I quickly reach down and grab a present with his name on, then hold it out to him.
“Merry Christmas.” I say as he takes the present gently.
He looks at me intently for a few seconds, before he tears off the purple wrapping paper. Then he grins.
“Cool!” He beams as he pulls a large black backpack from the package.
He flips it over and I see some red lettering and a bulls head.
“Chicago Bulls. Sweet.” Mitchell says, then before I can do anything he kisses me full on the lips.
Just a quick kiss. Then he pulls away and tries on the backpack. But his kiss lingers on my lips like sweet honey. I’m shocked for a moment. I reach up and touch my lips. They feel hot to the touch.
“Oh.” He says, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small green box.
“Sorry it’s not wrapped. I didn’t get much warning.” He says as he hands it to me.
I open the green velvet case. Inside is a small silver cross and chain.
“Wow.” I say as I lift it gently from the box.
The chain is long and it’s already fastened, so I slip it over my head, then pull my hair up. The chain feels nice next to my skin.
“Thank you. It’s beautiful.” I say.
Now I feel awkward. Should I kiss him in return?
“Food’s ready!” Dad calls from the doorway.
We all manage to fit around the large oak table, but it’s very cozy and we’re all rubbing elbows as we eat. Mmm, turkey and roast potatoes. I missed you guys so much.
As Dad, Jessica and I wave goodbye to everyone as they head back to their cars, I hear Beth’s voice in my head.
‘Don’t forget practice.’
I won’t. I reply in my head as I watch them leave.
Mitchell’s eyes linger on me from the rear passenger seat, as his mom drives away.
“What’s the story with you two?” Jessica asks next to me.
“What story? I thought you two were just friends?” Dad asks as I turn and walk past him.
“We’re still friends.” I reply and head for the kitchen.
“Well, that’s not what it looked like.” Jessica says teasingly, as I grab a Cherry Coke from the refrigerator.
“Don’t you like him?” I ask them as I take a sip from the cold can.
“We like him fine. We just want you to be honest with us, that’s all.” Dad says.
“Okay. I really like him.” I admit.
Dad smiles and folds his arms. “See. That didn’t hurt did it?”
I blush and take another sip of my Cherry Coke.
“Okay. Just be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Dad says.
He comes over and places his large rough hands on my arms.
“Take things slowly. Promise?” He says and looks at me with a peculiar look.
“Oh. That.” I say and blush. “Definitely. Very, very slowly.” I assure him and turn an even brighter shade of scarlet.
He releases me and steps back, then looks around awkwardly.
“Right. Well. That’s that, then.” He says, turns and walks to the hallway.
Oh, my god. That was awkward.
“Ooh, Britney’s in loooove.” Jessica teases as I laugh nervously and finish the rest of my pop, then toss the can into the trash.
“Knock it off, or I’ll use the pepper spray on your cereal tomorrow.” I say and head upstairs to my room and close the door.
I lean against the door for a second and close my eyes. Then I drop my Chinese lucky cat backpack on to the floor near my bed. I place my Cosmic Comics yellow bag on my bed along with Jessica’s strange gift. I turn and head to my dresser and check myself in the mirror.
Well, the dark shadows around my eyes are fading, but I still look quite thin. My sunken cheeks make me look like I’m constantly pouting. Eat your heart out, Blue Steel.
Then Jessica’s taunt played in my head. Ooh, Britney’s in loooove. Was I? I like Mitchell, a lot. A lot more than other boys, anyway. But did I love him?
I think back to San Francisco. The memory of the gunshot flashes in my mind and I drop to the carpet. When I thought he was dead, the feelings that flooded through me was grief, regret, but most powerful of all was the love that I felt for him in that moment.
Oh my god. I do love him. The realization floods me with warmth.
But what if something like that happened again? Could I bear it? If he was snatched from me….I don’t think I would survive it. The warmth subsides and the icy touch of fear grips me now. I force my emotions down into my stomach and take a deep breath. Maybe if we just stayed friends, things would be safer. Maybe my feelings for Mitchell are strong because I almost lost him. After all, we have been through a traumatic experience. Friends. I think that is best.
I reach into Jessica’s old black satchel and get my homework out. Spanish.
I lie on my bed and start reading, but then I keep looking at the yellow Cosmic Comics plastic bag. After several minutes of fighting it, I eventually give in. I push my textbook to one side and reach for the bag.
Afterwards, I shower and then get ready for bed. I get dressed in black jogging bottoms and a dark purple sweater. I slip on my black and purple Nike running shoes, then slide under the covers.
I set the alarm on my new cell phone to go off at 2:30 a.m. Then I close my eyes and try to get some sleep.
Eleven
3:05 a.m. finds me leaning against a bare tree near the incline that leads up to the Nature Reserve’s parking lot. The streetlights which run along Cannon Drive cast their bright yellow light all around, so it’s not that dark. It’s very quiet as I watch and wait for the others.
