Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Clearing

James was waiting in the kitchen for me, he was going to take me to that clearing he told me about yesterday. I was looking forward to a good workout so I got my gear ready as quickly as possible and then headed to the kitchen to join him.

“Are you ready?” I asked bouncing on my feet, anxious to get moving.

“Yes, I’m all set.  What is all that stuff you’re bringing with you?” he questioned.

“I have two long staffs and a katana.  I want to get in as much practice as possible today and I need to practice my hand to hand skills as well as my weapons skills.” I replied.

James whistled lowly.  “You really are serious about martial arts aren’t you?”

“I have to be.  I need to be able to protect myself against pretty much anything.  If I had a rope I’d practise Chinese chains as well, but I don’t want to overdo it” I said in a matter of fact tone.

“Well, we better get going then.  I have to do some things later this afternoon.  By the way how are you holding up?  I know you were avoiding as many personal questions as possible last night but why don’t you open up to Lizzy or Cassy?”James queried as he headed for the door.

“I’m doing okay.  I’ll think about your suggestion but I don’t open up easily.” I replied following James out the door.

“Ya, I’ve noticed.” He said sadly.  We continued walking in silence as we followed a path that was just down the street from the house for about half a kilometer and then we started to run through the bush straight north for three kilometers and then east for the last half kilometer.  When we entered the clearing I was surprised at how flat the area was.  It was about half the size of a football field and was perfect for me to practise in.   As I looked around I noticed a number of piled logs along the edges of the clearing.

“This is my private little spot for camping in the summer when I don’t want people to find me” smiled James.  “Still close to home, and all the amenities it provides, but far enough away for me to get some peace and quiet.”

I shook my head at him.  He was definitely full of surprises.

“So are my invisible protectors watching or are we alone?” I asked.

“We’re alone, why?”

“I don’t like to feel self conscious while I practise and the thought of someone watching me do this can be a bit unnerving.  I know you mean well, with the protection thing but I’m very good at looking over my shoulder” I replied.

“I know you are, and that’s why when we’re together they are off duty” he stated.  “I just want you safe, and unfortunately they can’t watch you all the time, and neither can I so we trade off.”

I smirked at him and dropped into a defensive stance raising my hand and motioning to James “Bring in on old man!” I said slyly.

“Oh I’ll bring it all right, old man my ass!” he mutter.  We circled each other looking for an opening and sizing each other up.  I moved first trying to draw out an attack.  He smirked at me, knowing what I was trying to do.  We continued a slow dance around each other until he struck out with such speed and accuracy that I was almost caught off guard.  We traded punches and kicks, trying different moves to get the upper hand.  It was fun, as we moved all over the field.  We sparred for an hour, gaining and losing ground evenly.  He was testing me, I could tell.  I didn’t let on that I was holding back because I didn’t want him to know all my tricks.  Then, all of a sudden he had me pinned to the ground pain shot through my ribs.  I gasped struggled for a moment getting angry with the situation.  I gritted my teeth and glared at him, when suddenly he was gone.  I sat up gingerly and looked around.  I saw him on the other side of the clearing sprawled across one of the wood piles.

“James!” I called worried as I got up ran to his side still panting hard.

“Are you ok?  What happened? One minute you were on top of me and the next you were gone!” I was babbling because I was so concerned for James.  What the hell happened? I thought vehemently.  James better be okay. Did I do something?  Did I hurt him?  What if he hates me now?

“Have you ever done that before?” he asked as he groaned and sat up.  I helped him to his feet watching him intently for any signs of injury.  He stretched out turning from side to side.

“No, I don’t know what I did” I said too scared to look into his eyes.  I could feel the colour draining from my face as I realized that I had thrown him clear across the field.

“Were you thinking anything at the time?” he asked seriously looking intently at me.

“I was getting angry and I thought just get off me” I replied honestly.

“Well I certainly did” he smiled. “That was quite a powerful blow kid.”

“I’m sorry, I- I didn’t mean to.  I.....” I looked at my feet frustrated - what did I do? How did I do that? He’ll never trust me again.  My eyes were burning and I could feel the tears from the stress of the situation coming.  James gripped my chin gently and raised my head so that I had to look him in the eye.

“It’s ok kid.  I guess we just got a taste of what you’re going to be able to do and I’m glad it happened here with me and not while you were at school” James looked at me with an awed expression on his face.

I looked at him mortified.

“Do you know how to meditate?” he asked.  His sudden change in subject threw me.

“Not really” I replied shyly still afraid to look into his eyes.  “I sort of skipped on the meditation part of martial arts and focussed on learning to defend myself.”

