Nicole walked in, followed by the others to find Alex sitting against a bookshelf reading an action adventure called Sorrowline with a few more books piled up next to him.
“Wow… you are fast,” Mark gasped.
Alex didn’t respond.
“Earth to Alex! Hello? Anyone home?” David asked as he waved his hand into Alex’s face.
“Huh? What did you say?” Alex placed a finger in the book and looked up at his friends. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“If you like that book so much why don’t you get it?” David asked.
“I am. Along with these other books: Ferals, The Last Thing I Remember, Leven Thumps and The Gateway To Foo, and Fahrenheit 451,” Alex replied.
“Wow… that’s a lot!” Mark said.
“Says the guy who left the comic store with a bag full of comics!” David pointed out.
“So did you!” Mark countered.
“Yes, but I’m not picking on Alex for getting only four books, am I?” David asked teasingly.
“Touché,” Mark replied.
“Come on! Go pay so we can go to the main event!” David urged, pulling Alex up from the ground.
“Main event?” Alex asked as he walked to the counter to pay.
“Amusement park!” Brooke exclaimed, grabbing Alex by the arm and pulling him out into the boardwalk. They all started running and before long Alex lost them in the crowd. Now that it was later at night, more people started to show up making the streets more jam-packed. Alex headed for the ferris wheel in order to meet up with them again, in hopes that they would be there.
Alex finally came up to a big bundle of tents and buildings of what he assumed was the amusement park. Alex looked around and found the others leaning up against the side of a building just outside the park, trying to catch their breath.
“I lost you a while back. Sorry about that,” Alex called as he ran up to them.
“Oh. We thought you were behind us the whole time,” said Mark.
“We are glad you are with us now,” Nicole said. “Now, let’s go!” Nicole grabbed Alex’s arm and dragged him into the park.
Once they got inside, the amusement park seemed bigger than it looked from the outside. In front of them was a big crane with some seats attached that would bring the riders swinging about wildly through the air. To their right was a fantastic roller coaster and to their left was a waterslide. Beyond those they could see the lights of countless other attractions. Since it was dark, the amusement park was ten times better because all of the lights were as bright as could be.
“All right, guys, listen up!” said Mark. “Let’s all pick a ride of our own before we do the ferris wheel.”
“Let’s just go already! I’m dying of excitement!” said David. “I’ll choose first! To the Spider, everyone!” David cried as he took off running.
The Spider was a big pole going straight up and splitting into twenty different seats that would spin its riders around while bobbing them up and down. The group sat in one seat, since each seat held five, and started moving. At first the ride started slowly while moving up slowly and then all of a sudden it stopped.
In the large bench that held the five on with a single metal bar, Alex was on one end while Nicole was on the other. Mark was sitting next to Alex, while David was sitting next to him with Brooke sitting between David and Nicole.
Alex looked down and found that they were only a fourth of the way up and still had quite a ways to go. All of a sudden with no warning whatsoever the ride started moving at full speed up and around, spinning in circles toward the top. People in the other benches were screaming their heads off.
When the ride ended, Mark, Brooke, David, and Nicole were practically falling over each other they were so dizzy. Alex helped walk them each to a bench where they sat down and tried to regain focus.
“Alex, aren’t you going to sit down?” asked Brooke as she bent over squeezing the bridge of her nose.
“Nah. My legs were sort of crushed between Mark and the side of the bench so I’m just going to stand,” Alex said.
“You’re not dizzy?” asked David while laughing hysterically.
“Not too much. Are you all right?” Alex replied.
“Wow. You must be hard to break,” Mark observed. “I bet we can make you dizzy or throw up by the end of the day.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll chose next. To the rocket!” Nicole exclaimed.
“Wow, you really are unbreakable,” Mark gasped after they had ridden every dizzying ride in the park.
“We all chose our rides, so let’s go on the ferris wheel now!” said David impatiently.
“Okay, okay let’s go!” said Nicole as she started walking toward the ferris wheel.
When it was their turn, Alex and the others climbed into a blue carriage with designs on it that resembled a circus. The carriage went up and up until it stopped three carriages before the top. The view was breathtaking.
They could see the whole boardwalk, all of its lights and all of the people. They were there for a good ten minutes before the operator brought them down.
Everyone had finally gone home and Alex was the last one left, walking alone in the darkness to his house. As he walked he heard a voice whisper through the darkness.
“Alex,” the voice whispered.
Alex looked around to find a silhouette of a young man between two houses in the shadows pointing to him. Alex started to hurriedly walk away, but the silhouette stretched his hand toward Alex.
“Heed this warning. Watch your back. Many people think they know what you are capable of. In reality they can just barely see the glint of the tip of the iceberg hidden behind the fog. But they want what they think you have. What they think they can see. They will do anything to get it.”
The voice paused before speaking it’s final words. “We will meet again.”
Before Alex could say anything, the silhouette stranger was gone. Alex stared in the empty alley, unsure of what to make of the strange occurrence. He cautiously entered the alley and walked the area. Maybe it was still there, hiding in the shadows. He sighed when he realized he was the only one there. Alex took a step toward the street, but the sound of flapping fabric up above stopped him in his tracks.
