by Dexx Peay
I exhaled. “Girl problems,” I said. He patted me on the back.
“Can I give you some advice?”
“Sure.” My arms rested and folded over on my knees.
“There is none.” I looked up at him. “Girls are nothing but trouble no matter what and you can’t escape it. They don’t teach you that in the textbooks.”
In a sense he was right. I just had to let her be mad until she got over it. Now that I think about it, maybe this would keep her away for good until it was safe for her to come around again.
“Elias you’re a genius.” I hugged him and gave him a noogie.
I spent the rest of the night and Sunday with the family. I didn’t call or text Monica but she texted me. She said that since I could fly, I shouldn’t have any trouble getting back to campus.
I wasn’t even mad.
I waited until darkness consumed the sky. I said bye to Elias and hugged both my parents. I kissed Katie on the cheek, and told them Monica was meeting me outside.
I was starting get too good at lying. Something had to change and fast. I walked down the street, my feet started to glow, then I took off into the sky.
I went straight to Hudson’s room when I got back to campus. He answered the door in his pajama pants and sleeveless t-shirt.
“Geesh Hudson. When you gonna put me on your workout plan.”
“What are you doing here Marcus?”
“Did you enjoy your weekend?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Cause I’m here to pick you up. Now get dressed, grab some clothes and books and let’s go.”
“Ughh.”
“And where is Sam? He isn’t exempt from this either.”
“Not here.”
“We’ll find him later.”
“Ugh!, Marcus man, it felt so good to have a few days to myself. I’m tired of having a babysitter.”
“Once we save the world, then you can go back to sleeping in your own bed. Now chop-chop.”
He packed a bag and put on another shirt. We walked back to my room.
We got in and he dropped his bag at the door, and forced his body to the couch.
“No time for sleep Hudson, we have to develop a plan of action. It’s almost time to try again.”
“Ugh! Marcus, dude...I just want to relax and sleep. I know you have class in the morning too so let’s just sleep tonight.”
I walked to the room and grabbed a notebook and pen off my desk. I walked to the living room and threw it on the table. I sat on the floor with my legs crossed next to the couch.
“So last time we tried to fight our opponent based on the element they possessed. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea,” I said.
I wrote out on the paper who each of us fought the last time. Dylan gave me a run for my money, but I wanted another round. I started tapping the pen on the paper creating a cluster of dots in the corner.
“So… what do you propose?” Hudson asked.
“Don’t sound so enthused. I don’t know. You have any ideas?”
“We blow the building up.”
“Let’s not go with that plan. Maybe we can get in and—I got it!”
“Another stellar plan?” Hudson mocked. “We’ve been having a lot of them lately.”
“What if one of us can sneak into the building and find a way to shut off the chips to buy us time to get them out?”
“That actually could work Marcus.”
“I know.”
“You should go in your room and get right on planning that and tell me all about it in the morning,” Hudson yawned.
I looked at him and got up. I went into my room and went to sleep.
The next day I met with Hudson and Sam after we got finished with our classes. Hudson wanted food, like always, so we ate at Artichoke. The server brought out the large Sicilian and the conversation stopped. I didn’t have any money so Sam paid for my portion of the pizza. The three of us all grabbed a slice and ate it followed by another. I let Sam and Hudson have the last two.
“So back to your plan Marcus.”
Sam weaved his hands around a napkin then dabbed it around his lips. I straightened up in my chair.
“So like I mentioned to Hudson last night, we have to scope this building out. I’m pretty sure we can shut off the chips from inside.”
“You know it won’t be that easy to just barge in there right?” Sam said. “And how will you know how to operate the computer system?”
“Right, That’s why you’re coming with us.”
“What? You want me. To come out on a mission, with, the two of you?” He pointed to Hudson and I.
“You said it Sam, who else is going to operate the computer system?”
“Right on! Sammy you get to hang with the big boys now.” Hudson picked up Sam’s arm and hi-fived it.
“I was thinking that we could distract Dylan and the others outside and you get in there and figure out to shut the chips off.”
“You want me to go in there by myself?” Sam said reluctantly.
“Nope, Hudson will be your bodyguard.”
“Ooohh… gimmie some.” Hudson held his palm out to Sam. Sam gently raised it and gave Hudson the weakest hi-five in hi-five history.
“It will work you guys. I’ll tell Julius and Mr. Elliot the new plan. In the meantime, Sam I need you to get an address on the coordinates from the signal. Hudson, I need you to call Quen, update him, give him the address to the building and see if he can fly around and scope it out to get a feel of it.”
The games were over.
It was time to get them back and finish the semester off strong. Hudson and Sam got right on it and so did I. I updated Julius and Mr. Elliot. In two weeks we were headed to DC.
“So kill them,” he said.
And the five of us nodded.
