I was debating whether or not to call home 'sick'.
There was only two classes left in the day, and they were both classes I couldn't care less about. At lunch, Sterling jumped up from our table, and declared in a deep voice, that he had some superhero business to take care of. He threw a wink towards Axel, who had no idea what he was talking about, and took off. Amaris gaped in awe, Lawson rolled his eyes, and Axel looked confused. I spent most of my lunch hour explaining the difference, or lack there of, between Redux and Sterling.
Gold is still a no-show, and I've found myself thinking about him more and more each day. I miss our dissing of corny movies, goofing around, and late night conversations.
I thought back to one of the last nights it was just the two of us, and started grinning, causing the few remaining students after the bell to give me weird looks as I passed them in the hallway.
We were watching a movie together, like most nights. It was at a point where he was comfortable enough if I leaned on his shoulder, and he was just running his hands through my hair. I thought it was unintentional, just something to do with his hands; but when I looked up at him, I was met with his electrifying golden eyes staring back at me. I suppose it wouldn't seem like much to anyone else, but I felt something in my stomach, anyway.
I catch him looking at me quite often, as well, and when I do, he turns away and continues whatever he was doing, acting as though he wasn't.
Was what Sterling said, true?
Before I thought anything more of it, I ran into a wall, only to realize it was someone's back. I apologized, wondering why he was wearing sweats and gloves on a hot day, but when he turned around to help me up, I realized why.
"Ashlyn!" He said, extending a gloved hand, "I was just looking for you!"
He was still glowing. Not as much as he was before, but just to the point where I still couldn't make out his features.
"Where were you?" I said, swatting his hand away, "I've been worried sick!"
He shook his head, and lunged for my hand, dragging me up. "I'll explain later. Follow me."
We bolted through the empty halls together, narrowly missing Mr. Landcaster, who always stood by the back door searching for students to give detentions to, because he had to teach a class.
Once outside, I barely had time to prepare, before Gold hugged me close to his chest, and took off into the sky. It was record speed, and we landed at the desired location within seconds.
"Have you been glowing ever since that morning?" I asked, Gold grunted a yes in return. "I have two classes left." I remarked, looking around. Gold brought us to a building that was under construction, I assumed it was lunch break or the workers day off, because we were the only ones there.
"Yes, I know. I also know, that both classes don't have exams at the end of the year, and your marks, also in both, are well in the nineties. I think you'll be safe skipping this once."
"How would you know that?" I scoffed.
He was looking around, "hacked the school computer." He was distracted by something in front of him, following it with his eyes. I jumped when I heard a crash outside.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Momentum." He answered simply. I was about to stand up, but Gold kept me down. "No. Sterling can handle him pretty good."
"What are we doing, if we're not here to fight Momentum?" I asked.
"Remember when we first met Anderson and he told Momentum to let the boy go?"
"He did?"
"Yes. I'm pretty sure there's a speaker on Momentums' suit that lets Cyrus talk through it freely."
"Okay? That doesn't explain what we're doing here."
"That is what we're doing here." He pointed to wall. I looked at Gold with confusion, before he sighed and switched places with me. I saw a pudgy man who had his eyes closed in concentration. His legs were crossed, and he was floating in a blue orb. "I figured that, if Cyrus is controlling Momentum, he has to be nearby for a connection like that, so I've been looking around whenever there's an attack, and sure enough, there he is."
"Anderson also said something like that." I mentioned. Gold looked somewhat disappointed that he wasn't the first to figure it out. "How've you been sneaking around here without being noticed?" I asked, gesturing towards his obvious glowing skin.
Gold grinned and opened up his bag. There were many fabrics of different colours, stuffed to the top. He pulled at the white sheet, to match the white wall surroundings, and placed it over him. There were two yellow glowing eyeholes.
"Wow."
"I know."
I peeked outside the window, and noticed that Sterling was on his back, and half of his mask was missing. A few bystanders were gawking at them, but they couldn't see much. Blood streaked Sterlings' face, so they wouldn't be able to recognize him anyway. When Momentum threw a car their way, they scattered.
"I think we should maybe help him." I said, motioning towards Sterling.
"Nah. I've been watching him, too. Sterling's very dramatic. See, he acts like he's about to die, to trick Momentum, I guess, then, as soon as Momentum gets close, he pushes off the ground and gets a good whack at him, knocking him out cold." I was watching Sterling while Gold explained this. It was like a play-by-play; Sterling did exactly what Gold said he would, at the same time, too. Gold wasn't even watching him. "Now this is the weird part." Gold said just as Sterling collapsed. "He just faints. It's not like he's too injured. I mean, he has healing."
