A Dangerous Gift

He was running through a forest, his heart pounding. Branches whipped his face as he ran, drawing thin lines of blood from his pale cheeks. He was panting heavily, rushing past the trees, desperate to reach the edge of the forest before--

“Ahhhh!” A piercing shriek up ahead caught his attention. He looked up from the ground and saw, a mere 50 yards away, the shining blue sparkle of the sea. He knew without a doubt whose scream it had been, and that he had to reach her before it was too late. Willing himself not to faint from exhaustion, the dark haired boy tried to go faster. His breath was coming in short gasps, his leg muscles searing with pain--and yet he ran as though his life depended on it, toward the sea, and the source of the scream.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute, he reached the edge of the wood. A steep and craggy cliff stood before him, and at the bottom was a small rowboat, with two passengers on board: A short, bearded man with glasses, and a teenage girl. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the girl, saw the look of pain on her face.

Without any second thoughts, he jumped from the face of the cliff, directly above the rowboat. He fell as though in slow motion, every second seeming like an hour. It was as though the air itself was against him, slowing him down, costing him precious seconds...He concentrated hard, forcing himself to fall faster, to reach her in time.

He heard her shriek again, this time calling his name: “Evan!” She sounded desperate, pleading. The bearded man was holding her arm tightly, and was attempting to push her nearer the edge of the rowboat. She was trashing her arms, trying to get free from the iron grip of her captor. Her face was screwed up in anger and pain, and strands of her dark red hair fell into her eyes.

Evan finally felt his feet hit the smooth wood, making the boat rock and a spray of water splash his face. He turned to face the other occupants of the boat. The short man was glaring at him, a look of disgust on his face.

“Evan!” the girl said again. “Save me!”

As the reached out to grab for her, the bearded man gave a short, loud, laugh.

“You really think I’ll just let her go?” He had a nasal voice, high and cold. “Just like that? You really are naive. And to think that this is supposed to be their best agent.” He laughed again, sending shivers down Evan’s spine.

“Agent?” he asked, but the man kept laughing, stepping ever closer to the edge of the boat, dragging the girl with him.

“No!” Evan shouted, reaching for her. But his limbs seemed as though they were made of lead—he couldn’t move, couldn’t reach her....The boat seemed to expand, suddenly they were standing on a motorboat, zooming along the water, bumping up and down on the waves.

“You can’t catch us, Evan!” the girl’s captor yelled. Suddenly he was standing on the railing, holding the girl over the edge by her neck. She was choking, spluttering and gasping for air.

“No!” he screamed, but his arms and legs weren’t working. He watched helplessly as both man and girl hurled themselves off the boat, into the raging water.

And suddenly, he could move again. He rushed over to the side of the boat, and looked down at the black water. He couldn’t see anything. He tried to jump off, to see if he could find her, but something, some invisible barrier, prevented him from going past the railing. He pushed himself at it, screaming and clawing at the unseen obstacle, but it didn’t give way. He felt his strength ebbing each time he bashed against the barrier.

The last thing he saw was her face bobbing in the dark water, ghostly white and still.

***

Evan Newman woke up with a start. He sat up straight in his bed, sweating and feeling as though he’d just run a marathon. His shoulder ached at just the spot where in his dream, he’d been throwing himself at the invisible wall.

He looked at his luminous bedside clock. It was 4:47 in the morning. He shook his head and rubbed his face with his hands. It was because of dreams like this one that he’d stopped sleeping for a couple of weeks. It’d gotten to the point where his math teacher had called home to find out from his parents what time he went to sleep.

Evan knew that if he stayed in bed, he’d fall asleep again and have more nightmares, so he begrudgingly got out of his warm bed. Shivering when his bare feet touched the cold, hardwood floor, he made his way to the window and opened the shades. He groaned. It was still dark outside.

But he was used to it. Ever since he could remember, he’d had odd dreams that seemed so realistic while he was having them, and then he’d wake up. The dreams weren’t just dreams, though. They were like alternate realities. When he was speaking to someone, he could choose what to say, almost like he was actually conscious. But the most disconcerting part of it, was that his visions during the night always came true, one way or another. That was why this dream bothered him so much. He couldn’t let it come true.

The girl in his dream, Jackie Simms, had been his best friend since kindergarten, when he let her play on the tricycle instead of him. They developed a close relationship, telling each other everything. As they got older, though, Jackie started making more girl friends, and Evan fell to the side. They still met up, but not as frequently, and the carefree conversations that they used to have were long gone.

When Evan saw that Jackie didn’t have time for him anymore, he found a new best friend: Logan Hayes. Evan liked Logan because he was different—he didn’t do things because they were “cool”, or to impress people. He did his own thing, and had a very unique style.

Jackie, who came from a fairly wealthy background, and was used to being at the top of everything, hated Logan. Logan returned her feelings passionately, always finding some new way of annoying her, be it an insulting nickname, or just embarrassing her in front of her friends.

Logan and Evan were now fast friends. But though they spent a lot of time together, Evan never truly felt the ease the he had felt with Jackie. He confided in Logan with some things, but the advice he got wasn’t as useful. Once Logan had told him that the government was spying on them, and every word he said was being recorded, written down, and analyzed by the MI5. After that, Evan took Logan’s advice lightly.

Evan finished his shower and got his things ready for school. He still had an hour and a half before he had to be in school. Rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to wake himself up more, he sat down at his desk and flipped open his laptop lid. Even though his friends sometimes had eccentric ideas, Evan always told Logan about his dreams. And this dream wasn’t just a regular one. It had shaken him.

Typing in his password with flying fingers, he logged onto MSN messenger and scanned his buddy list. Ah, there he was: dr_death89. Evan grinned. He knew he could count on Logan to be logged into IM at 5:45 in the morning. Remembering why he himself was on the computer, he opened up a new window and began typing.

hey.

