Orson

by David Delaney

  My pity party ended with Elyse's soft lips touching mine. I didn't open my eyes. I just kissed her back, slowly at first, and then with more passion, as my mind quieted and I focused on what my mouth was doing. I pulled her in close, my hands twining through her hair. She kissed me until all my worries melted away. Oh, we were still very much in a bad situation, but with her kiss, I was able to put everything in perspective. She pulled back a little, our noses still touching.

  "Better?" she whispered.

  "Much." I opened my eyes, and we gazed at each other for a moment. Then she smacked my butt.

  "Let's get moving, dork."

  I followed Elyse through the foothills of Southern California. We stayed in human form, but we were still super fast. Whenever we sensed day hikers or campers, we would give them a wide berth to avoid any witnesses that could pinpoint the location of the two weird, shoeless people smashing through the underbrush.

  The burner phone was a great resource, or rather, it would be as soon as we could get it charged. That's the problem with our tech dependent world; it only worked if we had the juice to keep things humming. Elyse was leading us toward a gas station/truck stop. There was a small café where we could grab some food and charge the phone.

  I have to admit the run through nature had a calming effect on me. I was able to think a bit more clearly about the events of the last couple of days. Two days ago, the biggest decision I had been facing was how early I should schedule my first class. Did I go for sleeping in or getting my classes over and done with by the afternoon so I could enjoy the rest of my day?

  Now, I wasn't even sure if I would be able to start school in the fall. I was sure the two classes I was currently enrolled in to get ahead of the freshman curve were done. How was I supposed to show up for class tomorrow, or even the next couple of weeks, when I had Tommy and possibly other Paragon Society members gunning for me? It seemed the most likely scenario would be me going into hiding, while Mr. Kelly tried to smooth things over. And if that wasn't possible, then I didn't know what would happen. Would I have to run for it? Was that even possible when the people looking for you could conjure some kind of locating spell? Was a locating spell even a real thing?

  I realized again how much I didn't know about this new world I found myself in.

  And Elyse? If I had to go on the lam, would she want to go with me? I, of course, would love that, but how could I ever justify putting her in that kind of danger?

  I also thought about the violence of the past few hours. I now understood that if I was pushed to protect myself or protect those I cared for, I would — I could do so with extreme prejudice. I think most sane people consider their capacity for violence, maybe not all the time, but in the face of mass shootings, terrorist attacks, and full on street riots, the thought of 'how far would I go?' is normal.

  And, it turns out, I would go as far as I needed to.

  Maybe that realization should have given me more pause — the fact I would kill to defend me and mine — but it didn't. Was it the Ollphiest polluting me? Were these thoughts and feelings me, or were they the 'me' before I became a shape-shifter? Would I have ever let anyone hurt Aunt Tina? I didn't think so. With or without my new monster alter ego, I was fairly confident I would always do whatever I needed to stop bad guys from doing bad guy stuff.

  Elyse slowed the pace, and I slowed to match her. She came to a full stop and checked our surroundings. I knew she was using more than just her sight; she was also smelling and listening, taking in all the sensory input our abilities gave us. I did the same. I could smell the truck stop: gas, people, and fast food. I could also hear the freeway: the high buzzing sound of small cars and the load roar of semi-trucks. I have to admit I was already addicted to and completely dependent on my super-senses.

  Elyse waggled her fingers at me. "Are you picking up any magical presence with your Ollphiest radar?"

  I let my senses expand even further and the magic spectrum popped up, almost like a 3D overlay of the surrounding terrain. No signs of any magic, other than the natural rivers flowing around us.

  "Nope."

  "Good." She pointed in the direction I could sense the people, cars, and food. "The truck stop is just on the other side of the next hill."

  "What's the plan?"

  "The Society has people everywhere. There are members in every branch of government, including law enforcement. My dad has probably been able to stop them from putting out a full-on all-points bulletin on us, but people may still be on the alert. We need to be inconspicuous."

  I glanced down at our appearance. Yoga pants, sweats, t-shirts, bare feet and assorted pieces of nature clinging to us from our run through the hills.

