“How many?” I demanded.
Howie stared at me for a moment without responding. I could tell that he was bothered by the look in my eyes. I could feel the adrenaline pouring into my system as I contemplated the fate of my brother. If PJ was dead, I was going to find out who was responsible and make them pay.
“The numbers aren’t final, but the death toll was over 200 as of this morning. A lot of the bodies are in pieces, some of them are missing all together,” Howie said.
“What do you mean, missing?” I asked.
“Some of the students are missing but they can’t find the bodies. The police think the gunmen either kidnapped some of the students or killed them in the gym and dumped their bodies elsewhere. In all honesty, the latter is the more likely of the two.”
I suddenly stood and stormed out of the cafeteria. Howie glanced oddly at Jason before hurrying after me.
OUTSIDE, HOWIE SCURRIED AFTER ME AS FAST AS HE COULD. “Adam, wait!” Howie shouted. “Adam!”
I ignored him and continued onward. He finally caught up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. I could have kept walking and dragged him along for the ride, but I knew that he didn’t deserve that. No matter how furious and terrified I was at the time, I couldn’t do that to my best friend.
“What do you want, Howie?” I asked as I stopped and faced him.
Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he tried desperately to catch his breath.
“Where are you going, Adam?” he asked between gasps.
“Fox Valley State,” I said flatly.
“Adam, that’s not a good idea. The gunmen are long gone. Fox Valley State is a dead end. You’ll just be putting yourself within the scope of the investigation.”
“If they killed him-”
“We don’t know if he’s dead, Adam. We have to let this thing play out, at least until we have more information.”
“That’s easy for you to say! You’re not the one whose brother is possibly in pieces right now!” I shouted.
“I know this is hard, Adam, but you have to listen to me! We have to wait until we have more concrete information. If you rush into this thing blindly, you not only stand to jeopardize your secret, but you could also be putting yourself into real danger. PJ may not be my brother, but you are. And I’ll do anything I can to keep you safe.”
We both fell silent. As much as I hated to admit it, Howie was right.
“I want to know who’s responsible for this,” I said finally.
“They’re called The Strangers. I’ve heard of them before. They appear to be led by a guy who’s calling himself The Suspect. I’ll get you all the information I have on them later today. If they killed your brother, I promise you that I will do everything I can to help you take them down,” he said as he handed me his backpack full of food. “Take this. You’ll need it.”
There was something about Howie’s tone that bothered me. His eagerness to help was genuine, but I couldn’t help but notice that there also seemed to be a hint of excitement in his voice. As I made my way to class, something about the entire ordeal was bothering me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
19. VICTORIA
THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK ABOUT DURING CLASS was my brother. Wondering if he was alive or dead had consumed my thoughts, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else. I probably wouldn’t have made it through the day were it not for Monica’s presence in the desk in front of me.
She could tell that something was bothering me. I didn’t want to burden her with my problems, so I remained mum on my thoughts.
Basketball tryouts came and went without me. Something about the game just seemed stupid to me as I contemplated the possible death of my older brother. I still waited for Monica to show up at the front of the gym, as I had not filled her in on my decision not to tryout.
As tryouts ended, I sat on the front steps of the gym and watched the prospective players hop into their vehicles and speed away. I got jealous for a moment because I didn't have a car of my own, but the thought of me outrunning their cars on foot brought a smile to my face. It was the first time that I had smiled all day.
“Looks like you can smile after all,” a lovely female voice said from behind me. My smile suddenly grew wider against my will. I stood and turned to face Monica, who stood at the entrance of the gym.
“How did you sneak up on me?” I asked.
“I came in through the side entrance. So how did it go?” she asked excitedly.
“I didn’t try out,” I said as I dropped my head.
“Is everything okay?” she asked as she sat beside me on the front steps of the gym.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just changed my mind,” I lied.
I could tell by her expression that she wasn’t buying my cheap excuse but I was glad that she didn’t push.
“I know what can turn that frown upside down,” she said with a huge grin.
“And what might that be?”
“It’s a surprise,” she replied.
“What kind of surprise?” I asked, feeling my gloomy mood begin to dissipate as Monica worked her magic on me.
“I’d like to show you my secret hangout spot, too. Have you ever been up to the roof of the gym?”
“No, I haven’t. Are we allowed on the roof?” I asked.
“Technically no, but I sort of know the principal that runs this joint. I’m pretty sure I could talk my way out of it if we got caught.”
We both laughed at her joke as we stood and made our way inside the gym. I was thankful to have her near. She didn’t know it, but by simply gracing me with her lovely presence, she was helping me cope with the idea of possibly losing my brother. In just under five minutes, she had managed to make me smile more times than I had smiled the entire day.
THE VIEW FROM THE ROOF WAS MAGNIFICENT. OUR TINY town was mostly flat, so we could see almost the entire city from atop the four-story building. A few miles west of the gym, the sun was setting over the vast waters of Lake Victoria, our town’s crown jewel. The stunning view of the evening sunrays glinting brightly in the still blue water made me wish I had a camera to capture the image.
