Sapience (16 page)

“But what about you?” She asked again.

“Feeling a little impatient are we?” I teased.

“Only a little.”

“Well.” I said “Out of all those children who started to show inhuman development three never did. Needless to say President Mead was intrigued by their lack of response to the treatment. He would have had them put down but their blue eyes were glowing much brighter than the others.”

“It was you.” Brianna interrupted in an outburst.

“I’m getting there.” I said, trying not to laugh “After further study it was found that the Peleus reacted different in our brain. It made us smart. At the age of four, in some ways we were already just as smart as a 4.0 college student.”

Brianna stayed close as we walked up to her trailer. I imagined it was because she didn’t want to get too far ahead and miss some of the story.

“Of course by the time I turned four, Adrian and Lillie had already been tested and President Mead knew what to look for.” I said as we were near the trailer. The front door was unlocked as Brianna turned the knob.

There was no sign of the others when we got inside of the small trailer. It had been stripped clean before we had gotten there. It couldn’t have been comfortable living in there. It looked like it was barely suitable for three people let alone five.

“They must have packed really quickly. Good, I was kind of worried we would bump into them. They are going to be in an extremely bad mood, it’s why I wanted to ride with you guys.” Brianna said.

She grabbed a garbage bag and started to fill it with clothes. There wasn’t really anything else to grab. She may have been free for over a year but she didn’t have much to show for it.

“All the money we had went into bills, groceries and clothes.” She explained as she set the garbage bag into my trunk. We were about to pull away from the curb when her eyes got really big and she jumped out of the car. “I almost forgot.” She yelled as she ran into the trailer. When she returned she was cradling a brown teddy bear in her arms.

I watched as she unzipped the back of the bear and pulled out a pistol. She checked the clip and then put it back, setting the teddy bear at her side, buckled in. It was an odd place to hide a gun, I thought as I started the car.

“What about you?” I asked when we were pulling out of the small trailer park.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“What’s it like to be able to create and manipulate ice?”

She bit the tip of her finger as she thought. “It’s like the ice is already part of me, like I’m just flexing a muscle. Technically I am slowing down the water molecules in the air, though it doesn’t feel to me like I am doing anything that complicated. What I want to happen just kind of happens.”

As she spoke she held the palm of her hand up in the air. At first I wondered what she was doing but it was soon apparent as a light mist started to materialize in the air all around it. I watched closely, I had never seen a physical user create ice so slow before. You could see every detail.

“It’s an extension of my hand, like opening and closing my fingers”

The mist grew thicker and thicker in the air. A small pebble of ice started to form in the palm of her hand. The mist fed into the pebble making it grow bigger until it was the size of a baseball.

“Is it cold?” I asked, totally intrigued.

“It tingles but it’s not cold.” She said, looking down at her hand. “I can’t feel the sting of ice like most people, nor can fire users be burnt.”

Brianna held the glass, smooth, crystal clear, baseball sized chunk of ice in her palm. I watched as a rainbow of light shot through it in a mirage of color.

Her smile vanished as she glanced out the front windshield of the car. “William!”

When I looked up all I saw was a red light. I slammed the brake. A white minivan swerved clipping my bumper and spinning us sideways. The ball of ice flew from Brianna’s hand and bounced off the dashboard. When my car finally skidded to a stop I was in the middle of the intersection.

How could I be so stupid, I thought as I glanced around. Other than a dent on the van's front bumper I couldn’t see any other damage. The driver, a middle aged, gray haired woman, got out waving her fist. I was about to get out to go meet her when she brought a cell phone up to her ear. I stopped with my hand on the door, she was most likely calling nine, one, one, and that meant government involvement. I put the car into first gear and took off down the road, there was no way I was going to let any government agents anywhere near me.

“That lady hit us.” I said to try and break the silence that had suddenly filled my car.

“Yea, how dare she try to go through that green light” Brianna said.

“Some people.”

She looked over at me nervously. “So why are we fleeing the scene again?”

“We can’t exactly get away with being on the record books.” I said, not taking my eyes off the road anymore than I had to.

She looked skeptical. “This could cause more trouble if they are looking for this car.”

“I’m hoping the lady didn’t get a very good description. We weren’t stopped for very long and she was probably overwhelmed with just being in an accident.” It was true, though how true only time would tell.

“If you say so.” She said.

I turned down the first road we came to and started to take the back roads to avoid any run-ins with government soldiers or worse, agents.

“So, what can the others do?” I asked to try and further forget what just happened.

I watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear then check to make sure her seatbelt was securely fastened.

“Rachel controls ice like me, the rest are fire.” She paused. “You didn’t know?”

I shrugged. “I would have known before but now it seems like so much to take in. There were so many of us. What were you thinking in the park today? You didn’t look mad.” I hated bringing it up but I was genuinely curious.

“I have been trained to survive, Adrian and Lillie can increase my chances significantly, making them the obvious choice.” She said as if it was obvious all along.

“You didn’t even think about running away or something?” I asked.

“You of all people should know that we would never be able to escape, look how far you came to find us hiding in this small little town in the middle of nowhere. If we ran, where could we have gone?” She asked.

“I didn’t really think about it.” I admitted.

“What do you think Adrian would do if we ran?”

“I figured he wouldn’t bother and just let you go.”

