‘Mum!’ I called. I dropped to my knees beside her.
I looked around for help. The couple thrashed and palmed their ears. I frantically looked around for help. Car horns droned on in the background. I could see smoke and other people writhing in pain down the freeway. I reached into my pocket for my phone and dialled emergency services. The line endlessly rang. It went to a recording.
‘All local operators are busy. Please remain on the line to be redirected to the nearest emergency services centre.’
I hung up and tried again.
‘All local operators are busy—’
I hung up.
I shuddered from the sound of popping. Sparks fell like snow as the transformer and lamp posts nearby popped. Mum and the couple finally stopped writhing.
Chapter 14
‘I’ll be fine,’ Mum assured Dad on the other end of the telephone line. ‘I’m sure.’
She paced around the house. Dad was still confined to the hospital bed.
Grandma Sophie had come over to make sure we were fine. I helped her prepare dinner in the kitchen.
It was all over the news. Many lost their abilities for hours.
Many reported hearing a high pitch ringing in the ear and seizures. Our city was hit the hardest, but there were reports from some neighbouring cities. The incident also caused a major blackout for over an hour. The local emergency services centre was flooded with calls, and the hospitals were crowded with casualties from accidents that arose during the incident.
‘I have never experienced anything like it in all my years,’ grandma Sophie said.
I have an inkling it was intentional.
The officials believe it was a terrorist attack but there were no demands. The news reported.
Officials speculate that the incident might be linked to the recent theft of power inhibitors from [Prison Name]
‘It’s definitely linked,’ Grandma Sophie blurted.
‘Do you think it was intentional?’
‘I’m positive. I believe it was attempt to neutralise everyone.’
‘Why?’
‘Who knows? A simple act of terror. An attempt at conformity, maybe.
‘Decades ago at the birth of the low range inhibitor some argued that it would be ideal to have everyone where one as a means to avoid increasing crime rates. Your grandfather and I were part of the majority that protested against it. We argued for better solutions. Early Ability Guidance in schools was one of the many solutions that came out of our talks.
‘Inhibiting special abilities is like caging a bird. It is putting a bandaid on a festering sore without cleaning it or taking proper time to tend to it. It’s a temporary solution. I Real solutions come from a place of understanding and love.
We live in a world of duality. Resistance and restraint is fear. Understanding and care is love. Like many things there is a positive and negative to Special Abilities. How we choose to use them is in our own best judgment and moral standards. Sometimes we focus too much on the bad that we don’t see the good. Special Abilities are a wonderful gift and miracle and if used in such vein can benefit humanity at large. That’s why I admire people like Titan.’
‘Titan,’ I exclaimed. ‘He’s just a dork in tights.’
‘The outfit is a little tacky,’ grandma admitted, ‘but I genuinely admire what he is doing. He is inspiring more people to do it. We can all save.
‘Free will is a birthright. To live life through our highest expression is complete joy. Conformity robs us of joy.’
***
The school hallways echoed with tales of the incident.
‘I was so scared,’ one of the kids a few lockers from mine told the another.
‘I know. My sister and Mum had blood gushing from her ears and nose. It was like a horror movie or a long nightmare. I couldn’t use my abilities until this morning.’
‘Apparently Jill was hit while flying. She broke an arm from the fall. It was—’
I closed my locker and walked to class.
Allie and Izzy walked past me. I wondered how she was copping with the incident. If she had sustained any injuries. I wanted to tell her about Mum’s seizure and how scared I was. Most of all I wanted to know she was all right.
I had my lunch at the sports field. I didn’t think about it much anymore. It became a routine. I nibbled on my packed sandwich and took a swig of my grape juice. The smell of fresh cut wet grass permeated the air. I flipped the extra pages of the special edition of The Hunter’s Curse Dad had got me.
‘It’s pretty peaceful out here isn’t it?’ a voice boomed. I shuddered with a start. I squinted from the harsh light and shaded my eyes with my hand. Eric’s descended from the sky wrapped in the sunlight. I looked over my shoulder. Eric walked over and sat beside me.
