Invincible (6 page)

I turn to Taylor and behind her, I see Jack. He seems speechless, and I was certain I would expect the same from her. When I saw her face, I began to feel numb at the sight of her bewildered expressions, her eyes full of shock.

I wanted to say something, anything to remove that look. But then the voices filled my head again, and with that, the pain. I wish I couldn't hear all of these people talking, their voices piling up together, layered with the same topic.

"Did the new kid just beat up Rick Evans?"

"Does this guy h
ave a death wish or something?"

"He's hot."

"That freak is really gonna get it."

I couldn't take it anymore. With all the threats and insults, it was just too much for me. I take one last look at Taylor, then turn around and run away.

I didn't dare look at the students. It was bad enough I was hearing their voices, so what use would their expressions do? Some start to clap and cheer, but even that was only making the volume increase and the pain worsen.

As I walk pass, I look down at Rick. He keeps groaning and holding onto his side. I don't say anything to him, and this aside, why should I? I just turn a corner and head towards the school exit. When I finally get there, I open the door and step outside.

As the door closes behind me, it hits me. There was nothing around this place for the next couple of miles, and the house was even further than that. I should just go back. This was useless. I would never make it home. By the time I did, it'll probably be the next morning and Brad will have to drop me right back off, yelling at me all the way through.

There needed to be some sort of way to get there. A taxi maybe? No. Don't have the money. Walking was already out of the question if I didn't w
ant to die and never be found.

The decision to go back into the school was still up for discussion. Maybe they wouldn't judge me so much for kicking the crap out of Rick. I couldn't say I wasn't proud of it, but I didn't want anyone else acknowledging it, making me out to be the nerd that kicked the famous football star to kingdom come. Besides if I go back now, I'll probably be in big trouble.

And most importantly, I'll have to face Taylor. I didn't want to know what she’d thought of this. Right now, I didn't even want to speak to her. Sounds strange, but it was the truth. I couldn't bring myself to know that she was thinking I was some sort of creep. I didn't want to be that to her. Not after what I'd just heard from Jack a couple of minutes ago.

A couple of minutes.
That was all it took for this to happen. For me to experience pain and the voices at the cafeteria, to fighting Rick, to having Taylor think I'm a freak, for Jack to think he had another nerd friend on his hands. All of these things happened in a short matter of minutes.

How did this happen? What was going on with me? Hearing conversations from afar? Able to slow down time? Kicking people basically a yard away? All of this was impossible. It made me wonder if this happens to anyone else. Maybe I’ve woken up from a dreamless sleep, and found myself in some futuristic world where everyone just hap
pens to have special abilities.

Abilities.
I've never thought of that before. Things that enable me to do other things. Extraordinary things…

I scratch out all of my previous theories. Why?  Because of all the strange things that have happened to me. Me picking up Taylor's book the other day, me falling into my bed, the noise and pain. I now had something to put this all together. Yes, I think that wha
t's going on. I had abilities.

Was this possible? A few seconds ago, I didn’t even think it was. I didn't want to believe it, but something in my head was telling to do so. It felt so right to think of it. Everything felt like it was falling into
place, and I didn’t doubt it.

The more I thought about it, the more it started to sink in. I was right. I didn't
think
I had abilities, I knew I had them. How else would I be able to fight Rick? Slow down time, and beat the crap out of him? How could I, exactly? How?

Yes. No more thinking. I was one hundred percent sure that I was right. My brain and heart were telling me so, even though both had failed on me a few occasions before. I could do things. Things that I know no other person could probably do. But what if I’m wrong? Hard to believe that, but what else could I t
hink? How could I be for sure?

I stare down at my feet. I didn't notice until I lift my head that I’ve already started walking away from the school. Not at a superhuman speed though, that is, just a few feet away from the parking lot. I look up and see the road ahead, then look back at the school.

I wipe the dried blood from the back of my hand and look down at my watch, checking the time. If I wasn't sure I was right, there was only one way to find out.

I start to run in a jog. Nothing really happens. Oh, man, I hope I wasn't wrong. A couple of seconds later, still nothing. I was really starting to get tired.

What should I expect? I had just had a severe headache and got into a fight. Of course, I would be tired.

I stop and turn around. I was probably ten feet away from where I'd previously stood.  Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was wrong about everything. This probably
was all just a coincidence.

No
, I think. This wasn’t just a coincidence. As I continue to think about it, all of this started to make sense. And yeah, maybe there was something wrong with me, but if I wanted to know what it was, I couldn’t quit now.

