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Post by Free on Apr 26, 2018 14:59:29 GMT -5
[This is where the world-building goes.]
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Post by Free on Apr 26, 2018 15:00:00 GMT -5
Brooklyn lay on her stomach under her bed. Her heart pounded as she pressed herself as far as could into the wall. She opened her mouth so no one could hear her breathe. A lavender comforter cascaded almost the floor, obscuring most of her vision. Yellow light from her window illuminated what she could see of the door.
She’d heard her mom’s boyfriend coming down the hall. The footsteps were muffled by carpet, but distinct. She wished it was her mom, but her mom didn’t make that much noise. It’d been too late to leave her room.
The footsteps stopped outside her door. She stopped breathing. She heard her own heartbeat, felt it beating faster and faster as the seconds ticked by.
She saw the door open. His bare feet crossed to her bed.
I shouldn’t have stayed in here. But where else could she sleep?
He cursed. He stepped back from the bed and took a small circle around her room, then left, leaving her door open. The hallway was a black mouth, waiting to devour her.
Heart still pounding, she counted off the seconds. She breathed through her mouth. She stayed still. Her heart started to slow, but she didn’t move. She waited longer than she thought it would take him to walk back to his room, longer than it would take him to fall asleep.
She waited.
Her neck hurt when she finally moved. She crawled out from under her bed and stood up.
He appeared in the doorway. She screamed. He moved toward her so quickly. He yanked her by the wrist back to her bed. She screamed over and over. He covered her mouth with his hand, but she bit him. Her heart pounded wildly.
He threw her with such force against the bed she saw stars. The room started to shake lightly.
“GET AWAY FROM HER!” Brooklyn’s mom appeared in the doorway. She brandished the bronze floor lamp from her bedroom.
Mom! Relief flood her.
He laughed. “You don’t have the nerve.”
Her mom’s boyfriend pulled at her pants. Panic set in. Nothing could save her.
Brooklyn’s mom screamed and lunged into the room. The boyfriend punched her, sending her staggering back.
The room began shaking more violently. Ballerina figurines fell off Brooklyn’s dresser and crashed to the floor. The boyfriend stopped and looked around.
Books appeared to jump off the shelves toward them. Brooklyn ducked and ran toward her mom as books pelted the boyfriend from all sides. Blood dripped to the floor after one collided with his nose. Everything in the room seemed to be alive, spinning, breathing, dangerous.
The boyfriend’s cursing quieted when one hit him firmly in the back of the head. He dropped to the floor.
Brooklyn clutched her mom with wide eyes as everything but the furniture careened around the room.
“Run Brooklyn!” Her mom shoved her toward the door as the bronze lamp moved toward them. It made a sickening crack as it connected with her mom’s head.
Brooklyn screamed and flung herself at her mom’s body. Blood pooled around her head. Everything in the room continued to move. Her mom’s body was heavy. She grabbed her mom’s wrist, but couldn’t feel anything so she pressed her head to her mom’s chest.
Her body was warm, but held no comforting heartbeat. Her chest didn’t move up and down. She grabbed her mom’s head, petted her hair. Blood covered Brooklyn’s fingers. She screamed again and clung to her mom’s body, tears running down her face. She stayed that way for a long time, chest heaving, sobs growing louder and louder.
At some point, everything in the room crashed to the floor. At some point, someone knocked on the door.
Brooklyn pulled herself up and answered it. Two policemen were at the door.
“We got a call about a domestic¬¬¬–” one of the policemen started to say. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Brooklyn said. She started crying again. “I d-don’t know.”
One of the policemen took her hand. “Where did all that blood come from?” he asked.
She led them back to her room. She stopped at the doorway, kept her eyes on the floor. A shattered ballerina looked at her from the floor. She looked away.
If I hadn’t screamed, maybe that’d be me instead of her.
The police investigated, but unable to fully piece together what had happened. Brooklyn was too small to have caused the damage to either adult. She said no one else was there. There were whispers of something else, but Brooklyn tried not to listen. Brooklyn ended up at a group home with three other kids.
~Two years later~
“Give it back.” Brooklyn stood between two boys from her group home. They stood in a wide alley lined with brick buildings a few blocks from their “home.”
“Make me,” the taller one said, his tone obnoxious.
“But it’s miiiine!” yelled the younger one.
Brooklyn sighed. It was weird suddenly having other kids to worry about outside of school. They did have the history that siblings would, but she had all of the responsibly of a sibling to make sure these idiots ended up home safely.
“If you don’t give it back to him, I’ll tell Stacy you were the one that peed in her bed last week,” Brooklyn said.
“Like she’d believe that!”
“Unlike you, I don’t make it a habit of lying to her all the time. She still believes what I say.”
“Fine, then–”
Three older boys near the end of the alley caught Brooklyn’s attention.
She dropped her voice, “Listen, let’s just go home and I’ll steal ice cream out of the garage freezer for both of you. Let’s just go.”
“No.” The older boy smiled.
“Either way.” She pushed them gently. The younger on moved, but the older one stood firmly.
“Come on, Danny. Let’s GO,” she whispered. “It’s not safe here.”
“You’re just trying to get back home because you know Stacy’ll be on your side.”
“That’s because I listen!” Brooklyn pushed him harder.
“Stop it!” Danny yelled, yanking his arm from her grasp.
“Drop your stuff,” said a voice from behind them.
Brooklyn bit her lip and turned around, her heart rate rising. Why couldn’t they just move?! She took a step forward, putting herself between the three hooligans.
“No way!” said Danny. “Make me!”
The shortest hooligan waved brown hair out of his face and smirked. “Have it your way.” He made a show of moving aside his jacket and pulling a six-inch knife from a sheath wrapped around his waist. The others followed suit.
Brooklyn swallowed back the ball rising up from her chest and threatening to strangle her. She had to keep it together for her “brothers.”
The other two were looking at her, their eyes wide. She set down her backpack.
“Your bracelet too,” said the blond hooligan.
Brooklyn fingered the charm bracelet her mother had gotten her for her eighth birthday.
“You can’t have that,” said the youngest orphan.
The short leader stepped, forward, waving his knife. Danny jumped forward and punched him in the stomach.
“You can’t hurt him!” Danny yelled.
“Danny!” Brooklyn screamed as the knife grazed the boy’s arm. A ribbon of blood instantly formed along the cut. The hooligan didn’t stop.
The ground gently rumbled below her feet. A trash bin behind her shook violently.
Brooklyn held her breath. It was happening again. The leader hooligan tripped over something and lost his balance. The knife flew into the air. It started spinning. It cut another line of blood on Danny’s arm before landing in the leader’s chest.
The guys stood there for a long moment, staring at the knife. His mouth was open, like he didn’t understand what was happening. Blood soaked his shirt. Brooklyn look up to see his friends running.
She grabbed Danny and the little’s hand and ran out of the alley, leaving her backpack behind.
When she got home, she took her “sister’s” purple backpack, dumped everything on the floor and surveyed her shared bedroom. She couldn’t carry much, so she’d have to make it count. She filled the backpack with clothing, snacks, water and A Little Princess, her favorite book.
She desperately wanted the happy ending the book had, but she didn’t even know who her father was so that was out of the question. “The state” certainly hadn’t been able to find him or anyone else related to her in their quest to find her a home.
She put aside the thought of family. She put aside the love she’d developed for the kids here. The best thing she could do for them was leave. Whatever had happened in her home and back in that alley, it seemed to be following her.
Danny caught her in the hallway.
“Where you going with Kelly’s backpack?” he asked.
“To the library…Got a test to study for,” she quickly.
“But it’s Friday. Can’t we play instead?” he asked.
She looked into his honey eyes and smiled. For a moment, the only thing she wanted to do was grab a ball and go play out back with him, pretend everything was okay.
“Maybe later.”
“Okay.” He drooped and walked slowly away. He turned back, “Promise?”
His look was so expectant, she wanted to be able to keep a promise like that.
“Promise,” she said breathily.
He walked away.
Brooklyn walked out the door. And never came back.
~Seven years later~
“You look like a girl who needs a drink.” He was tall, toned and hot.
“You look like a guy not old enough to buy one,” she said, laughing.
The sun hung low over the river. She sat on a big rock in navy bikini. The rock was wet from people using it to launch themselves into the river. Her purple backpack was on the far edge of the rock, away from the water.
The boy lifted a camelback. “Is that any way to talk to someone bearing gifts?”
“There’s more?” she asked.
“Sure, I brought the gift of my company,” he said.
“Mhm.” She turned back toward the water. “Don’t ruin it.”
He dropped down next to her.
“I was kidding,” he said. “But you did look lonely up here by yourself.”
“So you came to rescue me, huh?”
“My civic duty.” He took a drink from the camelback.
“What’s in there anyway?” she asked.
“Actually, I’m not sure,” he said, inspecting the clear plastic tube filled with a light red beverage.
She laughed. “And yet you’re drinking it anyway.”
“It was given to me by a very trustworthy stranger.” He smiled, his eyes soft. “My buddy made it for our trip down the river today.”
“How’d that go?”
“We haven’t gone yet. For some reason, it takes an act of god to get 14 people out the door at a reasonable hour. My name is Zachary, by the way.”
“Brooklyn.”
“What are you doing here, Brooklyn?” he asked.
“Same as you. Out with friends, but mine got here around 10.”
She watched the way the water moved, always flowing, going forward. It was like life. You don’t get to go backward and you don’t get to hold onto more than you can carry.
“Where are they?” he asked, glancing around.
Most of the people nearby were on the rocky beach stretching out to their right. She gestured vaguely in their direction.
“Hooking up, sleeping, sunbathing.”
“Zach?” A short, blond girl appeared at the edge of the rock. Her expression was cautious. “You coming?”
“Is everyone actually here?” He said, looking back over his shoulder at her.
“Yes.” The girl didn’t even glance in Brooklyn’s direction. Brooklyn felt sorry for her. It was just as obvious this girl liked him as it was he had no idea.
“So, mysterious, lonely Brooklyn, you wanna come with us?”
