Esper Chapter 5: Surface tension

Part 1

Nicolaus Thompson stared blankly at the clock on the office wall; as if to tease him, the hands ticked by slowly. The spiky haired computer technician’s desktop screen had dimmed from lack of activity as he impatiently waited for the day to end, all the while making passive aggressive remarks toward the clock in his head. Other workers discreetly observed him with concern, but none dared approach the perpetually cynical and dismissive young man. Eventually, just before he was supposed to, Nicolaus gathered his belongings and made for the elevators!

(Can’t stand all of those people gawking at me.) He thought, rounding a corner in the office. Into his view came a meeting room, and inside Nicolaus spotted Amala Singh sitting with a bunch of their co-workers. She plodded away on the keyboard of her laptop, basically tucked away in the corner of the room, clearly uninterested in the others' jovial laughing and joking around the table. Nicolaus halted and sent a message over to Amala.

[What’s up? You don’t look too good.] His message read.

The notification springing up on her dashboard surprised Amala, as she shifted her gaze outside to Nicolaus, sitting with his back toward the room, trying to be discreet. [I’ve got a meeting with the therapist after this…]

[It’s been three weeks! Aren’t we supposed to be done by now?]

[She wants to still see me.]

[Want me to wait for you?]

[Don’t we have practice after this?]

[I didn’t hear from Vernon today, but I’m pretty sure we do. I’ll wait for you at the bar, okay?]

[Yeah, sure…]

Nicolaus walked off, leaving Amala to her work. When the elevator arrived, the doors opened to reveal Vernon Marino. Nicolaus verbally showed displeasure and waved his hand as a way of showing he’d take the next one. Before the doors could shut however, Vernon blocked them and said… “Just get on.” Nicolaus sighed and did so. The two sat in silence as they descended to the lobby. Once the elevator reached its destination, Nicolaus quickly took the chance to speed walk away; as he did though, Vernon called out. “Don’t forget! I’ll see you later!” Vernon didn’t get a response as his less than friendly co-worker rushed out of the door!

Nicolaus jogged down the street, passing signs, construction vehicles, and workers getting preparing for an event. A large banner was being raised onto the front of a building that read ‘Howard makes us safe, Howard makes us strong, and Howard unites us under one flag’. (The presidential elect comes to town and the whole city has got to stop? What a pain in the ass.) He made it to ‘Captain Louie’s Ale House’, spotting his friend, Katie Vang through the window. The chipper redheaded waitress noticed her spiny haired companion, who she’d affectionately dubbed ‘Spike’. Nicolaus took a seat at an open table and awaited Katie.

“Hey boss, I’m taking my break!” Katie yelled to an old barkeep behind the counter.

“Break? Seriously?” The old man responded, unenthusiastic.

“Pleaseeee…” Lobbing a girlish plea in the barkeep’s direction, he groaned while pouring another mug of beer for a patron.

Katie gleefully joined the young man, shielding a grin behind his hand, at the table. Interfacing with the woman for weeks didn't stop the smitten loner from admiring the woman’s beauty once more. “Are you sure this is okay?”

“Don’t worry, my boss is kind of tough, but I can win him over pretty easily.”

“No, I mean…I don’t want your boyfriend to show up and get the wrong idea.”

“Oh, don’t worry about him.” She flashed a smile to reassure Nicolaus, who blushed, as per usual.

“Alright, I guess. Amala should be off by work now. She said that she had to see the therapist first though.”

“Really?” Katie sneered. “So, Spike, how have things with you and Vernon been?”

“*Sigh*…” Nicolaus leaned in on his seat, trying to keep his voice low. “We’ve been practicing with our powers for 3 weeks now…I’m pretty sure you know how it’s going.”

“You two can’t be that bad off at work too.”

“It’s worse. You probably can imagine how he is now that he’s actually everyone’s boss. With Walter…gone…they decided to shake up the entire department. Which…now that I think about it explains why Amala’s been in so many meetings lately. She’s probably been promoted.”

“Hmm…” Katie paused, then continued. “Anyway, I’ve been feeling that I’ve gotten a lot better at controlling my powers. I don’t get headaches anymore.” Getting to see Katie’s pleasant expression left Nicolaus awash in delight. All of the upbeat redhead’s odd idiosyncrasies created a charming, soothing atmosphere when the two were alone. Despite initial rejection, Nicolaus only fell further down the rabbit hole of infatuation. The only problem was not knowing much about the person, Katie Vang, beyond her name and place of business, representing a distance between them he sought to close.

“Hey…uh…I know this is kind of out of nowhere, but are you from Arizona?”

“…” Katie was slightly taken aback by Nicolaus’s question. “No. I’m from Wisconsin.”

“Wisconsin? Why come all the way down here then?”

“…No real reason. Just traveling away from home.”

“Wanted to get out and see the world?”

“I guess so. Arizona is just kind of a stop on the big trip.”

“Right…well…what about growing up? Anything special about that?”

