The Clairvoyant

Nine | 76 days, 15th hour

“Stella, you've got a visitor.”

I look up from my notes – it's exams next week – and jump off my coffee cream colored bed and stretch. I think of something, hoping it's Cain, but there's no reply so I know it's not him. Besides, he promised to leave me alone for the weekend.

“Who is it?” I ask Ian as he's about to go down again.

“Some redhead,” He mutters, rubbing his turquoise shaded eyes.

The name “Audrey” comes to mind, and I skip down the stairs to the front door. There, on the round kitchen table, is Audrey with a cup of water – and she's in the middle of drinking it until she catches me staring at her.

“Hey,” She says as if we're best of friends or something.

“Hey,” I nonchalantly reply back, and then grab a glass of water for myself. I sit down on the table seconds later, awkward silence filling us up. Then Ian comes down the stairs moments later and sits on the sofa, turns the TV on, and then there's this k-pop music coming in.

Audrey's expression immediately changes.

She gazes at me, then mouths: You listen to k-pop too?

I shake my head: Yes, i***t.

Then Ian changes it to an action movie on HBO. “Hey Stel, are you going somewhere later?”

I look at her: Are we? She nods.

“Apparently we are,” I answer back after taking a sip from my cup. “Why?”

“Well, can you buy me something on the way back? I'm craving for those sweet beagles down the street,” He says even without me answering back. “I'll pay you once you get home, 'kay? Just don't forget to get some caramel for that too.”

She picks up her stuff after mouthing “Let's go” and I tell my brother that I'll be back tonight. Not that I know how long I'll really be out though. I pick up my phone off the table, grab Cain's scarf, then put on some shoes at the door.

“You're not wearing a jacket?” Stella asks me, opening the door.

“It's nearing March, it's not that cold,” I grin at her. I'm wearing a sweater though, and some shorts, and tights – the ones I usually wear when not at school: I usually wear the black skirt, and a white long sleeved blouse there despite having no uniform.

We walk out the door, the cold wind whipping on my face, and I see she's brought her own silver Nissan Roadster. I climb in the passenger seat, she puts on the seat belt, then we're driving to God knows where she's taking me.

“So where are we going?” I ask her after passing the school.

“The Bank,” She mutters, putting on some shades and then handing one to me. It's colored green. “You've been there before, right? Cause it's strictly 'no ID, no entry'. Not that I listen to all that crap and just head straight in.”

“I've got one,” I reply, taking out my iPhone and scanning the pictures. Technically the ID's in the phones, and I don't know how the bouncer's ever going to scan that out, but Chey 'downloaded' it a few days ago for me.

Audrey nods, and the radio fills in the rest of the ride.

By the time we're at the Bank, there's a lot of people out there already. I haven't really gone to clubs like these, but I'm pretty sure they mostly open at night or something. Not four in the afternoon. Audrey says its fine, and the bouncer lets us in as we show him our ID's.

Inside are mostly girls, and there are even some I remember from either Regis High, or fighting. Audrey greets most of the girls, they greet her back – I can tell who's from a gang, and who's just a plain socialite like what Audrey's supposed to be at school.

“Look at you,” A voice says from behind me. “I never thought you came to these kinds of things.”

I don't even need to turn around to know who it is.

I've known her since last year: a flirt, a girl very much like Chey, but way, way harsher when using words. Boys fawn around her at Regis High, just like with Audrey who's drinking with a group of friends in the corner – she's left me to fend for myself.

Spinning around, I stand face to face with Brianna Cortez. She has that priceless grin on her face, but her eyes say so otherwise. She flips her straight sun gold hair and just stares at me, waiting for any comments I might thrash out on her.

I glance at Audrey – she's not looking at me.

I shouldn't have come.

Stella?

Cain's voice surprises me.

Audrey suddenly comes over, hangs an arm around Bri, and then gives me a taunting smile as well. “Hey, Stel, I see you've met Bri,” She laughs haughtily, that same grin Bri's giving me now on her face. “How's the party so far?”

“You brought her here?” Bri asks her friend, her brown eyes turning into sharp daggers.

