'm supposed to pick up some notes before class. See you later."

"Later," she replied. Once she was alone again, she tried to focus on her assignment, but most of her attention drifted to what she would say that night. She figured if she didn't want to wuss out like before, she needed to prepare.

****

"Mom, Dad... I'm home!" Courtney dropped her bag by the front door as she surveyed the room. When she didn't see either of her parents, she checked the kitchen, but found it empty. She made her way out back to the patio, where the two were sitting at a small table. Her father worked on a laptop while her mother went over some papers.

"Oh, Courtney... you're back. How was school?"

"Good. Are you guys busy?"

"No," her father replied as he closed the laptop. "What did you want?"

"Well, I wanted to talk about that thing I was going to mention last night." Courtney took a deep breath and spilled it all out in a rush before she could lose her nerve. "See, Miss Hernandez found out this filmmaker is coming to town for a project and she thinks I should audition for a part. I want to do it."

Courtney nearly cringed at the tension that filled with air with her announcement. She was afraid they wouldn't like what she had to say, but the reaction was almost worse than she was expecting. She might have felt more comfortable if they just started yelling at her. As it was, the awkward silence that accompanied their expressions weighed on her to the point she wished she could take it back.

"Courtney, we've talked about this a hundred times. You know we had a deal and that meant only doing school productions. Once you are on your own, what you do is your own business, but until then we expect you to stick with our agreement," her mother said in an offhand tone, as if the subject was already considered closed.

"But, I'm almost eighteen now and I'll be graduating at the end of the year. What's the big deal? It's not like I'll get the part anyway... it's just something fun to do and it'll be good experience for later."

"You heard your mother, Courtney. She said 'no' and that is the end of this discussion. I don't want to hear another word about it."

Courtney sighed. "You know you can't stop me forever, don't you? One day, I am going to make this happen whether you support it or not. This is what I love and you don't seem to care at all. I get it, when I was little you didn't know if I'd lose interest or just not understand how hard it might be, but I'm not a little girl anymore. I've been sticking with it ever since I was in Kindergarten."

"Young lady, you know what we just said and you will not take that tone with us again. We're not talking about this anymore."

Courtney grunted as she pivoted toward the door. She retreated from the room, desperate to put as much distance between her and her parents as possible. Their predictable answer and refusal to budge at all made her want to scream. Why couldn't they understand, or at least try to?

Once she was in her room, Courtney pulled her cell phone out. She scrolled the contacts, pressing the call button once she'd found Sam's name.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Just knowing she was on the phone with someone who might be sympathetic to her plight made the tension in her body ease a little. She plopped down on her bed, sighing. "Well, I did it. You can guess how it went."

"Awe, man. Sorry, Court, I thought they might ease up a little by now. What'd they say?"

Courtney rolled her eyes as she recounted, "Just the normal 'our house, our rules' routine. They are dead set against me doing this until I'm on my own. I don't know any way to make them understand that this is what I want, so I guess I need to work on the other part."

"What's the plan?"

"I don't know yet, but I hope one of those scholarships come through. There is no way I am going to let them pay for college so they can use it against me later. You know they'll try to keep me from doing any serious auditions until after I graduate."

"Just because they said not to, doesn't mean you can't. Go anyway... if you don't get it, no harm done. If you do, the money might help."

Courtney wrinkled her nose. "I don't know, Sam. It's not really my style to sneak around like that."

"If you want this, you need to do what you've gotta do. The question is: how bad do you want it?"

She suppressed the urge to curse him out over making an argument she couldn't really counter. He was right—if she didn't do something now, she might end up in law school, or worse. The thought made her shudder. More importantly, she would miss a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and Courtney didn't want to live with that regret. "Okay, I guess you're right. Hey, I have to go now or I'll never get this Chem assignment done. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Same place, same time. Later."

"Later."

Courtney ended the call, considering the logistics. She'd need to come up with a good alibi for the day of the audition and would have to sneak an extra outfit in her bag that day. As she inspected herself in the mirror across from her, she cringed at the idea of showing up in her normal uniform of jeans and t-shirts. It was comfortable, but not the image she wanted for a meeting with one of the most talented new indie artists out there.

I hope I can pull this off.
Chapter Five

The next morning, Courtney was up extra early. She yawned while stumbling her way into the bathroom. Her mind raced with ideas for alibis for the audition, thoughts of what her parents might say if they found out, and whether or not she was up to the challenge. Her stomach churned just thinking about all the embarrassing ways she could blow it.

You are good enough to do this. You just have to get that through your thick head.

The harsh words echoed through her mind as Courtney repeated it in a whisper like a mantra. Her stomach relaxed more with each repetition, eventually settling enough for her to get ready for school. She didn't bother to do more than call out a quick goodbye as she raced out the door. She figured the less interaction she had with her parents, the better. They'd always had an uncanny ability to know when she was being dishonest, and she had no intention of giving them a chance to use it.

On the way to school, Courtney tried to psych herself up to tell Miss Hernandez she was going to audition after all. For once, she was grateful for her parents' lack of interest in her drama class. It meant the teacher couldn't say the wrong thing in front of them and spoil the whole thing.

Courtney walked through the front entrance, side-stepping other students who were rushing to their lockers or the courtyard to meet friends before class. She wanted to tell Miss Hernandez the news before she had the chance to over-think the decision. Courtney approached the auditorium where most of the drama classes took place, taking a deep breath.

Here it goes.

She walked inside, inspecting the space. Courtney frowned at seeing an empty room. She finally spotted Miss Hernandez coming from the backstage area. "Miss Hernandez, are you busy?"

"Of course not, Courtney. I was hoping I would see you before class later. Did you decide whether you want to go to that audition?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to do it, but are you sure it's not too late?"

"Not at all. They're finalizing the list tomorrow and the audition will be in a couple of weeks. It's on a Saturday—does that work for you?"

"Sure, that's great." Relief flooded through her body at the news. She'd been afraid that the audition might be during school hours, and as far as she was about to go, Courtney didn't know if she was up for cutting class. She hadn't skipped a day in her life and she didn't feel like starting now.

"Good. We'll talk more about it after class. Okay?"

"Perfect. Thanks for telling me about this."

Miss Hernandez smiled. "You're welcome. I'm just glad you decided to go after all. I love to see students challenging themselves and taking risks." She glanced at the clock on the wall and added, "You'd better get going now. You don't want to be late to first period."

"Right. Bye, Miss Hernandez." Courtney ran out the door, intent on making it to class before the bell rang. She couldn't chance a single thing that would put a spotlight on her until the whole thing was over.

****

The rest of the day, Courtney felt an intoxicating sense of liberation. Making the choice to go for her dream was the first thing she'd done that was completely for her, and she relished it. Now, she just had to hope her ruse went smoothly. She figured she'd just tell her parents she was out with Sam. He'd back her up in a second.

"Hey, wait up!"

Courtney turned to see Matthew running up to her. She raised an eyebrow at seeing him still here. She figured he would've run to the local sub shop by now. He hated cafeteria food and had no desire to fix anything himself. "Hey, what are you still doing here?"

"Wanted to check with you about next Saturday. I was thinking we could all go to the mall or something."

Oh, crap.

Courtney cringed as she remembered their plans. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot we'd made plans."

"No problem. What time should we meet up?"

"That's the thing... I can't. I'm going to be busy that day."

"Really? What?" His voice rose a bit in pitch, a sure sign he was curious and not going to take a non-answer.

"You didn't hear this, okay?"

He stood a little taller and his eyes widened. "This sounds like it's going to be good. What are you up to?"

"I'm going to be spending most of my free time getting ready for an audition. My parents don't know it, and I'd like to keep it that way."

He gaped at her a moment before answering. "Are you serious? Why would you do something like that? What's the deal?"

Courtney shrugged. "I don't know, I just really want to do this and they aren't having it. I don't have a choice because they're totally against it. You know how they are. They would sooner go to a golf tournament than watch my plays."

"I guess you're right. They do act like they can't leave fast enough when they bother going. Need any help getting there?"

"No, Sam's going to take me. He wouldn't miss a chance to help me stick it to them, even if they don't know. Well, assuming I don't get the part." Her anxiety intensified at the possibility of getting cast, so she chose to focus on the more likely scenario.

Matthew laughed. "And what if you do?"

"I guess I'll have to figure that out if it happens, but please don't make me think too much about this, or I might back out."

He crossed his arms and hardened his tone. "No way are you going to do that. I'll drag you there myself if I have to."

Courtney gave Matthew a hug. She suddenly realized how much she was going to miss his support once they all moved on to college. "Thanks, you rock."

"I gotta be me." He winked and pulled away. "I better go if I'm going to get something that actually resembles food."

"Sure, see you later."

"Bye."

A frown touched Courtney's features as she watched Matthew run down the hallway, barely avoiding ramming into more than a few students on his way. His earlier questions struck a nerve that she'd tried to ignore for most of her life.

Why did her parents react so strongly to her acting aspirations? What was so horrible about it that they couldn't even show a little pride in the minor productions they allowed her to take part in? They'd expressed disdain for the Hollywood scene and what usually happened with young people in it, but something told her there was more to it than just being worried about their daughter succumbing to the darker side of the business.

"What is it?" she mumbled to herself. Courtney figured it was time to find out. After all, she was already taking a huge step by defying them. Why not go ahead and try getting the answers she felt she deserved?
Chapter Six

A couple days later, Courtney was no closer to figuring out the questions plaguing her since she spoke with Matthew. She figured there was little chance of her getting a straight answer by asking her parents, even if she told them she knew there had to be something more behind their attitude.

So how do I start looking?

Courtney pondered the question for a while as she lounged on the back patio of her house with a music player by her side. The headphones blared her favorite pop tunes. The music helped to keep her from focusing on the problem too intently. She always found she came up with solutions better when she didn't think too hard and let her unconscious mind take over.

As she closed her eyes, a memory came to her with a clarity that surprised her. Thinking about it, she was surprised she'd even forgotten. It'd been a pretty big deal at the time, but she figured time had faded the experience. She'd been about four years old and her parents had taken her to a fair in town to see a show featuring characters from one of Courtney's favorite childhood shows.

A smile spread across her face as she remembered how she'd bounced across the fairgrounds, with her parents trying with little success to slow her down. She'd run so far ahead, they'd eventually screamed her name and caused her to freeze. A threat of going home without seeing the show kept her from doing the same thing twice. When they got to their seats, Courtney noticed a bunch of people with cameras near the front of the stage.

"Mommy, Daddy! Look!" she'd said, bouncing in her seat as she pointed to the stage. "The TV people are here!"

"That's nice, Sweetie," her father had said.

Courtney had watched the crew intently, her eyes widening as they turned away from the stage and began shooting footage of the crowd. She'd barely been able to breathe as she watched them come closer and closer. Before long, the cameras were only a few feet away and Courtney had been beside herself with joy at the idea of being on TV.

"Hi!" Courtney had exclaimed, waving her arms at the cameraman closest to her.

"Hi," the man had replied with a smile. He looked to her parents. "Can I ask you a couple of questions for the evening broadcast?"

Courtney had gripped her mother's arm tight and shook her. "Please, Mommy?"

"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible," her father had answered. "We wouldn't feel comfortable allowing her to be on television."

The man had nodded and gave her parents an apologetic look. "No problem. Sorry to bother you."

Once he'd left, Courtney pouted and crossed her arms. "Why not?"

"Courtney, you heard what we said. If you pester us about that again, we'll leave without seeing the show. Understood?" Her father's voice had taken on a hard edge as he gave her a look that dared her to defy his order.

Courtney had gulped and nodded. "Okay."

The memory of that moment made Courtney shiver. The more she thought about it, she realized that was probably the most tense and angry she'd ever seen either of them. They'd looked at the camera as if it were the most dangerous thing they'd ever seen.

Now that she'd allowed her subconscious mind to explore the possibilities, the more she understood that hadn't been an isolated incident. She'd had to cry and beg for weeks until they finally relented and let her join an acting class near their home. A model search in town nearly got her grounded when she wouldn't stop asking to take part. Each time, her request had been met with a tense look exchanged between them and a firm denial. It wasn't until she got to High School that they even bothered to give her the excuse of not liking the Hollywood scene.

She shut off her music player and hurried into the house, another incident coming to mind. When she was in fourth grade, she'd won a spelling bee, and the local paper had wanted to take pictures of the winners. As usual, her parents refused to let her do it, and she couldn't understand why. She'd pushed so hard they ended up forbidding her to move on to the next level of the competition.

What are they so scared of?

The more she thought about it, the more disturbing their obsession with avoiding any public attention seemed. She wondered if she'd be able to find any answers hidden away in the house. She checked to see how much time she had left until her parents got back from a business luncheon. Relieved to see she had at least an hour before their return, Courtney decided that if her parents were hiding anything that could answer that, it would be in the attic.

As a kid, she'd been terrified of the attic and she never bothered going in there as she got older, so where else would they put something they didn't want her to see? Courtney climbed up the stairway with a determined stance. She supposed the chances of finding anything were slim, but she had to try.

She plowed through several trunks' worth of stuff with an ever-increasing sense of defeat. Each trunk brought more old drawings, school assignments, ribbons, and other mementos that shed little or no light on the problem. Still, seeing what massive hoarders they were gave her hope she would find something.

Courtney checked the time again and decided she could rummage through another trunk before she'd abandon the task for the day. She wanted to quit a little early in case they got back sooner than planned.

As she opened the large trunk, her nostrils were once again assaulted with the stench of something left to collect dust for too long. She sneezed and blinked against the debris that got in her eye. This one seemed like it'd been neglected longer than the others, and she cursed herself for not checking it first.

She poked through the papers, skimming past some old photos of her parents, scattered receipts from different places, and a picture of some people she was sure she'd never met. Even so, they looked vaguely familiar, and Courtney assumed she must've met them at some point when she was still too young to retain much.

The rest of the trunk contained much of the same, and Courtney felt as though she'd wasted her time. She began to think that investigating their room might have been a better use of her time, although she didn't know how she would manage that without leaving evidence of her intrusion. She hadn't seen them coming up to the attic for years, so she doubted they would notice she'd disturbed anything if they were to enter the space now, except for the couple of spots where she'd brushed off dust. Even so, she was confident they were too small to be noticed, and her parents probably wouldn't be up before another layer built up to take its place.

She made sure everything was as she found it, then went back outside to listen to music some more and mull over what to do next. She had a feeling whatever it was, she needed to do it quickly.

By the time her parents came back, something else had begun to disturb her. Her parents had never been big picture takers, but they had at least taken a few snapshots at every birthday party and holiday she could remember. The problem was, none of those pictures showed her looking more than two years old. They had explained that to her years ago, but their story failed to satisfy her in retrospect.

Once she'd gone up to her room for the evening, Courtney pulled a photo album out of her closet that she hadn't looked at in ages. It mostly featured some vacation shots and a few from birthday parties. Courtney carried the album over to her bed and sat down. She flipped through the pages, smiling at a few of her and her friends making silly faces. Several more pictures featured Courtney wearing Mickey ears at Disney, her parents on a boat, and one of them standing in front of an old car. When Courtney flipped the page, she came across a portrait of her family from when she was ten. They wore formal clothing and Courtney's hair was pulled into pigtails. Something about it attracted her attention, so she decided to study the shot in depth, and certain details began to make her stomach tighten.

Her father's nose had a strong, roman look that complemented his dark hair and round face. Her mother's brown locks cascaded past her slim shoulders, while her round eyes and button nose made for an interesting combination. Each detail she noticed made her discomfort even worse. She hadn't noticed before, but she suddenly realized something terrible.

I look nothing like them.
Chapter Seven

Courtney sleepwalked through most of the next day. She couldn't stop thinking about those pictures. Why had she never noticed just how little she favored her parents? Now that she'd seen that other snapshot, the lack of family resemblance was obvious. In her typical imaginative way, more than a few explanations for this played through her mind. As far as she was concerned, even the most benign explanation of being adopted was repulsive to her. Why would they have spent so many years lying to her instead of just coming clean early on?

The possibilities ran wild in her mind — one in particular that would make their refusal to let her be featured in the paper or on TV make sense, but she tried to banish it before it could take root deep in her psyche. That was just too much to contemplate. Still, she couldn't push it aside completely. If her fear was right, there was little chance of them admitting it to her, so she had to keep that in mind when considering her next move.

A shrill sound snapped Courtney back to reality. As she surveyed the room, she noticed some of her classmates gathering up their books and chatting while others were already exiting the room. She shook her head, amazed she'd managed to space out like that. She was going to have to get a grip before any of the teachers noticed and called home. Courtney gathered her things, and then rushed to her next class. She was in such a hurry, she didn't notice the person coming around the corner until it was too late. Courtney found herself sprawled on the floor with some of her papers scattered beside her.

"Courtney, are you okay? I'm sorry... I didn't see you coming."

Courtney looked up into the concerned gaze of one of her fellow drama club members, Angela. "It's okay. I wasn't really paying attention. I was too busy thinking about the play."

Angela picked up some of the papers on the floor while Courtney straightened up and reached for her notebook. "We'd better watch ourselves or we'll walk off the dang stage," she said with a laugh as she handed some of the stray papers to Courtney.

"Thanks," she said with a sheepish smile. "See ya."

"Bye."

Courtney's cheeks heated with embarrassment as she walked away. She couldn't believe she'd been so careless. In all her years at Elkswood High, she had never even come close to colliding with another student, not even in her first-day induced panic back in freshmen year. Sighing, Courtney continued to her class with a purposeful stride. She'd push everything but schoolwork out of her mind for the rest of the day until she could talk to Sam about it.

****

Courtney raced home after school that day instead of chatting with some of the drama club kids. There was a lot she had to do, and she wanted to make sure she had enough alone time to get it all done.

"Mom? Dad?" Courtney's voice echoed through the house as she strained her ears for any sign someone was home. A couple more calls for her parents and a quick sweep of the house showed her she was in the clear.

The knowledge quickened her pace and made her stand taller. She went back up to the attic and opened the mystery trunk again. She dug through the piles of old photos and papers, stopping when she came across that random picture of a couple.

The faded image was tattered in a couple of spots, but it was clear enough for her to see see the people who'd seemed so familiar the last time. The woman in particular drew Courtney's attention. She felt like she knew her. As she examined the features more closely, her throat caught. The woman had a classic baby face with ears that were slightly disproportionate to the rest of her face, emphasized by the tight bun the woman wore.

Courtney dropped the picture into the trunk and hurriedly closed up the attic before making her way to the upstairs bath. Courtney stood in front of the mirror, inspecting every feature of her face with a critical eye before digging out a hairbrush and a hairclip from the vanity drawer. Courtney pulled her hair up in the same style the woman in the picture wore.

She stared at her reflection for several minutes, struck by the difference. She usually left her hair down because her ears had always been the thing that bothered her most about her appearance. She thought they were huge, so anything that detracted attention from them was preferable in her book.

The effect was enough to make her head spin. How was she almost a perfect image of someone she'd never met? Was that woman her real mother? If so, why would her parents have a picture of her sitting around in the attic? The whole thing was beginning to give her a headache, but she wasn't about to back down now.

With one swift motion, Courtney pulled the clip out of her hair and shook her head to allow her hair to settle back into its normal style. A part of her wondered if she should've left it in so she could see her parents' reactions. If they were hiding something connected to that picture, Courtney was sure they'd react to the change.

"No, I'd better not... at least not for now," she muttered to herself. Such a move could backfire badly if her worst-case scenario was true. Courtney tossed the clip back into the drawer along with her brush, and then shoved the drawer closed.

Courtney walked back downstairs and checked the time. She still had a couple of hours until they got back, so Courtney decided to search the attic further. A few minutes later, she once again was sorting through the contents of the trunk. Finally, she found an envelope with strange names scrawled across it. The address was unfamiliar as well, but if she remembered right, her parents went to college in that same town.

Courtney opened the envelope and pulled out a little piece of stationary with a cryptic message typed on it.

"Enclosed is everything you need. Leave tonight," Courtney read aloud. What did that mean, and why on earth would her parents have a letter like this? So far, this endeavor was only leading to more questions.

She couldn't think of any scenario that made the note less foreboding. Who wrote it and why would her parents have such a thing to start with? If anything, she had even more questions than before. Courtney reluctantly put the paper back where she found it and eased the trunk closed. Time was running out, so she hastily closed up the attic and made her way into the kitchen to heat the leftovers they were having that night.

She paced about the kitchen as she waited for the food to heat, randomly washing dishes, putting away containers, and performing any other tedious task she could find to pass the time. Just as she was about to start sweeping the non-existent dirt off the floor, her father's voice carried through the house.

"Courtney, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen. Dinner's almost ready."

Seconds later, both of her parents walked through the door. Her father gave her a quick hug. "Thanks, Courtney. How was school?"

"Good," she replied. "We did some new acting exercises in Drama today."

They both smiled, although she could swear the expressions didn't quite reach their eyes. It was as though they were trying not to make their feelings about the last part of her day known.

"Sounds like you had fun," her mother replied.

She opened the fridge and rummaged through the contents. Courtney watched as she pulled a pitcher of tea out and set it on the table. "Why don't you go ahead and get cleaned up, and I'll finish in here?"

"Actually," Courtney said, "do you mind if I skip out? I'm kind of wiped and I've got a huge paper to start tonight."

"Are you sure? You might have a lot of work to do, but you still need to eat." Her father took a plate her mother handed him and set it on the table with a concerned expression on his face.

"Really, I'm fine."

"I guess so," her mother replied. "Just make sure you don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Got it," Courtney agreed. "See you guys later." With that, she hurried out of the room, desperate to have the time alone to sort through everything she'd seen that day. She decided her next step was going to be searching for her birth announcement. She wasn't inclined to go searching their room, so she decided checking the newspaper archives would be the best way to go. As far as she knew, her parents had never kept a baby book, and she'd only seen her birth certificate once, briefly. At the time, she'd been too young to really pay attention to it, but she remembered her parents had brought it when they registered her for school. Since that day, she hadn't seen it.

Her plan set, Courtney decided to read for a while before bed to keep up the appearance of working. She kept a notepad open next to her in case they decided to check in on her. Before long, the words began to swim in front of her eyes and she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Courtney woke with a start. The hazy images of a dream clung to the edge of her consciousness, but she couldn't focus on anything concrete. All she knew was the dream had left her with a vague sense of dread that took her a while to shake. She was still trying to get rid of it as she left for school.

She strode quickly through the neighborhood, determined to get a little searching in before class. The school library wasn't the largest one in the area, but there was a great computer database and microfiche collection that could prove helpful. Courtney decided she'd start with the computer files first, since that note implied she might not have been born here as she'd assumed.

The bright light and chirping from birds that accompanied her walk only made her clench her teeth. How on earth could she enjoy the scenery with her mind going to such dark places? Courtney just hoped to be proven wrong. She didn't even want to contemplate the alternative.

Courtney pushed the door open and walked inside, somewhat enjoying the quiet of the early morning. Not having to worry about bumping into someone was a nice change. She slowed her pace as she got closer to the library. Courtney swallowed hard before stepping into the room. This had the potential to seriously screw with her day, and for a moment, she wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

If they're hiding something from you, you have the right to know.

