Chapter 33

Oh snap POV is off. Where'd Shi go?

It wasn’t a matter of where I slept. It was just impossible for me to even sleep for more than two hours. The sheets wrapped around me and suffocated each movement I tried to make. The heat started to rise in my body. I kicked off my socks in hopes that would release some of it. When nothing happened I hopped out of the bed. It was a lot cooler out of the blankets.

My bare feet walked across the cold hard floor. I opened my door and stepped out into the hall. I walked down it towards the kitchen. As I got closer to David’s room I heard him thrashing around. There was a dulled scream coming from deep in his room. Without thinking I jumped into the room. His body was thrashing around against the pillows and blankets. One pillow was brought to his face and he was screaming into it.

“David,” I whispered and walked over to him. Perhaps not all people needed to have some alone time.  As I looked at him I saw he was still asleep. His eyes were shut tightly but even with my touch he didn’t stop. His legs kicked out underneath him and his hands grabbed at the sheets below. Screams left his chest loudly. “David, it’s okay.” My gaze moved down his body as I tried to find something to hold him down with.

I jumped back when I saw the silver eyes in the corner watching me. “I really wish you would quit doing that.” Zane stepped out of the shadows and walked over to me. His shoulder bumped into mine and pushed me out of the way.

His hand touched the side of David’s face. His lips moved to David’s ear, “Shh you’re alright David.”  Almost immediately David stopped thrashing. The steady breathing returned into his lungs. Zane kept their faces close for a moment until he was sure David was alright. He stood up straight and faced me.

“What was that?” I asked carefully.

David smiled and held up his hands. “I have calming powers.”

I nodded, “ah.”

Zander walked off to the other side of the room. His dark cape snapped behind him. “How are you feeling?”

“You know don’t you?”

Zane stood in the shadows so that I couldn’t see him. All I saw was his eyes bobbing up and down in a nod. “I guess I’m doing alright, apparently better than David.”

“I’m sorry you know. I know what it’s like to lose a parent, especially when it’s out of your control.” I heard him sit in the chair in the corner. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Do you feel like you’re able to train?”

I walked over to the corner next to him, “I’ve been ready for awhile.”

Zane laughed, “I bet you have.” I heard him slap his legs and his eyes stood further up in the room. “Let’s go.”

“You mean now?”

Zane walked closer to me, “you’re up now aren’t you?” I nodded and in seconds we were gone.

I didn’t even feel him touch me. We were standing in the middle of a football field, the school’s football field. Zane stood in front of me. His mask was over his face so that I couldn’t see his expression. All I could see was his lips pursed together tightly. The muscles in his stomach were flexed, that could be seen underneath the suit fabric. His hips were cocked slightly and both his hands rested on them. “What do you want most in the world?”

I shook my head, “I don’t know.”

“Love, Money?”

I watched as his lips whipped over his teeth. “I still don’t know.”

“What do you want?”

He smiled. “I’ve found what I want and I took it. I wanted freedom. My whole life I had been drug around everywhere. I never made a choice for myself. After my father died I left. I discovered myself and a true love. When I got that, it allowed me to focus on my powers. I became stronger than your parents or my brother could ever imagine. I’ve discovered more and learned more that could fit into their heads. They never found what they wanted. They never went after it like I did. They settled.”

I shifted my weight, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you, Zander, you’re the only one who’s found what they want.” Zane quickly walked over to me. One hand went to the side of my face and the other wrapped around my back. Suddenly my powers were gone and I relied on his body to hold me up. Images started to appear in my mind. Music filled my body letting it swarm through each vein. The image of me conducting the symphony filled the whole football field. I stood on top of my platform and waved my arms. The music they were playing filled my ears and my heart beat faster.

A new image, Abigail, She was standing in front of me in a white hallway. I ran towards her and picked her up in my arms. Our lips grabbed onto each other and didn’t let go. My hands sprawled across her back and pulled her into my chest. Suddenly we weren’t in the hall we were in bed. Our skin rubbed up against each other as our kiss filled with even more passion. Heat bubbled up on my forehead and cheeks in embarrassment. I knew Zane was seeing this also.

Now kids. Each of them was running around. They held Abigail’s beautiful dark hair. They looked up at us proudly with bright silver eyes. We held them in our arms and gave them all the love they wanted. Together she and I had created the perfect family.

