Escape

Braydie was in a bad mood when we finally got to school. Archie had driven us both with the thrasher car, and Braydie was less than excited. Her fan club, expecting her usual ride, paid no mind when the car pulled up and Braydie got out. She looked a bit put-out.

                “Works for me,” I muttered, “All I need is to be stuck in a crowd of jabbering girls.”

                “And guys who want to kick your a*s.” She said haughtily, laughing at my blush. “Don’t worry, Flynn. I’ll protect you.”

                I rolled my eyes.

                “Be good, Bray.” Archie admonished, “And Flynn…keep an eye on things, okay?”

                “Okay.” I told him, closing the door with a slam. I watched as he drove off and then turned to Braydie. “We need to go to the office and get our new schedules.”     

                “Yes sir!” She said, saluting. That was when one of the girls saw and recognized Braydie and began to shriek to her girlfriends. Suddenly I was surrounded by my worst nightmare. Bodies and Auras crushing around me like a nutcracker on an almond. I was going to crack.

                And then there was Braydie. Suddenly I felt a strong, almost tangible connection to her, and I moved to her side like a protective parent. The overwhelming sense of property radiated through my Aura, surprisingly glowing ochre rather than my controlled blue. Braydie must have felt it too, because she reached out until our Auras were touching. I was suddenly at peace, knowing that we were close together. There was a nagging worry at the back of my mind, saying that this shouldn’t be happening, but I squashed the thought flat. This was no time to wonder. Things were happening too fast.

                “OMG!” One girl said, “You’re dating Flynn??”

                OMG, I thought sarcastically, she actually knows my name. Braydie simply grinned widely, high fiving the girl like dating me was a position to be attained. Then she said, “Actually, he’s my cousin. His Dad and my Uncle Archie like, grew up in the same house when they were kids.”

                “So cool!” Another girl squealed.

                Kill me now, I thought. I looked at Braydie plaintively. “The office?”

                “Oh right. Sorry girls, me and Flynn have G2G!” Braydie said, blowing kisses over her shoulder as we exited the group and rushed toward the front office. I rolled my eyes, and then took her aside as we stepped into the airlock.

                “Okay,” I told her, “I really hate it when people use texting terms in spoken language.”

                She looked surprised. “Fine. Sorry. I’ll try not to do that if it bothers you so much.”

                I was surprised. “Really?”

                Braydie shrugged. “Well yeah. I mean, it annoys me too. But some of those girls only communicate on a cell-phone basis.”

                I scoffed, “So why do you talk to them??”

                “Because,” She explained as though to a child, “They’re fans. A person who doesn’t treat their fans like human beings is a jerk. And I am NOT a jerk…and while we’re talking about weird things…”

                “Being a jerk is a weird thing?” I asked.

                “It is for me. No, I meant you. What is this?” She asked, brushing her fingers along my ochre Aura. I peered at it, confused. I had little to no idea, and she seemed to understand this from my expression. “Weird, huh?”

                “Definitely.” I replied.

                “Maybe we should call…” Braydie looked up at me and trailed off, her eyes shifting to the right of my face. I turned and found myself face-to-face with Mrs. Forman. I swallowed.

                “Mr. Barrick. Miss MacLeod.” She said stiffly, “Experiencing the sexual tendencies typical of high school students, are we?”

                I almost laughed. Almost. Her face was stern enough to freeze any mirth I may have experienced. I instead said, “She’s my cousin, Mrs. Forman.”

                “I see.” She said in a sneering tone, though her face remained firm. “I just received an intriguing phone call from your father, Mr. Barrick. It seems as though you wish to transfer to Miss MacLeod’s classes.”

                “Well,” I said slowly, “My Dad is kind of picky about…”

                “Picky is reaching.” She snapped. “You will stay in your respective classes.”

                I held myself together, though my heart skipped a beat. Now what were we supposed to do? Braydie wasn’t as introverted as I, though, and she gasped, “No, Mrs. Forman, you can’t…!”

                “Oh, can’t I?” The woman asked, her face turning nasty. “Why not?”

                Braydie buttoned her lip. I was helpless: Tell no one; blend in. I was suddenly very afraid. My Aura burned bright and I realized that I wasn’t afraid of the ill effects of being away from Braydie. It was being away from her. She was annoying, sure; but it was as if I belonged by her side. It made my heart ache to think about leaving her.

                Mrs. Forman gestured for us to go to class. On sudden inspiration, I took Braydie’s arm and led her out of earshot before saying, “Go as far as you can, and then hide. I’ll find you after the second bell.”

                She looked at me with a touch of fear in her eyes, then she nodded firmly and we split. I was only fifteen feet away when my gut began to twinge. I ground my teeth and ducked into a janitor closet. I waited for a second, feeling the pain in my midsection worsen until it dulled to a steady churn. Braydie had found a place to hide.

