Quick Note: All these characters are MINE ( except for Desiree, but she's used with permission from here owner. Luv ya Lane!). Do no steal and such.
This story takes place in the Marvel Universe, however, you won't encounter ANY of them until about the second "season" of this, if it ever gets that far. I'll be making a character website for these characters soon. Until then... ENJOY! If you catch any spelling or grammatical errors that I may have missed, please feel free to send an email.
if the text after the line is centered, it is a Flash Back
if the text after the line is positioned to the left, then it is in the current time.
PhobiX – Episode 2 – How To Tell If You're A Mutant
"Mr. Collins… not all mutants are bad. Some of them help, like the ones in New York." A tall, muscular boy said to Mr. Collins, returning his raised hand to his desk.
"Phillip Peterson, you are so right," Mr. Collins started. It was a Tuesday, and nothing seemed to be going on. Unlike a lot of others, he was unaffected by the transferring of schools. His original High School was Whickerman, so all he got out of the accident was a new friend or two…
And a new secret. That day of the New Year's Dance was something that he'd never forget, whether he wanted to or not. Although Whickerman was one of four schools left untouched by the destruction, that did not mean it's inhabitants were unaffected. Phillip was living proof.
"However, most of the world does not view them as such. To us normals – I trust we all are before I continue – well, they are different. And if history has taught us anything, we know that we are afraid of change." Mr. Collins shook his head. "Jeffry Austin. What is your say on this topic?"
Phillip looked over to the new student, noticing him from the previous day. Wonder if anyone else had what happened to me… I can't believe it.
"I… have to go to the bathroom." The new student blurted out.
"Well, by the time you get back," Mr. Collins began to write a pass for him, "be prepared to write up the essay. As for the rest of you, you should be thinking on the assignment, and then beginning immediately." He walked over and handed the pass to Jeffry before stepping back in front of his class. "I need at least five pages for all you AP students. This should be easy."
There were a few groans and moans from the students, but Phillip was too busy thinking about that night. I should've just taken her home…
"Paul, when the hell are you gettin' off the phone?" Phillip sighed, sitting back on the couch, looking to the television screen. As he passed by the news, he saw that the time was around 7:20pm. He had more than a half hour to get to his school for the dance.
"Hol'up." Paul continued his conversation. "Yea. … What!? You let your cuz' use the truck? What the hell, man! That was our ride!"
Phillip rolled his eyes. He sure as hell ain't usin' mine. I got places to go. He flipped back onto the news. Only a few minutes had passed. He stood up off the couch and scratched his head.
"Hol' on, Isaac. Phillip!" Paul called out.
"What?" Damnit. Why'd I answer?
"I know you wanna lemme use your car tonight. Isaac's idiotic self let his cousin use the car."
"Nope. I got somewhere to go, remember?
"You gonna be at that place the entire time! What you need it sittin' out in the parking lot for?"
"You never know if I'm gonna go somewhere with Larhonda." Phill gave his brother 'the look,' signaling that he had plans for the night. Without another word, he headed upstairs to his room to get ready for the night of his life.
Larhonda. His girlfriend. He shook his head, looking over to Mr. Collins as his cell phone rang.
"Excuse me, class. I have to take this." Mr. Collins stepped out of the room, closing the door somewhat. Within a few minutes, the new boy walked in, Mr. Collins following behind him a few moments later. Mr. Collins sat at his desk and began looking through some papers, sighing once or twice.
"Attention teachers and students. Please excuse this interruption." A voice boomed over the intercom. "Teachers, please send all new transfer students to the gymnasium at this time for a brief meeting on school policies."
"You two are so lucky." Mr. Collins sighed and rolled his eyes. "Desiree, could you please escort Jeffry and Darrel to the gym, please?"
"Yes, Mr. Collins." She stood up and grabbed her purse, walking to the door to wait for the two male students.
Phillip looked over to them and leaned back in his seat, watching as they headed out of the room. Mr. Collins shuffling in his seat made him look back in that direction before looking back down at his paper.
It was about twenty-five minutes later when there was a weird rumbling sound that filled their classroom. Everyone stopped what they were doing and began whispering to each other, another soft rumble filling the halls.
