Quick reminder that I still need suggestions for a superhero codename for Matt. While he won't show up in this story, Matt will name a name for the next story in the ChronicleX series. Please please please help by either PMing or reviewing with suggestions. Whoever comes up with the winning name will get a mention and credit for the name. I will also give that person a sneak preview of a chapter in the sequel! Remember, Matt's powers are flight, telekinesis, and self-healing.
Also, thanks to everyone who reads this!
.
.
.
Andrew only made it a mile before he had to stop from exhaustion and pain. He touched down in the woods and sat down by a tree.
He pulled one arm of the jacket off to inspect the scratches he had received from the nail-woman. They had halfway healed, and as he watched them the healing process sped up. He realized that his newhealing powers must not have worked as quickly while he was also using his power of flight. Andrew knew that he could use multiple powers at once because he used his telekinesis all the time while flying, but it was slightly harder and more exhausting than using telekinesis while on the ground.
He also felt the scratches on his back start to heal. When he saw that his arm was mostly healed, he put the jacket back on; he hadn't realized in his panicked escape just how cold it was. It felt like it must be at most forty degrees Fahrenheit. Sure, he was used to damp and cold weather from living in Seattle, but all he had on were a pair of thin sweatpants and a jacket. Also, flying in the air always made one very cold.
Then again, this obviously wasn't Seattle, Washington, or anywhere near Seattle. For one thing, the trees were a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees, unlike how most of the trees where he came from were evergreen pines and spruces. Andrew had never really cared about or paid much attention to trees, but Matt had gone through a "save the Earth" phase in eighth grade when he made a reluctant Andrew help him chart trees. Matt had gotten over that phase quickly, but Andrew had apparently retained some of that knowledge.
Andrew frowned at the thought of his cousin. Where was Matt? What had happened to him after their fight? Andrew was very angry at his cousin for what he did to him—well a lot of it was a blank but he for sure remembered flying around Seattle and then feeling a sharp pain from his back which must be where the scar in his midsection came from—but now that he looked back on it, he had gone about helping his mother the wrong way. He could still remember the red haze that had covered everything when he'd heard about his mother's death, and while it had made him powerful, it had obviously made him so distracted to be caught off guard, a nearly fatal mistake.
Andrew shook those thoughts from his head; the cold was getting to him and he needed to figure where he was.
Making sure his jacket was secure and wouldn't open, letting in cold air, he stood up and levitated off of the ground so that he could see over the tree line. Then he took off away from the direction of the compound.
It felt like hours later and the sun was going down when Andrew spotted people on the ground. He would have just flown over, but he could smell the food being cooked over their fire. He backtracked before they could see him, and he landed in the woods about half a mile away from the campsite. He walked back towards the campsite, staying hidden.
He got close enough where he could clearly see the people camping but still stay hidden behind a tree. Andrew could now see three people sitting by the fire, a man and his two children, a son of about fourteen and a daughter of about sixteen. They were talking and laughing while they held sticks with hotdogs on the ends over the fire. Suddenly, the daughter stopped laughing.
"Dad, did you hear that?" she asked, looking around.
"Stop being paranoid, Macey," the brother said in annoyance. "Gosh, you girls are such scaredy-cats."
"You're the one that was convinced that your room was haunted for years, Ollie," Macey teased right back.
"Because it was!" he said indignantly.
"Shush," the father said, now looking around himself. He stood up slowly and walked towards one of the two tents where Andrew could see a gun. He decided that this was the time to show himself.
He came out from behind the tree and pretended to stumble into the clearing the campsite was in. He looked around as if confused, and then he saw the dad now pointing a shotgun at him. "Don't shoot!" he exclaimed, putting his hands up in the surrender position, which really wouldn't hinder him if he needed to use his powers. He really did not feel like getting shot again. All he wanted was some of that food, and maybe some warmer clothes.
"Who are you?" the dad demanded, not lowering the gun.
"I was just hiking and I got lost and I don't know where my stuff went or where I am," Andrew said, the lies flowing off of his tongue. Well, the part about being lost was true anyway.
"Then why are you wearing that?" the man asked, nodded towards Andrew's chest.
He looked down, realizing that he was still wearing the stolen military jacket, and how that must seem suspicious on a "lost hiker."
"Cool, Dad, it's a soldier!" the son exclaimed in excitement.
"Oh, this is my father's," Andrew said, the word sounding sour on his tongue. "He just let me borrow it because it's so warm." That lie almost hurt him because he was still really cold. That was probably more due to the fact that the jacket was too big and he had nothing on under it.
"Why are you barefoot?" the son asked curiously.
"I stepped in a stream and my boots got really wet and muddy."