                The closet was dark and smelt of toilet cleaner and Pine-Sol. I coughed a tiny bit, but was able to breathe through my mouth instead of my nose. I also could smell something dead, even through my mouth breathing. I tried not to think about it, so I reflected on Mrs. Forman instead: wondering who could be  meddling with her so much so, that she would hate the two of us together. Did this person know that both Braydie and I were Semiens? And if that person did, why was he or she making us suffer? I had not even the slightest clue.

                The first bell rang to signify that school was in session. I listened to the squeak of sneakers and the click of high heels as they went past. I kept my ears open to the sound of the janitor’s cart, lest he find me in his closet.

                I heard the slam of lockers, and smelled a breakfast burrito over the scent of death. Then the sound of life receded into closed doors, and then the second bell rang. I waited a while before opening the door and peering out into the deserted hallway. After I was sure that the coast was clear, I made my way back down past the office, where I had to duck to avoid being seen by the secretary.

                “Flynn,”

                I almost jumped out of my skin. Braydie had hidden herself next to the recycling containers, right by the secretary’s office. Her Aura was frightened, though he face had a look of adulation. I knelt down next to her and whispered, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

                She nodded and followed me  in a crouched position to the front doors; I was about to open them when I caught sight of an Aura outside. I bit my lip and tried to think. We could risk the chance of running into a hall monitor and get to a side door, or we could just plow past whoever was outside.

                “Let’s just go.” Braydie whispered to me.

                I blinked at her, and then nodded in consent. We had more of a chance to get away if we caught the person outside off guard. I waited until the ghostly Aura was out of immediate sight, and then slammed my body into the door, almost yanking it off its hinges; it banged into the wall as we flew out of the building past a large security guard. He let out a yelp of surprise and started to chase after us, calling on his walkie-talkie.

                The guard house at the end of the drive looked empty, and I figured the person who was supposed to be there was out walking around or something. Braydie started to lag about halfway to the gate, so I grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Even when we pushed out of the gates, I kept going until we were at least a block away. By then, Braydie was breathing heavily, her palm sweating.

                I looked down at our clasped hands and then let go. She placed both hands on her hips and bent over, trying to catch her breath. I was too hyped up on adrenaline to even be short of breath. I checked that the guard wasn’t following us, and then leaned back on a caged tree.

                “That was amazing.” Braydie said, her face and Aura elated. I had a feeling she hadn’t run from security guards before.

                “Don’t you ever get chased by paparazzi or something?” I asked.

                She laughed, “Sure, but you sort of expect that. Running away from school? That’s different.”

                I laughed with her, the feeling of getting away with it overwhelming me. I checked my Aura, but it was the same ochre color, even though I was feeling bright yellow. Braydie suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand again. I stared at her, “What are you…”

                “Shh.” She said, “Look.”

                I looked down at our clasped hands, and a white light was emanating from our combined Auras. I stared at it with awe. “What is that?”

                “I don’t know.” She said, “I noticed it when you grabbed my hand back there.”

                “Weird.” I muttered.

                “Compared to what?” She asked, letting go of my hand. Our Auras regained their normal state.

                I nodded in agreement, then said, “You think this link between us is getting stronger?”

                “If it is, it’s happening really fast.” She commented. Then she looked around with a broad smile on her face. “So where do you want to go?”

                I looked at the tall apartment buildings all around us, and the tree lined street. I shrugged, “Home, I guess. To tell Barrick what’s been going on, if nothing else.”

                She gaped in disgust. “You are such a killjoy. We’re out of school, so why not enjoy it? Let’s go into the city and see some sights.”

                I stared at her, “You’re serious?”

                “Of course I am. You really are Mono, you know �" no spontaneity whatsoever.” She said, sweeping past me. “You’ll just have to come along or risk a stomach-ache!”

                She was halfway across the street when my gut started to twitch. I sighed heavily and went after her. I’d find a pay phone or something on the way to wherever she was going and call Barrick. As it was, I had little choice but to follow her.

                Braydie was definitely a girl on a mission; she dragged me five blocks to a subway station, and then sat and waited for a train. She seemed to know where she wanted to go, though I remained clueless. I had lived in this city my entire life, and had only seen a fraction of it. Braydie was fascinated with the prospect of going somewhere she had never been, and her mood was catching.

                On the train, sitting next to her, I was comfortable. For some reason, my little-boy crush had dissolved into a peaceful feeling of belonging. It felt normal to be next to her. Even while she was talking with animation, I was just mesmerized by her. I couldn’t explain it even if I tried.

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[Rose of Gondor]

:)!!!!!! I knew I shouldn't have started reading because now I can't stop!