Now You See Me

CHAPTER NINE

IN THE KITCHEN AT home, Tracey sat on the counter — a position that was forbidden in the Devon home. But it didn’t matter, since her mother couldn’t see her.

Her mother stood just a few feet away, with the phone in her hand.

‘Tracey isn’t here, Emily,’ she was saying. She laughed nervously. ‘Actually, she might very well be here, but she’s not available, if you know what I mean. I haven’t seen her since she left for school yesterday.’

There was a pause, which Tracey assumed meant that Emily was responding. Then her mother spoke again.

‘No, I’m not worried. Not yet. I mean, this has happened before. I’m sure she’ll turn up eventually.’

Eventually. That was the key word. Tracey hadn’t gone this long without reappearing since — since the days before Amanda changed her. At least now her parents actually noticed that she wasn’t visible. That was definitely an improvement.

Her problem now was figuring out how to share what she’d learned from Amanda yesterday. The only person she’d be able to communicate with was Ken. But every time she’d tried to defend Amanda, everyone told her she was being silly. They all thought that just because Amanda had inhabited Tracey’s body and improved Tracey’s life, Tracey had some dumb notion that she owed Amanda something.

But there was one other possible connection — Jenna. Could Jenna read the mind of an invisible person? Jenna could read people’s minds when she couldn’t see them, but Tracey couldn’t recall any circumstance when Jenna had read her mind when she was invisible. Maybe if Tracey thought about what she’d learned from Amanda, Jenna would ‘hear’ her. Their gifts were constantly developing, evolving — she’d seen Charles display an aspect to his gift she’d never seen before. It was possible that her own gift, and Jenna’s too, had potential they hadn’t yet discovered.

But only if Jenna knew that Tracey wanted her mind to be read. Tracey had to get close enough to Jenna to give her some kind of signal, to let her know. And how could she get close to her when she wasn’t permitted any visitors?

Tracey had to laugh at herself. What an idiot she was! She was invisible, she didn’t need anyone’s permission to visit Jenna.

She had to take three buses to get to Harmony House, but her biggest problem was not the distance or the time it would take to get there. Her chief concern was getting on and off each bus; if no one else was waiting at the bus stop or getting off there, the bus wouldn’t stop or open its doors. Fortunately, this only happened once, and someone came along, which enabled her to get on the next one. The positive aspect was the fact that she didn’t have to pay for the ride — but being a basically honest person, she didn’t feel very good about this. Riding for free seemed like stealing. But she couldn’t waste energy feeling guilty about it — she had no other option.

Jenna’s residence didn’t look like a prison. The brick building was painted white, and it was set way back on a green lawn. The sign on the lawn read ‘Harmony House,’ not ‘Detention Centre’ or anything like that. There were bars on the windows, but they’d been painted white too and shaped in a design that made them look more like window decorations. Tracey suspected that the two men who were standing on either side of the front door were guards, but at least they weren’t dressed like guards, and she couldn’t see any guns. They could have been doormen at a hotel.

When someone came out, she slipped inside. Now the place looked more like an institution, with its sickly green walls and the lobby that seemed more like a waiting room. But Tracey had no time to waste on criticizing the decor. She had no idea if she might suddenly become visible again. This was a pretty big place and she had no idea where Jenna might be.

Luckily, it was dinner time, and she followed people who all seemed to be heading in the same direction — a dining hall. And there she found Jenna, sitting alone at a table.

From a distance, Tracey studied her friend, and her heart ached for Jenna. She wore that dark, angry face that Tracey remembered from when she first saw her, the day Jenna entered the Gifted class. Her expression had softened considerably since then. Even when Jenna was doing her ‘I’m-tough-as-nails’ thing, she didn’t look so — so enraged. And something else too. Sad. In Tracey’s opinion, sad was worse than angry.

She moved closer and closer, until she was at the table, standing right in front of Jenna.

Jenna, it’s me, Tracey.

But Jenna’s expression didn’t change. Tracey wasn’t surprised. If Jenna didn’t know she was there, she wouldn’t try to read Tracey’s mind. How could she let Jenna know of her presence? She considered various possibilities.

Recalling her mother and the handbag, Tracey took a salt shaker from another table and placed it in front of Jenna. But the sudden appearance of a salt shaker didn’t grab Jenna’s attention. Obviously, her mind was elsewhere.

Tracey removed her own headband from her hair. It was something she wore a lot, and maybe Jenna would recognize it. She dropped it, and it landed right on top of Jenna’s sandwich.

Jenna saw it, but her reaction wasn’t what Tracey expected. She snatched up the band and stood up.

‘Whoever threw this at me, you’re in trouble!’ she yelled.

A couple of kids giggled, but the people sitting closest to Jenna just stared at her blankly. Jenna walked over to the trash bins and dropped the headband in one.

Tracey watched her mournfully. It had been one of her favourites. But she should have known that Jenna wouldn’t notice what other people wore, not even her closest friends. Jenna was the opposite of Amanda — she didn’t care about stuff like that.

She’d probably know what she herself was wearing, though. Jenna’s necklace, a thick silver thing with a dangling pendant of a skull, was one she wore frequently. Moving around the table, Tracey quickly lifted the necklace over Jenna’s head and dropped it in front of her.

