/Chapter 3 /
It was a morning of misery and anguish. No one was tired, despite staying up the whole night, but everyone's eyes stung. They were clueless about what to do next. Back in Double D's house, the only resident picked up the phone. He was going to find out what had happened once and for all.
"Hello, I'd like to report a gas leakage in my residential area," Double D said politely, only because he knew he would not get what he wanted through rage, which only the rational part of his mind did not succumb too. If he was polite enough, maybe he could talk to the same person as yesterday.
"Didn't I talk to you yesterday?" came the voice. Double D was now talking to the man that could have told him about the death of his parents before hand and had chosen not to. All thoughts of reason left him temporarily. As one could very well imagine, he was pissed off.
"Yes, this is the same person, you imbecilic BASTARD!! You could have told me my parents were going to DIE!! What kind of inept, callous man of the law are you? You could have warned us, cured them, or at the very least let us say goodbye! And don't you DARE close this line again, you God forsaken son of a BITCH!" Double D roared at the phone, using language like he had never used it before. There was a long silence. Double D breathed heavily, waiting for the man's reply.
"Uh, are you sure you are the same person I talked to yesterday?" the officer asked.
"Well, you know what?! Even a polite and formal gentleman like myself swears and gets annoyed when their parents get murdered!" Double D argued, trying very hard to not let slip another vulgar word.
"Sigh, I didn't kill you parents," the officer stated.
"But you could've prevented it and in the eyes of the law, that is seen as a crime," Double D explained law to the law enforcer.
"I couldn't have saved them. That gas is unable to be cured," the officer defended from Double D's verbal onslaught.
"Then you could have warned us!"
"If I did, you and your parents would have tried to escape. Before the affects are actually visible the person is highly contagious."
"So why not tell us that?! Just let us say goodbye before they depart to heaven's gate," Double D started to whimper and lose his fury.
"Well, you see, that is my mistake," came the guilty reply. Double D sighed. He was finally receiving the answers he wanted.
"Why do us just past pubescence have strange new abilities?" Double D said starting to return to his rational self.
"Abilities? What abilities? Everything I told you so far were just on this report filed in our computer. I could set up an immediate appointment for you and all the others effected with who created this ridiculous mess as soon as humanly possible. I'm sure you'll be the top of their list of priorities," the officer explained.
"They aren't going to treat us like lab rats, are they?" Double D asked.
"Only to a degree. I will make sure they respect the fact you have just lost your parents," the officer said comfortingly, lying through his teeth. Like he had such a power.
"Thank you," said Double D as though programmed, not feeling any emotions of gratitude.
/Nazz /
I slept over at Kevin's house with Rolf. I cried and Rolf sat with me in sorrow, Kevin in anger. I didn't want to be alone after a day like that. It was already morning before I went to sleep on the couch and five hours later we heard a knock on the door. Kevin got it as I continued to rest. It was exhausting to cry so much.
"Hello, Double D," Kevin said darkly. Both their wounds still had not healed.
"Hello, Kevin. The men who created the fumes that did this to the cul-de-sac are here to answer our inquires. If you want to ask them why you have spikes or what the gas was even here for, they're ready to take you to their lab and give us some answers," he informed.
Kevin didn't want answers; he wanted revenge, or at least someone to get mad at. Facing the scientist who did this would let him know who the person is he should be mad at. I personally wanted to know why I was invisible, but I found the knowledge of why I didn't pass on when my parents did was a much more, personally important.
"Are those bastards going to conduct experiments on us?" Kevin said as if it were a threat. I was more depressed than angry.
"The person I talked to said they would try to respect our condition as much as possible. They would probably run us through a few tests just to see if we are in any critical danger and to find out the full lengths of our powers. I don't even believe we know of Jimmy's at all," he answered gloomily. I could tell that he was out of tears to cry as well.
"No thank you," Kevin said slamming the door in his face. I got off the couch and went to the door, bypassing Kevin. Double D was walking down the driveway by the time I opened it.
"Wait!" I yelled. He held back. "I would like to go and get some answers."
