by C. S. Moore
“Maribel, run!” Jaron screamed before the man holding him threw an elbow in his face, dropping Jaron to his knees. He walked behind Jaron and pulled him up into a choke hold.
“No, I think she should stick around. Didn’t see us coming, she’s just right here ready for the picking,” the man with the deep voice said with a toothy grin.
“Don’t touch her!” Jaron warned.
“Or what?” the man asked squeezing his neck tighter.
“Or I’ll kill you,” he choked out.
They both laughed. “I guess we’ll see,” said the smaller man. Then, he took a step toward me, just one step, and suddenly the man holding Jaron was on fire. He leapt back, swatting at his flaming arms and crying.
“Help me, Derek!”
Derek narrowed his eyes and charged for me, his big brawny muscles bulged as he ran. Jaron was on his heels, and the man swung back, knocking him in the temple and he crumpled to the sidewalk. Derek’s eyes were crazed. I just wanted him gone. With a terrible screeching noise, the fire hydrant next to me tore from the ground. It flew through the air followed by thousands of gallons of water. I looked back at Derek, who had paused in his approach, and the water shooting into the sky took a ninety-degree turn, hitting him square in the chest. His feet went out from under him, and the water pushed him down the block. The second guy jumped into the water, putting out the flames licking up his arms, and he went running down the block after his friend. I looked back at the stream of water impossibly chasing the men down the block. It made no sense, broke all laws of physics.
“You’re doing that? Controlling the water?” Jaron whispered next to me. A trail of blood fell from his hairline.
“What? No. That’s impossible,” I said, putting a hand to his injury. “Are you okay?”
“Nothing’s impossible,” he murmured, bending over and picking up a bolt from the ground. It was from the fire hydrant. Some of the red paint was chipping away. He silently watched as the water went back to shooting straight up. “We need to get out of here, now,” he said, glancing down the block. The men had disappeared.
He dragged me across the street and threw me in his car; the top was down. Turning the key the engine purred to life, he popped it in gear and looked over at me. “You’re stunning, by the way,” he said before stomping on the gas pedal.
“So…” I prodded. “What was that about?”
He muffled a curse and glanced at me quickly before returning his eyes to the road.
“I can’t tell you.”
Suddenly it made sense. Coming back from lunch with bloodshot eyes and getting shaken down by a couple of thugs. “You’re on drugs, and somehow I’m hallucinating too,” I said, my heart hurting as I did.
His head bobbed back, like that was the last thing in the world he was expecting me to say. “No, not even close.”
“Don’t lie to me. I’m so sick of you lying to me! What did I just see?” I screamed.
He pulled the car to the side of the road. We were a few miles out of town. I hadn’t realized how fast we were going, but he'd obviously gone way over the speed limit to get there so quickly.
“Maribel,” he said turning to me. “This has nothing to do with drugs. I’ve never done them, never even thought about it.”
“Then what is this about?” I asked, searching his eyes in vain for the answer.
“I can’t tell you everything. I want to. Believe me, I want to. But…” He huffed. “This is hard, okay. You and me, we are some kind of special people—This sounds ridiculous,” he mumbled, hanging his head. “What you did back there with the water, that’s what I’m talking about.”
“I didn’t do anything with the water, Jaron, it just happened.”
“Yeah that’s what I thought the first time something happened to me. But forget that, drop the whole telling yourself that it isn’t possible. I saw the way you looked at him. You may not have meant to, but you did. What were you thinking right before it happened?” He leaned across the car and grabbing my hand.
“I just remember wanting him gone,” I faltered. Could I have really done that?
“Exactly, and he went. Nothing is impossible, Maribel.” He kissed my hand and put it to his cheek. “You made that happen.”
“Yeah, I broke the laws of physics. I’ll call the papers in the morning,” I said sarcastically, but even as my logical mind fought the idea, the rest of me knew I did it. “You’re making me feel like a freak, Jaron. I didn’t have anything to do with that, an underground pipe burst or something,” I said lamely.