He only had to wait half a second for Logan’s reply.

yo sup? why u up so early?

I had another dream

ohhhhh...1 of those vision things?

Evan rolled his eyes.

Yeah.

bout what?

As fast as he could, Evan wrote out the entire dream with all the details he could remember. As he was recalling the dream, flashes of Jackie’s face, cold and lifeless, made his hands shake and sweat bead down his forehead. He was afraid that if he didn’t take action, his vision would come true specifically because he hadn’t done anything to stop it. But if he did try to stop it from happening, he would only cause it to happen through some stupid mistake.

He finished writing the story and clicked send. A minute later, an icon popped up that said dr_death89 was writing a response.

that’s harsh. but u know what i’d say, right?

let her drown.

: ) hey, it’s not my fault shes so annoying. so neway, do u know who the guy w/a beard is?

I wish. That would make it all easier. Maybe I should ask her if she knows anyone with a beard...

um...her dad?

besides him

i guess. but hows that gonna help?

A wave of helplessness washed over Evan. He had no way of knowing what would happen. That was why these dreams bothered him so much! No matter what they were, good or bad, they always came true! He bashed his fist against the keyboard in frustration.

mmcxmcxmnmndvsm.,

calm down, dude. maybe you should just follow her around? like, kinda like stalking, xept youre doin it for a good reason. make sure she stays away from boats and bearded men.

Evan sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair. Though it sounded stupid, he knew that was the only way to try to prevent anything bad from happening to Jackie. He’d just have to hang around her and her giggly, makeup-y friends. The thought made him shiver.

fine. man, i hate this stupid vision thing! why’d it have to happen to me? i bet there’s no one else in the entire world who has this stupid “power”!!! i wish it never came to me!

so do all who live to see such times, evan, but that is not for them to decide. all you must decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.

stop quoting Lord of the Rings. i’m serious.

so was i! just take it for granted, evan. use it wisely. you know, don’t abuse your power. just...i dunno...take advantage of the fact that u can do something to stop bad things from happening, u know?

whatever. I have to get ready for school.

Without waiting for a response, Evan signed off and snapped his laptop shut. The feeling of frustration was welling up inside him, though he tried to suppress it. Sighing with anger, he swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed downstairs to make breakfast.

***

When Evan got to school that morning, he immediately looked around for Logan. As Evan was fairly tall, it wasn’t hard for him to look over the crowd of half-asleep high schoolers. After a few seconds of searching, he found Logan’s bright red Manchester United cap, and headed over.

Logan was thin and short for his age, nearly six inches shorter than Evan’s six feet. His dark brown hair was gelled in small spikes, and his hazel eyes were large and round, giving him an innocent look. He was, however, far from innocent.

The short teenager looked up from his locker’s combination lock.

“Hey, Super Vision Man, what’s up?”

Evan raised an eyebrow. “That was probably the lamest nickname you’ve come up with yet.”

Finally getting the combination right, Logan reached into his locker and took out a biology text book. “I didn’t get any coffee this morning, okay?” He stuffed the book into his bag and shut his locker again. “I’d like to see you come up with a nickname half as good!”

Evan smiled. Logan always managed to make Evan forget about his worries, even if he hadn’t meant to.

The two juniors walked down the corridor together, one quiet, one talkative. And as Logan babbled on about a movie he’d seen last night, Evan scanned the crowds of students, searching for a certain redhead...

“You shoulda seen it, man, the action was unbelievable!” Logan ranted. “When that guy’s head blew off, it was so realis—oof!”

Laughing at the sound his friend had made, Evan turned to see what had derailed Logan’s train of thought. When he saw that Logan had run into Jackie Simms, the object of Evan’s nightmare, he stopped in his tracks.

Jackie and Logan had collided head on, causing them to fall backwards. In order to stop his fall, Logan had grabbed onto the first thing in sight—Jackie. Once he had regained his balance, and he saw that he was clutching his arch-enemy’s arm like a favorite teddy bear, he let go with a cry of disgust. No longer supported by Logan, Jackie fell back with a shriek. Jackie’s giggly friends gasped in horror and crowded around her, acting as though their friend had just gotten hit by a bus.

Logan brushed off his shirt and looked down at her. “Watch where you’re going next time, Simms.”

One of the wounded redhead’s friends, a pretty brunette, stood up and glared at Logan, towering over him. The boy didn’t even blink.

“You watch where you’re going, Logan,” she hissed, spitting out his name like a poison. “Next time you run into Jackie like that, I’ll run you over!”

Logan laughed in her face. “Yeah, I’m real scared now. Tell me, did you realize you look like a female sasquatch?”

By this time, Jackie was on her feet, making sure her hair hadn’t escaped from its perfect curls. When she was done, she held back her brunette friend and addressed Evan, as though Logan didn’t exist.

“Hello, Evan.”

He smiled at her, trying to push the image of her drowning from his mind. “Hey. Long time no see.” Internally, he winced. Could he have sounded more idiotic?

Jackie still had a smile plastered onto her delicate face. “Yeah, really. I hear you got the top grade on the history exam. Good job!” Without waiting for a response, she turned to Logan, flicking a red curl over her shoulder.

“Sorry for running into you, Hayes. I must have just looked right over your spiky, dweeby little head.”

Logan turned his attention to her, as though only just realizing that she’d said something. “What? Oh, sorry., I didn’t understand.” He spoke very clearly, enunciating each word. “I—don’t--speak--moron.”

Jackie rolled her eyes and looked at Evan again. “Now that your mentally ill friend is done making overused, pathetic jokes...” She reached back and took an envelope from one of her friends. “I had to give this to you anyway. It’s an invitation to a party in honor of my dad’s work. He got a promotion, and now he’s the president of his company.” She wore a smug smirk. “You can give that to your parents. Unless you want to come too. It’s a black-tie affair.” Her little friends giggled behind her, at some inside joke.

