I'D BEEN HOME FOR hours and there was still no sign of Zander. He could be anywhere between San Jose and Scotts Valley. My mind wouldn't stop playing out worst-case scenarios. Why didn't he return any of my texts or calls? I was beginning to think something really bad had happened again.Everyone had tried to tell me not to worry, that he needed space. All the way home they'd distracted me with questions, and I'd answered them until they were caught up on everything - everything but my mental ability to speak with Zander. That was one secret we weren't ready to share yet. Maverick insisted on driving me home after Luke dropped us off at our cars. My chaotic state of mind must have been obvious, because when we reached my house, he quietly followed me inside. Despite all my friends' efforts, I was still worried. Ruthie's last comment to me was something to the effect that I'd regret scowling so much when I got premature wrinkles. But I couldn't stop. Everyone close to me was in dan

JUST AS SUDDENLY AS it started, it stopped. I froze, afraid to even breathe for fear it would start again. Knox whined at the side of the bed, but I didn't dare move. Zander lay still next to me. I felt the bed dip as he shifted toward me and ever so slowly, I turned to meet his inquiring gaze."What was that?" I said to his mind, not even wanting to move my lips to speak."My back was on fire," he said."Mine, too.""Can I look?"I rolled onto my stomach with trepidation, afraid of what he'd find. Carefully, he pulled my shirt up to my shoulders. He ran his fingers across my skin and I sucked in air as tiny prickles of pain erupted across my back. He yanked his hand away."Sorry," he said."What is it?""I can't believe it. Take a look at my back." He ripped off his shirt. I caught a grimace of pain as it slid over his skin. Then I saw his back and gawked. His skin puckered in red flame-like patterns across each shoulder blade. They looked similar to the markings that Dr. Fr

"THEY'RE DOING IT AGAIN." A tall, blond man leaned against a doorjamb as he watched three small children building giant Lego towers. A moment later a woman joined him. "What are you talking about, Uriel?" "They're communicating without saying anything out loud," he said, his voice full of amazement. "I've seen them do this before.""No, they aren't. They're just being quiet for a change. Enjoy it."His eyes glinted with good humor as he smiled at her. "Well, there's that, too. But look more closely. I believe that they are constructing a house with those blocks, which is incredible for their age. What fascinates me the most is that they are taking turns placing the blocks. And they seem to be communicating without speaking out loud." The woman watched as one of the little girls looked into her brother's eyes, the two of them sharing some kind of thought, before placing her block on the stack.He grasped her arm. "Did you see that?""You're right.""It's odd for toddlers, d

AS RUTHIE AND I drove to school the next morning, we tried to guess how the rest of the students would treat us after what happened at Zena's party last Friday. She'd played me like a fiddle, making me think she and Zander had been up in one of the bedrooms. I'd searched the rooms for him only to be chloroformed. Although I'd been aware of my blood being drawn, I hadn't been able to do anything about it, nor had I seen who attacked me. Hours later, Ruthie and Phoebe found me unconscious. When I returned downstairs, Zena and her friends insinuated that I'd been up there all night with the football team.I wouldn't be surprised if my locker was "decorated" with an assortment of words that ended with "slut." Ruthie didn't think she'd do that considering the smackdown she'd given her. It had been pretty impressive, but Zena had a way of escaping the worst gossip."Great," I grumbled. "Now you're an even bigger target than you were before." She shrugged. "You know who I really want to k

"WELL, THAT'S A LITTLE embarrassing," laughed Zander in my mind. The awkwardness of Dr. Frankler knowing exactly how intimate we'd been must have jarred him out of his stony trance."She knows what we were doing!" I said."You think she doesn't see that twenty times a day on this campus? You don't need to be embarrassed. We are true mates. It's natural.""I know. I'm just ... Well, I don't want her to picture us that way. It's so awkward."I heard Zander chuckling and peeked over my fingertips to see the doctor smiling impishly, although her face was a little pink."It's all right, Tru," she said. "It may be unusual, but it isn't the first time this has happened. Can I ask if something similar happened to your shoulders?""Zander?" I said, mind-speaking again. I was growing quite dependent on this way of talking to him. I hated myself for asking permission, but I wasn't sure it was okay to reveal everything to her."Go ahead. She's the only one who can tell us about this."That