Sixteen

  Allow Me To Add A Little … Foreshadowing … To That

  Matt sped down the freeway like he was qualifying for NASCAR, trying to put as much distance between us and the gas station as possible.

  I held on to Brooke and Connor, staring out the back of the camper shell, my heart dropping when I saw one of the SUVs from the gas station was following us. Weaving between lanes, Matt tried to shake our pursuer, but the other vehicle was incredibly persistent. Soon it was neck and neck with us. I could see the driver yelling and motioning at Matt and the others in the cab, trying to get us to slow down or pull over. Matt stoically faced forwards and kept his foot solidly planted on the gas pedal.

  We’ve gotta find a place to hide! But where? I don’t even know where we are. I don’t think the others do either. Where could we possibly go? I thought frantically.

  Then a faint wailing noise caught my attention. I looked back and saw two pairs of flashing red and blue lights in the distance behind us. They were rapidly getting closer. My hearts dropped and I whipped around to face the cab again, staring out the windshield for any hope of escape. There was nothing but crowded freeway as far as I could see, both sides hemmed in by untamed forest.

  There was no place to go.

  Nowhere to hide.

  My friends and I lurched as something suddenly hit us from behind. One of the police cruisers had caught up to us and was now riding our bumper. Matt grit his teeth and gripped the steering wheel, fighting to keep the truck on course. The sirens were so loud they were making my ears ring. Over them I could barely hear one of the officers yelling something through his loudspeakers, but I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I felt absolutely helpless, cornered, unable to use my powers to protect my friends. If I didn’t do something, they could get hurt, but if I generated any amount of energy, Agent Avari would find us again.

  What do I do?! I hate this feeling! I can’t do anything! I felt the metal rim of the partition window begin to warp under my clenched fingers.

  There was another loud crunch and jolt from behind and Matt had to wrangle the steering wheel harder this time. The truck’s tires screeched as we tottered back and forth on the edge of swerving out of control. Then I started to notice something odd. We were passing cars and trucks, but they weren’t on the road anymore. They were all pulling off to the sides, clearing the road ahead, and over the next curve, I saw why. A barricade of five police SUVs were completely blocking our path. On the ground in front of them were about a dozen spikey strips of metal almost blending into the asphalt. If we hit those, even the very last hope of escape would evaporate.

  “We gotta go around!” Lucas yelled.

  “Where?! We’d go right into the trees!” Connor looked around frantically.

  I leaned forwards and stretched out my hand. “I can get us through. I’ll push those trucks out of the way.”

  “No, Geni, don’t!” Brynn grabbed my wrist. “Don’t use your powers. It’ll be fine. We’ll get through this alright, okay?”

  She met my eyes with a smile filled with uncertain determination and even though I wasn’t using my telepathy, I could almost hear her unspoken words.

  If you use your powers, the CIA will find you again and we’ll all be right back to square one. We know we’re getting cornered, and we’re scared too, but we’re going to keep going. We’re going to protect you, even if it means we might get hurt.

  I pulled my hand back to squeeze hers.

  If it ever comes to that, I’m going to defend you with everything I’ve got.

  The truck jolted as we were rammed harder than ever, but this time Matt couldn’t keep control. I felt the vehicle begin to spin, then tip, and suddenly the two left tires were off the ground. Brooke, Brynn, and Connor screamed, and I let out a sharp gasp when it dawned on me why it seemed like I was floating upside down. There was a deafening crunch and screeching slide of metal on asphalt as the roof of the truck hit the road and the momentum carried us once – twice – three times we rolled over before grinding to a stop.

  For a few seconds all I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears before the dinging of the truck’s warning gauge and warbling wail of its broken security alarm joined the din. Spitting my own hair and some silt out of my mouth, I gently opened my wings and let my grip relax on Brooke and Connor. When and how I’d grabbed onto them, I couldn’t remember. As they regained their bearings, I crawled up to the partition window, which was now ninety degrees from its usual position. The airbags had gone off and a now dusty but unharmed Matt, Brynn, and Lucas were pushing them back, hanging sideways in their seatbelts.

