Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks

by Nathan Burgoine

  The world is full of doors, Cole.

  For a second, I considered going inside Malik’s house, but I realized his folks might have already heard us. If that was the case, I needed to go. It wasn’t like they could help, and what would I even say to them? Some teleporting freaks have kidnapped your kid?

  Yeah. Not gonna fly.

  I turned and bolted.

  Every house on the street seemed to be mocking me. They all had front doors. Surely some of them were unlocked. But if I ran up to a house and it was locked and someone heard me or saw me? What if someone called the cops? No good. I needed a way in that had no consequences. It was late. Most places would be closed.

  Why hadn’t I borrowed the car? Or at least ridden my bike? Ugh.

  I ran. My house was farther away than downtown, and I was pretty sure at least one of the restaurants or bars would be open. By the time I hit Main Street, I was panting, and it was painfully clear I was not in good shape. The lights were on at the Inn my parents liked to go to for Date Night.

  It would do.

  I slowed down as I approached the Inn. It was full of people, and I was pretty sure it would draw attention if I ran up at a full tilt and then vanished. So I forced myself to look as normal as a teenager could look after running for way too long. I took a few deep breaths, ran my hands through my hair, and then walked up to the front of the Inn.

  I grabbed the door handle, and the whole of everywhere on the other side latched on to me. I closed my eyes and let the terrifying sensation of being pulled in all directions at once settle down again. I was in charge, not the door.

  Lexa had said she could feel me. That they all could, because I was loud.

  That had to be the firework thing. I could feel little pulses out there, as though distant, tiny explosions were going off. The vibration was just now reaching my chest, but none of them felt right. None of them felt like Beardy, or Freckle-Face, or even Lexa.

  The world was full of doors. And more freaks like me were out there than I’d thought. How could I possibly find the right door or the right freak, when I didn’t know where they’d taken him and I wasn’t even sure which freak had done the job?

  The only thing I knew was Malik was out there, and they intended to take his memories from him. He’d be missing a piece of time like I was when I was a kid, and the more I thought about it, the worse it was. I’d been a kid, and it was a few hours. To be our age and lose that much time? Colenap didn’t cover it. He’d be pitied and a pariah in no time.

  And if they wanted to take the last two weeks from him, there was more to it. These last two freaking weeks was pretty much our entire friendship. Not to mention he’d freaking come out to me. They’d literally shove him back in the closet if they stole those memories.

  No. No way. Not the plan.

  My phone pinged. It was my dad again. You’re late, it said.

  Of course. Because I totally needed this. I hesitated, then typed.

  So sorry. Bumped into Alec. Impromptu movie night. Might stay over, if that’s okay?

  I watched the little three grey dots, bouncing on the heels of my feet.

  Okay.

  I exhaled and did something I never do. I used my phone to call someone.

  Alec picked up on the second ring. “Hey. What’s up?” He sounded surprised.

  “I need you to cover for me. We’re having a movie night right now, okay? Just…if my parents call. If they call, just let me know, and I can be right there.”

  Alec didn’t speak for a few long seconds. “You sound freaked.”

  “I am. It’s a thing. It’s kind of a big thing, and I can’t explain it. I’m dealing, but I need some time.”

  Another long pause. “Okay.”

  “Thank you,” I said. My eyes filled with tears. “Thank you. You have no idea.”

  “You’ll tell me later,” he said. It didn’t sound like a request.

  “I will. Thank you,” I said again, and then hung up.

  Okay. Parents? Check.

  I flinched when I thought about Malik’s parents. Jesus. He’d been kidnapped by those freaks, and they were after me and…

  Wait.

  I frowned, looking around. No sign of Beardy, or Freckle-Face, or Mr. Stiff.

  What did that mean?

  I needed someone who knew what they were doing, and that was a really short list.

  I heard a noise and looked up. On the other side of the door, I could see a couple approaching through the frosted glass. How long had I been standing here? I took a deep breath.