Then darkness. I was running down a dark road. I leapt in puddles splashing mud up onto my suit, my hero suit. I felt my lungs take in a deep breath as I saw what I was supposed to be .I was saving people from burning building, soaring high above buildings through the air.

Zane let go of my powers and the strength once brought to my body. He waited a moment before letting me go. “That’s what I want?”

He stepped away and returned to his previous position. “Is it?”

I thought a moment. “They seem pretty generic don’t they?”

“They are.”

I huffed and glared at him. “What do my parents want?”

Zane smiled, “Rylan wants to somehow cure the virus running through Shiloh.  Shiloh wants Rylan to give it up and just be happy with his life.”

“That won’t ever happen for both of them.”

Zane smiled, “you’re a smart boy. Many people want many things. We all want many things but there’s something that fuels us.”

“My music.”

Zane nodded. “When you were trapped inside the realm when could you use your powers?”

I thought a moment, “only when music was playing in my mind.”

I was slowly beginning to figure this out, “Now that you know that.”

“Through my music I can become stronger.”

“Stronger than you ever thought possible.” Zane was proud that I was figuring this out on my own.

“What fuels you?”

Zane pursed his lips together again. He was thinking about telling me I could see it in his eyes, “The thought of someone rather special.” That was all I needed. “No matter what now, no one can take your powers. You can access any powers through it also. You become an absorber like Phoenix or Rylan. Essentially that’s all heroes are you know. We aren’t born with powers. We are born with the gene to gain powers. As kids we slowly learn this and gain powers from people were around the longest, our parents. It’s what Rylan is missing in his research.”

“But what about Phoenix and Rylan, they had powers their parents didn’t have.”

“Rylan did, he had extra powers handed down to him from his father. He got a jump start from the rest. Phoenix, he’s always known what he’s wanted. There was never a doubt in his mind. Phoenix runs on love. It doesn’t matter where or who he gets it from. As long as there is love somewhere in the world he is the one benefitting. The second there’s not an ounce of love on this earth that’s when he fails.”

“That sounds like him.” Zane smiled

He stepped forward. “Zander, you may not see it now. But someday you will save the world. Whether it’s this year or in the next thirty years, you are, and will always be my hero.”Heat filled my cheeks again. This time it was from embarrassment. Zane smiled when he realized what he’d done. “I have something for you.” He tried to change the subject.  Again my weight shifted underneath me. Zane held out his hand. A flash snapped out of his outstretched palm. When the light had gone I saw a piece of clothing hanging inside a dark dress bag.

Zane walked forward with the bag and held it up to me with both hands. “No hero should be without one. I took the liberty of personalizing this for you. I figured your parent’s wouldn’t ever get around to it.” Excitement was bubbling up through me. He stuck his hands out and my hand went to the zipper. As I pulled the medal slab down it unzipped the dark fabric loudly. When it had been pulled all the way to the bottom I saw what was inside.

A light blue fabric laid perfectly across Zane’s hand. It was a suit, a hero suit. It wasn’t like anything I would’ve imagined. All the suits I’d seen were dark but this was a sea blue. My mouth gaped open at the beautiful fabric. Dark black lines ran through the whole suit all the way down to the legs. Dark boots were sitting at the bottom of the bag Along with long dark gloves. As I started to pull it out a glimmer of gold caught my eye. On the bicep of the right sleeve was a golden K. My fingers wiped over the fabric. “This is so, amazing.”

Zane smiled I’m glad you liked it. “I also took the liberty to have it match Abigail’s. Hers is purple and black.” I looked up and we both laughed. “It will soon become a part of you, enough to the point where you don’t take it off. I’m sure if you walked up to Phoenix or your father and tore open their shirts you would see their suits. I always wear mine.”

My hand again spread over the fabric. “Can I…?”

Zane nodded. He led me into the locker rooms. I slid the suit on over my body. It moved as if it was my skin. I understood exactly what Zane walk talking about. I never wanted to take this off. The second I put it on I felt almost stronger.

I walked around the lockers with the full outfit on. My eyes looked through the mask towards Zander. His head was hung low in his hands. When he saw me he leapt up and put a smile on his face. “Perfect fit, I must admit I am quite astonishing.

He walked over to me and tucked my cape into the back of my suit the way it was supposed to be. “You look rather dazzling.”