Project ELE

by Rebecca Gober & Courtney Nuckels

CHAPTER 13 (Ninety-three days inside.)

  Seven a.m. comes far too early as my tablet vibrates me awake. I yawn and stretch my arms over my head. I practically crawl into the bathroom mumbling about how I hate mornings along the way. I’m quiet though as to not wake my sleeping father. I turn on the sink and splash my face with cool water. As I towel dry it off I take a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

  My eyes widen in horror as I take in that eye Alec was talking about. It is not just a small dot of red, it’s like a quarter of my eye is red. What's even freakier is the dark green ring that circles my iris. I know that's never been there before!

  I lean in close to the mirror and open my eyes wider to examine it. It looks creepy to me. The only time you see red irises are in those badly depicted vampire movies. I move my face around allowing the light to shine all around my eye. What the heck is wrong with me? With the green and red, my eye looks like Christmas time gone wrong. Deep down I want to run to the nearest doctor to get this thing looked at, but something is telling me not to. Just wait it out Willow, I tell myself.

  I sneak back into the other room where my tablet is and bring it into the bathroom with me. I remembered seeing a small, funny looking dot on the top of the tablet. My guess is it's a camera. I search the icons for a camera app and find one. Ah, ha! I say to myself. I position the camera up to the mirror and get a close-up shot of my eye. I send it to Alec and ask him in the message.

  Me: Is this how it looked yesterday?

  I hit send and wait. With nothing else to do I braid my hair. As I am clasping the bottom with a rubber band my tablet vibrates.

  Alec: I don’t think so, but maybe it’s the light. You might want to get that looked at.

  Then a second later another message pops up.

  Alec: Ah crap, I just cut myself. Got 2 run!

  Me: K

  I push the tablet aside. I’m trying to put two and two together and it doesn’t make sense. I’ve seen what it looks like when you poke your eye and it…bleeds. Sabby did it once when he was about three with one of my pencils and it didn’t look like this. It looked like it was bleeding, not perfect and symmetrical. It just doesn’t add up.

  Suddenly I’m overly self-conscious about it. I pull my hair back down out of the braid and arrange it in front of my face. In a fleeting moment, which I most definitely don’t think through, I grab some scissors and cut some long bangs around my face. I cringe upon seeing long strands of my hair fall to the floor. No going back now. I guess my vanity is getting the best of me today. I work to try to even them out. In the end my bangs end up long enough to where if I wanted, they would nearly cover my eyes. I cut them in an angle though so they can swoop over my left eye. I figure there's no use in walking around fully blind when my right eye seems normal...for now.

  I look in the mirror to examine the finished product. A long exasperated sigh escapes me. I keep telling myself in my head over and over that it’s a new fashion statement. Tomorrow, everyone will do the same and cut bangs like mine. Yeah right, Willow, my annoying common sense chimes in.

  I glance down at the clock and realize I only have a few minutes before I have to be down to breakfast. I scoop up the hair as best as I can, dispose of it in the trash and put back the scissors. I hurriedly get dressed, grab my tablet, and b-line for the cafeteria all the while careful not to wake my dad.

  Self-consciously I drag my newly cut bangs in front of my eyes thinking man, if I only had my sunglasses this would be ten times easier. I could just feign a headache and be done with it.

  I drag my tray over to Connor and Claire sitting it down with a thump.

  “Wow,” proclaims Connor. “Did someone wake up Emo this morning?”

  Claire slaps Connor on the shoulder. “Hey, I like the bangs, it’s totally cool!” She exclaims in what sounds like mock enthusiasm.

  “Thanks,” I mutter while keeping my head down.

  The rest of breakfast is strangely quiet with Connor and Claire saying something every now and then to break up the awkward silences. Except what they say isn’t making sense.

  One time Connor blurts out, “I WONDER WHY CLAIRE DOESN’T LIKE SHOW TUNES.” It sounds muffled…different.

  And, one time Claire said to no one in particular, “YEAH, A NAIL SALON WOULD BE NICE,” her voice sounding different too.

