Chapter Six
~An Unexpected Offer~
Afterschool that day, Laura walked home together with Stacy. News about the animal warning had spread through the entire school, and an assembly was called that day to alert the students to it. There, the principal emphasized that the threat was likely very small in nature, but advised them all to take precautions necessary to make sure nothing untoward happened.
From there, for the second time in less than a week, the school was abuzz with something new. It was like everybody had forgotten all about Logan’s arrival, and now shifted their attention to the bizarre animal warning. Again, all sorts of rumors started going around, from the completely implausible (that somebody had been bitten by a wolf and transformed into a werewolf, and the hitman was the latest victim), to the more sane (that a bear had become rabid and killed the guy). But mostly, everyone was just uncertain. Uncertain about what to expect, and uncertain about the scope of danger facing them.
When Laura got home, her mother raced over to embrace her in a giant hug, proclaiming that her sour mood from yesterday had been forgiven and that she was just glad that Laura was safe. It seemed like news of the death had rattled the entire town of Vancouver to its core, especially here in the suburban area – since it happened in such close proximity.
Stacy stayed the night, and the girls spent time gossiping and watching movies together with Laura’s little sister. Laura debated telling Stacy about what happened Thursday afternoon in school, but ultimately decided not to – at least not before talking to Logan about it. And Stacy, sensing Laura’s decision, thankfully didn’t press the subject.
Sunday evening, just as Laura was about to go to bed, her mom informed her that since there have been no new developments in finding the rogue animal, she was going to drive her to school in the mornings from now on. Laura had no problem with that, and didn’t protest.
On the drive to school on Monday, Laura found herself wondering if she’d see Logan that day. She needed to talk to him. And the sooner it happened, the better it was for the both of them.
Since her mother had to get to work in the morning as well, Laura arrived at school well before her usual time. As she walked by her locker, hearing the echo of her steps bouncing around the empty hallway, she shivered involuntarily and hurried on. Memories from what happened there last week flashed in her mind, but she shoved them down harshly. She didn’t want to stir up any repressed emotions. And the further away she was from this spot, the better.
She entered her first period math class, and found that she was the first to arrive. Mrs. Millburn looked up from her desk to frown at Laura, but otherwise didn’t comment. Laura sat in her seat, and waited for the rest of class to fill up.
Half an hour later, the last students were rushing through the door. And still, there was no sign of Logan. Laura hoped that she wasn’t responsible for his absence, after what she said that day. Or, worse yet, that the animal had gotten to him. Although after the display against Brady and his friends, Laura doubted he had trouble taking care of himself. Which, again, was what made everything about him so weird – the type of calm confidence he had displayed facing the bullies went at odds with the other way he acted otherwise.
The second bell rang, announcing the start of class. Mrs. Millburn came to the front of the room, and greeted everyone with an effusive “Good-morning.” Laura sighed. It looked like Logan wasn’t here today, either.
Just then, the door at the front of the room opened, and a tall man Laura didn’t recognize stepped in. His head was held high, and a sleek black trench coat sat on his shoulders, opened to the chest to show a vibrant red shirt underneath. His straight, dark hair was combed back and up, and… wait. Laura rubbed at her eyes, thinking they were deceiving her. Was that Logan?
“Sir, I don’t know what would possess you to interrupt, but as you can see, I’m in the middle of teaching my class,” Mrs. Millburn began. Then her eyes widened, when she realized what Laura had realized herself. It was Logan. “Ah – ahem. Mr. Sutherby? If you would, ah, take your seat, we can continue.” That was it. No reprimanding him for being late, no demand for an apology or excuse. Mrs. Millburn never acted that way.
Logan nodded to her, and walked towards his seat. Strutted towards his seat was more like it. He walked with shoulders swinging grandly, and made strong eye contact with everybody on his way. Well, then. Laura had certainly not been expecting this.
As he passed her, their eyes locked, and whispered in a stage-whisper – a loud whisper – “We’ll talk after class.” Everybody around her heard, but nobody dared comment. Laura just nodded quickly. Satisfied, Logan walked on.
And it wasn’t just his manner of dress or his hairstyle that was different, Laura realized. His milky-smooth skin had also become more vibrant. It was still white, but shone with a renewed vigor. Laura allowed herself to peek back at him as he sat down.
His body language was completely different. He leaned back comfortably in his chair, shoulders and arms spread wide. He wasn’t afraid to take up space anymore. And with his hair style up like that, it looked almost a crown. A black, thorny crown belonging to a king. Most of all, though, Laura thought that Logan looked proud.
She twisted back to look at the front of the class. Mrs. Millburn was talking, something about trigonometric functions and probability equations. Laura tried to focus, but her entire mind was racing with questions about Logan. What had prompted him to make such a drastic difference? Was all of last week just an act? Why did he look so much more vibrant all of sudden? It was like he underwent a weekend transformation, and came out of it a completely different person.
