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Chapter 17

If there was something else I could recommend to purchase in the future, it would be bicycles. I was walking down a series of tunnels with Mariyah toward what would be yet another car rental place. I was kind of hoping we would go by plane. I was getting sick of cars.

"So, uh, wonderful weather we're having," my voice echoed off the walls.

"Very funny," she said in a thick southern accent. I don't think she was serious, but she snickered.

Her short, blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. She walked with her arms crossed like she was cold.

"Could you do me a favor?" She asked.

"Sure?"

"Keep talking to me."

"Excuse me?"

"My ability..." she said shyly, "I... can't really turn it off. I can hear everything. Rats. Water. The ground moving. Can you talk about something?"

"O-okay," I said. "What do you want to talk about?"

For the next half hour, I rambled on about Terra Forma. She didn't seem really bothered to hear me speak. Maybe hearing another person talk was better than hearing everything else. She interrupted briefly, saying things like "that's kind of cool" or "that would be useful." By the time I was done with my explanation, we were at our exit.

"This is it," she said. "Let me listen."

I shut up. She walked up the stairs to a doorway. She pressed her ear against the plywood.

"All clear," she said. "Let's blow this place."

She shifted the piece of wood around. I could see insulation and a yellow paint on the other side. She motioned for me to follow her. She disappeared in the light. I went up the stairs. I pushed a couple of large boxes out of the way of the doorway so I could position it back into place. Putting the boxes back, it was very hard to tell there was a portion of the wall cut out. It fit just snug enough to hide the outline.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"We're in the employee area of a women's shoe store."

"Of course we are."

"Quiet. If anyone questions you, you're my boyfriend."

"Of course I am."

She listened by the door. She peeked out. Quickly, she slipped out. I followed behind her. No one even paid us attention as we walked out into the streets of Louisville.

"Half a block away," she said. "Not far."

The streets weren't example bustling, but not empty either. It was hot. I scratched my head from the sun heating my hair. I followed next to her, which probably made us look like a couple in public.

"Don't tell anyone about what happened in the tunnel," she said, "or I'll cut your balls off."

"Why?"

"Only Sean knows I can't turn it off. He learned how to control his ability, but I still can't."

"Oh. How do you not go insane?"

"I distract myself with music. Usually country."

I looked at her. "Remind you of home?"

She looked at me quickly and looked away.

"That's okay. We don't have to talk about it."

"Good. I'd rather not."

Something told me she didn't like looking weak, especially in front of someone she just met. I just let it go. I took in the sights of the city. It was disorienting to see the buildings from the bottom up. They were so tall; I felt like one was going to teeter and fall on us. She caught my gaze.