‘Yeah,’ I responded.
I hadn’t seen much of Eric since the day he walked out on the adroit during lunch. He frequently missed school. When he was in class he hardly participated. He had become the ultimate rebel.
We sat for a long awkward moment until Eric broke the silence. ‘So that incident.’
‘Yeah, It was pretty crazy.’
‘I don’t know,’ Eric said. ‘I think it wasn’t such a bad thing.’
‘Many people including my mother were seriously hurt.’ I said. ‘How’s that not a bad thing?’
‘The injuries and side effects were unfortunate but for a few hours everyone in the city were equal.’ He elaborated. ‘No one was maladroit or adroit. No one had AD.’
What would you know about being a maladroit? I thought.
I couldn’t recall ever having a civilised exchange or conversation with Eric except for the blatantly fake interest in Allie. Only taunts or insults had come out of his mouth every time he had addressed me. His perspective on the incident was surprising considering he was one of the adroit who thought themselves more special than others.
‘Putting a label on someone puts them in a box,’ he continued.
Which is exactly what you and the adroit did for years. I thought.
Our eyes me and there was a feeling of familiarity I could not ignore. He looked away and fidgeted with his hands.
‘How’s your mum doing?’ He asked.
I wanted to continue hating him but I was overcome with a sense of déjà vu and earnest familiarity from him. I was compelled to open up.
‘She’s all right,’ I replied. ‘Luckily for her she heals fast.’
‘Cool. How about you? Were you not hurt during the incident?’
‘Except for the shock I didn’t feel a thing.’
‘Really?’ Eric asked, intrigued.
‘I didn’t experience the ringing and bleeding.’
‘Nothing at all?’ he enquired.
‘Nothing.’
‘Interesting,’ said Eric.
‘I guess it’s because I have abnormal genes.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘I don’t have any abilities. The gene that’s responsible for our abilities is faulty.’
‘The OME3A gene?’ he asked.
‘Yeah,’ I said, bewildered. Inquiries of my conditions usually ended with a “oh” or a nod.
‘Which gene has the mutation?’ He asked, interested. ‘Is it a dormancy or mutation? Maternal or Paternal’
‘Dormant paternal,’ I explained. ‘Severe mutation on maternal copy.’
Eric mulled over it for a moment. He blankly stared into the distance.
‘How do you know so much about AD?’ I asked.
‘I knew someone who had it,’ he responded.
His eyes drifted towards the book in my hands.
‘What are you reading?’ he asked changing the topic.
‘The Hunter’s Curse Special Edition.’
‘Is it any good?’
‘It’s all right,’
Eric’s transformation was remarkable. He went from shallow adroit elitist to enlightened social justice rebel overnight.
Chapter
15
I went through my Math homework at my study desk. As I mulled over the answer to an equation. I flipped through my text book for examples. I scratched the back of my right shoulder. The doorbell rang. I heard stomping down the stairs from my room as Cody raced to get the door.
‘Dad’s here!’ Cody shouted.
Dad had been discharged early from the hospital and requested to take Cody and me out for dinner. I put on my jersey and slipped into my pump with my good foot.
Mum stood in the doorway talking to Dad when I limped down the stairs.
I’m sure he will love it Mum said. He’s been looking forward to it for weeks.
‘Hey,’ Dad said when he noticed me climbing down the stairs. We hugged.
’You sure you don’t want to join us?’ Dad asked Mum. I exited the house and walked towards the car where Cody waited.
‘Next time,’ Mum said.
‘All right. I’ll have them back by nine,’ Dad told mum.
‘Have fun,’ Mum said. She stood in the doorway watching as we drove away.
‘Your mum says the treatment is working,’ Dad said as we walked along the promenade overlooking the ocean. Cody walked barefoot along the beach ahead of us. He collected seashells. Dad carried Cody’s shoes.
‘Yeah,’ I responded.
I scratched the back of my right shoulder.
‘Are you okay?’ Dad asked.
