Free Haven by Kristi Cook Page B

suggestively, and everyone burst out laughing.
    “Hey, have you heard from Allison?” Kate asked Cece once the laugher died down. “Can she write from wherever they’re keeping her?”
    The playful mood in the room sobered at once. “I haven’t heard from her at all,” Cece said. “Not once. Not a letter, not a phone call. It’s like she dropped off the face of the earth.”
    “Well, have you considered, you know”—Kate waved a hand in the air—“going to her? Just to see if she’s okay?”
    Cece wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know. I guess I could. What do you guys think?”
    “Do you even know where she is?” I asked, sitting down on my bed and reaching for my boots. It was almost time for dinner. Nine o’clock seemed forever away.
    “I don’t have to know where she is,” Cece answered, shaking her head. “I just have to will myself to her. That’s the way it works.”
    It took me a minute to catch on, to realize that they weren’t suggesting that Cece actually
visit
her; they were suggesting that her astral self do it.
    “I think you should,” Marissa said, putting on her own shoes. “Why not?”
    “Yeah, I guess I could. I’d feel better knowing exactly what happened to her. I just always feel so bad, like I’m invading someone’s privacy or something.”
    Sophie shrugged. “Well, her parents are jerks. I wouldn’t worry about
them
. Why don’t you go tonight?”
    “Nah, it’s easier in the morning. I can’t do it when I’m tired. At least, not on purpose.”
    Summoning the courage, I finally asked, “How exactly
do
you do it?”
    She sat down on the bed beside me. “Well, it sometimes happens spontaneously, when I’m not even trying. But . . . it’s kind of hard to explain. I have to really relax, get my body to sleep even though my mind stays awake. Sometimes I just focus on a sound—like a humming in my head. Next thing I know, there are these awful vibrations. Scared me to death the first couple of times. And then I just pop out. Usually my hands and feet first. Sometimes my head sticks, and that’s kind of weird. And then I have to get away from my body, or the cord will just jerk me back in.”
    “The cord?” I was still a little fuzzy on the details.
    “Yeah, that’s kind of hard to explain too. The astral cord— it keeps me tethered to my physical body. But it’s really disorienting when you’re too close to your body, so I get away as fast as I can.”
    I had to ask, even though I felt stupid doing so. “Where exactly do you go?”
    “Anywhere I want,” she answered with a shrug.
    “But . . . but what if someone sees you?”
    “No one can see me. They might hear me, if I wanted them to, but they probably wouldn’t remember it. Hey, Kate, throw me my bag, will you?”
    Kate was standing by the door, nowhere near Cece’s bag. I didn’t even flinch when the bag lifted itself off the desk and flew right into Cece’s lap.
    “Show-off,” Marissa called out.
    “So what’s everyone else doing tonight?” I asked.
    “Something with Jack,” Kate said, smiling coyly. “Clothing is optional.”
    Marissa made a face. “Gag. What about you, Sophie?”
    “Studying,” she answered with a sigh. “I’m getting a little behind in trig.”
    “Don’t be such a square, Soph.” Marissa rolled her eyes. “It’s Saturday night. C’mon, live a little. Go to the movie with me and Cece.”
    “Hey, some of us want to go Ivy,” she answered with a scowl.
    Marissa’s eyes narrowed. “That excuse is starting to get real old, real fast.”
    “Why do you care?” Sophie shot back. “I think you and Cece can survive a Saturday night without me.”
    Suddenly the air felt thick, heavy with Marissa’s disapproval. It was like a living, breathing thing, “C’mon, Marissa,”Cece scolded. “Seriously. You’re sucking all the fun right out of the room.”
    “Sorry,” Marissa muttered. “Didn’t mean to harsh your squee. I can’t help it, you know.”
    I felt