The Fire In My Eyes

by Christopher Nelson

  The redhead stood up. She looked in my direction, then drifted around the tables toward me. Her hair was still sparkling whenever she passed beneath a light. She was walking in my direction. I felt my mouth go dry and took a quick drink before she arrived. I couldn't believe it had actually worked. More to the point, what the hell was I going to say to her? What would I tell Nikki?

  She paused as she reached the booth. At this distance, I could see that she had a scattering of freckles across her cheeks. Her eyes were a dark green and she was watching me without saying anything. I put the beer down, trying to keep from trembling. “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi,” she replied. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Not at all,” I said. She sat down across from me and placed her drink on the table. I could smell coffee. “Just coffee?”

  She smiled. “Irish coffee. Heavy on the coffee. You?”

  “Just this terrible beer my friend ordered,” I said. “Fresh from the cat.”

  Her smile grew. “Your friend said you were a little shy. I'm not sure he was telling me the truth.” Her voice was a comfortable alto, her tone a little teasing, a little playful.

  I shrugged. “Max exaggerates sometimes.”

  “And your other friend?”

  “Drew makes Max looks like a paragon of truthfulness. Some sort of paladin.”

  She laughed, a carefree laugh that I wanted to hear again. “Max and Drew. And what's your name?”

  “Kevin. You?”

  “Call me Star.” She folded her hands under her chin and smiled at me. “As dramatic as it sounds, it's just a nickname.”

  “I like it,” I said. “Does it refer to your hair sparkling?”

  “You noticed?” She looked pleased.

  “It's hard not to notice. I like that too.”

  “Thank you, Kevin.” She laughed again. “Are you from around here? I don't remember seeing you around here before.”

  “No, I'm from Pennsylvania, go to school in New York. We're taking a road trip to Florida over our summer break,” I told her and reached for my drink.

  She reached for it as well, brushing my hand out the way. I watched as she raised the glass to her lips. “You're right. This is cat piss. Your friend has no taste.” I chuckled and she grinned playfully at me. “Summer break. I see, so you're a college guy? What school do you go to?”

  “Ripley University.”

  Both eyebrows rose. “Ripley? I've heard of that school. An interesting take on education, isn't it? Special courses for special students?”

  “Something like that,” I said, pulling the beer back over to my side of the table and taking a drink. Something in the way she said “special” struck me as strange. Maybe she was making fun of me in some obscure way. “It's a pretty nice place. Some odd things happen there, but I think you can say that about all colleges. What about you?”

  She shrugged. “I work. Been working since high school.”

  “What do you do?”

  “This and that,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “Odd jobs. I'm saving money so I can go to school like you are.”

  “You could always get a loan,” I said.

  “I don't like being in debt,” she said, then looked over at her friends. “Did you know that tonight is karaoke night?”

  “No, we're just passing through,” I said. “Are you going to sing?”

  “Of course,” she said. “Would you like to sing with me?”

  I shook my head. “You don't want to hear me sing. Really. I'd love to, but I think people would start tossing barstools at me.”

  She laughed. “I doubt it. Your voice is strong. If you're not a singer, that's fine. How about dancing? Will you dance with me?”

  I looked toward the center of the floor. One of the bartenders was moving some of the tables out of the way, while the other was setting up a portable karaoke machine between orders. “I'm not that great a dancer, either.”

  She stared at me and both eyebrows shot up again. “Don't sing, don't dance. What do you do for fun, Kevin? Maybe you are as shy as your friend said.”

  “It's not that I'm shy,” I said. “I just have a girlfriend back at school.”

  Idiot. I bit my tongue and waited for her to cool off and walk away. I didn't expect her to laugh. “So?” she asked after catching her breath. “I don't see you as the seductive player type. You're not going to betray her so easily. I can tell. But, she doesn't know you're here, does she?”

  I sighed and looked down at the table. “I didn't tell her that I was going to Florida until just last night. She didn't take it too well. I think she's pretty angry with me.”

