Chapter Twenty – T is for Trouble

I closed my eyes and continued to thrust in and out. In. Out. In. Out. I kept going in mindless repetition. It was a pleasant feeling, though I didn't think it was worthy of the porn sound effects she was making. Maybe that was just for show. To make me feel good.

Her arms were wrapped around my neck. Her fingers clawed through my hair as she moaned at such a volume, I was a little nervous people outside might actually hear her. Despite the rough start, I could tell by her racing heartbeat that things were much better now.

I increased my speed a little bit, adding more of gyration to my motion. She screamed louder and dug her fingers into my shoulders. Her eyes rolled back into her head and I had a hard time looking at her. She looked a bit odd like that.

"Ohhh, John!" she gasped as her hips thrust hard against mine. "Harder." I complied using more force than I had previously but keeping the pace the same. She was mouth-breathing. Intensely. Her hands fell from my shoulders. Her fists tightened around the bed sheets.

Her body arched into me and she screamed, "Oh fuck." I felt the wetness seep out of her as she contracted around my erection. Tears began streaming down her cheeks.

For a moment I was terrified that I'd somehow hurt her.

"Sarah?" I paused for a minute.

"Don't stop! Please don't stop!" she yelled at me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes! Oh God! Yes!"

I wasn't sure what to think so I started moving again. Within a minute there were more contractions. There was probably a puddle beneath us as well. Then it finally occurred to me that Sarah was reaching orgasm.

I smiled to myself. What I lacked in size – I made up for in stamina.

I went for almost an hour, before Sarah was a limp mess of one hundred percent satisfied girlfriend. She lay on the bed, drenched in perspiration from head to toe. I hadn't even broken a sweat.

"We definitely have to do that again," she panted, still recovering from her climax.

I nodded in agreement even though I felt a little let down by the whole experience. I thought this would bring us closer. But as Sarah passed me an old tee shirt to use to wipe her cum off my body – I wasn't feeling the bond that I expected.

I attempted to clean myself of the thick mucus as Sarah babbled on about how amazing I was. After dropping the condom in the trash, we curled up on her bed together. I held her in my arms and kissed her salty skin.

It wasn't long before she fell sound asleep. I nodded off but kept waking up. I thought maybe it was how I was positioned or the firm mattress beneath me. It had been more than a day since I'd slept. I should have been exhausted but here I was – in Paradise with Sarah – exactly where I wanted to be – and I was restless.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax but then my stomach started to hurt. I told myself I'd eaten too many pancakes and ignored the discomfort. But the minutes passed slowly and soon my eyes were drifting around her bedroom. Her soft snoring was the only sound I could hear.

The pain in my stomach was getting worse. I'd never vomited before but right now I felt as though I might be sick. Not wanting to wake Sarah I used my telekinesis to lift her slightly as I slid my arm out from under her. Grabbing my jeans from the floor I went into the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face and then sat down on the edge of the bathtub.

Even though the house was quiet, I kept thinking I was hearing things. A creak down the hall. A rustle against the window pane. Paranoid, I left the bathroom to explore the house. Half-expecting to find Mark James hiding somewhere.

He wasn't.

Sarah and I were alone in the house as best I could tell but the sounds were getting louder, more frequent. They were moving from my ears into my head. For a split second I thought I was hearing voices.

Wait.

I was hearing voices.

They were in my head. So many thoughts were cramming themselves into my mind it became an instant migraine. Pain shot through my temples and I doubled over, clinging to the floor beneath me. My stomach was on fire now and I could feel something making it way up my throat. I crawled through the dining room into the kitchen where I grabbed onto the trashcan knocking it over. Burnt pancakes spilled across the floor.

Clutching my midsection I coughed – hoping something would come out.

When nothing happened, I dry heaved again causing the pressure in my head build even further. Gripping the counter I was able to pull myself to my feet. I leaned into the sink staring at the unwashed dishes. Clenching my head between my hands I tried to push away the acute pain. I clawed my face when I felt no relief.

It continued to escalate and I fell to the floor in agony.