“I’m mysterious now too?” She giggled.
“Well I’ll see you over there,” the girl said loudly. She hesitated, then walked away.
“Who’s that?” Brooklyn asked, nodding at the girl’s retreating figure.
“My buddy’s friend Heather. They hang out a lot.”
“She likes you.”
“She does not.” His face flushed.
“She does.”
“We should get going.”
“What makes you think I’m going?” Brooklyn raised her eyebrows, teasingly.
“Don’t ruin it.”
Brooklyn laughed and grabbed her backpack. “Come on. They’re waiting on you now.”
~Six months later~
“Tell you what, drinks are on me if I lose, you if I win.” One hand rested on her hip, the other on a pool cue. Brooklyn’s head was already a little fuzzy.
Zachary put a hand on her other hip, pulling her toward him. Their mingled between them, smelling of cheap beer. “I can think of a better way to spend our time,” he whispered in her ear.
“You’re just trying to get out of the deal.” She pulled away, laughing. “Loser buys the winner as many drinks as she can handle.”
“Have it your way.” Zachary laughed. It was beautiful, so carefree she could almost forget how close everything was to changing.
Brooklyn racked the balls, lined up her cue and took her shot. A perfect break.
“I’m solid,” she said, swaying a bit.
“You sure are.” They both laughed.
A couple rounds later, Zachary hadn’t won a single one.
“Why do you torture yourself like this?” she asked. “You should just give up and buy me the bar.”
“If I did that, you wouldn’t need to come running to me every few minutes for a drink.” He walked over to her, his feet sticking to the faux hardwood. He put his arms around and breathed in her scent. “Have I won enough points to keep you?”
The smile slid from her lips and she turned toward the pool table.
“Stay with me? You might decide you like it here. You said the store here are better than the last few places you’ve been. We’ve got the river where we met and the best worst pool player you’ll ever meet.” He ran a hand over her hair, down her back.
She smiled for a moment, remembering how they’d met. She’d give anything to go back to that moment or to make this moment only a few weeks or a few days from that moment. But it wasn’t.
“You know I can’t do that,” she said quietly.
Six months was the longest period anyone had ever been safe around her, but she usually didn’t stay this long. Couldn't risk it. Someone might get hurt. Worse, she might get attached.
“Can’t or wont?” He let go of her. “You know one of these days when you’re ready to settle down, all the good places and people will be gone. Stay here. It’s nice here. There’s that fountain in the park. We can get a cherry tree and some flowers, spruce up the place. We can have a big party to celebrate you deciding to keep me. We’ll make a whole thing of it. I’m thinking we invite all our friends, my family and a priest. And we just stay there forever until there isn’t enough room for all the kids, which let’s face it is gonna be quick. We live in a one bedroom.”
The word “we” cut into her skin like ice. She looked into his beautiful grey eyes. For that moment, all she wanted was that party, those kids, but there was that gnawing sense under all of it that he was describing a fairytale, something that could never be. Like her finding her Little Princess ending.
“I’m not saying we do that all at once, but I think my cat needs some new things to pee on, so we should start with the plants.”
“Zach,” she said almost too softly for him to hear. “Don’t ruin it.” She downed both of their shots before looking back at him. “We both knew this was temporary when we started it. Why can’t it just be that fun thing we did for a while? I’m leaving in the morning. Is this really how you want to spend our last night together?”
He swallowed hard and looked at the floor before looking back at her. “Of course not.”
“Do you want to remember me forever as the girl you couldn’t outdrink? You’re already two shots behind.”
He forced a smile. “That’s because you drank mine. And anyway, that's not what I meant. Let’s get out of here.”
She moved her eyebrows up and down in a flirty way. “Sounds good.”
He grabbed her hand and took her to the very rock where he first saw her. She kept smiling, pretending she was fine, swallowing back tears, one at a time. He took her to the one spot in the world she couldn’t pretend leaving was okay. And somehow, that was perfect.
Five hours later, Brooklyn stood in the kitchen she’d grown to think of as hers. She yawned.
I have to go. Even as she told herself this, she had a hard time believing it. It’d been so long since anything bad had happened. Maybe all that stuff was gone, like bad luck she’d finally run out.
Thinking of Zachary asleep upstairs, knowing she’d never find anyone else like him was the reason she had to leave and the reason she didn’t want to the most.
She brushed aside memories of walks through the park fountain, hikes through the mountains, shoplifting at her favorite stores. Her throat hurt from swallowing back the tears, but each memory threatened to crush her and it was easier not to think of them at all.
She had already packed. Her worn, purple backpack was already on her back. She walked into the living room and pet their cat, Zachary’s cat.
“Goodbye, SunBun,” she said softly.
“The cat gets a goodbye but I don’t?” Zachary stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. He pressed his lips tightly together.
“I thought it would be easier–”
“For you,”
“If our last moment together was happy,” she finished.
She moved toward him, wrapping her arms around him. He held her tightly for a long moment. He pressed a phone into her pocket.
“Wherever you go, you can always reach me. My number’s in there and I put a charger in your backpack last night,” he said softly.
“I can’t take this.” She handed it back to him. She didn’t trust herself not to call him. All the would keep her going was knowing she was protecting him. She couldn’t handle a life line, couldn’t promise herself he’d be safe that way. She’d tried so hard to make him like all the others, but he wasn’t.
“I know.” He held her again for long time. In her ear, he whispered,
“So I'll let you go I'll set you free And when you see what you need to see When you find you come back to me
Take your time I wont go anywhere Picture you with the wind in your hair I'll keep your things right where you left them I'll be here for you
Oh and I'll let you go I'll set you free And when you see what you need to see When you find you come back to me Come back to me...”
He squeezed her tightly. When he finally let go, they both had tears in their eyes. She’d tried to swallow all of hers, but there were too many.
He opened the door for her and stepped outside. Just before she turned away, he pulled her into a passionate kiss.
“I love you,” he whispered, “I will always be here for you. If you need me. Or if you ever cease your nomadic wanderings and need a place to rest. Promise me you’ll come back one day.”
“Promise.” The word broke on its way out and she turned away from him. Like the promise to Danny, it wasn’t one she intended on keeping, but she couldn’t say no to him.
She kept walking, letting the tears fall down her face and no caring who noticed. She usually tried to forget people the second they were gone from sight, but Zachary didn't disappear so easily.
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Post by J on Apr 26, 2018 15:59:09 GMT -5
Two hands slid over Westley’s shoulders and down his chest. He leaned forward and jerked away from his older brother’s touch. The sensation of Logan’s hands on him was still too much even after he had slid out from underneath him.
“Can you not?” Westley shuddered and glared at Logan.
“I’m tired, needed a little pick me up.” Logan ruffled his hair and moved farther into the kitchen. “Is my breakfast ready yet?”
“Tired is not an ailment. It’s part of being a person,” Westley scoffed and waved a ladle through the air. “Oh wait, let me back up. A person is a human creature that treats others with kindness and respect.”
“Damn, you’re grumpy this morning.” Logan chuckled and whipped open the industrial fridge.
“I’ve asked you a thousand times not to touch me,” Westley growled and sprinkled cinnamon into the oatmeal. He had set aside a small portion for Teah who was deathly allergic to the common spice. She may not even want oatmeal, but at least she would have the option.
“God that looks like someone already ate it.” Logan grimaced at the giant pan. “What else is there?”
“It’s Tuesday, and just like every Tuesday, we’re having oatmeal, bagels, and fruit.” Westley sighed and added a healthy scoop of brown sugar. Cinnamon and sugar was really the only way to make oatmeal appetizing for the general public. However, it did stretch a long way and with twenty people in the house, the needed food that kept on going.
“I’m here to report for duty!” Evie, Westley’s younger sister zipped into the room and snatched an apron from the hooks lining the far wall. “What can I do?”
“Careful Evie, he’s a real grump this morning.” Logan smiled at their sister and left the kitchen.
Why did he even come in here? Oh right, to torture me.
“I’m not grumpy,” Westley said, although as he spoke the words he was starting to feel their truth. Logan was the only person in the entire house who could rip open every scar and turn them into open wounds. “He was being his usual creepy self.”
“Oh,” Evie looked away. “He shouldn’t do that to you.”
“Well, he does.”
“Did you tell Dad?” Evie leaned against the counter and folded her arms over her chest. “He always listens to Dad.”
“He does and then he just starts up again two weeks later.” Westley shook his head and smiled for her benefit. “I saw your video.”
“Yeah? What did you think?” She brightened and stood up straighter.
“I think you are so busted.” Westley laughed. “You just broadcasted your gift to the entire internet.”
“Okay, but who’s really going to believe it?” Evie grinned. “I mean, would you believe it if you were a normal person? I only have like a hundred followers anyway.”
“Having never been a normal person, I wouldn’t know.” Westley felt the familiar weight of anxiety fill his chest with lead. It was true, his gift had manifested at a frighteningly early age. All the memories of his time before Dad were a blur of hands, darkness, and the feeling that he would never escape. “Dad’s still going to be mad.”
“I was just practicing and the mirror wasn’t good enough. I needed to see myself in action, so I recorded it. Then I thought, you know what’s better than make-up videos?”
“Evie.” Westley narrowed his eyes at her. “Youtube is not the place for you to shapeshift from a cat into the evil guy from Walking Dead.”
“It was too easy, Wes! The button was right there calling out to me!” Evie bounced on her heels and whirled around the kitchen. “Also, can you make me fried eggs?”
Westley sighed and dropped his head back. “Fine, but you have to eat them before everybody comes downstairs. I can’t have everybody find out you’re my favorite.”
“It will be our little secret.” She grabbed two eggs and butter from the fridge. “I’ll even pretend to eat oatmeal.” She grabbed a stool and scooted it closer to watch him fry up her eggs. “Dad’s going to pick up the news kids this afternoon right?”
“Yeah, three new people.” Westley stomach twisted at the idea of three new faces, three more gifted teenagers with their grabby hands. All of them wishing for clear skin, energized bodies, and zero sign they were actual people.