  Star's hand walked across the table and covered mine. “Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories. But you haven't answered my question. Will you dance with me? Maybe it'll take your mind off your girl.” She laughed again. “Just so you know, I plan on dancing well enough to take your mind off everything but me. What do you say? Last chance!”

  “Sure,” I said. “But I’m serious about being a bad dancer. I don't want your broken feet to come as a complete surprise.” I grinned in spite of myself. I had never had a girl flirt so openly with me, let alone one as gorgeous as Star. I did need to get my mind off Nikki. She wasn't here and I was just going to have some fun. I wasn't going to be trying to seduce anyone. We were just going to dance. How could I say no?

  She stood up, pushing her drink toward me. “Good. I'll be back for that. Go ahead and try it if you want. I always get the first song of the night. People think I've got a nice voice for some reason.” She grinned at me and sauntered away. I watched her walk up to the bar and chat with the bartender, then glance over at me. I picked up her drink and took a sip as she watched. Her lips curved into another playful smile.

  It took another few minutes for the bartenders to finish setting up, transforming the place from a dive to a low-key club. When they were ready, they handed Star the microphone right away. The entire bar went silent. She had to be the one the agent was looking for. The song started playing and I recognized the tune as a ballad from a few years ago. Her singing voice was powerful and pitched perfectly, a little deeper than the original singer, but sounding even better than the song I remembered. When she finished, she was breathing deeply, then took a bow with a flourish. Applause rippled through the bar and I joined in.

  After she handed off the microphone, she walked back to my table, moving quickly, a little unsteadily. She slid into the seat and breathed in sharply before saying anything. “What did you think?”

  “I think you sounded great. You put a lot into it.” She still sounded breathless and her chest was heaving noticeably. She didn't seem to mind my blatant noticing. Gorgeous girl. Nikki was pretty, but Star had a killer figure.

  “Thanks. Dance?” Her playful smile was back in full force.

  “Are you sure you don't want to catch your breath first?” I asked.

  She bounced up out of the booth. “I'm not out of breath. I'm excited. Come on!” She held her hands out to me. Behind her, I saw my roommates getting up, along with the other two girls. They were going to dance too. There was safety in numbers. I wouldn't be the only one to embarrass myself. “Come on!” she repeated.

  She wouldn't wait forever. I took her hands and she led me to the dance floor, firmly arranged my arms around her waist, and wrapped her arms around my neck. The next song was another slow ballad. Maybe it was the theme for the night. The singer was nowhere near Star's singing ability, but the music was enough for dancing. Truthfully, silence was all I would have needed to dance with her. She led, not letting my clumsy steps get in the way. At first, she whispered directions as to where she was leading me, but as time passed and I grew more comfortable with how she was moving, she fell silent and we just danced.

  Occasionally, I saw Drew or Max and their partners over her shoulder. Drew and the blonde girl were dancing energetically, bouncing around loosely. In contrast, Max and the brunette were very close and quiet, almost stif
f, but both of them were smiling. They were having fun too, in a more restrained sort of way.

  Star was perfectly relaxed and her carefree manner had me relaxing as well. She tightened her arms around me and pulled me closer. She was just a couple of inches shorter than me. “Hey, Kevin,” she said, just loud enough to be heard over the music. “It's glitter in my shampoo.”

  “It's what?”

  She laughed. “My hair. It twinkles because of the glitter. It's a pain to wash it all out, but I like the effect.”

  “So do I,” I said.

  “Are you curious?” she asked.

  “About what?”

  “The type of shampoo I use. How the glitter gets in there. You know.”

  “I've never heard of it before,” I said. “Is it something special?”

  “Maybe you'd like to come back to my place and find out firsthand?” she asked, pulling herself even closer to me.

  Apparently seduction had been in the cards all along. I took a deep breath before responding. “I'm interested, but I don't know if I should.”

