by Aaron Slade
Shannon predicted that Casper would be special, and now I knew why. He could fly. The ability was thought to be impossible, and Casper was the first to be able to do it. I thought I should tell him about Shannon’s prediction, but that also meant telling him about my possible death, which didn’t seem like a good idea. I was keeping too many secrets from him.
His ability was different from most I’d seen. Since Dad worked for the Military, I’d witnessed several soldiers and officers with amazing, and even unbelievable, extra-human traits, but nothing like Casper’s ability. The more I thought about it, the less sense it made to me. His ability shielded him from Randy’s attack, and then allowed him to fly. He was a gem like me, or maybe rarer than me.
“Are you still here, Evee?” said a deep, gentle voice.
I looked behind me. Principal Vance stood there dressed in his usual suspenders and tie. He must have teleported there without me noticing. “Yes, sir. My dad is running a little late.”
He checked his wristwatch. “School let out hours ago. Do you need a ride?”
I shook my head. “Dad will be here soon, so I should stay here. His job can keep him busy.” I hoped that I was right, and that I wouldn’t be waiting here all night.
Principal Vance sat next to me on the stone bench, laying his brief case on the ground next to his legs.
“I couldn’t give you a ride anyway,” he said, laughing. “Casper’s the only one in the family with a car. Amanda and I have no use for one.” His eyes lingered on me for a few seconds accompanied by a charming smile that reminded me of Casper’s.
I grinned, but I was more focused on why Dad was late. He could see that waiting here for the past few hours had made me slightly upset.
“You know the work your father does for the Military is important, right? We should all praise those who dedicate their lives to the Military.”
“I know…” I didn’t have the heart to tell him, or anyone else for that matter, how wrong he was about my dad.
“Did you know that I was raised on the Military Base outside of Fallon?” Principal Vance asked.
I shook my head. The information was a surprise. Casper never mentioned that before, but I remembered that Principal Vance had been an orphan.
“Times were different then,” he said. “Several people from my generation were orphans, raised on Military Bases. Some parents back then didn’t feel like they could raise children in such a violent society. The Military has done a fantastic job rebuilding towns like Fallon, allowing people to live more normal lives. Jesse and I were told our birth mother had to give us up probably because she was a nomad. So I lived on the base like you.”
My own father had never tried to relate to me like this, and I understood more how Casper turned out to be so kind with parents like this.
“Was the base boring back then, too?” I asked.
He laughed. “Probably more so. Fallon wasn’t as big back then either.”
I found myself laughing too. “So how did you know I was out here?”
He sighed, cupping his hands together like he might be nervous. “The same way I know Casper is lying to me about what happened with Randy in the cafeteria. There are cameras all over the school.” He pointed to some of the cameras positioned outside the school’s doors, several of which I was sure could see me.
“You don’t mind that Casper lied to you?” I felt bad for confirming what Casper had done, but Principal Vance already knew the truth.
“I know how Casper is,” he said. “He thinks if he sticks up for Randy that his bully-problems will be over. Randy didn’t hurt Casper, but he could have so easily. Casper wanted me to believe him, so I acted like I did. I still can’t explain it. I watched fire engulf him, but Randy must not have wanted to hurt him… just scare him. It’s a miracle Casper didn’t get hurt… or killed.” He shuddered as if he thought of the worst-case scenario, and scratched his head with his fingertips in frustration. He loved his son more than anything. “Randy is a classic example of someone who lets power go to their head.”
I tried hard to act natural, but I knew the truth as to why Casper wasn’t hurt. A part of me wanted to say something reassuring, but I agreed with him. Casper would have to tell his parents everything soon enough.
It became clear that Principal Vance had no intentions of leaving until I did. It wasn’t because I dated his son, but because I was one of his students. He really was a good man who cared so much for his students.
To pass the time, he told me how he met Amanda his senior year in Fallon. Amanda’s parents loved him, and he eventually became part of their family. His ability allowed him to teleport back and forth from the Boston University on the East coast, so he could see her whenever he pleased. I enjoyed talking to him just as much as I enjoyed talking to Amanda. They had a way of treating me like a young adult instead of a fragile infant or a naïve teenager. It was liberating, being treated with respect and trust. Whatever I felt for Casper transposed into strong sentiments for his family as well.
After twenty minutes, a Military Jeep rushed down the street, the engine roaring louder as it sped around a curve. I saw Dad in the driver’s seat when it got closer. The jeep screeched to a halt in front of the bench.
“Sorry I’m late,” Dad grunted, sounding out of breath. “We have to go!” He noticed Principal Vance next to me, and waved to avoid being rude. “Hello, James.”
“Hello,” Principal Vance replied. “Any time you’re going to be late, Evee is always welcome at my house.”
“A lot happened at work today,” Dad stated. His Military uniform was damp with sweat around his neck. “Thank you for waiting with her. Makes me feel better knowing she’s safe.”
I thanked Principal Vance for waiting on me as I got in the Jeep, feeling Dad’s impatient gaze on my back. Dad said goodbye, and sped off as soon as I closed the door. He didn’t bother to offer me an explanation, but immediately began talking on his radio.
