Ascension (The Ascension Series)

by A. L. Patterson

  “Sounds good,” Charles said.

  “What?” John laughed, “Dude, you just told me this morning you wouldn’t fly unless it was dark. And how you didn’t want to get caught!”

  “Yeah but I guess I feel a little more comfortable when there’s a lot of people doing it at once,” Charles said. “And it would be a little harder to single me out in the sky when there’s half a dozen people flying like birds.”

  “Well, I wish I could come,” John said. “But I’m going to meet up with Andrew. Just going to talk to him one last time before he leaves. Because we live in the same neighborhood and all.”

  “Alright,” Clark said. “Sounds good. I’ll let you know how flying lessons go.”

  “Are you going to invite Chloe and Donny?” Sarah asked.

  “Yeah,” Clark said.

  “Great,” Charles said, “I’ve been looking for that cute little Chloe, anyway.”

  “Dude, she’s going with Donny,” Clark told him.

  “Oh come on,” Charles laughed. “We both know Donny the Geek and Chloe Li are not serious.”

  “Actually,” Sarah corrected him, “I think they are.”

  “If you’re coming this afternoon,” Clark said to him, “I don’t want you starting anything.”

  “Alright, I promise,” Charles said as he brushed his shirt, placed on his sunglasses, and walked off.

  Sarah had to nearly pry Clark’s hands from around her waist when she headed off. He gave her one love-struck look that said he hated parting ways.

  “I’ll see you soon,” she kissed him before finally leaving.

  “Must be nice,” John said as he walked with Clark to class. “Having someone that crazy about you.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is nice.”

  “Allow her to blissfully pollinate your every daydream,” John joked. Clark shoved him as they got into the classroom.

  “Don’t make fun of me,” Clark laughed. “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry!”

  “Is that another power of yours?” John teased him. “Can you transform into a beast, too?”

  “Not yet!” Clark said amusingly, “I’m still working on that.”

  “I hope you’re not as tired as you were yesterday,” John went on. “Dude, you were sleeping for half the class.”

  “I know,” Clark told him. “I couldn’t stay awake. Feel a lot better today.”

  “Me too,” John half smiled. “I’m staying with Charles right now. It’s amazing how better you feel when you’re not being abused by your father.”

  “I’m glad you’re doing okay, John. I hate to see you down.”

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you guys. I feel like each of you is constantly saving me from the brink.”

  “So, what are you going to see Andrew for?”

  “Oh, just to say goodbye, I guess.”

  “I talked to him during class yesterday,” Clark informed him. “We didn’t exactly have an agreement. So if you see him, tell him I’m sorry. Tell him we’re all going to miss him.”

  “Sure thing, Clark.”

  Class began and Clark decided to pull out his folder and take history notes. He knew he’d have to keep up a certain grade point average in order to remain on the football team. So Clark jotted down everything his teacher was saying when he looked over and saw John with a quarter in his hand. John wasn’t paying the teacher any attention as he focused on the quarter cupped in his hands. Clark watched as John stared at the quarter. Seconds later, the quarter began to bend. John made the quarter twist until it broke in half.

  “Wow!” Clark whispered.

  John looked to Clark and smiled. He whispered, “Donny called it the power of God.”

  Clark returned his attention to the teacher and continued taking notes until class was over.

  “Alright John, I’ll see you later,” Clark said.

  John waved and walked away. Clark noticed as TJ the bully looked at John in the hallway and squarely avoided any contact with him. Clark then headed to computer class. As he sat in his seat, he watched as Donny and Chloe entered the room holding hands. They parted ways as they sat in their seats located on opposite sides of the room.

  “Dude, you look as love-struck as me after a morning with Sarah,” Clark said to Donny as he sat next to him.

  Donny grinned from ear to ear which allowed every portion of his braces to be visible.

