Drew
“Hello?” I answer my ringing phone.
“Drew, where are you?” I hear Rena’s shaky voice.
“I’m in my room. Is something wrong?”
A few seconds pass before she says, “You should come here. It’s- it’s Kaye.”
I abruptly stand up. Hearing Kaye’s name from someone nervous is something I have to worry about. Especially now, things are turning in different and unexpected ways.
“I’m coming.” I keep my phone in my pocket and run towards the streets.
Rena’s house is not that far but I arrive, catching my breath and trying to keep myself calm. “Nothing is wrong,” I say to myself.
I step into Rena’s house after a knock and hurriedly go to her mom’s office which we consider as a personal laboratory. This is neither a good place for me to come back nor Kaye’s dwelling place even just for a second. I see Kaye standing by one of the corners of the cream white walls. I feel the tension in the room. Rena stands behind me and closes the door. Marie, Rena’s mom, tries to go nearer to Kaye but she won’t allow her.
“You don’t get it do you?” Kaye shouts, exasperated. “I want it out of my body. I want it out of my system, okay?” It’s draining me. It’s consuming my mind. It’s eating my brain like a zombie!”
“I do understand. Please sit down and we’ll talk about it—“
“We have been talking about this matter for almost a month now and you just keep telling me the same things over and over again!” Kaye drops herself to the floor and cries.
I go near her. “Kaye, please stop,” I beg while gently placing my hand on her shoulder. This isn’t the first time this happened but I care for her. She’s been crying too much lately.
“Drew, please, just go home,” she says while not looking at me.
“No, you’re not fine. I can’t just leave you.”
“Mom is coming so don’t worry,” I can tell she’s pushing me away.
I persist, “I’ll stay here until she comes.”
“Don’t touch me,” she whispers and chokes back tears.
Too late, I got hold of her elbow and she shrugs my hand away. Surprisingly, I am thrown towards the wall and my back hits the cold hard cement.
This is what happens when she’s in the peak of her emotions. It swallows her and no matter how hard she dictates her mind not to do a thing, her emotions prevail and dominate her completely. But today is different. She has not hurt me before, not like this.
“Drew, I told you to go,” she cries and cuddles herself farther away from me to a corner.
Rena approaches me and I try to stand but my body aches. “Right,” I say in an excruciating manner. But I still can’t stand. I can’t move properly. Then suddenly, I couldn’t breathe normally. “Kaye,” I say helplessly.
She faces me and I look her in the eyes. Her eyes are cerise and evidently tired from all the weeping. We stare at each other for a brief moment until my nostrils couldn’t suck up air anymore. She notices and gets tense. “Drew, I’m so sorry. I don’t know- I mean- how- what’s happening?” She stands up and walks to me.
I inhale through my mouth but it’s not enough. I shake my head, not knowing what’s happening either. I just can’t breathe. Rena looks at me with concern. Marie comes later, bringing a portable oxygen tank. She puts the mask on me. My nose is not functioning. Kaye cries with panic. My breathing gets lesser and my vision is a blur.
“Kaye, calm down,” Marie tells her while I’m still struggling to respite.
“I can’t!”
“Kaye, you’re killing him!” Rena shouts not the wisest thing ever.
“You’re not helping me with that, Rena!”
I touch Kaye’s hand and grip it hard. I close my eyes and try to keep myself calm too. Maybe it’s not her fault. I open my mouth and take in air. She squeezes my hand and everyone falls silent. I feel air coming back into me slowly. I couldn’t believe how much I miss oxygen for a very brief moment. I open my eyes and Kaye hugs me, trying not to cry for the thousandth time. She whispers words of apology to me.
I am afraid to move and to touch her. I am anxious for what just happened and the uncertainty of the possibility that it might happen again. Her anger and other emotions building up inside her affected me. The energy radiated to me and not able to breathe was the effect. But at the same time, I don’t want to be timid. Kaye’s my girlfriend. I love her too much to feel unsafe around her. I’m supposed to be the strongest person in the room. But feeling my life slipping away is enough to frighten me.
Kaye senses my hesitation to touch her. She backs away with a frown on her face. I am physically feeling better and I stand up. Everyone does too. We all look at Kaye and she faces the ground. I know I should say something, but what? I clear my throat and before I could articulate a word Kaye darts out of the room.
“Kaye! Don’t go anywhere!” we all shout in unison. I run out first while Rena and Marie follow. Kaye bolts out of the house and I follow. She runs fast and I pray to be able to outrun her. It was wrong not to speak especially when you have to say something, even just a single word.
I don’t see Rena and Marie behind me anymore. Kaye brings us to the streets. She heads to where the traffic is. It is a feet away and I should stop her before she will do a careless act. I call out her name yet she never looks back.
Lightning cracks the sky. Great, rain will pour down and will make the situation harder. I speed up and so does she. She turns to her left, goes out of the peaceful sidewalk and crosses the street. Rain pours down. I follow her and a loud car honk stops both of us.
Unfortunately, the car heading towards my left doesn’t halt and I know that my life will be gone seconds later. My life slips away twice for today.
“No!” I hear Kaye shout and her voice wakes me to the reality of running away and I hope it makes a difference. I swivel to my right and take a step when I hear tires screeching. I look back and witness the car in control by Kaye with her telekinesis.
In a few heartbeats, the small white car is dragged towards the sidewalk by unseen force to where we came from until its bumper hit a building. Smoke from the tire’s friction blocks the windows and I only see a figure of a woman in the driver’s seat.
I turn to Kaye and we contemplate each other. I know I should follow her but before I could do such, she runs away. I trail behind until I hear a car door close. Then I realize I couldn’t just leave the victim behind. She could be in a trauma and she witnessed Kaye’s abilities. As much as how it hurts for me to leave Kaye behind, I go to the woman.
“Excuse me. I am sorry for what just happened. Let me explain, madam.”
“Drew?” Alice, Kaye’s mom, surprises me.
I stop walking as soon as I reach the sidewalk where the car and Alice are. I feel grateful and unfortunate at the same time. I am speechless once again.
“Drew, was it Kaye?” I nod and before I could utter, she interrupts me, “I thought you were at Rena’s house? What happened?”
“I have a lot to tell you, mom. But not here.”
“And where is she going? We should go to her!”
“Yes, well I was going to catch up with her…”
“Drew, tell me what’s happening.”
I look back to where I last saw Kaye and imagine her come back and hug her mom and me next. But it’s all an illusion. I scan every corner and space where she could be hiding but I don’t capture a sight of her. From this moment on, I lack a magnanimous part of my life.
For eleven months, Kaye was handling it all and the only thing I was able to do was comfort her with words and with my love. It is getting worse every day and now, I won’t be with her anymore. I know she won’t come back until her telekinesis is totally gone. We’ve talked about it once but I didn’t anticipate that inconceivable plan of hers to happen and start like this. Now I am left alone, with the world she owns and I have to tell it what happened and what is going to happen.
I look at Kaye’s mom and feel her need for answers. Kaye really has the courage to leave us with questions and the fear of the oblivion. And it’s dreadful for my part to handle the answers all alone.
The rain is pouring harder and I just feel the shivers now. Alice gets in the car and so do I. I’ll start answering the questions now.