  I can’t put a finger on what’s going on.

  After breakfast we trek up to our classroom and take our seats. There are so many voices’ talking it’s hard to think straight. To my surprise I look around and notice that I can hear people talking but practically no one is moving their lips. It’s so strangely bizarre and foreign that I put my head in my hands and cover my ears. The sounds are somewhat muffled, but not in the least bit gone.

  I shake my head and look up grunting in frustration. I must have grunted pretty loud because all heads, including Ms. Thomas’ turn in my direction. “Sorry,” I mutter. “Bad headache.” Yes, Willow. That’ll explain your attitude and your new hairstyle.

  Heads begin to turn away from me but I hear comments like: "FREAK, LONER," and "LOOSER," drifting from different people in the room. I can’t understand why Ms. Thomas is letting them say these things.

  I look to Ms. Thomas for help and hear her say in a muffled voice, “TEENAGERS, THIS JOB MAKES ME SICK. I DON'T EVEN GET MY SATURDAYS OFF ANYMORE. THIS IS SO NOT WORTH IT!”

  I furrow my brow in utter frustration and look over to Connor and Claire. To my surprise they’re facing forward like nothing is happening. I pull the text app on my tablet up and text a hurried group message to them.

  Me: Did you just hear what Ms. Thomas said???

  I hit send and watch as Connor and Claire get the messages.

  They both look confused. I hear them say, “NO,” but again in those bizarre muffled voices. My tablet vibrates softly in my palms and they both respond with No.

  I’m beginning to get freaked out. I look over to Claire who looks like she’s doodling on her tablet. Suddenly, in the middle of class I hear her say, “BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. THIS TEACHER CAN RAMBLE! SERIOUSLY, WHY WOULD SHE THINK WE’RE LISTENING? THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST BORING CLASS EVER!”

  At this point my mouth drops to the floor. I look up at Ms. Thomas and she just continues on with the lesson! Is she deaf? I shrug my shoulders and decide to try it out, “Boring,” I say loud enough for everyone to hear.

  My face pales as Ms. Thomas stops mid-sentence and turns to face me, complete with beady eyes and a red face. I sink low into my seat. “What did you just say, Willow?” She says as she spits my name. Then I hear her say in a muffled voice, “YOU LITTLE TWERP, YOU THINK I LIKE DOING THIS?”

  My eyes go wide at this. Her mouth didn’t move. I think it’s at this moment I have come to accept that I’m going crazy. “Nothing,” is all I can stand to mutter in response.

  “That’s what I thought,” Ms. Thomas says while turning around, continuing the lesson.

  I look over to Claire whose face is burning red. She gives me a look like, what gives, and I just shrug my shoulders. I keep my hand over my ears for the rest of the class until the bell rings.

  I grab my tablet and hurry out the door eager to get away from the bizarre and personal comments no one should dare say aloud. As I walk towards the cafeteria I keep my head low realizing that the muffled dialogue I’m hearing is dramatically decreased when I do this. But, keeping my head low does have its consequences. I practically mow over several people with my tray on the way to our table. It’s ϋber embarrassing.

  Claire and Connor each slam their trays down and display a look of annoyance. I cringe and Claire begins, “Willow, what the hell is wrong with you?” Leave it to the normally calm natured girl to speak up first. She stares me down. Then in her muffled voice I hear her say, “SHE’S ACTING SO BIZARRE, MAYBE SHE’S ON DRUGS.”

  “I am not on drugs,” I say to defend myself.

  Claire’s mouth falls open, “What did you just say?”

 
; “I said I’m not on drugs,” I repeat, confused by why she’s asking me to repeat it.

  “Willow, I didn’t say that.”

  I give her a disgruntled look. “I just heard you!” Then it dawns on me, and a look so horrific must come over my face as I watch Connor and Claire’s reaction to my epiphany. “Wait, Claire, think of a number between one and ten million. And Connor, think of a color, not a primary color, but one that is bizarre.”

