“Guess we are done for today then,” Bec stood and left the room. She was a defiant teen and had no intention giving more than she got. Immediately, she felt she couldn’t believe the doctor since she was hiding things from her. She took her time going back to her room, shadowed by an orderly who had just started working on her floor, Bec stopped at every window to look out and take in as much as possible. The orderly walked silently behind, never saying a word. Hands held in front of him, as if this was just another casual Sunday stroll.
Every few stops, Bec would look back at the man to see what he was doing. His expression never wavered and neither did the distance he kept. Later she’d learn that he was once a resident at this very hospital and had some unique gifts of his own, phasing. Bec didn’t say anything for the next three weeks, not to anyone.
Every morning, JoJo would come in delivering her breakfast and try to talk to her. She only looked at the wall. She still wasn’t in classes and the only person, other than the orderlies delivering her food, she had contact with was Dr. Georgia Wilson.
Nearly a month later, Georgia caved, “My gift is... well, it’s better if I show you.” Georgia stood, walking over to a shelf she picked up a box. Holding the box in her palm, showing it Bec, she tilted her head and stared. Slowly the box opened and turned inside out, then closed again. “I don’t know if there is a really good name for it, but there it is.”
Bec walked over and took the box from the doctor, turning it from side to side inspecting it. She nodded, a bit impressed, and handing the box back. “Does your file tell you what I can do?”
“Not really. I know from observing you, you can move things with your mind and move very quickly, but we talked about that already. Is there anything else?”
Bec smiled, the doctor knew she was testing her. “My superpower is being unwanted by everyone,” she nodded to the file, “you should write that part down.”
Georgia felt like a stab to heart when the words rolled out of the young girl's mouth so easily. Never should a child feel unwanted, especially by their parents. “You are wanted, Bec. I quite enjoy having you here.”
“When can I go to classes?”
Chapter 7
The salon was full of clients and staff on the rainy Monday when Bec got the call. The call that would change the course the young woman was on. Bec was private and a superb grudge holding woman and since leaving the hospital she had had no contact with her mother, that was three years ago. She was discharged from the hospital at eighteen, so legally she didn’t have to deal with her mom. Dr. Wilson made sure Bec had all the paperwork she’d need to get started in life as an adult with all the planning, her and Kyle never got out early.
As the salon noise continued between clients and stylists, Bec felt a little vibration in her pocket. She was at the counter between customers and mindlessly pulled out the phone. The caller ID was blocked. Usually she didn’t answer any call from a number she didn’t know, but something pulled at her to answer this one. With less than an hour before closing, Bec clicked the phone to accept the call. Bringing the phone up to her ear, she could hear the sobs of a woman. “Hello,” Bec spoke softly.
“Bec. It’s your Aunt Patty. It’s your mom honey, she’s gone,” the woman spoke with words broken between the sobs. Bec was barely able to make out what she was saying.
It had been more than five years since she last spoke to her mom and four since she last saw her. The young woman froze, not knowing how she should react to the news. She finally found her voice, “I’m sorry Aunt Patty,” for some reason curiosity got the best of her, “when and how?”
Patty, the older sister of the two, got a hold of herself and began spilling out the details of her mother’s death. “They had a fight. She got drunk and took some medication. She um, she had a reaction and her organs started shutting down. It all happened pretty quickly, really.”
Listening to every detail, Bec replied, “Was she in pain? In the end?”
“What?” Patty gasped, “why would you ask that. Well, never mind why. You two were so estranged I didn’t know if I should’ve even called to tell you.”
“You can’t get mad at me for that, Aunt Patty. But I’d like to know, she was still my mom after all.”
“Bec, she died in horrible pain, but you should know we are burying her Wednesday. It took me this long to find your number. Will you come? You can ride with me,” the woman’s voice softened with a hint of hope attached.
