Free At First Sight: Special Edition by Heather Todd Page A

returned to his own room, locking the door behind him. He stared at the glowing orb in the middle of the room and grinned devilishly at the couple before him sitting together on the swing.
                  “I’ve definitely got my eye on you.”
     
                  Dean decided to take her to one of the number one locations in the Los Angeles area: Venice Beach. It was the top location for residents and tourists to get a view of the beach and for new artists to get more recognition for their music.
                  The lights and stars were shining down on the people walking along the beach and the streets. Somebody was breakdancing next to another person on a keyboard, an old man was trying to get people to find the Queen of Hearts, and another person was singing a cover of Bruno Mars while playing the guitar.
                  Lola looked at Dean as they walked together, their hands brushing against each other. He was looking around, randomly smiling at somebody that was displaying talent. She just couldn’t understand how there was a different species out there and they looked completely human, but they weren’t. There was magic, mind reading, and so many different abilities that she had only read in books and seen in movies.
                  How was this possible?
                  Dean looked over at her. “Lola, I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
                  “What makes you think I’m afraid?” she asked.
                  He shrugged sheepishly. “I mean, your thoughts are wide open. The way you’re thinking, it makes it seem like you are just afraid of everything.”
                  “I’m not necessarily afraid. I’m just…” She paused, shaking her head. “... confused.”
                  “I know and I promise to do all that can to make you comfortable. The pain is gone from our bodies and it’s because our hearts know what we want. Though it’s hard to grasp, we want each other. We just… need to learn to accept it,” he explained gently.
                  Lola looked at him and nodded. “I know. I’m willing to give it a try.”
                  “That’s all I ask,” he smiled.
                  They stopped at the guitar player as he began to switch from Bruno Mars to Ed Sheeran’s “A Team”. His voice was soft and sentimental, matching the tone of the song and setting the mood for the night.
                  Lola was so entranced with the song that she barely noticed the fact that she was holding hands with Dean. He was closer to her, too. It felt nice, though.
                  “Lola?”
                  She kept her eyes trained on the strings of the guitar being plucked expertly, but paid attention to Dean’s words. “Hmm?”
                  There was no response.
                  “Dean?” She looked to her left, but there was nobody there. Venice Beach was deserted and there was no more music. It had gotten colder, too. The ocean was barely moving and there was no wind. Everything was just bleak and cold.
                  “Hello?!” she shouted, hugging her body as she shivered.
                  “My, you sure are something.”
                  Lola jumped and turned to see a man dressed up in a business suit, looking far too formal for Venice Beach. “Who are you? Where did everybody go?”
                  “I never thought it could be this easy to get into your mind, but you are really vulnerable. I don’t really know how you came to be one half of the team to bring the gift back,” he explained, slowly walking towards her.
                  “The gift…” murmured Lola. “You know about it?”
                  “Of course I do.” He lifted his right palm, showing off a scar in the