The Zeuorian Awakening (7 page)

Lexi pushed through the crowd inside Sam’s Games and Billiards and headed toward the main entrance. Before she could step outside, Dillon stood in front of her, grinning and revealing all his teeth.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said. “I was wondering if you would go with me to a party at Neal’s house. His parents are out of town and he invited everyone to come over.”

“I can’t. I have to be at home in an hour,” she said, taking a step to her right.

He moved in front of her. “You can still come. I’ll make sure you get home on time.”

Before Lexi could say a word, Tyler stood next to her. “So you’re coming to the party with us,” he said to her.

“You mean coming with me.” Dillon glared at Tyler. “Anyway, aren’t you taking those two cheerleaders who’ve been following you around all night?”

Tyler shrugged his shoulders. “The only girl I’m taking to the party is right here.” He winked at Lexi. “Oh, I forgot,” he said to Dillon without removing his hungry gaze from Lexi. “Steve wanted me to tell you. He saw a black car hit your truck in the lot when they pulled out.”

“Aw damn. I just painted my truck.” Dillon took a step toward the door and hesitated. He glanced down at Lexi and then at Tyler. “You’re not just saying someone hit my truck so you could get me away from Lexi?”

Tyler casually raked his fingers through his thick hair and smirked at Dillon. “What if I am?”

“Then I’m not leaving.”

Lexi rolled her eyes. She didn’t have time to get caught in between them having some sort of standoff. She needed to end it. “I’m sorry guys, but I have to go.”

“I’ll walk with you and follow you to Neal’s party,” Dillon said, shooting Tyler a dirty look.

“Can we meet outside?” Lexi attempted to find a way to ditch him. “I need to take care of something first.”

“Sure,” he replied, giving Tyler a triumphant smile before sprinting through the crowd toward the exit.

“You do realize when you tell a lie, your eyes blink really fast,” Tyler said, as a charming, seductive smile swept over his face. “So it’s safe to say you don’t plan on going to Neal’s party or getting serious with him.”

“Yeah, he really isn’t my type,” Lexi said.

“He isn’t.” Tyler slid his hand along her lower back, caressing her exposed skin. “So what type of guy are you interested in dating then?”

“Well.” She backed away from Tyler’s wandering hand and glanced at Everett through the crowd. He lifted his head from the pool table and stared back at her. She wouldn’t mind dating him. He was everything she wanted in a guy and even had a muscle car too, but her safety was more important than dating, even with a cute guy like him.

Everett smiled and winked at her.

Tyler stood in front her, blocking Everett from her view. “I hope you’re not thinking about dating that loser after he lied to you about me. You deserve better than a liar like him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know the lie that made you avoid me. The one where I supposedly found you washed ashore instead of saving you from that guy who tried to carry you away.”

Tyler knew Everett told her that. “He only relayed what Neal had said, but how did you know?”

“I got my connections.”

“Well, It doesn’t matter if I like him or not. I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.” She moved toward the exit. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Hold up.” Tyler caught her hand. “I’ll walk you out. It’s not safe for you to be alone in the dark, especially with what you’re wearing.”

Before she could protest, Tyler pulled her out of Sam’s and down the street to Angie’s VW. The bakery light was off and the VW was cast in darkness—the last place she wanted to be with Tyler.

“You don’t have to stick around.” She slid her hand out of Tyler’s. “I’m sure Angie will be here soon.”

“I don’t mind waiting here with you.”

But she minded if he stayed with her, especially after reading his thoughts and everything he wanted to do with her in the dark. She slowly inched backward to get away from Tyler and hit the VW’s door.

How had the VW gotten so close to her? She’d sworn it had to be a few feet from her. Did she make it move? No, she couldn’t have moved a car. Moving a ball or something similar in size seemed more realistic compared to moving a car. She had to be closer to the VW than she realized.

“There you are, Lexi,” Angie said as she approached the VW and pressed the car alarm, unlocking the doors and turning on the interior light. “I almost called the police when you disappeared.”

