Volume One
"Identity"
Law: Who are we? Sometimes, we think we know who we are. We go by what people tell us. We go by what we see in the mirror.
Ed: Sometimes, we forget the question and never think about who we really are.
Jess: Sometimes, we let people think they know who we are.
Dani: But sometimes, we never know who we are until one day, we decide to open our eyes.
August 14, 2010
Law Stone
Dallas, Texas
In a quick flash, Law sees himself and his friend Matt on a local street. He sees flashes of them laughing and talking and an old pick up coming towards them.
Law wakes up shirtless in his bed, breathing heavily. He looks around him to see his room lit by the morning sun. He crashes back on his bed. He gets up, gets dressed and brushes his teeth. He looks in the mirror and feels different.
His phone rings from his room.
"Ello," Law answers.
"Where are you?" a voice asked.
"I'm on my way."
"You said that a half hour ago."
"I'm on the way."
He walks out the door.
Chapter One
"Waking up"
Ed Mission
Garland, Texas
Ed is sitting on a bed in his friend, Sal's, room. He's playing with a lighter, flicking the flame off and on. Laying the other direction with her head on his lap is Lily. Kelsey is sitting on the floor, her head against the mattress. And Sal is sitting on a chair, smoking a cig. They're watching a movie.
"Ed, will you cut it out? Stop being such a pyro," Lily snapped.
"It calms me down," he said.
With that, Ed put the lighter away. He watched the movie. It was an old horror movie. They had a week before school started and were using it to lounge around Sal's house. Ed sees Sal's cig. He's just looking at it, spacing out. Focusing on the lit part, the square lights all the way up and Sal drops the cig. He shakes his hand, burned by the sudden heat.
"What was that?" Kelsey asked.
"I don't know," Sal said. "Guess it just burnt out faster than I thought."
Ed gets up and walks out into the backyard. He reflects on what just happened. Sal comes up behind him.
"You alright man?" Sal asked.
"Yeah, just needed some air." Ed replies.
"Cool."
Sal pulled out another cigarette and lit it up. Again, Ed was attracted to the flame.
"So are we still having that party this weekend?" Sal asked, looking at him.
"Yeah, my mum and sister are leaving today, so we should be good."
"Cool."
Jess Bennett
Los Angeles, California
"Sorry I'm late," Jess said as she rushed in the door of Doug's Diner.
She quickly went to the back and stored her jacket in her locker and made it out to the register.
"Ted, I'm sorry again," Jess said as she rushed to put her apron on.
"Listen, Jess," Ted said. "I like you. You get things done and the people seem to like you too. But if you keep running late all the time, I'm gonna have to let you go. You understand?"
"Yeah, Ted, I understand."
She went on to introducing herself to her tables. She made sure she gave them her best service. She couldn't lose this job. She needed the extra income to pay off her bills and other costs.
"Excuse me, but my food's cold," a prissy old woman said.
"I'm sorry, mam," Jess replied. "Let me take it back so they can heat it up for you."
"You know, it's usually expected to be done right the first time," she snapped.
"It was simply a mistake," Jess replied calmly. "I'll make sure the same thing doesn't happen twice."
"If you say so."
The woman handed the plate to Jess. Jess, slightly annoyed, took the food back to the kitchen.
"Sorry Hank, but some lady doesn't think her food is warm enough."
"Whatever," he said, smiling. "Hopefully, this is hot enough for her."
"Thanks, Hank."
She walked back to her tables, carrying plates of food. As she gets to the table, she realizes one of the plates is missing a side of fries. She begins to layout the food on the table, realizing she's going to have to correct another mistake. But when she looks back at the plate, the fries are sitting right next to the burger. Confused, she brushes it off and moves on to another table.
Dani Clark
New York City, New York
Standing behind another producer, Dani looks past the glass and the girl singing into the microphone. The girl's singing is beyond beautiful. Dani's smiling, knowing that she has a shot in the music business.
"What do you think, Richard?" Dani asked.
"I think you've got something here, Dani," Richard replied. "But you already know that."
He looked at it. They both smiled back at each other.
"That was great, Tina," Dani told her. "Let's just record that one more time to make sure we got it all."
"I can take it from here, Dani," Richard told her. "You did good kid."
"Thanks, Richard."
She left the room, smiling to herself at her success. Dani, 24 and a beautiful woman, walked down the hall. She had made it into the music business almost accidentally. By running into an old friend, she got an internship, eventually working her way up.
Dani walks into the elevator, taking it to her office two floors beneath the studio. She goes into her office and opens the silver mini-fridge. She pulls out a bottle of water and a container with fresh fruit. As she's about to go back to her desk, a woman with strawberry red hair is at the door.
"So what's this I hear? Richard admiring your eye for talent?" she teased Dani.
"I'm not sure those were his words exactly, but hey, I'll take what I can get."
The woman laughed and walked into Dani's office.
"Congrats, Dani."