"Uum… class. I think, in light of recent events, we should really try to ge—" Mr. Collins warning was cut short by the fire alarm. Everyone dashed out of the room, Phillip coming out last. Once everyone got outside, Phillip saw where the rumbles were coming from: the gym.
"What's going on?" Phillip approached his best friend, Joshua Baker.
"I don't know. All I heard was that this chick started these fires and put up some fiery barrier so no one can go in."
Another… mutant? I thought I was the only one around here. "Josh, I'm going to be right back. Gotta see if Larhonda is okay." He walked away from his friend, searching the crowd. I have to find her…
"Larhonda!" He yelled through the crowd of high fashioned people dancing the night away. Where is that sexy girl at, anyway? Stopping in the middle of the gymnasium, his eyes caught site to someone leaving the building through an exit leading to the side of the building. It wasn't Larhonda, though. Conner. He shook his head at the man and continued looking.
"You rang?" He heard a giggle behind him and turned around, seeing that beautiful girl of his. She was wearing an all white sparkly dress, something that looked like a toned-down wedding dress. Two dangling earrings adorned her ears with a few small, thin, sparkly white bracelets fashioning her right arm.
"Where did you go?" Phillip walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "You had me worried."
"I had to go to the bathroom." Another soft giggle and she moved in to place a peck on his lips. "Did I scare you," she said in a slightly mocking voice.
"Yup. You know I can't stand not bein' around you." He smiled, rocking here and there to the music. Suddenly, their dancing was interrupted.
"What was that?" Larhonda looked him in the eyes.
"My cell phone." He sighed, digging into his slacks' pocket. He looked at the caller I.D. on the outside of the closed phone, reading the name off in his head. "What the hell does he want?"
"Who?"
"It's my brother."
"LARHONDA!" Hands cupped his mouth to amplify his voice.
"You rang?"
Phillip spun around and upon seeing the woman, hugging her tightly. "How long have you heard me? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Chill out." Larhonda rolled her eyes with a smile, managing to wiggle out of the bear hug. "Just heard you, and I came over. Something wrong?"
"No. I was just… worried. I heard something was going on inside the gym."
"Yea. I heard some of the girls talk about a mutant."
"That's what Joshua told me. Wond—" Both of them looked towards the school, hearing a voice over the intercom. The two easily recognized the voice: Mr. Lawrence.
"Students, teachers, and staff! Please return to your classrooms! This is an ORDER!"
"I'm not going back in there. Do you want a ride home?" Phillip turned back to look to his girlfriend.
"Can I go back to your place? I forgot my key…"
"Of course." He kissed her, wrapped an arm around her back and began walking her to his car. This is worth skipping football practice for…
Jeffry walked down the aisle on the morning bus, sitting next to the guy he'd known for more than five months. "'Sup, Dandino?"
"Nothin' much. What'd you do after we hung up?"
"I went to sleep. Yesterday was a really busy day, and I was really tired." Jeffry rubbed his eyes, leaning back in his seat some. His head titled in the direction of his friend, switching his gaze from him to the window occasionally.
"I feel ya. Hey, by the way, what lunch do you have?"
Jeffry raised an eyebrow and began looking through his notebook, looking for the schedule he was given. Out of the eight 45-minute classes, there was one reserved for lunch. And out of a possible four lunches, each student got one. And the one Jeffry was assigned…
"I have third period lunch. Why?"
"Seriously? Cool. I'm going to find you then. This school hasn't seen the true faces of Dandino and Jeffry just yet!"
"…You mean Jeffry and Dandino." Jeffry smiled and shook his head.
"Nope. Dandino and Jeffry. Has a nice… flow to it."
"Jeffry and Dan---" Camera fades.
Phillip sat down at his lunchroom table, soda bottle on the table with his bag of chips next to it. He couldn't concentrate. I hope she's okay…I walked her to class and even waited until the teacher started teaching. She's okay… I know it. There was a deep inhale of air. No guy was supposed to be that overprotective over a girl. Well, unless you've been through what I have. He shook his head.
