Marilyn Kaye - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

"But why didn't I just see your sisters with measles in my vision? It's like, every time I get a premonition, it's not clear-it's all twisted and mixed-up."

"Maybe because the future is never all that clear. I mean, it can always change, can't it?"

"I guess," Emily replied, but she wasn't so sure about that. If the future could change, then how could she see it before it happened? Like today. . "I had a vision this morning that Carter wouldn't be in class today."

"That must have been a clear vision," Tracey said. "And it was accurate."

There was a rap on her door. "Em, don't stay on the phone too long. You've got homework."

"I gotta go," Emily told Tracey. "Thanks for calling."

"Want to make a quick prediction before we hang up?" Tracey asked.

"I can try," Emily said. "Ask me a question."

"Um. .Will Carter be back in class tomorrow?"

Emily half-closed her eyes, so that her eyesight was blurred, and waited to see if any kind of image formed. She was pleased when a vision of the class began to form.

"No … he won't be there. Wait-someone else is missing, too."

"Who?"

Emily looked over the faces in the fuzzy image. "It's you! Are you feeling okay? Maybe you're going to be sick."

"I feel fine," Tracey assured her. "Maybe I'll be invisible."

"Are you going to try to disappear tomorrow?" "I don't know. Maybe. I practice every day, but usually at home in my room."

"Well, don't do it just so I'll think my prediction was accurate."

Tracey laughed. "See you tomorrow."

When she saw Tracey at their usual table in the cafeteria the next day, she wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. Of course she was glad Tracey wasn't sick, and that she hadn't done a disappearing act just to make Emily feel better about herself (although that was the kind of thing Tracey would do). But her presence was more evidence that Emily's predictions were half-baked at best.

Still, she forced a smile as she carried her lunch to the table. "I'm glad to see you," she assured Tracey.

Tracey sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?" Jenna appeared at the table, carrying a lunch tray.

"Oh, nothing," Tracey said quickly. "Hey, you bought your lunch!"

Emily had noticed that, too. Jenna always brought a sandwich from home. With her mother's problems, the family had lived on public assistance, and Jenna was always short of cash.

Jenna set the tray on the table. "Yeah, how about that? My mother got a job!"

"Wow, that's great!" Tracey exclaimed.

"Doing what?" Emily asked.

"She's going to be a secretary at the hospital! That's what she used to be, a secretary, and while she was in rehab, she told one of the nurses. And it turned out she remembers all her computer skills." She turned to Emily. "Guess you didn't see that coming, did you?"

Emily's smile faded. "No. I haven't been having many successful premonitions lately."

"Hey, it's okay," Jenna said, taking her seat. "I wouldn't have believed you if you'd predicted it." She looked beyond them and grimaced. "Oh damn. What do they want?"

Emily turned to see three of Amanda's friends sauntering toward them. They were whispering and smirking, and she steeled herself for an insult.

Nina, the nastiest one, spoke. "Emily, I'm trying out for cheerleading today. Could you tell me if I'm going to make the squad?"

Emily sighed. "No."

"No, you can't tell me, or no, I'm not going to make the squad?"

Britney and Sophie started giggling furiously.

Emily considered a snappy retort, something like "I won't waste my gift on something stupid like cheerleading," but of course she couldn't let them know she really could see into the future.

Tracey saved her. "She doesn't know and she doesn't care, so leave her alone."

Nina faked a look of wide-eyed innocence. "But I thought Emily could tell the future."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Emily doesn't even know what day it will be tomorrow."

To her horror, Emily felt her eyes well up. She knew Jenna was just trying to convince the girls it was all a joke, that the idea of Emily being able to predict the future was ridiculous. But in a way, what Jenna said was almost true, and that was what hurt. She managed to keep her expression frozen until the girls walked away, and then a tear escaped.

Tracey saw it. "Oh, Emily, you can't care what those girls think."

"I don't," Emily said fiercely, staring at Jenna.

"Hey, I was just trying to help out," Jenna protested.

"I know," Tracey said. "But Emily's feeling pretty sensitive about her gift these days."

Jenna's expression changed. "Really? Hey, I'm sorry, Em. I was just fooling around."

"It's okay," Emily sighed. "I just feel like my gift is awfully weak. I mean, compared with the others in our class."

"What about Carter?" Jenna said. "He doesn't even have a gift. At least, he's never shown us one."

"Speaking of Carter, Emily knew he wouldn't be in class yesterday," Tracey told her. "She was right about that." She turned to Emily. "And you said he won't be there today, right? I'll bet you're right again."

"But even if I am, I thought you wouldn't be there either. So I'd only be half right."

"Have you talked to Madame about this?" Jenna wanted to know.

Tracey was taken aback. "Since when do you trust teachers?"

"I don't," Jenna said quickly. "Not regular teachers. But Madame's. . okay. I think she's different. She understands stuff."

Tracey looked thoughtful. "Do you really think she understands our gifts?"

Jenna shrugged. "Well, she knows about them and she doesn't treat us like freaks.That's enough for me."

It was enough for Emily, too. At least Madame would be willing to listen. She pushed her barely touched tray away.

"Maybe you're right. I'm going to go see if I can talk to her now."

She was in luck-Madame was already in the classroom, going through some papers at her desk. Emily stood in the doorway and coughed loudly. The teacher looked up. She didn't smile, but she spoke kindly.

"Yes, Emily?"

Emily hesitated. Madame looked preoccupied, like she had something on her mind. Maybe this wasn't a good time. But then Madame spoke again.

"Have you had a vision?"

"I'm always having visions," Emily said. "That's the problem. Because they're not always right.

No, that's not exactly true. They're just not completely right."

"We've talked about this before," Madame reminded her. "Are you examining the visions? Are you looking for clues that could help you make sense of them, to make the most of your visions?"

Madame was right-Emily had heard all this before. But she still didn't get it. She reported the visions as she saw them-what else could she do?

"Can you give me an example?" she asked the teacher.

Madame didn't get the opportunity. Another teacher appeared at the classroom door and spoke in a rush.

"Could you come with me? It's Martin Cooper. ."

"Of course." Madame rose quickly. "I'm sorry, Emily, I have to go."

Emily didn't need any explanation for her need to leave-she could guess what was happening in some other classroom. Skinny little Martin Cooper had a gift that only served himself. If he was teased or ridiculed-which happened frequently, since he was such a whiny, babyish nerd-he went more than a little nuts. His scrawny body was suddenly endowed with an almost superhuman strength, and he became violent. Madame was the only one who could calm him down.

Yes, like Jenna said, Madame understood the special students. Unlike most of their parents, she accepted the reality of the gifts and she believed in her students' abilities. But unfortunately for Emily, the other students' gifts usually took up more of Madame's time.

Ken could be tormented by the voices of the deceased, and he didn't seem to have much control over them. Emily often wondered how Ken had developed such a weird gift. He never really said much about it except to complain when dead people kept trying to talk to him. He certainly wasn't happy about it, ever, and Madame always seemed to have a special sympathy for him.