“Not really. Captain of the debate team, ran a little bit of track, and was pretty average.”

“Doesn’t sound too average. Compared to me, you seem to have had an awesome time in school.”

“Maybe. Spike…what’s up with all the questions?”

“We’ve been hanging out for a bit now…and I don’t really know much about you, you know.”

Katie giggled. “Okay, Spike. I’ve got to get back to work! My boss is giving me a dirty look…in more ways than one. Hang around until we’re supposed to go and meet Vernon. I’ll get you some food too.”

“Thanks…” Managing to settle down once she left, Nicolaus was overjoyed his obvious attempts at getting to know the girl he liked yielded some results. (God, I wish she didn’t have a boyfriend.)

Time passed, Nicolaus sat, ate, and his mind wandered. A new unhealthy obsession, searching his own name online and reading articles, begged for his attention. Conspiracy theories and news articles concerning the incident at Newtonville rock were all over. With the police investigation inconclusive, reporters attempted to interview the survivors, a source of perpetual annoyance for the young miser. Someone leaked their identities, bringing about an onslaught of harassment. Day after day, over the course of three weeks, people would hound Nicolaus and the others in the streets, in their homes, and even at work! Their questions ranged from how they survived, what happened at the ridge, what they saw, and how their lives changed. To Nicolaus however, not a single question addressing the missing officers was confounding.

Nicolaus started looking into the ‘separate’ ongoing case of the ‘missing’ officers, Niles and Kevin. Hardly any information was posted about them! It was as if the two had simply vanished and no one even cared! News stations had all but stopped covering it and moved onto upcoming elections or construction in the city. Nicolaus had gotten so absorbed into his searching that he didn’t notice Katie had finished her shift. “Hey Spike, you ready?”

“Oh!” Nicolaus checked the time, realizing only 20 minutes remained before their purposed meeting time at Vernon’s. “…Hang on one sec…” He sent Amala a message asking if she was still in therapy. She replied, stating she was unaware of how much longer it would last. “I guess we’ll go without her.” Katie agreed and pulled Nicolaus in close.

“We won’t make it to Vernon’s if we walk or take the subway. How about we…you know…”

Nicolaus picked up on Katie’s insinuation. “Alright, let’s head for the back.” As perky as her hair was red, Katie gleefully waved goodbye to her boss and fellow coworkers as she exited through the back of the establishment with Nicolaus! Once the two were around back Nicolaus surveyed the alley making sure they were alone. “We’re clear…” A soft warm sensation pushed against Nicolaus’s side suddenly. He turned, seeing Katie pressing her prominent chest into him. “W-Whoa, hang on!”

“Huh? I thought you wanted me to hold on tight, right? Unless…did you figure out another way yet?” Katie asked while wrapping her arms around the flustered young man.

“N-No…anyway, let’s go!” His telekinesis - the azure haze engulfed Nicolaus, spreading onto Katie as he returned the favor, wrapping his arm around her waist. The twosome, being dragged up by Nicolaus’s power, floated! Drifting upward, Nicolaus peered down to survey the area one last time before making their flight toward Vernon’s home. Hovering just below the clouds, Katie pointed out their route, and with a deep breath, Nicolaus began to fly with Katie in tow! They flew slowly at first but picked up speed and eventually were moving faster than a car! All the time Nicolaus thought in his head. (Stay calm. Focus! Focus!) The sensation of Katie gripping him tightly was a huge distraction!

Part 2

Nicolaus and Katie descended from the cold, bleak sky into the woods near Vernon’s home. As they closed in on the property, the two scanned for Vernon, though he was nowhere to be seen. “Where the heck is he?” Nicolaus asked rhetorically but still received an answer from Katie.

“I bet he’s not too far off, don't overreact.” With their feet touching down in the dirt covered clearing, Nicolaus pulled out his phone and attempted to call his elusive co-worker. Not in the best mood, the young man paced around while running his fingers through his spiky hair, waiting for an answer. Fuming, Nicolaus hadn’t noticed the long pipe-like object extending out of the woods! “Spike, look out!”

“Huh?” He slammed into it, forehead first, and crashed to the ground! “Ow! Damnit! What was that?”

“S-Sorry Nick!” Vergil Trask, Harper Wolf as well as Vernon ran into view! “I didn’t m-mean to…”

“Don’t worry about it, Vergil…” Nicolaus laid on the ground, somewhat stunned, looking up at the glassy pipe like object suspended in the air. “Seems like you’ve gotten better…that felt like running into an actual steel pipe.” The object defied gravity, remaining totally motionless, attached to nothing. With its hazy gloss and misty interior, it resembled a smoke filled white version of Nicolaus’s own telekinesis.

“Are you going to just lay there or…?” Harper inquired sarcastically.

As Nicolaus pulled himself to his feet, he locked eyes with Vernon. They both audibly scoffed, averting their gazes. “Where’s Amala?”

“She’s in counseling again.”