Logan couldn’t resist one last jibe. “Yeah, I’m really happy for you, Jackie! You must be pretty proud of your dad, working at the local garbage dump!” He shook her hand. “Congrats!”

She ripped her hand from his grip, the smile gone from her face. Holding out her hand again, her friend placed another envelope into it. Her nose wrinkled, she shoved it into Logan’s chest.

“I’m forced to give this to your parents. See, my dad has pity on pathetic, poor families like yours.” With that, she and her group stalked off, hair swinging.

Logan stared after her with disgust. “You actually want to save her? She’s a complete--”

“Yes,” Evan interrupted. “I do. She’s my friend. And don’t forget that she was my friend before I even knew you existed.”

All of a sudden Logan spun around and let out a triumphant wail. Several people paused on their way past, staring.

Evan raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I’ve finally figured it out!” Logan said gleefully. “You know how when people are different, special, or messed up, it means that they had a rough childhood? Well I’ve found out how you got those dreams! You had a traumatic childhood, because you had to spend half of it around a certain Jaquelyn Simms!” He grinned and, now satisfied, continued on his path to homeroom. Rolling his eyes, Evan followed him into the class, preparing for a day full of homework, exams, and yelling teachers.

***

Later that night, Evan sat at the kitchen table, doing his calculus homework and listening with half an ear to his parents’ conversation at the counter. As usual, his mother was talking about everyone she knew, and all the juicy gossip she’d heard at the supermarket today.

“I just can’t believe some people!” she was saying, shaking her head as she scrubbed the spaghetti pot. “I mean, how rude is it to invite everyone you know except the people you used to be so close to? It’s disgusting!”

“Terrible,” agreed Evan’s father, drying the pot. “You’re sure we didn’t receive an invitation?”

“Absolutely positive! I just can’t believe it!”

Evan scribbled down a number on his paper. “What weren’t we invited to?”

Pulling off her rubber gloves, Mrs Newman turned to face her son, hands on hips. “Edward Simms’ promotion party! All I’ve been hearing about is how great it’s going to be and we don’t even get an invitation? How do you like that?”

The name ignited a spark of recognition in Evan’s brain. “Oh wait,” he said, reaching for his backpack. “Jackie gave me an invitation today, for something like that.”

Gasping, Mrs Newman snatched the envelope out of Evan’s hands. “Well why didn’t you say so? Give it here, let’s see...”

As his mother oohed and aahed and gasped over the beauty of the invitation, Evan went back to his homework. He’d already set in his mind that he’d go, if only to keep an eye on Jackie. First he has a dream about her, and then all of a sudden he gets invited to a party of hers? That was too close to be coincidental.

“Oh, Walt!” his mother sighed. “It’s a boat party! I know how you hate boats so much!”

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to pa—Evan?!”

Slightly dazed and rubbing his head, Evan got up from the floor where he’d fallen off his chair. His parents rushed over.

“Baby, are you alright?” his mother asked, feeling his forehead. “You feel clammy and feverish! Walt, get the baby thermometer!”

“Calm down,” Mr Newman said briskly. “He’s just clumsy. Get up, son!”

Evan got up, and a new wave of dizziness washed over him. He headed for the stairs. “I think I’m gonna go to bed,” he murmured, walking up to his room. A boat party? That was it. This couldn’t be a coincidence. No way.

Slowly, Evan sat down on his bed and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket with shaking hands. He took a deep breath. Now he knew that he had to go to Mr Simms’ party. He had to watch Jackie like a hawk, never letting her out of his sight.

He dialed Logan’s number and put the phone to his ear.

Logan answered on the third ring. “Yo.”

Evan could barely speak. “Logan?”

“Yeah, what?” He sounded impatient.

“Listen, you have to come to Jackie’s father’s party!”

“What?! Why? Are you scared to go by yourself or something?”

Evan was clenching his phone so hard his knuckles turned white. “It’s on a boat.”

Logan did not give the response Evan had been hoping for. There was a pause, followed by a thud and a muffled curse. “Sorry,” Logan said. “Dropped the phone. What’d you say?”

“It’s on a boat, Logan!” Evan hissed. “Jackie’s party is on a boat!”

Another pause. “So? What does...oh...”

Evan nodded. “Yeah.” He waited with bated breath for Logan’s response, hopeful that his friend would see reason and come with Evan to the party.

“So...I have to come?”

“Logan!”

A sigh. “Yeah, okay. I bet my dad would like the chance to hang out with rich people.”

“Thanks, mate,” Evan said. “I know
you hate Jackie, just...I can’t let her die. We used to be best friends.”

Logan’s voice had an unusually soft tone. “I know, man. I know that you see past her bratty exterior to the beautiful Barbie inside, right?”

Evan rubbed his eyes, sighing. “Something like that, yeah.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

“Bye.” The dark haired teenager snapped shut his cell phone and fell back onto his bed. He lay awake for hours that nights, Jackie’s face swimming through his mind.

***

The tall boy stood in front of the bathroom mirror, smoothing down his hair and adjusting his silver tie nervously. Tonight was the night that would determine the life or death of one of his friends. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“You look very handsome,” said a voice in the doorway.

Evan turned around to see his mother standing there in her best dinner dress. She was trying to clasp a diamond necklace without much success.

“Could you fasten this for me, dear?” she asked, handing him the piece of jewelry.

“Sure.” He took the necklace and stood behind his mother while she held up her hair. He had long since surpassed his mother in height, and the top of her head just reached his chin.

“There.” He fastened the clasp and stood back.

“Thank you, sweetie.” She looked up at him and frowned. “What’s wrong? You look flushed.”

He wiped a bead of sweat off his brow. “N-no, I’m okay,” he stuttered.

