Now, we hid behind a façade of superficial words and fake smiles. To the casual observer we had the perfect life, complete with the pretty but modest house and late model cars. At home, Mom’s stellar performance as the loyal wife almost made me believe she didn’t sleep with any man who came near her outside the house. Dad seemed to work all the time but the only things he worked at that late were his girlfriends. My parents were so busy living in the moment that they weren’t even doing financial planning for their future — or mine.

Or course, I wasn’t supposed to know about any of that. But I did. Worse, I’d fused into their world, succumbing to their apathy and pretending everything was perfect. I did my homework and chores, got good grades. But I wanted more for myself than this sterile existence.

I wanted something real in my life, something I could depend on. I wanted love.

Soft blond curls cascaded against the back of the sofa. Bree, my five-year-old sister, was full of giggles and mischief. I’d had the advantage of several years of a normal family life. But she barely knew our parents. In the wee hours, it was me she crawled into bed with after a nightmare. Me who she came crying to when she got hurt.

If I moved out, Bree would be practically alone. If she grew up without me, my parents would suck the spark right out of her. I’d decided to stay there, at least until she was old enough to leave with me.

Bree grinned, pink lips exposing two missing teeth. “Tetha.”

“Hi, cutie.” I bent over, letting her outstretched arms wrap around my neck, and snuggled with her on the couch while she watched Finding Nemo for the hundredth time. Homework could wait.

* * * *

For the second day in a row, Hayden waited for me on the other side of the gate near the school entrance. He wore a faded blue t-shirt and snippets of tanned skin showed through holes in his tattered jeans. The word yummy came to mind.

So far, he’d excelled at observing me without appearing to. But now, he openly watched as I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed in his direction.

“Any news?” he asked.

“No.” I slowed my pace, unsure if he intended to continue the conversation.

He fell in step beside me. “How are your parents handling things?”

My fingers twitched at my thigh and I hoped he’d drop the subject soon. “Oh, uh, they don’t know about any of this.”

“Wait.” He stopped, compelling me to stop too. “Why would Agent Phillips tell you, but not your parents? Don’t they have a right to know someone’s targeting their family?”

“Agent Phillips thinks they only want me.” I wished I’d thought of a better answer. “No point in worrying them over nothing.”

“You’re a minor and they’re responsible for you. Agent Phillips would be required to inform them. Besides, their daughter being stalked is not nothing.” He stared, mouth gaping.

“Of course.” I slowed my breathing so I didn’t appear nervous. “But there’s no point in telling them, since Agent Phillips doesn’t have any real information yet.”

He studied me a moment then motioned for me to go ahead. “That logic’s not right. But whatever.”

My gut prickled in agreement. But with the data I had, everything they’d said made sense. It was Hayden who lacked vital information — of course he’d be worried. And a little voice in my head forewarned that I should be worried too.

Chapter Five

Hayden

“Dude, are you tapping that?” Brad shoveled another bite of pasta into his mouth, his gaze fixed on Tessa several tables away.

Brad’s lewd comments used to make me laugh. This time, my fingers tightened around my fork. Tessa didn’t deserve to be talked about that way. She’d tutored me two days already, slogged patiently through my notes and had single handedly saved me from flunking out in calculus. She’d been spot on. I had missed something early on, then crashed and burned. I wasn’t quite out of the woods, but I was getting there.

School had sucked for a long time. Today, I almost enjoyed calculus. I enjoyed her. I looked forward to the end of each day when I shadowed her to the library. Tessa would smile and take a seat inside. I’d sit across from her and watch those silky blond tresses fall over her face while she looked at my notes from our latest lesson.

Tessa was an all-you-can-eat banquet for my imagination. Every day, I fantasized about kissing her and each time, she’d nail me — as if reading my mind — then she’d calmly remind me to focus. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I knew it would never go anywhere and she’d never go for a hit and ditch. But that knowledge didn’t stop me from wanting her.

I had a simple philosophy about relationships — there were no guarantees. Even couples who were in it for the long haul got divorced. And high school romances had less chance of working out. If it was going to end anyway, did it really matter whether or not my motives were honorable? But I couldn’t bring myself to play Tessa that way. A girl like her wouldn’t want to settle for less than some kind of promise of a future. A commitment.

So I kept my distance and gave her a hundred percent of my attention, directing every last bit of my mental energy toward my studies. Most important, I never flirted. And the less interest I showed, the more relaxed she appeared. If I kept it up, she might even grow to like me one day. That wasn’t my goal, but I preferred that to her loathing.

“Well? Are you hitting that?” Brad repeated.

I scowled. “No.”

“You sure? ‘Cause you’ve been different lately, since your private lessons.” He lifted one brow. “You’re not going soft on us, are you?”

“Crossing over to the dark side, Hayden?” Skyler snickered. “Might want to hit that one a little longer before you ditch. She’s so hot.”

My thoughts exactly. I’d definitely want to take my time with Tessa. My eyes found her again. She glanced at me as though I’d just whispered those words into her ear. I wasn’t sure if I liked how she seemed to see into my soul. It made me uneasy.

 It also intrigued me and made me want her more.

“There’s something I’ve been thinking about.” A goofy grin covered Skyler’s face. “The new girl from Romania. Very hot. I’ll see you guys later.”

“You going to Christina’s Halloween party this weekend?” Brad asked.

“Don’t know yet.” I’d rather find some excuse to see Tessa. But she wasn’t right for me and I shouldn’t allow myself to indulge. There were other things to concentrate on, namely graduating. But I also needed something to take my mind off Tessa — like other girls. “You know, a party at Christina’s sounds perfect.”

“Excellent.” Brad grinned.

Chapter Six

Tessa

The bell rang and Hayden trailed after me along the outside of the main building.

“You only met with them two days ago. What do they want?” He nodded toward the auditorium.

To practice my supernatural powers. Only three days and my ability to pull pictures had improved dramatically. But now that I could do it, the visuals cluttered my head and ravaged my peace of mind. It should have been fun, plucking images from the minds of everyone I encountered. Instead, ugly truths ambushed me at inconvenient times and made me wish for ignorance.

As near as I could tell, the guys fantasized about me more than any other girl in school. Though the knowledge raised my confidence, did I really want to see myself making out with Tom in Lab or Jose in PE? I constantly changed my mind about whether or not the power was more trouble than it was worth.

Desperation for peace of mind gnawed at me. I needed to practice blocking unwanted pictures. But Hayden had asked me a question. “We brainstorm, go over clues. They ask me questions and we try to figure out what’s going on. If they have any news, they’ll fill me in. Last time, Agent Phillips promised to give me some self-defense tips at this next meeting.”