effect on girls. If they were regular boys I’d just be disgusted, but they’re gifted, and that changes everything.
I keep moving, heading towards the door, and stop abruptly when I see Thuli, Hulk and Rapunzel. Thuli is chattering away, but neither Hulk nor Rapunzel seem interested in his monologue. Spencer appears again, emerging from the crowd to stand at Hulk’s side. Kelly’s not with him.
He leans in to whisper in Hulk’s ear, barely able to keep himself from swaying. Beneath the haze of alcohol, he looks upset. Hulk pulls Spencer aside. They have a brief, terse discussion, and then Hulk beckons to Rapunzel and the three of them head for the door. Thuli starts to follow, then seems to change his mind. I, on the other hand, have no qualms about sticking my nose in the Cresta Crew’s business. I’m almost at the door when Lebz appears with Amantle right behind her.
“Connie! There you are – have you seen Kelly?”
As soon as Lebz’s hand touches my arm, my body stiffens. My eyes burn, my pulse races and panic fills my throat, almost choking me. The feeling fades instantly and there are no images to accompany it, but I don’t need a diagram.
Lebz inhales sharply, recognising the symptoms. “What did you see?”
I don’t answer. I push my way back through the crowd, following the thin, disintegrating thread of my premonition. Across the room, through the corridor, past the toilet where a queue has formed, past the staircase, past the kitchen and into another corridor. A door is ajar; I push it open and find myself in what must be the garage. It’s pitch dark.
“Kelly?” I look around, adjusting to the darkness. I can make out the shape of a car, the backdoor wide open, but a quick glance inside reveals nothing but an abandoned pair of high heels. “Kelly!”
Lebz and Amantle take up the call as the three of us comb the garage, but there’s no sign of her. Then I see another door, leading to what looks like a small storeroom. I run towards it.
“Here!” I yell to the others, stopping short of falling over the inert figure on the floor.
Kelly’s legs are in the doorway, her body slumped on the floor. She’s unconscious, but apparently uninjured. Her clothes are rumpled but intact. I kneel down beside her, tapping her cheeks with my palms. “Kelly. Kelly!”
“Oh, God!” gasps Lebz. “What happened?”
“Was it Spencer?” demands Amantle. “Did he…”
“I don’t know. Maybe she just had too much to drink.”
“But how could he leave her like this?” cries Lebz in horror. “All alone in the dark – he could have at least taken her to her room!”
Kelly starts to moan and her eyelids flutter open. “Spencer?”
“Gone,” I tell her, helping her sit up. “Are you OK?”
She rubs her temple and frowns. “I feel…sick.” Her eyes roll back in her head and she sags against the wall.
“OK, we have to get her inside.” I turn to Amantle. “Is there a way we can get to her room without passing the living room?”
Amantle nods and the three of us help Kelly to her feet. She seems completely unable to carry her own weight, and despite what I said I’m sure her condition has nothing to do with alcohol. Amantle leads the way, and Lebz and I carry Kelly between us through the dimly lit corridor and up another flight of steps. Amantle opens the second door on the left and we drag Kelly into the room and deposit her on the bed. She’s passed out again.
“Should we call a doctor?” asks Amantle, chewing on her thumbnail.
I sit on the edge of the bed and feel Kelly’s forehead. She’s not running a temperature and doesn’t appear to have any bruises or wounds, but that doesn’t mean she’s fine. Something supernatural happened to her, but I have no idea what it was or how it’s going to affect her. “I think that’s a good idea, just to be safe.”
Amantle reaches into her handbag for her phone. While she makes the call, Lebz comes to sit beside me.
“You don’t think someone drugged her, do you? I mean, it’s possible – there are a lot of people at this party and no one was really paying attention…”
“Maybe. But you said she was with Spencer all the time.”
Her eyes widen. “You think he…”
I glance at Amantle and lower my voice. “I saw him leaving and he looked upset. It’s not exactly evidence, but I got the feeling something was off. And the premonition…”
Amantle hangs up. “My cousin’s coming; she’s a nurse. Maybe I should get my brother – he’s supposed to be the chaperone, but I think he’s outside.”
“Good idea. I’m going downstairs to see if I can find any of the Cresta Crew.” I glance at Kelly. “Will you guys be OK?”
Lebz nods. I leave the room and scan every face downstairs, but none of the boys are in sight. I enlist Wiki’s help in the search, to no avail. All six of them have vanished. We head outside. I see Tshiamo talking to another boy, and I remember that I never found out what his story was. His back is to me.
“One second,” I tell Wiki, and walk over to Tshiamo. I tap his shoulder.
He turns around and swears colourfully. “Look, I’m sorry, OK? What was I supposed to do? Two hundred bucks just to keep an eye on you is a sweet deal, so I took it.” He fishes in his pocket, pulls out a folded bill and hands it to me. “Tsa. I don’t want any hassles.”
I stare at the money, utterly confused. “Wait – you were paid to keep an eye on me?”
“Hey!” He forces the money into my hand. “I was just trying to help. Take it up with your crazy jealous boyfriend. Or maybe not – he looks like the passion-killing type.” He gives me a significant nod. “My advice? Dump him and get a bodyguard.” He backs away, shaking his head. His friend follows, glancing at me over his shoulder.
I blink. “What the hell was that?”
Wiki clears his throat. “My conclusion is that Rakwena paid Tshiamo two hundred pula to keep you out of trouble.”
“We’ve reached the same conclusion,” I reply through gritted teeth. No wonder Rakwena seemed calmer when he dropped us off – he had a plan. I’m angry and exasperated. I hate it when he goes behind my back!
“I’m sure he was just worried about Thuli,” says Wiki gently.
I shake my head. “When Duma came towards me, Tshiamo tried to take me away. He said he was supposed to keep me away from other guys – especially those guys, meaning the Cresta Crew.”
Wiki falls silent. I storm past him, back into the house. I intend to have a word or two with that boyfriend of mine. By the time we get to Kelly’s room the nurse has arrived and it’s almost eleven. Amantle’s brother looks like he’s about to have a heart attack. I imagine Kelly’s parents won’t be too happy with him.
The nurse emerges from Kelly’s room. “She’s fine,” she declares, and we all heave sighs of relief.