  “I’ve never felt this way before. I still can’t believe I have a girlfriend. I feel so lost without her. What a meager existence we have as guys─ to be so unfulfilled without girls,” Donny bemused.

  “Whoa,” Clark said. “I know how it feels but you’ve been drinking Kool-Aid, my friend. Either that or─ wait a minute. You two did it, didn’t you?”

  Donny nodded his head up and down.

  “Seriously?” Clark asked in a curious tone.

  “Yeah,” Donny said, still shaking his head and grinning. “You know Chloe’s parents are college professors. Well they teach evening classes so we went back to her place. I mean, that wasn’t even the intention. We were supposed to be studying and then one thing led to another and now I’m no longer a virgin.”

  “Dude, how cool is that!?” Clark patted him on the shoulder. “Did it go alright?”

  “Yeah,” Donny said. “Well, I was kind of nervous. I don’t think I had ever been more excited in my life.”

  Clark laughed, “I think it’s time to drop your ‘Geek’ moniker. Officially. I hereby disavow you of all previous misdeeds.”

  Donny laughed, “Thanks.”

  “Just don’t go around telling this to everyone,” Clark told him. “People like Charles talk too much.”

  The teacher entered the room and drolly sat at his desk. The students paid no attention and continued talking amongst themselves.

  “I know I can trust you,” Donny said. “You’re right. Some people never shut up.”

  “Oh, speaking of which,” Clark changed the subject. “Some of us are going to go flying this afternoon. You and Chloe want to come?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Donny said. “Although I haven’t done it before. I tried levitating and sometimes I wake up floating above my bed, though.”

  “That’s fine,” Clark said. “It’s super easy. Just concentrate and propel yourself upward.”

  “You know,” Donny said looking on the other side of Clark, “It feels strange without Andrew here. Did he just drop out of school?”

  “Him and Big Dan both─ I think,” Clark said.

  “Wow. They’re leaving just because they made fifteen hundred dollars at a racetrack!?” Donny said in a confused manner.

  “I don’t know, man. It does sound really strange. Guess they’re coping in different ways.”

  Chloe got up from her seat and Clark watched as she rolled a chair over to his area and sat next to Donny.

  “No paper airplanes for me today?” Chloe smiled as she wrapped one of her arms around Donny. Clark turned his head to face his computer but he couldn’t help but listen to their conversation─ considering they were right next to him.

  “Oh, I kinda forgot. I was just talking to Clark. And I imagine you thought those paper airplanes were kind of lame.”

  “No, I always thought they were really cute. Especially when you drew a heart or a message inside.”

  “Okay,” Donny said shyly. “I’ll make sure I send you five each class then. And another five during math club.”

  “Math club is tomorrow afternoon,” Chloe smiled.

  “You know, I probably wouldn’t show up if you weren’t there,” Donny said affectionately.

  Chloe hugged him as he sat in his chair. “You’re too sweet. Why didn’t we get together sooner?”

  “I don’t know,” Donny shrugged. “I just had to gather the courage to ask you out. Guess I can thank Clark for that.”

  “Thanks for getting us together!” Chloe waved to Clark.

  “Anytime,” Clark said before lowering his head and returning
to his computer.

  “Clark was wondering if we’d go flying with him and a few other people,” Donny told her.

  “Flying?” Chloe asked.

  “Yeah. By using our powers,” Donny said excitedly.

  “How do we do that?” Chloe questioned him.

  Donny pointed his finger at a pencil and it lifted off the table.

  “The same principal applies to us,” Donny said. “It’s amazing we haven’t thought of it before. Sarah and Clark were flying yesterday.”

  “Really?” Chloe looked to Clark.

  “Yeah,” Clark said to her. “You’re gonna love it.”

  She agreed to join them after school and they decided to meet in a remote location where people wouldn’t spot them.

  “We’ll find a spot somewhere over the tracks,” Clark told them when the class bell rang.

  “Sounds good,” Chloe said. She held Donny’s hand and they walked out of the classroom together.