“Still?! Why’s she still going?”

“We had a pretty…traumatic experience…” Any awkward back and forth between Vernon and Nicolaus filled everyone with dread, expecting another inevitable argument. Whilst sneering, Nicolaus noticed Vernon’s suit. The young Italian American man had changed from his work attire into an expensive looking set of clothes. “Going somewhere after this…?”

Vernon sighed. “Let’s just get back to practicing.” He trailed off, mumbling something under his breath while Nicolaus flipped off Vernon from behind.

Vergil walked over to Nicolaus with a halfhearted smile. “I-I really a-am sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, man.” Nicolaus, in turn, smiled, having grown fond of Vergil, easily forgiving the young man.

“Yo, Nick! Did you watch the video I sent you? Great, right?” Oppositely, more dislike was fostered by the day toward the abrasive Harper. Nicolaus felt the teenage boy meant no harm, but would incessantly badger him on certain topics.

“The one about the girl in China with telekinesis? Yeah…really informative!” (I didn’t even make it to that point in the video. It was just some dudes reacting to nonsense conspiracies.)

“And trust me, you can’t just quit halfway through, you’ve got to get past the reactions and then it’ll show the footage properly.”

“Huh…Oh, okay. I-I’ll watch it when I get home.” Nicolaus humbly replied, a bit shaken by Harper guessing he’d quit before finishing the video.

“Don’t worry about it. Verg, come on.” Harper grabbed Vergil by the arm and dragged him along just as Nicolaus’s phone began to buzz. He checked it expecting Amala, but it was a message from his sister’s boyfriend, Alonso.

[Hello Nicolas, Dani was asking when you’d be home tonight. I’ll be making dinner; is there anything you’d like?]

(I like Alonso, but he never gets my name right. Nikolas, Nicolas and Nickolas…it’s Ni-Co-Laus…then again everyone just seems to get it wrong.) His own personal brand of pessimism, Nicolaus began texting, but stopped. [I’ll be home by…] (I’ll just let him know what to make. I’ve got business to handle when all this ‘training’ is done.) Nicolaus withdrew his innately dower text and wrote a simple message, then joined his fellow ‘survivors’.

Part 3

“Alright! Come on Nick’o, push as hard as you can!” Vernon shouted up to Nicolaus who levitated in the air! Nicolaus was attempting to use his telekinesis to push away a large wall-like object created by Vergil. The glassy white monolith reached from the ground upward, sprouting toward the clouds! Despite its creator having just made the object, at the time, he was busy trying to make a ball roughly as tall as himself.

“It’s…really hard to maintain two things…” Vergil focused intensely on keeping both objects solid, causing a vein to surface on his forehead!

“Why…am I…doing this again?” Nicolaus asked, clearly approaching his limit as the stream of mist slowly dithered.

“Stress testing. We need to know how strong each of our powers are, what they can do, and to make sure we’ve got full control over them at all times.” His confident demeanor exuding, Vernon drifted up behind Nicolaus. “You, me, and Amala all have the same power, I.E. telekinesis. Katie can create those…black mannequins. We didn’t even know until a few days ago that Vergil had powers! So, now we’re waiting to see if Harper’s powers awaken!”

“…” Nicolaus gave up on moving the wall with a deep sigh. “You can take it down now, Vergil.” He descended to the ground alongside Vernon just as Vergil finished his experiment.

“L-Look! I d-did it!” The wall that Vergil erected faded away as he turned around revealing a small, glassy white orb the size of a basketball!

“Oh! You finished?” Nicolaus walked up and placed his hand on the ball. “Hang on…it’s soft!”

“Really?” Vernon began inspecting the object as well. “You’re right. Let me see this!” Vernon took the ball and lifted it in the air. “It’s so light, almost like a balloon.” He then dropped it expecting the sphere to bounce back, but it hit the ground and stayed. “…Guess it’s not a ball then.” He then looked off into the distance. “Haven’t seen Katie in a bit…I’ll be back. Keep at it, Vergil!” The ever-bossy man left in search of Katie.

“I-I think I c-can make it more l-like a ball though.” A spark of determination burned in Vergil’s eyes. The young man picked back up the orb and began melding it again but stopped as his nose began to bleed.

“Alright, you’re pushing yourself too far. Stop.” Nicolaus pulled Vergil’s hands away from the sphere causing it to fade like smoke. It was evident Vergil wasn’t going to quit. “You’re really good at this stuff. You’re treating it like anime training or something.”

“N-No!” That compliment caused Vergil’s normally pale face to flash bright red. “I d-don’t watch a-anime!”

“…You’re wearing an anime shirt right now.” Nicolaus pointed out Vergil’s shirt depicting a school girl with blonde pigtails wielding an oversized sword! “Don’t worry, man. I watch some myself…although I haven’t had much time lately.”

“R-Really? What do y-you watch?”

“Last thing I watched is a season old now. It was ‘Reborn in another world as a gas station attendant’, and it was alright…or at least I thought it was alright.”

