Page 15 (1/2)

"That’s… ic?" I said

The ball dropped into his hand "You don’t believe h "You think it’s soet your butt over here and test me"

"I---"

"Get over here" He pointed at the spot beside his"

I slid closer He said solish

When the ball didn’t move, he cursed "Did I ain"

He repeated the words, slower, his gaze glued to the ball It rose two inches

"Now check for strings or wires or whatever you think is holding it up"

I hesitated, but he prodded and teased er between the ball and his hand When I didn’t hit anything, I slid all led the my hand and I yelped as the ball bounced off across the concrete pad

"Sorry," he said, grinning, his fingers still holding mine "I couldn’t resist"

"Yes--I’m skittish, as your brother has probably pointed out So how did you " I looked at the ball, corew "You believe led for other explanations None came

"Can you teach me how to do that?" I said finally

"Nah No hosts Either you have it or you--"

"Playing basketball in the dark, Simon?" asked a voice across the yard "You should have called me You know I’ aze moved to my hand, still in his

"--one-​on-​one," she finished

I yanked

"Hey, Tori," Simon said as he retrieved the ball "What’s up?"

"I saw you playing and thoughtet inside," I said "Thanks for the pointers, Silanced at Tori "Uh, right You’re welco dark, isn’t it? It must be snack time by now"

He hurried into the house

I lay in bed, unable to sleep again This tih, it wasn’t bad dreah ht, I was seriously considering a real kitchen raid--to grab the travel tube of Tylenol I’d seen there

I was a necro a label should have come as a relief, but I wasn’t sure this one was any better than schizophrenic At least schizophrenia was a known and accepted condition I could talk to people about it, get help coping with it, take ht cover the sympto my hair--I’d still be the sa to pop up as soon as the medication wore off

Necromancy

Where had it come from? My mother? If so, why didn’t Aunt Lauren know about it? From my father? Maybe he hadn’t worked up the nerve to warn uilty in the hospital, so eager to make me happy and comfortable Orabout it It could be a recessive gene, one that skipped generations

Siic, showed him how to use it My envy evaporated Lucky? He was stuck in a group hoood here

Magic The word came so casually, as if I’d already accepted it Had I? Should I?

I’d spent days denying that I saw ghosts, and now, suddenly, I had no probleup with alternate explanations But I’d done that withrealized that I really did see the dead, there was al that I wasn’t the only one out there eird powers

And what about Derek? Siical? I’d felt that strength I’d read his file, and I knew even the authorities had been stumped for a cause

As bizarre as it sounded, the explanation that made the most sense was the most far-​fetched one There were people out there with powers found only in legends and hed It was like so out of a comic book Kids with supernatural powers, like superheroes Superheroes? Right So basketballs was going to help us save the world from evil anytime soon

If both Derek and Siether, as foster brothers? What had their dad told theical? Was that why the guys had enrolled in school under fake na around? Is that what our kind had to do? Hide?

The questions crowdedto leave without answers… answers I couldn’t get at two in theThey bounced around like Simon’s basketball After a while, I swore I could see theh my head, back and forth, back and forth, until I fell asleep

A voice sliced through the heavy blanket of sleep, and I bolted up, fighting ulped air as I surveyed the roolanced over at Rae She was sound asleep

A drea back down

"Wake up"

The whisper floated through the half-​open door I lay down, resisting the urge to pull the covers higher

I thought you weren’t going to cower anynore the voices but get answers, take control

A deep breath Then I slipped out of bed and walked to the door

The hall was erandfather clock downstairs As I turned, a pale shape flickered near a closed door down the hall A closet, I’d presuhosts and closets in this house?

I crept down the hall and eased the door open Dark stairs led up

The attic

Uh-​uh, this was as bad as a basehost up there

Good excuse

It’s not an--

You don’t want to talk to them Not really You don’t want to know the truth

Great Not only did I have to deal with Derek’s taunts and jibes but now evento sound like him

I took a deep breath and stepped inside

Twenty

I SLID MY HAND ALONG the wall, searching for a light switch, then stopped Was that a good idea? With ht on, and investigate… only to find ht off

One hand on the railing, the other gliding along the opposite wall, I cli into blackness

My hand slipped off the end of the railing, and I pitched forward I’d reached the top A trickle of ht came from the tiny attic , but even after I paused to let ue shapes

I walked with , and it sent up a cloud of dust My hands flew over my nose to stifle a sneeze