Resilient (24 page)

“Well,” Adam says, “to me it comes naturally, I guess. Some people just have it better than others.” Adam gets up and hands the teacher his work. “Can we leave now that we’re done?” 

“Yes. Don’t be late for my class again.”

He nods and walks out. I follow him, eager to get out of the room. We walk together in silence until we reach the end of the hallway, where he stops and looks at me. 

“I think she knows about us.”

“I think so too,” I whisper, afraid to hear it myself.

“If she is the one after us, she isn’t alone,” he says and fear spreads through me, making my hands shake. “You’re avoiding me and I know you think you’re protecting me that way, but you’re only making things worse. We need to stay together, can’t you see that?” His eyes are fixed on mine and they’re pleading. I decide to study the floor.

“That guy told you to stay away from me. He was trying to protect you and so am I.”

“As far as we know, this guy could be a total psycho.”

I meet his gaze with sudden resolve. “A psycho that knows our abilities? I don’t think so, Adam. This guy knows what he’s saying.” 

He’s shaking his head. I won’t be able to persuade him to stay away from me, and now I’m not sure if I want him to.

”Look, if you want be alone, if you need time to process all of this on your own, I’ll give you space. But you have to promise me one thing.” 

“What?”

“If you think that you’re in any danger for whatever reason, you’ll come to me.”

His tone is frantic and I have to give him my word; that is the only way to keep him away, at least for now. “Okay, I promise.” I turn to leave before I act on impulse and throw myself into his arms to comfort him.

“One more thing,” he says, stopping me. I want you to be my date for homecoming.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“You don’t have to tell me right now.” He rakes his hand through his hair. “But you are coming to the game on Friday right? It would mean a lot me.” 

“Yes, I’ll be there.” I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

*                            *                              *

I arrive a little late for my training lessons with Alo, but he doesn’t seem to mind.  I’m happy with the little distraction, and Alo has good news about Aphrodite. “I don’t think we’ll have problems with her anymore,” he says, happy with her recent behavior. “All she needed was a different bit. I mentioned that to Adam before you moved here.”

“I didn’t give him a chance to change it. I took Aphrodite out before he made it to my house. It wasn’t his fault,” I say, and Alo smiles.

“I never thought it was. Adam is great with horses—it just comes naturally to him. He’ll be an exceptional veterinarian.”

There’s a lot about Adam I don’t know, and these little things that I’ve never known reveal a lot about a person. Only someone with plenty of empathy could be a veterinarian. I feel a hole growing inside of me and I wish I could have him by my side when I take Aphrodite for our first proper ride.

After Alo leaves, I try to call my uncle but it goes straight to his voicemail. He must be in surgery or avoiding me. This doesn’t help the fact that I need to clear my mind, so I make the decision to change my clothes and go for a run. 

I don’t hold back this time; I run as fast as I can, trying to put some distance between my worries and me. I run faster, jumping over roots and fallen branches as I see them. My reflexes are getting better, more accurate—it’s like I see things in slow motion. As I approach the lake, I slow down and I hesitate to get closer. What if Adam is here? I turn around and continue to run, but in a different direction.

I’m angry, and when I’m angry, I run faster. This whole situation is getting on my nerves. I have to avoid the one person I want to be with for reasons that I don’t understand; the only thing I know is that he’ll be safer away from me.  I don’t know why and I don’t know for how long. I don’t even know how long I’ll be able to avoid him; just thinking about him makes my body ache for his touch. 

I slow my pace just a little. I feel someone’s presence just behind me and I stumble to a stop. My heart starts to really race—not just from exertion, but from fear. I turn around, but I don’t see anyone.

I sprint back towards the lake and I sense the same lurking presence behind me again. As I run faster, the feeling slips in and out of my grasp. Whoever it is, he or she is keeping up. I get to the border of the lake, but my instincts tell me to keep running, so I take one loop around the lake and then reach the rocks by the water. I climb to the top of the highest rock. I’m breathing heavily and I feel like my heart is about to burst out of my chest. 

