"You ready?" the camp leader asked.
The cold faded and the goose bumps on Kylie's arms melted back into normal skin. Even the frigid air in her lungs warmed. A wave of relief washed over her.
"Oh," Holiday said, and took a step back. "Did I interrupt something?"
Kylie knew the camp leader didn't mean her and Del a. Blinking, Kylie gazed at Holiday and tried to focus. "Can't you tel him to leave me alone?"
"Doesn't work like that," Holiday said.
"What doesn't work like that?" Del a asked.
"Ready?" Holiday said again to Kylie.
"For what?" Kylie asked. Why did the FRU want to talk to her?
"Our meeting," Holiday said.
"Can I come?" Del a asked.
Kylie looked at her roommate and saw in her gaze that she was trying to help. An effort that Kylie appreciated more than her roomie could know.
"Can she?" Kylie asked.
"Afraid not." Holiday eyed Del a. "I think the vampires are holding a group session. You should be there." The camp leader's gaze shifted back to Kylie. "Come on." Holiday put her hand on Kylie's back and led her away.
But just what the hel Holiday was leading Kylie to was yet to be seen.
Chapter Twenty-one
"There're a couple of people who want to meet you." Holiday moved Kylie toward the main office.
"Who?" she asked, hoping that Del a was wrong.
"They're from the FRU."
She'd heard the acronym several times since arriving at Shadow Fal s Camp. This time, however, when the three letters formed in Kylie mind, a new thought hit. Freaks-R-Us.
"They're the people who support the camp," Holiday added as she guided Kylie up the steps.
"Why?" she asked, and stopped at the door. "Why do they want to meet me?" She wasn't even sure she was a freak. Holiday's gaze softened. "Mostly curiosity. They've never met anyone they couldn't read."
"I thought you said this was common with people who could see ghosts?"
Holiday appeared to be debating what to say. "It's not just because they can't read you, Kylie. It's because what they can see of your brain pattern isn't common."
Kylie's headache resumed its pounding. And the fear that she real y could have a tumor stirred in her chest. She envisioned herself with her head shaved and big ugly scars running across her skul . It was horrible.
But so was admitting that she was as much of a freak as the rest of them.
"You're special, and they sense this. So come on. It'l only take a minute and then we can have our meeting."
Holiday's hand on Kylie's back grew warm. Immediately, Kylie knew the camp leader had emotion-control ing abilities similar to Derek's. Al Kylie's reservations about having a brain tumor and about meeting the Freaks-R-Us squad dissolved as the warmth of Holiday's hand flowed inside her.
"Why are you doing that?" Kylie stepped away.
"Doing what?" Holiday asked.
"Trying to take away my fear?" She shifted out of Holiday's reach.
Holiday's eyes grew round. "Wow. You can sense this? That's amazing." She touched Kylie again. "That means-"
"Stop doing it." Kylie backed away again. She didn't care about amazing, or what it meant, at least not now. She cared about what waited for her on the other side of the door and about possibly having a brain tumor. "It makes me think maybe I should be afraid."
Holiday shook her head. "You don't have anything to be afraid of." She reached out again and Kylie looked at her hand. Holiday held up her palms. "Trust me."
"Sorry," Kylie said. "But I have a hard time trusting people who can manipulate my emotions." And yes, in a smal way she meant Derek, too. Holiday sighed. "Believe it or not, Kylie, I respect that. But right now, I need you to meet these two men. Nothing bad is going to happen. I give you my word."
While Kylie stil wasn't convinced, with another look into Holiday's expression, most of Kylie's concerns faded. Only this time it seemed to be from her own intuition rather than Holiday's influence. For some reason, Kylie's gut told her she could trust Holiday. Then again, it could just be because she didn't have a choice. In more ways than not, Kylie was a prisoner at this camp.
* * *
The introductions were as awkward as Kylie expected. The two men did their share of eyebrow twitching, which only made Kylie feel more uncomfortable. She wanted to tel them they were wasting their time trying to twitch info from her. She didn't, of course. The too-nice disease again. So instead, she sat at a table and tried not to fidget under their intense stares.
The bigger man with darker hair was named Burnett James and the other was Austin Pearson. Up close, Kylie couldn't help but notice how GQ
perfect the two men were. Not that she was into old guys-or she should say "older" because they looked about ten years older than her-but she could stil appreciate perfection.
Kylie also noticed how Burnett kept stealing glances at Holiday when she wasn't looking. He obviously had the hots for her. Not that Holiday seemed aware of his interest. If anything, Kylie got the feeling the camp leader found both men annoying. Especial y Burnett.
"So..." Burnett turned a chair around, straddled it, and sat down.
Holiday watched the man and frowned as if disapproving of his sitting position.
"This is your first time to Shadow Fal s Camp, huh?" Burnett asked.
Kylie nodded. Then recal ing her mother's belief that answering without words showed disrespect, she fol owed up with, "Yes ... sir." The "sir" part of the sentence slipped out as an afterthought and she wished she hadn't done it, because it came out sounding sarcastic. Not that she meant it like that, but her interrogators might not realize that.
Burnett placed his elbows on the back of the chair, laced his fingers together, and studied her. After very slow passing seconds, he tilted his head slightly as if listening-listening for something that no one else in the room could hear. Like the sound of Kylie's heartbeat. Just what kind of supernaturals were these two? Were they, like Del a, human lie detectors? Somehow Kylie suspected that Burnett had that ability. Which meant Kylie would have to be careful not to get caught in a white lie.
"What brought you to Shadow Fal s, Miss Galen?"
Holiday stepped closer. "She was sent here by-"
Burnett held a hand up at Holiday and frowned. "I'd like Miss Galen to answer." While his words could be construed as non-hostile, Kylie noticed his edgy tone.
Holiday must have noticed it, too. She shot the man a glare that no doubt contained language she probably couldn't use in the presence of the campers. Kylie got the feeling that this wasn't the first time these two had bumped heads. Heck, for al Kylie knew, they might have bumped more than just heads. They could be old lovers.