“Well, its time you learn so you can control your emotions.  Sit here, cross your legs, good.  Now I want you to relax your shoulders. That’s it.  Now, empty your mind of thoughts, take a slow breath in and slowly breathe out.  Keep doing that.  Good” James talked me through a meditation sequence for about half an hour.  I slowly felt the tension release from my shoulders and by the time we finished I was feeling pretty good.

“Ok kid, how do you feel?” he asked.

“Pretty good, I’m relaxed but I still feel uneasy” I confessed.

“I’m sure you do.  It was a shock to me too.  You’re going to have to meditate every day so you will be able to control your new abilities as they develop.  For now let’s spar with the long staffs and then you can practise the katana.” he looked at me appraisingly.

We practised with the long staff for about half an hour. My fingers got hit a couple of times but I knew that he was in worse shape than me I had made contact a couple of times too.  He wasn’t used to being bested and that was obvious.  After I went through a couple formations with the katana I stopped.  James was looking into the woods intently.  He was so still I froze sliding automatically into a defensive position.  James slowly turned and looked at me, realizing that I was ready for a fight.  He put his hands up in the peace stance and I relaxed.

“Sorry about that, I got lost in thought. We had better start heading back.” he said

“I’m sorry about earlier James.  I really didn’t mean to hurt you.” I was still concerned about throwing him half way across the field.

 “Don’t worry about it kid, your abilities are going to be surfacing over the next few months.  I’m just glad I was able to see, or rather feel the first occurrence”

“Oh, um, that’s not the first occurrence of something James” I confessed peeking up at him as we slowly walked home.  I decided that I could trust him even though I had only known him for a week and a half.   I had to trust someone because I was terrified about these strange changes going on in my body even if I didn’t show it.  He looked at me questioningly. 

“Last night was the first time I ever did anything.  I woke up in the middle of the night covered in sweat from a bad dream.  I knew that it was still night time, but when I looked out my window it was like looking at the woods on a cloudy day, dim but not black. I could make out movements of a rather large animal or possibly one of your protectors. I can’t be sure because it only lasted a couple of seconds.” I looked at him slightly scared about telling him this, I didn’t want him to think I was crazy or a freak. 

“Keep me in the loop with all the things that are happening to you, ok kid?  I want to understand this as much as you do and perhaps one of my friends can shed some light on things once we know more about what you can do.”  I nodded glad that he was so supportive.

We arrived back at the house around two o’clock.  We were both surprised at how late it was.  I had better have a shower I thought as I put everything away.  Once my shower was done I sat at the kitchen table suddenly feeling exhausted.  I drank a couple glasses of water and ate a sandwich.   I grabbed my cell phone and headed out the door with my car keys and Alex’s jacket.  James watched me pull out of the driveway with a concerned look on his face.  I smiled and waved at him.  He knew I wasn’t going to be gone long because I need to get everything ready for school tomorrow and I was already exhausted.  I called Lizzy to get directions to her house. I had to go north on highway eleven to the next exit, turn west and travel for about five kilometers to a dirt road that I was to turn right on and follow it to the end.  I drove along the winding dirt road surrounded by trees.  It was beautiful, all the trees were starting to change colour, yellows, oranges, reds and browns.  In a few more weeks it would be absolutely breathtaking.  At the end of the dirt road was the most amazing house I had ever seen.  It was one of those houses you expected to see on a TV show like ‘The Most Amazing Homes of the World’.  You could tell that this was a custom built home.  Max Worthington was an architect and contractor who owned his own company and his home was a tribute to his genius- it was an amazing piece of art.  Most of what I could see was glass and stone.  The front and right side of the house was all glass with ivy branches climbing up it to the roof.  There were skylights on the roof and when I looked at the yard I noticed a windmill too.  This home was environmentally friendly and energy efficient.  I was in awe.

I parked my car beside the black BMW at the side of the house.  I got out of the car and leaned back in to grab Alex’s jacket.  I could hear laughing coming from the back yard so I followed the sound.  As I rounded the side of the house to the back yard I could see Max and Katie playing a friendly game of touch football with Alex and Cassy.  Two other boys were there as well one with long straight dark hair with golden hazel eyes who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old and the other with short wavy reddish blond hair with deep golden hazel coloured eyes, who looked about nineteen or twenty years old. I swear they both looked like super models from a European runway show - they looked so elegant leaning against the picnic table.  It seemed like these two gorgeous specimens were keeping score and itching to get in on the fun.  Alex made a touchdown just before he saw me and started to dance.  I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What, did you miss me already?” he called teasingly, grinning at me.

