Chapter Thirteen: Hands of a Child

The passing months were filled to the brim with legal drama ever since the disaster beneath Eden’s archive building. From the first night back, Hector had scheduled Dame and I to meet with him once a week to ensure there wasn’t any psychological trauma from the events we experienced. Physical exams were made to rule out any possible infections or parasites, which Eden had discovered was in the contents of the fog released into the test floor. “The Meltdown of Facility E9” was what it was being referred to as. We were facility E13. Donald recited the reports to all of us on grounds that we all deserved to know. Everything was a mess. 

Hector urged me to discuss everything that I saw and dealt with under the archive building, but it wasn’t anything I wanted to relive through memory. All the same, I didn’t want to tell him about the blackhole either and that I was the one who shut it down. I was still in disbelief that I pulled it off. For nights on end, I’d find myself sitting on my bed, staring at my hands in reflection. It was clear to me then I had more power than what was already being assumed, and I didn’t want anyone to know because I didn’t want to face more testing and needle pricks. I was surprised to see Dame going along with my wishes. 

Dame’s moods were more erratic in the days following the incident. She acted fine for the most part, but there were times where startling her would end in verbally brutal outbursts. For once, I couldn’t blame her for this behavior. The lashing out. Throwing things. She even accidentally smacked some of us on occasion. She was tense whereas I only felt drained and vacant. What bothered me most was hearing her wake up in the middle of the night in panicked yelps she would muffle as soon as she realized she wasn’t still in E9. Dame was a tough girl. I came to admire this about her. Hector reasoned with me though and stated that Dame was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dame was keeping most of it in, but Hector said the ordeal wrecked her mental state entirely, and he didn’t know if she would completely come back from it. He never asked me to, but I started keeping an eye on Dame. There wasn’t a way I could pay her back for saving my life like she did, but caring for her was a start. 

Much to her dislike, I hung around Dame more than I avoided her confrontations. I helped her out with little things. I talked about pointless topics and observations, and she would either ignore me or insult me for it. It was okay though. Well, it wasn’t at first because I still didn’t know how to handle Dame’s character. Slowly, as time went on, I learned to roll with Dame’s punches. Instead of getting frustrated with her, I started meeting her outbursts and insults with playful teasing and casual kindness. In five months, I started noticing a change in her. It wasn’t anything big, but it was progress. Dame was calmer around the others, and she was starting to sleep for the full night without waking up in fear. She wasn’t the type to outright say how she was feeling, so I had to learn her body language. Turning away from me meant the opposite of what she would tell me whenever I asked how she was doing. As mean as they were to a normal person, her lighter insults and snotty sarcasm were a positive reaction. 

I was learning how to speak Dame. 

Even I was noticing a change in myself in the time I spent around her. The vacancy I felt after the incident was starting to fill again as if life had returned to my body. 

This wasn’t the only issue though.

During our months of recovery, a legal battle sparked between Eden’s corporate dogs and researchers. The corporate side of Eden wanted their failed project to resume even after the fatalities. Setbacks happen, and they didn’t want one setback to prevent success in an revolutionizing invention. Eden’s researchers argued the destructive forces behind the project. Project Gateway was one of Eden’s greatest failures on the verge of being catastrophic if it hadn’t been for two savants miraculously shutting it down. Up to this point, how Dame and I managed to shut down the vortex turned blackhole remained in question. A court battle ensued for months. Of course, to protect the secrecy of Eden, everything from the courtroom and juries to the judge himself had been Eden official. 

Heated arguments sprung back and forth on both sides. Donald, who had hand in building the portal and providing the technological advances to give it life, opted to stay out of any testimonies. According to Demitry’s empath readings, Donald had a hinge of guilt hanging over his head. He thought the stabilizers he designed were enough to contain an overload, and he hated being wrong. The boy, hailed as a genius across all of the branches of Eden, did not want to explain any of what might have been flawed in his work. 

Hector had to explain himself. There was no escaping and no amount of heroics that could save Hector from the fact that he sent a minor into a deadly environment. The man talked of his quarrel with Markus and his desperation to save one of his own, which he felt clouded his overall judgment. Hector said he recognized he should not have sent a child into such a dangerous situation, but he was more than confident in my abilities. In my own testimony, which was hard to give considering I didn’t want to think about everything I had to do, I stated that I chose to enter the facility and pushed Hector into letting me. The savants under Hector were commended for taking action in a time of crisis by the researchers. The one thing that bothered me about this portion of the court battle was how the corporate representatives handled shunning Hector. It was as if they were arguing out of fear of losing assets rather than Hector being irresponsible with a child under his care. 

Everything came down to one person. 

Dame’s testimony was everything. She put in a lengthy statement about how her life’s work had been Project Gateway, how much she had dedicated herself to seeing success of it come to light. It would have been everything for humanity. She spoke more of the benefits than the obvious cons we suffered through. Actually, she downplayed the entire incident entirely. Dame explained that the accident had occurred when one man on her team inputted the wrong coordinates and opened the portal to a world that remained uncharted. It was a slip up, but it was obvious proof that the portal was working properly as it should have. She explained that the only reason why Project Gateway was a failure was because of carelessness of another researcher. It would have been successful otherwise. I knew where she was going with it. I could only shake my head at her in some form of disappointment that made me feel like saving her life had gone unfruitful. Whether the continuation of Project Gateway was approved or not solely depended on her decision. 

Dame was full of surprises. 

In the end, Dame decided against continuing the project. A minor mistake costed the lives of nearly every team member in the facility, and she wouldn’t want to see that happen again. The seemingly snotty, calculating girl had given up everything she revolved her life around. At this point, I was more than impressed with her. This was another side to Dame I hadn’t seen before. She credited me with the rescue, taking more heat off of Hector, and concluded her statement with resigning from any future projects conducted by Eden. It was doubtful that anyone saw that coming. 

