AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I cleared my throat. “Totally. Why wouldn’t I be?” Axel had been pestering me ever since I had the vision in Dad’s office, but I hadn’t spilled much. Maybe I should’ve told him, but I couldn’t bring myself to. For some reason, my connection with the younger guy felt personal.
“Thank you for getting here so quickly, John,” he said to Dad. “I’m Michael Dawson.” His grey T-shirt was a smidge too tight around his arms, making it strain against his biceps as he reached out a hand.
Dad stepped forward to shake it. “Wasn’t a problem. This is my wife, Gabriela, my son, Axel, and my daughter, Tessa.”
Axel and I stayed by the car while our parents greeted him. It was better to keep my distance, less chance of a vision that way. But when Mr. Dawson reached to shake Axel’s hand, he abandoned me. I sighed. This was going to be awkward.
Mr. Dawson held out his hand to me, but I didn’t take it. “Welcome to Texas,” he said. It sounded a little like a question.
Mom gave a nervous laugh instead of her normal booming one. “It’s been a long drive, and we’re a little cranky. But we can’t wait to get settled in.”
Nice save.
A breeze picked up, blowing my hair in my face. It’d finally grown past the bottom of my shoulder blades. I pulled a rubber band out of my pocket and yanked the wavy mess into a sloppy bun.
I followed them to the house. As soon as my flip-flop hit the bottom step I had a feeling that this house was going to be full of stuff for me to “see.” I shoved my gloved hands in my pockets. Better safe than sorry while Mr. Dawson was around. Mom and Dad were touring the house with him. Axel hung back with me. “What’s your deal?”
I shrugged. “Didn’t you see how he walked?”
“No.”
“Remember when we went to the San Diego Safari Park and spent the night and we went into the tiger enclosure?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Those cats were crazy. They were inches from us the whole time, and we didn’t even notice it until the guide shined her flashlight on them.”
“Exactly.”
“And what does that have to do with Mr. Dawson?”
“He didn’t make a sound coming down those stairs.”
Axel shoved me. “You’re messing with me.”
I shoved him back. “No. I’m actually not. Pay better attention next time.”
We walked through the door and went the opposite way my parents had gone, ending up in a living room.
“Look at this yard,” Axel said as he looked out a back window.
“What yard? All I see is forest.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
I shook my head. He was so weird sometimes. “I’m going to go claim my room.” I found it upstairs, first door on the left, complete with en suite bathroom. It was even better than the pictures Dad had shown us. A bay window with a bench faced the front yard. The unpaved driveway disappeared around the corner, hidden by the forest.
Axel stomped into my new room. “Oh, this is for sure my room.”
“No. Yours is next to Mom and Dad’s. This is mine.”
“No way. I’m older. I get this one. With the tree, it’d give me maximum sneaking-out capabilities.”
“Dude.” I smacked him on the back of his head. “You’re not really going to be living here.”
“Right. Forgot about that part.”
I snorted.
“This can be your room I guess.”