She put a hand on his cheek. “Oh, sweetie. You’re so grown up now. I know you get annoyed when I fuss over you like this.”

He smiled. “It’s okay, mum. It’s your job to worry over your son.”

She patted his cheek and smiled. “I suppose it is my right, isn’t it?” She sighed. “Just be careful, Evan, okay?”

“Mum, have you been watching the news again?” Evan asked.

His mother laughed. “Oh, that’s fine.
make fun of your old mother. Go get in the car, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Evan convinced his father to let him drive, and her climbed into the driver's seat. It took ten minutes for his mother to finally finish getting ready, and then they st off to the Hayes house to pick up Logan and his father.

The only time Evan had seen Logan dressed this nicely was at Mrs Hayes’ funeral, two years previously. Logan was wearing smart black trousers, and a light blue dress shirt. His hair, rather than messy, was carefully spiked.

Logan’s father, Mr Hayes, was a large man with balding gray hair. He squished himself in between his son and Evan’s father with a sigh. Logan was pressed against the car door, with the handle digging into his waist.

“Hey Evan,” he said painfully, “could you go a little faster? Not everyone is as comfortable as you.”

Logan’s words struck Evan. He had to get there as quickly as possible! The party had already started, and he had to make sure that nothing happened to Jackie. He pressed down on the gas pedal, making all the adult passengers gasp and clutch whoever they were sitting next to.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the dock where the boat was waiting. It was a huge boat, decorated with lights and silver balloons. Evan could faintly hear fancy classical music coming from the party.

Logan wrinkled his nose. “Blech...even the sight of it makes me nauseous.”

Mr Hayes turned to his son. “You behave yourself, boy! I’ll not tolerate any insulting of the hosts! So whatever demented vendetta you have against this girl, suck it up and act like a man!”

Logan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever, Dad. Do you think I’m a complete idiot? I’ll only insult that no-brained Hilary Duff clone if she insults me. It’s only fair.” He smiled innocently at his father, his large brown eyes more Bambi-like than ever.

As fast as he could, Evan hurried down the dock to the boat. A doorman in a tuxedo was standing there, holding a list on a clipboard. He looked up as Evan and his family approached.

“Your name, sir?”

“The Newman family,” Evan blurted, eager to get in. “Walt, Annie, and Evan.”

The doorman checked the list. “Ah yes, I see...Are these gentlemen with you?” he asked, motioning to the Hayes family.

Biting his lip to stop himself from
yelling at the doorman’s slowness, Evan nodded. “Yes. Hayes. Charles and Logan.” He hopped from one foot to the other, as if he had to go to the bathroom. “Please sir,” he said. “I really have to get inside.”

Raising an eyebrow, the doorman nodded and stepped aside to let the five people in. Immediately, Evan grabbed Logan’s arm and dragged him through the crowd, not even pausing to appreciate the splendor of the room.

It was huge, nearly as big as the whole deck of the ship. Ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their diamonds glinting. Dozens of round tables surrounded a large dance floor, and tables of food and drink rested on the walls of the room.

Evan scanned the hall, cursing under his breath. There were so many people here! It would be impossible to find Jackie in all this!

“Do you see her?” he asked Logan, who
had picked up a china plate and was examining it.

“Huh?” Logan said, now tapping the plate. “D’you think this is real?”

“Logan! We have to find Jackie!” Evan dragged Logan with him as he pushed through the mob of fancily dressed people. Most of them were probably important members of society, and they turned up their noses at the teenage boys squeezing past them, one looking through the crowd frantically, the other peering at a china plate.

Suddenly Evan saw her. She was standing near the buffet table, and for once, she wasn’t surrounded by a pack of friends. She was simply filling up a plate of food, leaning over the table to reach the things on the far side.
The two boys walked over to her.
“Hey, Jackie,” said Evan, trying to catch his breath.
The girl turned around, and even Logan stopped scowling and stared. Jackie was dressed in a light pink sleeveless dress that fell to the floor. The skirt of the dress was tight at first, then flared out gently, falling in silky waves. Her dark red hair was half up, the rest falling past her shoulders in tight curls. She didn’t have her usual dark makeup on, instead she was wearing light, natural colors, accenting her pale skin.
“Hi,” she said, smiling at them. Logan supposed she was only smiling at him because, like his own father, hers had threatened her to be nice to all the guests. “Would you guys like something to eat? I see you already have a plate, Hayes,” she addressed Logan, narrowing her eyes. “I know that plate is probably worth more than you are, but please try not to steal it.” She smirked.
Logan’s scowl returned. Choosing not to answer, he bent over the food table and began scooping mashed potatoes onto his plate.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Jackie said to Evan. “I thought you might not come.”
Evan dropped a piece of chicken onto his plate. “Why wouldn’t I come? Have you no faith in me?”
She grinned, revealing perfectly white teeth. “I dunno. I guess we just haven’t really talked, lately. I miss it.”
“Yeah...” he trailed off. Truth be told, he had missed her too. With Logan the company just wasn’t as...intellectual. He could talk about anything with Jackie, without any embarrassment. “I’ve missed it, too,” he finally admitted.
There was a tap on his shoulder. “While you’re over here playing Mr Mushy Love,” said Logan, “I’ll be at our table. In case you didn’t know, it’s Table 37.” He walked away, with nothing on his plate but potatoes and a small piece of chicken.
Jackie stared after him. “Your friend is weird. You know that, right?”
Evan chuckled. “Yeah, I know. He’s just not used to so many...fancy things, and rich people, I guess. I think that’s why he’s never liked you. Because you and your friends are like, the most popular girls in the school.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So he thinks we’re shallow Barbies?”
“Something like that,” Evan said.
“Well,” she sighed, “I don’t know why he’s so shy of popular people. He could for sure be ‘accepted’ into the group.”
Evan grinned, but didn’t say anything more on the subject. “So where are you sitting?”
She motioned to the other side of the room. “Over there, with my parents. In half an hour the party for ‘young adults’, as my father says, is going to start on the top deck.” Jackie smiled at him and touched his arm. “You should come.”
Evan nodded. “I will. I’ll try to convince Logan to come too, but don’t count on it.”
She began to walk away. “I won’t hold my breath.”

