Dissolve

by Andrea Heltsley

  “Yeah, my head is throbbing. How did you know?” he asked in confusion that soon turned to suspicion once more.

  “Because, we all got nasty headaches and were in and out of consciousness after meeting the creepy man,” Nessa replied.

  “Why you guys? Can I go home?”

  “Umm, we don’t know why us, but you aren’t safe. If you go home, terrible things could happen. The Tom he was talking about was my fiancé and now he is dead,” I said solemnly.

  “He is dead? How does that fit in here?” he asked.

  “I think the creepy man killed him in cold blood,” I replied.

  Chapter 10:

  “Oh, I am sorry for your loss,” Shane said, his eyes downcast. “If it isn’t safe to go home, then what happens now?”

  “Well, you can stay with us until we get it all straightened out if you would. We are all connected somehow, we just don’t know how yet,” I said. “Everyone we know could be in grave danger with us around. It wouldn’t be safe.”

  “Yeah, okay maybe but where are you going to be? Here in this crummy motel?”

  “No, actually we are going to Sarasota at first light which is anytime. Then, it looks like we are heading to Salem, Missouri,” I replied.

  His hair was long and shaggy, brows wild and furrowed. “This effectively ruins my vacation plans. Can we at least hit up the beach in Sarasota?”

  Nessa piped up, “Absolutely. I am looking forward to it.”

  “Okay I guess so. I really don’t want to be buried again. That is too morbid to even think about.”

  “Why don’t you take a shower and wash off the dirt. Then you can borrow some clothes from Noah for now until we can hit a store up,” I said.

  Shane nodded and headed into the shower, wasting no time. We waited until we heard the shower run to look at Nessa. When she finally spoke, she was white as a sheet.

  “He is telling the truth. He just forgot about everything after he was drugged. I think you both know what that means. He has some sort of ability he has yet to discover.”

  “That means we need to keep ours on the down-low until he figures it out. We can’t afford to freak him out and have him running around by himself now,” I said.

  “Nessa, will you take him to the beach? Cora can come with me to see that my brother is okay and get the taillight fixed. Then we can meet you at the beach later,” Noah suggested.

  “That sounds like a solid plan. I can read his mind so it isn’t like he can catch me off guard,” Nessa replied.

  The water in the shower turned to a trickle then came to a stop. An eerie silence settled over the room as we all waited for Shane to come out. When he did, we let out a collective breath.

  He was wearing a pair of Noah’s sweatpants and a Mizzou tiger’s tee. It didn’t exactly look like his style but would work for now none the less. He dried his shaggy blonde hair with his towel and knocked the dirt of his shoes over the tub before putting them back on.

  “It is dawn now so we can head out if you all are ready,” Noah said.

  “Let us just change and then we will be ready,” I replied handing Nessa her swimsuit and cover up.

  I opted for jeans and a tee since I wouldn’t hit the beach for a while but managed to put my swim suit on underneath for later. When we were finished, I tucked our dirty clothes back in the bag and closed it.

  “We need a thrift shop and a laundry mat soon. These clothes are starting to smell,” I commented as I crinkled my nose.

  “Agreed, I smell like a sweaty sock,” Noah confessed.

  I took one last look around before shutting the door and herding everyone to the mustang. Nessa drove as usual and we put the boys in the back together. Then we pulled onto the highway and into the morning sun.

  The sun was rising and illuminating the palm trees. The beaches were full of early morning beach combers looking for the perfect sea shells. It was early enough that the traffic was just beginning to start up, yet not congested. I counted the cars that rolled by in silence, not sure what to say. We passed a sign signaling sixty miles to Sarasota and I finally felt relief. We were getting close.

  We went through to a truck stop on the highway and I was relieved to see a Starbucks in the window. I was craving the taste of a creamy vanilla latte. I hopped out in a hurry to get my coffee, and I just about forgot everyone else.

  “Does anyone want anything from Starbucks?” I asked.

  “A Venti drip coffee with cream if you don’t mind,” Shane said.

  “I want something too, I will go with you,” Nessa said as she pulled her door open and headed around the car to join me.

  The guys didn’t argue and I was relieved. I missed time with just Nessa and it seemed now days it was few and far between. I bumped her shoulder and gave her a weak smile.

  “Thanks for going in with me,” I told her.

  “No problem, there is too much testosterone in the car without you. I am outnumbered. Besides, coffee sounds perfect,” Nessa said as she got in line for our drinks.

  When we reached the register, I let Nessa order. She already knew what I wanted and had Shane’s order as well. “I need a Venti drip coffee with room for cream, a Venti vanilla latte and an iced Venti caramel macchiato please.”

  A few minutes later, Nessa was paying and we were waiting at the other end of the counter for our drinks.