‘Yeah,’ I responded.
’You know when I was a kid I couldn’t wait to get my abilities. More than anything I couldn’t wait to fly—’
Cody got too close to the water.
‘Not too close!’ Dad hollered. Cody scurried away from a wave that nearly caught him.
‘Where was I?’ Dad continued. ‘Your Grandma could fly and had super hearing and Grandpa had super strength and healing. I first developed strength, super hearing, then healing. At the time it was extremely rare to be multi gifted. It was rare for anyone to have more than four gifts so I abandoned all hopes of flying. It wasn’t until I was about to graduate high-school that I was able to fly. The more I was able to fly and explore the world the more I noticed how so many had abilities but hardly utilised them. I learned that I wasn’t utilising most of my abilities as well. It saddened me to see how many people had so much power yet didn’t utilise it. Anyway I just want you to know that ability or no ability I love you the same.’
***
The hair on my skin raised. I shuddered at the sight of my rash infested back reflected in the mirror. The rash had spread from my shoulder to half my back.
***
‘I’m afraid there might be some scaring,’ Dr Graham said as he examined the rash around my upper back through my string top.
‘Try not to scratch,’ he advised. He walked around the desk to his chair and wrote a prescription note. His pen shock as he root. He looked up. Dust trickled down as the floor above us shook. He handed me the prescription note. ‘This should help with the itching. Apply it two to three times a—’
A loud bang reverberated through the floor. The fire alarm went off.
‘It’s probably a false alarm but we better get to safety,’ Dr Graham said. The pens in Dr Graham’s pen holder shook. The floor above us reverberated again. Much louder this time. Dr Graham rushed to his feet and opened the door making sure Mum and I exited first.
Cody patiently waited for us in the waiting area.
A woman with young girl frantically pressed the lift door.
‘Use the stairwell exit down the hall,’ Dr Graham instructed her. He turned to us and said, ’I’ll be right behind you. I have to make sure everyone on the floor is safe.’
‘Come on,’ Mum told Cody and her. She took Cody’s hand. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
We rushed through the hallway down vacant offices. The floor above us rumbled. The woman and girl pushed and ran past us. A female security guard burst from the stairwell exit a few metres ahead of us. She ran past us examining the rumbling floor about us. We were a few feet away from the exit when a security guard holding a metallic case hurtled through the floor above us and landed beside the exit door. The metallic case fell from his grip and landed a few feet away. Debris and dust engulfed the hallway. Mum shielded Cody and me. The Woman and young girl walked around the unconscious security guard and went through the exit.
Gelder descended from the large hole in the floor above us and sauntered towards the metallic case. The female guard ran past us. She extended her hand at him and created a mould of ice around Gelder as he knelt down to pick up the case. He was inches away before he froze in place like a statue.
The female guard rushed to check on the hurt guard. The ice around Gelder began to crack and exploded from his body with a telekinetic wave. I winced. Mum instinctively shielded us with a her body and a telekinetic shield.
The female guard drew her hand held inhibitor and trained it on Gelder. It barely had an effect on him. She extended her hand and shot a wave of ice at him. Gelder telekinetically shield against it. She persisted. Gelder resisted and trudged toward her. He was lifted of the ground and pinned against the wall. Gelder and the female guards heads darted towards us. Mum had her hand raised as she concentrated on Gelder. The female guard nodded at Mum. She retrieved a some hand cuffs from her belt and moved toward Gelder. Mum concentrated, sprawling Gelder’s hands against the wall. Gelder squirmed to break free. Blood trickled down Mum’s nostril. The female guard strapped Gelder’s left hand. He resisted as she fought to strap both his hands. Mum continued to pin him against the wall. The female guard pointed her hand inhibitor on Gelder motioned his hand forcing her to point the inhibitor at us. Mum collapsed to her feet. Gelder was freed from her telekinetic grip. He fell to the floor and landed on his knees. He telekinetically pushed the female guard against the wall knocking her out. He stumbled to his feet and walked towards the case. Mum put her hands around Cody and me and closed her eyes in concentration. The world around us shifted into a blend of the hospital hallway and the parking lot. Mum concentrated and held us tighter. Blood trickled down her nostril. We were stuck in the hospital. Titan flew past us into Gelder. He pinned him against the wall. ‘Go!’ he yelled at us.
