Chapter 2
“The Truth and Away”
‘I have been lying to you for almost 13 years and I guessed it’s time for you to know the truth. As I said before, you and your mom are not like other people but it doesn’t mean you are not human. You have powers. I don’t know how many. Before your mom died, she said to me to take care of you, no matter what try to keep you out from this power-thing. But, you know, I can’t. I’m not like her. I’m normal.’
‘What ability she could do, dad?’
‘Well, as I know, she could read minds, which also means she could control people, and she could change time. I mean she could, like, look into someone’s eyes and they’d obey her orders. But it’s not the point. When you’re five years old, you were old enough to use this power as your mother said. But she didn’t train you like other kids. She wanted you to live as normal as possible. Until one day, she was out with you in the park. She didn’t tell me why she was out because actually, she hated to be in public. And then, there’s the group of men coming into our house. It was good time for Charlie that he’s still at school. They were asking about your mom and I said nothing. I told them, I didn’t know.
But before they’re gone, you and your mom were back. I could see the shock in her face but I didn’t know what to do too. They were coming back for me and beating me. I heard your mom screaming. She told them to stop and I could see she used her gift to control their minds for the first time. Everyone stopped and let go of me. But then, there was one tall tan man stepping inside the house. He wasn’t with the group at first. He looked having power like he was their boss. He had a scar above his eyes, it’s was long. It cut past his eyebrow. I saw he didn’t fall into your mom’s power. Instead, he could ignore it and release everyone.
Your mom stepped back and put you behind her back. That man was walking toward her. He told her to give you to him, to the Dark. Your mom said no and begged them to leave in peace. Suddenly, he snatched you from her. He was grabbing your head with his right hand and said to your mom that she knew what he was going do with you. I saw her crying. She’s screaming to let go of you. But then, that man chuckled and you were falling on the floor. Your mom darted to you. She carried you up and closed her eyes. The next second, the world was stopped and then, there’s a sound inside my head. It’s Carrie’s.
She told me that she knew this day would come, so, she decided to build a shield for you since you were born. What he did to you that day was some kind of cleaning brain I think but it could do nothing to you. It’s just its effect that made you unconscious. She told me that you’d grow up and be different from others. She meant DIFFERENT, really different. She said you would not only better than anyone but also more special. She had no time to explain, this power was going to be vanished soon. Before she went, she told me to take care of you with my life. Be in the busiest city as possible. Don’t let them know that you’re still alive. The shield she built didn’t only protect you from others’ powers but also protect you from letting the power out. And then, the world came back to alive but there’s no sight of Carrie and the group of men. It was just you and me. I saw the clock; it was back in two hours ago. That’s when I realized that your mother travelled back in time for us to pack stuff and go away.
So, it’s the reason why we changed the school or moved to other countries so frequently. Every time we move, I have someone to watch you and for the last one is Jessica.’
‘Did she know?’
‘Well, she doesn’t just know. She’s also same as you. She can move things with her mind. Today, she came by to tell me that you seem weird. You could answer history question, the most hated class of yours. She also suspected since you asked her about the silence of the classroom. She told me to look after you because your shield may seem to be weakening.
And then, I saw Eric driving you home. I asked him a little about you today. He said that you seemed tired and strange. You heard voices that he didn’t and you also assumed that he was the one who spoke it. He said you two had a little fight. So, that’s when I’m sure that your power is back.’
‘Alright. This is so far than I thought. But wait. You told me that mom changed time and you moved out. You’re on her plan but she may still alive!’
‘I don’t know that your mom’s still alive or not. But if she was, I think she found us now. But you know, she begged me to make you stay out of this. I couldn’t do anything except try to live normal.’
‘That’s okay, dad. I understand. Does Charlie know?’
‘No. He still thought that mom left us like I told you before.’
‘And does he have power?’
‘I don’t think so. Your mom didn’t tell me about him.’
‘So. What are we going to do with this?’
‘This, what?’
‘This whole things. Mom. The Dark. Power. Me.’
‘Stay the same. Live your normal life like your mom wants you to’
‘No! Are you serious?! They killed my mom and you just want me to sit down and live. I can’t do that! I have to find her!’
‘No! You can’t, Ches! Listen to me! They are powerful. They killed people. You weren’t raised like the others who can use the power very swiftly.’
‘But – but they got my mom. She may live.’
‘I know, I know. Come here, my little girl.’
‘I’m the reason mom had to sacrifice herself to protect me.’
‘No, don’t think like that. Your mom was the bravest woman I’d ever known. In some ways, she’s going to stop it. Don’t do anything that will waste your mother’s dedication. She may be alive but she doesn’t want you to go find her.’