At that exact moment, Mark James walked in through the back door.

"What the fuck?" he exclaimed when he saw me. "Dude, you alright?" he came closer crouching by side.

"No," I managed to say as I rolled to my side, holding my temples.

"Where's Sarah?"

"Upstairs...,"

He left me writhing on the linoleum floor. It felt as though someone had stabbed a metal stake through my skull. I barely heard the dull thuds as he raced up the steps.

I think I may have even blacked out for a second.

"John! John!" Sarah's hands were on my shoulder, shaking me. In the distance I could Mark saying something about how bad I looked. "Just like that day in school…"

Oh fuck. Was this was another Legacy appearing? If so it had quite possibly the worst timing ever.

"I'm okay," I tried to assure them. "This is normal." I wasn't sure if that was true but I could hear the worry in Sarah's tone.

"I'll be fine." I think was trying to convince myself more than them.

"What can we do?" Sarah asked rubbing my back. "Do you want water?"

"Yes." I doubted water would help but I needed time to figure out what I did need. "Do you have your phone?" I asked Mark, all the while fighting the stabbing feeling in my temples.

"Yeah, why?" he asked, squatting down near me with his cell in hand.

As much as it killed me to say it – I had to. "Call this number." I recited Six's number from memory and Mark dialed. "On speaker," I told him. The line rang and rang and then went dead. "Try again."

Sarah propped me into a sitting position and held a cup to my lips. She got more on my chest than in my mouth but I didn't care about that. What had me concerned was that Six wasn't answering her phone.

"Try this one," I said spouting out Sam's number next. He answered on the first ring. "Sam!" I cried in relief. "I need to talk to Six."

"John? Is that you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Where's Six?"

"Where are you? I've been so worried…"

"I'm with Sarah…"

"Sarah Hart?"

"Sam, please. Put Six on the phone."

"She's not here."

"Well, can you find her?" I grunted in pain.

"No, I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

Sam let out a deep sigh. "John, I don't know how to tell you this but she took off."

"WHAT!" Despite my physical condition I was still able to get angry.

"You hung up on her this morning and she got pissed. She gave me money for the truck and told me to go home. Then she took your chest and Bernie Kosar and…"

"She took my CHEST! What the fuck!" I was now furious. Me taking her Ducati was one thing – but who the hell did she think she was to take my Chest. That was my fucking inheritance! Not to mention taking my dog was like a kick in the groin.

"I'm sorry, John – I couldn't stop her…,"

"It's not your fault, Sam." It was all I could do to keep my composure but "BITCH!" managed to slip out anyway.

"I'm sorry," Sam apologized again. "I was going to come back anyway. They're almost done with the truck. Where are you exactly?"

"At Sarah's house."

"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can."

My eyes squeezed shut as pressure thundered through my head. Forcing myself to my feet, with the help of Sarah and Mark, I made it into a chair. Crossing my arms on the table I rested my head for a minute trying to remember what Henri had told me about all the different Legacies – including mind-reading. My memories were hazy at best. I wished I had paid more attention to him when I had the chance. How the hell was I going to figure this shit out on my own?

Henri was my Protector. It was his job to teach me and guide me. Without Henri I was lost. Now that Six was gone too – what the fuck was I going to do? It's not like Sarah or Sam could help me. I didn't even have my dog for comfort.

I think if I had been alone I might have cried but there was no way in hell I would give Mark James the satisfaction of seeing me break down. I forced myself to be strong even though I felt weak and defeated. Even my breathing was unsteady now.

Then the worst possible thing happened.

My fucking Lumen went berserk. There were two burn marks on the table top before I realized what was happening. I balled my hands into fists but the light shot everywhere. Each spectrum scorched jagged circles in the kitchen wallpaper before I could stop them. I closed my fists and crossed my arms over my chest, Mark was shouting something about a fire extinguisher but I blocked him out.

I had to do something before I burnt down Sarah's house. Going outside in broad daylight was not an option. There had to be another way.

The shower.