Hector was dismissed from any real punishment on account he undergo a probationary period for three months. After all of that was over, things had gone back to normal around the institute. Dame’s moods improved. I was starting to feel more of myself. The others were able to talk about different subjects that didn’t involve the court battle or the what happened the night of the incident. Everything resumed as normal. 

In celebration for the win against the corporate dogs and for still having his job, Hector decided to take all of the savants out of the institute for a day to see the beach and explore the Jordan City Aquarium. It wasn’t  normal for Hector to do something this extravagant, so it was easy to tell how thankful he was for how things went. Markus was asked to come along, too, to show there were no hard feelings between them. I was particularly excited for this adventure because it had been ages since I had been to an aquarium, and I knew this would be Dorian’s first time seeing anything like it. Demitry’s level of excitement could match my own, and Dahlia was intrigued by Hector’s generosity. Donald was more excited for the beach because he felt the aquarium served as more of a metaphor for the savants. The only two who weren’t entirely thrilled to go were Dame and Daisuke. 

There weren’t very many gathered at the aquarium on this particular afternoon because Hector had made arrangements for all of us to have a private viewing of the sights and wonders, which was a package the aquarium offered for birthdays and company outings. We would have the place mostly to ourselves with the exception of a small few. The other savants and I barreled through the entrance, Dorian taking the lead and being followed by Demitry. Inside, the air was cool. The lobby itself was dark, but the neon lights for direction and the soft glow of the fish tanks fed light to our feet. It was like entering another world beneath the sea. A brightly lit pool sat in the middle of the lobby, which contained a smaller breed of sharks swimming in circles for spectators to pet and feed. 

Hector reminded everyone of when the dolphin show was going to start before letting us go to wander around the aquarium. Our group scattered like marbles, some sticking around in the lobby for a minute while others disappeared down hallways leading to the bigger exhibits. Hector and Markus stayed behind and took a seat on a bench in front of the pool of harmless sharks. While the others ran and jumped in excitement, Dame merely walked and showed little interest in being there. This was only how she was though. Dame wasn’t akin to such expression. Daisuke seemed annoyed, however. 

Dorian dragged me to the pool in the lobby’s center, anxious to pet a real shark for the first time in his life. I had the same childlike wonderment, and I was just as eager to pet a shark as he was. Demitry had joined us. Dorian had his hands pressed to the glass casing at first, crouching down and taking his time to observe the sharks swimming about in the pool. The little boy looked up at me, his sparkling blue eyes wide and filled with the happiness that matched the grin on his face. Seeing the joy on his face only made me smile even more. With one shark casually swimming close enough to the pool’s edge, I reached my hand in the cool water to feel its slimy skin with the tips of my fingers. Dorian tried reaching for the other sharks that swam by, but the poor boy was too short to overcome the wall. So, I lifted Dorian by his waist and leaned him over the edge just enough for him to skim his hands over another shark that passed by in the water. The boy kicked his feet, and feelings of pure joy exploded from his being. 

As I held Dorian in place so that he could pet more sharks as they passed by, I caught a glimpse of Demitry standing a ways down from the pool. The Italian boy stared at the water and the sharks, but he appeared discouraged to put his hands into the water. Curious, I left Dorian to dangle over the edge to see what was wrong with Demitry. The sharks were harmless, so I knew the worst that would happen is Dorian getting a close-up experience. Demitry didn’t appear to notice me as I approached him. Clearing my voice broke his concentration, his eyes fluttering and his back straightening up. I stood beside Demitry with my arms resting on the railing.

“What’s up? You don’t like sharks or something?” I smiled at Demitry. “They won’t bite or anything.” 

Demitry shook his head and glanced down at his hands. “It’s not that at all, really. I love sharks.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Demitry shuffled his sandals on the floor, placing his hands in the pockets of his board shorts. “I’m just finding it a little ironic, y’know? I can feel every range of emotion radiating off of every person I encounter, every animal I come across, and feelings left behind in sentimental attachments. Feelings I don’t want because I can’t determine what’s my own. If I could physically feel something, I would at least know that’s me…but I can’t physically feel anything. I love sharks, and I know being able to touch a shark and see what one feels like would be one of the best experiences in my life, but alas.”

“Oh…I’m sorry, man.” I frowned. 

Demitry shrugged his shoulders. “Ah, well, it is what it is. Not like I can change any of it, so there’s no use in feeling sorry for myself.”

I watched the look of disappointment surface on Demitry’s face as much as he was trying to hide it. My eyes took to the water next, seeing the sharks carrying on in their circle around the pool. It was a shame that he couldn’t experience the feel of a shark’s skin, and I could tell the reminder of his hinderance was taking away from what was suppose to be an exciting day for everyone. I didn’t want that for anyone. So, without much prompting, I stuck my hand in the water and grabbed Demitry’s hand with the other. The boy jerked in surprise, questioning what I was up to.

“It’s okay, man. Just try petting a shark again.” I smiled at Demitry. 

Demitry carried a puzzled expression, which was also partially cautious of more disappointment, but he did what I had asked him. The boy slowly dipped his free hand in the pool, and the shock caused him to rip it back out again.

“What the hell was that!?” Demitry yelled, startled. He held his hand up as if someone had just cut it off. 

I couldn’t contain my laughter. “It’s called cold, dummy. That’s what cold water feels like.”

Demitry’s eyes widened. “Cold? Water? You mean to tell me…”

“Yep.”

“I just…”

“Mmhm.”

