Free The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: The Curse of the Gifted by J.A. Schreckenbach

Chelsea's eyes. She wanted to make sure she understood the message Chels was asking in her word. Of course Chels was referring to her past brush with insanity. Her worries weren’t too far from the truth. If she only knew what Aimee had just gone through she wouldn’t doubt Aimee was nuts.
    “If you mean, okay, as in – the word stuck in her throat – sane , don’t worry. I’m fine, all right?” Chelsea didn’t press. The look on Aimee's face must have told her to change the subject.
    “Do you mind me taking your car back to school?”
    Aimee didn’t dare look at Chels. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she forced the emotion in her voice to steady. “Just drop me off and come back after school. I don’t think I’m going to work.”
    Chelsea eased the Bug into the driveway. After shifting into Neutral, she engaged the emergency brake, then reached back to grab Aimee's pack while Aimee got out. Aimee took it and managed a smile before slamming the door and running towards the house. Chelsea waited with the car idling until Aimee got through the door. Aimee heard the familiar grind of the gears when Chelsea backed into the street, then the engine whining as she sped away down the slick roadway.
    Zonker greeted Aimee at the door with his tail wagging. “Hey, Z. Do you need to go out?” He raced her for the backdoor. After letting him out, Aimee noticed the kitchen clock. It was a little before ten. James probably was in class right now. She hated to bother him, but she had to know and she couldn’t wait until tonight’s news. Aimee took her cell phone out of her backpack, flipped it open, and plopped down into her chair at the kitchen table. Her fingers sailed across the keys texting him.
     
    James…hey call…aimee
     
    Aimee hit Send and closed the phone, then stuffed it in her back pocket. She flicked on the ancient radio sitting on the kitchen counter hoping to hear any breaking news of a robbery on the UC campus. Listening without hearing the music, she paced around the kitchen waiting for James to call. No news. She switched to another station, but only nonstop country hits flowed from the antiquated box. She couldn’t wait any longer. She let Zonker in, then flew to her room to crank up her desktop. Perhaps she could find some news on the Internet. While watching the blue screen fill with flashing icons as it slowly came to life, Aimee felt the cell phone vibrate urgently in her back pocket. In one swift movement she had the phone open and to her ear. The voice she was waiting to hear was on the other end.
    She answered, “Hello.”
    “Hey, Aimee, what’s wrong?” There was panic in James’s voice.
    “Hi, James. Nothing’s wrong.” She paused briefly trying to sort out how to ask him about the … event … without raising any red flags. Aimee knew if something had happened, no matter how re cently, James would surely know. He was majoring in journalism and was working part-time as a reporter for the UC’s student newspaper. Aimee said, “Uh, I was just listening to the radio in the, uh…uh, the nurse’s office, and I heard there was a robbery on campus.” There was silence on his end so she continued, “Well, you know how Dad worries about you and Sacha up there. I just had to make sure everything was all right.”
    A few more strained seconds of silence passed before James spoke. “Aimee, where did you hear this?”
    “I told you, I heard it on the radio. I don’t know what station.”
    “Aimee, that story hasn’t broke yet. It just happened maybe ten minutes ago. Joe just paged me to get over to the bookstore and get on top of it.”
    Shit, think fast! “James, I swear, somehow the station must have picked it up, maybe they listen to the police scanner. I don’t know, my God, I was just worried sick.” She desperately tried to elude his skepticism. She didn’t want to give him another chance to continue his scrutiny. “James, it doesn’t matter how I heard it. I just