The following day was a Saturday and Jake spent all day in the library with George. He subjected Jake to the card trick as George called it.

At first, Jake couldn't guess any of the cards, staring at their patterned backs as George concentrated on the suit and number of the card.

George told him repeatedly to relax and not think of the card as a card, but as a doorway to what was on the other side. It took a while for Jake to get what George meant for him to do, but after a while Jake could easily see what was on the other side of all of the cards. It was as if some switch had been turned on inside of him that no one had bothered to flip on before.

George grinned like a proud teacher to his A plus student.

Jake was still unsure of what was going on with him and his friends. But he thought it best not to think too hard about it and just go with whatever it was they wanted to try on him.

Emily gave him some books to read and Jake had set them aside to look at later. Some of the titles frightened him, while others had intrigued his curiosity, and he skimmed through some of those books before going to bed. He was so exhausted from all his "training" he fell asleep immediately.

****************************

He woke up grateful for no nightmares and looked over at the clock. It was after one in the morning.

Jake heard footsteps outside. He got out of bed and cautiously went to his sliding glass door. He looked out but couldn't see anyone. The pool below his balcony was dark, but there was light coming from above. He opened the glass door and stepped out on to the deck and looked up. Jake saw that Emily was sitting on one of the chairs that were on her deck above him. He walked to the end of the deck to the side of the house where there was a set of steps up to her level.

"Hey," he called up to her.

Emily looked down at him and smiled. "Hey! Come on up," she called back.

Jake climbed up the white painted stairs.

"You have a good sleep?" she asked him and gestured to the empty chair for him to sit.

"Yeah. I'm awake now though," Jake replied, scooting the chair in towards her.

Emily had her feet up on the edge of the deck, and Jake admired her sexy, long, smooth, tanned legs.

"Better watch your thoughts there, pal," she said to him, smiling and raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, shit. Sorry," he said, embarrassed that she read his thoughts.

Emily laughed. "I should watch my listening. You're just very open for me to read," she explained.

"How can you control it?" he asked curiously.

"It comes to you after awhile. When I first realized that I was hearing people's thoughts, I thought, this is really cool. Then I didn't like what people were thinking, you know. And I tried to block it out, but everywhere I went, all these thoughts kept coming at me. It gave me really bad headaches," she said and ran a hand through her long blonde hair.

She pulled a strand in front of her and started twirling it. "My parents had powers too. They helped me learn to control things. It's mind over matter, really, but sometimes I'm too tired to hold it away and it all comes rushing in," she said, sounding exhausted.

"How can someone block it from you?" Jake asked, intrigued about her abilities.

"Have some secrets you don't want to share with me, Jake?" she asked in pretend shock.

"It's just out of curiosity!" Jake protested.

She leaned towards him, as if she was about to relay important information to him.

"This is what I've told the others to do. You take that thought and then you build a visual brick wall around it. It forms a mental wall that I can't seem to penetrate," she explained, "Kind of like a spell that can't be broken without the right counter-spell."

"I was looking at some of those books you gave me. Do you really practice witchcraft?" he asked in concern.

"Yes. But not all magic is bad, Jake. You have to set aside what you've seen on TV and in the movies. That stuff they're trying to imitate is black magic, and that's not what we do. It's like... the blocking of your thoughts and putting a mental brick wall in your mind. You're casting a spell -but all it is creating is a...hold in your mind about something. It's not wrong or evil to use what you have in good ways. It's not even magic really, it's just a part of you. It's a tool just like any other. "

"What do you mean? A tool?"

"Are you right handed or left handed?" she asked.

"Right," he answered.

"Are you good at math or art?"

"Art, of course," he said with a chuckle.

"Well, your powers for a lack of a better word, is like that. You were born favoring your right hand just as you were born good at art," she explained.

"I got good by practicing," he protested, "I draw everyday. If I didn't, I'd still be drawing like a kindergartner," he explained.

"Exactly! " she beamed as if he'd understood.

"Huh?"

"You were born with the gift of the potential of being good at art. But you needed to practice it to harness that skill and make it grow. It's the same with your powers. You were born with the gift of it. But it's up to you whether you use it. Whether you practice at it to be skilled at that gift. And it's up to you to use it for good or for evil."

"And you use it for good," he said with a smile.

"But of course," she answered with a big grin.

"Does Tony..."

She laughed and turned to face him. "I knew that question would come up."

He looked at her seriously. It was something he was concerned about. After all the guy was a vampire. And he hadn't yet shown Jake his softer side. If he had one. He suspected he did because of the way he was with Emily. But there was usually some tiny bit of good even in someone evil.

"Tony's... he doesn't practice black magic," she swallowed and looked at him. "Not anymore."

"Jesus," Jake said, raking a hand through his hair.

She shook her head. "He dabbled a bit. That's all," she said and put up her hand to forestall his protest, "Not all black magic is evil. The stuff that's not evil it's... it's just...it's risky. You're trusting a dark force that can't always be trusted, and there's usually a sacrifice involved because the dark always expects some kind of payment unlike the light which does things just to be good," she glanced at his horrified expression.