I don’t feel anyone close to me. I can see the entire shoreline from up here, and my surroundings are clear.  I take this opportunity to sneak down from the rocks and make a dash back towards my house. This time, I feel nothing. As I reach the back door, I glance back and everything looks fine. My heart slows down and my breathing evens out, but I’m not about to take any chances. I lock the door.

It’s been almost two weeks since I talked to Stevens. I’ve been back to that motel, but he hasn’t returned. The front desk won’t even tell me if he is a guest anymore. I’ve been to the hospital, but I can’t find a record of him ever being a patient, let alone get an address or phone number. He said he would come looking for me, but he hasn’t. I want him to; I need more information about my family and the possibility that they might not be my family. I’ve been avoiding home and my father, but at some point, I’ll have to bring this up. I just need to find the courage to face the pain, if it’s true. 

And then there’s Livia, and the distance she insists putting between us. I know she’s trying to protect me, as if I need it—I can handle my own. But I’m giving her space; I know she’ll come to me when she needs me. It’s just taking a lot of effort to keep my distance. She’s all I want right now.

“You’re one unlucky son of bitch!” Kyle tells me as we walk to the locker room. Today was our last practice before the big game tomorrow, and I just sprained my wrist. It hurt when it happened, but I feel fine now. 

“It was nothing big. It doesn’t even hurt anymore.” 

“Good, then you can focus on the game tomorrow. We need you!”

“I know, and I am focused,” I lie.

“Adam, are you in here?” Matt calls from the other end of the room.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Livia is looking for you outside. She says it’s important.”

I immediately get up and hurry outside, still wearing my football pants and undershirt. I run my hand over my hair in hope to fix it up, but I’m sweaty and strands of hair are stuck on my face. Livia is sitting on the sidewalk, still dressed in her toga outfit, which is the theme for the homecoming week events. She looks like a Greek Goddess. 

She stands up when she sees me.

“Hey! What’s going on?”

“There’s someone following me,” she says, looking both ways as if someone’s listening, too.

“What? Are you sure?”

“I am positive, Adam. I first noticed it the other day at the lake. I was running and someone was following me. And today after I left school, I had this feeling that I was being watched.” She purses her lips and shakes her head. “I didn’t drive home. I kept on driving around and the same black car was behind me in each turn I took. I ended up in a dead-end road and, after I turned around, that car was waiting by the main road.” Her voice is starting to shake. “I went to the market and stayed there for a long time, and when I got out, I saw it again—a Mustang, I think. Then I drove here, the Mustang followed me to the entrance of the school, and then drove away.” 

“Did you call the police?” I murmur.

“And say what?

I sit down on the sidewalk and take a slow, calming breath. She’s right—what would we say?  “Could it have been Stevens? I’ve tried to find him but there’s no trace of him.”

“I don’t know. What does he drive?”

“Don’t know.” I reach for her hand, holding it tight in my own. “I don’t want you to be by yourself anymore, Livia. If something happens to you—“

“Nothing will happen to me.”

“Then we’ll stick together ’til we figure this out.” 

“I don’t think—“

“Livia, enough with that. I know what you’re thinking, and your nightmare is not coming true.”

Livia sighs and pulls her hand away from mine “I wouldn’t have come to you if I hadn’t given you my word. I don’t want to be the reason you’re in danger.”

“But you’re not! We’re in danger because of what we can do, not because we’re with each other. You need to talk to your uncle. From what you said, he might be able to help.”    

“I’ve tried to talk to him, but he doesn’t answer my calls. He’ll be here Friday evening, though.”

“Okay, I’ll follow you home and make sure that car’s gone,” I say and she nods.

We get in our cars and I trail Livia to her house. I don’t see any black Mustang behind or around us.  I pull in Livia’s driveway and wait for her to park her car. A moment later, she gets out in the garage and jogs up to me.

“My mom’s car isn’t in there. I don’t think she’s home,” she says, picking up her cell phone. “You mind waiting until I call her?”

