Coming to see you after school. Okay?

Sounds good.

I heard the door open and my Dad talking to someone. I recognized Ren's voice and I pushed my chair back in such a hurry that I spilled juice everywhere. Great. I grabbed a paper towel and started cleaning up the mess. He walked in just as I was putting the glass in the sink.

"Hey," he said, his dark eyes finding mine. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just spilled some juice."

His mouth twitched in a smile. "I wasn't talking about that, but I'm sorry about the juice."

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. I was so happy to see him. Then I remembered why he had come. "So you wanted to talk?" I asked.

He stared at me for a moment, and then said, "I know you deserve someone who knows how lucky he is. And I do. I know it. I want to be with you."

I crossed my arms, the emotion welling up in my throat. I wanted him so much it scared me. "Like, even if it means we might last longer than next week?"

He didn't flinch. "We're going to last longer than next week, I can promise you that. I've seen a lot of things, but I've never seen the end of us, and I don't want to."

"You might marry me someday. Not that I would say yes. But you might ask. And if I said yes we would probably do that."

He stepped toward me, pulling my arms apart. "I sincerely hope so."

"And make car payments. And mow the lawn. You know, boring adult stuff that I don't even want to think about. Maybe I don't want it. Maybe I want out."

He wound his fingers through mine, pulling them behind his back until I was embracing him. "I'm completely ready to give you anything that makes you happy. If you want out, it's yours."

I knew he hated it when I cried, but the tears felt close. I swallowed and lifted my chin. "I might."

He let of go of my hands and put his arms around me. "Okay."

"But not right now."

He nodded, his gaze going to my mouth. "Of course. Just let me know."

"You're never allowed to leave me."

He put his head down to mine and smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"My parents might let us make out in the kitchen. I almost got abducted. They're pretty scared."

He sighed and pulled me close. "Yeah, about that. I thought someone was ripping my heart of my chest. I can't even tell you...and I know you were scared. I know. But that is never going to happen to you. Not while I'm here"

"It was a freak, strange thing." I said it mostly to reassure myself. It all seemed unreal, still.

"MacKenzie, I mean it. I couldn't handle it if anything happened to you. Nothing could be worse than seeing you hurt. I can't tell you enough."

I looked down and stepped on his foot, pushing my knee against his, sort of playing, but not. "So when you aren't scared for me anymore are you still going to love me?"

"I'm always going to care about you and be scared for you and love you. I never stopped. I just didn't know what to do about it. But it's pretty clear now. I'm sorry I made you...I'm sorry I made you feel like I didn't love you. That's so far from what I feel for you. Far, far from it."

Still looking down, I nodded. "Okay."

"Hey," he said, and I looked up. "I don't think you get this. It's permanent. I know other people break up and stuff, but that isn't going to happen to us. You are seriously stuck with me. I'm not going anywhere."

"I could get fat and have moles. With hairs that stick out of them."

His mouth slowly turned in a grin. "I would be so desperately in love with you if you had hairy moles. Don't tease me like that."

"Well, I don't have those. You'll have to live with me the way I am."

. "Oh, please yes."

I couldn't help smiling and then I saw his eyes close as he bent down to put his mouth on mine. He kissed me and I didn't want him to stop. When he did, I stood up on my tiptoes for more. He smiled, kissing me back and then pulled away. "We have to be careful with that."

"I'm fine," I said, trying to ignore the rush that said differently.

"It might not make you crazy, but I'm not as immunne as you are."

I kissed him, but carefully. "I'm just kidding. You make me crazy."

He bent down and put his lips on my neck. "I know."

I blushed at his touch. "You're dangerous."

"No, we're dangerous. That's a good thing."

He stepped away and reached for my hand. Somehow knowing that we belonged to each other made everything more intense. But I could tell he didn't want us to go too far, and I didn't either. In fact, I'd always been taught to wait for marriage. I didn't know how he felt about that. The idea that we would even have the conversation made my head spin.

"When we get back to school I want to show you something," he said.

I slid my fingers through his. "What?"

"The future."

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO.

