by Bryan Cohen
Erica let out all her pent up emotion. "No! You can't!"
Erica thought she had been back to full strength, but the shouting made her dizzy. She stumbled back over to the tree stump and sat down.
Ted seemed to consider comforting her before keeping a few feet of distance. "You think I'm not good enough or something?"
Erica tried to look up into his eyes, but they were pointed straight at her feet. "It's just too much power for one person to handle."
"Shouldn't I be the one to make that decision?"
Erica met Ted's sincere gaze. She knew he was hurt by her omissions, but there were some things more important than hurt feelings.
"The last time I let a living soul choose to take on all the power at once…."
Erica didn't want to continue.
Ted knelt down so he could look right at her. "Tell me."
She took a deep breath. "Forty years ago I was sent here to train another living soul. His name was Adam." The memory of crunching steel came back to her like it was yesterday. "He was strong before he got his powers. Always wanted to be stronger. All I wanted to do was help, so I taught him how to use his mind to change the minds of others."
"He pulled a Redican on you, didn’t he?"
"While I was under his control, he made me teach him everything. Every power, whether or not he was ready for it." She chewed her cheek. "It overwhelmed him. He went a little crazy and started plotting the end of the world." She looked into Ted’s eyes. "So me and his friends brought an entire building down on him."
A few beats of silence followed as Ted considered the implications. "Do you really think I'd be capable of all that?"
She pursed her lips. "I don't want to think that, but every time I picture you studying those books and gaining a new ability, I see that building coming down around someone I used to call a friend."
Ted squinted at Erica before his eyes grew wide. "It's part of your orders isn't it? If I go crazy or turn to the dark side, you're supposed to kill me, aren't you?"
Hearing the truth laid out gave Erica a headache.
There's nothing like telling your boyfriend you might have to kill him if he goes nuts.
"And that's why we're taking things slow... powers-wise."
Ted stood up and paced. "If I can't use the power and Redican can, how are we going to stop him?"
Erica tapped her nails on the side of the stump. "I'm not sure yet. But if I put a bet on when he'd strike next, it would be tomorrow. At prom."
Erica loved seeing Ted's face light up at the p-word. Even though they might encounter certain death at the dance, at least they'd look good while they did it.
Ted helped Erica up to her feet. "It's a good thing I already rented my tux."
38
After Natalie arrived home and told the short version of events to her parents, she conked out for the next 12 hours. When she woke up in the wee hours of the morning, she couldn't tell at first if she was in a cell or a bed.
Or if she was in fantasy or reality, for that matter.
Upon checking her texts from the previous night, she learned that Erica was back to normal. Natalie was glad that they had another weapon back in their fight against Redican, but she wondered if Ted, Erica and the rest of them stood a chance against a person who could invade their minds. After all, she was half-convinced that Ted had given up on Erica and wanted to get back with her. The image of Ted saying he loved her felt as real to her as their first date or their breakup. Unlike a dream that feels sort of real, there was no blurring at the edges. Natalie hated that some part of her brain believed that Ted Finley was in love with her.
Five minutes after she posted a comment on a picture of Dhiraj's tux, he arrived at her doorstep. For a guy who almost witnessed a revenge killing, he appeared excessively upbeat.
"I've already got it all planned out." Dhiraj didn't seem to care that Natalie was silent. "Dinner at Grazie beforehand, a limo ride to the dance and a private after-party. And because I worked out some sweet sponsorship deals, it's all gonna be free!"
Natalie gave a nod of acknowledgment.
Dhiraj raised his eyebrows. "You know, it'll be better with you there."
Natalie wasn't sure if there was enough room for her eyes to roll as much as they needed to. "Uh huh."
"You're my co-best friend. I need a wing-woman."
"You don't need a wing-woman. You've already got the girl. Everybody's got someone but me." Natalie lay back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "I don't want it to be awkward."
Dhiraj lay down next to her. "Do you really think that you could possibly be more awkward than Ted? You've seen him dance."
Natalie pictured her ex-boyfriend attempting to bust a move. The image brought a smile to her face. "You can't even call it dancing. They need a new word to describe it."
Dhiraj rolled to his side and rested his ear on his hand. "We could come up with the right word together."
"I don't know, Dhiraj." She looked toward her closet as if she could see through to her homecoming dress. "I need to clear my head. I'll let you know."
Dhiraj popped off the bed and grinned. "Alright. There's definitely a spot in the limo for you." He glanced at his phone. "I better get to steppin'. I've got a mani-pedi at nine."
Natalie pushed onto her stomach and chuckled. "You're one of a kind, Dhiraj."
"That makes two of us." He moved toward the exit before turning back. "You know, both of us got kidnapped this weekend."
Natalie nodded. "That's true. And we both got out alive. Must be pretty resourceful, you and I."
Dhiraj flashed a smile. "Must be. I'll see you tonight."
Try as she might, Natalie couldn't go back to sleep. At the first sign of daylight, she changed into shorts and went for a run. She took her normal path around the neighborhood before jogging onto the trail along a canal that ran behind her development. Natalie thought about what Redican had said when he was inside her mind.