It was weird sleeping alone for so many nights in a row. Hudson snoring and passing gas all night and Sam eating all my food was a terrible substitute for Monica’s body keeping me warm. We would send the occasional text just to make sure the other was still alive but that was about it. I wanted her out of all this mess so I had to keep the show going.
Delilah and I met a few times, just to help her with homework. Nothing serious. She asked where Monica was just to be nosey but I brushed it off. I think she played dumb sometimes just to get more time with me. I was cool with that. I needed some kind of female company even if it was over textbooks.
Dylan’s frat brothers, along with Gunner were still harassing me about where he was hiding. I was tired of entertaining that crowd. I know my “family issues” cover was wearing thin.
Hudson went over some fighting techniques with Sam and I during our free time. He never had any formal training but I’d take any combat moves from him just based off his size. We would meet on top of my building when the sun went down. We didn’t practice for too long, nor did we try to beat the life out of one another. It was more so to learn how to protect ourselves without the powers.
Especially Sam.
I couldn’t picture him fighting.
I see him with a pair of trunks, leaned against a surfboard on the sandy beach of Hawaii. I was surprised that he wasn’t afraid to get dirty. He would have to if he was gonna roll with us. Sometimes I still find it hard to believe that I can even land a nice right hook.
Once again, Julius was taking care of our plane tickets and hotel arrangements. He had all our information emailed to us days before the trip. I’d been meaning to ask him what he did for a living.
I made time to meet with Monica. I had to say goodbye to her. Although I had faith that I would be okay, I had to be realistic at the same time...I could die. I told her what I was about do but I didn’t give her all the details. I was keeping it that way.
I sat on the couch with my hands cupped together and my chin resting on them. There was a knock at the door. I glanced at my phone and it was right at four. She was on time. I got up and answered. The door opened and without a greeting she glance
d over at my duffle bag next to the door. I walked back to the couch and she followed. It was our first time physically seeing each other since the phone debacle in Poughkeepsie.
“Hey,” I said. She sat next to me.
“Hey.” She pushed her curls to the side and began playing in them.
“How you been?” I reached for her hand.
We took a few seconds for our skin to get reacquainted.
“I’m fine. Still mad at you though.”
“You know you can’t stay mad at me too much longer.”
“When are you leaving?”
“In a little. I had to see your face before I left.”
“I don’t want you to go but I know I have no say so in these situations.”
“No you don’t,” I joked. She pushed me.
“Just hurry and get Dylan back.”
“Can I have a kiss now?”
Right when I pursed my lips and leaned in, she palmed my forehead and mushed me. She giggled and I replied back with spider hands, tickling her sides. She laughed uncontrollably, struggling to get a word out. I leaned back in for a kiss, and stopped the tickle fest when our lips connected. Her hands held the sides of my face and her feet followed suit, lifting off the floor onto the couch.
Her hands transitioned from my face to the back of my head. Our kisses became more passionate as they went from child’s play to adulthood. My body stroked on top of hers with every kiss like a wave in the calm ocean. My hands ran up and down the side of her body under her shirt.
I lifted up and pulled my tee over my head, then leaned back down and when our lips reconnected, the table started to shake. We both looked at the glowing phone skating across the table.
It was Hudson.
“Hey,” I answered. “Be right there.”
“What’s wrong?” she said.
I got off her and put my shirt back on. “Hudson is outside waiting. I have to go.”
She fixed herself and got up. I grabbed her hand and my duffle bag as we walked out the door. Hudson and Sam were outside Greenwich waiting in a taxi. We walked over and the driver got out to take my bag. I didn’t want to draw this out. I hugged her and pressed her body one good time into mine.
“Be careful,” she whispered in my ear followed by a peck on the cheek.
“I will.”
We disconnected and I got in the back seat with Sam.
It was half past nine when we walked into our room. Julius and Mr. Elliot greeted us downstairs and showed us up. Their room was on another floor. We didn’t have time to get settled. We had planning to do. Quen called right as we walked into Julius’s room. We waited for him to come up.
“Everybody,” Quen greeted when he walked into the room.
Mr. Elliot closed the curtains and we all gathered around the desk where Julius sat with a notebook and pen. Hudson, of course, stood next to his new best friend Quen.
“Alright everybody, what’s the update?” Julius said.
Quen reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone and held it out so we could all see the screen. It was almost as big as a tablet so we all had no problem viewing it.
“It was risky, but I got an aerial view in the daytime.” Quen took the notebook and pen, and started to draw. “As you all saw in the video, the building looks like it sits on an island.”
It wasn’t though.
It was some sort of a slab of land where the building sat. Around the land was a man-made lake but the water didn’t connect all the way around. There was a strip that went for miles connecting the “island” to a road that led to a main road. It was fenced with barbed wire and spotlights everywhere.
“Digging the water,” Hudson said.
“I thought you would,” Quen said. “Now, who’s going inside?”
“Sam and I,” Hudson said.
Quen looked over. “Okay now you—”
“Pause,” Mr. Elliot interrupted. We all shifted our attention. “That’s not going to work.”
