Mike clenched onto my hand, to worried about my well being to let go. Sensitive to the touch, I could feel his breathing, his heart pounding through his chest. Though I could feel everything that was going on, I was trapped in my mind.
"You can't go this way! Go back." Voices passed through the wonder of my mind. A tall man stuttered words of no meaning. Wrinkles overlapped his eyes and mouth, only revealing a mass of spiders replacing his nose. Shivers crept up my bones, violently shaking my weak limbs. I shut my eyes with such a force that when I opened my eyes, all I could see, for only moments, were colors. Which eventually ebbed away too quick, unfortunately. Masses of hundreds of people were running towards us and I jumped, but the tug on my hand gave me the signal that nothing was there. My stomach rose to my throat in pure agony: I knew my sanity was disintegrating every second. Crying would be of no help, for I knew for a fact that there was worse to come for my state.
"Why won't you ever listen to me Renee?" I heard Mike scold me. His voice was not coming from next to me, but yards away in front of me. On the ground next to him was I, pathetically rubbing my bloody face and looking at Mike's hand, saturated with my own blood. Fear pricked at my head. I remember when he did that. That was only a few hours ago. What did I do? No light bulb brightened the dark recesses of my brain. Only then did I realize that, that never happened in the first place. So I shook my head from the realistic false memory that haunted my soul. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Steamy breaths created a stench so wretched and foul that I felt light headed and woozy. I turned my head, my teeth clenched, to find nothing. My breathing wavered while my heart raced faster and faster. Bones stiffened in my body, but I soldiered on, walking in pace with Mike: the only person keeping me from going completely insane.
"Why won't you listen? You must find another way to get to your dad." A deep voice clearly warned me. A gust of wind rose then knocked me to the hardened ground. The veil that fogged my troubled mind finally lifted. Comforting joy and relief forced me to laugh to the point where my legs were jelly and I could not support myself. All of a sudden, something possessed me. Whatever this was, was only allowing me to have my thoughts. Not my ability to speak, move or any other normal functions I would usually have control over. It was as if I was a puppet in a dream.
"Turn around." My eyes clouded and I spoke. I scrunched up my eyebrows in dismay. Mike stopped dead in his tracks.
"Come one Renee. You are not exactly mentally sound right now. It is just the shock." He grabbed my hand.
"No we are falling into a trap!" I argued. What am I saying? Summoning all of the strength I had left in me for that one brisk moment, I staggered to the side, fighting for my body back.
"Renee, we are going to see your father, okay? He won't be alive for long if we stop now." He pulled me. I tossed him to the side with wind then I started to choke. My shaking hands wrapped around my neck. A person appeared in front of us, leaving us in pure awe. This person was at least six foot two and short, light brown hair crowned his attractive face. He must be at least nineteen. Absorbing air from the plants around me, my stomach fluttered and I instinctively rubbed my throat.
"Are you seeing this too?" I croaked. Mike, too, sat on the ground bewildered. His heavy breathing slowed and he turned his gaze to me, smiling.
"So you weren't insane after all?" Mike sighed in relief.
"You two must go another way to that compound that has imprisoned her father." His face stone hard and impossible to read.
"…. Okay? We will, won't we Renee?" Mike obviously believed this sight.
"Yes, but who are you? And what were you doing to me?" I returned my burning gaze to the phenomenon.
"Alex. I am a fellow mutant, but you guys probably know that by now. I am with those hundreds of people and mutants waiting for people or mutants like you guys." He turned red.
"Then why are you warning us? And how did you know where we were?" Mike took his turn in asking.
"Well… That is a really good question." Alex paused. Scratching his head, he sighed.
"You see, I was sent to kill you guys essentially, but I never wanted to join this group—" Alex was cut off by Mike.
"Then why did you join?" Mike finally got up.
"Because…. Because I used to be one of them, wanting to destroy everything. This was years ago, but after torturing the minds of innocent people, my eyes were introduced to the truth of it all. Now I have been secretly fighting for your side." He opened up to us two complete strangers.
"Then why would we trust you? This could be a trap for all we know." I questioned him logically. This seemed to have hurt him in a more different way that anyone should have expected. Mike whisked his way to me, the "damsel in distress."
"We trust you. Don't be silly Renee." Mike cleared his raspy voice. I flashed him a panicked look. He bent down to whisper in my ear:
"I can see it in him, he is telling the truth." Mike stroked my hair.
"Alex, I change my mind. I really do trust you now." I went up to him and smiled. He mimicked my smile and faded into the distance.
"Well, that was informational." I took a water bottle from my backpack to throw to Mike.
"Thanks. Ya wanna know somethin'?" He threw his head backwards to suck in a gulp of water.
"Sure." I took another bottle out of my backpack to quench my arid mouth. Laughter spilled out of Mike.
"I think you guys like each other." He circled me. The thought of even thinking that was preposterous, but there could be some truth in that. I do enjoy the thought of Alex liking me. My heart does thump at the mention of his name.
"No. Maybe you're the insane one." I blushed. Darn! Why do I always have to blush?
"I knew it! You like him." Mike's voice became all mushy and annoying.
"Even if I did like him, which I DON'T, why would he like me?" I sighed still standing.
"Cause you're cute AND smart. Most girls that ask me out are just cute, not smart. You are the perfect combination." Mike winked and waved his arm for me to follow. Sighing, I picked up my backpack and trudged on.
