Chapter 11 "Family"
They're what we're born into in one sense or another. We have are own individual kinds, some good, some bad, some in-between, but at least we have them - or at least, we can make them out of something else besides blood-ties.
- Michael Mules, Journal Entry
After having dinner, the Mules family returned to the house, most of them with the desire to fall onto their beds. Michael, however, was losing his time in that blissful state more and more since that first attack in the alley. When they arrived at the house, he and Wendy walked to his car in haste, but Tracy followed suit.
"Hey Michael, can I come?" she asked hopefully.
"No Tracy. I'm just taking Wendy home, so I'll be back in a bit," he said stonily.
His little sister either didn't notice or disregarded that somewhat harsh manner in which he was speaking to her. She continued towards his car as he was opening the door for Wendy.
"Come on. You'll have company on the way back," she said, sounding both desperate and forceful.
Michael rolled his eyes before turning to face Tracy. "Shouldn't you be going to bed now, anyways?"
He looked to his parents desperately for help in getting Tracy to the house; Tracy caught this and looked to Angela and Daniel in an equal expression of a need for them to side with her.
"Michael, you sister obviously wants to spend more time with you," their mother said. "Just take her. I know she will behave. Right?"
The girl nodded and gave them all a face as if to say should that even be an issue?
The girl was persistent. Wendy had to say that.
"I'll be quiet and I'll let you guys talk the whole drive there," she offered.
Michael looked over to Wendy, who nodded with a smile. In the dinner that she had just had with the Mules family, she had come to like the youngest of them very much, as the girl had done most of the talking about her long trip.
"Okay, but don't start ranting, or else I'll tie your mouth with duck tape," Michael said, warningly pointing a finger at his younger sibling.
Making a small, happy jump, Tracy ran into the backseat of the car with a giggle. Michael sighed and entered his car.
Why does she have to be so insistent on anything that has to do with me?
"So Wendy, how did you and my brother get together?"
Amazing! He hadn't even started the car yet, and already she was starting to do her investigation on the latest coupling in their family. She always did this. Now Michael saw what always annoyed his older sisters about Tracy. He started the car and began driving without saying a word or even looking at either girl.
"Well, we met a month ago, and . . . I was just drawn by his uniqueness," Wendy explained.
"Uniqueness?" Tracy blink several times, then curled the tip of her lips. "I've always told him that he's unique, but he never believed me."
"He didn't?"
"No. I guess it sounds better coming out from a person who makes out with him," Tracy then added in a grin.
"Tracy!" Why did she insist on tagging along? Did she just want to torment him? "We-what is or isn't happening between us is none of your business."
"When he says that, it means it is happening." The eleven-year-old stood up from the backseat and placed her arms on the back of the front seats. "Irene says you two spend a lot of time out. What do you guys do, couples stuff?"
"Tracy, sit down and put your seatbelt on!" Michael said loudly in surprise. If she ended up getting injured, he would get a beaten from his mother that not even his abilities could save him from.
"I'm liking your sister more and more," Wendy said cheerfully.
For a brief second, Michael actually thought he might want to be attacked by his stalker again. Deep down, he knew that he shouldn't be upset with Tracy; before now he had always been on the same side as her when it came to things like this in their family. They had always been a team as a matter-of-fact, always being equally annoying to their older siblings.
But things were different now.
For one thing, he had Wendy and that put him on the other side of these harassments, and of course there was everything that had occurred in the time Tracy had been away: his powers, Dr. Suresh, these attacks.
He was in a completely different place now, which would change his bond with his little sister. He didn't feel like they could be the same as before. There was now this secret that he wouldn't dare risk revealing to anybody who already didn't know, and that would strain their once strong relationship.
They drove to the front of Wendy's house and they leaned towards each other before remembering that they weren't alone in the car and looked over to bright-eyed Tracy sitting down in contempt.
"Go on. You're not bothering me," she insisted.
"It was great meeting you, Tracy," Wendy told her. She shook hands with the younger girl before leaning over to Michael again, kissing him and then stepping out of the car.