"Thanks, Sky. Couldn't have done it without you."
"Stop it, I'm blushing."
Sky reached over and picked up a strawberry from the container.
"So what's the deal with The Jonez?" Sky asked.
"They should be coming in within the next hour to start recording their first tracks for their first album."
Dani was now sitting down at her desk, picking at the fruit with a fork.
"Then, tonight, they have a show at some small venue. George wants me to go with them to check out how the crowd reacts and just build up some rapport with the guys."
"Doesn't sound too bad," Sky replied, eating another strawberry piece. "These bands starting out have the same amazing talent without the ego. I miss when some of our bigger clients were that naive."
"You can tag along if you'd like," Dani offered. "God knows how many lonely men will be there tonight."
"As lovely as that sounds, I think I'm going to just enjoy my date with Ben and Jerry's."
"You really need to get out more."
"With the amount of time we have to spend with these people, I think I get out enough."
"You're missing out," Dani said.
"I can tell."
Law Stone
Sachse, Texas
Sitting at a fast food restaurant with his friend Matt, Law played with his straw.
"Why do I feel like we've done nothing this summer?" Matt asked Law.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I'm serious, Law. Think about it. We've hung out, chilled with the guys, gone to movies and that's about it."
"I don't know what you've been doing, but I've been pretty busy. Then again, I did have a job and a couple of workshops to go to."
"I had a job too," Matt said, stuffing three fries into his mouth.
"Working for three spaced out weeks and not showing up again doesn't exactly qualify as a job."
"Hey, I didn't say how long I worked for. But still, what else?"
"Come on, Matt," he said. "Remember the times we went to some of those parties and we both got pretty messed up. Or the midnight movies? What about the week you went to Minnesota?"
"That was a visit to my relatives."
"Further than I've gone."
"I guess you might be right."
"He can never let me win, can he? He always has to come out on top and be right. Not only that, but he points out everything he got to do."
"I don't always have to be right," Law defended himself.
"What?" Matt asked, his face gone white.
"Didn't you just say something?"
"No, I didn't."
"How could he have known that? He can't read my mind. No, that's crazy."
Law suddenly just went as white as Matt. He pursed the straw in his mouth and sucked out what was left of his lemonade and left immediately to refill his cup.
At the drink station, he looked over at Matt. How could he have heard that? None of it was possible, not even close.
Not paying attention, the lemonade spilt over the rim and he dropped the cup onto the floor.
"Hey! Watch it!" the fat manager yelled. He ordered for a disgruntled employee to clean up the mess.
"Thanks a lot, dumbass. Only three more days of this hell hole."
Law watched the employee go get a mop. His lips weren't moving at all.
"Why does my burger taste funny?"
"That idiot better watch where he's going."
"Maybe if I slip and fall, I can sue and get the money I need for college."
"If I'm his best friend, he should let me win every once in a while."
Law looked around, glancing at the people in the restaurant. He kept hearing them inside of his head, each of them spouting off their own problems. He ran out of the restaurant, not noticing that he didn't have to touch the door to open it, not realizing he had moved it with his thoughts instead.
He was outside, breathing heavily. The voices were slowly fading away, slowly but surely.
A hand grasped him from behind.
"Are you alright?" Matt asked him.
This time, Law noticed when the door slammed shut without any force behind Matt. Matt noticed it too.
"I don't know," Law replied.
Jess Bennett
Los Angeles, California
Jess walked into the home that used to be her family's summer house. It had been a gift from her father, trying to make up for never being there. Not only that, but she knew her father couldn't stand the place anymore, not without her mom at least.
She laid her purse on the counter of the kitchen and opened her fridge. She popped open a beer and looked at her phone. She had two new messages.
"Jess, where are you? You can't keep doing this, you know. Run late again, don't expect to have a job."
She moved onto the next message.
"Jess, don't forget about our date tonight. I promise he's cute. Call me back."
Jess went into her bedroom and fell back onto the bed. She closed her eyes for a moment. She wished it was night out, wishing she could sleep peacefully for once. She opened her eyes to find the skies dark out. She slowly stood up and walked to the window. She touched the glass, watching the night sky fade back to day.
"What is going on?" she asked herself.
A doorbell distracted her from the very thought. She walked to the entrance and opened the door. Standing there, she found her brother, Jason.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Can't I stop by to see my sis," he said, having his usual smirk. She hugged her, Jess hugging back reluctantly.
"Why are you really here?" she said, closing the door.
"I just wanted to check up on you. I haven't heard from you in a while. Needed to make sure you're still alive and kicking."
"I'm here. Still breathing."
"Good, that's good. Have you heard from Dad lately?"
"And the truth comes out." She glared at him. She knew by now that if he came to see her, he wanted anything on their father. Their father usually kept in contact with Jess, showing more favoritism to his youngest. "No, Jason, I haven't. I haven't heard from him in three weeks."
"Oh."
"What's going on?"