"What are you doing Nazz?" Kevin asked shocked. Had he expected me to be on his side, as ticked off as he?
"What are you doing at Kevin's house?" Double D asked. He looked shocked, almost embarrassed. I wonder why.
"Well, I didn't want to be alone. Rolf is here too. I'll go upstairs and get him. I'm sure he would want some answers," I explained before I ran up the steps to a dozing Rolf. As I opened the door I saw him more awake than I thought. He was immersed in prayer, but not the kind I'm used to seeing. He faced an urn, head bowed, mumbling to himself. I didn't want to disturb him so I went back down stairs. He was so peaceful, some respect for him stirred in me at this moment.
"He didn't want to come? Thought so," Kevin said.
"He was in prayer. I didn't want to disturb him," I said.
"I'll gather up the rest of us. I'll come fetch you when their ready," Double D said and walked off and I closed the door.
"Why are you going with them?" Kevin asked surprised. Why is he? I want to know what is going on.
"I want to go because I want to find out if A, if I'm going to die or not; B, what my powers can really do; C, why my parents died (I chocked as I said this) and D, why did they develop this Godforsaken gas in the first place," I listed.
"You come back then, and tell me if we are going to die and all the other answers, all right? I just don't want to go," he chocked, fists clenched.
"What's wrong?" Stupid question, but he knew what I meant.
"I don' want to because I'm afraid of what I might do to them if I go," Kevin winced. That's what he's worried about. "You saw what I did to Double D after he had told us that our parents died. What do you think I could do, what I would do, what I almost think I should do, if I meet face-to-face with the people who really killed them. The anger I'd unleash on the people who caused us this suffering. Nazz, I could kill them all."
He treated himself as if he had absolutely no self-control. As if he was a viscous animal. He only is that when he is not careful.
"Kevin, I'm going to be honest with you. What you did to Double D was of the same level as if you socked him. Because of your spikes, you hurt him more than a fist would. You have emotions and you act on them, but you don't have the lack of morals to actually take a life," I answered, waiting for a response.
"I don't want to go. You can go for me and I won't take that risk. I don't think my parents would want me to become a murderer."
"I will tell you everything," I said giving him a hug. We stood there, hugging, like we had been the entire time between dawn and me falling asleep, only this time I wasn't crying and Rolf wasn't with us. We stood there, feeling the warmth of each other. He didn't let go, so I thought he needed more comfort and held on. That is what one does for their best friend. I felt sorry for him. He's a slave to his emotions, and it really sucks. Our hug was only interrupted when Rolf came downstairs three minutes later.
"Did Rolf interrupt something?" he asked.
"No. By the way Double D came and told us if there was any questions about the incident, we should go with some scientists that are coming and we can get some answers. They are waiting outside," I delivered my message.
"As always, Rolf is confused and I doubt that they would do an adequate job informing me, but I shall go and find out why these people want Rolf to suffer so."
/
The day went on. Kevin ended up going anyway, as well as everyone else. Peer pressure really got to him. The scientists pulled up in a recently painted white van that blinded them when it approached. They sat in the vehicle for two hours. Some did not speak for the entire trip and others could not stop talking. Their destination was reached deep in the heart of the polluted concrete jungle. Some felt apprehensive, like criminals being dragged to prison as they walked down the steps to the laboratory. Others felt eager, finally getting the answers they thirsted so much for, and others where either petrified or fascinated by all the scientific equipment askew about the laboratory. More accurately, only one was at all fascinated.
Suddenly, the door behind them swung shut and the door in front of them swung open and a skinny man in a pale blue lab coat, not unlike Double D's skin, brushed in with an apologetic smile. He had wiry, dirty blonde hair that stuck out at odd angles, like he didn't care to brush it in the morning or ever. It was arranged almost like a stereotypical mad scientist only short as if to barely elude this accusation. His nerdy look brought it on home with thick Coke bottle glasses in which you could see his eyes, but it just looked like a layer of fog on the lens. Beside him were two gruff looking nameless security guards, eyeing our young heroes as if they were caged beasts.
