by Aaron Slade
Adam hit me on the shoulder, bringing me back to reality. A thunderous boom of sound rushed back into my ears like floodgates releasing a river.
“You were seen!” Adam growled. I could tell he was angry, frustrating my temper as well.
“Obviously!” I responded. Adam hitting me wasn’t going to help anything. “Keep your voice down before someone hears you.” I looked at the groups of students huddled together to see the picture and the article.
“Do you think people can trace it to me?” I asked him. He placed his arm around my shoulder and led me away from the crowd of students.
“No,” he replied. “But it’s not good if what your uncle said is true.”
I knew what he meant, because it was the same thing on my mind. The article would signal to Zana and Colonel Ford that someone in Fallon could fly. They would know to search Fallon for the flyer.
“I don’t think anyone will think it’s you,” Adam said. He stared at the crowds of people, every head focused on the front page of the paper.
“What makes you say that?” I asked, hoping he was right. I could tell the picture was of me. I followed Adam’s eyes to the gathering of students marveling over the picture.
“Because… everyone thinks you’re human.”
My aura partially returned as he said this. I knew he was right. They all think I’m human, I reminded myself. I laughed at the irony of the situation. Being human had been my curse a few weeks ago, but now it was going to keep me safe. My fear left as I realized that the crowds of people were all smiling and laughing.
“Why are they so happy?” I asked.
The article wasn’t just news to everyone; it was something more. Everyone smiled as they perpetuated the conversation about the article. At the stone bench, six students huddled around a single paper, reading the article for the first time. Each one beamed and made eye contact with the person next to them as they read the surprising words.
“I guess they find it interesting that there’s a picture of someone flying when they’ve been told their whole lives that no person could fly,” Adam responded. He led me further away from the crowd of students under the oasis.
Adam and I agreed that it was important for me to act as natural as possible. He knew as much as I did what was at stake and how much I had already screwed up just by being seen. I also had to be wary of my thoughts. There were a few mind-readers in school, and I would have to keep my thoughts in check all day. In order to keep the secret, I had to keep my thoughts private. I couldn’t afford to keep the secret from my parents any longer, so Adam agreed to meet at my house after school to tell them. I had no idea how they would react, but if I was in trouble, I had to tell them.
I walked down the halls, looking for Evee, who would more than likely meet me in first period. I entered the classroom as Mrs. White was closing the door. I took my seat behind Evee, who had a concerned look on her face. I placed a hand on her shoulder only to find that it was her phantom body when my hand phased through the image of her body. Something was wrong. I was getting better at reading her, but not solely because of my ability. We had spent enough time together that I could sense things about her. It wasn’t anything psychic, but a connection that could only be achieved after getting to know someone well enough. She had never come to school in her phantom body before. She opened her eyes wider as if it was unsafe to say what she wanted to in the classroom.
“My dad saw the picture,” she whispered. The color drained from her face. “He’s really upset.”
I tried not to worry. “What will he do?”
She shrugged her shoulders, but her face was horrorstruck.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered, trying to make her feel better. “Everyone thinks I’m human.”
She concentrated, and then revealed a small grin realizing the perfection of the situation. No one would suspect me.
Mrs. White started class. “Well, I guess everyone has seen the picture in today’s newspaper. What does everyone think? We’ve been told that this extra-human trait doesn’t exist, but now we have proof and interviews with four civilians that say they saw this person flying.”
“I want to know who it is,” Kelly said on the other side of the classroom. The class erupted with people talking all at once. Everyone agreed with her and the question of who was in the picture was on everyone’s tongue.
“Could it be a student?” Daniel Tweed asked.
“I would love to know myself,” Mrs. White said. “But what do you think is the historical significance?”
The class went silent. Evee was the first to raise her hand. “There will finally be someone on record for having a flying EHT.”
“Well that’s definitely part of it,” Mrs. White said. She held the photograph in front of her. “I think this picture will be a part of history forever.” The class seemed confused at her words. Her passion for history was clear as she continued. “So much of history is determined by what we label possible or impossible. Flying wasn’t thought to be possible, but years from now when most of you will have grandchildren, this picture will be used to show that nothing is impossible. We may never know who it is, but in one morning this picture has opened our minds a little bit more to the impossible.” She stared at the picture as if the image was new every time she looked at it.
The urge to confess to everyone that it was me in the picture grew strong, but was tamed when Evee turned around and gave me an all-knowing glance. “Look at all your adoring fans,” she whispered.
Every student had their own individual auras that I could only imagine were the results of their good moods from the paper. Kristy and Kelly both had a dim, neon pink aura, which was slightly irritating to the eyes, much like the twins themselves. Conner Jones’s aura was a deep, emerald color, standing out from the other green auras around him. Evee by far had the most unique colored light, matching her eyes exactly.
It was the same thing in every class. Teachers postponed their lessons to talk about the person in the photograph. People tended to think it was a boy in the picture, but others felt certain that it could be a girl, which didn’t particularly thrill me. The hood to my jacket had done well in keeping my identify safe. A few teachers even cut the picture out of the paper and put it up in their classrooms.
