CHAPTER SIX

When Cierra went home from the meeting that night, she was consumed with a need that she could not quite identify.

"Hi, sweetheart," Tyler Denton, Cierra's stepfather, greeted her warmly. Although Tyler was not her biological father, he had raised her from the time she was six, and had been the only parent in her life since her mother's death when she was ten. She always called him "Dad."

"Hi, Dad," Cierra greeted him.

"How was your day?"

"Oh, not bad. Nothing too exciting happened. What about you?"

"You know, just the usual."

"Well, I've got some studying to do," Cierra said suddenly.

"Alright," Tyler replied, not questioning this given Cierra's love of books. "Have fun." He winked at her.

Cierra hurried upstairs, but did not stop in her bedroom. Instead, she went into the attic and began searching through some of the boxes.

What the heck am I looking for? Cierra wondered. She didn't know what it was, but she could feel it calling to her. She noticed a brown leather-bound notebook. Holding it in her hands, Cierra almost began to cry. She could feel her mother's energy all around the book.

"Mom..." Cierra whispered. She opened the book to the first page.

This diary belongs to Joan Miller. Everyone else, Keep Out!!!

Cierra could not believe what she was reading. She had never known that her mother kept a diary. "Okay, Cierra," she said aloud, "this is an ethical dilemma. Yes, this was meant to be private, but Mama's dead... This is the best way for me to get to know her better."

She could not resist reading the diary. It might bring her closer to her mother, which was something that Cierra longed for. She tucked the diary beneath her sweater and carried it downstairs. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to hide it, but for some reason, she wanted the diary to be hers, and hers alone.

Certain that no one had seen her sneak the diary out of the attic, Cierra closed the door to her bedroom and curled up on her bed. As she began to read, she forgot about the rest of the world.

~*~

The next day, Randy stood in the locker room getting changed for his football gym class. He overheard two of his teammates talking nearby. "Man, I'm going out with Miranda Tagerson this Saturday," Paul Sommerly said. "I'm excited. She's seriously hot... Do you have a date yet?"

"Not yet, but I was thinking of asking someone out," Owen Quinn replied.

"Nice. Who's the lucky girl?" Paul asked.

"Beth Ashford," Owen replied. Randy began listening more intently.

"The freshman? Oh, man, she's cute and all, but she's not your type," Paul said.

"Why not?" Owen asked.

"She's too sweet for you, man."

"She's hot and she's single, and maybe a sweet girl would be nice for a change."

"That girl is definitely a virgin, Owen."

"So what?"

"Come on, O. You like your dates to end a certain way, and I doubt a date with her would."

"Try me, Paul."

Randy was tempted to punch Owen for even thinking about seducing Beth, but he resisted the urge. Instead, he joined the conversation. "You have a thing for Beth Ashford?" He asked as nonchalantly as he could manage.

"Yeah, she's cute," Owen replied. "I love blondes."

"Just treat her right, Owen," Randy said with a hint of warning in his tone. "Beth's a nice girl."

"You know her? Oh, man, you have got to hook me up!"

"I'm not a match maker," Randy protested.

"Just feel around and see if she'd be interested in me or not. Please?"

Randy regretted getting involved in the conversation. "Can't you get your own dates?" He asked.

"Yeah, but this one's special, man. Help a guy out?"

Randy sighed. "Fine," he reluctantly agreed.

"I owe you one!" Owen said with a grin.

Somehow, this conversation didn't go as I was hoping it would, Randy thought to himself.

~*~

Beth had somehow convinced Jade to actually go to the cafeteria for lunch instead of hiding in the library that day. Normally, Jade hated the loud chaos of the cafeteria, but today, she caved because she had woken up late and skipped breakfast. Of course, Jade was not willing to risk eating cafeteria food, but Beth had packed lunches for both of them. Since Jade's presence terrified most of Beth's friends, Beth was not seated in her usual spot at the popular table, but was sitting alone with Jade at a table toward the back of the cafeteria.

