3. Perdido Beach
I was sitting in the back of a convertible, next to Caine, wearing my nicest Coates outfit. I absolutely loathed the uniform. I had practically begged Caine to let me wear something else, anything else, but he had refused. He wanted everyone to look uniform he said, he said. It wasn't really that bad, he said. Well he didn't have to wear one. I was stuck in my stuffy Coates uniform while he got to wear a soft yellow sweater, and a nice pair of sunglasses he had stolen from the headmaster's office.
Our driver, a twelve year old boy named Adrian, was creeping along at just under ten miles per hour. "Gee, at this pace we should make it there by a quarter past eternity!" I gripped. Drake rammed the BMW he was driving into the back of our car, obviously impatient. My head snapped forward and hit the seat in front of me.
Drake rolled down the window and laughed openly. I stuck my hand high in the air and flipped him off. Caine turned and yelled, "Knock it off Drake."
Drake rolled the window back up, still smiling and shaking his head. We passed the grocery store on the edge of town, it wouldn't be too long now. Caine unbuckled his seatbelt, eager for our arrival. "Not wise," I muttered.
"I don't really want to hear it Diana. Not today."
"Fine, I don't care if you break your neck trying to look cool. Hey if you're going to go out you might as well go out with style."
He used his telekinesis to unbuckle my seatbelt as well. "Much better. You still don't look as cool as me, but I'd still say it's an improvement."
"Hilarious," I said without laughing, "I'm laughing on the inside believe me."
Caine's shoulders slumped slightly; mission accomplished. We drove into the town plaza. A loose group of kids were gathering around, staring in awe at our pageantry of vehicles. I smirked, despite myself. Seeing the looks on all their faces, so worried, so unsure, so scared.
The car stopped, not quite smoothly. Caine pulled his sunglasses off and tossed them on the seat. "Showtime," he said, flashing a grin.
"Introducing the narcissistic, the deceiving, the always controlling, Caine Soren! And the crowd goes wild! Not." I mocked him.
He rolled his eyes, taking no offense to my harshness. He stood up and waved to the crowd like a beauty pageant queen. I rolled my eyes. He jumped out of the car. Before he addressed the crowd he turned to me. "Smile, look reassuring. Lure them into a false sense of calm."
"Whatever you say Fearless Leader." He raised his eyebrows skeptically, I flashed a movie star smile. "Better."
He began his speech that I had helped him rehearse the night before. Already knowing what he was saying I didn't bother to pay attention. I lazily searched the crowd. Most of the older kids were in the front, the younger ones cowered near the back. There were a few of the older kids at the very back of the crowd though. Two boys and a girl. The one boy was, frankly, quite strange. His clothes and hair were untidy and loud. The second boy was tall, handsome, with an air that made him seem older than he was. The girl was whispering to the handsome boy. I tried to read her lips, but was unsuccessful. She was pretty; nice hair, nice face. In her eyes there was an intelligence that seemed entirely her own.
I looked away from them. Tried to focus in on what Caine was saying. When I looked though, he was no longer standing in front of the crowd. It took me a moment to find him. He was kneeling before a small boy in the crowd. He was obviously trying to comfort the child, who was near tears. I laughed at how cliché it was. A lion trying to comfort a lamb.
"If it's okay with everyone here, I would like to borrow your church." Caine was saying. "I would like to down with your leaders, in the presence of our Lord, and discuss my plan, and any changes you want to make. Are there maybe, oh, a dozen people who could speak for you."
A beefy boy carrying a baseball bat stepped forward. He spoke with Caine briefly. He was a bully no doubt. He fit the stupid thug stereotype perfectly. He would be easy to manipulate. If not by force, by lust. Even the bullies got lonely sometimes.
A small red haired girl stepped forward and squeaked, "Sam Temple here went into a burning building to rescue a little girl. He can speak for me anyway."
A few other people agreed and the crowd parted, revealing the handsome blond boy at the back. Temple. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it.
Caine stepped towards him. "Sam is it? It sounds like you truly are a hero. Are you related to our school nurse, Connie Temple?"
"She's my mother." Sam said.
That was it. Nurse Temple's little boy. Caine spoke with him for a little longer before turning towards the church. Several people, a few from Coates, a few of the townies, followed. I intercepted Sam at the door of the church. I held out my hand, making sure it was cool and not at all sweaty.
He took it, I saw the coldness register in his face. "I'm Diana. Diana Ladris." I squeezed his hand, making it impossible for him to let go.
"Sam Temple," he replied. I barely noticed. I focused on the reading. I felt a little electrical current spring out of his arm and enter my hand.
"Ah," I said when I realized exactly how many bars he was. I let his hand fall, and tried to disguise my smirk. "Well, well. I guess we'd better go in. We don't want to leave Fearless Leader without followers."
I strutted into the church and took my place on Caine's right side. Drake stood to his left, smiling maliciously. Caine introduced us all, leaving Computer Jack last. After that Caine launched into his big speech about maintaining order, and establishing a system of government. Yeah, right. The Perdido Beach kids were bigger idiots than I had originally thought if they were buying any of what Caine was saying.
There was a brief resistance from the fat boy, Orc, and his toadies. Caine handled it easily, with no help needed from me or Drake. Caine announced everyone's jobs: Drake was sheriff, Mary Terra-something was the brat-sitter, Chubby and company would assist Drake as deputies.
Chubby and co. didn't take too kindly to this idea. Harold, or Howard, refused to work under Drake. Fury flashed in Caine's face, it lasted only a second. "Here we go." I whispered to myself.
Whatever Caine was planning for the rebellious bullies I didn't want to see it. I focused on Sam instead. It was a curious little thing, gauging the power levels of others. It wasn't as easy as Caine seemed to think. It wasn't like I just had to touch someone and I suddenly saw two or three bars. No, it was much more complicated. I didn't see their power, I felt it. In the instant that I touched them it was like I borrowed there power. For just a second I could feel the power, or lack thereof, coursing through my body. After I felt it, it was easy to tell how many bars someone had.
I had only experienced the incredible jolt of power I got from Sam a few times before. Whenever Caine touched me. Perhaps that was the reason I didn't object to his touching me so often. I liked the feeling of invincibility it gave me.
"Help me, help me!" Someone bellowed, breaking through my thoughts. I large kid was rolling on the floor in obvious agony, blood bursting out of his shoulder. The massive wooden crucifix was on the ground in a heap of rubble.
I bit back a smile and returned my focus to Sam. The pretty little blonde whispered something to him. Again I tried to read her lips to no avail. The kid continued to scream, so loud it was hard for me to hear myself think.
Caine obviously annoyed with it too said, "This is terrible. Does anyone know first aid? Sam? Your mother was a nurse."
The blond girl stood up, grabbed her little brother, and ran out of the church. Sam didn't seem to have a clue about first aid. Caine looked at me briefly, as if he hoped I might have a solution. I gave him a look that said, 'This is your problem not mine'.
A short brunette girl stood and went to the screaming boy's aid. Caine appointed her nurse. I glided over to Caine and whispered, "Way to lure them into a false sense of calm. I think we should keep an eye on little miss prissy. She doesn't seem to like you."
Caine smiled slightly, and nodded to me. "This meeting is adjourned till we can help our wounded friend…what is his name? Cookie?"
Caine beckoned Drake and I down the aisle. I made sure to look poised, confident, and above all else stylish. Drake stopped half way to give orders to his new minions. I paid him no mind. Caine steered us towards town hall, our new place of honor.