Groaning and pushing aside these thoughts for a moment, she pulled out her cell phone and typed a text message to Zoey and Gabriel: "Hope you had a good day. Thinking about you. Xoxoxoxo!" She hit send and reread the text message a few times. The simplicity of it made her smile.
She wished everything was as simple.
If things were simple, she'd still be teaching a class of distracted high school kids instead of being embroiled in a situation that, in just twenty-four hours, had transformed into a murder mystery. Sitting there, invisible and quiet, she peered at the water and tried to hear the man's voice again. But all she could hear was the whistling sound of the bullet and the thump of Salazar's body falling against the desk as he expired. The image of his shocked face—his deep brown eyes wide with fear—froze in her mind.
"Who are you?" she whispered, pulling at her memory for the sound of the man's voice. It was a deep voice, not raspy, but smooth. Was there the faintest trace of an accent? She couldn't be sure.
As she stood and walked to the sand, her head tilted upward, and her gaze rested on the visible stars. The November air was cool but not cold. The warm spell that arrived yesterday was lingering, giving Chicagoans a couple of nice nights before the inevitable onslaught of snow. Her feet carried her toward the shore where she stopped and peered around. She was alone as far as she could see, just some cars in the distance behind her.
She unbuttoned her jacket and shivered as the cool air nipped at her neck. After removing her clothes and laying them on a patch of grass, she lurched into a sprint and gasped when she crashed into the cold water.
"Oh, fuck," Eve muttered, shaking at the shock of the ice-cold water. "Bad idea. Bad idea," she repeated, wondering if she'd catch hypothermia. The last time she'd gone for a nighttime dip was during July, a much saner time to enjoy the waters of Lake Michigan.
Eve steadied herself and closed her eyes, reaching for a happy image to replace the one of Salazar's dead body. She held her breath as if doing so might more readily elicit a welcome image. Zoey's bright face appeared, and Eve felt the warmth of Gabriel's body against her own. They were holding her and showering her with kisses, and she was laughing and running her fingers through their hair. "You know what's right," said Zoey when their eyes met.
"I don't know if I do," Eve replied, to which Zoey smiled. They held each other for a while, saying nothing.
When Eve opened her eyes, the sensation of the cold water snapped her back to reality, and she rushed to the sandy shore. Shaking all over, she put her clothes on and desperately wished her apartment wasn't three blocks away. Fuck, I wish I were standing in my living room right now. Jesus, it's fucking cold.
Not a moment later, she experienced a horrible tug in her navel region. Eve staggered and fell. But as she looked down, she noticed there was no sand. Warmth emanated from the surface...from her living room floor.
"What the...what?" She gazed around the room. How...? She sat up and collected herself, unable to understand what had happened. "Annie, what time is it?" she asked, wondering why on earth she cared about something as inconsequential as time right now.
"It is nine thirty-three," said the virtual assistant.
It clicked in her mind. 9:33 pm. The same time her phone had shown when she looked at it on the beach, just as she'd thought about..."How much I wished I was in my living room," Eve said. Her mouth dropped open in wonderment. "Holy shit." For only the second time in her life, she'd managed to teleport.
She fell against the floor and laughed.
***
"And you did it just like that?" asked AJ, snapping her fingers. She sat the bottle of beer on the coffee table and looked at Eve, who was changing the settings on Annie. "You thought it, and it happened?"
Eve nodded. "I bet you could, too." After she pressed the "reset" button, she turned to AJ and suppressed a laugh. AJ was sitting with her eyes closed and fists clenched on her lap. "What are you doing?"
"I'm concentrating. Trying to think about standing in the kitchen," said AJ.
"You look like you're trying to take a shit."
AJ burst into laughter as Eve rejoined her on the sofa. She punched Eve in the arm. "You messed up my whole vibe. I think I almost had it."
Eve took a swallow of beer and relaxed on the sofa.
"It's wild that you have other abilities. Teleporting and super strength—"
"Ew, you make it sound so cheesy."
