Unaltered #2_A Diamond in my Heart Read online

  In my English class, Brand sits on the other side of the room surrounded by girls who are all doe-eyed and stumbling over themselves to win his affection. I just don’t understand it! He’s not even that good looking! Recently I heard he has a different girlfriend just about every day, yet everyone keeps vying for his attentions. An even more confusing fact is the girls he dumps still like him.

  Today, I’m even more confused. It would almost appear that Brand can read minds. As I sat in the cafeteria at lunchtime, I had a clear view of Brand as he charmed his table of girls. He looked at each girl and told them what their favorite colors were. Then he pointed around the table and named off their favorite movies. It was a sickening display. I checked to see if he was a Reader; no, he’s not.

  “Hey Calli,” Suz sat beside me. “Watching Brand again, I see. Do you like him?” Her voice had surprise and suspicion in it.

  “What? No. He intrigues me.”

  “He intrigues everyone. It’s like he can read minds. He’s like the David Copperfield magician guy that every girl wants, but he doesn’t want every girl.”

  “That's because he’s already had every girl already, Suz.”

  “Not you.”

  “Nor will he. I’m not attracted to his type; he’s a player manipulating the system somehow. He’s getting his information from somewhere and using it to charm ditzy girls.” I knew I probably had just offended Suz with that comment, but at the moment I didn’t care. Suz was a cute girl and could have any number of handsome guys, yet she was fixated on Brand. Besides, I’m not quite over the fact that Suz felt obligated to become my friend, like I’m some kind of deformed throwback. Guilt can be a funny thing.

  “I heard Blake Simmons is going to beat him up after school because Brand stole his girlfriend, Tiffany.”

  “Blake Simmons… you mean black-belt Blake?” I choked out my question.

  “The one and only. It serves Brand right for moving in on Tiffany; she was someone else’s girl.” I could hear the jealousy in Suz’s words but also the longing. If she had her way, she’d be Brand’s girl.

  “Well, this I’ve got to see. Where’s the fight going to be?”

  “My guess is the parking lot.”

  It wasn’t hard to find Brand after school; I only had to follow the worried girls. Blake Simmons stood out in the parking lot at the far edge by the chain-link fence with a large crowd of boys nearby. No doubt Brand had offended nearly every one of these boys with his overzealous flirting. Brand was leaning up against the fence popping his knuckles. The expression on his face seemed almost bored as he waited for the fight to begin. Apparently Blake was waiting for his other friends to arrive before beginning.

  Blake was as tall as Brand but ripped with toned muscles. Tiffany was speaking to him, trying to convince him not to fight but her pleas were falling on deaf ears.

  The crowd had grown so large that Suz and I had to jump into the bed of a nearby truck in order to see. Tires screeched in the distance as a car rounded the corner at a high rate of speed. The black sports car came to a halt nearby and five males exited. I entered one of their minds and found these boys were fellow black-belts from the same dojo as Blake. This wasn’t looking good for Brand, but he didn’t appear worried—strange.

  Brand pushed off from the fence and approached Blake. “Are we doing this or what?”

  “Yeah!” Blake yelled to the crowd, “This son-of-a-bitch thinks he can steal anyone’s girl. It’s time to show him otherwise.”

  The crowd was a mix of shouting and cheering with basically the girls cheering for Brand and the guys rooting for Blake.

  Blake rushed Brand with a series of swings, kicks, and jabs all of which Brand moved ever so slightly and avoided being hit. Brand’s movements weren’t skilled or mastered; he just appeared to have faster reflexes than black-belt Blake. Could Brand be a Runner?

  I tried to feel inside Brand using my Healer’s senses but didn’t detect any evidence of him being a Runner. The volume of the crowd increased as the girls cheered louder for Brand, and Blake’s groupies shouted, “Kick his ass!”

  I looked into Blake’s mind just out of curiosity. I mean, really, what must a guy like him be thinking at a moment like this? His mind opened up revealing his astonishment at Brand’s maneuvers and ability to predict his next move. Blake was clearly aware that Brand had some advantage over him. However, Brand had not tried to land any punches to Blake. Blake was also not used to fighting the air; none of his strikes were making contact. Normally in a spare his moves were countered by his opponent, but this was more like shadow boxing. I saw in Blake’s mind what he intended to do next; bring in his five other dojo members.

  I quickly looked into Brand’s future to try to see the outcome only to be assaulted with possibilities; thousands of moves, all of which Brand got his ass kicked. Some of his injuries would be serious. At least I think so; it was so hard to tell what I was looking at.

  I looked for Blake’s future and saw that he would concede and accept Brand's offer to call off the fight. He would shake Brand’s hand and slap him on the back. Brand was unhurt but the five friends lay on the ground.

  What?!

  Before my very eyes, I watched the five other black-belts join Blake and attempt to pummel Brand. Not one of them could land a successful strike on Brand, but Brand was able to eliminate each fighter systematically by kicking them in the family jewels. One by one each fighter doubled over in agony; some vomited on the pavement. Blake was the last standing, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to regain his air. The look on his face was priceless.

