*Author's note: I will continually edit these and all stories I write; I'm
compulsive that way. Sorry I took so long. Sorry FOX and TnT...
Chapter
8 Visions
"I don't know what happened, Leigh. I was reliving
parts of my life, and the memories were so real. Has this ever happened to
anyone you have Read before?" He did not mention what the memory contained.
She stared off into space. She had never done anything like this before,
and she hated to cause anyone pain.
"No, this has never happened before.
It felt the same as any other time. But it was so fast and all I could focus on
was you. Almost like there was no one else in the world."
"Do you know
how to slow down?"
"No, ever since I was brought to the Centre, Readings
have gotten faster, easier and more detailed. I can do more with them than I
ever could before."
I can do more than I ever could before… He had said
that once, too. 10 years ago, after his first test. "Speed was essential," he
could hear Raines say.
Speed…
"What is it, what happened?"
He shrugged, "I don't know."
She gazed at him, what wasn't he
telling her?
"I can find your parents with what I Read, I think. To play
it safe, I don't think I'll Read them directly, but just try to get a feel of
where they are about and go from there."
"Alright. Then lets get some
sleep and you can try again tomorrow. You can take the bed upstairs. I'll sleep
on the couch."
"'Kay, night Jarod."
He watched her walk up the
steep steps. When he saw the light go out he sat down on the couch and closed
his eyes, relaxing.
"Alright, Lyle," he murmured, "I'll play."
They moved on the next morning, following a hunch. She hoped she
was right. She couldn't tell exactly where they were, but she had a guess.
Somewhere in South Carolina, near the coast. She could hear the rolling waves
and feel the soft, warm breeze. It was a small town, nothing that attracted too
much attention.
Every new town brought hope, every old town, despair.
After years of searching, being so close, yet so far, was hard. They moved into
a larger town named Canterbury. They set up "camp" at an aging apartment house.
Leigh enrolled in the local high school and Jarod took up a job at the local
police station at night. During the day, they used small microphones and
speakers to talk to each other. She felt safer knowing he was always connected
to her. When their self-instituted time of one month at this town drew near its
end, Leigh's English teacher fell ill, and a substitute took over the class.
It was right after their lunch period, and Leigh walked into the class
with a group of newfound friends. The sub seemed familiar to Leigh. She asked
them who the sub was. Her friends rolled their eyes and said, "Mrs. Haley, she's
strict."
"And mean," one added.
"And she has good hearing," Mrs.
Haley interrupted, "Now students, if you take your seats, we shall begin."
Leigh had Science after English. Her teacher was a bright and
cheery, old man named Mr. Meissinger. Halfway through a discussion, Leigh sensed
something was wrong. It was an odd eerie feeling she didn't like. It was as if
someone was watching her.
She told Jarod about it over the microphone.
She felt it on the way back to the apartment, too. The next morning she walked
slowly onto the bus. She sat down in her seat and sank deep into the cold
cushion. She was staring off into space, when the same feeling hit her like a
tidal wave. One of the kids in front of her turned around. He wasn't a kid. It
was Lyle. Only she could see him as he faced her, his eyes closed. She stared at
him in disbelief. He opened his eyes. His blue eyes were bright red. She
blinked, and he disappeared.
TO BE CONTINUED
Comments/ Questions
Part 9: We All
Fall Down PG_13