blocked my view. If I hadn’t almost run into him I wouldn’t have seen that it was Pierce, but my nose was a mere inch from his chest, so even I, who wasn’t the most observant person at the best of times, knew that it was the new guy.
“Move,” I demanded, making a shooing motion with my hand that only caused him to grin in the dark.
“Make me,” he said.
My eyes widened. I tried to tell myself that it was because your pupils widen in the dark to try and take in more of the scarce light, but I knew that wasn’t true in this case.
“Excuse me?” I demanded. Anger swirled around me. I don’t normally get angry, but this guy I barely knew was trying to tell me what to do. I didn’t think so.
He glanced over his shoulder. Satisfied with whatever he saw, he stepped aside and disappeared into the throng of bodies.
I pressed forward again, intent on helping if someone was injured. Along with all the other things that seemed to happen on my birthday, a couple of years ago I discovered that I could sometimes heal injuries. It had happened by accident, and I had been pretty shaken by the knowledge, so since then I had tried to pretend it had never happened. But all along I had wondered what I would do if I ever passed an accident or saw someone seriously injured. Would I heal someone and risk discovery? I didn’t think I could just stand by idly while an injured person died. Now had seemed like it might be the time, but Pierce had gotten in my way. It was almost like he knew.
It turned out that the principal had had a fainting spell, reportedly from the heat. I wondered about that, because the electricity I had felt in the air had intensified around her, but I had no choice but to find my friends in the chaos and leave.
If the principal had come to any harm because Pierce had tried to stop me, I would never have forgiven myself. Or him.
I looked for him, but he had disappeared
Chapter Eleven - Natalie
Later that same afternoon I sat in my room, staring at my poster of Florence and the Machine. My dad had laminated it for me, his effort to show that he understood and supported my musical tastes. Displays like that had become more frequent after he had decided to marry Olivia, and I wondered if she was encouraging him to take a more active role in my life. I didn’t want to be mean, but it was kind of late. He was the greatest dad in the world, he had just never been very hands on. When my features started to change he had pulled away even more and our relationship had never fully recovered. I was trying to concentrate on my book for English class, which was hard, first because I was about to graduate, and second because I was so mad at Pierce I could barely see straight.
Finally I gave up on the book and decided that there was only one thing to do about Pierce: I was going to show up at his house.
I knew where he lived because he had said so when Maxie prodded him about it, so I set out on foot. When I got there I marched up his long dirt driveway, careful to avoid all the puddles from the day’s rain.
This might have been ridiculous, but I had never asked who he lived with. Mom? Dad? Erratic cousin? Raised by wolves? The nineteenth Kardashian? I had no idea.
The house looked empty, with no lights on inside, but there was a truck in the yard that I had never seen Pierce drive, so I concluded that he must live with someone.
I tapped on the door, stood back, and waited. It wasn’t until after I had knocked that I realized I was crazy. I had no right to show up at his house uninvited like this. So what that he had tried to stop me from helping the principal! If anyone else had thought of it they probably would have done the same thing.
But I wanted some answers. Pierce’s sudden presence in Blueberry, his tendency to pay attention to me when almost no one else had ever done so, and his odd behavior in the assembly today had put me over the edge with him. It was time to have it out.
After a very
“Move,” I demanded, making a shooing motion with my hand that only caused him to grin in the dark.
“Make me,” he said.
My eyes widened. I tried to tell myself that it was because your pupils widen in the dark to try and take in more of the scarce light, but I knew that wasn’t true in this case.
“Excuse me?” I demanded. Anger swirled around me. I don’t normally get angry, but this guy I barely knew was trying to tell me what to do. I didn’t think so.
He glanced over his shoulder. Satisfied with whatever he saw, he stepped aside and disappeared into the throng of bodies.
I pressed forward again, intent on helping if someone was injured. Along with all the other things that seemed to happen on my birthday, a couple of years ago I discovered that I could sometimes heal injuries. It had happened by accident, and I had been pretty shaken by the knowledge, so since then I had tried to pretend it had never happened. But all along I had wondered what I would do if I ever passed an accident or saw someone seriously injured. Would I heal someone and risk discovery? I didn’t think I could just stand by idly while an injured person died. Now had seemed like it might be the time, but Pierce had gotten in my way. It was almost like he knew.
It turned out that the principal had had a fainting spell, reportedly from the heat. I wondered about that, because the electricity I had felt in the air had intensified around her, but I had no choice but to find my friends in the chaos and leave.
If the principal had come to any harm because Pierce had tried to stop me, I would never have forgiven myself. Or him.
I looked for him, but he had disappeared
Chapter Eleven - Natalie
Later that same afternoon I sat in my room, staring at my poster of Florence and the Machine. My dad had laminated it for me, his effort to show that he understood and supported my musical tastes. Displays like that had become more frequent after he had decided to marry Olivia, and I wondered if she was encouraging him to take a more active role in my life. I didn’t want to be mean, but it was kind of late. He was the greatest dad in the world, he had just never been very hands on. When my features started to change he had pulled away even more and our relationship had never fully recovered. I was trying to concentrate on my book for English class, which was hard, first because I was about to graduate, and second because I was so mad at Pierce I could barely see straight.
Finally I gave up on the book and decided that there was only one thing to do about Pierce: I was going to show up at his house.
I knew where he lived because he had said so when Maxie prodded him about it, so I set out on foot. When I got there I marched up his long dirt driveway, careful to avoid all the puddles from the day’s rain.
This might have been ridiculous, but I had never asked who he lived with. Mom? Dad? Erratic cousin? Raised by wolves? The nineteenth Kardashian? I had no idea.
The house looked empty, with no lights on inside, but there was a truck in the yard that I had never seen Pierce drive, so I concluded that he must live with someone.
I tapped on the door, stood back, and waited. It wasn’t until after I had knocked that I realized I was crazy. I had no right to show up at his house uninvited like this. So what that he had tried to stop me from helping the principal! If anyone else had thought of it they probably would have done the same thing.
But I wanted some answers. Pierce’s sudden presence in Blueberry, his tendency to pay attention to me when almost no one else had ever done so, and his odd behavior in the assembly today had put me over the edge with him. It was time to have it out.
After a very
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