Mind Over Easy

by Bryan Cohen

  Erica felt herself jerk downward as he attempted to hold onto her and fly at the same time.

  He's getting good.

  They punched through a cloud of smoke. Erica swore she saw a peaceful smile on Beth's face. Ted flew twice as fast as Beth's descent and snatched her up with his free arm about 10 feet before she hit the ground. The superhero slowed his flight and deposited his passengers safely on the lawn below.

  Erica grabbed Beth's arms and wrenched them behind her before her friend could react. Meanwhile, Ted let himself collapse onto the grass.

  "Let me go!" Beth squirmed as much as she could, but Erica's heightened strength was too much for her.

  Erica watched Ted's chest heave up and down in rapid succession. "Is this nap time or something?"

  Ted sounded like he'd just finished a marathon. "I... the flying... and... need a little break."

  Erica couldn't help but laugh. Two firefighters came over to help restrain Beth – one of the apartment residents had seen Beth start the fire, and they had been looking for her. As much as Erica hated admitting it, she corroborated the story. When two deputies arrived shortly after, they placed Beth in handcuffs. Before they could take her away, Erica got her attention.

  "Who did this to you, Beth?"

  Beth whipped her long, red curls with a snarl. "Someone a lot more powerful than you."

  As the deputies put Beth in their squad car, Erica sat down next to the still-recovering Ted.

  She placed her hand on his chest, which had halved its previous rate of heaving. "You know, they say you're supposed to stand and stretch after strenuous activity."

  Ted grumbled. "The guy who recommended that never flew through a burning building. Where's Beth?"

  "They're taking her to the sheriff's office for questioning."

  Ted took in a deep breath and sat up. "I don't think she did this alone. Was it the GHAers?"

  Erica shook her head. "There's something else going on here. Something cosmic. Something from another world."

  "Hashtag: Other world problems."

  Erica rolled her eyes. "Date's over, funny man. It's time to get to work."

  Chapter 16

  The first time Dhiraj chatted with YNN's famous news anchor Rudy Bolger, he felt like it was a dream come true. He knew that getting your face in front of millions of people was a spectacular way to build your brand.

  As a local makeup woman dabbed at his cheeks, he wondered if these appearances were worth it anymore. After all, the hero business was thriving with no need for national TV appearances.

  Secondly, most of the chats revolved around the ever-present protestors from the Go Home Alien movement. Tonight's chat would be a three-way-dance featuring Dhiraj, Bolger and the leader of the GHA movement, Thomas Cobblestone. Instead of having carte blanch to extol the virtues of his best friend and his heroic exploits, he'd have to spend the time defending Ted with Bolger doing his best to stir up the pot for ratings.

  "Are you nervous?"

  Dhiraj had been ignoring the makeup woman, who was the same white-haired facial fixer who'd touched up Ted in his home a few months earlier. She had eyes that remained kind despite looking like they'd seen it all.

  "I don't know." Dhiraj tried to touch his face before she stopped him. "Sorry. I wish the news wasn't always focused on the negative."

  The makeup woman nodded. "You'll learn this as you get older, but a lot of people aren't happy." She pulled out a finer brush to put the final touches on Dhiraj's face. "When you're unhappy, sometimes seeing how terrible another person's life is will make you feel better."

  Dhiraj let the point slosh around in his brain for a second. "Are you happy?"

  The makeup woman roared with a laugh. "Of course." She dabbed one last bit of color underneath Dhiraj's right eye. "I get to make people beautiful for a living. Even you." She turned a mirror toward Dhiraj.

  "You're truly doing the Lord's work."

  She nodded. "Have fun out there." The woman packed away the brush. "The person who keeps their sense of humor usually wins."

  "You should be in consulting." Dhiraj stood up from the chair and stretched.

  "What, and actually make enough money to pay my bills?" The woman zipped her portable makeup suitcase. "Doesn't sound like much fun." She smiled and walked up the basement stairs to the kitchen.