She shrugged. “I guess I just know Adrian’s type better than you.”

I thought about it for a while. Ever since we had escaped it felt like I didn’t know Adrian at all. He used to kind of look up to me sometimes, now he made sure he was always looking down. The old Adrian would have let them go, this new one would probably hunt them down and say he was tying up loose ends. Was the stress of filling my spot causing him to snap? Impossible, he was far too smart to ever go crazy. He was just watching our backs, he knew the cost if we ever failed. It was the same reason why I was speeding down these back roads, getting caught was not an option.

“Are you mad you’re being forced to live with us?” I asked.

“Not really.” She smiled. “Like I said, it’s the smartest option for self preservation.”

It felt good to know she wasn’t dreading moving in with us. I wondered if the others felt the same.

We were getting closer to home and I had to cut through town to get to the road that led to the mansion. I could feel my heart beginning to pick up tempo. If the government was ever going to stop me for that hit and run, this would be the spot where it happened. I was constantly checking my mirrors for the infamous SUV with its flashing lights and hulking soldiers, all pointing their weapons, even if it were just a simple traffic stop.

“I wonder if Lillie bought you a car yet?”

“Gees, I hope not. I think I would rather save up somehow and buy one for myself.”

I thought about it for a moment, and then decided I didn’t mind her riding with me all that much. Go figure.

“Lillie is going to be disappointed. She loves buying cars.” I said.

She sighed. “I guess having a new car like yours couldn’t hurt.”

“I don’t think Lillie is going to settle for anything less.”

I went slowly when we reached the driveway. No need to get back to the others faster than we already had to.

“I wonder what it’s going to be like.” She said half to herself.

“What’s what going to be like?” I put the car in park behind the black suburban.

“All of us living in this big house.”

“It might be fun.” I said, and instantly pictured the game room in the basement. It would be nice to have other people to go down there with… people who didn’t cream you every time you did anything.

“You’re probably right.”

I opened the door and started to get out. “What could go wrong?” I said if not a little sarcastic.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe Adrian.” I heard her say as she turned to get out her door.

I winced when I saw the huge dent on the rear diver side fender. It wasn’t as bad as I thought, though it was still pretty bad.

When we reached the front porch Adrian was leaning against the door with a victorious grin. There was an extra car in the drive way and I could see shadows walking by softly swept white curtains hung over the upstairs windows, It made the mansion seem more full. The porch, running the entire length of the house had been just recently stained. I swear, every time I looked at the place it grew newer and newer.

“The others are just starting to pick their rooms.” He said casually. I could see Brianna nod out of the corner of my eye. “I made sure there was a room in the basement that would suit your over all sense of conference.”

“Thank you.” She said as she walked inside.

“This is working out proficiently.” Adrian whispered as I walked past.

Inside Spencer was lounging on the couch, face glued to the huge TV. I could hear Jack and Rachel arguing upstairs, they were practically screaming at each other. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it probably had something to do with being forced to move. Lillie immediately jumped up and came to our side.

“Let me show you to your room.” She said, leading Brianna off down the hall. I watched them walk away until they turned, Brianna looking back at the last moment, out of sight. Part of me wanted to go with them but I decided to stay. She was probably getting sick of me by now.

Josh and Rachel did not come down the stairs for the rest of the night. Spencer ignored anyone who tried to talk to him and didn’t turn his head away from the TV at all. Adrian and Lillie cooked a big dinner and then went down into the basement leaving the food spread across the table for the rest of the night. I figured they left it out because they wanted to feed everybody but didn’t want to force them. Brianna and I picked at the food and watched movies until it was time for bed. Spencer got up and followed us.

“Are we all riding together in the morning?” He asked as he started up the stairs to his new room.

“I can’t see why not.” Brianna said just before he turned the corner.

It was strangely nerve wracking, standing alone with her in the dark hall just outside of my room. The introduction of the next movie was rumbling from around the corner.

Brianna stood in front of my door watching me and absently playing with her pony tail.

“See you in the morning.” She said in a shy voice that matched my own feelings.

We went to step around each other but both turned in the same direction and bumped into one another.

“I ah.” I started to say but stopped.

She started to walk away. I waited until she reached the basement door.

“Brianna.” I called.

“Yea?”

“Goodnight.”

She smiled and disappeared down the stairs. I was alone, in the shadow of the hall, it had become warmer than it was yesterday I thought as I turned and went into my room.

Once I had stripped down to my boxers and was under my warm covers I finally took a deep breath and allowed my nerves to settle.

The dark room was calming. The quiet hum of the movie was the only noise allowing my mind to be clear. It was strange how every time my mind was clear it always raced to one thought, Brianna. And now wasn’t any different. I thought about how it made me feel seeing her in the park this morning, the way she smiled, the things she said. I could open up to her and not feel like a child like I did with Adrian and Lillie. I didn’t have to keep secrets from her like I did the kids at school. She was the only person I could talk to and not hold anything back.

Chapter 11

            
 
The morning came later than I had hoped, staring restlessly up at the ceiling contemplating whether or not yesterday had really happened.

It looked like a cold morning, frost had collected over the grass and a heavy fog was wafting through the woods. I turned away from the window and went to the dresser where I decided to pull out some warmer clothes.