“Y-Yeah, I loved t-that one! T-The story in it was p-pretty unique.” Vergil’s attitude made a total 180! Roused with curiosity about Nicolaus’s anime tastes, the teen wanted to talk more!

“Come on, dude. You’re talking anime again?” Harper appeared almost from nowhere, wrapping his arm around Vergil’s neck from behind! “You can tell him how much more interested in the ecchi you were!” He jeered.

“C-Come on, man! Y-You weren’t even lis-stening to our conversation, you were b-busy talking to Lefty on the p-phone!” The boys argued as Nicolaus lost interest.

“Hey!” A call came from above! It was Amala who glided into the clearing from the sky using her telekinesis.

“Yo! What took so long?” Escaping the bickering teens with a smile, Nicolaus approached her. “Everything okay?”

Amala had a serious expression as she landed, dispersing her mauve mist. “…I’m fine.” The young woman looked past Nicolaus at the bickering boys. “Give me a second Nicolaus.” She walked by and up to the boys, maintaining the serious look. “Harper, we never finished what we-”

“Oh! Amala! Good to see you! Vernon wanted to talk to you! Yo, Vernon!” Harper hollered! Vernon reentered the clearing with Katie, hair disheveled and face drained of color. “Yo, Amala’s here now!”

“Yeah, thanks. You can go lay down if you want.” Vernon pushed Katie to rest. The exhausted woman’s vibrant red locks clung sweaty forehead, and remnants of dried blood had been wiped off her upper lip.

“I’m fine.” She said in a flatly.

“Okay, don’t say I didn’t offer. Now then, Amala where have you been? You can’t just ignore these practice sessions.” The demeaning tone Vernon took, unintentionally or not, got under Amala’s skin.

She curbed herself, suppressing an explosive retort, simply casting her gaze toward the ground. “Sorry.”

“You know why we’re doing this, right?”

“Testing our limits. To know what we can do and to make sure we’ve got total control over our powers…”

“Right! Exactly! You learned that we could fly by mistake, Katie learned about her powers by mistake, you and Nicolaus learned about your telekinesis by mistake! We can’t keep doing that! We cannot keep playing around with our powers and making mistakes!”

“…Sorry.”

“I think she gets it.” Nicolaus spoke up in Amala’s defense.

Despite wanting to further admonish the downtrodden Amala, Vernon stopped to look at his phone, checking the time. “…Right. Well, if you understand, I guess we should call it a night. It’s almost eight and I know Harper and Vergil have to get home. You two want me to fly you?"

“Definitely! Any later and my mom will bitch at me!” The two boys spoke with Vernon as Katie pulled Nicolaus to the side.

“Hey Spike, I’m not feeling great. Mind dropping me off at the train station downtown?” She eked out a smile; and despite Nicolaus's aversion to the smeared blood coating her lip, he still blushed seeing Katie up close.

“Sure, no problem.”

“Honestly…” Amala scoffed.

“Just one second.” Nicolaus said as he stepped away from Katie to speak with Amala privately. “Don’t want to overstep my bounds here, but is everything okay with you? Why are you still seeing the counselor?”

“She said…I need a bit of attention, is all.”

“Does it have to do with ‘dancing’?” Nicolaus said with air quotes.

“I swear…I hate that you remember that!”

“It was a pretty big deal when it happened. That was the last time we had one of those…mind trips. You never did explain what dancing swan lake was all about, so…”

“Don’t worry about that. In fact, do me a favor, forget all of it! Now, excuse me. I need to talk with Harper before he leaves.” Amala rushed over to Harper as he conversed with Vernon. “Harper, listen…I just need to know something.”

“Right! You’ve been trying to ask me for a while now, right?” His upbeat demeaner surprised Amala, being often been a bit off putting when interfacing with her normally.

“Your-” Just then Vergil interrupted.

“M-My dad will get r-really mad if I-I don’t hurry h-home!” A stammered shriek came from the boy’s mouth! “I-I didn’t m-mean to y-yell…sorry.” It was uncharacteristic for Vergil to speak up like that.

“Don’t worry about it. Amala, this can wait until later, can’t it?” Vernon took control of the conversation.

“What!? No! I-I need to-!” The young Indian woman frantically pleaded.

“Relax, we can talk next time.” Harper said as he placed his hand on Vernon’s shoulder. “Come on. We need to hurry, for Vergil.” Vernon nodded.

“If it’s so important, just message him later.” Casting burgundy haze across himself, Vergil, and Harper, Vernon levitated the three up into the air. “By the way, Nick’O, I expect that you’ll be able to do this soon too! Although, I’m pretty sure you like getting all up close and personal with Katie, so…hahaha!” Nicolaus gave Vernon the finger as he flew away with the boy’s in tow.

“Piece of shit…also, he was joking Katie! Really!” Nicolaus immediately went on the defensive. (I really can’t lift other people safely yet…but if I get to grab a hold of Katie, then I’m not complaining either.)