“I’ll be back at the base in fifteen minutes,” he said into the speaker. “I want F. I. to have a full report ready for me when I arrive.”
His voice sounded urgent. I knew F. I. stood for Future Intelligence. The seers in the Military must have seen something that’s going to happen– something big.
“What’s going on, Dad?”
“Classified,” he said bluntly.
I bit my tongue, not wanting to fight, and took a long breath, wishing I was anywhere else but next to him. He seemed to notice my reaction.
“I’m really close to solving something, Evee,” he said. “You and I are close to having a normal life.”
I worried that this had something to do with Zana trying to recruit Adam. Maybe Zana and Dad had found more people to recruit. Whatever they were doing, it couldn’t be good. How many lives would they ruin? I felt myself sinking into the familiar depression that occurred when I thought about Dad and Zana. I remembered the newspaper headlines after Seattle was destroyed: Megadeath: Millions Dead. I felt sick, and I knew I didn’t feel like facing Casper tonight– I couldn’t.
Casper:
Mom and Dad still weren’t home, which was the way that Uncle Jesse preferred it. Even then, he shut my door as if he was about to tell me something private. He seemed haunted by something as he staggered over words. He finally made a coherent statement.
“You can’t let your parents know what I’m about to tell you,” Uncle Jesse said.
I knew this was serious. There weren’t many secrets Uncle Jesse kept from Dad– I always thought their brotherly bond paralleled Adam’s and mine. Uncle Jesse’s aura was gone, and I wondered if he was afraid or upset.
“I understand,” I said.
Uncle Jesse waited for Adam to nod in agreement before he continued. “This land isn’t what you think it is,” he said.
I looked at Adam, who didn’t know how to interpret this either. “What do you mean?”
He still looked hesitant and sweat appeared in little droplets on his forehead.
“I’m– not– your– uncle,” he said. The words were slow and painful for him to say.
A supreme silence followed his confession, adding to the initial shock. “I– I don’t understand… You’re my dad’s brother.”
Adam’s face went blank.
“No,” Uncle Jesse said. “I’m not.” He looked sorry for what he was about to tell me. “I convinced your mom and dad that I’m your dad’s brother a long time ago. My ability is more powerful than I’ve led you to believe. I’ve put false memories in your dad’s head, convincing him of a lie.”
My breathing changed, and I wondered how much I really knew about the man in front of me. Was I safe around him? Could I trust him?
“Then who are you?” I asked.
“I’m on the run from some really bad people,” he exclaimed. Fear flooded his eyes. “I knew your father in college, and this is where I came to hide out.”
However crazy it seemed, it did explain why he never left the house. His reclusive tendencies went on for all my life, so I never questioned it completely.
“This land, the Territories, are smaller than you think,” Uncle Jesse said. “I’ve known for some time about the Zana-woman who’s after Adam, and I have information about you being able to fly!”
Adam and I looked at each other. Adam looked furious, and I was sure I looked confused. How much did he know? How much could he know? I just discovered I could fly today.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Adam yelled. “I’ve been afraid to leave my house for weeks. I’ve been terrified of being alone, thinking that Zana might take me at any moment. Why is she doing this?” Adam kicked my desk hard, splintering the wood.
Uncle Jesse allowed Adam to be upset before he answered. “I don’t know everything. I don’t know who she works for, but she hunts people with powerful abilities that she can use. She found Adam just like she found me twenty years ago.” He looked at me. “If she finds out you can fly, she won’t try to collect you like Adam… she’ll kill you.”
Words failed me. “K-kill me? What does she want?”
“She wanted my ability,” he said. “I’m potentially one of the most powerful mind-readers in the land. There are others like me, but I’m valuable because of what I can do. I’m going to show you a memory that will explain things better.”
“You can do that?” I asked. He had never shown me a memory before.
“There’s a lot I haven’t told you,” he said, “but hopefully this will explain better. Both of you need to relax. This is what will happen, Adam, if you go with Zana.”
Adam seemed more scared than I had ever seen him. Usually, he bottled up his emotions, refusing to let most people see him sad or afraid. He relaxed and closed his eyes; I followed his lead. There was a numb sensation in my head, and suddenly the blurred images replaced the darkness. I didn’t feel like myself… I felt like Uncle Jesse.
Jesse:
My hands and legs were both tied to a cold, metal chair with itchy, dusty ropes. I had no bearings of where I was or how I got here. The only light in the room was a single bulb hanging from the ceiling that gave just enough luminosity to see a few feet in every direction. Small, dark puddles of water speckled along the cement floor. The room was so large I couldn’t see the walls through the darkness. I heard footsteps, but I couldn’t see anything. The silence was eerie. The usual constant, low hum and buzz of everyone’s thoughts was gone, which could only mean I was in a secluded place.
“Who’s there?” I yelled. “Let me go!” I tried to pull my wrists through my bindings, but the ropes were too tight.
A woman stepped into the light, carrying a brief case. Her hair was dark, but her eyes were darker, making the whites of her eyes pop. She wore a suit of black leather with her slick hair tied straight back. Her face was colder than the air in the room, and she moved with precise, deliberate steps. Her neck snapped like a whip in my direction.