  "Well, we look like a couple of meth-head tweakers. We should fit right in at roadside truck stop."

  "You're a comedian. We need to clean ourselves up as much as we can. I'll go down first and make sure there aren't any cops. I'll buy us some flip-flops at the mini-mart, so they'll at least let us into the café. Give me about five minutes and meet me at the edge of the parking lot closest to the back of the buildings."

  "Got it." I pulled her close and brushed her lips with mine. "Be careful."

  "Always."

  Ten minutes later, I was sporting brand new flip-flops and a turquoise California baseball cap. Elyse had also purchased a large shoulder bag and filled it with water and other snacks, just in case we needed to head back into the hills while her parents came up with a plan. We entered the café and picked a booth as far from other people as possible. The whole truck stop looked like it had undergone renovations recently; everything was still shiny and new looking. Lucky for us, the renovation had included adding charging plugs at all the tables. Elyse plugged in the burner phone. The waitress raised her eyebrows when we ordered half the food on the menu.

  "We've been fasting for religious reasons," I tried to explain.

  The waitress just nodded and smirked. Oh yeah, she was sure we were coming off of a drug-fueled bender and needed to stuff our faces. That wasn't too far from the truth, shifting was a kind of high, the way the world snapped into a brighter, louder, and sharper focus I'm sure rivaled any drug experience available.

  After the waitress dropped off our water and large sodas, Elyse picked up the burner and dialed her mom's cell. I could easily follow both sides of the conversation.

  "Are you safe?" Mrs. Kelly got right to the point.

  "Yes. We're at that truck-stop off of the Five, you know the one, the last exit before the Grapevine." Elyse spoke quietly, to avoid being overheard by any of our fellow diners.

  I glanced around the small restaurant. The other customers were what you'd expect to see at truck-stop diner, a mix of long-haul truckers looking bleary eyed as they sucked back cups of coffee and steak sandwiches. Mixed amongst the truckers were families on the road to visit grandma or some other kind of road trip. Interstate 5, or 'the 5' as Elyse and every other native Southern Californian called it, ran the length of the West Coast. It stretched from Mexico to the south all the way to Canada in the north. If you were heading anywhere in the North West, 'the 5' was how you got there and the Grapevine was a particular steep winding part of the highway, some considered it the gateway to Southern California. If we needed to get out of town, this was a good spot to start from.

  "Good," Mrs. Kelly said, talking fast. "Stay put, I'm in the car, and I'll be there in thirty minutes."

  "Mrs. Kelly," I kept my voice low also, knowing Mr. Kelly would be able to hear me, "I'm so sorry."

  "Nonsense. You did nothing wrong, Thomas should have known better," Mrs. Kelly tried to assure me, but even through the phone I could detect an edge of worry in her voice.

  "Is dad with you?" Elyse asked.

  "No. Tommy called an emergency meeting of the entire council. Your father is there trying to diffuse the situation."

  Elyse and I looked at each other. An emergency meeting didn't sound good.

  "We'll talk more when I pick you two up.
One last thing, Orson. I need you to start thinking of a way to tell your aunt about your new abilities," said Mrs. Kelly.

  "What?" I was shocked. I thought regular people weren't supposed to know about the whole magic, shape-shifter world.

  "Why, Mom?" Elyse seemed to be as confused as I was.

  "I can't explain everything right now, but we're going to need to leave L.A., and for her safety, we need to take Orson's aunt with us. I'm hanging up now. I need to make several more calls. I will be there soon."

  Mrs. Kelly clicked off. I sat staring at the phone in Elyse's hand, stunned. Leaving L.A. and delaying school was one thing, but now I had to burden Aunt Tina with the knowledge that magic and monsters were real? I looked up into Elyse's eyes.

  She pulled me into a hug. "We'll think of something. I promise," she whispered.

  We ate our food in silence. Elyse was awesome, giving me time to organize my scattered thoughts. The only way I could see of convincing Aunt Tina that I wasn't insane or brainwashed by a cult was to shift into bear-form in front of her. If that didn't cause her to run screaming from the house or keel over dead from a heart attack, I was pretty sure I could convince her of the danger we were all in. There was no way to avoid the guilt I was feeling. Aunt Tina's life was about to be blown apart by choices I had made.

