I felt the sand in my toes once again and smiled. The sun was still high in the sky and glistened radiantly off the waves of the ocean. Noah and I walked hand in hand down the beach as we peered around for Nessa and Shane. I was about to throw my hands up in frustration when I finally spotted Nessa. She was wearing her oversized sunglasses and had her iPod on. The sun was darkening her bronze skin as she lye on the beach in peace.
I broke away from Noah as we approached her and she flipped out her ear buds and grinned. “It’s about time. I was about to call a search party. We have been here for hours. Shane was getting antsy and worried something was wrong. I told him you probably stopped to get more snacks or something. I didn’t sound too worried so that helped.”
“Where is Shane anyway?” Noah asked.
“He is down by the ocean, swimming along the shore. He is going to have a hell of a tan being out in the water for so long,” Nessa replied.
I looked along the shoreline to find Shane. He had managed to find a pair of faded blue swim trunks at the thrift shop and I could honestly say they looked good on him. He noticed us and gave me a wave as he flashed a bright smile. Walking toward us, I couldn’t help but notice the definition in his abs and biceps as he shook off the water. Sand clung to his toes and I was nearly breathless as he made it to us. Then Tom popped into my mind and the fleeting moment was gone just as fast as it came.
“Hey, we were wondering when we were going to see you. This has been an awesome day at the beach. The sand is so white here and the water is warm and inviting,” Shane said.
I stripped off my clothes down to my swimsuit and flashed Nessa a grin. “Come on, you know you will tan best if you actually get in the water.”
She gave me a pout of her lips then resigned and follows me to the shore. We ran into the water with a splash and giggled. Noah stayed with our stuff and soon, Shane was joining us. I began to laugh hysterically as Shane playfully pushed Nessa into the water and she flipped backwards. She recovered and was soon wrapping her arms around his neck, trying to pull him under.
I couldn’t help but notice the casual way they seem to be reacting to each other. If I was not mistaken, I would say there was definitely some chemistry. It made me look up towards Noah and I noticed him watching me without even trying to hide it. His eyes were smoldering and I suddenly felt self-conscious wearing nothing but a skimpy bikini.
I was snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Shane letting out a slight wale. He ran out of the water and fell to the beach holding his leg. We rushed out of the water in concern to see that he had been stung by a jellyfish. The aftermath looked really nasty and the blood welling might indicate the need for a trip to the hospital.
“Nessa, let’s get him into the mustang and to the hospital,” I said as she nodded and helped me pull him the rest of the way up.
I shouted out for Noah and he was over in a matter of seconds to help us get Shane to the car. Nessa slipped out now that Noah was helping and grabbed our stuff and their purchases from the beach. She ran forward and had the door open and was sliding into the back so Shane could have the front seat. When we reached the car, I slid in back as well and Shane was guided into the front seat. Noah wasted no time jumping into the driver’s seat and starting the car.
For a moment we just sat there as Noah turned to Shane. “Are you alright man? How bad is it?”
“It looked awful on the beach, but maybe I was overreacting. It looks slightly red now but nothing serious. That’s kind of embarrassing.”
At Shane’s confession our heads shot up and we met eyes. Yep, I think we just figured out Shane’s ability. How the next couple minutes played out could be crucial.
I was hesitant when I addressed Shane next. “Can you put your leg up on the dash so we can get a look at it?”
“Sure, but it doesn’t really hurt anymore.”
His own mouth opened in shock as he pulled his leg up and it was as clear as ever. There is no redness on it. “What the hell? It was red and painful, but now it was as if nothing happened.
“Okay, don’t freak out. I think you have the ability to heal yourself. That is why you had such a headache after you met the creepy man,” Nessa told him.
“What? That is insane! People can’t heal themselves. It isn’t biologically possible,” he said with an edge of panic in his voice.
Nessa chose to handle this since she was the least dramatic of the three of us. “It is true. I don’t know how, but I have a weird ability too. I can read minds.”
“Doubtful. I have never met anyone who can really read minds.”
“Try me,” Nessa said challenging him.
“Okay, what am I thinking?”
A few seconds tick by before Nessa’s eyes flashed up at him and a grin spread across her face.
“Really, thanks for the complement. That’s very flattering and my breasts thank you.”
Alarm crossed his face as he realizes she was telling the truth. “How is all this possible? What about Noah and Cora? Do they have abilities too?” Shane asked, baffled.
“Umm yes, but we can’t show you here. When we stop at the next hotel we can show you. You have to trust us; we were thrown into this just like you. Everything that is happening is not by choice,” I said, speaking up.
“So this is not a coincidence? Did you know that this would happen to me?”
“We suspected you would have some sort of ability, but we were not sure what. We didn’t want to freak you out until we knew,” I told him.
