by Sybil Nelson
"So, you have a twin, Peter and Ryan are twins, my little brothers are twins. Are there anymore among the specimens? Please don't say Xi has a twin."
"No. Fortunately, she was a single birth.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn't imagine another one of her. Well, I could, I just didn't want to.
"The only other set of twins is Epsilon and Zeta," Katya continued. "It is a side effect of the genetic mutation that causes the donor mother to hyper ovulate."
"Okay, I don't want to hear about ovulating either," I said trying to shake off the grossness. I needed to change the subject. "So, do you think I'll get to meet your brother one day?"
"That is a distinct possibility. In any case, I apologize for mentioning your brother's tongue even though it is truly an adept contraption. It will not happen again."
The next day as I was trying to catch up on some much needed rest while trying not to think about my brother and Katya kissing, my dad came and woke me up.
"Priss get up," he said. "Selliwood's on TV."
I hopped out of bed and dashed out to the living room. Suddenly, I wasn't very tired any more. I had to know what he would say since I had ruined his plans. There was no way he could frame me for kidnapping. Or could he?
The press conference didn't take place in a random warehouse like the last one had. Instead, Selliwood stood before the tell tale microphones of the White House press room. Why was he in the White House? Something wasn't right.
"I'd like to thank President Gonzalez," Selliwood was saying as I sat down on the couch. "He has made a wise decision by appointing me Secretary of Defense."
I looked at my dad. What in the world was going on?
The President then went to the podium.
"Thank you, Colonel Selliwood. After the kidnapping of my daughter, I now understand the true need of this country. We have many enemies out there and I want to make sure that all the citizens of this country do not have to constantly live in fear. I believe Colonel Selliwood has the knowhow and the technology to insure our safety."
"What the...? Are you kidding me?" I jumped off the couch.
"Calm down, Priss," my dad said.
"I will not calm down! It's like everything I did is for nothing. His plan still worked! He's gonna take over the freaking country or something."
My dad sighed. He didn't dispute what I was saying. "We shouldn't have erased Elizabeth's memory. She could've warned her dad about him," I said.
"Well, it's too late for that now," he said.
I thought for a second. "No, it's not, Dad. Katya didn't erase her memory completely. She just locked the memory away. Katya could still go and make her remember. We have to do it, Dad. We have to somehow let the President know that there's a psycho in the White House."
I crossed my arms and fumed while staring at the television. That's when I saw Dr. Witherall standing in the background. I had almost forgotten about meeting him in River's Bend. Witherall looked uncomfortable, like he didn't want to be there. Every few seconds he took out his gold pocket watch and nervously checked the time. I took a closer look at the watch. There was a red ‘L’ on it just like the necklace he had given me. I wondered what it meant. Did it have something to do with the kidnapping? I shook my head slightly. Something inside me just wouldn’t let me believe that. I got the feeling that Witherall and Selliwood weren't exactly in agreement about everything anymore.
"And how do you expect to get close enough to Elizabeth in order to do that?" my Dad asked jerking me out of my thoughts.
"Huh?" I kinda forgot what we were talking about.
"You okay, Priss?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I..." I wondered if I should tell him what I thought about Witherall. I still hadn't told my dad about seeing him in River's Bend. But what did I really have to say? I didn't know anything for sure. I didn't want to make Dad worry for no reason. "I forgot what we were talking about."
"Elizabeth. Her memory? I was asking how you expect to get close enough to Elizabeth for Katya to bring back her memory."
"Right, um..." I started to provide an answer when I realized I didn't have one. He was right. I'd never be able to get close enough to her. Everyone close to her would recognize me as the kidnapper. I'd be arrested instantly.
"That's what I thought," my dad said when I couldn't respond. He kissed the top of my head. "We have to just let it go for now. When the time comes, we'll get another chance to stop Selliwood."
I sat back down on the couch. I couldn't wait for the next time I had to come up against that jerk. He was going down. I didn't realize how soon I'd get the chance.
