Chapter 16
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
I stretched out my arm and started to feel around for that dumb, annoying, alarm clock. I sighed and rolled on to my back. It’s Sunday, and I can and want to sleep in, but no, my retarded alarm clock has to wake my up. I reached my arm up, hope the dumb thing would be on my shelf.
“OWW!! Mark! Not you too!!” I opened my eyes realizing I wasn’t in my room. Zack was leaning over the bench, rubbing his cheek. “First Jay, and now you?!”
“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!” I jumped up to see how badly I hurt him, but in the process, I accidently kicked Jay in his back, that made him sit up, groaning.
“Mark’s up, and she is leaving marks,” He sat up and started to rube his back.
“Sorry! I’m so sorry, Jay!” I stood up a little, forgetting I was in a car, and banged my head on the roof of the van. “Ouch!” I sank down to my knee’s holding my head in my hands.
“Ouch,” I heard Zack say as I rubbed my sore head.
“Yeah, ouch. You better stay sitting down before you hurt yourself or anyone else. We don’t want the others to have Marks either.” Jay leaned over and patted my head as if I was some animal.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny” I muttered
That dumb alarm was still going off. Ringing in my ear. Taunting me. I groaned and put my head down to my knee’s
“Some one turn off the FREAKIN’ alarm already!” I grumbled loudly.
“Not a morning person, are you? I totally forgot about the alarm,” He clicked a button on his watch, and the noise stopped. “Okay, it is seven am, let’s move!” He turned around and put his seatbelt on.
“Seven in the morning? First three and now seven? Do you guys ever sleep?” I was not very happy about losing sleep.
Jay laughed a little, and then opened the trunk door, letting in a blast of cold air and light in. He climbed out and threw his back pack over his shoulder. “Are you going to help me drive or what?” He tilted his head to the side, letting his black hair cover the top part of his dark eyes.
“Yeah, I guess so.” I climbed out with my back pack. It was a clear, cold morning. The parking lot looked so different in the light. There was a church and across the street were just houses that look like your average street.
“You get shot gun.” He closed the back door hard then walked around to the front, while I walked on the soppiest side of the car towards the front also.
When I got to the passenger side, I taped on the window. Brandon was still asleep in the front seat. I saw Drew reach over and shake him. He stretched and yawned and then picked his back pack up. He turned to open the door, and saw me. He let one of his warming smiles and the literally went threw the door and stand in front of me.
“Good morning, Brandon.” He smiled and opened the door for me.
“Good morning,” His smile showed no sign of him being tiered.
After I climbed in, he closed the door and then climbed into the trunk where Drew was waiting for him.
I turned around in my seat to see where every one was. Zack was sitting in the back row of seats, and Marvin was still asleep in his wheel chair, that was once again strapped down to the ground. I looked over at Jay; He was looking at a map, and then folded it up and tossed it on to the floor.
“Drew, Start this piece of crap up!” Jay turned around in his chair to yell to Drew, just as the car turned on. “Thanks!” He put his seat belt on and started to leave the church’s parking lot. After about five to ten minutes we were on the high way.
“How’d you sleep?”Jay broke the silence between us.
“I closed my eyes and started dreaming,”
He smiled and let out a little chuckle. “Okay, did you sleep well?”
“Well? Psh, I am a professional at sleeping, no one can beat me.” I sat up strait and tilted my chin up to the side, and put my hands on my waist to make a dramatic pose.
He looked over and started to laugh. “You know who can beat you?”
“And who is that? Who ever it is they are going to get creamed into whipped cream”
He laughed again “A dead person, they can never wake up.”
“True, true. But out of the living people I’m the best.” I leaned back and put my converse up on the dashboard. He laughed a bit more, but didn’t say anything. “I sleep fine, wasn’t the best night of sleep, but hay, I was in a trunk. How about you?”
“Wonderful!” He was smiling the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face.
“Besides the part when I kicked you in the back?” For so odd season, I felt like myself again, not all shy, and asking a million questions.
“Yeah, but still, I slept great, but not as well as you, because you are a professional at sleeping.”
“You got that right!” I looked over at him. We haven’t talked for very long, but I was connected to him. So far, he was the only one out of these guys. Brandon is getting there, but Jay beat him to it.