  “Is everyone okay?” Brynn coughed.

  “Yeah, we’re alright. Geni protected us,” Brooke brushed some glass shards off her shirt.

  Connor wobbled to his feet. “Come on, let’s get outta here before the cops catch up.”

  Lucas unbuckled himself and began climbing out through the passenger side window, the others following, while Connor opened the back hatch of the truck. The six of us stepped out into the middle of the road and were immediately met by an ear-piercing choir of police sirens and nearly two dozen men in uniform. They’d surrounded us, standing behind the open doors of their vehicles, sidearms drawn and at the ready. But they weren’t just aiming at me. Their guns were pointed at my friends too. I knew the CIA must have woven some story about why we were on the run, but the sight of trained marksmen, aiming their weapons at a group of completely innocent teenagers made my blood boil.

  I stepped forwards.

  Not caring about hiding myself anymore, I spread my wings, taking my friends out of the line of sight. The tension I felt radiating from the officers shifted and refocused with that now familiar under layer of wary curiosity. I heard Brynn move and begin to protest, but I shot her a pleading glance and she stopped. Then I let that warm thrilling well in my chest spill over and focused a surge of energy down my arm as I waved it in a wide arc. A glassy golden shell materialized in an instant, encircling the area around the truck, my friends, and I in a paper-thin impenetrable dome. I heard the officer’s stunned murmurs as they stared, lowering their weapons a little but not their guard. One even stepped out from behind his car door to tap and push on the barrier, but the transparent golden surface didn’t budge an inch. I let out the breath I’d been subconsciously holding as I let my wings fold, staring at the ground peppered with pieces of Matt’s truck.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  I clenched my fists. “I’m so sorry we’re in this mess. It’s my fault. I should have protected you from the start. After all you’ve done for me, I go and get us backed into a corner. I’ve let you down.”

  “Geni, no, don’t think like that. None of this is your fault,” Matt came over and put a hand on my shoulder.

  “If I wasn’t here, you’d all be back home, safe. You wouldn’t be out here risking your lives for … for someone who isn’t even human,” I looked up at him.

  “Human or not, you’re still our friend,” he smiled.

  As my vision swirled with tears, I planted myself against his chest and he pulled me into a wonderfully tight hug. Brynn and Brooke squeezed in too and I felt Connor ruffle my hair and Lucas pet my wings. My protection instinct was going nuts. I wanted to scoop all of them up and fly to the farthest corner of the world where no one could ever trap or capture us again.

  But it was a fantasy I knew couldn’t be possible, as in reality, I could hear the rumble of more vehicles approaching. My friends and I looked up. The police officers too had turned to watch the pack of five black unmarked SUVs roaring in our direction. They pulled to a stop behind the law enforcement cruisers and out of the first one stepped none other than CIA Special Agent, Markus Avari. We locked eyes as he strode forwards to the edge of my shield, more agents piling out and taking control of the scene. Avari’s face was, as always, a mask of emotionless observation, but his eyes kept giving things away. As we studied one another, I could see something in him beginning to change. He was becoming more sure of something. Before I could try and deduce what that was, I felt someone press something into my hand.

  I looked over Matt’s shoulder to see Lucas curling my fingers around the box containing his burner phone. He didn’t give any explanation but just grinned with a wink. I glanced at the others and even though I knew they had no telepathic powers, it seemed they’d all come to some silent agreement. Brooke met my gaze with a meaningful nod and I let my mind touch hers.

  Go, Geni. Go get your pod back and find your family. We’ll be alright. She thought.

  I stared at my friends. You mean leave you behind? But I can’t! We have to stick together! I can’t lose anyone else!

  You’re not going to lose us, silly. Brynn chimed in, smiling and shaking her head.

  Yeah, this isn’t goodbye, just, see ya later! You know, after you’ve kicked some butt and shown the whole world how awesome you are! Connor snickered.

  Matt and Lucas silently nodded in assent. Wiping my eyes, I wrapped my arms around as many of them as I could, my wings around all of them. They still had complete and utter confidence and trust in me, even though I felt I’d let them down. There was no way I’d let their faith go to waist.