Randy knew it was time to make good on his promise. He walked over to Beth and Jade, instead of taking his usual seat at the jock table, which was next to the one that Beth normally sat at. "Hey," he said. "Is this seat taken?"

Jade shrugged. "Nope," Beth replied cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Okay, Beth, this is going to sound beyond lame, but what do you think of Owen Quinn?" Randy asked.

"The sophomore?"

"Yeah."

"He's cute," Beth admitted, trying to keep herself from giggling because she knew it annoyed Jade. "He seems like a nice guy."

"Well, again at the risk of sounding really cheesy, he's interested in you and wants to know if it's mutual."

"Seriously? Oh my gosh!" Beth's cheeks turned pink as she began to blush, but she was too excited to be embarrassed for long. "Did you hear that, Jade? One of the most popular boys in school is interested in me!"

"Congratulations," Jade replied dryly. She could not care less about teenybopper popularity contests, and grouped most of the popular kids into a category labeled "idiots," with very few exceptions. The only people she really excluded from that label were the members of the Silver Society who happened to be a part of the popular crowd.

"He's thinking about asking you out," Randy said, "but was too much of a chicken to do it without finding out if you liked him first."

"Oh my gosh, this is so cool! I've never been on a date before," Beth admitted.

Suddenly, Randy had the overwhelming urge to tell Beth not to go out with Owen. He told himself that it was because she was so naïve, and that he just wanted to protect her, but part of him wondered if it was something more. Could he be developing feelings for her? No way, Randy, he thought. That's seriously not going to happen.

~*~

"So, Randy, I saw you talking to Beth at lunch," Owen said during their afternoon football practice.

"She's interested," Randy dutifully reported. He hated himself for it. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to keep Owen away from Beth, but he knew that he had no right to interfere. After all, he was just starting to get to know Beth.

"Man, I could hug you," Owen said. "But I won't," he added quickly with a grin. "I'm gonna ask her out tomorrow."

"Where are you taking her?" Randy asked.

"I'll ask her to the movies," Owen decided.

That sounded safe enough. Randy was relieved they'd be in a public place. Beth should be pretty safe in a movie theater, surrounded by other people.

"That's cool," he said. "I hope you guys have fun."

"My dates are always fun, Randy," Owen replied with a laugh.

"Do it on Saturday," Pail suggested. "Then you can bring her to the party afterward. It's going to be fun."

"Perfect," Owen said. "Parties are the best way to end a date."

Randy watched as Owen walked away. He tried to ignore the sick feeling that was growing stronger in the pit of his stomach.

~*~

For reasons he didn't quite understand, Jesse had dutifully attended every meeting of the Erica Vitti Society faithfully since joining. Today was no different, and he took his usual spot behind Tommi and next to Bianca. Tommi acknowledged him with her usual eye roll and smirk as Hugo began opening the meeting. Bianca put her arm around Jesse like they were old friends. She made him a little bit uncomfortable.

Jesse, she's gorgeous. Why are you fighting this? He asked himself. She obviously likes you.

"So, today, we're going to discuss-" Hugo began.

Prudence sneezed. "Sorry," she said softly. Her cheeks turned pink.

"It's alright, Prudence," Hugo replied.

"It's alright, Prudence," Tommi mimicked under her breath. Jesse struggled not to laugh at her very good impression of Hugo's condescending I'm-better-than-you way of speaking.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we're going to discuss ways in which we can improve ourselves," Hugo said. "No one is perfect, but we must all strive to get as close to it as possible."

"I have a question," Tommi said suddenly. Her tone told Jesse that she was about to do something. "What happened to Gary?"

Hugo gasped. Lydia nearly choked on the water she was drinking. Several of the older members of the Erica Vitti Society looked abnormally pale and nervous.

Tommi nodded, clearly having gotten the reaction she expected. What is she up to? Jesse wondered.

"What do you mean?" Hugo asked, once he had recovered from his shock.

"I mean, where did he go? He's missing from the meeting today." Tommi replied innocently.

"Unfortunately, Gary ran away from home last night," Lydia replied quickly. "His mother told my father all about it. He left a note."