The healing power of his gift was great. He never got sick, he didn’t need as much sleep as most people, and he always felt strong and healthy. It was the other people part of the equation that made him want to lock himself in a dark room and wait for a plaque to wipe out the population. All his life people saw his gift first and then remembered there was a guy living side the skin they were so eager to touch. When he was lucky, they asked permission first, not always in a way that made him feel like he could say no. He always wanted to say no. It was rare he met a person who actually needed to be healed. Everyone he came in contact with just had headaches or minor bruises.
Once Ty, his other brother, had broken his arm. That was a real injury. A pain Westley didn’t mind relieving. He was more than happy do set his brother’s arm and help the bone heal faster than it's normal rate. It was the entitlement of others, like Logan, that bothered him. Everyone just assumed he would be fine with them taking from him, rather than him giving freely. Well, not everyone. Dad had never forced him to heal anyone or him. He would never do that. If he had been that sort of person Westley would have convinced his brother Ty to leave as soon as possible. Now, after ten years at the school for the Gifted he trusted Dad completely.
"I don't like the idea of new people." He admitted to Evie.
"It might be fun. I miss having different people to talk to everyday."
"Is that why you uploaded the video? You want more friends?"
"I dunno, maybe. It's just like we're here, we're gifted, just acknowledge us already! C'mon, America." Evie sighed and dug into her secret breakfast. "You make the best eggs."
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Post by J on Apr 26, 2018 16:52:51 GMT -5
“I made a call-in order.” Aiden crossed his arms over the Formica counter top and grinned at the girl behind the register. The smell of fresh muffins wafted toward him as she closed a cake topper over a steaming tower. “It’s under the name Martin.”
“Yes,” The girl said, her name tag read Olly. “Two tall stacks of pancakes, and six pieces of bacon. That will be $14.50.”
“I don’t need to pay for it,” Aiden said with a wave of his hand.
“What?”
“It’s already been taken care of; I don’t need to pay for this order.” Aiden dropped his gaze to lock eyes with hers. He found eye contact was essential to his persuasion clicking into place. It solidified the connection between him and his victim.
Olly blinked and smiled. “Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry about that.”
“No need, you’ll forget all about me and this order once I walk out the door.” He picked up the boxes, already beading with condensation and stepped out of the diner. The glass door jingled shut behind him as he sauntered down the sidewalk. The second trick to his powers of persuasion was to behave as if he were like anyone else. As if he truly had paid for his food and was walking out with a real receipt in hand, not a napkin.
New York City was at its best at eleven in the morning. All the corporate drones were chained to their desks and all the kids were locked up in school buildings. The only people littering the streets were tourists and good ole’ homeless people. The best kind of people, ask anyone.
“OOoo, don’t baby, please don’t go!” Aiden sang out as he lumbered into the condemned building he was temporarily using as a home. The dust rose and swirled around him as he walked, holding the Styrofoam containers close to his chest. The heavy glass bottle of syrup in his pocket swung and banged into his hip with each step. “I just want you to stay…”
“Dez?” He peeked his head around the corner to find her laying on her side, facing away from him. “I’ve got pancakes,” He stage-whispered and set the boxes on what used to be a counter. Now, it was cabinets torn away from the wall, half decaying and peeling. “Babe…”
He sat down on the edge of the makeshift bed and ran a careful hand down her side. She was warm through the thin blanket. The gray t-shirt she wore to sleep in, fraying at the edges. As always, he had the urge to touch her skin through the tiny hole above her rib cage.
“I have a surprise: real maple syrup! Damn it, I ruin all my best surprises that way.” He smacked his forehead and chuckled. “I just get too excited and I can’t hold it in.”
“Real?” She rolled over and squinted up at him. The usual fire in her royal blue eyes had faded to a misty ocean wave. She hadn’t been asleep, just lying there staring off into space. “Not the fake sh*t by Mrs. Buttersworth?”
“I’m gonna tell her you said that.” Aiden brushed her hair back and leaned over her. The scent of her overwhelmed him, he would know her anywhere. Baby powder for her hair and jasmine shower gel she had "found" at the gym. “It’s the real thing and it’s burning a hole in my pocket right now. Wanna pour it over me later?”
“Oh right, like I’m wasting maple syrup on you.” Desiree sat up and pushed him back. “Did you use your Jedi mind trick?”
“Yep.” Aiden joined her at the “kitchen table” and scratched his folding chair across the linoleum. “An adorable girl named Olly. Probably short for Olive. Ever wonder why people don’t name their kids onion? Olives and onions both go in martinis. We have olives, why not onions? Although, I guess Onion would be the girl that makes everybody cry on the playground. Especially when you try to cut her down, if you know what I mean.”
“What did I say about puns?”
“Only when you’re drunk. I’ll save the rest for later then.” Aiden folded a strip of bacon into his mouth. “Did you notice I showered? Some douche left all his stuff in the stall. I smell like an Abercombie and Fitch store right about now.”
“Yeah, good.” Desiree smeared butter over her pancakes and exhaled.
“What’s the deal? You don’t think I’m cute today?” Aiden cocked his head and studied her. She hadn’t slept last night. Again. That was the fifth one in a row. She fell asleep beside him and then sometime in the middle, woke up from a nightmare. After a few minutes of gasping and murmuring to herself, she rolled over and used him as a distraction. He didn’t mind the last part, it was all the steps that lead to it that were the issue.
“No, you’re fine. Just tired.” She forced a smile but it looked more like she was about to start gnashing her teeth at him. Which, to be honest, wasn’t a completely impossibility. However, more often than not, they got along.
Aiden stuffed a bite of pancakes into his mouth and moaned. “Oh my god, these are amazing. God bless Olly.” The bite held the perfect amount of fluff, sweet and sticky syrupy goodness.
He couldn’t stop talking. She was making him nervous and he rambled when he was nervous. What the hell could she be having nightmares about? Two nights ago, he had been jolted awake by her crying out, “No!” He held her each time but it wasn’t helping. He wasn’t a good enough to distraction from her own mind.
“Alright, Dez.” Aiden dropped his plastic fork onto the table, a pool of syrup surrounded the white prongs. “What’s going on? It’s been almost an entire week. As much as I love sex every night, I’m not feeling too great about what happens right before it.”
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Post by Free on Apr 26, 2018 17:34:55 GMT -5
“I am going to kill Logan when I figure out how he’s doing that.” James stomped into the kitchen in gray pajama bottoms. “This morning I woke up in the game closet.” About once a week for the past month, he’d been waking up in weird places. Only that jerk Logan would find it funny after this long.
James pushed himself onto the granite counter and ran a hand through his dark hair. The counter was cold against his skin.
“Oh good. I thought it was oatmeal and bagel day,” he said, glancing at Evie.
"It is oatmeal day." Evie groaned. "Wes is just being nice so I don't starve to death."
"What's wrong with bagels?" Wes untied a bag of plan bagels and slid them onto a tray in a neat row. The blueberry bagels came next, followed by the Everything bagel.
"Cream cheese is one of God's greatest gifts," Wes said.
"Nothing. We just had bagels last week. And the week before that."
"God's gift is cream cheese?" Evie smiled. "Where was I when he was handing out the gift of condiments? I demand mustard!"
"Anyway," Wes said in a louder voice than necessary. "The game closet? Really? Do you even fit in there?"
“No.” James rubbed his arm, where he'd woken up in a pile of Legos mixed with dominos. "I think it's time we retaliate. Evie, can we count on you?”
"Can I be a triple agent?"
"No," Westley gave her a stern look. "You're either with us or against us."
"Yeah, let's do it."
"But we need something so bad, he would be embarrassed to tell other people. Not something he can brag about later. Like he's endured something no one else can." Wes paused. "I may have thought about this too much."
“I think we all have.” James laughed. “Now the question is: what embarrasses Logan?”
"Guys, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Wes lowered his voice. The others were starting to pile into the dining area. "We need this to be massive and hit it out of the park. No small tricks."
James nodded.
"Wait, we're not gonna, like, hurt him physically are we?" Evie shrank back and winced. "I don't want to hurt him."
"People are coming," James said whispered loudly.
"Evie's out." Wes declared and turned to James. "We'll discuss this further in private."
"Yeah, sorry, Evie, but you're either all in or you're out. Usual time, usual place?"
"Wait, now, I still wanna be in the game! Please let me play."
"This isn't a game, Evie." Wes hissed. "This is serious. Logan makes ours live hell everyday."
"Done." Wes picked up the tray of bagels and handed them to Evie. "Take these out there and don't breathe a word of this to anyone. Especially Dad."
The last bite of Evie's eggs flew through the air and into James’s mouth. "I'll take that," James pushed his way out the swinging door toward the dining room, trays following him at head height. He reached up a grabbed a bagel as they passed him on the way to the table.
James took a seat at the long table. Leo insisted everyone sit down to meals together, like a family. James’s family had never done that, but it’d been a long time since he’d seen them.
"Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut." Evie spun on one heel and sauntered into the dining area. "Morning glorious!"
A few kids responded good morning with various levels of feeling, a few ignored her. Evie knew how to make an entrance. How is she always so happy this early in the morning? Maybe she just got better sleep, waking up in bed, while he was crawling out of the game closet at four in the morning. You had to admire her enthusiasm though. She seemed just as excited to eat the same breakfast day after day as he was about finally taking down Logan.
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Post by J on Apr 27, 2018 0:28:26 GMT -5
Westley spent the rest of his morning helping to prepare for the new kids. A tiny part of him didn’t care whether or not the new kids felt at home or welcomed when they arrived. However, he had a nice memory of his first day and night in the mansion. Dad had light up every corner of the house and the smell of comfort food and real chocolate cake filled the air. Dad had made him feel like a normal kid for once like he belonged there. From the moment his head hit the pillow he knew he never wanted to leave. If any of the three new kids had lived a life like the one he avoided thinking about he wanted them to have a real home too.
With that in mind he helped blow up balloons and pool floats for the giant party that afternoon. It was all typical summer time fine but there was a chance none of these kids had experienced it before.