“You’re the one who conveniently left his jacket on the chair last night so I would have to return it today” I retorted trying not to blush as the two boys who I believed were George and Stephan bellowed with laughter.  I handed Alex his jacket and stepped back quickly.

“Oh, she’s got your number alright!” laughed the older boy.

“I’m George and this is Stephan my little brother, you must be Anna.” he introduced himself with a warm and inviting smile.

“Hi” I replied, walking over towards Max and Katie and trying not to blush at the attention this Adonis was giving me. I mean they both looked like Gods – they were so beautiful.

“Your house is amazing Max.  I wish I had brought a camera, it’s a work of art” I complimented.

“Thank you, Anna. You are always welcome to stop by anytime.  Lizzy had to run out for a minute, she said she would be back soon. Can you stay for a bit?” Max asked politely.

I checked my watch, four in the afternoon.

“Sure I can stay for a bit.  I have to be home by five thirty though since I still have to get everything ready for school tomorrow and I want to get to bed early” I said.

“Wow Anna, you look like a truck hit you or something” teased Will as he wandered into the back yard.

“Thanks a lot.” I replied sarcastically, and then blushed as usual.  He laughed good naturedly. He got a kick out of teasing me and making me blush, that was obvious.

“What happened? Didn’t you sleep good last night?” Alex asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

“Not really, and I’ve been sparring with James all morning” I confessed.  I’m not sure why I always told him the truth.  It was unnerving.  I could usually hide what I didn’t really want people to know except from him and Lizzy.

“What do you mean sparring? Verbally or physically?” asked Will condescendingly. 

“What, you want to play with me now?” I asked snidely.

Alex and George burst into laughter at the stunned look on Will’s face.  I could see Max and Katie smiling to each other behind them.  They were all enjoying my verbal banter with Will.

“Oh I think I could take you Anna.  You’re pretty small, and a girl so it shouldn’t take much to put you in your place.” Will stated confidently.

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I think you should call James before you make statements you can’t back up.” I chided him.

They all looked at me in disbelief.  I just smiled politely and slid into a defensive pose and motioned to Will with my finger. 

“Come on then” I coaxed “It’s your funeral” The sly smile forming on my lips made Will pause.  Just then Lizzy arrived, saving me from having to fight with Will.  It probably wouldn’t have gone over too well when I beat him and I didn’t want Will as an enemy – I just hated to be pushed around.

“Anna, you’re here!” she called smiling.

I smiled at her and waved starting to walk towards her.  Just then Will pounced.  I saw him coming with my peripheral vision.  My god he was fast but I moved faster, and turning I grabbed his shirt just in time and sent him flying over my head as I executed a perfect back roll and sprung back up onto my feet.  He landed with a thud gasping for air as I placed one foot on his throat and my knee on his solar plexus holding him down.  If I shuffled my weight slightly, it would be easy to crush his windpipe.  I was lucky that I was so warmed up from sparring earlier, my ribs were sore but they weren’t shooting pain like earlier so I was able to keep a straight face. 

“Will, she’ll never want to come over if you treat her like that!” said Lizzy looking at me with approval.  Alex was beside her with an eyebrow raised and a huge smile on his face.  Stephan, George and Cassy were all trying to stifle their laughter.

“What are you talking about I’m the one who’s on the ground with a foot on my throat!” Will complained half heartedly as he grinned at me, respect evident in his eyes.             

“I warned you.  Next time I think you should take my advice and talk to James first.  I’m sure he’ll be sore in the morning” I smiled at Will as I straightened up, then offered him my hand to help him to his feet.

“I think your friend is going to be a handful Lizzy” Alex looked at me in admiration.  Lizzy shrugged rolling her eyes at him and stalked over to me. 

“Big brother types are soooo annoying” she looked at me apologetically as she grabbed my hand and walked me to the front yard.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get back earlier. I knew that Will was going to bug you as much as possible, it’s because you blush so much. I wasn’t expecting Alex to get in on the fun too.” Lizzy shook her head.

“It’s ok.  I really don’t mind, your brother and Will have been bugging me since the first day I met them and I think I might be starting to get use to it. Besides, I’ve never had a big brother, so to be honest it was kind of fun to let loose a bit with Will.  I don’t think he was expecting what he got though.” I laughed as Lizzy shook her head grinning.

“You look really tired, are you ok?” Lizzy asked concerned.

“I had a nightmare last night and didn’t get much sleep, and I was sparring all morning with James so I’m a bit exhausted.  When I get home I’m planning on getting everything ready for school and going straight to bed” Lizzy nodded as she assessed me and told me that was a good idea.  She looked so much older than me in that moment, like she knew more than she was letting on.