“I trust you, Spike.” Katie typed something into her cell phone and then grabbed Nicolaus’s hand. “Ready?”

Fighting off a nervous breakdown, Nicolaus clumsily moved to stroke his hair, realizing he still held Katie's hand. “T-Totally! Um…Amala, are you…” Before the enthused Nicolaus could finish his question, Amala had already started floating away. “Hey, Amala!”

“…” Solemnly ascending, her face was plagued with disappointment. “Later…” Amala flew off into the distance.

“What’s with her?”

Nicolaus wrapped his arm around Katie's waist and they flew downtown. “I wish I knew.”

Part 4

8:12 PM

After arriving in downtown Trenton Arizona, Nicolaus found a safe and secluded location to land, parting with Katie. “Are you sure you just want me to leave you here?” It was an alley near the center of the city. Other pedestrians either drunkingly ambled about or partied the evening away on the city block.

“I’ve got something to handle not far from here. We’ll talk later!” Katie sped off fixing her hair along the way!

“See you! Give me a call if…you need anything…” Nicolaus murmured as she rounded the corner leaving earshot!

Katie rushed down the street, swiftly weaving between other pedestrians, and dodging past obstacles on the way to her destination! “Made it!” Entering the back of a large, ornate building, Katie didn’t slow down for a second. Out of breath, she rushed down the corridor past walls of movie posters and advertisements, and slip into a room with many half naked women changing into flamboyant outfits.

“Vang, where were you?! We’re going on in twenty minutes! Hurry up and get ready!” One of the older women, caked in makeup, with her clothes still unfashioned, berated Katie! The redhead simply brushed her off and ducked into a solo dressing room; locking the door behind her. “Bitch. Just because Matthew made her the star…”

Katie heard that even beyond the door. Cruel and petty remarks such as that didn’t perturb the young lass, because in her mind, she was above them. Pulling up her seat out, Katie sat down in front of a large dresser mirror, and with the flick of her wrist, summoned two black mannequins from nothing. Rhythmically they began applying Katie’s makeup. Not missing a beat or making a mistake, the mannequins’ work was expertly done! They would reach into the preset makeup cases, using a different brush in each hand, swiping at her cheeks, forehead, below her eyes, and stress areas with laser precision. Once finished, the cool-headed young woman immediately stood up and walked away from the dolls.

The redheaded waitress pulled her long hair back into a bun and placed a blonde wig on over her bright red locks; she then removed her clothes and changed into a long white dress that reached all the way to the floor. “Spectacular.” Katie said while gazing upon her own form in another mirror with satisfaction. When looking back at the dolls however, disappointment. The mannequins continued to stand at the chair Katie sat in, applying makeup to nothing as if she were still there. “So, they really can only commit to a single command. I’ll get better at it, one of these days.” She snapped her fingers and the black mannequins shattered back into nothingness. One last glance back at her form in the mirror, and Katie’s breast warmed with pride. The sacrifices she made to maintain that physique, to study her lines, to make every practice, hard work and dedication were the backbone of who she was!

Katie exited the room with all of the other women still changing. “What…how?!” The older woman asked, totally befuddled.

“Hmm…” Katie placed her finger on her chin. “Maybe…youthful energy!” A smug retort elicited the exact response Katie wanted as the older woman fumed! She walked from the dressing room, head held high. When Katie’s eyes coasted down the hall, she noticed a man coming to her. Despite his thinning hairline and short stature, Katie exchanged a pleasant smile with the man as his hand stroked her face. She came in and kissed him, deeply.

“Make me proud, Kate.” He said.

“Of course, Matthew. Don’t I always?”

Music swelled in the distance, meaning it was time to begin. Gracefully, the lead actress, the centerfold of the entire production that evening, glided down the corridor; Katie walked with the intent of making an unforgettable night for the patrons. She took the stage of the opera house, and thus the play began. The story unfolded for the next few hours, enrapturing the audience. With incredible stage presence like no other, the male lead stood drawing the ire of lesser men; even the hall felt ill-equipped to house his endless stage charisma. As Katie took the stage herself, she moved with elegance, her mind and body poised. She practiced relentlessly, knowing that everything she worked for was finally being given the chance to be showcased!

The show came to a close and the crowd erupted into applause! As the curtain drew shut, Katie peered up and saw who she truly cared about, the top reviewer in all of the industry. “We did it!” Some of her fellow actors cheered. “That was our best show!” They gleefully began embraced each other and cheered, sans Katie, who walked by, toward her dressing room. On the way back, she noticed the leading man. She thought back to the kiss they’d shared on stage, then noticed him kissing someone, his boyfriend. The young woman wiped her lips vigorously.

After changing into her normal street clothes, Katie went about leaving the building. Matthew stopped her and pulled his lead actress in for a kiss, but it was blocked by the palm of her hand. “Later. What did you hear from the critic?”

