Val was still fixed to the spot. It was him, the young man from the shopping centre. What was the chance of it being him?
“Are you OK? Nice to see you again. I couldn’t forget that t-shirt.” Jason broke the moment by grabbing the hanging coffee cup, luckily still containing most of its contents.
“Yes.” Val was blushing a painful red. She noticed that even sweaty, he smelt great.
Shane walked past her. “This is my son. He is going to teach you to box and fence.”
“Sorry, what?” Terror streaked across Val’s face.
“Jason can teach you both boxing and fencing if you want. They will at least give you a better chance of defending yourself.” Shane sat down with Delta. Jason, who now had his drink under control, also moved past Val, who seemed stuck to the spot. Her brain was throbbing with the thoughts shooting through it. She needed to calm down and make her way to the table.
“Yes, that sounds good to me.” Val turned and grabbed the first available chair. Looking into her coffee cup, she questioned Shane. “Does Jason know everything about me?” She wasn’t ready to look up yet.
“Jason knows you need help, that you are at risk of getting hurt, and he can help you.” Shane moved his hand over the table and gently placed it over Val’s hand. “All the people at this table want to help you. Last night you could have been in serious trouble. I know you have powers that you can’t control, but that’s not enough.”
Val could feel a burning behind her eyes. Although it wasn’t as bad as the pain in her arm, she knew it signalled danger. Out of nowhere she heard moving water. She concentrated. No, it was more like waves crashing on a beach. She looked around the table; her friends obviously weren’t hearing the same as her.
“Shane, I think I’m going.” Val pulled her hand from under Shane’s.
“Val, don’t go. We want to help you. Please stay. Tell us what you need?” Shane said, misunderstanding.
“NO Shane. I’m really going.” Val leaned forward. The sound of waves was even louder. Then she spotted it, an image in the coffee jug in the middle of the table. It was a man drowning. As her eyes focused on him, Val was completely oblivious to Delta who was trying to get her attention.
“Time to go, now.“ Val reached out and touched the coffee jug.
Shane, Jason and Delta watched as Val disappeared.
The arrival was soft. Val was quite impressed. Maybe, just maybe, she was getting used to this teleporting thing. As she opened her eyes, all the colours of the rainbow seemed to be flapping in her face. Looking down she noticed that her feet were sinking into sand and then, out of the blue, a child’s face popped over the top of what Val realised was a wind breaker.
“Hello,” he said.
“Goodbye,” said Val to the boy as she stood up and hurried off.
She looked around her. She was definitely on the beach she had seen in the coffee jug. It had soft white sand and its crystal blue waves were caressing the shore. Val realised this was definitely not Skegness. The beach seemed quite busy. Arriving inside the temporary changing area was a stroke of luck, and consequently no one seemed to be paying her any attention.
“Where is she?” Shane looked at Delta.
“How am I supposed to know?” Delta raised both her hands.
“What should we do, Dad?” Jason looked at Shane for an answer.
“Wait, that’s all we can do. What’s the time?” asked Shane. Delta looked up at the clock.
“Five-forty-five. Her mum is expecting her home in fifteen and she is already in trouble.” Delta voiced her concern for her friend.
“Is this her mobile on the table?” Jason picked up a phone.
“Yes it is, you can tell by the drab black exterior.” Delta took it from Jason. “I’ll send her mum a text message saying she’ll be late,” she said.
“OK, you do that. Val said that she returns to the same place she left from” Shane pointed to Val’s chair. Delta nodded in agreement.
“Jason, let’s move the table and prepare for her coming back then.” They both stood and started to move things out of the way.
Val wondered where in the world she was. Under different circumstances she and Delta would have loved being here. However, her previous experiences had taught her that something, possibly nasty, was about to happen.
Val looked across the beach and out to sea for a sign. Within seconds she spotted an arm waving frantically above the water. Then the arm became a man rising in the waves, then sinking again. Val wasn’t prepared to rush in like last time. While she was still considering the best course of action, Val was practically knocked down by a masculine figure in red shorts, holding a float under his arm, running towards the water.
Well, this was going to be easy. Lifeguard saves man; Val pulls man out of water and ‘pow’ we touch hands and that sparkly thing happens and back to Shane’s I go. Val felt quite pleased with herself. She watched as the lifeguard made his way purposefully through the waves towards the man, who was at least consistently drowning. As he reached him, he threw out his float. Val felt quite nervous. She had never seen someone drowning before. The man came above the water again and as he grabbed the float, Val felt a deep sense of relief. However, this was fleeting. With a violent jerk, the lifeguard disappeared.
“No! Not again.” Val kicked the sand and she stood on her toes, praying that they were just out of sight. Within a few seconds, she knew what she was going to have to do; the only problem was that she was a seriously poor swimmer. Val bent down, pulling at her laces like an angry six-year-old. She wasn’t taking anything else off; she didn’t care how many women on the beach had three inches of cloth on their bodies. As she straightened up, she was still hoping that they were going to suddenly reappear above the waves, but nothing happened. Val headed towards the water at a snail’s pace, the waves starting to lap over her toes and the impending save now looming heavily over her head.
