Part 14 (2/2)

”You don't have to,” Rei says quickly. ”I was just going to drive around town while I wait for his call. How late will you be up tonight?”

”Who can sleep with all this noise? Things don't usually settle down until around five.”

Ha! Rei's going to love college. Five o'clock in the morning is when he usually gets up to work out and meditate.

Rei nods. ”I'll be back long before then. I'll call you when I find him. I'm sure I'll need you to help me talk him into turning himself in.”

I materialize beside him as he's walking through the parking lot.

”So, other people can see you.”

I shrug and nod. But just because someone can see me doesn't mean they will admit they saw me.

”So you should be careful. Matt thought I brought you with me.”

I shrug again. Matt didn't push it, so I'm not worried about it.

”Did you find his exact location yet?” he presses.

I point to his phone. Not yet. And I already told you, I don't want to take you in the woods when it's dark.

”Why? Isn't Seth in the woods when it's dark?”

I nod. I get the feeling Rei's going to get all macho about this.

”So what's the difference? If Seth is in there, it's no more dangerous for me.”

There he goes. Frustration fuels me as I type. You can't see to walk. If you fall and break your ankle, I can't get you out of there.

”I have my phone.”

If the power lines are interfering with Seth's vibration, they may interfere with your phone signal, too. The phone does you no good if there's no reception.

Rei ends up driving around, and I leave the car a few times to see if I can pick up Seth's energy pattern. It stays consistent, leading me back to the power lines, time and time again.

”Then just take me to the general location and I'll find him myself,” Rei insists.

That's not happening. He could be anywhere within a square mile of where I lose his vibration. You need sleep. I'll wake you up when I find him.

”Anna, what if he's not hiding in the woods? What if you can't find him because he's dead?”

CHAPTER 20.

It took me over an hour to convince Rei that Seth couldn't possibly be dead, and that he was only thinking these bad things because he was exhausted. Even his aura is a tired shade of beige. Matt offered Rei his roommate's bed for the night but since the sheets looked like they hadn't been washed since school started last September, Rei made a diplomatic excuse and spent the night in the car. It's now after five o'clock in the morning, and he looks painfully uncomfortable, but his internal alarm clock hasn't kicked in yet to wake him up. Good. I need more time anyway.

The static by the power lines is still buzzing, but not nearly as strong as it was last night. Maybe because it's daylight now and not as much electricity is needed. I don't know and I don't care. I allow myself the luxury of hope.

The forest extends about a mile on either side of the power lines. Light filters through the tall pines casting soft shadows and morning brings birdsong and the scuttlings of squirrels and chipmunks as they start their day. Every tree, every bush, every blade of gra.s.s and patch of moss is alive, surrounded by shades of soft, serene blue. It's the aura of peace, like everything in nature is attuned to each other in perfect harmony.

Even me. Even though I am without a body, without a plan, I allow myself this one perfect moment to be without a care, to feel like I'm part of something bigger than bodies and plans, something eternal and omnipresent and hopeful. Something positive. The trees nod their branches even though there is no wind.

And then the blues s.h.i.+mmer into silver and from somewhere above me, the colors gather together into this brilliant beam of light that reaches down to me.

My first reaction is to bolt, but I'm too mesmerized. Is this the light? THE light? The same one I saw in the nursing home, the one that comes for the dead? Why is it here, then, in the forest? Is it here for me? Is this some sort of cosmic hint that because I have no body, I am now invited to the big heavenly party?

I don't have time for a party. I need to find Seth.

I feel like I'm spitting in the face of G.o.d. ”Thank you,” I tell the light because there is obviously some divine connection here and I don't want to seem ungrateful, ”but I need to find Seth before I can go anywhere.”

The light seems to have no hard feelings. It s.h.i.+mmers with tiny shards of color, like glitter is swirling around inside it, and disappears in an upward motion as if vacuumed up into the sky. The stillness that follows is absolute, except for one lone vibration....

That convoluted buzz I know as Seth is as clear as an arrow pointing me in the direction I need to go, and I know this is no coincidence. I whisper more thanks and follow the vibration to this ma.s.sive pine tree that had fallen, roots and all, what must be years ago. Seth is sleeping on the muddy ground, almost completely hidden under a blanket of brittle brown pine needles. He's soaked to the skin, filthy, and he smells like boiled cabbage, but he's very much alive.

CHAPTER 21.

Yesssss! I do my little invisible midair spiral of happiness! I am so freakin' happy I finally found Seth and I can't wait to tell Rei! I get a fix on Rei's calm, steady vibration, which I know so well, and swoop down to it, realizing too late that Rei is wet and soapy and ... oh G.o.d!!

I hear him mutter a j.a.panese swear followed by my name as I retreat into the hallway. I didn't see any of his boy parts, I swear, but Rei doesn't know that. All he knows is Hurricane Anna blew into the shower while he was in there wearing nothing but bubbles. Rawr! I should have known better. I mean, this is Rei we're talking about-a nuclear warhead could be heading straight for Vermont and he'd want a quick shower before it hits. I wait outside the room marked SHOWER, and the hallway is quiet now that almost everyone is asleep after their wild night.

I know Rei must be annoyed, but honestly, I didn't see anything lower than his chest. Besides, he knows I wouldn't intentionally peek in on him while he's showering. I imagine how I would feel if the situation was reversed ... mortified, for sure. He's a guy, though. Don't guys all shower together? And it's not like Rei and I haven't seen each other naked. The first time I tasted honey was at Rei's house and we made such a sticky mess that Yumi stuck us in the tub together and hosed us off. Okay, so we couldn't have been more than three years old at the time. Obviously, a lot has changed since then.

The door opens and out walks Rei, clean but very fl.u.s.tered.

”Next time, knock first!” he growls quietly at me. I mouth my most sincere apologies to him and motion for him to follow me into the shower room, where I hope there are no more naked people and the mirrors will still have a layer of fog on them. By the time Rei walks through the door, I've already written on the mirror.

I found him!

Matt catches Rei on the way out of the shower room. He looks like he's pulled an all-nighter; his eyes are bloodshot and his five o'clock shadow has morphed into something a little more grizzly.

”Hey, how 'bout some breakfast?”

Rei looks like he's about to say no, but then he changes his mind. ”That sounds great. Do you mind if I get something to go, though? I want to get an early start.”

Rei carries his duffel bag over his shoulder as they make their way through the quiet cafeteria line with their trays. Matt eats just like Seth, and his tray is piled with sausage patties, scrambled eggs, some white toast smeared with margarine that refuses to melt, and a foam cup filled with black coffee and four packets of sugar. Rei has his usual: fiber, pota.s.sium, vitamin C, and plenty of it.

Matt surveys Rei's tray. ”Stocking up?”

”I thought I'd bring some food with me just in case I find him.”

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