Matthew looked away. “It…was a great show! Best of the year! He said that, he’d continue to recommend it for the next year of performances.”

“I don’t care about the show! It’s always been good. What did he say about me?”

“…”

“Come on, spill!”

“…Mediocre.”

“…” Katie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Fuck…”

Part 5

8:20 PM

Vernon floated down into a cul-de-sac, bringing the boys Harper and Vergil down alongside him, still cloaked with the burgundy haze of his telekinesis. It was just late enough so that people weren’t out and about. “Alright guys, catch you later. Call me if anything happens. That goes especially for you Harper! If your powers activate, call me, immediately. Got it?”

“I gotcha’.” Harper waved his hand as Vergil bid Vernon farewell. Vernon flew up and off toward the city. “…Hey, Verg…want to spend the night?”

“N-No…I have t-to check on m-my sister.” Vergil began walking to his house, an older dwelling, needing to be painted and have the front lawn cut, which sat parallel to Harper’s on the street. It was apparent that the mail hadn’t been touched as it piled up on the stoop. Vergil gathered all the letters and scurried inside.

Harper strolled to his house and unlocked the door. As he walked in, an older Asian woman, in her early forties approached him. “Mom, before you start, I know you’re proud of me and yada, yada, yada. Thanks, but did anyone call for me? I’m expecting a call.”

“Well, you don’t need to be so rude. Start doing good at school and now you think you’re a big man, huh?”

“Guess no one called yet, then. I’ll see you later.” Harper walked away from his mother in a rush for his room.

“Wait, Harper!”

“Yvette, relax…he’s a young man. He’s probably waiting for some girl to call.” A soft voice came from the living room. Harper’s father; Calvin Wolf sat in a large comfy chair adjusting the settings on his stereo system. “Come and join me, dear. I’ve found a nice piece earlier and I’m sure you’ll love it.” Calvin extended his hand and brought Yvette in as she sat down on his lap.

“…” Harper looked over to his parents feeling uncomfortable with how they were openly showing affection. As the music began to play a thought popped into his head. “Hey Dad…”

“Yes?”

“…Do you know a girl named…” Harper stopped. As gross as he thought his parents were, he enjoyed seeing them happy. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“Wait, Harper.” The orchestra drowned out his voice, giving Harper plausible deniability in hearing Calvin.

“Good night!” The boy rushed to his room, shutting the door behind him. He pulled up his seat and got on the computer. After a few minutes of browsing the internet he stopped, casting a glance over to Vergil’s.

At the same time, Vergil was cleaning up a mess on the kitchen floor. A short, young girl with hair as white and a complexion as pale as his own, walked up to young man as he finished. “Sorry, Vergil. I was trying to make dinner…” She apologized. The inside of the kitchen was near barren. A simple stove, refrigerator and table placed off to the side, unwelcoming for anyone not used to its design.

“D-Don’t worry. I should h-have made you s-something for dinner earlier.” The young girl - his little sister looked on, still slightly embarrassed as Vergil discarded a broken plate. “I’ll make some p-porkchops.”

“Cool, I love your porkchops.” She didn’t actually, but loved her brother, so she’d eat what was made for her. The young girl pulled up a chair and sat at the kitchen table while her beloved brother cooked. She pulled out her smart phone and brought something up on screen. “Look Vergil, we built a rocket today in class!” A video played of her and her classmates building an elaborate model rocket. She’d drawn a shark face on the top and laughed with a giddy enthusiasm. The rocket shot upward with incredible speed as all the students cheered! “Impressive, right?”

“You made most of i-it, right W-Wilhelmina?”

“Yup!”

“You’re s-so good with s-stuff l-like that! You’ll be a g-great engineer! Now i-if only you could c-cook.”

“Hey! I’ll figure it out some day! Cooking isn’t exactly a science…” Wilhelmina’s face grew red as she was teased.

“It actually i-is a science.” Vergil chuckled.

A door from the second-floor slammed shut! Down the stairs ambled a groggy older man. His unkempt gray beard and bedhead showed someone who’d just woken up. He sat down at the table across from Wilhelmina and leaned back in his seat. The man hadn’t even bothered to get fully dressed, sporting a pair of boxers and a wifebeater, stained with alcohol. “…What are you making?” His gruff voice cracked as he began coughing.

“P-Porkchops.” Vergil responded meekly.

“Alright. Wilhelmina…how’s school?”

“Okay.” Wilhelmina looked away as she hid her phone.

“Don’t give me one-word answers.”

“Sorry!”

“And don’t yell. I just got up. So…how was school?”

“…Good…I mean; I’ve been doing good! My grades are good…”

“Good. Vergil, how about you?”

“I’m okay. I got a s-seventy-five on my last test.”

“…That’s barely passing, isn’t it?”

“…Y-yeah…sorry.”

“Do better next time. Also, stop stuttering. People will think you’re retarded. You’re not, right?”

“N-No, sir.”

“Wilhelmina…you aren’t dating yet, right?”