  Much later in the day during gym class, Clark was joined by Charles and John in the gym locker room. As soon as they walked into the locker room, Coach Smith ran from his office and over to Clark.

  “Clark!” Coach Smith said, “My newest team player! How are you feeling, son?”

  “Great,” Clark told him. “Never better.”

  “Terrific,” the coach said. “The team is kind of suffering now that Big Dan LaRent dropped out of school.”

  “So he officially dropped?” Clark asked.

  “Yeah, ol’ Dan bit the dust,” the coach informed him. “Seriously, who drops out of school with only 4 months remaining until graduation? He was rambling on about following his dreams of racing cars.”

  “Are you serious?” Clark asked.

  “Yeah,” the coach said. “Who knows? I think ol’ Dan had muscles everywhere but between the ears.”

  “That’s mean you’re gonna take the position of Center, Clark. Remember, practice begins this Friday.”

  Clark nodded and the coach slapped him on the shoulder. The boys then began to change into their P.E. uniforms.

  “Guess you’re on top of the world,” John joked to Clark.

  “Certainly feels like it,” Clark laughed.

  “I’m still king!” Charles said as he shoved Clark.

  After getting properly dressed, they headed into the gymnasium where they played basketball. Charles and John sat on the sidelines but the coach hardly noticed. He was paying attention only to Clark’s performance. And knowing the coach was watching his every move, Clark took the chance to show off. He dribbled the ball down the court at a higher speed than anyone else and made multiple three point shots.

  “WOW!” Coach Smith exclaimed after Clark scored his twentieth point. “Who knew? Clark, you should join my basketball team next semester!”

  “I’ll consider it,” Clark said half-jokingly, half arrogantly.

  Clark played with a ferocity that made all of the other students look poor in comparison. Charles and John were sitting on the bleachers and laughing.

  “You know we could do that too?” John said.

  “Yeah, but what’s the point?” Charles said. “Joining a sports team would just be a waste of my precious time. And my time is golden.”

  “If your time is golden, mine is wooden,” John laughed. “I mean, I could do what Clark is doing too but I just don’t have any interest in any of these games.”

  John looked across the gymnasium and noticed TJ the bully on the basketball court. He was running down the court during a game when John nudged Charles. John pointed his hand toward TJ and his gym shorts fell down to reveal his underwear. The other students laughed as he quickly pulled his shorts up.

  “What the hell is wrong with you, son?” Coach Smith asked TJ. “Keep your damn pants up, boy!”

  John and Charles were howling with laughter from the bleachers. Then they noticed a group of girls on the other side of the gym being instructed by Miss Paige to do jumping jacks.

  “Which one do you think is the hottest?” Charles asked.

  When John pointed to a blonde haired girl, Charles reached his arm out and snapped his fingers. Immediately the girl’s gym shorts fell to her ankles while she was doing jumping jacks. The girl’s scream drew more attention as she hurried to pull her shorts up. Charles and John were rolling with laughter. They eventually quit laughing and ceased the foolish behavior when John changed the subject.

  “Speaking of this psychokinetic power or telekinesis or whatever the hell you want to call it, what do you think we’re going to discover at your dad’s corporation next week?”

  “I think we’ll learn where the crystal came from─ If my dad’s corporation built it or not.”

  “I don’t think the crystal was something synthesized, man,” John said. “How the hell could anyone create something like that?”

  “I don’t know,” Charles said. “If it wasn’t built, then Bio-Tech must have found it somewhere.”

  “In space?” John asked.

  “Can’t be,” Charles told him. “I don’t know everything my dad does but it’s not a space station.”

  “Then maybe the crystal was mined from the middle of the earth. I think that’s the most obvious choice,” John said.

  “We’ll find out soon enough. Like a movie tagline: all will be revealed,” Charles laughed.