"Nothing," he lied. "I just needed to talk to him about something."
"You can talk to me if you need," she said.
"I better get going. Take care, sis."
He kissed her on the cheek and left as fast as he had come.
Jess went back to her bed, this time, laying on her side. She stared at the window. She thought about the night sky again. The room changed instantaneously and was filled with the nighttime. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, not questioning the sudden change.
Law Stone
Plano, Texas
Law and Matt were out in an open field, only occupied by scattered balls of hay.
"What are we doing out here?" Matt asked.
"To test out a couple of theories."
"Are you talking about what happened earlier?"
"Exactly."
Matt was standing by the car, while Law was by a haystack. Law had been determined what exactly he could do. He had seen with his own eyes what happened at the fast food restaurant. He wanted to know if it was possible again.
"What are you going to do then?" Matt asked.
"Just wait and see."
"Yeah, he's losing it for sure. Had to happen sooner or later."
"I am not going crazy, you ass," Law replied.
"Will you stop that?" Matt asked. "However you're doing that."
"I can't exactly control that yet. Sorry."
"Just do what you need to."
Law closed his eyes, in front of the haystack. He let himself go, blocking out Matt's presence and thoughts and clearing his own thoughts. He was left with nothing but the stack of hay. He saw it in his head, right in front of him.
He opened his eyes and raised his arm at the stack. The stack just sat there.
"Wow," Matt said sarcastically.
Law remembered what was going through his mind at the fast food joint. He remembered he felt angry, overwhelmed, lost and powerless. He had a surge of adrenaline and everything else.
He thought about everything that had happened in the past year and remembered fights he had gotten in with his friends and family. He remembered the rude customers and all the times he had to hear someone discourage him.
But every time he did, he saw her. He saw her face, looking at him, smiling at him, making everything better. Her dark, brown hair flowing with the summer breeze. Her eyes sparkling at him. He heard her voice.
He opened his eyes, still feeling her presence. He hadn't noticed Matt's silence. He also hadn't noticed the stacks of hay around them, each floating in the air. He looked around, seeing all of them in the air. He laughed, amused at what he had accomplished.
"I did it!" He jumped in the air, the stacks flying into the air, crashing onto the ground with him.
"How are you doing all of this?" Matt asked.
"I don't know, but I'm doing it." He ran and hugged Matt. He could tell Matt was freaked, but Matt was laughing at the same time. He was amazed at the whole situation.
Law ran to another stack of hay and moved his hand to the left, forcing the stack to fly to the left. He looked at three other stacks and motioned them upwards, then closed his hand, making them collide into each other. Hay flew around them. It was then that Law tried to suspend the hay in the air. He succeeded. He was holding onto her presence, using it to channel his new ability. He laughed, looking at the hay in air. Matt just looked at his friend, seeing something he never thought possible.
Dani Clark
New York City, New York
Dani walked into the middle of The Jonez's recording, hearing them sing one of their newest tracks. She smiled, liking the sound of the music. She stood next to Trish and the person working the booth.
"They sounds great," Dani said.
"They really do," Trish said.
Dani and the lead singer's eyes met, she turning away with a smile and he continued singing.
As Dani began to listen more and more to the music, she began to grow a small headache. She backed away from the glass, touching her head. As she backed up into the wall, the frequencies in the sound booth began to rise, creating an earsplitting sound.
"What is that?" Trish asked.
"I don't know," the soundbooth guy said. "It shouldn't be there."
Dani walked out of the room, the static leaving with her.
She grabbed some water from a water cooler. She gulped it down, the headache slowly going away. She didn't know what had happened, but she just pushed it aside.
Sky walked up to her and checked on her.
"You alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine, just a small headache."
"Just making sure. So the little delay in the studio is going to push back The Jonez's studio time. What was that anyway?"
"I…I don't know what it could've been. Maybe just some random interference."
Ed Mission
Garland, TX
The group had moved from Sal's house to Ed's backyard. Now, they were all laying on the deck in Ed's back yard. Sal smoked his cig while the rest just stared off into the sky.
"Should we do something?" Lily asked.
"We should go out somewhere," Kelsey suggested.
"And do what? There's nothing to do in this town," Sal replied.
Ed just stared off into the sky more, distracting himself with the peaceful surroundings.
"How about the zoo?" Lily suggested.
"Why not?" Sal said.
They all began to get up, with Ed still laying on the deck. Lily stood over his head.
"You getting up anytime soon?" she asked.
"I was thinking of just staying here for a while," he smiled.
"Get your British ass up, Ed!" Sal yelled.
"Got it boss," Ed replied.
He jumped up and was face to face with Lily.
"Happy?" he asked her, getting close enough to kiss.
"I guess so," she said. She lingered backwards, slowly, sticking her tongue out at Ed.
Now, they're on the train, heading towards the Dallas zoo. Ed is sitting with Sal, Lily and Kelsey across the aisle.
