reading, but he looked profoundly uncomfortable. Even after practically living at my house for half a year, I think it was the first time he’d ever been in my bedroom. Cane leaned against the back of my door as if afraid to come too far into the room. I saw his eyes flick to my hand wrapped in Bryan’s.
Rising into a sitting position, I tucked the covers around my lower half. Monica sat down cross-legged on my bed like we were having a picnic or something. Cane waved away her offer to join us.
I picked up a peanut butter sandwich from the tray and bit into it eagerly, not realizing how hungry I was until the sweet grape jelly hit my tongue. Bryan popped open a soda can and handed it to me. The liquid tingled all the way down to my belly, making me feel more human already.
When we finished the sandwiches, Aaron set the tray on the floor and leveled his gaze on mine. “Okay, Cady. It’s time that you tell us what happened last night.”
I looked to Bryan for help, but his face was as expectant as everyone else’s. How was I supposed to explain something that I didn’t fully understand myself? I took a long swig of Diet Pepsi to buy some time.
“Well?” Aaron prodded, poking me in the foot.
I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I have a theory.”
“Let’s hear it.”
I began to pick at my comforter to avoid looking at any of them. It’s like a Band-Aid, Cady. The quicker you tell them, the easier it’ll be.
“It started the night of Lony’s accident,” I explained.
Cane stiffened and his expression turned stoic. Neither of us wanted to remember that night, so I pushed on, telling them everything; the vision that sent me into the coma, the sensing of people’s emotions, Jinx’s explanation about my strange empathy…I even told them about Lucy and her tumor. Bryan nodded like a light had been turned on recalling that I’d mentioned Lucy to him before.
“So, I think somehow when I felt your pain, I was able to not only block it from myself, but to push it back entirely. And the energy that I felt flowing out of me and into Bryan and Cane, it was like I was giving them a piece of me…my life force or spirit or something. I know it sounds corny, but it’s the best I can come up with.”
When nobody said anything, I took the emotional temperature of the room. Bryan, Monica and Aaron all had a mixture of awe and skepticism to varying degrees. I still couldn’t reach Cane, and his hard expression was unreadable. I grew more nervous in the silence. That’s it! They all think I’m crazy or lying or...both!
Finally, Monica said with a little laugh, “Cady. You want us to believe you’re some sort of a psychic doctor or something?” She snorted in disbelief, but I could sense from the nervousness pooling in her direction that she believed me and that belief made her profoundly uncomfortable. She glanced at the guys to judge their reactions. Seeing something akin to acceptance on their faces, she continued, “Come on! I mean, how is it even possible?”
Surprisingly, Cane came to my defense first. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes —and felt the healing first-hand —I would’ve thought it was crazy too, but…” he paused. “I believe you, Cady. I have to.”
“Same goes for me,” Bryan agreed, patting my arm and grinning. “What you did last night? That was freaky, but I wouldn’t be here right now if you hadn’t saved me.” He tipped my chin up with his finger and met my eyes. “Thank you, Cady.”
For a moment, I basked in the rosy glow of his appreciation.
Aaron shook his head in disbelief. He tapped his fingers nervously on the back of his chair.
“I remember when you and Lon were little. You were so...I don’t know…connected? Before you learned to talk for real, you had your own language that only the two of you could understand. I don’t think you fully gave it up until you went to kindergarten. I used to get so mad that you wouldn’t let me in on your secrets. The way you would just instinctively know what the other was feeling all of the time made me think I was stupid or something.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held his hand up