  The burner phone rang. My head snapped up, my body ready to fight. Elyse patted my hand, and I took a deep breath.

  "I'm exiting the freeway. Meet me out front," Mrs. Kelly instructed.

  Elyse dropped enough cash to cover the bill with a generous tip, and we moved quickly outside. It was Summer and even though the sun was setting and had passed behind the mountains the sky was still glowed with an indigo light. The Kellys' Range Rover pulled into the parking lot, tires squealing. Elyse jumped into the front seat and I climbed into the back. Mrs. Kelly hugged her daughter, giving her the once over to assure herself that Elyse was undamaged. Satisfied, Mrs. Kelly reached back and patted my knee.

  "Have you heard from Dad?" Elyse asked immediately.

  "Yes. Tommy is doing everything he can to brand Orson as a renegade."

  "Well, that doesn't sound good," I said.

  "A renegade? He just shifted for the first time yesterday, and he hasn't killed anybody except for the blood mage, who was trying to kill us. Which is perfectly legal," Elyse shouted.

  Mrs. Kelly didn't respond. She looked at me in the rearview mirror.

  "It's Kyle, isn't it?" I didn't like the dude. I was pretty sure he had tried to have me killed, but I hoped he wasn't dead. "Is he dead?"

  "No. But he might die."

  Elyse let out a small noise. It wasn't a gasp or whimper, but it was a sad sound. I couldn't blame her. She had known him her whole life. They had dated. Even if he had grown up to be a total tool, they had a history.

  "I'm sorry." I seemed to be saying that way too much the past twenty-four hours.

  "He didn't really leave you much choice. If he had attacked an older, more experienced shifter, it would have ended in death, no questions asked. He was in the wrong, and Tommy knows it, but―"

  "Kyle's his son. I get it. Elyse, I know you guys are friends, that you―"

  "Stop," Elyse cut me off, turning in her seat to face me. "Kyle made his choice and I've made mine." Elyse sat there, glaring at me, daring me to contradict her. She was tough, loyal and sexy as hell.

  I nodded.

  "Dork," she added.

  I smiled.

  CHAPTER 19

  Mrs. Kelly was an absolute speed demon behind the wheel. Intellectually, I understood that her heightened senses gave her the ability to weave in and out of traffic like a formula one driver, but that didn't stop me from cringing when she zipped across three lanes, slotting the Range Rover in between two semi-trucks.

  I also worried about the CHP. The California Highway Patrol were notorious for handing out maximum penalty traffic tickets, and with her aggressive style of driving, Mrs. Kelly ran the risk of being arrested for drag racing, which in our current situation would be disastrous.

  I tried to broach the subject as tactfully as I could. "Mrs. Kelly, do you have the traffic app on your phone that gives a heads-up about police?"

  Mrs. Kelly laughed, and even though I couldn't see her face, I knew Elyse was rolling her eyes.

  "Smooth, Orson. Real smooth," Elyse teased me.

  "Orson, there is no need to worry. Shifter senses are very versatile. It's easy to track the anxiety level of the drivers ahead and behind. A much more accurate warning system than an iPhone app."

  "Really?" I hadn't thought about using my super-senses in that manner.

  "Yep," Elyse answered for her mom. "It works the same way as being able to tell if someone is lying or angry. Their aura puts off telltale signs; you just have to expand your range a bit further."

  I was impressed. My brain started running through all the everyday encounters this kind of ability would come in handy for. Any type of interpersonal relationship — family, romantic, business — would have a totally different dynamic. I thought about Mr. Kelly at the council meeting and wondered how something like that would work with everybody being able to read each other with just a glance. Wouldn't all the council members know Tommy was a lying douche-bag?

  "So, how does Tommy expect to get away with his plans? I mean, if everyone else can tell what everyone else is thinking?"

  "You already know the first thing shifters learn is how to control their ability to shift. The second thing they learn is how to mask their auras," Mrs. Kelly explained.

  "That's possible?"

