Inevitable by Tamara Hart Heiner Read Free Book Online

dress, averting my eyes before her head emerged. “There. Now go to bed.” Whew. Yet another day that I’d averted disaster.
    “Jayne?” Beth’s voice came out soft and meek. “Can I talk to you?”
    I groaned inwardly. I yanked open my candle drawer on the vanity and pulled out the Sweet Pea scented one. It wouldn’t be very effective with Beth in the room, leaving her lemon musk everywhere. But I had to try. My fingers shook as I lit the wick. The longer she stayed in here, the more likely that I would accidentally make eye contact. “What?”
    She bounded over and lay down on my bed. She kept her long brown hair straight, and it fell around my pillow, which she grabbed up and hugged in front of her. “I like a guy at school.”
    “Beth, it’s late. Do we have to talk now?” I glanced at my watch, hoping she’d get the hint.
    She stuck out her lower lip. “We never talk, Jayne. You used to tell me everything.”
    I didn’t need a guilt trip. Not now. I flipped off the light and climbed into bed next to her. My head pounded and I wanted to smother myself with the pillow. “Then talk, Beth. But I’m tired. Don’t expect me to stay awake.”
    Beth broke into a happy babble, which I listened to in a half-daze. Memories of my vision with Hannah floated in and out of my head. Tomorrow I would write it down in my file, where I kept of list of all the people I’d Seen and what happened to them.
    My eyes burned and I shut them. Beth’s voice droned on, but my mind was elsewhere.
    Declare.
    My eyes snapped open and I stared at the darkened ceiling above me. Was that what she meant? Declare? Declare what? I already tried to tell people how they were going to die, and it never accomplished anything.
    My brain felt thick and mushy, and I gave up. Tomorrow I’d think on this.

CHAPTER SIX

    “ J ayne!”
    Someone shook my arm. I recognized Beth's voice in time to squeeze my eyes tighter. My breathing quickened, and I fought off an anxiety attack. Don’t look, don’t look. “What, Beth?”
    “You’ll be late for school, Jayne!”
    I could smell her so clearly, lying in bed next to me. It was like fate mocked me, tempted me to open my eyes.
    I flailed out with my hands and stumbled off the bed. Only when I knew she was behind me did I blink, exhaling and picking through the clothes on my floor. “Then go get ready, Beth. You take longer than me.”
    She flounced out of my room. Her hair had regained its natural wave during the night, and it bounced around her shoulders.
    Just like mine.
    A knot formed in my chest. I couldn’t avoid her eyes forever, and one of these days I would See her death. How could I prepare myself?
    I got Beth to school on time, but not myself. The tardy bell rang as I jerked open my locker. I muttered self-deprecating insults and ran through the empty halls.
    Luckily, Mr. Livingston was my first period teacher. He glanced from the board at me when I walked in, then turned around, saying only, “ Cierra la puerta , Jayne.”
    I closed the door quietly, feeling a great sense of relief. He wouldn’t count me tardy. I put my head on my desk and rested my eyes. They burned with desire to sleep. I had relived Hannah’s murder over and over again in my dreams.
    I didn’t see Dana until second hour in calculus. I sank into my chair at the desk we shared and gave her a meek smile, just to let her know I wasn’t mad, and then I threw myself into my assignment. Horrible images of Hannah’s murder haunted me. I pressed my hand to my forehead.
    My phone vibrated in my backpack pocket. I glanced down, pulling it out just enough to scan it. Dana’s text read, “u OK?”
    I looked at her and gave her a bleak smile. “Yeah,” I mouthed.
    She texted again. “What happened w SH?”
    Stephen Harris. I forgot that I hadn’t even told her. I leaned over, pretending like I was fishing for a pencil, and texted back, “Talk @ lunch.”
    Dana gave me a quick hug as soon as class was done. “Gotta