Read Parallel Visions Online

Authors: Cheryl Rainfield

Parallel Visions (7 page)


Hey.

I say back. I can feel other students watching us, especially the girls. But even some of the boys playing basketball or sitting on the stairs smoking glance at us. I turn my back to the parking lot and watch the cars and bicyclists rush past.


How ’
s your sister?

I say.


Still depressed. But she seemed relieved to talk about it. I told her about you and your visions—there ’
s no way I ’
d have known, otherwise. And she wants to meet you.


Uh—”
I don ’
t know what to say. I didn ’
t expect him to tell anyone. But I didn ’
t tell him it was a secret, either. And at least his family believes me.

Gil holds up his hands.

Before you say anything, I want you to know...

His face reddens.

My sister, Inez. She was—um, she was raped a few months ago. She got really depressed. Not showering, not eating, not doing anything, hardly. She hasn ’
t left the house at all since it happened.


I ’
m so sorry to hear it, ”
I say softly.

Another student walks past, looking at us curiously. Gil takes my arm and leads me away from the fence.

She won ’
t talk to anyone except Nana and me, and won ’
t even see a counselor. Her asking to see you—it ’
s the first time she ’
s shown an interest in anything or anybody since…the night it happened.


Of course I ’
ll come see her.

I push my hair out of my eyes.

I don ’
t know how I can help, but I ’
ll come. I should be free around four for an hour or two. My sister and her husband are coming to dinner later.

If she ’
s still alive, that is.


Thank you, Kate, ”
Gil says, pressing my hand between both of his like a prayer.

I can ’
t tell you how grateful I am. My sister—I ’
d do anything for her.

Behind us, boys hoot.

Gil

s ears grow red and he lets go of my hand.


I ’
d do anything for my sister, too, ”
I say.

A bus roars by, pumping out exhaust. I turn my head away, trying not to inhale any of it .


Have you talked to her about her husband beating her?

Gil asks after it ’
s quiet again.


Yes, but she says nothing ’
s happening. I don ’
t know how to help her!


You can ’
t force someone to get help, ”
Gil says, his voice heavy.

But you also can ’
t give up on someone you love.


I know!

Gil moves closer. He smells like mint and soap.

Have you had any more visions of her?


Two.

I hesitate. I ’
m not sure how much to tell him.

I saw her husband talking to a doctor about me. He said my visions are just hallucinations from a lack of oxygen.


What?

Gil frowns.

You don ’
t believe him, do you?


It did make me wonder if it ’
s my brain ’
s way of telling me none of my visions are real.

Gil grabs my arm.

But you saw Inez planning suicide when even Nana and I didn ’
t. Don ’
t let some jerkwad make you doubt yourself.

I half nod and Gil lets my arm go.


Wait—did you say you had two more visions? Since yesterday? Does that mean you had two more asthma attacks?


Yeah. So?


So are you okay?

Gil asks, his brown eyes showing concern.

When Mom asks me that, I just want her to leave me alone. But somehow I don ’
t mind it coming from Gil. I almost like it.

Yeah, I ’
m fine. No big deal.


Your attack yesterday didn ’
t look like ‘
no big deal.
’”


That was nothing! I had a worse one last night.


You ’
ve gotta take care of yourself, Kate. Your visions, they ’
re important—but they don ’
t mean anything if you don ’
t survive.


You think I don ’
t know that?

I clench my teeth.

It ’
s not like I had the attack on purpose!

Though, in the back of my mind, I wonder. I did forget my nightly medication…and I was worried about Jenna. I wanted to know more.... And then, when I didn ’
t get the information I needed, I tried to extend the attack, not shorten it.


Okay, okay! I ’
m sorry, ”
Gil says.

Let ’
s try to figure out how to help your sister.


Yeah, ”
I say, crossing my arms.

Let ’
s.


Hey, ”
Gil says.

I just want to help.

I uncross my arms and sigh.

In one of the visions, Mason killed her.

My voice shakes.

He didn ’
t mean to, but that ’
s what he did.

Gil stares at me.

We have to stop him!

I love that
we . It makes me feel stronger.

It happens today—at two-forty-five.

I take a deep breath.

I ’
m going to get out of school early and go bang on her door, and make them let me in. I hope that ’
ll change what happens.

It has to.


You really should call the police, ”
Gil says.

I look at him miserably.

I can ’
t .
Besides, they ’
d never believe me.

Gil sighs.

Fine. But I ’
m coming with you.


How will you get out of class?


Let me worry about that. I ’
ll be there. What time are you leaving?


I don ’
t want to go too early, because if I get there before Mason starts hurting her, he could just wait until I ’
m gone and then end up killing her anyway.

I ’
m talking too fast, but I can ’
t slow down. It ’
s like if I say it fast enough, it won ’
t come true.

But if I can get there just before he...he does it, maybe it ’
ll change things enough so it won ’
t happen.


Makes a weird kind of sense, I guess, ”
Gil says.


I ’
m going to get there by two-thirty, just to be safe. Which means I need to leave at two—
fifteen.


Good, ”
Gil says, nodding. He looks at me a long moment, his gaze flitting to my lips, then back to my eyes. He leans so close I can smell the mint on his breath.

His lips look soft and kissable. I lean a little closer, narrowing the space between us. It makes it all seem more normal, somehow. Less crazy and less awful.

Kiss me , ”
I tell him silently.

The school bell rings.


Come on, ”
Gil says.

We don ’
t want to be late.

I don

t know if he really wanted to kiss me or if I was just projecting my desire onto him.

I sigh and follow him inside, trying to ignore the dread building up inside me.
This has to work. I can ’
t let Jenna die.

 

SEVEN

All through my classes, I can ’
t stop worrying about Jenna—whether I ’
ll be able to stop Mason from killing her, or whether he ’
ll just try it again some other day. I don ’
t know how to do this right—if there even is a right way. I ’
m just grateful Gil will be with me. Maybe together, we ’
ll be able to save both our sisters.

I shift on the hard chair, trying to tune into Mr. Santos ’
s mumbly voice as he drones on about algebra. He paces in front of the whiteboard as he talks, stabbing at the figures with his marker, but I can hear the boy behind me snoring quietly. I take a page out of my notebook, rip it into a square, and start folding a butterfly. If Jenna knew what was going to happen today, she ’
d leave Mason. But there ’
s no way I can convince her, not without letting it happen.

How do I keep it from happening again and again? If I stop Mason today, will that be the end of it, because he didn ’
t mean it to happen? And how will I know if she ’
s in danger again without having another vision? I fold my paper even faster. If I trigger another attack, I might see something that ’
ll help her. But Gil ’
s right—I can ’
t help her if I ’
m dead.

And Jenna

s not the only one who needs help. Gil ’
s sister Inez needs people to care about her. To intervene.

A shadow falls over my desk. I look up to see Mr. Santos watching me.


Did you understand the lesson?


Yes, sir.


Is something bothering you?


No, sir.

Mr. Santos plucks the folded butterfly from my hands.

Then get to work, please.

I bend over my notebook and start writing down numbers. Mr. Santos watches for a moment before he moves on. But it ’
s not enough to keep me from worrying.

I keep checking my watch. Two o ’
clock, five after two. The seconds tick by agonizingly slowly. I can ’
t stop worrying that I ’
m timing it wrong. At two-ten I start coughing and force a wheeze.

Mrs.
Pacelli , always alert, comes to my desk. She touches my shoulder reassuringly.

Do you need to go to the nurse?

she asks.

I nod, feeling guilty about lying to her. I hope she doesn ’
t remember that today ’
s the nurse ’
s day off.

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