by Aaron Slade
I quit reading, unsure if I should continue. This was more personal than anything I had read thus far.
“Keep going,” Casper said. His tone was flat, but he wanted me to continue.
Hesitantly, I started to read his words again. “The truth is things are never going to be different. I’m always going to be treated like a second class citizen. All I want is to be accepted, but the best I can hope for is to simply be tolerated.” The journal entry ended.
Casper inspected the uneasy look on my face. “I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable,” he said. “You should know what you’re getting into if you’re going to be involved with me.”
“I’m not uncomfortable,” I said. “I just don’t understand how everyone can treat you like this.”
“I’m different,” he said. His lips thinned into the unattractive scowl that I hated. “And different is bad.” He wouldn’t look at me.
“No,” I said. “You’re just like everyone else, Casper. For some reason they can’t see it.”
“I wish that were true,” he said. “I wish I were like everyone else, but I’m not.” He looked out the window, the sun already setting. “When I was little, I would fall asleep dreaming of what it would be like to have an extra-human trait. No more getting picked on at school, no more Randy burning me, no more… fear. It’s like there’s this whole life that I’m missing out on because I’m not a part of it.” The emotion in his eyes was unmistakable.
“You shouldn’t waste a wish on something as meaningless as an extra-human trait,” I said. “If Randy were really happy, he wouldn’t feel the need to bully you. Abilities don’t make people happy, Casper. Look at Seth.”
“Then I’d wish I was no longer robbed of my dignity every day. People in high school don’t let you forget about accidents like… that.” He pointed at the journal and then stared at the floor. “If you had one wish, what would it be?” He looked up at me.
I swallowed hard, preparing to be as honest with him as he’d been with me. “I’d– wish– for– a– family.” My words came slow.
Casper looked confused. “What about your dad?”
“You mean the Colonel,” I corrected. “He’s too busy with his job to be a family. It’s true he provides for me and keeps me safe. In his own way I believe he does care, but I know the truth.” I swallowed the emotion in my voice.
“What’s the truth?” Casper asked.
I closed the journal. “He never wanted me, but now he’s stuck with me. He wasn’t prepared to raise me alone when my mom died. He does the best he can, but he has no idea what it means to be a father, and even when I try to talk to him, he’s more of a Colonel than a dad.” I felt lighter, as if a huge secret was off my shoulders. “If my mom were still alive, maybe things would have been different between my dad and me. But if I had one wish, I would want a family. People who wait for me to get home from school to ask me about my day, parents who would put good grades on the fridge door, and a father who doesn’t work through the night and can comfort me when I’m scared.”
I looked down so Casper wouldn’t see the sadness on my face, but he forced me to look into his eyes. “You shouldn’t waste a wish,” he said. The charming grin instantly calmed me. “Friends make the best family, and you’ve got a lot of friends here.”
For a few seconds, Casper was all I could see. He was so kind and gentle, and I just wanted to wrap myself in his warmth. As upset as I had been when Shannon had told me my future, that’s how happy I was in this instant. No matter how little time I had left, I knew spending it with him was all I wanted.
Casper and I both jerked as his father materialized in the room. I put the journal back on Casper’s desk.
“Don’t you knock?” Casper growled, giving his father an urgent look.
“I just wanted to tell Evee that I invited her father to dinner,” he said. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course,” I said. I was surprised that Dad had accepted the invitation.
Principal Vance left the room with a large grin. I felt that my own smile was gone.
“Are you ok?” Casper asked.
“Yeah,” I answered. “I just wasn’t expecting my dad to come.”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?” he asked, looking concerned.
“I hope I haven’t given you the wrong idea,” I said. “My dad’s not a bad person… he’s just not a father.”
Casper gave a sympathetic nod. “I understand. Nobody’s perfect, and I can tell you from observing my parents, that it’s a tough job being a parent.” With confidence, he put his arm around me. “Let’s eat.”
As we left his room, a feeling of guilt passed over me. I realized that I had just lied to Casper for the first time, but I didn’t know how I could ever tell him the truth about my dad.
Casper:
The smell of spaghetti and garlic bread filled the kitchen– one of Mom’s specialties. The delicious aroma calmed me. Evee had a way of making me on edge, but in a good way. I was adjusting to the erratic heart beat and irregular breathing when she was around. After letting her read some of my journals, I felt closer to her and it was easier to be around her with all my personal thoughts out in the air. Not that her reading my journal wasn’t horribly embarrassing, but I wanted her to know everything– even if it might scare her away.
Colonel Ford already sat at the dinner table when Evee and I entered the kitchen. The sun set in the large window behind him, shining its last orange rays into the kitchen. Colonel Ford dressed more casually than I had ever seen him– a blue button-down with a yellow tie. It was a little odd seeing him out of the traditional Military uniform. Evee’s energy changed the second she saw him, but she smiled, or maybe forced a smile, and sat next to him at the table.