The Future Ren walked behind me, his hands on my elbows, guiding me through the crowd. My parents let me go back to school the next day, but only because Dad gave me a ride. Ren sat next to me in the truck, making polite conversation with Dad. My dad slowed down at the front of the school, eyeing the crowd like he was Secret Service. As I got out of the car I'd given him a kiss on the cheek, something I hadn't done in ages, and told him not to worry. He and Ren had exchanged glances. Some sort of non-verbal conversation about making sure I lived through the day or something.

As Ren walked with me, the halls were pink and aqua and blue lockers for everyone else, but for me they were a journey to another place. As we passed people he would talk to me, low and soft so only I could hear.

Maddy walked by with her usual coven of friends. A short girl with a tight ponytail and the build of a gymnast was talking about an argument she had with a teacher. She was rolling her eyes, obviously angry. Her friend, slightly taller and with short, shiny hair that was spiked in the back had her arms crossed over her chest, nodding in sympathy. Maddy's best friend listened with her head cocked, her long brown hair swept across her forehead and hiding part of her face. All of them ignored a girl just slightly on the outside of the circle, who was a lot quieter than they were.

Maddy's eyes pretended boredom, but there was something about the way she stood in the circle that looked like a performance. She flipped a strand of her blond hair out of her eyes, strategically licking her lips and every now and then.

Ren leaned close to me. "Maddy's going to end up in Pittsburgh in a marketing company. She'll have a lot of boyfriends; a parade of a bunch of people she could love but she doesn't. She's too distracted by being successful. And she's still beautiful twenty years from now. She's afraid of getting older."

He described each girl surrounding her. "The one with the ponytail becomes a computer programmer and marries and has two kids. She's going to be okay. The girl with the short hair becomes a hair dresser and rock climbs-she loses her boyfriend on a mountainside and almost dies. She ends up working in Hollywood. Pretty cool. The one with the long brown hair goes to college and works in a big business. She has to move a lot because of her job and ends up cheating on her husband. It gets kind of messy. I can't see farther than that."

We walked by Steve, digging around in his locker and dropping stuff everywhere. One of his shoes was untied and he paused to wipe his nose with his hand. I saw a few smirks from other people as they passed him. I looked over my shoulder at Ren. If they only knew...

Two guys from the football team walked by. I could tell they were on varsity because they were huge. One of them had a belly and straight, lanky hair that stuck to his forehead and a small goatee. His friend on the left wasn't as heavyset, but he was just as tall. His short hair was some kind of blond, and his eyes were small, darting sideways as they talked.

"The big guy on the right goes to college but drops out to start his own business. He gets in politics but can't go very far without a degree. He's working on one twenty years from now. He might make senator, maybe. I can't see that far ahead. The blond guy is going to move to Tennessee this summer and get into racing. He'll be a fairly successful racer for a couple of years. He ends up being a crew chief for a very well-known racer."

We passed Noah and Katie. Katie was cute in a dark blue jeans and a white sweater.

Noah held her hand, looking down at her as she talked. Neither of them saw us. I remembered that they wouldn't end up together. I asked why. Ren said he wasn't sure, just that they would break up during their first year in college. Katie would go on to fall in love with a young marine and break up with Noah.

I knew Noah's story but Ren also added that Noah would find love, long waited for and cherished.

Stephanie closed her locker with a firm shove. She wore a short plaid skirt and a dark red sweater with matching tights. Instead of boots she wore comfy flats. Always comfortable and in control.

I nodded towards her and Ren obliged me, "A successful attorney who becomes a stay-at-home mom. Happily married and all that. She takes care of her mother when she gets cancer, so she's pretty busy."

"Huh." I watched her enter our biology class. "It's like she knows exactly what she's doing."

Ren shrugged. "I doubt that. I'm sure she isn't planning right now on her mother getting sick. Maybe she just knows what to do when things happen."

"I'm a little jealous. I wish I were that confident," I confessed, looking up at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. You're perfect the way you are. Sweet, beautiful. Naively believing I can see the future without any proof. I wouldn't change a thing."

I laughed. "See? I'm made for you. Gullible and everything."

His dark eyes deepened and he grinned wickedly. "Yep."

The moment was broken when Burke flew by and then stopped, skidding to a halt in front of us. His red hair flew into his face, his green eyes wild. Ren blinked at him.

Burke handed me a flyer, winking at Ren. "Hey, handsome," he leered.