"Not that kind of sacrifice. A personal sacrifice. Something in your life. Something like...you lose a year of your life. Or you get zits for a year. You don't necessarily have to kill chickens...or humans..." she shook her head and chuckled at his expression. "You watch too much TV."

She smiled at him reassuringly. "What I mean to say, Jake, is, that Tony..he's just had a hard life. And ...it shows. And he isn't that easy to live with or even to like sometimes, but I swear to you, he is good. He is a really good guy. You have no idea just how wonderful a person he is because he hasn't trusted you enough yet to show you that side of himself. But will you trust me on it?" she implored with her big green beautiful eyes.

"Of course I trust you," Jake told her. "If you say he's okay," he blew out a breath, "I guess he's okay."

"Thank you," Emily said, giving him a quick hug, "that means a lot to me."

He nodded. "Can I ask...what's with Tony anyway? I mean he's so different than the rest of you. How did he even become friends with all of you?"

She sighed, leaning back in her chair, "We met in high school junior year. He just moved here and wanted a different life experience, and thought why not give high school a try?"

"He really does like to torture himself, doesn't he? High school?" Jake raised an eyebrow.

"That he does. Anyway, he was mostly a real jerk; you know how he can be. But... I could see his pain all over him. And it hurt me to see that in him. I could see down deep he was really a great guy, but he lived in pain and that pain fed on him. He couldn't get out of it. It was too much for him," she said, clutching her chest as if it hurt her just to talk about it.

"Eventually, I tried talking to him about it. He, of course, got all bent out of shape, telling me to mind my own business. But he came around a while later, and he actually talked to me some. We became friends and then we...we actually... dated for quite awhile," she said, biting her lower lip nervously and looked over to him as if to judge his reaction to the fact that she had dated Tony.

"Tony," he said, knowing it to be true, but it still hurt to know she'd dated anyone. He wanted her for himself. Since he first saw her, he felt an instant connection to her. He'd never felt that way about anyone before. With his history, he didn't form attachments easily. But one look at Emily and he knew that he would lay down his life for her. He would do everything he could to make sure she was always happy. That she always had a smile on her face. That she would never be hurt or cry...

"Yes, Tony," she said, looking at him thoughtfully. "Does it bother you that we dated?"

"You're not dating anymore?" Jake wanted confirmation. Tony seemed awfully possessive where Emily was concerned.

"No," she shook her head. "We're not. And I don't love Tony the way he wants me to love him. But I do love him as a friend," she said fondly. "We're friends, that's all," she told him firmly. "And really, that's all we've ever been," she explained as if she wanted him to be okay with it. That she cared what he thought.

"He hasn't accepted that you're not more than friends," Jake stated, knowing that was true by how Tony behaved differently around her then he did the others.

She sighed. "Not completely. But Tony knows we're over. That we never were anything more than friends. But he hasn't had any kind of love in such a long time. He takes what he can get. And then he gets... confused by it," she said. "He still needs time."

"What about him and Raven? Are they an item? They're always flirting," Jake smiled in amusement. He loved watching them flirt. It was like an art form. They easily bantered back and forth, each giving better than the last. Jake wished he was half as good at it.

He didn't even know where to begin with Emily. Here he was now, all alone in the middle of the night, with Emily and they were talking about her ex. How romantic was he?

"No. They just like to flirt. And they're good at it with each other. They know the other one is just kidding around," she explained. "It wouldn't be a bad match though," she said, again looking at him with a smile. "They'd make a good couple if they'd give it a chance."

He nodded. "How'd you meet Raven?" he asked curiously. Raven wasn't anything like Emily either.

He imagined Raven hanging out with the goth kids, while Emily would be hanging with the cheerleaders, nerds and drama geeks. An odd assortment, but Emily was unique in accepting all sorts of people.

"Oh, we've known each other since kindergarten, but we didn't really become good friends until high school," Emily said, breaking into his imagining of her in high school. "Raven and Tony actually became friends first, and then later Raven introduced me to him. She tries to be rough and tough like Tony, but she's a real sweetheart too," she said with a fond smile.

"And Ray and George? Did they go to high school with you, too?" Jake asked.

"No. I actually met them at a parapsychology conference in Denver sometime my senior year...I forget when now. Before my parents died, I think. We kept in touch mostly over email, and they decided to come to the same college as me. Well, more because of the parapsychology classes they offer here. But I invited them to come and stay here, and they came right after graduation," she explained.

"And then there was me," Jake said with a smile and put his legs up on the railing of the deck next to hers.

"You're a whole 'nother story, Jake." she said, patting his bare shoulder. "A whole 'nother story."

He laughed.

"Can I show you something?" Jake asked her softly, after a while of them just sitting in a comfortable silence.

"Yeah. Of course," Emily answered with a soft smile. It was easy to forget what he'd even asked her.

"I'll be right back," he said nervously and got up. He went back down to his room.

He brought back the notebook he'd been sketching in and handed it to her.

