by K. T. Hanna
He raised an eyebrow and grinned toothily. “Davin said you didn’t check in with him yesterday. Since you usually do, I thought maybe the accident the other day had more of an impact on you than we realized, than even the doctor who checked you over noticed.”
I laughed it off, as much as I could with a vaguely panicked and completely fake laugh. “I am fine, but I’m also a big kid now. Checking in has become a bit of a chore, you know? Still, I’ll call him and tell him so myself. I know he worried about me, big brother and all…”
I let it trail off, rolling my eyes to try and sell the lie. But then I realized it wasn’t one. Why was I constantly checking in with them. I mean, calling them up was a courtesy and all, but surely I didn’t have to do it all the time? Most of the concern rolled away from Jacob’s stance, and he took a step closer, giving me a quick shoulder squeeze.
“Good. I assured him it was probably just that you had a lot on your plate, and that you might be getting too old for this. I had to explain I’d just seen you, and you were, in fact, still alive.” He laughed good-naturedly and picked his book up again. “I’m going into my room. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss you. Leave the bills on the table, and I’ll make sure we get them taken care of.”
“Thanks, J,” I said, my back already turned as I built myself two ham, cheese, and tomato sandwiches. Famished wasn’t even close to the growling in my stomach right then.
Orion wasn’t home yet, which was odd for a Tuesday night. He was usually home before me because he didn’t have classes on that afternoon.
Exhausted, yet sated, I headed into my bedroom to retrieve a packet of ramen for my dessert and decided to call my brother while I was there. Video chat, of course. He wouldn’t accept any less. Otherwise someone could just be using a vocal synthesizer to pretend to be me or something. I tried to tell him once that my friends could just hire a doppelgänger to confuse him. That joke didn’t go down too well. I obviously didn’t get my sense of humor from my family.
Davin picked up on the first ring. “About time. Don’t fucking scare me like that.”
He sounded genuinely upset that I hadn’t called him on Monday night. And you know something, I got fucking angry. “Why? I’m almost twenty-one. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself now. You never had to check in with mom when you first left.”
Wow. It felt amazing to get that out. The fingers on my left hand sparked again, like they were encouraging me, lending me strength.
“Well, no, I didn’t. But I’m the oldest. I promised her I’d take care of you.” He sounded sort of sad, and I wondered what was on his mind, even if he’d never tell me. Sometimes he acted more like my dad than my big brother.
Our dad wasn’t a bad sort. He was goofy and loved us, but he worked a lot, and traveled often. Davin took it upon himself to fill in for the old man. Sometimes, I wondered how Mom did it. But if she was strained, she never showed us. I missed my mom. I should probably call her too. Only, I promptly decided that I could call in without a regulated timetable to do so.
“Look, I promise to call in every week or so, but damn it, give me some space to grow up, please?” I said, trying to emphasize it. I really did feel bad about making him worry, but maybe it was time to cut the strangling apron strings.
“Sure.” He seemed somewhat taken aback, like he didn’t quite know what to say. “I’m sorry for going all big brother on you. It’s just J mentioned you’d had an accident but that you were okay. I got worried, more so than usual. Want to talk about it?”
I sighed and cracked my stiff neck. Of course. That made much more sense. Davin didn’t usually lose his temper. “I’m fine. There was an accident on the way home, and I went to the hospital to get checked out. It’s okay. They released me, so no real harm done.” This time I grinned, because he needed to see I was actually fine. And I was. I think. Better than fine. At any rate, better than I’d been before. Stronger.
He squinted at me over the stream, his eyes reflecting pure skepticism. “Fine, then. I’ll talk to you … when you call, and see you in a few at your big meet?”
The track meet. How could I forget it even for an instant? Naturally I had an answer for that, but not something I could utter out loud. “You bet! Love you!”
