Current

by Rian Harper

  By the time I had dressed and returned to the living room, Emma and Everett were sitting down at the bar eating their breakfast. They didn’t notice me enter the room. As I walked over to them I noticed a plate sitting on the counter in front of an empty stool beside Everett piled high with 3 banana pancakes and some sausage on the side. I pulled the stool out to sit down and they finally noticed my presence.

  “Awake now?” Everett asked with a mouth full of pancake.

  “Yeah. Showers always seem to wake me up. Thanks for the clothes. I’ll wash them and give them back after I get home and get some clothes of my own.”

  Emma leaned over the counter to see around Everett and look me in the eye.

  “You can’t go home right now, Nate.” She said with warning.

  “Nope, not a good idea, bro.” Everett said backing her.

  “All right. And when will I be allowed to go back home?” My words dripped with sarcasm.

  “Until we can find Cade and his clan and bring them down.” Everett still had a mouthful of food.

  “Guys, you need to tell me what’s going on.” I demanded.

  “After we eat breakfast, we’ll tell you everything. Okay?” Emma said reassuringly.

  “Not okay. Now.”

  “Nate, I promise we’ll answer all your questions. Now eat. You’ve got to be starving.”

  I was going to protest and demand to be told everything immediately, but I was, in fact, very hungry. The pizza dinner last night I was looking forward to was interrupted by a feud between my murderous house guest and my newly acquainted neighbors. So I decided to just wait a few more minutes and stuff my face with the delicious-smelling food that sat before me. I took a big bite of the banana pancakes smothered in peanut butter syrup, and it certainly was just as delicious as it smelled. I was lost for a moment in the succulence of it all. I made that “yummy” noise everyone makes when they have something delectable in their mouth. Everett looked over and cracked the biggest smile of pride I’d ever seen.

  We all three sat quietly eating our breakfast. I couldn’t think of anything besides the food. Everett was finished first, then me, and Emma last.

  “Well, that was the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time.” I complimented Everett.

  “Thanks, man. I pride myself on my banana pancakes. It’s one of my specialties.” He said as he beamed.

  As Emma collected our plates, I sipped on the remainder of my orange juice. Suddenly a funny feeling started to creep up inside me. It started in the pit of my stomach and spread from that point throughout my body. I could actually feel what was happening in slow motion, as if my blood vessels had warm water flowing through them. When the sensation reached my head, I spoke up.

  “Guys, I feel a little funny.”

  “Exactly how do you feel?” Everett inquired.

  “I feel like I’m hanging upside down. My head is swimming, and I can feel everything going on inside my body.”

  “Are you allergic to anything Everett may have put in the pancakes?” Emma asked as she stood over the sink washing the dishes.

  “I’m allergic to pine nuts, but I doubt you used those in anything I just ate.” I said groggily. My words started to slur together. “Whath’s goin’ on guyths?” The slurring got worse.

  “You’re going to get dizzy in about fifteen seconds, then pass out. You may want to sit down, Nate.” Everett said as he drank from the glass in front of him.

  “What are you thalking about?” I grabbed the counter to try and stabilize myself. I was getting dizzy just as Everett had cautioned.

  “Sit down Nate or you’ll have a nasty bruise from the fall.” He said, still turned around.

  “What thid y’all thoo to me?” I barely got the sentence out before I collapsed on the floor. My vision went black and I couldn’t move at all. All I could do was hear what Everett said next.

  “I told you to sit down, Nate. Now you’re going to have a goose egg on your forehead. You’ll be unconscious in a few seconds. We’ll talk in a couple of hours. Night, night Nate.”

  After that, my mind went blank.

  Chapter 5

  The Misunderstanding

  I woke up with a monstrous headache. My forehead was throbbing like my heart was in my skull instead of my brain. I tried to reach my forehead to see if I had a bump, but my arms were unable to move from above my head. I heard the jingling of the metal before I realized that I was handcuffed to a bed. I picked my head up and looked around a little. I was alone. I continued to scan the room so that I could try and ascertain where I was. As my eyes went from the dresser to the closed door, I saw in the corner a pile of clothes. On top of the pile were a pair of polka-dot pajama pants. They were Emma’s. I remembered them from that morning I was in her and Everett’s apartment. I couldn’t think of how long ago that was. It seemed like forever. What was I doing handcuffed to Emma’s bed? It was a bizarre situation to say the least. I lay there for a few more minutes wondering what time it was and trying to surpass the dazed state I was in before I decided to call out for someone.

  “Hello? Is anyone there? Emma? Hello?!” I called, but no one came.

  I pulled myself up to a sitting position, which wasn’t easy. My arms were tired from being held up and my wrists were hurting from the metal cutting into them. I looked around the room again, this time more alert. I thought there may be some small chance they left the key to the cuffs in the room and maybe by an even smaller chance I could reach the key and get out. As I gazed around the room I tried recalling the last thing I remembered before waking up. It took a minute, but I finally tasted banana and peanut butter again, which jogged my memory about breakfast. What happened after that, I wasn’t sure. It was all a blur at the moment. As I sat there trying to jog my memory, I heard footsteps coming down the hall. Seconds later, Everett and Emma came into the bedroom.