The mental push gave Courtney the strength to enter the library and request a computer. Within minutes, she was seated before a large monitor with instructions on the proper sites to go to. She'd lied and said she was researching a genealogy project. As soon as the librarian had left her to her own devices, she began typing whatever information she could about herself into the databases.

To her disappointment, no birth announcement came up in the results, even when she switched to the address from the mysterious note in their attic. The address did, however, bring up some information for a house that had been owned by a number of families. Unfortunately, not a single one shared her name. The closest she came was a Larry and Erin Thomas. Was it possible they'd changed their name at some point? The names were oddly similar to her parents'.

Before she could switch to microfiche, the first bell rang its daily warning: Get to class now or else. Courtney seriously considered skipping to keep on with the search since she only had study hall this hour, but decided it would be best not to deviate from her normal behavior. There was so much she didn't understand yet, and she wanted to stay under the radar until she figured things out.

****

The moment she arrived at study hall, Matthew waved her over. "Hey, Courtney! Haven't seen you a lot lately. How's it going?"

"Okay," Courtney lied as she took a seat next to him. "I've just been crazy busy with the play and everything lately. Plus, I got a huge paper dumped on me yesterday."

"Social death," he agreed. "When are you planning to join the world of the living again?"

Courtney forced a laugh. "Things should be better next week. I hope, anyway. So, what about you?"

"Well, you know it's been a rough time for us all without you, but we're making do. Well, except for Jessica Simmons. She managed to get in some serious trouble with Hanson last night at the game."

"The principal? What for?"

"Picture a whole basketball court covered in a slimy substance after a few strategically placed balloons are dropped from the ceiling. She mixed them with some normal balloons that were supposed to drop after the game if we won."

Courtney couldn't help the genuine laugh that came with the image. "Are you kidding me? What was she going to do if we lost? The whole thing would be pointless then."

He shrugged. "What can I say? She's confident and she wanted to be the first to play a senior prank. He demanded to see her today. She might even be in the office now."

"Sounds like I missed some fun. I'll try and make sure not to do it again." Something about chatting with her old friend as if everything were the same made her feel better than she had in days. Maybe it was about time to confide in Sam and the others.

The pair spent the rest of study hall chatting about nothing and getting some last-minute homework done. When the bell rang, Courtney smiled as she realized thoughts of her parents hadn't entered her mind the entire period. It was a welcome release.

"See you later," Courtney said as they left the room and went in opposite directions.

"You bet," he called out after her.

As nice a reprieve as the study period had been, her mind quickly returned to her problem and what she was going to do next. She figured filling Sam in would be the first step, and she might as well do it before their shared math class this period. Courtney ran through the hall, hoping he would be there early enough to talk before the bell rang.

To her relief, she found him sitting in his normal seat in the back of the room. While Courtney usually favored the front of the room, she instead slid into the seat next to him. "Hey!"

"Hey, stranger. Where have you been? I haven't talked to you since the night of the game."

"Sorry," she said. "It's been a weird few days. Got time to talk after school?"

His expression darkened as he said, "I guess. What about?"

The tone in his voice made her eyes widen. "No worries, it's not about you or anything. It's actually about my parents." She kept her tone as low as possible as she sneaked a look around the room.

"Yeah, okay. We'll drive down to the creek. Sound good?"

"You bet," she agreed with a smile. The idea of sharing her burden made her feel a lot better. He usually could see things she might not, and Courtney welcomed the perspective. She had never wanted a day to end sooner.
Chapter Eight

The moment the final bell rang, Courtney stood up and fought the urge run out of the room. She had to remind herself to be casual as she gathered her stuff and headed for the exit.

Sam was waiting outside for her as promised. His punctuality made her smile and brightened her mood. There weren't a lot of people that Courtney trusted completely, but he was on the list. Her cousin and Matthew were the other two. She wanted to get them involved as well, but figured it would be best to talk it over with Sam before involving anyone else — especially Lauren.

Sam held the car door open for her while she settled into the passenger seat, stealing a quick kiss before slamming the door shut. She watched him walk around to the driver's side and climb in.

"So, you want to tell me now or wait until we get there?"

"I'll wait," she said. She had a bad feeling her suspicions might cause too much of a distraction.

"If that's what you want," he agreed as he started the vehicle.

Courtney spent the ride over to the creek trying to piece together everything she'd found out over the past couple of days and plan out the best way to tell him. She figured it would sound insane, and she wanted to be as prepared as possible.

****

A short time later, Courtney followed him to the small, secluded area they'd hung out at many times since they started dating. It was one of their favorite spots, and she hoped the familiarity of it would give her the confidence she needed to voice her fears.

Courtney took a seat on a small log near the water, Sam following suit seconds later. Neither one spoke for a couple of minutes. Courtney decided she needed to break the silence before he did and she lost track of what she wanted to say.

"So... you know how I was planning to go out for that movie?"

"You're not rethinking that, are you?"

"No," Courtney reassured him, "I'm still planning to do it. I just got thinking about how I have to sneak around to do it and why. They hate me acting, Sam; you know that. I've never understood why. It reminded me of a lot of things I never really thought about before, and the more I did, the worse things got."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that I think my parents are hiding something from me. I mean, they're always stopping me from doing anything that might get more than a little attention at school. What about that spelling bee where they wouldn't let my picture be in the paper? And then they wouldn't even let me go on to the next level. They also freaked over some TV camera at this show when I was a little kid."

"So, they're overly protective. What's so strange about that? A lot of people don't let their kids do stuff like that for protection. There are a lot of crazies out there."

He reached down and picked up a twig on the ground, drawing doodles in the dirt with it that suspiciously resembled plays she'd seen the coaches on TV drawing when she watched a couple of games with Sam last week.

"But they're so adamant about it! And that's not all. After I got thinking about that, I started realizing a lot of other things. Did you ever notice how there are, like, no pictures of me when I was a baby in that house?"

"Yeah, I noticed that, but you told me they said those got lost when they had a flood."

"Maybe they're right, but I'm starting to wonder. I did some digging and I found this old picture of some woman I'd never seen before hidden in one of the trunks in the attic. Sam, she looked exactly like me. I look nothing like either of them." Her voice rose in frustration as she tried to make her point to him, even though it was painful to voice.

"Wait a minute, are you saying you think you're adopted and they didn't tell you?" He dropped the stick, looking over at her with wide eyes.

"I'm saying it's one possibility."

"So what's the other?"

"That maybe they're hiding something a lot worse than an adoption. I found a note in the same trunk that said 'Enclosed is everything you need. Leave tonight'."

"What?" Sam gaped at her, clearly unable to come up with anything else to say to her revelation.

"Now you know how I've been feeling the past couple of days." Relief washed over her at having shared her burden. She just hoped he wouldn't think she'd lost her mind.

"Court, are you really sure about that? I mean, this seems kind of out there to me. Do you have anything else?"

She shook her head, her voice low. "Nothing, except that note. I checked the address and it was a house. One that they never were listed as owning, but there was a couple there whose names were close. Plus, I couldn't find any birth record for me."

"Wow," he said. He stared off into the distance for a few minutes as he appeared to think over what she'd said. "You think there's a chance you just missed it? I can help you search some more."

"I was hoping you wanted to help. I hope that's all it is, but so much doesn't make sense about this whole thing." Courtney looked down at the ground, gently kicking at a stone by her feet.

Sam put an arm around her shoulder and smiled. "Come on, I'm sure it's not as bad as you're thinking. We'll figure it out.

"Thanks." As reassuring as his words usually were, Courtney couldn't help but feel dread building inside. Did she really want to know the truth?

****

A couple of days later, Courtney was no closer to an answer than she'd been when she first entered the attic. Her after-school commitments and her parents' schedules hadn't allowed her any alone time to dig deeper for any evidence at home, and more computer and microfiche searches failed to bring up any birth announcements for her, either in Elkswood or elsewhere. She couldn't understand how there was no record of her birth. Since she had yet to turn eighteen, the likelihood of anyone in a more official position helping was dismal at best. At least, not without her parents' permission, and how could she ask?

She hadn't even bothered preparing for the upcoming audition yet, and each failure to get answers further distracted her from the preparation. Courtney stared at the script sitting on the bed with a detached expression. Why couldn't she focus on it? She should definitely be prepping by now if she wanted to avoid a total failure. Twice, she tried to pick it up, but instead went back to her computer and more searching. After another twenty minutes of fruitless efforts, she called Sam.

"Hello?"

"Sam, hey. How's it going?" She gripped the cell phone tight as she waited for his answer.

"I'm sorry, but it's pretty much the same as the last time. I'm coming up empty everywhere."

The regret in his voice caused her stomach to twinge. She stood up and paced across the floor. "It's okay, you tried. I think it might be time to go another way."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking it's time to ask them myself."

His voice turned firm at her announcement. "Are you kidding? Courtney, you're the one that got me thinking about the chances of them being some kidnappers or something, and now you want to confront them on your own? No way."

There were times when a worried boyfriend could be a pain. She sighed as she countered, "It's got to be better than this. They might try to lie to me about it, but I'll be able to tell and that will be all the answer I really need. You can come. I might need the moral support."

"You couldn't stop me even if you wanted to," he promised. "I'll be there. Just tell me when."

"Tonight," she decided. "I don't want to risk losing my nerve on this. Why don't you come over for dinner and we'll talk to them after?"

"All right," he agreed. "Tonight it is."

They chatted a little bit more, carefully avoiding the impending talk with her parents. When they hung up, Courtney was relieved to see her parents had yet to return. To pass the time, she grabbed her books and went out to the patio to work on her homework. She loved working outside. The air blowing gently across her skin refreshed her, and the sound of the water in their pool moving with the breeze soothed her.

She got so caught up in her work, she didn't even notice her parents had returned until her mother came out to say it was time to get ready for dinner.

"Mom, you startled me," she said. Courtney stood up and stretched a minute before gathering her stuff to go inside.

"Sorry. You don't usually get so wrapped up in homework. You okay?" She gave Courtney a concerned look, watching her closely as she waited for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm great. Oh! I almost forgot... I asked Sam to come over tonight for dinner. That's okay, right?" Her parents always seemed to like him, so she didn't see where it would be a problem, especially with the way her parents cooked. There was plenty to go around.

"Sure, you know he's always welcome. Better hurry and get washed up."

"Thanks," she replied. "I'll be right back." Courtney had to fight to hide the relief that flooded through her. While they never failed to allow a last-minute guest, there was always a first time for everything. Picking tonight to be that night might have sent her into a panic. She was already tense about the idea of confronting them, not to mention the possibility of her worst fears being proven right.

When Courtney got back to the kitchen, Sam was already there. She smiled, grateful for the support. She watched him chat with her parents a minute before stepping all the way into the room. "Hi!"

"Hi, Court!" Sam stood up and walked over to give her a hug. He squeezed just a little tighter than normal as he whispered in her ear, "Don't back down."

They pulled apart, Courtney blushing a little as she saw her parents watching. She hoped they hadn't caught on that he'd whispered something. "So, what's for dinner?" she asked as she took her seat.

"Pizza," her father replied. "We didn't have time to cook anything today. It should be here any minute.

"Yum," she answered. It'd been months since they'd had a take-out night and she was craving the indulgence, especially with her frazzled nerves.

"So, Sam, how did your last game go?" Her mother sat across from Courtney, while Sam took a seat next to Courtney.

"Not bad, Missus Thompson. We won five to three."

"That's good," her father said as he gathered up some plates and brought them to the table. "How long have you been playing again?"

"Since I was five, every day," Sam answered with pride in his voice.

"That's admirable that you've been so committed to it for so long. Are you planning to keep with it after graduation?"

"I hope so, but we'll see if I get into any of the programs I applied to."

Courtney suppressed the urge to groan at the obvious undertone of their questions. They were always trying to figure out just how serious he and her friends were about things. 'Surround yourself with the right people' was their mantra, and they'd never let up from it since she was a little girl. She understood why, but she couldn't help but wish they would give it a rest. It seemed too pushy to her. "Hey, did I just hear something?"

"I think the pizza guy is here. I'll be right back," her father said.

A mix of excitement and terror greeted his words. The sooner they ate, the sooner they could get the other part of the evening out of the way. Her father came back a minute later and they dug into the box. A deafening silence filled the room as they concentrated on their food. Courtney kept going over everything she wanted to say the whole time. Nothing sounded quite right to her. Then again, she was at best accusing them of lying to her and, at worst, accusing them of being criminals. How could it possibly come out right?

The slices disappeared quickly and before she knew it, her parents were cleaning up their dishes. Courtney hastily finished her last piece and brought her dish over to the sink. "Um, after you're done, could we talk in the living room? There's something I wanted to ask you about."

Her mother studied her, her forehead wrinkled in concern. "I suppose so. What is it?"

"I'd rather wait until we're all in there and sitting down," she said

"I don't know if I like the sound of that," her father chimed in. "Should we be worried?"

Courtney shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."

"We'll be there in a minute."

"Thanks," she said. "Come on, Sam."

They retreated to the living room and took seats next to each other on the couch. She took a deep breath as she prayed for a normal, reasonable explanation for her questions.

When her parents came in, they eyed Courtney and Sam with obvious suspicion. Making no mention of their seating arrangement, her mother took a seat on a chair to the left of the couch, while her father chose to stand next to his wife.

"So, what is this all about?" her mother asked.

"Well, there are some things that have been bothering me lately and I wanted to ask you about them." She took a deep breath before continuing, "For one, how come there are no baby pictures of me anywhere?"

"We already explained that," her mother said. "You know there was a lot of water damage in here when you were little."

"That's just the thing, though... No one else has those pictures either. Shouldn't Aunt Danielle and Uncle Luke have some? What about Grandma Thompson or Grandma and Grandpa Smith?"

"I really don't know, Courtney." Her father sighed. "They might have lost them at some point. All I know is, we had some that were damaged."

"Two years' worth? It doesn't seem possible. What about the way you wouldn't let me do that spelling bee and get my picture in the paper? It was just some silly local thing and you wouldn't let me do it. It doesn't make sense. I mean, it's not like I was asking to be in a commercial or anything."

"You know how we feel about that. There are a lot of parents who like privacy for their kids, you know. I really don't understand where all this is coming from all of a sudden."

Those were the exact answers she'd figured she'd get. Courtney realized they might need an extra push if she was going to get anywhere tonight. "Can you wait here one minute? There's something I want to show you."

"I suppose," her father answered.

Her mother and father whispered something to each other just before Courtney turned to leave the room, which filled her with an odd sense of foreboding. Could it be that she was right after all? Courtney steeled herself for the possibility as she retrieved the picture and note from the attic. There was only one way she would be able to get answers and she intended to, no matter how painful they might be.

When she returned to the room, the tension between the three was palpable and seeped into Courtney's being. She suddenly found herself resisting the urge to turn and run and she had no idea why. Had they argued while she was gone?

"I found a couple of things the other day that I can't make sense of," she said quickly before she could lose her nerve. She held up the photo and note. "What are these all about?"

Her mother started at the picture while her father appeared to be processing it all in his mind. He stared for the longest time, while her mother did a bad job of acting casual.

"I'm sorry, but where did you find those?"

"In the attic," Courtney answered. "I got bored and decided to explore some of the old stuff packed up there, and these were laying in a trunk full of old pictures and papers. Who are they?"

"Those were some friends of ours," her father answered quickly. "We lost touch with them years ago. I forgot we even had those."

"We met them in college," her mother added. "You know how it is.... People graduate, move, and lose touch with each other."

"What about the note? It says 'Enclosed is everything you need. Leave tonight.' What's that mean?"

"I don't know," her mother answered. "I guess some other junk got mixed up with ours somehow. It happens sometimes."

"But the names are so close to yours. How is that just a coincidence?" Her voice raised in frustration at the ridiculous answers. How could they expect her to accept what they were saying?

"Courtney, this is ridiculous," her father said in a firm tone. "Now, I don't know what kind of crazy ideas you have dancing around in that head of yours, but you're seeing things that just aren't there and I think this conversation is over."

"No, it's not," Courtney argued. "I know there is something you're not telling me and I want to know what it is. Please! Don't I deserve to know the truth? Look at this picture? Don't you see it?" She held it out again, this time closer to them. "I look just like this lady. How is that possible if they're just some old college friends?"

Her parents appeared to debate with each other silently. Courtney held her breath as she waited for one of them to respond. Sam reached over and squeezed her hand in a show of support.

"Mister and Missus Thompson, I don't mean any disrespect here, but I have to agree with Courtney. I've been helping her do some searching the past few days and something is definitely not right."

"All I'm asking for is the truth," Courtney added. Her voice broke as she asked, "Are you my real parents?"

"She's not going to let up, you should know that by now," Sam pointed out when they failed to answer.

"I guess you might be right," her father conceded. "Courtney, are you sure you want to know? There are some things that might be too difficult to understand right now, or ever. You should know that before this goes any further."

Courtney's stomach tightened and she gripped Sam's hand a little tighter. "Yes, I want to know."

"All right," he said. "The truth is that you're right: we're not your real parents."
Chapter Nine

Courtney's eyes widened at the words. A part of her had expected as much, but hearing it spoken out loud still took her breath away. She struggled to respond, "So, I'm adopted?"

"Not exactly," her mother answered. "The thing is, we didn't use the official channels. We couldn't go that route."

Just like that, it was as though someone knocked the air from her lungs. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Are you saying you took me?"

"No, nothing like that!" Her father walked over and took a seat beside her and Sam. "We absolutely did not steal you. It's a complicated situation and I'm not sure how to even begin explaining it. There are a lot of things that are going to sound strange, but I promise they're all true."

"Like what?"

Her mother gestured to the picture Courtney still held. "You were right when you asked about her being your mother. We lied just now about them being friends of ours. The truth is, we never met them before, but we were told a lot about them — the sorts of things they were involved in."

"Illegal things?" Courtney's heart sank with the idea that her real parents were involved in something shady.

"No, things that were just... weird. Things that you might not believe. Hell, we didn't believe them when they first told us, but then we saw proof."

Sam raised an eyebrow and interrupted, "What kind of proof? What were they doing?"

"Proof of their involvement in the paranormal," her mother explained. "From what we were told, they had a strong interest in it from the time they were small, and it eventually led to them actively seeking out people who were dealing with things that the normal authorities wouldn't touch or believe. They had special abilities they used in their work."

"What?" Courtney had finally found her voice after sitting in stunned silence for so long. This was all too much for her to take in.

"The lady in that picture, Ann, was able to move things with her mind, in addition to other things. When we first heard all this, we thought it was a joke, but then we saw the abilities being used for ourselves. We tried to find a rational explanation for it all, but it was hard to deny after seeing it in person."

"You mean she had some kind of psychic powers? You can't be serious." She felt as though she'd stepped into the Twilight Zone. They had to be lying.

"We're very serious, Courtney. It sounds like something out of a movie, I know, but I swear that every word is the truth. You have no idea how long it took us to be able to accept that, but we eventually realized there was no reasonable explanation for what we were seeing."

"Wow," Courtney said. It was the only word that would come to mind to express how she felt at the moment. How could that be true? Didn't that stuff only happen in TV shows and movies? Did that mean she could do these things as well?

"I know this might be hard for you to accept," her mother pitched in. "But I guess it might be time for you to start learning about them."

"I... I've gotta go," Courtney said as she stood from the couch. "I need to think for a while."

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but we thought it was for the best. We didn't want to—"

"I know. Look, I really don't think I can talk about this anymore right now, okay? I just... need to be alone." Without another word, Courtney hurried out of the house and down the street, ignoring her parents and Sam as they called for her.

She couldn't believe she'd been right. How could they have kept the truth from her for so long? How could they have outright lied to her every day for nearly eighteen years? She ran as far as she could from the house, finally finding a secluded place to hide for a bit to think.

They aren't my real family.

The words chilled her and made her question almost everything she'd ever known. Who were her real parents, and why did they feel like they had to give her away? What things might she start being able to do? She shivered as she considered the possibilities. What if she ended up having something strange happen right in the middle of class or something? The thought brought a fresh anger that made her suppress a scream. She should've been told so she could be prepared.

The sun slowly dimmed in the horizon, bringing a golden tinge to her surroundings. The old parking garage she'd hidden in had been empty for years, and she reveled in the solitude as she walked across the space, randomly kicking at pebbles that littered the ground. Courtney supposed she should get home before anyone started to worry. She checked her phone, sighing as she noticed the missed calls waiting for her. Sam was responsible for a couple of them, but the bulk of the calls were from her parents. She imagined they must be losing their minds with worry, but a small part of her didn't care. She sent a quick text to Sam to say she was okay and shut the phone off again.

Courtney wasn't sure she could forgive their deception, not with all the potential consequences that could've arisen. Still, she supposed purposefully making them worry wouldn't do much good. Besides, now that she had gotten the chance to cool down she wanted to learn more. She just hoped they would tell her.

Reluctantly, Courtney ambled out of the parking garage and down the street. A half-hour later, she was outside her house mentally preparing herself for what else she might learn about her real family and what they did.

Her parents were waiting for her in the living room. They looked like they hadn't moved since she stormed out, but Sam was nowhere to be seen. She assumed he must've gone out looking for her. "Hi," Courtney said.

"Courtney, thank God you're back. We were starting to wonder what had happened to you." Her mother rushed over, reaching out for a hug.

Courtney stepped back, holding her arms up. "Please don't do that right now. My head is going in a hundred different places, and most of it is how angry I am. I need some time to deal with all this, but I think some more answers would help."

"I understand you're angry, but we did exactly what we were asked because we thought it was best for you. You really don't know what kinds of things your parents dealt with and how scared they were for you," her mother responded. "I hope you'll be able to understand that."

"I'll try, I promise. Why were they so scared? Why did they have to give me away?"

"It's a long story," her father responded, "and it's been a long day. Why don't we all take the night to sleep on this and we'll talk tomorrow?"

"You lie to me all this time, tell me crazy things about my real family, and now you want to try and stall telling me more?"

"This isn't trying to stall, Courtney," her father replied in a harsh tone. "This really is a long story and, frankly, we weren't planning on having this conversation today. I'm not even sure what started you on this search to begin with."

"I just wondered if I could find out why you guys hate me acting so much. Every time I do a play, you can't drag me home fast enough and you act like you'd rather not even be there. It hurts, you know? All my friends' parents are happy to be there. Now, I'm starting to understand why you're so dead-set against that movie at least. After I found that picture, it made me think of all those other things and I wanted to know."

"You're right, we aren't happy about it, especially this movie idea. We promised we'd keep you out of danger and you're talking about doing something that could put your face in front of a lot of people. Maybe the wrong people," said her mother.

"Who? What are you so afraid of? I don't understand what the problem is."

"This is really hard to explain, and I know it sounds insane, but your parents had a lot of gifts. They were known as 'Lightworkers.' They are people who are born with a specific purpose, to help people. Some of these people have the special abilities we told you about, like your parents."

"Like moving things without touching them?"

