CHAPTER 17
After paying for our trays we went to sit at our usual table. I immediately felt better for taking my first bite of bagel and sip of coffee. “This is good! I was starving!”
“Yeah, me too,” Jeffrey muttered. “Didn’t have time to eat breakfast at home this morning. I woke up late.”
“Same here! My damn alarm clock didn’t buzz,” I said.
“So Derek, any job offers lately?” Jeffrey asked me.
“No … not yet. I gave away six resumes last Saturday. Not a single feedback.”
“I’m gonna go work for my uncle at his computer store,” Jeffrey said. “I’ll ask him if he could take you in.”
“No thanks, Jeff,” I affirmed. “Very nice of you, but I’m gonna keep looking. If I really don’t get a job soon enough, maybe I’ll go ask your uncle.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Maybe I’ll go bring a few resumes after school.” I took another sip of coffee, actually enjoying it.
Jeffrey finished his crescent roll before he spoke again.
“I had the strangest dream last night,” he said.
I slurped the last of my coffee and frowned. “What dream?”
He seemed slightly uncomfortable although he went on. “I dreamed of Jennifer, last night,” he almost whispered.
“Well, no kidding. She’s a good looking girl,” I remarked.
“In my dream, we were both having dinner in a chic restaurant and then we went on having a romantic evening by a hotel’s indoor fountain. We both held our glasses of champagne as she suddenly leaned forward and kissed me –”
“Dude,” I interrupted. “Don’t give out too much detail that is gonna make me feel awkward the next time I see her,” I cackled.
Jeffrey started laughing. “Absolutely nothing like that.”
“That’s quite a romantic dream … you should tell her about it.”
“Yeah, right … you crazy?” He sighed. “Well, I’ve been thinking of asking her out for some time.”
“Yesterday Samantha came by my house to get her computer fixed,” I said. “My parents worked late, so I invited her to stay for dinner for spaghetti and meatballs.”
“One of my many favorites,” Jeffrey affirmed.
“We both had fun preparing it,” I went on. “Then before she left, I asked her out on a date.”
“Oh, cool!” he said.
“If you like Jennifer, you should go for her. She won’t be available forever.”
“You’re right, buddy. I’m gonna go ahead and ask her out.”
The bell rang for our first class.
CHAPTER 18
At the end of the day, I quickly packed what I needed for my homework. Then I heard a beep coming from my cell phone. Grabbing it from my locker’s top shelf, I saw a displayed voice message – one from the Smarttrox Electronics store. I listened to the message, hearing the store’s manager calling me for a job interview. I immediately dialed back.
Yes … finally!
After a few long rings, someone finally answered.
“Smarttrox Electronics. How may I help you?” a mans voice spoke.
“Hello, Mr. Springs, please?”
“That’s me.”
“I’m Derek Trevor.”
“Yes, Derek. I left you a voice message. I was wondering if you’d pass by the store this evening for a job interview … six o’clock?”
“Absolutely!”
“All right then. See you later.”
“Perfect!”
Closing my phone, I walked up to Samantha’s locker where she packed her bag for the evening’s homework.
“Hey beautiful!” I called her.
She turned to me with her dashing smile. “Hey, Derek!”
“I finally got a call for a job interview this evening,” I announced.
“Oh, that’s cool! Where?” she asked.
“Smarttrox.”
“Your kind of place,” she giggled. “I’m babysitting my next-door neighbors’ kids, tonight. Three kids.”
“Are they a lot trouble?”
“No, they’re pretty nice. There’s two girls: one eight and the other one five. And a two-year-old boy with round cheeks. He’s so cute!”
I smiled warmly. “Have a good evening,” I told her as we kissed.
“Good luck on your job interview,” she said.
“Thanks.”
Stumbling out of the school’s entrance, I decided to take my bus home. I could have simply walked into a deserted corridor and transmit myself directly home, but there were still too many people. I didn’t want to take the risk of being seen due to my lack of experience.
Stepping out of the bus, I walked down my street, toward my house. I saw my little brother playing at the park with some of his friends, smiling and running around, kicking a soccer ball between each other.
I noticed my mom was already home.
“Hi mom,” I greeted, stepping into the entrance. She was in the kitchen already preparing dinner, chopping some vegetables.
“Had a nice day, sweetie?”
“Yeah,” I replied, putting away my jacket, then heading toward the kitchen. “How about you? You’re home early!”
“Yeah, I had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon.”
“Everything all right?”