  They look at each other and shrug their shoulders. “ONE-HUNDRED-THOUSAND,” I hear Claire mutter softly.

  “MACARONI AND CHEESE YELLOW,” I hear Connor say almost in unison with Claire’s response.

  “One-hundred-thousand and macaroni and cheese yellow.” I say, watching for their reaction. Connor and Claire grip the sides of their chairs and look at me completely bewildered. They both look like they are on the verge of passing out. “Sit,” I command. The last thing I want to do is invite more unwanted attention to myself.

  "What the heck was that Willow?" Claire asks. Connor just continues staring at me with a blank expression.

  "I don't know. It's like I woke up and now I can hear everything!" I exclaim.

  "Everything, Everything?" Connor asks. The dumbfounded expression is still on his face. "CLAIRE IS HOT." I hear Connor's muffled voice say.

  "Yeah, I think she doesn't know just how beautiful she really is." I say looking at Claire. Connor's mouth drops open again and Claire's cheeks redden as she realizes what I must have heard in his mind.

  "How do you turn it off?" Claire asks.

  I shrug my shoulders. "I have no idea. I mean I can muffle it somewhat if I keep my head down and don't look at anyone."

  "I think the better question is how did you turn it on?" Connor asks.

  "I'm not sure how I turned it on." I'm starting to feel a little frustrated about my lack of knowledge when it comes to these new freak worthy skills.

  "Why do you think this is happening now?" Claire's expression is thoughtful and curious.

  "I. Don't. Know." I enunciate each word with frustration. I feel like an instant jerk when Claire's face falls. "I'm sorry, I just don't know any more than you do. I really need to see Alec." My head is starting to pound again so I rub my temples with my index fingers. I look up at Claire with watering eyes.

  She looks at me and immediately gets up from the table and comes around to sit by my side. She rubs my back soothingly and says, "It's okay sweetie we'll figure this out." She pushes the hair from out of my face and I look up to hear her muffled voice say, "She looks sick." The second she registers my eyes she gasps. "What in the world?" A whole series of questions that I can't quite make out are running through her head.

  I quickly look down and hold my hands to my ears. My head is pounding so hard now that I feel as if it's going to explode.

  "Should we take her to the doctor?" Connor asks worried.

  "No! Alec." I say through clenched teeth. My head is hurting and each word feels like a hammer hitting my temple. I keep my head down as Claire stands and helps me up from the table. I walk that way staring at Connor and Claire's white tennis shoes as they lead me out of the cafeteria. For the time being I can't hear any inner thoughts but I doubt I would really be able to concentrate anyhow with this pulsating headache.

  I watch a pair of bare feet walk towards us. They are perfectly pedicured with hot pink nail polish that can only belong to one girl that I know. When I hear the hyena laugh I know that my guess was right on the money.

  I look up to see Candy, Zack and their posse walking in our direction. I look away quickly but the voices have already started to flutter into my brain. Candy's muffled inside voice is just as annoying as her real one. "PATHETIC. WHAT DOES HE SEE IN HER? AND THOSE BANGS? ICK!"

  I hear one of the other guys say something about Candy's rear end but surprisingly I can't hear a thing that Zack is thinking. I look up at him and he gives me a strange eerie look. I look down quickly only to see his tennis shoes stop directly in front of me.

  "So where do you think you're going?" Zack asks.

  I keep my head down and Connor speaks up for me. "She's not feeling well. I'm taking her to the nurse."

  "Hmm, looks like someone had a little too much fun last night. So was it pain pills? Alcohol? What did you get into darling? Cause rumor has it you were late to the assembly." Zack says a little too coy-like.

  How in the freak did he know that? I look up at him surprised. I strain my mind to hear what he's thinking but it's like I'm hitting a brick wall. The one time I could use this freaky gift thing and it doesn't work?

  Claire yanks me to the side out of Zack's path and then pulls me forward down the hall away from them. "Jerks!" She yells.

  Candy laughs and so do some of the other guys.

