Changed Time

Chapter Fifteen

"What took you two so long?" Jessie asked when we pulled up at the diner. They were all sitting on the curb looking bored out of their minds. "We thought that you either ditched us or that you were murdered!"

"Well, we're obviously fine, and why would we ditch you?" I asked getting out of the Charger. I noticed something was wrong. "Where is Wyatt?"

"My mom called him, I refused to talk to her, so he's explaining for me." Jessie explained, her voice irritated. "I mean, I disappeared for a day, not a year, she overacts."

"Why don't you just tell her that you're fine and that you're working on something with Wyatt and me." I suggested looking around for Wyatt. I needed to tell him about the possible victim. He might have some ideas on how to find her.

"You know how she is, always thinks that I'm dead if I don't call in every few hours." Jessie rolled her eyes.

"She lost her brother, Jess." I said. Jessie's mom was my dad's sister. They were really close. "She just wants to make sure that she doesn't lose her daughter too."

Jessie didn't say anything else.

"Hey, Drew! What'd you guys find?" Wyatt came walking up from the side of the diner. He's putting his phone back into his pocket.

"Wyatt, can we talk to you quickly?" Paige asked.

"What is it?" Sophie asked. She was sitting on the curb, next to Zach who was preoccupied by a an ant crawling around his hands, but now she was standing up. "What did you find?"

I know what she is thinking. "We didn't find Jamie, Sophie. It's something else, and we'll tell you later, but I need to talk to Wyatt."

Wyatt was studying my face, then he nodded. "Okay." We walked toward the road, away from the rest of the group. I looked back to see Sophie watching us leave before sitting back down next to Zach.

"Let the ant go, Zach!" Jessie's irritated voice echoed,  followed by a slapping sound.

"You killed it!" Zach bellowed.

"So what did you guys find?" Wyatt asked, stopping.

Paige explained the finding of the shoe to Wyatt. He stood there with a hand on his chin, as if it was actually helping him think. Finally, when she was done, he dropped his hand to his side.

"Is there any way that it could just be some girl's shoe? And that there was actually a homeless person?" Wyatt asked.

"No." I shook my head. "There's no way."

Wyatt frowned. His eyebrows came together with doubt. "Drew." His eyes said it all.

"What? You think we're jumping to conclusions?" I felt my patience running thin. "You think we're just imaging things?"

"Drew‒" Paige motioned to put a hand on my shoulder but I moved away.

"No, I want to know what he thinks." My voice was cold, sharp.

"I think that you want another victim, someone alive, so badly that your mind is thinking that there is no other explanation." Wyatt's voice was calm. "I think that you're taking in so much with the visions, that you're not thinking clearly."

I took a step backward. "You think I'm losing my mind? That I'm crazy."

Wyatt mouth opened, trying to take it back. "Drew, that's not what I meant."

"I am not crazy." I shook my head. "Don't you think I know why you always come with me? Why you never let me go anywhere alone? It isn't because you're scared of me being killed by the guys I find, it's because you're scared I'm going to snap. That I'm going to go awol."

"Drew‒" Paige tried again.

"Stop!" I screamed. "He's thinking it about you too, Paige." She reached out to me, but I slapped her hand away. I turned back to Wyatt. "I'm tired of you acting like you're the big brother, like you're so much smarter than me. We're the same age, Wyatt! You aren't the one with the visions." Tears were streaming down my face, but I wasn't going to wipe them away. I spat the words. "I am. Without me, you would be some worthless kid who works at McDonald's. Another orphan with nothing to live for."

Suddenly Wyatt's fist connected with my face. My head snapped to the right. My balance fumbled and I fell to a knee.

"Wyatt!" Paige knelt beside me with a hand on my shoulder. "Okay, that is enough! The two of you are being ridiculous."

"What the hell is going on?" Jessie's angry voice growled. She looked at Wyatt. "Really, Wyatt? You punched him?"

Wyatt was staring down at me and rubbing his left knuckles. His jaw was clenched and his breath was heavy. He turned his head to Jessie. "I'm sorry, Jess. I lost my cool." He walked past her, toward the diner. "I'm going to run my hand under cold water." And without another look at me, he leaves.

Jessie threw her hands in the air and glared down at me. "You mind explaining?"

I was really mad a Wyatt, but somehow with the connection of his fist to my face, it made me realize that I really jumped the line.

When our parents died, Wyatt was the one who took care of me. He wasn't freaked out by my visions. He was what kept me from losing my mind. Wyatt hated the word orphan. It was just a stupid title made for kids who lost their parents, but it was also a synonym for alone, and we weren't alone. We had each other, and we always would.

"Nothing." I said rubbing my jaw. "We just had a slight disagreement." I stood up and shook the dizziness out of my head. Paige looked at me with worried eyes, I gave her a slight smile.

"A slight disagreement?" Jessie snorted. "He punched you in the face."

"And I deserved it." I said sternly. "Just leave it, Jess." I started walking toward the diner. "I'm going to go talk to him."

"What about us?" Zach asked.

Jessie nodded. "Yeah, because we aren't just going to sit around while you have a nice brotherly chat."

I turned around. "Go across the street and get some supplies, snacks, drinks, things like that." I pointed to the gas station, then continued walking.

I walked into the diner and turned into what looked like the restroom hall. I opened the men's room door and found Wyatt washing his knuckles.

"I'm sorry about your jaw." Wyatt said as I stepped in. "I shouldn't have lost my cool." He switched off the water and turned to me.

I let the door shut behind me.

"I shouldn't have said what I said." I shook my head. "It was wrong."

"That makes two of us than." Wyatt dried his hands with a paper towel. "If you and Paige think that there's another victim, then it deserves to be looked into." He threw the paper towel away and looked at me. "We'll find the lost girl if there is one." He looked at me with my own eyes. "Drew, you're my brother. I would never call you crazy, because you're not, and you're the one I would want by my side through anything. I trust you with my life."

I nodded, but didn't say anything, because I didn't need to. Wyatt knew that I felt the same.

"Now, let's go find this girl."