  "Yes, and an absolute necessity. Could you imagine how hard life would be if everyone knew exactly what you were feeling?

  "Um, I don't have to imagine it. I guess I'm an open book right now." It kind of creeped me out to know I couldn't hide my feelings. I would have to start training on that ability immediately.

  Mrs. Kelly surprised me when she said, "Actually, you're not."

  "Huh?" Time for me to be confused again.

  "I think it might be another of your innate Ollphiest abilities. You're a blank slate. You have an aura, but it always looks the same, just a calm, peaceful glow. At least when you're in human form."

  Elyse had spun in her seat again. "Yep. Even when your aura should be raging, there's not even a ripple. Then bang." Elyse smacked the seat headrest. "You shift and then it's all explosive, red, rage machine. It's crazy-weird."

  "Crazy-weird." I repeated and dropped my eyes to my hands. Wonderful. One more thing to mark me as different, as dangerous. I didn't want to be crazy-weird.

  "I said 'it's crazy-weird', not you're crazy-weird."

  I nodded. Elyse knew me all too well. She didn't need an aura to know I was feeling sorry for myself. She reached out and tangled her fingers in my hair. "Hey, it's okay. You're just able to do something naturally the rest of us have to work real hard at. Like some people are naturally good at sports or art or bowling."

  I couldn't help myself I let out a small chuckle. "Bowling?"

  "Yeah, you know . . ." Elyse dramatically pantomimed a person bowling.

  My chuckle turned into a laugh. Mrs. Kelly smiled at me in the review mirror.

  I had a thought and tried to put on my serious face before asking, "So, young Miss Kelly, before yesterday and my unique transformation, you could read me like a book?"

  Elyse's answer didn't matter because I got the reaction I was hoping for when she blushed. Watching her blush was now a full sensory display. I watched as her cheeks became rosy, but I could also hear her heart rate speed up and her breathing increase. And her aura lit up like a Christmas tree. She was beautiful.

  "Oh-ho. Busted," I teased.

  "It's not something that can be controlled. We can't turn off our senses," Elyse insisted.

  I waggled my fingers at her in a come-on motion. "Keep spinning, Miss Kelly, keep spinning." I was going to enjoy this; she was cute when she was flustered. "All those times over the years," I glanced
at Mrs. Kelly who was still smiling, "when I noticed that you were a girl and not just my best friend. You knew."

  Elyse folded her arms and tossed her head. "I will not apologize for something I had no control over."

  "And you knew, when my feelings changed . . . at Prom."

  "They didn't change; you just finally accepted them." Elyse challenged. She was correct, of course. I had been falling in love with her for at least a couple of years. I had just been in denial.

  "Dork," she added, sticking her tongue out for emphasis.

  "Mrs. Kelly, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I would really like to kiss your daughter right now."

  "Please, dear, pretend I'm not here."

  I leaned forward and kissed Elyse. It wasn't the kind of kiss I wanted to give her, but hey, her mom was sitting two feet away from us. Still, I think it conveyed everything I wanted her to know and understand. I sat back satisfied.

  "Sorry to be the one to break the mood, but were almost to your house, Orson. Do you know what you will say to your aunt?" Mrs. Kelly was back in her no-nonsense mode.

  "I've been wracking my brain, but there is no way to ease someone into this situation. I think I need to go in by myself at first and, I don't know, soften her up. I don't have anything prepared. Aunt Tina would spot that from a mile away. I'm just going to have to wing it, trust in my super-spidey-senses to get a feel for how she's accepting what I'm telling her."

  "Okay. We'll be right outside waiting for your cue. Call us in when you think the time is right," said Mrs. Kelly.

  "Will do."

  Mrs. Kelly turned onto my street. I'd only been gone for a day, and yet it seemed different somehow. I'd lived here with Aunt Tina for most of my life. I'd ridden my bike, played tag football with the neighborhood kids, and skinned my knees on this street. It was a symbol of my childhood and of a normal life I was no longer a part of. A part of me was saddened by that thought, saddened by the loss of plans and life goals that would go unrealized. But another part of me was excited by the new world I found myself in, a world of magic and limitless possibilities.