  “Blake,” Brand said calmly. “Let’s call this, alright? I don’t want to hurt you anymore than I already have by taking your girl. I’m sorry.”

  Blake stared at Brand for a long second and then extended his hand out to Brand. Brand was hesitant to take it, but finally did. The girls cheered and screamed with delight, the male onlookers were in a state of awe. Blake patted Brand on the back.

  I watched the scene unfold exactly as I’d seen it only moments earlier and the confusion in my mind upped another notch. I decided to stick to Brand like white on rice until I figured out what his secret was. I’d start by tailing him tonight.

  Later that night, my mother sat in her favorite recliner with a glass of wine watching the ten o’clock news. I mulled over many different phrases in my head trying to decide which one my mother would accept as a good enough reason to leave the house this late at night to follow Brand. I decided to use the diamond’s powers on my mother and this marked the first time I’d tried to enter another Unaltered's mind. It was strange at first and the process was slightly different but the results were the same. In my mind, I systematically went through each scenario and then viewed the future to see how my mother would react. Mothers can be so overly protective. I had a difficult time discovering the perfect line to use to achieve the right response.

  “Mom, is it alright if I drive to Suz’s house to drop off a book?”

  “It’s late, Calli.”

  “I know, but it will only be a few minutes and she needs the book tonight to study for tomorrow’s test.”

  “Alright, hurry back.”

  I left feeling a bit more than guilty for manipulating and lying to my mother.

  I drove to Brand's house pondering about his different abilities. Did he have the Seer ability? I’d just manipulated my mother with it, is it possible he used it to dodge those top-notch fighters today? No, I was certain he didn’t possess any of the powers I was familiar with. Perhaps he was an Empath; able to influence others with their emotions. It would explain how he keeps landing new girlfriends and why his ex-girlfriends still like him. It would also explain why Blake so quickly shook his hand. However, it doesn’t explain how Brand won the fight. No, Brand had some kind of skill or perhaps multiple skills that were undetectable by me, a Diamond Bearer.

  I rounded the corner and parked several houses away from Brand's and decided to walk the r
emaining distance. As soon as I opened the door and stepped out, my nose was filled with the all too familiar stench of the Shadow Demons.

  Sure enough, the shadows around Brand’s home were filled with Demons. I wasn’t surprised to see them, not shocked that Brand was wielding some sort of superpower, but still unsure what the power or ability was. I wandered into the shadows and watched as the Demons floated out of my way. The neighbor’s tiny dog barked at me with his little yappy-yap voice. Clearly the dog didn’t sense the Demons nor did the Demons seem bothered by the dog. If I had an article of clothing from Brand, these Demons would shred it with the hopes of absorbing his power, but I didn’t and I doubted Brand would be very accommodating to my request for such.

  Well, now I’d figured out where the Demons could be located so I could try to experiment with them, but the proximity of the nearby homes had me a little concerned; they might call the police if they saw me wandering around in the shadows. I could always escape by running, but what if they got a description of me?

  As I drove home a thought came to me; if I could lure Brand out after dark, the Demons would follow him. I could take him to a location where it wouldn’t raise suspicions and experiment with the Demons there. Now all I had to do was figure out how to get him outside after dark.

  My answer came in the form of a sport; football. Brand was the quarterback and football season had begun. Normally I don’t care for football, but I was curious to find out how Brand handled himself out on the field. More than anything, I was dying to find out how he coped with the looming sunset. Further into the football season the sun would be down before his game even started; yes, this would be interesting to watch.

  Tomorrow night was the season’s first game and I planned to be there.

  When I got home, I checked my email and found Beth had sent me a letter:

  Hey Calli, how are you doing? Still have powers? Things around here are so-so. A couple new members arrived the other day; a boy and girl about age thirteen. They’re twins. Imagine that, twins! What are the odds of that happening?

  There is a bit of unrest between the clans these days. The amulets have eliminated the need to have representatives from the other clans remain with us and with that change comes distance. We no longer have the same relationship we used to have with the other clans. Mrs. Winter wears the amulet for our clan, which is just fine with me, but a division in our own clan is forming because of it. Some feel the fastest should wear the amulet, others feel Clara should keep it, while the rest believe one of the other adults should wear it; not the leader of the clan or the fastest. Personally, I’m happy with Clara wearing it.

  I have to imagine the other clans are having the same type of problems. This change wasn’t necessarily a good one and no one can find the witch, Maetha, to ask for help. Do you know where she is?

  Speaking of Maetha, she’s not very high on anyone’s list these days. Well, I’ll talk to you later,

  -Beth.

  I typed a quick message in reply.

  Beth, I’m not surprised to hear the diamond shards are causing unrest. I saw one on the leader of the Readers a while ago. Twins, huh? I read recently that twins were on the increase across the nation so I’m guessing this will happen more often. As for Maetha, I don’t know where she is or how to contact her. The next time I see her I’ll let her know you’re looking for her. Later, -Calli.

  My first football game was cold and wet. It rained the whole game! I listened to the spectators around me as they critiqued Brand’s quarterback skills. I didn’t really know I was watching anything spectacular because I’d never watched football before but Brand was completing every pass he threw and the game was wrapping up quickly. The spectators all commented on how brilliant Brand was as an athlete to have such accuracy on a muddy, slippery field.