More importantly, though, she was trying to figure out what she would say to him. And what he would say to her. He told her quite clearly that they’d talk after class. Did he want to clear the air regarding what happened on Thursday? Laura couldn’t imagine it being anything else.
Suddenly she became uncomfortably conscious of the fact that he was sitting behind her. Meaning he could very easily be watching whatever she did. Not that she was doing much, sitting there pretending to pay attention to the teacher, but the possibility of his eyes being on her made her rigid. She felt awkward.
Slowly, the clock ticked away anxious-ridden minutes leading her closer and closer to the end of class. Would Logan want to talk with her right away? Or would he wait until their detention session with her afterschool? She wasn’t sure. She knew she wanted to talk to him as soon as possible, before – but now she wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t even sure who she would be talking to – would this new, more confident version of Logan act differently with her than before?
Finally, the bell announcing the end of class rang, stopping Mrs. Millburn mid-sentence. She looked mildly annoyed, but didn’t protest when her students started getting up. Laura sat still in her seat. If Logan wanted to speak with her right now, she didn’t want to rush out prematurely.
“Laura.”
She looked up, and saw Logan standing beside her. For a split-second she thought she could see a golden-red halo surrounding the pupils of his eyes, but it went away as soon as she shifted in her seat. Probably just a strange reflection of the light.
“Hi, Logan,” she said.
“We need to talk,” he said seriously. “Would you come with me?” And without waiting for an answer he started walking away, leaving Laura to scramble to get her belongings into her bag before rushing after him.
She caught up outside the classroom, where he stood with one shoulder leaning against a locker. On seeing her, he nodded to one side and proceeded to walk in that direction. Laura had to push her way through the mass of bodies in the hallway to keep up. Not losing sight of him was easy, though. He stood nearly a head taller than everyone else.
She trailed after him, wondering where he was taking her. She knew the hallways of the school like the back of her hand, but couldn’t figure out where they were going. Plus, the longer they walked, the less time they had before they had to go to their next class.
Eventually he stopped, pulled open a door, and ducked inside. Laura paused before following. She had never noticed that particular door before. Bodies continued to mill around her, and she was jerked to and fro by the crowds. Well, there was no use in waiting. She twisted the doorknob, and walked inside.
It was a small room with a single row of lights. A stack of chairs stood in one corner coated in dust, but otherwise it was empty. Logan leaned casually against the far wall, and smiled as he saw her.
“What is this room?” Laura asked suspiciously. “I’ve never been here before.”
“Just as well. I stumbled upon it last week, when I was searching for a particular classroom. I thought we’d have some privacy here.”
“I mean, I guess…” Laura began, “…but we don’t actually have much time. I have to get to next class soon, and so do you, I think.”
“Yes, I know,” he replied. “But I didn’t want to talk to you where anybody else could hear.”
“Why not?”
He paused for a second, studying her intently. Then he sighed audibly. “I wanted to apologize.”
“Apologize?” Laura was taken aback. She was ready to apologize to him!
“Yes. For what I did last week. I realized, in the last few days, that what I did was… wrong.” Laura could see that he was struggling to say the words. “But it was wrong not because of what I did, but because I did it without asking.”
“Asking who? Me?”
“Yes. I shouldn’t have acted without your permission.”
“Well, to be honest… I doubt I would have objected. I just wish you weren’t so violent. With them.”
“I know. But I also know this: he’s not good for you.”
“Who, Brady?”
“Yes.”
“You know, I kind of figured that one out myself, this weekend.” Laura laughed nervously. “And I also wanted to apologize to you. For the way I acted after. I had no right to punch you, or say all those things. But… I was emotional. I couldn’t help it. So… I’m sorry.”
With the apology complete, Laura turned to leave. Stiffly. Her cheeks grew hot as she said that, and she didn’t want him to see her blushing.
“Wait,” Logan said, stopping her right before she opened the door. “You told me you wanted to know what Brady thinks of you.”
“I did, yes,” Laura admitted, looking down at her feet. “But I was just caught up in the moment. It’s irrelevant, now, anyway.”
“Well, if you want, I could show you.”
“What?” Laura turned back slowly, and looked at Logan. He looked very serious. “What do you mean?”
“I mean what I said. If you want, I could show you what Brady thinks of you.”
“How?” Laura asked suspiciously. “Is this some kind of trick?”
“No, no trick,” he assured her. Then he held out his hand towards her, palm up. “Take my hand.”
“Uh…” Was he trying to hit on her in some strange, unorthodox way? Suddenly the confinement of the room became all too apparent, and the feeling of being trapped that she experienced with those four guys around her returned.
“There’s no trick, I promise.” His voice was sincere, and it seemed… trustworthy. If he wanted to do anything to her, he would have already made his move. Laura met his gaze, and saw only the purest assurance in his eyes. She could trust him.
Slowly, tentatively, she reached out to place her hand on his. Her fingertips grazed his palm, and their skin touched.