“Hey, Dad,” Evee said.
I took my seat next to Evee, across from Dad. Mom placed the dish of spaghetti in the middle of the table and sat between Dad and Evee. Colonel Ford and Dad had the end of the table to themselves.
Everyone at the table was silent for a few moments until Colonel Ford spoke. “So Evee hasn’t told me anything, but I’m guessing she and Casper are more than just friends?”
“DAD!” Evee snapped. Her eyes opened as wide as they could as she glared at him. Even when she was angry, she was adorable.
“I think so, Colonel,” Mom said. “Of course it was obvious that Casper liked her the day he met her.”
“MOM,” I growled.
Mom grinned before looking down, placing a serving of spaghetti on her plate.
“I guess we’ll be letting them tell us in their own time,” Colonel Ford said.
Uncle Jesse took his seat at the table. He shook hands with Colonel Ford before he got comfortable. Uncle Jesse was always unsettled around strangers, which explained his quiet mood. He didn’t adjust to Colonel Ford the way he had to Evee.
Dad and Colonel Ford talked for most of the dinner. I thought they were hitting it off well. I listened mostly to Evee and my mom talk across the table. Mom had eaten her whole plate in the first ten seconds of the meal. Though she usually ate at a normal pace, she knew if she ate quickly it would afford her more time to talk with Evee.
“So Casper?” Colonel Ford began.
I focused my attention on him. “Yes, sir.”
“James tells me that you share his passion for history.”
“Well, more my dad than me. I have a thirst for all knowledge,” I said. “But history is my favorite subject in school.”
“Any thoughts about what you want to do after high school?” he asked.
I tried not to cringe at the question. “I would like to go to one of the universities like Dad did, but it doesn’t look like that’s a possibility.”
“James told me that you’re extremely bright,” Colonel Ford said. “What’s the problem?”
“The university recruiters have made it obvious they don’t want a human attending their campuses,” I informed him. “It’s probably for the best.” I tried t
o convince myself more than him. “The cities are dangerous, and I would be defenseless if I ever got into any trouble.”
He saw my dilemma. “The cities are more dangerous than Fallon for sure. I admit that I’m relieved to have my daughter here. I don’t have to worry as much about her. Just a few weeks before we left San Diego, there was a huge fight that resulted in a lot of deaths.”
I noticed the expression on Evee’s face turn sad, but it passed quickly when she resumed her conversation with Mom. Uncle Jesse caught my gaze with his cautious eyes.
“That’s horrible,” I said. I remembered Dad commenting on it and showing me the article in the Weekly Telepath.
“It was incredibly sad,” Colonel Ford continued. He changed the subject back to my future. “But you could always go into the Military,” he suggested.
Evee and my mom stopped talking. Mom hated this idea whenever I tried to bring it up.
“Would they take a human?” I asked.
“I don’t know why not.” he said. “You’re the same as the rest of us, Casper.”
I didn’t know how to tell him that he was wrong. “I don’t think that’s entirely true,” I confessed.
“Casper, I’m just as human as you,” he said sincerely. “People in this town have seemed to isolate you with the word. They may have extra-human abilities, but they don’t understand how human they are.”
“The word human is an insult,” I told him.
He disagreed, shaking his head. “Allow me to demonstrate my historical knowledge.” “The Blight was a war between two types of humans: Homo sapiens and Homoevalescos. But it’s important to note that people with extra-human traits didn’t adopt the name evalesco until the war had ended. I’m sure you can tell me what evalesco means?” He took an opportunity to take a bit of garlic bread.
“Evalesco means prevailing,” I said. It was common knowledge for any first grader.
“Exactly,” Colonel Ford said. “History belongs to the victor! People with extra-human traits prevailed, and Homo sapiens died out… well until you that is.” He chuckled.
For some reason, I laughed too. It’s not that I found it funny, but it was funny that someone had to adjust to having a human around him and how that altered conversation.
“You see, it’s just labels that have separated you from the rest of us,” he said. “You give the word human too much power.” He slurped a forkful of noodles in his mouth.
“Thanks, Colonel Ford,” I said. “Most people are afraid to be this honest with me.”
“Casper, I’m not in uniform,” he laughed. “Call me Gerald… or Frost.”
I watched him raise his glass and take a drink. Condensation and frost appeared on the outer surface of the glass.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the rest of the dinner. It was too difficult to talk to Evee while having to compete with Mom. The two of them talked the entire time. Uncle Jesse and I were content just listening to the conversations.
“It’s a school night, Evee,” Colonel Ford said. “We should get back to the house.”
“Casper was going to let me borrow some movies,” she said. “The chips are still in his room.”
For a moment I was confused, but Evee urged me to play along, giving me a nonchalant look. “Come with me and I’ll get them for you,” I played along.
When we got back to my room, I was curious what Evee was thinking.