Bec looked back at the full salon, not really taking in anything, “No, I can’t do that. Thank you for letting me know Aunt Patty. Bye.” Bec clicked the phone icon to end the call, slipped the phone back in her pocket and turned to her staff and customers. “Ladies, drinks are on me!” Everyone cheered as Bec headed to the back room and popped open a bottle of tequila and a bottle of wine. She put a stack plastic cups in the crook of her arm as she pushed the door open with her butt and started passing them around.
Once everyone had gone and the shop was closed up, Kyle came in through the back. He tried to never come when it was full of women cause they liked to stare at him too much and made him very uncomfortable. “I hear you were passing out drinks tonight. What gives?”
“My shop. My rules.” Bec answered from across the room as she swept up the hair from the floor.
Kyle leaned up against the wall and chuckled. He watched his friend work silently for about ten minutes before saying anything, “You okay? You seem to be in another place.” His head was down, but he looked up at her through his long lashes. He never took his eyes off her. He noticed when she flinched and how she tried to play it off. He noticed how she avoided eye contact. Kyle decided that to get her to look his way he’d have to speak to her telepathically, you can tell me anything. You know that. What’s wrong?
She had her back to him at this point. Running a report from the cash register, she froze for the second time that day. She turned her head slightly down and to the left, “My aunt called me today.”
He scrunched his face, “Your aunt? Patricia?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t even know they had your number.”
“Me either.”
He slowly made his way up to her, “What did she want?” His voice now laced with concern and worry.
Bec dropped her hands to the counter and sighed, “My mom is dead. She called to tell me.”
He didn’t move. He tried to read her and her reaction, but her body language wasn’t revealing anything. Bec’s mom was a touchy subject at any time but this news was so finite, so permanent. He reached for her shoulder gently, “You okay?” Bec began to sob. He pulled her into his embrace and held her tightly. He rubbed her back and kept whispering in her ear over and over, “I got you. Everything is going to be just fine. It’s over.”
Angry with herself for even caring, she pulled away and started hitting him on the chest. He knew it was only because she was upset. Bec wouldn’t get any closure for all her pain caused by a woman who should never have been her mom. He let her rage escape and then held her some more. Once her shoulders stopped shaking, he asked softly, “Do you want to go to the funeral?”
Bec straightened herself, wiping the tears from her face. Looking in every direction but into his eyes, she sniffled. “No. I’m not going. She doesn’t get that from me. I’ll be fine. We don’t speak of this ever again.” Her face hardened, “You got that? Understand?”
He gave a half a smile, wiped another tear from her cheek with a gentle touch before speaking, “I understand perfectly. So, wanna get some drinks?” That night they went to the Dry Bottle and closed it down.
Nearly three in the morning, Bec stumbled into their place and fell onto the couch. Kyle barely drank, letting his mourning friend drown out her emotions with the clear liquid she savored so much. He made sure she wasn’t bothered. Bec needed to make this finite and this was her way, he knew this and supported her every time.
Rolling off the couch, Bec woke to a thud as her head h
it the floor hours later. Kyle stood over her laughing, “Morning beautiful,” he offered her a hand up but she swatted it away in play anger.
“Damn, how much did I drink?” She held her head with both hands as the room swayed around her.
“Nearly two bottles,” Kyle walked to the kitchen. Calling back to her, “You didn’t make it to your room last night, so I just covered you up on the couch. Come on and get a bite to eat. You need it.”
“Two bottles? Holy hell,” she stumbled into the kitchen and plopped into a chair. “Juice. I need juice,” she begged as he handed her some toast.
“You need more than juice... but here.”
Her phone rang from the den, making her get up and move to retrieve it. Blocked caller ID again. “Shit.” Kyle heard her curse from the other room.
“What is it?” He called out. Bec never answered but he could hear her talking from the other room.
Her voice was muffled until she started yelling, “God damn it, I said no. I’m a fucking adult and can make my own decisions. Quit fucking calling me!” Then Kyle heard something hit the wall.