  Dhiraj's father gave him approval to take some of the money he'd earned from Ted-related speaking gigs to turn the basement into a television studio of sorts. It allowed him to make talking-head commentaries via satellite with ease. The only side effect was that several bands at Treasure High kept asking him to film music videos there. It only took two times for him to start issuing automatic refusals.

  A freelance technician helped patch him into the feed while Dhiraj worked his earpiece into place. He spoke with the show's producer for a moment to get the rundown. He and Cobblestone would be introduced at the same time and he'd be given the first opportunity to speak. From there, the two of them would alternate until Bolger ended the segment. As the moments counted down before airtime, Dhiraj tried to remember the makeup woman's words of advice.

  Sense of humor. I can do that.

  The technician cued him in and Dhiraj could hear Bolger's used car salesman voice pipe in through the earpiece.

  "Tonight, we have teenage entrepreneur and business manager for Ted Finley, Dhiraj Patel, on the program."

  "Always a pleasure, Rudy." Dhiraj took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  "We also have the leader of the Go Home Alien movement, Thomas Cobblestone."

  "I'd like to point something out, Rudy." Cobblestone's voice was clear and powerful. His voice was the kind people would listen to. It made Dhiraj feel self-conscious. "While I'm here representing my movement, Ted Finley is off using his powers to look up cheerleaders' skirts or something."

  Dhiraj smiled and let out a chuckle, even though his instinct told him to come to Ted's defense. "Now we know what you'd do with telekinetic powers, Tom." Dhiraj thought he saw the technician laugh with him on that one.

  "Gentlemen, please." Bolger put up his hands as if he didn't love every moment of conflict between his guests. The twinkle in his eye betrayed him. "Dhiraj, we'll start with you. Earlier this week, the GHA movement protested outside a robbery in which Ted Finley saved the lives of six hostages. Was this excessive?"

  Dhiraj wondered if his face betrayed his belief that Bolger's question was one heck of an overstatement. "Rudy, you know as well as I do that Ted Finley is a hero." Dhiraj let his eyes soften as he stared into the camera. "This week, he saved mothers, sons and daughters from armed men, doing what he could to keep families together. He was rewarded for his efforts by a couple of balloon filled with green paint to the side of his head. I wonder if Mr. Cobblestone would offer that kind of treatment if Ted had saved his children."

  Dhiraj hoped he had Cobblestone backed into a corner. With a strong enough appearance, perhaps he'd be able to knock down enrollment numbers for new GHA members.

  Rudy Bolger let out a "hmm" sound as he turned his attention toward Cobblestone. "Tom, do you think assaulting Ted after he saved six lives was out of line?"

  Cobblestone laughed like everything he'd just heard was below his standards. "First of all, assault is one heck of a strong word for a little prank. We have disciplined the member who brought the tiny paint balloons to the protest." Cobblestone took in the air he needed for the long, prepared sentence he always spoke during his time on TV. "Ted Finley saved these families, but he'll never be able to atone for the murder of his two classmates, Jason and Phil Torello. The Torello family will never be whole again."

  Dhiraj considered bringing up his stand-by defense: the fact that one of the Torellos tried to kill him with a giant rock. He decided to keep things lighter instead.

  "Ted has mourned for the lives lost during the attacks of several months ago," Dhiraj said. "And now it's time for the GHA movement and Ted to work together: serving the public and using the
power of many minds to solve problems."

  Rudy Bolger turned his attention to Cobblestone. "Together everyone does achieve more, Tom." Rudy Bolger was amused at himself. "Could Ted and the GHA ever work together?"

  From the breath Bolger took right before he spoke, Dhiraj could tell the GHA leader was in full attack mode.

  "Work together?" Cobblestone let out an incredulous yelp. "We don't know how Ted gained these powers. We have no idea just how dangerous he could be. Ted is a nuclear explosion just waiting to happen – one that could kill everyone around him if we're not careful."

  Dhiraj wanted to smack the rhetoric right off of Cobblestone's face. He knew exactly what to say to rile up his followers, and there was little Dhiraj could do to get him to change his tune.

  "Could Ted be a threat, Dhiraj?" Bolger asked.

