A Beautiful Dark

okay,” he said. As if I wasn’t leaving only Cassie, but him as well.
    I watched as he pushed open the door and went inside. I desperately wanted to go with him. But I couldn’t. I knew I couldn’t. I didn’t belong here any longer. The problem was, I didn’t know where I belonged.
    Adjusting my bag on my shoulder, I headed toward the elevator, then changed my mind. The way my emotions were rioting, I had no idea what would happen when I pushed the button for the first floor. I could knock the elevator out of commission or send it plummeting to the concrete below. So I located the stairs and hurried down them, flight by flight, grateful that none of the lights exploded as I passed beneath them.
    When I reached the bottom of the stairwell, I went through the door marked EXIT and emerged in the parking lot. It was dark, the cars illuminated with halogen lights. I’d lost track of the time since I’d entered the hospital. I was surprised to find that night had fallen.
    As I neared my car, I dug my car keys out of my purse and pressed the Unlock button. I reached for the door—
    “Devin is losing his resolve.” Raven’s voice sent a piercing fear down my spine. I looked over. She was standing beside me, and I didn’t know where she’d come from.
    “I knew he wasn’t cut out for this mission,” she continued. “I told him he should ask to be taken off it—for his own sake—but he wouldn’t listen. Something about pride and integrity, blah blah blah.” She brought her hands out from behind her back. In them was a twisted metal object. “Oh, don’t look so confused, little innocent Skye. You know exactly what this is. It’s the brakes to your friend’s car. And do you know how I got it?” Raven smiled slightly. “You’re worried it was Devin, aren’t you?”
    “You bitch,” I said in a gravelly voice.
    “Skye, I’m only looking out for you! If they won’t tell you what’s really going on, I will. And who knows? Maybe in the process we’ll trigger those elusive powers of yours.” She came toward me, and I found myself backing up against the side of my car.
    “Here’s how it works, princess. I know you’d love to think that Cassie’s accident is the first time the Order has become, let’s say, involved in your life. The Order is involved in everyone’s lives, at some point or another. But yours above all, because you’re special .” She spat the word, like she couldn’t wait to get it out of her mouth.
    “Let’s have a little history lesson. Let’s see, where to start? Your favorite color is blue, isn’t it, Skye? Because you liked the tune of “The Blue Song” on Sesame Street ? How cute. Then you learned about the color sky blue, and you thought it was named after you. I mean, it’s so precious I could scream. In another house, on another street, too far away for you to have met him yet, another little boy loves the same lyrics, even so much as to ask his parents to buy him only blue clothing. On the first day of kindergarten, you walk into your shiny new classroom. There are empty seats next to a little blond girl with pink ribbons in her hair, a girl wearing a yellow dress, and a boy wearing a sky blue sweatshirt. And who does little Skye sit next to?”
    “How do you know that?” I whispered.
    “His name is Daniel Rosenberg, and he’s your best friend until you miss the bus one morning a few days later. . . .”
    “Who told you all this?” My hands were shaking.
    “Don’t interrupt, Skye. Didn’t your Aunt Jo teach you that it’s rude? Where was I? Right, you miss the school bus a few days later, and while you’re walking down the street you find a notebook with the name Cassie Saunders inside. And when you find Cassie and give her back her notebook, you realize she has peanut butter on her fingers. You discover you both love to put peanut butter in chocolate pudding cups. This is the basis of an eleven-year friendship.”
    “How do you . . . ?” We still ate those sometimes.
    “Skye, the Gifted see everything. They make things happen. They know. And should I bring up the reason why you’re oh-so-terrified of birthdays? Your own, in particular?”
    “No,” I whispered.
    “Could it be that your parents died on your sixth birthday, Skye? In a—oh, what a coincidence—car accident?”
    “How dare you bring that up,” I said. “That day changed my life. That day changed everything, forever. It was my fault.” I was screaming, crying.