She wondered if Erica truly was holding Ted back from becoming the most powerful person in the universe. Even if she would consider convincing Ted that he should explore his powers, Natalie had no idea what she would say. As she attempted to clear her mind of the issue, something caught her eye on the trail ahead. There was a small flame in the middle of the dirt path about fifty feet away. Natalie slowed her pace.
That's weird.
When she got closer to the small fire, it began to grow. The flames reached up until they were almost as tall as her. Natalie's heart beat faster. She started to run back in the direction she came, but the flames followed her. Natalie looked over her shoulder and watched as the fire seemed like it was trying to catch up with her. The nervousness grew inside of her as she tried to double her pace. The red and orange flames sped up as well, and Natalie could feel the heat on her calves and ankles.
Not good. This is not good.
Natalie put all she could into her legs and leapt off the trail into a patch of grass. The flames whipped past her and continued down the trail. She could feel the heat pressing against her as the flames grew even higher. Before she knew it, the fire moved off the path and surrounded her in a circular wall. She looked in every direction, but there was no escape. Natalie considered making a break for it through the fiery barrier when a thought crossed her mind.
She ignored the parts of her brain that triggered pain and fear, and she reached out and touched the flames.
"It doesn't burn." She touched the fire with her other hand. "Redican."
A voice came from the fiery wall around her. "You have the power to convince him, Natalie."
"You're still in my head, aren't you?" She growled. "Why don't you just pretend you're me and do it yourself?"
There was a pause as the flames seemed to consider the answer. "I want you on my side."
Natalie moved her entire body into the fake fire. Her nervous system had no idea what was happening, and her pulse shot through the roof. "You're an English teacher. Give me a compell
ing argument." She pushed through the flames. "Excuse me."
Natalie jogged back into her neighborhood without hearing from Redican again. When she reached the edge of the trail, a young boy who couldn't have been older than five walked right up to her.
"Hey little man. Where are your parents?"
The boy started to sniffle and wiped his eyes. "They died."
Natalie's jaw dropped. She felt her heart break. "Oh my gosh, honey. I'm so sorry."
"Bad men came and killed them." The boy ran to Natalie's leg and hugged it. "They killed everybody."
Natalie's instincts told her to call the sheriff right away, but she remembered that her senses could no longer be trusted. She pulled the little boy off her and looked him in the eyes. "Who killed them?"
"The dark souls. I'm all alone now."
Natalie glared at the boy. "That's real sweet, Redican. Sending a little kid to do your dirty work."
The boy began to full-out cry. "I'm scared. I don't know what to do." He ducked under Natalie's arms and hugged her leg again.
Natalie didn't understand.
"I just gave him my memories," a voice in Natalie's brain said. "He's not the only one like me on the other worlds. And there will be more unless Ted stops them."
Natalie wanted to hold the little boy and tell him it would be all right. She thought about hundreds of children having their innocence taken from them because of an inter-dimensional war.
She took the little boy's hand and walked around the corner. "Point taken, Redican. Let the kid have his life back."
The child stopped sniffling and began laughing instead. He ran toward a car where a family was packing up for a weekend trip.
"There you are." The child's mother picked him up off the ground. "Don't run off like that, okay?"
Natalie walked in the opposite direction, toward her house. "Make Ted feel this. I don't want any of it."
The voice continued. "He's too close to Erica. Love blinds him from knowing whom he should really trust."
Natalie went back inside her house and jogged upstairs before anyone else could hear her talking to herself. She tossed off her shoes and picked up her basketball.
Natalie sat on the edge of the bed and dribbled. "As if you can be trusted after playing games with people's lives. Messing with Beth. And Erica. And me."
Natalie intended to keep dribbling the ball, but something inside her made her pull it toward her. Redican took control of her arms and forced her to toss the ball at full speed into a shelf of trophies and other accolades. Her MVP award from the previous hoops season bore the brunt of the impact, the metal girl snapping off the wooden base of the trophy and crashing to the ground. Several other medals and trophies toppled over as well.
"Nobody can be trusted!" The voice had moved into Natalie's room and was getting angrier by the word. "But lives can be saved. Join me, Natalie. Help me to tell Ted the truth."
Natalie wasn't taking any more of this. She screamed. "And what's the truth?! That you're too much of a pansy to do this yourself? You want me to do this willingly." She clenched her fists. "Never gonna happen."
The voice was almost a whisper. "Very well."
Natalie felt a strange feeling come over her. All of the emotion from the conversation vanished, and she stepped into the bathroom to shower off the grime of the run. After she toweled herself dry, she laid out the dress she'd worn to homecoming. Natalie applied makeup to her face as if it were the most natural thing. Time began to blow by in gusts, and before Natalie knew it, she was ready to go do a dance she didn't even want to attend.
When she took one final glance into the mirror to check her makeup, she saw a man behind her in the reflection. It was the puppeteer, Mr. Redican. Natalie squinted her eyes as hard as they could, and when she opened them, the man was gone.
"Get out of my head!"
