Chapter Seven
~Questions~
When Laura got to her math class afterschool, Logan was already there, waiting for her. He smiled from their usual spot in the back as she walked in. She’d had all day to think about what he showed her earlier. And the more she thought about it, the more amazed she became.
She racked her brain all day, trying to put some type of logical explanation to what it was. But she couldn’t think of anything. It was illogical, it was supernatural, it was paranormal, it was… magical. It was nothing short of a miracle.
She wondered how many people knew about his gift. She didn’t think many did. And he must have felt really bad for what transpired on Thursday, for acting without asking her, to show his ability to her. She felt privileged to have been shown it at all.
But above all, she was curious. Curious to know more. So despite herself, she rushed to the back of the room as soon as she saw him there, eager to ask him a million questions and more.
“Hey,” he said as she sat down.
“Hey,” she replied. Then, looking up to see that Mrs. Millburn wasn’t paying them much attention, burst out with, “What you showed me today was amazing!”
“I thought you might like it,” he said slyly.
“Oh, absolutely! But… can I ask you something?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“The mind thing… can you do it whenever you want? I mean, does it happen whenever someone touches you?”
“Yes and no,” he laughed. “I have to consciously decide to let people experience that before they make contact. So like, if someone brushes my hand accidentally,” he reached over to slid a finger over Laura’s hand, “nothing happens. But if I want them to experience it, like I did with you earlier today, then I have to decide to let them in, so to speak, at the moment contact happens.”
“Wow. And did you always know you had that ability?”
“The truth is, I didn’t always have it. It developed when I was very young, but I wasn’t born with it, I don’t think. Then again, maybe I just can’t remember back far enough. Everything from my childhood is a bit dark, and somewhat blurry. There are not a lot of good memories from there.
“But you were right. Before I learned to control it, it happened every time somebody touched me, no matter how briefly. Most people just pulled away, thinking they experienced something like an electric shock…”
“What about you? What’s it like, for you, when it happens? Like today, when I held your hand, what did you feel?”
“Nothing,” he replied simply. “That’s why it took me so long to understand what people experienced when they made contact with me. My earliest memory of it was when I couldn’t figure out why adults were becoming frightened of me. Of course, it was because whenever they touched my skin, they experienced that… flood… of thoughts, barraging through their heads. I can’t imagine what it’s like, personally. But I’ve been told, and pieced enough things together.”
“So you’ve shown other people before, then?” A little bit of disappointment blossomed in Laura’s stomach as she said that, and she didn’t really know why.
“Not many,” he shook his head. “There was one person, though, who I shared it all with, a long time ago. And they helped me learn to control it, taught me what it really was.”
“Wow. Who was that person?”
“I… can’t tell you. Something happened to them that I still… can’t… make myself talk about.” He sighed, and his eyes looked sad. “I’m sorry. I know I must be giving you more questions than answers. And I can imagine how overwhelming it must be for you.”
“No, not at all,” Laura said. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, don’t worry about that. You didn’t pry at all. It’s my own demon I have to battle.” Suddenly his eyes lit up again, this time with concern. “You mustn’t worry, though. What happened to her had nothing to do with my ability. There’s no danger to you.”
Laura caught something in what he said that stuck out immediately. He said her. Meaning the person who helped him develop the ability had been female. She didn’t think he meant give away a detail like that.
She decided to change the subject. “You know what I think?” she said. “I think your gift is an angelic power.”
To her surprise, he burst out laughing. A rich, booming laugh that caused Mrs. Millburn to look up. On seeing that, he quieted down, but inadvertent chuckles still escaped his lips.
“Hardly,” he said to her finally. “That’s the furthest thing from the truth.”
“No, I’m sure it is,” Laura persisted. “That’s the only explanation I could come up with.”
“No, it definitely is not that. It’s a curse, if anything.”
“How can you say that?”
“Say what? That it’s a curse?”
“Yes.”
“There are still parts of it you don’t know, Laura.”
“Like what?”
“I… can’t say.”
“So you do know more than me!”
“About what?”
“About your ability!”
“Yes, a bit more,” he admitted. “But it’s nothing you should worry over.”
“You showed me so much already,” she said, “it’s not fair for you to not tell me more!”
“Laura, I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“Why not?” She knew she was pressing the subject, but didn’t care. She had to know more.
“Some things aren’t meant to be shared,” he said. Then, he added quietly, as if to himself, “Some things are a burden you must bear on your own.”
“What was that?” Laura asked.
“Nothing.” He shook his head. For a second, he looked to be fighting two conflicting thoughts in his mind. Then he sighed. “Laura, I can’t tell you everything, but if you want… I can show you some of it.”
“Show me? You mean something other than the mind thing?”
“Yes. In a way.”
“…ok. When?”
“Today?”
“Like, right now?”
“No, not right now,” he laughed, “but after we’re done with this class.”
“Oh.” Laura thought for a second. “My mom’s picking me up after. Because of the animal warning.”
“Animal warning?”
“Yea, haven’t you heard?”
“No…?”
She was surprised. It had been all over the news for the past few days. “Everyone’s talking about it. It’s been pretty much the only thing on the community’s mind.”
“Well, if you haven’t noticed,” he said drily, “I’m somewhat new here.”
“Oh.” Laura blushed. “That’s right. Well, there was this murder last week, sometime Thursday evening, in a nearby pub. A fight got out of hand between two people, and they took it outside. Apparently, one of them got knocked out, and the other left. But that wasn’t the lethal blow. When the police found the guy who was knocked out a few hours later, he had two inexplicable, large, like… teeth marks… on his neck. And his body had been drained completely of blood. They’re not sure what did it, but they think some type of animal was responsible. So they issued a warning for nobody to walk anywhere alone until they figure it all out.”
“So that’s what they’re calling it,” he said quietly, half to himself. Laura was sure she wasn’t meant to hear. Then he looked up at her. “I have a car,” he said, “I can drive you after school.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, ok. I’ll text my mom then.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and switched it on. While she was typing, she spoke up again. “So what you want to show me… is it similar to the mind thing?”
“You’ll see,” he said mysteriously.
“Ok,” she laughed. She had no idea what it would be.