Unexpectedly and out of nowhere, she felt two large hands slamming into her back, and then she was tumbling uncontrollably to the ground. Looking around to see who the perpetrator was, she was shocked to see the man who only moments ago had been drowning.
“Why are you here? Where’s the lifeguard?” Val was getting to her feet, shouting at the man who was now running away backwards in a mocking fashion.
“Go, fetch, chosen one,” he shouted, blowing her a sarcastic kiss, leaving Val standing in the sand.
CHAPTER 5
Under the Sea
“I will, don’t you worry,” Val shouted indignantly. If she was going to be pushed around by these strange people, it didn’t mean she couldn’t answer them back. Brushing the sand off her clothes, she began making her way back into the water.
“Chosen one was what the old lady had said and now him. Did they know each other? There’s obviously some connection between them.” Val realised she was muttering and looked around to see if anyone else had spotted her. No, it was all clear, so she started to stride into the waves with a newfound determination.
“I may be the chosen one, but chosen for what?” This was frustrating. Val had been an average girl all her life and had tried her hardest to stay in the shadows of the attention tree, but now there was someone who needed her, and she wasn’t going to let them down.
Val’s was now waist high in cool seawater and there was still no sign of the lifeguard surfacing. Glancing back towards the shore, she couldn’t make out anyone else coming to the rescue. She was on her own. The water was now up to her armpits and she knew that she was going to have to swim. With a grunt of frustration, Val lifted her feet off the seabed and started a form of doggy paddle, aiming for the point where she thought the lifeguard had gone down.
Through the crystal water, Val observed far too much sea life swimming near her. She didn’t much like fish unless it came in batter with a portion of chips in white paper.
Then, between two waves, about ten feet in front of her, she spotted the lifeguard’s float, doing exactly
what it was suppose to do -floating. He must be close. Val knew that time was of the essence and it was running out. She paddled over to the float and grabbed it, taking a few seconds to catch her breath. “Where are you?” Val put her face in the water. Opening her eyes and blinking away the salty sting, she spotted him. He was resting on the bottom, his blond hair swaying softly in the current, about fifteen feet below her. He looked lifeless and Val knew she had to act fast. Taking a large breath, she released the float and let her body relax. With a little help from her very heavy jeans, she began her descent, like a deep-sea diver. Lower and lower she went and within a few moments she was standing on the bottom next to the body of the lifeguard.
Val knew she was rapidly losing her air supply and panic was setting in. She reached down to grab his arm, but he was far too heavy to lift that way. As she let out her last stream of air, her lungs began to burn intensely and Val knew that this attempt would have to be it or she was going to lose him for good. Her brain now in a spin with the lack of oxygen she pushed her hands under his arms and gave it every last bit of strength she had in her body. Nothing happened, the lifeguard barely stirred. Val kept trying, knowing that if she didn’t rise soon there would be two dead bodies to collect.
Her lungs were bursting; her head was going to explode and still the lifeguard wasn’t moving. She knew she couldn’t last more than another second or two down here.
Then, just as she let go of him, preparing to fight her way to the surface, something happened. A tingling feeling prickled in her hands and tiny bubbles rose in a stream from her fingertips. Her lungs no longer hurt; her head cleared. With renewed strength, she took hold of the lifeguard and he immediately began to rise. Her hands seemed to be transporting him on a bed of bubbles. The more effort she made, the larger and more aggressive the bubbles became. As they rose together to the surface, Val felt a force pushing them upwards. They seemed to explode onto the surface on a fountain of water. Finally, after what had felt like a lifetime, Val took a deep breath. Never has H2O been so sweet, she thought, trying to pull the hair out of her eyes. “Note to self: next time put your hair up.”
The lifeguard’s body was now moving on what looked like an air driven conveyor belt with Val pushing him along. It didn’t take long for people on the beach to notice them. When the water was only waist deep, the power of the bubbles diminished and Val was left with a very heavy lifeguard on her hands. People on the beach were watching in amazement and, to her horror, there now seemed to be an abundance of on-lookers moving in their direction. There were also five lifeguards running at speed towards her. ‘Where were you twenty minutes ago?’ Val thought. Within seconds, the heavy body was being pulled from her and a lifeguard was helping her to the stability of the solid sand.
Delta walked anxiously around the gallery, her best friend was once again missing in action and no one on this planet knew where she was, when she would return or even if she would return. She had received several agitated texts from Val’s mother and knew that Val was going to get a good telling off from her mum.
“Shane, how long has it been now?” Shane, who hadn’t moved from the spot he had prepared to catch Val on, looked up at the clock.
“Six fifteen. So about half an hour. I’m sure she will be back soon,” he said, hoping he was right.
Jason hadn’t spoken since Val had gone. He was sitting in silence, staring at the spot in front of him, awed by what he had witnessed. He didn’t know Val and didn’t understand what was happening to her. Nonetheless, he wanted her back safely, and preferably now.
A young muscular lifeguard pulled a blanket around Val’s shoulders. “Are you OK?” Val recognised the accent instantly. She must be on a beach somewhere in America. The irony was that Val hated flying. After seven years of invites, Delta’s parents had given up asking, and here she was on a beach in the sunny United States.
