Prologue.
Ducking down behind the dumpster, she slid down the wall and squatted there. Squeezing her eyes shut, she willed them to stop. Prayed for them to give her a few minutes of peace. Just a few minutes without seeing and feeling things she didn’t understand. With her hands against the side of her head, she rocked slowly. Back and forth. Back and forth. Breathe slowly.
Maybe her aunt was right, and the devil did live inside her. Why else would she see these things inside her head? What purpose did tormenting her with scenes of blood, pain, and suffering do? Why had she been born this way?
Lowering her hands, she opened her eyes but continued to rock. They were better now, hopefully for a bit longer than last time. She didn’t know what made them fade into the background for short periods, but she was thankful it happened at all.
Looking around, she checked that no one was near her. Being near others made them worse. So much worse. Her stomach growled, reminding her that it had been a few days since she’d eaten anything that resembled food. She missed her aunt. Missed having a room to hide away from the misery the world brought her.
“She’s somewhere around here, Capri. She doesn’t go very far.” a girl said.
“I can feel the turbulence, Monica.” a woman spoke quietly.
“Espy. That’s what I want to be called from now on. You said when you found me it was a new start, so I want a new name.”
“Espy. I like that.”
She froze. Were they talking about her? Dropping down, she pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them, making herself as small as possible. She needed them to keep going. If they stayed too close too long, it would start again.
“There you are.”
A tall woman with long, wavy black hair stood in the space between the dumpsters.
“It’s all right.” She moved closer and then squatted a few feet from her.
A young girl close to her own age stood behind her. She had long blonde hair and eyes that were bright green. She’d never seen eyes like that. She popped a bubble and waved at her. “Is she one of us?”
The woman held out her hand. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”
She looked at the hand and then tucked hers between her knees.
“What’s your name?” the girl asked.
“Jerika.” she whispered.
“Cool name. Nice to meet you, Jeri. I’m Espy, and this is Capri. She’ll help you.”
“Take my hand.” The woman continued to hold her hand out.
She was shaking, but she reached and put her hand in Capri’s. A feeling rushed through her as soon as they touched, and her whole body relaxed.
“You’re one of us,” Capri said softly.
Jeri stared at her.
“It’s okay.” Capri smiled.
Jeri glanced at the girl again and then back to Capri. Her hair looked like it was blowing in a breeze, but there wasn’t one.”
“Another Gemini found.” Espy grinned. “We need a name for us.”
Jeri looked back at Capri. “Do you know what’s wrong with me?” She had to, right? She made it all go away when she touched her.
“There is nothing wrong with you.” Standing slowly, she kept a hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet.
“Gemini gang.” Espy popped another bubble. “No, that’s dumb.” She grinned at Jeri and then nodded. “Gemini group.” She shook her head. “No. Gemini—” Her eyes widened. “League.” Capri looked at her. “We can call ourselves the Gemini League. Cool, right?”
Capri smiled, “It does have a nice ring to it.” She started walking, holding Jeri’s hand. Following, Jeri decided she wasn’t going to let go. This had been the quietest her head had been since—her entire life.
“And we’re going to all ride motorcycles.” Espy nodded. “We’ll be bad butt bitches for sure. No boys allowed.”
Capri laughed softly, “Perhaps we should wait on that until you’re old enough to drive.”
“Pfft, whatever.” Espy moved over and walked beside Jeri. “Wait until you meet the others. There’s six of us now. Ava is going to blow your socks off.”
Jeri clung to Capri’s hand and managed a slight smile. “I don’t have any socks.”
Espy laughed. “Welcome to our weird, magical family, sis.”