"You've been pretty quiet lately," Sal pointed out. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Ed said. "I've just been…I don't know. I'm feeling different, I guess?"
"Listen, Ed," Sal said. "We accept you no matter what. Now if you have feelings for me, that's cool."
"Shut up, you conceited ass," Ed said, punching him on the arm. "It's nothing like that. I don't know, I just woke up this morning and it felt like something had changed. I don't know how else to explain it."
"Sure it wasn't just the booze from last night?" Sal joked.
"Yeah, Sal," he said. "But since you're not listening or anything, it's whatever."
"Ed, just don't worry about it," Sal apologized. "If you still have whatever it is you're feeling tomorrow, then we'll talk about it, kay?"
"Yeah, alright," Ed said.
Ed looked out the window. They were coming out of the underground station close to Cityplace and were back out in the daylight. He could see the city of Dallas, just ahead of them. He looked at the sun in the sky, feeling its warmth against the glass. He closed his eyes.
Jess Bennett
Los Angeles, California
Jess opened her eyes to the sunset. She rolled onto her back in the bed, stretching to wake her up some more. She felt more relaxed and better than before. '
Her cell phone began to go off, vibrating on the night stand. She sat up and picked it up.
"Hello," she answered.
"Jess, where the hell are you?" a voice said.
"What time is it?" she said, scrambling to look at her alarm clark.
"I can't believe this!"
"Katie, I'm sorry," Jess kept apologizing.
"The guys are going to be here in twenty minutes. I need you here in ten."
"I'll be there," Jess said and hung up.
Jess rushed to get ready. She put on a nice cam and a white skirt. She did her make up as fast as possible and let her hair remain down. She looked in the mirror. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders, touching her lightly tan skin.
She was running out of the house when she ran into an attractive, tan guy with short, brown hair just about to knock on her door.
"Hi," he said, smiling.
"Hi," Jess said, catching her breath. "I'm sorry, but I'm kind of on my way out right now."
"This won't take long," he said. Jess noticed that he was holding a package.
"Isn't it a little late for deliveries?" she asked suspiciously.
"Actually, deliveries can happen at any hour, we just choose to only deliver packages during the day," he said. "But that's besides the fact. They said this needed to be delivered no matter what the time was and here I am."
"So what do I need to do?"
"Just sign here," he said and handed her a clip board.
She grabbed the clip board and started signing it.
"If you're a delivery boy, where's the uniform?"
"I am going out after this and needed to make sure I was ready in time and this place was on the way."
"Here…you…go."
She handed him the board.
"And here you go," he said, handing her the package.
"Thank you," she said, looking down at the package. "I appreciate it."
She was looking at him, admiring his attractiveness. She noticed the spark in his eyes.
"Didn't you have to be somewhere?" he asked, noticing her attention.
"Right!" She set the package down on the table by the door and was right out the door. She hadn't noticed that she was almost pressing onto the guy's body. She just lingered in front of his face, smiling.
"Sorry," she said and moved past him. She saw his bike in the street and looked back at him. "Maybe I'll see you again?"
"We'll just have to see."
She disappeared into her car and drove off to Katie's.
The guy pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.
"She has it now," he said.
Ed Mission
Dallas Zoo
The group was walking around the zoo, moving towards the birds area. They were passing the monkeys and Sal began to do an impression of a chimp.
"Sal, I'm starting to wonder how you're able to do such a good job of being a monkey," Kelsey said.
He grabbed her and began picking her hair. She pushed him off and he pulled her back towards him and kissed her.
Ed and Lily continued walking.
"You ready for school to start up, Ed?" Lily asked.
"Not really. I kind of like being lazy and just hanging out," he said.
"You have to do something with your life," Lily said, looking at the ground.
"I will, when I have to become an adult and all."
"You can't just wait around forever. Have you even thought about what colleges you want to consider?"
"Not really," Ed said. "We have loads of time. What you going about for?"
"I'm just trying to point out reality, Ed. You can't just have your head in the clouds all day."
"I know that. I'm just enjoying the time we have. We're only sixteen once."
"In a couple of months, you're going to be seventeen."
"Exactly."
They were in front of all the birds now. Kelsey and Sal were still behind, lingering with the monkeys. Ed was leaning against a rail now, facing the birds. Lily was leaning back, her back to the birds. Ed pulled out the silver zippo lighter. He flicked it back. He didn't notice, but instead of flicking the flame on, the flame had popped up on its own.
"Why do you always play with that thing?" Lily asked. "You don't even smoke."
"I just like to. Can't explain it, just do."
"You're weird," she said.
"I know."
He just looked at the birds, flying around the area.
Dani Clark
New York City, New York
Dani is walking back into her apartment, putting her purse down. She finished her email on her smart phone. She walks into the living room to pay a voice mail on the answer machine.
"Dani, just calling to let you know that you need to be at the show at least an hour before they open. I need you to make sure everything with the Jonez goes perfect."