“I just wanted to say goodbye to you in private,” she said. “Thank you so much for inviting me. It’s been an amazing day.” She took my hand in hers again.
The two of us fell into a brief hug, and then she pulled away.
Just as she began to smile, the mystical light that so wonderfully matched her eyes filled my room. She laughed and I knew she still had no intention of telling me what the light was tonight. The cyan aura added to her beauty. It didn’t make sense that someone so beautiful wanted to be with me, but I was done questioning it. I was going to make Evee mine.
“I have to go,” she said. As she said the words the blue light in my room disappeared.
She looked sad to be leaving as she walked away. I knew now that she didn’t feel completely comfortable with her dad, but he had been a pleasant dinner guest. I imagined Evee would rather spend her time here, and a part of me wished that she could, but we were still young and had to follow our parents’ rules.
Evee:
“What do you think?” I asked Dad as we drove away from the Vances’ house.
He kept his attention on his driving. “They’re nice people.” He actually sounded pleasant.
“But…?” There was always a but with him.
“No buts,” he said.
Whatever subtle messages his face would usually be giving me were hidden by the night. His tone was calm, which was enough for me. We drove down Main Street past the burger place and Young’s Photography. The city’s streetlights allowed me to see Dad’s face.
“Good. I’m going to continue to see Casper.”
He nodded. “Just as long as you realize it’s temporary.”
This was the devastating remark I had been waiting for him to say. “Why is it temporary?” He couldn’t be happy for me. He had to ruin everything.
“Casper is nice, but he could never… protect you. The land is too dangerous for you to be with him. You have to be with a man who can defend himself and you.”
If I hadn’t already been told my future, I would have let him get under my skin.
I cleared my throat. “We’ll see.”
AMANDA
Evee:
I hate him! I hate him! The words repeated in my head the entire ride into Fallon. My fingers squeezed around the steering wheel, my nails digging into the leather. It was a fifteen-minute ride through the desert that usually felt like half an hour. I was close to Fallon and still angry with Dad. I didn’t want Casper or his mom to see me with teary eyes or make-up running down my face.
Amanda had invited me and Sara to spend the Saturday at the museum where she worked. I was happy about the invite, but getting to Fallon was a problem. Dad never gave me his permission to drive the car, which I was fully licensed to drive.
He never wanted me to leave the house. He knew how people could turn dangerous and sadistic in the blink of an eye. All it took was one person with a class one extra-human trait to destroy a city block. Dad was as strict with me as he was with his soldiers. The way he worried about my safety was one of the few ways I knew he cared. When I asked to borrow the car, he said no without hesitating. He encouraged me to use my ability to meet Amanda, but I wasn’t ready to explain it yet. Not to mention I would be useless to Amanda if I used my ability.
I stole the car when Dad wasn’t looking after she knocked at the door. If he could break promises, I could steal the car.
My dad’s old co-worker, Zana, arrived in Fallon this morning. I’d answered the door and slammed it just as soon as I noticed the snobby, dark haired witch dressed in her black uniform. Zana hated me, and I was content to hate her equally back. Dad promised I would never see her again after we left San Diego. We’d been in Fallon almost a month, and he had already broken a promise.
I had to wonder what other promises he would break. Would he make us move again? Would I live long enough to move again? But the worst thing I could think of was being taken out of school. I would never get to be with Casper if that happened.
There was also the sickening fear I had of Zana. Every time she showed up at Dad’s side something horrible occurred. I remembered how the thousands and thousands of people in Seattle had died when Zana arrived in the city. The disastrous fight in San Diego coincided with a visit from her.
I wasn’t stupid! Zana was responsible for so much death. I wasn’t afraid of what she could do to me, but I feared how much Dad was involved with her. I’d had to face facts long ago that Dad wasn’t innocent, and now I had a new fear. I was afraid of what Casper or his family might think if they discovered the truth about Dad’s career.
The building was low, but stretched back further than I could see. The green sign in front read Fallon Museum: History Before the Blight. I parked the car in the space next to the front door. I stepped out and immediately felt better. A long stretch of Main Street isolated the museum from other buildings. I walked by one window display that featured old movie posters and projector machines. I admired a beautiful, slender woman on the poster for a movie called Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The CLOSED sign hung in the door’s window, but the door was unlocked. This was the first time I’d driven off on my own. If I combined that with making sure I impressed Amanda, it explained why I started to sweat– not to mention the desert sun.
I entered the front door into a lobby area. The museum was eerily quiet except for a few pings and bumps that echoed through the rooms from an unknown location. Glass shelves covered the walls with small exhibits spaced out in precise locations. Little cards with attractive calligraphy explained the significance of each artifact. An island of glass cases in the middle of the room contained old jewelry and other opulent trinkets. Some of the rings looked centuries old. I imagined only an incredibly wealthy and classy person would have worn such things. The precious stones gleamed and glistened in the light. One red ring stood out above all the others. The description of the artifact claimed the stone was a ruby.