"What do you think it is?"
"I believe that when he isn't causing mischief, Cyrus is training Momentum. He attacks just to test him out and when Sterling defeats him, he sends some sort of brain wave to knock him out, so he can grab Momentum and train some more- look." I looked back at Cyrus. The forcefield around him had disappeared, and his face was red with frustration as he jumped down a floor, marched towards Momentum, picked him up, and carried him away. He didn't even bother wearing a mask.
"I see you've had an eventful two weeks." I mumbled, still bitter that he didn't contact me to let me know if he was dead, or not.
Gold threw on his sheet. "We're going to follow him to, hopefully, his base."
"That's genius!" I exclaimed, "then, when we're ready, we can do a sneak attack on him!" Gold looked delighted that I understood his plan, "but why am I here?"
"I know Sterling doesn't think you're ready, but I do." He nodded, "when we get to the base, we can have our own little look around, but if the door's locked, we need someone to unlock it from the inside. Understand?" I nodded.
"C'mon, he's almost gone." Gold grabbed my wrist, and we quietly scurried behind the two villains. When holding my wrist became too frustrating, I placed my hand in his. We stopped briefly to make Sterling was alright. He said he was hunky dory, and ripped a dart out of his neck, muttering a string of profanities, as he hobbled towards the nearest washroom. He didn't even acknowledge that Gold's back.
"So it isn't a brain wave." I smirked. Gold got something wrong. He ignored me, and we kept following Cyrus, occasionally jumping behind a building to hide, because Cyrus is paranoid, and keeps looking behind him.
"This would be easier if it was Halloween." I muttered. Gold looked like a tall child dressed as a ghost, and he's got a bag-full of other sheets with him.
When we entered the forest, Gold paused, dug through his bag of colours, and covered himself with a camouflage sheet. He took one disapproving look at my baby blue t-shirt, and invited me in with him. I followed behind blindly, holding onto his waist, and tripping over tree roots, and rocks.
About ten minutes into the journey, I noticed Golds' glow disappear completely, drowning us in total darkness, but I didn't mention that to him.
Gold jolted to a stop, causing me to run right into him. "There it is," he whispered, shifting so I could take a peek through the peep-hole.
About twenty feet in front of us, was a small wooden shack. There was smoke escaping through a chimney on the corner. Personally, I wouldn't even think a fireplace could fit in there.
"Doesn't seem like much." I mumbled, a tad disappointed.
"Not at all what I was expecting." He agreed
"How do you think we'll be able to sneak around here when he's inside?" I asked, suddenly realizing it's too small not to notice intruders.
"We can always come back later." He said, wrapped his arms around me, and for the second time today, took off before I was even ready, sheet n' all. He didn't even give me time to ask him a very important question.
"It's in the middle of the woods!" I exclaimed once we soared through my open bedroom window (Sterling broke the screen last week when he was trying to sneak in), "How do you think we'll remember where it is? Did you spread some breadcrumbs to make a path, Hansel?" I stepped out from under the sheet.
"No, not breadcrumbs; but I do have Hyperthymesia." He stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Is that some sort of superpower?" I asked.
"Sort of, I guess." He answered
When it was clear he wouldn't explain what it was, I inquired, "which is?"
He looked at me, unblinking. "I can remember everything that has happened after the experiments, nothing before. Like, for example, the first time I talked to you, you were wearing that exact top you're wearing now, with sweatpants. The first thing I asked was: is redux finished yet? When he was in the washroom after he got shot. Then you lied to me, and said, Yeah. He came out a few seconds after you left actually, you were busy with the interviewers so he just went home. When he was the the guy behind you the whole entire time."
I gawked at him, stunned, so I said the first thing that came to mind. "School must be so easy for you!"
"Well, technically, I've already finished school." He nodded in agreement, "my mom's just make me go so I can 'socialize with people my own age, instead of being locked away in my room all day."
"Wait." I said, remembering the reason why he broke me out of school in the first place, "If you were planning on coming back anyway, why did I have to come along?" I asked; he pretended not to hear me, and walked towards the window, ready to leave. I stepped on the sheet to stop him, and it came flying off. He spun around to face me.
"I didn't want to go alone, okay?" He admitted, but my mouth was suddenly too dry to respond. His eyebrows creased, and he frowned when he saw my wide eyes, and agape mouth. "Ashlyn?" He chuckled nervously, "is something wrong?"
Yes. Something was wrong.
His defence glow didn't kick in.
dun, dun, DUNNN
Who do you think Gold is??
Is this the third chapter within 4 days?
Yes. I do believe so.