CHAPTER 16 (Ninety-nine days inside.)
I walk out of class on Friday to find Alec waiting for me. He hasn't come to my class before so I'm pleasantly surprised to see him.
"Hey babe." He throws his hand over my shoulder.
"Hey!" I look up into his eyes, which look impeccably blue. The same color blue as my eyes now show.
Alec kisses me on my cheek then pushes my bangs out of my eye. "Beautiful." He says softly while staring at me intently.
I blush under the scrutiny of his gaze. I've been walking around half blind for the past several days ever since my eye has taken on even more freaky shades, including purple. Unlike the changes I've seen in my friend's eyes, mine is only occurring in that one eye. It looks almost like a marble and the colors have swirled together in a strange intricate design.
It didn't take me long to realize that the colors in my eyes correspond with the new colors of my friends eyes. What I haven't figured out though is why.
"I wish you could come with us." Claire calls from behind Alec. I gaze over at her and see that she's staring at my eye now too. I consider briefly allowing my shield to go down so I can hear what she really thinks about my eye color but I avoid invading her privacy.
"I wish I could too." I reply. My chest is tight with anxiety. I hate lying but I have to get to the bottom of this. My friends seem to only be exhibiting one newfound ability, but I'm somehow exhibiting multiple abilities.
I even realized that I have that gift of persuasion or compulsion or whatever the heck Zack calls it. I had asked the lunch lady for an extra dessert yesterday and she gave it to me for free. I know it sounds small and trite but that lunch lady has never given anyone an extra portion of food without charging for it.
"Do you want me to walk you to community service?" Alec asks.
My heart speeds up, that would not be a good idea. Man, I hate lying. "No, I’ll be fine."
"Do you at least get to have lunch with us first?" He asks.
I think about it. I really would rather get this done with. I don't really feel hungry either; all of this lying has made me lose my appetite. "No, they will have sacked lunches there."
"Okay. I’ll see you tonight at dinner then?" Alec looks hopeful.
"Yep! I want a play by play run down of all of the amazing comic book worthy stuff you guys do." I smile.
"Deal." Alec leans in and gives me a kiss before we part ways.
I find Zack leaning against the wall in the isolated hallway that leads to the assembly room. He turns to smile broadly at me when I start approaching. Zack is way too slick for his own good. His boyish good looks and big smile make him seem like a mix between a High School quarterback and a magazine model.
"Hey sugar." He drawls.
"I think you need to stop calling me that." I cross my arms over my chest feeling slightly annoyed.
"Why? Don't you like terms of endearment?" He raises his eyebrow at me.
"Look Zack. I'm not your ‘sugar’ so I prefer you don't use that term on me. We’re not really friends or anything. This is a business arrangement and we are just working together this time to try and get some questions answered." I hope I've made myself really clear and have drawn that line in the sand for him.
"Hmm, okay." He moves closer to me then stares into my eyes. I swear that the colors, which make up his hazel eyes are moving around like clouds in a churning thunderstorm. He says slowly, "I can call you sugar."
I cock my head at him then say in a monotone robot like voice, "You-can-call-me-sugar."
He gives me a questioning look and I bust out laughing. I know it might seem sick but I get a bit of pleasure when I see his cheeks heat for once. He looks annoyed.
"Don't try that compulsion crap on me anymore. Are we clear?" I say. "Because it doesn't work." I flash my teeth and give him a prideful smile.
"We'll see." He says to which I just roll my eyes. No use trying to fight with him. After all, boys like Zack must always think they are right.
"Oh, by the way, I have a present for you sug...Willow." He pulls a small white box out of the front pocket of his scrubs shirt and hands it to me.
I accept it a little nervously looking down at it. "What is it?" I ask. Visions of strange jewelry and inappropriate gifts flood my mind.
"Open it and find out."
I open up the flip top of the box slowly and see several small colored contacts. "Ah! Genius!" I exclaim.
"I figured this would make it to where you could stop wearing your hair in front of your face. You do look a little ridiculous after all." He pokes.
I look back down at the contacts ignoring his off handed insult. “Um, I’m not sure I know how to use these. No one in my family wears them.”
