Supernatural Summer Read Free

physical body, as you well know."
    I rolled my eyes. Could this conversation get any worse?
    "But it can also have a strong effect on your energy body."
    This got my attention. "You mean my aura and stuff?" Living in a New Age household made me all too familiar with the terminology.
    "Exactly. Every teenager goes through it, but the change is usually subtle enough that it goes unnoticed. But you, your emotions are creating such a strong resonance that it's affecting your physical surroundings. You're practically blooming with energy!"
    I was trying to stay calm. "So, you're telling me that the cupboards slammed because I got mad?"
    My mother nodded, giddy.
    "And you think this is a good thing?" Panic gripped me.
    "This may be a precursor to strong psychic ability. My mother poltergeisted as a teenager, and you know how connected she was."
    "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
    "Summer, we've had this conversation."
    "We have?"
    She nodded.
    Oh god. This must have been one of those times I was ignoring her. Some of the stuff she said was so ridiculous, so out there …
    "I went through this when I was your age. It was about the time I met your dad. Luckily, we grew up together in the same Sedona co-op, so he didn't give it a second thought." My mom stared wistfully into space. "But that's how he knew I had a crush on him. Every time he came near, things magically started moving."
    "You mean he saw how you felt?"
    She gave my shoulder a squeeze. "It's not all bad. This can be a magnificent time for you. Once, when your dad…"
      "Oh my god." I jumped out of my chair. "My most private feelings will be out there for everyone to see, and I'm supposed to be happy about this?"
    A series of loud thumps and knocks erupted in the kitchen as though someone were hitting the walls and ceiling with a hammer. I buried my face in my hands. I'd refused to talk about it after that.
    I got out of going to the retreat, but the next two weeks were the worst of my life. At first, I was paranoid about having any emotion. This made things worse. I was a cauldron of suppressed anger, resentment, confusion, sadness, and embarrassment. As I paced through the house, determined to hold everything in, books flew off their shelves. Curtains whipped as though caught in a hurricane wind. Small fires erupted in garbage cans.
    Soon I began to see patterns in the activity and started to think offensively. If my temper was rising, I knew I needed to watch out for flying objects and discreetly keep other people out of their path. When sadness settled in and the electricity became erratic, I'd try to stay clear of appliances. Problem was, the poltergeisting was getting stronger.
     
    *****
     
    The back door to the house slammed and something pinged against the outside of the shed. I rolled off the mat, opened the stained glass window, and looked outside.
    My nine-year-old brother, Ram Dass, smirked at me from below and loaded another stone into a slingshot he'd fashioned out of who-knows-what and strung up between two small trees. My parents had named him after the spiritual guru they revered, and seemed to be grooming Ram to be the planet's next great mystic. Unfortunately, they were blind to the obnoxious, stone-throwing, stick-wielding beast he'd become.
    "Hey, Spook, dinner's ready," he called out, and he prepared to launch the rock at the shed. I squinted at the contraption. Pink. Floral. A tiny bow in the middle.
      "Ram Dass, I told you to stay out of my room!"
    He abandoned his mission and tore into the house.
    My parents and brother waited for me at the table. "Did you see what he did to my bra?" I asked my mother.
    "Mom said I could use it," Ram interrupted. "It's for my project on creative usability. Besides, it was way too big for you."
    I huffed. I really didn't want to have this conversation at the dinner table. Not with my dad sitting across from me.
    My mom toggled between my brother and me, explaining and scolding in one long breath. "I gave