  It was like the window. I was just going to have to jump and hope I could do what I needed to do. It was a terrible plan, but it was better than no plan.

  It was also all I had.

  I needed help if I was going to find Malik. I knew exactly one person who might be able to make that happen.

  Lexa, I thought. Blue hair. Funny accent. Likes too much sugar in her coffee. A freak like me.

  Poof.

  * * *

  I tumbled out the door, hit a small coffee table, and sent everything on it flying around the entranceway. Something shattered. Something else clattered. I swore. Smooth, Cole. Very smooth.

  I scrambled to my feet just in time to hear a click. The light came on.

  Lexa stared at me, her mouth wide open. She also had a baseball bat.

  “Please don’t hit me,” I said.

  “How…?” she said.

  “How do you think?” I said. I had no time for this. “They took Malik.”

  She shook her head. “Who’s Malik?”

  “He’s my…” I almost said boyfriend. “Friend. They grabbed him. They were chasing us all over the place, and they just snatched him from his own front doorway.”

  “He can teleport?” She frowned.

  “No. He was just coming with me. We were hanging out. Beardy McAsshole showed up. That’s why I missed our dinner date. Were you there? I’m sorry if you were there. Could you maybe put down the baseball bat?”

  Lexa finally lowered the bat. “You teleported with your friend?” She didn’t sound quite as angry now so much as she sounded worried.

  I nodded. “I wasn’t going to leave him behind. They showed up outside where he worked.”

  “Cole,” Lexa said. “They don’t want people to know about us.”

  “Well, too late,” I said. “It’s their fault he knows in the first place. The first time I escaped them, I landed in Malik’s bedroom. He wasn’t buying ‘I jumped up two storeys to get through your window.’” I swallowed. “Where are they? Where would they take him? Are they going to melt his brain?”

  Lexa frowned. She was wearing a really long T-shirt and nothing else I could see. I guess she’d been sleeping. I looked around. It seemed like a nice apartment. Small, but nice. Except for the shattered bowl. My bad.

  “So you came here,” she said.

  “Will they listen to you?”

  “It’s not that simple,” she said. “I’m not a part of their group. I didn’t join them, exactly. I don’t like a lot of what they do.”

  “No kidding,” I said. “What with mind-melting four-year-olds.”

  “What?”

  “They got me once already when I was a kid,” I said. “How do I find them?”

  “Cole.”

  “They took Malik!” Just like that, I was yelling. “Everything in the last two weeks? It’s too important! He’s…He’s learned and done some really important things the last two weeks, okay? They can’t take it. I won’t let them.” To my complete humiliation, my eyes were filling up.

  It took her a few seconds to answer. I braced myself for another round of arguments, for another thing I could say to maybe shake her into helping me. Anything.

  “Okay,” she said.

  My whole body went liquid with relief. I had to grab the wall to stay upright. “Okay?” I said.

  She nodded. “Okay. I’m not sure what I can do, but…Okay. Look, if they just took him, we have time
. They’ll have to rest and…Okay. Let me get dressed. And I’m going to put on some coffee. You want some?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Please. Thank you.”

  I followed her past a small living room into a narrow kitchen. I looked out the window and saw rows of houses, each lower than the next on a sloping road, and water beyond them. The houses were painted bright colors. I could see that, even though it was dark out, thanks to the streetlights and the moon. It was pretty clear I wasn’t in Ottawa.

  “So,” I said. “Where am I, exactly?”

  “St. John’s,” she said.

  “Huh,” I said. I wasn’t sure what else to say. I’d never been to Newfoundland before. She left to go get dressed, and I stared out at the ocean, something like two thousand kilometers from where I’d just been a few minutes ago.

  * * *

  The coffee Lexa made was really strong. I didn’t complain.

  “When you didn’t show up to meet with me, I was worried.”

  “Things got a little busy. They were chasing me. Us.”