“That’s…” Demitry lost the words to finish his sentence. He stared at me a second longer before shoving his hand back in the pool. Demitry patted his sandal on the floor as a smile stretched across his face. I could tell now that he was marveling at the feel of cold water gliding over his skin. That didn’t compare to when another shark came near the pool’s edge. As soon as the skin touched Demitry’s finger tips, the boy howled with joy. It was loud enough to catch the attention of several others walking by the pool, stopping to observe Demitry’s odd behavior. Dorian’s interest even shifted from the sharks to the Italian’s insane amount of happiness. 

“This is the single most amazing thing I have experienced in my whole life!” Demitry shouted.

I laughed. “Well, I’m glad I could have been of service.”

“How did you do this, Desley? Did you know you could do this? Have you always been able to?” Demitry was beginning to bury me in questions.

“I shook my head. “I didn’t know I could until just now. It was just…a feeling, I guess.” 

Demitry grabbed my face, his icy, left hand making the side of my face twitch. “I could kiss you right now.”

“Please don’t.”

“Oh, I’m going to!” Demitry declared right before he smashed his lips into my cheek like an overzealous grandmother. 

For the next minute, the boy kept staring at his hand, having changed his perception entirely. His sense of touch would leave him whenever we weren’t holding hands, but he stated it was okay. I gave him an experience of something he had been deprived of since birth, and the feeling would reside with him forever. I was just glad to see him happy. Dorian even congratulated him in his own way by clapping his hands together and tilting his head. Soon after, Dorian took my hand and started pulling me away from the pool to explore the rest of the aquarium. As I stumbled away, Demitry kept looking at his hand with a smile on his face. 

Hector had other intentions behind inviting Markus to his outing with the savant children. This became very clear to Markus when they sat in silence when the group was present, especially with Hector’s lack of interest in actually watching the marine life from behind the glass. As soon as Demitry left to search out Dahlia, his wonderment still ever present with his hand raised, Hector finally shifted in his spot on the bench next to his colleague. Markus’ eyes turned to watch Hector take the glasses off his face and clean the lenses with his floral shirt. 

“So, what’s this about? What’s been eating at your brain this time?” Markus broke the silence. 

Hector eyeballed Markus’ work attire, shaking his head. “The least you could have done was change into casual clothing.”

“You and I both know that I’m still technically at work.” Markus shot back. 

Hector leaned forward and pressed his elbows into his lap. “There’s been something different about her since they came out of E9.” 

“Children deal with trauma differently and in their own way, Hector. It’s not a surprise to me that Dame would be more hostile than usual. Depression and lack of interest are also common in those suffering PTSD. From what I can tell, she appears to be doing a lot better, so I don’t see why we have to have such a discrete meeting.” Markus replied. 

“I’m not talking about Dame, Mark.” Hector said. 

Markus turned his head to face Hector. “Desley?”

Hector nodded. 

“You said that Desley was increasingly detached in the aftermath. Vacant, I believe.” Markus leaned back on the bench. “From the looks of it, she appears to be fine now.” 

“Desley has been uncovering a wide range of abilities on her own since the E9 incident. Not just after practice, but randomly. They’re sporadic and without effort. I think the detachment was her power settling in more, but there’s got to be reason behind it.”

“So, are you saying that Dame’s testimony might be false?”

“Not entirely. I think there’s some truth to it, but I’m convinced Desley had more involvement with shutting down Gateway than what was believed.” Hector sighed. “Of course, the footage of the test site has yet to be salvaged.”

“If there’s anything left.” Markus remarked. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious, Hector. It’s probably just a series of flukes. Those have happened before.” 

The two fell in silence. A couple walked by with their two kids, who were begging to go see the dolphin show. The voices of the children echoed in Hector’s ears, and they brought him back to the lab when Daniel announced he was going to be a father. Some irritability surfaced at the memory of the smile on his face, raising a glass to toast the celebration. 

“Do you remember peripheral proxy, Markus?” Hector asked. 

Markus took a second to reply, churning the question in his thoughts. “I remember that it’s entirely hypothetical.”

“Daniel said he could figure it out.”

“Yeah, he really figured it out, didn’t he?” Markus carried a sarcastic tone. 

“Do you remember what was theorized to be the characteristics of a peripheral proxy?”

“Sudden onset of power. Unimaginable abilities. Neural ratio of control beyond the brain’s capacity.”

“Subject 23 showed signs.”

“23 also showed signs of insanity, homicidal tendencies, and utter disregard for human life.”

“Because Daniel theorized that to be God was to not be human, and the state of peripheral proxy would strip the brain of humanity.”

“No, 23 went insane and lost whatever humanity he had because the experiment released all safeguards put in place by the human brain. Savants plateau because that’s all their brain can handle. Going beyond causes mental deterioration. You know this. I know this. Daniel knew this most of all.” Markus snapped.

Hector’s eyes drifted away. “Do you think in some way it could be possible though? Do you think that’s why 23 destroyed all of the research data?”

“Well, if we could ever recover 23’s manifesto, you might find your answer. Honestly, judging by the video logs, I think 23 was just losing his s**t because his mind was overloaded. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Hector nodded.

“Desley’s not a peripheral proxy, Hector. It’s impossible. Daniel already proved that.” Markus added. 

Hector rubbed his face. 

“Unless there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Hector shook his head. “No, you’re right. It’s impossible, and I’m just being paranoid. Flukes happen.” 

Markus watched Hector and centered in on his eyes. “But she’s not the only one you’re thinking of, is she?”