  “A Venti vanilla latte for Nessa, an iced Venti caramel macchiato for Nessa and a Venti drip with room for cream for Nessa,” the barista called.

  We grabbed our drinks and Nessa poured creamer into Shane’s drip coffee before we headed out the door and into the warm daylight. When we got back to the car, Shane grabbed his and began to sip on it eagerly. I reveled in the taste of my own vanilla latte and we were soon moving back onto the road, just a short jump to our destination.

  All of us were wondering what Shane’s ability would be, yet none of us dared say it. We had run the gamete on special abilities so there was no telling what his would be. Maybe it would be something cool like telekinesis or flying. So far, he was showing no signs of any special ability and that was so different from our immediate triggers.

  We finally reached Sarasota and I could see the relief on everyone’s faces. Noah was the first to speak up. “How about we hit the thrift shop up and go to the laundry mat as well. Nessa and Shane can go to the thrift store and Cora can go to the laundry mat with me. We can meet back at the public beach entrance later for a day in the sun.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Nessa said. “Is that okay with you, Shane?”

  “Sure; anything to get some clothes for this trip or whatever you call this,” Shane replied.

  “We will get a cab to the beach if you drop us off at the thrift store,” Nessa added.

  “Perfect, now we just need to find one,” I said.

  We spent fifteen minutes trying to find a shop since we all did away with our phones some time ago. Finally though, we managed to come across a store called the Rag Tag and dropped Shane and Nessa off.

  As soon as they exited the car, Noah hopped into the front seat from the back and threw the car in drive. “Now we just have to find a laundry mat and an auto shop. Then we can do what I came here to do.”

  “Look, there is a laundry mat on the left a few blocks up. I can see the tall broken sign from here.”

  We found the laundry mat and pulled up just next to the front door. It was early and there weren’t very many patrons, thank our lucky stars. We tossed in our measly two loads of laundry into the wash then got change from the machine. Noah bought some soap and I started the washers.

  Soon we were sitting on top of our machines, side by side. I could feel the tension my body felt whenever Noah was near. No matter how wrong it was, I wanted to reach out and hold his hand. I craved that skin to skin contact to sooth the crackling energy between us.

  “This is going to take forever. I have never been too patient,” I told him.

  “Me neither, I hate sitting still f
or any period of time.”

  “So what do you think of Shane?” I asked, trying to get my mind out of the gutter.

  “Hmm, I am not sure yet. I wish we could figure him out so we could show ourselves without tiptoeing around him.”

  “I think it is too soon to tell. He clearly has all the hallmarks of developing some sort of ability, yet shows no signs yet. It is kind of strange.”

  “It could be a different kind of ability that isn’t so apparent like flying or healing, although I can’t begin to imagine how surreal it would be to see someone fly. It is hard to guess when we can’t tell him,” Noah said, his muddy brown eyes meeting my blue ones.

  “True. This is all really strange and absolutely crazy to begin with. I still can’t believe everything that has happened in the span of less than a week. It is a lot to take in.”

  “Let’s grab a paper and read it together for a little while,” Noah suggested.

  “Only if I can have the entertainment section, I miss my media.” I said with an exaggerated pout.

  “It’s a deal,” he said pulling a paper out of the stand.

  He headed over to the row of bright orange plastic chairs that lined the wall for people waiting. He very carefully pulled out the entertainment section and I grinned at him in delight. I quickly peeled back the pages trying to absorb as much as possible. I read every movie review and book review I could before something caught Noah’s attention and he nudged me.

  “Look at this, Cora.”

  I pulled the paper to me and read the headline, “Whole population of Alaska missing.”

  I scrolled down to the details to find that everyone inside the state limits had just vanished. There was no sign of anyone in the entire state, yet there weren’t any bodies either. All they found were clouds of dust swirling in the frigid winds. Alaska had been called in a state of emergency by the president until the issue was resolved.

  I look up at Noah and read the same concern in his eyes. “Do you think this is connected to what we are involved in somehow?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, but it is equally as bizarre. It wouldn’t surprise me at this point if they were connected in some way.”

  The washers stopped and I sat the paper down to change the laundry over. I was so shaken, that a distraction at this moment was welcome. We filled the coin holders with quarters and started the dryers together, though neither of us said a word. When we finished, both of us grabbed a new section of the paper and sat silently next to each other.

  I read through the funny pages trying to get my paranoid thoughts to stop spinning. Noah was reading through the sports pages as if they were the most interesting thing he had read in forever. We didn’t break the silence until the dryers finally buzzed to a stop.

  “Let’s fold this stuff up and get going. I want to get this finished before Shane gets suspicious when we don’t meet them at the beach at a decent time.”

  “Sounds good,” I said wasting no time getting me and Nessa’s things folded and shoved back in the bag.