“Yes,” she smiled. “I heard Samantha and you are dating?”
“Let me guess? A little boy named Thomas, perhaps, told you?”
My mother laughed. “He told me all about it. He’s proud of you.”
I nodded.
“You know, I’ve always liked her. I’m happy for both of you,” she added.
“Thanks, mom.”
CHAPTER 19
Walking into my room, I dropped my backpack onto my bed and sat down at my desk. I swiveled my chair and unzipped my bag, and pulled out my math homework. I opened my book to a few pages of trigonometry. Falling into concentration, I was soon distracted with the chirping of my watch.
Tapping the green X, I read the typed message: To your window.
Staring through my window, I spotted old Thomas sitting on the park’s bench, right across my street.
A blue flash of light later, I stumbled out from behind the park’s far hedge. The evening had gotten colder as I pulled the hood of my hoodie over my head. I directed my steps toward Thomas who also drew forward, this time, wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a green autumn jacket, instead of his somewhat business outfit.
“Hello, Derek,” he said.
“Hi,” I greeted placidly.
“I understand that you’re very busy, but you must continue your training,” he stated.
“I can’t do it tonight,” I replied. “I was in my room, trying to hurry up with my homework and get to a job interview at six o’clock,” I explained, glancing down at my watch. “I really need this job to start saving for a car and other necessary expenses. The very bit of money I have left is from my last summer job at the grocery store.”
“You don’t need a job, you’ve already got one.”
I winced. “What?”
“Did you check your bank account lately?” he asked me.
I threw a glance back at my house, at my bedroom window, thinking of going to my computer to access my account as I usually do.
“Other than your computer, you could use your watch,” he suggested.
Tapping the tiny screen, I navigated through the holographic main menu, easily accessing the Internet. Getting to my bank’s website, I accessed my account, entering my bank card number and password. Then I immediately took hold of my account balance: fifty-five thousand dollars.
“Is this a joke?” I cackled, closing the holographic display.
Thomas grinned. “Not at all. It’s all yours. Just use it wisely.”
“What’s the catch?” I demanded.
“No catch,” he said. “And you won’t need a car since you’re able to transmit yourself, pretty much, wherever you want to. But if
you do need a car for keeping a low profile, we can lend you one whenever you want.”
I remained slightly skeptical. “So, I won’t be going to my job interview, aren’t I?”
“The choice is yours, Derek. I’m not obligating anything to you,” Thomas said calmly. “If you want to get a part-time job and save money for a car, go right ahead. I understand that you’ll feel proud of getting what you want through hard work. I know you’re a very responsible kid.”
I shrugged.
“I’m simply saying that you don’t have to. You’ve already earned some money and it’s yours. You may use it without feeling guilty, believe me.”
“But all of this is to be kept secret. I’m gonna have to lie to my friends and family,” I alleged.
“That’s the toughest part, unfortunately we all go through it,” he agreed. “But remember that you’re doing this to protect them.”
“This better be worth it,” I warned.
“It is, Derek,” he assured. “Trust me. I’m your brother and I will never let you down, or do anything to put you into trouble.”
CHAPTER 20
Some time later, we appeared into the charcoal-colored tiled room, with unseen doors hidden among the tiles.
“It’s important, Derek, for you to get the best training, so you’ll be able to look out for yourself and for others,” Thomas explained. “Like I’ve mentioned to you before, my job is to protect you, in the hopes of getting you back … the older you.”
“Perhaps I’m still alive somewhere …”
Thomas aimed his fingers toward the wall behind the chairs and table, then gestured his hand to the right as the tiles unclasped, then unfolded to reveal a compartment containing a suit. A black armored suit. The material was robustly textured, from the shoulders to the chest, giving a slight muscular appearance. There was a tiny green X, glowing on the left side of the chest.
“That’s how you open your suit compartment,” he said.
“Pretty fancy!” I remarked.
“It’s a computerized suit,” he began explaining. “It holds many functions, such as, being bulletproof, optical camouflage … and also an automatic helmet from the back of your suit.”
“What do you mean?” I asked him.
“The helmet shapes itself onto your head whenever you need it to. It’s programmed to behave like an electronic prosthetic limb, for example.”
“Cool!” I nodded. “And above all that, can the suit fly?”
“No, not the suit itself, but I’ll eventually teach you about flight.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but not now.”
I felt eager to learn more. Although, having the slight fear of not knowing of what might happen next, I was feeling more excited to get started.