Dorian had his nose pressed against the glass as he watched the penguins take turns diving in and out of the pool beneath the icy surface they waddled on. The pool traveled underneath the floor and led to another penguin exhibit that looked much like a cave, and there was a slide installed. Every time a penguin dove into the water, Dorian would quickly turn his eyes to the floor and chase after the penguin. The boy loved every site we visited, but I think he loved the polar bears the most. It was the first time Dorian had seen one of his stuffed toys come to life. I had been nervous at first because the polar bear seemed to shy away from onlookers. It was a curious thing. Dorian approached the glass with the cheesiest smile on his face, and the polar bear slowly approached him, examined him, tilted its head from side-to-side. The little boy did the same. They met eye-to-eye, and Dorian pushed his head against the glass. Neither one of them moved for a minute. Then the polar bear began bobbing up and down, slamming its paws into the snow and grunting loudly. Dorian giggled as the polar bear walked away, and then he glanced up at me.

“She’s pregnant? How do you know?” I asked him. 

Dorian stuck his arms out and ran away down the aquarium halls towards the more tropical and exotic section. I had to be quick on my feet with this boy. We met up with the rest of the group in the area that displayed whales, the larger sharks, and other colorful fish of the deep sea. Dahlia stood at the head of the section, talking with Demitry before she gave him his wristband to go see the dolphin show. Daisuke spaced out in front of the aquarium that contained clown fish and other small life while Donald talked his ear off. He didn’t appear to be too enthused. Dahlia snuck up behind him and waved a wristband in his face. He took it and left with Donald without saying a word. 

Dorian jogged floppily to Dahlia once he seen that she was passing out the wristbands. This meant it was almost time for the dolphin show to begin. I walked behind him, Dahlia bending over to fold the wristband over Dorian’s tiny wrist for him. She gave him an almost motherly pat, running her hand over the back of his head. I was fond of Dahlia for the affection she showed him. Dorian came back to me and took my hand, geared up and ready to watch the dolphins. Dahlia observed both of us, and a smile came to her face. 

“Are you as excited as he is?” Dahlia asked me.

“I have to admit, I am a little. It’s been a while since I’ve seen all of this.” I replied back. 

Dahlia handed me a wristband. “I think the only one not excited to be here is Daisuke.”

“Why’s that?” I took the wristband from her and wrapped it around my wrist.

“I don’t know. He’s been moody ever since you guys did that test together. I think the chemicals in his brain are off.” Dahlia shrugged. 

“Getting technical already, future intern?” I smiled at her. 

Dahlia went to reply to me, but she stopped suddenly. I watched her eyes focus in on something behind me. I turned to follow her aim, and I saw Dame, in her yellow tank and jean shorts, standing by herself in front of the whale exhibit. She appeared to be disappointed. I turned my attention back to Dahlia, who had already been looking at me. She smiled and took Dorian’s hand. 

“Go talk to her.” Dahlia suggested telepathically. “I’ll take Dorian to go get seated.”

I fumbled in my thoughts. “What? What do I even talk about?”

Dahlia started walking away with Dorian. “I don’t know. You figure it out.”

Dorian waved bye to me as they disappeared down another hall. I stood amidst a train wreck of derailed thoughts. There wasn’t much Dahlia would have let me argue, but the least she could have done was give me a pointer. What was I suppose to say? It’s not like I could convince Dame to have a good time. I adjusted the charcoal sock hat on my head and sighed, slowly turning around to see that Dame hadn’t moved from her spot. I knew the least I could do was see if she was okay. 

I started heading towards Dame, stepping lightly so that the clocking sound of my shoes against the sleek floor wouldn’t annoy her. A couple kids ran out in front of me, stopping me in my tracks for a second as I heard their laughter and the parents calling out to them to slow down. I proceeded though. As I got closer to Dame, I could see the band on her wrist in the faint glow of the aquarium. I came to her side and faced the glass; Dame didn’t acknowledge my presence. I softly tapped my fingers against the fabric of my board shorts to release any of the nervous tension that was building up. I glanced at her, seeing the dullness on her face as Dame gazed disappointedly into the aquarium. Looking through the glass, and reading the sign that would inform spectators about the beluga whale, I could see why anyone would feel let down. There wasn’t a single beluga whale in sight. 

I cleared my throat. “So, did you see the jellyfish?”

Dame nodded her head. “Yes, I saw the jellyfish.”

“Pretty cool, aren’t they?” I smiled at her. 

“I guess so.”

“I mean, I think I love how beautiful they are, y’know? All of those colors.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Dame looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “I’m colorblind, dumbass. Achromatopsia.”

“What does that mean?”

She sighed. “I only see things in black and white. I’ve had it since birth.”

Awkward. 

My eyes turned back to the seemingly empty aquarium. It wasn’t the smoothest conversation starter, but I wasn’t positive as to where I should go from there. I was imagining what it would be like to see the world in monochrome. It must have been so dull to her. Almost lifeless. It wasn’t too much different from Demitry’s inability to sense touch. I felt bad for even bringing up the jellyfish. This was the hindrance behind Dame’s incredible talents. 

“So, you like beluga whales?” I asked her. 

Dame stiffly replied. “Yeah.”

“Why beluga whales?”

“Why so many questions?”

“It just looks like you’re not having much fun.” I blurted out.

“Why do you care so much?” Dame snapped. “Seriously, you’ve been up my a*s enough as it is.”

I could have gotten irritated at her response, but I smirked instead. “Who’s asking so many questions now?”

Dame had a jarred look of annoyance on her face, but she rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Whatever. Not like I can see the beluga whales anyhow. We give off too much vibration, and they won’t come near here.”