"Welcome to Experimental Genetic Research Lab Number Three," spoke the man. "I'm Dr. Hanson. Sorry for your inconvenience about having to come here, but we simply must know about you twelve… and a piece of wood? Excuse me, young man, why did you bring a piece of wood with you?" he asked cheerful and perky manner. This did not help the mood of the others.
"Plank? He's my best buddy," Jonny explained then turned his attention to Plank. "What's that Plank? Of course I think this scientist would help us.
"Okay, then. Gas affects on survivors may cause schizophrenia or beliefs that inanimate objects can become, well, animate," Dr. Hanson dictated to himself, writing on a note pad, smiling at the interesting side affect.
"Jonny has always been best friends with Plank. Now I believe there was a reason you dragged us two hours to come here?" Double D asked politely. Dr. Hanson pouted and crossed out his last note.
"Of course. Now, if one of you at a time will join me in the testing room-
"Testing room?!" everyone shouted.
"We want answers! Not someone to experiment on us!" Kevin yelled.
"And we get answers from tests," Dr. Hanson replied nonchalantly, completely unfazed by the jock's outburst. "We know very little more than you do, only we know how to get them." He then smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. The most uncomfortable you'll be is giving us a blood sample, or maybe an X-ray test depending on your ability.
"You needn't worry. I will tell you what I do know, why your abilities are different. The gas bonds with your genetic code to change it. As I'm sure you all know, all our codes are different, so therefore the effects on our genes would be different. Also this is the same reason your parents died and animals weren't affected. It's in their genes. The gas only affects a very specific human genome that is human, though it has been known to also affect primates. Also the age of the cells absorbing the gas has to be young enough to accept it." He eyed Rolf up and down. "You there are very lucky to be alive. Now, who wants to go first?"
For most of the cul-de-sac teens, the scientists told them what they already knew. Rolf could contort his body's shape to his whim and Lee could control her hair growth and what it did. Sarah could distort her voice at will and Jonny had the gift of a green thumb.
Others had aspects that they knew not of. True, Kevin could not retract his spikes, but he could shoot them out at a contraction of a muscle and when he did, new ones grew instantly. Also, his ears, for some unrelated reason had become as sharp as May's were now. Since May was now part canine, every sense is magnified as well as instincts. As said before, she had sharp claws and teeth, and a tail and wolf ears on her head. Nazz not only could disappear herself, but what she touched as well, hence her not having a clothing problem like Double D. Eddy could not just shoot flames out of his hands, but out of every part of his skin including his feet, which could function as built in rockets and give him flight. Marie, being somewhat dragon-like, could too spit fire but only out of her mouth. She also had blue talons for feet that for some odd reason no one had noticed except for Marie herself. The wings and tail might have been too distracting to look at her feet.
Still some abilities had barely scratched the surface. Ed was not immune to pain. He had skin that could not feel pain and was incredibly durable and dense, that would not bruise. However should one be able to cut through this tough outer layer, Ed would be in a world of hurt, but that would have to be a hell of a sharp object. Even at close range, his skin was supposedly able to withstand a bullet. Also, having dense skin made him heavy, but he always had incredible inhuman strength, so that extra weight wouldn't be a problem.
Double D's ability could arguably be the most complex and interesting of all. He could distort the physical state of water. He could make ice, vapor or liquid water into a different state of ice, vapor or liquid water. He could also do it with his own body and clothes skintight enough. However, he was cautioned not to become vapor for fear of literally losing one's mind or body for that matter.
Jimmy's abilities, through many tests, had finally been exposed. The petite, albino, dramatic boy had the ability to affect metal. He could shift magnetic waves that not only let him move metal to where he desired, but to sense it's location. He could also use magnetic waves to sense electricity. He couldn't use it, just sense it's location and amount.
None were going to die from the gas.
/Eddy/
"Excellent. You are all going to live and you all have wonderful abilities! But Ed, you shouldn't go swimming. Your skin's so dense you'd drown!" Dr. Hanson chuckled as if there was something hilarious about one of my best friends dying.