He took his hand from mine and dug into his tuxedo jacket pocket, finally pulling out the bolt he had picked up. I watched as his thumb and forefinger touched the tip of the bolt. After a second, it glowed red hot. He pulled and manipulated the metal with precise fingers until he brought it to his lips and blew on it. The glow faded and the metal was back to the color that it should be. He handed it over to me.
“Careful, it’s still a little hot.”
I took it carefully and stared in wonder. He had turned the bolt into a metal replica of the rosettes he had sewn at Clarissa’s. Right here in front of me, he had melted the metal with his hands and created it.
“You… you set that man on fire, didn’t you?” I asked in a whisper.
“Yep, you’re not the only freak in town.”
The impossible was possible, at least it seemed that way. “You think I can do what you just did?” I scoffed. “Jaron, there is nothing special about me—”
“There isn’t anything that’s not special about you, Maribel,” His dark eyes burned with excitement. “And no, I don’t think that you can do what I just did.”
My shoulders eased. He didn’t think I had freaky powers, thank—
“I think you can do something else.”
I groaned. “What do you think I can do, Jaron?”
He pursed his lips. “I’m not sure, let’s try something.” He reached across me to open the glove box and ran his hand down the silky materiel of my dress before pulling out a bottle of water. “You really do look breathtaking,” he said, running his eyes up and down my body.
“Thanks, so do you.” I studied him for the first time. He was wearing a black suit with a satin collar and skinny black tie. The suit was tailored to fit his body perfectly, and the color against his skin was so alluring I had to cast my eyes away for a moment.
He twisted off the cap and set the bottle of water in the cup holder. “There,” he said.
I shrugged. “What?”
“Try to pull the water out of the bottle.”
My mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”
“Why not try? If you can’t do it, then I guess I am the only freak in town.” His eyes darkened.
I frowned. “Have you ever met anyone who could do what you do?”
“Nope, everyone has been pitifully normal. But I have a feeling about you. I think you might be freaky,” he said with a wink.
I punched his shoulder. “Okay, I’ll attempt to do it.” I looked at the plastic bottle and tried to move the water inside or at least look like I was trying to for Jaron’s sake. “See, I can’t.”
“You didn’t even try!” he accused. “Really want to move the water, you have to really want to, or it won’t work.”
“Okay,” I promised. I concentrated harder and thought about maybe even trying to say a magic word. But even after staring at the thing and internally begging the liquid to do my bidding, nothing. “Sorry, I don’t know. Maybe you did that to the water too, Jaron.”
“Man,” he whispered. “I really thought maybe I wasn’t alone in all this.” He put his forehead against the steering wheel and drew in a breath. “I guess I was wrong.”
I’d never seen anyone look so disappointed or lonely. I wished I could have moved the water if it would have made him happy. Even if that meant I was some kind of freak, at least he wouldn’t be alone. I screamed as all of the water gushed out of the bottle, soaking us completely.
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“You…” Jaron straightened up and pulled me into his lap between him and the steering column. “You’re amazing!”
I glared at the bottle. “I’m amazing for getting us splashed with water before a black tie event?”
“No, you are amazing in too many ways to name. Everything about you is. Your beauty. Your laugh. The blush you get when I do this.” He leaned down and kissed my neck, sending shivers down my body. Pulling back, he ran a finger across my cheek. “Right there, it’s an amazing thing to behold.”
I cleared my throat. “What’s going to happen now? Those men, are they after you?”
“This is a game changer. I’ve been trying to go along with whatever game they are playing at. But sometimes you have to make a stand, no matter what the cost.” He frowned at me. “I’m going to be annoyingly clingy until I know that everything is safe for us.” He looked out into the woods, like he was spooked by something.
“Us?”
“Well, you are different too.” I wanted him to say more, but he didn’t. “We need to get to the party. From now on, I don’t want you out by yourself. Like that walk you took tonight? Don’t do that again, not without me there.” He slid me easily back into my seat. “Buckle up. With the top down, we’ll be dry by the time we get there, hopefully.”