“Today’s going to be a good day.” He moved off the car off the high way into a little town. “Let’s get some food.” We drove around a bit until we found a Wal-Mart that wasn’t very crowded. “You and I will go in and try to find something cheap, if we can’t find anything, then we’ll have to skip breakfast.”
“Okay,” I reached into my bag and grabbed a hair tie and climbed out. I quickly put it up in a high pony tail as we walked threw the entrance. “Do you guys stop for every meal?”
“No, but no one here knows that we’re run aways, so we can stop for food,” He grabed a small cart and walked threw the second entrance. When we got past the greeter, he slouched ouver the front handle of the cart. “let’s check out clearance”
“Sounds good,” we went to the back of the store to the refriderated section. At the end of the hall, there was bakery clearance items.
“I’ve been thinking,” he started to look threw all the clearance bakery goods.
“Yeah?” I looked around a bit, feeling a little weird, but no one was around.
“Do you mind if I call you Maggs? Because Mark isn’t really workin’ for me.”
“Yeah, sure. You can call me any thing, but how did you get Maggs from Margaret?” I smiled, He gave me a nick name, one that only he can use. Wow. I felt pretty special.
“Well, Marg sounds like and old lady’s name, so I replaced the r in Mark with a g, and got Maggs.”
“Well, Maggs works for me!” I smiled at him. Everything seemed different today. He was so happy, and more talkative copared to yesterday. “So why are you so happy?”
“Because this afternoon, I’ll be able to introduce you to my only blood related relative. My cousin, Rachelle,” He stopped and picked up a box of donuts, that was on the bottom of the cart.
“Really? That’s awesome! Does she know our…um---”
“Yeah, and she has powers also,” He started walking with the donuts, leaving the cart behind. “She can make things grow or heal,”
“Sweetness. Will she be healing Mavin’s knee?” We started to walk to a self check out.
“Yep, that’s one of the reasons why we’re stopping. Her parents will be gone for a week, so we will be staying there, resting up, and give you some real training for three or four days.” He scaned the box of donuts and then reached into his pocket. He pulled out three dollars and inserted three dollar bill in to the machine.
“Well, I can’t wait to meet her, but do you think she’ll like me?” We walked out into the parking lot, folding our arms to help keep us warm from the cold breeze.
“Yeah, I mean, I like you, the guys like you. I don’t know why people wouldn’t like you. Besides, She loves every one. Well, every one but Marvin.”
“Okay, because I don’t want to spend half a week with some one who is full of hatred and will try to kill me in my sleep. But why doesn’t she like Marvin?”
“Because she is the only girl that doesn’t find him attractive, and he really likes her, and bugs her allot.” We both started to laugh a little, then sipped our mouth shut as we reached the car.
Chapter 17
We were back on the road after breakfast, every thing was peaceful, and we haven’t gotten pulled over yet by a cop, which for me, is a big relief.
Every one was doing there own thing. Playing a game, listening to music, or just sitting in silence, like me and Jay.
“Jay?” my voice was soft, and almost a whisper.
“Yeah, Maggs?” He kept his eyes on the road. Just like Drew, he drives just like every one else on the road.
“How much longer” I asked, this time louder.
“Maybe around 6 or 7 tonight”
I nodded, and then looked outside my window at the deep green trees rushing by the side of the road like my life. Running fast in front of my eye, passing me by day after day, going to fast to get a good hold on to it.
The road swerved and curved in different directions with the land. I didn’t know where we were, but I didn’t want to know. If I did know, I would feel even more away from home. Not Colorado, but my birth place in California, that’s where my real home is.
“So, where you from?” Brandon was out of his seat and was kneeling in the middle of me and Jay. I almost yelled at him to tell him to get back to his seat, but realized, that if we got in a car crash, he could just go right threw it and not get hurt.
“L.A. California, but then I moved to Englewood Colorado,” I don’t know how he knew I was thing of home but, he did.
“Do your like your new school?” I don’t know why he was asking question, but he answered mine last night, so I’ll answer his.
“No, not at all. That prison was weird. Creepy old people, kids who want to make a business off of punching people, and the whole place smelt like bleach, and, I was just a weird place.
“It didn’t smell like bleach,” Brandon shook his head.
“What? Yes it did!”
“No, you see, those were your senses getting ready for your powers. It’s just one of the warnings. Being Jumpy, and change of personality are some more.
