Then, it was like a curtain dropped briefly over the vision. When it went back up and she could see the vision again, the Sarah figure was in a completely different role. She was in control, making people move, taking charge. She looked confident, like someone with power. .
The picture faded, and she opened her eyes. Amanda-Sarah and Tracey looked at her expectantly. "Well?" Amanda asked. "Do I get Sarah's gift?"
"I don't know," Emily said helplessly. "I had two completely different visions. In one of them you had power, and in the other one you didn't."
Tracey's eyes widened. "You saw two different futures?"
"I guess," Emily said. "And I don't know which one is right. That's never happened to me before."
"You really are worthless," Amanda declared in disgust.
"Amanda, that's not true," Tracey snapped. "Emily just happens to have a gift that's more complicated than ours."
Amanda's eyes narrowed. "I hope it's not too complicated for our kidnappers. Or she'll end up just like Carter." She gulped. "And me." Her eyes filled with fear again.
"Calm down," Tracey ordered. "We're all in this together, and we're all gifted, and we'll work together to figure this out." But this time, she didn't sound very sure of herself. Amanda certainly didn't look convinced.
"You disappeared yesterday and it didn't help us out," she said. "Martin can't turn his strength on by himself-something has to happen to him. I can't do anything as Sarah. And Emily. . well, we just saw how useful she's going to be."
Tracey didn't have a comeback for her, and Emily didn't either. At that moment, she was experiencing something she could never have predicted.
She was in complete agreement with Amanda.
Chapter Eight
Jenna sat alone in the cafeteria. It was strange, in a way. Before she got to know Emily and Tracey, she'd always sat alone in the cafeteria, and it never bothered her. But maybe she wasn't as much of a loner as she thought she was. Now, she missed her friends.
She looked around for Ken, but she didn't see him. She did see Charles, and she was surprised to notice where he was sitting. His wheelchair was parked by one of the tables where the jocks sat. Among them were the basketball players Ken had been talking to that morning on the steps.
Poor Charles, Jenna thought. Did he really think he could break into that exclusive clique? But she didn't give this too much thought. She had more important things on her mind.
It wasn't time for class yet, but she decided that being alone in an empty classroom was better than being alone in a crowded cafeteria, so she sneaked out of lunch early. She could think better without all the noise. And she needed to think, hard.
She wanted to make another attempt to contact Emily. Once before, when Emily had been trapped in a storage room, Jenna had been able to read her mind from a distance and come to her rescue. Of course, Emily hadn't been very far away that time- the room was in the basement of the school. But maybe she wasn't far away now. Or maybe Jenna's gift could extend to longer distances. In any case, it was worth the effort.
She concentrated with determination in the silence of room 209. But the effort was wasted. As hard as she tried, she couldn't hear Emily. Or Sarah, Tracey, Martin, or Carter. She slumped back in her seat and wished someone else would arrive in the classroom to distract her from her own thoughts.
Someone did-but it was only Amanda-the-robot, or whatever that thing was who looked like Amanda. The pretty duplicate went to her seat and pulled out her cosmetics case. Without much hope, Jenna tried to communicate. "Hey, Amanda."
"Amanda" tore her eyes away from her own reflection. "What?"
"You wouldn't happen to know where the real Amanda is, would you?"
The blank expression on fake Amanda's face gave Jenna her answer.
Ken came in next, followed by Charles. Ken looked glum. Charles was beaming.
Jenna started with Ken. "What's up?"
Ken scowled and rubbed his forehead. "Someone's been bugging me."
Jenna knew what he meant. Every now and then, dead people tried to send him on a mission. Ken's problem was that he was essentially a nice guy, and he hated to say no. So he kept putting them off, telling them "not now" or "maybe later," and they kept on nagging him.
"Just put your foot down and make it clear that you're not going to run their afterlife errands for them," Jenna advised. "They'll have to give up sooner or later."
Ken shook his head. "This one's a mother. I don't think she's ever going to give up." He blinked. "What's that noise? I don't think it's coming from inside my head."
"It's Charles," Jenna told him. "He's whistling."
Charles had never whistled in class before, and they both turned to stare at him.
"That tune sounds kind of familiar," Jenna said.
"No kidding," Ken replied. "It's the school fight song. Don't you ever go to any games?"
"No."
"Hey, Charles, what's going on?" Ken asked. "Are you getting school spirit or something?"
"Just trying to remember the tune," Charles said cheerfully. "I'm going to the basketball game this afternoon."
Ken sighed. "Charles, if you're going to get into sports, why don't you back winners? Watch the wrestlers or the soccer guys. Our basketball team stinks this year."
"They won the past two games," Charles pointed out.
"Yeah, but they lost the ten games before that, and they lost big time," Ken said. "And it's only Mike Brady who's scoring."
Charles stopped smiling. "That's your opinion. I'll bet they make it to the finals this year."
Ken shook his head. "Nah, no way. A team can't get to the finals with only one good forward. Mike can't keep this up-he's not that great a player."
"So why do you go to all the games?" Charles demanded to know.
Ken shrugged. "Those guys are my buddies."
"Yeah, well, they're my buddies, too," Charles declared.
Ken rolled his eyes in disbelief.
"He was sitting with them at lunch today," Jenna told him.
Ken grinned, as if he assumed she was joking. "Yeah, right. Anyway, don't expect much from your buddies today, Charles. Who are we playing? St. Mark's? They've got an amazing team. They haven't lost yet this season. I hate to say it, but our guys are doomed."
"Don't talk about my friends like that," Charles yelled.
Suddenly the big fat dictionary on Madame's desk rose and took off in the direction of Ken's head, moving fast.
"Charles!" Madame was in the doorway. "Stop that at once!"
The book froze in midair. Then, at half the speed, it sailed back to Madame's desk.
"Don't waste your gift on nonsense," Madame said as she went to her desk. "That goes for all of you. Your gifts may be needed for more important purposes."
"Like what?" Charles asked.
"Charles, have you not noticed that half the class is missing?" "Oh, that."
Madame glared at Charles and seemed about to lecture him when the door opened. Jenna gasped when she saw Carter Street walk into the room.
"Carter!" Madame exclaimed. "Where have you been? Are you all right?"
Jenna almost laughed. Did Madame really expect a response? Carter never spoke, and today was no exception. Without making eye contact with anyone in the class, he went to his usual seat and sat down.
Madame studied him for a minute. Then she turned to Jenna.
"Jenna, read his mind. See if you can find out where he's been."
Jenna now had another reason to gasp. Madame had never asked her to read someone's mind before. In fact, she was always telling Jenna to stay out of other people's heads. She'd been scolded numerous times for invading the private thoughts of classmates.
But there was one student in the class whose mind had always been closed to her. "I've tried to read his mind before, Madame. I can't get anything."