As she's listening to the message, a static appears again, scrambling the message. The radio in the room also turns on, a piercing frequency rams through the air. Surprisingly, it doesn't affect her at all, but she can still hear it. She raises her hand and focuses the frequency to a glass paperweight on the counter. In an instant, the noise smashes the glass. She puts her hands down and the frequencies stop.
Her phone starts to ring and startles her.
"Dani, don't forget about tomorrow," her sister told her.
"What's tomorrow?" she asks.
"We're getting lunch," she said. "We're supposed to have our weekly get together, remember?"
"Right, right," Dani said. "Sorry, Annie. It's just been a…weird day for me."
"Tell me about it tomorrow, I gotta go," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow at Alejandro's."
"Alright. Bye, Annie."
After the click, Dani looked outside. She noticed how fast it had gone from day to night. Then, she noticed the broken glass on the table.
She dismissed it and changed into more comfortable clothes. She was out the door.
She's at the concert now, arriving at the time Rich had told her too. She walked in the doors of the venue, seeing everyone setting up.
Backstage, she found the band. They were drinking beers, laughing about past shows.
"You boys ready?" she asked.
"You must be the suit from the label, right?" the guitarist asked.
"Yup. By the way, my name's Danielle, not suit. You can call me Dani."
She shook the hands of the lead singer, Trent.
"So what can we do for you?"
"Just make sure you show them what you can do. Let's make you famous."
She smiled and the boys raised their beer bottles. Seeing the glass bottles, Dani was reminded of the smashed paperweight back home. She grabbed a beer herself and chugged it, gulping down the fear.
Law Stone
Rowlett, Texas
Law and Matt were sitting on Law's roof, drinking cans of beers. They looked out at the never-ending rooftops of suburbia.
"So today, we learned you can read people's minds AND move objects with your mind as well," Matt pointed out.
"Sure seems like it."
"Seems like a good enough reason to drink."
"Cheers to that."
The bumped beer cans.
"So do you think there are others out there like you?" Matt asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe?"
"How is this even possible?"
"Who knows? But the thing is, it is."
Law sat there put his beer in the palm of his hand. He let it sit there, making it float now. He moved his hand back and let it sit there in the air.
"This is still insane," Matt said.
"Least you're getting the excitement you always wanted."
"True."
As they were enjoying another sip, they heard a scream come from somewhere in the neighborhood. It was a girl's voice coming from somewhere.
"If that bitch gets away, our business is screwed."
Law jumped from the ceiling onto the fence and then onto the ground. Matt stood up, watching as Law ran into the neighborhood. He ran through the streets, following the train of thought.
"She couldn't have gotten far."
"I think I can hear her."
Law ran faster, trying to find them. He turned onto various streets until he came upon the pond in the middle of the neighborhood. He found her. She was in the small tunnel that ran from one side of the street to the other. She was a small eight year old, shaking with fear.
"I'm hear to help you," he told her.
She looked up at him. The blond little girl was crying.
"They're coming."
"Who?" Law asked.
"Us."
He turned around to find two men standing behind them. One of them picked up Law with a single arm and threw him to the other side of the street. Law quickly realized he had an ability. He got up slowly.
He saw them approaching the girl.
"Get away from her!" he shouted.
"I thought I took care of you," the biggest one said.
The other one started running towards Law, gaining as much force as a cannon.
Law moved his arm to the left, sending the man flying to the left. Law walked to the other man. He was watching him, seeing what he had done. He tried to punch Law, but Law motioned his hand in the air, stopping him in mid punch. Law sent him flying backwards, landing just short of the lake.
He took the girl's hand and guided her out of the tunnel.
"You're one of them," she said scared.
"No, I'm not," Law said. "I'm one of the good guys.
They were back on the street.
The smaller one bolted into Law like a cannon, taking him down. Law was on his back, catching his breath. He could feel his ribs bruise. Law jumped up weakly. The cannon was coming back towards him.
Law picked him up by his throat with his power, holding him there for a second. The man was choking, grasping for air. Realizing he was killing him, Law threw him into a tree, knocking him out.
He looked around for the other one. When he turned around, the strong one had him by the throat physically. Law couldn't breathe. He was dangling in the man's hand. The girl ran to the man and began hitting him. He knocked her down.
Upset, Law began to feel something emerge within him. His eyes grew flames in his pupils.
He began to dig into the man's head, digging through his thoughts. He caused pain, forcing the man to feel the hurt he's caused. Law caused a shrill to go off in the man's head. The man let Law go and fell onto his knees, grabbing his head.
Law, still in his head, thought, "Go back to wherever you came from and leave her alone. Forget about her. Forget about me." Law suddenly felt himself erasing these memories and implanting his own thoughts in the man. The man fell over unconscious and Law went back to normal.
Jess Bennett
Los Angeles, California
Jess sat at a table in a semi-nice restaurant. It wasn't too upscale, but it also wasn't just some diner. She sat in a booth next to her friend, Katie. Across from them sat Katie's boyfriend, Ryan and his best friend, Lyle.
