Chapter 6: LYDIA
Before she knew what she was doing, Lydia took off at full speed. She dove off the roof and after the falling boy. Pinning her arms and legs to her sides, Lydia gathered as much speed as she could. She shot past the boy, who was sprawled in the air and trying to grab at the building next to them. Lydia hit the ground lightly, bent her knees at ninety degee angles, and bounced back up.
She reached out her hand and caught the boy's arm. She clutched him tightly, and they JOLTed as he changed directions. They continued skyward, slowing quickly. Finally, Lydia soared up and over the ledge and touched down on the roof. She easily lifted the boy up after her.
The boy looked around with eyes as wide as plates. He doubled over and panted, sounding as if he was the one who'd done all the work.
While he caught his breath, Lydia found herself backing away. She again hit her ankle on the ledge and stopped.
The boy glanced up, then quickly straightened. Fear, then confusion, then remorse played out on his face. He looked down to the ground, his shoulders hunching. "I'm sorry," he muttered, blinking. "I didn't mean to scare you or anything. I just wanted to talk. That's all. I promise."
Lydia cocked her heads slightly, confused. I just wanted to talk played over and over again in her mind. But why would he want to talk to me? All anyone wants with us is to arrest us, she thought.
The boy snuck another glance at Lydia. She didn't look angry to him, so he continued. "You were on the roof earlier," he said.
Lydia nodded slowly.
"I wanted to ask you about your powers. What it's like to fly. But your partner didn't really let me get a word in edgewise."
Lydia found herself smiling wryly at that comment. She walked forward a few steps, paused, then spoke. "Luke tends to have that effect," she responded. She swallowed, then added something. "But I can't fly."
It was the boy's turn to cock his head. "But..." he trailed off, unsure how to continue.
"I can jump and remain in the air with that force for a few seconds. But that's it. Flying is having complete aeriel control. I'm still at the mercy of the wind, basically." Lydia explained.
The boy nodded, understanding. "Hovering is still pretty cool," he said. "But what's it like?"
Lydia tried to explain it. "Well, it depends on how strong you are. If you just started, it'll feel like you're sinking to the bottom of a pool. If you've been doing it a while, it's kind of like sleeping. You don't really feel anything since you're not touching the ground. But it's a little chilly, since you're up so high." Lydia paused, unsure if she'd stated it correctly.
But the guy nodded, pursing his lips slightly as he thought. "I think I know what you mean," he said, his gaze sliding to hers. Their eyes locked in place, and they watched each other in comfortable silence. It was just like earlier. Lydia lost track of time, place, everything. Circumstances didn't matter. All that did was his eyes.
Lydia got a chill and was jerked back to the present. She looked around in bewilderment and found that the sun had completely set. She ran a hand through her hair, then turned back to the boy. "I've got to go," she stated. Luke will be even more annoying since I was out so late, she thought wistfully.
He nodded. "Me too. Oh!" He palmed his forehead. "I forgot to ask; what's your name?"
Lydia immediately backed up, and her friend realized her fear.
"No, no, I'm not going to turn you in. I'm just...curious again," he finished lamely. "I don't need your last name, and the cops can't trace you without it, so..." he winced and stopped, realizing his reasoning probably made him sound more suspicious.
Lydia took a deep breath. "I'm Lydia."
The boy nodded, a shy smile touching his lips. "I'm Marcus."
Lydia smiled, then burst into the air and into the clouds. She was gone so fast, Marcus nearly missed her. He saw a blur about twenty feet above him and that was all.
Lydia stayed in the clouds for about forty seconds straight - almost a new time record. She tucked it into her memory, then began directing her route to the park. She dipped below the clouds, belly facing the ground, and tilted her body slightly to the right.
As she lowered, she felt a flutter in her chest. She almost looked down to see if her hair was caught in her shirt, but she knew it was inside her.