Chapter 28: Awkward Moments
I sat at the breakfast table stirring my soggy Froot Loops and staring off into space. My free hand shuffled three envelopes around the table. Each envelope held a carefully written letter to Kyle begging for forgiveness. Each unopened letter was marked return to sender. Actually, they each literally said "return to the lying, cheating redhead."
It had been a month since he saw me kiss Marco and I had no indication that he would ever forgive me. I didn't know what I was going to do. How had I managed to screw up the best relationship I'd ever had? Okay, so it was also the only relationship I'd ever had. Details. Details.
What was I doing? I put my fingers in my hair and grabbed my scalp. This was not me. When did I become that pitiful lovesick girl who wasted away longing for a boy she couldn't have? I felt like a pathetic groupie or something.
No, I was strong. I could shoot fire out of my fingers, fly jets, and beat my father and brother at the same time in arm wrestling. I was not going to cry over a boy. With my newfound resolve, I tossed the letters in the air and burned them with a flame out of one hand. I watched as the ashes slowly floated to the ground. Then I stood up and headed to the sink. Just then something flew past me and almost knocked me over. I could tell from the cowboy hat, it was Ryan.
"Hey, no flying in the house!" I called after him. Then someone else entered the kitchen and this time I did get knocked over.
My eyes locked with Marco's when he landed on top of me. We were both paralyzed for a moment.
Suddenly, he jumped up and said, "I was just chasing...I didn't mean to...I...Uh..." He crossed his arms, then uncrossed them and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his tan khakis. His chest moved up and down underneath his tan polo shirt as if he was having a hard time catching his breath. I stared at his chest for a second. Even covered with a shirt I could tell how muscular it was. I thought back to how it felt being wrapped in his arms. It felt good. Real good.
I shut my eyes tightly when I realized I was staring. Then I blindly scrambled to my feet. "It's no big...I mean...It's not a...um..." I paused, not really knowing what to say. I opened my eyes slowly, hoping that somehow he had just managed to disappear and I wouldn't have to continue this embarrassing encounter. Unfortunately, he and his muscular chest were still there. I started chewing on my fingernail as we both avoided eye contact with each other.
Believe it or not, this was the longest conversation we'd had since the kissing incident. Things were a bit awkward between us...to say the least.
"I'm gonna go this way," he said pointing to where Ryan had just flown.
"I'm gonna go this way," I said pointing to the living room. Wow, I'm surprised we didn't have to resort to grunts.
I stumbled into the living room trying to get away from Marco as fast as possible. I felt like an idiot, but I just didn't know how to act around him anymore. I mean, I knew I liked him, but I didn't want to like him. I wanted to like Kyle, but what was the point of liking Kyle when he hated me in return?
I found Josh sitting on the couch and staring at a blank TV screen and decided to pick his brain.
"Josh," I said with a sigh as I plopped down on the couch beside him. "What should I do about Kyle and Marco?"
"You're asking me? I'm not the best with relationships," he said, not taking his eyes off the TV. "I'm just trying to enjoy my tim
e with Katya before she realizes what a loser I am and dumps me or cheats on me like...well, you know." Poor Josh, he was still hurting over what Skank-anie had done to him. Now, I felt sorry for even bringing it up.
I followed Josh's gaze to the TV. He was staring at it as if the most fascinating movie in the world was on. But the TV was completely off.
"You okay, Josh?"
"Selliwood," was his response.
I looked at the TV again. "What? Is he in the TV or something?"
Josh shook his head, but didn't respond verbally.
"Well, what is it then?" I asked getting a little impatient.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"Well I'm officially confused."
Josh took a deep breath. "It's been almost a month since you rescued Elizabeth. I haven't had one vision, one signal, one intuition, nothing in that time."
"Well, maybe that's a good thing. Maybe Selliwood has given up."
Josh gave me a look that made me feel even stupider (is that a word?) than that last sentence sounded. Colonel Selliwood would never give up.