“You almost done with the ice, Kylie?” Wes asked as he filled the last Tiki torch with fuel. It was still too sunny for them to be lit but it was much trickier at dusk to fill them at dusk.
“Almost done.” Kylie poured water into the last set of ice trays and held it in both hands for a solid minute. “Come on…” She muttered and waited for the liquid to freeze. It took almost a full minute.
She must be tired. She did the entire chest in under an hour. I should… No. I don’t have to do that. She didn’t ask and if she did, I don’t have to say yes. Fatigue is a commonplace, human, reaction. She doesn’t need healing.
“Done.” Kylie twisted the tray and dumped twenty sparkling cubes into the chest.
“Kylie, could I ask you kind of a personal question?” Westley hesitated. This was far too personal. James wasn’t even here. The idea had occurred to him about an hour ago and he still didn’t feel good about it. No matter what Logan had done to-kept doing- to him didn’t merit involving another person. Unless of course Kylie had something against him too. She might benefit from a good prank on Logan as much as he would.
“How personal?” Kylie narrowed her teal eyes at him, the perfect black rim around them suggested she wasn’t going into the water any time soon.
“Very.” Wes cleared his throat. “It might be better in private actually.”
“Wes, if you want to take the plunge, you only have to ask. However, I should tell you, I am somewhat involved in a love triangle at the moment.”
How can anyone be “somewhat” involved in a love triangle?
“No,” Westley said quickly. “Nothing like that, at least not for me. Listen, did you and Logan end on good terms?”
“We didn’t exactly begin or end anything.” Kylie slipped a hairband off her wrist and tugged her auburn hair into a sleek ponytail. “But overall, I would say, good.”
“Oh, never mind then.”
Damn, I really thought she would be the one to do it. I’ve seen her cry on command.
“You have me curious now, why do you ask?” She settled into a pink Adirondack chair and leaned back kicked off her sandals.
“Well.” Westley hesitated and checked his surroundings. The backyard was full of decorations and giant floating animals but all the people were still inside. “I was just thinking that he might need to be knocked down a few pegs.”
“Of course,” Kylie agreed much faster than he expected.
“Wait, you think so too?”
“Sure, he’s full of himself and basically an a**hole. I was fine with that but he’s not someone I want to be with full or part time. It’s all too much negative energy.”
“Right.” Westley nodded. “Negative energy. I was wondering if you could, I mean, I totally understand if this is overstepping or disrespectful but if you’re willing. I could really use your help.”
“Really?” She sat up and braced her elbows on her knees. “What are you thinking?’
“Again, if I’m overstepping just tell me.”
“Wes, just say it. What do you want me to do to him?”
“I want him to be humiliated and feel crazy shame. He makes my life and James’s life complete hell every day. I want him to feel even just a fraction of that. So, if you could or would, sleep with him and then cry openly.”
“Cry?” Kylie frowned. “Why in the hell would I cry?”
“Because it was bad?”
“Darling, I’m sorry but he knows what he’s doing. He might be selfish but he’s not stupid.”
“Oh god, I really didn’t need to hear that.” Westley shuddered from his head all the way down to his toes. “Blech!”
“I’m sorry but it’s true.” Kylie giggled. “However, what if instead, I cry because I realize afterwards that I only want to sleep with girls. Like he turned me. Now, that would freak him out. Talk about humiliation and self-doubt.”
“Seriously?” Wes rubbed his neck. “That could work… Is it true though?”
“No, but I can cry whenever I want and honestly, I’ll just have him “catch” me with one of the girls later. In fact, I can start the game right now.” Kylie bounced up from her chair and gabbed a bottle of suntan lotion. “Evie! Darling, you need someone to get your back for you?”
“I’m gonna throw up.” Wes rubbed his face and shook his head. “What did I just do?”
~
Wes headed back into the house to find James. He hadn't mant to cut him out of the equation but when he saw Kylie he jumped at the chance to ask her. Now, he was worried he had tapped the wrong domino. The tiles were tumbling of their own accord and all he could do was watch and wait for the destruction to settle.
Why did I ask Kylie? I should have gone to Teah or Madeline. Kylie is like a cyclone, she'll take down everything her path.
He found James on the roof, as expected. He crab-walked across the steepest slant and plopped down next to his best friend. The early afternoon sun had turned from warm bread to roast chicken. A normal person would develop a sunburn but his gift would keep his golden skin healthy and cancer free.
"I did something really stupid."
"Again?" James smirked, then went back to watching the preparations below. Westley might know where to find him, but that self-appointed leader of the caged world, Jennifer, never would. James glanced at his friend. "What happened?
“I may have accidentally released the monster that is Kylie.” Wes scratched a hand through his hair. A minor tick he had picked from watching other people. “I asked her if she would be willing to help us and she’s all about it. She’s going to tell him she’s gay now. And then have him catch her with another girl.”
James laughed. After a moment, he said, "Oh, you're serious." He laughed again. "That could work...a real hit to his ego. We'll call that phase one. Mind letting me in on the next one? I think we systematically go after each point of pride. You've hit his theoretical bedroom prowess...” James thought for a moment. “If only there was a way for him to strike out more. Or feel like he’s failing in school. No, wait. Like Leo’s lost confidence in him.” James’s smile grew.
“Better, if it all happens at once. All the pieces of his life falling apart…” James’s shifted at he looked at Westely. “I’m not suggesting we kill him or anything.”
"No, that would be wrong." Westley forced a laugh. "We're not villains. The problem is he doesn't care about anyone but himself and Dad and Evie..." He trailed off and sighed. "He already lost the other two important people in his life. I don't think he'll believe he's failing school. Leo becoming disappointed in him is a good thought. We have to do it in a way Dad doesn't actually know. Otherwise we're hurting him too."
James sighed. "Yeah." If there was anyone James owed his life to, it was Leo. That was a line he wouldn't cross. "It's not like we can bring people back from the dead. And we really don’t need two of them.”
"No kidding. She was a villain without a cause. And here they come," Wes nodded to Leo's suburban pulling up the long path to the house. The iron gates swung open and Logan, of course, walked out to meet him. Logan made it his job to intercept any female upon arrival. Just in case they were wondering who they needed to find for "a good time" no need to call. He's always available.
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Post by J on Apr 27, 2018 17:57:49 GMT -5
Logan took the long way home, allowing the perimiter of the stone fence to be his guide from one end of the property to the other. The afternoon sun sizzled on his skin and sweat dripped into his eyes. It wasn't the smartest thing to run after three o' clock but if he kept waiting around for Dad to return all of his pent up nerves would blast him into a thousand pieces. Pink mist they called. When a human body exploded blood, tissue, and bones would rain from the sky in a pink haze. He would never do this on purpose, at least he wasn't planning on it. However, the idea that he could, if he wanted, was sickeningly fascinating.
Each footfall brought him closer to the house and to three new kids joining his world. God, why did people keep showing up here like it was some sort of Mecca in the woods? Why couldn't they just stay in their own homes with their own parents and leave his life in peace? Everything was better before his house filled with twenty strangers. Well, sort of. Mom wouldn't be here either way but maybe that was why Dad kept collecting gifted children. He was trying to fill the mansion with voices to avoid losing hers.
The front drive was still empty when he slowed to a walk and headed in the side door. He yanked out his earphones and found Evie trying to hang a banner in the living room.
"Welcome to Our Home!" It read in sparkling rainbow letters.
"Eves, don't do that, you'll fall." Logan wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her back down from the shelves she had climbed to reach the top of the mantle.
"Ugh, you're all sweaty." Evie pulled away and swiped sheer white dress as if she could wick away the moisture with her fingers. "It's still crooked though, can you do it?"
"Sure," Logan said and reached up to straighten the banner. "You know, I'm a little pissed at you Evie."
"Pissed at me, at Kitten?" Evie widened her eyes in faux innocence.
"You didn't invite me to be in your viral video. Do you have any idea how many views you could get from me blowing stuff up while shirtless?"
"Gross." Evie rearranged a vase of flowers in the center of the room. "Make your own video then. Oh my god, yes. It'll be like a series!"
"Didn't Dad already talk to you about this?"
"Yes, I changed the subject by asking for something feminine and he lost his mind for the moment. Also, he was crunched for time to get to the airport." Evie snickered. "I have excellent time management skills, you think I dropped the video by accident this morning?"
"On this, the day of your death?" Logan raised his eyebrows. "There are a hundred clues in the shots of your video to bring light to where we are and that what you were doing is real."
"Kinda the point." Evie grinned and adjusted her ponytail. "Now, I have one thing to ask you and it's very important."
"Make it quick, I wanna shower before Dad gets back." Logan hit pause on his music and wrapped the earphones around his iPhone.
"I want you to stop whatever it is you're doing to James."
"What am I doing to James?" Logan searched his recent schemes but found nothing out of the ordinary. It was summer, the off season. Honestly, he had been a little too easy on James since early May.
"You know what I mean, he woke up in the game closet this morning." Evie crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh yes, that." He chuckled.
It was too easy to take credit for James's bad luck. If anyone was paying even the slightest attention they would figure out he wouldn't take time out of his own sleep to move another person. Why would he wake up in the middle of the night just to mess with James? Plus, was it really worth doing if no one was around to see it. It was similar to Evie making a video of her shifting from one form to another. It was hard to revel in a gift that was meant to be a secret from the world. However, if James thought he was doing it and couldn't figure out how then, fine. Why not? One less thing Logan had to do during the day.
"I want you to stop. I know Dad tries to reason with you but clearly you don't care what he thinks either."
"I care what Dad thinks." Logan frowned. "I'm just bored."
"No, you're hurting. And you're trying to make other people hurt too. I'm not asking you to stop for him, I'm asking you for me."
"Why do you care?" He checked the front yard but Dad still hadn't arrived to rescue him from this terrible conversation.
"I care because he's my friend." Evie tugged on his sleeve. "Tell me you'll stop."
"Fine, I'll consider it. Are we done here?"
"Sure," Evie said. "Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I have to casually walk past Alex."