“Don’t drive too fast. If my hair gets any more out of order, people will think we’ve been canoodling.”
Jaron pulled out into the road and gunned it.
“Well I wouldn’t want them to think that, it’s untrue and offensive.” Keeping his left hand on the wheel, he pulled me to his side and kissed me hard, tangling his fingers into my hair. When he let go, my body temperature dropped. “There, now it won’t be untrue. If people are going to think it, I want to at least get a canoodle out of it.”
I laughed and he draped an arm over me, warming me back up. “Well, I guess if you are the one by my side, I don’t mind what people think.”
We pulled into Clarissa’s place just as the sun was beginning to kiss the horizon. The tents and floral arrangements were so elegant in the warm glow of the setting sun. Everything looked wonderful. Jazz music filled the air and I smiled.
“What’s making you smile, beautiful?” Jaron asked.
“I’m just so relieved and happy. After what happened, I was worried that Clarissa wasn’t going to get the party she hoped for…and this is just how she described it would be. She’ll be thrilled.” I stepped into the grass, unsure if I should have slipped my heels back on.
“We just narrowly escaped two violent thugs and you’re smiling because you think your friend is happy with her party?”
“Yes,” I said, craning my neck to find Sylvia in the crowd of handsomely dressed people.
“You’re adorable.” He took my hand and helped me up the grassy hill. “They’re over there,” he said, pointing ahead of us.
“Oh good, let’s go make an appearance before they send out a search party again.” We walked around the hors d'oeuvres table and skirted a group of giggling twelve year olds before we made it to them. Sylvia spotted us and a huge smile stretched across her face.
“You know, fashionably late was forty minutes ago,” she teased.
“Sorry, I was late picking her up. I’m not very proficient with ties. I think I need to stick with clip-on ones.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Maybe I’ll pick some up for you…” She trailed off and put her happy face back on. “I can’t believe what you did with Clarissa’s dress! I wish I could have seen it before—”
My glare cut her off, she wasn’t supposed to know about the whole dress conundrum and neither were the people standing near us. “Where is she anyway?”
“The last time I saw her, she was shaking it out on the dance floor.” Sylvia laughed.
“Sounds like the perfect time for me to ask you then,” Jaron said.
“Ask what?”
He turned and grabbed up my hand. Bringing it to his lips, he whispered against my skin, “May I have this dance?”
I loved that he asked, and I loved the shiver I got with the way he asked. But really it was kind of pointless, and maybe he already knew that it was. With me, the answer would always be yes. He could have anything he wanted. I’d just have to hope that what he wanted was good for me.
“Of course,” I answered.
Even after watching his strong fingers melt and bend metal like it was play dough, my hand still felt perfectly safe and secure in his as he led me to the dance floor. There had to be something wrong with my brain, he could set me on fire at any second. I shouldn’t have felt safe, but I did. Maybe it was because I was different too. I moved the water.
When we stepped onto the wooden platform stage that had been set up on one of the flat parts of the lawn, Jaron spun me and pulled me back into him.
I wobbled off balance. “Tell me when you’re going to do stuff like that!”
“Why? Half the fun is in the surprise… especially for me, your eyes were as big as saucers!” He laughed, but it never reached his eyes. They constantly danced around the crowd searching every face.
He was a marvelous dancer and didn’t even seem to have to think about the steps. Which was good, he was too distracted anyway. I let him lead me gracefully around the dance floor, swaying with his body. It would have been perfect, if his nerves weren’t so contagious.
I leaned my face against the smooth fabric of his lapel and whispered into his chest, “Why do I feel like you’re ready to pounce on anything that comes too close?” I breathed in his cologne and my head swam with the delicious scent.
“Because I am.” He rested his chin on the top of my head.
“Are you scared?” I asked.
“Yes I’m scared.”
