“We all have a specialty, even you,” he answered.

It was one thing to have some minor psychic ability, like Agent Phillips, but I couldn’t completely buy into all their magical crap. Curiosity got the better of me though. I leaned forward, rested my chin in my hands, elbows on his desk, and asked, “What’s yours?”

“My talent is rare. I’m a Detector. I find gifted people like you.”

“Then you’re not a very good one, ’cause I’m seriously normal. C’mon, this is Scottsdale, Arizona, not New York or Vegas. Not much happens here.” Granted it was the nicer side of Phoenix and my parents got by, but we’d never been wealthy. I couldn’t think of a single thing anyone would want from me or my family. Certainly, no one would want me for my magical powers.

“My radar is never off.”

“He’s like a pregnancy test.” Agent Phillips leaned a hip into the desk. “You only get false negatives. Sometimes it’s there and we don’t pick up on it. But if we pick it up, it’s definitely there.”

Mr. Linton groaned. “I wish you’d stop comparing me to a pregnancy test.”

She waved a hand. “But it’s the perfect analogy.”

“You just pick them from a crowd?” I asked, still skeptical.

“Not really,” Mr. Linton said. “We look for kids that stand out. Maybe they get better than average grades, like you. Sometimes it’s the ones who get into trouble. Sorcerers need to be challenged otherwise they tend to go astray. From there we narrow it down.”

I scoffed. “Sorcerers, huh? Like witches or wizards?”

“Witches, wizards, sorcerers — same thing,” Mr. Linton explained.

I smiled, feeling very sure of myself. “If I’m a witch, where have my magical powers been hiding?”

“Only a few are aware of their ability when we find them. Just because you’re not conscious of your skills doesn’t mean they don’t exist. We’re conditioned to believe that we can’t do anything unusual. Therefore, we don’t try. If something odd happens, we brush the source off as something else.”

“Okay.” I still didn’t believe they were right about me. But Ms. Phillips’s little demonstration fascinated me and I was dying to know what kind of a superhero they thought I might be. “What’s my special ability?”

“Too soon to tell,” the principal said.

“Hm… do you guys use spells and make potions?” I grinned.

“We generally rely on our own powers rather than summoning spirits to do it for us,” he explained.

“I’m assuming you didn’t detect anything in Hayden and that’s why you asked him to leave.”

“Yes,” Mr. Linton said. “We keep our existence under the utmost secrecy. Which is why you can’t tell anyone. Your parents must never know.”

“They don’t know?” My jaw hung slack. Then I reminded myself that my parents were oblivious to their children. I’d have to handle this on my own, like I did everything else. It seemed a little odd though that if I were truly in trouble, they wouldn’t tell my parents. I was still a minor. Then I got it. Duh. “You’re not really FBI, are you?”

“No. It was a cover, so Hayden would buy our story.” She picked up a paperweight off Linton’s desk, eyed it, then set it down.

“But why all the secrecy?” I asked.

She shook her head and mumbled, “You have no idea.”

“Some of us remember the witch trials of Salem. I was there and barely escaped being burned alive. And it all started because of one little girl who didn’t understand why it was so important to keep her mouth shut.” Mr. Linton didn’t sound mean or anything. Just… intense.

Agent Phillips gave him a disapproving look.

He rounded his desk to stand over me. “We’ll see you in the auditorium later instead of PE. Have Hayden drop you off there.”

I rose reluctantly. “But I have more questions.”

“They’ll keep,” he said. “We don’t want Hayden waiting when he could be in class playing catch-up. He’s got his work cut out for him.”

Mr. Linton ushered me out the door.

Hayden lagged several feet behind as I walked to class. That’s about what I’d expected, since he thought I was beneath him. For years, I’d avoided him and his friends. If you caught their attention, you risked intimidation or snubbing. Now I had no choice. Thankfully, as my protector, that sort of thing wouldn’t be part of his job description.

As we neared the classroom, he caught up and I snuck a glance at him. His light brown hair hung almost to his swimmer’s shoulders, framing dark gray eyes and flawless skin. His good looks were marred only by a nose that didn’t quite sit straight, as if it had been broken, and by a faint inch-long scar on his cheek. Not the most beautiful guy I’d ever laid eyes on, but definitely the most interesting. No wonder he ruled the school.

When we got to class, Hayden took the only empty spot at the back of the room where I couldn’t see him. My thoughts kept drifting to him though. And I couldn’t forget what happened in the principal’s office.

Chapter Three

Hayden

During my first class with Tessa, my thoughts were filled with the deal I’d made with Mr. Linton. His words haunted me: It was up to me to make my future.

My stepfather’s words haunted me too. Since the day Sam married my mom, he’d taken the opportunity to knock me around or remind me that I’d never amount to anything — over and over, any time we were alone. So I set out to prove him right — I was being accused of it anyway. Besides, I wanted him to feel the humiliation every time the school called and his bad parenting was blamed for my inappropriate behavior.

But I didn’t need to do that anymore. Sam, though still a scumbag, no longer held any power over me. And I was old enough now that the teachers blamed me for my behavior. Mr. Linton’s offer made me wonder what I’d do once graduation was over — if I graduated.

I had no idea if our new principal could be trusted to hold up his end of the bargain. If not, there would be nothing lost since people generally didn’t rise above my low expectations anyway. Still, what if he came through? Everything could change for me. I only had to keep my nose clean and bring up my grades. How hard could that be?

There it was… the beginning of hope. The dwindling spiral of moral degradation had been my playground for so long that I’d forgotten what it was like to have hope for something good. But misery lurked in the recesses of my mind, ready to jump in should the hope be squashed.

Outside our class, Tessa laughed with another girl. Her smile made her already beautiful face absolutely mesmerizing. I could’ve stared forever and didn’t mind her thinking of me as an ass for ogling. But I preferred not looking like a stalker.

I pulled out my cell and pretended to text.

Tessa chatted away, not even glancing around to see if I waited for her. As if I had nothing better to do than cater to her. She’d make us both late and my first step toward a fresh start could be screwed up because Barbie wanted to giggle with her friend. A moment later, her eyes met mine.

“See you at lunch,” she told the girl.

“It’s about time,” I said.

“So you’re still doing this, huh? I wasn’t sure you’d be waiting.”

“Yeah, well, a deal’s a deal. But listen…” I started down the hallway. “My job is to keep you safe, which I can do from ten feet behind you. We don’t need to hang out any more than necessary.”

She stopped abruptly and held out her hand, palm up. “Your cell phone.”

“Why do you want it?” I reached into my pocket.

“Just give it to me.” Her fingers skittered across the keys of my cell phone, then she handed it back. “Keep your distance, Hayden. I welcome it. Really. When you need me, you can call. But a guy like you shouldn’t have to bother remembering my name, so I programmed myself in your contacts as Beneath Me. Now every time you see that, you’ll remember I’m beneath you. Even though you obviously don’t need the reminder.”