But the kiss lingered on her lips. It had felt real—incredibly real.
She adjusted her pillow and continued to draw. She started with the background first—the five uneven steps seen in profile, rising to a landing. She loved the sound of the pencil lead scratching the paper; she felt no fatigue. She enjoyed these visions. They no longer came as often as they once had. As a child, she’d had several a week. She’d seen a flood, a car crash, a fire. She’d made the newspaper with the prediction of the fire. That was when the doctors had started hooking up wires to her, when the military men had begun asking questions. When she’d been taken from her original foster parents and moved in with the Fairlies.
Before she and Amanda ran away.
The visions came much less frequently now, a secret only Amanda knew. Sometimes in groups—three or four in a week and then none for months. Sometimes a piece of a dream, but not enough to stick with her, not enough to draw. Being in the Parks, hanging with the Keepers, seemed to increase their frequency and intensity.
She drew the scene of the kiss as best she could, her artistic abilities having improved over time. She not only caught the angle of their heads correctly, but the profile of the boy really looked like Finn, and though the girl was less obvious, she knew it was her.
It was one dream she would never allow to happen, would never do this to Amanda. Had no interest herself. If Finn wanted it, too bad. Not ever!
She heard Amanda stir in the overhead bunk, so she switched off the small light, and covered the drawing with her hand in case Amanda leaned over, curious. But Amanda only rolled over. Jess switched the light on and finished drawing the kiss.
She studied the girl’s face more carefully. She couldn’t be absolutely sure it was her. But she knew what she’d felt. She knew what was going to happen.
* * *
“Please,” Charlene said, appealing to her mother over the breakfast table. “It’s no big secret that I like him.” Her mother’s one soft spot was her daughter’s love life. There were times that Charlene felt as if her mother was trying to be her same age again, which was so random it pained her to even consider it. But the fact was, her mother had been a high school cheerleader, had been pretty, and, according to her, chased by all the boys, and she seemed to want all that for Charlene as well.
“You don’t want to be the one doing the pursuing,” her mother cautioned. She advised Charlene about her interest in certain boys as if she were coaching a chess match.
“I’d just be visiting Winter Park for a day.”
“That’s his school.”
“Ah…yeah.”
“Which will be seen as you pursuing him.”
“I have friends there, too, Mom. Do I want to hang with him at lunch? Yes. Of course. But it’s not like I’m going to follow him down the halls or something. It’s one day.” She and Amanda had plans, but she couldn’t go there. Her mother understood boys. Charlene knew which buttons to push. “I can spend time with my friends after school. I never get a chance to see them anymore.” With graduation from middle school, some kids had gone to different high schools because of redistricting. Her mother knew the situation; they’d talked about it often enough.
“I know, I know,” her mother said.
Charlene heard the change in tone; she’d won.
“All we have to do is have you sign me in at the office. It’ll take two seconds.”
“And you’ll call or text me when school’s out?”
“Promise.”
Her mother smiled. “You must like him a lot.”
“You have no idea,” Charlene said.
* * *
As the buzzer sounded leading into the lunch period, Charlene, wearing her visitor tag, waited by the water fountains in the west hall, as arranged in a hasty meeting with Amanda earlier. She peeled off the tag and stuck it inside her shirt so it would remain sticky but not be seen. She pulled out the section of panty hose from the pocket of her jean shorts and kept it scrunched in her hand. Her heart was beating the way it did before a gymnastics competition.
Amanda appeared among the mass of students crowding the hallway, wearing a look of fierce determination. Charlene knew what they were about to do went against everything Amanda held dear. Knew that for Amanda this was about friendship and loyalty and her dedication to Finn and the Keepers. Knew that she was, like Charlene, dying inside with anticipation.
“Follow me,” Amanda said, all business.
Charlene stepped into line behind her. Amanda made her way to the stairway. They held close to the banister and hurried down, passing other students. They reached the ground floor and continued down to the basement level.