  Connor is at my other side and they both usher me into a nearby elevator. I look up to see Zack still staring at me intensely as the elevator doors close. A chill runs down my spine as I get the feeling that somehow he knows what's up with me.

  The elevator pops open and we start walking towards the office in headquarters. When we reach the second floor area that is open to below with all of the different offices and shops, my head nearly pops off. Floods of voices fill my brain. It sounds like millions of people yelling in a language I can't understand it’s so jumbled and garbled up I can't make out a single thing.

  "Ohh!" I cry out as I grasp at my head and push my hands over my ears. It hurts so bad and I can't get it to stop. My knees buckle and I feel myself falling but Connor catches me before I hit the floor. He picks me up and runs with me away from the open air area into a much quieter hall.

  "Go get Alec." Connor instructs Claire and I hear her running ahead of us. He finds an empty office and takes me inside.

  He lies me down on the floor out of sight of the windows. "I think this office is empty. Are you sure I shouldn't get the nurse?" He asks looking at me worriedly.

  I shake my head. I feel the tears running down my cheeks because while the headache isn't as debilitating as it was in the main headquarters area, it still hurts horribly.

  "What happened?" Alec demands as he runs to my side and drops to the floor.

  I keep my eyes shut because it's helping with the headache a bit. "It hurts." Is all I manage to say to him.

  "We're going to the doctor." He says while starting to pull me into his arms.

  I shake my head and more tears of frustration start to fall through my shut eyes.

  "Look at me Willow." He pushes the hair back from my face and I start to open my eyes to look up at him. I blink away the tears and stare into his eyes. I can't help noticing the dark blue ring that is now outlining the outer area of his once solid emerald colored eyes. I stare into them for several seconds before I notice, all of a sudden, that the headache is completely gone. There is zero pain. I can even hear his inner voice now and it's the most beautiful thing I've heard in a while. "I CAN'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU. I LOVE YOU."

  My heart flutters and my breath catches. I can hear him going through his mind about how worried he was that I was sick but I'm looking better now. Then he thinks about how beautiful I look even with my new bangs. He's intrigued by my eyes and thinks about the change he's noticed in his as well.

  "Are you okay babe?" He asks.

  I nod my head. "Yes, I think so."

  "What happened?" He asks. He's stroking my hair back soothingly and it feels so good that if I were a cat I would purr.

  "I have no idea."

  "She doesn't know what's going on with her but some freaky stuff is happening here." Connor says. Claire nods in agreement.

  "Like what?" Alec directs his question towards me.

  I cringe worried that I'm going to sound like a nut job. "I really don't know but it's like I woke up and my eyes looked all crazy and I've been getting these headaches and I can hear what people think." I say it all in one quick breath.

  "What people think?" Alec looks at me as if I m
ade a joke that he didn't quite get.

  "She's not messing around man, she really can hear thoughts. I'm telling you, freaky stuff here!" Connor interrupts, looking completely frazzled.

  I sit up now, allowing Alec to still cradle me somewhat in his arms. I need him to believe me, so I lean in and whisper ever so softly in his ear, "I love you too." I lean my forehead against his for a second as if my brain can transmit to his brain what I'm feeling and what I'm going through. I pull back and look into his eyes and can see instantly that he believes me.

  "Wow." Is all he says out loud, but inside he says, "I LOVE YOU," again and again. He studies my eyes and I hear his inner voice, which tells me that he doesn't find them creepy, but interesting instead.

  "A-hum." Connor breaks up our intimate moment. "GROSS, THAT'S LIKE MY SISTER." I hear him saying inside his head.

  "SO SWEET!." Claire says inside her head.

  She playfully shoves Connor for interrupting our moment then she gets right to business. "Is your head feeling better?"

  I nod and then move off of Alec's lap and sit cross-legged on the ground. We are now all sitting in a small circle.

  "That's interesting. I guess you have the magic touch Alec." She jokes but I look at Alec as if something clicked.

  "Yeah, it was like the instant I looked into your eyes my headache went away." I say looking at Alec.

  He has a strange expression and I hear him say inside his head, "NO IT 'S NOT POSSIBLE."

