around the field reassured me the
game was still going on. Stumbling a little, I made my way around the outer
ring hallway to get to the opposite side where I could more easily reach the
visiting team. Every second was marked by the sound of my shoes slapping
against the flooring of the empty corridor.
I passed through a
wide archway and reached the bottom of the stands. On the field the Broughton
Hawks offense had control with one player running the ball down field. Ten
yards then twenty, he ran to the happy cheers of their fans. My worried eyes
went to the scoreboard. Three minutes, forty-nine seconds left in the game.
I remembered the
fateful play was at one minute, twenty-seconds. A little time left.
My eyes searched
the Hawks' bench and found the dark hair of a familiar head. The name on the
uniform, Ellsworth, confirmed it for me: Keagan.
It might have been
the way I walked with purpose and without hesitation. It might have been the bandage
on my forehead and the crazy matted hair and bruises from the accident. For
whatever reason, no one stopped me from striding past the Hawks' cheerleaders
and approaching the bench.
Just as I reached
him, Keagan, and the rest of his benched team, rose and cheered. Their team had
gotten a touchdown. The score was twenty to fourteen now, just as in my vision.
"Keagan," I said, tapping him
on the shoulder. "I have to talk to you."
At my touch he
started and whirled. "Get away from me." He hit my hand away.
At the angry scowl
and blazing eyes, I gasped and stepped back.
As he took me in,
his face softened. "Tara. What happened to you?" He tentatively
touched the bandage.
"Car
accident. I tried to find you last night after...anyway a cat ran out in front
of my Camry."
Over his shoulder,
I saw that the Hawks' holder had mishandled the ball and the extra point kick
failed. Instead of positioning the ball for the kicker, the holder tried to
recover by passing the ball and it was intercepted. The Hawks' coach screamed
and called a time out.
The clock stopped
at one minute, twenty seconds.
"Ellsworth,
get that girl out of here and come get instructions. You're going back into the
game."
"Yes,
Coach," Keagan yelled back. "Tara, you have to go. We can talk after
the game."
He took me by the
arm and tried to walk me off to the sidelines and toward the stands.
"No. You
can't go out there. You can't play the rest of this game. Remember what I told
you about my parents. I really did have a vision. They didn't listen to me and
they died."
"What does
that have to do with—" He stopped walking and turned me to him, his
hands going to my shoulders. "Are you saying you've had a vision about
this game?"
"Yes. I
thought you heard me tell Liam about it."
"No. Or if I
did I didn't listen to that part. I was too busy thinking about you and him
going to the reserve. Too busy burning up with jealousy."
"Young
lady," the coach interrupted with another shout. "Get off the field
and Ellsworth get over here."
Neither of us
reacted.
"I had a
vision," I said. "Liam will die in the next play of this game and
you...you're involved."
He stared off
beyond me, unseeing, lost in his thoughts. "That's what you and your
grandmother were talking about last night. That's what you meant. Why you asked
me out. You wanted to save Liam."
"Yes." I
shook him a little to bring his attention back to me. "Of course. I don't
want Liam to die. I can't deny I care about him. But I also don't want you to
feel responsible for his death. I don't want that for you. I love you."
"Ellsworth,"
The coach shouted. "Ten seconds to the end of the time out. Get out onto
the field."
Cupping his cheek
with my palm, I put everything I had into the plea. "I know it's insane. I
know you think people don't have visions, but please Keagan. Just trust me.
Please. If you ever cared about me at all. Please. Don't go back into the
game."
One beat and then
two passed as if an eternity. Then, without looking away from me,
game was still going on. Stumbling a little, I made my way around the outer
ring hallway to get to the opposite side where I could more easily reach the
visiting team. Every second was marked by the sound of my shoes slapping
against the flooring of the empty corridor.
I passed through a
wide archway and reached the bottom of the stands. On the field the Broughton
Hawks offense had control with one player running the ball down field. Ten
yards then twenty, he ran to the happy cheers of their fans. My worried eyes
went to the scoreboard. Three minutes, forty-nine seconds left in the game.
I remembered the
fateful play was at one minute, twenty-seconds. A little time left.
My eyes searched
the Hawks' bench and found the dark hair of a familiar head. The name on the
uniform, Ellsworth, confirmed it for me: Keagan.
It might have been
the way I walked with purpose and without hesitation. It might have been the bandage
on my forehead and the crazy matted hair and bruises from the accident. For
whatever reason, no one stopped me from striding past the Hawks' cheerleaders
and approaching the bench.
Just as I reached
him, Keagan, and the rest of his benched team, rose and cheered. Their team had
gotten a touchdown. The score was twenty to fourteen now, just as in my vision.
"Keagan," I said, tapping him
on the shoulder. "I have to talk to you."
At my touch he
started and whirled. "Get away from me." He hit my hand away.
At the angry scowl
and blazing eyes, I gasped and stepped back.
As he took me in,
his face softened. "Tara. What happened to you?" He tentatively
touched the bandage.
"Car
accident. I tried to find you last night after...anyway a cat ran out in front
of my Camry."
Over his shoulder,
I saw that the Hawks' holder had mishandled the ball and the extra point kick
failed. Instead of positioning the ball for the kicker, the holder tried to
recover by passing the ball and it was intercepted. The Hawks' coach screamed
and called a time out.
The clock stopped
at one minute, twenty seconds.
"Ellsworth,
get that girl out of here and come get instructions. You're going back into the
game."
"Yes,
Coach," Keagan yelled back. "Tara, you have to go. We can talk after
the game."
He took me by the
arm and tried to walk me off to the sidelines and toward the stands.
"No. You
can't go out there. You can't play the rest of this game. Remember what I told
you about my parents. I really did have a vision. They didn't listen to me and
they died."
"What does
that have to do with—" He stopped walking and turned me to him, his
hands going to my shoulders. "Are you saying you've had a vision about
this game?"
"Yes. I
thought you heard me tell Liam about it."
"No. Or if I
did I didn't listen to that part. I was too busy thinking about you and him
going to the reserve. Too busy burning up with jealousy."
"Young
lady," the coach interrupted with another shout. "Get off the field
and Ellsworth get over here."
Neither of us
reacted.
"I had a
vision," I said. "Liam will die in the next play of this game and
you...you're involved."
He stared off
beyond me, unseeing, lost in his thoughts. "That's what you and your
grandmother were talking about last night. That's what you meant. Why you asked
me out. You wanted to save Liam."
"Yes." I
shook him a little to bring his attention back to me. "Of course. I don't
want Liam to die. I can't deny I care about him. But I also don't want you to
feel responsible for his death. I don't want that for you. I love you."
"Ellsworth,"
The coach shouted. "Ten seconds to the end of the time out. Get out onto
the field."
Cupping his cheek
with my palm, I put everything I had into the plea. "I know it's insane. I
know you think people don't have visions, but please Keagan. Just trust me.
Please. If you ever cared about me at all. Please. Don't go back into the
game."
One beat and then
two passed as if an eternity. Then, without looking away from me,
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