She took my hand and led me over to the edge of the roof where we sat, allowing our legs to hang over the side of the building.
“This is my favorite place in this entire city,” Monica said softly, staring off into the distance as she spoke. Her orange and yellow blouse matched perfectly with the vivid colors of the dusk that surrounded us as the sun sank lower into the horizon.
“How did you discover this?” I asked.
“I come here during gym sometimes. It's my least favorite class, so coming here helps me pass the time.”
“That's funny,” I said, smiling. “My friend, Howie, and I usually hide out in the weight room!”
“It’s good to see you smiling,” she said, her amber eyes adorned by the golden reflection of the vanishing sun.
I sighed and slumped my shoulders as I realized that I owed her an explanation. I felt even guiltier for keeping her in the dark because she wasn’t pushing.
“I’m worried about my brother. That’s why I’ve been sort of out of it all day. He was away at that college that got attacked this weekend and, as of this morning, he still hasn't come home.”
“Oh my God, Adam! Have you heard anything since this morning?” she asked as she placed her hand on my back and gently rubbed it.
“No. I haven’t heard anything. I’m trying to hope for the best, you know? I keep hoping that he’s just displaced or something.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
I sighed. “There’s not much anyone can do right now. I just have to wait and hope he turns up.”
She nodded and placed her head on my shoulder and stared into the horizon again, reveling in the splendor of the last few moments of the sunset.
“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered. “You know, when I first came up here I imagined myself leaping from this roof
and landing into Lake Victoria.”
I studied the lake. “It does seem kind of close from up here. All you’d need is about a three-mile vertical leap and you’d be good to go.”
“Hey, if it gets me out of gym class it’s worth a shot, three-mile vertical or not,” she grinned.
We stood as the sun was seconds away from setting completely. I instinctively leaned in for a kiss as she turned to me.
This is it! I said to myself as I tried to restrain my overwhelming impulse to smile. I didn’t want to look like an idiot with a gigantic grin plastered across my face. I wanted to look cool; as cool as I felt as I placed my hands on her waist and gently pulled her closer. I closed my eyes as I felt the tender press of our lips coming together for the first time.
I shouldn’t have closed my eyes. If they were open, I would have noticed her lose her balance when she raised her right foot upward just as we kissed. The split second that I needed to secure her before she fell over the edge of the building had come and gone by the time I heard her blood-curling scream.
My eyes shot open as a rush of adrenaline burst into my veins, invigorating my senses and seemingly slowing down time around me. Without thinking, I dove after her and grabbed her outstretched hand as she fell. I quickly reached back with my right hand and grabbed the ledge of the roof, stopping us both from falling. The ledge almost gave in under the weight of my body.
“I’ve got you!” I shouted as she continued to scream. I knew her screams were of no use. It was 7:30 pm which meant the school campus was completely deserted. There was no one else who could help. I was the only one who could save her.
“No, don’t look down!” I shouted. But it was too late. Her body went limp as she fainted from the sight of the ground nearly fifty feet beneath us. Though she was now completely limp, her body was still as light as a feather to me. The only thing that troubled me was that the weight of my 700-pound body was threatening to break off the portion of the ledge that I was holding onto. If that happened, I didn’t know if I could save her. I would probably survive the fall but she would almost certainly die if she hit the pavement from that high up. I took a deep breath as my sweaty palms caused my grip to fail. I knew what I had to do.
“This is might hurt!” I shouted, not sure if that was meant for her or me as I flung her into the air just as the ledge crumpled beneath my fingers and broke off. She landed hard on the rooftop as I plummeted toward the ground below.
The sun had set completely and the campus was deserted, so luckily no one was around to witness me crash into the pavement like a meteorite. Every bit of air rushed from my lungs, leaving me heaving and gasping for it to return.
The stars had already begun to speckle the black sky above. I concentrated on the beauty of the night sky in order to slow my heart rate and regain control of my breathing. The stars were magnificent. As I watched them glimmer against the ebony sky above like diamonds resting on a deep, black cloth, my wind slowly came back to me.
After a few minutes, I finally summoned the strength to pull myself to my feet. No broken bones from what I could tell. My heart skipped a beat as I realized that I needed to get back to the roof before Monica regained consciousness, otherwise she would know that I had survived a fall the likes of which no normal human could have. Things were going so well between us, and the last thing I wanted was to mess that up by having her find out that I was an inhuman freak.
The entrances to the gym were locked from the outside by that time; therefore, I figured the only way that I could get back to the roof was to jump. My heart rate quickened as I contemplated the magnitude of the jump. I had never attempted to leap that high before, but I knew I had to try.
I took a deep breath and galloped toward the gym. I wanted to make sure I made the jump in one try so I put everything that I had into it. That was a huge mistake.
As I rose higher and higher into the air, I realized that I had put way too much on the jump. My trajectory was perfect but my altitude was off by about sixty feet. The view of our city from the air was almost as magnificent as the sunset that we had witnessed from the rooftop.