As his hand extended to grab his chips, it diverted to an open space on the table. The thought of doing it again was driving him to try. He'd tried to do it ever since then, hoping to, when the time came, protect his girlfriend again. And fight back against such things. But nothing worked. He'd thought of protection, he'd thought of love. In any normal TV-situation, those feelings would've been the ones that activated that miracle again. What the hell did I do that caused it…He forced himself to remember. It was the only way he was going to be able to protect her again…
"What do you want?" Phillip moved over to a wall, looking over to Larhonda for the last time before he put his focus onto the conversation.
"Dude… We need a spare tire. Can you get us one?"
"What the hell?! What happened?"
"I don't know. Tyrone said he could pick up me and Isaac and he'd drop off his lil' bro at Gwynn Park so he could go to his dance. And on the way there, we got a flat.… I have no idea how we got it."
"You all just potentially ruined a good night. And I mean a good night."
"Don't act like you haven't ruined potentially good mornings for me, too, bro."
"Whatever. You all still at Gwynn Park?"
"Yea, a lil' bit up the road. You comin?"
"I just have to get the spare from home and I'll be over there." Without another word, he hung up the phone and went back to Larhonda.
"So, what'd he call for?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself in close.
"His ride suddenly got a flat tire. I have to go."
"Aww. Can I come with?"
"It'll be boring… If you can wait for me here, I promise to be back soon. Once I get the tire from my house, I'll be back here."
"Your house?" She raised an eye brow, evil grin appearing on her face. Phillip could tell she had thoughts running through her mind. "Who said you have to come back immediately… if I go with you?"
"Go with me? Why would you—Oh." Phillip returned the grin, grabbing her by an arm and helping her outside to his car. And it can STILL be a good night.
Lust? Phillip thought the idea was weird, but tried it anyway. He thought of doing the same thing he did in the car. He thought of saving her. Then switched his feelings to lust, hoping it would activate that miracle again. Nothing. He sighed, grabbing his bag of chips.
When he went to get a chip from the bag a few seconds later, he noticed it wasn't there. Eyes went to look up to see that he had unconsciously thrown the bag out of anger. Oh shit. At Whickerman, food fights weren't uncommon. In the first two weeks of the school year, a total of six had happened. The janitors were pissed; so was everyone who got hit.
"FOOD FIGHT!"
Oh shit. Oh shit! Everyone heard the scream. Phillip was probably the first to cover his head, trying to avoid all the mess he could. I would've bought an umbrella if I had known this was going to happen.
He peeked up in time to see a taco salad being plunged in his direction, along with seeing food fly everywhere. His eyes closed back again to await the stain he was going to have to wash out of his clothes.
"Who the hell starts a food fight!?" Jeffry and Dandino ran to one of the more empty tables, hiding behind books and jackets they were carrying with them. They managed to avoid some lettuce as they ducked. Making sure he wasn't to be caught, Jeffry mentally flinged some of the ammunition away from them, keeping them somewhat safe.
Jeffry's eyes turned to watch a boy – Isn't that the guy from my last period? – still sitting at a table, seeming to not care about the food. But upon closer observation, he saw him with his head under his hands. But this sight alone was not what caused him to widen his eyes, and make sure Dandino got squashed in the face with something messy.
Why did the food stop right before it hit him?!
Phillip had been asking himself that very same question ever since he dashed from the lunchroom. He went straight into an empty classroom, closing and locking the door so he could have his privacy. Both hands gripped his head and he began to pace.
"There is no way I'm a mutant…Besides, it was a different feeling." He shook his head. The feeling he felt this time around was different, yet still the same. It was weird. All Phillip could do now would be to clench his head and lean against a wall, forcing more images of that night back into view.
"So, where exactly are they?" Larhonda said, fixing her dress to get comfortable as they drove.
"At Gwynn Park." There was a red light. He slowed down and turned his head to her. "And my house isn't to far from it. So if we can pick up the tire and be back at the house before you have to be home… We'll have the place to ourselves at least until midnight." Phillip grinned, trying his best to clue his girlfriend in on 'possible' plans.
Green. Phillip put his foot on the pedal and began driving down the road. It was basically empty now. He peeked over at Larhonda who he heard yawn, smiling a bit. He rolled his eyes and looked back to the road. There was another stoplight. Foot went onto the brake slowly, causing them to stop at their designated place.