A flood of thoughts, not her own, erupted into her mind. It was commotion. Mayhem. A thousand different voices cried out disjointedly, each clamoring for her attention. It felt like her head would explode. Images completely foreign to her flashed through her mind, but none was there long enough for her to make it out. There was not enough room for all of them. The thoughts trampled through her head, until she thought she would lose herself in the uproar. Her own voice cried out to her, but was just as quickly lost in the turmoil. She was disoriented. Where was she? Who was she? The link. She saw her hand, touching another. Who’s was that? She couldn’t tell. Her sense of self-awareness was fading. Her conception of herself was fading. She didn’t know how much longer…
Abruptly, all that was gone. Her own thoughts rebounded harshly to her, and she staggered back. She looked up. Logan was standing there, smiling at her knowingly.
“What… what was that?” she managed.
“A trick.”
“Is it… normal?” She was short of breath, and felt like she had run a hundred miles.
“Normal enough for me, anyway.”
“All those voices I heard… what were they?”
“Thoughts.”
“What?”
“They were thoughts, and you could hear them.”
“Who’s thoughts?”
“Everybody’s in the school. And some people outside the school, near us.” The way he said it made it sound like he was explaining the most natural thing in the world, like spring weather.
“Wait,” Laura said, staring wide-eyed at Logan, “are you telling me that I just heard the thoughts of all the students in the school?”
“And some of the teachers, and some other people close by.”
“That’s… astounding. Is it dangerous?”
Logan shook his head. “If it was, I wouldn’t have shown it to you.”
“Was that some sort of link that was made, when our hands touched?”
Logan smiled. “You’re quick. Yes, you could say that a link was created. It’s more of a bond, really, but it’s… hard to explain.”
“And what about you? Can you hear them, too?”
Again, Logan shook his head. “No. I can’t make any of them out. All I can do is transfer them to another person.”
Laura stared. She had just heard the thoughts of people around her. And Logan was explaining it to her patiently and calmly, as if he was completely used to it. “How long have you had this? How long could you… transfer… these thoughts to other people?”
“Forever,” he said simply.
“What are you, like some kind of mutant? Like those X-Men?” The closest thing Laura could think of that would match this was Professor Charles Xavier’s mindreading abilities in the X-Men, but that was just a movie!
Unexpectedly, Logan began to laugh. “No way,” he answered. “Definitely not.”
“Then… how do you do it?”
“I don’t know. I just can.”
“Have you ever used it before, then?”
“Like how?”
“For some kind of an… advantage?”
He laughed again. “Some advantage,” he said sarcastically. “All the voices converge as one, and you can’t separate them at all.”
“Then, what’s the point? Why’d you show me?”
“Well, to tell the truth, there is one way you can separate them.”
“And what’s that?”
“If you have a strong emotional bond to somebody, and they share it with you, their thoughts… stand out. Call out is more like it, actually.”
“A strong emotional bond? Like… love?”
“Or hate. The person… calls to you. Their thoughts become more distinctive. But in that case, it works both ways.”
“What do you mean?”
“They feel the emotion more intensely if you do it.”
“You mean, if you listen to their thoughts?”
“Yes.”
“That’s… that’s a miracle,” Laura marveled.
“Not so,” Logan answered.
“What? Why not? It’s absolutely a miracle.”
“No, not really. They start to feel the emotion more intensely. So somebody who hates you starts to detest you, wanting you dead. And somebody you love becomes obsessive, following your every move. It’s quite the opposite of a miracle, really.”
“Woah. I didn’t think of it that way.”
“And if the emotion fades some time later – if you stop feeling it yourself – the bond from this still remains.”
“They continue to hate you?”
“Yes. But in the new, stronger way.”
“Wow,” Laura whispered.
“Did anyone call out to you like that, when we touched?”
Laura thought back. She knew what Logan was asking. He wanted to know if Brady’s thoughts beckoned her.
“No,” she finally admitted.
“Well, I think that answers your original question, then.”
“Yes… I think it does.”
“So you see, I meant what I said.” He flashed a triumphant grin. “That I could show you what Brady thought of you.”
“Apparently, not much,” she mumbled. “But it’s not like I expected anything more after what happened, anyway. Thank you, Logan, for sharing this with me.”
“Of course. But you mustn’t tell anyone about it.”
“Who would believe me anyway?”
“That’s right,” he chuckled. “No one would.” He paused for a second. “And, Laura… I hope you won’t hate me.”
“Hate you?” She was taken aback again. “Why would I hate you?”
“Because of what I showed you.” Suddenly, he looked every bit the shy boy she had met last week, and nothing like the proud young man who was standing before her.
“You shared with me a precious gift,” she told him quietly, “and I could never hate you for that.”
“Thank you.” He looked relieved. Then he smiled at her, returning to an image of confidence. “We’d better get going, then, to our next class. I’ll see you afterschool?”
Laura smiled back. “I’ll see you there.”