Zellie Wells Trilogy

by Stacey Wallace Benefiel

  A huge grin broke out on Antoine’s face.

  “Do you have a boyfriend, Antoine?” Ben inquired.

  The boy’s grin faded.

  Christopher elbowed Ben in the ribs.

  “What I mean to ask is,” he held his hands up, palms out, in front of him, “is there a special someone you’ve had a vision of? A vision of their death?”

  Antoine Sr. spoke up. “His mother’s explained all that to him as best she could and he’s broken things off with Marcus, haven’t you Ant?”

  “Yes, sir,” Antoine mumbled.

  Ben didn’t like the tone of Antoine Sr.’s voice. He looked at the kid. “You broke up with Marcus because of the vision? To keep him safe? Or because your dad doesn’t want you to be gay?”

  “My son’s not gay,” Antoine’s dad said.

  Christopher cleared his throat. “Sir, with all due respect, if your son wasn’t gay, you wouldn’t be able to communicate with him and he wouldn’t possess extraordinary powers.” He addressed Willamina. “I’m sure that when you were coming up in The Society, all the Retroacts were female?”

  She nodded. “Yes. That’s why Ant having abilities…I just figured he was an anomaly.”

  Christopher smiled at her. “I can assure you he’s not.” He waved his hand between himself and Ben. “As far as we know, during the late Eighties, a shift occurred. We’re the first generation of men to also possess Retro abilities.”

  Antoine Sr. looked skeptical. “So you’re both gay too, then?”

  “I wasn’t always,” Ben said. “Actually, I’m still not one hundred percent. But after I met my trigger, Connor, I realized I was attracted to both men and women.”

  “Then there’s the possibility that Antoine isn’t gay eith--”

  “The key to understanding this is the triggers,” Christopher interrupted. “They are the person whose, uh, love kick starts our abilities. Like you did for your wife. Triggers are always male. So, it would stand to reason that if Ben and I and Antoine all have Retroact powers, it’s because on some level we’re homosexuals.” He focused on Antoine Sr. “And you ought to be happy about that, Sir. If Antoine and Marcus had never fallen in love - if Marcus had never triggered Antoine’s abilities - you wouldn’t be able to have a relationship with your son.”

  Ant’s dad looked Christopher over. “Are your parents happy about it?”

  Christopher met his gaze head-on. “No, my adoptive parents probably aren’t. But I don’t give a damn. I haven’t seen them in years. When my trigger Liam died, I was distraught. I didn’t have anyone to explain to me that the dream I’d had about him every night was actually going to come true. And it was all because I had unsupportive parents who were disgusted with me for being gay.” He turned to Ant. “I refuse to let what happened to me happen to another kid.”

  “Son,” Antoine Sr. said, “You have to know I’m not disgusted with--”

  Ant’s grandma and Frank came back into the room. Frank was carrying a tray of drinks and cookies. He raised an eyebrow at Ben. “Refreshments?”

  Ben stood up. “Yeah, in just a sec. Antoine was going to show me...” His etchings? His bowling trophy? His Justin Timberlake shrine?

  “...his comic book collection,” Christopher chimed in. “We hear he’s quite the aficionado.”

  “Uh, yeah, come check it out,” Antoine said as he got to his feet. He shuffled off toward his bedroom and Ben followed. Surprisingly, his parents stayed behind in the family room.

  Antoine closed his bedroom door and looked at Ben. “So, you’re really like me?”

  “Yup.” Ben nodded his head, picking up a pair of crumpled jeans from the desk chair and throwing them onto Antoine’s twin bed so he could sit down. “Christopher too. So are my friend Zellie and her mom...there are a lot of us.”

  Antoine pushed the jeans onto the hardwood floor and sat on the bed cross-legged. “But you all aren’t in The Society, like my mom used to be?”

  “The lady leading The Society, she’s a bad person. She wants to use us and our powers, and spirits like your mom and dad, to control the world.”

  Antoine grimaced. “How’s she gonna do that?”

  “We don’t know everything. What we do know is that Mildred, that’s the lady’s name, she is very skilled at mind control and working with spirits. We think she can stop us from using our powers for good, stop us from rewinding people out of deadly situations, and force us to use our visions to her advantage.”