I watched as Dame’s eyes sank, the glow from the tank accenting the sadness she was trying to hide. We had been through so much in the past few months, and she actually seemed more bothered by not seeing her favorite marine mammal than the traumas and death she witnessed. Maybe it was only adding to it in a string of unfortunate incidents that had her convinced this was only her kind of luck. There was a brick wall between us, and she was itching to add more bricks while I tried to chisel my way through to understanding her. Still, I didn’t want to see her let down again. Dame may have been cold towards me, but I had a warmth for her. After all, she was just as human as I was.

I faced the aquarium and placed a hand against the glass. There was no real aim for what I was doing, but I knew what I wanted. I felt a soft surge, a tingle in my fingers emitting past the glass and through the water. It was like a pulse, a blip on a sonar machine. I kept my hand in place and waited for something to happen. Dame observed what I was doing, and she gave me a look as if I had been doing something weird. However, I was concentrating on my own actions, not bothering with an explanation. It wasn’t like I could explain any of it to begin with. 

It didn’t seem like anything was going to happen at first. Dame became disgusted in thinking I was somehow making fun of her. Without a word, she was starting to turn and leave me, but she received a surprise within the few seconds of her decision. A pale creature swooped down in front of us, which caused us both to jump back. Another one came from the side and glided past us on its back. Dame’s eyes lit up a she came to realize she was looking at the beluga whales she thought she wouldn’t get a chance to see. The two beluga whales hovered before her, coming close to the glass to where she could make out every detail of their eyes and skin. I could see her fascination as they started to playfully swim in a circle before her. I pulled my hand from the glass as Dame looked to me again.

I smiled at her. “I’ll see you at the dolphin show. I’ll save you a seat.”

Dame didn’t utter a word to me, which was fine. I left her alone to enjoy the whales as I proceeded to meet up with the others just in time for the show to begin. After I walked away and disappeared down the hall leading to the auditorium, Dame peered over her shoulder to see if I was out of view. After seeing I was gone, her eyes fell to the floor. She turned her head away, getting lost in thought for a moment. A soft smile came to her face. 

“Well, I haven’t seen that before.” Demitry was hiding behind a trash can nearby. 

Dame spun around to the side to see Demitry’s head peaking above the trash can’s lid, a sly grin on his face. She thought he had left with the others. Demitry came out from his hiding place, approaching Dame with his hands behind his back, slightly leaning forward in a curious manner. Dame took a step back as he came closer. 

“I thought you left already.” Dame couldn’t think of anything to say. 

“Well, I did…but then I noticed you and Desley chatting, and I got curious.” Demitry smiled. “So, how about it?”

Dame turned back to the whales and furrowed her eyebrows. “How about what?”

Demitry observed her body language and the tone of her voice. He had his suspicions before, but this only confirmed everything for him. The boy’s eyes widened. He covered his mouth with his hands and took a breath. A sly smirk stretched across one side of his face. Dame became uncomfortable with his staring, making pitiful attempts to seem like he wasn’t bothering her. Seconds ticked by, and she was unable to keep her focus on the beluga whales as the Italian continued to stare and mentally document every slight movement she made. 

“What!?” Dame snapped at Demitry.

“What do you think of Desley?” The boy wasn’t phased by the aggression. 

Dame rolled her eyes and turned her head to the side to hide her face. 

Demitry blew an excessive amount of air from his nostrils. “Ooooooooh, you like her!”

“Shut the hell up. Demitry.”

Demitry shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the glass. “Hey, it’s totally cool. Desley’s a very likable person.”

“Shut. Up.” 

“I’m just saying it’s okay to actually like someone, Dame.” Demitry chuckled. “I’d say that Desley likes you, too.” 

“Say another word, and I swear I will put you in the tank.” Dame threatened.

Demitry hesitated, but then he opened his mouth to continue. 

Moments later, a family walked by the beluga whale aquarium where Dame still stood. The whales weren’t what caught their attention. The youngest child in the family pointed out something strange occurring inside the aquarium. As the family stopped and observed, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing as they witnessed a boy trapped on the other side of the glass, flailing and shouting at the girl that stood before him. 

I found Dorian and Dahlia sitting next to each other in the auditorium. A massive pool of water sat in the middle with a lady up on a platform giving a brief introduction to the performance. There weren’t many people, so everyone was able to get a good view. Donald sat a row above Dahlia and Dorian in content next to Daisuke, who was pouting and still showed little interest. Hector and Markus sat above everyone. I climbed down the steps and shuffled through one of the rows until I found a seat next to Dorian, who was clapping his hands together and making chirps and whistles with his mouth from the anticipation. Dahlia looked upon the child with glee as I sat down. 

As the introduction finished, and the dolphins were starting their first act, Dame and Demitry finally joined us. Dame had her nose stuck in the air, and Demitry had his arms crossed with a look of contempt written across his face. I noticed that his mohawk was flat to his head and that his clothes were sopping wet. I wanted to ask, but I had an idea of what happened already. Demitry sat down next to Daisuke with his arms still crossed. Dame walked along the row above us, and I expected her to pick a seat by herself. She found a spot that she liked, but she hesitated to sit down. Her eyes turned to me, to the seat, then back to me. I watched and waited to see what she would do. Dame sighed and rolled her eyes, moving along a few other spots before stepping over one seat and taking the one next to mine. I was shocked, but I was happy to see this. Dahlia leaned forward to witness this as well, and she smiled. 

Dorian nearly jumped out of his seat when the trainers were skimming over the water on the backs of the dolphins beneath them. Some were doing flips. Others were displaying their intelligence. One dolphin in particular would swim close to the pool’s edge and throw water on the audience. Dahlia and Dorian had been caught in the splash zone, and Dorian kicked his feet against the floor in delight. I was glad to see him enjoying himself. It was a normal day any child should have, and it was the first average day in Dorian’s whole life. This was how we all should have been living. Dame even had a look of delight on her face in response to Dorian’s glee. 