Zack takes the box from my hands. “Here,” he says. “I’ll show you.” He walks over to one of the single person bathrooms along the wall and opens the door. He turns the light on and looks around making sure the coast is clear. He ushers me in, closes and locks the door. “Here, have a seat.” He says, gesturing to the toilet.
“Eww, seriously?” I question.
His look gives nothing away. He puts the toilet seat down with his foot and takes ahold of my shoulders to sit me down. I squirm a little under his gaze. He hands me back the box of contacts and proceeds to wash his hands. “These contacts are special. You see, they don’t need any contact solution like they used to. And, you can use them for up to thirty days at a time. Then you dispose of them and get a new pair.” He dries his hands with paper towels and turns back towards me. He takes the box from my hands and reaches inside and grabs a pair of contacts. He holds them up to the light and looks back at me. “Yep, I picked just the right color.”
My cheeks blush. It seems so intimate that he'd know my eye color that well.
He opens the package and balances a contact on the tip of his finger. “Lean your head back and hold still.”
I do as I’m told. With one hand he holds my eye open so it’s unable to blink; with the other hand he gently places the contact on my eye. The urge to blink is so strong but I fight it.
“Just give it about five to ten seconds for the glue to dry, then you can blink,” he says. He lets go of my eye and my lashes blink rapidly. I furrow my brow. It feels like something is actually in my eye…like an eyelash or something. I go to rub it, but Zack stops my hand. “Whatever you do, don’t rub it for at least an hour. You’ll get used to it; don’t worry.”
I nod my head at him and stand up. I go to the mirror by the sink and move my bangs aside. My eye is a little blurry but already I can tell how much better it looks. “Wow, it looks…normal.”
I see Zack’s reflection in the mirror and he looks mighty pleased with himself.
Suddenly the handle to the bathroom begins to jiggle followed by a loud banging on the door. I whip around and stare at Zack, wide eyed. He puts his finger to his lips and moves me by my shoulders to the corner by the sink. He walks back over to the door and opens it, releasing the lock.
“Hey man,” some guy says. “I really need to go.”
In that eerie voice Zack uses for compulsion he says to the man. “This bathroom’s closed. The only one available is the one on the fourth floor, behind the cinema.”
I gasp slightly and put my hand over my mouth. It’ll take that poor guy at least fifteen minutes to get there. Ten if he runs. Zack slowly pulls the door closed and rearms the lock. I can’t help it, I bust out laughing. Zack’s eyes light up and I say, “I shouldn’t be laughing you know. That wasn’t very nice.”
Zack tries to stifle a snicker. “What can I say?” He shrugs his shoulders. “Is it feeling any better?” He asks me, changing the subject.
I nod my head. “Yeah, it’s just going to take some getting used to.”
“Good,” he says and then pauses. “I’m going to make sure the coast is clear, then you can follow me out, okay?”
“Okay,” I respond. Do I really have a choice not to trust him?
Zack opens the door quietly and peers around it. After a few seconds he motions for me to come along beside him.
Once we’re safely in the hall I say rather meekly, “Thanks for doing this for me.” My guard around Zack is beginning to falter. He still seems sly and snake-like; but now, it’s like there’s another layer under him. Like maybe he really is nice and caring once you peel off that outer layer.
“Don’t mention it,” he says while looking both ways. He grabs my hand and hurries to the other side of the hallway. I don’t even have a chance to protest before he lets go again. He takes his tablet out of his satchel, places it next to the wall and begins punching numbers in. It looks like he’s scanning the wall…but why would he do that? I hear a click as something releases and I watch in amazement as the wall opens up revealing a hidden hallway. He grabs my hand and pulls me in with him and closes the …wall? I don’t know if I should even call that a door.
“Um, Zack, what the hell was that?" I say trying not to yell.
He gives me a sly smile. “That,” he says extenuating the word, “was something you,” he pokes me with his index finger, “were not supposed to see.”
I swallow hard and nod my head. I place my fingers up to my lips and pull them across imitating a zipper.
That must satisfy him because he turns and begins walking up the steep hallway. There is dim lighting coming from the ceiling. Some of the lights flicker like they haven’t been on in a while. They emit a slight buzzing noise putting me on edge.