"Are you sure there's not more to it?" Pru asked in concern.

"Like what?"

"Well, anyone could have written a note," Pru pointed out.

"It was his handwriting, Prudence."

"I just think it's odd, is all. None of the members of this group strike me as runaways."

"Well, we were clearly wrong about him. He didn't fit in after all."

"Well, why not?" Pru shrank at the look in Lydia's eyes. "I'm sorry. You're all probably upset about this."

"Yes, we are. We'd really prefer not to discuss it further."

"Moving on," Hugo began, "shall we get back to what we were discussing earlier?"

Jesse found their reactions not only suspicious, but creepy. Maybe he'd do better to leave the Erica Vitti Society after all.

But think about your mother, Jesse, he thought suddenly. She was a member. You want to know more about her. What better way is there? And don't forget about Bianca. You like her. You know you do. You can't stop thinking about her.

It was true. Ever since he'd met her, Bianca had been pushing her way into his mind more and more often. It was getting to the point where he could think about little else. Maybe that was what love was like? Jesse tried to keep an open mind. He always quit things. This time, he'd stick with it and see it through.

~*~

"I don't know what to wear," Beth said for the fifth time on Saturday night.

"Beth, it's just a date," Jade replied. "Relax."

"It's a first date. Those are important."

"If you say so." Jade paused. "Are you sure this guy is trustworthy?"

"Randy wouldn't let me go out with a creep, Jade. I'll be fine."

"It's just, I don't leave you alone very often, and when I do, there's usually trouble."

"Jade, even bodyguards deserve a night off once in a while. Enjoy it. Go out with Spencer or something. I'll be okay."

"I hope so..."

Beth hugged her. "How do I look?" She asked. She had selected a pink sweater and a denim skirt. Her hair was down and held back only by a pink headband.

"You look great," Jade replied. "Have fun."

"I will," Beth said. The doorbell rang. "That's him! Oh my gosh... Okay, I'll see you later..."

As Beth headed out the door, Jade tried to ignore the uneasy feeling building inside of her stomach.

~*~

Beth and Owen were sitting in the dark theater watching a scary movie. Every couple of minutes, Beth shrieked and buried her face in Owen's shoulder. He seemed to enjoy this, and he held her close. One of the times that it happened, he kissed her.

Beth was stunned to feel Owen's lips against her own, but she shyly kissed him back and tried to calm the butterflies that were tap dancing in her stomach. Only when Owen's hands started to wander over her body did she pull away.

"Owen, slow down," she said. "This is only our first date."

"Come on, Beth, it's just a little touching," Owen replied. He put his hand on her leg, sliding it slowly beneath her skirt. "Doesn't that feel good?"

"Owen, no... I don't do that kind of stuff. I'm only fourteen."

"Plenty of fourteen-year-old girls do this kind of stuff."

"Okay, well, I'm not one of them." She pushed his hand away as it rose dangerously high.

"Beth, don't be a drag."

"I'm not a drag. There's a lot we can do besides that stuff."

Owen wasn't ready to give up yet. He slid his hand back beneath her skirt. Beth jerked her leg away. "Owen, stop it. I mean it," she said.

Owen rolled his eyes. "Okay. I'm sorry, Beth." For the rest of the movie, he behaved himself.

Since Owen finally seemed to have gotten his hormones under control, when he kissed her again at the end of the movie, Beth did not protest. She had never kissed a boy before that night, but she liked the way it felt. She was ready for kissing, but she knew she wasn't ready to go any further than that.

Owen led Beth out of the theater. "There's a party tonight," he said. "Paul and Miranda are going to be there, and so is just about everyone else. Do you want to go?"

"Sure," Beth replied, thrilled at the prospect of going to a party that older kids from Bishop High School were going to be at. Sure, Aideen and Courtney's birthday party had turned into a disaster, but that had probably been a fluke.

"Great." Owen took her hand. They walked to the house where the party was being held, which was only a few blocks away from the theater.