  “You need to understand they’ve got their way of doing things.”

  I put the mug down gently. It looked handmade. “They kidnap people and make them forget about it.”

  She nodded. “Yes. Can you imagine what people would do if they knew about us?”

  I could. And although I could totally see her point, I wasn’t about to hand over Malik just because they were paranoid about what would happen if the world found out doors weren’t safe from people like me. Malik wasn’t going to tell. Who would believe him? Some random guy yelling about people who teleported? Who’d care? It wasn’t like he had any freaking proof.

  Oh.

  Oh wait.

  “What?” Lexa said. She sounded worried.

  I realized I was smiling. “Can you get me a meeting with them?”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “I want to talk to them. I want a chance to explain without them trying to grab me or attack me or put the whammy on my brain.”

  Lexa was still frowning. “Cole—”

  “You said we had time. How much time? Before they…Before they start on Malik.”

  She glanced over the clock on her microwave. She seemed to be doing some math. “At least until morning. Eight hours, I think.”

  “Why?” I asked, not sure if I was relieved or not I had that much time. Not even sure that it was enough time. “Why the wait?”

  She held her mug in both hands. “Burying things isn’t easy. I can’t do it at all. Most of us can’t. Unlocking something in someone that they’ve been hiding or denying isn’t too difficult. I do it with artists all the time. It’s not invasive. The mind wants to be open, but all the noise and anxiety and pressure keeps it shut, you know? But pushing something away and making someone forget is a lot of work, and it’s exhausting. They won’t try it until they’ve had a rest. If they’ve been chasing you, they’ll be too tired.”

  I hoped that was true. When they’d snatched me the first time, they’d been pretty quick to try it on me, hadn’t they?

  But no, they hadn’t. Freckle-Face had grabbed me, but Beardy hadn’t tried the brain-melting until later. I’d led Beardy, Freckle-Face, and Mr. Stiff all over the place today. And Beardy seemed to be the head brain-melter.

  “Is it just the three of them?”

  Lexa nodded. “For this sort of thing? Usually. They handle this kind of trouble in our area, anyway.”

  “Area.”

  “This continent. North America.”

  Well. That was…information.

  “Okay,” I said. “I want a meeting. In the morning, before they even think of trying anything on Malik. I want to plead my case.”

  “I can try.” Lexa took another swallow of her coffee.

  “Okay. So, that’s the plan. You get them to agree to meet with me. I’ll give you my number. Text me when you know where I should go.”

  She looked surprised. “You’re not staying put?”

  “Nope. I’ll go home. Get ready.” I shrugged. “I don’t think they’re going to chase me now they’ve got Malik. I think that was the whole point. Do something I couldn’t run away from.”

  “Probably.” Lexa nodded. I didn’t like that she agreed with me, but there it was. “What are you going to say to them?”

  “Whatever I have to.”

  “Cole,” Lexa said, then she seemed not to want to say anything else.

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t want you to think…I’m not…” She blew out a breath. “I’m not sure what you can expect from them.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “But what else can I do?”

  As plans went? It wasn’t the best.

  Luckily, I had a few hours.

  And more importantly, I had my phone.

  Lexa nodded. She looked really unhappy. I couldn’t say I blamed her.

  “Text me when you’re ready,” I said, making for Lexa’s front door. I didn’t even finish my coffee.

  St. John’s, Newfoundland, and I were through for the night.

  But I had one hell of a to-do list.

  Twenty-Six

  I’d barely finished and had just hit the Enter key on my laptop when my phone pinged. I’d put Lexa down as “Lexa Blue” since I didn’t know her actual name, and my stomach clenched when I saw the message.

  They’ve agreed to meet with you. Can you meet me at my place? We can go together.

  Something about having her come with me made me feel just slightly better.

  I looked at the clock. It was five in the morning, and after everything I’d been up to, I was wrecked. This was the worst plan ever. It involved none of my strengths, and I had exactly one move in my arsenal. Oh my God, I was going to end up with my brain melted, drooling in a corner, wasn’t I?