“Hey Zack, would you mind telling me where we’re going?” I ask a little out of breath from the climb.
He doesn't answer me.
I don't like not knowing what's going on and I have a sinking feeling inside my stomach like something is out of place. Is it really safe for me to be in a secret hallway with this guy? I’m like putty in his hands here. I could scream but it’s painfully obvious no one would hear. Having no choice but to follow the leader, I stay one step behind him and remain silent. We walk a little further up the twisting pathways until we come to a steel door with a small keypad adjacent to it.
Zack reaches his hand up to press in the code but stops abruptly, turning to me. “Do you mind?” He asks.
“Oh,” I say. “Sorry, sure.” I turn around and listen to seven numbers being typed in followed by a quiet beep after each. The door releases and I turn around. Zack is already halfway through the doorway so I follow behind him.
Inside is a large lab. It looks like something from a movie; with all the twisting tubes and smoke billowing out of glowing beakers. The room is illuminated in a dull blue light. As if on cue, Zack chimes in answering my unasked question. “This is my father’s lab. You might know him.”
“Oh?” I ask, suddenly curious. Why I would know his dad puzzles me.
“Dr. Hastings?” He asks it in more of a question than a statement.
Suddenly, I’m at a loss for words. His dad is Dr. Hastings? “Dr. Hastings, as in the leader of this entire facility?”
He gives me a sinister look and turns away. “The very one.” He says, not giving anything away in his voice. I guess that explains his living arrangements and the fact that he doesn’t have to work.
Zack walks through the lab like he’s been here a thousand times before. He starts checking on beakers, swirling different fluids around.
I begin to relax, just a little, and browse around. “So, what does your dad do in here?” I ask rather curiously.
Zack pauses and looks up at me. “You really want to know the answer to that?”
I think for a second. “Yeah, why not?”
Zack lets out a huff of air. He seems more amused than irritated. Zack drones on about his dad being in charge of the vaccinations that were given to each of us when we entered.
I lose interest when he starts talking about durable immunological responses. I run my hand along the shiny stainless steel countertop. Spotless. My eyes land on a file as I peruse around. I look down at its label: Immunizations. It's the same file I saw Dr. Hastings leave Alec's office with. I open it and find a large stack of paper, held together with a heavy duty staple. I scan over the papers, which consists of a very long list of names and other scientific mumbo jumbo. I scan it briefly and one name jumps out at me, my fathers! My eyes dart over to Zack who is still lost in his own world. I don’t waste a second longer as I slip the stapled list inside my satchel, careful not to let Zack see or hear what I’m doing. I button it back up praying he didn’t notice.
“…So, all in all, my dad and I tested different strands trying to see if we needed a monovalent or a multivalent Vaccine. We settled on a polyvalent hoping it could fight off more than one antigen.”
He looks over at me and I nod my head feigning understanding. He lost me at Dr. Hastings.
Who would have guessed that Zack was so scientific? "Um, cool." I scratch my head and then add, "So, what does this place have to do with our new abilities?"
He looks thoughtful. "My dad hasn't always been very forthcoming about his studies so I figure it wouldn't hurt to do a little snooping. You never know what we could find."
"He's not forthcoming yet he allows you access to his 'secret' lair?" I ask quizzically.
"Yes, I help him here on occasion. I've had access to this lab since before this shelter opened its doors."
"But you think he might be hiding something here?" I ask.
"You never know. We needed a place to start." He heads over to one of the lab tables and grabs a needle and a few vials. "Plus, I want to take some blood samples." He brings the needle over to me and grabs my arm.
I yank it back from him. "I don't think so!" I stare back and forth at his eyes and then at the needle.
"What's your problem; scared of a little ol' needle?" He prods.
I roll my eyes. "No but I don't really see the point in you taking my blood. After all, who exactly will be able to process the blood work? Don't tell me you know how to do that too."
"I actually do. I know someone who is better at it than I am though and I was going to ask for their help." He gently grabs my arm again. I look up into his eyes as he adds, "It will be fine. I will have them look at mine too and won't tell the person who the samples belong to."
