LS: The Beginning (8 page)

Meanwhile, Julie ate her meal in a hurry; it was obvious she wanted to continue her interrogation. I on the other hand, bent my head pretending to read the food menu again because I couldn't stand the sight of Lisa and her boyfriend. When I got tired of faking, I raised my head and saw Lisa locking lips with her boyfriend. I became ice cold and my senses grew sharper as my pulse soared. I started hearing the heartbeats of the customers in the restaurant. Just then, Julie dropped her fork on her plate and it made a sharp sound, causing me to flinch in the process.

“Are you all right? What happened to your eyes?” Julie asked.

I guess she wasn't busy with her food after all.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I never noticed you had blue eyes,” she said.

Then it occurred to me I was in a public place sitting with a girl who knew nothing about my powers, and then the anger or perhaps jealousy – immediately subsided.

“Are you serious? I better go take a look. Please, give me a minute.”

I stood up
and went to the gents. There, I washed my face and made sure my eyes
turned and stayed dark brown.

When I got back from the gents, a glass bowl of ice cream was on Julie’s side of the table. She’d finished her meal and was having dessert.
He doesn’t like me
, she thought, watching me sit down. I felt really bad. I had to say or do something that would
endear her to me.

“Being with you is so much fun. Can‘t say the same for Stacey,” I said. She chuckled but didn’t reply. “Hmm, the ice cream looks good.”

“Yeah, you want some?” she asked.

For those few minutes, I’d partially forgotten about Lisa.

“Nah thanks. Appetite, remember?”

“Oh, okay. Anyways, can you believe what just happened? David walked out on Lisa, complaining aloud
that she is a freak. She seemed very embarrassed as she stormed out of the restaurant. I don’t blame her though, who wouldn’t be?”

The idea of Lisa being a freak was unfathomable; she was too beautiful to be one.

“Why do you think he called her a freak?” I asked.

“I really don’t know. I wasn’t facing them.”

"Oh, okay."

I waited until Julie finished her dessert and then we drove to her house, only because I insisted it was late and it would be unwise for her to go home
alone.
Julie’s house seemed bigger than mine. Unfortunately,
I didn’t observe a lot
about the building or estate because it was dark and late and I was in a hurry to leave.

“I had a wonderful time today,” I said, escorting her
to the front door of her house. “Somehow, you've made my week.”

She smiled and gave me a nice warm hug.

“Wow! You’re really
cold. Well, thanks for everything and I hope to do it again sometime.”

“Ha-ha, thanks for making me feel warm and yes, I’m counting on it.”

Leaving her house, I thought of calling a cab to come pick me up, but then I remembered that her house was within walking distance to mine. I closed my eyes and focused on the direction of my house, and then I began to run. Surprisingly, I reached my house in a flash.

Chapter Six

A Typical Day At College

“What happened, Stephen?” Stacey stood at the top of the curved staircase.
“Did you guys have a fight?” she continued.

I shook my head.

“No, we didn't. I insisted I come home alone.” As she opened her mouth, I continued, “Because I now have a second ability. Watch”

In the blink of an eye, my cold hands were covering her eyes even though a second ago I was more than fifteen feet away.

Her eyes were racing out of their sockets, as she stood looking bewildered.

“Where are all these coming from?” she
asked.

“Beats me,” I replied.

“All right, I envy you, though,” said Stacey.

I chortled, but didn't respond verbally.

We climbed down the stairs together and proceeded to the living room. She sat down and picked up the TV's remote control.

“Isn't it a bit late to watch TV?” I asked as I joined her on the couch.

“I know, but I have to finish this movie,” she said, pointing at the screen.

“Last time I checked, you have a flat screen in your room.”

“I’d fall asleep if I’m on my bed.” She turned to look at me. “Do you want me to leave the living room?”

“No, I was just curious,” I said. “Oh yeah that reminds me, I can hear from a very far distance as well.”

“That was a bit random, but you’re kidding, right?”

“Nah, it's true.”

Stacey gave a stiff nod.

“Well, what can I say? I'm speechless,” she said, turning back to watch her movie.

I smiled.

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

She didn't respond.