  She pulled slightly away to look me in the eye. “Girlfriend?” she asked. I nodded. We hadn't gone very far, just made out a few times. I'd never see this girl again. “I promise I won't tell,” she said.

  “I thought you said there wasn't going to be any seducing going on.”

  “I said you weren't going to seduce me. I said nothing about me seducing you. I decided you're the type of guy who I want to get to know a little better. Special. You know what I mean?” Her eyes narrowed slightly.

  “I think so,” I said. My resistance was waning. There was something just so deliciously straightforward about her. Where Nikki was quiet and coy, Star was making it absolutely clear what she wanted.

  She leaned forward and brushed a kiss against my cheek, then traced her lips down the side of my neck. I shivered and reflexively pulled her closer. What she wanted, I wanted too. “Let's get out of here,” she whispered.

  “Now?” I asked.

  “Now.” She caught the attention of her two friends with a slightly raised hand, then gestured rapidly between herself and me. Her friends both signaled back with flicks of their wrists. It was fascinating to watch, almost like sign language. After a few seconds of flurried hand motions, they both turned back to their partners and Star hauled me toward the door. She was breathing heavily again and smiling very widely. “I'm looking forward to this,” she said as she pushed the door open.

  “So am I,” said a completely unexpected voice. The bouncer was sprawled face down across the sidewalk. The agent who had pulled us over a couple of hours ago stepped forward, a broad smile on his face. He folded his sunglasses and placed them in one of the inner pockets of his suit jacket. “I've been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time.”

  Star started to say something, but before she could get a word out, the man took a long step forward. I stepped in front of Star and threw my arms out wide before he could reach her. “What do you think you're you doing?” the agent asked. His voice was deathly quiet.

  “She's not who you're looking for!” I snapped. “I'm not going to let you take her away.”

  “On the contrary, Mr. Parker-”

  “On the contrary, Kevin, I am who he's looking for,” Star said from behind me. She gently pushed me aside and stepped up, face to face with the agent. “Tell me, agent, are you going to cockblock me tonight? If you are, I'm going to remove your dick with a butter knife.”

  I wasn't sure if I had heard that properly, but I knew that I couldn't let this go. “Look, I don't know if you're really a government agent or what, but she's not any sort of threat. You let her go and I won't call the cops on you as a kidnapper. And assault,” I added, remembering the bouncer who was still laid out on the ground.

  “Kevin, I appreciate your stepping in,” she said. “But listen to me. You need to walk away. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me.”

  “I'm not going to leave you. This guy isn't what he seems.”

  “Your devotion is wonderful, Kevin. Simply wonderful. Your grasp of the blatantly obvious is equally wonderful. If we make it through this, I'll give you a reward. A very nice reward. But you know what? This isn't the time for heroics!” Star grabbed my shoulder and pushed me away. She was far stronger than she looked. When the agent took a step toward me, she interposed herself between the two of us again, reversing who was protecting who. “Run!” she snapped over her shoulder.

  I wanted to run. This man, government agent or not, was going to take her away. If I didn't get out of here, he'd probably take me too. That only left two options. Run, or fight. My adrenaline was ramping up, and my power was on the verge of manifesting itself, outside of my control. I forced it down. That was my last resort. If I needed to use it to save her, I would. Adrenaline was my fuel. Well, adrenaline, testosterone, and a glorious cocktail of other hormones.

  “Mr. Parker,” the agent said. “You're consorting with a terrorist. You're giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Don't you know what the penalty for that is?”

  “He hasn't actually consorted yet,” Star pointed out.

  “Let me guess,” I said. “You're going to kill me.”

  The agent gave me a vicious, tight little smile. He was going to kill me. He was going to kill me just to make sure no one ever found out about this. Running was no longer an option. I smiled and tapped into my power. Psionic energy flooded my body and I lunged for him, driving my fist toward his face, as hard and fast as I could.