"So Lyle, Ryan tells me you're starting to move up in the firm," Katie said, trying to start up some kind of conversation.
"Yeah, actually," Ryan replied. "It looks like I'm looking at another promotion within the next month. They like how I handle the clients and how I handle myself."
He smiled that million dollar smile, trying to get something out of Jess. Instead, she sipped her lemonade and looked around the restaurant.
"Jess, where did you go to school?" he asked.
"I actually went to a community college," she replied. "I wanted to take the most affordable route and it just made sense."
"Gotta admire common sense," he said.
"You could say that."
"You know, Jess actually could've gone anywhere she wanted," Katie said.
"Katie, shut up," she whispered.
"Really?" Ryan asked, intrigued.
"Yeah. She graduated at the top of her class and aced the SATs and ACTs. She impressed all of her teachers and peers."
"I'm sure they would've offered loads of scholarships," Ryan said.
"They did. Boy, did they," Katie said, smiling over at Jess.
"I just wanted to stay close to home." Jess said.
After that, she got up and went to the restroom. She was in the restroom, splashing water onto her face. She had a feeling the night wouldn't go as great as Katie had expected.
"Would you at least give him a chance?" Katie asked, storming through the door.
"I thought I was," she replied, fixing her make up.
"Listen, just be nice at the club," Katie said. "Maybe dance with him or something. He's a good guy. How long has it been since you've been with anyone?"
"It's by choice," Jess said.
They walked out of the restroom.
At the club, Jess gave Ryan a chance, dancing with him for a song. The flashing lights made it impossible to really see unless you were at the bar. As soon as the song was over, she left him on the dance floor, moving to the bar.
"Gin and tonic and a shot of tequila," she told the bartender.
"Coming up," he replied. She turned back to the dance floor. She saw everyone dancing, getting lost to the music. She had lost Ryan. She smiled a bit, relieved to have ditched her date.
As she turned around to get her drinks, she noticed someone to her left. He had just turned to face her.
"Are you stalking me?" she asked the delivery man.
"Depends on your definition of stalking," he said. He looked at the drinks in front of her. "Rough night?"
"Something like that," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"My friend wanted to take me out," he said. "It's my birthday."
"Oh," she said. "Well, happy birthday…what's your name again?"
"I never gave it," he said, smiling. "It's Troy. Troy Barker."
She shook his hand.
"Good to meet you, Troy," she said. "Can I interest you in a dance?"
"As much as I would love to," he said. "I'm actually about to leave. I know, I'm getting to old. But maybe another time?"
"This might just be a one time offer," she replied, a little hurt with rejection.
"I'm sure we'll have another shot," he said. "I'll call you sometime."
With that, he got up and left. When she turned around, there was a napkin by her drinks. It had a note scribbled on it.
It read: "A good stalker has resources. Like getting your phone number from job's database. -Troy"
She smiled, holding the napkin.
"What's that?" a familiar voice asked.
She turned to find Ryan in front of her.
"Nothing," she said.
"Well, I was thinking, it's a bit crowded," he said. "Want to head out to the beach and relax over there?"
She hesitated. The beach wasn't too far from her home.
"Sure," she answered. With that, she gulped down her two drinks and left the club with Ryan with Troy still on her mind.
Dani Clark
New York City, New York
Dani stood at the side of the stage, watching the band perform their newest singles. The crowd was dancing and singing, enjoying the performance. Dani was fascinated by the lights around the stage.
"Thank you, New York!" Trent called out to the fans.
With that, the band bowed and the lights went out. They came back behind the stage and Dani followed. She couldn't hide her excitement.
"You guys were…beyond amazing!" she said.
"Thanks, Dani," the drummer said.
Trent just couldn't help but smile at her.
"Why are you so smiley?" Dani asked.
"Because it's a bit funny to see an exec geek out at one of our shows," he replied honestly.
"I was NOT geeking out," she said. "I just really enjoyed the show."
"You say enjoy, I say geek," he said.
Dani looked around at the whole band. They were each sweaty and chugging down more bottles of water.
"Either way, you guys did good," she said. "It really shows as well."
"I think she's trying to say we stink," a guitar joked.
They all laughed as Dani blushed at the remark.
SCEEEEECH!
On the stage, someone had knocked over the microphone, causing the unpleasant noise to echo throughout the venue.
Each of the band members held their ears and cringed at the piercing noise. Meanwhile, Dani stood there, confused. She hadn't heard anything unpleasant besides the thud.
Once the boys stopped, they looked at Dani. Before they could ask her something, she left the room. She scurried off to the merchandise area, panicking at what had happened. She was trying to piece together what was happening. She thought of the studio, the glass and now the noise.
Trent tapped her from behind.
"Hey," he said. After he realized he had made her jump, he replied, "I didn't mean to scare you there."