The teen party on the top deck was much like the adult party, except that it was only 17 year olds. There was no excessively loud music, and no abundance of alcoholic beverages. Logan looked around in disappointment at the groups of people holding champagne glasses, talking quietly.
“What kind of party is this?” He walked over to the stereo and, glancing around to make sure no one was watching, spun the volume knob up. The music was pounding now, making the floor shake. People stopped their conversations to see the source of the music. Others started cheering and dancing. Logan mingled with the crowd, and soon, no one knew who had turned up the volume.
Evan was scanning the mass of people for Jackie. He’d lost sight of her, and now that they weren’t confined in a room, he was more anxious to find her. There were no walls over the side of the boat. Nothing to stop someone from simply slipping, and falling into the dark waters....
There she was! Dangerously close to the edge, and talking to the goalie of the soccer team, Matt Ilkings. Evan pushed his way over there, not liking the look in Ilkings eyes. He didn’t like how the soccer player had cornered Jackie against the railing, so that she was forced to lean on it.
“Jackie!” Evan called, waving to her. She looked around for the source of the shout. When she saw Evan, she smiled gratefully and beckoned him over. He went and stood next to her.
“Matt,” said Jackie, “this is Evan Newman, a good friend of mine. Evan, I’m sure you know Matt. He’s on the soccer team.”
Evan nodded to Matt, who scowled at him.
Nervous, Evan attempted conversation. “Some party, eh?” he said, grinning.
“I’m not sure my father will like the noise,” said Jackie, tugging at a lock of curly hair. She seemed eager to get away from Matt Ilkings.
“A little music won’t hurt,” said Matt in his deep voice.
Suddenly, Logan was there, in front of Evan and Jackie, completely ignoring Matt. He had a glass of punch in his hand, and the collar of his shirt was unbuttoned.
“Come on!” he said, tugging at Evan. “Don’t you like dancing?”
“Not particularly,” said Evan. “Whoa, be careful!”
Logan had slipped on a puddle of punch, falling backwards into Matt. With a growl, Matt grabbed Jackie’s arm and Logan’s collar. Set off balance by the weight on her arm, Jackie stumbled back and trod on her dress with the heel of her shoe. In a blink of an eye, the petite redhead was over the railing and falling head first into the smooth, dark water. With a deep cry, the goalie also fell, which seemed odd. He hadn’t been as close to the railing as Jackie was.
“NOOOO!!!” Evan screamed, and he climbed onto the top of the railing, ready to jump down and catch the screaming girl.
A hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Evan! You can’t jump, or you’ll drown too!” Evan struggled against Logan’s grip. This was the barrier from his dream....he couldn’t get past the railing...but he had to! Jackie was falling!
With a cry, Evan punched Logan in the face and threw himself overboard.
He could see Jackie falling, screaming shrilly with her arms outstretched. An expression of fear and terror was etched on her pale face, and her hair streamed out of its perfect curls. As she hit the water with a loud splash, her screaming was cut off.
Evan tried to shout her name, but the wind whipped away his voice before it reached his ears. He urged himself to go faster, to fall faster, to reach her, but, as in his dream, time seemed to stop. He saw her face bobbing in the water, scared and small.
After what seemed like hours, he smashed against the surface of the water. The force of the hit knocked him out, and all he saw before he slipped into unconsciousness was a pale, ghostly arm reaching out to grab the girl’s limp body. Then, all he knew was blackness.

When he came to, he was lying in a hospital bed, covered with warm white blankets. He could hear people talking next to him, speaking in soft voices. Focusing his energy on the front of his head, he opened his eyes.
“Oh, baby, you’re awake!” his mother cried. “We were so worried!” She covered her face with a shaking hand. His father sat on the other side of the bed.
“How are you feeling, son?” asked Mr Newman.
Evan tested out his voice. “’Kyy” was what came out. His father smiled.
“Okay? Well that’s good. You’ve been out for a while.”
Evan raised his eyebrows. A while? “How long?” he croaked. His mother sobbed even louder.
“Three days!” she hiccuped. “And, oh, it’s just horrible! Poor, poor Jackie! Oh!” Once again she buried her head into her hands, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
“W-what happened to Jackie?” Evan asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.
His father sighed and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Son, Jackie...well, she didn’t survive the fall.”
Evan’s eyes widened. “What?! NO!” He sat up abruptly, startling his parents. “No! She’s not dead! I-I saw her! I saw her fall! I saw her in the water! She—I was right next to her!”
“Evan, it’s not your fault,” said Mr Newman. “Divers went in to search for both her and that other boy, but their bodies weren’t found.”
“It is my fault!!” Evan screamed, now standing up. “I saw it! I could have stopped it! I—I...I...” His voice trailed off into a whisper, and he sank to his knees. Staring at the floor, he felt completely and utterly helpless. He could have stopped it. He was the only one who could have stopped it.
He looked up and saw that his parents were gone. The room was silent except for the sound of his ragged breathing. He knew now that no matter what he did, his visions would come true. It was a horrible curse, being able to see the future. If this had happened, but he hadn’t known it would, he wouldn’t feel so guilty now.
Evan kneaded his knuckles against his forehead, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. His breath came in short gasps, laced with sobs. He bit his lip as the first tear dropped from his eyes onto the clean white tiles. He let go then, and cried for his friend, cried because of this curse that he’d been given, cried because he knew that no matter what he did, there was no way to change the future.