A few minutes later and I can hear some voices approaching from the South. I turn and watch, as Stuart, Paul and Beth walk up the sidewalk towards me. Beth waves as they get closer. I then hear some rustling and some twigs breaking behind me. I turn around and see Mitchell out of the corner of my eye, as he walks around the corner of the dark angular building behind me. He yawns as he saunters over.
“Thanks for coming.” I say as they all gather.
“What now?” Paul asks.
“Well.” I say and pace back and forth. I stop and look across the grass. “How about we run to the North Pond restaurant and then back again. Just to see how fast we are.” I suggest.
Everyone nods, so I walk across the grass and look ahead through the rows of bare trees.
“Avoid the trees if you can.” I say and laugh.
“On three?” Mitchell asks.
Everyone nods.
“One, two, three.”
The dormant power, which purred away before, now roars as I surge forward. My legs hammer the grass as I run flat out. I dodge the dark trees, with Mitchell off to my left and Paul on my right. I feel a rush as adrenaline floods my system. I feel like I still have more in the tank, so I decide to accelerate. I skid to a halt after a few seconds and almost slam into a tree. I look around. The dark silhouette of the restaurant is off to my left.
Wow, that was fast! I had covered around 1,500 feet in just a few seconds.
I laugh as Mitchell skids to a stop near me, while Paul slams into a tree nearby. There’s an almighty boom, and the tree shakes with the impact. Mitchell and I laugh as we walk over.
“You okay?” Mitchell asks in-between laughs.
Paul lies flat on his back, staring up at the starry sky with wide eyes.
“Wow.” He mutters and slowly gets up, as Stuart and Beth arrive.
They see the damage to the tree, then look at Paul.
“Hey, that’s why we’re practicing, right?” Paul says and shrugs nonchalantly.
“Okay, guys. Now back again.” I say.
I take off like a bullet-train across the dark grass.
The wind whistles past my ears and my eyes begin to water as I run. I hear the ground thunder behind me as they follow. I reach the parking lot and see Mitchell already waiting there. I try to stop, but I’m going too fast. Inste
ad I just slide down the embankment and hit the asphalt with my left shoulder as I fall. The world rotates wildly as I roll across the parking lot. I stop eventually. I sit up, but the scenery is still spinning.
“Urgh, make it stop.” I say and clutch my head.
Mitchell appears by my side and helps me to my feet.
“Hey, look at what you did.” I hear Stuart say in shock from across the parking lot.
“What?” I mutter as my brain settles down again.
I walk over with Mitchell and see what Stuart is pointing at. In the asphalt, is a deep gouge, around two-foot deep and four-foot long.
“I did that?” I ask and rotate my left arm. I feel fine.
“We need to be more careful, guys.” I say.
“We need more room. I feel I could have gone faster.” Mitchell says.
I see Paul and Stuart nod. I know I’ve got more juice in the tank. Beth is walking along the sidewalk near the streetlights. I jog over.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’m just enjoying the peace and quiet.” She says and smiles sadly.
“Mind reading isn’t something I can switch off, unfortunately.” Beth says and shrugs.
“Maybe you can, in time, with practice.” I suggest.
“How?” Beth asks.
“Maybe just focus on one mind. Block out the others.” I nod at the others. “Try with us.” I suggest.
“Okay. So, I just focus on one person?” She looks at each of them, then nods. She stands still and closes her eyes as she faces Paul while he’s chatting with Stuart.
“Oh, man that’s gross.” She shakes her head. “Okay, let’s try someone else.” Then she relaxes and smiles. After a few minutes, she opens her eyes and looks at me in wonder.
‘Wow. He really likes you, you know.’ Beth’s husky voice says inside my head.
I look at Mitchell, who is looking up and down the road, checking for traffic.
‘Ooh, and you really like him too.’ I then hear her laugh in my head as she stands still with her eyes fixed on Mitchell.
‘Not that I blame you.’ Beth says in my head.
My feelings for him are confusing.
‘Only in your head. But the heart never lies.’ Beth tells me, telepathically, making me even more confused.
“I say we use the roads.” Mitchell says as he steps into the deserted street.
“Okay. On three?” Paul asks.
Beth and I take our positions and ready ourselves.
“One, two…” Mitchell begins, then Paul races off ahead of us on two.
“Hey.” Mitchell shouts and disappears in a blur.
We all run after him and soon catch up. I laugh as I overtake Stuart and chase after Mitchell and Paul. Again, the power within me roars with delight as I run. The illuminated world around me begins to blur as I push myself harder and faster. As we pass a golf course on our right, I see Paul take to a smaller road and head towards Lake Shore Drive.
Mitchell overtakes Paul and I hear Paul blurt out something. I follow them and soon we’re tearing up Lake Shore Drive like phantoms in the night. The great inky blackness of Lake Michigan to my right shimmers in the moonlight as I race past. I can see Paul as a dark blur up ahead of me.