"Exactly," her father said. "They also did other things. They had the ability to read minds and they could see the future. In fact, they used to see clients all the time to guide them through Tarot readings and other methods."

"Wow. You guys are really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are." Her mother reached out to Courtney again to touch her shoulder. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you more a long time ago, but we were asked not to. They wanted you to have a normal life because the things they dealt with were more dangerous than we could possibly understand. They really did mean well; so did we."

"Who did they think might find me?" The whole conversation was making her head spin, and a part of her couldn't help but think she was being played. Still, she had them talking, so she figured she might as well hear the whole story.

"I don't know for sure. We were never given a name or description of anyone in particular. I don't think they knew, either," her father explained. "We were told there's a balance in the world. For every person who is out there trying to help others, there are people who would do the opposite. It's possible they felt like one of these people was getting too close to them — to you."

"And you took me in to protect me. Why did you do it if you thought these people were so dangerous?"

He gestured for Courtney to sit beside him as he considered the question a minute. "We talked about that a lot before we made the decision to look after you, and there were a lot of factors involved. Eventually, we realized that these were good people trying to make a difference, and we wanted to help in any way we could. Plus, you seemed to really take to us and we weren't sure we'd be able to have any kids ourselves... we thought it might be our only chance."

"I'm not sure I believe any of this. It's so out there, I don't even know where to start." Images of everything they'd told her ran through her mind, moving so fast she felt as though she'd pass out if she weren't already sitting. How was any of this possible? Could they still be lying? She didn't want to believe that could be the case.

"Believe me, we understand," her mother chimed in. "It is true, though."

"Okay, so say this is true. Say my parents have these weird abilities. What about me? Does this mean I might get them too? What would've happened if I did and it happened in front of a bunch of people?"

Her mother shrugged, looking at a complete loss. "We don't know for sure if you'll have the same gifts they did. It's possible you'll only develop some of them, or none at all. We should find out soon, though. Your parents developed their own gifts once they turned eighteen."

"Where are they now? Do you have any idea? What were their names?" Courtney held her breath as she waited for the information that could bring her one step closer to her past, deciding not to explore her own potential powers any further for the time being. The idea of being someone else's child was enough.

"I wish we could answer that, but we can't. The day we took you in was the last we heard anything about them. We can't be sure, but we're afraid that something might have happened. The whole thing was so rushed once we agreed, and we were being pressured hard to make a decision fast."

A sinking sensation hit Courtney hard, and she tightly gripped the armrest of the chair she'd settled into. Was it possible she would never know them? The thought left her with an empty feeling inside. "But they could still be out there, right? Do you know anything else that I might be able to use to find them?"

Her father's eyes widened. "Courtney, maybe you should slow down a little. We were sworn to secrecy for a reason."

"How would you feel if you were me? Wouldn't you want to know more about them? Wouldn't you want to know about your other family? For all I know, I could have brothers or sisters out there, other cousins... people that might know more about who I am."

"Of course, you should want to know," her mother assured her. "We understand wanting answers, but you just found all this out today. You should take the time to sort through everything in your head before you make any decisions about what to do with all this information."

"Maybe..." Courtney had to admit they might have a point, but the sting of the betrayal and the twinge of frustration building deep in her gut were hard to ignore. "Can we talk about this again later?"

"Of course," they both said at once.

If Courtney's mood wasn't so dark, she might have laughed at the synchronized answer. Instead, she stood and said, "I guess I'm going upstairs now. See you tomorrow."

"Night, Courtney," her father answered.

"See you tomorrow, Sweetie," said her mother.

Courtney nodded and went back to her room. As she prepared for bed, she mentally reviewed everything she'd heard that night. So much of it sounded like a sick joke, but there was also a ring of truth in it. Either they were being genuine, or they managed to convince themselves it was true. She wasn't sure which, and didn't care at the moment. The chaos in her mind was too great and her body was beginning to protest the emotional strain she'd put on it that day.

She sent a quick text to Sam to let him know she was okay and would talk to him later. Then Courtney yawned and climbed into bed, praying she'd fall into a fast sleep. Instead, mental images of the people from that picture kept appearing in her mind's eye. Now that she thought of it, there were a couple of similarities she shared with the man too. She closed her eyes tight, willing the images away, but they refused to let her be. Courtney spent most of the night tossing and turning. Finally, she decided that lying there like that wasn't going to do any good. She figured if she was going to get her mind off of everything for the night, getting up might be the best answer. She walked over to her desk and took a seat, staring at her laptop for a couple of minutes before opening it. She turned on the machine and loaded some mindless Internet game. This should do the trick...
Chapter Ten

She woke with her head on the laptop keyboard. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping, but she'd gotten some rest in. Unfortunately, she also had a pain in her neck from sleeping at the awkward angle and her eyes felt heavy.

"Ugh, I feel like I just had too much to drink," she muttered as she stood up. It took her a minute, but she managed to get up and pull some clothes out of her closet. She dressed slowly, wanting to keep her interactions with her parents that morning to a minimum. They'd told her she might not want to get more information, and she knew she wouldn't be able to resist asking if they were alone together for long.

She collected her school bag and then checked her phone. She raised an eyebrow in surprise as she saw how little time she had before she had to leave. Shouldn't they be up there wondering what was taking her so long?

Courtney shrugged it off and made her way to kitchen. Her father was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, but her mother was nowhere to be seen.

"Hi. Where's Mom?"

Her father looked up from his cup. "She had to leave early for work today." He checked his watch and glanced back at her. "You're running behind this morning. Want me to drive you so you have time to eat?"

"That's okay," she said quickly. "I'll just grab an apple or something and eat it on the way."

"Courtney," he said.

"It's okay, really. I could use the walk anyway. It'll wake me up some. I'll see you guys tonight." Courtney grabbed the fruit and raced out the door before he could argue any further.

The damp morning air invigorated her, while the chirping birds and clear skies dulled her foul mood from the night before. When she got to the school, she pushed her way through the front entrance and walked to her locker. She'd almost opened it when a voice from behind interrupted.

"Hey, how'd it go last night after I left?"

"Okay," she said as she turned around to face Sam. "Sort of. Can we talk about it later on? Ya know, alone?"

"Sure. When's your drama club meeting end?"

"Five... you have a game, right?"

"Yeah, but I can make some time before it if you need me to."

Courtney smiled. "It's okay... Focus on that and we'll talk after. I don't need people getting mad at me for distracting the goalie."

"If you're sure about that...."

"I'm very sure." The bell interrupted before she could say anything else. "I'll see you later, okay? We'd better hurry before we're late."

"See ya," he said. "I'll meet you out front after your meeting."

"Great," Courtney called over her shoulder as she hurried down the hall. Her day had started badly enough without a detention for being late, especially since she had stuff to do that day. She just hoped she'd be able to focus in class with everything on her mind.

****

Courtney walked out of her Chemistry class with her head swimming from all the formulas. She'd never been good at it, but today was even worse. The more she tried to focus, the more she got things wrong. At this rate, she was sure she'd end up failing the semester.

To take her mind off of her problems, she spent her lunch period getting lost in her script. Even though she knew all the lines, she felt the need to escape and made the most of the opportunity. She ended up hiding out under the bleachers beside the track where she knew no one would be. Reading a Greek tragedy oddly made her feel better. After all, at least she wasn't dealing with dire prophecies and war.

As far as you know...

The thought brought a shiver that shook her head-to-toe. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to return to the page in front of her. She'd never had to do that before, and the idea of not being able to focus on the written word made her gnash her teeth.

"You have to get it together, or people are going to start thinking you're mental," she chastised herself.

The image of her real parents intruded in her thoughts, making her slam the book shut. How was she going to get through the rest of the day if she couldn't even get through one lunch period without thinking about her family and how she'd been lied to?

Before she could try again, the bell rang and Courtney jumped in surprise. Had she really just spent the last forty minutes staring mindlessly into space while she obsessed about this? Courtney stuffed the script in her bag and made her way back to the building, her gaze focused. She knew exactly what she needed to do now, and there was nothing that could stop her. As soon as she got home, she was going to find out whatever else they knew and find her real family.

****

Once she made the decision to try finding her real parents, Courtney's entire mood changed. The tension that had plagued her all day subsided and she was able to focus enough to get through class and her meeting that day. It was as if nothing had changed at all, and she welcomed the return to familiarity, even if it was a temporary thing. Sooner or later, she'd have to start her search and she had no idea where that would lead.

As promised, Sam met her outside after the meeting so they could go to the game together. For once, Courtney was only partly excited for the evening. While they hadn't made definite plans, there was a real chance that Matthew and Lauren would be there. She had yet to decide if she was going to tell them about her discovery, and her stomach twisted at the idea of having to keep it quiet — especially from Lauren. There were times Courtney suspected her cousin could read her mind. Would her cousin pick up on the change in her? Would Matthew?

"Are you sure you want to go tonight?" Sam asked as they approached his car. "If you're not into it, I'll understand."

"Of course I am," she promised. "I could use a little fun right now. I just have to decide if I'm going to tell them about everything."

"It could help," he said. "I don't know how you'd be able to keep something like that quiet forever, especially from Lauren. What was that nickname people gave her?"

"Loose Lips Lauren. She's really not that bad, though."

Sam laughed. "Didn't she get in trouble before for somehow knowing things only the Principal and some of the teachers knew?"

"True, but she'll keep a secret if she's asked," Courtney responded in her cousin's defense. He was right, though. Lauren would know something was going on, so there was no getting around telling her. "Don't worry about any of that right now, though. Just think about the game so I don't get chased out of school."

"If you say so," he said with a laugh. "I wouldn't want to get you in any trouble."

They spent the rest of the trip to the ice arena in silence, Sam focused on the road while Courtney allowed her mind to wander. This time, she managed to keep a tight rein on it and wouldn't allow herself to think of anything but the scenery before her or the play. By the time they got to their destination, Courtney felt better than she had since the day she'd opened that trunk.

The pair got out of the car, saying a quick goodbye before going their separate ways. He hurried toward the locker room while Courtney got in line outside. A few minutes later, she jumped and nearly screamed when someone came up from behind and touched her shoulder.

"Geez, Matt, you scared the crap out of me! What was that all about?"

"Sorry," he apologized. "I said your name a few times, but you didn't answer."

"Oh," Courtney said, her cheeks heating. "I guess I was daydreaming again or something. It's been a long day and there's another show tomorrow."

"Right. How'd the last one go?"

"Okay, if you don't count me missing a cue once. Hopefully, I do better tomorrow night." Courtney cringed as she thought of the oversight she'd made. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

"If not, I'll be there to videotape it for posterity," Matthew teased.

"Thanks a lot. I don't know what I'd do without you," she said, rolling her eyes. "Where's Lauren?"

"I don't know. She said she'd meet us here, right?" He turned toward the parking lot, putting a hand over his eyes to block the setting sun as he searched the lot.

'Yeah." Courtney checked her phone. "She'd better hurry if she doesn't want to spend most of the game waiting at the concession stand."

"You know her, she always manages to pull it out."

As if on cue, Courtney spotted Lauren in the parking lot, making her way through a crowd that wasn't exactly cooperative. Lauren managed to fight her way through after a few minutes and ran up to them. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything good?"

"No, unless you count wondering where you are. What happened?" Matthew moved to allow Lauren to get into line with them.

"It took me forever to get out of your house," she said. "Your parents are mental today. What did you do?"

"Wait a minute... what were you doing there?" Courtney raised an eyebrow at her cousin's words. She rarely stopped over there except to see her.

"My parents wanted me to drop some old stuff off at your house, and they were asking me all kinds of questions about you and what you've been up to lately. What's the deal?"

"It's a long story.... I'll tell you guys about it later." Courtney tried to sound as casual as possible to avoid getting anyone's attention and to discourage them talking about this anymore in front of a ton of people. They might be hyped up for a game, but they were still a bunch of teenagers who usually clung to gossip like a life preserver. Who needed everyone at school talking about the freak with the fake parents?

"If you say so," the pair said in unison.

Courtney changed the topic fast, and before she knew it, they were inside looking for seats. They managed to find some right in front of the boards. Matthew was practically jumping with excitement, but Courtney was a little unnerved. She hated being that close to the ice during a game. The hits were way too loud that close. Still, it did give a great view of everything.

"Let's go, Lions!" the crowd cheered as the team skated onto the ice. Most of them were on their feet, clapping wildly while the team skated some drills. They didn't even seem to notice all the chaos surrounding them, and Courtney couldn't help but admire their focus. She wondered if the team ever got as nervous as she did before a show. She'd asked Sam once, but he was casual about the whole thing, acting like it was no big deal to perform in front of a ton of people.

Courtney watched Sam run through his drills, holding her breath every time a puck came near him. He let a few in, but most were stopped with no apparent effort on his part, something that never ceased to amaze her.

Once the game started, the crowd got louder and more aggressive. They stood, stomping their feet and clapping while throwing an occasional insult out at the other team. That was one part of the game that made Courtney want to leave the building. She still didn't get the appeal of hurling insults at the competition, even if the team and fans insisted it gave them a boost.

Courtney cheered until her voice got hoarse. Once the buzzer rang to signal the first intermission, Courtney turned to her friends and said, "I'm going for some hot chocolate. Anyone want one?"

"Sure," Lauren said. "I'll come with. Matthew?"

"Sure, why not? I'll wait here."

Courtney tried not to laugh at the suspicious tone in his voice at the idea of leaving their seats. He was always convinced someone would take them over while they were waiting in line. They waved at him as they walked away, suppressing the urge to tease him over it.

"Great game, huh? We're killing it."

"Yeah, although it doesn't seem like fair fight. This other team is a mess. I've never seen anyone skate as slow as they do."

Lauren shrugged. "Must be new players or something. I think I heard a lot of their team was hurt. So, how are you doing?"

"Okay... why?"

Lauren tilted her head said with a knowing tone, "Come on. I know there is something that you're not telling us. What gives? You know I always find out the dirt, so you might as well tell me."

"We'll talk about it later, okay? After the game."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

By the time they returned to their seats, the second period was well underway and a bunch of players were advancing on the opposing team's goal. They stopped in the aisle to watch as one of their players shot the puck. The explosion from the crowd as the puck flew over the goalie's shoulder and into the goal nearly deafened Courtney. She had to remind herself she had a drink in her hand to keep from clapping as wildly as she'd been during the first period. Now that the teams were lining up for another faceoff, they took the opportunity to join Matthew back at their seats.

Courtney handed him his drink, asking, "So, what'd we miss?"

"Not much," he said. "Just a massive struggle at the opening faceoff. No one could get control of the puck."

"We struggled against them? Seriously?" Lauren's face held a barely disguised contempt for the competition. "Oh, well. At least we scored on 'em."

Once the game was over, Courtney and the others went outside to meet Sam. Lauren tried to ask about Courtney's parents again, but she refused to answer anything while people could overhear. Lauren sighed and leaned against a wall.

"The suspense is killing me here. You are planning to tell me when we leave right?"

"I promise, I'll tell you as soon as we get out of here... as long as you promise to keep it to yourself. That goes for you too," she said, nodding to Matthew.

Matthew held up his right hand. "I solemnly swear."

Courtney rolled her eyes at the sight, unable to control the giggles that came with his theatrics. She causally surveyed the area, pleased to see no one appeared to have noticed their conversation. "So, what do you think of our chances at the next game?" she asked them.

"We're going to kill 'em as usual," Matthew declared confidently.

"I don't know... those other players were working out here last week and they looked awesome," admitted Lauren. "I think they're going to be a lot tougher than the clowns we played tonight."

"You think so?" asked Sam.

The group turned around, clearly startled by his sudden appearance. "How long have you been there?" Courtney asked.

"Just a few seconds. Lauren's probably right, by the way. Those bastards are tough. I know a few people who go to that school, and they haven't been beaten yet this year." He moved next to Courtney and put an arm around her. "So what's the plan?"

"They're going to come with us. Lauren stopped by my house earlier and she's full of questions. How about we park at that old drive-in place to talk?"

"If you all want, let's go." Sam stepped aside and walked to his car with the others following close behind.

"I've got my car, so I'm going to have to meet you guys there, okay?" Lauren said apologetically.

"That's fine. We'll see you in a little bit," Courtney said.

Courtney, Sam, and Matthew waved goodbye to Lauren and got into the car. Once Lauren closed her door, Sam started the engine and pulled out. Courtney kept up a steady stream of idle chatter to keep Matthew from asking any questions now that Lauren had opened the floodgates. She didn't feel like explaining everything twice.

****

The space where the Elkswood drive-in used to be had been empty for over a decade. Courtney had no idea why something else hadn't taken its place, but she was glad for the oversight. The large screens still littered the landscape alongside poles that once held speakers. The empty concession stands added to the desolate atmosphere, but somehow Courtney couldn't help but enjoy it. There was something appealing about being in a place so full of history that the rest of time seemed to have forgotten.

The group settled onto the hood of Sam's car, forming a square. Courtney, sensing her cousin's patience was nearing empty, spoke first. "Okay, before I say anything, I need you both to promise that you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. I'm serious."

"I promised, didn't I?" Lauren said, putting a reassuring hand on Courtney's shoulder. "You know you can trust me. What's going on?"

"Ditto," added Matthew.

"Okay... you guys are going to think I'm completely insane, but here's the deal."

Courtney told them everything she'd learned so far on her own, along with what her parents had said. The story took forever to get out, but when she did, they were both staring at her as if she'd spontaneously combusted.

After a couple of minutes, Lauren recovered enough to say, "You're joking, right?"

"Not even a little. Sam was there and he heard everything they said."

"She's right," he affirmed. "They looked like they were being serious. I don't know how true all this really is, but I wouldn't be surprised if they believe it."

"So what are you going to do?" Matthew asked.

"I'm not sure." Courtney absentmindedly played with the zipper of her jacket as she continued, "I think I want to try and find my real parents."

Lauren shook her head, throwing her hands up in the air. "This whole thing is insane. Seriously... you really think there's some other family out there with some weird powers or something? Even if there was, what makes you think they'd want to see you? If, and that's a big if, they are out there, they obviously thought it was better for you to keep your distance. Do you really want to go digging around where it might be dangerous?"

Courtney couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd expected Lauren to be at least somewhat supportive of her. If she couldn't count on the person she thought of as a sister to back her up on all of this, who could she turn to?

"I don't know! There's just so much stuff out there I still have to figure out, and it's driving me crazy. If there is another family, though, don't you think I have the right to know more about them? Where I came from?"

Sam reached over and gently touched her thigh. "Look, why don't we all chill a minute. Court is obviously upset about this and arguing over everything isn't going to help. What we have to do is figure out how to help."

"I think she should go for it," Matthew chimed in. "Her parents could be making all this up, or they might not be. If they are, you have to wonder what they're really hiding. Either way, at least she'll know the truth."

"Thanks," Courtney said. She glanced over at her cousin, annoyance settling in for the first time at the sight of her. They'd never really disagreed over much, but when they did it was something minor. Courtney resented her attitude. This was possibly the biggest thing to happen to her in a long time and this was the way Lauren reacted to it? "The question is, how can I prove any of this? I've been all over the house and there is nothing but that note and picture I mentioned."

"That's a tough one," Matthew agreed. After several minutes of thought, Matthew snapped his fingers. "Yes!"

"What?" Sam asked.

"Well, you said your parents told you these people have weird talents and all, right?"

"Right," Courtney confirmed.

"So, there are tons of books out there about Telekinesis, ESP, and other paranormal stuff. Why don't you try studying some and see if you can actually do any of it?" He smiled, looking proud of himself for having suggested she study.

Courtney raised an eyebrow at him, wondering who this alien creature was. He'd never cracked a book in his life, even though he managed to get nothing less than a 'B' in school. "You want me to try moving things with my mind? Are you kidding? I've never tried anything like that before."

"So?" he countered. "There's no history of something until it happens, right? Give it a try. At the very least, it'll prove part of their story."

"I don't like this," Lauren interjected. "You're talking about a lot of mumbo jumbo here, but if any of it has any basis in reality, should she really be playing around with it? It doesn't sound natural to me."

"Thanks a lot," Courtney said with a glare. "You're sure being helpful tonight. I don't know why I even told you any of this."

Lauren held her hands in a gesture of surrender, her voice softening as she furrowed her brow in concern. "Hey, calm down a minute. This is a lot for me to deal with too. I mean, you're telling me you're not really my cousin. All I'm saying is, assuming this stuff is true, couldn't it be dangerous? It sounds like your real parents thought so... assuming this isn't a huge joke."

"Come on, guys," Sam said. "Let's not argue over this. That won't help anything at all. What we need to do is get to the truth, and then Courtney can decide where she wants to go from there."

"I think what I want right now is to go home," Courtney said as she climbed down from the car. "I need to think by myself."

"Sure," Sam said. "Come on, Matt, let's get out of here."

"Courtney," Lauren said. "I didn't mean—"

"I know," Courtney interrupted, holding her hand out to discourage any further explanation. "I just need to be alone right now. We'll talk another time."

"Okay, if that's what you want. Sorry..." Lauren held her hand out in a peace offering.

"It's okay." Courtney reached out and shook Lauren's hand, using the secret gestures they'd come up with when they were little.

The three watched Lauren as she walked to her car and climbed in. Lauren watched them through the window a moment before waving and starting the engine. She peeled out of the empty drive-in, dirt and other debris spraying from her tires.

"What was her deal?" Matthew turned to the others with a quizzical look.

"I don't know... I guess maybe this freaked her out. They're her family too." At least, Courtney hoped that was all it was. The thought of her cousin not trusting her was almost too much to take.
Chapter Eleven

The dark made her want to cry. It was lonely without her parents, not to mention scary. As soon as her mother closed the door, her lips began to tremble and she sniffed quietly. After a few minutes, she couldn't take it anymore. She let out a wail that shook her body, tears flowing like a river that had just broken free of a dam.

For several minutes, she unleashed her terror and sadness until she saw light peeking through the doorway. Her mother approached her and scooped her in her arms.

"Sweetie, please don't cry," her mother said in a soothing voice. "It's time for bed, silly goose. You need to get to sleep."

A gentle melody sounded through the room, barely over a whisper. Her sobs gradually subsided until they were little more than an occasional hiccup. The sound calmed her, fading into silence as she drifted off to sleep.

Courtney awoke, desperately clinging to any memory of her dream. All that remained were vague images that left her feeling as though a part of her had been ripped away.

The more she woke up, the less she remembered, and the more convinced she became that it was important. There was something familiar about the setting that made her unable to entirely shake it. Courtney yawned and checked the time. Her eyes widened and her stomach clenched. Crap, I'm late!

She couldn't remember a time when her parents had failed to find out why she wasn't downstairs on time on the rare occasions she slept in, and now it had happened twice. A minute later, she realized why. "It's Saturday," she grumbled to herself.

Relief seeped into her bones at not having to deal with school that day. She wasn't sure she could put on a happy face and go through the motions. Her mind was too focused on the images she tried desperately to remember. While she dressed, Courtney struggled to recall what her parents' plans were that morning. Usually, they had some work-related event or other to go to. She sighed as she realized it was too early for them to be gone yet.

