The Trouble on Highway One

by Anne McClane

  Eli would make me work harder to get to the very top, she thought.

  A line of sky peeked out over the ridge of the hill, shot through with tree limbs and branches. She was about to go to the edge of the trail to see what she could see in the valley below.

  “You’re late,” she heard Eli say. She looked down in the tub, and saw his head and bare shoulders. He looked like a bald bear.

  “You didn’t give me a time,” she said.

  He looked at her with his left eye. “You should have worn a two-piece,” he said.

  Lacey put her hands on her hips. It was involuntary. “Okay. Did you consider mentioning that in your text?”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. That was my omission.”

  Well, that might be a first.

  “I should have mentioned it, because I think you would be more comfortable in a two piece for the work we need to do.”

  He stood up and placed a leg on the step, revealing his entire form, unclothed. Lacey saw his big, muscular hairless-bear-of-a-man backside. She cast her eyes aside, but not before noticing significant scarring between his shoulders. She wondered what caused it, and thought of the brother he said he’d lost.

  He turned to face her straight on, and she pivoted to face the opposite direction.

  “Whoa, Eli! You might have mentioned you didn’t have any clothes on. And wait, what kind of ‘work’ are you referring to?” She felt suddenly sick. She thought of sordid tales out of Hollywood. Men in power exposing themselves. Had all her faith in Eli been completely misplaced?

  “Lacey, turn around please,” he said.

  “Really don’t want to,” she answered.

  “Lacey,” he said, his voice an octave lower and more soothing than she’d ever heard, “there is nothing predatory in my intention.”

  She turned her head to the side. A beam of light shot through the trees and landed just to the right of Eli’s feet. “What are you trying to do, then?” she asked.

  “Help you manage your ability,” he said.

  She slowly turned toward him. Her body faced the ridgeline, her head upward to look at the trees above Eli’s head.

  “There are things you can do to stop your clothes from catching on fire,” he said.

  She looked him in the eye. “You swear?”

  He shook his head slightly. “I rarely swear. I can help you.”

  Still averting her eyes, she stalled by asking another question. She hadn’t healed any “big” injuries during her time in California, so her question at least seemed relevant.

  “I’ve been thinking about the two types of injuries you told me about at Kevin’s funeral. How come I don’t seem to burn up as badly with the second kind? The emotional, chronic types?”

  “Your body acts as a conduit,” he said matter-of-factly. “The power that courses through it for the trauma-induced, bodily injuries exacts a larger toll on your body.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No. That’s why the sooner you learn to counteract that toll, the better.”

  “Okay. But, do you have to be naked for this lesson?” she asked.

  Eli sighed. “No. But it’s easier if I am.”

  She remained in her awkward twist, but relaxed enough to take a deep breath. While Eli struck her as odd in many ways, she never sensed that perverted was one of them. She also sensed that she might never get a handle on her power by remaining in her comfort zone.

  She heard Eli sigh again. “This will be more efficient if you are unclothed, too. Clothing acts as an impediment in this type of work. Which is why a two piece would have been preferable,” he said.

  She cocked an eyebrow and looked him in his good eye.

  “It would have allowed you to ease into it, I think,” he said, in a voice so gentle Lacey felt like a child.

  “It doesn’t matter, Eli,” she said, forcing herself to act grown-up. “This is all so tremendously awkward, a matter of a few degrees is inconsequential.”

  The words surprised her as they came out of her mouth, but also emboldened her.

  “Are you sure we have privacy up here, we’re not going to offend anyone with our nakedness?” she asked.

  “We are not likely to be disturbed,” Eli said.

  “Fine. What do I need to do?”

  “First, relax,” Eli said. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist.

  That helps, Lacey thought.

  “Take a deep breath,” he said. “You need to be here.”

  Lacey relaxed her arms, inhaled deeply. “What do you mean?”

  “Focus on the present. Release any thoughts of the immediate past, or the moments ahead.”

  She took another deep breath. She stopped herself from dwelling on the awkwardness just past.

  “When you’re ready, remove your clothes.”

  Lacey sighed. “Don’t think I’ll ever be ready, so I might as well just get it over with.”

  She took off her t-shirt and shorts. She glanced at Eli, a placid Buddha facing her.

  “I know it’s trivial, but could you turn around, please?”

  Eli obliged, his words as he turned ringing serious and sincere. “It’s not trivial.”

  Lacey tugged the straps of her suit and removed it, laying it down atop her other clothes. She remained hunkered down. “Can I get in the water?” she asked.

  “Not yet,” Eli said. “I’m going to turn around now.”

  He glanced down at her, crouched low to the ground, guarding her pile of clothes like an alley cat.

  “Stand up when you’re ready,” he said.

  She’d compared Eli to Professor X and Buddha. In this moment, the look in his eyes rendered a modern-day Merlin, a complex magician with depths she couldn’t fathom.

  She stood up, her heart in her throat, her head feeling like it was in a vice from the pressure of embarrassment.

  “Stand tall,” he said. “Align your neck with your spine.”