Ed looked nervous. Wouldn't blame him. Poor guy. I don't reckon he even realizes its all his fault, breaking the toxic container and all. I suppose that's why Double D lied about us finding the container already broken. Ed was just being Ed, it was all these stupid science nerds' fault.
"Are we going now?" Kevin asked impatiently. I couldn't agree more.
"Oh heavens no! We have to study you further. We merely learned what you're capable of; imagine if we could control the out come! Think of it. Solders who don't feel pain or have built in swords, flamethrowers or wings. Spies that can become invisible, contort their appearance or seep through cracks. Disabling weapons at a well placed pitch or a magnetic shock and tracking machines with the abilities of a wolf and a mind of a dog. Can you see the possibilities?!" he shouted most excited. Both of the guards by his side looked at him like he was blabbermouth idiot, which he is! Is this guy for real?!
"What would we do?!" Lee shouted gesturing to herself and Jonny.
"I dunno. Jonathon could grow food for the poor or something and you . . . you are kind of useless," he said casually ticking everyone off, whether they liked Lee or not. Well, no one likes her, but STILL! She's one of, arg, I'd hate to admit it but she's kinda one of, us? WHATEVER! Sure she's a bitch, but what the hell did she do that doctor guy?! I am not a fire weapon! I'm a person. I glanced over at Ed and Double D for backup. Ed looked really pissed off also, maybe he understood what was happening because everything was playing out like a comic book after all, but Double D, he looked suspicious? He's thinking about something.
"You treat us like objects!" Kevin bellowed. "We are just some kind of experiment to you people. You don't care that our parents died and that our lives are changed forever. All you care about is using us for you're damned research and your fucking weapons. And you can't stop giggling about it, you giddy bastard. Well, I ain't going to help you. Hell. I'm gonna HURT YOU!"
Then he lunged at the scientist, but before he could strike or before the two guards could stop him or before Dr. Hanson could press the EMERGENCY button for back up he held himself back. Kevin looked at his feet and chuckled.
"You know, this was exactly the kind of thing I was trying to avoid. My emotions aren't going to get the best of me, but I am not going to help you," Kevin confessed as he turned his back to him and started to walk to the door. A metal slab fell over it. We really ARE prisoners! H-h-holy hit! Kevin spun around to look at Dr. Hanson who was holding a remote.
"You aren't leaving until we've have reached an understanding," he threatened. "I cannot leave a potentially dangerous man out on the streets." The skinny man wouldn't be that imposing if it weren't for two muscle-headed guards behind him. Still, the twelve of us could take them.
"Too bad. Potentially dangerous? Hell! You know what?! You just created a super villain," Kevin smirked, and with that he took his spikes and slashed the iron door in front of him. Whoa, so badass GAH! WHY?! Why did I think that? That was strange of me to even think a complement for Kevin. Screw that! I can be so much more badass if I wanted too!
"I'm calling the authorities," Dr. Hanson said, whipping out a communicating device. Sarah opened her mouth and it short-circuited. I didn't even hear anything.
"I'm coming with you, Kevin," she said and ran off with him as Kevin widened the gash in the door. A life of villainy, not caring what or who is in one's way including getting money. The life I was made for now was more attainable than ever. I wanted to go, but something kept me rooted. Morals, maybe? My friend's morals? Or maybe that would mean going with Kevin and Sarah. Yep, that might be it.
I looked over at Ed and Double D. They . . . they were both staring at me. Ed as if waiting for me to make a decision, Double D more concerned like I was going to make the wrong one. Definitely my friends' morals. I stayed rooted to the spot. Damn it.
"Now wait just a minute," Dr. Hanson started when a vine of hair shot around his neck, strangling him to unconsciousness. The two muscle heads tried to pry him lose but they too were met with hair around their necks.
"Useless huh," Lee let out a chuckle and followed Sarah being tailed by her sisters and Jimmy. A life of forever leisure and control would not be as fun without my buddies. Kevin looked back.
"Coming? Nazz? Rolf?" he asked his best friend and our crush. Nazz rushed after him but Rolf stayed.
"You aren't coming?" Nazz asked him.