  We hurried back to the mustang and tossed the clothes in the back seat for now. Noah brought the engine to a roar and we were off. I was not sure where we were going, but I was wondering who Noah planned to be.

  “How are we doing this exactly? Won’t he be at work or something?”

  “Nah, he works at night so he will be home more than likely if not at the beach behind his building.”

  “Who are you going to look like? What are you going to say?”

  “I guess I will imitate Shane since I still remember his look. Then we will look on the beach behind his house first. If he is there, I won’t say anything. I just need to see him. Plan B will be to go to his door and pretend to be looking for Carlos. Then apologize when he tells us we have the wrong place.”

  “Sounds like a solid plan,” I said, then added “How much further until we are there?”

  “About five minutes or so,” he replied as he tapped on the wheel nervously.

  I don’t know what made me do it, but I reached over and placed my hand on his and gave him a reassuring smile. This seemed to relax him a little. Still reeling over the loss of Tom, it wasn’t anything romantic, at least not overtly. It was comforting and everyone needs a little comfort sometimes. We were all human, well some sort of human.

  As we grew nearer, Noah’s dark features gradually changed until he was the spitting image of Shane. It was still hard to get used to his ability. Ironically, the change in looks didn’t dissipate the crackle of energy between us that I was trying so hard to suppress. He parked in front of a large apartment building and then shut off the engine. I was surprised when he ran around to open the car door for me.

  “Thanks,”

  “No problem,” he said.

  I followed him down the sandy path leading from the front of the building to the beach in back. The clouds were white and fluffy in the morning sky and the sun was glistening off the ocean waves. People were surfing and families were playing on the beach. I took a second to enjoy the view before bringing my attention back to Noah.

  I looked up at Noah’s stormy expression and cocked my head. “What’s wrong?”

  “He isn’t out here. We must go to plan B I guess. Follow me, he is in apartment 233. Remember we are looking for Carlos.”

  I hoped that his brother was alright and that he hadn’t succumbed to the same thing we had been sucked into. When we finally reached apartment 233, I gave Noah a nervous glance and he squeezed my hand tightly for comfort. Then he knocked on the door and we waited.

  Finally, the sound of the door unlocking vibrated through the door and it swung open. A dark haired brown eyed man in a pair of basketball shorts answers. It was definitely his brother. The resemblance between the two was uncanny. They had the same muddy eyes and unkempt brown hair. It sent a shiver through me before I managed to straighten and gather my composure.

  “Yeah, what do you want?” he asked.

  It took Noah a second, but soon he had recovered. “We are looking for Carlos Ventigo.”

  “There is no Carlos here. Try another floor maybe.”

  “Sorry to bother you then, thanks for your time,” Noah said in a rush before pulling me away.

  The door shut and I was being drawn down the stairs and towards the car. As soon as we were inside the rusted out purple mustang, Noah sighed.

  “He is okay. That is all I wanted to know. Now I can rest easy.”

  “He looks just like you,” I commented.

  “Yeah, we get that a lot. Are you ready to get the taillight fixed then hit the beach?” Noah said abruptly changing the subject.

  “I am as ready as I will ever be. I hope Nessa is doing okay with Shane.”

  “I’m sure they are doing fine. He seems harmless,” Noah replied.

  We stopped at an old AutoZone to get the bulb for the taillight. We entered the store and a greasy man with blue eyes looked up. He didn’t say anything, clearly waiting for us to speak first.

  “Excuse me, we need a bulb for our taillight,” Noah said.

  “What is the make and model?” the man asked.

  “Umm, I think it is a 1986 mustang,” Noah replied.

  “GT, regular or Saline?” the man asked once more.

  “Just regular I think,” Noah said.

  “Alright, I will be right back,” he said before he turned to the back and rummaged through the tall shelves.

  Once we got the part, we thanked the man and Noah went to replace the taillight bulb. Noah was a natural and had it in place in mere minutes. I finally relaxed and was ready for the beach.

  Chapter 11:

  We hit the beach, feeling the sand slip between our flip flops and our toes. It was gritty and massaged the small aches I hadn’t realized were even there. My eyes went wide as I realized Noah had forgotten to change and was still a dead ringer for Shane.

  “What’s up?” Noah asked.

  “Umm, you still look like Shane. You forgot to change back.”


  “Shit, you’re right. Well at least we will be easy to recognize.”

  “No, you have to go back to the car and change back before Shane sees you! He doesn’t know about all this, remember?” I demanded.

  “Okay, I forgot. Let’s go,” Noah said as he pulled me back to the car.

  Once we were both seated, Noah leaned down and shifted back to his normal brown hair and muddy eyes. I let out a sigh of relief and flashed him a smile. Soon we were stepping back out of the car in just a matter of mere minutes.