  Eli’s matter-of-fact tone relaxed Lacey a degree.

  “Close your eyes,” he said.

  She looked at him straight on, and he gave her a nod of encouragement. She closed her eyes.

  “Good. Focus on your head, your scalp. How does it feel?”

  “How does it feel? How is it supposed to feel? It feels like my head,” she said.

  “Focus on the temperature.”

  Lacey took another deep breath. “It’s warm. Almost hot. I can feel the blood rushing there because I’m nervous.”

  “Focus on the air surrounding you. How does it feel, compared to your head?”

  “Cooler,” Lacey answered. As if on cue, a breeze blew in from down the hill, rustling the leaves on the trees on the ridgeline above her head.

  Goosebumps broke out on her arms and legs. She shifted where she stood. Eli didn’t speak for what felt like an eternity. She willed her eyes to remain closed.

  She noticed her body swaying. She planted her feet more firmly to try to stop it, but it only made it worse.

  Because the ground is shaking, not me, Lacey thought. She opened her eyes and didn’t see Eli.

  Oh, crap. This is not good.

  “Get dressed,” she heard him say from somewhere beyond the trees. “We’ll have to resume this later.”

  Lacey quickly put her clothes back on and Eli reappeared fully-clothed once she was dressed. He led her down the hill. Even though the shaking felt gentle, Lacey watched the tall trees around her carefully, expecting one to come crashing down upon her at any minute. All the awkwardness she just felt was replaced by fear.

  The shaking stopped before they reached the clearing at the bottom of the hill.

  “We need to stand by for any aftershocks,” Eli said.

  There was a parking lot beyond the clearing. They walked toward it
, and Eli stopped at a bench set back about ten yards from the lot. He remained standing. Lacey’s legs were still shaking, her heart beating wildly. She sat on the bench.

  Eli scanned the horizon in all directions, as if he expected any aftershock to announce itself in the sky.

  Satisfied, he folded his arms and planted himself across from Lacey, who gripped her knees on the bench. She looked up at him, and involuntarily looked to where his right eye was tracking. Seeing nothing, she returned her focus back to him.

  “Well, that was exciting,” she said.

  “Unexpected,” Eli said.

  “Isn’t that the nature of earthquakes?” Lacey asked.

  Eli stared at her. She refused to follow his eye’s gaze.

  Can he predict earthquakes, too? Lacey thought.

  “Yes,” he finally answered. Lacey at first thought he was reading her mind.

  “They are unexpected,” he continued. “For most people. There was an earthquake the day I left home. The day my brother was killed.”

  Lacey held her breath and felt her fear subside. Was Eli about to open up to her? She released her knees and leaned toward him.

  “This was in Kurdistan, where I was born. My mother could always feel it, the moments before an earthquake struck. She had the gift of prescience. My brother and I both happened to be in our mother’s home that morning—we were young men, each of us living on our own by that time.”

  Lacey felt a growing warmth just below her heart. She stood. She had a growing need to reach out to Eli.

  He stopped his story as abruptly as he began it.

  “Lacey, no.”

  She stood silent against the bench. A rough patch in one of the slats scraped against the back of her knees.

  “Why?” she finally said.

  “Please, sit. There is another reason I am telling you this story. I’m not seeking relief. This is a pain I do not want healed.”

  She hesitated and reached back to grip the back of the bench. “I don’t understand.”

  “Please, Lacey, sit.” Eli took a step toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I will be well. Earthquakes will always remind me of that day, and pain will always resurface, and I don’t want that to ever change. The pain will subside in time.”

  Eli removed his hand from her shoulder.

  Lacey nodded. I almost understand that. She sat on the bench.

  “In that way, the earthquakes are related. The earthquake in Kurdistan many decades ago, and today’s earthquake.”

  Back to not understanding.

  Eli paused, turned to the side, and faced Lacey again.

  “There is a term, it’s used in quantum physics, called ‘action at a distance.’ Einstein came up with the concept, though he called it ‘spooky action at a distance.’”

  Lacey raised an eyebrow. Quantum physics. The book Cecil gave me! She didn’t say anything, not wanting to interrupt him yet.

  “The idea is that one object can affect another object, they can move each other or change each other, even though they may be far apart. In both distance and time. Even though there’s no physical interaction. Are you following me?”

  “Not really. But . . . ” Lacey stood, ready to move her legs again. “ . . . I was given a book on quantum physics. By the person who . . . ”

  She paused, realizing she’d never discussed Cecil with Eli. She knew so little about him, she hadn’t been sure what to say.

  Eli waited, patiently.

  “By the person who passed along, or transferred all this. My ability, I mean.”

  Eli nodded, remaining silent for what felt like an eternity. “That’s good. I have thoughts on that, which I will share momentarily. In the case of this earthquake, I am the one being affected, my thoughts and actions are being affected through space and time. You will need to discover what affects you, though. The modalities are always different.”

  Lacey’s head started to hurt.