"Rolf agrees that what the Dr. doesn't know how to mourn is wrong, but Kevin is not right. The son of a Shepard will do what is moral for both our countries," he answered. Nazz looked back Rolf with enormous respect, but followed her best friend anyway.
I wanted to move my feet, to follow them. All the riches were waiting for me if I could just walk after them. No authorities would be able to stop us, but my body stopped my mind. I looked at my friends who refused to go along with the crowd as always. All who was left in the room was the Ed, Double D, Jonny, Rolf, out-of-order Dr. Hanson and his pathetic security guards, and I. Double D knelt by the scientist and felt his pulse.
"He's alive," Double D sighed with relief. It hadn't even occurred to me that Lee might have killed him. It seemed surreal. Double D felt the pulses of the men next to him. "Apparently she stopped as soon as they passed out. Extended pressure would have resulted in death by strangulation," Double D stated like a CSI dude.
"What do we do now?" Ed asked.
"I don't know about you, but I don't want to help with these experiments," he answered. "But I don't want to live a life of crime. We could leave a sticky note saying that we decline the offer and go back home and continue life as normal as we can."
"Normal? Life will never be normal again!" I yelled. Our parents are dead and we have powers one has only in dreams. How could he expect our lives not to change?
"As normal as we can," he repeated. "We can continue our jobs to supply food and maybe we could live in one house, as I'm sure it might get a smidgen lonely should we live each by ourselves." I know Double D has always wanted a roommate. Living with his parents had always been lonely.
"My house is gone," Ed said reminding everyone of Sarah's accidental destruction. I agree with Double D, too lonely, too many memories. It would not be my house.
"Rolf is staying home to take care of the farm. Loneliness should be no reason to desert the living animals," Rolf announced.
"Does anyone know how to get home?" Jonny asked, looking out the dismembered door.
"I'm sure I can find it," I said. My feet felt hot and I rocketing myself out the door. With air rushing past my face, I kept going high up until I could see for miles.
Oh HELLS YES! Walking is so over rated! Flying is so cool and the view was amazing, like out of a helicopter. Minutes past before I spied far off in the distance a cul-de-sac with a junkyard and a trailer park next to it. The two-hour drive must have spent a lot of the time driving in circles. Heh, idiots didn't know where they were going. I landed next to everyone, but noticed Double D was absent form the group.
"Hey, where did Double D go? Still inside?" I asked.
"He's over there by the bus station to see what roads we have to take to get to Peach Creak," Jonny answered.
"But I saw where it was. We can fly there," I argued.
"Fiery-Ed-boy forgets only he can fly," Rolf said.
"Fine," I mumbled and we went off to where Double D was standing, but I couldn't move my feet. When I had taken off with my rocket feet, I had melted through my shoes and burned my socks, so when I landed the rubber bottoms of my shoes stuck. A pair of perfectly good sneakers and socks ruined. Damn it. I followed barefoot.
We took the bus back home to the cul-de-sac, paying with the loose change in our pockets. Double D got a lot of weird glances, whispers, and pointing in his direction because of his skin, which caused him to blush so he looked even weirder. He got paler. I guess when one blushes the blood rises to the face so one gets more red, but Double D's blood is clear so it would make his skin more pale. I guess when a normal person becomes pale the blood is lost. In that case I think Double D would get bluer. Either way our trip was uneventful except one crazy old lady yelled at me for not wearing shoes. Seriously, what the hell?!
When we did get back we had all packed up and moved to Rolf's as he needed to take care of his farm and we weren't going to leave him all alone. Jonny was upset though, but he would have to cope with it. He wanted us all to room at his house. He wouldn't shut up about how awesome it was and I really didn't care. Ed slept on the couch in the living room, Jonny slept in a guest room I didn't know Rolf had, Rolf slept in his own bed, and Double D and I shared Rolf's parent's old bed, only after Double D preformed extensive cleaning procedures. I personally was glad; it was uncomfortable to sleep in a bed that people died in. Didn't care much that I was sleeping in the same bed as Double D though. Bet he'd be blushing if I wore nothing to bed like I usually do. I'll give him the courtesy of underwear and a T-shirt. He was lucky Ed wasn't joining us because the bed was certainly big enough for him too. That would be just gross and the smell would keep him up most nights.