"It's fine. I'm just…what's up?"
"The guys just wanted me to tell you thanks. So…thanks," he said.
Dani laughed at the frontman's awkwardness.
"Well, you could tell them you're welcome, rockstar."
Trent smiled at the comment. He looked like he was about to say something else, but couldn't let it out. Finally, he spoke.
"Listen, I know I'm all sweaty and what not," he started. "But I was wondering if maybe we could grab a couple of drinks or something to celebrate our record."
"You mean as a group?"
"Well…I mean…"
"I know what you meant," she teased. "Sure."
With that, she kissed him on the cheek and left to talk to the other guys. He watched her as she walked away.
Law Stone
Rowlett, Texas
Matt and Law were sitting at a high top wooden table. The TV was playing in the background. Matt had a slice of pizza in front of him, while Law was eating a hot wing.
"So you're not going to say anything?" Matt asked.
Law looked up at him, wiping the wing sauce off his face.
"I told you what happened. And you saw it yourself from the roof. What else is there to say?"
"I don't know," he said. "It's just…this is all just really screwed up. It's impossible!"
"Keep your voice down!" Law said. "I know it is, okay. I'm the one that's dealing with all of it. But you gotta help me out, Matt. You're the only one that can know."
Matt looked at Law, almost dumbfounded.
"You're joking, right?"
"If anyone else found out, imagine what would happen."
"What would happen?"
"They'd want to find out how I'm doing any of this. They'd want to try and control me. They'd use me for things I can't even explain."
"How do you know?"
"I just do," he answered. He looked at Matt. "Can you just keep this between us? Please, man, as your friend."
Matt looked at Law.
"Fine."
He finally ate his slice of pizza and went upstairs, leaving Law alone. Law sat at the table. He looked at a cup on the table. He moved it slowly across the table, using his ability. He honestly didn't know how this had happened. Not even thinking about that, he thought about the power he showed with the two guys out in the neighborhood. He didn't know where any of that came from, but it was there, dormant in him. The thought of this power scared him. He wasn't sure if he could handle it.
He was holding the cup in the air when his brother walked into the kitchen. The cup fell instantly, spilling over the water in the cup.
"What was that?" his little brother asked.
"I just dropped the glass…" Law said.
"It looked like it was in the middle of the air," he said.
"You're half asleep," Law lied. "Just ignore it and go back to sleep."
His brother left the kitchen and went back downstairs.
He had to be more careful with his ability.
Ed Mission
Garland, Texas
Ed was sitting in the living room of his house, Sal, Lily and Kelsey sitting around him. They were watching another movie, the lights turned off.
Lily was leaning on Ed, his arm around her. Kelsey was sitting right in front of Sal, his arms around her.
While the movie continued, Ed's mother and sister came out with their luggage. Ed got up and walked them to the porch outside.
"Well, I guess we're going to go now," she said. She looked at her son. "Take care of yourself son."
She kissed his forehead.
"You guys take care, too. I'm gonna miss you," he said.
He then hugs his sister.
"Gonna miss you big green giant," he said.
"Ass," his sister said.
"We should be back in a week. Please, don't do anything stupid," his mother told him.
They hugged one last time and with that, his mom and sister left in the car. He waved goodbye, watching his family leave to the airport. After seeing their car venture off, he went back inside.
"So they're gone?" Sal asked.
"Yup," he replied. "So we're good for Saturday."
"Yes!"
Sal went over and hugged Ed. He put his arm over his shoulder. The girls just laughed at the two.
"I think this calls for a celebration," he said.
"I think we can wait till Saturday, mate," he said.
"If you say so," he said.
He goes to the fridge and grabs a water bottle and chugs it down.
"I guess we should probably get leaving," Sal said.
The girls agreed.
"You guys sure? You can stay for a bit if you want," Ed said.
"It's getting kind of late. But I'll see you tomorrow," Lily said.
Sal and Kelsey said bye to Ed as they made their way out. Lily lingered behind for just a bit. As the others were by the door, she stood there, looking at Ed.
"You going to be alright here, all by your lonesome self?" she asked.
"I think I'll be able to manage somehow."
He walked over to her. He stood taller than her. He pushed her short, blond hair behind her ear. He went in for the kiss. After the kiss, Lily looked down at the floor and then at him.
"What took you so long?" she asked.
She kissed him again. With that, she left, waving her hand at him. Ed was left standing there, a grin left on his face as the door closed behind her.
Jess Bennett
Los Angeles, California
Jess and Ryan were on the beach, the full moon lighting the white sand.
"So what's the deal with you? What's your story?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" she asked as they walked.
"You seem to be a bit reserved. Why's that?"
"It's just how I am. Don't really trust people that easily."
"Don't think that's healthy," he said.
"And I don't think you're my shrink," she replied coldly.
"You know, I've been trying hard to make some kind of good impression on you. But now, that seems impossible."