“I wish I knew that sooner,” I sighed and looked ahead of the road at the fog that was blocking the road up ahead.
Brandon chuckled a bit, then reached over and turned up the volume on the radio. It was a news report, on us.
The man speaking had a low voice, and a flat tone, but spoke fairly fast.
“Four worried families woke up this morning to discover there boys are missing. The five boys were last seen visiting the Deckerville Hospital in Michigan, and then three of them were in a gas station on the border Indiana that same day. “
“Researchers don’t know where they are going, if they are kidnapped or just ran away. This is not the first time for these five boys to go missing, but researchers believe that they are also traveling with a young woman who was sent from Englewood Colorado, to stay at the Deckerville Hospital. Her Parents can not be contacted and we are told is not at there home in Colorado.”
The man paused for a minute then cleared his throat to continue. “This Just in, one of the boys and the girl were seen walking into a Wal-Mart, but which one is not specified, but were seen this morning. If you see six kids, five boys and one girl, please contact your local police. Pictures of them have already started to get posted in most gas stations all over Michigan and Indian.”
“There names are, Brandon Lee, Jay Lee, Andrew Reaves, Marvin Morge, Zack Hall, and Margaret Love. Please, if you see these children, get them home safely.
“I’m no kid” Marvin grumbled.
“No more going into public until’ we are out of Indiana,” When spoke, it seemed different in a way, but I didn’t know how. Thinking about it, I realized he’s been quiet all day.
“So, when’s your birthday?” Brandon was not done with questions.
“You’re not planning to get me something are you?” I looked out my window at the fog that was getting thicker.
“Why not? Is today your birthday? Tomorrow? Next week? I need to know, and because birthdays are special, so I will need to get you something.” Brandon Complained.
“Yes Brandon, she’d love a rock,” Jay smiled, but kept his eyes on the road.
“I’m not going to get her a rock,” He turned to me, and smiled. “Please tell me”
I started to smile, and then sighed. I couldn’t refuse that smile of his. “July 19th, but please don’t get me anything, I hate being the center of attention.”
“Okay,” He left my side and went back to his seat. And now part of me a feeling stupid, for no reason at all.
“He’s big on birthdays, always has, and always will.” Jay pulled his eyes from the empty road to look at me and smile. I smiled back at him then looked out side. It was foggy, and we are the only car on the road.
“Car’s going to break down,” Zack call from the back.
“Yeah, right! We just fill it up yesterday; It is not going to break down.” Marvin sounded determined, but there are three reasons supporting Zack. One, this is a freakin old van. Two, Zack can see the future, and three, we are starting to get slower.
We slowed down even more, then with a few pops, we came to a complete stop in the cold fog.
“Well,” Jay sighed, “now what?”
“We walk, there should be a road telephone a mile up the road, there we can call Rachelle to come pick us up.” Drew opened the sliding door, and jumped out.
We all grabbed our bags and followed Drew. The air was crisp, and the sky was a cold gray, that always meant rain. And up the road was even thicker fog that coated the road and trees like a giant blanket.
Before we started walk, Marvin moved and tipped the car of the road, (remember, he’s little power?). It crashed down on the wet grass and weeds, breaking the windshield and bending the frame a little.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to face Drew, “I wouldn’t talk to Marv. If I was l you.” He whispered.
“Why?” I whispered back, “and why are we whispering?”
“After he moves something big and heavy, it drains his energy, and makes him really mad, for no reason, and he will kill any one the even lays a finger on him.” We started walking down the middle of the road, since no cars have been seen for quiet a while.
“Why does he get mad like that?”
“I guess it is he’s side affect. We all have one. His is anger, For Jay, if he controls some one too much, they will become immune to him, example, Frinn, some of our teachers, and our principal.”
“That sucks, guess he learned that the hard way,” I looked back at everyone. Brandon was pushing Marvin, and Zack was walking next to them, and in the far back, was Jay. Je looked calm, or sad, and looking at his frown made my heart sink.
“Yeah, we all did. Are parents weren’t too happy about that day. But any ways, Brandon gets weak, and if he is weak, he can get stuck in a wall or something and suffocate. But all of us get weak, it’s normal, but people drain energy faster then others, that’s why I made you just turn invisible, because we don’t know your side affect, and plus shock is still going threw you, so we have to take every thing slowly.”