“Anna, are you sure that’s it?  You were sort of I don’t know quiet and avoiding certain topics last night.” She was very perceptive and it seemed that I would have to work on hiding my emotions from her and her family.  As with Alex, I couldn’t figure out why I wanted to tell her things, to confess my thoughts and emotions to her, but I did.

“My friend Paul was murdered on Friday.” I mumbled as I looked at my hands in frustration.

“Anna, I’m so sorry. Are you going to be okay?” she looked so kind and sad for me.  It was nice to have people who truly cared.

I nodded and got to my feet. I really didn’t want to talk any more about it and Lizzy realized that.

“Well I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch then” I said quietly.

“I’ll save you a seat” she replied worry evident in her eyes.

“Later then.” I said sadly trying to give her at least a half smile.

“Later” she replied.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Worthington’s

 

I actually slept in until seven thirty in the morning which was a nice change for me.  I lied in bed looking at the ceiling thinking about the past week.  I’ve come a long way.  It’s hard to believe that I was running just over a week ago.  Now, in only a few days, I was settled into my new school and living with my godfather who is a bit of a mystery and it seemed that some of the girls at school had a crush on him. I sighed.  Not to mention that I’m going out today with a girl from school whose brother I have a huge crush on which is just an insane thought.  I thought about how I had treated him horribly yesterday and most of the past week for that matter, but he just annoyed me so much.  My music teacher was even able to get a harp for me to play.  I would have to say this was a really great week except for the fact that my friend Paul had been killed and I over reacted a few times.  It’s lucky I didn’t hurt that jock Mark or James although I doubt I could hurt James.  I looked around for my iPod I wanted to listen to music to keep me from rushing to get ready and to keep me relaxed.  Lizzy wouldn’t be here for a few hours yet so I could lie in bed and enjoy the luxury of lounging.  My room was small, but I had two large windows that looked out into the woods around me.  I could see a blush of pink through the trees as the sun started to rise over the hill. I stayed in bed until it was light out enjoying the beauty of the sunrise.  I took my time with my morning shower since I didn’t have to rush, so I enjoyed the hot water running down my back relaxing my shoulders.  When I finally got out of the shower I decided to dry my hair and styled it in soft curls.  I have naturally wavy hair so it was easy to curl the ends with a brush while I dried it.  I dressed in a pair of black cargo type pants and a loose long sleeved pink tee shirt to hide the bandage that I replaced around my ribs.  I walked into the kitchen area for breakfast.  James was sitting in a chair in the family room watching the morning news.

“Morning James”

“Morning kid, sleep well?”

“Yah, like a log once I stopped tossing and turning, the air up here is good for me.  I haven’t been this relaxed in..I don’t remember” I mused trying to hide that I was still upset about Paul.

He smiled.  “So what is on your schedule today?”

“Lizzy will be here in two hours so I thought I’d start laundry after breakfast” he nodded at me.

“Do you know where you’re going today?” he questioned.

“Not really.  She said that she wanted to go to a movie, so I figured we would go for lunch and then to a matinee show.  You can ask her when she gets here and I have the phone you gave me, I’ll put it on vibrate.”

“Don’t worry, I trust you.  I just want to see about dinner is all.” he contemplate for a minute.

“Maybe Lizzy could come over for dinner” he stated looking at me questioningly.  I shrugged. 

“Sure, I’ll ask her when she gets here.” I finished my toast and went to gather all the laundry.  Once downstairs in the basement I went to the washing machine in the far left corner behind the stairs and started a dark wash.  James had a pool table and some couches in the basement.  There was also a set of French doors that opened to the back yard patio which faced the lake.  Exploring, I looked around the room I also noticed for the first time the dark wooden bar on the right with stools lined in front of it.  There were different sizes of glasses on the top of the bar.  When I went around the bar I saw a small glass front fridge full of beer. There was also a small wine rack fully stocked and on the shelves behind the bar were several bottles of alcohol.  I guessed this was for guests since I had only seen James drink beer.

I decided to go out onto the patio.  It was cool in the sunshine so I wrapped my arms around myself as I looked around and saw the bunky to the left.  You could sleep four people comfortably inside it.  To my right was a storage shed.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a flash of movement in the trees, but when I looked it was gone.  I shivered nervously and went back inside.  I couldn’t be, sure but the movement I saw wasn’t like the movement of an animal.  Whatever it was had jumped from one tree to the next with a speed that I had only seen in movies.