Logan came to his house the first Sunday after Evan got home from the hospital. Mr and Mrs Newman had said that the reason Evan had had to stay in the hospital so long was because he’d swallowed a lot of seawater, and by the time the divers found him, he was half dead already. It was lucky, they said, that he hadn’t died as well. But that didn’t make him feel any better.
Logan and Evan sat at the kitchen table, a bag of potato chips between them and a glass of soda each. Neither of them ate. A thick silence hung in the air.
The short teenager broke it. “So...how are you doing?” he asked nervously, breaking a chip into little pieces on his napkin. He still had a large bruise next to his left eye from where Evan had punched him.
Evan shrugged.
Logan bit his lip. “Have you—have you gone to the cemetery yet?”
Evan shook his head. That was the worst part of it. While he’d been in the hospital, they’d done the funeral. So now not only was he responsible for her death, but he hadn’t even had the chance to pay her his respects. He forced back tears. He wouldn’t cry in front of Logan.
Logan broke another chip in half, spraying salt and chip bits across the table. “You know, if it’s any consolation,” he began hesitantly, “it’s not your fault.” When Evan didn’t say anything, he continued, emboldened by his friend’s silence. “It’s mine.”
Evan looked up at this. “How the heck is it your fault?”
“Because...because if I hadn’t slipped, I wouldn’t have knocked into the walking refrigerator, and he wouldn’t have grabbed onto Sim—Jackie, for support, and neither of them would have fallen. And,” he went on, speaking in a rush, excited now, “I’m not even so sure Jackie is dead.”
Evan frowned. “Come off it. They had a funeral.”
“With an empty coffin. They never found the bodies. And don’t you think it’s strange how Matt fell, even though he was nowhere near the railing? And did you see how he was looking at her? He looked...menacing.”
Evan stood up suddenly, looking angry. “Shut up! I don’t need to listen to this rubbish!” He began to walk away.
“Come on, mate!” Logan urged, standing up as well. “Just, I just need you to do one thing! Just try and remember all the details of that dream you had!”
“Shut UP!!” Evan yelled. Logan was trying to make him relive the reason why he was so guilty and angry? Fat chance!
Logan grabbed Evan’s arm. “Evan!” He was speaking fast, trying to get all the words out at once. “Remember in your dream you said that there was a bearded man, but you didn’t know who he was? I saw him, mate! At the party, and at the funeral! Didn’t you say he was the one who drowned Jackie? And I was watching him, and I heard someone say his name: Mr Litzer!”
Evan froze. Logan had seen the bearded man? But how did he know this man was the right one? He expressed his doubts to Logan.
“Well, this guy was short,” began Logan.
“So was the man in the dream.”
“Glasses?”
“Yeah...”
“Black hair?”’
“Yeah.” Evan was getting more convinced.
“Kind of a nasal voice?”
Evan’s knees wobbled; he sat down again, eyes wide, mouth open.
“Blimey....”
Logan nodded. “Exactly. That’s what I tried to tell you.”

Over the next day and a half, Logan and Evan spent their time trying to find out more about Mr Litzer. They’d found him almost immediately in the phone book, Litzer not being a very common name. They looked him up on Google and he was the first response, a certain Darius Litzer being, apparently, a very big businessman. He owned the company Litzerman, which made children’s cereals, and he was allegedly on first name terms with the Queen herself. He was even on Wikipedia.
The boys tried to find out everything they could about Mr Litzer, seeing if maybe there was some clue, some seemingly insignificant detail, that would lead them to both him and Jackie. Logan seemed as determined to find Jackie as Evan, which led Evan to think that maybe, just maybe, his sour demeanor towards the girl was just an act.
One night, after an evening of intense research with Logan, Evan lay in his bed, trying to sleep. He knew he wouldn’t be able to. He hadn’t slept well since the night he’d had the dream about Jackie. And just thinking about her made him angry and guilty again. Thinking about her slipping over the railing, the fatal fall, the wind rushing past his ears, whipping through his hair...
And suddenly he was running again, though this time not through a forest. He was running through a long, white hallway, with numbered doors on either side of him. He turned left and ran down another corridor, his shoes slapping on the tile floor.
He stopped, suddenly, stumbling to catch his balance. He heard footsteps, slow and even, coming from behind him. He spun around and saw Litzer standing there, carrying the body of a girl with red hair.
Evan took a step forward. “Jackie!” He whispered. He looked into Litzer’s face and saw the calm smile there.
“I’m afraid your little girlfriend won’t wake up,” said the man in his high voice. “She’s proving most difficult; won’t give us any information.”
“Information?” Evan interrupted, but it was as though he wasn’t there.
“I know she knows. How could she not, her father being what he is.” He looked down at her face and stroked her cheek with his hand. “Poor thing.
Evan took another step towards the man and his captive. “You get your hands off of her! Let her go! What has she done to you?”
The man laughed, high and cold. “It’s not what she did, you naïve little boy. It’s what her father did. Has done. Will do.” He laughed again. “Don’t even bother trying to save her, chum. See what it did last time? You killed her!”
“No I didn’t!” Evan yelled. “You liar! She’s alive!”
Litzer raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”
Evan looked at Jackie’s face for the first time. Her light green eyes were open and glazed over, her face ghostly white. He could see her veins through her skin, dark blue against the white.
He shook his head, staring at her. She wasn’t dead, he knew she wasn’t! The man was still laughing, his voice drilling into Evan’s head. The boy clamped his hands over his ears, shaking his head in disbelief, screaming her name.
“Jackie!”