Alex tilted his head back to the roof of the house next to him. A flash of purple disappeared over the edge and onto the roof. So I’m not alone, Alex thought. A sly smile crawled across his face. The mysterious stranger wasn’t as careful with his getaway as he thought. Alex spun around and searched his surroundings for a way up. A dumpster on wheels was set against the wall just where the alley met the street. A thick metal pipe disappeared into the wall before leading up to the roof, stopping ten feet from the ground.
Alex rushed over to the dumpster and gripped the top of it. With painstaking effort, Alex pushed the heavy dumpster beneath the metal pole. He climbed on top of it and reached for the pole. He still had four more feet to go before he could get a good hold on it. Alex backed up to the edge of the dumpster top and took a deep breath. Before he could talk himself out of it, he ran as fast as he could toward the wall, the plastic dumpster lid pounding beneath him. His left foot landed flat on the brick surface and he pushed as hard as he could. He swiped his hand toward the metal pole that was now growing closer.
When Alex felt the cold metal on his fingertips, he latched onto it as if his life depended on it. His feet swung below him wildly as he struggled to get a foothold. His body swung and he collided with the wall next to him. Once he gathered himself he began to climb. Within seconds he hoisted himself onto the roof and he stood on the slanted black surface, breathing hard. He looked around him for the stranger. It didn’t take him long before he saw a long purple fabric flash behind a chimney only to appear again on another roof five houses away. Whoever he was didn’t look like he was in a very big hurry.
“Hey!” Alex called. The figure spun around and glanced around frantically. When he caught sight of Alex, he didn’t hesitate before taking off in another direction. Alex took off after the silhouette, struggling to keep up with the stranger as he leapt from roof to roof. After they were about six blocks away from where they started, the figure disappeared into thin air.
Alex searched everywhere. Behind chimneys, inside chimneys, on the ground, in windows, in alleyways, even on all of the surrounding houses. It was nowhere to be found, whatever was.
“The heck?” Alex shouted in frustration. He plopped down onto the rough tile to catch his breath before he truly gave up and made his way home. Out of the corner of his eye Alex caught a flash of something and he turned around eagerly, hoping that maybe he hadn’t lost the stranger. He was surprised when he saw a thirty year old man with a flashlight in hand come hobbling out of a window of the house he was on. The man hoisted himself onto the roof and wobbled as he stood and gained his balance. Once he was certain he wouldn’t fall, he turned his attention to the boy on his roof.
“Who are you? And why the heck are you on my roof?” the man demanded.
Alex silently cursed himself. He must’ve been too loud.
“Nothing, sir. I’ll just be on my way,” Alex gestured behind him as he slowly began to sneak away.
“Oh, I don’t think so! You’re coming with me to the police station!” he bellowed. “Now come with me quietly. I don’t want to make this harder than it has to be. I warn you, I will if I have to.” The man reached out his arms toward Alex and began to creep unsteadily toward him.
“Uh…okay,” Alex began to nod as he took a few more steps backwards and up the roof. “Lemme just…,” Alex spun around mid-sentence and latched onto the chimney. He pushed off it and ran down the other side of the slanted roof.
“Hey! Get back here you little miscreant” the man cried out into the night. He ran up the roof, not caring to be more cautious. After barely three steps, his foot slipped on a loose tile and he skidded on his stomach down the roof. The man screamed as his feet disappeared over the edge and his waist and torso soon followed. The man latched onto the gutter and yelled for help as his palms grew sweaty.
A woman in overalls covered in white paint burst out of the house, followed by a young girl with a book in her hand and a boy with a towel around his waist and his hair soaking wet, water dripping down his body and into the grass. They all gasped in astonishment when they saw the man dangling off the roof.
“Honey! What happened?” the woman in overalls called out.
“I’ll tell you later! Just get me down!” he shouted desperately.
“Okay, okay! Hang on, honey, I’m coming!” The woman rushed into the house only to come out seconds later with a ladder in her hands. She set it down beneath him and he carefully slid off onto the safety of the white-paint-splotched ladder.
Alex bounded off the roof and onto another, running as fast as his feet could carry him, desperate to get away from the angry man. Only when he was two blocks away did he finally allow himself to look back. The man was nowhere to be found. Alex smiled to himself while he made his way back to the alley he used to climb up to the roof. Alex slid down the metal pole and landed with a thunk on top of the dumpster. Once both feet were on the ground he pushed the dumpster back to its original place.
Alex wiped his sweaty forehead and sighed. He stared at the side of the house across from him and smiled before breaking out into a fit of laughter. A few minutes later he gained control of himself and headed for home.
SEVEN
When Alex woke up the next morning his muscles ached all over. He reluctantly rolled off his bed and slammed off his alarm. After he brushed his teeth Alex splashed his face with cold water and stared at his reflection in the mirror and at his ruffled and knotted hair. Only then did he realize it was a Saturday. Alex groaned. He didn’t have to be up this early! Knowing he probably wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep no matter how tired he was, Alex set out for a walk to soothe his mind.