I checked my watch and it was almost ten thirty in the morning.  I ran upstairs to my room to get my wallet and a jacket.  I grabbed my favourite lip gloss and shoved it in one of the pockets of my pants and my cell phone which I hooked to my belt.  Then I ran to the basement and changed the laundry over to the dryer and started the next load.

I heard a knock on the door upstairs. James answered it before I could get back up the stairs.   

“Hello Lizzy, how are you this morning?”  He sounded amused like I was missing a private joke.

“I’m great thanks, is Anastasia ready?” she asked.

“Yes I’m ready.” I answered as I came into view at the top of the stairs.  She smiled brightly at me.

“So what are your plans for today?”James asked.

“Well I thought I’d show her the town from a teen’s point of view and then go to a movie” she replied happily.

“Well, that sounds like fun.  Would you like to stay for dinner tonight?  I’ll order in your favourite” James said.

Lizzy smiled. “Sure that sounds great I’ll let my aunt know” she turned to me. “James used to come over a lot when my uncle needed help with the basement” she explained. I guess my curious expression gave me away. I nodded and grabbed my jacket.  “I’ll see you later James.  I’ll call you when we’re on our way back here.” I said.

“You can invite your family to join us if you like Lizzy.  I haven’t seen them in awhile and we could order a game on the big screen downstairs” James said looking thoughtful.  You could see the plans forming in his eyes.

“Sure I’ll call home and get my uncle to call you back.  I don’t think the guys are doing anything tonight.” she grinned at him as we exited the house.

 

Lizzy drove a black BMW with tinted windows just like the one I had seen Alex with. The inside had leather seats which were very comfortable.  The stereo was on and playing Linkin Park. 

“Do you want to listen to something else?  My brother was the last person to drive and I didn’t change the cd. I’m not sure exactly what kind of music you like.”

“This is fine, I have pretty eclectic taste.  I listen to everything from Mozart to Nine inch Nails.” I said softly as I looked out the window trying not to remember the death of my friend.

“Wow that is quite the range” she replied. “So, shall we start your tour of the wonderful town of Huntsville” she asked in an amused tone.

“I’m ready and willing.” I grinned - anything to distract me would be good right now.

Lizzy took me to all the places that I needed to know about.  The best hang out spots that most of the other students frequented, the best restaurants, the best stores to go to and, of course, which ones to avoid because of all the tourists that stop here on their way to cottage country.  She told me that if I really wanted to go shopping I would have to go to Orillia or Barrie for a mall and maybe we could make it a road trip in the future.  I laughed at that.  After living in large cities most of my life with everything within walking distances or a short ride on the subway, it was different to think of driving an hour just to get to a mall.

Around two o’clock we went to see a new release romance movie.  Once the movie let out Lizzy called home to talk to her aunt and uncle to invite them to dinner.  As we drove back to my place she started laughing into the phone.  I looked at her quizzically as she winked at me.  After she was done she let loose on me. “So, it looks like everyone is coming for dinner. You had better let James know” she said thoroughly amused. 

“Ok” I said confused dialling the number.  “James, it’s me.  Lizzy said everyone is coming over.” James laughed and said everything would be ready around six in the evening and that he would call the Worthington’s to let them know what time dinner was.

“Ok now that is settled, what is all the laughing about?” I asked perplexed.

“Oh nothing, there’s just a standing bet between your godfather and my uncle about a few things. They love to razz each other every chance they get” she smiled at me. There was more to what she was saying, I was sure of it.

 

We arrived at the house just as James was putting plates and cutlery on the table. 

“Hey girls, did you have fun?”

“Ya, it was great” we said and in unison and started giggling.  We went downstairs and turned on the big screen TV and started to watch a movie while we waited for her family to arrive.  I was nervous to meet her family, not because I didn’t know them, but because her brother would likely be here and I didn’t want her to know that I had a crush on him. Not to mention I was terrified that he would see through me like he had done the other day.

Lizzy’s family arrived shortly after six thirty and we went upstairs to greet them. 

“Anastasia this is my Uncle Max and Aunt Katie, my cousin Casandra, and you already know the boys” Lizzy smiled at me.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you” I said to all of them.  I gazed at Casandra and tried not to do anything stupid since I was sure she remembered me destroying my old cell phone.

“It’s nice to finally meet you too.  Lizzy’s been talking about you all week and your godfather wouldn’t give us any hints except to show us a picture of you when you were probably five years old.” Katie said playfully glaring at James.  I blushed bright red yet again at the attention.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.” said Will grinning at me mischievously.

“Will, leave the poor girl alone.  You don’t have to make tonight an inquisition” said Alexander as he eyed me knowingly as I fidgeted uncomfortable with all the attention.

