Would it hurt? she thought suddenly with a clench of fear. Even if it did, it would be worth it just to have it gone. But Tamani had also said she would grow another one next year. She hoped most of what he said was true. The rest of it…she didn’t even want to think about it.

But her thoughts kept wandering back anyway. And although she hated to admit it, it wasn’t just because the information was so bizarre; it was because of Tamani himself. He had shaken her—introduced emotions she’d never experienced. That sharp sense of wanting someone without even knowing them—she’d never felt that way before. Not with anyone. It was exciting and exhilarating but also a little scary. A part of her that seemed totally out of her control. She wasn’t sure she liked it.

He was so…was beautiful the right word? It seemed like the right word.

Whatever he was, she could hardly pull her eyes away from him. That’s the part that really made her wonder if he had been some sort of mirage. A superrealistic dream.

She glanced down at her wrist where she’d rubbed the glittering powder away.

That had been real. She’d found a small streak of it on her jeans when she got home. He had to be real.

And then there was the nagging suspicion that she’d seen him before. She couldn’t shake it. And he’d certainly acted as if he knew her. Why would he know her? How could he know her? The whole situation was making her head spin.

“So, what happened yesterday?” David finally asked as they came into sight of the tree.

Laurel groaned, thinking how silly this had all started to seem after she’d agreed to talk to David. “It’s so ridiculous, David, I don’t know why I’m so worked up over it. Probably because it makes me feel stupid.”

“Does it have to do with the, uh, flower?”

“Sort of, maybe. I don’t know,” Laurel said. Her words spilled out as she started to pace. “Only if it’s true, and I can’t believe that. I’m starting to think I made the whole thing up, like a dream I don’t remember falling asleep for or something.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Sense,” Laurel said with a snort. “When I tell you what he said, I’ll be making even less sense.”

“Who?”

Laurel stopped pacing and leaned against a tree. “I met someone. Up at the land. A guy, sort of.” A man almost, but she didn’t say it out loud. “He said he lives there.”

“On your land?”

“That’s what I said.”

“What did your parents say?”

Laurel shook her head. “They didn’t see him.”

“You met him alone?”

Laurel nodded.

“Some strange guy all by yourself? You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt!” He paused for a second, then asked quietly, “Did you get hurt?”

But Laurel was already shaking her head. “It wasn’t like that.” For a moment, she remembered the feeling she’d had while sitting in the small glade. “I felt safe; I was safe. He…he knew me. I don’t know how. He saw the flower and wasn’t surprised at all. He told me it’s a blossom.”

“A blossom?”

“He also said it’ll go away. That’s the only part of the conversation I’m hoping and praying was true.”

“Who was he? Did he say?”

“He said his name was Tamani.” As soon as she said his name she wished she hadn’t. The name seemed somehow magical and saying it aloud brought back that out-of-control feeling that made her feel strangely impulsive. His face invaded her mind, blocking her view of anything else. His intense eyes, that half-grin, the way she’d been overwhelmed by a sense of comfort and familiarity when he touched her hand.

“Tamani?” David said, bringing her back to reality. “Weird name.”

Laurel just nodded, forcing her thoughts back to the present.

“What else did he say?”

“He told me he was my kind; that’s why he knew about the blossom.”

“Your kind? What does that mean?”

Laurel laughed, trying to break the tension. It didn’t work. “It’s just so dumb. He said…he said I’m a flower, a plant.”

“A plant?”

“Exactly. It’s ridiculous.”

David paused to contemplate this. “Anything else?” he asked.

“Anything else? Isn’t that bad enough? He said I’m a freaking plant. I’m not a plant. I’m not,” she added for good measure.

David slid his back down the tree trunk and sat on the ground, his fingers drumming on his knees. “It would explain a lot, you know,” he said hesitantly.

“Oh, please, David, not you too.”

“Did he say anything else?” David asked, ignoring her comment.

Laurel turned away and began picking small pieces of bark off the tree she’d been leaning against. “He just said some other crazy stuff, that’s all.”

David stood and walked over to the tree she was assaulting and waited until she looked up at him. “If it was just crazy talk, why are you so upset?”

“Because—because it was so stupid.”

“Laurel.”

Her eyes darted up to his.

“What did he say?”

“It’s dumb. He said I’m a—you’re just going to laugh.”

“I won’t laugh. What did he say you are?”