I pulled away to really get a look at him.
“I’m scared that I won’t be able to protect you… I went back on my word. I told them no. Now all I can do is hope that they won’t take my choice out on someone else.” He flinched as if in pain.
“Well, what are we going to do?”
He shook off the mask of worry and smiled. “Right now? We’ll dance and enjoy Clarissa’s party.” He emphasized his point by dipping me toward the dance floor. He grinned. “Tonight, I’ll be keeping watch over you. And tomorrow, tomorrow I need to take you somewhere.”
***
Sylvia and Dylan seemed to have drifted off pretty quickly after the nights festivities. At least I hoped they were asleep. Sneaking down the stairs to turn off the security alarm was something that I did not want to get caught doing. Clouds had drifted in sometime during the evening, and the night was darker than it had any right to be. I ran to the key pad by the front door on the balls of my feet. I typed in the first five numbers quickly, but my finger hovered over the last digit. This was the biggest rule that I had ever broken. My aunt and uncle took the security system so seriously, I felt terrible doing it. But I didn’t want Jaron to be sitting outside all night. He'd insisted on keeping watch, even though I'd told him I didn’t need it. Maybe he could tell how halfhearted my objection had been. Truth be told, I couldn’t stop thinking about Derek running at me with rage and loathing in his eyes. So if he was going to be here, he might as well be comfortably inside. I sighed and pushed the last button. The security system shutdown, and I opened the front door as quietly as I could manage.
“Jaron?” I whispered into the night.
A large silhouette pulled away from one of the bushes in our front lawn and my breath caught.
“It’s me,” he called out, somehow sensing my fright.
“Hurry!”
He crossed the rest of the distance in a blur, and I shut the door behind him. I smiled at him in the darkness before turning to the pad and reactivating the system. Hopefully a rule hadn’t really been broken if it was only down for a few seconds.
“I missed you,” I said before I could stop myself.
“You miss me, after only two hours—even though you knew that my creep
y ass was hiding right outside your window the whole time?” he asked.
“I guess—” I cut off the laugh dancing in my throat. Having Jaron in my house at night unsupervised was killing my intellect. “Be quiet and follow me,” I whispered. Turning to walk up the stairs, I paused as Jaron took my hand and my whole body relished his touch. In the darkness, my senses didn’t have distraction, and every one of them took him in.
He towered over me, though I wasn’t small. He was just so big. And not just tall, but wide across the shoulders. He filled up my line of sight like I was looking at a wall. His delicious scent was intoxicating, and somehow I knew that it wasn’t anything manufactured, it was just the smell of him.
The house was more silent than the desert, and the sound of Jaron’s ragged breath told me that he was feeling the same thing that I was. I loved how right and warm my hand felt in his. With wide eyes, he looked down at our clasping hands and his thumb started tracing small circles on my skin. It was electrifying. Why was I so sensitive to his touch? Surly this couldn’t be what it was like for everyone. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to clear my head, but it didn’t help. I breathed him in, and the memory of his taste lingered on my lips, breaking my will. With my eyes still closed, I pulled him into me hard and pressed my mouth to his. His tongue parted my lips and I allowed it, desperate to taste him again. He drew me into his hips with one hand and tore out my hair tie with the other. My hair tumbled down around my face, and Jaron’s bright eyes grew wild. He buried his face against my neck and my moan echoed off of the travertine floor.
I pushed away from him, breathless and. “Let’s try this again. Be quiet and follow me,” I repeated, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
“I’ll follow you anywhere,” he said, not even trying to hide his heavy breath.
I kept my head forward. I knew his eyes were still shining with want, and I didn’t need to see them. If I did, I might lose the bit of self-control that I had found.
When I reached the last step, I stopped and Jaron bumped into me. I whipped around. He smiled sheepishly, still looking dazed and a little too affected from our make-out session. I turned back to glance down the hall before he could see my smile, I affected him as much as he did me. The thought made me giddy in a way that I had never felt before.