"I wouldn't say it's impossible. Maybe you're just not my type."
He stopped walking.
"It's rare when I'm not someone's type," he said.
Jess had stopped as well, but was now about to continue walking down the shore. But Ryan stopped her, grabbing her arm. He pulled her towards him.
"I'm tired of playing nice and I'm tired of you're attitude. Now stop being a bitch and just play nice," he said.
"Let go of me!" she replied.
"I get what I want," he said.
"Not me!"
She kneed him below the waist and began to run down the shore. He started running after her after catching his own breath.
"Get the hell away from me!" she yelled back.
She tried to run faster, trying to escape him. But it was no use. He was too fast for her. He caught up to her and pulled her by her hair.
"Now, where were we?" he asked.
He threw her to the ground. But when she hit the ground, she stopped moving. Her eyes weren't blinking. He saw blood begin to trickle from her head. He lifted her head and saw a rock pointing out of the sand, stained in red.
"No," he said in horror.
He began to try and wake her up.
"This isn't funny," he said, shaking her. But she wouldn't move.
He let her go. He got up and looked at her one more time. With that last look, he made a run for it. She lay there, her body lifeless.
Law Stone
Sachse, Texas
Law and Matt were walking down the side of a road full of pot holes and bumps. Both had been silent for a while.
"I'm sorry if I sounded like an ass last night," Law apologized. "I get that this is all weird and messed up."
"I'm sorry for freaking out, but you're right. It is all weird and impossible," Matt said. He picked up a rock and threw it down the road. "But at the same time, it's pretty cool you know."
Law looked at him. He was smiling.
"It is pretty awesome," he said.
He focused on a rock in front of him and sent it flying down the road.
"How much do you think you can lift?" Matt asked.
"You know, I have no idea," Law replied. "I mean, I never thought about it. I wonder how much I really can lift without killing myself."
"You think that could kill you?"
"Maybe."
But Law was really thinking about the power he had felt the night before. He really wondered what his limits were and if he had them.
"Do you think you could really control someone?" Matt asked.
"I think if I learned how to control my abilities enough, I probably could."
"Kinda scary, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Law said.
"But I know you Law," Matt said. "You couldn't hurt a fly. You're too much of a boy scout."
"Hey!" Law said.
Law flicked a small rock at Matt with his power.
"Just saying," Matt laughed.
While the two were laughing and throwing rocks at each other, an old pick-up truck is coming down the road, going at least twenty miles over the speed limit. It's too close to the right.
It's about to hit Matt when Law reacts almost instinctively. The flames in his eyes come back, this time covering more of his body as he puts his hand out and forces the truck to fly through the air, going over their head and crashing back into the street.
Law is back to normal in another instant, seeing the wreck. He realized what had just happened and how his dream had come true. Him and Matt rush over to the truck, checking on the man inside. To Law, everything is silenced for just that moment. Matt's screaming, trying to get him to call 911, but Law can't hear him. He's transfixed on something. He looks into the sky and sees the solar eclipse.
The sound comes back and he pulls out his phone to call 911 and get help. Matt pulls out the driver.
Dani Clark
New York City, New York
Dani wakes up in a hotel room, under the covers next to Trent. She looks over at him and then at the room. She takes the bedsheets and walks over to the clear sliding glass door leading to a terrace. She pushes the blinds to the side and sees the solar eclipse. She's transfixed as well.
Jess Bennett
Los Angeles, California
Jess opens her eyes. She's been unconscious on the beach for whole night. She sits up and is then standing. She looks around, just seeing sand. There are no signs of blood or even a rock. She didn't understand why she had been knocked out. She remembered the night before and the creep Ryan turned out to be. She scratched her head and patted the sand away.
She looked up to the sky, realizing it was the eclipse.
Ed Mission
Garland, Texas
Ed is having nightmares, seeing flames and his family and friends. He seems them engulfed, burning. He opens his eyes.
Around him, his house is on fire. His room is attacked by the inferno. He jumps out of the bed, onto the flaming floor. His feet are unharmed, safe. He looks around at the burning house. He suddenly realizes that his own body has flames covering it. He couldn't feel the heat. He couldn't feel the fire.
New York City, New York
An unknown pair of female hands open up a large box. She begins to rip off the wrapping around the object, making it appear to be some kind of painting. Finally, in view is a vibrant painting. On the painting is a man standing, showing him from behind. His body is covered in light flames. The picture doesn't show the head of the person. In front of the person is a wasteland. Ash is floating from the ground into the sky. The wastesland is black, charred. On the back of the man is tatoo, depicting a stick-like drawing of a picture, looking almost Egyptian.
To be continued...
Okay, so here was my first chapter. For me, this is relaunch of the series obviously featuring new characters. It kind of twists the original series' mythology. And yes, I am kind of using the phoenix story from the X-Men comics, just transforming it a bit. I hope you guys like this and give me some feedback to work off of. I'm hoping to update this frequently. But yeah.