"As long as you promise to leave a few pieces for the other girls when you're done."
Evie giggled. "I'm only walking past Alex, really, this is for-" She lowered her voice and cupped a hand around the side of her mouth. "Travis!"
"He'll see it coming." Logan laughed.
"I know, isn't it glorious?" Evie skipped off to tease her current crush and Logan checked the front again.
Who are you waiting for?
She's not going to be in the car.
~ Freshly showered, Logan returned to the foyer to wait for Dad. He should be here any second. The entire house was ready and waiting, holding it's breath in anticipation. A new bedroom had been cleaned, painted, and set anew for one of the girls arriving. The mansion was slowly beginning to overflow with people. At first, everyone had their own room. Now, with new students arriving each year, the idea of roommates was becoming a reality.
It wasn't something he felt the need to worry about. He owned the house and it was hilarious to think Dad would move anyone into his room or Evie's. Not that he played favorites, but c'mon. Didn't everyone?
The iron gates swept open to reveal Dad's gold suburban. Logan's throat tightened and he closed his eyes.
Stop. She's not in there. Why you even think she could be is a reason to see a doctor. Or at the very least, tell Dad you're crazy.
He strutted out to the driveway to meet the car, feigning interest in Dad before a tall, lanky girl with lavender hair hopped down from the backseat.
"Welcome to our home." Logan extended a hand and met the girl's gaze. Her eyes matched her hair color, The light shade of purple unnerved him and he had to blink to rid the idea of hands enveloping his throat.
"Thank you," The girl said her voice, smooth and creamy, lifting from her lips to the clear sky above.
With each word he felt the hands gripping his throat again, constricting his airway.
sh*t.
"Shawna," Dad said, his voice sharp and firm. "Let go, please."
The hands released him and he choked on nothing, his lungs shuddering under the sudden plethora of oxygen.
"I'm sorry." Shawn murmured, her words flowing together as if she were almost singing them. "I don't realize Im doing it."
"It'll get better." Dad assured her. "For now, maybe avoid direct eye contact with others."
"Of course," Shawna purred and then locked eyes with Logan again. It lasted only a millisecond but his throat tightened once again before she looked away and he was free.
He dropped his mouth beside her left ear and breathed. "Anytime you want to make eye contact with me is just fine."
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Post by Free on May 1, 2018 18:04:57 GMT -5
Desiree pushed a piece of pancake through the syrup moat. Suddenly, her throat felt dry. She was used to keeping secrets, but lately it felt like she was carrying around too many. It was just easier to pretend her past didn’t exist. It’s not like she could go back, and she had Aiden now. So why did she keep having these nightmares? It was like her past was reaching through time to strangle her present.
She closed her eyes. She’d tried to tell him before. More than once. But even saying his name was opening a wound she’d rather leave buried. Why did Aiden need to know about Logan anyway? Logan was so far from here, so far from them, it didn’t matter. Not anymore.
She forced her eyes to Aiden’s and mischievous smile to her lips.
“You’re the only guy I know who’d¬ complain–” Her eyes dropped to her lap as the energy faded from her face. “Some things are better off buried.”
Aiden waited for her to say more. He had a feeling these nightmares were something more than a monster hiding in her closet or a scary movie that wouldn't leave the imagination alone.
"If this is about your power..." Aiden hesitated. He knew about her abilities just as she did his. He was extraordinarily careful with how and when he used his power to persuade another person. He was even more careful about not ever persuading her to do anything for any reason. Not even if all he wanted was his coffee on the other side of the room. The line between asking and forcing was too thin in a relationship for his power to step over.
"I have done some things I'm not comfortable with either. I have to believe that's normal, commonplace in people like us." Aiden cleared his throat and wished he had grabbed something for them to drink besides water. The syrup had turned into a peanut butter like substance in his throat.
Desiree shoved aside the images threatening to cascade over her. Something she’d been doing for almost a decade was harder today, with the lack of sleep and weird feelings left over from her nightmares.
Would he leave if he knew?
This was the reason she’d held back every time she’d wanted to say something, wanted to share with him more than she had with anyone else. Even Logan.
She couldn’t say, You don’t know me because it would hurt him even if it was true. There was too much he didn’t know.
She couldn’t say, Do you think people get second chances? because she wasn’t sure she wanted or needed one in the general sense, just in the specific sense. The people she’d gotten arrested deserved it in one way or another. They weren’t innocent. At least, most of them. The last one might have been. She didn’t think she regretted that.
What she regretted was not knowing whether or not Logan could have accepted her this way, as a mutant. And maybe that no one in her life really knew her, not even her best friend.
“There’s a lot you don’t know.”
"True." Aiden nodded once. He had only known her for two years. So much of their lives had happened before they met. There was so much about him she didn't know either. They didn't talk about yesterday or the day before it. The two of them didn't even make plans for the future. The question of what's for dinner didn't even occur to them until they were ready to eat it. Even then, there wasn't a plan but a decision to be made off hand.
She didn't know about the way he had been left as a child. She didn't know the number of foster parents who had taken in him just for a check only to realize days later he wasn't worth the money. Or rather, he was more expensive when you considered the amount of therapy bills that could stack up after an eleven year old forced you to eat dog food and still have a craving for it six years later. He only guessed the six years since he had never come in contact with Bill Whiser after he left the house. he had hope though and for that he knew he was sick. Normal, healthy, good [people didn't dream about their enemies licking a spoon after dipping it into Alpo.
If Desiree's nightmares came anywhere close to that he understood why she didn't want him to know. It didn't stop him from wanting though. No one deserved to understand and hear about another person's past but it was nice to be the one who could hold their secret in the palm of your hands. If only to keep it safe for a while.
"We could make a trade. I tell you one thing and you tell me one thing. Start small like..." Aiden took a huge gulp from his water bottle. "I once made my foster dad cry on command because he told my foster sister to suck it up after she broke her arm. I never did get along with dads. I'm better with moms and sisters."
Desiree smiled briefly. It hard to picture the strong, confident person before her as some skinny, scared kid. “That’s not news, Aiden. I’ve always known you’re a ladies man.”
"Obviously, but I only use my power for evil against men. Because let's face it, the world is already cruel to enough women.”
Where to start? None of the small things jumped out at her. The big ones could were swallowing her whole.
"So, I gave you a little tidbit. How about something tiny?" Aiden pressed. He had to be careful to pose his question as a suggestion rather than a persuasion. He wanted her to tell him on her own terms and in her own time. Even if he went insane while he waited.
“I once…” She waited for the sentence to finish itself. A moment passed. She set her plate on the concrete floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. “I once…knocked over a guy’s van…because he broke up with me… There tornadoes in the air that day. It was bound to happen to someone."
“If it was a hippie or a mini than he deserved it.” Aiden quipped and then thought better of it. This wasn’t a game or a comic strip. This was real life with real people. His person was breaking down and he needed to act fast before she crumpled into nothing. “I once told a bully at foster care home to go to sleep and never wake up. As far as I know, he hasn’t.”
Desiree looked into Aiden’s eyes. Everything “bad” he’d ever done seemed like it was done to someone who totally deserved it. They were bullies at home or school. Would he believe she’d had good reasons? Had she had good reasons? It had felt like it, at the time. She tried to push the thought away. Nobody was innocent.
“We used to—” She stood up, started walking toward the door. She only got a few steps away when she turned back. Words bubbles up from the place she’d been shoving them down for so long.
“I don’t want to lose you.” She'd already lost too much. She suddenly felt nauseous. She couldn’t meet his eyes. She held her breath, waiting for him to say something, anything. Not running away right then probably the second hardest thing she’d ever done.
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Post by Free on Apr 8, 2020 23:46:53 GMT -5
Ember looked out of Leo’s car at the school’s main building, which looked like a mansion, and its surrounding grounds. Her mouth dropped open at the size of it all. There was so much of it. Everything looked like something out of a magazine: expensive and carefully arranged, except of course for the handmade decorations.
She had in the front seat, next to Leo. She was grateful for his quiet. She’d actually never met anyone that quiet, but it was nice. The other members of the car were loud in their astonishment.
The car door opened and the people behind her got out. The door closed behind them. Leo looked over at her and she forced a small smile to her face. He nodded and got out of the car to help unload suitcases.
Ember took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle. Next to her was one of the girls from the car talking to a tall guy with his back to her. Ember had had trouble hearing everyone’s name over the avalanche of words, motions and images emanating from the people at the airport. She hoped she never have to go anywhere like that again.
She couldn’t help staring at the two of them.
“Welcome to our home,” he said.
A piece of her ached at the word. She’d read so many books, but about it, but couldn’t remember ever feeling Home. A tiny bubble of hope sprung up inside her. Maybe…maybe this could be…
Her own thoughts were drowned in the guy’s panic. She didn’t see anyone touching him, but could feel the gasping for breath.
Leo said something, but it was overshadowed. Ember tried to push the gross images out of her head, but they were strong and forced their way to the surface, over everything else.
The boy turned and she saw his face for the first time.
Flash. Smoke. Laughter. Ropes digging into her wrists.
It feel like all of the air had left her lungs. She clenched her fists. Heat rose throughout her entire body. She smelled something burning.
“What are you doing here?” Panic rose in her chest. Is this a trap?
And you are? She could feel the question, the scan, the discerning.
“Don’t pretend you don’t remember me,” she said, knowing he wasn’t.
Her entire body was shaking. She ran. She passed trees, flowers, a pool, ballons. The smell of BBQ filled the air. She kept running. She stopped when she reached the 14-foot stone wall. Was running better?
She stopped and dropped to the ground under a tree. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. Tears ran freely down her cheeks and she tried not to think about it. She’d spent so much time trying not to imagine that this place could be a haven, a safe place so she wouldn’t be disappointed when it turned out not to be. But she was disappointed and angry and scared. And she was stuck here. With him.
Her hands shook as she covered her face. It was at this moment that she noticed the scorch marks on her clothing. She screamed and ripped what was left of it off before realizing that left her completely naked. She’d left her purse in the car. She’d left her phone in the car. She’d left her suitcase in the car.
