Free Keep You From Harm by Debra Doxer Page A

their direction pretending not to notice the eyes at Myles’s table following my progression past them.
    “Hey,” I set my Dora lunch bag down beside Gwen.
    She smiles up at me, and I notice that under her black sweater, she’s wearing a yellow T-shirt today. She has a little color for a change. That’s interesting. “Raielle, this is Tyler and Lisa.”
    Tyler and Lisa practically gape at me when I sit down with them. Tyler has dark shaggy hair that nearly reaches his shoulders. He’s cute in a geeky John Cusack kind of way. Lisa’s head is topped by a cloud of red hair and her skin is mostly freckles. When my eyes meet hers, her cheeks heat. The poor girl looks like little Orphan Annie. They all eye Dora as I withdraw my lunch items, but they don’t comment.
    “I have all the Dexter episodes on my DVR,” Gwen says to them, obviously continuing a conversation they were having before I arrived. “You should watch the ones you missed. The first season is amazing.” She turns to me. “Have you ever seen Dexter ?”
    I shake my head.
    “Seriously? You need to come over, too, then. It’s such an unbelievable show. Michael C. Hall is completely hot in a dangerous psychopath kind of way.”
    Since the conversation isn’t really holding my attention, I find my eyes wandering over to another table. Sophie and Kellie are in their same seats. They’re laughing hysterically over something, and I can’t help but think it’s me when I see both their eyes are darting in my direction. Is the fact that I’m sitting at this table so funny? My eyes travel to Lucas whose face is partially hidden behind Jake’s. His attention is on his lunch tray. He doesn’t seem to be participating in any conversation at all.
    “Raielle?”
    I turn back to Gwen who’s watching me expectantly. “This weekend?” she prompts. “Do you want to come over and have a Dexter marathon with us?”
    “Um, sure.”
    “Cool,” she beams at me.
    Across the table, I think I see Lisa gulp.
    Eating lunch does nothing to wake me up, and I nearly nod off in chemistry. On the way out, I let Gwen know that I’m walking home with Myles today. After his speech about wanting to be my friend, I decide I should make more of an effort to return the favor.
    T he endless day is finally over. I’m moving tiredly down the stairs to meet Myles. Hoards of students are passing me in their rush to be free from school when someone brushes hard against my arm. Inside me, the energy starts to build. I stop and grab the railing. My stomach hollows and drops. I clench my abdomen muscles, tamping down on the surge, trying to rein it in. Oblivious to the commotion around me, I sit down while my hand is still gripping the rail. A very sick person just touched me. Their bare arm made contact with mine, and it set the process in motion. The strength with which this is hitting me means whoever it was has an extremely serious illness. Holding in the desire to heal once the energy forms is physically painful. I’m compelled to do it, and when I don’t, it turns on me.
    My skin breaks out in a cold sweat, and a wave of nausea rolls through me. All my muscles ache. It feels like I have the flu on steroids. My hands are shaking, and I can’t even think about moving until this passes. This is my own fault. When I’m in control, this doesn’t happen. Lots of people suffer from different ailments. If this happened every time I came into contact with a sick person, I couldn’t function. Today, I’m not in control of my emotions. I’m exhausted, and I let my guard down. Now, I’m paying for it.
    I don’t know how long I sit there, waiting for the shakes to pass. Eventually, the stairwell empties and the commotion fades. Everyone is gone. The only sound I hear is my own harsh breathing. Then a door opens and slams shut on the floor above me, echoing in the silence. Someone is descending the stairs. I stand on unsteady legs.
    “Raielle?”
    I immediately tense. The