“Ready to begin?” Thomas asked me.
“Yes,” I said.
“All right then. Simply stand with your back against the suit with your arms wide open. It will automatically suit you up.”
“Cool!” I frowned.
“I’ll meet you in the training hall,” he said, walking out through the sudden shaped doorway.
The tiles reshaped as I immediately began toward the suit. Then I proceeded as explained, positioning myself with my back to it and my arms wide open. The suit began to open, then immediately clasping itself around my wrists, arms, shoulders, chest, waist, legs and feet.
“Boy, that was quick!” I said out loud, even though being by myself.
Then I tried on the helmet. Concentrating I merely felt some sort of mechanism moving from my back. Suddenly various pieces unfolded upwards, then shaping up around my head. I was gazing a through massively shaped visor, which seemed to automatically adjust itself with the light.
Beholding myself in the mirror – the back wall from the compartment – I noticed that the helmet’s visor was entirely black, although I saw everything clearly from the inside.
Then folding back the helmet, I finally exited the room.
CHAPTER 21
“Holy crap!” I yelled hysterically, my mind shocked in dreadful panic, falling many feet a second toward the ground. I was feeling pressure all around my body, twisting and swiveling in the air out of control. Thrusting downwards, drifting through some clouds among the nighttime sky. Everything so foggy and blurry, unable to set a clear view of anything.
Then some distant lights from far below, suddenly grew more vibrant – a huge city with colossal skyscrapers stretching toward me.
I kept screaming.
Falling closer to the vast city, I descended a straight line down, passing between monstrous skyscrapers and noisy multileveled highways, crossing one another.
My fall persisted by crashing against a neon fast-food restaurant sign – shattered glass, flashes and sparks roaming in the air. No harm done for being well protected within the armored suit.
I was an inch close to smash against the edge of a building’s rooftop parking lot, but my body managed to twirl past it. Continuously beaming downwards, I fell through holographic advertisements from all corners of a circled space, surrounded with many skyscrapers. The holograms produced many split-color densities – colorful bright flashing titles as my eyes were protected with the solid visor of my helmet.
Suddenly, falling way too close to a building, I began running on the wall, cracking some glass from the windows.
Drifting away from the buildings, my heart paced in dreadfulness, now spotting the ground – a vast urban space, walkways, trees, terraces, restaurants, centers, parks, many colorful civilians … a place breathtakingly designed.
But all of it was about to end. I was going to crash on it’s multileveled pavement: creating an alarming panic besides my own.
“Freeze program,” Thomas said.
I had stopped a few inches from the ground, hovering, surrounded by frozen-in-time civilians, in fact unaware of my presence.
Nothing more than a simple simulation.
“Enable room gravity,” Thomas added.
Falling to the ground, I immediately stood to my feet, then gazing all around, watching the entire frozen scene dissolving away into pixels, revealing the dark simulation hall.
Thomas stood nearby, also wearing his armored suit. He stared at me, grinning sympathetically. “That was quite a simulation wasn’t it?”
The helmet folded itself off as I stared back without much of a smile, knowing that I had failed the test.
“The goal of this test –”
“I know,” I cut him off. “To be able to transmit yourself elsewhere while falling, or during any other alarming situation.”
He nodded. “Don’t worry about it, Derek. No one has ever made it the first time.”
“The scariest thing is that it looks and feels so real,” I stated. “Everything flies by so fast: the falling, the obstacles …”
“The program is designed to work on your speed. To think fast and save yourself.”
I nodded.
“Are you ready to do it again?”
“Yes,” I said, closing my eyes and taking several deep breaths. Then opening my eyes, I nodded at Thomas to start the program once again.
Once more, I was falling from above the clouds among a nighttime sky, soon with the vast city suddenly coming to view. Falling with my arms and legs wide open, I held my body still, keeping it from spinning out of control. My breathing began to increase inside my helmet, seeing the vibrant city lights and colossal skyscrapers.
I remained with my mind focused, keeping my eyes wide open. Concentrating on what I wanted to do, I saw the whole place disappearing away into a blue flash of light, as I then appeared back into the tiled room – my office.
CHAPTER 22
The bell rang, indicating the end of English class and the beginning of our lunch hour. Arriving at my locker, I opened the door with Jeffrey suddenly appearing next to me, breathing heavily. Turning to him, I noticed his red cheeks against his usual pale complexion for being a true blond guy.
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Time Leap: A Teen Superheroes Saga Page 5