I don't jerk my arm back this time for some strange reason so he takes that as a sign of my compliance. He swabs my arm with alcohol and applies a tourniquet to my upper arm. Slowly, he sticks the needle in and I watch as my blood fills the vial. He takes three different tubes worth of blood then labels them with a letter A. He grabs a new needle and three new vials, then repeats the process on himself. He labels those with the letter B.
"So, who are you going to ask to help?"
"I think the less you know about that, the better." Zack disposes the needles and then carefully puts the vials in his satchel.
I have a strong suspicion that he's keeping something from me but I don't push it. I can tell that he's not going to give me a name and the way I see it, it doesn't really matter. We could use any information we can get our hands on and frankly I'm mighty curious to find out if anything unique shows up in our blood samples.
"Can you think of anything at all that could have triggered the beginning of your abilities?" Zack asks.
I know that it all started when we were in the cave. I don't know if it was the water or possibly something in the cave that ignited it. I can't tell Zack about it though because then I'd have to disclose our secret place and tell him whom I was with. "I really can't think of anything out of the ordinary that would have brought it on. How about you? When did you start displaying the um, symptoms?"
He seems annoyed that I directed the question back at him. "It's been a little while now." He answers vaguely.
"And did you do anything unusual that could have sparked the change?" I ask.
He answers a little too quickly, "No, not that I know of."
I guess that's how it's going to be. We will both keep our secrets.
This will make it harder to draw a connection to whatever ignites the abilities, but I don't yet feel like I can trust Zack with this information.
We hear a beeping sound on the other side of the keypad as numbers are being typed in.
"Crap, hide Willow." Zack runs to the door.
I look around frantically trying to find a hiding spot. Zack gets under a desk and looks at me with worried eyes as the door lock clicks. I'm still standing there out in the open. Zack seems to be looking right through me as the door opens and Dr. Hastings walks in.
I find myself frozen in place, like in one of those horrible dreams where you are paralyzed by fear and can't move. My heart starts pounding so loudly that I am sure Dr. Hastings will hear it before his eyes lock onto me.
Dr. Hastings closes the door and stares right through me before heading to his computer.
What? He looked right past me as if I weren't here. I look down at myself and realize that I've gone invisible. I don't know how I did it, but even my clothing all the way down to my shoes has disappeared with me. I would assume that anyone who went invisible would be able to at least see their own bodies even if others can't. That's not the case though. I hold my arm out in front of my eyes, which work just fine despite the invisibility. I can feel my arms and even feel the muscles that I use to lift them but I can't physically see them. Cool!
I tiptoe over to check on Zack. He's pretty well hidden under the desk and he's running his hand through his blonde hair out of worry. I head over to check out what Dr. Hastings is up to. I walk by one of the lab tables and accidentally nock over a small test tube. I cringe as it rolls off of the table and crashes onto the floor.
I stand frozen in place as Dr. Hastings turns and looks directly at me. He starts walking towards me and I open my mouth to explain but I close it quickly when he reaches the table, bends down, picks up the test tube and sets it back in its place. He looks around a little then heads back to his computer.
I follow him, careful this time not to knock anything over. I steal a peek over his shoulder. The screen is full of a whole bunch of nonsense that looks like a mathematical equation. He types in some sort of formula before he logs off. He turns around so suddenly that I have to jump out of the way to keep from having him run smack dab into me. I hold my breath while he slowly makes his way out of the lab. I breathe a sigh of relief once we are in the clear.
Zack calls out, "Willow?"
There's a decision to be made here. I could show him yet another newfound power of mine or I could hide it. I decide on the latter. I crouch down behind the lab table and focus my mind on making myself visible again. I stare at my arm, which slowly comes into focus. Once I check that all my limbs are present and accounted for, I jump up from behind the lab table. "Wow, that was close!" I say wiping my forehead dramatically.
"Yeah, I think we should leave now." He says. If he suspects something, he gives nothing away.
I nod my head and follow him out of the lab.
“So,” I say while leaning back on my heels. “I guess I better take off. My friends are probably wondering where I’m at.”
I watch to gage Zack’s reaction but he seems calm, a little too calm if you ask me. “Sounds good,” he replies. “I guess I’ll see you next week…same time, same place?”
