Free Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan Page B

age?”
    “Maybe. I don’t know. I only know what your mother did. What else can you do?”
    “Just manipulate light and stuff, nothing big. And mostly when the moon is out.”
    He nodded.
    “Is there anything else I should expect?” I asked.
    “I’m the wrong person to be asking. You should call your aunt.”
    “No way. She’ll try and make me go to that stupid school again.”
    “What’s wrong with Lucent? Your mother went there.”
    “A lot of good it did her. I think I’m a lot safer out here than in there. All they do is fill your head with illusions of grandeur.”
    He laughed. “I doubt that. Maybe we can check it out together?”
    I grunted at the same time the oven buzzer went off. “So you haven’t even told me—what are we celebrating?”
    Jake removed the cookies and placed them on the counter. “Well, after our little argument, I called a few people who I haven’t spoken to in years. They were more your dad’s friends than mine, but they did remember me. Anyway, one of them just happens to be living right here in Bountiful. He offered me a job. Last night I was over at his house discussing the details.”
    “No way! That’s great, Jake. What’s the job?”
    “It’s working in one of the petroleum plants at the Point of the Mountain.”
    “It sounds awesome.”
    “I hope so. I was there this morning checking it out.”
    “So when do you start?”
    “Well,” he frowned.
    “What?”
    “I haven’t officially accepted yet.”
    “Why?” I cried.
    “Because. I’ll only take it on one condition.”
    “What’s that?”
    He looked directly into my eyes. “I will take this job, completely change my life, but only if you promise to do the same.”
    I leaned back into the chair. “What?”
    “I know how you are, Tink. You keep everyone at arm’s length and other than sports, you don’t do anything. You have no life to speak of, and I think that needs to change.”
    “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Yes, I do. This is your last year of school and you should be enjoying it, not hanging out here, plotting out every move of your future. Life is not meant to be scripted. Your mother and father would want you to be happy.”
    “I am happy,” I mumbled.
    “You’re about as happy as a dill pickle. You’re not being who you were meant to be.”
    “I like pickles.”
    “Seriously, Llona, let’s do this together. What do you say?”
    “Can I think about it?” I asked.
    “No! No more thinking. Take a chance and say yes. Come on. You can do it, right here, right now. Say yes, and you can have one of my famous cookies.”
    I wasn’t sure if it was Jake’s pep talk or the Light within me that made me say it, but all of a sudden I heard the word “yes” roll from my lips. Before I could take it back, Jake had his arms around me, jumping up and down.
    “This is going to be great,” he cried.
    I tried not to laugh along with him, but I couldn’t help it. I would have fun this year, I resolved. All the things I hadn’t allowed myself to do before, I would do now. The possibilities flashed before me, especially with Christian. I laughed even louder at this new thought and danced with Jake around the room.
    Things were finally looking up.

T HE NEXT MORNING I COULDN’T WAIT TO GO TO SCHOOL AND find Christian. I would’ve called him the night before, but Jake insisted we go out to dinner and a movie, and I couldn’t turn him down.
    It was both strange and liberating to walk down the hallways with my head up. I was no longer afraid to be noticed. I said “hi” to several people. Some of them said “hello” back out of habit, but I saw their surprise when they realized whom they were talking to.
    I made it to Christian’s locker just as he was placing his bag inside. He seemed shocked to see me.
    “Llona. Hey, about yesterday—”
    “Forget it. I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight? Maybe go running together or something?”
    His eyebrows lifted.