“Hey man, she’s the new kid.  The inquisition is on until I’m satisfied” he laughed as I blushed an even deeper red and looked at my feet.  James and Max started laughing at my reaction too.  Great, it was going to be a long night of torture.

“Don’t worry Anastasia, I’ll keep him in check” Lizzy assured me.  I smiled thankfully at her.

“So where are George and Stephan? I was sure they would tag along with a big game on and all” James asked.

“They’re camping this weekend” Max replied. “They’ll be back late tomorrow night.”

“So what’s for dinner?” asked Casandra “Oh wait. Let me guess - PIZZA!!” she looked at Lizzy with a ‘not again’ look on her face.  Lizzy and I both smiled. 

“Don’t worry Cassy, there’s left over Chinese in the fridge if you want” joked James.

“Where’s the deck of cards? We might as well play a game or two while we wait for the pizza to arrive.” said Will.

“I’ll get them” I said shyly, and walked downstairs to the bar where I had seen a couple of decks of cards and grabbed two.  I turned to head back upstairs and nearly slammed into Alexander. “Oh, sorry” I said jumping back immediately as I turned scarlet at his proximity.  He was just as stunningly gorgeous as the first moment I saw him.  Ruggedly handsome in a light brown sweater and slightly baggy jeans.  He grinned at my reaction.

“I shouldn’t have followed so close, it’s my fault.” he apologized rounding the bar to grab three beers from the fridge.

“Why do you do that?” I asked quietly

“Do what?” he said giving me that cocky grin of his.

“Purposely try to get me to react to you?” I clarified looking at him questioningly.

“I like the way you react.  You blush beautifully and I know that you hate it.  It’s the one major weakness you have” he said as he smiled at me, those gorgeous eyes glowing.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that.” I shook my head slowly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll behave tonight but I won’t make any promises about school” he leered at me as we went back upstairs to see that everyone was getting drinks and settling around the table.

“So what are we going to play tonight” James asked.

“Let’s play gin rummy” suggested Katie.  Everyone seemed to be ok with that.  We had to use the two decks with eight of us.  The pizza arrived about 20 minutes into our game so we all grabbed a slice and continued playing. 

“Alex, are you still planning on going to that car rally next weekend?” Lizzy asked.

“Ya, why?” he replied looking at her quizzically.

“I was going to ask Anastasia to stay overnight” Lizzy stated.

“Oh” he said giving his sister a curious look as I looked at her questioningly.

Lizzy looked at me “I thought we could go shopping in town for the day and then we could rent some movies. You know, have a girls night.  Everyone else is going to be away and I thought it would be fun.” she smiled warmly at me.

“Do you mind James, if I go?” I asked politely.

“Sure kid, sounds good.  I can always stop by and make sure there aren’t any wild parties going on” he smiled knowingly as though he had done that himself when he was growing up.  I looked at him with curiosity - he was always so accommodating.  It was like I was missing something.

“Um, Lizzy” she looked at me with an open expression.

“How exactly are you related to the others?” I asked her quietly not wanting to be rude.

“Katie was my mother’s best friend.  Our mother died shortly after we were born and we never met our father” she told me openly.

“I’m sorry.  I was just curious.” I said looking down at my hands.

“That’s ok I’m not keeping any secrets. Besides, I think everyone here is curious about you too.” she looked at me knowingly.

“Why?” I asked. “Why would anyone be curious about me?”

“Oh! I think it has to do with the fact that no one really knows anything about you.” she smiled.

“What do you want to know?” I looked at her questioningly.  That was the cue Will was waiting for because then he started the on a barrage of questions.

“Were did you live before you came here?”

“New York”

“Were in New York?”

“Manhattan”

“Are the girls pretty there?”

“Um, I guess so I’m not really into girls” I looked at him wearily and rolled my eyes.

Will laughed.

“Ok let’s get to the good stuff.” he said.

My eyes widened in fear.  “What do you mean by good stuff? Exactly?”

“Well we’ve established that you’re not into girls, which means you’re into guys.  What kind of guys do you like? To coin a cliché, what’s your type Anastasia?” he asked with a sly grin on his face his vivid sapphire blue eyes sparkling intensely with mischief.

I turned crimson, but not because of the reason they were thinking.  I was thinking of Paul and I was doing everything not to let it slip that my friend had died recently.  I looked at the floor trying to control my emotions before I looked up again.

“Leave her alone Will, your taken.” said Cassy chastising him.