She tried to focus on her breathing, but it felt like she was suffocating in all that smoke again. The flames of it dances before her eyes and all of the panic and all of the terror she’d felt that night flooded back.
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Post by Free on Sept 8, 2020 18:01:14 GMT -5
The next afternoon, she’d found the phone from Zach in the bottom of the backpack. She ran her hands over it, picturing him holding it as he snuck it into her backpack. She held it over a trash can, willing herself to let go. Leaving had been too hard this time. She never should have stayed this long... She sighed and shoved the phone back in bag.
It was hard to be mad at herself for holding onto Zach. He was the best person she’d ever met. She’d imagined staying so many times, lying in his arms in the middle of the night. But the memories of why she couldn’t stay never left her alone for long. She’d already put him in enough danger by staying as long as she had.
It was selfish. Staying had been so stupid selfish. She wanted to be like her mom, protecting the innocent, even when the odds were stacked against her. But she hadn’t been, not with Zach.
Never again.
She tried to find a new guy in a new city when got off the greyhound bus. She headed for downtown and hung around an area that seemed popular. She always seemed to end up in the right place. There was a cute guy playing a guitar under a young tree.
She walked up to him with her usual bounce and confidence.
“Hey you,” she purred.
He smiled back at her, but that’s as far as she got. She didn’t care what his favorite band was or what he was studying in college. And for the first time, she could pretend she did.
“See you around,” she’d said about ten minutes in.
“Wait. Can I have your number?”
She thought about telling him no, but an idea crept into her head, a way to set Zach free. She gave him Zach’s number.
The second she was out of sight, she dashed into the public restroom. Tears streamed down her face as she imagined the look on Zach’s face when that guy called. She could feel the pain of him thinking about how quickly she was moving on, forgetting him. Maybe he’d wonder how little he meant to her. Then he wouldn’t wait for her. He’d be free.
She wasn’t sure which was worse: the idea of him waiting for her forever or the idea that he might actually move on.
She blew her nose in toilet paper and splashed water on her face. Something in the mirror caught her eye. She walked into a stall, on the floor was a wallet.
She thumbed through the credit cards. There were a lot of them. The ID belonged to an old guy. Not the weirdest thing she’d found in the lady’s room. Jackpot. There was $600 in cash. Why so many older men felt the need to be a walking ATM, she never understood, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. Now she could keep moving for a while and not have to pretend for anyone.
She dropped the wallet in the trash can and stuffed the cash into a hidden pocket in her backpack. Cards were easy to trace and cameras were everywhere these days.
Now what?
There had once been a list of cities she’d wanted to visit. She’d already been to a number of them. She didn’t really care when she ended up, so she asked the next person she passed where she was from.
“New York. City”
Why not?
~
The city made her feel tiny. The buildings were so tall and there were so many people, she was just a face in a crowd, just one tiny grain of sand on the beach. The city pulsed with its own heartbeat. Everywhere you looked, something was happening. It was crazy.
She walked around for a little while, spent the night in weird little motel and got up the next day with the same question that had haunted her before she got here.
Now what?
She dropped into a seat at greasy diner. The door jingled every time it closed. Every time she heard it, she looking over, expecting the impossible.
She’d ordered one of their combos, but ended up doing more stirring and staring at the other patrons than actual eating. She looked up as the bell jingled, announcing the arrival of someone new.
She sized him up without thinking. He was tall, attractive and looked easy-going, but she could spot money a mile away and didn’t have any. She was just about to turn back to her own stack of pancakes when she was struck by something he said, “I don’t need to pay for it.”
He said it in such a casual way. They locked eyes, he got his food and sauntered out the door, singing, like he did this every day.
Brooklyn dropped some cash on her table and darted out the door after him. She stayed back, careful not to look like she was following him. In this city, that was easy, even if there were fewer people out than usual, there were still a lot more than she was used to.
It didn’t matter. He appeared to be in a good mood and completely oblivious to his surroundings. She had no idea what that would feel like. To not have to pay attention to every little thing all the time because the world held big scary people, and she was one of them.
He turned the corner down a narrow alley and Brooklyn wondered if she’d been wrong, if he actually had noticed her and was leading her into a trap, but then he walked into a building that looked like all it needed was a stick of dynamite.
She bit her lip. Anything could in there. For all she knew, he was part of gang. It was hard not to picture all the blood, if that was true. All those bodies. She almost turned around, but she had to know what had just happened. It was like stuff that happened to her all the time, except he’d made it happen, it didn’t just happen on its own.
Does that mean there’s a way to control this?
It was honestly more than she’d ever hoped for. Before she could stop herself, she followed him into the dimly lit interior.
It was an old apartment building. The hallway was narrow and lined with doorways. Some of them had doors, some of them didn’t. There was more trash than anywhere she’d ever seen: old styrofoam cups, broken glass bottles, stained napkins.
She couldn’t hear him singing anymore, so approached the first doorway slowly, silently.
It was empty.
She walked through it to be sure. She couldn’t imagine anyone living like this. Is this what he life would be like, if not for her curse? No, she’d have her mom. She stopped herself from taking that thought any further because a world without this curse, meant a world in which she could have a happily ever after. And that’s what she had been working so hard to forget these past few days.
Looking down the hallway, toward the stairs, she realized it could take hours to figure out which apartment he’d gone to, and there was no telling who else might live here.
She sat on the staircase, looking out one of the dusty windows.
She unzipped her backpack. In the bottom was a small heavy rectangle, she pulled it out, knowing before she did it was the phone she’d given back to Zach when…when she’d left. She shook her head. Zach…
She stared at it for a long time before turning it on. When it powered up, she typed in Zach’s atm pin code, but the phone didn’t open. She tried a couple other numbers like his birthday and hers before she tried the day they met. The phone unlocked.
Her heart raced when she saw the three voicemails he’d left for her. She quickly turned the phone off and shoved it back in her backpack before she could change her mind.
Why do you have to be so stubborn?
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Post by Free on Oct 7, 2020 21:55:19 GMT -5
~3 Months Earlier~
Brooklyn stood in the doorway of their apartment, watching Zachary sleep. His breaths were soft and even. He looked amazing, even in the dim light. She adjusted the strap of her backpack, willing herself to let go, to say goodbye. Three months was a long time to stay anywhere.
SunBun raced into the room and jumped onto Zach’s chest. He groaned and his hand felt around her side of the bed. He opened his eyes a little and found her standing there watching him.
“Are you okay, Babe?” Concern replaced his lazy, sleepy smile.
She closed her eyes. Walk away. It’s the right thing to do. Do for him.
“Come ‘ere,” he said, reaching toward her.
Her resolve broke. She walked toward him slowly, trying as discretely as possible to drop her backpack by the door, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said, crawling on top of him and rest her head on his chest. He wrapped both arms around her and she breathed in his scent. It was already her favorite. It was then that she realized she was in trouble.
The next day, when he went to work, she picked up her backpack again and forced herself to walk out of the house. It was dusk and it would be hours before he knew she was gone.
She pet SunBun goodbye. She locked the door behind her. She held the key close to her heart before heading for the stairs.
She jumped when she reached the landing. Zach was at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against a column with his arms crossed. His lips formed a thin line, wrinkles creased his forehead.
“I’m not stupid, Brooklyn.”
She raced down the last few stairs and threw her arms around him. Why was he making this so hard on her? His body was rigid. He refused to return her hug.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “I thought things were going really well.”
She closed her eyes, hoping words would come to her, something, anything that would shatter this moment into a thousand pieces. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She covered her face with her hands.
Zach pulled her hands away from her face and they locked eyes.
“You’re running from something, aren’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Yes.” She couldn’t tell him she was running from herself, but it was already more honest than ever been with anyone else.
“You’re safe here,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “I’ll protect you.”
Who will protect you?
“I c-can’t…Zach…”
She’d ended up telling him a version of the truth. How it’d be dangerous for him for her to stay. How the thing that was after her never left her alone for longer than six months at a time. How she didn’t want him to get hurt.
Then he smiled.
“What I’m hearing is we’ve got three more months,” he said.
Tears streamed down her face. He held her.
“Zach, I c–”
“Don’t ruin it.”
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Post by Free on Oct 8, 2020 11:53:00 GMT -5
“Hey Babe! I promised myself I wasn’t gonna to call, but you can see how well that turned out. I hope wherever you are has some great stores. I love you! Bye.”
Tears spilled over her cheeks at how normal he sounded. He could have been leaving that message for her while she was out with friends, not halfway across the country.
She wasn’t sure wanted to hear the rest of the messages. Why had she thought this was a good idea? All she wanted to do was hop on a plane so she wouldn't have to wait to leap into his arms and never let go.
She looked around what was probably once a lobby, thinking she should probably throw the phone away and get as far away she could. Maybe even out of the country, when the next message played.
“Hey Babe! I know I promised I was letting you go and I am...” He paused. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, actually…” He sighed. “SubBun misses you. He’s been lying around the house moping since you left. I haven’t had the heart to tell him you weren’t coming back.” He laughed, but it sounded forced. “You’ll have to call and tell him yourself. I don’t know if he’ll believe me. I love you! Bye.”
Brooklyn found herself smiling through her tears.
“You’re never gonna turn it on, are you?” His voice sounded sad. This message was new, from last night. He was quiet for so long she thought maybe he’d hung when he said, “That was cruel, Brooklyn. God...I even can’t believe you’d...” He sighed. “Call or don’t, but don’t play games with me. Don’t pretend…” Another long pause. “Don’t…” He sighed again. “Bye.”
I can't believe I'm broken inside Can't you see that there's nothing that I wanna do But try to make it up to you And it feels like tonight
I never felt like this before Just when I leave, I'm back for more Nothing else here seems to matter In these ever changing days You're the one thing that remains I could stay like this forever
Sobs wracked her body. They came in what felt like unending waves. She’d hurt him. That was the intention obviously, but still... He was hurting and all she wanted to do was make it stop. Call him and tell him she was sorry. She didn’t mean it.
She wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked softly on the bottom of the stairs, not caring if she woke up every person in this building, if there was even anyone here. The only sounds she could her were herself. Her shirt was already soaking through. Her body shook.
The sound of her cries echoed off the walls. It was everywhere. But she didn’t care.
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Post by Free on May 27, 2021 0:51:41 GMT -5
“I’ve never seen Logan get rejected that quickly.” There was laughter in his voice.
Ember’s eyes snapped to the young man who’d suddenly appeared in front of her. He had some folded clothes in one hand and a blanket he was using to shield her obstructed most of his body. He was smiling, but his face was angled away from her.
She sucked in a ragged breath.
“These are for you, by the way.” He shifted the hand holding the clothes a bit, maybe in case she hadn’t noticed them.
When she still didn’t move, he said, “Leo is coming… You might want to…cover up.”
Ember looked around the guy standing in front of her. At the far end of the building, just turning the corner, was Leo. But he was so far away and just now visible…how did he know?
As Ember grabbed the clothes, the guy’s smile widened. She pulled the shirt and pants on quickly. Before she could tell this stranger she was done, he dropped his arms to his side and looked her directly in the eyes.
It was so startling, so much attention, she looked away. Her aunt didn’t like being stared at. And never seemed to want to talk to her for a good reason.
“Hi Ember. I’m Travis.”
Her mouth dropped open. How does he know my name?
Travis was unusually quiet too, like Leo, but she still managed to get that he thought she was pretty. She shuddered involuntarily.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “I’m not as good at it as Leo.”
Words failed her. Talking, to real people, was not something she had a lot of practice at.
She thinks I’m ogling her. God. I wish I could just—
”I don’t,” Ember said quickly, staring at a daisy near his foot. It wasn’t totally true, but it would make him feel better.
He laughed again.
“Can you…?” It was too much to hope…he couldn’t possible be as repulsive as she was. She was a weapon, something ugly. He didn’t seem to realize that yet. But he would. Men…thought she was pretty…until they realized what she was. Then… She slammed the gate down on that thought. No.
“You’re going to have to finish that sentence if you want me to answer it,” he said. He didn’t sound mad, so that was good. Was that amusement in his voice? Still? “I can’t hear people’s thoughts the way you can.”
It wasn’t a question. Her eyes flitted to his and then away again. She hadn’t told anyone that yet. Not even Leo.
“Then how—“
“Ember?” Leo appeared. His forehead was creased. “Are you okay?”
Ember jumped. She wasn’t used to people sneaking up on her. Normally, they can’t. That was the one good thing in all this awfulness.
Compassion rolled off Leo in waves. It was as though every thought radiated it. She suddenly realized that he was letting her see this. That he didn’t have to, but he wanted her to know he meant what he said.
She shook her head slowly after one glance at Travis. She briefly made eye contact with Leo as she shook her head, before looking down again.
“She wants to go back,” Travis said.
Ember’s mouth dropped open and she bit back a glare. He wasn’t supposed to know that. He hadn’t said “She wants to go home,” which would have been the normal way to phrase it. It was almost like he knew. But he’d said he didn’t read minds. Was he lying?
They’re all liars. her aunt used to say that all the time about men. The ones in books only seemed to lie when they were afraid of losing their true love if they revealed themselves. But the ones she’d met in real life pretty much lived up to all of her aunt’s warnings.
Leo lifted a hand and reached out to touch her shoulder, but withdrew his hand when she cringed. She had tried to keep it internal, but had failed.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Leo said softly.
She didn’t have to look up to know Leo was still looking at her. The intensity of the images and words that accompanied his words overwhelmed her. She didn’t have a word for the dominant emotion mixed in there, but it tinted everything around it in some beautiful way.
“Why do you want to leave?” Travis asked, as softly as Leo’s voice had been.
So he’d been honest about that.
“You just got here!” Travis’s words lacked the…what was the right word? He meant what he said. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to leave, but the…intensity? of Leo’s response was missing in Travis’s.
“Travis, why don’t you go help with the party?” Leo said.
Ember could feel their eyes leave her. Then Travis glanced at her again.
“I hope you stay. It’s better…if you stay.” He hesitated then added, “Please don’t leave. I can’t—“ The flood of images accompanying his statement was horrifying and overwhelming, but it didn’t make sense. The places and and people were unknown and the details were fuzzy.
“Travis,” Leo said, a subtle warning in his tone.
“See you later Ember!” Travis pulled the rest of the blanket in his arms and headed back the way Leo had come.
“What does he mean?” Ember asked. She felt…safer? Was that the right word? With Leo than she had with anyone. It didn’t make any sense, of course. She didn’t know him and he was a man. But still…it was…that feeling mixed in with all his thoughts. That word she didn’t know that saturated everything.
She wrapped her arms around herself. It was reflective. The air was too warm. The sun was too bright. Everything was happening so fast. She slowly sank into the grass.
Leo smiled. She could see it in her peripheral vision.
“Everyone here is special. Everyone has a gift. Travis can see the future. Well, he can see a future. It all comes down to choices.”
Ember almost laughed out loud. So that was why they brought her here?
“I’m not special,” she said, an edge to her voice.
“I know you believe that, but I’m hoping to change your mind.” His tone was hopeful. His thoughts agreed with it. He believed what he said.
Her eyes met his. Briefly. Longer than she’d looked at Travis’s. She picked one of the daisies from the grass and ran it between her fingers.
“I can’t stay.” She didn’t know exactly where the words had come from. They felt too bold to say to an adult.
“Can I ask why you ran away? What happened back at the car?” Leo kneeled down beside her, leaving a more than respectable distance between them.
Ember took a deep breath, shoving down all the thoughts threatening to crush her. She had to answer. She had to say something. But what? The boy was Leo’s son. Leo would ever believe her. Even if he could believe her, it was the last thing she wanted to talk about. She spent a lot time pretending it hadn’t happened and even more time terrified something like that would happen again.
After what felt like way too long a silence, a longer silence than her aunt would have tolerated, she settled on a partial truth. The easier one.
“It’s not safe for me to be here.”
“Why’s that?”
It took a fair amount of restraint for her not to roll her eyes. She held his gaze as she said, “Because I’m dangerous.”
He didn’t answer why. He didn’t try to argue with her. He smiled of all things and said, “I know.” Leo must be crazy. There was no other explanation for it.
He paused for a moment and then added, “You might…relief. If you learned how to control it.” He was quiet for a while longer. “If it helps, you’re not the most dangerous person here.”
Ember continued to play with the daisy. She ran it over her hand and wove it between her fingers. She wasn’t sure how to react to what he just said. She tried not to imagine what it would feel like to hug someone without setting that person on fire or burning their skin. She tried not to herself wander too far down that path.
If she forced herself to be honest, it was nice. Leo was so quiet in that moment, more quiet than she thought anyone could be. And he was saying very nice, if somewhat unrealistic things. If she could control it, she wouldn’t be here. She’d be somewhere else, pretending not to be normal. And what were the odds anyone was as dangerous as she was?
“You don’t believe me.”
Her eyes flitted to his again. “Can you hear it too?” She meant can he hear her thoughts.
“No.”
She used to think everyone could hear what she did. But if you answer people’s thoughts out loud often enough, you begin to realize how inaccurate that assumption is. She’d learned to watch for people’s lips moving at first. Her aunt hated her stating. Ember had gotten really good at making use of her peripheral vision.
It was a while before she realized there was a difference between people’s thoughts and their words, if you were paying attention. For one thing, words were flatter. They didn’t have the depth that thoughts did. Because words were just one thing. Thoughts, on the other hand, were words and images and emotions and so many things all piled on top of each other and swirled together in a dizzying level of depth.
“It’s overwhelming sometimes, isn’t it?” he asked. There is was again, that feeling, coloring his words in the most beautiful way.
“Yes.” She didn’t really know what he was asking, but that answer was widely applicable.
“I could help you with that,” he said.
“You could make it…quiet?” Her forehead creased as she tried to imagine it. That was somehow more believable than the other thing he’d promised.
Leo smiled. “You can’t hear me now, can you?”
Ember looked down at her lap. “No.”
“I can teach you.” He sounded so confident, so sure. He let his thoughts leak through, just a little. He believed it.
Slowly, Leo reached out a hand to help her up.
“I’ll burn you,” she said.
“I trust you.” His tone was confident, easy.
He had too much faith in her. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself.
“Come on. We’re hosting a party in your honor.”
Ember’s cheeks colored and she shook her head. She didn’t deserve a party or Leo’s…kindness. That’s what she’d decided to call it for now. For now, he was kind. She didn’t know how long it would last, but she may as well enjoy it while it was here. On the walk back to the car, she tried very hard not to do or say anything that would break it.
She was relieved when only her suitcase was waiting for them back at the SUV. The relief was short-lived. The paint was scorched clean off the vehicle behind where she’d been standing, and peeling at the edges. Worse, one of the passenger windows had melted. It was now water, forever caught dripping down the side of the passenger door. That was going to be very expensive to fix. She knew that because of all the times her aunt had complained about how much Ember was costing her.
Ember covered her face with her hands, the heat in her cheeks rivaling the sun for warmth.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She froze, waiting for Leo to scream at her, to hit her, to banish her from here forever. Maybe it wouldn’t a choice, leaving. Was that easier?
She flinched as a hand rested on her shoulder. He shouldn’t be doing that. She wasn’t on fire right now, but it happened so easily when people touched her. She didn’t entirely understand why. Maybe it was the spike of adrenaline. It didn’t matter. What mattered is that it wasn’t safe.
He pulled his hand back.
“It’s okay, Ember,” Leo said softly. “Come on, I’ll help you find your room.”
Ember dropped her hands away from her face. Leo must have dropped his guard again because there was that color, that feeling. He didn’t seem mad. If anything, she’d have guessed amusement and whatever the other thing was. Whatever it was, it was the warmest emotion she’d ever seen.
People thought of rage as burning hot, but to her, it was ice cold. This, whatever it was, this was hot, red, warm.