"Come on, he just met me, and we still technically haven't met in person yet." I stumbled to the side.
"But didn't you see the look on his face when you said you didn't trust him? He was crushed!" Mike seemed to have glared at me.
"Though that is true, he could have just been disappointed because he wanted to get out of that wretched place." I attempted to reason.
"No no no Renee. Just think about it for a sec." he objected.
"You've gotta be kidding me. Why couldn't a girl make you think you were insane?" I complained.
"Because that was not meant to be." Mike twirled around in a circle, making a joke of it all.
"Oh…My…Gosh… I am so glad I am with you. Who knows how Serenity would have reacted to this." I bubbled up with laughter. Serenity!
"Mike, Mike! You know how there would be times where we could not use our abilities? Well it is because of a panel. It vibrates when a mutant is near." I threw it all out there.
"What?" Mike wrinkled his forehead.
"The bad people…. They need a name Mike. I feel like a little kid making up a story." I shuddered.
"I don't know due to the fact that I don't know the leader. Let's just stick with the bad guys.
"Oh well. Anyway it just confuses me cause it is electrical." I pictured the panel in my hands. As I followed mike, the open plain stretched into a thick, concentrated forest. Shadows seemed to have pierced the light in this moment, decreasing the warmth of our bodies.
"Hm. I have never heard of that. I heard of the ability to absorb powers, but not an electronic panel absorbing powers. But whoever invented that kind of technology could be the most powerful person or mutant in the world." Mike rambled on and on.
"The panels are easy to break though. Just stomp on it a couple of times." I too, rambled on. Mike didn't reply. Silence over came us. I don't know why; because we are tired, contemplating, or we simply just want some peace and quiet to ourselves.
Hours passed by and the sun was setting. Mike had literally fallen asleep. His eyes closed while he was next to a tree and fell down, asleep. One of my favorite songs could be heard. It didn't dawn on me that it was my phone until I started to hum it.
"Hello? I answered.
"Renee, this is your father." My dad's voice whispered.
"How do I know this is really you?" I picked my words carefully.
"You have taken over a thousand pictures in the past year alone. There are thousands more on your laptop from the past seven years." My dad sped through his proof. No one would know this unless this really is my dad. Good.
"But how?"
"I have a buddy of mine here that has been captured by these people. She can turn objects invisible. She also understands that you are going to save us. But that is not important. Now listen to me very carefully. There is one panel, which I am assuming you know about, in each building. There is one generator in one of the buildings. You need to kill the electricity from these things. I have to go. Bye sweetie." My dad said farewell.
"Bye." I heard the dead tone. There was no way I could worry anymore. Not because of the way I felt; stiffness locked my joints, pricking my lower back. I couldn't bend for the ability to breathe while bending became limited. Yes, I felt sick and beaten up, but no, I am not worrying. It is obvious that we (my dad, Mike, and I) had a guardian angel. We should all be dead right now, especially Dad. My eyes heavy and dry became constantly alert to my surroundings. The night tonight was a bluish-grey color, washed in the moonlight. Unfortunately, the portion of the tremendous forest we are in is extremely dense, so I could only get glimpses of the beautiful sky. For the next fifteen minutes, my covered arms' goose bumps were on end. Crickets boasted their chirping, knowing that we would never be able to find them. Soft snoring came from Mike, which struck me as cute.
"Hey Renee, are you awake?" Alex's voice popped into my occupied mind.
"Yes I can't seem to bring myself to sleep." I thought. How weird this was, having someone enter your most private place.
"I am on duty tonight as a look out. It's so tedious because nobody comes here." Alex replied.
"Haha. I am listening to The Joplin Spider on my Ipod."
"You know that they allow those listening devices here?"
"I don't mean to get off topic, but are there any mutants like you?"
"Yes, but I have had practice on how to block them from my mind."
"That is good. Brings so much peace to me… So why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"Lemme think…"
"You have to think about it?" I joked around.
"Haha. I am turning nineteen in a couple of months and my parents think that I am traveling to other countries to learn other cultures and what not." Alex finished.
"Hmm…. I am sure you have more secrets, but I guess that I can't make you tell me."
"There is this one secret that I have not told anyone. I had a weird dream about you guys. Somehow I became the leader and killed my parents. Other series of disturbing events occurred, but I wish not to tell. But then we started dating…" He trailed off. This intrigued me. Maybe Mike was right. Darn!
"What did Mike say?"
"Um… Okay… Mike said that we like each other. I am not 'thinking' anything, er, implying anything. It is just a thought that randomly appeared. That is all."
"No, don't worry. That happens sometimes. Our mind has a mind of its own sometimes. One that note, look up." He seemed to have pointed in my head. Uncertainty stood in the night sky, as I understood, even though I could not see it. A flash of light glowed through the branches of the trees blinding my left eye and left spots in my right eye.
"What was that? I stared in awe.
"That, my friend, is one of my favorite things: a shooting star. I have only seen five." His voice relaxed.
"How? I have only seen parts of one which is this one." I took a drink of water.
"I can access memories…. Any who, what school do you go to?" He chuckled in my mind.
"Perry's Highschool." I bluntly answered.
"Hey that is the school that I went to! Does Ms. Wakes still teach there?"
"Yes, but she is so boring."
"Not when I went there." Alex informed me.