The Forbidden Trilogy(211)

Happened. Oh, the irony. I'd never even had sex and gotten pregnant. Rent-A-Kid students had gotten knocked up before, but then they'd disappeared. We were told they'd withdrawn from the program for their own safety and the safety of their babies. I now suspected Rent-A-Kid just considered them breeding bonuses.

"What are you going to do?"

"We don't know yet," Norm said. "You're the first person we've told."

Which explained the serious case of nerves they'd sported all day. They knew I'd find out when I probed their minds. "You might want to tell Father Patrick. He could help you figure things out."

Norm nodded, but Robyn continued biting her lip, even as she spoke. "I'm just so scared. What are people going to think?"

Didn't that very question worry me, but for different reasons? "Honestly, people are going to think whatever they think. You can't control it. Just do what's best for you guys, and the baby."

"I'm sorry," Robyn said. "I should have told you earlier. I hated acting all secret-ish around you."

I patted her hand. "Don't be. I understand. It's a difficult thing."

Norm nodded. "Yeah, I'm not even sure if I can be a father."

Becoming a parent had also scared me. Still did, but the bond I felt with my daughter trumped any of those insecurities. "If you decide to have this baby and raise it, your love for him or her will take over. It's not easy and I'm certainly no expert, obviously." Since I lost my baby shortly after giving birth. "But the parenting instinct does kick in. The rest you learn as you go, from trial and error, from those who know more than you, from books."

They settled back into the couch, their tension dissipating. Norm smiled. "I think we're ready for the scan now."

The scan revealed the same gaps as everyone else, and nothing relevant to finding Ana.

I stood to leave. "You can always talk to me, guys. I'm here for you."

***

The last name on my list was the person I wanted to scan least: Darren. He obviously hadn't taken the baby because he was with me when she disappeared, but he might know something, and no one else remained.

After asking around, I found him sitting on the porch, watching the rain and using his telekinetic powers to float a handful of leaves around in the air.

He scooted over to give me room to sit with him. "I didn't think you'd scan me, since we were together when it happened."

"I know, but I can't leave any stone unturned. Are you mad?"

He shrugged but didn't look at me. "Maybe I should be offended. After all, how could I have had anything to do with this? But, nah, I'm not. I get it."

Unbidden, his thoughts started flowing into me. Snippets of memories, bits of conversation, an idea he'd been contemplating.

"You should do it," I said.

"Do what?"

"Sorry, I heard what you were thinking about. You should start the club. People need to share their feelings and talk about what's going on, and you can make it a bully-free zone for anyone who wants to be there. It's a great idea. How come you haven't told anyone about it?"

"I just wasn't sure if it mattered, really. I'm not going to run the club, though. I don't want to be in charge of people."

His fear of leadership would be his downfall. Darren had a lot to offer, but he needed to speak up more. "I can relate to that. I'm the same way, but sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones to really make a difference. You could be a great leader if you let yourself."

"Hmm... maybe." He didn't look convinced.

"It's true. You have good ideas, Darren. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. If you don't, who else will? I bet Greg and Gary would really love your club, and others would as well. Everyone feels disconnected and lonely, but something like this club could bring people together in a powerful way."

He smiled and nodded, but his thoughts saddened me. 'Says I should speak up, but tried that. Told her my feelings, and she rejected me. No point.'

He'd always been so sweet to me; I wished it could've gone differently between us. Maybe if he'd spoken up sooner—before Drake and the baby—but now it was too late. Even if I never trusted Drake again, I doubted I could ever love someone else.

I dug deeper into his mind and saw the place where his grief lived, where he mourned the loss of his best friend. He'd never expressed the depth of his pain—not to me, not to anyone. "I'm sorry about Kyle. I didn't know him well, but he seemed like a great friend."

"He was. He always made me laugh." His voice thickened. "I get it, you know? What it's like for you with Drake gone. It's almost the same for me, in a way."

True. We'd both lost someone close to us. But Drake was still alive, and we had a baby together. I thought about Susie's words. Maybe I could find a way to forgive him, to let him redeem himself. He hadn't died like Kyle. We could still make things right.