  He lifted his hand and caught my fist. “Provocation.” His eyes blazed with scarlet light.

  “What the shit, Kevin?” Star's voice was suddenly surprised.

  “Kevin Parker, overstepping your bounds.” He made a tsk-ing noise and shook his head. “Unfortunately for you, you're all alone here. Alistair Ripley isn't here to protect you. I'll make sure to write him a letter, personally, telling him how you screamed and begged for mercy.” The agent squeezed and the bones in my hand creaked. His other hand rose, pointing right between my eyes. “Good night, Mr. Parker,” he said.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The agent froze as the doors to the bar crashed open. Star's friends spilled out, followed by my roommates. The agent's fingers were pointed at my forehead, his eyes were glowing, my eyes were glowing. No one spoke. Even the street was silent, abandoned. The thugs who were out earlier in the evening had vanished, as if they had decided it was a good night to stay indoors. They were right.

  The agent's fingers twitched. Star grabbed my shoulder and flung me backwards, hard enough for me to lose balance and fall on my ass. The agent grunted and pointed at Star. Red sparks danced from his fingertips to her forehead and she staggered backwards, lifting her hands to her eyes. I scrambled to catch her as she fell. Her hands seized and I saw that her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated. She gasped erratically for breath as I lowered her to the ground, then convulsed, clawing the sidewalk, fingernails raking the concrete. I grabbed her hands before she could hurt herself. Her grip was shockingly strong. “Star?” I called her name. Her hands squeezed mine, but other than that, she made no response. I wasn't sure if she had even heard me.

  “There's nothing you can do for her,” the agent said. He took a step toward us, ignoring our audience. “There's nothing you can do for yourself either, but I'll give you a fighting chance. We'll play a little game. I’ll go easy on you. What do you say?” He gave me a twisted smile. I knew where this was going. It was the sort of game that a cat would offer a mouse.

  Behind the agent, I noticed Star's friends moving to flank him. I was sure he knew they were there, but he was ignoring them, as if they were no threat. I didn't think they were either, not until both of them manifested an electric blue eyeglow that I'd never seen before. “Get down!” the blonde shouted. Max and Drew hit the deck and I tried to flatten myself on the sidewalk next to Star. I could feel psionic energy carving the air above me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I heard glass shat
ter somewhere behind me.

  “Fools.” I looked up. The agent had flung himself sideways, but one of the girls had grazed him. He clutched his right shoulder and smoke was curling up from under his hand. He grimaced and then removed his hand. Whatever wound had been there was already closed. He lifted both hands and a scarlet shield flashed to life. Almost as soon as the shield appeared, a gap appeared in the middle and he flicked another series of red sparks out through it, all of them aimed at the blonde.

  The red sparks burst against a hastily created shield and the girls countered with whip-like lashes of blue energy. While they battered each other, I returned my attention to Star and tried to figure out what he had done to her. I could sense injury, but my medical knowledge was limited to whatever I had seen Absynthe and Nikki use on me. The only biokinetic ability I was proficient with was a simple pain relief method. I cautiously attempted to use it on Star. She swatted my psionic touch away, blue light sparkling from her eyes. “You too?” I asked her, even though I didn't think she could hear me. “Stop resisting me! I'm trying to help you!”

  Her hands squeezed, but psionic energy was still raging through her. I grimaced. She was out of control, focused completely on defending herself. I'd have to either wait it out, or break her defenses. Her friends might know what to do, but I didn't dare distract them. If I could get Max and Drew to help me get her into cover, maybe I could do something for her.

  A flicker of energy directed toward me gave me just enough warning to throw my own shield up. The attack cascaded off it, electric red ropes snapping into the air. The nearest streetlights blew out in showers of sparks. “Parker! I won't let you do that!” he shouted at me. The girls attacked him again, spreading out to attack him from multiple angles, but he manifested a second shield and blocked both of them at once.