“No! Of course not, Dad!”

“Good, you’re eleven. What about you, Vergil? You’re seventeen, right?

“No…not y-yet.”

“Really? You take after me which means you’re good looking, so I don’t get why you don’t have a girl yet. You gay or something?”

“No…”

“Alright, just checking…just checking. The food done yet?”

The awkwardness continued on for another hour. All the while, Vergil thought to himself. (I hate this! I hate this! I hate this!)

Harper spoke to himself as he sat in his room staring up at the ceiling blankly. “Vergil must be having another shitty night…”

Part 6

8:33 PM

Vernon hastily descended into the middle of downtown Trenton, searching for the least crowded area possible; unfortunately, that ended up being a dank alleyway behind restaurant. The minute he landed, grumbling noises came from behind a dumpster, almost causing him to have a heart attack! It turned out to be a homeless person rolling over on their makeshift bed. Vernon crept up to the man, making sure he was asleep. With that confirmed, Vernon breathed a sigh of relief and dropped a five-dollar bill on the man’s jacket. Quickly, running down the street pushing past other pedestrians and nearly tripping over a dog as he checked his phone, Vernon sped to his destination. “She’s going to be pissed.” The signal at a crosswalk warned him to halt his sprint. “Come on, dammit!” He reacted uncharacteristically as the normally relaxed man began cursing while fiddling with his suit. “Is that…her? She looks pissed…”

Vernon spied the light brown skin and black curls of the woman he was intending to meet. He finally came up to her, totally out of breath, and brow tinged with sweat from dashing the whole way. “Late…why do I even bother?” She placed her palm on her forehead.

“Because you like me so much, Raquel. Come on, you know it’s true.” Raquel Childs, the detective from the incident looked at Vernon with contempt.

“I could just leave if you want to be a moron alone.” No hint of joking in her voice, Vernon quickly picked up on how serious Raquel was.

“No! I was kidding! I’m sorry!” He apologized.

“*Sigh*…For now, let’s head to the restaurant.”

“I see you fell for it then? All according to plan. Even though I told you we were heading to that place on the corner, you still dressed up, which is perfect! Looking great, by the way.” Vernon pointed out that Raquel’s black high heel boots, matching her skirt and top.

“Tricking me AND kissing up? Mister Marino, you’re really on a roll! You know what, I’ll forgive you; if the place we’re going is actually good.” Raquel finally broke the stern expression she held since Vernon arrived, showcasing a smile.

“We’re going to le jardin vide!” With an exaggerated flick of the wrist, Vernon revealed the location of their date!

“Whoa!” Raquel whistled. “Third date and you’re taking me to that expensive French Restaurant everyone is going on about? …Actually, am I underdressed?” The off duty police officer suddenly felt self-conscious.

“Bah! You look great! For real, you look great.” Vernon sincerely praised Raquel.

“You’re so corny, dude!” Blushing, Raquel playfully shoved him. Vernon and Raquel walked to the restaurant and spent the evening enjoying each other’s company.

Part 7

8:38 PM

At the tail end of winter, icy winds still hung around Newtonville rock. The darkness of night only made the desolate air of the ridge feel heavier. Once the investigation concluded, no one was permitted to even walk around the small area. The media spent every night since the incident circulating stories, searching the woods, and interviewing the survivors. Police ran dogs and forensic scientists around the site for weeks, but nothing turned up. The Newtonville lights, as they’d been dubbed by locals, hadn’t occurred since the incident. No major information had been picked up in weeks…and that infuriated Nicolaus Thompson most of all.

The young man levitated above Newtonville rock, hidden amongst the clouds. For weeks, Nicolaus had been looking into the incident after the others seeming lost interest. Whatever gave them powers, and caused the ‘disappearance’ of the officers Niles and Kevin were connected, if only in the young man’s mind. He descended to the familiar clearing, his obsession in full effect. From looking over the edge of the cliff, to the small wooded area he and Vernon had torn apart, Nicolaus recalled everything.

Again, he trekked back to the cliff’s edge and looked down, surveying the side of the formation. From that height, it looked as if it’d be impossible for someone to survive such a fall. He stormed back into the woods, then repeated the process over and over! Eventually, the young man sat down on the cold dirt, typing into his phone. The personal log read: [Nothing’s changed.] He began fussing with his hair. “Nothing’s changed again…nothing…nothing!” Nicolaus exploded! Phone raised in the air and ready to slam it into the dirt, Nicolaus stopped when he noticed his telekinesis had activated. The azure haze moved about fanatically, lifting gravel, spiking like a reading on a heart monitor. Shaking with anger…and fear, Nicolaus attempted to calm down, but failed. “I…” On the verge of tears, the normally pessimistic and aloof Nicolaus Thompson fell to his knees. “I killed an innocent man…I’m a murderer…I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry, Kevin Greene! You were…someone’s father…and because of me…! I…took someone’s dad away from them! I don’t deserve to live! Fuck!” Nicolaus was scared to even punch the ground near himself, as he feared what the telekinesis would do. “I don’t even know what’s going on! Why am I alive…Carl, Walter…Kevin…those kids…they all died and I’m…here. Dad…what should I do?” Tears streaming down his face, the answer he wanted wasn’t coming.