Hector wanted to finish our day out with a trip to the beach, which was at least ten minutes away from the aquarium. Being cooped up inside an institution for so long, I had long since forgotten that Jordan City hugged a coast line. I had never been to the beach before nor have I seen the ocean in person. It was bound to be a new experience for me as well as the others who weren’t native to such luxury. As far as I knew, Donald and Demitry were the only ones from our group who had been to the beach multiple times in their childhood. The rest of us had either seen pictures or traveled to water parks. Dorian hadn’t done any of it. 

I marveled at the activities and attractions when the van we were riding in reached the boardwalk. There were people everywhere enjoying the sun. Street performers could be found at every corner. Kids on skateboards and rollerblades zoomed passed the older adults on a casual stroll with their dogs. Food from the vendors wafted in the air and filled the inside of the van with heavenly smells that made our stomachs gurgle. Dorian plastered his face to the window to take in his new surroundings. He made a squeak in his throat, and I could feel the exhilaration emitting from him like radiation. It made me happy to see him like this. 

When Hector had found a spot to park the van, the rest of us piled out of the van in a hurry. We raced across a grassy area that separated the beach from the boardwalk, Hector and Markus shouting behind us to stick together. I didn’t see the need for the warning. Markus had made arrangements to have this section of the beach privately reserved for us in the event of any “accidents.” The boys, already in their board shorts, were pulling their shirts off as they ran to the water. Demitry swung his shirt around over his head while hooting. Donald swung his shirt back and smacked Demitry in the face with it. The reaction was Demitry turning his attention from the water to chasing Donald the rest of the way to where the soft sand turned to mush, tackling the boy straight into the crashing waves. 

Dame and Dahlia stayed back from the ocean to get umbrellas set up and towels put out with Hector and Markus. Everyone had worn a swimsuit under their clothes but me. I didn’t feel like swimming in the ocean. I only liked admiring it. So, I stayed in the sand and rubbed sun screen on Dorian to make sure he wouldn’t burn horribly with how fair his skin was. The small boy hadn’t been out in the sun much. After Dahlia and Dame had stripped out of their clothes to the bathing suits underneath, the two girls started heading to the water to join Donald and Demitry. 

I lied back on my elbows on a beach towel under an umbrella and watched the other savants play with each other in the ocean. To my surprise, Dorian was more interested in how the toasty sand felt between his toes. He made most of his amusement through covering his little body in heaps of sand and even rolling around in it. It was weird, but at least he was content with this. Dahlia was roaming the beach where the water was only knee deep searching for shells. The constant movement of the ocean was perfect for her to see the outlines of every rock, shell, and sand dollar she came across. As for the others, the boys were taking turns diving through a portal in the sand Dame created. Dame had the exit portal positioned at least fifty feet above a deeper portion of the ocean. I watched Donald disappear into the sand then witness him falling out of a hole in the sky hardly a second later, crashing into the waves below in a less graceful fashion compared to Demitry. Demitry was doing flips. 

Donald had a tendency to belly flop. 

As I crossed one foot over the other, a smile stretching across my face from seeing everyone happy and carefree, I began to notice that someone had been missing from the picture. Daisuke. I glanced from side to side until I saw the Japanese boy a few towels down from me. He was sitting under an umbrella, legs pulled to his chest. His arms were wrapped around his legs, and he appeared to have a dead stare at the horizon. I felt an urgency to see what had been keeping him from joining the others, so I began to get up. My movement caused Daisuke to turn his head at me, and it made me reconsider going to him. His eyes were not fond of me. Whether it had been a new ability taking form or simple instinct, I could feel a mist of hostility seeping from his being. Daisuke had not been himself since the day of Hector’s test going wrong, and I felt I was to blame for it. 

Dorian grabbed my hand when I was focused on Daisuke, pulling my attention to him. The small boy was begging me to go into the water with him by tugging on my arm and pointing at the waves. I could only shake my head at him.

“Sorry, bud, but I’m not dressed for the water today. Maybe I’ll swim with you next time.” I smiled.

Dorian wasn’t taking no for an answer. He gave me the saddest and most pathetic expression he could muster on his angelic face. His eyes drooped, his lips sagged, and he held his head low as he weakly continued to tug my arm. 

D****t, Dorian.

“I’ll take him.” I heard a voice offer, myself feeling saved from the torment the little boy was causing my heart. 

Dorian immediately dropped my hand for…Dame’s. I didn’t see her approach us. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting her to. However, Dorian was just as excited to go with Dame as he would have been with me. I had never seen Dame interact with Dorian much during her time here, but I guessed it was okay if Dorian didn’t have any issues. It didn’t make me any less curious about it though. 

I looked up at Dame, whose hair was soaked and had patches of sand on her body, and said, “Thank you. You’re really doing me a solid.” 

“Well, what kind of moron goes to a beach and doesn’t bring a bathing suit?” Dame snarked. 

“Maybe the kind that doesn’t plan on getting wet?” I grinned.

Dame sighed. “Gah, it’s like you were programmed to be an idiot.”

“At least I don’t have sand in my a*s crack.” I fired back. 

Dame stiffened and stared down at me with her usual look of annoyance. “I’d rather have sand in my a*s than a foot.”

“In your case, what would be the difference? Both would be pretty damn hard to get out, tight a*s.” 

“Dumbass.”

“Ice crotch.”

“Dickhead.”

“A*****e.”

“Spoiled brat!”

“Whiney peasant!”

“…”

“…”

Dorian rolled his eyes. 

“See, you’re already being an influence on him!” I pointed jokingly. 

“Well, someone has to be a good role model.” Dame shrugged her shoulders.