“I’m fine. Can I see the man please?” Val pushed the lifeguard off. She needed to get home and from her recent experiences she knew she had to touch the lifeguard.
“In a minute. First I need to know how you did that.” The lifeguard blocked Val’s path.
“What?” said Val aggressively. She was now getting agitated and scared; she wanted to go home.
The lifeguard grabbed her arm. “He’s going to be fine. Don’t walk away from me. I still have some questions.” He sounded like a police officer and his hostile suspicious tone scared her even more.
Val was panicking and she could feel herself losing control. This man was stopping her and she didn’t know what to do. “Get off me,” she said frantically. As she turned to push him off her arm, there was an explosion of air and sand. The lifeguard was thrown several feet through the air, landing with a thud at the feet of a small child holding an ice cream. Val was filled with horror. What had she done? She was shaking, but knew there was a man she needed to touch. So, staying on track, she grabbed her shoes from the sand and ran towards the rescued lifeguard who was still on the ground. As she moved in closer, the man who was administering mouth to mouth pulled back. The lifeguard jerked and coughed out a mass of dirty water. He was taking the first breath of a new life and Val knew this was going to be her only chance. A mob was starting to form behind her, led by a very agitated and sandy lifeguard. Val leapt forward, reaching out to grab his hand. To her delight, the blue spark passed between them and she was gone.
Jason and Shane were still sitting in the same spot when they heard a distant crackling. It was as if they could hear the electricity running through the cables surrounding them. They exchanged looks, each knowing what this meant, and tensed. A second later, a neon spark of light filled the area above their heads. As they looked at it in wonder, the light spread until it was almost three feet wide and suddenly, Val fell out of the gap, her shoes in tow.
Val opened her eyes and once more she found herself in Jason’s arms staring into his green eyes.
“We seem to be making a habit of this,” said Jason softly. The tender moment was destroyed by Delta who, screaming loudly, piled on top of them, hugging and touching Val. Val, in danger of suffocation for the second time in fifteen minutes gathered her strength. Then, like a rugby player break from a scrum with the ball, she burst from the middle.
“Stand back,” she shouted at them, wobbling backwards. Jason, completely dumbfounded by this weird but wonderful creature, obediently stepped back, leaving Delta hanging on Val’s leg.
“Well, don’t I look silly,” said Delta standing up and brushing herself down. “Yuck! You’re wet. And covered in sand,” she said accusingly. “Look at what you’ve done to my clothes.”
“Oh please…” said Val dropping to the floor again.
Shane, who had been observing in silence, asked, “Are you hurt?”
Val looked up, tears in her eye. “No, not in the way you think.” She started to sob.
“Val, I’m going to get you a coffee, don’t move,” Shane said. “Jason, get her a blanket.”
Jason didn’t move.
“NOW!” Shane shouted at him and he snapped out of the strange world he was in and ran over to the gym to fetch a blanket.
Delta gently stroked Val’s wet hair. “We need to get you home. Your mum is worried.”
Val looked up with panic in her eyes. “How does my mum know? Who told her?”
Delta pulled out Val’s mobile. “It’s OK. I have been texting her all night pretending I was you, but I won’t promise you aren’t in the doghouse. You’ll have some explaining to do when you get in.” Delta flashed Val a loving smile and for the first time Val smiled back.
Within seconds there was a blanket around her shoulders and Shane had given her a very hot, very sugary cup of black coffee.
“I’m OK. It’s just the shock of teleporting. Don’t worry, I will be fine. Anyway, what choice do I have?” Val shrugged her shoulders.
“Where were you?” Jason sat down on the floor next to Val. Val was still embarrassed by Jason’s presence and found
herself looking at the ground as she told her tale.
“America! Amazing!” Shane sat down next to Jason and they looked like two extremely large reception kids at story time.
“You went to America without me! I just get zapped down the road to a car crash and you get to swim in sunny California.” Delta was walking around waving her arms, complaining.
“I scared myself. This guy tried to restrain me and I threw him miles away without even touching him.” Val looked almost ashamed of herself.
Shane perked up. “Are you kidding? This is great. Maybe you can protect yourself with your powers. This is good news.”
“What powers do you have, Val?” Jason had risen onto his knees eager to hear what Val could do.
“She can’t fly,” Delta laughed.
“Thank you.” Val pulled a face at Delta. “I think that I sort of have the power to control stuff like air, water and fire. I wasn’t burnt by the car and I didn’t drown today, and that old lady and the lifeguard certainly learnt how to fly. I guess that’s about it for now.”
“Cool,” said Jason nodding at Val.
“Today was the first time I have used them on someone innocent though. It scared me. I need to learn to control myself more.” Val was looking at the floor again like a naughty child.
“No, the lifeguard was OK, Val, don’t feel guilty. He was trying to make you do something that wouldn’t have been safe for you. You did the right thing. You must protect yourself with everything you have, always. You are the one with the disadvantage here. Until we can work out how to help you, you need as much power as you can get.” Shane lifted Val to her feet. “If you don’t get home your mother will do more damage than any of us can repair.” He smiled and Val hugged him.
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