“She is still a senior,” Audrey points out. “And we could do those things to her.”

“Those?” Bri echoes, and then she's grinning again. Then she's facing me, arms crossed over her bulging chest. “I almost forgot for a second there. You know Stella, we've only avoided you recently because you were already a loner to begin with.”

“Yeah,” Audrey repeats like an i***t.

“But lately I see you're getting too close with Cain, and I think that's not really fair with all the girls.” Her voice is sweet, but it's the same type of sweetness that becomes poisonous when too, too sweet. “What I'm saying is, stop hanging out with him.”

And she isn't even stopping after that.

“He's only hanging out with you because he feels sorry you fell the other week,” She doesn't know?

Doesn't know what? I almost forgot Cain's here, somewhere, though I don't bother to look for him. “...so if you don't stop clinging to him, I'm afraid my girls and I are bound to do something to you. And this is just an early warning, Stella.”

She snaps a finger, though I was clearly listening to her, halfway. “You better be listening to me.”

“I am,” I snap, making her frown. “Is that why you brought me here, Audrey?”

“Technically, yes,” Bri answers for her. Audrey's just quiet, and it makes me realize what Bri's up to. Or rather, what she's planned out since I'm here already. “So we can show everyone else just how much of a flirt you've become lately.”

Well, two can play at the game. I tell myself, gazing at Audrey and she only gazes back. And then, from the corner of my eyes, I see something. “Well, if that's what you want do today, then I guess that's fine with me. I mean, God, since I'm such a flirt I guess I can always do this.”

I pull Cain's arm close to me, and hug it seductively. Brianna and the rest are just watching, their eyes turning into large ovals. “Hi Cain,” I greet in the sweetest voice I can produce. I've practiced many times as 'Chey' after all.

Cain's obviously confused at my tone but before he acts what's up, I send him: Play along.

“Hi, Stella,” He greets with a kind voice. I didn't know you were friends with Bri.

I'm not. “I came over today just to see you.”

I bring a hand over his hair, making him flinch a bit but I continue otherwise. His black hair's rather soft as usual and I feel as if pulling it, but I don't. “You're so hot.” I say seconds later with a grin I've come to practice for days and days as Chey.

Then, like always, I gaze at Bri and pretend to be shocked. “Oh, you're still here?”

Her cheeks fume red with anger, and Audrey just stares at me, stupefied. “You're such a b***h,” Her eyes are telling me, then she storms away without saying anything, much less a simple 'hi' to Cain. Her girls follow behind her, angry at me as well.

“They're going to bully you if you keep it up.” Cain informs me, as I pull my arm away.

“I know that.”

Audrey's about to leave, but she shakes her head and leaves. I'm wondering how I'm going home, until Cain asks how I got here and I tell him a friend dropped me off. Then he offers to drive me home like he read my mind or something.

“But before that,” He says, pulling me into the back without anyone catching us. We enter another lounge room, and his one's quieter with a few regal sofa seats, book shelfs on all four corners, and then a window at another side.

“A library?” I ask, dumbfounded. “In a club?”

“Well, it's not like we designed it to be that way,” Cain mutters.

“We?”

“I never told you?”

“Told me what?”

“Like your brother, I'm one of the people who paid for the Bank,” He explains to me. “Well of course, my dad paid for it on my stead, but still – I'm playing the role of being the representative or whatever for him. So what happened with Audrey yesterday?” He asks, shifting the topic quickly.

We're sitting on the sofa, and I don't know why – but he insisted that I sit on his lap. So here I am, so close to him, but we're still having a rather casual conversation. “Nothing much happened. She just told me about their plans.”

“Plans?”

“Bullying me, apparently,” I continue, looking at his hair then touching it.

He holds my hand in place, frowning. “You love touching my hair, don't you?”

“What? It's not like I touch Ian's hair at all,” I laugh out loud, grinning and then patting it again like he's a little puppy. I wish I can tell you how I met Audrey, but I promised to keep it a secret. She doesn't want you to know, for some reason.

I read his mind beforehand. He really wants to know what's up with Audrey and I. He gives me a wan smile, then suddenly hugs me for no reason until my back is facing him instead. If it's a secret between you two, then I won't pry.