I smiled thankfully at her.  I really didn’t want to get into that subject.  The weird part was that everyone seemed interested in the answer to that question.  I took a deep breath and told the truth.

“I really honestly, can’t say.  I’ve only sort of dated once before.  It really isn’t a good idea for me, to date that is.  I move around too much.”

“Well now, that’s different, I personally know of at least 3 or 4 guys who would love to ask you out.  I could set you up or something” Will teased winking at me.  I’m not sure I could turn any redder as my annoyance grew.

“Um, no thanks, I don’t think that’s a good idea” I choked out.

“Will, leave her alone, the poor girl is crimson and you just keep pushing.  She’s never going to come around now if you’re home.” whined Lizzy.  Will and Alex laughed.

“GIN!” called Katie and that was the end of the card game and some of my torment.  I volunteered to clear the table to avoid any more questions about my dating experience.  Everyone had had their fill of pizza and they were moving to the basement just in time for the big game.  I washed the dishes as quickly as possible so I could join everyone downstairs.  I was glad that the boys had gone downstairs so I could relax and that Cassy had stayed behind to help me.

“Please don’t mind Will he’s just trying to be a jerk, and he really isn’t.  He loves to tease people and I think he’s just trying to figure you out.” said Cassy from behind me as she came over to dry the dishes. 

“It’s ok, really, I don’t mind.  I guess this is what it must be like to have a big brother” I replied smiling.

“Yeah, an annoying one” Cassy jollied.  We laughed as Lizzy came up the stairs to join us.

“Do you want to play another game of cards?  The guy’s are willing?” Lizzy asked us.

“I want to watch the game for a bit and then I still need to call George.  I’ve hardly spoken to him all day” Cassy said and went downstairs.

“Sure. We could play euchre” I suggested.  Lizzy called to the boys as she started sorting through the cards. 

“Don’t let Alex and Lizzy be partners” warned James.  “They table talk all the time. They’re the best cheaters I’ve ever met.” Lizzy and Alex looked at James innocently.

“Alex can be Anna’s partner.” said Will and winked at me. “You don’t mind being called that do you?” he asked.

“No, I guess not” I said as I sat at the table looking at my hands. I never thought that being called Anna would feel so nice.  It was like being closer to my mother in a way and I smiled wistfully to myself.

“So what happened to your mother?” Will asked pointedly.  The colour drained from my face as all the memories came flooding back of the horrible incident. I took a deep breath, pulling myself together.

“She died when I was ten.” I said in a crisp tone that closed that subject.  I didn’t like to lie, but I really didn’t want to think about that day.  I looked out the window and I could see Alex and Lizzy glaring at Will in the reflection of the glass.  I also noticed that they were almost communicating without speaking to each other.  It was something more than just the look they had given him, it was like they were talking to each other without speaking. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you Anna.” Will said quietly.

“It’s ok I guess, my mom is a touchy subject for me still” I replied sadly.

“Hearts is trump” said Will and we started to play.  Unfortunately I had nothing and couldn’t take any tricks.  Alex didn’t look too happy about that. But the next hand was a lot better, when it came around to me to pick the suit, I stated “Diamonds, alone.” I looked at my cards - I had the perfect hand Ace, king, queen and both bowers.  I think I redeemed myself to Alex.

“So how do you like our school?” Alex asked his emerald green eyes boring into mine, they had a swirling liquid quality to them and I could feel my heart start to race as I seemed to be sucked into their beautiful depths.

“It’s small, but I kind of like it.  I seem to fit in ok I guess.  Your music program isn’t bad I like Mr. Chang, it was really nice of him to get a harp in for me to play.” I smiled at him trying very hard not to stutter or blush.

“Wow, I’ve never heard of him doing that before.” said Will as he led an ace of hearts.

“Well he asked me what instrument I played and I told him the harp.  He seemed to be intrigued by that and the fact that my Aunt Stacy was a teacher and taught me to play and that she played for the New York symphony orchestra.  I also told him that I went to an ‘Arts’ school in New York” I said as Lizzy placed the nine of hearts on the table.  I took the trick with my queen of diamonds and smiled evilly at them as I placed the rest of my cards on the table.

“This would be my hand.” I said triumphantly.  Alex grinned at me and nodded.

“So you can play” Will smirked as I nodded.

“Well on with the inquisition.” Will continued as Alex dealt the next round of cards.  I just shook my head in mock defeat.

“So what kind of music do you like?” he asked making conversation.

“I pretty much listen to everything I’m not crazy about rap or thrasher music. I like the classics, the 80's, 90's, jazz, MO town, blues, dance, Celtic, rock, metal pretty much anything from Mozart to Nine inch Nails as I said to Lizzy earlier today” I replied looking into his sapphire blue eyes.  It was going to be very hard being around all these beautiful people without feeling a bit insignificant I thought to myself.

