The Watchers Wake

Chapter 21 - Run, Run As Slow As You Can...

“I won’t do that to him.” I said as Scott’s eyes found me again amongst the sea of faces lining the track and narrowed as the noticed my companion proximity. 

“He didn’t sign up for this and neither did I.” I shrugged Jari’s arm off and smiled at Scott.

The gun went off and he was running.  I felt his concentration, his determination and his control.  I heard the whisper of a prayer as he channelled everything into running slowly.  I watched his style and smiled with relief, it showed no evidence of his Watcher abilities.  He was doing it.  He was controlling it.  He looked exuberant when he crossed the finish line winning by a small margin.

“Mark my words this will not end well,” Jari voice was quiet but was dark with warning.  Then he turned and walked away as Scott found me and pulled me into his arms.

“I did it!” Scott kissed my forehead.

I just closed my eyes and hoped against all hope that Jari was wrong.

Scott ran in several other races and managed to maintain his control, even coming second in one event.

I chose to walk to other side of the track to watching him as he ran the 800meters.  The crowd was around the start – finish line and I needed some space.  Scott had just passed my position for the first lap when I heard the gruff voice behind me.

“Nobody, I don’t know what your game is,” I turned to look up at Coach Hanson who sneered at me, “If you are sabotaging the sporting hopes of this school I will personally make your life not worth living.  And that’s a promise.  Feck, I hope he wakes up to himself before you do any real damage.” His eyes scanned over my ill-fitting sports uniform. He thrust his eyes and the palms of his hands skywards and walked off.

Great, here we were risking everything so that Scott could compete and the coach had the nerve to threaten me!  Nobody smiled in anticipation.  Yes, maybe she wasn’t completely dead and buried.

I walked over to the finish line to find Scott cornered by the Coach.  I was pretty sure that mind reading wasn’t part of the Qaddis skills but I still had no doubt as to what was being said.

She’s sabotaging my chances of being voted coach of the year. I tried to imitate the coach’s voice as I pushed my inner voice to Scott.  I watched his lips curl into a smile.

You have me by me by my not-so-little guy apparently.  He sent back and his eyes flicked in my direction with an even cheekier grin, I wish!

At this stage Coach stopped because he noticed Scott’s attention wasn’t on him.  He turned and glared back and forth between us before he said something, which had Scott’s forehead crease and his eyes turn to him quickly.  Whatever was said Scott didn’t like it.  But Coach Hansen just turned and strode away. 

Nobody’s teeth clenched and more possibilities flooded into my head.  Yes, the coach might threaten me but not Scott.  He would regret that.

Dean and Carter came over to congratulate him and that took the form of a clip to the back of the head and a bit of shadow boxing.  Well one thing was for sure, I was wrong when I said that Scott’s friends would be more judgemental.  They seemed to treat him no differently than before.  They laughed and joked with him. 

It was me the entire school ostracised.  I did not expect to be welcomed into the folds of the perfect people but I was surprised that my former friends now treated me like some sort of traitor.  It seemed that I had breached some sort of unspoken code of conduct.  I had betrayed my own type.  So I sat on my own for the rest of the afternoon and wondered quietly if I really deserve this fate or not.