  I guess they had a point.

  When the game ended, the players all filed inside the door at the end of the stadium that led to the locker room. I was watching to see if Brand ever ventured outside of the artificial light, but so far, there was no need to. I left the stands and sat in my car, dripping wet from the rain. I was near Brand’s car, which was near the exit of the locker room. The parking lot lighting was sufficient to keep the Demons at bay so I knew he wouldn’t have a problem with that.

  Brand exited the door and walked quickly to his car. A couple of other teammates hollered to him that they were going to a local diner to celebrate but Brand told them he had a headache and was just going to go home. A headache, yeah right, probably from all those times he didn’t get sacked.

  I followed Brand home and watched from a distance as he entered his lighted garage. He still hadn’t exited his car yet as the door closed and I lost sight of him. It was obvious to me that he understood the dangers lurking in the dark.

  I went to the next few football games both home and away. I studied Brand’s behavior and very rarely did he ever fail to complete a pass and he was never sacked. He’d caught the eye of several university athletic scouts and the local news had him plastered all over the nightly news.

  The following day I sat in the cafeteria at my normal empty table staring across the room at Brand and his endless fan club of girls, contemplating everything I knew of him at this point. All I knew was I didn’t know much.

  Brand’s gaze met mine and locked on me. A warm smile crept over his face. I averted my eyes down to my lunch for a few moments. When I looked up, he was gone. Class was going to begin soon, so I cleared my tray and walked to my locker.

  I pulled the next two classes' books from my locker and jammed them in my backpack so I wouldn’t have to return in between hours, and slammed the door shut. Brand was hiding behind my locker door and startled me with his sudden presence.

  “Hey Calli,” he said smoothly.

  “Are you talking to me, Brand?”

  “There’s no one else in this school named Calli, so yes.” He plastered his best sardonic smile on his face.

  “What do you want?”

  “You.”

  “Is this how you land all your girls? Wow, they must be stupider than I thought.”

  Brand's whole demeanor changed to the polar opposite. “Calli, why doesn’t it work with you?” He was almost whining now.

  I rolled my eyes and went to class. What a jerk! But what can you expect from a jock?

  The next day in English class, Brand had moved from his normal preferred position to the vacant desk next to me.

  “Hi Calli.”

  In a synchronized movement, all the female heads in the room turned to me and shot nasty glances my way.

  “Calli, let’s go out sometime; you know you want to.”

  “Really? Brand, you’re not my ‘brand’ of guy. I go for a much higher quality.”

  “Calli, I don’t get you.”

  “What’s not to get?”

  “You! I can’t get you.”

  “So what? So I break your stride a bit, you’ll get over it.” Sheez, this guy had serious anger management issues.

  This type of behavior went on for a couple of weeks. All I can say is I’m glad I only have him in one class. If he’d taken my rejection and moved on I’d have respected him a bit more, but he didn’t. He followed me like a lost puppy trying with all his might to land a date with me. I’d had enough, so I did what any normal girl would do; I accepted, but on my own terms. I told I’d meet him in the park Friday night at eleven.

  I thought he’d pass out. “Eleven at night?” he asked.

  “I’ll see you then.” I stood to leave and he grabbed my arm.

  “Let’s meet at my house, and… and then I’ll drive us to the park.”

  Yeah, right. “No, I’ll meet you at the park or no date.”

  “Calli, why are you so persistent?!”

  “Why are you so sensitive?” I let him continue to hold onto my arm as it made a stronger connection into his body. However, it didn’t help my powers at all; I still couldn’t find anything different about him. �
��You know, I’m beginning to think you’re afraid of the dark.” I teased lightly.

  He dropped his hold on me and said, “No I’m not, it’s just that the park is dangerous after dark.”

  “Since when? There hasn’t been any crime in the park since I can’t remember when.”

  “But why invite it?”

  “You know what, just forget it.”

  I followed Brand many different times over the next several months hoping to witness some sort of revelatory happening that would help me better understand his power. He appears to be able to see the future, he acts as though he can read minds, he’s demonstrated his athletic abilities through football, even though the team lost early on in the state playoffs; it only proves a team is made up of more than just one superstar.

  The holidays came and went with Brand attending the winter dance with a sophomore. Apparently he’d exhausted the senior and junior girls. Now he was moving on to jailbait. Suz was even more upset to hear it.

  With spring came track. I was not planning on running this year and it was hard to get Coach Simms off my back but I couldn’t risk accidentally displaying my abilities. I was tempted to make up a lie of some kind; instead I just told him ‘no’. It felt better anyway to be honest with myself.

  College applications were mailed, acceptance letters received and scholarships awarded. They all meant nothing to me. I could already heal anyone I want to, why would I want to go learn the human way of doing things? I know it’s egotistical but it’s a fact. I don’t see the point in attending college. Naturally, my parents have worried incessantly about my lack of excitement even to the point of recommending I go on an antidepressant.

  The only way I could get them off my back was to accept one of the university offers and begin planning for the fall. College life would seriously interfere with my life.