"Oh well," she mused quietly. "I guess I can get through a good morning before I make a quick escape."

Courtney trudged through the hallway toward the kitchen. She pushed open the door and stepped inside, a genuine smile spreading across her features as she took in the empty room. She got herself some iced tea while mulling over how to spend her day. A noise from behind stopped her cold.

"Good morning, Courtney."

"Hi, Dad." It felt wrong to call him that now. She couldn't get over the looks on their faces when she showed them the picture of her real parents, not to mention the sting of betrayal when the truth — or what they said was the truth — came out.

"So, what have you got going on this morning?" He poured himself a cup of coffee, taking a long sip before he sat beside her at the kitchen table.

"Nothing," she mumbled. "Might just go for a walk or something."

"Courtney, I know that you must be mad that we didn't tell you everything sooner, but I promise you, we meant well. We did exactly what we were asked and we agreed that it was best."

"And what about what I might want? I'm about to turn eighteen, shouldn't I have some right to decide what I can or can't handle now? Especially if I might start getting weird powers?"

"Young lady, that tone really isn't necessary. You have no idea what we were all dealing with."

"Then why don't you explain it some more? Will I or won't I start getting the same abilities? What is so dangerous that they didn't keep me? You have to know more than what you've already told me." She couldn't imagine her real parents would just hand her over like that without warning them about the possibilities.

"As we told you before, there's a chance you could develop some of the same abilities they had, but we just can't be sure until it happens — if it does."

"You didn't answer my other questions. What was so dangerous they had to send me off to live in hiding? I mean, that is what you've been doing all this time. Is Courtney even my real name?" Despite the doubts lingering in her mind, she couldn't help wanting to hear more of their story.

"We were never told exactly what the threat was. It could be that they didn't know, or that they were afraid of us knowing too much. All I can tell you is, we were asked to keep you under the radar and that's exactly what we've done." He took another sip of his coffee, staring down at the steaming liquid before adding, "Your name used to be Amelia."

"Amelia?" She leaned back in the chair, allowing the name to roll off her tongue and through her mind. For some reason, the name sounded right to her. She reached out and traced the pattern of the tablecloth with her finger, saying, "I like it."

"Courtney, I hope you know we didn't want to lie to you. We had no choice; we had to think about your safety. I hope you'll keep that in mind before you try to do anything with that information."

"I don't know what you think I can do with just a first name, but I would like to know more about them. Wouldn't you?"

"Of course, but these are difficult circumstances. We really don't know what you could stir up if you dig too deeply. That's exactly why I didn't give you a whole name, but I know you're stubborn enough to try, and I just want you to be careful."

"Okay," she agreed. Courtney chugged the rest of her tea and stood from the table. "I'll see you later."

"Where are you going?"

Courtney shrugged, annoyance creeping in at the suspicious tone he took. "I don't know. I just need to be alone right now, to think. I'll be back by dinner tonight."

Her father frowned, but nodded. "See you then."

"Bye." Courtney put her glass in the sink and hurried out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her. She found herself making a left at the end of her street. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew it was away from them.

****

Courtney ended up in a park she used to play in as a child. She sat on one of the swings, using her foot to move herself back and forth. She gradually increased her speed until the wind whipped through her hair and she was nearly touching a nearby tree branch with her toe. Courtney forgot how freeing this could be and the emotions it could stir.

It was strange to her how she'd never realized just how confined she felt until that moment. All the other times her parents had refused to let her audition for anything other than a school production, all the times that she had to decline entering a contest because it could lead to her being in the paper, and the times they wouldn't let her travel with friends' families ran through her mind with an intensity that took her breath away.

She'd practically been a prisoner most of her life and hadn't even realized it. To her, it didn't matter that it was done for her protection. It'd left her sheltered and unsure of what she really wanted or who she was. What had they expected her to do when she graduated in a few months? They obviously knew they wouldn't be able to stop her from doing whatever she felt like, but had they conditioned her to play along to an extent where she would keep it up even when she was on her own?

No.

Courtney came to a stop and stood up. They may have had good intentions, but that didn't excuse it all, and she couldn't keep living under a cloud of secrecy and fear of being discovered by some mysterious thing she had no clue about.

The only question was how to find her birth parents. She had nothing but a first name for herself and her mother, which was next to nothing. For all she knew, her birthday wasn't even her real one. The thought caused a wave of sadness to wash over her.

"Stop it," she muttered to herself as she made her way out of the park. "You will figure this out." Courtney pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts until Sam's name came up. She pressed dial and waited through a series of rings she thought would never end.

"Hey, what's going on?"

His voice never sounded better to her. She'd been worried he wouldn't answer, leaving her stuck.

"I'm glad you finally answered! Can you meet me in a half-hour back at the lot? I'm calling Matthew in a minute to see if he can come too."

"Yeah, what's going on?"

Courtney checked to make sure no one was nearby before continuing, "My father gave me some more information this morning and I want to see what we can do with it. I really need to talk to you about it in person."

"I'll be there," he promised. "Do you need me to come get you? Where are you now?"

"That'd be good. I'm at that old park on Stevenson."

"Got it. See you in a little bit."

"Thanks!"

Courtney ended the call, then dialed Matthew. After explaining everything again, she hung up with a smile on her face. They would both be there. Out of impulse, she searched for her cousin's name as well, but stopped herself from completing the call. Given her attitude before, it might not be a good idea to get her involved.

****

"Okay, so what's the latest?"

The three friends sat on the hood of Sam's car again. Matthew rested his back against the front windshield, while Courtney sat cross-legged on the passenger side. Sam sat with one leg draped over the side of the car, facing the other two, while Courtney explained what she'd learned from her father earlier that day. After she finished, they both appeared to think over what she'd said.

"So, he didn't give you a last name?" Sam looked as though he were still trying to wrap his mind around his girlfriend's real name.

"No, but that doesn't have to mean a dead-end. We can find something, right? Especially with the town name from that note. It'd make sense they were in the same area at the time."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you were born there," Matthew pointed out.

"I know, but it's all I have to go on right now." Courtney considered the issue some more before adding, "If they kept what they did, there could be more information hidden in the house—I just have to find it."

"And you want us to help search the house," Matthew concluded.

"No, if they found out I let you all dig through their stuff they'd flip. I could use some moral support, though. Are you guys up for the challenge?"

"I don't know," Sam said. "This whole thing is freaking me out. What if they're right and there's some kind of danger out there? I don't want you to get yourself hurt or worse. Not that I'm saying I believe their story, exactly, but if they're lying about it..."

"I know. They might be dangerous too, but I don't think so. Come on, they raised me as their own daughter all these years. Do you really think they'd do anything to hurt me?"

He reached for her hand. "Who knows? I don't think so, but if they're hiding something more, you never know. People do crazy things when they need to cover their own asses."

Courtney sighed. "Look, one way or another, everything has changed and I can't pretend that it didn't. I have to know the truth or I'll be wondering my whole life."

"When you put it that way, I guess I'll be there," Sam relented. "You really know how to get under my skin, you know that?"

She laughed. "Yeah, and you love it. Thanks. Okay, my parents are going out of town overnight on Tuesday for some business thing. Can you guys come by then?"

"I can make it," Matthew affirmed. His eyes shone with excitement at the plan.

"We'll be there," Sam said.

"Good." A thrill ran through her at the idea of finally getting the truth. Still, a small part of her shivered at what she might learn. She couldn't believe how fast her world had turned upside down and she didn't know what possibility to hope for.
Chapter Twelve

Later that night, Courtney realized her audition was fast approaching and she had yet to learn the part she was supposed to use. Oddly enough, she couldn't get the energy to worry about it, or even care. Finding her real family had become far more important.

A pang of guilt settled in her gut as she realized she was going to have to back out, but it had to be done. She fingered the script and allowed herself to daydream about going through with the audition, but she couldn't see how to make it work. In her mind, there was little chance she would do a good job with such a huge distraction hanging over her head, and she refused to go unless she could give it her best effort. At least the play was over tomorrow night.

Courtney stood from her bed and walked over to the door, clicking the lock shut. Secure that she had the privacy she wanted, Courtney opened her computer to do some more research. She tapped the surface of her desk while she mulled over where to start. She decided the best thing was to check for any kidnapping cases around that time in the area the note came from.

Courtney entered the search terms and waited for the results to pop up. She picked up a pencil sitting on the desk beside her and absentmindedly twirled it as she waited. The list of results brought a sense of unease. There weren't that many in the area, but there were enough that it would take time to get through each one to compare the facts she knew with the articles.

She went through the links slowly, taking in every detail, but nothing seemed to quite fit. She tried again, using a couple of other places where she had family, but had the same luck. There was no shortage of cases, but all of them seemed to have at least one detail that didn't match up.

She shut the computer off and got up, pacing the room over and over. The dead-end made her stomach knot. Each failure pointed more and more to them telling the truth, and she didn't know if that was something she could deal with. She plopped down on her bed, gripping the corner of her pillow tight as she curled up against it, snorting at the idea she would almost prefer them being criminals at this point.

She realized if she was going to get any further, she would have to get her hands on her parents' old stuff. She needed solid information that came from something other than her father's mouth right now. She just hoped they still had it in the house somewhere.

****

Courtney stood backstage feeling even edgier than she usually did before a performance. After she walked offstage, she, Matthew, and Sam would head back to her house. The idea of what she might find that night made her feel sick to her stomach, but she breathed through it in an effort to avoid messing up in front of an auditorium full of people. She may have lost her sense of self, but at least she still had her pride.

As usual, the moment she stepped onstage everything else disappeared and Courtney allowed herself to get lost in the fictional drama of her character instead of her own. She put everything she had into the performance, almost breaking down several times. At the end of one scene in particular, the audience stared at her in stunned silence. The quiet engulfed the room for several beats before giving way to thunderous applause.

She felt the same energy flowing through her for the rest of the show, and she let it carry her to the curtain call. When she took her bows, she felt like she was flying. She'd never experienced such a sensation in her life and she loved every second of it. After they stepped offstage, Miss Hernandez cornered her.

"Courtney, I don't know what happened, but that was outstanding! I don't think I've seen a performance like that out of you in all the years you've been here, and that's saying something. Congratulations!" She gave Courtney a hug.

"Thanks," she responded, wiping a couple of stray tears that came out. "I don't know either, but I'm glad it did... Especially on closing night."

"Well, I can't wait to see what you'll do at that audition this weekend. You confirmed, right?"

Courtney's stomach dropped as the inevitable question came out. She looked so proud and excited that Courtney hated to disappoint her, especially after a night like this. "I, um... I'm not going to be able to do that after all. It's a long story, but something personal came up and it's going to take up most of my time."

"Is there anything I can do to help? It'd be a shame to see you back out, especially after that performance."

"I wish I could, but it's just not possible. I'm really sorry. I wish I had known sooner."

Miss Hernandez sighed, patting Courtney's shoulder reassuringly. "I can't say I'm not disappointed, but things happen. I hope you'll consider trying something else once everything's been worked out."

"Thanks. I will. I'd better go now, actually. I've got a ton of stuff to do tonight, but thanks again for the compliment."

"You're welcome. Goodnight, Courtney."

Someone backstage called for her, and Miss Hernandez gave Courtney a quick wave before rushing off to whatever drama might be happening offstage.

Courtney turned and made her way through the wings and into the dressing area, dodging her fellow cast members, who were chatting excitedly as they made their way to the after-show party. She couldn't help but feel bad about skipping out on it, especially since it was the last one. Courtney figured she must look like the biggest diva in school. She couldn't worry about that now, though. There was something far more pressing demanding her attention.

Once she'd changed, she waited outside the theatre for Sam and Matthew. The warm air helped to take away the chill she always got from being inside the auditorium. She swore they must keep the place glacial on purpose. She assumed it was because of the lights — they couldn't have any students passing out in the middle of a production. Still, Courtney would've preferred being hot. The change back and forth was never pleasant.

She sat down at a bench and leaned against the wall with her eyes closed. The sounds of people milling about the parking lot and cars pulling out mixed with crickets chirping.

"Court!"

Courtney snapped to attention at the sound of her name. She searched the bustling crowd, spotting Sam and Matthew by a vending machine a few feet away.

"Hey," she called out as she stood to join them. "You guys ready?"

"You bet," replied Matthew. "Let's go."

Courtney nearly burst out laughing at the look on his face. He reminded her of a mischievous child getting ready to play a joke on someone. That was one of the things she liked best about him; he wasn't afraid to get in a little trouble. She supposed it balanced out her overly-cautious nature.

"Ready when you are," Sam said as he gave her a quick kiss. "By the way, you were awesome tonight. What happened up there? I mean, you're usually incredible, but tonight was something else."

"Thanks. Miss Hernandez said the same thing. I don't know; it was like I just got lost for a while there. Maybe my subconscious decided I needed a break or something," she joked.

Sam walked Courtney to his car with his arm around her shoulder, flirting with her the whole way while Matthew followed at a respectful distance. She blushed and played along with his flirting, knowing he must be trying to keep things light. She had to admit, she'd been a ball of stress the entire day and had even started getting on her own nerves. She couldn't blame him for trying to lighten her up, if that was what was behind the extra attention.

Once they got on the road to her house, the three of them fell into an awkward silence. Courtney considered all the things she could possibly discover that night. What if they were telling the truth and her parents really had supernatural powers? The possibility made her nauseous.

"Guys," Courtney said as Sam pulled into her driveway, "let me out here and then go park somewhere else okay? I'll leave the back door unlocked so you can sneak in." She stole a glance at the house of the neighbor who usually kept an eye on their place when her parents were gone.

"Sure thing. We'll see you in a little bit," Sam agreed.

"Thanks." Courtney got out and waved goodbye as she ran to the door. Courtney unlocked it and walked inside as Sam pulled out and drove away. She just hoped they were discreet enough and this wouldn't get back to her parents. They'd have a fit if they knew she had a couple of guys in the house while they were gone, especially when one was her boyfriend. Courtney almost laughed at the absurdity of worrying about that, but she supposed old habits die hard — especially when one was scared her parents were really criminals.

Okay, where should I start?

Courtney unlocked the backdoor as promised while mentally reviewing the house for potential hiding places. Their closet came to mind, but Courtney dismissed that idea along with the attic. If they were trying to keep more details from her, they would've gotten rid of anything in either place once she confronted them with the picture and note.

A part of her wished she had waited to do that until she went through everything in the attic more thoroughly. Who knew what other skeletons might have been hiding in there? She supposed it was too late to worry about that now and decided to try the study first. She'd only been searching for about fifteen minutes when she heard Sam's voice calling to her.

"I'm in the study," she called out. "I'll be out as soon as I can." Courtney crept to the desk and carefully rifled through each drawer, disappointed to see they mostly contained old bills and other assorted junk. She was surprised. She figured they would be a lot neater than that. Her mother was always after her about keeping her room clean.

"Okay," Sam answered.

The desk turned out to be a waste of time, and the closet wasn't much better. Her cheeks flushed with annoyance as she made sure everything was just as she'd found it. The cabinet in the corner of the room also came up empty, making her suppress an annoyed scream. There had to be something!

"Okay," she muttered, "where else would they hide stuff?"

Courtney studied the room, taking in the faded carpet, the dark oak furnishings, and the antique lamp that illuminated the space. An image of her as a child played through her mind. She had only been about three at the time, so she couldn't be sure of the reliability of the memory. Still, she could swear there was another spot in this room she was missing. She closed her eyes in concentration as she focused on the hazy recollection. She'd come running into the room, chasing her old cat, Maxwell.

"Courtney Lynn, haven't I told you not to come running in here like that? This is Mommy and Daddy's office and isn't for playing!"

Her mother had nearly jumped before saying the words, her hand brushing the wall as she stood.

"Sorry, Mommy," Courtney said with a pout. "Maxwell and me are playing tag and he wouldn't listen."

"It's okay. Why don't you take Maxwell into your room to play?"

"Okay," Courtney said, a big smile spreading over her face over being forgiven for breaking the rules.

The more Courtney thought about it, the more she realized just how protective they were of this space. The image of her mother standing at the wall like that made her wonder. Could there be some hidden space in here she didn't know about?

Courtney marched to the wall with her gaze fixed on the family portrait over her father's bookcase. She'd always liked that photo. Her parents had such a look of joy and pride in their faces, and Courtney was holding one of her favorite childhood dolls. She smiled, thinking of how she'd been convinced it could really talk to her. Funny how she never noticed that the doll always said the same things without fail—sometimes multiple times in a row.

Her interest in the picture was far different today. She stepped closer, reaching out for the frame with both hands, hesitating a moment before gripping both sides and taking it off the wall. Her eyes widened at the opening the picture hid. No wonder they'd never wanted her in this room.

The space was only about a foot wide and just as tall. She opened the little door with her stomach doing flip-flops. Who knew what she would find inside? Courtney reached her trembling fingers inside and pulled out the first thing she found. It was a picture of her birth parents standing outside of a large building. She studied the image, tracing it with her finger before turning her attention to the back. A date and place were scrawled across the surface, along with the names Shawn and Ann.

At least they told me the truth about her name...

She pulled a piece of paper out and unfolded the sheet. It was an old newspaper article about a family who'd gone missing. Her breathing accelerated as she read the account of how their car had been found on the side of the road with signs of forced entry. A hat and some other items had been found damaged and strewn about, leaving authorities to conclude the family must have met with foul play. She swallowed hard as she put the article back, wondering whether or not they'd faked the whole thing as part of their scheme to hide her. What if they'd really been hurt? She banished the thought from her mind, realizing that was too much to consider.

As Courtney scanned the article further, she noticed that the names mentioned were different and the picture accompanying it was of someone else. Maybe this was one of those things they got involved in. If it was, she was disappointed to see there was no follow-up article included to tell her how it had turned out.

Courtney kept searching until she came up with a graduation program from a college in the Northeast. Her heart pounded at the discovery, and she quickly began scanning names to find anyone named Shawn or Ann. Unfortunately, she found several of each listed so she pulled the small notepad she had brought with her from her pocket and jotted them down. She'd look up the names later.

Most of the other stuff was old notes that didn't mean much at all to her. At least, they didn't reveal anything important. They were mixed with some old campus newspapers and other mementos that Courtney didn't feel the need to go through. Instinct told her that there was little else these things could tell her.

Ten minutes later, she put the last item back and placed the picture over the secret opening. Courtney left the room, shutting the door carefully before joining her boyfriend and friend in the living room.

"How'd it go?" Matthew asked as soon as she stepped through the doorway.

"I found some stuff, but we should probably talk about it tomorrow. It's late and I don't want you guys to get in any trouble. Besides, I want to think over what I found for a little bit before we talk about it. Okay?" She felt bad for rushing them out, but she felt the need to keep her discovery to herself for the night.

"I guess so, as long as you're all right. You look a little upset," Sam said, watching her closely.

"I'm fine... I just don't want to hold you guys up any more than I have. Plus, it's best not to push our luck. You've already been here for a while and I don't want the neighbor to notice."

"Okay," Sam agreed, "but I want you to call me first thing tomorrow."

"Will do," she promised. "Thanks for coming tonight. I really appreciate it."

"What else were we going to do?" teased Matthew with his trademark good-natured grin. That grin had been known to get him out of a lot of trouble in school over the years, not to mention with the girls that fawned over him. "We'll see ya."

"Night."

Matthew headed for the kitchen, while Sam drew Courtney closer to him. "Night." He kissed her and then hurried through the kitchen door to catch up with Matthew.

Courtney watched them walk across the backyard through the kitchen window until they passed the trees on the edge of the property and disappeared from view. Once they were gone, she found herself getting restless and began doing random tasks around the house to try and settle down. She felt like she could jump out of her own skin, but she couldn't understand why.

Seeing the chores weren't helping, she tossed aside the dishrag she'd been using to dry a dish and put the last plate back in the cabinet. The term her parents had used before stuck in her head, and she decided what she really wanted was to look into it more.

Once Courtney got back to her room, she settled in front of her computer and began searching for the term 'Lightworkers' online. She thought she'd heard it before, but mostly in New Age circles, so she had no idea what it really was. What her parents had told her so far seemed to fit with what she'd heard, but that didn't mean much. Courtney wanted to find what she could from unbiased sources.

The more she searched, the more she saw that there were, in fact, people who referred to themselves that way, although none of the ones she found online claimed any odd abilities other than good intuition and maybe talking to dead people. Courtney wasn't sure whether she considered the latter ability to be a good thing or not. It unnerved her.

A couple of hours later, she was no closer to finding people who fit exactly what she'd been told than when she'd started, so Courtney decided to give up for the evening. There was no point when the words were beginning to swim in front of her eyes, anyway.
Chapter Thirteen

The wind gently rustled the tree leaves as Courtney walked down the road toward her house. She breathed heavy as she rushed home, anxious to get to her computer. Her mouth was set in a hard line as she thought about all the possibilities stretching before her that day. The plan was to begin using the names she found to see if anything fitting her parents' story came up, and already the wheels were spinning in her mind as to what she'd do if the search revealed something different than what she'd been told.

Partway home, her cell phone rang. Courtney reached into her pocket, pulling the small phone out. She cringed at the name on the screen. What could she want right now?

Courtney pressed the talk button and adopted a casual tone as she answered, "Hi. What's going on?"

"Not much," Lauren answered. "I was hoping we could get together and talk. You've been avoiding me ever since we all met at the drive-in."

"I know. I've just been really busy and there's a lot on my mind right now. Plus, you didn't seem too supportive about what I told you all, so I figured you didn't want to hear about it."

"Courtney, come on. You know that's not true. You're my best friend. I just needed to sleep on it. You did throw a major curve ball at me, after all."

"Think how I feel. At least you know who your parents really are." Courtney couldn't stop the venom from seeping into her words and a part of her felt bad about it. She had to admit, her cousin sounded upset, and she was obviously trying to make things right.

"True, but that doesn't mean you should act like I'm the enemy here. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Courtney's tone softened as she answered, "Actually, I guess you could. I was planning to do this at home by myself, but maybe I can come by and we can do some searching together. Is your roommate going to be there today?"

"She shouldn't be. She's got a ton of classes scheduled today, and then she's going to spend the night at her boyfriend's place so they can go out somewhere in the morning. Why don't you see if you can stay for the night? It'll give us plenty of time to talk and figure things out."

"Okay," Courtney agreed. "Thanks."

"But of course," said Lauren. "What else are cousins for?"

"That's a good question," Courtney teased. "See you in a little bit."

Courtney ended the call with a smile on her face. All the tension in Courtney's body dissipated, knowing that Lauren was open enough to help in the search. She just hoped where it led wouldn't prove to be more than they could handle.

****

As Courtney once again pulled into the crowded lot of her cousin's apartment complex, a mix of excitement and terror built within that made her have to sit quietly to get her emotions under control. Courtney reached into the backseat to collect her overnight bag. She climbed out of the car, slinging the bag over one shoulder.

Once she entered the building, Courtney marched down the hallway to her cousin's apartment. She barely looked at the numbers as she moved, stopping at the door. She knocked, then began playing with the end of her backpack's strap absentmindedly while she waited.

