Don't Die Dragonfly (9 page)

“I don’t need a partner—or want one.” Especially her, I almost added.

“I’ll grow gray hair if I hang around her.” Thorn said, looking at me with an arch in her pierced eyebrows. “Manny, I told you it wouldn’t work out.”

“Give this a chance, guys.” Manny told us firmly. “You have a lot more in common than you realize.”

“No way!” Thorn and I said at the same time. Startled, we stared at each other before looking quickly away.

“See? Almost like twins and you only just met.” Manny laughed. “Now shut up for a minute and let’s get down to business.”

“What business?” I asked cautiously.

“Investigating the vandalism. But not the usual way.” He glanced around as some kids walked by, then lowered his voice. “Using your talents.”

I glared at him. “You promised not to tell!”

“I didn’t. But I know you’ll want to when you see what Thorn can do. She has an amazing ability. It’ll blow you away.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

Thorn curled her purple lips into a smug smirk, like she knew more than I did. “It’ll be fun watching you choke on your own words.”

“Not as fun as watching you fail.” I lifted my chin in challenge. “Go ahead—try to amaze me.”

“It’ll be easy.” She grinned. “What I do is called psychometry. That means I can find—”

“I know what it means,” I cut in. “The ability to sense things by touch.”

“Not bad. Most people have never heard of it.” Thorn gave me a cautious, appraising look. “Anyway, I’ve been able to sense things by touch since I was little. I used to do it for kicks or to mess with people. It’s a great party trick, too.”

“Sure. Whatever.” I shrugged, not buying this for a minute. If Thorn were psychic, I’d eat my backpack.

Thorn shook her head. “Just for the record, I’m only doing this for Manny because he’s a real friend.” She added coldly, “You have five minutes to hide an object.”

“Like what?”

“A book, pen, a shoe—doesn’t matter. Don’t tell me what is it or where you plan to hide it.”

“Okay.” I nodded.

“Your five minutes start now.” She glanced at one of her rings that doubled as a tiny clock. “When you’re done, come back here.”

She gestured for me to go, so I took off down the hall. I kept turning corners, hoping to confuse her if she was following. This whole game was dumb and I would rather walk out of the school gate and keep going till I reached home.

I went outside into a grassy quad area and rummaged through my backpack. At the very bottom, there was an oddly shaped piece of scuffed aluminum. It was an old epée grip. The epée had been my favorite weapon in fencing class at my old school, and this grip had been my teacher’s. He’d given it to me. Mr. Landreth was the only person at that school who hadn’t turned on me when things got bad. He’d believed in me and my gift. I don’t know why I kept the grip in my pack—I just never really wanted to take it out and put it with all the other fencing stuff I never used anymore.

Thorn would never be able to find it. I looked around for a hiding place

Crouching down to hide the grip under a bench, I got a better idea. Minutes later, I returned to the library entrance where Manny and Thorn waited on a bench. When they saw me, they stood and hurried over.

“Well?” Manny prompted. “Mission accomplished?”

“Yes—it’s hidden.” I couldn’t help but grin. Thorn would never find it. I couldn’t figure out how she’d conned a smart guy like Manny. But she couldn’t fool me.

“Let me touch your hand that held the missing object,” Thorn said. When I hesitated she added, “Don’t worry, I won’t
contaminate
you.”

“You don’t worry me.”

“Are you sure?”

I ignored her laugh and boldly held out my right hand.

She traced the lines on my palm with her fingers, her black hair falling forward and brushing across my arm. “You hid something small. It had a funny shape.”

“Well, that narrows it down.”

“It’s very important to you.”

Startled, I tried to keep my expression calm. “Yeah.”

Manny was grinning. “See, I told you she was cool.”

“Come on, that’s an easy guess.” She couldn’t be for real. I tried to rally my skepticism. “Besides what does she mean ‘important to you’? Sounds like Mystic Manny—pure fortune cookie.”

“Whatever, Sabine. Thorn knows.”

“Then she should be able to find it.” No way, I thought with secret delight. Thorn could search the whole school and she’d never figure out my hiding place.