An odd shriek from off in the distance surprised Nicolaus, making him jump to his feet! The sound resounded from beyond the brush. Cautiously traversing the woods, the young man happened upon a deer with its leg stuck in a hole! Nicolaus thought nothing of it but decided to help the poor creature.

“Don’t worry, I’ll save you.” Nicolaus lifted his hand and inched his telekinesis onto the creature, enveloping it in blue haze. “Okay…relax…” Nicolaus attempted to gradually move the deer upward, out of its predicament. He raised his hand steadily, but the weight of his arm was far greater than he’d expected. He was unable to lift the deer. Frustrated, he tried again and failed, angering the already distraught young man. The deer continued to writhe about, seeming totally helpless. With gusto and a deep breath, Nicolaus tugged the animal and nearly sent it flying! The deer screamed out as it ran away, freed! “S-Sorry…hmm?” Nicolaus felt bad about frightening the deer, but noticed the remnants of his telekinesis, before it fully dispersed, was changing colors. “Huh? That’s new.” He brought his telekinesis back up again and it was the regular azure blue. He pushed it over to the hole and watched as the mist changed to a deep mauve, then burgundy, and then rapidly plume into white orbs as a strange static sound accompanied it! “Wha?!”

Part 8

2:47 AM

The headlights of a luxury car barely penetrated the dark and foggy night as it zoomed around hairpin turns on a riverfront! An old man, with intensely thinning hair spoke on the phone to an associate as he drove. “Absolutely not! Even if he wants it done by next week, I refuse to hire contractors…I don’t care if it’s cheap! We’ve been working on this for a month now, and I for one…” So wrapped up in his conversation, the man didn’t notice the small figure standing in the middle of the road until it was too late!

Next thing he knew, the older man was regaining consciousness, looking at the hood of his vehicle submerged in the embankment running into a deep river! Blood dripped from his head, and his legs were in excruciating pain, more than likely broken. He sat trapped in the car seat as he failed at desperately unfashioning his seat belt! “H-Help! Someone!!” He hollered! With the old man slowly realizing the gravitas of the situation, he made for his phone, however it was nowhere to be seen. “Shit…” Tugging at his seat belt with all his strength it seemed hopeless as the buckle refused budge, but footsteps approaching caused him to stop. “Is someone out there?! Help, please! I’m stuck! Call an ambulance! My legs may be broken…!” The person came into view and his hopes were immediately dashed.

In through the broken passenger side window, a small figure peered with their face obscured by a scarf and hood. The person said nothing, just simply raised their hand. An almost pinkish smoke exuded from the figure’s body, wrapping around the front of the car. The vehicle began to move forward, as if the bumper was being tugged! “…” The figure remained quiet; their purple eyes glaring emotionlessly at the man’s horror filled expression.

“What the fuck is going on?! Stop! Stop! Wait, please!” He begged while pawing at his seatbelt until the car suddenly halted.

“…You understand then? I have all the power here, you lowlife piece of shit.”

“What do you want?”

“Omar Redmond…I have some questions and you will answer them to the best of your abilities, or…” The car moved again.

“Okay! Please stop!” The car halted. “What do you want to know? Anything!”

“First off, I have your phone, so don’t try anything stupid. Second…Arnold Patrick, Keith Lawless, Howard Tanner and Liam Joffe…do these names mean anything to you?”

“…No.”

The car shot forward, barely keeping contact with the ground as it began to sink in the waterway! “Don’t lie!”

“Sorry! I’m sorry! I do know them, I do, I do! Please don’t kill me!” Omar pleaded, his face twisted as he cried.

“Shut up! Next question…are they clients of yours?”

“Clients? I don’t know what you mean…I own a lot of businesses…”

“You know what the fuck I’m talking about.”

“T-They’re not clients! They’re…closer to business partners…”

“So, it’s true then. Ok…last question, then you can go. Password to your phone. What is it?”

“It’s…’Professional’ but with a zero for both Os and a one for the L…”

The figure pulled up the phone and entered the given password. “Looks like you told the truth on that one pretty easily.”

“C-can I go now?”

“…Yes…go to hell…you piece of shit.” The car quickly tipped forward into the water and began to sink fast!

“W-Wait! S-s-some-one…please…help me!!! Some…” His begging cut short, the man known as Omar Redmond drowned in his expensive, icy coffin.

“…” The figure’s eyes remained unflinching as they watched the man’s iron tombs sink to the bottom of the embankment, his screams subsiding. They pulled off their hood with a fountain of black hair bursting forth. Her purple eyes and unblemished brown skin on full display; Amala Singh watched silently and emotionlessly as the man before her slowly died.

End of Chapter 5