Heather

My breathing was shallow as I watched him move. I didn’t want to make a noise, not even from breathing. I wanted to watch him in real life for a second. He was at least as fit as Mr. Langdon, and had the same soundless stride.

I could feel his restlessness as if it were my own. He pulled off his sunglasses and stuck them in the collar of his blue t-shirt. I smiled when I noticed the band artwork on the front—The Helio Sequence.

That album was in heavy rotation on my playlist.

West called out to him and my moment of watching unnoticed was shattered. I stumbled back a step.

"Heather?" Mr. Langdon said, suddenly close. "Are you okay?"

I tried to move away, but he was already reaching out to steady me.

"Don’t touch her!" Dad said.

Too late. He gripped my bicep, skin-to-skin.

Running. Panting. Wind ruffled his fur. His paws slammed the ground at a fast pace.

Faster. Must go faster.

Mr. Langdon was there with me. I could feel him in my head, an unwelcome visitor, seeing what I saw. It felt like an invasion, and I wanted him gone. I pushed him out as the vision faded.

And just as quickly as it started, I was back on the porch, staring into Mr. Langdon’s hazel eyes.

I knew I should pull away from him, but the look he was giving me warned me not to even try. I was paralyzed as I waited for one of us to break the silence.

That was the second time my visions had gone wonky. This time was way more unsettling than the last.

And shit. Dad was going to be pissed.

His lips turned up as that thought ran through my mind. "I see we’ve both got our secrets," he whispered so that only I could hear it.

Crap. Was he reading my mind? If he were telepathic, that could explain why my visions were weird with him. I’d never met anyone with gifts before, not since my abuela passed, and I was too young to really remember her anyway.

He smiled.

Crap. I’ve got to stop thinking stuff.

Mom stepped between us and pulled me away from him. "You okay, Haze?"

"I think so." Sorry, I mouthed. So much for making a good impression.

"My daughter doesn’t like to be touched." Dad tried to explain. "She’s got this condition—"

"It was my fault." Mr. Langdon stared at me as if he could see right through me. Then he nodded, and took the keys from my gloved hand. "Head’s up, Brent!" He threw the keys.

Brent caught them without looking from fifteen feet away. He didn’t take too much notice of me. Not like I wanted him to.

He walked to the cars as a breeze whipped through the house, slamming the screen door shut behind me. He spun. His eyes, dark before, flashed to glowing amber.

That had to be a trick with the light.

We stood there staring at each other. I couldn’t look away, and I was sure he couldn’t either.

He was too far away for me to hear, but his lips moved and I knew what he said. It was the same thing I’d been thinking. "It’s you."

Mr. Langdon cleared his throat. "Maybe it’s best if we leave you to it."

"Yes, but thank you for your offer," Mom said. "Heather’s not great with strangers."

Perfect, Mom. Way to make me sound like a freak. I shot her a look that said as much.

"Let’s talk on Wednesday, James." Mr. Langdon walked to the car.

His movements were not only silent, but also graceful and efficient. Almost like a dancer’s, but somehow more dangerous. The two men argued, but then Brent’s shoulders drooped.

He placed the keys on the hood of our car and headed to his. He stared at me before getting into the passenger side.

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until they were gone and I was left gasping for air.

"You okay?" West said.

I swallowed. "Yeah. Of course. I’m fine."

"You sure, mija?" Mom said. "You look pale."

"I’m fine," I said it with a little more force than was necessary, but didn’t apologize for it.

I headed to Dad’s SUV and stared at the keys. I thought about taking off the gloves and holding them for a second just to see what would happen, but I had a feeling my mind had taken in all the information it could for today. The gloves had to stay on, at least for now.

I unlocked the doors and started unloading our bags.