"Come on in! I was starting to wonder what happened to you," said Lauren as she stepped aside to let Courtney in.

"Sorry, it took me a bit to get out of the house. They're even fighting me on coming over here now."

"Oops. Sorry," Lauren apologized. "That's probably my fault. Remember how I said they were acting weird before? Well, I didn't tell you that I asked them about it. They didn't look too happy about that, so I guess they might not be big fans of me right now."

Courtney sighed, setting her bag on the ground against the wall. "Figures. I swear, I don't think I've ever seen two people that can't stand being questioned on something more. It was like pulling teeth to get them to tell me what they already did."

Lauren laughed. "That's parents for you. You know how they are. You can be fifty and they'll still look at you like you're in diapers. My parents are still like that."

"Glad to see it gets better," Courtney said with a laugh. "So, when can we start?"

"Chill a minute and I'll get you something to drink, then you can tell me what you already know. Sound good?"

"Okay," Courtney agreed. She pulled her laptop out of the bag while she waited for her cousin to return with their drinks. She set it on the coffee table before settling onto the couch.

"Here you go," Lauren said, handing Courtney a can of soda.

"Thanks." Courtney flipped the tab and took a sip, allowing the bubbly liquid to sit in her mouth a moment before swallowing.

"Okay," Lauren said as she opened her own and took a seat beside Courtney. "What's the story so far?"

Courtney filled her cousin in on the details she'd learned since the last time they talked while Lauren watched with an intent expression. Courtney couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious under the scrutiny, as she knew most of what she said sounded odd.

"So, that's about it," she concluded. "I still don't know for sure what to believe, but the names will hopefully help."

"Did you tell them anything about that?"

"Are you crazy? Of course not. There could be other stuff hidden in there, and I'll never get at it if they know I was digging around in the office." Courtney reached over to open her laptop. She booted the machine, adding, "So, what exactly did you say when you saw them, and how'd they act?"

Lauren shrugged. "Not a whole lot. I just asked why they seemed a little off and they didn't tell me much. I just gave up. They did want to know if you'd been acting weird at all. When I said no, they dropped it and said they had to leave."

Courtney opened one of the websites she'd been searching on and made a face. "Of course they did. They're always busy."

"Courtney, are you sure part of this whole thing isn't you trying to get revenge on them or something? I mean, you do complain a lot.... not that I blame you," Lauren added hastily.

"Revenge for what?" She asked in annoyance.

"The plays they rush you out of, the stuff they won't let you do, how you've always told me they treat you like a baby."

Courtney looked up from her screen, studying her cousin's face a minute before answering, "That has nothing to do with this."

"Okay," she said. "I'll go get my computer and check some sites I use. Sound good?"

Courtney nodded. "Sure."

Lauren left Courtney alone in the living room when she retrieved her own device. Courtney typed the name she'd found into the site's search box and hit the enter button. Within seconds, a list popped up that almost made Courtney's eyes cross. The Internet was great, but sometimes she felt overloaded after completing a search for anything.

She opened the first link and scanned the text, a frown marring her face as she saw it was a dead end. She closed it off and managed to get another one opened before Lauren returned.

"Okay," Lauren said as she fired up her machine. "What's the names we're looking for again?"

Courtney repeated the names and went back to scanning the page she'd opened. A few minutes later, Lauren reached over and tapped Courtney's leg.

"What was that town again?"

"Woodside." Courtney looked over at her cousin. "Why? Did you find anything?"

"I thought so, but if that was the town name, I guess not. This is for someplace called Riverside."

Disappointment rolled over Courtney like a fog at the admission. She shrugged, trying to act casual. "Oh, well. Keep looking. There's gotta be something out there, and we'll find it."

The two fell into silence again as they did their searching. Courtney found a site that mentioned someone with her supposed real name listed on it that looked like it might be something. According to the date, it looked like it was an article from around the time she was a toddler. She clicked on the link, excitement coursing through her veins as she watched the little circle spin on her screen.

When the page loaded, Courtney tried to keep her excitement in check as she reminded herself it could easily be a dead-end. After all, while her original name was a little more exotic than this one, it still wasn't the most out-there selection, so there was every chance it wouldn't be her.

Satisfied she had herself under control, she scanned the text. As she read the story, her stomach tightened and she felt the urge to vomit. Her vision went hazy as the words began to swim in front of her.

"I'll be back," Courtney said quickly as she stood, closing off the page so her cousin wouldn't see. "Gotta make a rest stop."

Lauren narrowed her eyes at her, her brow wrinkled in concern. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I shouldn't have skipped dinner tonight, though."

"Ya know, I'm kind of hungry too. Why don't I order us something?" Lauren stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter where a pile of takeout menus lay strewn about the surface. She flipped through them a minute before asking, "Is pizza okay with you?"

"Sure," Courtney agreed, praying she'd be able to keep it down as she turned and left the room.

Courtney hurried into the bathroom and shut the door, leaning against the wood to steady her shaking body as the words she'd read played through her mind.

Toddler missing, presumed dead after accident.
Chapter Fourteen

The words swam through Courtney's head like a nightmare she couldn't rid herself of. Her gut ached in a way she couldn't describe as she remembered the details of the accident and how they'd been found on the side of the road near a wrecked vehicle with an empty car seat not far away.

She choked back quiet sobs as she allowed the grief to run its course. The idea she'd never really get the answers she'd craved brought a harder flow of tears. Once Courtney pulled herself together enough, she walked over to the sink to splash some water on her face.

Before she could finish drying herself, a knock sounded alongside her cousin's concerned voice. "Are you okay in there?"

"Yeah, Lauren. I'll be out in a minute."

Courtney put the towel away, then took another look at her image in the mirror. She examined herself critically, pleased to see there were no traces left of the fit she'd just had. If there was one thing that made her cringe, it was showing weakness in front of others, especially her family. It was part of the role she'd played most of her life, and she didn't care to give it up now.

When Courtney opened the door, the narrow hallway was empty. Courtney stepped into the hall and pulled the bathroom door closed behind her, taking a breath before returning to the living room and the search. Although, she had no idea what she was really looking for at this point. If they were gone, what more could she gain from looking? There would be no one at the other end of the search to answer her questions.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay? You were in there forever." Lauren sat on the couch, a remote in her hands that she set aside as she looked up at Courtney.

"Yeah, it's fine. I just wasn't feeling so good. I think I need that food big time. When's it going to be here?"

"In about twenty minutes or so. Want to call it a night for now? Start fresh tomorrow?"

"Sure," Courtney agreed. "Tomorrow will be fine." She forced a smile as she took a seat again. "So what are you watching?"

"Nothing, really. I was still looking for something, but the selection sucks. So what did you find?"

"What are you talking about?" Courtney fought to keep her voice casual.

"You know what I'm talking about. You looked like you saw a ghost, then you shut down the page you were looking at and ran out of here." Lauren fixed her with a penetrating gaze that had gotten Courtney to confess to all sorts of things over the years.

Courtney looked down at her lap, fiddling with a loose string on her shirt. "They're gone."

"Who?"

"My real parents," Courtney blurted out. "There was a story about them... they died in an accident, and people think I did too."

Lauren's eyes widened. "Oh my God... I'm sorry. Are you sure it's them? Maybe they just have the same name or something."

"I'm sure. All the details about them fit and it was in the right area. Plus, they had a kid who would be my age." A fresh round of tears flowed at having said it out loud. "It's over. There's no point in keeping up the search if they're not here. Don't tell my parents, but I wanted to find them and talk to them myself." Courtney had added the last part without thinking and nearly wanted to smack herself for admitting it out loud like that. Still, she figured her secret would be safe with Lauren.

Lauren moved closer and hugged Courtney tight. "I promise, my lips are sealed. Still, maybe it's not really over. I mean, they came from somewhere, right? They'd have parents and grandparents, maybe siblings or other kids. There's a chance you can still find them, right?"

"There weren't any other relatives mentioned in the article I found, but I guess it's possible. I just don't know if I want to now. I mean, am I really supposed to show up on someone's doorstep and say, 'Hi! I'm the kid you thought was dead'? It'd be way too weird." She shuddered to think of the reaction that greeting would get her. For all she knew, they might still be nursing deep wounds that she would rip right open.

Lauren let go of Courtney, looking her in the eye. "I guess you're right; that could be a really bad idea, not to mention completely awkward. Still, I might at least see if you can find names so you at least can learn something about them — just as long as you don't start nosing around too much with the other stuff. I meant what I said before about thinking it's too dangerous. You really have no idea what you could be getting yourself into, but if that article's any indication, it can't be good."

"I'll think about it," Courtney said. Her heart wasn't in the promise, though. She couldn't explain how she knew, but she was almost positive that whatever she could find on their other relatives wouldn't give her what she needed. She needed her parents. There were so many things only they'd be able to tell her, so many things about herself and what she could or couldn't do.

****

"Amelia, Sweetie, don't touch that."

Amelia looked up with wide, innocent eyes at her mother's voice. The words were sweet and her expression gentle, but there was an edge to it that was hard to ignore. She meant what she said. Amelia pulled her hand back from the small object that had drawn her attention. It was shiny and round, like the ball she loved to play with. There was something different about it, though, and Amelia wanted to find out what. She'd watched her parents play with it a lot and they always seemed to see pictures on it.

"Come on, you. Let's find you something else to play with, shall we?"

Amelia's mother picked her up and carried her into the other room. Amelia began to cry as her mother set her in the square thing that kept her from exploring.

"Shush," her mother soothed. She picked up something Amelia couldn't see. When her mother leaned down and set her favorite doll in front of her, the tears immediately dried up. Amelia giggled and clapped as she reached for the doll, hugging it close to her.

The dream left Courtney with a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure how she was dreaming of the parents she, by all rights, shouldn't remember at all, but she was, and it only made the pain of her discovery last night worse. Courtney lay under the covers her cousin had given her for several minutes before she managed to pull herself out of bed.

Folding the blanket helped to center her and take her mind off the dream. She paid special attention to every detail of the blanket to take her mind off it all; the soft material, the sensation of shaking it out before she folded it, the number of folds she made. One, two, three.

When she finished and had put it away, she focused every ounce of her attention on dressing and packing herself for school. Her cousin had yet to stir, and Courtney couldn't help the pang of jealousy deep inside. She couldn't wait to get out of high school so she could set her classes for a little later in the day.

She scribbled a quick note thanking Lauren before slipping out the front door.

The whole way to school, she kept the radio blaring to help her stay focused on the road. She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken feeling so spent and depressed. She hoped no one else would notice. She'd taken extra care in the bathroom to look as normal as possible.

Before she knew it, she'd pulled into the lot. Students bustled around her, some heading into the building while others made their way to other parts of the campus where they gathered to chat with friends before the bell rang. A few people waved as she got out of her car and made her way inside so Courtney smiled and waved in return.

She collected her books from her locker, then slammed the door shut and made a mad dash to class. She would be early, but at least she'd have some time to sit quietly without being bothered by anyone.

Courtney plopped into the chair, then opened her textbook and started reading the assignment she'd never completed the night before. The words barely registered in her mind, but she figured she retained enough to get through any discussion that morning. Oddly enough, the text talked about the Middle Ages, when people were more superstitious and believed in magic and other such things.

Instead of distracting her from her worries, the text brought her real parents more firmly to mind. The gifts she'd been told about would definitely fit into the sort of things people of that era looked at with caution. It made her wonder if that accident she'd read about was really just an accident. What if they'd been killed?

The shrill bell echoing through the room startled Courtney out of her thoughts, something she couldn't help but be a little grateful for. She didn't know if her mind could handle going down the train of thought she'd started, at least not yet.

"Good morning, everyone," Mr. Neil said. "I'd like you all to turn to page eighty, please."

For the next hour, Courtney only half-listened to the lecture while sneaking discreet looks at the clock on the wall, willing it to go faster so she could put that chapter of the text behind her. Sam, who shared the class with her, tried a couple of times to get her attention, but she pretended not to notice.

As soon as she bell rang, he approached her. "How'd it go last night?"

"Okay, I guess. Can we talk about this later?" She gave him a pleading look, hoping he understood why she didn't want to say anything more in front of others.

His answer came without a bit of hesitation. "Sure, same place? I'll meet you outside?"

"Yeah, that'll work." If she worked it just right, she could avoid spending any more time than necessary at home. Just thinking about her parents brought a fresh wave of anger. Had they known her real parents were gone? If so, why couldn't they have at least told her about them? What danger would there be if she couldn't see them face-to-face anymore?

"Great," Sam replied. "Listen, I'll see you then. I gotta go now and meet Richardson. If I don't get this paper to him a.s.a.p., I don't get to play tomorrow."

"Okay, see you at lunch." Courtney waved and turned down one hallway while her boyfriend went down the other. As she navigated her way through the school, she made up her mind. They were going to tell her everything they knew about her real parents. The time for secrets was over.

****

Courtney walked into her house after school, although it didn't feel like hers anymore. There were too many lies hiding within, too much lost that she'd never get back. For all she knew, her other relatives could have met similar fates. The thought was depressing, but she supposed it was possible. Why else would they have gone to such great lengths to hide her?

"Mom, Dad?" She called out to them, kicking the door shut behind her.

"Courtney, hi! We were wondering when you were going to get home. Where have you been?" Her mother stepped into the living room from the hallway, her arms folded, with an annoyed look in her eyes.

She dropped her backpack on the couch as she explained, "Sorry, I had things to do after school. Is Dad home? I wanted to ask you guys some more stuff."

Her mother frowned. "Courtney, I really don't think—"

"I need to," Courtney interrupted. "Please?"

Her mother sighed and gestured to the couch. "Your father's in the other room. Go have a seat and I'll get him."

"Thanks." Courtney did as she was asked, mentally reviewing everything she wanted to know. She just hoped they'd have some answers.

A few minutes later her father came into the room and sat on the chair across from her. Her mother sat on the arm beside him.

"So, what did you want to know?" her mother asked, a hesitant tone in her voice.

"Do you know where my parents are now?" Courtney asked.

"No," her father replied without hesitation. "As I said, we weren't told a thing about their plans. Courtney, you have to understand that that's probably the way they intended. Us knowing too much could've put you in danger."

"So you really don't know anything about what they did or where they went after?"

"Not a thing," her mother confirmed. "We're telling the truth."

Courtney swallowed hard as she heard the sincerity in their voices. She looked down at the ground. "I have to make a confession."

Her parents exchanged a look, but didn't say anything. Instead, they waited quietly for her to continue.

"I know about the secret spot in the office. I went through everything in it the other day."

"Courtney, what on earth possessed you to disobey us like that? You know you aren't allowed in there." Her father's tone was harsh, his eyes flashing in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, but you have to understand my side of this. I have this whole other part of myself I don't know a thing about. How would you feel if you knew you had another set of parents out there, but you knew nothing about them?" The pleading tone in her voice irritated her, but she couldn't help it. She had to get them to see where she was coming from.

"I understand it's hard," her mother began, "but—"

"They're dead."

Courtney's pronouncement hung in the air while her parents sat in shocked silence. Her mother gaped at her while her father's face turned stoic.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"You had their names in the office, so I looked it up and found a story. They were in an accident."

Her mother gasped. "Are you sure?"

Courtney nodded. "There was an article online — it even had a picture of them. They said I was missing. Here, see for yourself." Courtney opened her backpack and retrieved the printout she'd made.

Her father took it and scanned the page a moment before handing it over to her mother. "It's them. There's no doubt about it." He shook his head. "Courtney, I'm so sorry."

"Thanks," she replied. "I'm sorry, too. I know you said you never got to meet them, but I'm sure this is upsetting for you anyway." Courtney paused before asking, "Do you know any of their family? Parents, siblings, anything?"

"I'm really sorry, Sweetheart. We weren't told a thing about them either. From what I understand, they weren't very close to them anyway." Her father shrugged. "I wish we could tell you more about that, but we really can't. It's probably for the best, though."

Courtney resisted the urge to roll her eyes over the last statement. "If whatever they were doing was so dangerous, why did they keep doing it? Why not just walk away from it and keep me?"

"I think they're the only ones who could answer that," her mother said. "Again, there was very little information made available to us and we think it was for a good reason."

"You keep saying that. If you never met them, then who was telling you all of this? I still don't understand how you got me to begin with."

"There's a lot of people out there who don't like the work your parents were doing," her father said. "But from everything we've seen, it's important work. So important, there are people out there who do everything they can to make sure it gets done. It's a group your parents worked with, almost like the witness protection program. They recruit people who have no ties to or interest in the paranormal to help hide kids that are in need."

Courtney swallowed hard to hold back the emotions bubbling within her. They sounded like really great people, but a part of her wished they'd been able to step away from this work they thought was so important. Weren't you supposed to worry more about your children once you had one? She shook her head to banish the thoughts from her mind before she could dwell too much on it. She wasn't sure she'd like the places those thoughts could take her.

"Okay, so... you don't know much about their work, but did you find out anything else? Did they like acting like I do?"

Her father laughed. "You have no idea. We saw some footage of your mother in a production once and she was every bit as good as you were. I guess that's why we were so worried about you getting into it — you reminded us too much of her and we didn't want you to fall into the same... activities they did."

Courtney couldn't help but smile at hearing that. It was like a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle had been found. "That's neat. Do we have anything else in common?"

"Well, since you saw those pictures, you must have seen you have his smile," her mother said. "You also get the same look on your face when you're talking about something big — we were shown a video where he talked about how important it was to them to make sure you were protected and how important their work was."

"You're also about as stubborn as both of them," her father added wryly. "As you can probably tell by the fact they didn't walk away."

The last part made her face flush in embarrassment, but she supposed it was nice to know she couldn't help herself when she got that like. Courtney took a minute to let all the information they'd told her sink in. "C-can I keep some of the stuff you guys have? I'm going away to college in the fall and I'd really like to take something with me. I think I need to."

Her parents appeared to discuss her request silently.

"I don't see why not," her father replied.

"Why don't we go and find something now?" Her mother suggested.

Relief flooded through Courtney at their agreement. "Thanks! Now would be great."

The three of them stood and went to the office, Courtney trying not to run too far in front of them. She felt like she was a kid getting ready to open Christmas presents again. In a way, she sort of was. She might not get to know them, but at least she could have something to connect her to her past. She just had to figure out what she wanted. There were so many pictures and things hidden in there.

Her mother opened the office door and stepped aside as Courtney and her father entered the room. She watched her father walk over and move the picture. He set it on the floor, carefully resting the frame against the wall. He nodded to the hidden space. "Go ahead; take whatever you want."

Courtney walked over to the wall and pulled the items from the secret space, going over each one carefully. "Even if it's more than one?"

"Sure," her mother agreed. "I suppose it won't hurt. To be honest, we held onto them because we knew that someday you would find out about this and we knew you'd want something of theirs." Her mother frowned and continued, "Courtney, something is bothering me. How did you know to look behind that picture?"

"I remembered coming in here one day when I was really little and I saw you putting the picture back."

Her mother's eyes widened. "You really remember that? But, you were still a toddler. You'd just started speaking properly only a few months before... it just doesn't seem possible."

Courtney nodded. "I think I'm remembering other stuff too. Well, kind of? I keep having these dreams about them. One time, I was trying to play with something and she kept telling me I couldn't."

"Courtney, honey, we took you in when you were only two years old. I really don't see how you could remember anything about them. You must be imagining it." Her father stepped closer and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Her voice rose in pitch as she tried to convince them she wasn't imagining things. At least, she was fairly certain that wasn't the case — the dreams felt too real for that and inspired far too much emotion in her to be anything but genuine. "I'm not, I swear. I feel like I'm really remembering stuff about them. That thing I was trying to play with in the one dream? It looked like a crystal ball. It was sitting in a gold stand with this flowery pattern."

Her mother gasped. "Are you sure that's what you saw in your dream?"

Courtney nodded, her heart beating faster at her mother's reaction to the description of the crystal. "Why?"

"Honey," she said, turning her attention to Courtney's father, "don't you remember? Ann had a crystal ball just like that. I pointed it out to you in one of the pictures."

"You're right. I can't believe I forgot about that." He looked at Courtney, "And you saw that in your dream?"

Courtney's eyes widened in excitement and she nodded. "Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell you. Do you believe me?"

Her father nodded. "Unfortunately, we do."
Chapter Fifteen

First thing in the morning, Courtney called Sam. She was practically bubbling over with a volatile mix of emotions, her hands shaking as she waited for him to answer. She couldn't wait to share her latest news with him.

"Court, hey... what are you calling this early for? Is something wrong?" His voice came out sounding groggy, as though she'd woken him from a deep sleep.

"Sort of, sort of not? It's weird. I talked to my parents and you're not going to believe what happened." She kept her voice low so they wouldn't hear her should they happen by her room.

"What?" His voice suddenly became much more alert sounding. A tinge of concern colored his question.

"I think I had a weird thing happen." She told him about the dream she'd had and how the ball she'd seen in it matched something her real mother once owned.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! Completely. You should've seen the looks on their faces when I told them about the crystal ball. I swear, I thought their eyes were going to bug out of their heads. They've been acting strange all day. It's almost like they're scared of me now or something."

She rolled her eyes at the idea, thinking they had to be overreacting. Yes, it was strange, but it's not like they hadn't had experience with it before. If anyone should be freaking out it should be her, and while she was a little unnerved, she felt more relieved than anything.

His voice grew serious as he said, "Might be more like scared for you if what you were telling me is true."

Courtney plopped down on her bed. "They think I'm getting those gifts too, and they think I'll follow in my birth parents' footsteps."

"Exactly. It could be coincidence though. It's not like crystal balls aren't something common. Maybe it's in the background of one of those pictures you saw and your subconscious remembered it."

"But I was looking at the pictures again last night and I never saw a thing like that in there. I'm telling you, whatever that was, it didn't come from a picture I have here." She spoke confidently, sure she was speaking the truth. She just hoped he'd believe her.

"There's got to be some other kind of explanation for it. Why would you just develop some weird supernatural kind of ability almost overnight? It's too much to swallow. Don't you think it sounds far-fetched?"

"So did my parents not being my real parents, but that's true," Courtney argued. "Plus, they said my parents were about the same age when they got them."

"Okay, you've got a point there. Look, for all you know this is just a coincidence, so I wouldn't get too freaked out or anything yet. Just wait and see if anything else weird happens. I don't want you getting disappointed over not having special powers."

"What makes you think I'll be disappointed?" Courtney sat back up and began tracing patterns on her bedspread as they spoke.

"Because I know you," he answered. "You might not want to admit it, but I think you're really buying into all of this and you want something more in common with them than you already have."

Courtney almost argued with him, but then she realized he was probably right. She sort of did want to get these gifts they claimed to have. Why did he say that as though it were a bad thing? Shouldn't she like having as much of a connection to them as possible? "Maybe."

He laughed. "See? I told you. I just heard my mom calling for me so I need to get going. Why don't we meet up a little later at the mall? We'll catch a movie or something and you can forget about all this for a little bit."

"Okay," she agreed. "Sounds good. When do you want to meet up?"

"Three good?"

