As Brie lay sprawled on the bus floor, Emma started to yell, "You can't..."

The boy looked at the little girl and glared, his face morphing into a threatening mask.

Emma's voice trailed off. She stood, clearly trying to decide whether to finish the sentence or not.

At the same time the driver jumped out of his seat. "What happened! Are you alright?" his voice boomed across the bus.

The hulk over her growled low in his throat like an angry animal.

Brie hoped Emma didn't say anything. If the woman on the floor of her vision was any indication of what the boy was capable of doing, she didn't want Emma to end up in the crosshairs of his anger. She realized if she didn't do something fast, Emma might feel compelled to answer the driver. Brie sent a pleading look at the girl, her lips puckered closed, and she shook her head in a silent 'no.' She prayed Emma would understand what she was trying to tell her.

But Brie wasn't willing to take that chance in case she didn't. "I fell! My foot got caught under the seat and I tripped," she shouted. "I'm okay."

The driver leaned over and grabbed her hand to help her up. "No, you're not. You need to go to the office; your lip is cut. You need ice and we have to fill out an injury report."

Brie sucked in a breath when his hand came in contact with hers. She let it out in relief when she didn't feel that telltale sting. "I'm okay," she repeated. Confident there were no skeletons lurking in the back of his mind, she gave the middle-age driver a shaky smile.

Most of the students were out of their seats crowding the aisle now, all of them staring at her. This was a nightmare. She fought back the tears. All she wanted was to blend into the woodwork on her first day. Instead, she was the focus of attention and she hadn't even made it into school yet. Needing an excuse not to look at them, she brushed off the dust on her backpack with the hand not covered in blood, and slung it over her shoulder.

"Okay, okay, move it along now. You're running out of time to get to class." the driver said. To Brie: "Wait for me outside. Once the bus is empty I'll take you to the office."

"I'm the office TA for first period; I can walk her over. I'll stay with her until you get there. She's kind of bleeding a lot," said a girl from the back of the bus.

"No, that's alright," Brie insisted, closing her eyes. "I know where it is." The last thing she wanted was another awkward conversation with a stranger. "I can make it on my own."

Two weeks ago, when she was still sixteen, she would have welcomed the idea of a new friend. But her life had changed drastically since then. Making friends was a bad idea now. She still hadn't come to terms with her new sight and the horrors that came along with it. Until she learned how to control it, if in fact she ever could, she would have to keep to herself.

The bus driver shook his head. "I can't have you faint in the halls on the way. The school nurse should take a look at you. Jordyn, walk her over, please." He waved a hand, "Come on now, off the bus everyone."

The students filed off the bus and Brie stood on the curb with her back to them, holding her lip so the blood wouldn't drip onto her parka.

A girl stepped in front of her. "Hi, I'm Jordyn. What's your name?"

"Um, Brie. You don't have to babysit me, really. I can get to the office on my own. "

"Don't be ridiculous. Like I said, I'm the TA; I have first period there."

Rather than do a face to face with the girl, Brie kicked the dust off her new Chuck T's, the ones her mother had given her for her birthday. Brie knew Jordyn was only trying to help, but in this case, the attention was unwanted. No, not unwanted, more like problematic.

Jordyn pulled her oversized leather purse open and began to dig for something in the bottom. She pulled out a tissue and offered it to Brie. On instinct, Brie stepped back when Jordyn reached for her mouth. But she wasn't fast enough to stop her from pressing it to her swollen lip. "There," she said. "You were about to drip,"

Another safe zone. No zap! She was struck with the fact that her life was now divided into black and white. There were safe zones and danger zones, and it was all about learning how to navigate the treacherous terrine between the two.

"Thank you," Brie said, gazing into Jordyn's chocolate-colored eyes. Her hair was brown, almost the same shade as her eyes. She was about the same height as Brie, 5'6", and she wore a knee-length heavy coat. Brie had to assume she was freezing in the gray tights and short boots, which implied she had a skirt on under the winter jacket. And that thought started her feet moving, because she didn't want to keep the girl out in the cold any longer than necessary.

"Did you just move here?" Jordyn asked.

"Yeah, from San Francisco. Our best weather is in the early fall. I wasn't prepared for this."

Brie saw Emma up ahead, about to head towards the Middle School. A boy stepped around her and yelled the little girl's name. Emma turned and waited for him to catch up. They talked for a minute and then went in different directions.

Jordyn said, "Neither were we. This is one of the earliest snowstorms in Whitefish history. Did you move here with your family?"

Brie kicked a rock off the shoveled walkway. "No. I came by myself. I'm living with my grandfather."

Jordyn became quiet. Brie figured if she didn't ask the follow up question why her mother and father weren't with her, it was because she understood that life could be complicated.