“Who are you?” I demanded
One corner of her mouth curved into a slight grin. “Answer yes, or answer no.” She sounded calm as if she was giving a standard procedure. She pulled out a bundle of papers, dashing her eyes back and forth between it and me. “Is your name Kevin Cole?”
“Who wants to know?” I tried to read her mind, but I was powerless for some reason. Something shielded her thoughts from me, and it scared the fire out of me.
“My name is Zana, and I represent an elite group of talented individuals. You’ve been chosen to join this group. I’ll ask again. Is your name Kevin Cole?”
“… Yes.”
“Answer yes, or answer no.” she said in the same monotone voice. “Will you use your extra-human trait to help me?”
Did the question really matter? She had me tied to a chair. “What if I don’t want to?”
“You don’t have a choice,” she said, followed by high-pitched cackling. “The question is just for formalities. I work for a very powerful man. He doesn’t take no for an answer. I, myself, happen to be a very, very powerful woman. I have ways of making you do what I want. The group I represent has a very specific function. We hunt a certain type of extra-human. The ability that we look for poses a great threat to us. If we find a person with this ability, we kill them.”
I wasn’t capable of murder, and my body began to sweat at the thought of being forced to help her. “I won’t help you.” My voice squeaked.
“Yes. You will.” She bent down in front of me, dropping her head so that she was eye level with me. The black in the middle of her eyes consumed the white, and I felt her inside my head.
Casper:
My room came back into focus and I could see Uncle Jesse. I had watched the memory as if I had been him, through his eyes. His eyes looked heavy, as if the memory caused him great sadness.
“I’ve never shown that to anyone,” he said. “They took me. Zana is a very skilled hypnotist, making anyone do as she pleases. Her black eyes are the last thing I remember from that night. She trapped me behind darkness for such a long time. When I finally woke up, I discovered that I’d been with Zana for over a year. A year in her control.” Uncle Jesse’s hands shook violently.
“This is why you never leave the house?” I asked.
He gave a curt nod. “I changed my name, and I’ve never stepped foot outside this house. I’ve made sure that your parents never feel tempted to talk about me in conversations.”
It was strange hearing him by a different name, which I had already forgotten. I couldn’t look at him and not see Uncle Jesse.
“How did you escape?” I asked.
“I didn’t,” he continued. “I was rescued. There was a woman who fought Zana and her team, saving me in the process. After I was liberated, Zana set out to get me back. I became public enemy number one. All over the East coast, I found wanted posters put up everywhere with my picture. The posters said that I was a dangerous man, and that if I was seen, someone should inform the Military.”
“Zana and her team must really work above the Military,” Adam said. “If they can fool the Military, they can fool anyone.” Adam started biting his nails– something he’d quit doing in junior high.
“What happened next?” I asked. So much of this was hard for me to accept, but I knew he wasn’t lying.
“The woman who rescued me was a precog– a seer. She told me there was only one future where I would be safe. She told me to look for a college friend that I had in Fallon of the Nevada Territory. I knew who she was talking about immediately because your dad is the only person I knew from Fallon.”
“Why would she make you come here?” I asked.
“She told me that I would be safe in Fallon if I never left this house, and so far I haven’t.”
“You messed with Mom and Dad’s brains so they would think you’re related?” I asked. It was messed up, but I wondered if he’d actually hurt anything. I wondered if he’d been controlling me this whole time, or if he’d tampered with my memories.
“I haven’t h
urt them,” he promised, reading my thoughts. “Your dad and I were friends like you and Adam. I knew James would help me. My real name is Kevin Cole.” He exhaled a deep breath. “I haven’t said that name in nearly twenty years.” He laughed as if some kind of weight had been lifted from him. A faint silver aura returned to him. “Casper, I want you to know that even though I’m not your uncle, I always cared for you as my nephew.”
His silver aura became brighter and I knew he was telling the truth. “I can see that you care for me. I don’t have any doubts about that. But why are you telling me now? Wouldn’t it have been better to go on pretending things are fine?”
He shook his head with certainty. “The time for pretending is over, I fear. I had to tell you now because of your ability. You should know that you’re not the first flyer.”
Now I was really confused. I’d never met anyone that could fly, and even Evee said that her father had no knowledge of someone having the ability. I felt Uncle Jesse in my head as he started to explain more.
“The lady who rescued me smuggled me into Fallon. She said that she was going further West to stay in hiding. She was finding people that could fly, and protecting them from Zana.”
Something clicked in my head, remembering what Zana had said in the memory he’d shown me. A deep fear set in the base of my spine. “Zana hunts people who can fly?”
He didn’t say anything, but his eyes confirmed everything, releasing the chilling fear all over my body. The dim hue on my skin flickered. The terror of being killed consumed me, extinguishing my own aura and Uncle Jesse’s.
“Why would they do that?”
“It’s not something that’s publicly known,” he said. “Flying is a rare ability anyway, but when a baby or child is seen to have signs of being able to do it, my rescuer told me that they are killed immediately.” He looked like he was having a hard time continuing. “Zana’s mission is to exterminate the ability, so that people will think it doesn’t exist.”