I nod my head in response and turn to leave. I pull out my tablet and text Alec to find out where he is. I'm surprised when he immediately texts back and says he’s in the library. I didn't expect him to have his tablet on him since he made plans to go to the cave today with Connor and Claire.
I prod him a bit by text as I walk towards the library and find out that he felt too much like a third wheel and begged out on the practice day. Once again I feel that guilt make its way back up into my heart knowing that I very well could have joined them.
A few moments later, I find Alec sitting in the corner of the library on one of the couches reading a book. He has several stacks of reference material surrounding him. Curiosity gets the best of me as I saunter over. He doesn’t see me approach so I place my hands over his eyes. “Guess who?” I ask playfully.
A smile creeps from his lips. Suddenly he grabs my arms and pulls me down in a cradled position in his lap. He envelops me in a way-to-passionate-kiss-for-public, but I don’t care. His lips are warm and inviting and I melt into his arms. All too quickly he releases the embrace and sets me in the seat beside him. I blush as I see an audience of people staring at Alec and me. I turn my attention back to Alec and peak at the book he has propped open in his lap.
"Whoa, your eyes are back to normal." Alec stares at me amazed.
I am startled at first before I remember the contacts. "Oh, I found some contacts." I say.
"You found contacts?" He asks.
"Um, well, more so I stole contacts." I hate lying because when you tell one lie you end up having to tell a hundred lies. "I saw them in another girls satchel. She was at the community service. I took them."
"What? Did she notice?" He asks looking worried.
"No, I don't think so." I let my hair fall back in front of my eyes feeling extremely uncomfortable. I switch subjects as fast as possible. "So, today I went invisible."
He gives me a stunned expression. "Like Claire invisible?"
I nod my head. "Yep, it's crazy right?"
"It's cool. I mean, I have absolutely no idea how you are picking up multiple gifts, but I think it's pretty awesome." He says sincerely.
"I'm not sure how awesome it really is. It's going to take a little getting used to. I'm turning into something straight out of an X-Men comic book and I have no idea how or why."
"Those X-Men girls are pretty hot so you would fit in quite nicely." He studies me from head to toe and whistles.
I can't help but blush. Averting the attention I ask quickly, “Whatcha reading?”
It looks like a bunch of tables and diagrams, definitely not a ‘for pleasure’ kind of read. He pinches the bridge of his nose. He must have been at this for a while. His eyes show strain with small bags forming beneath them.
I reach over and grab his hand in mine and give it a squeeze. He kisses the top of my head before talking. “I’m just trying to figure out what is causing all of us to exhibit these ‘abilities’ if that’s what you call them. I’ve been in here most of the morning studying the vaccinations over the past few years. I’m going over the research but it’s written so scientifically that I have to use a dictionary to even be able to read the manuscripts. It seems like I’ve been here forever and am getting nowhere, like I’m walking in circles.”
I give his hand another squeeze. “I might have something that may help and it may not, I’m not sure. I found this while doing my community service today.” I feel so guilty for lying to Alec, but I feel if I tell him the truth I may endanger him. Lord only knows what Zack is capable of doing. That single thought sets me on edge. I move to my satchel and pull out the stapled papers I swiped back at the lab and hand them to Alec.
Alec takes them from me and looks them over flipping the pages back and forth. “Do you know what this is?” Alec asks me. His tone is one of wonderment and awe.
I shake my head. “I didn’t know what it was, but I picked it up because my dad’s name was listed on the front page. I guess my curiosity got the best of me.” I shrug my shoulders trying to make it seem like no big deal. Alec continues to flip the pages back and forth.
Finally, after several minutes of flipping, he turns to me. “These are the vaccinations records…I think,” he whispers. "You found these?" He studies me.
I nod my head and he seems to believe me. What reason does he have to think I'm lying after all? Great, another knock out delivered to me by my good old friend: guilt.
I furrow my brow and change the subject. “Okay, so what is the significance?” I haven’t been able to connect the pieces yet, but it looks as if Alec has already done just that.
He gives me a polite, excited smile. “If you flip
through these pages you can see that not everyone received the same vaccine. Do you have a pen?” He asks flippantly.
I dig into my satchel and find a pen. “Here,” I say and hand it to him.