It was a strange, but for some reason I was able to sleep. I bet the guy beside me was awake the whole night thinking. I'm not the thinking type. When it doesn't pay anyways. Scamming pigeons is my type of thinking. Yep, plotting. Hopefully the rest of my life would go as normal as possible and I would get over my parents. I didn't see my dad miserable all the time and he was orphaned at 19. I could go to college in a few months and it's not like I'm still a minor. I would have complete control over my life. As Double D said, "We can continue life as normal as we can." But normal isn't satisfying.
/Rolf /
I hear Ed snoring. It disheartens Rolf. Normally I could hear them snoring, but this time it is not them. It runs in Rolf's family. Or it did. As far as Rolf knows, I am the only one left in this country of my line. As far as Rolf knows, I am the only one left of my village at all. The reason why we came to this new land was because we had fled. That was a horrid night.
I could hear Wilfred squealing in his pen, knowing that something was wrong, sensing the spirits of my deceased elders. He was probably squealing the night before too but I was at Kevin's. I should have been here to comfort him. He is my smartest pig by far. Rolf respects the swine as intellectuals among the beasts. I wondered what would become of Kevin and Nazz. They are
strong, but I question the way they had chosen.
Life is mysterious. Seven years ago my life had changed when I moved to this new land and two days ago I lost my family and gained strange abilities that even people of this side of the world don't usually have. I miss the old country. Rolf had adjusted anyway. Life now is no different than when the Son of a Shepard came from Switzerland, just another challenge. As Double-the-Ed-boy said, "We can continue life as normal as we."
/Kevin/
Well I blew it. I really screwed up that time. Not only had I lost my temper, not only had I planned to become a criminal out of utter defiance of people probably criminals themselves, but I had dragged over half the cul-de-sac with me, including Nazz. I should not have gone, and now I'm lost. But those people deserve every bad thing that comes to them.
"Do you know where we're going, Kevin?" Sarah asked. I didn't answer as I didn't know and didn't what to admit it. Since I led the tiny revolt, I assume they think I'm the leader. As it should be. If anyone should get us out, it's me. Nazz gave me a comforting look that could give courage to an army of men. I smiled back.
"Shouldn't we go back to our homes?" Lee asked. "Marie's nothing without her make up." I actually didn't doubt that.
"The Eds, Jonny and Rolf are probably there. We don't need to go home," I decided. I didn't know why I wanted to avoid them. Maybe it was because they weren't with us or maybe it was because Rolf hadn't joined us. He was my best friend next to Nazz since near forever. I felt like I betrayed him. Or he had betrayed me.
"Can't we at least find a place to stay and maybe go home to gather our things?" May asked.
"Forget it, May. We're going to our trailer whether Kevin likes it or not," Lee ordered. May looked at her feet submissively. Poor dog. I felt sorry for her. But she was never nice to me.
"Let's just rent a hotel room for the night and then figure out what to do next. By the time we find a nice place, it'll be dark," Nazz reasoned.
"We ain't renting no hotel room," I ordered. "Was I not clear when I would do as I please, lawfully or not? We're sneaking a room. Plus, none of us brought any money." I saw Nazz was concerned. I looked away.
"Anyone know a hotel likely to have a room around here?" I asked.
"I know one kinda around here, but if Marie flew me up, I might be able to find it," Sarah suggested.
"Whatever. You aren't heavy, right?" Marie asked as she scooped up Sarah and flew up until they were flies to my eyes. After a few minutes they started moving.
"Follow us!" Sarah yelled. It took me a while to register that I was able to hear her from such a distance. Marie's ears must be stinging. We ran down the streets, constantly glancing up to see our guides. We were led into the city where people quickly cleared our path, seeing my arms and May's entire self. We heard murmurs in the crowds. Someone yelled freak at May. We'll get used to it, but she looked really hurt.