As he waited, he looked back over to his girlfriend, just to look at her. So beautiful. How the hell is she that damn beautiful? His head filled with thoughts and dreams of later on, feelings arising that needed to stay put for the time being.
Suddenly there was a boom. A large boom that filled the air. Larhonda woke up instantly, looking all around.
"What was that?" Phillip looked around, trying to find the source of such noise. There another one, and a few more accompanied it. In the distance, they saw something.
"Holy shit! Did something just blow up?" Larhonda pointed to something that looked like it was on fire, a plume of smoke drifting into the air.
There was a rumble this time. It was different from the boom. With a look forward, one would think it was what just appeared before them. But, in a few seconds, they found out it wasn't. They would soon find out it was much, much worse.
A rumble. A rumble that sounded all too familiar to high school students: the changing of classes. Following such were a few loud booms: the sound of the door being knocked on. Oh shit. Phillip stumbled to his feet, running to the door. It was a teacher he didn't know, and he had no idea how to explain his hiding-situation to him. Phillip pushed on the door once he heard the man had unlocked it, locking it back with the inside lock.
"What the hell?" He could hear the frustration in the teacher's voice, still trying to think of a way out. Where is the brick wall when you need it? Phillip pushed the door with one hand, stepping back and gripping his head, thinking of how he could get out of there before security was called. That… that feeling. It's back!
Finally, he was able to pinpoint, somewhat, what the feeling was. It was there long enough now, and he had time to focus on it. Hand outstretched before him, sensing something was there occupying the space. The sense was weird; he could feel that something was there, but he knew it wasn't. And with his mind, he could somehow make out the shape of a wall, without ever really picturing or seeing it. His hand went out far enough for him to justify said feelings. Hand brushed past a rough wall… a wall that wasn't there.
"Why the hell won't this door open?"
Phillip looked to the door, stepping back. There was nothing there, but he could tell that there really was. Apparently, it was holding the door in place. …Like a brick wall? There was no way… He heard the teacher bang onto the door, before everything went quiet.
"Oh shit." Phillip gasped and rushed to the door, forgetting all about the wall that was supposed to be there. He grabbed the handle, pulled it open, and rushed out; without looking back, he could tell the man had went to get someone to open his door. Meshing with the other students that filled the hallways, he made his way to his next class. It was the only place he could hide out and research his feelings. Lucky him, he was a student assistant during this period. This left him a full forty-five minutes to try and figure out what just happened. "Hello, Mr. Rico. Mind if I do some research… for… a project?" A nod from his teacher assured him of work-freedom. He chose a seat secluded from most others, turned the monitor so only he could view, logged into the school system, and went to his number one search engine. Into the search field, he typed in the first thing that came to mind: "how to tell if you're a mutant."
I know what I saw. Jeffry said, picking a pickle from his shirt, tossing it into the trash as he walked to his locker, checking the contents for a spare shirt that he knew didn't exist. Slightly frustrated at that, he turned around, leaning against the lockers with his own wide open. There's more than just a few mutants in this area… He acted like he didn't even know he was doing it… He knew he could relate.
Turning back around, he searched through the papers and his notebook for his schedule; he pulled it out and read it over. If the times were correct, it was about to be fourth period. And he knew he had that guy in the very last period of the day. That leaves me… a long time to decide how to approach him. He rolled his eyes, tidying things back up before locking his locker and proceeding to his next class. It should be fun to have another mutant around though…
"When you're done with your assignments," Mr. Rico instructed the class, "please hand them in to Phillip to grade."
Not now! I'm busy! He quickly read a few more words from the monitor before minimizing his sites; he had to make sure no one would 'accidentally' look at his stuff. One by one, tons of the actual high school students and the occasional transferee handed him papers. Then came the last few transfer students who still had to be caught up.
Eyes quickly scanned over the work, mind elsewhere thinking of the words he read during his search. They said it normally happens after puberty… No, that's not right. It's not F6 that refreshes… But I hit puberty way back in elementary school… It's F5 dumbasses. Red X's went across papers, with the right answer scribbled next to each one. Control F brings up the search… I wonder why it came so late? Finally, a right answer. Maybe it was that gay-ass situation that— why can't they get that right? I'm a mutant—Not F7 either. Better than being gay, I guess. Mutant. He shook his head, managing to get through all of the papers.