"Sure, see you then." Courtney hung up the phone, her mind racing. The whole conversation with her parents from the night before played over again, mixing with Sam's words and the dreams she'd had. The cacophony was almost too much. Courtney shook her head to clear all the thoughts from her mind, contemplating a couple of aspirin to dull the ache.

Before she could get the pills, the ache went away and Courtney said a quick thank you to whatever benevolent force was behind that. She didn't know if she could've waited for medicine to take effect.

****

The noise was almost deafening as Courtney and Sam stepped into the Elkswood Plaza. Everywhere she looked, there were people carting around too many bags and complaining about how much they'd just spent. Some were chasing kids, while others were sitting at benches looking bored.

They navigated through the crowd, barely avoiding a few going the wrong way. The movie theatre wasn't far, but it could take forever to get there when the place was busy, which was most of the time. When Courtney thought about it, the only time she hadn't had to wrestle her way there was when she'd been up crazy early and decided to go there after a sleepover with a few friends. They'd practically had the whole place to themselves.

"So what'd you want to see?" he asked.

"How about that?" Courtney asked, pointing to a picture for a new comedy. "I could use a laugh."

"Works for me," he agreed. They walked up to the ticket counter and Sam said, "Two tickets for Cubicle Wars please."

"That'll be thirteen dollars," she said.

Sam pulled out the money and handed it to the lady, taking their tickets in return. "Thanks."

They went inside the theatre and straight to the snack counter. "I am so craving one of those mint things," said Courtney, pointing to the box she wanted in the display case. Courtney thought she saw it move and blinked. She wasn't sure, but she could swear the candy was a fraction of an inch off center of where it had been originally. The person manning the counter didn't seem to notice, though.

Sam ordered, paid, and they turned to find the screen their movie was playing on.

"Sam, did you notice anything weird a minute ago?" She spoke quietly, keeping her eyes open for anyone who might possibly overhear her.

"I didn't see anything," he said. "Why?"

"No reason." She decided she must've been seeing things. It wasn't like her imagination hadn't gotten plenty of fuel lately. The idea she caused that was almost too much to consider; she was still trying to deal with the fact she might be remembering things she shouldn't.

They found the right theatre and stepped inside, but they were a little late, so the lights were already off. Sam and Courtney felt their way through the dark room until they found a couple of seats near the center of the theatre. He always liked to be in the middle; he felt it was the best spot to enjoy the film. Courtney didn't care either way.

They settled into their seats, Sam putting his arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head against him as the movie started. Once the credits began to roll, her body relaxed more. Her stressed-out mind cleared as she allowed herself to get lost in the action on screen. Nothing else existed for her but Sam and the movie.

Partway through the show, Courtney reached for her drink. She felt her way toward it, her attention still focused on the screen. A frown settled on her face as she realized the cup seemed to elevate a little before her hand settled on it.

She reached over and gripped Sam's hand tighter.

"Problem?" He sounded distracted, as though his attention were still mostly on the movie.

Courtney nodded, then leaned closer to whisper in his ear. "I think I just did something again."

"Did what?" Now he turned toward her, his voice sounding far more alert than it had a moment before. His face was a mask of confusion.

Courtney's body tensed in irritation as she whispered. "Stuff. Ya know... like we were talking about before?"

Sam looked at her in disbelief. "You're messing with me, right?"

"Do I look like I am?" She gave him an exasperated look while trying to keep her tone under control.

"Want to get out of here?"

Courtney nodded.

They stood from the seats, trying to avoid blocking people's view as they made their exit. Once they were out of the theatre, they threw their stuff away and made a hasty retreat to his car.

"Okay," said Sam as he clicked his seatbelt into place. "What happened?"

"When we were at the snack counter, I could swear I saw the mints I wanted move right after I said I wanted them. Then, I was reaching for my drink and I swear to God, the cup was moving out of the holder before I ever touched it." Courtney put her own seatbelt into place as she watched Sam start the engine and pull out.

"That makes no sense. I mean, no one has powers like that. We're talking about the real world here, Court. I've never seen anything like that before in my life. Have you?" He came to a halt at a stop sign, looking both ways before pulling out onto the road.

"No, but that doesn't mean it's not real. Besides, my parents seem convinced it's true. My real ones were convinced enough to give me up. Why couldn't it be true?" Courtney argued. Her whole body was tingling with energy that she couldn't explain, nor describe. The closest she could come was it felt like an electrical current pulsing through her, but even that wasn't close to describing the sensation.

Courtney tapped her fingers on the armrest of the car as she averted her attention to the window. She watched the scenery pass by without really seeing it. Everything blurred in her mind and other images worked their way into her consciousness, demanding her full attention.

Sam sighed. "Okay, maybe you have a point there. Still, I don't know if it's such a good idea to get too excited about this."

Courtney looked back at Sam with wide eyes. "Why not? You were right before: it's like this connection to my past, and I don't see what's so bad about that. I want to experiment and see if it's really happening or if I'm just imagining things." Shouldn't he understand just how much this meant to her? In the time they'd been dating, he'd never failed to empathize with her before. It was like they were synced on a level that defied explanation. There were times here and there where she felt he could read her mind. Of course, maybe that was part of the problem—he was reading her too well.

Sam pulled the car over and turned to Courtney, a pleading look in his eyes. "I don't like this, Courtney. I really don't. You told me they died and your parents were asked to keep you out of this kind of thing. What if all this is for real and you open some door you can't close again? What if..." His voice trailed off as he turned his attention to the steering wheel.

"Come on, for all I know I'm just making this up in my head. Even if I do have some weird gifts, that doesn't mean I'm going to go all crazy with it and start trying to rescue everyone like they did," she reasoned. She reached over and touched his hand. "You believe me, right?"

"I believe you mean what you're saying right now. I just wonder if they said the same things." He voice grew sad, as though she'd already jumped headfirst into their world and hadn't come back out.

"I swear, I'm not going to go jumping into anything weird. I just want to see if I'm imagining what I saw or not."

"Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "I want to be there when you try... okay?"

Courtney nodded. "You got it. Come on, there's a bookstore a few blocks from here and I think they have some books that might help. They should be open for a little while."

"You got it." He checked for traffic, then pulled the car back onto the road.

****

Once Sam had dropped her off from their impromptu shopping trip, Courtney spent hours in her room poring over the material. There was a lot more out there than she'd even imagined possible, so it'd taken her forever to choose a few volumes to take home with her.

She still couldn't find a thing that described Lightworkers in the way her parents had, but she supposed that didn't mean a whole lot. If there were such people out there, chances were they could be as secretive as her parents were. Still, she didn't totally give up on the idea of it being true. She still could prove their story if she ended up being able to do the things in these books.

The following days saw her continuing to pore over the material while Sam was busy with hockey practices leading up to his league's playoffs. Her impatience was getting the better of her. All she wanted was to start working on the stuff and see what she could, or couldn't, do.

One afternoon, she found herself staring at one of the books like a small child eyeing a Christmas present. Courtney reached for the book several times, stopping short of grabbing it each time she thought of Sam and how she'd promised to let him be there when she started working on it.

What could it really hurt? It wasn't like he'd been available often over the past few days, and she knew there was no way she could wait much longer to try. Her impatience finally won out and Courtney grabbed one of her books again, turning to a part where there'd been an exercise designed to help one prepare for such work.

Courtney went through the steps, one by one, until an odd sensation similar to the energy she'd felt the other night in Sam's car took over. She set the book down and focused her attention on it, willing the thing to move where she wanted it to go. She could swear she saw it twitch a little as though it were going to do as she wished, but nothing more concrete happened. The bitter sting of disappointment hit her hard, but she refused to give up.

"Maybe I should start with something smaller," she mumbled to herself as she looked around her room for a suitable replacement for the book. Eventually, her gaze settled on one of the hair clips lying on the desk.

Courtney focused her attention on the object, just as she'd done a moment before with the book. She put every bit of mental focus she had into the task, willing the thing to move to her. After a long couple of minutes, the clip began to shake before lifting off of the desk. Courtney had to fight to keep her focus as she watched the clip begin its trip across the room.

"Oh my God," she whispered. She'd really done it! The thought sent a thrill through her. There was no chance she'd imagined this one. The proof was in the clip that now lay in her lap. She couldn't wait to tell Sam about what just happened. She hoped he'd be as excited as she was.
Chapter Sixteen

"Are you sure your parents aren't going to be home?" Courtney asked as they walked up to Sam's front door. Courtney carried a bag with several different books she'd bought about clairvoyance and telekinesis.

"Yeah, they're not going to be home until real late. We've got plenty of time," he promised.

Her head was swimming with all she'd learned through the books over the past few days since their trip to the store. She was ready to show Sam something, but didn't want to risk his parents seeing. Courtney followed him inside, looking around the living room while she waited for him to close the door. She'd always loved his house. It had a much more comfy feel than hers.

"Okay, so what did you want to show me that needs so much secrecy?"

"Sit over there," said Courtney, pointing at the chair underneath the front window.

Sam gave her an odd look, but did as she asked without a word. Once he'd sat down, he crossed his arms and stared at her with an expectant look on his face.

"Wait a sec..." Courtney walked over to him and reached for the string that closed the curtains, making sure no one could see in the room. "Okay, that's better."

"What on earth are you doing?"

"You'll see in a second," she promised. Courtney took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind of anything that might distract her from the task at hand. Once she'd gotten herself in the right mindset, she surveyed the room until her gaze settled on a coaster on the coffee table. "Do you see that?"

Sam raised his eyebrow as he followed her gaze and spotted the coaster. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Watch," she said. Courtney let out a breath and focused her attention on the coaster. Within seconds, the object was off the table and moving across the room toward Sam. It dropped in his lap and Courtney had to suppress a giggle at the look on his face.

"What the hell, Court? How'd you do that?"

"I told you," she insisted, "It's the same thing that happened at the movie theatre the other night. The only difference is I meant to do it this time."

"You're saying you just moved that thing with your mind on purpose?"

"That's exactly what I just said," she replied. She couldn't help the pride that colored her words. "Don't you get it? This means it really is all true. Those people in the pictures really are my parents and they really did have all kinds of strange powers."

"Yeah..." Sam stared down at the coaster with a wary expression. After a minute, he stood and allowed the object to fall to the ground. "Okay, now you know for sure that your parents aren't some psycho kidnappers or something. That means you can forget about all the books and stuff, right?"

A stab of disappointed hit her hard at his words. She hadn't expected him to jump for joy at the revelation, but she at least thought he could sound a little more enthusiastic than that. It was as if she'd told him she just got an ugly shirt or something.

"You aren't happy about this," she said quietly, her stomach clenching at the thought.

"Are you surprised? Weren't you in the car with me the other day when we were talking about this? I told you I was worried you might be opening some door you can't close. From what I just saw, it looks like you just blasted right through it. I think you should take a step back for a while."

Frustration colored his words, which only annoyed her. He was starting to sound like Lauren. Would Matthew turn on her next? She couldn't understand why the people she loved the most were being so difficult when she was facing the biggest thing to ever happen to her.

"But—"

"You heard what your parents said," he interrupted. "This could be dangerous. Hell, that might even be the reason your real parents are dead now. They could've stepped into something they couldn't handle." Concerned anger colored his words.

"It was an accident; you saw the article. They didn't find anything weird with it. Well, except for me not being there."

Sam threw his arms up in exasperation. "Of course they didn't! You think they put paranormal investigators in charge of random car wrecks? Don't you think it's odd that happened almost right after they left you?"

Courtney clenched her fists as she tried to fight the conflicting emotions inside. She'd hoped he would understand, but she also wasn't surprised that he appeared less than thrilled with this. "I get what you're saying, I do, but I'm not planning to get all crazy with this. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Like it or not, this is part of who I am. Shouldn't I be able to at least learn a little about it?"

"So, you've learned about it. What are you going to do now?"

Courtney shrugged. "I don't know. Do I have to do anything with it? Can't it just be a fun thing I know how to do without it being a big deal?"

"You tell me."

Courtney put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you don't believe me?"

"You lied to me already, what do you think?" His voice took on a hard edge as he fixed her with an icy stare.

"I did not!" she protested.

Sam walked over and picked up the coaster off the ground and held it up for her to see. "You told me I could be there when you tried, but you were practicing on your own all this time, weren't you?"

Courtney was about to argue, but she stopped herself as she realized he was right. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... you weren't around and I got a little restless when these books sitting there staring me in the face."

"So how am I supposed to believe you when you tell me you're not going to get yourself too deep in all this? I've gotta be honest here, this whole thing is weirding me out. I mean, all these secrets and now you're doing weird things. It's a little bit much."

"I think I should go," Courtney said. She stepped over to the couch where she'd left her books and collected them before turning toward the door. "I'll talk to you later."

"Courtney, wait."

"I really think it'd be better if I left for now," she said without turning around. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Sam sighed. "If that's what you want."

"Goodnight," she said. Courtney left the house and headed home, trying to push the argument out of her mind. Still, a twinge of guilt tugged at her gut and made it hard to forget. She felt terrible she'd broken her promise, but she also knew she couldn't have resisted delving into the books she'd bought. It was like there was a pull that she couldn't ignore. She just hoped he was wrong about it leading to places she might not be able to control.

The image of the wrecked car from the article she'd found pushed forward from the recesses of her mind, taunting her with the details of the smashed steel. Their pictures soon replaced the wreck and, for a moment, she could swear she saw them on the ground just as the investigators must have when they got to the scene. The image caused her to shudder and look around.

Even though the streets were empty, Courtney couldn't help but get the odd feeling that she wasn't alone. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up like when she used to visit haunted houses as a child. The anticipation of something sneaking up on her from the shadows had filled her with dread and excitement back then. Now, there was only discomfort.

Courtney shook off the feeling and continued on her way. She tried to tell herself that she was just overreacting to Sam's concerns, which she supposed she couldn't blame him for. Wouldn't she be just as worried if she were in his shoes? Why, then, couldn't she completely rid herself of the paranoia that had suddenly taken hold?
Chapter Seventeen

Courtney trudged into her house, trying not to call any attention to herself. For the first time she could remember, she went straight to her room without bothering to say hello to her parents. Courtney dropped the books she carried on her desk.

She plopped down in her desk chair and pulled the script in the top desk drawer out. She thought she might be able to distract herself by getting immersed in another fictional world. It was for her school's production of Medea, and she had considered going out for the part of Cassandra. She only got a few paragraphs in before she had to set it aside.

She stood up, tapping the table with her fingertips a moment before pacing about the room. She didn't know why she couldn't focus, but it was making her crazy. Maybe she'd have been better off going out. At least then she'd be around other people who'd want to talk.

Yeah. That might be a good idea.

Courtney collected her cell phone from the bottom of her bag, then scrolled through the numbers until Lauren's name came up. She hit the call button and waited.

"Hello?"

The sound of her cousin's voice was a welcome distraction. She'd never failed to make Courtney feel better before, and she wanted nothing more than to spend a few hours hanging out to get her mind off of the fight with Sam. "Hey, I'm glad you answered! Wanna hang out tonight? I could use the company."

"Sure, I'm free tonight. What happened? Sam busy?"

Courtney cringed at the mention of her boyfriend's name. If Courtney didn't know better, she'd swear Lauren was a psychic — or at least had crappy timing. The mention of Sam couldn't have been more well-timed, or less, depending on one's perspective. It was true, she usually spent Saturday nights with him, but that was a topic she didn't care to explore. "It's no big deal; I just felt like some girl time. Besides, I have something you might want to see."

"Consider me on the edge of my seat," she answered. "Want me to come get you, or you want meet me here?"

"Depends... is your roommate there?"

Lauren laughed. "Is she ever? She only keeps most of her stuff here so her parents don't know where she's really living."

Courtney smiled at the idea, wondering if she'd have the nerve to do something like that when she went off to college. "What do you do if they call?"

"She uses a cell phone, so she always has it with her. It's a good thing for her too, because I have better things to do than cover for someone."

Courtney's laugh echoed through the room. She couldn't picture having the nerve to do something like that, so she admired her cousin's boldness. "I can just picture that now. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Later."

Courtney ended the call as she walked over to her bag. She tossed the phone inside, then picked the bag up and slung it over her shoulder before heading back into the hallway. "Mom? Dad?" she called out.

"Courtney, when did you get home?" Her mother asked as she stepped into the hallway from the master bedroom.

"Just a few minutes ago. I was thinking I'd go visit Lauren for a bit tonight. That okay?"

Her mother shrugged. "I don't see why not. Just remember your curfew."

"Okay," Courtney agreed. "See ya."

"Bye... and remember what I said about curfew."

Courtney hurried for the door, waving over her shoulder. "No problem." Somehow, she got the feeling that for once she wasn't telling the truth. She shook the feeling off and got in the car for the drive to Lauren's.

****

To her surprise, Lauren was waiting outside when Courtney got there. An odd sense of discomfort filled her gut as she climbed out of the car. "Is something wrong?" Courtney asked.

"No, everything's good. You just sounded like there was something big on your mind and I'm dying to know. What's up?" Lauren's eyes were shining with excitement as she took hold of Courtney's hand and led her into the building.

"I can't tell you out here," Courtney said with a laugh. "Come on, let's go inside and I'll fill you in. You are so not going to believe it."

"You really know how to keep the suspense going, you know that?"

Courtney shrugged, adopting an innocent tone. "You don't spend years acting without picking up on that."

Lauren smirked as the pair made their way into the elevator and up to Lauren's apartment. Once the door was closed behind them, Lauren turned and faced her cousin. "Okay, what's the deal?"

"I better show you instead of telling you," Courtney said as she searched the room. Her attention settled on a book lying on the couch. "You see that book?"

"Yeah," Lauren confirmed. "What about it?"

"Just watch it, trust me." Courtney let a breath out and once again focused on the object she wanted to move. Within seconds, the book was in the air and slowly drifting toward Lauren.

Lauren jumped, her eyes going wide with surprise. "What the hell? How did you do that?"

"I did it with my mind, can you believe it?" Courtney held her breath as she waited for a response, hoping she wouldn't get a repeat of earlier.

"You're screwing with me. How'd you manage it? Have you been watching those stupid TV shows about magic tricks and illusions?"

Courtney crossed her heart. "I swear I'm not messing with you at all. That was completely legit. I've been studying how to do it for days now after I did it once or twice by accident. It's the craziest feeling in the world, seriously. It's like there's this electric charge going through my whole body each time, but it's so much more than that. That's just the closest thing I can think of to describe it."

Lauren raised an eyebrow as she watched the book fall to the floor. She walked over and picked it up. "You really are serious, aren't you?"

"Cross my heart," Courtney swore as she made the sign again. "That's not all. There's some other stuff, too." Courtney proceeded to tell Lauren about the dreams she'd had and how they seemed to be showing her things she shouldn't know.

"Wow," Lauren said with an odd tone in her voice.

Courtney's face fell at the tone Lauren took. It reminded her a little of how Sam reacted. "You're not going to freak and get mad at me too, are you?"

"What are you talking about?" Lauren asked. "You didn't tell your parents about this, did you?"

Courtney's mouth dropped open in shock at the question. "You have to be joking! Of course I didn't tell them. I told Sam. Let's just say that he didn't exactly act happy about it. Actually, we got into a huge fight."

Lauren gestured for Courtney to take a seat on the couch. Once Courtney was seated, she joined her. "Sorry to hear that. He's just looking out for you, though. There's lots of dangerous things out there in the world, ya know."

Courtney sighed. "You're not going to start that too, are you? If so, go ahead and tell me now so I can go home."

"Hey, I'm just saying that he's worried about you and maybe he has a reason to be."

"It's not like I'm going to go all superhero or something like they did," Courtney protested. "I just thought it might be interesting to learn about it a little. Why can't people understand that?" She sighed, leaning back into the couch with her hands in her lap.

"There's no need to risk it," Lauren said.

Something about the tone in Lauren's voice made Courtney's skin crawl. "What's that mean?"

Lauren tilted her head, looking Courtney over a moment before answering, "It means that sometimes people like you are too stubborn to stay out of things you shouldn't get mixed up in. Sometimes you have to be nipped in the bud before you can cause too much trouble."

Courtney shifted in her seat, a sense of dread building in her stomach. "Lauren, you're freaking me out. Why are you talking like that?"

Lauren let out an exasperated sigh. "You really are dense, aren't you? You have no clue what you've already done by playing around with those books of yours. It's a shame... I did try and stop you before it was too late, but I guess there's no point in playing games anymore."

Lauren's features hardened, as if she were an animal closing in on its prey. Courtney tried to make a run for the door, but Lauren was too quick for her. The two stood face-to-face, Courtney's heart pounding so hard she feared it would pop right out of her chest. "Okay, you made your point. Quit messing with me already."

Lauren stepped closer to Courtney. "I haven't even begun yet."

Courtney opened her mouth to scream, but Lauren hit her hard before she had a chance. Courtney fell to the ground, grabbing her cheek as she stared at Lauren in shock. "Who are you?"

Lauren grabbed Courtney's hand and pulled her up, spinning Courtney so that her back was against her. She quickly put one hand over Courtney's mouth, while the other kept a firm grip across her chest. "Your parents used to call me Alexandra. They seriously thought they were smart enough to hide from me, but I guess that article you found showed just how wrong they were, didn't it?"

Courtney's head swam from the physical blow and Lauren's words. "You killed them."

"I really don't like to use such strong words, Amelia. I prefer to think of it as doing my job. Thanks to you not listening when I warned you the first couple of times, I'm about to do it again." Lauren tightened her grip.

The sharp stab of pain from the move took Courtney's breath away and she nearly doubled over.

"I really don't want to make a mess in this apartment. Cleaning deposits are a bitch to get back as it is, so why don't we take a little trip?"

Courtney never got a chance to respond. Lauren said a couple of words in a language Courtney had never heard before, and the next thing she knew, they were standing in a strange building.

The place was dark and the smell of mold, plus layers of dust, assaulted Courtney's nostrils, leaving her to assume Lauren had somehow taken her to an abandoned building. Panic welled within as she realized she had no clue where she was and no weapon to defend herself with.

"How did you do that?" Courtney gasped once Lauren finally let up on her grip enough to allow her the chance to move and speak freely. Somehow the freedom didn't offer much comfort. There was a cold, calculating expression on Lauren's face that twisted her features into someone Courtney didn't recognize.

"The same way you were able to make that book move, of course. What? You thought you and your parents are the only people with special gifts in the world? Please, don't be so arrogant." She gave Courtney a derisive look as she took a step back.

A sarcastic reply threatened to roll off Courtney's tongue, but she held back in fear it might be the last thing she said. "So you're the one my parents were so afraid of. How did you know they sent me away?"

"Please, don't try that 'keep them talking' thing on me. It only works in the movies — that's why people like you win in them. This, however, is the real world."

Courtney backed up as Lauren moved closer to her. Images of the crash played through her mind, along with all the times she and Lauren had played together when they were kids. She couldn't understand how this thing standing here now was the same cousin she'd grown up with, and she wanted some answers. Courtney opened her mouth to make another attempt, but stopped cold with she saw the flash of steel coming out of Lauren's pocket.

