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ever eaten, until now.
    The guava-juice tasted delicious and smooth. It wouldn't have surprised me if it had been made fresh. I drank it all and asked for more, delighted in the aftertaste. Jai refilled my glass and his. Besides a quick “Thank you” and a mumbled “You're welcome,” Jai and I said nothing to each other for more than ten minutes. Amira seemed to be interested in the conversation between our parents, so she wasn’t too talkative either.
    We'd gotten along pretty well at the mall, but here, he played with his silverware, watched Amira and me as we chatted occasionally, and kept looking at his parents as they talked to mine. He glanced at me under his lashes, but never looked directly at me. Why is he nervous ?
    Twenty minutes into the meal and after my third glass of juice, my mind started to feel a little fuzzy. A faint haze surrounded the edges of my vision, narrowing until I could only see out of the center, like when I peered through my telescope. The conversations around me began to fade and echo then alternately got loud and garbled. I dropped my fork; the chime as it clipped the plate resonated through my mind. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. A sudden headache seized me, making me gasp at the pain then disappeared as soon as it hit. I jerked my head up and looked around the room.
    The haze around my vision disappeared, and I could see everything with much more clarity. The conversations still sounded strange, with unusual echoes, but I could hear them all, better than before. I looked around the table at the occupants and focused on my parents as they described how the nursery business kept them busy even in the winter.
    â€œOh yeah, we have our own greenhouses and do our own planting,” Dad said. “We even propagate our own trees.” Almost simultaneously, I heard him say with a sigh that echoed, “Though I’m sure you wouldn't care about that. No one does, but it is so fascinating. Wish I could quit my part time job at the grocery store during the winter to focus on my plants.”
    At the head of the table Delilah's voice echoed, “It is too bad they have to work this hard and struggle to make ends meet, while we are living a life of luxury here.” She had her napkin pressed lightly against her mouth.
    â€œI agree,” Marshal's voice said, but his mouth was busy chewing a bite of food. “And how unfortunate it is that Mrs. Adams must supplement their income by teaching piano.”
    I felt outraged they thought those things about us but stunned that I could hear him speak clearly as he chewed. And how did he know my mom taught piano? I didn't remember her talking about it. My dad was still explaining how he took cuttings off one tree to graft into another.
    I stared at Amira. Her mouth was closed, but her voice echoed, “Are you satisfied yet, Jai? There is nothing wrong with these people. They do not suspect us of anything. Now may I please have your permission to develop a friendship with Holly? I am tired of all this caution. Do you still think it is necessary?”
    I heard her thoughts because she was definitely not saying it out loud. I closed my eyes, pressing my fingers against my eyelids, breathing deeply to clear my head.
    The conversations going on around the room slammed into each other, fighting for my attention. Everything else disappeared when Jai's deep voice said, “I am not entirely convinced. There is something unusual about Holly.”
    I bristled and looked at him out of the corner of my eyes. He was still looking down at his plate with his head tilted toward Amira. “I allowed you to take her shopping, in order to observe her,” his voice said. “I receive a strange vibe from her. I cannot figure out what it is. It is unlike anything I have felt before… almost…”
    â€œWhat, Jai?” Amira asked when he trailed off. “What do you feel from her?”
    â€œI don't know