The father eyed him for another minute before finally lowering the shotgun and saying, "Come on, let's get some food, you must be hungry."
And that's how Andrew found himself sitting around a fire and eating hotdogs with Macey, Oliver, and their father Mr. Everett. They had even been nice enough to let him borrow a pair of thick wool socks and a pair of old raggedy sneakers that they had brought camping because it wouldn't matter if they got ruined. Andrew was just thankful that he hadn't developed hypothermia yet, but maybe his powers helped with that some.
Andrew talked with the Everetts for a while, and he found that they were really nice people, even though Macey and Oliver wouldn't stop insulting each other. But maybe that was usual for siblings, not that Andrew would know.
Soon, it was dark out and Mr. Everett said, "Macey and Oliver will sleep in the small tent. I'll share the other with Andrew here."
"But Dad, I was going to get a tent for myself!" Macey protested.
"Well, you can learn to share," Mr. Everett said, his voice leaving no room for protests. Andrew understood his reasoning, though; he wanted to keep an eye on this stranger and he surely wasn't going to let a stranger sleep in the same tent as his children. Of course, Andrew knew that he wasn't a serial killer or anything, but he couldn't blame the father. The man turned to Andrew, "We have a satellite phone that you can use to contact someone, and then you can head out in the morning."
"Thank you," Andrew said as the man went to get the satellite phone. The text in the top corner of the screen proclaimed the date as "4/2." Andrew gasped; he had lost two months of his life in that facility. He had no one to actually call, so he dialed a random number, which turned out to be a pizza place. "Hi Dad…Yeah I'm fine…Some nice people are letting me stay with them…Of course, I'll ask where that is and head out in the morning…Bye," he said into the phone as the pizza person tried to talk over him and get him to actually order. He ended the call and handed it back to Mr. Everett. "Do you have a map so I can find the nearest town?"
They went into the tent after Mr. Everett sent his children into the other tent, and then he pulled out a large map. He laid it out on the ground and shone his flashlight on it, revealing the state of New York. Andrew suppressed a groan; he had hoped to at least still be somewhere in the northwest, but instead he was literally across the country with a huge chunk of time missing. To make matters even worse, Mr. Everett pointed to a very empty spot in the middle of the map. "The nearest major town is approximately 50 miles, but there are some small towns between here and there."
Andrew pointed to a random nearby town, which was actually about 15 miles away. "My dad says he is here, which is to the south. I guess I'll start hiking that way first thing in the morning."
"Sorry, but we're heading west, so you'll have to make it yourself."
"Well, thanks for all of the help so far," Andrew said sincerely, even though he was extremely frustrated inside. It wasn't Mr. Everett's fault that he was out here though; that was Stryker's fault. Andrew yawned. "I think I'm going to go ahead and sleep."
"I'm going to stay up for a few more hours, but that's fine. We don't have any extra sleeping bags, but I can give you some blankets," Mr. Everett offered.
Just a few minutes later, Andrew was lying under some assorted old quilts in the tent, his back turned to Mr. Everett who was reading a book with a flashlight. He had planned to wait until the family was asleep before he left, but he found himself drifting off.
Andrew awoke just before dawn, and it took him a few minutes to remember where he was. He looked over to see that Mr. Everett was asleep. Andrew sat up as quietly as he could and he snuck over to where Mr. Everett's suitcase was laying. He slowly unzipped it and dug through it for more clothes. Andrew took out a plain t-shirt along with a sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans. He quickly changed into the clothes. He left the sweatpants he had been wearing in the suitcase but put his stolen jacket back on. Even though the clothes were too big, Oliver's would probably be too small on him. Also, he'd have to sneak into the other tent for them. He also put the tennis shoes he had borrowed last night back on his feet.
Feeling much warmer and more comfortable than he had since he'd left the compound, Andrew unzipped and left the tent before resealing it. Their cooler was sitting outside of the tent, and it had a padlock on it to protect from wild animals looking for a snack. Andrew simply snapped the lock using his powers and opened the cooler, revealing sandwich ingredients, camping popcorn, and a pack of eggs, presumably to make omelets. He grabbed the half-loaf of bread, knowing that while it wasn't the tastiest item they had, it would give him energy. He also took the single hotdog left over from last night and started eating that right away. There was a pack of water bottles nearby, and he grabbed two of those.
Andrew didn't take anything else, since he didn't want these people to actually starve or be stranded out here. Also, he didn't want to carry too much.
The sun was starting to peek through the trees, and Andrew heard the sound of someone waking up. Taking that as his cue to leave, he lifted up and flew off with the rising sun to his left, heading south.
