Supernal Dawn

by J. A. Giunta

  Lee and Jen sat down, while Ember continued on to the counter to place an order.

  “You should see some of these videos,” Jen said from across the booth. “There’s people flying, crushing rocks with their bare hands, blowing things up with their eyes. It’s crazy!”

  She shook her head and no longer looked as excited as she had in the car.

  Lee knew why, could feel it himself.

  “Not everyone can control it,” he said. “Like Allison.”

  Jen nodded. “Some people are getting hurt. Police are trying to stop them, but they’re just making it worse.” The low sounds of gunfire and screaming came from her phone. She said, “They’re like bulletproof or something.”

  Lee was surprised at that. “Who?”

  “The Supers,” she replied, “Like Allison. Bullets just bounce off them. This one ricocheted off a guy and hit a little girl.”

  She showed him the phone, but Lee didn’t want to see it. Images like that never leave. He kept glancing over at Derek, who tried to look anywhere but back at him. The sense of panic in him had changed to something else, a quiet fear and a smug sense of satisfaction? Lee couldn’t be sure. The sensations were still too new, and he only had his own experiences to compare with.

  Ember came back with drinks, and Jen was first to make room for her. The video went quiet, and Jen frowned down at her phone.

  “Everyone’s talking about it,” Ember said. “They all think Allison is a freak, or I don’t even know. Tina’s over there wishing for laser eyes.”

  Jen growled in frustration. “They took it down!”

  Lee asked Ember, “Any idea if she’s okay? They were pretty rough with her. I thought for sure they were going to kill her.”

  “I don’t think they can,” Jen said. “Ugh. They’re all down now! What the hell? It’s like they were never even there. The videos are just gone!”

  “I wasn’t able to get a hold of anybody,” Ember said.

  Jen said, “Rick was taken to the hospital. He’s in critical condition. No word at all on Allison.”

  Lee sensed him arrive in the parking lot, the bottled fear and determination. He knew who he was there for the moment the bell jingled over the door.

  A police officer entered. Middle-aged, in good shape but with an odd rhythm to his heart, he took a moment to scan the room and headed straight for their table. Lee looked over at Derek, certain it was him who’d called.

  “What’s up?” Ember asked.

  Lee let out a deep breath. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn’t, like saying it out loud might make it true. He didn’t have powers the way Allison did, but something in him had changed. He could feel it from the moment he’d woken.

  This time, everyone actually did stop what they were doing and stared. All their eyes fell upon him, and the not-so hushed whispers began.

  “Lee Macconal?” the officer asked, forced confidence underlined with fear.

  Jen touched a foot to Lee’s. She knew.

  Of course, she knows, he almost laughed. Nothing gets past Jen.

  Her nod told him she was recording.

  Ember had opened her napkin, folded it in half but still had the fork in her hand.

  “What do you want with my brother?” she asked, both suspicious and protective. “Is this about Finley’s? Do you know if Allison, the girl in the parking lot, is she okay?”

  “We received a complaint about the destruction of private property,” he said and nodded to the glass doors.

  Lee said, “Sorry. It wasn’t on purpose.” He wanted to diffuse the situation but knew it was too late. The officer didn’t care about the door. “We can pay to replace the lock.”

  “I’m going to need you to come with me,” he said, “down to the station. We have some questions we need you to answer.”

  Jen risked angling her phone directly at him.

  “Not without a parent you don’t,” she said. “He’s a minor. Are you arresting him? Do you have a warrant?”

  Ember’s grip on the fork tightened. Lee saw it bend, and his heart sank.

  She’s one, too.

  He kicked her under the table. When she looked back at him in shock, he slowly shook his head. If she wasn’t careful, they’d both be going to jail.

  “I don’t need a warrant, young lady,” the officer said. His fear was building to something more, as if readying his body for an action he didn’t want to take. To Lee, he added, “Your mother is on her way to the station. She’ll meet you there.”

  Ember hid the fork in her napkin but not before the officer noticed. She slipped out from the table.

  “You’re not taking him anywhere without me.”

  The officer swallowed hard. Lee hadn’t noticed until then, but the man’s holster was unsnapped. He hadn’t taken his hand off his gun the whole time.

  “Maybe that’s for the best. Let’s go.”

  Lee slipped out from the table and started walking to the door. The officer waited for Ember. She held out her keys to Jen.

  “Can you take the car home?” she asked.

  Jen nodded and reached for them, still recording the three leave.

  “And,” Ember called back, “see if you can get hold of my mom.” She glared at the officer. “Just in case.”

  It was quiet as they left and stepped out into the parking lot. Lee’s stomach felt anxious the entire way to the police car.

  The officer opened a back door for them. Lee and Ember got inside. Lee couldn’t help but notice there were no handles on the door to get back out. A metal grate separated the back and front seats. At that moment, he felt like a criminal. It didn’t matter he hadn’t done anything.

  He was still going to jail.

  - Ember -

  They got to the car and she froze. Panic struck her brain as she tried to process what had just happened. Her fingers still tingled with the shock of touching Allie. They were taking her away. “Wait. Where are they taking her?”