There was a long pause between us. We could keep the back-and-forth banter going on for hours until we were ready to kill each other, but this time we only fell silent. She stared at me, and I stared back. I realized then that Daisuke wasn’t the only one who changed, feeling a different air about Dame. Her face softened, and she sighed with Dorian’s hand in her own. Without a word, Dame began leading an excited Dorian to the water. Even though I felt Dahlia approaching me now, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Dame playing with Dorian and introducing him to the gentle waves. She stayed behind him, hands on both of his sides to steady him in the rocking water as he openly embraced the oncoming waves. Dame was more gentle with him than I had expected her to be, and hearing his laughter brought another smile to my face. 

Dahlia sat down beside me with a bucket full of shells. “So, whatcha lookin’ at?”

Without taking my eyes off of Dame and Dorian, I leaned over to Dahlia. “I thought you said Dorian doesn’t take quickly to people.”

Dahlia looked out ahead to see the colorful interactions between the two savants. She had a pleased look upon her face. “He doesn’t, but he’s very familiar with Dame.”

“How so?”

“She use to play with him like this when he was a baby, and it’s amazing that Dorian even remembers anything from that age.” Dahlia started to explain but quickly fell quiet in her thoughts. “I’m happy to see her playing with him again like this.”

“It’s just weird to me cause I’ve never seen her really acknowledge him until now.” I said. 

Dahlia appeared to get lost in thought for a moment before replying, “Dame has a hard time dealing with her feelings. Some much harder than others.” Dahlia shifted her bucket around. “And she’s not the only one who has this problem.” 

I looked over at Daisuke again, who was intently watching us. “Like Daisuke? I haven’t figured out his problem yet.”

“Not really. His issue is more…fundamental.” Dahlia replied.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I’m going to take this bucket and have him help me spread shells around the beach. Might make a good home for some little creature.” She stood up with her bucket in hand. “Y’know, humane things.” 

A point came in the day where all of the savants had left the ocean to gather together under the umbrellas to dry off and enjoy the sun. Dahlia’s shell therapy for Daisuke worked for a time until he came within a few feet of me. Now, he’s back to sulking and having little to do with the rest of the gang. I dried Dorian off with a towel while Dame left with Dahlia to change into dry clothes. Hector and Markus were beginning to act like part of the group instead of supervisors, joking around with the others and telling them stories from their youth. For a day, we believed we were a normal family. For a day, Eden didn’t exist. All of the bad things that had happened were nothing more than nightmares. 

To make up for not playing with Dorian in the water, I asked Hector if I could take Dorian across the street to a souvenir shop for a toy. He was hesitant at first, but Hector gave me permission for us to venture off on our own. I didn’t see what harm would come from it. After all, I survived the perils of E9. I saved humanity from what would have been certain doom. I knew I could handle walking across the street with Dorian. I wouldn’t let anything happen to him anyhow.

Dorian held my hand as usual when we left the beach to the boardwalk, and I kept him close as we crossed the street. There was a souvenir shop that caught my eye when we first arrived at the beach, and I was set on letting Dorian pick out any toy he wanted. I knew this had to have been one of the best days of his life. It was only right that it ended on a high note, too. The best part for me was feeling normal for the first time in a long time. 

As we came close to the sidewalk in front of the souvenir shop, we passed by what looked like a small dog, maybe a puppy even, lying in the street. I knew from the blood in its fur that it must have been struck by a car not too long ago. It was a sad sight, so I tried to hurry Dorian to the sidewalk before he became fixated on the poor thing. I wasn’t quick enough though. Dorian immediately tried to get me to stop walking so he could go to the animal, pulling my arm and pointing with his finger. I urged him to come along, attempting to explain to him that there wasn’t anything we could do. However, I assured the child that I would have someone come and get the deceased dog out of the street so that it won’t get hit anymore. 

Dorian never took his eyes off the dog even as we entered into the shop. I leaned down to grab Dorian’s attention for a second to tell him to go pick out a toy to bring home, hoping it would take his mind off of what he saw. The shop itself was small, so I didn’t have any worries in letting Dorian roam by himself while I talked to the shop’s manager about getting someone to remove the dog from the street. Dorian left my side to begin his search down one of the aisles of knick-knacks while I went to speak with a man behind the counter to the left of the entrance. There was a black man in front of me in a leather jacket, and I couldn’t determine why anyone would want to wear a jacket in the heat we were experiencing outside. He was buying a box of cigars. 

After the man had paid for his cigars, he turned to leave and accidentally bumped into me as he walked by. In a flash, I suddenly knew everything about the man as his life passed through my mind. His name was Nicholas. He had a wife and a son, and he was on his way to visit his father in hospice care. The cigars were a last request, and the kind he was buying could only be found in this specific shop. Nicholas and his family resided hundreds of miles away from Jordan City, but he came here on his bike at his father’s request. The sudden intake of information made me woozy, and my legs wobbled some. I grabbed my head with my hand as I caught myself.

Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there.” Nicholas immediately apologized. 

“No, no, no! It’s totally okay.” I smiled through my dizziness. “I’m always in the way anyhow. Happens all the time.”

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.” The man laughed, grasping the box of cigars in his hand.

I laughed with him at first until my head started to clear. I observed his grip on the cigar box, and I couldn’t control my mouth suddenly. “Your dad will appreciate what you’re doing for him. Despite everything, you’ve always been a good son.”

Nicholas’ smile converted to a chilled expression on his face. “Umm…thank you.”

“I’m sorry.” I tried to seem less weird about, but it was already too late.

Nicholas quickly shuffled out of the shop with the box in his hand. I could hear the thoughts in his head that followed the encounter, and they reminded me that I was far from normal. 