Evan shot up, breathing hard and shaking. Within seconds his parents were in his room, switching on the light and hurrying over to his bedside.
“Evan!” his mother gasped. “Evan, are you alright?”
“Y-yeah,” he stuttered. “Just a bad dream.”
“Are you sure?” Mr Newman asked.
“I’m sure,” he confirmed, wiping sweat from his upper lip.
After making sure he would call them if he needed anything, his parents left, shutting the door behind them. Immediately Evan reached for his cell phone, dialing Logan’s number.
“H’lo?” came Logan’s groggy voice.
“Hi, are you awake?” Evan whispered.
“Mm...not really,” said Logan. He sighed, yawned, and then asked, “Sup?”
“I had another dream,” Evan spoke a little louder. “This time I was in this facility thing, and Litzer was there, carrying Jackie. He said that he knew she knew some information, and that it wasn’t her that had done anything, it was her father.”
“Huh,” said Logan. “Interesting. That gives us a new angle, kinda.”
“Yeah. So listen,” Evan continued, “I always knew that Mr Simms did something other than the company he’s with now. Jackie used to tell me he was a spy for the MI5. I never believed her, but...but what if she was telling the truth? We were stupid little kids back then, and said a lot of stupid things, but now...Logan, are you awake?”
A pause. “Yeah, I’m awake.” Another yawn. “So you think Jackie’s dad is a secret spy?”
Evan considered. “Not necessarily. More like...just working for the MI5. More like the head honcho, you know. The one who makes decisions, not who goes out searching for bad guys with guns.”
“Uh-huh....Well, I’d be thrilled to talk about this more in the morning,” Logan mumbled. “I really gotta sleep, mate, and you should, too. It’s 3 o’clock in the bloody morning! Go to sleep.”
Frustrated yet excited, Evan said goodbye and hung up. He could wait until morning....

Thanks to the Internet, the two boys quickly found out that Edward Simms was working for the MI5. They didn’t find out what he did there, and they weren’t all that sure that their source of information was entirely reliable. But the fact that someone had said it, combined with their growing suspicions, led them to believe that he was indeed a secret agent.
But where was she? That was the question that was nagging at them. And how could they find out? Evan went through every detail of his dreams in mind, but couldn’t think of anything. Except...those white hallways, the numbered doors...could that be where she was held?
“Google is your best friend,” muttered Logan as he searched online for a place with a description close to Evan’s that was located in London.
The first result was the London Hospital, downtown. Disregarding that, the boys kept scrolling down. Most of the results were clinics or hospitals, even some schools. But nowhere that looked like a good place to keep a captive to interrogate.
“When you were in the hospital,” Logan said, “Did any of the halls look like this?”
Evan sighed. “No. This is pointless. We’ll never find her!”
Logan kept searching. “Yes we will. You had a dream about us finding Litzer and Jackie, didn’t you? That means it happens.”
Evan shook his head. “No, it means that the information in the dream happens. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll meet Litzer in a white hallway.”
Logan closed his eyes, as though trying to keep calm. “Then why are we searching for white hallways?” He banged his fist on the tabletop with frustration. “We’re not getting anywhere at this rate! And it’s all thanks to your red herrings!”
“Me?!” Evan was shocked. “You think I don’t want to find Jackie? A part of me, the more rational part, still thinks that she’s dead, lying on the bottom of the Channel somewhere!”
Logan rubbed his face. “Then what do you propose we do?”
Evan thought for a minute. Then, in a stroke of genius, he scrolled back up to the top of the page and switched to Google Images. Instantly, thousands of pictures appeared, all of them long, white corridors, with numbered doors on either side.
Logan sat, staring. “You’re a genius, mate.”

Logan whistled. “Blimey, mate. The Oxford biology labs. Insane! How could Litzer keep a prisoner there? There’re like, hundreds of students walking through there a day!”
“I dunno. All I know is that that’s where she is, and we’ve got to go find her.”