He peeped around the corner slowly to see what was going on before stepping into the den fully, “You want to tell me why your thousand-dollar phone is sticking out of the wall?”
She turned on him, “I don’t have to explain myself to no one. Not you and damn sure not her!”
Chapter 8
The third time Bec saw Kyle outside in the fenced yard he wasn’t alone. Bec stopped still when she stepped out of the back door of the hospital and saw Kyle standing near another girl about their age. He leaned in close as they spoke. The orderly stood behind her silently as he watched her watch the young man across the encampment.
Being a former resident, Jack knew how important contacts were inside here and felt the pang when the young woman stared out. She needed that connection more than she knew and for some reason she was jealous. She hadn’t wanted him romantically, at least that is what she had told herself. He stepped up behind her silently, “You going on out?”
His voice was soft but so deep it vibrated in her chest. She glanced back up at him and smiled, “Yeah, I’m going.”
Jack nodded and took a step back. Bec turned towards him and noticed his hand seemed to shimmer. She threw him a questioning glance. He looked down, shook his hand, “We’re not so different. You and I.” He rarely said anything so when he did speak Bec was mesmerized.
“Is that your thing? You shimmer?” Bec asked, confused.
Rolling his eyes, he chuckled, “I don’t shimmer.”
“Looks like it to me!”
His shoulders rocked as he laughed, “I phase. I don’t shimmer.”
“I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“I usually have it under control,” the man said flatly.
Bec took a small step towards him, “what has you out-of-control today?”
He chewed on the inside of his cheek, “You know this is the most I’ve ever heard you talk. Must be in a good mood today.” He deflected cleverly as the young woman got flustered. Bec turned and walked away, leaving him to watch with a smile plastered on his face.
There were a few pieces of trash on the ground just outside the fence that caught Bec’s attention. She slowed as she came up next to them, looked down and smiled. Her right hand rotated in a circle while her left hand, palm up, lifted up. The trash obeyed and levitated in the area; hovering waist high. Bec glanced at the trash bin located nearly ten feet away. Shaking her head, she pushed with her hands. An unseen force delivered the trash in an animated fashion. Bec smiled before walking over towards Kyle.
Kyle has watched the interaction between Bec and Jack. He looked towards Maria who still stood close, “What’s that about?”
“Bec got Jack worked up,” the young girl responded as she pushed off the fence and walked towards the girl walking up to them.
“I’m Maria, Bec. Good to meet you finally,” the young woman with caramel-colored skin and onyx colored eyes held out a hand to the girl with hot pink hair. Maria noticed how Bec’s hair looked freshly colored and wondered if the good doctor was doing favors for her new pet in order to get her to open up. Looking up at the window, the girl saw Georgia looking down at the three of them.
Bec just stared at the girl who stood eye to eye with her. She looked her up and down, sizing her up. Not saying a word, she took off on her daily run. Kyle shrugged, “I told you she wouldn’t speak. She runs. She doesn’t like to talk a lot. Come on.” He motioned for Maria to follow him as he caught up with Bec.
The three young teens ran for the next thirty minutes before they were called back into the building that was their captor. As they entered the door, Bec turned towards Maria, tapped her temple, and said, “stay out of here. I know what you can do. I felt your invasion. You’re not welcome there.”
Maria glanced at Kyle in concern then back to Bec. Nodding in response, the sixteen-year-old girl didn’t know what to think of the sudden threat. She scrunched her eyes and thought hard. Never before had anyone known she was in their mind. Maria wanted to know what made Bec different.
Kyle pulled Maria’s arm just as she tried to move towards Bec. Looking back at him, Kyle shook his head no, “Don’t.”
“Is she dangerous?”
“I don’t know, but I know her fuse is short. Let her get comfortable before you talk to her again.”
“How did she know? How was that possible?”
“How deep were you digging? She’s very guarded and you may have triggered something.”