  "What's not possible?" I ask.

  He looks at me wide eyed and then inside his head I hear him say, "I DON'T KNOW HOW KEEN I AM THAT YOU CAN READ MY MIND."

  I smile up at him. "I don't know how to turn it off yet."

  "Okay, well we will have to figure that out. Anyhow, a few weird things have been happening to me today too. I cut myself shaving this morning. I saw myself bleeding and everything. I immediately washed my face off with water and then when I looked up again in the mirror the cut was gone. Like it just vanished." He says.

  "Hmm, maybe it wasn't as bad as you thought it was man." Connor says attempting to lighten the mood.

  "I said that to myself this morning too. However, a few hours later I got a nasty paper cut while filing some paperwork. I ran to the restroom and cleaned off all the blood only to find that there was no cut or any type of laceration on my hand anywhere." Alec looks at me and pulls some of the hair back from his forehead. He points to a spot at the top right corner near his hairline. "The freakiest thing of all is this!"

  I look at him confused. "There's nothing there."

  "Exactly! I've had a scar there since I was five years old. I fell out of a tree, or actually I was pushed out of a tree when my friend got mad that I beat him to the top. I scraped my head on one of the branches on the way down and had to get ten stitches to close it up. I've always had that scar…until today." He pushes the pant leg up on his left leg. "And right here, there was a large burn from where I stupidly wore shorts while riding a dirt bike when I was thirteen. My leg had rubbed up against the exhaust pipe and it singed the skin right off." He points to his inner calf. "I have no scars anywhere. They are all gone!"

  He rakes his hand through his hair. “I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND. IT’S SCARING THE CRAP OUT OF ME.” I hear his inner voice mutter.

  I reach over and take his hand in mine rubbing my thumb across his in a comforting gesture. I bite my bottom lip trying to sift through all this newly discovered information.

  Claire’s been sitting pretty despondent but finally speaks up. “I don’t know what’s going on but whatever it is has to be connected to something you,” she says while pointing to me, “and Alec have done that Connor and I haven’t.”

  I nod my head in agreement, she has a point. I furrow my brow trying to take it all in. Hesitantly, I notice I’m not hearing anyone’s thoughts. That's odd. “Claire,” I begin. “Think of something, like your favorite flavor of ice cream.”

  “Um, okay,” she says aloud.

  I listen expecting to hear something but come up blank.

  “So…?” she implores.

  I shrug my shoulders, “I didn’t hear anything.” I’m not sure if I feel relief or what. My tablet goes off and I let go of Alec's hand so I can check it.

  " OH, I PROBABLY OUGHT TO CHECK INTO WORK." I hear Claire say in her head.

  "I’M STILL HUNGRY." Connor says inside his. He rubs his belly and I barely contain my laugh.

  "That's so weird. I can hear you all again." I say looking at each of them.

  I look to Alec and he says inside, "THIS IS PURE CRAZI… " I grab his hand and his thoughts are instantly cut off. I let go of his hand again. "WHAT IS SHE DO… " I grab his hand again.

  "Um, are you feeling okay Willow?" Alec raises one of his eyebrows in serious question.

  "Yeah, it's just that for some reason, when I hold your hand I can't hear anyone's thoughts but when I let go, I can hear them again. It's like you are buffering them when we make physical contact."

  I move closer to Claire and grab a hold of her hand. "UM, AWKWARD.." She says in her head, while Connor mutters, "THAT’S HOT, " in his.

  "So it only works when I'm holding your hand." I'm staring at Alec now and he looks just as intrigued as me.

  "That's really interesting." He says rubbing his temples as if that could somehow give him all of the answers to what's going on right now.

  I look down at my tablet and the calendar reminder is on the screen stating that I have to report to the assembly hall for community service immediately. "I wonder why I don't have work today." I look to Alec.

  "As a gift for having such high test scores in our shelter they've given all of the students a second free day. I couldn't find a way to schedule you all to have the same two free days this time." Alec says looking apologetic.

