Miracle (boyxboy)

Chapter Twenty

"Lock the door, Connor. Go."

I stumbled over to the bedroom door, the bent fork and Maddy's nail file in one hand, my phone held to my ear in the other. I had to set the phone down in order to open the door slightly.

The low rumble of conversation and the sour musk of weed came wafting down the hallway. I slipped the bent tines of the fork into the opening on the strike plate, then carefully closed the door so that the fork was trapped between the door's edge and the jamb. Then I slid the nail file between the two center tines, until it was firmly jammed across both the door and the painted trim.

I tested it gently. The file prevented the door from opening, while the bent part of the fork held the file in place across the door. In order to get in now, that man would have to apply enough force to straighten the tines out. Which wasn't impossible, probably, but would at least buy me extra time to get out the window.

I backed away, picking my phone up. "It works. We did it." I felt better already, but even as relief settled through me, so did indignation. I decided to think my reprimand to him, because I wasn't sure I could say it without yelling. You have a lot of explaining to do, you bastard! It's one thing to be spying on me from trees and shadows and all these weird smartwatch features. But spying from inside my head? Isn't that like... possession?"

"No, that's different. Only angels can enter a body and control it. I'm just... a visitor."

More like an invader! I never invited you.

"I know. I'm sorry."

He could have made excuses. Like, 'it was the only way,' or 'I wanted to tell you sooner.' But he didn't.

Is it true you can only do it while I have the watch on?

"It requires physical contact. The watch has a sensor plate. When it's touching your skin, it communicates with another plate in my phone housing. If I'm holding my phone, I can jump across to you."

I considered this. That's how you knew about the dog that was chasing me. And when I was holding hands with Pete.

"Yes."

Then I thought about some of the other things I'd done while I'd been wearing the watch, and fiery embarrassment flooded my whole system. Oh God, was that why he'd been so specific about forbidding masturbation? Oh God. I'd only thought the watch had a microphone. Maybe GPS satellite surveillance, like Google Earth, but that wouldn't let him see what I was doing indoors. But if he'd been inside my head the whole time, then...

My hands came up to cover my face. How, uh, often do you...

"Only when your vitals spike," he replied, a little too quickly. "And only long enough to make sure you're not in danger."

We were both awkwardly quiet, which made me all the more certain he'd seen at least some of what he shouldn't.

How did you bend the fork? I finally asked. Did you really use my mind to do it?

"No. I looked through your eyes, and felt it with your fingers, so I could modify it from here."

Wow. But wait, if he had access to all my senses when he was... visiting, that meant he would have felt it when I'd been—oh, sweet Jesus, no.

Can you read my mind while you're in here, too?

"No. I still only hear what you want me to."

That was good news, at least. If he'd seen what I was fantasizing in those moments, I might just die of humiliation.

I would have stood there paralyzed with shame for the rest of the night, if floorboards hadn't started squeaking in the hall. The indistinct voices of my Mom and Zeke got louder as they approached. I backed up toward my desk, then pushed the bowl of mac and cheese aside so I could climb up onto it. "Ezra, they're coming."