I’m running so fast now that I can’t hear my feet jackhammering the asphalt any more, there’s just a humming sound. The lake is soon left behind as we take to smaller streets and head inland, while still running north. As I traverse various intersections and dodge some taxicabs, I see Paul lean forward. With a loud boom, he vanishes.
Not to be outdone, I lean forward and pummel the ground faster. I give it everything I’ve got, letting the beast out of the cage and allowing the power to propel me faster. My ears pop, then there’s an eerie silence as the dark world shoots by so fast it frightens me. But the rush is amazing.
“Oh my god.” I gasp as the wind roars past me.
I have to concentrate much harder at this speed, or else I’ll end up in someone’s living room. I look far ahead and dodge some more cars. The area around us now is unfamiliar. Where are we?
After a few more seconds, the bright yellow blurs become total darkness. We seem to be surrounded by fields now. A few seconds later and we pass through a smaller town. Once through the suburbs, we emerge into a grassy area and are surrounded by darkness.
I see Paul and Mitchell up ahead. They’ve stopped on a highway that’s winding its way near a dark forest up a hill. They’re standing by the road talking. I slow down as I get closer, then skid right past them as I slam on the brakes.
I eventually stop near a tall conifer. My head is spinning as I stagger slowly over to the two boys. I then hear the roaring sound of a great rushing wind, then Stuart and Beth materialize. They skid past me as I walk towards Mitchell and Paul. They’re grinning as they see me walking towards them.
“Wow. What a rush.” Paul says.
Mitchell chuckles when he sees me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He points at my hair. “Your hair is amazing.”
I reach up and touch experimentally with my hands. My normally long straight hair is all frizzy and has grown in body. Oh no, how embarrassing.
Their hair is standing up and is swept back away from their foreheads. I look at Beth as she walks over. She sees my hair, then reaches up to her own hair.
“Aww, man.” Beth moans, then drops her hands and shrugs.
“Hey guys, I think we broke the sound barrier back there.” Stuart says while grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh my god, guys. That was awesome.” I gush and laugh as we all gather by the side of the dark road.
“I wonder what else we can do?” I ask.
We all look at each other in wonder.
“Whoa. Your eyes are glowing blue.” Paul says and points to my face.
I shrug as I smile up at Mitchell. I hear a throbbing noise, very faint. I turn and walk into the road and look around for the cause.
“Uh, oh.” I mutter as I see a small light approaching over the trees heading in our direction. It looks like a helicopter. Its searchlight is trained on the ground as it flies steadily in our direction.
“Guys?” I say.
Paul walks over. He sees the helicopter and curses.
“See you guys tomorrow.” Paul says, then he disappears with a bang.
“Catch you guys later.” I say.
I grin at Mitchell before I unleash the power within. My ears pop as I race down the highway back towards Chicago.
The vast distance between me and the city disappears in under five seconds, then I’m speeding through brightly lit streets.
I skid to a stop outside my house and look around carefully. No one’s around, so I walk quickly to my house. I hop up the steps and unlock the front door. I close it quietly behind me, lock it, then creep up the carpeted stairs like Catwoman. Relief floods through me as I reach my bedroom. I can still hear Dad snoring in the next room. I open my bedroom door.
Jessica is sitting on my bed. She looks at me with a sly smile on her face.
“Who have you been robbing?” Jessica asks.
“Oh, this?” I say and point to my outfit. “I was just out jogging.” I smile back as I close the door.
“Where? In a wind tunnel?” She says and points to my hair.
I reach up and smooth it down as best I can.
“Well, it’s not called the Windy City for nothing.” I reply as I sit on my bed and begin to remove my gym shoes.
The soles are worn down, so that only around half an inch remains. The smell of burning rubber is noticeable. I put my gym shoes in my closet and close the door.
“Phew. You need new shoes. Seriously.” Jessica says as she waves the air in front of her face.
“And why are you out jogging at four O’clock in the morning?” Jessica asks.
“Can’t a girl want a little privacy? I haven’t been running in over ten years. It’s a little odd for me.”
“Hmm.” Jes
sica got up from the bed. “I’ll let you get some rest then.” She looks at me suspiciously from the door, sighs and closes it behind her as she leaves.
I breathe a sigh of relief, get undressed and then climb into bed. The adrenaline surge is beginning to fade now. I’m asleep in seconds.
The next few days are a blur.
School feels weird. We still get some homework, but they’re being way too lenient with us.
Then there’s our extra-curricular activities, which usually takes us outside the city limits. One night, we time ourselves with a stopwatch on our cell phones and race all the way to Milwaukee. It only takes us 8.3 seconds to get there.
This is so amazing. I don’t need a car. I can go and visit my grandparents in Minneapolis if I want to. Of course, then there would be questions on how I got there and why I was alone. Damn.
“Hey, guys, look.” Paul says excitedly.
He’s standing underneath a tree and has his right hand raised towards it. A branch a few feet above him begins to tremble.
“Are you doing that?” Beth asks as she walks over.
Cosmic Girl Rising Up Page 8