Noah pulled out of the parking lot and headed back onto the road as we continued our conversation. We were heading back to the same state we just ran from. I felt like a masochist, walking back into a disaster. At this point though, any answer was better than no answers.
“So what are your abilities at least,” he pleaded as curiosity flooded his features.
“I can dissolve and Noah can mimic other people’s looks, like a shape shifter of sorts. Yeah, they are both far-fetched, but I promise that we are not lying to you. We are freaks and I don’t know why the creepy man wanted us all together. I wish I knew.”
“So if I cut myself, will it heal?”
“I don’t know, but probably,” I answered.
“What if I bit myself, since I don’t exactly have a knife,” he inquired.
“Try it, see what happens,” I said.
Showing no fear, Shane held up his arm and bit down on it. “Ouch damn it!” Blood started to well there and I began to wonder if we were actually wrong. Then he wiped the blood away with a napkin and the marks had disappeared.
“Cool trick,” he said. “Does this make me invincible?”
“I don’t know, maybe. You are the first person I have ever met that has had the ability to heal,” I told him.
“Maybe the creepy man is a mad scientist! What if we are just his science experiments?”
“Hmm, that could be quite possible for all we know. This is all just as new to us. A week ago, we didn’t even have abilities,” Nessa jumped in.
“Umm, it gets slightly worse,” I said wincing.
“Yeah, we might have bigger problems than being science experiments,” Noah added.
I could see the alarm on Nessa and Shane’s faces and dreaded the fact that I have to tell them what I was about to reveal.
“There was an incident in Alaska that is a little bizarre. The whole state just vanished. All they found were massive amounts of dust sprinkled in the snow. They have called it a state of emergency right now.”
“What?! Are you positive? That seems a little far-fetched,” Nessa said doubtfully.
“Yes, we are positive. We read it in the morning paper while we were doing laundry. Besides, it is like the pot calling the kettle black. We are just as far-fetched as that incident,” Noah replied.
“Great, we are going to have to keep up with the news just a little better than we have. What if it happens again? All of this is beyond really trippy,” Shane admitted.
&n
bsp; I sat back in a comfortable silence as the collective took in the tragic news and processed it. No one said a word until we reach the outskirts of Florida and had to stop for gas. The sun was still waning in the sky and there were storm clouds on the horizon.
“Noah can you pump the gas? I will get the oil for the engine, and Cora can get the snacks for everyone,” Nessa asked.
“Sure thing, it’s another town and another gas station. Let’s try to make it quick though, I want to make it to Tennessee by late evening so we can stop,” Noah said.
I step out of the rusted purple mustang and felt the moisture cling to my skin. It was sticky and humid outside, a storm was definitely rolling in. I made my way into the gas station and frowned at the limited selection of snacks available. What a dump of a station.
The floors were grimy and their selection of snacks was limited to some dusty candy bars and a shelf of multicolored packs of gum. I swiped a few candy bars and sodas before setting my purchases in front of the very strange attendant.
I couldn’t wait to see the bathrooms in this place. An involuntary shutter coursed through me at the mere thought of their condition. Never the less, I was dying to pee and couldn’t afford to wait. I dropped off the snacks at the car, leaving them with Shane and headed the direction of the outside bathroom. The door was locked and I cringed, knowing I had to return to the attendant.
Finally I got the key and made it inside the bathroom. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a century. Everything had a coating of grime on it and the toilet paper was sitting on the sink, slightly wet. I pulled off a tiny piece and wasted no time getting down to business. Then I went to wash my hands and there was no soap or any paper towels.
I decided to forgo the hand washing and opted instead for my pocket berry antibacterial instead. I didn’t feel better until I had doused myself in the stuff and traded seats with Shane since it was once again Nessa’s turn to drive. Shane had remained mostly quiet during this whole ride, although I couldn’t help but notice the looks he was sneaking at Nessa when he thought no one was looking. He was definitely into her.
Once Noah had hopped into the backseat next to Shane, Nessa adjusted the seat and mirror. Nessa settled into the driver’s seat and shifted the eight ball into gear. The car whirled to life and we were back on the highway, heading towards Tennessee. It was Noah who finally broke the silence. He looked at me hesitantly before speaking up.
“What do you think is in Salem? Do you think we will find the creepy man there? What if it is a trap? We really don’t know what we are walking into, I’m just saying.”
“I don’t know man, but the “creepy” man insisted we had to go there to get any answers. We are screwed no matter what so we might as well find out why,” Shane countered.
“True, I think it is our only option. As for what is there, it is anyone’s guess. If I ever see the creepy man again, I will have a lot of questions and he is going to give me answers. I don’t care if we have to tie him down to get them,” Nessa said, jumping into the conversation.
As we passed Atlanta, the storm clouds bore down on us with disconcerting force and the rain had begun. I settled back into my seat with a yawn and drifted in and out of consciousness as I let the sound of rain against the windows lull me to sleep.