Chapter Eighteen

Courtney watched the other girl closely, careful not to make any sudden moves. She still hadn't gotten a look at the weapon, but she didn't think she wanted to know what it was. Given the trick Lauren had just pulled, it could be anything.

"You can scream as much as you want," Lauren assured her. "No one is going to hear you here. And don't worry... I'll make sure you do."

Courtney took a deep breath, assessing her options. She could make a run for it, but chances were Lauren, or whoever she was, would catch up to her before she could get out of the building. Plus, she had no idea where she would run to. All she was sure of was Lauren had clearly planned this out and she had the advantage. "I already said I don't plan on doing what they did, you know. I just—"

"Wanted to know. Blah, blah, blah. Oddly enough, I really don't care. Can't take the risk." Lauren pulled out some strange device that Courtney had never seen before and pointed it at her.

A flash came from the device and Courtney instinctually jumped. She moved so fast, she shocked herself and stood frozen a moment. Apparently, Lauren had the same problem.

"What do you know? You're a quick one."

Adrenaline coursed through Courtney's veins, a heady sensation that had her senses on high alert. Her entire body was poised to jump again if needed as she stole quick glances around her for an escape route. The building was in a sad state, random boxes and equipment scattered about the large space. There was barely enough light coming in through a broken window to allow her to see.

Courtney spotted a steel pole a couple of feet in length lying only a few feet from her. It was partially hidden by some machine, and Courtney hoped it wasn't stuck. Judging by Lauren's speed, she most likely wouldn't have time to struggle with getting the thing loose.

Moving purely on instinct, Courtney hurled herself at the pole, barely missing getting hit by a shot from the strange weapon her cousin held. Her fingers closed around the rod and she yanked at it, grateful that the thing wasn't stuck. She swung the pole at Lauren as hard she could, but didn't quite catch her.

"Damn, you're feistier than I thought," Lauren said with a tinge of pride in her voice. "I'm impressed. And here I thought this was going to be easy..." She pointed her weapon at Courtney again and fired.

The flash of light coming from the weapon barely missed Courtney, catching the ground at her feet. It blackened the spot, and Courtney shuddered at the thought of what that weapon could do to her. She leaped behind one of the machines, using the object as a shield, and checked the area around her for anything else she could use.

Spotting a brick on the ground a few feet to her left, Courtney focused on it and sent the object flying through the air toward her cousin's head.

Lauren pointed the strange weapon at the brick and fired. The brick disappeared, leaving only ash falling to the ground. "You are really starting to piss me off, you know that?"

Courtney's heart raced faster. She had to get that thing away somehow, but she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to do it.

You don't have a choice.

Courtney focused her attention on the weapon, willing it to come to her. To her shock, the object flew out of Lauren's hands and into a wall, where it smashed into several pieces.

Now that the weapon was gone, Courtney decided to chance making a run for it. She darted out from behind the machine toward a door across the building from where she'd been hiding. Her breath came fast and labored as she pushed herself to move faster than she'd ever run in her life. The pounding footfalls from behind fueled her effort until she finally had her hand on the doorknob.

Before Courtney could get more than a few steps outside, Lauren caught up to her and knocked Courtney to the ground. Her body ached from the impact and for a second, Courtney's mind was too muddled to focus properly. The next thing she knew, she'd been turned around and Lauren was on top of her with her hands moving toward Courtney's neck.

Courtney managed to work her arms free and lashed out at Lauren, catching her in the face. The move knocked Lauren off balance enough for Courtney to get up again. She ran away from the building, looking for the best escape route. Nothing looked familiar to her. The area was an industrial one that clearly didn't see much traffic, which depressed her more than she cared to admit.

Lauren's footsteps echoed behind Courtney, replacing her melancholy with panic. Wherever she went, she'd have to get there fast if she wanted to avoid being another story in the paper like her parents.

Courtney finally opted to duck into an alley. Several dumpsters lined the wall. For a second, Courtney was tempted to seek shelter in one, but Lauren most likely saw where she'd headed and would be in the alley any second. She'd be backing herself into a corner. To her relief, Courtney saw there was an opening onto the street. She darted through it and followed the road the alley led to, hoping that she would find a way out of this place.

Careful to keep to the shadows, Courtney moved as quickly and quietly as possible while listening for any sign of Lauren. Courtney screamed as Lauren suddenly jumped out at her from around a corner.

Lauren took hold of Courtney and shoved her into a wall. Courtney grunted in pain at the impact, slumping to the ground. Lauren glared down at her. "I should've known better than to let you go for as long as I did."

"Why did you?" Courtney's voice rose in pitch as she returned the glare through her fear.

"I made a mistake," she replied simply.

Courtney watched as Lauren reached into her pocket, producing a device identical to the one she destroyed earlier. Courtney lashed out with her foot, knocking Lauren off-balance and causing her to lose her grip on the weapon.

Courtney focused through her hazy vision, bringing the object to her. She gripped it tight in her hands as she stood and put as much distance as possible between them. Whatever this thing did, she needed to figure it out fast. A small dark button on the top caught her attention and Courtney aimed the weapon at Lauren, her finger poised on the button.

Lauren stood in front on her, looking from Courtney to the weapon and back again. "You have no idea what that does."

"I guess I'm about to find out," Courtney responded. She pressed the button and a bright light came out of the front, engulfing Lauren in a bright orange glow that looked like a flame. When the light dissipated, Lauren was gone.

Courtney released her grip and the weapon fell to the ground. She stood there in shocked silence, her conscious mind still trying to process what just happened. The spot where Lauren had been standing was scorched, and Courtney shivered at the idea it had almost been used on her.

She had no idea how long she stood there, but the sky was now pitch black with only a few isolated stars punctuating the darkness. She took a deep breath and began to walk. Courtney just hoped she wasn't too far from home.

****

Fortunately for her, the road she'd chosen led to more familiar surroundings. After about an hour of walking, she found herself nearing her cousin's apartment building. Courtney hesitated near the parking lot, keeping herself hidden behind a tree as reality began to sink in.

I killed Lauren.

The fact that Lauren had tried to kill her first was irrelevant in her mind at the moment. How was she going to explain what had happened? She didn't even understand most of it herself, and what she did know was so out there, no one would ever believe her.

Courtney's mind raced with the possibilities. She could pretend everything was normal and claim ignorance when Lauren was discovered missing, but she was afraid she couldn't put on a good enough act to have anyone believe it. Playing a role on stage was one thing, but lying to people made Courtney's skin crawl.

She checked to make sure no one was around before stepping out of her hiding place to get back in her car. Courtney started the engine, backed out of the space, and headed to the road. She'd only gone a block or two when it occurred to her she had no idea what time it was. Courtney snuck a quick glimpse at the clock on her car radio before turning her attention back to the road.

A mild panic set in as she realized she was late in getting home. Her parents were probably still up and wondering where she was by now; they might have even called Lauren's apartment. She shuddered to think of the possible missed calls waiting on her cell phone, which was still inside Lauren's apartment along with her other things.

This is bad.

How was she going to explain having left her stuff in a missing person's apartment? For the first time since her whole search began, Courtney understood what her real parents must have gone through and why they'd made the choice they did to leave her. Now, she had a choice of her own to make.

Instead of turning left to go to her house, Courtney made a right toward the highway. She drove until fatigue began to set in. She decided to pull into the lot of a mall to collect her thoughts and figure out what to do next.

Now that she had time to sit in peace without having to worry about navigating the busy streets, the full impact of the evening's events hit her with a force that took her breath away.

Tears flowed freely from Courtney's eyes as she struggled to keep from making too much noise. She didn't know if anyone would care, but she didn't feel like risking that. The betrayal she'd felt cut through her, causing a pain far worse than any physical damage she suffered. All Courtney could do was succumb to her grief.

After what felt like hours, the tears stopped flowing and her attention was back on what to do now. She needed some kind of story if she was going to return home, but for the life of her she couldn't think of one. Sam's face came to mind and she knew what she had to do. He had a way of calming her and usually had good advice when she was stuck on a problem.

Courtney spotted an old pay phone attached to the building and got out, checking her pockets for change. To her relief, she had enough to make a call. She dialed the numbers with shaking hands.

"Hello?"

Sam's voice was groggy, as though he'd been sleeping and Courtney wondered what time it was. She had no idea how long she'd spent crying in her car. "Sam... it's me."

"Court?" Suddenly, his voice was more alert. "What happened?"

"I need to see you. Can you meet me at the drive-in?"

"It's one in the morning, what do you mean 'can I meet you at the drive-in?' Court, what's wrong?" Concern colored his words, but his voice remained low.

"I'm sorry I called so late, but it's really important. I can explain when you get there, please just trust me."

A long silence greeted her words and for a minute Courtney feared he'd hung up on her. She supposed she couldn't blame him. She wasn't sure how she'd react to a similar call after they'd fought. "Sam?"

"I'm still here," he assured her. He sighed. "I'll meet you there."

"Thanks," she said, a rush of gratitude washing over her at his words. No matter how they'd left things the last time they talked, she couldn't think of anyone she trusted more. Plus, he already had seen her new abilities in action, so he'd be more likely to believe her story than anyone. Unless she counted her parents, and considering Lauren was their niece, she wasn't sure what kind of reaction her news would get.

Courtney hung the phone up and returned to the car. She made a quick check of herself in the mirror to make sure she didn't look too beat up. She was already going to give Sam enough of a shock, she didn't need to scare the poor guy with her appearance on top of it.

Once she was satisfied she didn't look too terrifying, Courtney steered the car back toward home. She braced herself for his reaction to her news, hoping that he'd be able to help her figure out a solution to the mess her life had suddenly become.

****

The streets were almost deserted as Courtney approached the abandoned theatre she and her friends spent so much time in. A wave of nostalgia washed over her that made her throat constrict as she rolled through the entrance.

True to his word, Sam was parked in their usual spot, leaning against the hood of his car with a mixture of worry and impatience on his face. His arms were crossed over his chest. As Courtney approached him, he relaxed his stance and hurried over.

"Court, what's going on?"

"I don't even know how to explain this; it makes no sense." Courtney closed her eyes a moment as she struggled to get her thoughts straight. "Lauren's dead."

"What?" Sam gaped openly at her for a minute before putting his arms around her. "I'm sorry... What happened?"

"I was over at her place and I'd told her how I learned to move things with my mind. I showed her, and the next thing I knew she was saying all these weird things about me and my real parents. I told her I didn't understand what she was talking about, and then she attacked me."

"Lauren? You have to be kidding." Sam's eyes were wide as he pulled back to meet her gaze. "What'd she say? What happened to her?"

"She said she killed them, Sam. She said she'd done her job and now that I was getting mixed up in weird things she had to do it again. There was this weapon she had that she tried to shoot me with that left a black mark on the ground. I've never seen anything like it before."

His expression grew dark as he processed everything. "How did you get away? She didn't do anything else to you, did she?"

"She hit me a few times and we fought, but nothing too bad. I used that power I showed you and took the weapon from her. I..." her voice trailed off as she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

Sam drew her close again and held her tight for the longest time before he finally spoke. "So, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Courtney admitted. "My stuff is still in her apartment — it's a long story — and by the time I got back here it was crazy late. My parents are probably waiting up for me right now, but I can't go home. How am I supposed to tell them this? Who's going to believe me, especially once they realize she's missing and they find my stuff there?"

"It's going to be okay," he promised. "We'll figure something out."

"I hope we can," she said, her voice low.

"Did you learn any other tricks you haven't shown me yet?"

Courtney shook her head. "No, nothing. Once I learned how to move stuff, I had to take some time to deal with that before I could try anything else."

"I don't understand, though. Why didn't you just take the stuff with you when you left?"

"Because we weren't in her apartment when she tried to kill me. She grabbed me and all of a sudden we were in this abandoned building a few miles away from her apartment."

"Wait... you're saying she had weird powers too?"

Courtney nodded. "She said something and just like that, we weren't in her apartment anymore."

"Do you remember what she said?"

"Kind of, but I've never done anything like that before, so I don't know if it will work for me," she said.

Sam mulled that over. He nodded to himself and said, "There's only one thing for you to do. You've got to say whatever it was she said and see if it works."

"I'm not even sure what exactly she said. All I know is, it was a language I'd never heard before."

"You have to try. It's the only way I can think of to get your stuff out of that apartment without anyone knowing. Then we can worry about what to tell your parents."

"Okay, I'll try." She took a deep breath and concentrated on her memories of the evening, trying to focus on the words Lauren had spoken before they disappeared from the apartment. The whole thing seemed hopeless. She didn't even know what language it was, but she kept focusing until two words came to mind. "I think I have it."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked. "Go for it."

"'We'?" she asked. "Are you saying you want to go, too?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "You need help and I'm going to be there. Besides, you'll need someone to back up whatever story you tell, so I might as well go all the way."

Courtney couldn't believe how quickly he'd turned around, but it made her feel good to know he was on her side. "Okay, then." She held his hand as she repeated the words she thought her cousin had said.

For a minute, nothing happened and she feared she'd either gotten the words wrong or she wasn't capable of doing what her cousin could do. Just as she was about to give up, they were standing in the living room of Lauren's apartment.

Her eyes widened as she took in the surroundings, not sure she believed what she saw.

I did it.

A slight thrill ran through her body at the knowledge, but she kept her focus. She had to get out of there fast with her stuff.

For his part, Sam wasn't looking too well. He held on to the side of the couch with an expression on his face that looked to be a mixture of nausea and shock. "You really did it," he managed to say.

"I know. I think if you weren't here, I wouldn't believe it myself." Courtney checked the room, looking for anything that belonged to her. Her purse lay on a chair next to the couch and her cell phone was on the coffee table. Courtney hastily retrieved the items and took Sam's hand again.

"Are you sure that's everything?"

Courtney nodded. "Are you ready to do this again?"

"I think so." He squeezed her hand, looking as though he were bracing himself for the shock.

Satisfied he was ready; Courtney concentrated on the drive-in as she repeated the words. Just like that, they were standing back on the dirt ground near his car.

"That was better than the last time," Sam commented. "Okay, now we need a story to tell your parents about where you've been."

"Are you sure you want to back me up on that? There's a chance one of her neighbors saw us and knows I was there, so you could end up in a lot of trouble."

Sam nodded firmly, gently rubbing her arm. "I'm positive, Courtney. I have to admit that this is really weird for me, but you're right. This is a part of who you are and I'm going to have to learn to deal with it. If that means covering for something like this, then that's what I'll do."

Courtney threw her arms around him, thrilled he was willing to accept her new reality. She still had no idea what she was going to do from here, but she knew that there was no pretending like nothing ever happened. "Thanks. You have no clue how happy I am to hear you say that."

"So, what are we going to tell them?" He asked as he took a seat on the hood of his car.

"I really don't know. Like I said, someone might have seen me arrive, so I can't pretend I wasn't there at all. Maybe I could say I left early to meet you. That won't explain me being late though."

Sam considered a minute and then answered, "You and I decided to go to some place out of town and my battery died. You couldn't call because we were out of the cell signal area. Finally, some random person was driving by and gave me a jump."

"I guess that could work," she decided. "I guess I better get back now before it gets much later."

"I'll follow you," he said.

Now that they'd settled on a plan, Courtney felt marginally better, but her stomach still twisted at the idea of having to lie. She wasn't sure she could keep up the act for long once her parents learned of Lauren's disappearance, but she was going to do her best since Sam was willing to put himself on the line for her.

The drive back to her house was nerve-wracking. She had no idea how she managed to keep control of the car with her shaking hands. Now that she had time to think, she had no idea what she'd thought running would do. It would only serve to make her look guilty, especially if she hadn't been able to get her stuff out of Lauren's place. She shook her head and willed herself to relax as she pulled into the driveway.

As she'd suspected, the lights were on downstairs. Courtney hadn't even had a chance to cut the engine before her parents were outside, rushing to the car. Courtney opened her door, bracing for the interrogation.

"Where in the hell have you been?" Her father asked. "We've been sitting up all night waiting for you and you never answered your phone. We were about to call the police."

"I'm sorry," Courtney apologized. "Let's go inside so I can explain."

"You'd better hope you have a good one, missy," her mother commented.
Chapter Nineteen

The door slammed behind them as Courtney and Sam took seats in the living room. Her parents sat across from them with angry expressions on their faces that made her fight the urge to squirm in discomfort.

"I'm sorry, Mister and Missus Thompson," Sam said. "This is really my fault. Courtney and I met up tonight to go out and my battery died. It took forever for someone to come by and give us a jump. I'm sorry we had you worried."

"You should be sorry." Her father glared at them. "We've been trying to get in touch with you for hours. Courtney, what the hell were you even doing out with him anyway? You told us you were going to Lauren's."

"I did," Courtney answered. "Sam called and Lauren was getting tired anyway, so I said we could go out for a little while."

"Why didn't you tell us that?" Her mother said with an exasperated look on her face. "You know you're supposed to tell us if your plans change in case anything like that happens."

"I'm really sorry," Courtney said. "I don't know what else to say.... I just forgot until the battery died and then I couldn't call. I couldn't get any cell signal."

Her mother sighed. "I really hope you'll remember this the next time you change your plans at the last minute like that. You have no idea the things that run through a parent's mind when their child's not where they're supposed to be."

Guilt tugged at Courtney so strongly she almost confessed to everything right then and there. Her mother's words brought her aunt and uncle to mind. What would they think when Lauren turned up missing? They'd be devastated when she failed to come back. "Right. I promise that won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," her father said. "Why don't you say goodnight to Sam now? We should all be getting to bed."

"Okay," Courtney agreed. "I'll just walk him out to the car."

"We expect you back in this house in five minutes. Is that clear?" He watched her closely, as though he were trying to figure out if she was going to lie to him or not.

"I promise," Courtney vowed. "Come on, Sam." She stood and walked to the door with Sam close behind.

Once they were next to his car, Sam climbed inside and Courtney leaned into the window. "Thanks a lot," she told him. "I really owe you for backing me up tonight. I know you aren't too happy with this stuff, but it means a lot that you're willing to help."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "I'm just glad you're okay. Just thinking about losing you..." his voice trailed off as he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You should probably get inside before they freak out more."

"Yeah..." She didn't bother mentioning his change of subject. Instead, she leaned closer and kissed him. "Good night."

"Good night."

Sam started his car as Courtney stepped back and turned to go back into the house. He didn't back the car out of the driveway until she was inside. Courtney just hoped her parents wouldn't interrogate her further tonight. She couldn't handle the idea of having to lie more than she already had. The lies she already had to spew made her guilt much worse than earlier.

****

"Courtney, wake up!"

Two days later, the frantic voice of her mother pulled Courtney from a restless sleep. Courtney opened her eyes slowly, yawning. She glanced at the clock and frowned. It wasn't even time for the alarm to go off yet. "Mom? What's going on?"

"Courtney, your aunt and uncle called this morning. They said Lauren was supposed to meet them for breakfast and never showed. She's not answering her phone either, and they want to know if you heard anything from her."

"No," Courtney answered as a knot formed in her stomach. "I haven't talked to her since I left her place the other night."

"Did she say anything about going out or having someone else over?"

Courtney shook her head. "She just told me she was probably going to watch some TV and crash for the night."

"That was it? You're sure?"

"Completely," she affirmed. "I wish there was something more I could tell you." The knot in her stomach grew more with each lie she told. She had to fight not to show any guilt, especially now that Lauren's disappearance had been noticed. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just let us know if you think of anywhere she could've gone."

"I will," she promised.

As soon as her mother left the room, Courtney grabbed her phone and called Sam. She paced about the room while she listened to the rings, willing him to pick up.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"I'm freaking right now," Courtney said quietly. "My mom just came in and started asking about Lauren. She said that her parents called to say she was supposed to meet them this morning and never showed up."

"What'd you say?"

"She asked if Lauren said anything about going somewhere or meeting anyone and I said no. Sam, they're going to start looking for her and I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can keep this up, especially if my aunt and uncle are around."

"Court, relax," he said in a soft, calm tone. "Stick to what you said and remember that she tried to kill you. She killed your real parents, so don't let yourself get caught up in guilt here."

"I know... You're right. I've gotta get myself together before I see them again. They'll probably be coming over soon."

"Would it help if I came by?"

Courtney stopped pacing and took a seat at her desk. Knowing she'd have him there with her eased the tension in her body. "That would be great," she agreed. "Thanks, Sam."

"You don't have to thank me. I probably owed you one anyway for the way I acted before."

"Are you serious? I've thrown a lot at you lately and you were just worried I was moving too fast. What do you have to be sorry about?"

"If I hadn't been such an ass about it, I might have been there with you is all."

"Sam—"

"Don't, okay? It's the truth, but there's nothing I can do about it now except try to help. I'll see you later."

"Later," she said. She ended the call with a mix of conflicting emotions fighting for dominance within her. All she knew was she had to get herself in line before she had to face any of her family again, but she couldn't get that night out of her mind. There were so many questions. How had Lauren been the same person who'd killed her real parents? If Lauren really was so concerned with her following in her family's footsteps, why didn't she attempt what she'd done the other night years ago?

Courtney thought about all the times she and Lauren had been alone over the years, especially the times when Courtney stayed at Lauren's apartment. Her skin crawled just thinking of sleeping on the couch while Lauren was in the next room. It would've been so easy for her never to have woken up again.

Stop.

The thoughts were too disturbing; Courtney had no choice but to push them out of her mind to save her sanity. To take her mind off of the chilling possibilities, Courtney focused her attention on getting ready for the day. She dressed slowly, hoping to delay leaving her room as long as possible. At this point, she'd gladly welcome being grounded until college. At least then she wouldn't have to see anyone.

She trudged out of her room and down the hallway. She pushed open the kitchen door and the smell of coffee percolating assaulted her nostrils. She cringed; she'd never liked the smell of the stuff. She considered it one of the foulest odors in the world. Her mood sank even more when she saw the extra people sitting at the kitchen table.

"Aunt Danielle, Uncle Luke... Hi!" Courtney forced a smile as she crossed the kitchen floor to give them each a hug. "Any word on Lauren?"

Her uncle shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We've called everywhere we can think of and no one has heard from her. We tried calling the police, but they won't do anything yet."

Courtney fought to keep her voice calm at the mention of police. "Why not?"

"They don't start looking immediately after a report's been filed. She's an adult and she could've left on her own, according to them. We tried to explain that it wasn't like her to not show up somewhere, but they wouldn't listen," he answered.

Hot tears stung at the corners of her eyes, threatening to burst free any moment. The pain in her uncle's voice was almost too much to handle. Like her, they were going to have to live with an endless list of questions that would likely never be answered. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Thanks, Sweetie," her aunt said. "Your mom said she'd asked you if Lauren mentioned anywhere she might be going and you were going to think about it some more. Anything come to mind?"

Courtney shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no. She told me she was going to veg in front of the TV. You know her, unless there's a game, she's couch-bound or at the library."

"True," her aunt conceded with a sad smile. "She's always got her head in a book."

