Part 11
The drive around town didn't take longer than about twenty minutes. There wasn't much to show. There was a cinema with two movie screens, a pizza place, a burger bar, a library, a handful of shops, the fancy apartment complex she lived in, an elementary school, the high school, and a reasonable number of ordinary houses, including an ancient-looking one on the edge of town. There were also woods surrounding the town that almost looked jungle-like.
"So that's it," Brandon said, pulling his car into a space in front of the burger bar.
Juliana managed a smile. "It's - " She didn't really know how to describe it.
"Boring?" Brandon offered with a smile as he turned off the engine. "Dull? Small?"
Juliana tried not to laugh as she got out the car. "Homely," she came up with.
Brandon snorted. "Whatever."
Juliana followed him inside the small restaurant, deciding she liked the bright, lively atmosphere. This place at least didn't seem as dull as the rest of the town. She guessed from the size of the crowd there wasn't much else to do.
Brandon came back with some food. He wasn't much on conversation as they ate, which was fine with Juliana. She had forgotten all about the scary phone call. Nothing was going to happen to her here. She thought she had finally found a place where she could belong. She wasn't going to let the vision bother her either.
The only thing spoiling the evening was the couple in the booth in front of her and Brandon. They were arguing loudly and swearing a lot. Juliana frowned in distaste. It was hard not to listen to them.
"That's *it*! I've had it!" the girl was shouting. "You're a selfish piece of shit and I'm leaving. I wish you were dead!"
With those words she grabbed her purse and stalked out the burger bar. Everyone near by quickly looked away. Juliana felt sorry for the boy who was flushing red with embarrassment.
Something strange was starting to happen. Juliana was getting a very peculiar sense of Power running along her skin. She glanced over at Brandon, who was smiling oddly. His blue eyes flashed a startling gold.
The boy stood up to go. He fell to the floor and didn't get up. Someone screamed.
"That's Justin!" some girl was shrieking.
Juliana was confused, watching people running around, looking to see if Justin had a pulse.
"My God, he's dead!" someone else yelled.
"Maybe we should go now," Brandon said. He stood up swiftly and grabbed Juliana's arm, leading her out side. He drove her home in silence.
"Who was that?" she asked when Brandon stopped outside her house.
Brandon waved dismissively. "Justin McKormack, some jerk on varsity baseball, the girl was the head cheerleader Jennie Price, he'd been cheating on her or something. They were going to break up sooner or later. It's just a bit of high school drama." He tried to smile.
Juliana, however, wasn't convinced. She'd seen scenes like it on TV shows, but the boyfriend hadn't just dropped dead because the girlfriend was pissed off at him and wished it. "Thanks for dinner," she said, getting out the car.
He gave her a brilliant, dazzling smile. "Any time."
He didn't leave until Juliana was safe inside her apartment. It was all a bit too strange for her. She had never felt Power like that before. Just before the boy had mysteriously dropped dead. She remembered thinking it was odd how Brandon's eyes had flashed and changed colour, and the next thing she knew, the boy had dropped dead. Just like that.
After the girl had *wished* it.
Brandon was clearly no normal Night Person.
The whole scene was not "a bit of high school drama."
If it *was* Brandon, how had he done it? What *was* he?
* * *
The drive around town didn't take longer than about twenty minutes. There wasn't much to show. There was a cinema with two movie screens, a pizza place, a burger bar, a library, a handful of shops, the fancy apartment complex she lived in, an elementary school, the high school, and a reasonable number of ordinary houses, including an ancient-looking one on the edge of town. There were also woods surrounding the town that almost looked jungle-like.
"So that's it," Brandon said, pulling his car into a space in front of the burger bar.
Juliana managed a smile. "It's - " She didn't really know how to describe it.
"Boring?" Brandon offered with a smile as he turned off the engine. "Dull? Small?"
Juliana tried not to laugh as she got out the car. "Homely," she came up with.
Brandon snorted. "Whatever."
Juliana followed him inside the small restaurant, deciding she liked the bright, lively atmosphere. This place at least didn't seem as dull as the rest of the town. She guessed from the size of the crowd there wasn't much else to do.
Brandon came back with some food. He wasn't much on conversation as they ate, which was fine with Juliana. She had forgotten all about the scary phone call. Nothing was going to happen to her here. She thought she had finally found a place where she could belong. She wasn't going to let the vision bother her either.
The only thing spoiling the evening was the couple in the booth in front of her and Brandon. They were arguing loudly and swearing a lot. Juliana frowned in distaste. It was hard not to listen to them.
"That's *it*! I've had it!" the girl was shouting. "You're a selfish piece of shit and I'm leaving. I wish you were dead!"
With those words she grabbed her purse and stalked out the burger bar. Everyone near by quickly looked away. Juliana felt sorry for the boy who was flushing red with embarrassment.
Something strange was starting to happen. Juliana was getting a very peculiar sense of Power running along her skin. She glanced over at Brandon, who was smiling oddly. His blue eyes flashed a startling gold.
The boy stood up to go. He fell to the floor and didn't get up. Someone screamed.
"That's Justin!" some girl was shrieking.
Juliana was confused, watching people running around, looking to see if Justin had a pulse.
"My God, he's dead!" someone else yelled.
"Maybe we should go now," Brandon said. He stood up swiftly and grabbed Juliana's arm, leading her out side. He drove her home in silence.
"Who was that?" she asked when Brandon stopped outside her house.
Brandon waved dismissively. "Justin McKormack, some jerk on varsity baseball, the girl was the head cheerleader Jennie Price, he'd been cheating on her or something. They were going to break up sooner or later. It's just a bit of high school drama." He tried to smile.
Juliana, however, wasn't convinced. She'd seen scenes like it on TV shows, but the boyfriend hadn't just dropped dead because the girlfriend was pissed off at him and wished it. "Thanks for dinner," she said, getting out the car.
He gave her a brilliant, dazzling smile. "Any time."
He didn't leave until Juliana was safe inside her apartment. It was all a bit too strange for her. She had never felt Power like that before. Just before the boy had mysteriously dropped dead. She remembered thinking it was odd how Brandon's eyes had flashed and changed colour, and the next thing she knew, the boy had dropped dead. Just like that.
After the girl had *wished* it.
Brandon was clearly no normal Night Person.
The whole scene was not "a bit of high school drama."
If it *was* Brandon, how had he done it? What *was* he?
* * *