At some point I woke to the sound of Nessa shouting my name, panicked. I realized that I had begun to dissolve and snapped back before I lost my clothes. I winced and gave an apologetic look to Nessa, “Oops, sorry.”
“Damn it Cora, you have to learn to control that. What if we had been near any passer-byes? You scared the shit out of poor Shane. He just got his first hand demonstration he was expecting later.”
“Holy crap Cora that is the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. I can’t believe you can really do that. I didn’t really believe it until just now. That is so incredibly freaky,” Shane said dumbstruck.
“Yeah, but not as cool as healing yourself, that is the most awesome ability. I just end up naked a whole lot.”
“Hey, we guys won’t complain,” Noah added with a playful grin.
I gave him a slight playful punch in the arm and pretended to be embarrassed. Really, it was a very flattering comment.
“So, can I see your ability now Noah? Can you look like Nessa?”
“I don’t know to tell you the truth. I have only really mimicked you the most successfully. Don’t freak out, I just needed a cover to see my brother and make sure he was okay.”
“Okay, that is a little too much for me. Try Nessa anyways, let’s see what you have to work with.”
Noah took a deep breath and rung out his hands before closing his eyes. It took several seconds before his hair began to grow and change to a honey blond color. When he looked up, he was the spitting image of Nessa and it sent a shiver through me.
“That is just wrong, cool as it is. Please change back now Noah. It is good to know you can handle it, but I just can’t. It is too disturbing,” I told him.
“Fine,” Noah said as he once again changed back into his old self. “Are you satisfied now Shane?”
“Umm, yes that is also insane. You guys are awesome. I don’t care if it is the creepy man that brought us together. We are like a pack of super heroes. It is fantastic.”
Chapter 12:
None of us had thought of this situation in quite that light and Shane’s optimism gave me hope. Maybe everything would be okay after all. Trying to stay awake, I turned up the stereo to sing to my favorite band. I tried to throw my worries out the window and enjoyed myself for a brief time as we crossed from Georgia into Tennessee.
It was late and the storm had passed when we pulled into a motel just outside of Knoxville. There was barbed wire surrounding the premises and a sign saying “Not responsible for lost or stolen items”. Great, another shady motel, but at least the police were not after us. That was a major bonus especially since we were returning to the state we were running from.
Shane actually volunteered to check us in and we waited in anticipation as he headed to the office.
“Sounds like this ability stuff went okay with Shane after all. I had no idea that he would react like that,” Noah said.
“Yeah well it helps when he wants to rip Nessa’s clothes off,” I said grinning.
“Hey, I might just let him. He is pretty hot,” Nessa joked.
Shane came back with the key and we moved our car to the spots just below room 235. Grabbing our bags, I felt the press of pavement below my feet as we hurried to enter our room unnoticed.
“Did you have any problems getting the room,” Noah asked.
“Nah, they didn’t much care and just tossed me over the key after I gave the clerk cash,” Shane said.
“Good. We really need a good night’s rest since we will be able to make it to Salem by late afternoon. We all need to be at our best. We don’t know what we are walking into,” Nessa said.
“I will take first watch,” I offered, hoping for some time to myself to sort out all my mental clutter.
“Sounds good, just wake Noah for second shift so you can get some rest too. I will take third shift,” Nessa replied.
Everyone bustled around, getting ready for bed, and going through the sack of thrift shop purchases. Nessa bought a flowery sundress to wear and it looked cute. She bought me an edgy black skirt and a sheer black top with tank top to match. It wasn’t much my style, but then again, that was the point.
“This outfit makes me want to get my nose pierced and spend some time at the tattoo parlor,” I said, frowning at the clothing.
“Hey, we can make that happen,” Nessa joked.
“That is very funny Nessa,” I said as I pulled out the knee high black combat boots and black fishnet stockings to match.
“It is better than the plaid cowboy shirt and wranglers they got me,” Noah said as he pulled up the outfit complete with worn leather cowboy boots.
“Oh Nessa, we will pay you back dearly for this,” I said sarcastica
lly.
Of course, Shane managed with another pair of frayed jeans and a Just Do It tee. I somehow thought that they plotted against us but didn’t really care anymore. We were freaks of nature and on the run from everyone under the sun. Style was the least of my worries.
Everyone got settled and I sat in the corner chair while I watched them all fall asleep one by one. Once I was sure they were all asleep, I turned most of the lights out except the soft glow of the bathroom light. Then I sat on the floor and concentrated on practicing my ability.
I pretended once again that I was a small dandelion seed being blown across the warm summer winds and felt myself grow lighter. I felt my particles bubbling and breaking apart until I was weightless. I flooded the area, taking in every inch of the germ infested room and cringed until I noticed something metallic and sharp just at the edge of the headboard, wedged.
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