Chapter 2

 

The week after that passed agonisingly slowly. Jack was acting weird and still kept giving me odd looks, something was up with Lucy – although she firmly kept her mouth shut and denied anything was wrong when confronted about it – and the boys continued to pester the two of us.

“You’ve been different ever since Sunday night,” Dave told me on Friday after school as we walked to the park together. “Can’t you just tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Not yet.” I shook my head, thinking of the close call I’d had the night before. I’d taken up practising my new skill for at least an hour a night in an attempt to gain some level of control over it, but a cat had meowed behind me and distracted me, and I had very nearly set a pile of leaves on fire.

Dave sighed, a tired, helpless sigh. He wasn’t used to me not confiding in him; we shared almost everything. Perhaps it doesn’t sound real, or serious, coming from a couple of sixteen year olds, but we firmly believed – now, even more so – that we are soul mates.

“Stop that,” I slapped his arm lightly. “It makes me feel bad. I already told you – I promised you – that I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”

“And how long will that take?”

I shrugged.

“Katy…” Dave shook his head. “It’s not just me, you know. Mark and Lewis are worried too, and so is Billy.”

“Talking about me behind my back, are you?” I teased lightly.

Dave rolled his eyes at me. “Seriously, Katy. You’ve never been this…antisocial in all the time that I’ve known you. It’s worrying.”

“Look, Dave,” I said slowly and clearly, taking his hand in my own. “I’m fine, okay? Absolutely hunky-dory. There’s something that I can’t get my head around; something that’s new, and scary, and, I guess, exciting. I’m still getting used to the whole idea, though – it’s not something that I can just automatically be cool with. I’m getting there though, all right? I’ll tell you soon, I promise.”

“If you’re fine, why did you call it scary?”

“Dave!” I sighed. “It’s scary because – well – it’s not normal. It’s something I didn’t believe to exist. Like, imagine if we found out today that Cinderella was real. It’d be cool, but it’d be scary that such a story actually existed in real life, right? It’s scary in the sense that it’s something most would believe not to exist. A bit like you.”

“So you think I’m scary, then?” My head flew up, and I was worried that I had inadvertently insulted him, but the smile on his face told me he was only teasing.

“Nope,” I grinned. “You’re big, and soft, and hairy. You’re like a gigantic cuddly bear.”

Dave groaned. “That’s even worse.”

 

 

 

There weren’t many people at the park when we arrived; only a few toddlers running around and blowing bubbles as their parents sat back on the benches and watched.

“Race you.”

“What –?” But he was already running. I rolled my eyes at him before following him to the swings at a nice, casual pace. “I don’t know why you even suggest it anymore,” I told him when I arrived at the swings a couple of minutes later. “You know I can’t beat your super-speed.”

“I wasn’t using my super speed!”

“You were so!”

“Well…maybe a little,” he agreed.

I smirked. “I’m always right.”

“Are not,” he scoffed.

“Sure, sure,” I brushed him off as I started to swing. Swinging on the swings (obviously; where else was I going to swing at a park?) is something I’ve always enjoyed, ever since I was little; there’s just something about feeling the wind against your skin, rushing through your hair, that’s calming and exhilarating at the same time. It’s something that allows me to drift off, and lose myself in my thoughts.

And, of course, that particular day I had plenty to think about.

I wanted to tell Dave about my new-found power, I really did. I was still undecided as to whether or not I was insane, but it definitely wasn’t just a simple delusion anymore. Delusions don’t last that long – or, not with me, anyway. I was starting to teeter on the very edge of believing it was real, and really all I needed was to have someone else agree with me. Someone to prove I was not the only one who could feel the things heat up; someone I could show my power to, someone who could help me with it. Dave would be good for that. His unique situation makes him good for plenty of things; he has heightened senses, an over-protectiveness of those he loves (in the friendly sense, not just the romantic or family sense), he’s loyal, and he has super-strength and speed – and he’s extremely understanding. He wouldn’t laugh at me for believing I had a ‘super power’ – he might worry, but he wouldn’t laugh.

I eventually became aware of someone snapping their fingers in front of my face and, in my surprise, I actually let go of the swing and fell off it backwards.

“Bugger,” I groaned, pushing myself into a sitting position and rubbing the back of my head. “That was your fault,” I said, glaring at Dave.

“Sorry,” he apologised in that sincere tone that only he could achieve.

“Doesn’t matter.” I rolled my eyes and pulled my hand away from my head, checking that there was no blood.

“It’s just a bump,” Dave said, guessing what I was doing. Of course; if there was blood, he would be able to smell it.

“Help me up?”

“Sure.” He wrapped an arm around me, and pulled me up into a standing position. My vision went funny for a moment, and he refused to let go of me until I swore that I felt absolutely fine.

“Listen, Dave…”

“Yeah?”

“Come with me. That thing that’s been bothering me? I think it’s time I showed somebody.”

 

 

            I could tell that Dave was confused as I dragged him away from the park and into a little alleyway that was only used very, very rarely.

“You wanted to show me an alleyway?” Dave asked, obviously thinking I’d hit my head harder than he originally thought.

“No, you twat.” I rolled my eyes – although, I couldn’t blame him for something was wrong with me, as I kept subconsciously rubbing my head every now and again. It hurt. “No – but, I hope this works. If it doesn’t, it’ll prove I’m crazy. That I’m deluded. Psychotic. Insane. Mentally –”

“Breathe, Katy,” Dave told me slowly, placing his hands on my shoulder. “That’s it – in, out. Better? Feeling calmer?” I nodded. “Good. Now, what did you want to show me?”