I lied on my bed, looking at the ceiling. My room wasn’t totally dark. There’s light from the moon and the fluorescent stars. I really loved these stars. They gave me the feeling that I wasn’t alone when I was. They made me feel like I was in the space. Hollow but filled, silent but peace. I liked this time of the day when the outside was completely dark and silent. It was almost three a.m. now. I hadn’t been sleeping since I separated with my dad. Today, I knew too many things about my life. I didn’t know where to start and what to do. I hated those guys who forced my mom to protect me. I hated that I was born special from others. I hated it when I didn’t know what to do about these complicated things.
I didn’t want to break the commitment that my dad gave to her. I knew it was his best to protect me since he couldn’t do anything except this but I didn’t want to just stay quiet and live as same as tomorrow. I knew why my mom’s gone and I was going to be the one who took her back. I had faith that she’s still alive.
I repeated thinking about all these things again and again. I decided to stuff my things into my backpack. I took shirts and jeans, clothes that were easy to wear and lingerie. I wrote a note to my dad, telling him that he didn’t have any reason to go find me. It’s my decision to make. I would take care of myself and I was sorry for unable to keep his promise with mom. I didn’t tell him what my plan was but if I could be alive, I would be back for him. I took a bath after things were packed. I decided to take my car with me. I went into the garage, threw everything inside the car. I opened the garage’s gate and pushed the car out. I shoved it until I was sure that it’s far enough to start the engine. I ran back and closed the garage’s gate. I looked at the house one more time. I climbed inside and started the engine.
“I’m sorry, dad. I’ll try my best to bring mom back to you. I love you. Dad. Charlie.”
And I drove out without knowing any destination to go.
I woke up and looked at my watch; it was 6 in the morning. My dad had to already know by now that I had been running away. He might be shocked or might not. Actually, I thought he would prepare for this since he decided to tell me the truth. I blinked one more time and realized that I slept for about two hours. It’s time for me to keep driving but I stopped the thought as I still didn’t know where to go. I let my body leaning the driver seat with tiredness. I was out of the city now. The gas station here was around with grasses and trees. There were a lot of car driving in and out. I assumed that people were going on their weekend trip. I bent over to open the front pocket of my backpack. I took my small diary out. I loved writing. I loved to write it down whether it’s good or bad or sad or happy. Writing something on the paper was the best way for me to let things go, things I wanted to remember and forget.
I opened it up. The first page, there was my dad’s hand-writing on it. He gave me on my birthday when I was fifteen. He wrote for me to write good things in it. Gosh. I missed him. While I was turning another page, there’s a photo dropped out of the diary. It was photo of my mom, my brother, my dad and me. We took it in front of our first house. Then, there’s one thing crossing my mind. I closed the diary and threw it into the glove box. I started the car and put on my seat belt. I knew where to go now. I put my feet on the pedal, ready to continue the journey. I wished I could figure it out before I heard the knock.
It was Jessica.
Now, I was driving to Jessica’s home. She was sitting on the seat next to me. She tracked me down since my dad told her that I ran away. I just knew that another ability of her was tracking down people. She could just close her eyes and see where I was but it also had its limit. She said that she had to remember the face very clearly. So, the vision would become clear. She kept asking me about the reason I ran away from my home. I didn’t tell her. I didn’t know what would happen if I told her the entire story. I didn’t want her to be involved.
I pulled the speed down when I saw the roof of her house. I drove slowly across the yard and killed the engine. Her house was white with the red roof on it. It was big that ten people could live in. It was in the center of field. There’s a tall tree in front of the house, it had the swing with it. I guessed it had to be Jessica’s play park when she was young. She invited me inside. I could see a big mirror at my right side. We walked along the passage, I could see that there’re three rooms; kitchen, bathroom and living room. At the end of the passage was the stairs which led to above. The stairs were made of wood, the whole house either. It looked ancient and mysterious. I followed her upstairs. At the end of the stairs, it divided into two directions: right and left. Jessica walked to the right and opened the first room.
“This is my room. Come on. Get inside.” She walked in. I followed her. I walked and sit on her bed. Then, she closed the door. “Right. Okay. Ches, I’m going to ask you one more time. Why do you run away?”
This question came again. I was tired to just say nothing. “I have my own reason.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you! It’s a long story.”
“But I’m ready to hear it.”
“Please Jessica. I don’t want you to get into troubles.” I begged her with my gaze.
“So, I’ll call you dad that I found you.” She picked her phone out of her pocket. She was pressing the number.
“Don’t, Jess!” I shouted out and tried to take the phone from her.
“I’m not the one you can order, Ches.” I heard the dial sound. “If you’re not going to tell me, I have no reason to help you stay away from your dad.”
“How can I trust you?” I asked her with soft voice but there’s seriousness in it.
She looked at me, disgusting. She had to be unbelievable about what she heard. She ended the call, her index finger pointed at me. She said, “I helped you a lot of things, protected you but you don’t trust me. Oh, my god. How could you -”
“Okay. I’m sorry. But look -” I swallowed. “I’m afraid that if I tell you the story, you will get involved into this mess and there’re still many enemies I’ll have to face, I can not trust anyone.” I shook my head and covered it by hands.