At first, Beth was having a great time. She started to become giddy, and she realized that she was getting drunk by way of her out-of-control empathic abilities. Beth was surrounded by drunk teenagers, and that bothered her, but she was drawn into it too quickly to listen to the logical side of her brain that was telling her she needed to get out of there.

Owen led Beth upstairs and into a bedroom. "This is just so we can have some privacy," he assured her. Beth was too drunk to realize this was not a very smart idea, so she agreed. "I really like you, Beth. I'm having fun tonight."

"So am I," Beth replied.

"You know what would be even more fun?"

"What?" Beth asked innocently.

"This." Owen started kissing her again. Beth allowed him to, and it took her a minute to realize that his hands were on her body again.

"O-Owen, stop," Beth said, trying to focus. She pulled away from him.

"Beth, how many drinks do I have to get into you before you're not so nervous about this?" Owen demanded.

"I haven't had anything to drink. I don't drink," Beth insisted.

"You're acting pretty drunk."

"It's just the energy of the party, I guess. Look, I told you, I'm not ready for this."

"Grow up, Beth. You're in high school now. This is what high school kids do."

"Not this high school kid." Beth tried to stand up and walk away from him, but Owen pulled her back onto the bed.

"I have a reputation, Beth. I need to keep that up."

"By raping people?" Beth asked sharply.

Owen seemed to be both startled and offended by that comment. "Hey, I'm not a rapist!" He protested.

"Maybe not yet, but if you keep this up, you will be," Beth replied. "I said no, and stop, and you're not listening to me. No matter what you say to convince me otherwise, I won't give my consent. My dad is a lawyer, Owen. I know the law. You're going to be in serious trouble if you don't let me leave right now."

Beth was surprised by how confident she sounded, but she knew she had to get out of this situation, and there was no way she'd be able to do it physically. Owen was twice her size and, being a football player, he was bound to be a lot stronger than she was. She had to talk her way out. It was her only chance.

"Hey, I didn't break any laws, Beth," Owen said quickly. He released her. "I guess you're still just a kid. Go home."

Beth fled the room and ran down the stairs, nearly falling in the process. She was still feeling drunk, but she was also terrified. How was she going to get home when she wasn't even sure where she was?

"Beth?" Randy asked suddenly. He was startled by her appearance. She was shaking and her hair was messy. Beth was the type of girl who fixed her hair the second a strand fell out of place. She also didn't seem to be able to walk straight. "Beth, are you okay?" He walked over to her and tried to touch her.

"Don't!" Beth shouted, her empathically drunk state causing her to flash on Owen instead of Randy.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Randy demanded. He looked ready to kill.

Beth suddenly realized that she was with Randy and not Owen. "Randy?" She asked.

"Yeah, Beth, it's Randy... Beth, what happened? What did Owen do?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. He'd never forgive himself if Beth had gotten hurt and he'd helped it happen.

"N-nothing happened," Beth replied quickly.

Randy gently led Beth outside. "Honey, you can tell me the truth," he said softly. "Did Owen hurt you?"

"No. He tried to go further than I wanted to go, but I told him about my dad being a lawyer and he backed off."

Randy was relieved to hear that she had not been hurt, but he was furious that Owen had tried to force himself on her. He tried to keep himself calm. He could rage later. Right now, he needed to take care of Beth. "Beth, have you been drinking? You look really out of it."

"No," Beth replied. "I don't drink."

"Did Owen slip you something?"

"It's not that..."

"Then what?" Randy coaxed gently.

Beth sighed. "It's the party. I don't have blocks, remember?"

"Wait, do you mean that you're drunk because other people were drinking?" Randy asked in surprise.

"I think so."

Randy shook his head. "That's a new one. Let me take you home, okay? I'm so sorry this happened... Owen can be a jerk. I should have warned you..."

"I just wanted to know what it was like," Beth said a bit whimsically.

"What what was like?" Randy asked in confusion.

"Dating," she explained.

"Oh..." Randy felt even guiltier. "Look, Beth, not all guys are like Owen. Some of us are decent."

"I know." Beth giggled suddenly.

"Why are you laughing?" Randy asked.