“Oh,” I pulled my hoodie closer to me as a cold breeze past us. I looked at Drew; he just looked depressed or tiered, “What’s up with you today?”
“What?”
“You’ve been acting depressed all day.”
“Oh,” He looked down at the gravel road and started kicking little rocks in front of him. The fog grew thicker and thicker, and so did the silence between us. “Jay looks lonely, maybe you can go walk with him for a bit,” Drew’s voice had no feeling in it, and wouldn’t look up at me at all.
“Okay” I stepped to they side of the road and waited for Jay to walk over, “Hey” I jammed my hands into my hoddies pocket, and adjusted my shoulder strap to my bag and started walking next to Jay.
“Oh, hey,” He gave a small bump on my backpack with his.
“You okay? You look stress or something,”
“Oh, no. I’m fine. I’m like this all the time.” I nodded. “So, you want a normal life yet?”
“A little, but if I did have a normal life, then I wouldn’t be here,”
“In the middle of no where?” He gave me a playful smile.
“No, being here, with you guys,” I smiled up at him, hoping he’ll get my message.
“Really?” He smiled and reached over and placed his arm over my shoulders and pulled me close him, “I’m happy you’re here too.
I rested my head against his black hoodie. This is nice. I will walk in the cold with a cute boy keeping me warm any time. This is one of the many things that make life worth living.
“Mark!” Drew was still in front of the group, yelling back at me. “Are you sensing anything? Because I sure am.”
Jay’s grip tightened around my shoulders. Every one’s eyes were scanning the area for any intruders. I tried to concentrate, but still, I wasn’t getting a thing. No waves, no high pitch noise, no nothing.
“Wow, you got your self a boy friend already?” a too familiar voice said. “Well, I’m not surprised, because you are one cute girl, and I was thinking about asking you out. But I’m shocked that you ended up with some stupid emo boy.”
Then I saw the one who was talking. The spiked hair and the crooked smiled, only belonged to one person, Derik.
Chapter 18
“Derik?” I squinted my eyes to make sure it was truly him.
“The one and only,” Derik gave a bow. He was standing in the middle of the road, just a few yards away from us.
“You know this kid?” Jay whispered in my ear, and brought me closer to him.
“He is from my school, back in Colorado,” I whispered.
“Awe, look how cute! Emo boy is trying to protect my girl,” He was staring past everyone, to me and Jay, with his yellowish green eyes, and yellow stained teeth.
“Gag.” I steadied my eyes on him, still trying to figure out why he was here.
“What do you want?” Marvin shouted.
“Yes, what do you want?” Drew took a step forward, closer to Derik.
“I’m here, to watch Mark go threw her first test. I’m getting trained, and with in a month, I’ll be giving out tests” He looked at Drew, “And to tell her that she could come with us, and be strong, unlike you losers,”
“What do you mean by us?” Drew took another step.
“Frinn is here with him,” Zack blurted out. Every one went on alert, and started scanning the surroundings.
“Go home,” Drew took another step. “I’m sure you brother is looking for you.”
Derik’s eyes filled with anger, almost instantly, “I know you. You’re the one who can unlock things, including souls. Well, I’m going to teach you a lesson that my brother, thought me,” He raised his fist to punch Drew, when Drew pushed to the ground and started throwing punches to Derik’s face. Brandon ran over and let himself join the fight. He held Derik down while Drew punched.
“Back away slowly,” Jay dropped his arm from my shoulder and tossed his back pack to the side of the road. “One step at a time,” I nodded and tossed my bag to the side of the road too. The we took a step back, then another, keeping out eyes on the scene.
A figure came from the fog and threw Brandon and Drew off Derik to the ground, several feet away with no effort. Frinn stood tall, looking exactly the same way as he did the last time I saw him. Derik stumbled up, his face starting to swell and covered in blood. He stood up strait with his hands behind him, trying to show no pain and keep a strait face. He looked like a solider, staying strong, no matter what.
“You let them beat you?”Frinn asked, eyeing Derik.
“No sir. I would have beaten them, sir,” Derik voice was different from before, straiter, and less snake like.
“Sure,” Frinn punch Derik’s face, making blood spew from his nose as he fell back to the ground. Derik stood back up, and returned to his original position, blood bucketing out of his nose, but he kept a strait face.