"He's out there and he's up to something," he said turning his attention back to the blank screen. "Someone is blocking my powers. Someone very close."
Chapter 29: Mini Frosted Funnel Cakes
"Priss, we bought Kyle! We bought Kyle!" Chester said running into the living room the next day.
"What are you talking about?" I didn't even roll over on the couch or sit up. I just assumed they had figured out a new way to torment me. I wasn't about to be a part of their sick little game.
"At the supermarket. He was there so we bought him."
I rolled my eyes. Maybe those boys should go to regular school. Being taught at home obviously didn't work for them. They were getting dumber by the day.
"You boys are so stupid. Leave me alone." They didn't leave me alone though. They started running in circles around the couch chanting, "We bought Kyle, we bought Kyle."
Finally, Dad said, "He was on a box of cereal," and handed me a box of Mini Frosted Funnel Cakes. I sat up and stared at it. It was definitely Kyle, my Kyle. He was sitting at a breakfast table and smiling while holding up a spoonful of the sugary breakfast treat. This must have been what he wanted to tell me that night. He’d won a national advertising campaign. My eyes watered and my throat felt like it had swollen shut. I blinked back tears. He was probably so excited to let me know the news only to get punched in the gut by the sight of me kissing Marco.
"Priss, what's wrong?" Charlie asked
"Yeah, what's wrong, Priss? I thought you'd be happy to see him." Chester added. Those boys just didn't understand the complexities of teenage romance.
"I wonder what he tastes like." Chester said.
"Oh! Oh! Let's eat Kyle! Let's eat Kyle!"
They tried to take the box away from me and I snatched it back. Then I ran outside hugging the box to my chest as if I was hugging Kyle himself.
I probably looked ridiculous running through the street hugging a box of cereal. I’m sure no one saw though. Our nearest neighbors were five miles away. I kept running until I reached this little stream about a mile away from our farm. I sat on a rock and stared at Kyle's picture as I let the tears fall.
Deep down I always knew a relationship with Kyle would never last, but I was hoping that...that...I don't know what I was hoping. It was probably better that we were apart.
I put my head in my hands and cried. After letting the tears fall for a while, I took some deep breaths and tried to get myself together. When I looked up, Marco was standing next to me.
"Are you alright, Priscilla?" he asked.
"Do I look alright?" Marco had a hard time understanding sarcasm sometimes, but my tone was pretty hard to miss.
He didn't respond. I think I must have hurt his feelings.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," I said after I noticed his head hanging low. He stared at the ground and kicked a rock into the stream. It wasn't his fault. Well, it was kind of his fault, but he was only trying to save me. He didn't know that Kyle would be watching.
He sat down next to me on the rock. "You are crying over this Kyle person, aren't you?" he asked, pointing to the cereal box.
I nodded. "I just kind of miss him."
"It's my fault you are not together, isn't it?" He stared down at the water guiltily.
It had been over a month and Marco and I had never spoken about the kiss. He knew why he'd done it, I knew why he'd done it, and so there was really no need to talk about it. But one thing still kind of bugged me. I had to know something.
"Marco, I know that you kissed me in order to save my life and I really appreciate it, but you could have transferred your powers to me by kissing my elbow or my knee cap or something. Why did you have to...to...you know?"
He took a deep breath then looked out into the sky.
"I guess I was being selfish. I just wanted to know what it was like." He looked down again and then reached for my hand. "I've never been able to get close to anyone." He looked into my eyes and then looked away. "You have to know how I feel about you. I felt it the first time I saw you, when you saved us from the Institute."
His hand was freezing cold as he took my fingers and massaged them with his. I sent a pulse of heat to his hand. My heart beat faster. I knew what he was talking about. I'd always felt that connection to him as well. But I wasn't sure if I could jump into a relationship with him at this point. I still wasn't over Kyle. I slipped my hand away from his and looked away choosing to stare at the water flowing by instead of his intense green eyes. A few minutes later when I looked beside me, he was gone.