Emily opened it up and studied the pictures carefully. "This was your dream," she said in awe to him, not looking up from the sketches.

"Yeah," he said nervously, shuffling his feet.

"I look pretty good in a bikini, huh?" she asked with a smile.

He blushed. "Turn the page," he said, reaching over to turn it for her, embarrassed.

She studied the pictures of her pulling Jake down to the bottom of the pool. "You know I'd never do that," she said to him softly but with conviction.

"I know that," he said, putting his arm gently around her.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and turned the pages again. "We have to get that thing," she said to him fiercely as she stared at the fog monster with red eyes.

"Yeah, but how?" he asked.

"We'll figure out something. We have to," she said back to him. She wiped tears from her eyes. "Sorry."

Jake rubbed her arm. "No, it's fine." 

"Do you mind if I burn this?" she asked him suddenly.

"Sure, go right ahead," he said surprised, but he was willing to trash the thing. He had thought about it many times since he drew them.

She jumped up from her chair and hurried into her room. He followed her in.

Looking around, he took in her room, seeing it for the first time.

To the right was her bedroom set, a queen size bed with a white and yellow flowered comforter, and covered with dozens of pillows of various sizes.

She had a couple of dressers painted white in an alcove on the opposite side of the room. Between the alcove and the bed, was a hallway.

To the left of him, was a living room set. The couch, love-seat and arm chairs were white and yellow striped. More pillows were on them, as well.

"You're obsessed with pillows, you know that?" he told her.

"I like to be comfortable," she said and headed over to the fireplace in the left corner. She threw the book inside and flipped a switch. The fireplace lit up and the book burned to ashes. She switched it off with a satisfied look on her face.

"Feel better?" he asked her.

"Yes. Much. Fire is cleansing," she said, hopping onto the couch. "You want to sit?" she asked him, patting the seat next to her.

"Sure," he said, sitting next to her.

Jake loved spending time with her. Talking with her. This was the first real time they'd spent any real length of time alone together.

"Want to watch some TV?" she asked.

Jake looked around but didn't see one. "Can you pop in a TV, like a genie?" he asked with a smile.

She got up from the couch and walked to the wall next to the fireplace. He thought she was going to walk down the stairs that were to the right.

Emily turned to him and folded her arms across each other and blinked like the TV Jeanie. She put her hand on the wall, and the wall opened up to reveal a big screen TV.

"Nice! You really do like comfort, don't you?" he said as she walked back to the couch. "You have a sweet setup up here."

"My grandmother liked to spoil me," she said with a grin, and slipped back onto the couch next to him. She pulled up pillows searching for something, and finally pulled out a black remote and switched on the TV.

"I'm sorry about your grandmother, Em. And your parents. Man, you've really had it rough, haven't you?"

"Thanks. Yes, it's been really hard ...but I have Brian and my friends...I've managed," she said, lifting her chin.

"Brian? Our teacher Brian? You've known him a while?" he asked.

She nodded and looked away. "I don't know what I would have done without Tony, Raven, George and Ray; they've really stuck by me this whole time."

"You're tougher than you look, Em," he said, taking her by the chin to turn her head so he could look at her face. "I really admire that about you. You would have been just fine, even without them."

"That's really sweet of you to say, Jake," she replied, looking away with an embarrassed smile.

He dropped his hand from her chin. Was she uncomfortable with him? Or with the praise?

They fell into a comfortable silence and watched the TV show.

"How come you can't sleep?" he asked her after a while.

"I don't know. Just can't," she said with a sigh, and then yawned loudly. He laughed. She put her head on his shoulder. He sucked in his breath at the contact "Mmm. You make a good pillow," she said sleepily.

He let out his breath. "You too," he said with a smile, putting his head against hers.

He breathed the smell of her in. She smelled like the ocean and fresh cut flowers. She was soft and warm against him.

After a few minutes, Jake realized she'd fallen asleep. He carefully got up, holding the back of her head in the cradle of his hand. He laid her down putting a pillow under her head.

Jake looked at her sleeping. He hadn't realized how long her golden blonde eyelashes were. They curled slightly at the ends. She looked to him like a fairy tale, like "Sleeping Beauty".

He gently touched her long hair so as not to wake her. It was as soft as silk. Jake even more gently ran the back of his index finger across her cheek. It was as equally, if not more, soft. She didn't stir in her sleep.

Jake leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. He jumped back quickly but she didn't wake. Jake silently cursed himself for touching her without her permission while she slept. Was that a creepy thing to do? He didn't know how to act around girls. Especially one that he liked so much. He didn't get much opportunity to find out.

He stood up quickly. There was a light yellow blanket at the end of her bed. He went over to the bed, grabbed it and covered her with it.

Jake locked the glass sliding door and went down the stairs to the right of her living room. He turned off the light when he got to the bottom and closed the door behind him.

He headed to his room and climbed into his own bed. Jake thought of Emily, and her softness and her sweet smell, as he pulled the covers over him. He smiled. She was softer than his cotton sheets. How he was going to fall asleep now, he didn't know. But he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.