Free Unaltered #2_A Diamond in my Heart by Lorena Angell Page B

door?”
    “Hurry it up, then.”
    I looked back at Brand and jumped off
the bus. The Demons were thick around the bus and continuing to
gather. I hurried and unlocked my car and climbed in. I drove it
quickly around the lot and up onto the sidewalk with the passenger
door next to the bus door. I reached over and opened the door
toward Brand who stood on the bottom step of the bus. The light
spilled out from the interior of my car and I saw the Demons
fade.
    “Get in!”
    Brand jumped and entered my car with a
fluid motion slamming the door shut. I could see the bus driver
shaking his head and rolling his eyes. I put the car in gear and
drove away. “See? That wasn’t so bad.”
    “I need to repeat, Calli.” He pulled
his blood covered hand away from his stomach.
    I yanked the steering wheel to the
right and pulled over. “Wait!” I scanned his body quickly and found
his injury was pretty serious but not irreparable. “Brand! I can
heal you.”
    “But the blood, your car, if I
repeat—”
    “No! Lean toward me, your injury is on
your back and I need to touch it.” He leaned, or more like fell
toward me, and I quickly pulled his shirt up from his waist and
rested my hands on his skin. I felt the mending within him as
sliced muscles and organs righted themselves. His exit wound on his
stomach was the last to heal together… but, he’d lost a lot of
blood. I searched my own body for excess energy to transfer to him,
extra ‘plasma’ so to speak, to sustain him until his own body could
replace the lost blood. Instinctively, I took my hands and ran them
over his entire body mere millimeters above his skin and clothes
transferring my energy to him.
    “Calli, you’re amazing. What does this
Chris guy have over me?”
    “Knock it off, Brand.”
    “Sorry about your car; sweet ride, by
the way.”
    “It will clean, don’t worry about it.
The bigger question is how are we getting you home?”
    The question was answered before we
arrived; the power was restored and the Demons were pushed into the
shadows.
    “You left your big puppy on the bus,
Calli.” He pointed out my error as I slowed to a stop in his
driveway.
    “Oh, so I did. I had more important
things on my mind.” I smiled and then looked beyond him to his
front door. “No Demons, Brand. You’re good to go.”
    “What should I tell my Mom about this
blood?”
    “Just tell them it’s not real and was
a prank pulled by some other boys.”
    Brand began leaning toward me as if he
was going to kiss my cheek, but I put my hand up and stopped him.
“Just get out, Brand.”
    “Sheez, you’re strong willed.” He got
out of the car and jogged up to the door.
    I drove away once he was safely
inside. What a day! I decided to hit the car wash and shampoo the
interior of my car before I went home. First I called my mother and
told her I was back in town but would be delayed getting home so
she wouldn’t call out the cavalry. I told her someone threw-up in
the passenger seat and I was going to go clean it at the
twenty-four hour car wash. She bought it.
     
    *****
    Graduation came and went without much
fuss. Well, if you don’t count Suz and all her exaggerated antics
of jealousy and self-inflicted depression, then there wasn’t much
fuss. My parents were curious as to why my friendship with Suz had
ended, but the new development of me hanging out with the all-star
quarterback had them a bit preoccupied. I’ve tried to tell them
he’s just a friend but they didn’t buy it. Even more frustrating is
the fact that Brand has apparently stuck onto me and is no longer
‘playing the field’. All the females who swooned over him now throw
dirty looks my way; so much for ambiguity and blending into the
shadows.
    Now that school is out, I no longer
have to ignore snide remarks, or pretend not to hear the animal
sounds directed in my direction. However, one day was particularly
fun when one of Suz’s snotty friends was making a pig snorting
sound and actually