Doing her best to keep her hands from shaking, she reached for her luggage. She couldn’t believe anything right now. Not that she was staying, not that he wasn’t mad. Everything seemed impossible. How had it gone so badly in her first hour here?
Because she was Ember. This is what she did. She shook her head again, trying to shove the thoughts down.
Leo walked past her, still holding her suitcase. He glanced back and she followed up the steps to the door. She was still braced for impact as she followed him inside.
What is this place?
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Post by Free on May 30, 2021 18:38:20 GMT -5
Ember eyes nearly bulged out of her head at the size of her room. Everything was so…expensive. Much more expensive than anything her aunt had ever owned. She couldn’t believe it.
She kept her mouth closed as Leo set her suitcase beside one of the two beds. Did that mean she’d have a roommate? Ember could only ever remember living with her aunt. And her aunt didn’t have any children. What would it be like to be around people her own age? People like the boy outside who’d miraculously brought her new clothes about as quickly as she realized she’d needed them.
It struck her as so totally unnecessary. It was too much attention. This room…it was too much. It was…more than she could have ever hoped for. And she couldn’t help thinking why her.
“You’re worth it,” Leo said quietly. He was looking her, some softness in his eyes.
Can he see people’s thoughts too?
“If you’re wondering whether I can read your mind, the answer is no.” Leo chuckled.
“You’re not very convincing,” Ember whispered, barely audible. She’d never have had the courage if it had been her aunt standing there instead. She covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes dropped to the ground. Here only a few minutes, and she’d already given him lots of reasons to kick her out.
“I can sense other people’s powers and their emotions. So right now, even though I don’t know exactly what you’re thinking, I know you feel inadequate.”
Ember pressed her lips together, not sure how to answer.
Leo hesitated, almost moving toward the door and standing still at the same time.
“Let me know if you need anything,” he said.
“Thank you,” she whispered, still staring at Leo’s shoes.
“The party downstairs has probably already started, so hurry down, okay?”
“Yes.” It was automatic. She didn’t want to go to the party but she couldn’t ignore the direct order, even when it was masquerading as a request.
Leo stopped in the doorway, shook his head and headed down the hall.
It wasn’t until after he’d left that she realized she hadn’t been paying attention to how they’d gotten here. She’d been so distracted by the sounds and how beautiful and expensive everything was. She didn’t know how to find the party, even if she’d wanted to.
She set her suitcase on the bed with a comforter splashed with the colors of sunrise. She ran a hand over the soft fabric. It was so thick. She smiled. It was perfect. More perfect than anything she could have dreamed up.
“You like it!”
Ember jumped and turned. Travis leaning against the doorframe.
He laughed. “Sorry. I was focusing really hard so you couldn’t hear me sneaking up on you.”
“Why are you apologizing for something you did on purpose?”
Travis’s mouth dropped open for a moment. “I…I mean I guess I did want to sneak up on you, but I didn’t realize it would startle you so badly. Sorry.” His lips stretched right across his face, a caricature of a smile.
“I’m sorry.” Ember stared at his shoes.
“So…I couldn’t help but notice you need an escort to the party.” His smile was back, full force, almost like he was laughing at some private joke.
“That’s not necessary,” Ember said.
“I think it is. I don’t think wandering upstairs for hours is nearly as fun as a pool party.”
“Is that what you saw?” Ember couldn’t imagine attending a party, any party, as anything other than a gofer or a house plant. She wasn’t normally invited, but on the rare instances where it couldn’t be helped, she mostly brought her aunt drinks ans tried to pretend to be part of the wall. She didn’t see how any of it could be any fun.
“Not…exactly.” Travis shifted his feet. “Are you coming?”
Ember sighed, quietly to herself. She’d promised Leo she’d go. She didn’t know how much trouble she’d be in if she didn’t go.
“Yes,” she said after too long a silence. She walked toward him.
“Great!” His smile grew. He held out his arm to her, but she shook her head. He shrugged and lead the way down the hall.
It wasn’t so bad. Travis asked her only a few questions before Ember’s short, cryptic answers must have tipped him off that she didn’t really want to talk about herself. Then, he just talked. He told her about the school Leo ran and how everyone here had runaway or been abandoned. Only a few of them had loving families back home. Most people were afraid of them.
Ember felt her shoulders relaxing as he talked. It was comforting to know that she wasn’t alone in that. That other people understood how it felt to be…outside everything. She tried to crush the hope that was bubbling up again, reminding herself that this couldn’t possibly be anything more than temporary and at least one person that lived here was the last person she ever wanted to see.
That thought almost made her stop on the stairs. Why was he here, in with all the “freaks”? Then she remember he was Leo’s son. That’s why. It didn’t make sense, how they could be related. Unless Leo was hiding something in a way Ember hadn’t thought possible, how could Leo have created such a monster? More so than even she was? Because at least she could say all of her — accidents wasn’t quite the right word — were unintentional. She’d only lost her temper a handful of times and had immediate regretted it.
Ember was so lost in thought as Travis opened the door for her that the force that hit her was practically an explosion. The building must have some kind of dampening in the walls because once Travis opened the back door, she was suddenly assaulted.
It was so loud. She covered her ears and shrunk back from the door.
She couldn’t even focus on any one thing because they were all shouting at her and blinding her with their images and blasting her with their emotions. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Not that it ever helped. You can block out what’s inside your head.
She hadn’t realized she’d collapsed to the floor until Travis slammed the door shut, muffling the barrage.
He dropped down next to her. “Are you okay?” He reached a hand toward her, but withdrew it quickly. His thoughts were speeding a thousand miles a hour. He was worried about her.
She thought it had gotten easier, with all the things her aunt made her do. But it wasn’t. She wondered briefly how she’d managed to make it out of the airport. It was a tiny, private airport. Could there really be more people here?
She was suddenly grateful, just for a moment, for the life she’d lived, mostly so far away from everyone.
“Ember?” Travis’s eyebrows knitted together and his hand moved toward her again, like he wanted to touch her. But he withdrew it again.
“I’ve never been around that many people,” she said quietly, staring at the pattern in the carpet.
“I’m so sorry, Ember.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought…I thought someone had pushed you or something. By accident. I was hoping to prevent it. I didn’t realize…things aren’t always…clear.”
~
“It’s because she’s been so isolated,” Leo explained from behind the large desk in his office. “She’s not used to dealing with that level of volume. It would have been fine, if she’d had…a more normal life, going to school and out with friends.”
Ember and Travis sat in chairs across from him. Ember was barely listening. She didn’t need to follow the part where they kicked her out.
“They didn’t let her go to school?” Travis’s tone was harsh. His lips formed a thin line.
This can also happen with abuse. Your shield gets turned inside out. Everything is amplified. …I suspect it may also be a defense mechanism. No one would have been able to sneak up on you, with their thoughts screaming at you. …And of course, it’d cut down on surprises. Maybe make you feel a little more in control of a hopeless situation?
Leo was looking at her so she would know he intended that only for her.
Her forehead creased. She didn’t know what he was talking about. Sure, her aunt could be mean sometimes, but…abuse?
“You’re wrong,” she said.
“You did get to go to school?” Travis’s head tipped to the side, incredulous.
“Not about that,” she whispered.
“Oh hey! That’s not fair!” Travis looked from Leo to Ember and crossed his arms.
We can have secret conversations too. Travis winked at her.
A small smile played across Ember’s lips. Even if they were kicking her out, she would remember this moment forever. It was nice, like being in on a secret. Maybe if she’d ever had a best friend, they could have done stuff like this all the time. Have whole secret conversations right in front of other people.
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Post by Free on May 30, 2021 22:39:06 GMT -5
~Three Days Before Brooklyn Left ~
The smile wouldn’t leave her face. No one had ever made as big of a deal out of her birthday as Zach. Most of the time, she pretended she didn’t have one. It reminded her too much of her mom, but Zach had been too persistant.
They’d spent the day shopping. Not her usual kind of shopping with the five finger discount, no Zach had paid for everything. It didn’t matter what she picked up, he paid. At first, she’d tried to force his bluff with a $200 bottle of perfume, but when he hadn’t backed down, she started choosing more reasonably priced things. Which of course he noticed and called her out on.
They splashed through the fountain. He’d insisted she get her hair done. She’d given him a look. What guy on the planet thought of those kinds of things? But apparently, his sister had thought Brooklyn would love it. Tracy had been right. Brooklyn did love the way her curly, frizzy mess had been tamed into perfect, silky spirals.
They were both laughing as Zach opened the front door and pulled her into the apartment. He lifted her into the air, swung her around and set her down.
At that moment, the lights flipped on and a crowd of his family and their friends screamed, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKLYN!”
Adrenaline coursed through her. The room started to vibrate.
No!
She turned and ran as far as she could out the door and down the stairs. It would not be Zach, not his family, not their friends.
Not Zach. Not Zach. Not Zach.
Panic gripped her. Her heart pounded. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Brooklyn!” Zach called from behind her. His long lengths carried him to her and he grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”
The smile dropped from his face when he saw her tears.
“What’s wrong, Babe?” He pulled her into his arms.
Her eyes scanned the parking lot, but nothing moved here. She breathed out a shaky breath. She dropped her head into his chest.
“Our six months are up,” she whispered. Nothing he could say now would change her mind. The only way to keep him safe was to leave.
“What?” He lifted her chin so she’d look at him. “What’s going on? I thought you’d love this.” He looked from their apartment back to her.
“I do,” she whispered.
“Then why?”
She forced a smile to her lips.
“I’m just not used to people making this big a deal out of my birthday,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t call her out. “It reminds me of my mom.”
She hoped the dose of gilt or pity he might feel for her would overpower whatever questions were forming behind his honey eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Babe…” he whispered back. “We don’t have to go back up there, if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s okay. Everyone went through all the trouble.” She shrugged, but she could tell by the intensity of his gaze and the creased on his forehead that he wasn’t convinced.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward the party.
“Don’t ruin it,” she said, forcing a smile to her lips. She would do what she needed to do to protect him. Anything she had to, to protect him.
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