"Do you want me to pass them out, too?"
"Done already? Wow. Make sure you put the grades in."
"Alright." Mind still elsewhere, for the next five minutes, Phillip entered each individual grade into the school's system, saving and standing back up from the desk, restacking the papers and getting them straight. The majority of the students he knew – as in, the ones who've been there since the beginning of the school year. Every now and again, one of the transferees caused him a bit of trouble with the name to face connection. But, alas, there was that last paper; he handed it to the final transferee and went back to his desk, bringing his sites up to finish reading.
Not too long after that, however, he heard some sort of gasp. He knew the gasp was because of him. He knew it meant trouble. Like that rumble… that night…
"Holy shit! Did something just blow up?" Larhonda pointed to something that looked like it was on fire, a plume of smoke drifting into the air.
There was a rumble. Phillip looked everywhere for the source of it, but none could be found. They were silent for a moment. "Strap in." He instructed his girlfriend, who followed without any confrontation. Phillip put his foot on the gas and was off.
From behind, they could suddenly hear a loud crash; a look into any mirror would show that the intersection had just apparently been struck by a huge meteor. There was another loud crash behind them, followed by another… followed by one more in front. The car skidded, they screamed. They saw a truck in front of them speeding towards them, only to catch a glimpse of that soaring through the air and crashing onto them. Before Phillip passed out, he could hear the faint screams of his girlfriend, along with the crunching of metal. There was a smell of burning rubber and such filling the air, a sharp pain in his right hand – upon looking, he saw a piece of shrapnel lodged into it – and then everything went black.
Quickly turning around, he saw that last student. His eyes were in his direction. This computer is not that far away… Did he see what I was looking at? Obviously, he did. Oh shit! In a panic, he X'd out every site and turned off the monitor, trying his best to look calm and cool as he saw the student walk closer. His name, as he learned through the rigorous trial and error of passing out papers, was Kenneth Coleman, one of the 8th graders. Why the hell is he walking towards me…?
"Wh…wh….what…"
"Yes… Kenneth?" He gulped. He was scared shitless. What if he saw? What if he knows!?
"Why did you write… that as one of the answers?" Kenneth asked him, pointing to the paper. Phillip exhaled heavily, relieved it was just a mistake.
"Oh crap. My bad…" He took the paper back and scribbled the answer out, writing what was supposed to be there. "Had… research on my mind. I'll make sure next time not to write down what I'm thinking. Heh. Just be glad you aren't one." Just be glad you're not one a freak like me…
Kenneth looked froze for a bit, but managed to spit out a few words, "Y-yea… Sure," before returning to his seat just as fast as he came. Phillip turned back around and sighed, leaning back. The quick flash of memory from the accident worried him still, however. He knew he would have to go check up on her after the period was over. He had to make sure she was all right.
His eyes shot open. His brain was suddenly kicked into overdrive, processing the various bits of information his mind was gathering. From what his position, he could see the night sky, with a few plumes of smoke in the air. LARHONDA! He was up now. On to his feet, flashes of the crash began to play in his head as he made his way back towards the car. Upon reaching the car, he took a moment to stop. Wait… I was in the car when the accident happened. Right hand went up to scratch his head in wonder. Total fear filled his system when he remembered the sharp pain in that very same hand, pain that no longer existed, nor did a scar.
Phillip looked over the hand up and down and every-which-way. No shrapnel, no pain, not even blood. "How come I don't have… what's that?" He sniffed the air. Gas? He looked the car up and down, trying to find the source. There was a trail of gas leading from the car to the truck, which seemed to have been tossed a couple feet away. How did it get all the way over there? He made his way over there, looking inside for a driver. …No one? How can it be that no one was dri—Why did it get stronger? He sniffed the air again. More gas. Suddenly without notice, the truck caught on fire, forcing Phillip back to the car, out of the heats radius.
"What the hell is up with this scenario!?" Then, it hit him. He looked back to the ground, to the trail of gas. Then to the fire. "Oh shit…Larhonda! Get up!" He made his way inside of the vehicle, trying to squeeze her – somehow, unharmed – body out of the car. Nothing. A peek behind him told him that the trail of gas was officially ignited. Grabbing onto his girlfriend anyway he could, he closed his eyes and tried to pull her out one last time. Just protect her…Shield her! Then the boom.