I leaned forward before he had time to interject something else. That had to have been the shortest call we’d ever had. There were way too many thoughts swirling in my brain trying to trip me up with confusion to hold a long conversation with anyone. Not to mention electricity kept flickering around my skin, and I didn’t want to blow up my phone.
My ramen was cooked, in fact a bit over cooked by the time I got to it, and I glanced at the time with a frown. It was getting late and would be dark soon. Where the hell was Orion? On the one day I wanted to sit and chat, he wasn’t around. I hadn’t even talked to him since yesterday when he turned his back. Though I had enjoyed my lunch.
The system was strangely silent. I hadn’t heard any snarky commentary for a while now, and it felt oddly lonely in my mind. Yet, it also let me think for myself. The thoughts whirring around in my head were crazy. So many of them that plucking out just one was difficult.
Suddenly, I was so tired, I could barely keep my eyes open. The excitement of the day got to me; I needed to sleep. Setting my alarm to get me up twenty minutes earlier so I could shower quickly in the morning, I rolled over and let sleep claim me.
The bleep of an alarm had to be annoying, or else how would we ever wake up? Mine was no exception. The only difference from my usual, was that I actually felt rested.
Notification
Well, there went that peace of mind. I waited, sitting up in bed and rubbing my eyes. Static shock sparked as I ran my hand through my hair, making me grin. The message eventually continued.
Your assignment has been satisfactorily completed. Your rewards are experience, and payment. Please check your funds.
Another payday? I frowned, pushing myself up and stumbling to the door. Okay, maybe I wasn’t as well rested as I thought, and I really did need a shower. And to wash my sheets, apparently. The bathroom held the night’s chill still, and the tiled floor didn’t help at all. These old converted townhouses didn’t have things like linoleum flooring. Nope, ancient ceramic tile all the way.
I hopped from one foot to the other while turning the taps on and waiting for the hot water to kick in. It always took a while, and I chalked that up to old pipes mixed with my abundance of impatience. If I waited too long, I wasn’t going to do more than jump in and out. It was still lukewarm when I stepped in. I was determined to get myself out and dressed with plenty of time to make it to the track.
Toweling off, I brushed my teeth before getting dressed, and rushed into the kitchen. There was a note on the counter, and I couldn’t help the twinge of sadness that it was from J and not Orion.
Got the wrong flavor. Too lazy to return them. Enjoy. J.
It was stuck to the top of a box of toaster tarts. I frowned as I pulled it off. Cinnamon butter. Yeah, sure, that was a mistake. He’d “accidentally” bought these before. Still, that was five days’ worth of yummy sugar high that could fuel my track run. I shoved a pack in the toaster while I gathered my lunch.
Routine was routine, and this Second Chance thing hadn’t interrupted it much so far. Since I woke early and left even earlier than yesterday, I walked. Even though I slept for a long time, it wasn’t good sleep. My brain was filled with wild dreams, some people might even call them nightmares. I grabbed my phone and pulled up my banking information.
Pending Deposit: $150
What the hell? The hundred from the first mission had cleared and made my balance a healthy over a hundred dollars for the first time in a long time. With this cleared, I’d have almost three hundred. But a nagging feeling in the back of my mind chastised me for accepting it, or for planning on using it. I’d stolen and basically fe
nced the goods I’d taken. But, if I analyzed that, I was technically being coerced into that behavior. I mean, either I did what I was told or I died, right? Half way to the track, I started to jog.
I arrived at school so fast, I felt like I’d teleported there. My fingers tingled with excess energy, and all I wanted to do was move faster than humanly possible. I’m not even sure how I got through practice without setting off a patrol from Area 52, but I did. However, I couldn’t help but be wary about getting a shower. I hadn’t discharged focused excess electricity in the last eighteen hours. All I’d done was feed it into my body. What if it went off while I was showering?
Worse, what if it went off so badly I blew the building up.
If you are having trouble managing your excess power, please refer to the tutorial on how best to expend it.
What? I cringed. My question sounded harsh even to me.