“This is some freaky a*s s**t. This is why I don’t come to Jordan City. They got the devil up in here. Hell to the no, I’m out.”

I sighed and approached the man standing behind the counter. I shrugged off the incident knowing I shouldn’t have expected anything else, but it bothered me on some level. It was okay though. I explained to the store manager about the dead dog in the street and how I thought it would be wise to have it moved. The manager didn’t disagree with me, talking about how unfortunate it was to see something like that happen to a small animal. He was a dog lover, and it was something that happened often. This area of the boardwalk had issues with speeders and reckless drivers. 

The manager dialed a number to a service that would take care of the deceased dog. I leaned against the counter on my arms, wondering what had been taking Dorian so long to pick out a toy. The manager paced around waiting for an answer. He straightened things up as he waited, stopping what he was doing when he took a glance out the window. His phone nearly slipped out from between his head and his shoulder, but he didn’t take his attention away from the window. 

I watched him. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s a bunch of children in the street!” The man pointed. 

I was confused for a second, wondering why there would be children crowding the street, but then it hit me. It was a feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I suddenly knew why it was taking Dorian so long to pick out a toy. 

Dorian wasn’t picking out a toy. 

Dorian was probably picking at a dead dog in the street. 

I threw myself from the counter and rushed out of the shop doors to see a small group of children circled around where the dead dog had been in the street. I knew it. 

“Dorian!” I yelled for the boy, who briefly peeked above the others that had been around him. He was about to be in so much trouble for not minding me. I started marching out into the street to retrieve the child, but the wonderment of the other children made me stop. I saw a smile on Dorian’s face, too, and he was holding something in his arms. It was wiggling around. Surely it wasn’t what I thought it was. I didn’t have time to chew on it.

I heard people yelling. It was one voice at first, but the voices began to cluster. There was a dump truck plowing its way down the street, and it wasn’t stopping. There was a crashing sound that initially grabbed my attention of the large truck side-swiping another car. It weaved in and out of the lanes of traffic. The children hadn’t taken notice of this because they were too focused on Dorian, and Dorian was too focused on what was in his arms. The dump truck wasn’t slowing. Something had to have been wrong if the driver hadn’t hit the brakes by then. 

A woman had been screaming about the children in the road, the dump truck heading straight for them. I didn’t hesitate. I nearly tripped off the sidewalk breaking into a sprint towards the children that had gathered in the road. I saw a man begin to rush into the road with me, but I swung my hand at him and a force knocked him back to the sidewalk’s safety. Hector was going to pissed knowing I used my abilities in public. I didn’t care though.

The children finally looked up to see the dump truck coming at them. Some of them had the sense to cut and run away. The remaining two, along with Dorian, had frozen in fright at the grill charging to their faces. Those who had been witnessing this started screaming, some of them turning away in fear of the worst. Dorian spun away from the large truck and shielded what he was holding, bracing himself for the impact. I raised my hand and flung two of the kids out of harms way, but I missed Dorian. I dug my feet into the asphalt to reach him in time, throwing myself over him as the dump truck closed its distance on us. I knew it was going to be rough, even fatal, so I held Dorian as close to me as possible in hopes that he wouldn’t get hurt. 

I heard the roar of the engine, and I felt the heat of the grill against my back. My body tightened, and I squeezed the small boy tightly when I turned my head to see I was face-to-face with the truck. Instead of feeling metal crashing into my body or wheels crushing my spine, the sound of the engine had traveled above my head. Everything happened in slow motion for me. The wheels of the truck lifted off the ground, the edge of the front bumper grazing my ear as an invisible force launched it into the air. It had been carried over us, and the bystanders witnessed in awe of what was happening. 

That is…

…until the dump truck was chucked into the lane of oncoming traffic. The dump truck crashed violently into the street, flipping and spinning. Parts shot through the nearby shop windows, and it sent onlookers scrambling for safety. Car-after-car started slamming into the side of the truck causing a huge pileup in the middle of the street. I witness the scene that had taken place, and I was uncertain if it had been my fault. I didn’t do anything to the truck. I didn’t will anything to happen. It just…happened.

While men and women were shouting at each other to call emergency services and trying to aid those who were injured, I looked on at the chaos that had erupted within the last two minutes. Speechless didn’t come close. I had almost forgotten I had been holding Dorian still. Hector and the others were dashing up to the boardwalk, Markus seeing immediately directing the savants into the van as soon as he looked upon the scene. Hector stopped at the boardwalk’s end to asses the damages, connecting the dots as far as what had happened after seeing the pile of cars, the overturned dump truck, the injured lying in the street, and me still looming over Dorian. 

When I finally got a grip on myself, I spun Dorian around to yell at him for being irresponsible and wandering into the street like he did. However, I choked back on my words when I saw his face and the animal he had in his arms, which was starting to wag its tail. The innocence that beamed on his face forced me to stay my words, and I knew he meant no harm despite his recklessness. My eyes lowered to the animal in his arms. A small dog with blood in its fur, still wagging its tail and glancing up at me with its big, brown eyes. 

I fell in a trance when I realized it had been the same dog we came across earlier, my mind trying to make sense of it even though the answer had been right in front of me the whole time. Hector’s yelling at us was muffled, and I didn’t realize he was pushing us towards the van. Once again, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Dorian. Nothing existed except for that little boy and the small dog in his hands. Not even a seemingly angry mob that had forming who had witnessed everything that had happened with the dump truck. Markus and Hector left everything we brought to the beach in a hurry to flee the scene and bring everyone to the safety of E13’s secrecy. Even with Dahlia and Donald burying me in questions as soon as Hector slammed the van door shut, I couldn’t pull myself away from Dorian. 

I now knew why Dorian was a well kept secret.