  Stop. Just stop. The voice in my head sounded an awful lot like Nat. There’s one goal: Malik.

  I exhaled, unplugged my phone, and tapped out a response.

  Be right there.

  A moment later, I was back in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Sunlight streamed in the windows.

  Lexa was holding out a cup of coffee when I stepped into her hallway. She’d changed into a nice sleeveless black blouse and capris, and her eyes were back to that sharp look she did with her makeup. She looked together, in all senses of the word.

  I felt grubby and tired and gritty just looking at her. I wanted to sleep for a thousand years.

  “Thanks,” I said. The cup was handmade, painted in earth tones. I took a big swallow, ignoring how my hand was shaking. When was the last time I’d had this much coffee?

  Never. Never was the last time.

  “Okay,” I said. “Where are we going?”

  “You can come with me,” Lexa said, reaching out her hand. I took it. Now both of us were ignoring how much my hand was shaking. It was nice of her to play along.

  I put the pretty cup on the table in the entrance hall. Lexa reached out for the door. The moment she touched it, the possibility of everywhere thrummed through me. Even in the last few hours, it had gotten all the clearer to me. This way to the Louvre. This way to Parliament. This way to home.

  “Do you ever get used to that feeling?” I asked.

  Lexa’s small smile was answer enough.

  “Ready?” she said.

  “Not even a little,” I said.

  She nodded and opened the door.

  * * *

  Wherever we were, it was expensive and old. The door we’d come through led into a ballroom or something. Super-tall windows covered in heavy curtains lined one wall, and the floor was some kind of really shiny rock. Marble, I supposed. It reminded me of the Château Laurier, but I didn’t think that was where we were. The opulent room was longer than it was wide, and along the wall opposite the covered windows were probably a half-dozen doors. We’d come through one at the end.

  The room had no furniture unless you counted really big chandeliers and art mounted in thick wooden frames. I briefly
wondered if I might be in the Louvre—which would have been hysterical, in a terrible way—but I didn’t recognize any of the pieces or see any security cameras.

  That didn’t mean there weren’t any. I just knew the cameras at the Louvre were in plain sight.

  We were alone.

  “Are we early?” I said. I realized I was still holding Lexa’s hand, and I let go.

  The other doors started to open. I could feel the pull-and-release in my chest with every opening and closing. I didn’t recognize the first man—he was older, balding and grey—but the second man was Freckle-Face. He wasn’t alone.

  Malik was with him.

  I took a step forward, but Lexa touched my elbow and I stopped.

  Malik saw me. “Cole,” he said.

  “Hey,” I said. I waved. Wow. Even faced with a room full of teleporting freaks, I could find a way to make it awkward.

  And it was full. The doors were still opening.

  Malik looked okay. I mean, as much as it was possible to tell across the room and at a glance, anyway. He didn’t look brain-melted. That was good.

  Speaking of brain-melting, Beardy McBeardface arrived. I glared at him. He didn’t seem to care.

  The group of freaks arranged themselves into a semicircle. They were facing Lexa and me with pretty bland expressions on their faces. It was so surreal. These people had just teleported here from wherever the hell they’d been, bringing my kidnapped friend with them, and they stood around like it was a boring suit convention and someone was about to start suggesting the first topic be whether or not they should consider allowing bow ties.

  Lexa was one of four women out of the two dozen people gathered. That didn’t feel like a good omen, either.

  Also? The suits did nothing for them.

  “Mr. Cole Tozer,” said one of the men. It wasn’t Beardy or Freckle-Face. It was the older man who’d been the first to arrive.

  “Yes,” I said, because I felt like I needed to say something.

  “I understand you have something you wish to say to us?”

  I swallowed.

  “I want you to let Malik go. No melting his brain. Just let him go.”

  The man’s eyebrows rose. Both of them. “That’s it?”