Please refer to the tutorial on how best to expend excess electricity.
Which reminded me, I’d been intent on exploring the power yesterday, but in the end I’d been so tired, I’d fallen asleep. Instead, I opted not to shower a second time today and instead lathered myself with deodorant. People would just have to put up with stinky Dare today. Tutorial...tutorial. How do I access the tutorial?
You request access.
I waited, and barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes since it couldn’t see me anyway. May I have access to the tutorial? Please?
My answer was to have it boot up in front of me. I had a few minutes to spare before my first class, and that was going to have to do. Walking around like a loaded gun wasn’t my idea of fun, and I was beginning to feel very static.
The menu popped up, and I realized there had been options other than the initial begin here one I’d chosen. However, in depth and helpful hints weren’t much more explanatory. In depth sounded pretty straight forward.
Electricity
Type A Skill. Warning: this skill type can be dangerous. Make sure for proper storage and discharge of excess power. Which type of problem are you having?
I thought discharge at it and waited. This was fascinating. Did it mean I could store electricity to? Maybe let me store it and boost my ability when needed?
Discharging electric build up.
Please choose severity, and location.
Indoor, minimal—I wondered if I’d ever need the outdoor/explosive option.
Minimal release while indoors can be achieved by standing close to an electrical station, be it wall receptacles, or even a fuse case. Focus on the station with your mind and snap your fingers. This should allow a small excess to escape from you safely into relevant systems. Keep in mind lights may fluctuate afterward for several minutes. Do not be alarmed.
Has this been helpful? Yes or No.
Wow, it even had an exit survey. I selected yes, even though I wanted to wait until I could see the results for myself before confirming it was, but I also didn’t want to walk around with words in front of my face while I searched for the perfect place to do this.
Venturing out of the locker rooms as the last to leave from the morning session, I glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby. There was a charging station on a table next to the door to the corridors. It was as good a place as any. I was either going to blow up the building, blow the grid, or else it would do what I wanted it to.
The odds weren’t that bad.
Focusing on the wall receptacle, I took a deep breath and readied my left hand to snap my fingers right next to it. A tingling sensation ran down my arm, right to my fingers, building in a strangely euphoric way as it reached the tips. Finally, I snapped them together and the force of the power that exited was enough to make me back up a few steps. The lights above me flickered, and a brief scent of smoke reached my nostrils, but the light remained on, and I’m pretty sure only one of the charging points got fried.
I felt a little drained by the end of it, and somewhat sad. It’d be much nicer to use the power instead of wasting it. Doing things this way meant I wasted it. I threw away something uniquely mine. I had to figure out better ways to utilize it on a frequent basis that didn’t end up discarding unused charge. At least my school was still standing. As always, a bonus.
Tugging my backpack up over my shoulder, I pushed open the door to head into the hall, only to run into Orion who was opening it from the other side.
He frowned at me, and tugged my hand pulling me back into the locker room. His gaze pierced like arrows and I felt my stomach flip flop with a tinge of fear. Even his voice wasn’t as warm as usual when he spoke.
“We need to talk.”
“Ry, what’s up?” I tried to sound concerned for him, and not for myself. I wondered if he could feel my hands shaking. Then I wondered why they were shaking. Power thrummed beneath my skin, even though I’d just expended some.
He glanced around the locker room foyer. The carpet underneath our shoes was coarse, hardy. The green was a bit faded now, but I imagined it was chosen to imitate healthy grass when it was new. The walls were tiled, just like the floors in the locker rooms once you set foot in them. Pretty standard for as much as I’ve seen.
“Ry, what is it?”
“What’s with me?” He raised an eyebrow, finally meeting my eyes. I wanted to look away but couldn’t. He’d always had that effect on me. “I’m not the one getting Lichtenberg scars and saying, ‘hey all I’m fine.’ What’s up with you? You’ve been really off since Sunday.”