“What? Why not?” Hudson said.
“We don’t know what or who is in there. And what if your sister is nowhere around? Or what if she is there and happens to leave the one-mile radius? You two would both be powerless and vulnerable. That’s not a good idea, somebody else needs to go.”
“Who?” I said.
“You,” Mr. Elliot said.
“But I have to fight Dylan.”
“No you don’t.”
“Then who is going to stop him?”
“I’m not sure but Hudson can’t go in there.”
“Now that I think about it, he’s right Marcus.” Hudson put his hand on my shoulder. “You have to do it.”
“Guys,” Quen interjected. “We have to get their attention. We need them out of that building.”
“I can take care of that part,” Julius said.
Quen continued to draw on the paper as he talked. “Once we get them out and distracted, Marcus, you and Sam will come from over here.” He pointed to the strip. “Stay out of the sky as much as possible Marcus. You glow. Enter through this fence, do what you need to get past it. There is a side door right here but I’m not sure how guarded it is. Try to use your telekinesis as much as possible.”
“This is it guys,” Hudson said.
“Another thing,” Quen said. “Did you all see that the strip was wooded? It’s not thick but it provides cover. I’m not that good at air combat so that is where my opponent and me will be. Hudson, you should consider being close to the ground as well so that you can have easy access to the water.”
“So let’s do that then,” Mr. Elliot said. “Sam and Marcus. Julius and Myself. And the two of you. We can all watch one another’s back.”
“And what happens when Marcus needs help?” Sam questioned.
“We’ll be fine Sam, don’t worry,” I chimed in to reassure him.
“I don’t know about you guys but I am ready for some sleep,” Quen said.
“Popsicle is right, we all need to get plenty of rest for tomorrow.” Julius affirmed.
We all left and went back to our room.
The four of just stood there for a moment. Hudson walked over and sat on the bed that was next to the window.
“I’ll take this bed,” he said.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m sleeping on the floor,” Quen said adamantly. “I’ll go downstairs and get more blankets. We’re sleeping feet-to-head just like I did growing up.”
He walked out the room.
I walked over to my bag, changed into some shorts and sat on the other bed.
“I think it’s smart that you don’t fight Dylan again.” Sam took a seat next to me. “Last time you got real banged up, you need to take it easy.”
“So now I have to let somebody else feel his wrath? It’s not right.”
“You gotta trust everybody’s skills Marcus. They’ll all be fine.”
I still didn’t think it was a good idea. Quen walked back in with two extra blankets.
“I guess Marcus and I will take this bed,” Quen said.
He gave the other blanket to Sam and we all went to sleep.
I woke up before the rest of the guys in the room, and had the complimentary breakfast with Julius and Mr. Elliot. When I got back to the room, the guys were just waking up. I walked over and pushed away the curtains. Sam hid under his blanket and Hudson just wanted to find food before brushing his teeth.
“Think you can show us around today to see some of the memorials Quen?” I asked.
“Sure,” he replied.
“This place comes with free breakfast right?” Hudson said.
“Somebody wake Sam up so we can get the day started,” I said.
“I got it.” Quen smiled.
He got up and walked over to the other bed, placing his hand on the blanket that sheltered Sam. Seconds later, Sam started to panic.
“IM UP, IM UP!” He shouted.
We all laughed.
“Can you guys go eat so we can check out thi
s city? I know we’re about to fight for our lives and all, but I still want to enjoy being in a new place,” I said.
They all threw something on and went downstairs to eat. I took a shower and they all took one when they returned. We got dressed and hopped into two of the cabs parked in front of the hotel.
They dropped us all off on the side of the street next to the Washington Monument.
We all looked up.
“Welcome to D.C. guys,” Quen said.
“Finally get to see the giant Pencil,” Hudson said.
“The Washington Monument Little Foot,” Julius snarled.
“I knew that.” Hudson rolled his eye and shooed off Julius.
We laughed, then took out our phones out and started snapping pictures. The place was infested with tourists. It was just like New York City. I swear there were more people visiting than people actually living there. Bright colored clothes and first time mothers dragging strollers with a few joggers running around with headphones falling out their ears took over the park.
We began to walk around. It felt like miles and I wanted so badly to just fly. It was nice to admire all the architecture of the city. I got to embrace a tiny piece of the country’s history. We took a break on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial. The oversized stairs were filled with people resting and taking pictures with their bulky Canon cameras dangling from their necks.
“Let me get a pic to send to Trey,” Mr. Elliot said. “He’s going to be so jealous.”
“Sure,” I said. “Hudson, Sam.” The three of us got up. “Where at?”
“Down here,” he said.
We walked in front of the pool that extended to what looked like forever. In front of us was President Lincoln and in the view behind us was DC. The two of them stood on opposite sides on me. Hudson put an arm across my shoulders and Sam did the same. Mr. Elliot snapped the picture.