"I have no idea," Beth admitted.

Randy sighed. "Okay, you need to be sobered up. I can't let your parents see you like this. They'll freak out."

"They aren't home. It's their date night."

"Still, I should take you to Dylan. I think he can get this stuff out of you... Or maybe Alex. I know Alex is good at fixing empathic oopses."

"Oopses?" Beth repeated.

"You'd be surprised what can happen to an empath by mistake."

"They'll laugh at me," Beth said with a pout.

"No they won't."

"They will. Just take me home," she insisted.

"Beth, you're drunk... Really drunk."

"I'm fine." She giggled again.

"Okay, you know what? I'll take you home, but I'm having Alex come over to fix you."

"If you insist..." She giggled harder.

Randy could tell Beth would take forever to walk home, so he picked her up and carried her there. When he rang the doorbell, Jade answered it.

"What the hell happened to her?" Jade demanded. Beth started giggling again and Jade's jaw dropped. "Has she been drinking?"

"Not exactly," Randy replied. "It's an empathic issue. I sent a message to Alex to come over and fix her. He's on his way."

"Wow. She really doesn't have any blocks," Jade said, shaking her head. "I've never seen someone absorb being drunk before."

"Neither have I," Randy admitted. "She'll be okay, though, now that she's home."

"What did you tell the guy she was out with to explain this?"

"I didn't. He tried to cross a line, and Beth was trying to leave the party when I found her."

"He did what?" Jade hit an instant rage. "He's dead."

"No, Jade, don't," Beth said suddenly. "He was just being a stupid boy. Boys are stupid! They can't help it. Except Randy. Randy's my hero." She giggled again.

Jade shook her head again. "I should kill him," she said.

"I wanted to, believe me," Randy replied, "but at least nothing actually happened. She was lucky."

"Yeah," Jade agreed. "Come on, let's get her inside."

Timmy walked into the living room as Randy sat Beth down on the couch. "Is she okay?" He asked in concern.

"Beth's a super empath," Jade explained. "She had a bit of an accident at a party."

Timmy sat beside Beth and gently stroked her hair. "You'll be okay, Beth," he said soothingly.

Beth grinned and started trying to pet his head. Timmy allowed this. To Jade's surprise, he let out a soft, content meow and started to purr.

He's a lycanthrope, she realized. She didn't call him on it. Timmy would open up when he was ready. Right now, he was still adjusting. Besides, Beth's current predicament was much more urgent.

Alex arrived a few minutes later. He took one look at Beth and said, "We're gonna need to double our efforts on developing your blocks."

"Can you fix her?" Randy asked.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Alex replied. "Believe it or not, I've seen this before. She's going to have one heck of a headache tomorrow, though."

"Psychic hangover? Ouch," Timmy mumbled.

"You have no idea, kid." Alex replied.

It took a little while, but Alex finally sobered Beth up. He stayed long enough to make sure she could fall asleep. Jade stayed awake all night out of fear that Beth would get sick while she was sleeping.

The next morning, Beth awoke to the sound of her mother knocking on the door. "Bethie, honey, we have to get to church... Are you still in bed?" She called.

Jade took one look at Beth and took pity on her. "Beth's not feeling well, Maggie," Jade said. She opened the bedroom door and motioned toward Beth, who was hiding under the covers. "It was probably something she ate."

"Oh, my poor baby," Maggie said sympathetically. "Alright, we'll go without you today. We'll be back later on." She walked away.

"Ow," Beth groaned.

"This is your first hangover. Congratulations," Jade replied.

"It's not fair. I have a hangover and I didn't even drink." She paused. "How do you cure a psychic hangover, anyway?"

Jade pulled an amethyst stone out of her pocket and handed it to Beth. "This usually helps with my headaches. Rub it, focus on its texture, and see if it helps."

"Thanks... I'll try anything. I am never drinking alcohol. Ever. Seriously."

"Yeah, well, after seeing what happened to you last night, I'd say that's a good idea," Jade said. She stayed with Beth until Beth was able to fall asleep again.