  School ended ninety minutes after their gym class. Clark and Sarah met up with Charles and John. Clark said he was going to find Donny and Chloe so they could all leave together when John reminded them that he was going to say goodbye to Andrew. John thought about flying but decided to take the school bus to his neighborhood “for old time’s sake.”

  John hopped aboard the school bus and found a comfortable window seat. When the bus took off, he laid back and relaxed with no intention of ever taking the bus again. This was to be his final ride. Nearly half an hour later, after a number students departed, the bus finally pulled into John’s neighborhood.

  “The ride never seemed this long before,” John thought to himself. “But I guess when you’ve ridden in Charles’s BMW or taken flight, a school bus can’t really compare.”

  When the bus came to the appropriate stop and most of the students were gone, John got off. He stepped into the downtrodden area in which he resided. An old bum was sitting on a sidewalk with a cup in his hand begging for change when John reached into the jacket pocket of his black trench coat. He pulled out a handful of change, including the quarter that was broken in half, and dropped it into the old man’s cup.

  “Thanks a lot, young man,” the bum said. “This will pay for tonight’s whisky.”

  Instead of going directly to Andrew’s place, John first stopped at his own house─ or rather, his father’s house. He refused to refer to it as his own home. He used a key to unlock the front door and found his half drunken father sitting in the filthy living room’s recliner. His prosthetic leg was lying on the floor next to him.

  “What are you doing here?” his father croaked.

  “Just checking to make sure you’re still alive, Alexander.”

  “Don’t you call me by my first name, boy.”

  “I’m not here to stay. And if you ever lay another finger on me, you’ll never see me again.”

  “Go on, then. Get out of here. Make the damned life for yourself that I don’t have.”

  “What would my mother think about you like this?” John asked him.

  His father didn’t reply. John simply turned around, left the house, and closed the door behind him. He tried not to think about his father as he strode down the street and headed to Andrew’s place. A few blocks later he found the right house. It was a small, very old two story home with broken shutters and peeled paint on every side. John walked onto the porch of the house and rang the bell.

  A brown skinned woman with long black hair wearing a robe answered the door.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “I’m looking for Andrew,” John said.

  “
Are you one of his classmates?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Then come on in. You can call me Ms. Lockman.”

  She opened the door and allowed John into the house. The old house was filled with worn out furniture and dirty carpet. It, however, was not as filthy as the house in which John and his father lived. Three young children were in the living room playing with various old toys.

  “These are my other children. Derek, Shawn, and Ana.”

  “Is Andrew here?” John asked.

  “Yeah, he’s upstairs,” Ms. Lockman turned toward the staircase and yelled, “ANDREW! There’s someone here to see you!”

  “Thanks for inviting me in,” John told her.

  “If you’re his friend, maybe you can talk some sense into him,” Ms. Lockman said. “He just dropped out of school and keeps talking about moving away. Says he’s found a way out of here but I don’t know what he means.”

  Andrew walked down the stairs and raised his hand to John.

  “John,” Andrew said as he placed a rosary around his neck. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to speak to you, man. I heard you were leaving.”

  “Come on upstairs,” Andrew motioned him. “There’s something I want to show you.”

  Ms. Lockman tended to her younger children as John followed behind Andrew up the stairs. They stopped at the first door on the right and stepped inside. Andrew locked the door behind them as John looked around. There was clothing strewn about the room, a messy bed in one corner, and several rosaries lying in a wooden chair.

  “What’s happened?” John asked. “Why are you leaving?”

  “Because I don’t belong here, John.”

  “So you just dropped out of school?”

  “These abilities are a gift,” Andrew told him. “They shouldn’t be squandered by playing jokes or a silly football game at school. There is a purpose out there for each of us.”

  “What are you talking about?” John asked, frustrated. “I’m not getting the philosophy of any of this.”

  “Just tell me if you get this…” Andrew said as he reached under his bed and pulled out a duffel bag. John looked inside and found stacks and stacks of hundred dollar bills.