"I'll see you at school, Michael," she said and closed the door.
Michael watched her walk to the house and disappear through the front door. With everything that was happening, he was scared for her safety; if these people decided to attack the ones that were closest to him, he didn't know what he would do if he couldn't protect them.
Now that fear was amplified with Tracy back home.
His little sister jumped from the backseat to the front, like he had always done, too. They were so much alike. What if something happens to you?
"She's nice. I like her." Tracy smiled brightly at him. He forced a smile back. "So are we going?"
"Yeah." He reached for the keys in the ignition, then pulled his hand back. "I'm glad you're home. I missed you."
"I missed you, too."
"Now put your seatbelt on," Michael added.
He stroked his little sister's shoulder before starting his car and driving down the street.
A few minutes went by after leaving Wendy's house without a word being spoken. This wasn't how they used to be. Before they could talk about anything.
Once again, Michael remembered that things were different.
"How about we go get some ice cream, Tracy?" he suggested, forcing a smile, again.
Tracy smiled back. "Definitely. It sucked that that restaurant didn't have any desserts. What were mom and dad thinking?"
"That it was fancy." Now Michael grinned without having to make himself do so. "They forgot what type of kids they have."
The two siblings shared a laugh that extinguished the tension there had been in the car before.
And then the moment was ruined by the familiar sound of a screech that meant trouble for Michael and the people around him. Tracy went wide-eyed when her brother lost his hold on the steering wheel and the car started to jerk from side to side.
"Michael, what's wrong?!" She grabbed the steering wheel and spun it to the left, avoiding a crash with a parked car on the side of the road.
The screeching stopped and Michael quickly grabbed the steering wheel again, relieving Tracy of her panicked control over the car. His hearing was opened at the moment to everything around him from some bit of a distance away. The neighborhood was for the most part quiet, so he managed to hear the cursing voice of a young woman.
"Of all the things to sit on," she yelped. Then there was a cell phone ringing.
Michael looked down the street ahead of them. There was a single car and for a few short seconds, his sight zoomed in on that car; he could see the figure of the driver, picking up a phone and flipping it open.
Without a thought, Michael pushed on the gas and honk his horn. As they neared the car the driver moved to the side and waved her arm when they didn't pass. Michael continued to honk his horn.
He could tell the driver turned her head to look at him, but unfortunately, he couldn't make out her face. The car of his stalker accelerated and he followed suit.
"Michael, what are you doing?" Tracy asked in panic, though she stayed surprisingly low in her tone of voice, but he wasn'tt listening. All Michael was focused on was cornering his stalker and forcing her to tell him why she was doing this.
He moved his car up behind her, staying just several inches away. Then he saw the driver taking her arm out through her window, and a small orb of flame struck out from it. Michael turned the wheel in a quick flash and made a sharp 90, driving onto the sidewalk and into a front lawn, barely avoiding being hit a car coming from the opposite direction.
Tracy had screamed for just a moment, but she stayed crouched against her seat, breathing heavily. Michael was also breathing hard, but it took a minute for him to realize it. He looked over to his little sister, seeing the fright that was in her face.
He had almost gotten himself killed. He had almost gotten her killed. What was he thinking? He was afraid of something happening to her because of his stalker and he ended up almost putting her in harm's way himself.
"Tracy, I'm sorry." He crouched down on his seat as well. "I am so sorry. I'm going through something right now that I can't explain."
He reached a hand out to her. "Please forgive me."
She didn't respond right away. When he moved a strain of hair from her face, she gazed at him with her heavy breathing in a look pure wonder. "It's okay," she said solemnly. "I forgive you."
He leaned to her and they embraced quietly. He then swore to himself that he would never endanger her life like this again.
We can't take our families for granted. When that happens we become careless with them; their trust in us is put on the line, and sometimes more. They're essential to out lives. We can't be reckless with them. We have to love them with everything we have.
- Michael Mules, Journal Entry
To be Continued