The flyer said "Anonymous for President!"

"Rock the vote!!" he shouted at us as he ran away, a legendary rebellion leader of a zero interest cause. The crowds parted for him, catching the flyers that he tossed over his shoulder.

I spun around and grabbed Ren.

"This may be the most important future you ever tell me," I said solemnly. "I would walk on broken glass to know this guy's future."

He stared after him, perplexed. "You're not going to believe this...but he's got like, five different Yurei following him. Seriously, I've never seen anything like it. It's like even the universe doesn't know what he's going to do."

"Ren !" I pleaded.

He shook his head, still watching the disappearing figure. "Okay, here's what I got---game show host, convict, inventor, physicist and...Dad? Who is this guy?"

"Burke!"

Understanding dawned. "Oh....right. Maybe he's...all of them."

"Wow." Why was I surprised? I expected nothing less of the crazy nut.

"Okay, we're running out of time," he said and began again. It was like an endless string of bedtimes stories-some of them heartbreaking and others inspiring. Even the teachers had stories. He couldn't see their pasts, but he saw their futures.

"Mr. Leitner retires in fifteen years or so. He likes to sail on the Chesapeake-his boat capsizes and he..." He paused, frowning. "Well, I don't like this one. He dies out there."

"That's really sad," I said.

"I see some sad stories," he agreed, his hands still around my shoulders. "Sometimes it feels like there's a lot more I'll never see. There is so much I don't know."

Kyle and Noah walked by. I didn't have to say anything; Ren knew what I wanted to know. He watched them for a moment and then he put his arm around my shoulders. I didn't know if it was to comfort me or if he needed comfort, but I leaned into him.

"What about Kyle?" I asked quietly.

He was still watching them when he answered, "He's going to struggle, but I think he's going to be okay. His Yurei seems happy."

"I wish I could see the Yurei. I'd like to see him in the future."

He bumped his forehead to mine. "You don't have to. I'll tell you everything I see. Let's keep going."

He continued until the very last minute, whispering the tragic and beautiful stories to me. He left me right before the bell rang, standing at the door of my next class, my head filled with everything he'd told me.

Though he wanted to, he couldn't even tell me half of what he knew, I realized as I sat down in Biology. I looked over at Burke.

He was thumbing through the textbook, his unruly red hair pulled back demurely, as if he hadn't been running through the halls thirty seconds ago. His long, bony fingers flipped around from chapter to chapter, scanning far ahead from Chapter Five, where we were supposed to be. His eyes jumped over the pages. Maybe he did learn what the rest of us learned in school, only he did it the way he wanted to, not the way he was supposed to.

Mr. Leitner asked us for our homework and I realized I'd forgotten about it. Yikes. I was getting so behind. Then he passed out a test-something else I'd forgotten about.

Stephanie adjusted her headband like a samurai preparing for battle and dove into it. Burke drew a rocket ship with his left hand, so it looked like a third-grader's drawing, instead of writing his name at the top. He answered some of the questions, although I have no idea if his answers had anything to do with the test. I made it through, probably failing the test miserably.

In English my luck with being prepared continued and Miss Cubben announced a vocabulary quiz I hadn't studied for. Everyone took out their notebooks and started numbering from one to twenty. I did as well, sighing in resignation. I stared at the blue lines on the white paper, wondering if I would get lucky.

As she called out the words I was relieved to realize I already knew them. Every word I wrote down made me think of a story. Soldier. Katie's true love. Commitment. People who kept them and others who didn't. Volatile. Qualify. Transition. Everyone would go through some transition-that just seemed to be the nature of life in general. Retrieve. Dissent. Prowess. Those who would take on the world and succeed. I loved those stories. Assassinate. I shuddered. What if Ren found out a future that would change the world?

I got stuck on that thought and messed up the word after that. What if Ren's gift put him in danger? What was he supposed to do with all that knowledge?

No doubt he had thought of all these things already, and was trying to figure it out. It must be overwhelming.

When we met again two classes later I grabbed his shirt and looked up at him. "Ren, it's so much." People stepped around us, some of them unsuccessfully because we were in the center of the hall.

He stepped playfully on my foot, his lips turned in a knowing smile. "I know."

"How do you know what to do?" I asked.