“Why didn’t he just let them go? He said if he could convince me to keep my mouth shut, he would let me go.”
“This is before he had the ability to Persuade. The last girl had that ability. Thank goodness he didn’t get a piece of either of your abilities. This could’ve been even more tragic.” She kisses my forehead and then hugs Laila. “Has the Bureau taken your statements yet?”
“Yes,” Laila says with a sigh. She glances out the door and then back to my mom. “You haven’t seen my parents out there, have you?”
“I talked to your mom. She’s at work but hopes to get off soon. I couldn’t get ahold of your father.”
Laila nods, her strong-face firmly in place.
My mom looks back at me and her eyes move to my hair. “I can’t get used to that blue stripe. I think I’m going to take you to my hairdresser tomorrow and see if she can fix it. Maybe I should call her right now.”
“Mom, it’s after midnight. Don’t call anyone right now.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right. I need some caffeine. You guys want something?”
“I’m good.”
After she’s gone, Laila sits next to me and leans her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.”
There’s a knock on the open door, and Duke takes one step over the threshold. “Can I talk to you, Addie?”
“No!” Laila yells, jumping up. “Absolutely not. Get out of here.”
“Laila,” I say, “it’s fine. Just give me a minute.” I feel calmer than I should and know it’s his influence. He obviously didn’t extend the feelings to Laila though, because as she goes to walk out the door, she turns back as if forgetting something, stops in front of him, and punches him in the mouth. I cringe.
A trickle of blood drips down his chin, and he wipes it with the back of his hand. “I deserved that.”
She doesn’t respond but resumes her walk back out the door.
“If we’re going to talk, lay off your ability,” I say before he can begin.
“Sorry, it’s habit. It’s just kind of my aura now.”
“So when I always said you were naturally charming, I guess that wasn’t far from the truth.” I wonder who the real Duke is. What his personality would be without his ability. The blood on his lip is like a chink in his shiny armor, a flaw in his perfection. It makes me think that maybe beyond the facade, something real exists.
He smiles, and I avert my gaze.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Addie.”
“What did you mean to do?”
“I thought I’d just influence your emotions a little at first, make you feel happy around me. Then I thought that happiness would translate into liking me, and I wouldn’t have to do it anymore. You’d see us together in the future and be able to tell me which school to pick. This one decision will affect my entire life. If I make the wrong choice, I could end up with nothing. But …”
“But …” I wait for him to continue.
“But every time I let up on the emotions, you backed away or started to question us or me.…”
I shift my position, and the paper on the table beneath me crinkles loudly. “In other words, when you took away my feelings of like for you, I didn’t like you?”
“Exactly.”
“It’s because I don’t like you, Duke. You’re not my type. I didn’t like you before, and I especially don’t like you now.” I don’t want him to know how heartbroken I am. He had accomplished his goal of making me fall for him, but then he had ripped away my ability to ever trust him again. Even now I wonder why he’s in my room. What he wants from me.
And something else is bothering me as well. “Why Laila? Was she just for fun?”
“No. I thought what Bobby was doing was harmless. He was going to teach Laila to extend her ability. He told me if I could talk her into it that it would help you learn how to master the future. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“I don’t believe you were willing to play this game for years just because I have a convenient ability. Don’t you want to be with someone who likes you? Don’t you want to like someone?” I look up and realize through the course of our conversation he has gotten closer. If I wanted to, I could reach out and touch him. I don’t want to.
“I do like you. A lot.”
“No … you’ve manipulated emotions so much in your life that you can’t possibly know what real feelings are.…”
“I do, Addie.”
“You need to man up and come clean about your ability. Why did you feel the need to lie about it to everyone in the first place?”
“Do you honestly think the coach would’ve put anyone short of a mover in the quarterback position? On the team for that matter?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, he wouldn’t have, no matter how amazing my aim is without Telekinesis. My dad thought it was the only way to make sure I got on the football team.”
“Which is very important to you.”
“Yes.”
“So important you’re willing to soothe people’s emotions so your teammates can deliver career-ruining injuries?”
He doesn’t say anything.
“How does Ray do it? How does he injure people?”
“He can move a lot more than just footballs. Muscle, bone.”