I start to jog again. Nothing happens. But then I kick it up a notch, speeding up a little, and that was when it happened.

Everything slowed down again, just as it did before. I knew it would, I could feel it in my veins. I put more effort into my run and suddenly, I felt a rush of energy, as if I gripped onto the clutch of a motorcycle and sped off.

I looked like I was running at normal speed, but it was slowed down in some ways. Maybe that was the thing, just like with the fight. What if I'm not slowing down, but going faster? That's a possibility.

I ran down the way that Brad drove me to school from, starting to make my way into the streets. I was now closer to town. Close to home.

As I go through the moving cars, the objects becoming more blurry as if they were slow speeding bullets, a grin crosses my face. I was so happy! Amazed, in fact! I was right. This was what I’d been waiting for. Something exciting happening to me other than sitting around the house, sleeping, or getting bullied at school. I finally had something special going inside me, something that for once in my life, I was sure of. And I loved it.

After a while, the house finally came into view. I slow down a little and suddenly, everything returns to normal. Well, sort of. As I finally start to walk, I begin to choke. I kneel to the ground and hold onto my throat, gasping for oxygen. A gust of cold air rushes into my lungs, and after a few seconds of coughing and gagging, I finally begin to relax, getting up from the middle of the street before I became a bad case of road kill. That must be some kind of downside, the air I breathe catching up to me after I run. Maybe that’s something I need to work on in the future.

Work on.
The sentence sounded strange to me. I was just acknowledging the fact that I had these abilities, and now I’m already eager to try it out again and control it. The very thought of it makes it sound even worse than doing homework.

I try to calm myself and relax. This was all too much to handle in one day. When the time was ready, I would have to sit down and think about it.

I look down at my watch again, trying to estimate how much time I had before Brad arrives, and in shock, I shake it a little, only to find it still at its same time.

I couldn’t believe it—it’s been four minutes since I started running! Four minutes!!

I tried not to make a huge deal out of it. If I really wanted to dedicate myself, and hone the newly found abilities that I've discovered, I might as well face the fact that I could do these sorts of things, and prepare myself for the unexpected.

I walk up to the front porch and kneel over the black mat placed in front of the door. I lift it up and find a key that Brad mentioned a while back, in case he lost his, or wasn’t around, and I needed to get in. Good thing he left it
there.

I pick up the key and place into the doorknob, twisting the key first, and then the knob. The door sticks and I push it open, surprised that it didn't fall apart as I walk past the threshold.

I wondered how I would explain this to Brad. Not
everything
, but the fight. I didn't want to call him and let him know, having him yell at me. Though I'd prefer it happen now and get it over with, I'd rather wait it out, and see if he was in a happy enough mood. That way, if I told him, he'll probably be too peaceful to think about it.

Yeah. Like that would be so easy. He'll never be happy, at least not as happy as
I
wanted him to be.

I go upstairs and head to
my
room. Once I’m inside, I take off my shoes and jump onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as I think about the things that have happened.

I couldn't believe what was happening to me. I had abilities. The word ran through my mind for a couple of minutes. Before this I had nothing to hold onto, nothing that I could remember. I used to think the only way I would feel comfortable was by figuring out about my past, but suddenly it wasn't. These abilities—or gifts—made me feel different somehow. In a good way, that is. I could finally take away some of the stress from my mind, forget about the worrying, or the empty space in my heart. I now had proof that this new life was somehow unique. Brad taking me in,

me meeting Taylor, these cool things happening around me—this was a sign of something positive.

But what was going on? I mean, I
knew
what was going on, just not all the specifics of it. What kind of skills do I have? What was the explanation for the things I was experiencing?

I had to find out.

But I was exhausted. I need to take a nap or something. Maybe when I wake up, I’ll do some research.  I close my eyes and think about Rick, the image of him groaning on the floor still fresh in my mind, and laugh at the possibility of him still lying there at this very moment...

I open my eyes and look at the window, seeing nothing but black. It was nighttime. Eleven o’clock, to be exact—at least that's what the clock says.

The smell of food fills my noise, and under the crack beneath my door, I notice lights seeping from downstairs.

Oh, man. Brad was home.

I get out of bed and walk downstairs, hoping to find him happy, like I'd seen him earlier before I went off to school. But instead I see him sitting in the living room, watching football.

"Hey," I say casually.

He turns his head and looks at me.

"Hey," he repeats, his tone and expression surprising. "How'd you get here?"

I pause, quickly thinking of an excuse to giv
e him. "I…took the bus," I lie.

"I didn't give you any money."

"I burrowed some from a friend."