The sudden knock on the front door was like an angelic chorus to her ears. She'd never been more relieved at an interruption. "I'll get that. It might be Sam. I told him what was going on and he wanted to come by to keep me company."

Courtney made a hasty retreat to the front door. She peeked outside, a smile touching her features at the sight of her boyfriend on the front porch. For a brief moment, she'd been scared it could be some investigator coming to ask questions. She opened the door, whispering to Sam. "You have great timing. They're here."

"Glad to be of help," he teased in a whisper.

The teasing helped to ease her nerves, which she suspected was his plan from the start. "They're in the kitchen. Come on, we'll make an excuse to get out of here."

The two joined everyone in the kitchen. If Courtney didn't know better, she'd swear Sam was an old hand at stuff like this, because he was smooth as could be. He didn't show the slightest hint of deception the whole time he chatted with her family. In fact, he somehow managed to keep everyone's mood light, and before she knew it, they were practically pushing her and Sam out the door.

As soon as Courtney and Sam were safely in his car, Courtney turned to him with wide eyes. "How on earth did you just do that? I mean, my parents should want to lock me in my room right now for my own safety, not be insisting I go out."

He shrugged as he pulled out onto the road. "What can I say? When you're good, you're good. Besides, I didn't want you stuck in there with them all day. You've had enough problems without driving yourself nuts with guilt."

"Thanks," she said. "So where are we going?"

"Let's go to the creek," he answered. "It'll be quiet and you won't have to worry about running into anyone."

"Sounds perfect," she answered. Courtney suspected this break wouldn't be much of one, though. There was still a lot she didn't understand and there had to be a way to get answers. Maybe Lauren had left some hints behind in her apartment.

"I just had a thought..."

"Why am I suddenly worried?"

"Hear me out," Courtney said. "There's a lot I still don't understand and I want to try and figure it out."

"Like what?" He made a left turn before glancing briefly at her with obvious concern in his eyes.

"Like what she really was. She claimed she killed my parents, but how is that possible?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, but do you really think that's going to help? Sneaking back into her apartment could cause a lot more trouble than it's worth. What if you're in there when someone comes by to search? Her roommate could be there."

"I don't care. What if she wasn't working alone? There could be someone else out there for me to worry about and I wouldn't know until it's too late," Courtney insisted.

Sam frowned as he considered her words. "I get what you're saying, I do, but there's a lot of risks to think about. You have no idea who is or isn't in that apartment and you can't find out until you're in there yourself, not unless you want to get caught peeking in the windows. You're talking about making yourself look guilty."

"I am guilty, but that's not the point. I need to find out what I can about her so I know whether or not I need to be looking over my shoulder."

"Didn't you say she only attacked you because she said you were starting to get too deep into things like your parents did? Maybe your parents were right to keep this hidden from you all this time and you'd be better off just dropping all of this."

"No way. I'm not turning back now, not after what she did to my real parents and what she tried to do to me. I'm starting to understand them, Sam. I'm understanding who they were. There's just one thing I need to know."

Sam sighed, a resigned expression on his face. "What?"

"Can you?"

He pulled the car into the dirt lot in front of the creek and turned off the engine. "Are you saying you want to do the same things they did and you want me to just accept that without question? If you are, I don't know if that's possible right now."

"I'm not saying that I've made up my mind on that; I'm just saying that it's a possibility. I'm going in there to get some answers either way, but I want to know you'll at least try to understand. Can you do that?" Courtney held her breath as she waited for his answer. Just thinking about him turning his back on her made her feel sick.

"Can I be completely honest here?"

"Please."

"I can try, but that's all I can do for right now. That needs to be enough."

Courtney wanted to get angry at it, but she couldn't. As insane as all this was, she knew part of her acceptance came from the fact that the gifts were a part of her; a connection to her biological family that she supposed a part of her always felt subconsciously. Courtney nodded. "Okay. Can you do one thing for me? Will you wait here while I go to check the apartment out? I promise I won't take long."

"I think it might be for the best," he said with regret in his voice. "Having me with you might make things too complicated—there's a better chance of being spotted with two of us there than one. Plus, I'm sorry, but you looked a little rough after you brought me in the apartment last time. Taking me along might be too much for you."

Courtney opened her mouth to protest, but he was right. Bringing them both to the apartment had been a huge strain on her physically and mentally. She couldn't imagine how long Lauren had been doing it to not be bothered by the exertion. "Yeah, I guess that would be better."

For a while, neither of them spoke or tried to get out of the car. Courtney imagined Sam's mind was going in a hundred different directions like hers was. The idea of going into that apartment again alone made bile rise in her throat, but she knew it had to be done. She just prayed his fears weren't justified and she'd get in and out with no trouble.

Courtney gave him a smile, trying to keep her voice from breaking as she spoke. "I guess I'd better go now. Wish me luck."

"Good luck. Don't take too long, okay?"

"I promise."

Courtney closed her eyes and focused her attention on Lauren's apartment. She pictured Lauren's bedroom, with the huge patchwork bedspread, her chair full of clean clothing she hadn't bothered to put away, the clutter on her dresser. Once she had a firm mental image of the space, she repeated the phrase her cousin had used to move them.

In an instant, Courtney was standing in the middle of Lauren's bedroom. Once she'd caught her breath, Courtney crept toward the door and pressed her ear to it. She didn't hear anything, so she chanced opening the door a crack. To her relief, the inside of the apartment was pitch black. Satisfied she was alone, Courtney felt her way to the dresser and pulled out a flashlight, reluctant to turn a light on that could alert someone outside to her presence.

She turned the flashlight on, excitement pulsing through her as a sliver of light shone from the bulb. Now that she could see, Courtney considered where to look first. Under the bed seemed far too easy and obvious for a hiding place if Lauren had left any evidence behind. If she had known Lauren at all, what she was looking for would be hidden somewhere no one would think to search.

Courtney's gaze finally settled on the bookcase above Lauren's desk. Something about it called to her and she moved closer. She fingered each book, inspecting the titles. Most of them were school texts, although some novels were scattered among the collection. Finally, Courtney spotted one that seemed out of place. While most of the novels were trashy romance titles, a classic sat as the sole indication that her cousin had had tastes beyond mind candy.

Curiosity compelled her to pull the book off of the shelf. To her surprise, she discovered the book was one of those hollow things people used to hide things in. Her body tingled in anticipation as she opened it.

She almost gasped out loud as she spotted the picture of her birth parents on top. It was faded at the edges and depicted them with a baby in her mother's arms. A salty tear traveled down her cheek as Courtney examined the photo. She reached up to wipe it away before it could fall on the image. Courtney emptied the contents of the hollow book into her purse and put the book back before turning her attention to the closet.

The shelves were covered in old sweaters and Courtney was reluctant to search for fear of making her visit obvious. She carefully lifted one of the sweaters, disappointed to see there was nothing but more of the same hidden beneath.

A muffled noise from the other room stopped her from searching any further. She hastily turned the flashlight off and put it back before whispering the words that would carry her far away from the room and its secrets.
Chapter Twenty

When Courtney reappeared inside the car, Sam jumped in his seat. Despite the tension she'd felt in the apartment, her laugh echoed through the space at the sight. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said.

"It's okay. I just didn't expect you to get back so fast.... Did you find anything?"

"How long was I gone?"

"Only about fifteen minutes."

It didn't seem possible to her that she'd been gone such a short time. Every second she'd spent in that bedroom felt like hours. "Wow, that's it? I was hoping I'd have more time—I had to stop because I heard a noise in the apartment. I'm guessing her roommate must have come back."

"I can't say I'm disappointed. I kept worrying that you were going to get caught in there. So? Did you find anything or not?"

"I think so. She had this hollow book in her room with a picture of my parents and me when I was a baby inside. There were other things, but I didn't get the chance to look at them yet." She smiled proudly at having the memento she'd stolen, patting the purse. There was no way in Hell she'd allow anyone else to get their hands on that image.

"That's great," he said. "Why don't we go back to my place so we can look at them? The lighting here is great for some things, but it sucks for trying to examine pictures and whatever else you have in there." He gave her a teasing wink.

Courtney smiled at that, grateful he always seemed to know how to lighten the mood. "Sure."

****

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting on his bed as Courtney dumped the contents of her purse in front of them. Scattered among her keys, lip gloss, and other items were several other photographs. She noticed some papers and other small things mixed in that must have come from Lauren's room.

Courtney flipped through the photos first, noting with displeasure that they seemed to have been taken without her parents knowing about it. In one, her mother pushed a stroller while she and her father appeared to be deep in conversation. Another one showed them all at a park, while still another had her parents entering a New Age store with a barely-walking Courtney in tow.

The violation the images represented made her face heat, but at the same time she was grateful for the intrusion. At least she had a few pictures of them all together. Courtney passed them over to Sam to look at while she examined the first paper. Messy, incoherent notes cluttered the page. The more Courtney studied the paper, the more it seemed as though someone had been keeping tabs on what her parents had been up to.

Another page was an old newspaper clipping about her parents' accident, while still another detailed a house that had been haunted. A family had been going crazy for months over unexplained happenings until some unnamed couple came to help. She traced the edges of the page as she read the comments from the people. The emotion behind their praises was palpable, and Courtney once again felt a surge of pride rise within at how they'd made such an impact.

"Sam, check this out." Courtney handed him the article and waited for him to read before saying, "Isn't that amazing?"

"It's nice," he said with a cautious tone. "They obviously knew what they were doing."

"Nice? It's great! Couldn't you feel it? I mean, those people were practically falling all over themselves to talk about how much they'd helped."

"They did," he agreed. "I just want you to take a step back a minute. You're getting that look in your eyes."

"What look?"

"A look I'm afraid might put you in the same place they are now," he said. "I've seen that look before and it's usually just before you jump head-first into something. What else was in that book?"

Courtney decided to let his comments go, focusing on his change of subject instead. "There's this thing." She picked up a large pendant that had several crystals on it as she added, "I don't know what good it will do, though. It could be anything."

Sam inspected it a minute before setting the pendent aside. Courtney showed him another object, this one a circular brass thing with weird symbols on it. Something about it made her skin crawl, although it looked harmless enough.

"What do you think it is?" he asked as he brushed his fingers over the object.

Courtney shrugged. "No idea, but I'm not sure I like it. Maybe I should take it somewhere to see if anyone knows what it is."

"Like where?" Sam raised an eyebrow as he gestured to the window. "This place isn't exactly crawling with experts in the unexplained."

"So I'll go out of town," she insisted. "There has to be someone who can tell me what this thing is. Maybe it'll give me some answers."

"Did this help you at all?" He took the object from her and studied it.

"Sort of," she said. She looked at the object he held, wondering what secrets it might hold.

Chapter Twenty-One

Weeks later, Courtney was no closer to figuring out the secrets the object held. Everywhere she'd gone had been a huge waste of time, which just added to her growing bitterness and frustration. Her family was still organizing searches for Lauren, which Courtney was forced to take part in no matter how much she'd grown to resent her cousin.

The conflict was beginning to take its toll, and Courtney had begun counting the days until graduation and her escape from town. At least then, she wouldn't have to pretend to look for someone she knew would never be found.

Courtney woke to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking in the kitchen. She groaned softly as she struggled to sit up. Her sleep had been a restless one filled with nightmares she preferred not to remember. When Courtney thought about it, she realized her restless nights had started with finding that thing in Lauren's room.

She yawned and sat up in bed, looking over at the alarm clock on her nightstand. Another groan came as she realized someone would be coming to make sure she was up soon if she didn't get herself into the kitchen. She would've preferred sleeping for a week straight—she sure felt as though she needed it. The one bright spot was the day would be over soon.

Happy smiles that made her want to scream greeted Courtney as she finally dragged herself into the kitchen.

"Morning, Sweetie. Are you excited?"

Excited for what? For the life of her, Courtney couldn't figure out what she was supposed to be so happy about this morning. Then it hit her: graduation day. Only a few more weeks and she would be heading to her grandparents' house. Since she was going to college near where they lived, she'd talked her parents into allowing her to leave early to visit them and get a feel for the area.

"Yeah, I can't wait," she said. For the first time since everything had happened, the enthusiasm in her voice was genuine. The only bad part was that she'd be leaving Sam behind as well. She smiled as she thought about how he'd followed her to every New Age store in a twenty-mile radius of her house. Whatever issues he had with all this, she had to admit his support was unwavering. At least when it came to exploring the stuff she'd found at Lauren's. He still reminded her at least once a day that he was worried about her getting into trouble.

"We're really proud of you," her father said.

"Thanks," Courtney said, giving him a hug. He held on to her a little too tight and Courtney couldn't help but smile. Some things were probably never going to change. When he finally released her, Courtney gave her mother a hug as well before grabbing a cup of juice from the table. She gulped it down in one swallow, then set it back on the table. "I should go. I was planning to meet Sam and Matthew this morning."

"You should at least eat something first," her mother insisted. "You've got a big day ahead."

Don't I know it.

She hadn't even started packing — despite her desperation to get as far away from there as possible — and she had a date with Sam that night. Her head swam just thinking about how she'd fit it all in. "I'll be fine. We were all planning to get something this morning. A last-day celebration and all."

Her parents exchanged a look, appearing to once again communicate silently before her father said, "Have fun. We'll see you later on at the ceremony."

"Sure thing." Courtney turned to leave, but hesitated a moment before giving her parents another hug. The lies they'd told still stung, but she understood their side a lot better now after Lauren's attack on her. "Thanks," she told them.

Before Courtney ran out the door, she noticed a look pass between them that made her believe they'd understood what she'd really meant. She was glad because she wasn't sure she could find the words to explain just yet.

****

Courtney didn't bother joining in any of the celebrations that popped up around school that day. It felt wrong while her family was still grieving her cousin's disappearance. She might hate Lauren now, but they hadn't, and the pain in her aunt's and uncle's eyes had haunted her ever since. Once the final bell rang, she gathered what little stuff was left in her locker and went home.

An odd thing happened when Courtney walked in her front door. A flash of the object she'd found at Lauren's went through her mind and the air in the room felt heavy. It reminded her of the day after her parents refused to allow her to do that spelling bee. She'd had a fit of such epic proportions they'd barely talked for days after.

The same tension filled her body now as she surveyed the living room. Nothing seemed to be out of place, so she dared a look in the kitchen. Everything seemed to be in place there, so she moved down the hallway. Her throat caught when she noticed the door to her bedroom was open. She crept to the door and peeked inside.

Her eyes widened at the sight of her parents sitting on the bed with a bunch of papers spread out in front of them.

Crap.

She opened the door further, forcing a cheerful smile as she asked, "I'm back. What are you guys doing?"

"Courtney, have a seat," her mother said in a stern voice, pointing to the desk chair a couple of feet away.

"Yes, Ma'am," Courtney said involuntarily. She felt like she was four years old again, begging to get in front of the camera after her parents forbid it.

"We know things have been tough and you have a lot going on today, so we thought we'd surprise you by helping with the packing today," her mother began. She picked up one of the pictures and turned it in Courtney's direction.

Courtney almost fell out of her seat as she saw it was the picture of her real parents pushing her in a stroller. She wanted the earth to open up and swallow her right then and there. She just hoped they hadn't found the other things she'd hidden in her room.

"Where did you get it?" Her father asked.

"I'd rather not say." She didn't understand how her mother had found them; they were tucked away securely in a box in her closet.

"I think you need to do a lot better than that. These images look like surveillance photos and there are all kinds of notes that look like someone was following them. How did you come across this?"

"Please don't ask me that again because I can't tell you," Courtney pleaded. "I wish I could, but I can't."

"We hid what we did from you because they asked us to do it, but we told you the truth when you asked. Don't we deserve the same?"

Courtney started to argue the point, but she couldn't think of any excuse good enough to stop their questions. "Let's just say that I did a lot of digging and I know what really happened to them. After, I kept that stuff because it was a connection to my past."

Her mother put a hand on Courtney's. "What did you do?"

The question chilled her. Did they suspect the truth now? "Nothing. Well, sort of nothing. I stole this stuff, okay? I thought I had a right to. I can't say any more than that."

The statement hung in the air, weighing down on Courtney so much she could hardly breathe. She just prayed they would believe her. Something, or someone, must have been looking out for her. Without another word, they both nodded and got up to leave. The stuff they'd found lay forgotten on the bed as the door closed and Courtney couldn't control the sigh of relief that escaped her. Especially when she noticed they hadn't found everything yet. The weird amulet and necklace were still exactly where she left them.

Still, Courtney wasn't willing to take any chances. She gathered up the items and put them into a bag. Once everything was packed, she slipped out the window and ran to Matthew's house. She didn't bother going to the front door, assuming he would most likely be getting ready for the ceremony that evening.

Instead, she slipped up to his bedroom window and knocked quietly. She could see him buttoning up a dark blue shirt as he appeared to search the room. She figured he must be trying to find his good shoes—he'd never been able to keep track of those. Ever since they were little kids, he'd take hours trying to find them.

He turned toward the window, surprise registering on his face as he saw her standing at his window. He walked over and opened it. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready by now? And what's with bypassing the front door?"

"I can't really explain, but I need a huge favor." She handed him the bag she'd packed before she left the house. "Can you keep these here for a few days? It's really important and very personal."

"I guess so," he replied. "What's going on?"

"Thank you! It's no big deal really... just stuff I'd rather keep to myself. You know how nosy parents are." She hoped he'd understand her meaning. The idea of him going through the stuff upset her, but she felt guilty about actually forbidding it.

"Don't I?" He laughed. "You're welcome."

Now that she could be sure her parents wouldn't be able to snoop in her stuff anymore or maybe take anything, she hurried home and snuck back in her room to get ready to leave. To her relief, neither of them seemed to have noticed her absence. When she emerged from her room in her new dress, they were sitting in the living room watching television.

"You look good," her mother said as Courtney took a seat beside them.

"Thanks."

"So, are you almost ready to go?"

Courtney nodded. "I think so. Why am I in a huge panic all of a sudden?"

Despite the lingering tension, her father laughed. "Because everyone does when they graduate, at least a little bit. It's a huge step..."

"I guess you're right," she responded. "Anyway... let me get my cap and gown and I'm ready."

Courtney hurried from the room to collect her things, her father's words running through her mind. She had a feeling those words were never going to be more true for her. Ever since she'd bought those first books, a part of her felt like she'd changed and she didn't fully understand it yet.

Epilogue

Several weeks after graduation, Courtney and Sam were at his house enjoying one more night together before Courtney left for her grandparents' house. Since his parents were gone until early the next day, they'd opted to stay in instead of going out for the evening. They weren't sure how often they'd be seeing each other once they both started school.

She was just glad they wouldn't be going to schools too far away from each other. For a few days, it looked like he might actually be going to some place on the other side of the country. She'd never been happier to see an acceptance letter come in as the one he got a few days after graduation.

They settled into a lounge on the back porch to listen to the radio. She couldn't help the wicked grin that spread across her face as she pictured the looks on her parent's faces if they knew she was at his house without anyone else around.

"What's so funny?" he asked, tightening his grip on her as he gave her a kiss on the neck.

"Just picturing how my parents would react if they knew where I was right now."

Sam grinned. "And where, might I ask, do they think you are?"

Courtney reached for the tea she had sitting beside them on a table, taking a sip of the drink before answering, "They think we're at the movies right now. It's going to suck, by the way, and we're going to be playing games there instead."

He shook his head, looking at her in surprise. "Why, Courtney, I don't think I've ever heard anything like that out of you before. What happened to not lying to them?"

Courtney shrugged. "If there's one thing I've learned lately, it's that they don't need to know everything. Besides, I've been in a much more adventurous mood lately," she teased.

"I've noticed," he said, leaning in for a kiss.

Courtney had no idea how long they lay kissing on the lounge chair and she didn't care. It was nice to let herself go a little crazy once in a while and forget about the rest of the world — she supposed she should be grateful to Lauren for bringing out this side of her.

The thought of her cousin made her pull away from Sam, her thoughts wandering to that night for what felt like the millionth time. Even weeks later, Courtney and Sam were the only people who knew the truth. She hadn't even told Matthew about it, feeling it would be best to keep the number of people involved to a minimum.

"You okay?"

"Sorry," she answered. "I just got to thinking about Lauren again."

"You aren't still worried about anyone finding out are you? Didn't they already close the book on her?"

Courtney nodded. "Yeah, the roommate who never existed did it," she said with a slight touch of bitterness. She should've wondered why the roommate was never around. The night Courtney had almost been busted in the apartment, the landlord had been letting Lauren's parents in instead of 'Annie' as Courtney had feared. Turned out, Courtney wasn't the only one who'd never met the elusive girl. She guessed she shouldn't be surprised that Lauren had made the person up. She didn't think people like her cousin would want too many extras hanging around to complicate whatever plans they had. What pissed Courtney off the most was the fact Lauren had used her birth mother's name for the fake friend. It was as though the girl had been taunting her secretly the whole time. To this day, no one else knew where the girl was, so everyone assumed 'Annie' must have done something to Lauren.

"I still can't believe she used that name." Sam shook his head as he stood up to change the radio station.

"Neither can I. That bitch. At least she got what she deserved." She felt odd saying that, but it was how she felt and she wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

"Agreed," he said. Sam finished tuning the radio station and took a seat beside Courtney again. His finger strayed to Courtney's side, gently caressing it.

Courtney relaxed into his arms again, one hand straying up to finger the crystal necklace she wore. She kept it hidden from view unless Sam was around. She didn't know who might have seen it when it belonged to Lauren. Courtney knew she probably shouldn't wear the thing at all, but something about it called to her. It felt comforting to have it on, even if she didn't understand why. "I'm going to miss this."

"Same here," he agreed. "I'm looking forward to the weekends even more now, though."

Courtney smiled. "True. There's always a plus side." Her smile faltered a moment later as she said, "Sam? Are you sure you're going to be okay with everything?"

He kissed her forehead and nodded. "I already said that, didn't I? You need to stop worrying."

"I did break my promise, so I wouldn't blame you if you were a little upset at least." Her stomach tightened as she spoke. She couldn't help the lingering worry she'd carried with her every day since making her decision.

"I never really expected you to keep it," he admitted. "You're too stubborn for that and I knew it from the second you bought that first book, but I'm still here. Don't expect that to change anytime soon."

His words brought a deep sense of peace to her. She might never tell her parents about the decision she'd made, but she couldn't picture not telling Sam she'd changed her mind about her birth parents' job. Sort of, anyway. She wasn't exactly planning to go looking for trouble, but Courtney realized it was in her blood, and she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to avoid it forever.

Author's note:

Thanks for taking the time to read Learning Me. I hope you enjoyed the beginning of Courtney's journey as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you want to keep up with future installments and other projects, please consider joining my street team or newsletter—they'll be getting all the scoops first, plus some extra content as the muse gives it to me.

Also, if you feel moved to do so, please consider leaving a review. I'd love to hear what people think.

Also by Jamie White

The Life and Times of No One in Particular

Lyrical Muse

Clutter

A Place Where I Belong

Stains on the Soul (Stains Trilogy, Book One)

Trembling Souls (Stains Trilogy, Book Two)

Smashing the Slate (Stains Trilogy, Book Three)