This was her chance to get away from Tyler. “Well thanks for waiting with me,” Lexi said to Tyler while gripping the door handle. “I guess this is good night.”

“It doesn’t have to be good night.” Tyler moved closer, invading her one-foot safety zone. “Come with me to Neal’s party. I promise you’ll have fun.”

He gave her that look—the sexy, charming one that was meant to make her fall in love with him, but instead it made her stomach twist into a knot and her face flush.

She moved as far away from him as possible in the confined space. “I really have to go home now.”

“No you don’t,” Tyler said, leaning even closer to her.

Her breath caught as she watched Everett’s 1967 Mustang slowly rolled toward the road. Damn, she had moved the VW and just Tyler’s flirting made her do it. She needed to get away from him before she made the entire town move.

“I can’t go.” She tore open the car door and sat down. “I have to be home before my aunt gets back in a half-hour.”

Tyler gripped the door and bent over so that his face was close to hers. “How about going to the beach tomorrow after school? You can bring Angie along and we can jump off the rock.”

She glanced at an old newspaper rising in the air a few feet from them. Going to the beach with him, even with Angie as a buffer between them, would be a bad idea.

She gripped the handle and yanked the door from his hand. “I have some chores I need to do.”

“I’ll come over after practice. That should be enough time for you to get your chores done.”

“Tyler, I—”

Lexi froze when he leaned over and pressed his soft, moist lips to her cheek. A cold chill ran down her spine as the newspaper skyrocketed up toward the sky. She jerked her head back to keep him from kissing her any longer. “I’ll see you later.”

“Count on it,” he said.

Lexi didn’t say a word. Instead she slammed the door and ordered Angie, “Let’s go.”

“You should give him a chance.” Angie sped down the road. “He’s so cute and totally into you. Come on; let’s go to the beach tomorrow.”

“No way. I’m not going anywhere with him.” Lexi huffed. “Have you forgotten I’m still changing and I have to worry about revealing myself to the others just waiting for me to screw up? You saw how everything moved while I was talking to him. Who knows what’ll happen if I spend more than a few minutes with him in a bikini.” She touched her cheek where he’d kissed her. “Anyway, I’m not interested in him.”

“You’re so full of it. I know you’re into him. You don’t have to keep avoiding him if you just tell him about what you can do.”

Lexi crossed her arms over her chest. “I already told you, I’m not going to tell him my secret.”

Angie’s radio turned off when her cell phone ringed. “You’re not off the hook that easily. We’ll finish discussing telling Tyler after I take my call.”

Lexi slouched down in her seat as Angie spoke to her father, pushing Tyler out of her mind and focusing on watching cars on the road in the reflection of the rearview mirror.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the others looking for her and wondered how they knew she lived in Brookings? Her parents had kept her close to them at all times and homeschooled her. They never talked to anyone other than Irene about her at least she thought that until speaking to her Watcher.

“Who’s that?” Angie asked, pointing to a 4x4 truck flashing its high beams at them.

Lexi eyed the truck as it drove onto the shoulder of the road, next to the passenger door and honked. She peered inside the driver side window. Dillon. Damn. He must’ve seen her drive away and chased after her.

She waved to him and mouthed, “I have to go home. We’ll talk later.”

Dillon rolled down his window as Lexi did the same. He leaned outside as far as he could while steering the truck. “Are you going to Neal’s party?”

She cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted, “I can’t. Sorry.”

“So you’re not going to the party with Tyler. I saw you two talking outside of Sam’s.”

“No. I’m definitely not going anywhere with him.”

“Really?” A grin spread across his face. “So are you interested in working on your English paper after school with me?”

“I don’t know if I—”

“Lexi, look.” Angie pointed toward a car broken down on the road. It partially blocked their lane and the shoulder. Dillon’s truck was headed right for it.

“Dillon, watch out,” Lexi screamed.

He slammed on his brakes and swerved in their direction to avoid the car. Angie swerved between two cars in the left lane and almost rear-ended the car in front of her.

“Slow down gradually,” Lexi said.