It
was already too late, and she ended up sleeping on the couch without completing the movie. I guess no one can cheat Mother Nature but as to all laws; there's always an exception, which in this case was Lisa and I. I effortlessly carried her and tucked
her in bed. It was then time for me to go to bed. I lay on my bed waiting for sleep to wrap around me – but it didn’t.

***

Like the previous night, my eyes were completely closed but my brain was still active. I couldn’t sleep and unlike a nocturnal
animal, I’d been active all day. I spent the night reading books that would help
me with my assignment due on Tuesday and was hoping I'd get bored
and fall asleep, but my brilliant plan turned out to be an obtuse
one.

The following day, Stacey and I had lots of fun together at home. We played
cards, watched TV, prattled again about the dinner I had with Julie and about the powers I'd received. I did a few tricks for her – what she called
my abilities
. The day went by so fast; it is obvious time flies when
one’s having fun.

Throughout that day, I kept thinking of Lisa – the freak. I wished I’d been close to her when her boyfriend humiliated her. She
didn’t deserve it. No girl does. I absolutely knew how she felt; no one could
understand her, and the way she felt about the powers she’d received from shaking
a guy’s hand.

***

I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling; strangely, it had a different look
every time I blinked my eyes. I endlessly waited for sleep to knock at my
door – but instead it was my cousin who came knocking. I didn’t answer, so she
kept knocking and out of fright she opened the door and saw me sitting on
the bed.

“Why didn’t you answer me when I was at the door?” she asked.

“CY, I can’t sleep.”

She
came and sat beside me, running her perfect, soft caramel hands through
my hair.

“Don't worry, dear,” she said. “I believe there's a solid reason behind all these. Have you spoken to your parents about it?”

“No. I haven't. I’ll do that later.”

“Okay. Please do.”

Although
I adored my parents more than
anything or other person in the world, I wasn’t so intimate with them. I
told them what I felt they wanted to know and not what they needed to know. I
only talked about my studies, my acclimatization and how Susan, Stacey’s mother, was being so nice to me.

Shortly, Stacey left the room to get ready for her lectures. I went into the bathroom to take a quick bath, and met her downstairs, wearing nice penciled jeans
and a black top. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. We drove to college in silence, but technically she was the
only one who observed the silence. I kept hearing
the voices of people around me. I guess reading people's mind was useful only when I knew the
person.

I parked the car at my usual spot that day. It was
beside a shiny red convertible Mercedes, which I assumed was Lisa’s.
The thought of seeing her again made my heart skip multiple beats.

I arrived on
time for
Mechanics106,
hoping to sit beside her. I spied Lisa at the back of the class for the second time. What
an opportunity she bestowed on me! As I ambled to the back of the class, a familiar voice with a thundering British
accent called my name; it was Julie.

“Hey, there’s a seat over here,” she said.

Not only was her timing wrong, I
didn’t like where she was seated in class – near the window.

We both studied Physics; why did it have to be the class I had with Lisa
that Julie wanted me to sit beside her? Every atom in my body was ready to
ignore her call and go sit beside Lisa, but I was a passionate guy who cared
about
people’s feelings. Hence I walked over and sat beside Julie.

“How was your weekend?” she asked.

“Cool, yours?”

“Awesome,” she said.

Dr. Taylor was wearing an unusual smiley face that morning. He must have had
a lovely weekend. I couldn’t say much for Lisa, who looked moody, crossing her legs as she looked at the lecturer.

I really wanted to find who
Sharon was and if her major was Physics or she shared some
courses
with me, like Lisa did.

“Hey, do you know a girl named Sharon?” I asked.

Julie scowled as she thought,
“Why does he want to know her? Is he the
flirting
type? He can’t be
.
”

Though I enjoyed reading Stacey's mind, Julie’s thoughts irritated me. If she liked me that much, why couldn’t she approach me about it? But then I wasn’t planning on approaching Lisa,
so one could call me a hypocrite.

“She’s the girl sitting over there,” she said, looking ahead.

Julie was facing a girl sitting on the seat nearest to the door. She
had similar glittering black hair like I did, actually like
the
me
that had no ice
powers. It had been a while since my hair had shone like hers. Her skin was
similar to Stacey’s. Sadly, I was unable to access her frontal features because she was facing the
lecturer, so I held my thoughts until further examination.