"I'm just saying," AJ laughed. "It's awesome."
She shrugged and took another swig of beer. "I'm sure you have other abilities. You just haven't discovered them yet."
"Who knows. It would be kind of cool. I wonder what other abilities the trainees have," said AJ, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. But when Eve cast her a disdainful look, she quickly dropped her feet to the floor.
“AJ, I don’t think you should say anything about it to other trainees. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone because I’m not sure I feel comfortable with SPI finding out yet.”
“Why?”
Eve paused, not sure how much she should say. “I think we need to be careful with how much more information we give them about us. It seems they only know about the invisibility so far, and we should keep it that way for now.”
AJ nodded. “I guess you’re right. It’s not like our employer has to know everything.”
For a while, they sat in silence while reggae played softly, and AJ laid her head against Eve's shoulder. To have a friend who knew her secret...it was something Eve hadn't thought she'd ever experience. Even if taking the job was a misguided decision, at least I got a friend out of it all.
"Hey, AJ. Can I tell you something?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I'm thinking...maybe SPI isn't the right fit for me."
"What are you talking about? You’ve only had one field assignment. Shouldn’t you give it more time before you start having second thoughts?" said AJ, a look of confusion shading her face as she looked at Eve. “I’m so excited about my first assignment next week. Agent Yu hasn’t told me what it’ll involve yet.”
Eve nodded as AJ talked about the weapons training session she’d had last week and the thrill of learning how to disassemble a gun. “So, you’re okay with the idea of having to shoot somebody?”
AJ shook her head. “Not really, but I knew taking a job like this might require it. Somebody has to do this job, right? To keep us safe.”
“Keep us safe. Right.” An image of Salazar’s body sailed across Eve’s mind. Hesitant to disclose too much, Eve launched into a lengthy monologue about her concerns with the work at SPI but left out crucial details—like the fact that she'd witnessed a man shot to death. Maybe I should tell her. No, it might freak her out. But, then again, maybe it wouldn’t bother her. The last thought unsettled Eve.
AJ sat up. "Eve? What's going on?"
If I tell her, she might even be able to give me some advice. She wasn't sure if she wanted advice. Yet she knew she needed someone to understand the existential crisis that had been brewing since before she quit her job at the school. To her general surprise, she felt tears pooling, and her face grew hot. She averted her watery gaze and distracted herself by picking at her nails. “I saw a man die,” she said, staring at her nails.
It wasn't long before she was crying and telling AJ about the day at Salazar’s office, and AJ was holding her hand telling her everything would be all right.
When a knock came at the door, it startled them. "Are we expecting company?" asked AJ.
"Oh, damn, it's Friday. I can't believe I forgot. It's Zoey."
"You have a date with the boo and forgot about it?" She smiled, wiping Eve's wet cheeks.
Eve rose and composed herself. "We have movie nights on Fridays."
"Well, I'll scoot on out and let you two have your couple time." AJ gathered her jacket off the chair. “We can talk more later.”
She gestured for AJ to resume her seat. "No. It's fine. Stay."
With a sigh and an in
credulous look, AJ sat and reached for her bottle of beer.
Eve hurried to the door and calmed herself before opening it. Zoey greeted her with a bright smile and two paper bags.
"I got Thai food, your favorite up the street," she exclaimed. But after a glance over Eve's shoulder, Zoey's smile disappeared. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No. Come on in." Eve ushered her inside and closed the door. "You want a beer? I mean, wine? I have red and Moscato."
Zoey placed the bags on the kitchen table. "You know I don't drink Moscato."
"Right. Sorry, I...long week." She turned to retrieve red wine from the cabinet and more beer from the refrigerator.
"Good to see you again, Zoey," said AJ, feigning nonchalance.
Zoey turned to Eve with a testy expression and leaned close to her. "Are you seeing her now?"
Eve laughed and shook her head. "No, Zoey. We're just—"
"Are you two dating?" Zoey asked AJ, not waiting for Eve to finish.