  “I’ll come back, I promise,” I whispered aloud.

  I don’t know why, but in that moment those words seemed to etch themselves into my soul. The second they left my lips, I swore I heard them echo with an unseen weight, like I’d just triggered some key event. I felt a shiver run through my body and I knew without question those words had become my paradigm.

  I’ll come back.

  I will always come back.

  As more tears ran down my cheeks, I turned away, taking two big steps before dropping to a crouch and unfurling my wings with a tremendous rush. I launched off the ground so hard I felt the asphalt shatter under my feet. Rocketing into the sky, I could hear the ecstatic whistles and cheers of my friends gradually fade into the distance. I felt the energy of my shield return to me, but I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. If I looked back, I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep going.

  I clutched the box of Lucas’s burner phone as I punched straight through the safety of the clouds. I just wanted to go up. Only up. I pumped my wings hard, tears stinging the corners of my eyes as they turned to ice crystals. The sky started to get darker, but I kept going higher and higher, until I couldn’t feel air against my skin anymore. Then I realized my body felt weightless. I blinked like I’d come out of a trance, staring into a black void dusted with innumerable stars. Lightly flapping my wings, I slowed my momentum and just hovered in place, gradually turning to look down. The vibrant blue and green sphere of Earth stretched out beneath me and in stunned silence I realized …

  … I’d just flown straight into space!

  Aye-yaaaah, how am I still alive?! My hearts pounded as I took shallow breaths.

  It felt like there was a delicate film around me, like a soap bubble. I could breathe. I didn’t feel like I was getting crushed by a vacuum. It was as though I were somehow generating my own personal atmosphere. I clapped a hand over my eyes, my head starting to hurt from all that was happening. Again, I’d made human friends, and again I’d been forced to leave them. Again, I was being reminded of how much of an anomaly I was. Six wings, powers, the ability to survive in space. What was I?! Could I even still be considered Av’rahn’ey anymore?!

  Curling into a ball, I sobbed until I didn’t have any tears left. When I finally opened my eyes again, I was surrounded by a cluster of tiny droplets that reflected the stars. My own little galaxy of sadness and confusion. A few feet away I caught sight of Lucas’s burner phone box and had a moment of panic as I flailed over to grab it. I stared at it before a glint of metallic movement caught my eye. I looked up to see a satellite several hundred yards away drifting by in its orbit. That gave me a game changing thought.

  Sniffing, I wiped my face and opened the box. The CIA has been having it way too easy. It’s high time I had the upper hand.

  I put the battery back in the phone and powered it on. This time I didn’t have to worry about needing an adapter to plug into. The charger fit the phone and slotted perfectly into the access port in my neck. The screen lit up blue with a dialogue box and cursor and I started the hack. After several long minutes, I’d gained access to a dozen different satellite networks. Then I took a deep breath and let my energy flow out to form a sphere the same size as the one I’d generated in the quarry. Sensors in several satellite groups lit up and I methodically went through each one, just slightly reprogramming the coded commands. Whenever I used my powers, whatever system detected me, would display nothing. I’d be completely invisible.

  Letting out a sigh of relief, I unplugged myself and put the phone in my pocket, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I reabsorbed my energy but didn’t tamp it so firmly down in the heart of my hearts this time. Looking out at the stars, I clutched a hand to my chest, willing a thought to the universe.

  Agoka’ta’jai … momma Ma’hy … I’m really gonna go try and make you proud.

  Then I turned, facing down towards the Earth again.

  And as for you, Special Agent Markus Avari of the CIA … consider this, game on.

  I stretched out my wings and with a powerful downstroke, surged forwards. Then I streamlined my wings back as I entered the atmosphere again, letting gravity take hold and pull me down. The wind roared around me once more, an amber shell of friction fire surrounding me. I couldn’t stop an exhilarated grin from spreading over my face, letting my wings slowly open again as I reached my desired altitude and soared forwards on the powerful slingshot of momentum. It was night now, but I aimed myself towards the faint glow of civilization looming on the horizon.

  If there were no more places left to hide, I’d hide in plain sight.