“Long time-no-see, Frinn,” Marvin shouted “Killed any one lately?” Frinn frowned and started to walk over to Marvin. He leaned over and whispered something in his ear that made Marvin tense. “YOU TOUCH HER—” Marvin raised his voice. Frinn grabbed handfuls Marvin’s shirt and threw him off the road. Swear words flew from Marvin’s mouth when he hit the ground, grabbing at his injured knee, and then lade back mumbling madly to him self.
“Run,” Jay, whispered, and then turned around and started to run. I started to run after him, fear filling every part of me. I ran at top speed after Jay and caught up to him. “No matter what, keep running.” I nodded, too scared to speak.
I took a step, but my leg wouldn’t move. “Jay,” I stop and tugged at my leg, but it wouldn’t move. “I can’t move my leg,” So much for keep running no matter what. Jay stopped and came by my side. He pulled my leg, but it wouldn’t move off the ground.
“You know better then that, Jay,” We both looked up to see Frinn, smiling down at us. “You should know your enemy before you make a move.” Jay straitened up and moved slightly in front of me.
“He can stop things,” Jay mumbled.
“Yep, now move,” Frinn put a hand on Jay’s shoulder.
Jay backed up blocking me from Frinn. “You can’t have her. Give us a chance. We can make her strong,”
“You don’t know how valuable she is Jay. Look at you, I could have had you in the army by now, and you are foolish, you waste things, like time, strength, and your own power. If you were smarter, you would have not over used your talent on me.”
“I was a kid, and I regret it, but you haven’t seen us for three years, we can handle our selves, and we can train Margaret.”
“Tell you what. If she fails 2 tests, I can bring her in, if she passes then I won’t. Now move!” Frinn fist met Jay’s stomach, forcing the air out of him. Frinn punch him again, followed by a loud snap. Jay fell down gasping for air, tears coming out of his eyes, clutching his side.
I felt my leg release, and I collapsed to my knees by Jay’s side. His face was turning red, and it showed pain, a lot of it. I picked up one of Jay’s hands, tried to calm him.
“You better not cry,” I looked up at Frinn, smiling down at us. “He doesn’t like it when girls cry,” Jay sat up little, holding his stomach and my hand; “You want to know why?”
“Shut it!” Jay shouted, and then squeezed my hand even more.
“His father use to beat him and his mother.” Frinn beat down, “You use to listen to her crying ever night, and then your old man killed her! Right in front of you! You were just five at time, and your sister was just three. Then she died!” Frinn started laughing and stood up.
“Shut up!” jay shouted again, this time louder. I felt Jay freeze; his whole body just stopped moving. Frinn grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I tried to fight back, but he would let go. He dragged me away from Jay, and the others were in the distance just as frozen as Jay.
We walked about ten yards away from Jay when he finally let go. “If you don’t want to get hurt, then your going to have to protect your self,” his fist came at me, I jumped back, just as a force field covered me, blocking his punch. “Good, very good,” He did a high kick that made me lose my field. His foot landed on my neck. I stumbled back, choking, and gasping for air. Before I could catch my breath, his fist jammed in my stomach, knocking me to the ground. I blinked and tried to breathe. I started to stand up, trying not to barf up my breakfast, when he kicked my side, spinning me over onto my stomach.
I tried standing again, but with out a chance to stand up, his foot met my head. I wanted to scream out for help, but I couldn’t get a noise out of me. Frinn pulled me up by my hoodie so I could be facing him, eye to eye.
“You’re weak,” he spat. He put me back on the ground, and threw a punch at my face. I fell back to the ground with a bloody nose. “You’re pathetic,” He kicked my back. A shock of pain ran up and down my spin. He pulled me back up to my feet. I felt like passing out. I felt weak, I was weak. I could barely stand; he has to hold me up. I felt him squeeze my hoodie more, and pulled me to my tippy-toes. “Looks like you failed your first test,” He threw me aside, just like he did to Marvin, but with more force.
I rolled across the gravel, small rocks scratching my face. I roll to the side of the road and laid there. Every thing was blurry and cold. I could feel blood coming from my head where he kicked me, and my nose was still bleeding. Broken. That’s what I am. I breathe in, and tried to sit up, when blackness covered me and brought me to sleep.