There were a few ways I could react, and Second Chance wasn’t letting me off the hook if it’s silence was anything to go by. Realistically it should flag him if I could tell him, right? Since it didn’t, then I had to keep my secret from Ry. I had to admit to being relieved that he didn’t die and not tell me about it. Like the secret I was keeping from him. I also hated it.
So I chose to react with indignation—which the strength coursing through me reinforced. I’d have to watch that. “Seriously? I got electrocuted, got a pretty scar to go with it that I’ll never get rid of, and you’re telling me I’m being odd? Tell me, dear Ry, how the fuck would you react if you got electrocuted, scarred for life, and told you were okay?”
There was silence between us, and I hated it even more than I hated that I couldn’t tell him. I’d told him everything since I could remember. Best friends forever, blood oaths, mud baths, diving into waterfalls. Our friendship spanned decades even though we barely did ourselves.
Maybe Second Chance was a social experiment to see how we react to having our friendships ripped apart through secrets.
“I’d expect you to talk to me about it. I’d expect you to want to talk to me at least. Even if you can’t.” His tone was somber now, not irritated or frustrated like he’d been moments earlier. More like he was resigned to this outcome.
Even if I couldn’t tell him? Did he know? Oh, how I wanted him to know, but at the same time then I’d be angry at him for not telling me beforehand. Besides, I knew it was just wishful thinking. The two of us ending up in the program was just too much of a coincidence, and I already thought there were too many. “You didn’t talk to me about it when you almost drowned at the start of college. You, more than anyone else, should understand that I can’t talk about it right now.”
There. I was right, wasn’t I? I wasn’t allowed to talk about it, and if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t want to talk about the sensations that ran through my body the day I had my accident. It felt so far away now, so long ago. Now I was different. Faster. Better. Stronger.
But Orion looked like he’d been slapped. As if throwing that scary experience in his face had made him realize people dealt with things differently. Then his expression switched to apologetic. “I’m sorry, I just thought you were shutting me out. I guess I didn’t think.”
I didn’t realize my inability to multitask conversations in and outside of my head w
as going to bite me in the ass like this.
“I wouldn’t do that. I’ve been getting kind of lost in my head, having my own existential crisis I guess. I don’t mean to though.” I looked at my phone, already used to being without my step counter, my fried à la electrical wiring mode step counter. “I don’t want to cut this short, but if I don’t get going soon, I’m going to be late, and I quite literally can’t afford that.”
He chuckled and brushed a hand through his hair. It was a nervous tick he rarely showed, when he felt vulnerable and sappy. I pretended not to notice. That’d just make it worse.
“Let’s get you there on time, then.”
The rest of the week passed fairly uneventfully. It was difficult to quantify just how disappointed I felt. My fingers itched, sparks threatened to jump out of my skin. I spent so much time funneling it into my body that I walked around eternally buzzed.
I almost forgot that I was on borrowed time. Though I guess I could say it wasn’t so much borrowed as blackmailed. I was ready for the best Friday night in forever with a few of our friends coming over to play a round or two of Carded Assholes. Best game ever. If you didn’t know your friends beforehand, you might look at them in a completely different light afterward.
Except my excitement stalled when the newest system message tried to blind me.
Emergency Assignment
Location: Digsby’s Diner. Two blocks due east of your location.
Objective: You must go into the diner and order one Pineapple Wake Me Up Burger. This code burger will trigger a delivery with it.
Target: You must obtain this delivery bag and shove it in your mailbox.
Time Limit: In the next three hours.
Reward: Progression experience. Monetary compensation. Speed of completion increases each exponentially.
It was four p.m. I had just over an hour before people started to arrive. They usually floated on in anywhere between five and six. We spent an age in the kitchen making all sorts of crap from whatever food people brought with them. Then we cleared the floor, threw pillows and bean bags on it, and lounged around playing cards, charades, and if it had been organized, Dungeons and Dragons.