I remembered that I wasn’t the first person to fly, according to Uncle Jesse anyway. I was just the first to be seen doing it, which was unfortunate considering it put me in mortal danger. All the excitement and glee caused me to forget the danger of the situation. Zana and Colonel Ford might be searching for the person in the picture– to kill them– to kill me. I also nearly forgot about my night with Evee and what she had confessed to me. Something occurred to me.
Is she going to die because of me? I wondered. If there were people looking for someone who could fly, and they found me with her– she could be in danger. My whole family could be in danger.
I was safe as long as nobody discovered that it was me in the picture, or at least that was what I kept telling myself. I tried to convince myself everything was fine, but the insecure feelings rushed back into my head all morning. Could I fight the future? I wanted to live, and I wanted Evee to live. It felt like an ice cube fell into my stomach every time I watched Evee’s aura fade to nonexistence. The thought of me being caught frightened both of us, and I regretted not listening to Uncle Jesse. I enjoyed my unaccredited fame, but I knew it wasn’t worth risking the safety of those I cared about.
Evee and I were walking through the halls when I spotted a group of girls taping the picture inside their locker doors. I tried my best to look like I wasn’t paying attention, but they weren’t concerned with me at all. Taylor Jackson placed a hand over her heart in a dramatic fashion as if to contain its erratic beating.
“I bet he’s so handsome,” she said. She was convinced it was a boy in the picture. “If only I knew who he was.” She leaned in to the picture as if she was about to kiss it, but Evee and I rounded the corner to another hall be
fore I could see for sure.
“If only they knew,” Evee laughed. “You just remember, Casper Vance, I always thought you were handsome.”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, but failed when it phased through her phantom body. “I know,” I said. “Are you worried that I’ll fall for one of these other girls?”
“I would never let that happen,” she teased. Her eyebrows rose higher as she grinned, but she was completely serious. “I have every intention of keeping you all to myself.” We entered our fourth period classroom.
Evee could never be replaced. She saw something in me when every other girl only saw that I was human, but it was nice to see a tiny bit of jealousy in her. As we walked through the crowded doorway, Evee’s left arm phased through the wall. A few people in the room noticed, wondering why Evee was in her phantom body.
Adam waited in the classroom in his usual desk located against the back wall. We took our seats next to him as he looked around to make sure no one would hear what he was about to say.
“Are you enjoying this?” he asked. His jaw tensed up, and I could feel his disappointment.
“I think everyone is,” I said. “None of the teachers are having class today.” This alone was enough to put everyone in a jolly mood.
Randy Alcott held his copy of the paper and moved his desk next to Adam. Adam shot a concerned look at Evee and me, as if waiting for Randy to attack. I’d failed to warn him about the new Randy when he was absent yesterday. He didn’t question Randy’s new mood, but cast a suspicious glance at Randy and then me.
“What do you guys think about all of this?” Randy asked. He didn’t look any of us in the eyes. His gaze locked on the paper, but when no one answered him, he lowered it, surprised to find us all speechless.
“I– I think it’s great,” Evee said. “I wish I could fly.” She laughed to herself, but only she and I understood the context.
“I thought I had the coolest ability, but this guy has me beat for sure,” Randy said.
“You think it’s a boy?” Adam asked, snickering. “I hear a lot of people think it’s a girl. See the small, girly frame.”
I shot him a miffed stare. I’d be hitting the gym hard after this.
“I know the picture is blurry, but he’s too muscular to be a girl,” Randy replied. “I don’t think the body type would be so square if it was a girl.”
Randy’s comment that the person in the paper was muscular caught me off guard, and gave me an ego boost. It was only last week when he was calling me a weakling and a pipsqueak.
Evee prattled on about how it could still be a girl in the picture. She had fun teasing me by describing my lanky build for Randy. I knew she was only saying it to keep the debate going, and to cause doubt that it was for sure a boy in the picture. Despite Evee’s efforts the figure in the picture earned the nickname of “the boy who could fly” around the school.
The debate of the person’s gender continued into our lunch hour, as did the question of who it was in the picture. No one could understand why the person in the picture insisted on keeping their identity a secret, but I preferred not to think about those reasons. Sara had a multitude of theories and thoughts about the picture, but I was pleased when she claimed it was undoubtedly a boy. Randy sat next to Sara on the opposite end of the table from me, and both of them talked continuously about the article.
“Do you think it’s a student?” Seth asked everyone at the table. He turned his eyes to me. I tried not to look paranoid, but it was as if he had just accused me. I shrugged my shoulders.
Sara was the first to speak. “I don’t think it is. Everyone’s ability in this school is accounted for. Evee is the only new student we’ve had in years, and we know it’s not her, right?” She looked at Evee for confirmation.
“Believe me,” Evee began, “I would never forget an experience like flying.” All day she avoided lying with ambiguous, witty remarks.
“I think it’s a student,” Seth said. He spoke with strong conviction. “It looks like he’s wearing a school jacket.”
