ever made sense. "Some of the shadows… when I’m near to
them, I can feel what they’re feeling. Like that woman at the beach. I wanted
to be near her because I could feel her joy. Not just witness it… I mean, I
really felt what she was feeling."
Zane sat up straighter on the bed. "You could
read her mind?"
"No," I said quickly, "It’s not like
that. I don’t pick up thoughts. There’s no language to it, no words. Just
emotions."
"You didn’t mention that before."
I hesitated. "I didn’t always… I mean—" I
broke off, unable to put into words what I had refused, for so long, to allow
myself to think. "It didn’t used to be so obvious. When I was little I
didn’t really pick up on the emotions. I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t
paying attention, or if something about me changed as I grew up. But now, all
of a sudden—"
I faltered again. Zane waited a beat, then prompted.
"All of a sudden…"
I pulled myself up and began to pace. "All of a
sudden, it’s worse than ever. There are shadows all over this island!
I’ve never seen so many of them, at least not considering how few people live
here—I mean, how many people have lived here. And not only that, but I’m
feeling them more. Even the older ones. It’s like the whole emotion thing has
kicked up a notch—and I don’t know how to handle it!"
I plopped back down on the bed, exhausted.
"Okay," Zane confirmed. "I get it.
But what exactly does that have to do with this guy Rod?"
I closed my eyes. Being able to tell Zane—to tell
anyone—a load of seeming nonsense like I had just done without them doubting my
sanity was a relief of epic proportions. If I wasn’t still so freaked out, I
would be overjoyed. But there was more to my story, and the last part was
definitely the worst.
I opened my eyes and sat up. I was close enough to
Zane that, if he had been alive, we would have been touching. As it was, I felt
only the slightest buzz around my knee, where my bent leg grazed his extended
one. "You saw Rod looking at Matt," I began carefully, "and you
saw nothing except two guys who weren’t friends. You didn’t see anything…
sinister?"
Zane considered. "No. It was a stare. But he
smiled later… sort of. Matt knows the guy. He obviously didn’t take it as
anything threatening."
An involuntary shudder shook my shoulders. "I saw the same thing," I explained slowly. "But I felt something,
too."
Zane’s eyes widened. "You mean you felt him,
like he was a shadow? You think he is a shadow?"
"No!" I protested. "He can’t possibly
be. Other people see him and interact with him, he’s solid… he’s definitely
alive."
"Then what—"
"I’m feeling living people now!" I
whisper-shouted, as loudly as I dared without my parents overhearing. I needed
to say it out loud; I needed to hear it. "I have to be. There were no
shadows anywhere near Rod. It scares me to death to think that this… this thing I have is changing, but I can’t deny it anymore. It is. It’s getting more
powerful, more sensitive. Battlefields have always bothered me, but being at
Pali Lookout today… it was almost unbearable. I’ve certainly never encountered
anything like you before... a ghost, I mean. I don’t know if it’s being in
Oahu, or if it’s something about me, but it is happening. It’s real. I
wish I could make myself believe that I was imagining what I felt with Rod
today, but I know that I wasn’t!"
My voice cracked, and Zane leaned forward
instinctively, as if to reach out a comforting arm. Realizing his mistake, he
fell back against the wall instead, his jaw muscles clenched in agitation. He
was silent for a moment, then asked quietly, "What did you feel from Rod,
then? Something that scared you?"
I nodded. "He hates Matt, Zane. Really and
truly hates him. I don’t think he did always. The hatred felt, well… fresh.
Like something had just happened. Something Matt might not even be aware
of."
"Matt was just kidding about the
them, I can feel what they’re feeling. Like that woman at the beach. I wanted
to be near her because I could feel her joy. Not just witness it… I mean, I
really felt what she was feeling."
Zane sat up straighter on the bed. "You could
read her mind?"
"No," I said quickly, "It’s not like
that. I don’t pick up thoughts. There’s no language to it, no words. Just
emotions."
"You didn’t mention that before."
I hesitated. "I didn’t always… I mean—" I
broke off, unable to put into words what I had refused, for so long, to allow
myself to think. "It didn’t used to be so obvious. When I was little I
didn’t really pick up on the emotions. I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t
paying attention, or if something about me changed as I grew up. But now, all
of a sudden—"
I faltered again. Zane waited a beat, then prompted.
"All of a sudden…"
I pulled myself up and began to pace. "All of a
sudden, it’s worse than ever. There are shadows all over this island!
I’ve never seen so many of them, at least not considering how few people live
here—I mean, how many people have lived here. And not only that, but I’m
feeling them more. Even the older ones. It’s like the whole emotion thing has
kicked up a notch—and I don’t know how to handle it!"
I plopped back down on the bed, exhausted.
"Okay," Zane confirmed. "I get it.
But what exactly does that have to do with this guy Rod?"
I closed my eyes. Being able to tell Zane—to tell
anyone—a load of seeming nonsense like I had just done without them doubting my
sanity was a relief of epic proportions. If I wasn’t still so freaked out, I
would be overjoyed. But there was more to my story, and the last part was
definitely the worst.
I opened my eyes and sat up. I was close enough to
Zane that, if he had been alive, we would have been touching. As it was, I felt
only the slightest buzz around my knee, where my bent leg grazed his extended
one. "You saw Rod looking at Matt," I began carefully, "and you
saw nothing except two guys who weren’t friends. You didn’t see anything…
sinister?"
Zane considered. "No. It was a stare. But he
smiled later… sort of. Matt knows the guy. He obviously didn’t take it as
anything threatening."
An involuntary shudder shook my shoulders. "I saw the same thing," I explained slowly. "But I felt something,
too."
Zane’s eyes widened. "You mean you felt him,
like he was a shadow? You think he is a shadow?"
"No!" I protested. "He can’t possibly
be. Other people see him and interact with him, he’s solid… he’s definitely
alive."
"Then what—"
"I’m feeling living people now!" I
whisper-shouted, as loudly as I dared without my parents overhearing. I needed
to say it out loud; I needed to hear it. "I have to be. There were no
shadows anywhere near Rod. It scares me to death to think that this… this thing I have is changing, but I can’t deny it anymore. It is. It’s getting more
powerful, more sensitive. Battlefields have always bothered me, but being at
Pali Lookout today… it was almost unbearable. I’ve certainly never encountered
anything like you before... a ghost, I mean. I don’t know if it’s being in
Oahu, or if it’s something about me, but it is happening. It’s real. I
wish I could make myself believe that I was imagining what I felt with Rod
today, but I know that I wasn’t!"
My voice cracked, and Zane leaned forward
instinctively, as if to reach out a comforting arm. Realizing his mistake, he
fell back against the wall instead, his jaw muscles clenched in agitation. He
was silent for a moment, then asked quietly, "What did you feel from Rod,
then? Something that scared you?"
I nodded. "He hates Matt, Zane. Really and
truly hates him. I don’t think he did always. The hatred felt, well… fresh.
Like something had just happened. Something Matt might not even be aware
of."
"Matt was just kidding about the
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