“Your tastes are pretty varied.  That’s cool. It won’t be hard for someone to take you to a concert” he laughed as he gave Alex a sidelong glance.  I pretended not to notice. 

“So what was your last school like?” Alex questioned

“Um, artistic would be the best way to describe it.  We all took music, acting and dance lessons on top of regular classes.” I said looking at my cards.

“What about street running - which team were you on?” Will questioned.  My eyes widened as I looked at him.  I hadn’t realized that they had figured that out or knew anything about running.

“What do you mean?” I asked warily

“We saw you running with the coach’s friend and you were pretty good” he said. “Besides, we’re familiar with street running.”

“I ran with the Crazy Arch Angels.” I answered not sure if I should have told them that or not.

Alex and Will looked at each other and then at me with raised eyebrows.

“What was your nick name in the group?” Alex asked.

“Does it matter?” I said trying to avoid the question.  Alex rolled his eyes at my evasion.

“Alex, leave her alone.  She’s not crazy enough to tell you everything and besides that, what would you ask her at school if you get everything out of her tonight?” Lizzy had come to my rescue.

“How else am I going to torment her if she won’t spill?” Alex pouted mockingly and crossed his arms across his chest.

“How about you don’t bug me at all! And stick with the girls who faun over you at school.” I snapped at him.  He was getting WAY too personal! And why did I tell them as much as I did? That was weird.

“Ooooo, jealous much” he eyed me.

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “You are so annoying.”

“You like me and you know it” he smirked.

“Not in this lifetime.” I glared at him, I hated the fact that he could see right through me and now I had to do everything I could to make him think that I didn’t like him.

“Alex, stop teasing her and play the game.” Lizzy said shaking her head.

Alex and I won two out of three games. We were about to start our fourth game but Max and Katie came upstairs with James. 

“It’s time to go kids” Katie said. 

“What time is it?” asked Lizzy

“It’s almost one in the morning” Max replied smiling.

“Who won the game?”Alex asked.

 “Boston. Like the Leafs would win.” said James.  They all laughed.  We all got up from the table and headed for the front door.  James and I wished everyone a safe drive home.  I walked back to the kitchen area to gather up the cards and put them away.  I was thankful that no one had brought up my strange defensiveness at school or the dating thing again.  I noticed a jacket on the back of one of the chairs as I put the cards back into their boxes. 

“Do you know whose jacket this is?” I asked.

“I believe that’s Alex’s” James answered with a cough trying to hide the chuckle.

“I guess I’ll have to take this over to their house tomorrow.” I said as my heart started to race at the thought.  I really needed to stay away from him.

James just smiled.

“You look kind of flush kid.  Are you feeling ok?” he asked.

“I’ve been feeling kind of off for the last hour or so actually, I think I’ll head to bed.  I’ll probably feel better in the morning.” I replied smiling “Oh, by the way, were you able to find a place for me to practise, tomorrow?” I asked politely.

“Yep, there’s a place about four kilometers from here. We’ll have to hike there if you’re up to it, would you like a sparring partner for a bit? I could use a good workout.” James chuckled.

“Sure that would be great.” I beamed at him.  It would be nice to get a real workout I thought.

“Night kid”

“Night”

I walked to the bathroom so that I could brush my teeth and get ready for bed.  Once I had changed, I crawled into bed, very exhausted all of a sudden.  I could hardly keep my eyes open.  The dreams came quickly, I wasn’t scared of my dreams usually, but tonight I wasn’t feeling so great and I felt like I was in a cloud the last part of the evening.  One of my dreams was so real it startled me awake.  I sat up drenched in sweat and panting my eyes wide with fear.  I couldn’t remember what I had just dreamed all I knew was that I was terrified.  I got out of bed and went to wash my face.  Climbing back into bed I looked out the window.  For the first time I realized that I could see into the woods without a lot of difficulty.  I knew it was dark out, but that didn’t seem to matter.  The trees were just as clear as if the sun was shining.  As I gazed about in wonder I noticed movement in one of the trees.  Whatever it was moved too quickly for me to get a good look at it, all I knew was that it was relatively big for an animal.  I shook my head and rubbed my eyes.  When I looked back out the window, it was dark again like it should be.  I crawled back under the covers and tried to go to sleep.  What I didn’t realize then was that was the start of my strange “gift” coming to the surface and making itself known.  I finally did fall back to sleep after awhile.  When I woke up it was light out already.