Chapter 30: Pregnancy Scare
I spent hours sitting by the stream thinking. No matter how much I thought, I couldn't make any sense of my life. I couldn't figure out how I could care so much about two boys. I couldn't decide who I liked more. And I couldn't figure out how to make Kyle forgive me for what he saw. I even asked the cereal box for help. Believe it or not, it didn't respond.
Finally, I gave up and made my way home. When I got to the house, I found my dad pacing the living room like a raging bull. Any second, I thought he would explode. I was really tired and I kinda just wanted to plop on my bed and sleep for a couple of...days or whatever, but something was obviously bothering my dad.
"I knew I shouldn't have bought you that bra. It all started with the bra, didn't it?" he said, still pacing. He hadn't even let me enter the room all the way.
"Dad, what are you talking about?" I said, shutting the front door behind me.
"You're only thirteen years old! You are not ready for this. I'm not ready for this." My dad clutched his bald head in what seemed like frustration or anger or...I don't really know. I was too confused.
"Ready for what?" He was really starting to freak me out. It was like he was talking to me, but not really talking to me at the same time.
"It's Kyle's, isn't it?" He eyed the box of cereal I still held in my hands. He charged over to me, snatched the box out of my hand and ripped it in half. Mini Frosted Funnel Cakes filled the living room. "I'll kill him. I knew we shouldn't have let you date him. What was I thinking? I know what thirteen-year-old boys want. I know how they think," he continued as he started his pacing again, crunching Mini Frosted Funnel Cakes under his feet with each step."You've been stealing the jet to go see him without us knowing, haven't you? That's the only way it could have happened. Or is it Marco? You've been spending a lot of time with him, haven't you? I'll kill him, too, just to be sure."
I just stared at him with my mouth open. I had no idea what he was talking about. Had he found out about Kyle seeing me kiss Marco? That still wouldn't make any sense with what he was saying. Why would he need to kill both of them over that?
"Answer the question," he said finally.
"Daddy, you're not making - "
"Don't talk back to me!" he snapped.
Okay, it's official. He had lost his mind. I watched as my father paced back
and forth some more. I was too afraid to say anything so I just approached the couch quietly, brushed some Mini Frosted Funnel Cakes off, and took a seat. I folded my hands in my lap and sat like a polite little girl. He was already planning on killing Kyle and Marco; I didn't want to do anything to make him want to kill me as well.
Just then Josh strolled into the living room. I gave him a panicked look and mouthed the words 'help me.'
"What's going on?" Josh asked innocently.
"I found this while taking out the trash in your bathroom," Dad said, holding up a white plastic thingy about the size of a sharpie. I stared at him blankly still too afraid to move.
Josh took one look at the object, spun on his heels and charged out of the living room. What had gotten into him?
"Do you know what this is?" Dad asked me.
I shrugged. "Nope." I was still trying to find where Josh had run off to. How could he leave me alone with dad acting all crazy and stuff?
"Priscilla, look at me when I'm talking to you," he said trying to make me focus.
I turned to face him. I took another look at the object and said, "Dad, I don't know what that is."
"It's a pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test."
"Well it's not mine!" I bolted off the couch. "Gross, Dad! You do know someone peed on that, right?"
My dad's eyes widened. It was like he was coming out of a dark tunnel and could finally see the light. He had not even considered the possibility that the pregnancy test wasn't mine.
He looked back and forth between me and the pregnancy test several times. "It's not yours? Are you sure?"
"I'm positive." That probably wasn't the best choice of words, but he got the point. "You know, Josh and I share that bathroom. Maybe it's his."
"Are you suggesting your brother's pregnant?"
"This is the Sumner family, Dad. Stranger things have happened." I held up my hand and lit a flame for emphasis. "You know, Josh does have a girlfriend again. Maybe it's Katya's. Did you even think of that?"
