The First: EVO Uprising (38 page)

After cleaning up, she snuck up the stairs to her room with the newly fixed doorknob baring witness to a private conversation she wished she did not hear.

“
Kimberly, you have to give this a chance,” Michelle responded over Skype.
 

“
But I want to come home,” Kimberly sat pouting with her arms folded.
 

Tears ran from her eyes as she fought not to breakdown so the woman downstairs could hear.
 

“
That is your home and your mother,” Michelle reminded her.
 

“
She’s not my mother, she’s someone who gave birth to me…” she snapped back.
 

“
Young lady! That is not how I raised you!” Michelle scolded her.
 

“
That’s right!” She answered back. “You and Mark raised me! The Stones raised me! She didn’t! And the only reason I’m here is because I look like this! Please… let me come home… please… I don’t want to be here.”
 

“
Kimberly, no.” Michelle firmly put her foot down. “You don’t understand now, but your mother loves you so much, and she had her reasons for not being there, which trust me are harder than you will ever know. She’s hurting too. You have to give her a chance because right now you need her more than you need me.”
 

“
I don’t.” She shook her head.
 

“
Yes, you do,” Michelle assured, “now try and get
some sleep, honey. I love you.”
 

“
I love you too.” She wiped her eyes.
 

Sophia crept away before she knew she was outside of her door and spent the night in silent tears of her own.
 

The next morning, too ashamed to see her, Sophia left early leaving a fresh batch of assorted clothes for her in her size outside of her door in a basket and warm breakfast waiting for her downstairs.
 

Kimberly, needing something more durable, raided her closet and found one of  her spring wetsuits in a blue and yellow color scheme.
 

Glad to be alone, she munched on the breakfast as Sir George ate his daily banana, threw out the rest, cleaned up, and then headed out to the beach to see if she could learn how to fly.    
 

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“
You see,” Kyle began to explain, “Hancock’s flight as shown here is based on a feat of strength. He uses his super strong legs to escape Earth’s gravity and fly.”
 

“
Yeah but,” Kimberly paused uncertain, “this is still a movie, not real life.”
 

“
Dude,” Kyle persisted, “a lot of our real life concepts come from movies! Hello, Star Trek, where do you think Steve Job got the idea for the iPad?”
 

“
I’m not a dude,” she snarled.
 

“
Anyway,” he stuck to the topic at hand, “based on this, with those pistons you got for legs, you should have no problem getting airborne. Worst case scenario you crash and burn in the ocean and swim back to shore.”
 

“
Gee thanks.” She rolled her eyes.
 

“
Best case scenario,” he reminded her, “is that you’re
up there flying speeding bullet style with madukes.”
 

It was the prospect of actually being airborne that kept her interested in this extremely dangerous harebrain scene of Kyle and Akram’s but not for the reason of just being able to fly like her mother. In her mind, achieving flight was her ticket off the island and back to Washington DC with Michelle and her friends where she belonged. She was willing to take the risk and overcome her fear in order to do so.
 

“
Okay,” she nodded. “Let’s do this.”
 

Kimberly took a deep breath, rubbing her hands together, before crouching down and positioning herself the way Mr. Smith did within the movie for his final aerial lift off.
 

She stayed in that position for about a minute.

“
Nothing’s happening,” she snapped.
 

Akram gave a suggestion to Kyle in Arabic.
 

“
He says you need to tighten up, like a coil, and bare down into the ground,” Kyle relayed his message.
 

With an irritated sigh, she stood loosening up, and then got back into position this time coiling up and baring down as advised. She growled as she tried to squeeze every muscle in her body. Her actions caused the ground underneath her to tremble.
 

“
Okay,” she uttered nervously. “Something’s happening.”
 

“
Something’s definitely happening.” Kyle waved his hand motioning to the rest of the kids watching in amazement. “Everyone back up!”
 

Sir Georgequickly scurried away, climbing up a palm tree to watch at a safe distance.
 

“
Should I go now?” she asked.
 

“
Try baring down some more,” he yelled. “Remember you’re gonna need a lot of power to get airborne!”
 

“
Okay!” she yelled back.
 

As she pushed down harder, the ground shook more violently as she created a mini earthquake with the force she generated.
 

“
Everyone get way back,” he screamed again backing up himself, “whenever you’re ready!”
 

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Back at the construction site for the new huts, Kimberly’s mother, carrying several tons of construction wood on her shoulder, paused as her ears and feet caught a sound and vibration that made her uneasy. She was not the only one to hear and feel it as everyone on the site halted what they were doing, wondering what exactly it was, and where it was coming from.
 

“
Earl,” Sophia said nervously.
 

“
Sounds like it’s coming from the other side of the beach.” He rubbed his chin.
 

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With a leap, Kimberly exploded leaving a crater in the ground where she stood while sending a shockwave of sand spraying everywhere. Both Kyle and Akram shielded two of the smaller kids with their backs while others able to run scurried away screaming. Sir George screeched insanely from his palm tree lookout as he watched his owner, now airborne, rocket away.
 

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Her mother, now looking up, dropped her extremely heavy load shaking the Earth. She stood dumbfounded with everyone else watching her daughter rattle the sky with a sonic boom while achieving near hypersonic speeds as she soared to the heavens; it was barely a full
two days.
 

“
Oh, dear God,” was all Sophia could utter.
 