  "Not that it would matter anyhow since I have to do community service for the next month." I sigh heavily.

  Claire and Connor look excited. "How long will we be getting two free days?"

  "It's indefinite as of right now so don't worry." He smiles a sexy smile.

  "Good. Well I have to go, I only have three minutes left, but we will talk more later." I can hear mutters of them feeling sorry for me.

  Alec's is the worst because in his head he wishes he had the community service. He blames himself that I'm stuck with it. I lean in to kiss him goodbye and as if I put in the best earplugs ever made, the entire world goes quiet. It’s just Alec and me sharing a goose bump, tummy fluttering, swoon worthy kiss.

  I pull back and the world goes haywire again inside my head but this time I feel energized and healthy. I no longer feel a pounding headache or the overwhelming exhaustion. I tell everyone goodbye and head out of the room with a spring in my step. I walk, or more so run through the halls towards the assembly room. When I reach the main outer area where the assembly hall is located I try to open the main doors but find them locked. I walk along the hall that surrounds the exterior of the enormous circular assembly room, trying to find a door that's unlocked. I try several but have no luck. I keep walking the perimeter and find myself nearing the end of a large, empty hallway where there is a final set of metal double doors. I presume this is the entrance for the assembly speakers and staff.

  A chill runs up my spine when I hear footsteps behind me. I open my mind to try to hear the thoughts of whoever is approaching but all I hear is dead silence. My heart starts racing as I realize just how deserted this area of the hall is. I turn around slowly to find Zack a few feet behind me.

  "Hey sugar." He calls to me.

  Nausea rolls in my stomach and something about this situation tells me I should get out of it. I remain facing him but start backing away. He chuckles and moves towards me.

  "Um, hey Zack." I say trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. I stare at him long and hard trying to find a way to read his mind. I need to know what his intentions are and am frustrated to find myself hitting a brick wall when it
comes to reading him.

  "So, I'm thinking you and I need to talk." He says in a sly voice.

  He's bridged the gap between us. I step backwards quickly and feel the cool hard surface of the wall hit my spine. I look to the side and realize that I just backed myself into a corner only a few feet away from the door. "Maybe later, I'm late." I say. This time I can't hide the quiver in my voice.

  Zack steps even closer to me now, invading my personal space. He places both of his arms on the wall on either side of my head caging me in. My heart starts beating at rapid speeds and my brain is telling me to run. He leans ever so close, to where his eyes are now only inches from mine.

  He stares at me with this strange intensity that I've never seen before. I don't know if it's the lighting or if it's just me, but it almost appears that the alternating colors of green, brown and yellow that make up his hazel eyes are swirling. "Kiss me." He says in a quietly demanding voice.

  My mind goes a little hazy and my eyelids droop. Something in me makes me move ever so closer to him. I look down at his lips and start closing my eyes. I don't feel the same butterflies in my stomach that I get when I'm anticipating kissing Alec. Alec!

  I shut my eyes tight and shake my head. What was I thinking? My muscles tense up as I recoil from him. I move my head back even further against the wall as if trying to make myself one with it. "What the freak? Hell no!" I say loudly.

  He looks shocked and I take that instant to push him away and speed towards the door. He catches my arm and pulls me back.

  "What did you just say?" He asks in complete shock.

  "I said hell no! What are you thinking Zack? Let me go!" I yell at him while struggling to pull my arm free from his hold. He only grips my arm tighter and I cringe in pain. Realizing that he's hurting me, he releases his grip. Well maybe he's not a total psycho if he's not trying to hurt me. I think to myself but something is really wrong with him.

  He pulls me closer to him again. He's got a hold of both of my arms now but he's not squeezing them tight enough to make it hurt. He puts his eyes even closer to mine and tries again. "I said KISS me!" He says each word with such a force that I feel compelled to listen to him. That same sensation goes through me and I start leaning in towards him, my eyes start to close and then bam, I snap out of it again! I turn my head from him.

  He squeezes my arms tightly and then backs away from me laughing strangely. "What is wrong with you?"