"Gary's an asshole, by the way. If I were you, I'd stay out of his way."

"No shit," Brie said.

Jordyn gave her a smirk as she pulled open one of the large glass doors to Piedmont High. Instantly a warm blast of air hit Brie, making her uncomfortable under the layers of clothing.

Brie was careful not to bump into anyone as they walked through the crowded halls. She kept her head down and her hand over her mouth to hide her bloody lip. In spite of her efforts, students still stopped and gawked at her as she passed.

Jordyn paused outside the office doors and turned to her. "Brie—I'm serious about Gary. He's a wack-job. They call him Crusher—short for Bone Crusher—on the football team. He put two players in the hospital already this year. He has a temper. I've seen him loose it and it aint pretty."

"I believe you. I'll stay clear of him, thanks." She knew probably even better than Jordyn what the anger inside Gary was like.

Jordyn ushered Brie to the counter. "Mrs. Hadden," she called to a woman sitting behind a desk.

An elderly woman with white hair in a bun and glasses glanced up. Brie didn't have time to look away and met her gray eyes straight on. When a vision didn't come, her pulse slowed to a gallop.

Mrs. Hadden saw Brie's bloody face and came rushing over. "What happened to you, dear?"

"I fell on the bus," Brie said.

"Let me take a look at you, child. The nurse is running a little late because of the snow, but she should be here any minute."

Brie removed the tissue from her lip, or at least the majority of it that wasn't stuck to the blood.

"You really did a number on yourself. I'll get you some ice while you wait."

Jordyn spoke up. "It happened on the bus. Buddy said he'd be in as soon as the kids unloaded."

"Oh. I see. I'll get the forms for him. We need to call your house and speak with your mother or father about your injury, too."

"Grandfather," Jordyn said. "She lives with her grandfather."

"Okay. Let me pull your emergency card. What's your name, dear?"

"Brie Ranger."

"Ranger," the woman repeated.

"Um. Could you get my class schedule too? I enrolled on Friday and the other lady said it would be waiting in the office for me to pick up."

"Is this your first day?"

"Yes," Brie answered.

"Not exactly the best way to start out."

"No, mam."

"Let me get you some ice, then we'll handle your paperwork."

Jordyn moved to the lift-up section of the counter and raised it to get to the other side. "I can get her schedule, Mrs. Hadden. I know where to find it."

Brie watched Jordyn walk her fingers through an upright stack of manilla folders. She found what she was looking for, pulled it out, and waved it at Brie. Attached to the outside with a paperclip was a half-slip of paper. She brought the folder back to Brie.

"Here it is. What are you taking?"

Brie pulled the printout off the folder and scanned the information. "AP Physics, AP Econ/Government, Calculus, AP English Lit, Spanish 5, and Gymnastics."

Jordyn whistled. "Those are some pretty heavy classes. You must be wicked smart."

Brie smiled and shrugged. School had always been easy for her.

"Here you go," Mrs. Hadden said as she walked up and handed the ice pack to Brie. "Thanks for getting her file, Jordyn."

The woman opened the folder and flipped through the papers. "I thought you looked familiar. Are you Ella Ranger's daughter?"

Brie's heart began to race. "Yes, mam."

"You have your mother's stormy-blue eyes." She gave Brie a silent, judgmental look.

The comment hit Brie like a hammer. She wondered how much the woman knew about her mom.

"I haven't seen Ella around here in years. You living with Peter Ranger now, her father?"

Brie nodded her head; she didn't trust her voice.

"He's a good man, your grandpa. He's put up with a lot from your mom. I was your grandma's best friend. I hope you don't give him any trouble girl."

"I won't mam," Brie said, swallowing hard.

"Let's call your grandfather now. You can tell him what happened. Jordyn, I have some filing for you on the desk. Let's give Brie some breathing room."

Brie picked up the phone and punched in the numbers.

"Hello," Pops answered.

When she heard his voice, her chest hitched. He was her tether to home. He'd always been there for her. She fought the lump in her throat.

"Hi Pops. I'm okay, but I had an accident on the bus this morning. I have a fat lip. The nurse is going to look me over when she gets here."

Pops was quiet for a minute. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine." Her voice was small.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you when I get home."

"You saw something?"

"Yeah."

Pops gave a loud sigh. "Look, I know it's not easy, Kiddo. We'll talk about it after school. I saw what it did to your Gabby and mom. You miss your mom, too. I can tell."

"Yeah," her voice came out in a whisper.

"We'll call her tonight and see if she can come to the phone. Don't worry. We'll get through this."

Brie couldn't help but note that it hadn't worked out so well for her mom. She had an awful feeling it wasn't going to be any better for her.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading and voting. Your comments are truly welcome! I always reply.