Brianna Acero and the Second One's Return

45. I find Diana. Well, sort of

"Don't worry," says Mara, noticing my panicked expression. "They'll be fine."

Anna gives a mischievous smile.

"Besides, they have Xavier. If they ever get into trouble, well, let's just say that he has a way with words."

She doesn't elaborate further, but that sounds an awful lot like someone else I know. I don't question it however, and choose to ignore it for now. Xavier is the only one who hasn't shared his Gift, and I'm not one to pry. If he tells us it will be in his own time, when he trusts us enough to do so.

"I should get going too," says Jayson, running a hand through his combed hair. He styled it this morning so that it stayed flat on his head, looking every bit the professional he was supposed to be. I always saw Jayson with his crazy blond curls, and it was strange for his hair to look so... tame.

Mara hugs him, and he holds her with the utmost care. I wonder if that's what it was like when Kalen hugged me. I shake my head, making the thought disappear. Mara and Jayson had history; they were perfect for each other. Kalen and I, we aren't. I ignore how that thought makes my heart ache and I say goodbye to my teammate.

"Don't do anything stupid," I tell him, warn him more like it. He laughs and gives me a salute, like I had done with Mara. I roll my eyes playfully and shove him towards the door.

"Don't have too much fun without me!" He hollers, and with that, he's gone.

"Just us now guys, we better start thinking about how to get you two to your targets," says Ash, turning to type on his computer.

Anna walks toward the sofa and sits, staring off into space, probably thinking of ways she can track down Simon Says.

I should be thinking myself, finding my "target" as Ash so eloquently put it. I hate to think of Diana as a target, it sounds like I want to hurt her or something, so I'm just going to think of her as my own personal mission.

How can I get close to the most famous girl in the entire world? I have no clue.

I sit at one of the bar stools at the kitchen island and start to think. Diana does do a lot of charity work, but I have no idea where she will be heading next. All of my visions were of her at an orphanage, but that was an annual visit she did every year, I know she isn't gone yet. So where could she be? I could try using my Gift to locate her, my grandfather said that it was possible, but so far all of my attempts have failed.

I shake my head, clutching the fabric of my pants between my fingers. Everyone is doing their part, I need to start doing mine. I am not just going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs while I wait for a solution to come to me. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, focusing on the darkness behind my eyelids.

I start to picture every time I've seen Diana Khan. On television, in the news, in my previous visions. I grind my teeth, a faint ringing in my ears. Come on!

Colors start to float behind my eyes, but I'm not sure if that's just because I'm closing them so tightly or because I've succeeded in forcing a vision. Sweat trickles down my neck as pictures form in my head. I want to jump up and shout. I did it! But I fear I'll lose my concentration and the vision will disappear, so I stay perfectly still, holding my breath as the vision takes form.

"I...Back soon!..... just need...... see you!"

Voices start to bounce around in my head, broken fragments of a conversation that is trying to piece itself together. I can make out Diana's voice, she's the one I hear more clearly, and the other voice, it sounds male, so I can only assume it's her father.

I'm no longer aware of my surroundings, focused solely on what's going on in my head. I could be laying on the floor for all I know, and I wouldn't even realize. A blurry street filled with shops and people walking in every which direction starts to come into focus. I spot Diana walking into one of the smaller stores, shopping bags in hand. I direct my attention to the shop she just disappeared into and find that it's a bookstore. Nice, at least she has good taste. Now how do I follow her? Right after I think about it my vision starts to zoom in on the little book shop, and I find her roaming one of the many halls lined with shelves of books. She takes out a book from her shopping bag and leaves it on the counter. What is she doing?

"..almost closing time... have to.... soon." Someone else's voice trickles in as I try to take a closer look at the book in her hand, but everything starts getting fuzzy, and my head starts spinning at an alarming rate. I press my hands on either side of my head, trying to maintain focus as long as possible. But the little I was able to gather from my brief vision will have to be enough, because the book shop and Diana disappear, and when I open my eyes nothing but little spots of light are left in their wake.

Alright Bri, you know where she is... sort of. Now to find out when she will be there. I recognized the street she was on, my mom took me to the shopping district once when I was starting high school, helping me pick out some new outfits. I remember passing by a bookstore on our way and blowing almost all my budget for clothes on new books. That has to be the bookstore Diana went into, I hadn't seen any more the last time I was here. I bite the inside of my cheek as I think. Wasn't there a clock right at the entrance of the store?

I groan. If only I had been paying attention to her surroundings other than just Diana, I might have noticed when she goes to the store. My hopes start to deflate when noise starts working its way into my head. I look up to see if it's Mara, or maybe Asher who's making that strange buzzing sound, but they are both sitting at the kitchen table, typing away at their computers, and flipping through papers. So where...

"Tick"

There it is again.

"Tick"

I look around, trying to figure out where the ticking is coming from, but there is no clock in our small apartment except for the digital alarms we each have on our nightstands. So maybe...

 I quickly shut my eyes again, and this time the vision comes to me faster than a cheetah on a sugar high. The scene explodes in front of me, and my vision zeroes in on the giant clock over the counter at the entrance.

3:43

I'm about to give myself a high five when I notice something else stuck on the door of the small store.

"Opened Monday's through Thursdays, from 12:00 to 6:00 pm, Tuesday's from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm"

It looks like I'm in luck. Not only did I find out what time she goes to the store, but what day it is as well!

The voice from before said that the bookstore was closing soon when Diana went in, which meant that she had to be there on a Tuesday. My eyes fly open.

"Mara, what day is today?" I ask quickly, looking at the watch I always wear on my wrist. 3:15, I still have time.

"Tuesday the 13th, why?" She says, momentarily glancing at me over her computer screen.

I applaud my great detective work and rush to grab my coat from the chair I had slung it over earlier.

"I have a lead on Diana," I answer, quickly speeding towards the door.

"I'll be back as soon as I can!" I say.

"Be careful!" Shouts my friend, before I close the door and race down the hallway, taking the stairs two at a time.

If I get to a shuttle stop in five minutes, I should be able to make it to the shopping district in fifteen, which gives me time to find the book store.

Alright then, I push open the front door and run out onto the street. Diana Khan, here I come.