He removes the staples from the paper and begins scanning the list again. He circles his name, Connor, Claire and my name on the list. The numbers next to each of our names apparently indicates the type of vaccination we received upon arrival. We all have different numbers next to our names. He looks up at me. “I’m not sure if that makes sense. If the vaccinations are to blame for our abilities, then why do you have multiple abilities?”
I shrug my shoulders. “It’s over my head. I can’t seem to make the connection.”
Alec runs his hands over his face thinking intently. “You only got the one vaccine right?”
I scan my mind looking for the answer. I only remember them giving me the one vaccine…and then my brain makes a connection I hadn’t made before. My face goes pale as the blood drains from it.
Alec gives my shoulder a slight shake. “Willow, what’s wrong?”
I take a few deep breaths preparing myself for the explanation to follow. “When I was first in the exam room, after I had got the vaccination I went into my brother’s room. He was rejected,” I say barely above a whisper. Alec pulls me into a hug and urges me to continue. “I couldn’t bear the thought of them possibly giving the red shot to my baby brother so I took the red serum syringe and hid it in my hospital gown. The thought of that shot getting into the wrong hands….it just scared me.” I take a deep breath and continue finding comfort in Alec’s touch. “After we went to the dressing room I had to change into the new clothes; the lady startled me and I ended up poking myself with the needle. I wasn’t sure if any of the serum got into me but it very well could have. Even just a trace amount.” I breathe a sigh of relief. "It feels really good to be able to share that burden with someone else. I guess at the time it scared me so much I didn’t want to tell anyone. I thought that if I didn’t speak or think about it, it would just go away. Really though, I don’t know if that has anything to do with it, but that’s my best guess."
I watch Alec’s face as he contemplates what I just said. His eyes crinkle as he tries to piece the situation together. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad the red serum didn’t harm you like they said it would. The thought of not having you in my life is unbearable. You make this…” he looks to the air to find the words. “…this shelter that we live in, this situation we have been placed in, much more enjoyable. I find it exceptionally exciting when you’re around. It’s like you breathe life into me, allowing me to relax and let go. Let go of any worries or anxieties that I have and just…just be.”
Having Alec share this with me makes my heart soar. I had no idea the effect I had on him was this strong. But, truth be told, I would have to say I feel the same way. Sure, I have Connor and Claire, but Alec is different. Alec is like my rock in this place. The foundation I need to keep my time here not only bearable, but meaningful and peaceful as well. I give his hand a squeeze. “I could never have summed up my feelings as well as you just did. You are an anchor for me here and I'm so grateful to have you in my life.” I say with a shy smile.
Alec's eyes brighten with my sentiment. He kisses me gently on the lips.
"Okay enough of the mushy stuff; get back to work." I joke.
He goes back to looking at the papers scanning over them again. “I’ll have to do a bit more research and see if I can find any other connections. But, thank you Willow, for telling me about that red serum. I know that must be hard to talk about.”
I nod my head. I know that if I say anything more, painful memories of my brother will have to be relived in my mind, so I push the thoughts aside deciding to live in the here and now.
"Oh." I say when a question springs into my mind. "If everyone had vaccinations then how come we are the only one's showing symptoms?"
"I've been pondering that too. The only thing I can think of is the cave perhaps. I mean it wasn't until then that we started showing the changes. Maybe it was something in the water." Alec guesses.
I doubt Zack found the cave but I keep that information to myself for now. "Perhaps. By the way, how many different vaccines are on that list?" I ask scanning over the numbers next to the names.
Alec flips through the numerous pages. "I only see ten."
"Wow, I wonder if it really is the vaccines that have caused the powers or if it's something else. I find it hard to believe that everyone in here has a latent power now lurking in their systems waiting to be unleashed. It just doesn't make sense at all." I think out loud.
"I hear you. That would be total chaos at best. It's very possible that the vaccinations don't have anything to do with these changes, but it's the only semi-logical thing I can come up with. It's an easier pill to swallow than radio active spiders or magical stones." He massages his temples. "I think my brain is fried."
I move to sit back on his lap. "Aww, poor thing. We will have to fix that." I say with a big smile before I lean in and kiss his headache away. I follow it up with a light kiss on his forehead. "Better?" I ask.