A copy of the paper rested in the middle of the table, half hidden under lunch trays. Seth explained again that the person in the picture wore the green FHS jacket. I froze, but Sara explained that it was “circumstantial evidence” at best, because most people in Fallon would have that jacket.
I stayed quiet for the most part as the table continued to converse about the boy who could fly. When the subject of abilities came up in the past, I had stayed silent because I didn’t have one– there was nothing for me to contribute. I decided it would be best to keep pretending that way. Sara was smart, and I didn’t want her to deduce anything from observing me. She was already positive that it was a boy in the picture, and she felt confident she could determine the person’s identity. Seth kept staring at me as if he had figured something out, but he had no way of knowing.
When lunch ended, I went to the library, hoping to find some solitude in the silence. The students were too preoccupied with the news to come in the library today. I took advantage of my free time by rehearsing how I would tell my parents tonight. I tried my best to come up with the least shocking way to tell them.
There didn’t seem to be a great way. Breaking the news to them gently wasn’t going to be easy, if it was even possible. I imagined that Mom would be more surprised than Dad would. I hoped they would understand that I wanted to have control of my ability before I told them. Looking back, I don’t think it was about having control. I think I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It had felt like any second I could’ve woken up to a reality where I’d be human again.
I heard the door to the library open and watched as the twins, Kelly and Kristy, entered the library followed by their lackey, Molly. As the door closed, small hands caught the heavy wooden door as it closed. Seth struggled to push the door open, but Molly helped him. Molly was different from the twins. She was blonde and more clueless than Kelly and Kristy, who both had a vicious nature that Molly didn’t share. All four of them approached my desk.
“Hi, Casper,” the twins said in unison. I could see that their opinion of me hadn’t changed. They looked at me without really looking at me– letting me know that I was inferior or beneath them somehow.
“Can I help you?” I asked in a generic tone.
“We’re just escaping from study hall,” Kelly said. “It was so boring in there. Here’s our excuse form. Give it to the librarian for us.” She threw the form towards me, as if she didn’t want to risk touching me.
“I’ll do that,” I responded. I did my best to keep my composure. Kelly and Kristy always had a way of getting under my skin. They were mind-readers, but they were limited to reading each other’s thoughts. Neither of them could have anything worth knowing in their heads. It was a lame ability, but they both acted superior and snobbish. They giggled, probably at a private joke directed at me.
Kelly started walking off, but her sister remained at the desk. Kelly stopped and turned towards Kristy. “Kristy, now is not the time for games. We’re here to find out who it is in the picture.” She held up the newspaper.
It was evident that they were plotting something in their heads. They couldn’t read my mind, so my thoughts were safe. They looked amused as they communicated psychically.
“I know,” Kristy said. “I was just wondering how life has been treating Casper since he managed to get a girlfriend.” Her face was calm and vicious at the same time.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested too,” Kelly said. Seth and Molly stood behind the twins.
Molly stepped forward to stand with her friends, while Seth tried to look around them. Molly never ridiculed me herself, but she didn’t stick up for me either.
“My life has been fantastic,” I said honestly. “Evee’s great!”
The three of them laughed together as if I must be lying. They did their best to make me feel small, but that was the old Casper.
“Tell me, Casper,” Kristy
began, “does Evee make a habit out of dating humans?” The three of them laughed harder.
I didn’t want to respond. They thought I was human, and I had to make sure they still believed it. But I realized it wasn’t me they were insulting– it was Evee.
“Now, sister,” Kelly said, “you know Casper is the only human. I can’t imagine what the girl that dates a human is like– she must associate herself with just about anyone.”
My anger spiked as they spoke, and I gritted my teeth.
“She must be a very desperate person,” Kelly continued.
“She’s not even that pretty,” Kristy added.
They could insult me all they wanted, but I wasn’t going to let them do it to Evee. “Evee doesn’t care that I’m human. She would treat anyone with kindness.”
“OH HOW SWEET!” the twins said together sarcastically.
As Seth stepped forward to talk, his head couldn’t even see over my desk. “Evee would show kindness to almost anyone,” he corrected. “I know Evee well enough to say that she doesn’t talk to catty bitches like Kelly and Kristy.”
The twins looked down on Seth with malice. Hearing Seth swear was always comical because it sounded like a six-year-old blurting obscenities. The twins’ faces froze in an ugly expression for a microsecond before they became angry and stormed off.
“Have a good day, ladies,” Seth added smugly, waving with his tiny hands.
Seth stepped forward as the girls went to find a table in the back. There was a big grin on his face.
“Wow, Seth,” I said. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Me either,” he confessed. He handed me a list, standing on his tip toes so I could reach it. “I need help with more books. Some of these are too high for me.”
We made our way back to the fiction section, passing the twins at the study tables, but they paid no attention to us. They huddled over the picture in the newspaper with the library’s collection of yearbooks sitting next to them. Something told me they would never guess it was me if they hadn’t already. They had just stared me in the face while insulting me. I imagined how fun it would be if they ever did discover that the boy in the picture was me.