Earl now stood next to her. Looking up, he wasn’t too sure what to say at that point. It was not every day one watched someone’s kid physically propel him or herself into the sky with the velocity of a space shuttle.
 

“
Wow,” he slowly swallowed. “She’s really high up.”
 

She slowly turned to him, narrowing her eyes. He didn’t even bother to look at her, feeling her gaze upon him as he kept his eyes averted to the flyaway girl slowly disappearing from sight. With three big steps, Sophia exploded into the air taking flight to chase after her daughter.
 

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“
Oh god! Oh god! Too high! Too high!” Kimberly screamed.
 

Her voice disappeared as the sheer force of the winds turned her tears into ice, blinding her. In her mind, she contemplated how she planned to kill both Kyle and Akram if she survived this.
 

She tried to remember the video hoping it would help her maneuver, but her body would not mimic what she saw. The sky became colder and darker all around her as stars began to appear. Her breathing became difficult as she looked down to see the landmasses shrinking,  while something came barreling after her.
 

Sophia chased after her daughter with thrusters blazing, or so she thought. In actuality, she was cruising at supersonic speed, drunk with amazement that her daughter got this far, this fast, with just her leg power. She realized that fascination was making her move at only half speed while her only offspring was probably terrified beyond belief.
 

She picked up speed to catch up with her. She matched her speed to witness the child trembling like a leaf.
 

As she grabbed her daughter, holding her tight. She realized they successfully escaped Earth’s atmosphere. For her it was the umpteenth time visiting outer space.
 

After a moment, Kimberly no longer shook. Sophia looked her over realizing that she was adjusting quickly to the harsh atmosphere of space. Her color was returning, while her skin became warm signaling that her core temperature was returning to normal.  She looked into her eyes and saw a flicker of something she did not want to be there. Holding her close, she quickly changed trajectory, taking her back home.  
 

The descent back to Earth, and the flight home, was a quiet one. A mile off from the island she felt her daughter tighten her grip as she nuzzled close to her for comfort.  
 

It took a couple of minutes in space, she thought, to break down the uncomfortable barrier between the two of them. She treasured the moment which lasted until they landed back in the middle of the village where they were flocked by a mob of concerned residents.
 

Instantly Kimberly released her hold on her and made distance between the two of them. She looked down at the sand trying to hide the emotions building up within her.
 

Sophia, catching it all, tried to calm the crowd and disperse them so that she could get her daughter home.
 

“
Everyone please,” she motioned, “thank you, but she’s fine!  No need to worry! I just want to take her home now!”
 

Akram and Kyle ran up to her with looks of concern for their new friend.

“
Kimberly are you all right?” asked Kyle.
 

“
We were very worried,” threw in Akram.
 

“
I’m fine,” she snapped while glaring at them. “Now get away from me.”
 

Both boys looked at each other with sad looks, not understanding the meaning behind her sudden hurtful words, or her obvious dislike for them.
 

 “
Kyle McArthur!” His mother stepped out of the crowd of villagers. “What did you do?”
 

“
We were just trying to teach her how to fly, Mom,” Kyle nervously answered.
 

“
Akram!” His mother also furiously stepped out. “Did you have something to do with this too?”
 

“
Everyone please calm down.” Sophia put her hands up. “No one was hurt.”
 

“
No, I didn’t get hurt,” Kimberly snapped. “I can’t get hurt, and it’s good to know that I got to shoot myself into space for you to notice me.”
 

Dead, unnerving, silence took hold of the crowd from Kimberly’s remark. Sophia was now on auto control as she reached out grabbing her daughter’s arm to try to calm her down.
 

“
Honey,” she stuttered trying to find words, “that’s not true.”
 

“
What’s not true?” Kimberly’s voice rose as she snatched her arm away from her. “I had to grow like some freak for you to come running to see me! All this time you’ve been alive! I knew you were alive! Who’d you think you were fooling? Collecting pictures of me so you feel like you don’t suck as a mother! While this whole time you’ve been here on this stupid island, taking care of these stupid people! When I was the one who needed you! Well guess what ‘Mom’… I don’t need you anymore!”
 

Her words made Sophia weak and small, she felt naked in front of onlookers who all wished they were not there to hear what was being said.

“
I want to go home,” Kimberly demanded, “take me back to Michelle. She’s my real mom! Mark was my real dad! He was dying, and he was still there for me! Both of them was doing your job! You didn’t even have the guts to show up at his funeral!”
 

Her words eviscerated her in front of everyone. All Sophia could do was stand there.
 

“
Kimberly…” She tried to find her voice. “I…”
 

“
I what? I’m sorry?” she screamed. “I don’t want your stupid sorry! I’m don’t want to be on this stupid island! And I don’t want to make new stupid friends! I don’t want to be with you! I want to go home! Take me home!”
 

“
Honey… please.” Sophia reached out again to draw her in and calm her down.
 

“
Don’t touch me!” Kimberly hysterically slapped her hand away. “I hate you! I hate you, and I want to go home! I want to go home!”
 

She violently stomped, creating a huge crater, sending sand spraying everywhere! Everyone in the vicinity yelled and screamed, covering their eyes, except for Sophia, who stood there like a statue. A distraught Kimberly bawled as she backed away from her.
 

“
I’m a big girl now! I’m a big girl!” she sobbed. “I can take care of myself! I don’t need you! I want to go home! I don’t want to be here! Send me back home!”