  Dhiraj did his best to keep his cool. "Ted Finley is an honest-to-goodness hero, and that was the case even before he got his super abilities. He wants to keep everyone safe, including you, Mr. Cobblestone."

  Cobblestone broke into the exchange immediately. "Keep me safe? Was that some kind of threat?"

  Dhiraj rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying that Ted would protect you if you were in danger."

  "Ted is the danger." Cobblestone was dead serious. "None of us are safe as long as he's allowed to roam freely. I'm nervous for Treasure and I'm nervous for the rest of the United States of America."

  Dhiraj was unable to get a word in edgewise the rest of the interview until Bolger signed them off. As the show went to commercial, Dhiraj and Cobblestone remained on the line for around 30 seconds.

  "What do you even want, Cobblestone?" Dhiraj asked. "A firing squad to gun Ted down?"

  "It would be a start," Cobblestone said. "Take care, Dhiraj. Tell your friends I said hi."

  Chapter 17

  Ted missed the anonymity he used to experience when he walked into the main cafeteria. Before he'd gained the ability to move objects with his mind, it was rare for anybody to give him a second glance when he walked into the large hall filled with circular tables and semi-appealing smells. He'd had way too much attention when he sat down with Natalie the previous day in the Freshman cafeteria, and he had a fair amount of eyeballs on him as he maneuvered over to a table where Erica and Dhiraj sat waiting for him.

  On most days before his powers, Ted would sit in a quiet corner with Natalie and Dhiraj. Natalie would discuss her latest game or sports in general. Dhiraj would talk about the newest money-making scheme he'd heard on a podcast or webinar. Ted would simply listen and enjoy the company. Nowadays, he was expected to contribute much more to the conversation than a smile and a nod.

  "I checked her body for the symbol," Erica said. "As far as I can tell, Beth is still alive."

  Ted smirked at his friends. "For once, can't we talk about who's hooking up or the latest cat video or something?"

  Dhiraj raised his chin. "Personally, I like the one with the cat on the tiny sailboat."

  Erica sighed and looked away as Ted stared in her direction with a smile. Dhiraj did the same.

  "Fine," she said. "I saw the sailboat one, too. It was cute. Can we talk business now?"

  Ted nodded.

  "If Beth wasn't a dark soul, why was she burning down a building?" Dhiraj asked.

  Ted couldn't help himself from glancing at Erica's hands, tracing up her arms and looking at the body of a girl he'd wanted to hold his entire life. He could've done without them having to talk burning buildings and dead people, but he figured he'd take what he could get.

  Erica tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. "Dark souls may not be in play here, but there are many other worlds beside the Realm of Souls and yours."

  Erica had mentioned other worlds before, but she'd remained tight-lipped about them during their training. Ted didn't know if there was some kind of pain there or if the living soul was on a need-to-know basis.

  "Are the people on the other worlds like the dark souls?" Ted took out his chicken salad and started to devour it.

  "No. Like yours, they're impacted by the war, but most of them don't support one side or the other."

  Ted got the feeling Erica was holding something back, but he wasn't sure if he should pry. His girlfriend would tell him everything he needed to know to protect the town and his friends, wouldn't she?

  "Beth didn't seem like herself, right?" Dhiraj asked. "Maybe something was controlling her. Like the same kind of thing you did with the sheriff."

  Erica stared at the stir-fry stand to their left for a second.

  "Erica?" Ted put down his fork. "Are there creatures from another world who can do what you can?"

  "Usually they aren't powerful enough to take over a person's mind for any extended period of time." Erica munched on a celery stick slathered in peanut butter. "Sometimes, when the living soul crosses over, the power used in the process can be harnessed."

  Ted narrowed his eyes at Erica. He wondered why this was the first he'd heard of this.

  Dhiraj broke the silence. "Like a turbo button in a video game."

  Erica laughed. "Sure."

  Ted smirked at Erica. "Hey, you guys were the ones who picked a couple of nerds to keep the world safe. Would this turbo charger thing be in Page's?"

  As Ted watched Erica, he couldn't help but wonder if she was trying to determine what to tell him and what to hold back.