It was AJ's turn to laugh now. "Eve's like the opposite of my type, honey. I like my women more along the lines of Queen Latifah circa Set It Off. Feel me?"
Zoey stared at her blankly.
AJ cleared her throat. "No, we're not dating."
Eve covered her mouth to hide her laughter.
"Okay, whatever. Fine," Zoey replied, turning to Eve. "But it's our movie night, so I don't understand why—"
"Zoey, I'm sorry. I needed someone to talk to about things. Work. There's no one but you and Gabe. I promise." She reached for Zoey's hands and was surprised when she pulled away.
"I feel like you're hiding something from me. Ever since you took this new job you've been different," Zoey whispered. "Mostly in a good way, like happier. But other times I see a look in your eyes, like fear."
"I'm fine." She offered Zoey the glass of wine.
But Zoey folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "Come on, Eve. I'm a therapist. I'm paid to understand emotions, to know when people need help but don't know how to ask for it. Something is going on with you. Not to mention you look like you've been crying. Oh, and the big secret you were supposed to tell me. Still waiting."
Eve sat the wine glass on the countertop, grabbed two bottles of beer and headed to the living room. As she sat, she took a quick glance around and leaned back.
Zoey joined them, and they sat in silence, exchanging awkward glances for a while.
"Well, this is uncomfortable," AJ remarked.
Eve gulped some more beer and sat up, turning to Zoey. "AJ and I are friends for a very particular reason, because of something we have in common."
Zoey's head tilted to the right. "Besides the fact that you work together?"
“It’s why we work together, why SPI hired us.” Eve picked at her nails while trying to find the right words to avoid scaring away the most important person in her life. She searched for the perfect set of words but found nothing better than the straightforward truth. "We have abilities."
"Am I supposed to know what that means?"
"It's easier to understand if I show you." She grasped Zoey's hands and stared into her confused eyes. "Just keep looking at me."
"Eve, this is silly—" The rest of her sentence transformed into a scream when Eve disappeared. She would've fallen off her seat if Eve hadn't been holding her hand. Frantically, she looked left and right. AJ had disappeared as well.
"I'm still here," Eve said, squeezing Zoey's hands.
"Oh, okay. Wow. I really need to lay off the THC. I'm clearly going crazy." She blinked again and again. "Because, for some reason, it seems like you're not here."
"Zoey—"
She held up the empty wine glass and looked for Eve, blinking and staring into space. "There's nothing else in this, right?"
"You're not high or going crazy," Eve said, reappearing at once.
Zoey screamed and pulled her hands away. In a flash, she was on her feet, and the wine glass shattered on the floor. She pressed her spine against the wall as she gawked at Eve.
"I should've told you a long time ago, Zoey. I was scared of what you'd think."
AJ reappeared next to Eve, causing Zoey to clutch her chest in panic. Downing the rest of her beer, AJ stood and gathered her jacket. "I'm going to head out and let you two talk. You want me to sweep up this glass, Eve?"
Eve shook her head. "I'll get it."
With a nod at them, AJ made her way to the front door.
Eve and Zoey continued looking at one another, as if frozen in time. When the front door shut and they were alone, Eve got up to grab the broom. In silence, she swept up the shards of glass and dumped them in a plastic bag and dropped it in the trash. Once she stored the broom in the closet, she resumed her seat on the sofa.
"Eve..." Zoey was standing across the room and staring at her. "What is happening?"
"Can you come here? I wasn't trying to scare you. I'm sorry."
Zoey didn't move.
"Look, these abilities—"
"Abilities? Plural? There's more than just—uh—that thing you did?"
She's terrified of me. I never should've told her.
"What other abilities?"
Assuming she had nothing else to lose, Eve demonstrated her other two abilities by teleporting into the kitchen and then bending a cast iron skillet with her hands.
Still pressed against the wall, Zoey watched with wide-eyed disbelief as Eve proceeded to place the warped skillet on the table and sit.