  “Not the time or the place.” Jen jerked her chin in the direction of the cops, grabbed her keys and shoved them at Lee. “You drive. We need to figure out what’s up.” She shoved Ember into the backseat and climbed in next to Lee.

  “Lee, I need your phone.” Ember reached her hand over the back of the seat.

  “What’s wrong with yours?” He put the car in reverse and backed out of the drive real slow, the way Great Gran Britta used to drive.

  “Broke.” She waggled her useless piece of crap phone in his face.

  He pulled out his cell, unlocked it by placing his thumb on the print reader, and handed it over, as if he thought it was made of fine china, like one of Aunt Brianna’s antique teacups.

  She eyed it for a sec, then took it from him, treating it just as gently. It wouldn’t do to wreck one more thing, and she was feeling the same way Lee was acting, like a gorilla handling fine crystal. She tried to call Allie, but the call went straight to voicemail, and after what had happened, she wasn’t sure she should leave a message. “Where are we headed?” she asked.

  “Hotspot. I’m freaked, but I’m still hungry.” Lee signaled a lane change and steered the car, using just the tips of his fingers, like he thought it was going to break under his grip.

  She tried to call their mom, but no answer there either, and she had no idea what to tell her, except that they were out grabbing food. What else was there to say?

  She tried to search the web for the incident at Finley’s, but Jen was faster. She had always been a texting fiend, but now her thumbs moved like lightning over the buttons. She started calling out stuff that was happening. “Hey, listen to this, people are doing all sorts of crazy shit. The stuff at Finley’s? That was nothing compared to what’s been going on all over town.” She kept typing and watching. Lee leaned closer to see what she was so focused on.

  �
��Watch the road,” Ember ordered as someone honked at them.

  By the time they reached Hotspot, Jen’d filled them in. Super powers, cops out in force, people being arrested. Like Allie. Ember was still trying to wrap her brain around it all as Lee slipped the car into an open spot and got out, her mind spiraling around everything that had happened.

  He opened the back door and looked at her, one eyebrow quirked up. “What?” She handed him his phone as she got out.

  He just shook his head. “Everything’s about to change.”

  “Some things don’t,” she told him, watching Derek wave at Lee, then run over to do something with the doors before giving them one of his dumbass smiles. “What’s with your biggest fan?”

  Jen didn’t even look up from her phone as they headed for the front door.

  Lee took hold of the door and pulled. Pieces of metal fell to the ground with a loud clang.

  Ember started. “What was that about?” She put her hand on his arm, but he shrugged it off and let out his breath, trying to slide the metal bits aside with his foot, like nothing had happened. He mumbled something about the door being stuck and led the way to an empty booth.

  She let it go and went up to the counter to order. “Medium veggie and one extra-large carnivore happy meal.” She jerked her thumb in Lee’s direction.

  “So, the usual.” Tina gave Ember a half smile. “You want three root beers, too?”

  “Yes, thanks. Make mine—”

  “Light ice,” she finished over her shoulder, already filling the cups.” She put the drinks on the counter and rang up the total. “You seen the craziness going on out there?” she asked as she took Ember’s debit card and slid it through the machine. “And that Allison girl? What a freak. Zapping things and causing fires.” Tina handed back her card. “Though, it would be nice to be able to shoot lasers out of my eyes. What I’d do to that cheating jerk, Todd. Right?” She opened her eyes really wide and bugged them out at Ember.

  “Allison is not a freak,” Ember said, yanking her card out of Tina’s hand.

  Tina narrowed her eyes at her. “Pizza will be out in a few.”

  Ember headed over to the booth with their drinks. Derek’s pig-like eyes watched her the whole time. “He’s acting creepier than usual.” She set the sodas down onto the table and slid in beside Jen.

  “It’s all over the web. Everyone’s talking about it.” Ember glanced over at Tina. “They all think Allison is either a freak or...don’t even know. Cripes. Tina over there is wishing she could shoot lasers from her eyes.” She stuck a straw in her drink and sucked up a mouthful of root beer. It was kind of flat, but she didn’t care. The sugar tasted so good, she almost finished half the glass in one go. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was.

  “Grrrrrr.” Jen tapped at her phone wildly. “Where’d it all go? All the video. It’s gone.”

  Lee blinked. He seemed twitchy, nervous. “Any idea how Allison’s doing?”

  Jen kept tapping at her phone. “I can’t find any of the footage, at all. They’re all down! What the hell? Now, it’s like they were never even there. The videos are just gone.”

  Ember shook her head. “Her phone went straight to voicemail, and I couldn’t get hold of...anybody else. And now that I’m sans phone...”

  The front door opened, a cop sauntered in, scanned the room, and made a beeline for their table. Lee threw Derek a dirty look and got a classic idiot grin and the finger in return.

  “What’s up?” She stirred her root beer around with her straw.

  Lee just huffed out his breath, then froze when the cop addressed him by name.

  She took the flatware out of the rolled napkin and slipped her fingers around the handle of the fork. “What do you want with my brother? Is this about Finley’s? Do you know if Alli—the girl in the parking lot—is she okay?”

  “Actually,” the cop said, taking a half step back and placing his hand on the butt of his handgun, “this is about destruction of private property.” He jerked his head toward the door. “A complaint was called in.”

