The rest of the weekend was filled with revision. Edward was constantly at my side trying to cram as much knowledge as he could into my brain. The only time I wasn’t being drilled on the names of the bones in the body and analysis of poems was when I was in the bathroom, eating or sleeping. Charlie was glad that Edward kept me busy. I thought that this was because Edward was helping me to revise but I was sure there was another reason. If only that idiotic barrier would just go away. And then I had an idea. If Charlie could block his mind from me, maybe I could block my mind from Edward.
On one of the rare breaks Edward gave me I went down to see Charlie. He was sitting on the sofa watching a baseball game.
“Dad,” I said, sitting next to him. “Is there anyway you can stop people from reading your thoughts?”
I didn’t want to tell him that I had come across his barrier. I don’t think he knows that I can read minds. I couldn’t remember if I had ever told him.
For once, he took his eyes off the screen.
“Yes, there is,” he said. “Why?”
“I just wanted to make sure I was better protected,” I said. “You know, I don’t want anyone knowing about me.”
“That is a good idea,” Charlie nodded.
“Can you teach me?”
Charlie nodded again.
“It’s very simple. You have to imagine, in your mind, that you are building a wall to stop people from gaining access to your mind. It’s like your building a wall to stop people getting into your house.”
“Ok.” I imagined a miniature me in my mind, building a wall.
“This wall has to be very strong, Kay. It has to stop the most powerful telekinetic from getting in.”
I imagined the mini me lifted big fat bricks. I even made her drop one to show they were heavy.
“How’s your wall?” he asked.
“The mini me is doing good,” I said, giggling when she dropped another brick.
“Take this seriously Kayla,” Charlie said sternly. “You don’t need to envision yourself actually building the wall or dropping bricks.”
“Wait, how did you know?” I asked. I made the miniature me hurry up with the wall. She went super fast and the bricks piled up.
“Where do you think you got it from?” Charlie said, slyly.
“You’re telekinetic?” I was stunned. I had to master this barrier thing.
“It’s took me a while to get it back but yes I am.”
“No way! I won’t get away with anything now. How long have you had it?”
“It was a couple weeks after you came back from you little ‘holiday’.”
I tried not to sigh with relief. So he wouldn’t know about my little incident with Jared while on holiday.
“How’s my barrier then?” I asked him.
“It’s weak,” he answered bluntly. “Focus on it. You have to believe it is strong and will stop me. Come on, Kay.”
I tried my best. I imagined this wall surrounding my entire mind, blocking out everything from reaching it. I tried to make it as strong as possible. I used my entire concentration and I swear I must have gone red in the face from trying.
“That’s excellent, Kayla!” Charlie clapped his hands. “A perfect barrier.”
“Really?” I said. I clapped for myself. “You couldn’t get in?”
“No,” he said. “Not a tiny bit.”
“Woop!”
“You don’t have to concentrate that hard, by the way. As long as you believe that you wall will stop intruders, it will. Have faith in your own power.”
“Cool.” I stood up. “I need to get back upstairs before Edward throws a fit. He’s determined to get me full marks in these exams.”
Charlie laughed.
I felt his barrier break down slightly, just enough for me to get in. I hadn’t meant to go in but wanted to know what had been worrying Charlie. I got a very worrying image. It was Charlie but he was younger, in his mid-twenties. It was dark and he was facing someone. I couldn’t see their face but I could see their eyes glowing in the darkness. It was a bright blue colour. Charlie’s face was full of anger and fear at the same time. His hands were held up in front of him, as if he was defending himself from the person in front if him.
I only saw this image for half a second before the barrier was back up and I was shoved out of his mind. I walked slowly up the stairs contemplating this image. What did it mean?




The exams were a complete nightmare. I hated exams, I hated sitting in that exam hall, I hated the silence. I was distracted by the serenity of the hall and how for once, every person in the year was quiet at the exact same moment.
The questions on the exams were too nice either. Some of them I got all by myself, others I had to ask for help. Or rather he gave me the answer. I would hear Edward’s voice in my head, just at the right time. Obviously he would finish his exam before the first ten minutes were up but he stretched it out to look normal. Because he didn’t really need to concentrate he was there to help me when I got confused on a question. He would explain it to me and help me get the answer. He didn’t tell me the answer unless I was close to breaking down with frustration and most of the questions, 96% of them, I answered myself.
Edward promised me that at the end of the week, I could see my car again. I couldn’t wait to see George. I thought that calling my car Edward wouldn’t be a good idea seeing as Edward nearly crashed his Volvo when he made a certain comment that I replied to.
George, the beautiful BMW, was sitting in the Cullen’s garage. He was just the same as I left him the week before and I checked just to make sure. I didn’t want my car being bullied by the other cars.
“You really are insane,” Edward said, watching me as I stroked the black metal. “It’s a car.”
“If I scratched your Aston Martin and said ‘it’s just a car’, would you go mental?”
“Of course! You would have scratched my prize car!”
“Then you get my point. George is my only car and I want to take special care of him.”
“You named your car?”
“You know I named him George.”
“I thought you were joking.”
I turned away from him and continued to stroke my car. Just then, the pixie like vampire that was Alice, pranced into the garage.
“I thought you would be in here,” she said to me. “Every time you’re here you’re with that car.”
“He’s called George,” I said to Alice. “He’s not ‘that car’.”
“Ok then,” Alice said, smiling sweetly. “Will you please stop stroking George for a moment? I want to speak to you.”
I had stopped stroking my car when I saw Alice’s smile. It was the smile she used to get what she wanted. What did she want?
“Kayla, you know that I don’t remember my human life much?”
“Yes,” I said, slowly.
“Well, I never graduated from high school when I was human but you are.”
“Do you want to pick out my graduation clothes or something, Alice?” I asked, confused.
“No but I will now,” she said, happily. “What I actually wanted was to throw you a graduation party!”
“A party?” I looked at Edward who was smiling widely. “Did you know about this?”
“It was kind of obvious, Kayla,” Edward replied. “Alice loves to throw parties. She’s only using you as an excuse.”
I turned back to Alice who was still smiling sweetly up at me.
“I don’t know,” I said to her. “I mean, I can’t have a party at Charlie’s. It’s tiny.”
“That’s why I’m having it here,” Alice jumped up and down joyfully. “I have all the balloons and banners ready. The food and drinks I haven’t thought of yet but don’t worry I will and you can help with the music because I don’t think their taste and Edward’s is the same and-”
“I haven’t said yes!” I said loudly so she could hear me above her own high-pitched babble.
“But you will, I can see it!”
I turned to Edward for help but he just shrugged.
“I’m not getting involved,” he said.
I looked back at Alice and saw that she was staring up at me with puppy dog eyes and pouting lips.
“Alice, don’t do that!” I closed my eyes so I didn’t have to see her face. The amount of times she had given me those eyes and I had let her treat me like a Barbie doll. Well it wasn’t happening this time. No way.
“Oh my God! George!”
My eyes flew open to see Alice’s puppy dog eyes. George was gone from my mind and all I could see was Alice’s eyes. I was truly struggling to say no.
“Don’t you love me?” she asked in a quiet hurt voice.
“You know I do.”
“Please, Kayla,” she whimpered. “It will be the best party ever and you can even get some presents.”
“I don’t want presents!”
“Kayla,” Alice pouted her lips even more.
“Fine,” I said, giving in. “You can throw me a party.”
She smiled again and hugged me.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Yes, yes,” I said, patting her spiky black hair.
She ran back into the house, shouting Esme as she went.
“What makes me thing I’ll regret this?” I said to Edward.