"It might just need a little more mending." He says with a crooked grin. "What do you say you and I ditch this place and spend the last half of the day together."
"Sounds like a brilliant plan to me." I smile. We put away the books and I tuck the list back into my satchel and head out.
We decide to check out a movie and we end up watching some goofy vampire horror flick that makes us laugh. The special effects and acting were mediocre at best but it provided us plenty of cheesy lines to make fun of. After the movie we grab a bite to eat for dinner and then Alec walks me back to my room.
"Night." Alec says.
My back is pressed up against the door as he leans in to kiss me goodnight. "Eek." I screech as I fall backwards into my dad's arms. He opened the door so suddenly that neither Alec nor myself could keep me from falling backwards. My cheeks heat and I know my face must be hot pink or something close. Awkward!
My dad sets me back on my feet. "Hello Alec." He says a little icily. My dad likes Alec but I know that he certainly doesn't want to think of him kissing his little girl.
"Hello Mr. Mosby. Um, I was just escorting Willow home." He stammers.
"Mmhm. How often exactly do you escort my daughter home?" My dad interrogates.
"Dad, be easy on him. He was only doing the honorable thing." I say trying to save Alec.
"Oh, making out with my daughter in the hallway is the honorable thing?" He eyes the two of us.
"Dad!" My eyes widen in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry Mr. Mosby." Alec looks clueless on how to respond to my dad's prompt.
My dad breathes out a long breath then says, "You are respecting my daughter, right?"
"Yes sir, very much sir. I mean, I respect her very much sir. And you. I respect you too, sir." Alec stutters.
"Good. Well have a good night." He shoos Alec away.
Alec looks at me a little torn but I smile and say, "Goodnight." He gives me a sweet smile and then gladly retreats from this intensely awkward situation.
I turn to my dad. Any normal teenager would start a fight with their parent after being embarrassed in such a way. I open my mouth but close it quickly when I notice just how tired he looks. I rarely see him due to his intense schedule and I don't like what I'm seeing. He looks much older than he did when we first entered the shelter. His hair is more than fifty percent grey and his eyes look worn out and exhausted. His shoulders are slumped just enough to soften away all of my teenage angst. "I'm sorry dad." I say.
His look softens and he says, "Lets go inside honey." He looks down. My satchel must have crashed to the floor during my fall. My tablet and the paperwork I stole lies face up. My heart starts accelerating as he leans down and picks up my stuff. I try to take it back from him before he can look at it but I don't get the chance. He glances over some of the n
ames and then quickly ushers me into the room and shuts the door. "What is this?" He waves the paper in the air and a look of deep concern lines his face. His eyes don't look tired anymore; they look wide and alert.
"Um, I found it?" I end up phrasing it like a question instead of an answer.
"Sit." He points towards the one chair that is in our room. I take a seat feeling like a child put in the corner. I watch as he flips through the papers. "Where did you get this?" He asks.
My brain thinks through what to say. Should I lie or tell the truth. Do I involve my dad in this mess or not? I want to protect him because he certainly doesn't need any extra stress. I open my mouth to make up a lie and am cut short.
"Truth Willow." He says cutting me off at the pass.
I look from side to side and then mutter, "Dr. Hastings lab."
His eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets. "Dr. Hastings lab? What in the world were you doing there?" He stares me down and adds, "I want the truth young lady and I want it now."
I accidentally let out a laugh. His eyes narrow at my outburst. "Sorry, it's just a long story dad."
"I have all night." He sits down on the edge of his bed to listen.
I sigh and realize that I have to tell my dad what's going on. I owe it to him. He is my family and his name is on that list. Plus, maybe he can help. I run through everything with him from the cave to the powers and then end with my under cover work that I've been doing with Zack. I even tell him about my eyes and the contacts. I wish I could show them but I don't know how to take the contacts out. When I'm done talking I feel relieved. I look up at my dad who has been silent the whole time. He has a strange pondering look on his face.
"Honey, you know that I always believe you right?" He asks.
"Yes." I say wondering where he's going with this.
"I believe you now but I have to say that I'm struggling a bit with the whole super power thing. It doesn't make sense Willow. Maybe you imagined it?" He says. “I WISH HER MOM WERE HERE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.”