  The people at the next table stared at them, apparently surprised by the officer’s defensive posture.

  Lee looked pained. “Sorry. It was an accident. We can pay to fix it.”

  The officer backed up another step. “I’m going to need you to come down to the station. We have some questions that need answering.”

  Jen looked up from her phone, nonchalantly tilting it so the camera lens was pointing up at the officer. “Not without a parent. Are you arresting him? Do you have a warrant?”

  Lee kicked Ember under the table and shook his head. She looked down at the fork in her hand. It was bent out of shape. Her heart thumped like it was going to break through her chest. Ember stared up at the officer and quickly slipped the fork under the napkin, hoping he hadn’t noticed the misshapen metal.

  “I don’t need a warrant,” the cop said, his fingers tapping the butt of his gun. “Mrs. Macconal is on her way to the station. She’ll meet you there.”

  “You’re not taking him anywhere without me.” Ember slid out of the booth and stood up before Lee could. “Jen, can you drive the beast home?” She held out her keys to Jen. “And try to get hold of our mom. Let her know what’s happening.” She flicked her eyes at the cop. “Just in case he’s lying.”

  Jen nodded as she took the keys.

  A few minutes later, Ember slid into the back seat of the cop car. The stink of piney disinfectant didn’t quite cover up the reek of puke and homeless that clung to the plastic seat and floorboard. Lee looked just like she had felt her first time in the back of a cop car. She patted his shoulder. “One more thing you can cross off your bucket list.” She laughed, but it came out high-pitched and forced. Lee’s somber expression didn’t budge.

  She took her hand off his arm and leaned her head back. This entire day had already sucked. And now, against all odds, it was getting even worse. As the cop pulled out of the driveway, Lee’s stomach rumbled. She stared back at Hotspot. They’d never even had a chance to eat the damn pizza.

  Three

  Wed, Aug 24, 6:02pm

  - Lee -

  He was growing more agitated as they drove. People in cars all around them went in and out of his sensory range, like perforating the bubble of his mind. They crashed over him with their emotions until his own were washed away. His heart thumped louder with each new impression, until even his body felt strange, unfamiliar and very different from those who passed through the bubble. His breathing became ragged, until his vision began to blur at the edges.

  Ember noticed and touched his arm.

  “We’ll be fine,” she said, or so he thought. He’d been getting words confused with the feelings he interpreted. “Mom won’t let anything happen to us.”

  And just like that it was all gone. Every emotion not his own, every external heartbeat and flow of blood, it all vanished into quiet. It was almost uncomfortable, as if the silence left him lonely. It was the same way he’d felt when the Rumbling had stopped.

  Is this her power? he thought. To interrupt or cancel out others’?

  She gave him a pat and withdrew her hand.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “They can’t hold us, since we didn’t do anything wrong.”

  The sensations returned in a rush, his sister’s first. She was scared. She believed what she was saying, but he felt fear inside her all the same. Lee took her hand, despite the quiet it caused. His mind needed the short break, and he could endure a little loneliness if it made her feel better.

  The station was busy, with patrol cars and people moving through the lot. Lee had braced himself before he let go of Ember’s hand, but it didn’t help him in the least. The flood of sensations from so many people nearly caused him to collapse.

  He blinked away the dizziness, used the car to steady himself. The officer
asked if he was all right but didn’t offer any help. He was too afraid to touch Lee. Ember came over to give a hand, but Lee waved her off. He’d have to let go again at some point. It was better to adjust now then to suffer another sudden stop and influx.

  Inside the station was even worse. The sheer number of people and noise caused a commotion in his mind so loud he couldn’t think. It felt as if his body had betrayed him, as the emotions and physical maladies of those around him overlaid his own. Their panic and pain, anger and anxiety, frustration and fear, it all roiled within him, from the tingles in his brain to thrumming aches throughout his body.

  “This way,” the officer said and took Lee by the arm.

  Pain in his shoulder made him wince, but the injury wasn’t his. Lee looked up at the man’s arm. The noise seemed to fall away as he focused his attention. It was as if he could almost see inside the officer with his mind, sensed the torn ligaments and poorly formed scar tissue. The more he focused, the clearer the injury became, the jagged half-mending and bits of bone debris.

  “Stay here,” the officer said to Ember.

  They left her seated in a waiting area, outside a pen of cubicles. As Lee was led toward the back, purposefully ignoring the sensory push of fifty-seven people, he came to realize he could do more than merely sense the damage in the officer’s shoulder. He could force it to heal right, like fixing pieces poorly placed in a puzzle.

  It wouldn’t even take that much effort, though Lee imagined it might hurt. The idea of it left him stunned, that he could somehow heal a person.

  “In here,” the officer said and opened a door.

  Lee stepped in to find an attractive woman seated at a table already waiting for him. The door closed behind him. There was a large mirror on the right side wall. It took barely a moment to sense the three people on the other side. Two men and a woman, adults, though the woman was much older. She had so many aches in her dangerously thinned bones it made him twinge.

  “Please,” the seated woman said and indicated the opposite chair. “Lee, right? I’m Emily.”