I ran from the kitchen through the living room to the staircase. Sarah was behind me calling out my name but I didn't reply. I made it into the second floor hallway and into the bathroom. When I tried to pull the shower curtain aside my lumen melted the plastic liner.

"FUCK!" I screamed angrily as Sarah moved to finish the job. As she turned on the faucet I tried to remove my jeans. Stupidly I used my hands, which set the denim on fire.

"Fuck!" I cursed again trying to beat it out using my elbows as Sarah splashed water on me. Then Mark discharged an entire fire extinguisher in the tiny bathroom. As Sarah and I choked on the powdery spray, Mark was yelling something about the smoke detectors.

He and Sarah went out in the hallway.

I tried to use my telekinesis to get my pants off but I managed to flush the toilet instead. Refusing to take any more chances – this was Sarah's house not a hotel room - I got into the bathtub, setting the diverter so the water ran up the shower line. The cold spray pelted my skin creating a steamy mist as it evaporated against my boiling hot body. My jeans were soaked. The heavy fabric was sticking to my legs like cement.

Strange phrases vibrated through my mind.

I love this stick. This is the best stick ever.

I put it right here. It was right here. I put it here. Not here. Or here. HERE!

Nothing could stop the foreign thoughts from coming. It was like I was standing in front of a giant speaker that was playing a hundred different commercials at the same time. It was hard to distinguish one from the other but every once in a while I would catch a word or phrase. None of it made any sense to me.

Sarah knocked on the door, "Is it okay to come in?" she asked hesitantly as the door creaked open.

Why did she bother to ask if she was just going to walk in anyway?

The shower curtain rustled as she peered in at me. "It's a good thing we're not rationing water," she remarked, trying to ease the tension of the situation. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little."

"What happened back there? You had me worried."

"Oh you know," I tried to play it cool as the cold water sprayed down on me. "I got a new Legacy. No big deal."

"A new Legacy?" her eyes widened. "Another power? Do you know what it is?"

"I think," I couldn't help smiling. "That I can read minds."

"Whoa….," She was speechless for a brief moment. Very brief. Then she began talking as she moved the curtain back into place. I tried to listen but there was so much going on in my head it was hard to pay attention to what she was saying.

Then she was handing me a towel and turning off the faucets. I patted myself dry (my hands were under control again) and removed my jeans. Sarah swapped my wet clothes for my dry underwear. While she ran downstairs to toss everything in the laundry I stared at my reflection. The craziness in my head was starting to fade – not completely but now it was more like twenty televisions, each one on a different channel.

"Let's go lie down," Sarah suggested leading me back to her room.

"Yeah," I readily agreed. This whole experience was exhausting. I collapsed in her bed. She shut the door and closed the blinds. The light in the room faded to a comforting dimness. My eyes were already closed as Sarah curled up on my bare chest.

"Is everything okay now?" she asked tracing her fingers along my ribs.

"Uh-huh," I mumbled in a half-asleep reply.

"Mark is really freaked out," Sarah continued. "I had a hard time getting him to leave. He kept saying that you were dangerous."

I guess I dozed off during her Mark-still-thinks-he's-my-boyfriend-but-he-really-isn't monologue because the next thing I knew, Sarah's tongue was in my ear. Oh, and her hand was in my boxers.

When she noticed I was awake she leaned over and kissed me.

"Hi," I smiled.

"Hi," she returned the look before kissing down my entire body. I closed my eyes and let her go down on me – only to realize that whatever was happening in my head hadn't completely stopped.

HI! HI! HI! WHO ARE YOU!

That's MINE!

MMMMM hungry.

Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh.

I had no idea whose thoughts I was hearing but none of them seemed like Sarah's. Then a wild thought occurred to me – I could try to read Sarah's mind – especially now that she was no doubt thinking about how fucking awesome my dick is.

My attempts were unsuccessful. This Legacy seemed to be a lot less direct than the Lumen. It seemed the more I tried the quieter things got – until everything was gone. It was as though someone had cut the power and everything faded to black.

But that didn't matter – Sarah was handing me a condom – mind reading could wait…