“I couldn’t get very far, anyway. She’s all blocked off. Like she built an impenetrable wall that nothing can even climb over.”
“I wouldn’t try that again Maria. Neither of us know her that well.”
The three found themselves in each other’s company again every day for the next two months. Every day after Bec spoke with the doctor she was allowed to go outside and found the once empty fenced yard rather crowded for her tastes. By the end of the second month, Bec had opened up a little to Maria but not much. Maria tried everything but honored Bec’s demand to stay out of her mind.
Jack had stood guard each day Bec was outside since he came aboard. Kyle watched him closely. One day, while all three sat at the tables in the yard the boy motioned to Jack, “Y’all know his story, right?”
The girls looked at each then back to him, replying in unison, “No.”
“He was one of us not so long ago. I remember seeing him in the cafeteria.”
“Cafeteria?” Bec questioned.
“Yeah, you know the place we all go to eat our meals...,” Kyle replied.
“My meals? My meals get delivered to my room. I go to my room, the doctors, and out here... that’s it.”
Maria covered her mouth, “Oh that’s rough. Wow. What did you do that’s got them so scared to let you out?”
Bec cut her eyes at the girl across from her before hissing, “I didn’t do anything.”
With her hands up in a defensive surrender motion, Marie spoke softly, “I didn’t mean anything but usually only the ones who are seriously dangerous get shut up like that.”
“I can’t be too dangerous if they let me out here with y’all,” Bec quipped back. The girl stood and started her daily running routine.
Maria looked at Kyle, “What’s with the running?”
He watched Bec gain speed and slowly become a blur. He nodded, “That’s what’s up. She runs to burn off the energy and she has a lot of energy.”
Maria’s mouth fell open in awe as she watched the girl run faster and faster. She’d never seen anyone with such speed. Without taking her eyes of Bec, she leaned over and asked Kyle, “Think she can help us get out of here?”
He rubbed his top lip with his thumb and forefinger in thought, “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.”
Chapter 9
“Nan, how ya doing? Want your regular?” Bec asked her usually bubbly customer who seemed
much quieter day. “Who’s your friend?” Bec noticed the even quieter woman who strolled in behind her regular customer. Nan, who’d been a customer of Bec’s since she graduated cosmetology school, sat still in the chair, and stared at Bec in the mirror. Bec could tell the woman was nervous, so she leaned in close and whispered, “It’s safe here.”
Nan looked down at her lap, she was holding her phone and had typed a message on the screen. Bec tilted her head so she could see the screen better: She needs help. Her ex-husband is after her and she’s scared. After reading the message, Bec looked at her client then to the woman in the lobby and back to Nan, nodding once to let her know they were both safe.
“Hey hun, what’s your name?” Bec called out the mousey woman sitting alone in the lobby.
The woman nearly squeaked when Bec called out to her, taking a few deep breaths the woman replied, “Jules.”
“Okay, Jules why don’t you come and sit back here in Charlie’s chair and let’s give you a little lift,” Bec winked at her.
“Oh no,” the woman waved her hand to signify she was okay, “I couldn’t dare.”
“Yes, you can, on the house. I insist,” Bec pointed with a comb to the chair she wanted her to take up residence in. Twisting to look over her shoulder at Charlie, she gave one nod and the woman understood the job before her.
Tall, slender, with long raven hair that currently carried emerald streaks, Charlie was a veteran of the business and one of Bec’s first employees. She was also very aware of Bec’s side business of helping women and children under the radar. Patting the back of her chair, Charlie called out to Jules, “Come on honey, I’ll be gentle,” giving her a little wink, “I promise you’ll love every minute of it.” Jules nervously twisted her hands around her purse handles as she walked by Nan. Nan reached out and touched her hand and nodded to her to go ahead.
An hour later both women, Nan and Jules, were getting their hair washed side-by-side. Jules glanced at her friend, “Thank you for this.”
After the Storm (Gifted and Special Adolescents Hospital Book 1) Page 4