It was time for 8th Period. Phillip made his way down the hallway, ready for this day to be over. It had been filled with food fights, and weird new abilities that had just resurfaced from over two weeks ago. Luckily, this was it for him today. If he could just make it though this class without a problem, he'd only have Thursday and Friday left to endure. Making his final turn before the straight path, he readjusted the notebook in his hand, picking up the pace – the late bell was due to ring any second now. Outside of Mr. Collins door, he could see one of his classmates, one of the new ones. What's his name, again? Jamal or something… Suddenly, there was a tug on the bottom of his notebook, causing it to fall and splatter papers everywhere. The late bell rang.
"Great. Just great. Now I'm late for class." Phillip sighed, bending down to pick up the papers.
"I'll help." The classmate of his walked over to help him.
"Thanks. I got it, though." He finished with the papers and stuffed them into his notebook, standing back to his feet in sync with the other.
"Hey, do you think I could talk to you about something?"
"Can this wait until after class? I have to keep up my grade if want to stay on the football team…"
Jeffry! That's his name! Phillip saw Jeffry look around them as the hallway cleared, taking this time to clear his own throat.
"Not really…" There was a cough to clear the congestion and Jeffry placed both hands into his pockets, staring half-way at the ground and half-way at Phillip. "…I … know."
"Then why ask if we can talk? Already barely passing Collins." Phillip rolled his eyes and began to walk towards the room.
"No. I mean… I know. About it."
That made Phillip stop. He turned around and took a few steps back towards him.
"What do you mean 'you know?' What do you 'know' about?" There was an awkward silence. And for that moment, Phillip actually thought the boy was a mutant like himself. But with too much time passing, he decided to let that hope fade. "…Whatever." Phillip turned back around and reached for the doorknob which was finally in reach. However, he never grabbed it. His eyes were glued to Jeffry; he was in awe. From the moment he began to reach for the doorknob, he knew he heard something. He didn't have to completely look at his surroundings to hear that every lock in the hallway was being lifted and dropped constantly, and that a random window or two opening and closing wasn't just coincidence.
"I know… that you're a mutant, too."
Well, kinda cheesy. But it got the job done, didn't it? Jeffry and Phillip were nowhere near Mr. Collins anymore. They were in the front of the building, sitting on a wooden table used to eat lunch outside.
"How'd you know?" Phillip looked to the ground, trying to fully come to terms with what he was.
"I saw you at lunch… The food just stopped right in front of you." Jeffry looked around, breathing softly. His breath could still be seen in the wintry-air, but it wasn't truly that cold. It was so that they didn't need a jacket, unless the wind was bothering them.
"But, how'd you know I did it?"
"Just a hunch. Besides, everyone else was preoccupied with the flying food." Jeffry gave a weak laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
"I'm still not sure about it. But I know I did it…"
"How many times has it happened?"
There was a silence, Phillip counting the number of times since the accident. "Only about three or four times. Ever since two weeks ago… the day of that big accident."
Jeffry's body temperature rose slightly, causing him to sweat a little bit. At the same time, a chill ran through his body as well, making him feel extremely weird. "The… accident? You mean… the day the schools decided to hold the dances?"
"Yea." Phillip looked towards him. "I was driving to get a flat tire with me and my girlfriend and… something crashed into the road, causing us to hit this truck."
Oh crap. Jeffry was stunned. I did all of that?
"After we crashed, I guess I blacked out. But when I woke up, I was out of the car without a scratch on me. And…" He gripped his head; to Jeffry, it looked like the memory was painful.
"Your girlfriend… Was she alright?" Jeffry gulped.
"Yea. Not a scratch on her either. But the truck caught on fire… and this trail of gas… It all caught on fire. I wrapped my arms around her to protect her… Then…. I don't exactly know what happened."
"Well, first off, what can you do? I didn't exactly see anything at lunch but the food hit this… nothing-ness."
"I'm not sure." He shook his head. "I mean, from what I've seen so far… I just think and something happens. On the road, I wanted to protect her with a shield or something… And today at lunch, I kinda wished I bought an umbrella to save me. And after that, I just wanted a brick wall or something to stop the teacher from getting in the classroom I was hiding in."