His thoughts were consumed with the strange encounter with the silhouette. Because of this he was on high alert all morning. Every sound he heard he would jump. One time he was so paranoid he accidentally caused a man to fall to the ground when he bumped into him out of fear of a squirrel crossing his path.
Alex was beginning to grow tired of being so on guard. He pulled his headphones over his ears and continued walking, eager to calm his nerves. It wasn’t long before Alex heard someone shout out his name over his music from behind. Just as Alex was about to turn around, someone jumped on him unexpectedly and before he could react Alex fell flat on the sidewalk.
“Ugh,” Alex groaned as he saw David hovering over him, laughing.
“Sorry! I didn’t think you’d fall like that!” David said, holding out his hand for Alex.
Alex grabbed David’s hand and David helped Alex to his feet. He faced David and pulled his headphones off.
“Alex!” Alex and David swung their heads to see Mark and the others running up to them.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” asked Brooke.
“I’m fine,” Alex replied.
“That’s a relief,” Brooke said, looking accusingly at David.
“Hey! It’s not my fault your music was too loud for you to hear anything!” David exclaimed, throwing his hands up defensively.
“Alex, you ready?” asked Mark, smiling with excitement.
“Ready for what?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Exploring the city! Oh! We didn’t tell you. We’re going to the beach!” Mark grabbed Alex’s shoulder and pulled him next to him.
“This town has everything, doesn’t it?” Alex asked sarcastically.
“You have swim trunks right?” Mark laughed.
“Yes, I do. But you didn’t answer my question.” Alex narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Mark. Once again, Mark ignored the topic.
“Okay! We are ready! We just got to go to your house so you can get your stuff. How’s that?”
“What?” Alex asked as his eyes traveled down to the bag in Nicole’s hands. “You just have a bag full of towels.”
“We’re wearing our suits underneath our clothes,” Nicole explained.
Now that Alex was actually paying attention he realized that David was wearing green swim trunks with a regular orange shirt with sandals and Mark was wearing blue trunks along with sandals and a regular yellow shirt. The girls were wearing flip-flops with shorts and tank tops.
“Okay. Let’s go then,” said David. “Where’s your house?”
“It’s a ways back. Come on.” Alex motioned for them to follow as he started toward his house. When they finally arrived, Alex instructed them to wait outside while he retrieved his trunks. It took a while, but Alex eventually found some light blue trunks and some sandals with a long-sleeved swim shirt to cover up his scars and bruises. Alex looked around his room to look for anything else he might need when his eyes fell upon the stack of books he got at the boardwalk. Alex grabbed The Last Thing I Could Remember by Andrew Klavan and tucked it under his towel, running out the door to his awaiting friends.
“Sorry that took so long,” Alex said as he slammed the door shut behind him and jogged down the steps. “It took me a while to find my trunks.”
“Alex, do you really walk to school and back every day? You don’t take the bus?” asked Mark.
“Of course I walk. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well… your house is pretty far from school,” Brooke said, raising her eyebrows.
“It’s good exercise,” Alex smirked.
“If you say so,” Brooke replied.
The beach was below a twenty-foot cliff with stairs embedded in the rock that led up to a small vacant parking lot. The lot was full of grass, garbage, and broken glass. A telephone pole had fallen over on the fa
r end of the lot, crushing an old rusted-out bicycle. Rotting wood fences were lining the edge of the cliff, breaking at the stairs. Alex followed his friends as they ignored the sight around them and continued toward the gap in the fence.
When they came to the stairs, they didn’t hesitate before walking down. Alex looked over at the steep stone steps that were carved into the cliff. As soon as he stepped down, he felt a rock slip beneath his feet. He leaned over the side and watched as it tumbled down and into the sand. Below him, weeds littered the sand closest to the cliff. The farther out he looked, the sand became more clear. The beach was completely deserted.
Not a single soul was to be seen. It was surprising to Alex since the temperature was so hot. He at least expected a few people to be out there. When his feet sunk in the hot sand he slipped off his sneakers and held them by the ends in his hand. He followed his friends as they walked to the clearer part of the beach and dropped their things.
“Where’d everyone go?” Alex asked.
“They’re on the other side of the beach. No one really comes to this side of the beach anymore,” answered Nicole.
Alex stared out at the ocean while everyone else laid down their towels and took off the clothes over their suits. As Mark and the others talked, Alex felt the overwhelming desire to escape the scorching rays of the sun and plunge into the water slowly overtake him. He dropped his things in the sand beside the others and took off toward the sparkling waters.
The cool water sent relief through his sun-baked skin. He shot up and wiped the water off his eyelids as he opened them again. He turned quickly to face his friends to find that they had not yet noticed he had already jumped in. A flash of movement caught his eye and he spun back around. Yards away, deeper into the ocean, he saw more movement, always in the same place. His curiosity overtook him and he plunged back into the water, swimming toward the movements.
Mark turned toward the water to see Alex spring above the surface many yards away, in the much deeper waters. What was he doing?
The Abnormals: Book One Page 4