After ten minutes of chasing them, we reached a hotel that didn't look too shabby and had a VACANCY sign blinking in neon even though it wasn't yet dark. Sarah and Marie flew down, drawing several more eyes and several move comments. A person took a picture of us with his cell phone.
"Would you look at that! They're taking our pictures," Jimmy grinned and pushed to the front of the group. He focused and bent a light post down and up. Stupid showoff. He wants to be noticed? Then again, so do I but not like this. I want to get noticed. I want everyone to know what monstrosities those bastards made. I want them to be shut down and humiliated. Anything to hurt them enough except to kill. I . . . I won't kill.
"Shut up," Sarah said and grabbed the guy's cell phone and stomped it into the ground. "Go ahead, tell your friends," she sassed.
"We stick out too much," Nazz commented. "Group hug?" She placed one of our hands each on her body and then she vanished. Mine touched on her side, right next to her breast. Uproar ensued in the crowd once we disappeared. Luckily she did this before she could see my blush.
"Now, don't let go," we heard her whisper. We wormed though out the crowd, careful not to bump into someone without much success. Within the confusion, no one noticed the hotel door open and close, or the key of a vacant room disappear, or the elevator go up to the floor the vacant room was on, or that door open without anyone there to open it. We didn't stop holding on to her until we were safe in the room. Then we all let out a simultaneous sigh; except for Jimmy who was annoyed he couldn't stay.
In the room there were two queen-sized beds, two couches, a bathroom, a closet, a small kitchen with little more than a microwave, a hotplate and a refrigerator box and a tiny TV sitting on the counter with two tube wires sticking out of it.
"Thanks, Nazz. You saved our asses back there," I said playfully socking her in the arm. She stepped back and narrowly missed my spikes. Damn it! Of all the powers I got the most hazardous!
"You would have done the same for us," she reassured, patting me on the shoulder. I smiled back. She really is a sweet girl.
"Enough love talk. What the hell are we gonna do?" Lee asked lying down on the couch, kicking off her shoes.
"Don't you look comfy," I grumbled.
"Go home?" Sarah suggested, answering Lee.
"No," I decided. "We can stay here and--"
"Stay here?! Are you insane?" the usually quiet Jimmy yelled at me. Everyone stared. "Someone is bound to find us here. Either the maid or the room gets rented and they notice the key is missing, but if we stay here we will be caught and turned into the police. Plus that whole crowd of people saw us. I bet there was more than one person with a camera phone. I'm surprised we're staying here!"
"What the hell?! Then why were you modeling for them?!" I yelled at the goddamn hypocrite.
"It was fun," he said meekly, instantly losing the little nerve he gained. "Why should we hide? I just don't want to get caught. However, I don't like going back home, unless to just get our belongings."
"We're staying here for the night," I said. "Tomorrow we're going home just to get our belongings and then--"
"My sisters and I are staying at our house," Lee ordered. Damn! How come whenever I make a decision someone complains! I thought I was the leader. I was the one who revolted against that Hanson guy, wasn't I?!
"Why are we going back home? It's a trailer. We could move into a mansion if we wanted. Besides, why do you want to leave everyone?" May argued.
"We are going home, May," Marie sneered.
"Fine, whatever. Do whatever the hell you want, but we're staying here tonight. God! If anyone needs me I'll be taking a shower," I grumbled, walking off to the bathroom. Why can't anyone just stop being so . . .so . . .argumentative! Not Nazz. Nazz is an angle. Technically Sarah didn't say anything either, so Sarah's cool too I guess.
I could hear them through the door. I had gotten really good hearing since the incident. They think I'm a jerk and that I am bossy. Maybe I am. I turned on the shower to drown them out. I needed one, to sooth me more than clean me. I think the others need one too. I like the water, it feels like warm rain.
After swiping some food from the hotel kitchen, Nazz had brought it for us to eat. Jimmy cooked us a heavy meal, as we hadn't eaten all day. I guess the Urban Rangers and hanging out with Sarah all day paid off. Later we slept on the couches and beds. The Kankers shared one bed, Jimmy and I another, and Sarah and Nazz had a couch each. Night was going to be a welcome change for me.