After staring down the hall, Thorn turned to me with a shake of her dark head. “I have the strangest urge to look in a bathroom sink. Something is in the sink.”

“Sink?” I laughed. “You are so far off.”

“Not your thing. Something else missing … ” Her voice trailed off and she rubbed the center of her forehead. “Okay, I’m getting a sense of it. It’s metal. It’s old, well used, and it’s somewhere dark and warm.”

I didn’t say anything. I nonchalantly moved my hands behind my back.

“How about the science lab?” Manny guessed.

“No,” Thorn said. “Not a classroom. Not the cafeteria.”

Pursing my lips tight, I gave nothing away.

She studied me. “You went outside, but that’s not where you left it.”

I just shrugged.

“It’s close by,” Thorn said, pacing around me. “Very close.”

“But she couldn’t hide whatever it is around here without us seeing her,” Manny pointed out.

“Unless she hid it before she returned.” Thorn’s gaze zeroed in on my backpack, which I’d dumped on the floor. She walked to it, then paused and suddenly whirled around.

Thorn came directly towards me. Before I could say anything, she reached inside the pocket of my hooded sweatshirt and withdrew the grip. Any effort to look unimpressed was useless now.

“All right!” Manny pumped his fist.

“Did you ever doubt me?” asked Thorn.

“Not for a second,” said Manny. “Now what the heck is that?”

I ignored Manny’s question. “How did—did you … ?” My words trailed off.

“It’s just a weird talent. Like some people can paint or play the piano. I can find things.” Thorn handed the grip back to me. “And you must have some weird trick, too, or else Manny wouldn’t want us to be partners.”

“Partners,” I echoed with wonder. Maybe, just maybe, Manny wasn’t totally demented.

I really looked at Thorn this time. Past the Morticia makeup, multiple piercings, and heavy chains—into her gray eyes. Amazingly honest eyes. And I knew with sudden clarity that I’d been completely wrong about her. She wasn’t a fake.

I was.

And I remembered what Opal had said about my “gaining a new gift soon.” I’d thought she meant some
thing
, not some
one.
Thorn?

Took you long enough,
Opal said.
Your intuitive skills are getting rusty, certainly from lack of use. But there’s hope for you.

And when I told Thorn that I was psychic, she didn’t call me crazy.

She believed.

* * *

When I got home later, Nona was frantically tearing up the house, looking for her missing car keys. She was positive she’d left them in her purse, only they weren’t there. They weren’t in any of her other usual hiding places, either. Not the cubby hole in the recliner, the toe of her slippers, or the fridge.

Something Thorn said jumped into my head.

I went straight to the bathroom sink.

And found the missing keys.

Ten minutes later, Nona was ready for a dinner date with a new client, and she thanked me again for finding her keys.

“Glad to help,” I said from the couch where I was twisting my hair into a braid.

“If you get hungry, there’s leftover rice in the fridge.”

“Thanks, but I won’t need it. Josh is taking me out.”

“Oh, yeah. You have a date. I remember now.” She glanced down at her keys, then gave a sheepish smile. “Guess I have too much on my mind. You and Josh have fun, but it’s a school night so don’t stay out too late.”

“We won’t,” I promised, giving her a hug.

Then she rushed out to her car, and a short while later Josh showed up.

When we’d talked at school about going out, Josh acted all mysterious and wouldn’t tell me what he had planned. He just said to wear outdoor clothes. So the first thing I asked as I fastened the seatbelt in his car was, “Where are we going?”

“Curious?” he asked teasingly, gravel crunching under his tires as he drove down our driveway.

“A little.”

“Only a little?”

“Well … more than a little. Just tell me already. Are we going to play tennis, volleyball, or mini-golf?”

“Nope.” He laughed, and I loved how dimples formed at the corners of his mouth. “Ever toss a Frisbee?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

“So that’s the big mystery?” I asked, a bit disappointed. “Playing Frisbee?”

“It’s who you play with that matters.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me something?”

“Guess you’re psychic,” he said with a laugh.