  “Read about this concept, in the book, if you haven’t yet,” Eli said. “It is possible it was shared with you for that purpose. To help you understand the ‘why’ of your ability. I can help you with the ‘how,’ but I’m afraid I can offer no insight on the ‘why.’”

  The ground began to shake again as Eli said “how,” and they both stopped in their tracks when the shaking continued, unabated this time.

  “Should we go inside somewhere, Eli?” Lacey tried to tamp down her rising panic.

  He scanned the horizon again, as if confirming a prior assessment. “No. We’re clear of any man-made structures in this spot. We should remain here.”

  With everything that had just passed between them, Lacey was inclined to trust Eli. And she was tremendously relieved that she was not alone.

  19

  Lacey couldn’t comprehend the sight in front of her. There was road, and there were cars, but they were stopped. A little further ahead, the top of a building appeared where it shouldn’t be. It looked like it was rising out of the road.

  She looked at the time on her phone. Had it really only been less than forty minutes since she and Eli “sheltered in place” on the bench at the resort?

  They had parted ways once they felt the worst was over. Eli had said there was no way to be sure, but she had Ambrose to look after, and Eli wanted to check in with the management, to see if they needed assistance.

  Just a few minutes later, Eli called, asking for her help. He told her to change into long pants and closed-toe shoes and said he’d pick her up at her cabin in five minutes.

  Ambrose seemed unfazed by all the shaking. She let him out, changed clothes, and righted a few items that had toppled on the kitchen counter. Everything else in her cabin seemed in order.

  She walked outside the front door, and saw Eli approaching in a truck. When he stopped, Lacey hustled over to the passenger side and let herself in.

  He began driving before she had fastened her seatbelt. “The earthquake took out a building,” he said.

  “Oh my god! Here at the resort? Is everyone okay?” Lacey felt her heart in her throat.

  “No, not here. Everyone I encountered was okay. At least, no one was physically harmed. The building is a little further south from here. It was an older apartment building, I was told.”

  Eli had spent much of the drive talking about earthquake building codes. She wasn’t very interested in it, and almost wished he’d revisit his more personal stories, but couldn’t think of a good way to ask, “Could you please tell me more about your dead brother, instead?”

  Also, his driving made her nervous, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain. Eli, so sedate in most ways, was the same behind the wheel. Cool, measured, calculating. But Lacey couldn’t help but think that he might just calculate that driving the car off a cliff would be the most appropriate course of action at any time.

  As they approached the building, Eli pulled the truck off the highway. In the distance, there was what looked like it was once a three-story building, collapsed on one side. The roof was canted at a hard angle, crushing the collapsed side, and pointing up into the open air above the non-collapsed side.

  There were other apartment buildings around it, and fast food restaurants and strip mall establishments across the street, but none of them seemed any worse for wear.

  She let Eli lead the way. “All these other building we’re seeing should be evacuated by now.”

  They made it to the perimeter of the scene, flanked with first responder vehicles and a van with a satellite atop. A handful of civilian types watched, phones at the ready.

  Lacey paid close attention to the paramedics. She hadn’t told Eli about her idea. A full squad of people with SLOFD emblazoned in glowing letters on their backs were in full, orchestrated action.

  A team of people navigated some rubble, carrying a person on a stretcher. There were s
houts, and a police officer who had been standing directly ahead of Eli and Lacey rushed over to assist. Eli urged Lacey to quicken her pace, and they passed by the preoccupied stretcher team and crossed over the perimeter.

  He directed her toward a less crowded area of the scene. They were shielded from view of any watching law enforcement. Huge chunks of wall lay about like they had landed from the sky. Lacey realized that might actually be the case.

  “How many stories was this building, Eli?” she asked.

  “Four.”

  Oh my God. It only looked like three from the road.

  One chunk of wall still had a flat screen television attached to it. Wires and components dangled from it.

  They entered the more intact side, through a door that flapped open. And Lacey felt it before she heard it. A popping in her ear drum, and then a noise beyond deafening. An intolerable pressure that forced her to stumble and nearly brought her to the ground. They were in a tight space, what was probably the entry hallway, and couldn’t see what was happening. Everything sounded muffled after that, but she heard an official type shouting something about clearing all civilians from the scene.

  She turned her head toward Eli and found him crouched, low to the ground. His eyes were closed, and she panicked. She didn’t realize how much she relied on his guidance until that instant. She’d followed his unauthorized entry to a major disaster scene without a second thought.

  His hand moved, palm flattening against a piece of flooring, and then fingers flexing upward. He opened his eyes and looked at Lacey.

  She blew out a long breath. “What just happened?”

  “An explosion,” Eli said, rising. “Maybe a gas line. Hopefully nothing ignitable nearby.”

  Lacey got to her feet. “Hopefully,” she said, resisting the temptation to roll her eyes.

  “Eli, why are we here? Aren’t we only making things worse for the first responders?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “She should be somewhere near,” was all he said.

  Who, she? Lacey thought. What the hell?

  Eli walked down the hallway. He passed one open doorway, peered inside, and said to Lacey, “This one’s clear.”