  “Wow. You were out a lot longer than I thought you would be.” Everett had surprise in his voice.

  “Well you probably shouldn’t have given him so much, Ev.” Emma elbowed him in his ribs.

  I sat there glaring at the pair of them as I tried to decipher what was being said about me.

  “You drugged me?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  “It was for your own safety, Nate.” Everett’s tone was threatening.

  “Have you lost your minds?! You’ve kidnapped me and knocked me out with narcotics! Now I’m restrained to a bed with no explanation of what’s going on! Who the flip are you people?!”

  “Now calm down.” Emma’s words were smooth and even. Her voice was so placid I couldn’t help but do as she said. It was like every word she spoke was a verse from a lullaby. She came closer and sat on the edge of the foot of the bed, while Everett stood with arms crossed leaning against the footboard.

  “We told you we were going to tell you everything, and we are. First, however, you have to tell us a few things.”

  “What information could I possibly have for you? I’m the one who was dragged into this mess without a clue.” I was clearly agitated.

  “Don’t lie to us, Nate. We know who you are.” Everett tensed up from the doorway.

  “Everett! This isn’t an interrogation.” Emma snapped at him.

  “Em, you know as well as I do that he knows what’s going on. He’s one of the clan!”

  “I’m one of the what?” I asked unsure as to what they were talking about.

  “Nate, we saw your tattoo.” Emma said. “We know you’re one of the clan, and we know that you’re working with Cade now. Why else would he have been in your house?”

  “Working with Cade? What are you talking about? What’s the clan?” I asked the questions rapidly.

  “Stop playing dumb!” Everett screamed.

  What happened next frightened me to the point of quaking with fear. Everett unfolded his hugely muscular arms and held his hands out in front of him. He tensed slightly and tiny arcs of electricity formed between each of his fingertips. They danced around ea
ch other, ready to reach out and fry something. A slight buzz filled the air. It was the sound of the electricity flowing through his hands. The light from the arcs made his hands glow, which made him look even that much more menacing. I couldn’t believe my eyes and I was scared. I tried getting away, but all I could manage to do was draw my legs up under me and sit as close to the headboard as possible. I sat there, trembling like someone being held at gunpoint with my head turned to the side so I couldn’t see him anymore.

  “Everett, stop!” Emma yelled at him.

  “He’s lying Emma, and we need to get the truth out of him!”

  “We will, Everett, but not this way! Just stop.”

  The buzzing sound went away, and I heard Everett storm out and slam the door behind him.

  “Nate? Are you okay?” Emma spoke to me with that velvety voice.

  I couldn’t reply. I was breathing so quickly, I was nearly hyperventilating. I didn’t understand what just happened. How was it possible for someone to spark electricity with their hands? It wasn’t possible. I figured I must be dreaming.

  “Nate?” Emma sat closer to me, near the head of the bed and looked me in the eye. Looking into her beautiful azure eyes calmed me down. My breathing slowed to normal, but I remained silent.

  “Nate, say something.” She had a little worry in her voice.

  “I’m dreaming.” I managed to squeak out from my dry throat.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you’re not dreaming.” She said as she backed away.

  “Yes I am. What Everett just did can’t actually happen. I imagined that. It’s a dream.”

  “You really don’t know anything, do you?” She said in a revelation.

  “Know anything about what?”

  “About what’s going on. We thought since you had the tattoo and we found you with Cade that you two were working together. But, judging by your reaction to what just happened you have no idea.”

  “So this is real?” I inquired. Just as the words left my mouth, I received a slap across my face. “Ow!”

  “See, you’re awake.” Emma had amusement in her voice.

  I sat there for a minute, moving my jaw back and forth, trying to alleviate some of the pain, still in shock that all of this might be real. I had so many questions to ask, but I couldn’t gather my thoughts. They kept talking about my tattoo, like it had something to do with what was going on.

  “What’s so important about my tattoo?” I asked her.

  “Do you remember when you got it?” She replied.

  “That wasn’t an answer.”

  “I can’t give you all the information about it until you give me some.” She was impatient. “Now when did you get it?” She demanded.

  “I’ve always had it. I don’t remember when I got it. The foster homes I grew up in had no idea where I came from and couldn’t tell me anything about it either.” I whispered in defeat.

  “You’re an orphan?”

  “Yeah. As far as I know my parents left me on the doorstep of a fire station in Vermont when I was two. No one ever adopted me, so I grew up in the foster system.”

  “I’ll be right back. I need to talk to Everett.” She hurried out of the room.

  It was unbelievable to me that I still had no answers as to what had been going on. I was still handcuffed to a bed, put there by people I’d only known for two weeks, one of which just turned into an electrical conduit right in front of my eyes. And that was on top of the fact that there was a mass murderer loose in town who was in my house and knew exactly who I was. My life was becoming a little more exciting than what I was used to.

  My mouth was parched. It felt like I had swallowed a desert. I yelled out as loudly as I could under the conditions, “Can I get some water, please?”