  Antoine stared at him blankly.

  Ben tried to think of a straight-forward example. “Like, say I have a vision of a rich man getting beat up and robbed. Normally, I would go to the scene of the crime before it was gonna happen and then rewind the robbery to a crucial point so that the thief would get caught. Meanwhile, my Lookout Frank…did your mom explain to you what a Lookout is?” Antoine nodded. “Frank would call the police and time it so the thief would be arrested and the rich guy wouldn’t get hurt.

  “Mildred could convince us to tell her about the vision and kill the thief. Then she could control the rich guy so that he gives up his bank account numbers. And if we didn’t do what she wanted, she would just send an evil spirit to inhabit our bodies. She’s all about power.”

  “Why hasn’t anyone tried to stop her? Why haven’t you?” Antoine scooted toward the edge of the bed and leaned toward Ben conspiratorially.

  “That’s the thing. Christopher and Zellie and I? We did try to stop her. We even thought we killed her. But her body has vanished and we haven’t been able to track her down.”

  The kid thought for a minute. “So you came to see if me and my mom would help you?”

  Ben smiled. “We mostly just came over to check up on you and find out if you even had powers. But yeah, when the time comes to defeat Mildred once and for all, we’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

  Antoine grinned. “I’m there.”

  “Awesome, little man.” Ben gave him a fist bump and then slouched back in the chair, trying to appear nonchalant. “Is there anything else you’d like to talk about? Marcus? Your dad?”

  “Nah.” Antoine shook his head. “My dad’s a good guy. He just thinks that if he’d been around for me I wouldn’t have turned out gay, or some silly shit like that. But he knows, y’know? There wasn’t any way he and my mom were gonna split up. They had to be together, just like Marcus and I do. Mom makes Dad give us some space, so they’re not with me all the time and they could be if it really bothered them. My dad will come around, I know he will.”

  “Do you have any idea when your vision of Marcus’s death is going to happen?”

  Antoine shrugged. “We’re old. Marcus is bald and has a little belly pooch.” Antoine patted his own flat stomach.

  Ben didn’t see those things happening to a teenage boy in the way that Avery’s gray hair had misled Zellie.

  “He’s really hot now,” Antoine continued. “And sixteen. He’s got a car. That’s where we...hang out.”

  Ben nodded, “I gotcha.”

  “Otherwise we’d get our asses beat.”

  “Does Marcus know about your visions?”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t keep anything from him.”

  “Well, if anybody ever tries to beat you guys up, use your power. Rewind the situation. Have Marcus be your Lookout, okay dude?” Ben grabbed Antoine’s cell phone from his desk and put his number in it and then added Antoine’s number to his phone. “You can give me a call whenever, don’t worry about what time it is or anything.”

  “Thanks.”

  Ben stood up. “No problem. Wanna go have some cookies?”

  Chapter Three

  Melody waited until they were at the edge of the See-Saw’s parking lot and out of the cop’s hearing range to grab Zellie’s wrist. “I saw that,” she whispered. “I saw what he mouthed to you.”

  “Do you think it could be--”

  “Grandma?”

  Zellie nodded.

  “No matter who it is,” Melody said,
“I think we need to talk to them. They might know where Mildred is.”

  She assessed the situation like Aunt Hazel had taught her. The highway was clear for a half mile going into town and up the mountain for now. The witnesses were the two cops, the produce delivery guy, Daniel, Ramon and Amanda. The delivery guy and his refrigerated truck were going to be the most difficult to deal with. She turned to Zellie. “Start rewinding. I’ll grab the boy and stash him in the car and then come back and help you figure out the rest.”

  “So, uh, we’re winging it?” Zellie asked, skeptical.

  Jesus! What did her sister expect? It wasn’t like she was the World’s Best Retroact or anything! “Yes, we’re winging it.” Melody looked over her shoulder; one of the cops had his hand on the backpacker’s head, guiding him in the car. “Start. Now.”

  Zellie whipped around and moved toward the cops in rewind mode. She pulled the backpacker out of the car and held their position.