Logan Hayes and Evan Newman walked across the Oxford campus, admiring the buildings, and goggling at how many students there were, lounging on the lawns or running to their classes.
The two boys were wearing sunglasses, which was Logan’s idea to appear inconspicuous. They strolled down the pavement, carrying their backpacks, trying to look as though they belonged. They only had to ask for directions twice, to make their way to the biology labs.
They finally reached the lab, a tall white building with large double doors. Logan and Evan stared.
“Well,” said Logan. “This is it. It’s now or never.”
“Now,” Evan said. And with that, he walked into the building, Logan hurrying in his wake.
There were no students walking the halls. It was eerily silent, with everyone in classes. The two boys’ footsteps echoed down the corridors, similar to in Evan’s dream. He knew without a doubt that this was where Jackie was. If only he knew where....
“Hey!” he whispered. “This is the hall where I was in my dream!” Excited now, he began to jog down it, with a creepy sense of deja vu. He jogged faster, Logan struggling to keep up with his much shorter legs, and then he saw the turn he had to make. Grinning with excitement, Evan turned down the smaller hallway and stopped. This was where he’d stopped in his dream; he didn’t know where to go from here.
“What?” Logan whispered. “Where did you go next?”
“This is it,” said Evan, looking up and down for some sort of clue. “This is where I stopped, and Litzer came out with Jackie. I just...don’t understand. Where next?”
Logan sighed with frustration and banged a fist against the wall. “We came all this way for a dead end? Come on, mate! Think!”
A grinding noise reached their ears, , making them turn around. Logan jumped back from the wall, for the place he’d just pounded against in anger was sliding back to reveal a hidden doorway.
They stared at the dark doorway before them. Then Evan began to laugh.
“Ha! Logan, you’re a genius!” And without any hesitation, he stepped through the doorway and promptly fell. Logan could hear him rolling down the steps, groaning with each one. Wincing, Logan brought a lighter out of his pocket and ignited it. Holding it before himself like a torch, he proceeded down the steps to meet Evan at the bottom.
“Get up,” he said, dragging his friend to his feet. “I know that if my knight in shining armor was defeated by stairs before he ever met the dragon, I’d feed him to the beast myself.”
Suddenly, a bright, fluorescent light lit the whole room, temporarily blinding the teenagers. Once their eyes were working again, they saw that they were in a large yellow room with five doors on the far wall.
“Shoot,” said Evan. “Which one?”
Logan had closed his eyes and was now walking toward the door second from last on the right. “This one,” he said with a sense of assuredness.
Evan didn’t even ask how he knew. His back was aching and his hands hurt from where he had tried to break his fall. Without a word, he followed Logan to the door.
Logan stretched out his hands to push open the door, but instead fell straight through the door itself. Evan heard a thud, a groan, and then a very un-Logan sounding shriek. Heart pounding, he stepped towards the door....
....And smashed straight into it. Waving his arms like a windmill to keep himself upright, he stared at the door. He pushed it with his hands as hard as he could, and yet it didn’t give way.
“Logan!” He called.
“She’s here, Evan!” Logan’s voice came through, a little shocked. “Come and see her!”
“I can’t get through,” Evan yelled back. “It won’t let me!”
Logan stared at the door. Then he turned back to Jackie, who was lying on the concrete floor, dressed in an overlarge t-shirt and baggy pants, both of which looked as though they’d seen better days.
“H-how’d you know I was here?” she stammered, staring at Logan as though he were a ghost. “Litzer told me that he went to my funeral!”
Logan nodded, eyes wide. “So did I.”
Jackie’s brow furrowed. “You were at my funeral?”
He nodded again, not trusting himself to speak.
Jackie cleared her throat. “Well, we have to get out of here, but I don’t see how we can. I can’t get through that door, and it appears that neither can Evan. You and Litzer are the only ones I’ve seen come through there. Oh, and a guard, too.”
“Maybe the door stops certain people from coming through. I’m guessing it’s probably a projected image in a blank space, but there’s an invisible fence, like some people have for dogs, across that space, so some people can’t pass it. Like you.” He didn’t know how he knew that. He just did.
Jackie stared at him. “So...d’you think that if...like...I held your hand or something, I could get through?” She blushed as she said it.
Logan shook his head and turned to examine the door. “I don’t see how that would work. There must be a way of disabling the fence.” Jackie came and put her hand on the door—and it passed through. Shocked, she turned to Logan.
“What—how did this happen?”
Logan was as stunned as her. “I...I don’t know. Let’s just get out of here.”
Silently counting to three, they walked through together, not even noticing that they were clutching each other’s hands. What they saw when they got to the other side made both of them stop in their tracks.
Litzer was standing behind Evan, holding a stiletto knife to the teen’s throat. A malicious grin spread across his face.
“Hello, there,” he said in his annoying nasal voice. “How nice of you to join us, Mr Hayes.”
Logan held his breath. How did this crazy man know his name? Logan had certainly never heard of him before they did all that research. He chanced a glance at Jackie. Her face was horror stricken, her eyes wide and frightened. He noticed that she still had on the makeup from the night of the party. So either they’d given her time to reapply her makeup each day, or they hadn’t given her the chance to wash herself. Somehow, the latter seemed more likely.
“What d’you want?” asked Logan, trying to sound braver than he was.
“Shh shh shh!” Said Litzer, jiggling the knife a little. “You wouldn’t want my hand to slip, now would you?” He grinned manically again. “Now, just give me the girl, and I might let the two of you live.”
“Why do you want her?” Logan blurted, forgetting that he wasn’t supposed to talk.
Litzer’s eyes narrowed. “Oops,” he said, and his hand slipped.
It all happened in an instant. Litzer slashed the knife across Evan’s throat, drawing a line of blood on the boy’s neck. At the same time, Evan twirled around and kneed Litzer in the stomach, causing the older man to stumble back. Litzer gained his breath back impossibly quickly, and, drawing his arm back, tossed the knife threw the air.
Logan knew before it happened that the stiletto was going to stab him. He tried to jump to the side, but he moved too late. The blade sunk into his shoulder, and he fell to the ground with a cry of pain.
Litzer and Evan were still fighting, punching and kicking each other whenever they had the chance. Litzer had a gun tucked in his belt, but Evan made sure he never had the chance to draw it.
Suddenly Jackie appeared behind Litzer, silent as a shadow. She kicked viciously at his knees, making them buckle. The bearded man fell to the floor with a grunt, reaching for his belt....
Jackie side-kicked his head, causing him to fall forward. She then climbed onto his back and took the gun out of its holster.
Time seemed to freeze. Logan was lying in a puddle of blood on the floor two yards away, the knife still stuck deep in his shoulder. Evan was standing before Litzer, who was crouched in a fetal position on the ground, with Jackie at his back, cocking a gun at his head.
“This is for my father,” she whispered, and pulled the trigger.

Evan was in a hospital again, though this time not for himself. He was visiting Logan , who was lying in the bed, heavy bandaging over his right shoulder. The stiletto had stuck in so deep, he might not be able to use his arm the same any more. “It’s a good thing I’m left handed,” he’d said.
Jackie was sitting on the other side of the bed, flipping through a magazine. Since the incident yesterday, she and Logan had been on civil terms with each other. They didn’t seem to despise the other anymore, which was a nice change for Evan.
As for Litzer, it turned out that he was the head of a mob gang in London, and had only escaped prison due to his excessive bank account. Apparently the MI5 was very happy that Jackie had done the job and gotten rid of him. Her father said that maybe she’d take his place some day, as head of Intelligence in the MI5.
When Jackie had ‘drowned’ at the party, she’d really been shipped away by trained divers working for Litzer, who’d been waiting for Matt Ilkings to throw her overboard. Matt Ilkings was part of the mob group, and when discovered at Litzer’s headquarters, had been carted off to prison.
All in all, Evan was just glad to have his two friends alive, and he was even happier that they talked to each other without insults every other word.
Jackie turned the page of her magazine and giggled at something written in it.
“Still reading your stupid magazines, I see,” Logan croaked from the bed.
Jackie handed him a glass of water, smiling. “Some things never change.”