"It's something I've hidden all my life. From everyone," said Eve, her eyes closed. Without warning, she teleported and reappeared less than a foot away from Zoey who jumped with fright. She stepped forward and caressed Zoey's rosy cheek. "I'm sorry I hid it from you. You know when I had you drive me home to Indiana? Well, I wanted to take a look at my old diaries because I'd been trying to remember all the details of what it was like when I first realized I could do these things. And I wondered if my mom had ever figured it out...that's why I took her diaries."
"Did your mom ever figure it out?"
Eve shook her head. "No. Or if she did, she never wrote about it."
“Where did these abilities come from?”
“I don’t know. I wondered when I was a kid. But I was too busy trying to hide it from everyone to bother looking for an answer,” said Eve, shrugging. “Even SPI doesn’t seem to know. One of our meetings during the first month of training focused on when SPI first discovered people like me and how they spent years trying to determine the source of our invisibility.”
“They never found the source?”
“No,” Eve replied. “I think they sort of gave up on that and decided to focus on recruiting us to work for them.”
After a moment, a smile spread across Zoey's lips, and she grasped Eve's hands. "My God, how the fuck did I get this lucky?"
"Wait...what? No. You're not afraid of me?" asked Eve.
"Why would I be? You're like a superhero."
Eve thought back to elementary school. She thought about the kids on the playground—the girl with the pigtails and the big boy who always picked on her—the way they'd all recoiled in terror the day she fought back. The day she discovered her abilities. None of them would look her in the eyes after that day. "No offense, but you're taking this better than I expected."
"How else should I take it?"
"I think most folks would run. Probably never come back. Just a minute ago you looked like you were about to run."
Zoey squeezed Eve's hands. "Do you want me to run?"
She shook her head.
"Good. Because I'm not most folks. You should know that by now."
Eve closed her eyes as Zoey kissed her lips. "You can't tell anyone. Okay? Promise me."
"Okay."
"Not even Gabe."
"I promise," she said, brushing her nose against Eve's neck.
While Zoey caressed her, Eve replayed AJ's simple words: "Everything's going to be fine. You'll see." Maybe AJ's right, and I'm overthinking everythi
ng. Maybe it'll all be fine.
If only she could get the image of the dead man out of her mind.
5
Eve stared out the window at the cityscape and fog concealing the tops of the buildings. She thought about how long it had been since the last sunny days. The worst thing about the colder months, besides the subzero temperatures, was the lack of sunlight. She wondered about how strange it must be to live in places farther north where the days are never sunny for long stretches of the year.
When the door opened, she turned around to watch Agent Grobeck enter. He was accompanied by the operative she'd seen during their first meeting.
"Thanks for waiting, Miss Cooper. You remember Mr. Candela?" said Agent Grobeck, shutting the door.
"Right." She smiled curtly at the operative. Just like the first time, the operative remained quiet. She was sure she'd never met a more stoic individual. For the first time, it struck her that she'd never seen him outside Agent Grobeck's office. Not once. He sat in the chair next to her, and Agent Grobeck sat behind the desk. "I'm assuming you wanted to hear about how the class is going—"
"Actually, Miss Cooper, that's not why I asked for this meeting. But I've heard great things about your instruction. It seems to be a great fit for you so far, and I hope you're enjoying it."
"I am. It's the best part of my week."
"I'm glad to hear that. Let's be honest, the work of SPI is unusual and not much can prepare you for it. I promoted you to that position because I thought being in the classroom would help you transition better."
She watched as he opened the laptop and pecked at the keyboard. "I do think being able to teach has helped a lot."
"And that brings me to why I wanted to speak with you. I have another opportunity for you that I think you'll be very suited for."
"Can I—before you get to that—can I ask a question?"
He looked up and gave her his full attention. "Sure. What's on your mind, Miss Cooper?"
"About the uh, incident, last week," she began. She glanced uncertainly at Mr. Candela, not sure if she was allowed to say much about the Salazar assignment in front of him. He stared straight ahead at Agent Grobeck. "The man who, you know, from my assignment. Do you have any leads on who he is?"
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