He listened to his description of the events, trying to think of something. "I don't know what to tell you. My guess is you can make shields or something…"
"But…", he started, "I got this feeling each time. The first time wasn't much, but I could feel it. At lunch… I don't know how to describe it… but I felt like there was an umbrella in front of me. I couldn't see it, but I knew something was there. It felt like I even knew where the handle was."
Jeffry could only remain silent, letting everything Phillip said sink in. He didn't know what he could do; it was very confusing. He'd never heard of such an ability. No one in any of the fiction stories and shows he watched ever displayed anyone with an ability such at this. It would require more research if he was to fully understand it.
"Well, just know that… I'm here for you." He realized they hadn't been properly introduced yet. "By the way, in case you hadn't heard, I'm Jeffry." He held out his hand.
There was a pause, a moment of awkward silence between them. But in his own time, Phillip shook his hand in return. "Phillip." Upon letting go of his hand, he sighed and looked around ahead of him before turning his gaze back to Jeffry. "What exactly is it that you do? The thing with the locks was kinda weird…"
"I think I'm telek---" There was a noise from behind them; the two of them looked behind them, looking over the school. What was that? It sounded like something hit the ground…"Did you hear that?"
"Yea, had to make sure I wasn't the only one." The two hopped off the table, walking slowly towards the sound. They were getting closer and closer to the school now. "Oh shit…"
Jeffry looked to Phillip, then followed his now pointing finger up to the roof. They had stopped just in time to see that there was a figure on the roof. It looked to be a girl. And she didn't look like one of the janitors.
"MOVE OUT THE WAY!" The girl screamed down to them. Jeffry backed up some more, allowing him to fully see the girl. "I SAID MOVE!"
"What the hell is she doing?!" Phillip took one step back, a tear from the girl 150 feet above barely missing his face. He turned his head to look at Jeffry. "I think she's gonna jump!"
"Whatever you do! DON'T GET TO CLOSE TO THE EDGE!" Jeffry cupped his hands over his mouth, screaming to her.
"SHUT UP! NOTHING IS WORTH LIVING FOR ANYMORE!" They could both see that her arms were folding and unfolding rapidly, as if she wasn't sure of how she wanted them in her last moments. Her hair was a mess, and there was a small stack of books to her side.
"But nothing is worth dieing over!" Jeffry replied back to her.
"THAT STUPID ACCIDENT KILLED MY BOYFRIEND!"
Jeffry's heart stopped for a moment. I… did what? He gulped, blinking. He was at a loss for words.
"Jeffry… Jeffry!" Phillip shook him out of his coma-like state. "We need to go get help!"
"Alright," Jeffry said, "I'll go get a counselor and the principal and some people, while you try to calm her down. Okay? See if you can like… 'shield' her way down or something."
"But--- wha--- I---" Phillip didn't have time to get a word out. Jeffry was already gone.
"You'll do fine!" Jeffry said as he ran inside, mind filled with a deep thought… I can't believe I killed someone…
So, he was left with the psycho-chick. Juuuuust wonderful. Phillip cast his gaze up to the roof of the school, trying to think of a way to calm her down.
"Please… girl…. PLEASE DON'T JUMP!" It was the only thing he could think of, so he went with that. Apparently, however, this plea went in vain.
"No one can save me…" Her voice level dropped slightly, and he could see her take a step closer to the edge. There wasn't much time left.
What I wouldn't give for a ladder right now! He snapped his fingers in protest with his dumb luck. Shaking his head, he began walking in circles for a few seconds before noticing a strange feeling he head. What the hell…He looked around for a moment, trying to identify why this strange feeling kept occurring.
At first, there was nothing. But upon closer observation with the wall, there was a strange presence – a tall presence, at that – that he felt was causing this. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel something was there, in his mind and body somehow. He reached out his right hand to feel if the presence was also physical. To his surprise… he could feel something that felt like cold metal. Upon further moving of his hand along where he thought he felt the presence, he came to the conclusion that there was truly something there. Something that was not there before. A… ladder? He stood in front of this presence and grabbed a part of it, beginning the climbing process. It seemed to be at an incline, and he continued to go up, his body knowing exactly how to climb the invisible object.