“Okay.” I took another deep breath, and picked up a discarded plastic bottle which I placed in his hands. He looked at it blankly. “Patience,” I told him with a grin, before I took a step back and raised a hand in front of me, palm-out and facing the bottle, as I had done before with the glasses of water and everything else I had been practising with. I focused on the bottle; I focused on pushing heat into it, making it boil up, making it burn –

“Crap!”

I blinked, disorientated, and my hand dropped back to my side. The bottle was lying on the ground, and Dave was blowing on his hand. I blinked, and bent down to pick up the bottle, but Dave’s hand shot out to stop me.

“It hurt me. Imagine how much it’d hurt you.”

“Oh. Right. Um, sorry…I guess I got too into it. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I avoided his eyes as I reached out to look at his hand; it was bright red, and I could still feel heat from it. I winced. “I really am sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Dave assured me. “I know you didn’t mean it…but, Katy…what the heck was that?”

“Well, at least I know I’m not insane,” I told him in a falsely bright voice. “Umm…it happened after the comet. I went home and, long story short, discovered that I could heat up water. I thought I was just tired, and imagining things, but when I tried it the next day and it worked…”

“The meteor did this?”

“I think so.” I chewed on my bottom lip uncertainly, a bad habit I’d picked up from a TV show. “What do I know? I’m no expert on these things. It’s too Superman for me.”

“Superman didn’t –”

“Spare me, please.”

Dave sighed. “I could talk to Billy about it…”

I shook my head. “I don’t really want anyone else to know right now. As it is, I wasn’t planning on telling you for a long time yet. It was a sort of spur-of-the-moment thing.”

“Billy can keep a secret.”

“Please, Dave,” I pleaded. “Don’t tell anyone. Not yet. Not until I’m ready. I’m still getting used to this…I’m still not convinced that it’s not some highly realistic dream, and I’ll wake up again on that hill or something.”

“Okay,” he relented. “I won’t tell anyone, okay? You should think about telling Lucy, though. You were both there when the meteor crashed.”

“Wait – you don’t think…?”

“It’s a possibility,” he shrugged. “If it was the meteor, then it would probably be to do with some form of radiation – maybe what knocked you out – and then it would have contaminated you both.”

“Ugh.” I shivered.

“What?”

“‘Contaminated’?”

“You know what I mean. If it’s radiation, then it would affect both of you.”

“The three of us,” I corrected. “Jack was there too.”

“You never mentioned that before.”

“I didn’t find out until after you interrogated us. Why? Does it matter?”

“I guess not.”

“The…power –” I hadn’t said it aloud before; I’d always ever only thought the word in my head – “is the only thing I’ve been deliberately hiding,” I told him softly, placing my hand on his cheek. “You know I can’t keep secrets from you.”

“Yeah, I know.” He sounded much cheerier now.

 

 

            Words can’t possibly describe how much better I felt, having spilled my secret to Dave. We simply don’t keep secrets from each other. The guilt, and the fear that I would be proven mentally insane, had been weighing me down all week; now I felt as light as a feather.

“Hey, Jack,” I greeted him as I entered the kitchen. “Mum and Dad at work, then?”

“Yeah. Work-a-holics as always. What’s got you in such a chipper mood?”

“Huh?”

“First time I’ve seen you smile all week,” Jack told me, glancing up from the frying pan where a couple of hamburgers were sizzling away.

“It is not.”

“It really is.”

“Oh…” Had I really been that anti-social? Had I really been so wired up in my own problems that I’d forgotten about Jack? Had the others noticed, too? “Well, you’ve been smiling less too, you know.”

“No, you’ve just not been around when I’ve been smiling.”

“Hey – I’m trying to make myself feel better, here!”

“Okay. You’re right. I’ve been as depressed as a duck allergic to water. Happy?”

“Extremely,” I grinned. He rolled his eyes at me and turned back to cooking dinner.

“How’s Dave, then?” Jack asked as I sat my bag on the table and started my Math homework. “He hasn’t been around for awhile.”

“He’s good,” I answered, frowning a little. “Random question. Why?”

“Lily e-mailed me the other day. She said something felt wrong here, and she was worried about Billy’s lot.”

“Something felt wrong?” I repeated.

“She didn’t say what. I gave her Billy’s number, so she probably phoned him about it.”

“Right.” My frown deepened. If Lily was worried, then something was definitely off. She’s about ten years younger than Billy; they became good friends long ago when Billy discovered his ability, but she’s also very faintly psychic. She visits from time to time. I like her; she’s really fun to be with and she’s great at playing practical jokes on Dave, Mark and Lewis – like the big sister I never had.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” Jack nudged my shoulder, startling me from my thoughts. “They can look after themselves.”

“Yeah, I know. Wish you’d told me sooner, though.”

“I couldn’t bear to make you look more depressed than you already did.”

“I did not look depressed!”

“Whatever you say.” Jack grinned and ruffled my hair. As his hand brushed the back of my head, I winced. I felt his hand flinch back in surprise.

“Fell off the swing,” I muttered. “I’ll go finish this in my room, okay?”

“Katy…”

I stopped at the door and sighed. “What?”

“I…have you had someone look at that?”

I frowned a little, wondering at his sudden change in words. “Dave looked. It’s just a bump.”

“Right.”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to suss out what he was thinking. He’d been acting so odd lately. I wasn’t the only one with secrets, that was for sure. But…could he really be like me? Could something have happened to him last Sunday? Perhaps I was over-reacting, but what Dave had said just wouldn’t leave me alone. It was stuck in my head, repeating over and over like an annoying chant.

I needed to talk to Jack and Lucy; I needed to find out if they had discovered any powers…I just didn’t know how to approach the subject with them.

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Again, thanks to Kels for her amazing beta skills ^_^

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