The Skylar Experiment : Beginnings

Chapter Sixteen (part two) - Sleepover

Oh, my God...

"They have abilities, too?"

He nodded. "Their cognitive capacities vary just like their appearance, and it impacts the way they use their powers. Some are very dumb. Others are smarter than every kid at school. It depends on the importance of the genetic damage or how they mutated."

That explained the strange phenomenon when my car doors locked, or when my knife had been taken from me.

"The ones in the woods..." I said. "Why are they after me that bad?"

"Wanderers like to stalk and play with their prey before going in for the kill," he explained. "But they always do it alone. Two at the most. This time around, the game has changed completely. They're working as a collective."

I was tiring, but I needed to keep the questions running to stall the hysterics. I willed my voice to even off. "Tonight, I saw you kill one of theirs. Do you think they'll go after you, too?"

"Honestly, it'd make it easier if they came to me for a change, that way I wouldn't have to waste my time tracking them. I pissed them off, but they tend to be less confident around us. They'd prefer a mutant over a normal human anytime. However, they don't usually stand a chance and they know it."

The way he said that so unbothered... My head fell on the armchair, and I closed my eyes for a second, lids heavy.

"Why is it your job to chase them down? It's not your fault some mad scientist created a bunch of monsters. I don't understand why you have to put yourselves in danger to handle a mess that isn't yours."

"Guns don't usually cut it. If we let them be discovered, then it'll soon be our turn, Sunshine, and none of us are on board with that. Besides, we need something to take our energy out on. They're free punching bags."

For once, I could believe that. That sort of explained why Luc was always so provocative yet so deflective. "Do you... think you can show me something with your abilities? I'm... curious."

He tilted his head strangely, and I was scared I might have upset him. Soon, the fire fizzled out, rendering the living room in complete darkness, and blazed again right after. The lights in the room and kitchen flickered. Luc simpered, satisfied with himself.

"Cool," I yawned, then I was glad to have a good reason to show tears. My next breath eddied easier, saddled with less pressure.

"I can also do this," he said, and then every strand of my hair went upright as if there were a charged balloon above my head. I grinned weakly. The strands moved over my upper lip, tickling my nose.

"One of the perks of being a mutant is being able to give mustaches to girls."

I wiped them away, rolling my eyes. "Ha. Ha. Real mature of you."

His smile grew wider but faded quickly. Dark circles stretched underneath his eyes, and exhaustion poured out of him.

"Hey, are you all right?" I asked. "You seem really tired."

He let my hair down. "I just fought a motherfreaking pack of Wanderers, so my tank is low. We're not infinite."

"Are you going to be okay?"

He carelessly reclined once more over the sofa. "Took an ungodly amount of sugar. I'll be as good as new in the morning." He assessed my horrified expression and huffed. "Humans may not find it healthy, but this is how we bounce back. Our bodies need way more sugar as fuel, it doesn't matter which kind but simple sugars act faster."

"You guys are unbelievable."

"And you're handling all this better than I'd anticipated."

Well, now that reality sunk in, it seemed like the world wouldn't cave in anymore. Things made sense. It was enough for the immediate moment. I just couldn't shake the awareness of being a target—that I was in danger. But if I talked about that, I'd lose it.

"Honestly... it's pretty amazing—the things you can do. Apart from the abilities, you're no different, right? You eat and sleep like everyone else. If you were an alien, then I'd lose my mind."

Luc winked, and I thought maybe he wasn't so bad until he opened his mouth. "What mind? You just did the stupidest thing I've ever seen in my life, and I've witnessed bottom-of-the-barrel stupid. Until tonight."

There it was.

"For once, we had a good conversation going and you just ruin it. You're kind of a dick for ruining that tiny, tiny sliver of a moment where we weren't drawing daggers on each other, you know?"

"Where I come from, putting yourself in harm's way and ruining my night is the bigger dick move."

I folded into the seat with a mild humpf. Immature, I know, but he just rubbed it in where there was no need. Of course, I screwed up big time. Hearing it that way added insult to injury.

After a while, I wanted to get to bed, but my body refused to move. My limbs were as heavy as lead. Luc wasn't sleeping. His eyes were on the ceiling, traveling down to the black window every so often like I wasn't there.

He was a total jerk, still.

He saved my life, still.

"Thank you for saving me today."

I knew he heard me, but he wouldn't answer that.

✩