  "What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you? Do girls actually kiss you when you do that? I mean, you can't just go up to someone that you've been a punk to and expect them to promptly obey you when you tell them to kiss you." I look at him incredulously. My cheeks heat and my brain reels over the possible reasons as to why I nearly obeyed him. I love Alec. Why in the world would I actually have contemplated kissing Zack, even for a second? I take some deep breaths. I don't want to show Zack just how much he ruffled my feathers.

  He moves closer to me and studies me again. I try to back up and find myself up against the same wall. Stupid wall!

  He pushes my bangs out of my eyes and stares at them with a strange intensity. I find myself somehow frozen for a second but I come to my senses and slap his hand away allowing my bangs to fall back in front of my eyes again.

  "Something is going on with you." He says accusingly. There is no hint that he's guessing; he knows something is up.

  "What do you mean?" I ask trying to play dumb but my heartbeat has sped up again and I can hear it in my ears. I would pay a million pennies for this guy's thoughts. Why can't I hear him?

  "I mean, your eyes are different and something is going on with you. You wouldn't listen to me. How did you do that?" Zack asks.

  "I don't get it Zack, what are you trying to ask? Not everyone has to listen to you." I'm now thoroughly annoyed and a little freaked out.

  "Excuse me." A man clears his throat behind me. "Is there a problem here?" He asks.

  I turn around to see an older gentleman in his late forties with greying hair and pale green scrubs standing at the now open doorway to the assembly room.

  I take the opportunity to say, "Yes, I'm Willow Mosby. I'm reporting to community service and this man is bothering me." I point to Zack who gives me a smug look. I wouldn't be so smug if I just got caught harassing someone.

  The old man comes up to where we are standing and gives Zack a stern look. "Are you bothering this young lady?"

  Zack looks into the man's eyes, which instantly glaze over. "No I'm not bothering her. We were just talking." Zack looks at me with a slick smile.

  The man turns towards me and shakes his head just a bit. "It sounds like you two were just having a nice chat. Now you need to come inside. You are late for our service rotation. We will have to add an additional week due to this, which will make it five weeks total of community service for you young lady."

  Zack puts his hand on his shoulder and the man turns around again. His eyes glaze over as Zack talks to him. "No, she's not late. Also, today is the last day of her community service. She will have satisfied all terms of it after today. Do you understand?"

  The man nods his head. Zack lets go of him and the man turns back to me. "I bet you are glad to be finished with your community service today. It's time to go in. You of course don't want to be late."

  "Yes sir." I say incredulously to him. I look back at Zack with wide eyes.

  He turns to walk in the opposite direction down the hall. "We'll talk more later sugar." He waves his hand at me and continues walking away.

  That may have been the strangest fifteen minutes of my life. I follow the old man into the auditorium to complete my first and last day of community service.

  To my complete surprise, Alec is leaning against the banister looking mighty fine as my community service shift comes to an end. My head is pounding after having to listen to people’s thoughts hour after hour. It wasn't too long after being away from Alec that my mind became susceptible to people’s thoughts again. I couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. Sadly, I’ve notice when people have idle time; it gives them more time to think, which means a bigger headache for me.

  I waste no time jumping into Alec’s arms. He wraps them around me in a comforting hug and plants a soft kiss on my lips. I let out a soft moan as all my aches and pains slip quickly away. My body feels refreshed. It feels like I’ve had a day at the spa, not a day hunched over picking up trash. Alec kisses me softly on the nape of my neck, before placing me gently back down on my feet.

  “You are my saving grace, you know that?” I ask Alec.

  A smile fills his face as he stares at me. “Glad to be of service ma’am.” He acts like he’s tipping his hat to me and I laugh. “I figured you’d need me after an afternoon like this,” he says as he sweeps his arm gesturing to the others that are leaving.

  “You have no idea.” I reply. We start walking back towards the commons area. I gratefully hold Alec’s hand as we walk, relishing in the much needed silence. “So, what did you do today?” I ask Alec.