“I can’t,” Angie shouted when the brake lights in front of them came on. She tried to swerve into the right lane, but Dillon blocked them. She slammed on her brakes, but it was too late. They were going to hit the car in front of them.

Lexi knew what she had to do. She raised her hand and focused on pushing the car forward enough so they wouldn’t ram it. Her body shook and her muscles ached as sweat dripped down the side of her face.

The car slammed on its brakes and swerved in front of them, edging toward the center line. She tried to stop the car from crossing into the opposing traffic lanes, but it flipped into the air and spun a couple of times before it landed upside down, facing two oncoming cars.

No, no, no. Lexi lifted her trembling hand again, blinking to clear the sweat stinging her eyes. She focused on the two cars and tried to force them to stop in place.

The front of the two cars crumpled in as if they hit a wall. Their back ends lifted into the air and slammed hard onto the ground. The cars bounced up and down, but remained in place.

Another set of cars were headed toward the three stationary cars. Their brakes lights flipped on, but they were too close to stop in time before hitting them.

Lexi lifted her hand and focused on trying to push the cars to keep them from hitting the three stationary cars. Her hand shook and body waivered, threatening to collapse. Nothing happened.

She tried again, but to no success.

She tried a third time and her head slumped forward as darkness enveloped her.

No. She can’t pass out. She shook her head, fighting to stay awake and lifted her hand to stop the cars from colliding. But it was too late.

One by one the cars slammed into the three cars stopped in the middle of the road. She winced at the sound of tires screeching and crashing of metal against metal.

She couldn’t believe she made all those people crash just to save Angie and her from getting into an accident. She had to help them. “Stop,” she said and gripped the door handle.

Angie slammed on the brakes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going to see if they’re all right.”

Taking several deep breaths, Lexi threw open the passenger door and leaped out. She ran toward the wreckage, but Dillon appeared out of the darkness and grabbed her.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “You look like you could pass out.”

“I’m fine, but I don’t know about them.” She pointed at the cars. “I should do something to help them.” That was the least she could do after causing the accident.

“No, you need to get off the highway before a car comes around the corner and hits you.” He pulled her to the VW and pushed her into the passenger seat. “Angie, park on the shoulder. I’ll check on them,” he said and slammed the door shut.

Angie didn’t debate him and pulled onto the side of the road.

Lexi’s hands trembled as she squeezed them together. She watched Dillon visit each of her victims. Some he helped out of their cars and others he just talked to. After the ambulance arrived, he ran back to her.

“How’s everyone?” she asked.

Dillon took her hands, beet red from squeezing them together and bent to one of his knees in front of her. “They’re all fine. No one was badly hurt. They were lucky. It could’ve been worse.”

Yes, it could’ve been a lot worse. They could’ve died and it would’ve been her fault. Maybe she was a danger to everyone. That would explain the reason her Watcher’s father wondered if she could be dangerous. He already suspected she would end up hurting someone.

“
You’re not dangerous,”
she heard her Watcher’s voice echo in her mind.
“Anyone could’ve caused the accident.”

How could he be so sure? Not everyone could cause several cars to collide by simply lifting their hand. The extent of damage she could cause was limitless compared to the average person. She couldn’t help wondering if that could be the reason others were after her.

The next day Lexi stood by her locker and several doors next to her shook, clanging and rattling. She took a deep breath and focused on the locker doors. All the while she prayed and hoped they would stop moving. Her head ached and hands trembled as the shuttering metal slowly halted.

She leaned against her locker as her head spun and legs struggled to hold her body weight. It was getting harder to keep her growing telekinesis under control. Maybe she should’ve stayed at home and hid until she learned to control her telekinesis better. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about hurting anyone or exposing herself to those who were searching for her. Perhaps she should go home now.

“
You don’t have to skip school,”
her Watcher said.
“Keep calm and nothing will happen.”

That was the second time he answered her thoughts. He must be telepathic.
“So do the others have powers too? Should I be blocking my thoughts from them?”
She bit her lower lip. She’d never considered how dangerous it could be to think about her abilities.