My appreciation of the view was short lived as the cool night air enveloped me and I began to descend toward the roof of the gym. I could see Monica’s motionless body lying near the northwest corner of the roof as I plunged downward. I closed my eyes as I crashed into the southwest corner of the roof and threatened to cave it in.
In an instant, I was on my feet rushing to Monica’s aide. I cradled her head in my arms as I checked to make sure that she was still breathing. She had not yet regained consciousness but, thankfully, she was still alive. I stood and held her in my arms as I surveyed the damage that I had caused. All I wanted was to be normal but how could I when I couldn’t even hang out with the girl of my dreams without nearly killing her and practically caving in the roof of a building?
If I couldn’t exercise enough caution to not destroy the roof of a four-story building how could I possibly believe that I could exist around Monica without inadvertently hurting her someday? What if she had died because of me? What if I had thrown her too hard when I hurled her onto the roof of the building? I was operating from pure instinct and had not considered how easily she could have broken her neck when I had tossed her unconscious body.
I stood and held her in my arms as I stared into the night sky and contemplated our future. Was I prepared to accept a life without her? Could a life without the love of my life even be considered a life to begin with?
My recurring nightmare came to mind as I cradled my unconscious beauty. Is this how it happens? I wondered. Does she hate me after I cripple her due to my freakish strength or is she crushed by my weight one night as I lie on top of her?
No matter how much I wanted to spare her the heartache that I saw on her face within my nightmare, I realized that I couldn't simply walk away from her. Perhaps it was selfish of me, but as I gazed upon her face that night, I realized that I couldn't live without her even if I ran the risk of having that nightmare become reality. I decided that after that night, I would go back to eating regular human-sized portions of food in order to curtail my strength. I was prepared to starve myself if it meant the two of us could be together.
I held her tightly in my arms as I dropped to the ground and zoomed away to carry her home.
20. FATHER FIGURE
IT WAS JUST BEFORE EIGHT O’CLOCK BY THE TIME I ARRIVED at Monica’s house. She finally came to just as I reached her front lawn. She had plenty of questions but I didn’t have many answers. I lied and told her that I caught her just before she fell over the edge of the roof. I could see the skepticism in her eyes, but luckily she didn’t remember much of what happened because she must have hit her head when I threw her back onto the roof.
She was still somewhat disoriented but she was healthy enough to convince her parents that she was fine once I walked her inside.
Mr. Stripling insisted on giving me a ride home. My heart sank as he revealed that his SUV was in a body shop for repairs. As we approached his replacement rental car, a two-door compact sedan that looked more like a baseball cap than a vehicle, I suggested we take Dr. Kate's car instead. Her sedan was twice the size of the rental car so I felt that it would be better suited to handle my weight.
Mr. Stripling laughed off my suggestion and keyed his way into the car. Once inside, he reached over and unlocked the passenger door. As I took my seat, I couldn’t help but laugh at the car’s manual locks and roll-up windows.
“I didn’t think they still made cars with roll-up windows,” I said.
“Hey, it’s all the insurance company would pay for,” Mr. Stripling replied. “It’s not quite as powerful as my truck but it gets me from point-A to point-B just fine.”
I sank back into my seat and tried to relax as Mr. Stripling started the car and pulled out of the drive way.
“She seems to be running kind of funny,” he mentioned under his breath.
“What do you mean?”
I asked hoping that he didn’t realize that my weight was affecting the car’s performance.
“It’s nothing. The car just seems to be lagging and pulling to the right a bit. I guess one of the hamsters in the engine must be taking the night off,” he said, laughing at his own joke.
I released a silent sigh of relief as I assured myself that he didn’t realize that I was the reason the car was lagging.
Every time I was around Mr. Stripling, I couldn’t help but wish I had a father like him. He never really said much but I could tell he didn’t mind having me around. It honestly felt like he cared more about me than my own father did.
“So, you and Monica have been hanging out quite a bit lately, huh?” Mr. Stripling suddenly asked.
“Yes, Sir. We’re in a lot of the same classes together.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Even though I liked Mr. Stripling, I still got somewhat nervous whenever we had a conversation. This was especially true when the subject at hand was his daughter. “Are you…are you okay with us hanging out so much?” I finally asked.
I studied Mr. Stripling’s face as he focused on the road and considered the question.
“I suppose,” he replied while rubbing his chin. “You seem to be a lot more respectable than most of her other boyfriends.”
“Boyfriend?” I said before I could catch myself.
Puzzled, Mr. Stripling glanced at me.
“Yeah, boyfriend. Why do you sound so surprised?”
“Did she tell you I was her boyfriend?” I asked.
“Yeah, she did.” He laughed. “Seems like you’re the last one to find out.”
“I asked but she never gave me an answer.”
“Was that the other night when you were sneaking around outside the house?” Mr. Stripling asked with a huge grin.
Crap, I thought. “You knew?”
“Of course I did, son. I worked in intelligence with the military for years. You’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning to pull one over on me.” We both momentarily glanced at each other and laughed.
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