  Melody jumped in, snagging the handcuff keys off of the frozen cop’s belt. She freed the boy’s hands and replaced the keys. Then she grabbed his orange backpack from the front seat of the cop car and put it on.

  She took a second to look at the boy and gauge his weight. She could tell that he was usually pretty buff. He was her height and had muscular arms, but had scrawned out from being so dehydrated and possibly possessed by the spirit of her grandma. Still, she didn’t think she could lift him, so dragging was her only choice. She held him tightly under the arms and tugged, dislodging him from the rewind. Ugh. The skin on his hard chest slid a little under the pressure of her hold. Zellie started the rewind up again, directing the now perp-less cops back into the diner.

  Melody pulled the boy over to their station wagon and sat him down, leaning him up against the back of the car while she opened the passenger side door to the backseat. A blast of hot air rushed out. “I told her we should have parked under a tree for shade,” she muttered. Quickly, Melody rolled down the car window. “But no, ‘This is fine Mel,’ she says. Sure! Parking in the middle of the effing blacktop when it’s eighty-five billion degrees outside is always a great idea!”

  “If it’s any consolation, Christopher and I always liked you better,” the backpacker said, getting to his feet and coming around the side of the car. His legs were wobbly, but he was able to walk.

  “Guess you’re Wes, then?” Melody asked, pitching the backpack onto the front passenger seat. “I don’t think grandmas are allowed to play favorites. It’s like a strict grandma rule or something.”

  The boy shook his head like he was coming out of a deep sleep and gave her a weak grin. She crawled into the backseat and unlatched Wyatt’s car seat base, tossing it in the way back. Melody might not have changed any diapers, but she’d become an expert at car seat installation. Such a handy thing for a 15-year-old to know.

  She helped Wes into the car and pointed to a cooler on the floor. “There are an assload of cold bottled waters in there, just make sure you leave some for Zellie. Lie down on the seat and wait for us, I gotta go see if my sister can rewind a produce truck. She usually can’t do large vehicles unless Avery’s life is on the line.”

  “Ouch! So cynical,” Wes’ grin widened.

  “Whatevs.” She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m hot and pissy and I think some of your gross back skin rubbed off on my favorite tank top.” She slammed the door shut.

  Melody checked the highway. It was still clear in both directions. Excellent. She ran to the diner and went in the front door.

  Zellie was standing in the doorway between the dining area and the kitchen, propping the swinging door open with her butt. With one hand she’d rewound the cops and Amanda back to the cash register. With the other she was holding Daniel and the produce guy in place, both in a forward step pulling hand carts loaded down with boxes behind them. Ramon was passed out in front of the walk-in refrigerator.

  Melody had to admit that Zellie was getting way better at controlling her powers. This was a lot of people to deal with at once.

  Sweat ran down the sides of her sister’s face, but she held her concentration. “This is a bit of a cluster F, isn’t it?”

  Melody surveyed the situation. “Yeah, but at least no one’s in any danger.”

  “Ha. Except us. One of these people is sure to remember something.” Zellie licked her lips. “So, I take it the backpacker wasn’t Grandma or you would have told me first thing.”

  Melody shook her head. “Nope. It’s Wes.”

  “Awesome. Well, maybe I should just drop my hands and run because I don’t think I give a rat’s ass what happens to him.”

  “He’s here for a reason. Let’s just get this sorted out.” Melody wedged in between the cops and the counter, standing in front of the cash register. “I’ll deal with these guys. Why don’t you rewind Daniel and the produce dude back outside? I don’t think you have to move the truck, just get the guy in there. And you can stick Ramon back in the fridge.”

  “You think Daniel won’t remember?” Zellie asked.

  “Daniel’s not the brightest guy. I don’t think he has enough brain cells to remember something that happened more than five minutes ago.”

  Zellie raised her eyebrow. “I didn’t know you knew him so well.”

  Melody sighed, resigned. “Fine, yes, I went out on a few dates with him around Christmas when everyone was ignoring me. I half-assedly rebelled. He’s a stoner with a hard-on for me and I was lonely enough to take the bait. If he remembers anything, which he won’t, I’ll use my feminine wiles to our advantage, all right?”