  "There's a chance the power could have been trapped on paper. Leaving some kind of magic book."

  "The books on the walls." Ted began to nod. "Of course. I think they're at the library now."

  Dhiraj looked as happy as a kid in a candy store. "Turbo buttons, magic books. I love how this is all turning into some kind of video game."

  "Please." Ted grimaced. "Please do not try to adapt this investigation into some kind of playable app or something."

  Dhiraj grinned. "You know, I hadn't had that idea until now, but I appreciate you contributing to the think tank."

  Ted shook his head.

  "As long as you don't try to sell it on YNN." Erica sighed. "Good interview yesterday, by the way."

  As Dhiraj thanked Erica and began to speak about his experience, Ted noticed something from across the room. Bringing up the GHA chat made Ted glance at the designated GHA clique table. It seemed to have gathered a few extra people since the previous day.

  When he saw the unmistakable black hair of his ex-girlfriend at the table, he couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach.

  Ted turned back toward Dhiraj and Erica, but he couldn't hear any of the words they were saying. The room spun as he thought back to the previous day in the freshman cafeteria.

  Was I the one who pushed her to hate me?

  This time, Erica was the one who noticed something was off with him. "You don't look so good, Ted."

  "Then why are you going out with him?" Dhiraj asked.

  "I meant right this second. In general, Ted is very cute."

  Ted looked down at his hands. They were shaking.

  Dhiraj leaned in toward him. "You need some water, man?"

  Ted shook his head and stood up. He left his lunch bag on the table and walked toward the exit. He felt like the room was closing in and the only way he could get any oxygen was by getting out of there. The collection of orange lunch trays rattled as he walked by, and several students shrieked when their backpacks started to shudder. Ted tried to pick up the pace of his stumbling walk. As he neared the exit, he heard a voice calling to him.

  "Hey, Finley." Travis looked over his shoulder at Ted from the seat next to Natalie. "You look a little pale."

  Natalie turned in his direction as well.

  Travis put his arm around Ted's ex. "Feel better soon, OK?"

  Ted tried to read Natalie's face, but it was completely void of emotion. He continued to exit the room and used his powers to open one of the hallway windows. At least, he tried to just open one window, accidentally opening an entire row of windows. The outdoor air felt good in his lungs.


  Dhiraj and Erica reached his side just a few moments later.

  "What is it, buddy?" Dhiraj asked.

  Ted continued to breathe in the air through the window. "Natalie."

  It was the only word Ted could get out. That was all it took for both Erica and Dhiraj to understand.

  "I'm sure it's just a one-time thing, Ted," Erica said. "She's not a part of the group. There's no way she could ever hate you."

  Dhiraj scrunched his nose and looked back toward the lunchroom. "I'm going to give her a stern talking-to later today about this."

  Ted lifted his hands and accidentally backed both of his friends up a few steps. It took him a second to even realize that he'd used his powers. "Sorry, guys." He shook his head. "What did I do wrong?"

  Dhiraj and Erica couldn't give him a straight answer, so they hugged him instead. Ted swore that of the many eyes watching the three of them embrace, Natalie's were among them.

  Her expressionless face made Ted feel even worse.

  Chapter 18

  Erica felt the role reversal as she took her turn staring at Ted during Mr. Redican's English class. Ted didn't want to talk about the way he'd acted during lunch. He didn't want to say why he'd started to lose control of both his emotions and his powers. But Erica knew exactly why and it made her feel jealous, angry and frustrated. Unlike her, Natalie was who she said she was. Erica admired how willing Natalie was to speak her mind and take on the challenges of life. Meanwhile, Erica continued to hold back information from her boyfriend and the living soul she'd be willing to give her life to protect.

  I can't tell him. It could ruin everything.

  He may not have been ready, but he was doing his best to keep his cool in class. Ted looked straight ahead and hadn't even glanced back at Erica once for the entire 40 minutes. She missed having his eyes on her.

  She wondered how Ted would react when she told him the truth.

  "Here's the big question." Mr. Redican scribbled something on the blackboard. "Is he ready to become the most important person in the realm?"