Jenna whirled around. But no one could have approached her and got away so quickly. She picked up the necklace and examined the clasp. Then she shrugged and put it back around her neck.

What else could she do, Tracey wondered. Gather up plates and bowls and dump them on Jenna’s table? That would get Jenna’s attention, but it would attract attention from the others in the dining hall too. She was getting desperate — she had to talk to Jenna. She had to share this information, she wanted Jenna’s advice and opinion. Jenna would know what Tracey should do. She had to make contact with her. She needed her friend!

Suddenly, Jenna’s eyes widened. ‘Tracey?’ she whispered.

Yes! Yes, it’s me, I’m right across the table from you. How did you know I was here?

Jenna put a hand over her mouth and spoke so softly that Tracey had to lean across the table to hear her.

‘I don’t know, but it happened once before, when Emily was trapped by Serena at school. I guess she was trying so hard to make contact with me that I actually heard her.’

Just like me, Tracey said with feeling. I’ve got to talk to you.

‘What’s going on?’ She’d taken her hand away from her mouth, and a couple of kids at the next table glanced at her curiously. Jenna quickly speared a carrot from her plate, stuck it in her mouth and chewed furiously.

Just listen. I’ve learned something. This wouldn’t be breaking the promise she’d made to Amanda. Because she wasn’t ‘telling’ the secret — she was only thinking it.

Silently, Tracey recalled the story Amanda had told her about Mr Jackson. She’s telling the truth, Jenna, I’m sure of it. And it all makes sense, when you think about it. The spy is reporting to Mr Jackson. That’s how he found out about our gifts.

‘So it was Jackson who put the knife in my locker?’

I think so.

‘But who’s the spy?’ Jenna asked. ‘Who’s telling Jackson about us?’ Realizing she was talking out loud, she clapped a hand over her mouth but it was too late. People turned to look at her. And one guy, with a bad complexion and a ponytail, sauntered over to her.

‘Talking to yourself, Jenna?’ he asked unpleasantly.

Jenna glared at him. ‘Does that get me another demerit?’

‘No,’ the guy said. ‘Just a report to Doctor Paley.’

Can we go someplace private? Tracey asked.

Jenna rose, and picked up her tray. Tracey followed her as she left the tray by the bins, and went out of the dining hall.

‘We’re going to my room,’ Jenna murmured as they walked.

But they weren’t going to get any privacy there. A girl was lying on one of the twin beds, and smoking a cigarette.

Jenna spoke. ‘Get out of here with that cigarette or I’ll ram it down your throat.’

The girl smirked. ‘Is that a threat?’

‘No,’ Jenna said. ‘It’s a promise.’

Tracey was impressed. She knew Jenna could act tough, but she’d never heard her sound quite so scary.

The girl got the message. Once she was out of the room, Jenna threw herself on the other twin bed. ‘That threat’s going to get me another demerit. Which will probably mean another day of no visitors.’

Is that why they’ve been telling us you can’t have visitors? Because you’ve got demerits?

Jenna nodded. ‘Only I didn’t earn them.’

Tracey was shocked to hear the story about the assistant who was blackmailing residents. Can’t you tell someone about him?

‘He’ll only deny it. And how am I going to explain why I know about all the other kids he’s using?’

But this has to stop! He’ll keep making up stories about you, you’ll get more demerits, and, and. .

Jenna finished the thought for her. ‘And I’ll never get out of here.’

Just as she’d never heard Jenna sound as fierce as she had moments earlier, she’d never heard her sound so flat and resigned. She preferred the fierce Jenna. Maybe now Jenna needed Tracey as a friend even more than Tracey needed Jenna.

That’s not going to happen. I’ll get the proof we need, I’ll get you out of here. I promise, Jenna.

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened. A young woman poked her head in.

‘It’s time for your group session, Jenna.’

Jenna groaned. ‘Can’t I skip it today?’

‘Sure,’ the woman said, ‘if you don’t mind getting another demerit. Oh, and Doctor Paley wants to see you tomorrow.’

‘I just saw him this morning!’ Jenna exclaimed.

The woman shrugged. ‘Well, he wants to see you again tomorrow.’

‘Boy, Peter works fast,’ Jenna murmured.

The woman’s brow furrowed. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Nothing.’ Jenna got up and went to the door. Tracey followed her.

You want me to stick around?

Jenna shook her head. The woman looked at her curiously. ‘Are you all right, Jenna?’

Jenna almost smiled. ‘No. But I will be.’

Yes, Tracey thought fervently. Yes, you will, Jenna.

Outside Harmony House, she went to wait at the bus stop. Looking back at the building, she had the same thought she’d had when she arrived.

No, it didn’t look like a prison. But a place didn’t have to look like a prison to be a prison. A prison didn’t even have to be a place. A secret was like a prison — it could keep a person trapped in the same way. Jenna, Tracey, Emily. . all of Madame’s students were imprisoned by their secret gifts.

Somehow, Tracey was going to get Jenna out of Harmony House. She’d find the real spy, and the spy would lead her to the proof about Mr Jackson and the knife. Jenna would be released, she’d be free. But could any of them ever feel completely, really and truly free, free to do whatever they wanted, free to be themselves?

No one else came to wait at the bus stop, and the bus was approaching. Tracey could only hope that someone was getting off at this stop so she could get on. No, she wasn’t free to do whatever she wanted.