  It was at least five minutes before both Emma and Everett showed up. Emma had a glass of water in her hand, which she sat on the dresser across the room. What a tease, I thought. She still had something in her hand as she approached me. She reached up and unlocked the handcuff from my right wrist. My arm fell to the bed with relief. She then walked around the bed and unlocked the handcuff from my left wrist. That arm fell to the bed as well. I had no intention of moving with Everett in the room, nor any energy to do so.

  Everett picked up the glass of water from the dresser as Emma was removing the handcuffs from the bed, and then started walking over towards me. I shifted away from him and turned my head so I couldn’t see him. I didn’t want anything to do with that freak of nature.

  “Nate, I’m really sorry about everything that has happened. I know it has to be scary for you to be going through all of this.” His voice was low and solemn.

  I’d never heard him so subdued. I turned my head just enough so I could see him out of the corner of my eye. His head was hanging down and he was staring at the glass of water he had in his hands. He wouldn’t look at me just as I didn’t want to look at him; except where I was frightened, he was ashamed. He slowly extended his hand that held the glass of water toward me, and with shaky arms I reached up and accepted it. I drank about half of it then placed the glass between my legs. Emma then spoke up.

  “We made a mistake Nate. But in our defense, we’ve never come across someone with the Mark who didn’t know what it meant or where they came from.”

  “So instead of asking me about myself like normal people, you drug me and tie me to a bed and throw around wild accusations about how I’m an accomplice to a serial killer?” I replied with aggravation.

  “We’re really very sorry.” Everett said with remorse.

  “Whatever.” I replied coldly. “How long was I out of it?”

  “About six hours.” Emma said.

  “Why am I so tired still? I can’t move.”

  “The drugs are still wearing off. Sorry bro. Gave you more than you could handle apparently.” Everett still had his head hung down.

  “Well how long until they’re out of my system? I don’t like feeling this way.”

  “You should feel like this for another half-hour then be fine.” Emma said reassuringly.

  The three of us stayed silent for a minute. Emma finally broke the silence when she said, “So since we have you here, and you’re recuperating from our little mishap, I’m going to ask you some more questions.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair. You still haven’t answered any of mine.” I pointed out.

  “You’re right. Ask us anything.” Everett offered.

  “How did you make those arcs come from your hands, Everett?”

  “It’s complicated.” He dodged.

  “I bet. But I’m not answering any of your questions until I know how you did that.”

  “Fine. It’s like a special power I guess. Emma and I have been able to produce electricity since we were teenagers.”

  “You can do it too?” I asked Emma.

  She pulled the chair resting under her vanity out and sat on it a few feet away from me. She let out a big sigh, then held out her hand. She tensed, just as Everett had, and her fingertips became laced with small bands of electricity. I sat on the bed wide-eyed and in disbelief.

  “How is that even possible?” I asked, flabbergasted.

  “Like Ev told you, it’s just a special power we both have.” Emma replied.

  “You’re being a bit ambiguous about this. What do you mean it’s a special power? Were you experimented on as a kid? Dropped in a vat of toxic waste? Did you come from another planet?”

  “No, none of that. I guess it’s genetic. But that’s the least of our problems right now, Nate.” She then looked up at Everett and said, “I think we need to show him.” What more could they have to show me? I was already on the verge of overloading my brain with the extraordinary things I just witnessed.

  Everett’s face dropped in disagreement, but after a few seconds, he finally acquiesced, “All right, but it’s just going to open up a can of worms.”

  “What are y’all talking about?” I asked, confused.

>   They didn’t respond to me, they just continued to look at each other, trying to communicate without words. After a minute of them ignoring me, Everett shrugged his shoulders and took his shirt off while Emma lifted the left sleeve of her top. They both turned their left arms towards me and I gasped.

  “You have my tattoo.”

  “Yes, Nate.” Everett started to put his shirt back on. “This is where it gets complicated.”

  Chapter 6

  The Epiphany

  My fragile mind was attempting to process all of this new and bizarre information. I couldn’t decide whether I was intrigued at the thickening plot my life had become or afraid of it. All my life I had wanted answers about who I was and where I came from, and it seemed I was now in a position to get some.

  The effects of the drugs were wearing off and I started to feel more like myself. I scooted to the edge of the bed and swiveled my legs over so that my feet were now touching the carpet. I sat there for a minute, making sure I had the strength to stand. When I was certain, I stood up and looked at Everett. He was leaning propped on his shoulder by the window that was on the other side of the bed, with his arms crossed gazing out at the mid-afternoon sky. Emma was still sitting on her vanity chair right in front of me. She had her head hung down so that her curls covered her perfect face completely.

  “So I guess we have a lot to talk about.” Everett said without turning around. I looked back at him when he spoke and he let out a big sigh, as if he wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.

  “I think I’ve had enough strange new information for right now.” I said reassuringly. “Can you take me to my house? I want to get some things.”

  “Nate, it’s not safe to go back to your house right now.” Emma interjected.

  “If a squirrel tries to attack me, you can fricassee him.” I joked dryly.

  “This is serious Nate.” Emma looked at me with intense eyes. “Cade could kill you. Cade WILL kill you, especially now that he knows you’re our friend.”