My face went hot and I glanced quickly out the window. He didn’t seem to notice I wasn’t laughing with him and reached across the seat for my hand. I held on tight, reminding myself this was what I wanted—to be a normal girl out with a cute, popular guy. It didn’t matter that Josh didn’t know all my secrets; in fact, I preferred it that way.

“If it’s okay with you,” he went on, “we’ll grab some deli sandwiches and take them to a park.”

“Sure!” I said a bit too brightly. “But isn’t it kind of late in the day for a picnic?”

“We’ve got almost two hours of daylight.”

“Okay. A picnic sounds great.” I eyed him suspiciously, sure there was more to this than playing Frisbee in the park. But I’d find out soon enough.

Josh popped in a CD and turned up the music. After a quick stop at a deli, instead of heading toward the park by the high school, Josh turned into an upscale subdivision.

“Isn’t this your neighborhood?” I asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah. I have to pick up a surprise at my house. You’re gonna love him.”

“Him?” I asked uncertainly, hoping this wasn’t going to be another double date. “Someone else is going with us?”

“Not exactly someone.” He grinned. “Horse.”

“Oh—your dog!”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “It’s about time you two got to know each other.”

“Cool surprise. I love dogs.”

“Since he’s triple the size of most dogs, there’s more to love.” Josh stepped out of the car, then turned back to me. “Wait here. I’ll only be a sec.”

I watched him go around the side yard and disappear through a gate. I heard exciting barking and smiled to myself, guessing that Josh was being greeted by sloppy doggy kisses. When the gate opened minutes later, Josh was struggling to hold a leash attached to a huge dog that looked like a cross between a golden retriever and an elephant. Josh had only moved a few feet forward when someone called out his name.

Turning sideways in my seat, I spotted Evan Marshall coming over from the house next door. I leaned closer to my open window.

“Hey, Evan,” Josh said, jerking hard on the leash and nearly falling over except Evan lunged forward to steady him. “Thanks.”

“No prob.” Evan slapped him on the shoulder. “So, where’ve you been lately? Haven’t seen you around much.”

“Busy, I guess.” Josh shrugged. “How come you aren’t at practice?”

“Cancelled, because Coach has a dentist appointment. But things are going great.” Evan’s face lit up. “Get this, some college scout is gonna show up at our next game. So we’re totally working our butts off. Getting noticed so early in my career would be huge.”

“Man, that’s great! Good luck.”

“Thanks. So where you and Horse headed?”

“The park.”

“Cool. I don’t have anything else to do, so I’ll come along. Did you bring Horse’s favorite Frisbee? I’m always blown away when he jumps like ten feet and catches it. He’s the greatest dog.”

“Yeah, he is—but the thing is … ” Josh shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the car.

Evan followed his gaze and abruptly stopped smiling. “Oh. I see,” was all he said. But his shoulders slumped like he’d just lost an important game, and I almost felt sorry for him.

“You can still—” Josh started to say.

“No.” Evan frowned and shook his head. “You don’t need me around.”

“But we want you. We can make room in the car.”

“Don’t bother. I got stuff to do anyway.” Then before Josh could protest, Evan turned and strode back to his house.

“Sorry about that,” I told Josh after Horse was settled into the backseat.

“Nothing to be sorry about.”

“I didn’t mean to cause problems for you with Evan.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Josh said casually, but the furrow in his brow showed he was concerned.

“Evan thinks it is.”

“He runs hot and cold. He’ll get over it.”

“I don’t think he approves of me.”

“How could he not? You’re perfect.”

I laughed wryly. “I’m far from perfect. You have no idea.”

“The proper way to accept a compliment is to say ‘thank you.’”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile.

“See,” Josh said after Horse gave a sharp bark from the back seat. “Even Horse agrees with me, so don’t worry about Evan. He’ll be fine.”

Still, I was worried—not because I cared if Evan liked me. To be honest, I didn’t like him much and would be happy never seeing him again. But I cared about Josh and knew his friendship with Evan meant a lot to him. Growing up together and dealing with the loss of Josh’s brother had created a deep bond. If Evan continued to resent me, it could cause serious problems.

And I wondered …

If it came down to a choice between Evan and me—who would Josh choose?