Natalie locked the bathroom door behind her, hoping to trap Redican inside. She sprung toward her end table to pick up her phone. She needed to tell Ted that Redican had the upper hand, and this might be her last chance to do it. Natalie scrolled to her favorite contacts and was about to hit the image of Ted when she froze in place. Natalie strained every muscle in an effort to push that button, but it was no use. She felt her mouth begin to move without her command.
"Relax, Natalie." She couldn't help but think her voice sounded alien when she wasn't the one in control. "I've finally decided how I'm going to use you to help convince Ted of the right thing to do."
Natalie felt her arm put down the phone as she unlocked the bathroom door. Redican forced her back in front of the mirror to do a final makeup check. She tried to block the man from taking over her thoughts and exerted one last moment of control.
"What? You're going to make him dance with me?"
Natalie watched as her strained face melted into relaxation. Her mouth even turned up into a calm smile.
"No. I'm going to make him kill you."
The grin grew wider as Natalie grabbed her purse and walked out the door.
39
Ted's face hurt as he smiled for what felt like the millionth time. It's not that he wasn't happy. He had his arm around the waist of Erica LaPlante, who was wearing a beautiful black and purple dress that showed enough skin to keep Ted perpetually excited. When he caught Erica's glance, she had a look on her face that said, "How many more pictures can they take?"
Ted shrugged with his eyes and looked back toward the cavalcade of parents. He couldn't remember the last time his living room had had that many people inside. His folks and the LaPlantes were having a grand old time. Ted was glad to see his mother in good spirits as she nursed her burns with gauze and painkillers. In between shots, the two sets of parents laughed and sighed, discussing how grown up their "babies" had become. Sheriff Norris chatted politely with Mr. Patel and Winny's mom, who Ted always forgot was the sheriff's sister. Jennifer's dad definitely didn't seem as boisterous as the rest of the photographers.
Ted didn't feel like he was in control of his own body, as the parents kept giving them different poses they were required to do. He looked to his left for additional moral support. Jennifer and Dhiraj looked too happy together to even notice they were being photographed. When Jennifer walked over to her dad and her aunt to check a shot on the camera, Dhiraj looked right at Ted.
"Eh?" Dhiraj's dopey grin couldn't help but make Ted laugh. He gestured over to his date, who was wearing a similar style to Erica's, though Jennifer's hemline went a bit lower.
"You did good, Dhiraj." Ted patted his friend on the shoulder.
"You, too." He glanced over at Erica, who had migrated over to Winny and her hulking date, Rico. "These pictures would make 14-year-old Ted super jealous."
Ted laughed. "You're probably right." He watched Erica share a laugh-filled moment with her popular friend. "Would there be a note on the back that says: original Erica's consciousness sold separately?"
Dhiraj pondered the joke for a moment. "If Erica stayed dead in those woods and you didn't have powers, would life be better or worse?"
Ted wondered if his answer should include the fact that they might be wandering into certain doom within the next two hours.
"I'm not complaining." Ted floated a small red candy his way and chomped it out of the air. "It's just different than I expected."
Dhiraj rubbed at his wrists, which still looked red from the handcuffs. "Tell me about it."
Ted gave his parents one last embrace before hopping into the limo.
"Welcome to my palace on four wheels." The limo driver's proud voice filled the vehicle.
Dhiraj and the driver bantered as if they were old friends, though Ted couldn't place the man's accent at first. Greek maybe. Whatever the driver's origin, he was right. The limo was a palace.
The new car smell complemented the plush leather seats beneath them. It took about 30 seconds for Winny to open the minibar, which had been filled with cold soda. Ted had been a reluctant celebrity for the last few months, but th
ere was something about the limo that made him feel like he deserved to be in the papers.
It was a few minutes before Ted got over the awe of his first limo experience. By that time, Winny and Rico were already making out at one end of the vehicle, and the rest were going over the plan on the other.
"Everyone have their comm links tested?" Erica tapped at her own earpiece.
The other three did the same.
"Good." Erica pulled out a drawing that mapped the layout of the dance. "We've got the walkway into the hall, a lobby, the main area and the backstage. You've all got your assignments. It's imperative that you see Redican before he sees you and immediately radio your position over."
Jennifer clears her throat. "And if he sees us first?"
Erica pointed at her head. "Don't let that happen. The second one of us calls his position in, Ted can snatch him up and send him to me."
Ted smiled. "And then you can give him a taste of his own medicine."
She gripped his leg. "Exactly."
They were still a block away from the dance when the limo stopped.
After a minute with no movement, Ted tapped on the partition to get the driver's attention. "Why are we stopped?"
"Sorry, my friend." The limo driver gestured outside as if Ted could see through the tinted glass. "They're blocking us."
Erica hit the controls for the sunroof and poked her head out the top of the limo. She ducked back down inside and looked at Ted. "You should see this."
Ted shifted over to Erica and squeezed into the space beside her. When he looked outside, his jaw dropped. During the jewelry heist earlier that week, the GHA protest sported a little over 100 people. The number of GHAers outside of their prom was closer to a thousand. And all of them were looking right at him.
"Finley." A familiar voice called out from a megaphone. A small part of the crowd parted to reveal Thomas Cobblestone. "Happy junior prom."