"She's not here dad and I need you to believe me." I say.
He looks at me incredulously. "You heard that?" “NO, I MUST BE GOING CRAZY. THIS ISN’T POSSIBLE.”
"It is possible dad and you aren't going crazy." I study him and decide he might need a little more convincing. I haven't tried out Connor's super power yet so I decide now is as good a time as any. If it’s anything like the others it is all about concentration. I take my index finger and place it on the middle of the desk. I concentrate as best I can and slowly I watch my finger sink into the desk. Weird! It doesn't feel like I'm moving through anything. The desk just feels like air, or maybe it's my finger that feels like air. I plunge the rest of my hand through the desk. I giggle when I see it sticking out at the bottom. "Freaky." I say aloud.
"Oh my gosh." My dad says. I look up to see him hovering over me. He touches the desk and sees that it's not a magic trick or an illusion. "Okay." My dad says a little shaky. "I believe you. Can you please pull your hand back out. It's freaking me out a bit."
"Oh sure." I pull my hand out quickly and place both my hands in my lap.
My dad runs his fingers through his hair and pulls a little at it. "This is impossible. I don't know how..." He starts pacing the room. I watch patiently as he makes a few laps. He stops mid stride and turns towards me. "Okay Willow. Tell me what, um...abilities have you been noticing?"
Relieved that he isn't labeling me as a total nut job I answer. "So far I can read minds, heal myself, go invisible, pass through objects and I can convince people."
"Convince people?"
"I'm not sure what to call it. It's like I can tell someone to do something and if I concentrate just right they will listen. It's like I can hypnotize them or something but I don't use a watch or an object to put them under." I qualify.
"Compulsion. This is truly amazing Willow." A look of question pops on his face. "Wait, you haven't used this on me have you?"
I feel a little hurt but I understand his need to clarify. "No, I wouldn't do that dad. I try not to use any of this stuff. When I got each power it was hard for me to control it but after a day or so I can manage to turn it off and only use it if I have to."
"I'm sorry I asked. I love you and I know you wouldn't do that." He sits back down on the bed. "Why do you have this list?" He holds up the papers.
"I saw our names on it and I just grabbed it. I didn't know if it had anything to do with what's happening with me." I say.
My dad scans through it all. "These are the immunizations?"
"I believe so." I say.
"You think this has to do with your abilities?"
I nod my head.
"Well, I guess it's as good of a guess as any." He takes the list and hides it under his mattress. "Have you told anyone else about this?"
I shake my head. "Alec, Connor, Claire and Zack know." I add, "I'm the only one who knows about Zack though. I haven't told my friends about him and I haven't told Zack about their powers either."
“There are others?” He asks looking at me with a fixated stare. I nod my head. “That’s what we were doing tonight…trying to figure out why we’re exhibiting these symptoms when others aren’t.” He rubs the tip of his chin in thought.
"Smart girl. I don't like you working with Zack at all though. I don't trust his dad and I don't think the acorn fell far from the tree in that family." He says. "I will do some digging of my own for you. In the mean time, try to lie low."
"Okay." My heart feels relieved knowing that he believes me and is going to help. I catch on a moment later to what he just said. "You know who Zack is?"
He nods sadly. "Yes, I know Dr. Hastings son. That family is up to no good. There's a lot of rumors going around about some past trouble they got into. I don't like any of it and I don't want you mixed up with that kind of people."
"I understand." I say not confirming or denying that I will spend any more of my time investigating with Zack. I already knew that Zack and his family seemed untrustworthy. Now, with my dad's warning, I will be even more vigilant.
"I love you." He comes over and places a kiss on the top of my head. "Everything is going to be okay." It still astounds me how easy he is handling this. I would have expected more of a show; perhaps hysterics or fainting…something.
"Thanks dad." I say. I believe him. We can figure this out.
"Try to get some sleep honey." My dad says.
"What about you? Aren’t you going to bed?" I ask.
"No, I think I need to look into a few things first." He helps me out of the chair, gives me a hug and then leaves the room.
My mind is so wound up that it takes me what seems like an hour to turn my mind off enough to fall asleep.
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