“Oh crap,” I blurt out minutes later, hopping off his lap and pulling him up with me. “I totally forgot Ian asked me to buy something. And that store shuts early every weekends!”

“What store?”

“That bakery or whatever,” I tell him, hurriedly getting out of the room. “Come on, come on, aren't you driving me home?”

“I am,” He agrees, walking out of the lounge room. “But-”

I crash into someone. I fall backward, Cain luckily catching me, then the same girl tumbles backward but someone catches her. “Stella?” The voice asks, and I can tell who it is. “Are you going home with Cain already or something?”

“Yeah,” I answer to Audrey, getting up and then helping her up seconds later with Cain. “Why, are you stopping me from going home with him or something?” I give her a smirk, and she does the same. “Were you driving me home?”

“Well, yeah, but since Cain's driving you home, I guess that's fine.”

“You're fine with Cain driving me home?” I ask her, a bit confused. She raises an eyebrow at me, and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “Aren't you supposed to be with Bri and like, tell me not to go home with him in case I go flirting around with him, again?”

Audrey comes with us as we head out of the club. “I'm fine with it, and besides, I didn't know you could act like that. When did you learn how to act like such a b***h?” She says the word with a laugh, as if copying someone else's words.

“I practice,” I tell her, smiling proudly at myself. “But yeah, why are you fine with it?”

Now Audrey stares at Cain, who's fiddling with his shoes. “I'm fine with it, perfectly fine. It's not like I outright told you I liked him or anything, right?” I look back on the day before. She never really did say anything about liking him.

Just that Bri and them were planning something.

“See?” She asks me for confirmation, heading to Cain's lime colored Beat. “Drive her home for me, cous.”

And this surprises me.

“Cous? As in 'cousin'? You two are cousins?” I look at them, and I can't really see the similar features in them. “I don't see how. I really thought Audrey was like Bri and the others – head over heels in love with Cain or something.”

Cain's eyes turn into saucers, and Audrey's pretty much the same. “Me? Like Cain? Stella, I can't even fathom the idea much less make it work out! I was just warning you yesterday since you were pretty close to Cain!”

“Yeah, but you kept asking questions about Cain.” I point, frowning. “You were even asking if he had a girlfriend, or what we usually talk about, or what we were doing in the clinic though he was obviously tending to my wounds.”

“I was curious!”

“You were asking her those questions?” Cain asks as if that were the most surprising thought in history. “Audrey, any girl would think you had a crush on me if you asked questions like those. Can't you even think straight for once?”

She stomps on her cousin's foot, and he yelps. “I was asking because you never tell us anything about your private life. You never tell us anything about how you're doing so far despite being relatives. Heck, that's why I thought since you're so close to Stella lately, maybe she knows!”

“Does Bri and the others know? You're cousins?” I cut off, since they were obviously ignoring me.

“What? Of course not. They don't even know-” She stops herself. And I know the word she was supposed to say but Cain doesn't notice this since he's opening the doors to his car. “Anyways, I'll be home late again if ever mom looks for me.”

“I'm not your dad or – what was that for?” Cain shouts, and then glares at his cousin once more.

“I forgot my phone, you i***t. Go tell Aunt Jen I'm coming home late, that I'm hanging out with Bri and the others at the Bank.” She pushes Cain inside the car before me, and closes the door to the passenger seat. “Take care,” She says, her mood completely changing.

“You too.”

“Don't forget,” She says, her expression now serious. “It's a secret.”

I cross my heart, then laugh. “Yeah, it's a secret.”

“Go learn Cain's secret for me!” She says with a giddy smile as she helps me in the passenger seat. Cain only glares at his cousin, then begins the car and backs out of the driveway with me Audrey watching us from a distance.

“Cousins huh,” I mutter to myself, but Cain hears me.

“What? You were jealous?”

I stare at him, my eyes saying "no", then he chuckles and drives into the street after pressing the horn once at Audrey. I sink back into the seat and put on my seat belt, then cross my arms and frown. Not jealous, I think to myself, my thoughts hidden from him.

But why am I feeling relieved?