Leaves In The Wind: PART ONE
Andrew Detmer didn't believe in miracles.
To him, it all seemed like a way for people to ignore the glaringly obvious truth. Life was hell. There was no sparkling, magical afterlife. No universe free of pain and suffering. The only reality was the present. He held onto this belief right up until his untimely death.
He was wrong.
Whatever he encountered underground, the glowing red meteorite that turned his world upside down, it gave him much more than just powers. It granted him something more. Another chance. He wasn't sure where he was when he finally opened his eyes. He could feel grass brushing against his arms and a gentle breeze blowing across his face but there was nothing indicating he was even still in Seattle. The last thing he remembered was a violent rage flowing through him. He felt such bitter hatred for everyone and everything. He wanted the world to feel his agony. He wanted them to endure all the heartache that he had. If they couldn't understand then he would make them pay. Everything came rushing back to him in a blur. There was so much chaos and destruction, all damage inflicted by his own hands. Someone else was there with him. His cousin, Matt Garrety. He had been trying to stop him, get him to calm down. What did he know? He was weak and pathetic just like everyone else. Andrew wanted him to go away, to leave him be. He didn't want to hurt him but he would if he had to. He would hurt anyone that got in his way. But it didn't work that way. His memory was suddenly fuzzy. What happened?
He sat up, ignoring his aching muscles, and looked around him. He was in the woods. Specifically, he was near the area where him, Matt, and Steve first discovered...whatever it was. He still wasn't sure what to call it. A meteor? Some kind of alien object? Something buried by the government? All he knew was that coming in contact with it changed their lives. He stood up and started to walk, his feet leading him to the hole by memory. Andrew remember the day he discovered his telekinesis. It was one of the happiest days of his life. Finally, he possessed something that nobody else had. He worked tirelessly to strengthen his mind but he didn't really have to. He progressed faster than Steve and Matt. It seemed to come naturally to him. He started to think that he was better, stronger, smarter than both of them combined. He had something over them. They had friends and girlfriends and parents that cared but he, he had this. He frowned as he climbed over bushes and upturned rocks. It wasn't always that way.
Matt was family and he loved him. He wanted to be his friend. But Matt was embarrassed by him, just like everybody else. He drove him to school, looked after him, he even called him on weekends sometimes and invited him out. But he didn't introduce him to his friends or talk about him much. Andrew wasn't even sure people knew they were cousins. That hurt him but he looked past it because who else did he have? He would've never guessed that Steve would become his friend. Steve Montgomery exuded confidence. He was an athlete and in the running for student body president. He was, by all definitions, cool. Andrew always thought he would be an asshole. Anybody with that much popularity couldn't be a nice person. But he was wrong. Steve was personable and charismatic and...fun. Steve treated him like a person, not an insect. He looked at him as if he had something to offer. He thought he was smart and he wanted him to make friends. Andrew felt tears stinging the back of his eyes but he angrily swatted them away. He didn't mean to hurt him. He never wanted to hurt him.
He made it back to the area where the anomaly was but the hole was covered up by dirt and rocks. Buried. Somehow, Andrew knew it was still down there. He could almost feel it, like a pulse. He had so many questions that he wanted answered. But who could he ask? He sat down on a mound of dirt and rested his pounding head in his hands. They were so stupid, all three of them. Messing around like their powers were just toys. Scaring people in stores, playing baseball in midair, moving parked cars. It was all so juvenile and a clear indicator of their immaturity. Andrew looked upon those moments sadly. He was happy then but of course that couldn't last. He ruined it just like he ruined everything. He balled his hands into fists and a small rock jumped into the air, hovered for a moment, and then dropped back down. He looked at it for a moment before he started to concentrate. The rock lifted again easily, this time much higher. It stayed suspended in midair for a few seconds before it went crashing into a nearby tree, leaving a small hole in the trunk. Andrew felt a slow smile creep across his face.