I listen as Livia talks to her Mom. She seems to get along fine with her parents and the rest of her family. Her uncle, as well—they have this strong bond that I wish I had with my parents. Dad and I have always been distant. I used to have a good relationship with my mom, but lately I feel like she’s more on Dad’s side than on mine, insisting that I have to follow Dad’s footsteps and study pre-med. If it comes down to my father not actually being my father, then it’ll all make sense. I’ve never felt like I’ve belonged. I’ve always tried because I do love my parents and I wanted them to love me back.

“My parents went to Bellingham to see my grandma,” Livia reports. “They’ll be on their way home soon.”

“I’ll stay here until then. You can’t be here by yourself.”

Livia seems ready to object, but then says nothing. I enter her house and I scan the place top to bottom. I find her in the living room and give her a reassuring nod. “All clear.”

“Good.” She is leaning against the wall, her blue eyes searching mine, drawing me closer. She takes a step closer to me until we are close enough to touch. I reach for her, tangling her hair through my fingers and guiding her closer. I can no longer keep my lips away from hers.

We can’t seem to let go of each other. It feels like we’ve been apart for months and not weeks, and now we’re a catching up for all that lost time. Before I know it, we’ve moved to the couch and our kisses get stronger, more intense. She lies down and I linger over her before she pulls me against her. We hold each other close and kiss as if the world is ending tonight.

The doorbell rings and Livia is fast to sit up, hitting her head on mine.

“Ouch!”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” She says, putting her hand over her head.

We both scramble to our feet and make for the front door, and when she opens it, my assistant coach is standing outside.

“Daniel? What are you doing here?” I ask frowning at him. I look at Livia, who seems even more surprised to see him here than me. “I didn’t know you two knew each other,” I say, and a flash of memory comes to me: them talking outside the school library.

“Hi,” Daniel says, looking somewhat apologetic. “Livia—right?”

“Yeah, hi,” Livia says with a half-smile.

“Adam, Matt told me you would be here. You left this in the locker room. I thought you would need it.” He hands me my driver’s license.

“Oh, crap. Thanks.”

“No problem! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

We watch as he gets in his car and drives away—a black Mustang. “Wait a sec.” I look at Livia, who’s starting to breathe faster and still staring at the car.  “Was that the car following you?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Crap…”

“I don’t know for sure, though,” she adds quickly. She sits down on the steps of her front porch and tries to slow her breath. “I don’t think this is the first time he’s followed me.”

“Have you have seen him around before?”

“No, kind of… I’ve been getting visions when I touch people, and I thought I saw him hanging around the place I used to live in New York. But I’m not sure if it’s real.”

“Do you have any idea why we have these abilities?”

“No, but my Dad thinks it has something to do with a mutant gene.” She laughs but it’s hollow.

“I’ve never told my parents about it, but I could picture my dad saying the same thing. What do you think?”

“I don’t know, aliens maybe?” She jokes halfheartedly.

“Does anyone in your family have them, too?”

Her eyebrows come close together; she looks confused. “No, my family is not—“

A car’s high beams pierce my eyes as it pulls into the driveway, making me squint.

“It’s my parents,” Livia says, standing up. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, right?” 

“Yes, but call me if you think something is wrong. You can’t trust anybody until we figure this out.

“Okay,” she says, and as she kisses me goodbye, I know she meant it.

“Livia you need to hurry up! You’re going to be late for school.” Mom is shouting from the foyer. I overslept. I just couldn’t fall asleep last night; couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that Adam and I are the same. It’s all feels like a dream and a nightmare mixed together.  I never thought I would have company in the private, strange world of superhuman abilities. When I’m dressed and ready to leave, I stop by the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. “You don’t look like you slept well,” Mom observes.

“Just too much stuff to read for school,” I say, trying to put her mind at ease. She’s already assuming that Adam and I had a falling out. “I better hurry. See you later!”

The day goes by fast, thank God! I got to school late, missing first period and the chance to see Adam.  Since Mom notified the school I would be late, I didn’t get in trouble with Ms. Johnson, but Adam texted me a good one hundred times to make sure I was okay. 

I haven’t seen him yet—he said he had to do something with the football team and would meet me at the cafeteria for lunch. But I’m looking around and I don’t see him anywhere. I spot Brianna in her blue and white outfit; it’s school color day. She waves at me.