Mum grabbed Cody and I by the hand and led us past the hurt security guards who staggered to their feet and into the stairwell exit. She made sure Cody and I went first as we began to climb down the stairs in the poor lit stairwell. The railings vibrated as we descended. Rumbling echoed threw the stairwell. Now and then Cody would look back. ‘Keep moving,’ Mum instructed.
As we neared the ground floor exit a roar tore through the stairwell. Frantic screams erupted. As we exited the stairwell into the huge twelve foot high waiting area. The sharp scream grew louder.
A cloud of dust engulfed the room as pieces of debris fell from the broken ceiling and pilled up near the entrance.
Titan and Gelder lay admits the rubble. People scramble around them and the rubble to the main hospital door. Mum held onto us tight and pulled us toward the exit.
Gelder staggered to his feet. He tightly held onto the metallic briefcase. Titan flew into him. The impact forced Gelder to drop the case. They hit one of the main pillars at the entrance. The pillar came crushing down on us and the crowd fleeing toward the exit.
Mum instinctively shielded us with both her body and her telekinesis. Dust and debris were diverted around us like raindrops around the invisible telekinetic shield. A huge chunk of the massive pillar penetrated Mum’s telekinetic shield. She telekinetically pushed Cody and I away. The pillar caught her by the leg.
Cody ran over to her assist. He dug his hand into the ruble and tried to lift the huge chunk of the pillar. It barely budged. He tried again.
Gelder got up and went for the briefcase. Titan looked back at us conflicted.
He came back and helped Cody lift the pillar off Mum.
Gelder picked up the briefcase and flew away.
‘Are you all right?’ Titan asked us.
‘Yes,�
�� Mum replied. ‘Thank you.’
I nodded.
Cody stood like a statue with his mouth open. He couldn’t keep his eyes off his idol.
Titan saluted Cody before flying away.
Chapter 16
The police questioned some of the witnesses of the hospital heist gathered outside the treatment centre. A dozen medics, nurses and doctors examined the injured on EMS stretchers. Mum Cody and I sat by the sidewalk. Cody huddled next to Mum. Cody had abrasions around his hands. Mum had a cut and bruising on her forehead and lower right leg.
A male medic knelt in front of us.
‘All right, let’s have a look at you,’ he told Cody. Cody looked to Mum. It’s okay she nodded. Cody extended his hands out. He flinched as the medic cleaned the wounds.
‘These are some rough cuts,’ the medic said. ‘How’d you get them?’
Cody was silent.
‘He got them saving me,’ Mum responded.
‘Is that so?’ the medic asked.
Cody nodded.
‘You are mighty brave,’ the medic told Cody as he wrapped bandaids around the wounds.
‘All done.’
The medic put on a fresh pair of rubber cloves. ‘Your turn Ms,’ he told Mum.
‘I’m good,’ said Mum. ‘I heal fast.’
Although the exposure to the inhibitor had slowed down her healing her wounds looked as though they were at least a day old.
‘Let me at least make sure you don’t have a concussion.’
The medic extended his right hand index finger pointing up. ‘I need you to follow my finger with your eyes only. Don’t move your head.’
He moved his hand slowly from side to side first slow then fast. ‘Let me know if you feel any symptoms of nausea, headache or dizziness.’
‘Dad!’ Cody called.
Dad navigated through the chaos to get to us. Cody ran to greet Dad. Dad knelt down. Cody ran into his arms.
‘I saw Titan!’ Cody rambled. ‘He helped Mum, and then he saluted me.’
Dad let go of Cody and looked him over. The medic finished checking on Mum. He cleared her but advised that she consult a doctor if she experienced any symptoms.
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