  “All right.” Zellie seemed satisfied with this and slowly started backing through the doorway into the kitchen. “Meet you at the car a-sap.”

  As soon as her sister disappeared into the kitchen, the cops and Amanda came to life, each in mid-sentence. Melody dug around in her purse until they all fell into a befuddled silence.

  “Sorry! This bag is like a vortex, for serious!” Melody exclaimed. “Why don’t you get the cops their pops, ha ha that rhymed, while I dive in here and look for my wallet?” She turned to the cops, “A Sprite and a Diet Dr. Pepper, right?” She turned back to Amanda and gave her a wide smile. “I should totally work here, don’t you think? I can so remember other people’s orders. It’s kind of a gift, one of my many, really.”

  The cops seemed to take all of her ramblings at face value and strolled over to a booth against the wall, sitting down to wait for their beverages.

  Amanda stared blankly at the cash register. “Uh, yeah, what did you have again?”

  “Two chocolate shakes.” Melody flicked her head back toward the table she and Zellie had been sitting at. “Zel’s out in the car beautifying for Avery.”

  Zellie walked by the front window, smiled and waved. Luckily Amanda was still staring at the register like it was an alien.

  Melody quickly pulled her wallet from her bag. “Found it!” She took out a five and a one and slapped them down on the counter. “Check ya later, Amanda. Don’t forget the cop pops, a Sprite and a Diet Dr. Pepper.”

  Amanda scowled and slid the money from the counter as Melody tried her hardest not to run out the front door.

  Chapter Four

  Pulling out onto the highway, I checked my rearview mirror and put my seat belt on. I drove at a leisurely pace until the See-Saw was nearly out of sight and then pushed the speed limit by 10 mph. I didn’t want to look suspicious, but we needed to vanish.

  Melody and I took a collective breath when I made the exit that led to Avery’s house and we realized we hadn’t been followed.

  “See, I told you it would work.” She looked into the vanity mirror, checking out the road behind us.

  “Yeah, but by the hair of my chinny chin chin. We still have to hope they don’t remember anything.”

  A groan came from the body lying in the backseat. He’d been passed out since I’d returned to the car.

  “Are you okay back there?” I said, glancing over my shoulder.
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br />   “No. I’m not okay,” he said, struggling to sit up. He only made it halfway and then propped himself on his elbow. “I thought you guys had royally fucked me and that I was going to die in jail.”

  “Definitely not Grandma,” Melody said.

  “Nope.”

  “It’s Wes. Melody, you didn’t tell her it was me?” He sounded hurt, like I was supposed to be ecstatic that the idiot who betrayed us all to Mildred in exchange for a new body was laying in the backseat of my car.

  “Oh, she told me. How’s that new body workin’ out for ya?” I stole another quick glance over my shoulder unable to resist seeing his reaction.

  “Obviously, it blows.” He lay back down.

  Melody turned in her seat. “So--”

  “Pull over! I’m going to hurl,” Wes said, gagging on the words.

  I eased the car onto the shoulder. Melody hopped out and opened his door for him. Wes didn’t even bother getting out of the car, he just hung his head out of it and hurled onto the gravel.

  “Ugh, gross. He’s barfing up coffee and water everywhere.” Melody stepped back from him as he continued to empty himself and put her forearm across her nose.

  She really was the least maternal person on the planet. And that’s in a world where Aunt Hazel exists. I got out of the car and went around to him. I didn’t see what the big deal was, Wyatt spitting up sour milk reeked a lot worse.

  I patted his back between his shoulder blades until I remembered that his skin was peeling off there, and then moved on to the safety zone of his upper arm. When he was done heaving, I helped him sit up and wiped his mouth off with the bottom edge of his t-shirt. I may have not liked Wes very much, but the poor body he was in was suffering badly.

  “Better? We’ll be at Avery’s house in, like, five minutes. Think you can hold on that long? We kinda need to get off the road.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t wait. There’s not much time.” Wes moved over and slumped against the other car door, motioning for me to get in the car with him. I did, shutting the door behind me. Melody got back in the car and cracked her window so we all wouldn’t suffocate in the heat.