"What the hell are you doing! GET DOWN!"
This is freaky… I'm climbing an invisible ladder? He shook his head, almost not hearing the girl. As he ascended upward, he tried to make sure she didn't jump on his way up, opening his mouth to speak. "Don't--- AAAAH!!!" He was about ten feet off the ground, but after speaking only that one word, he had come face-to-face with the ground. "Ow, shit…" He sat up, tending to his aching parts.
It just… went away? I didn't even get a chance to finish my sentence. With that one word it… He blinked, looking back up to the girl, thinking back. It went away…
That boom scared him shitless; he was certain they were both set to die that night. But upon opening his eyes, he found himself virtually in the same spot, with the car totally unharmed -- well, as unharmed as it was before the explosion. What the hell…? He first looked to Larhonda, checking to make sure she was still okay. When that was through, he climbed out of the vehicle, looking around. The other car ceased to exist, so there wasn't much of anything else to look at but shrapnel, minor flames, and a few things tossed her and there.
Accompanying the nothing-ness around him now was this feeling. This feeling that something was there, but he knew he couldn't see it. The feeling seemed to explain everything about itself to him unconsciously, somehow knowing that it formed a dome around him and his girlfriend. Hand reached out to touch it, but the chance was never allowed.
There was a cough coming from the lying girl. "Phillip…" Her voice was weak, but she was alive.
"Larhonda!" The feeling faded, and the thought entirely was pushed to the back of his mind. He hugged her, kissed her, and helped her up.
Talking! Talking gets rid of the feeling! He looked up, seeing her even closer to the edge than she was the last time.
"Goodbye love… May I see you soon…" Her body tilted forward slightly… and she plummeted.
Oh shit! Phillip scrambled to his feet, suddenly getting a huge boost of adrenaline. He knew what he had to do. His right and left hand were positioned like they were holding something and he wished. Trampoline! The feeling was back. It was different, but like that first time, it was all explained to him. He pulled it under the falling girl's path and let go, taking a step back just in time to see her fall right on the spot…
Her body bounced a bit, bounced again, again, again, and again until coming to a complete stop.
"Are you alright?" Phillip neared her, watching her finish her plummet to the ground safely, helping her up. When he didn't get an answer, he checked her. She must've fainted from the fall…
"Phillip! I got them! They're going up--- How'd she get down?" Jeffry came running back to him, out of breath, with a few adults behind him.
With a smile, and new found confidence, he replied "I caught her."
"So, you mean to tell me she fell and you… wait… what did you say you did again?"
Third lunch. The very next day. The incident hadn't even been reported on the news, and the girl thought she dreamt most of it, so there identities were safe. Jeffry and Phillip were sitting at a table across from each other, laughing, talking, and eating their lunch.
"I told you a billion times!" Another laugh from Phillip, pulling out a G.I. Joe man for his example. "Okay, she was on the roof," he said, positioning it high above the lunch table, "and then suddenly she just fell off." he showed this in the example. With a free hand, he grabbed an empty milk carton from Jeffry's tray, positioning it under the action figure. "Then, I somehow just knew how to work my powers and… there was a trampoline. She bounced," he displayed," and bounced and bounced. Then I talked – which I found out makes my stuff go away – picked her up, and then you came." He dropped the toy on the table to take a bite of his food.
"Wow… Dude, this is crazy. How weird is this?" Jeffry said, sipping the last of his orange juice from the carton.
"But remember, you can't tell ANYONE!" He smiled, reaching out a hand to pick up his toy. But, from what Jeffry could suddenly tell, Phillip looked like he had seen a ghost.
"What… What's wrong?" Jeffry said, looking to where Phillip was pointing: the G.I. Joe. It was… standing, with it's arms crossed.
"Are you doing that?" Phillip asked Jeffry, who shook his head.
"No, he's not doing it," the action figure talked. The two teens almost fell out of their seats. "AND YOU BETTER NOT TELL ANYONE MY SECRET, PHILLIP!" The doll turned to face Phillip, little fingers balled into a fist, hands in a pre-boxer stance, giving him the angriest face ever…