“But you can trust me.” She said, walking toward and holding my hands. “You can trust me, no matter what I’m your friend. I’m here to help you.”
She was looking at me and I was too. I saw her sincerity and truthful in her eyes. They made me believe that she’s in my side. My gut told me that I could trust her.
“And if it’s about your mom, I’m ready to find her with you.”
“Ha- How can you know this?” I blinked.
“Because both of my parents were taken like yours.”
I should have wondered at first why Jessica’s house was so quiet. I hadn’t seen anyone since I walked inside. To be sincere, it didn’t much bother me to know all things about someone.
I decided to tell her the story. She listened to it silently. Sometimes, she made her face curious but asked me nothing.
“Well, that’s the whole story.” I sighed when I told the last part that I was going to my first house before I met her. I also told her that I still didn’t know exactly what my plan was.
“So, you’re gonna tell me that you’re running away from your dad to find your mom but didn’t know the plan?” She asked me and looked into my eyes. I felt pathetic myself.
“Well, yes.” I answered.
“You stupid!” She turned around and dropped herself heavily on the couch beside her desk.
“I know. I’m stupid to get out of the house and drive a car with no destination. But it’s just something that I can do! I don’t know how to track people like you. My dad doesn’t even give me the clue about mom. The group that took her was just called ‘The Dark’. I don’t even know that it really exists or not. I just -” My mouth was dry. My voice was lost. I swallowed hard and gazed Jessica, “I just want to know that her still alive or not. I just want to see her. I just want to try.” I sniffled and looked above. My hands got rid the tear in my eyes. Jessica walked toward me. She pulled me in. She hugged me.
“That’s okay, Ches. Shh… It’s okay.” She was hugging me and soothing me like I was a little girl but I didn’t push her away. My feeling was becoming better by time.
“Look.” She pushed me out of her hug. She grabbed my with her two arms. It was strong. “We’re going to find your mom and my parents. No matter they still alive or not, Okay? We’re going to make it sure. I’ll be here to help you. We’re friends, remember?” I shook my head. My tears were dry. I breathed in deeply and held my head up to see Jessica.
“Right, thank you, partner.” I smiled. We were smiling. “So, what’s the plan?”
“The plan is…” Jessica was back to her couch. Her hand was touching her chin, she was using her brain. “Is… eat! Gosh, I haven’t had anything since last night.”
“Hey, seriously?”
“Yeah! And you’re going to make breakfast for me. I didn’t eat anything because of you!” Oh. I felt guilty a little bit. Well, maybe I had to do breakfast for her. If not, I was sure she’s going to help me nothing.
“Right. Well, what do you want to eat?”
She was giggling with her deep voice. She smiled a very big smile. Her big blue eyes were changed into smiley eyes. “Pancake!”
We were walking down the stairs. She led to her kitchen. It was wide and clean. There was a big wood table in the middle of the kitchen. There’s a sink on the left of the room. On the right, there’s a refrigerator. I walked to open it and bring out the egg and milk. I found the pancake powder in the cupboard above the sink. I took out the bowl and mixed things together. I heated up the pan. While I was waiting, I turned around to talk to Jessica but she was not there. She might somewhere in her house, so, I turned back. It was heated enough. I poured the oil and then mixed powder and waited. I did this for the next six pancakes, Three for me and other three for Jessica. I got them on plates and arranged the table. I grabbed knives and forks out of the drawer. I called out for Jessica. So, she could know that it was ready.
I called her for five times but there’s no sign of her saying or shouting back. It had been five minutes since the first time. I ate almost half of my pancake and now, it’s getting cooler.
“Hey, Jess! If you’re not coming down here, I’m gonna eat yours!” But there’s the silence answered me back. “Hey. You made me worried.”
The whole house was still silent. I decided to slowly walk out of the kitchen. I took the knife with me. I stalked up to the upstairs. I could see the door of the room next to Jessica’s opening. I leaned the walls and stalked as silent as I could. My face was next to that room’s door. I grabbed my knife tightly and was ready to fight. I jumped out and pushed door open. I pointed my knife up. I saw nothing except the normal bathroom that someone had just been using it. It had to be Jessica. She got above to take a bath and she might not hear me calling her. “Hey. Jessica. Why didn’t you tell me that you came up to clean yourself? Come on, downstairs. Your pancake is dying.” I was going to turn around to go back downstairs. I still expected to hear Jessica’s voice answering back. Suddenly, I head something. It was her sound but it’s indistinct like there’s something on her mouth. It was coming from the last room of this path. I walked silently and quickly to that room. I opened the door slowly. I was shocked. I ran to her. She was sitting on the chair in the middle of the room; her hands were strapped with rope and her mouth was closed with the napkin. I untied both her mouth and hands. She whispered immediately when she’s free. “Run! It’s a trap. They want -”
“Want who?” I could see two men standing at the door. They were wearing black shirt and trousers. Their jackets were leather and also black. Their kind smiles looked poison. They were walking toward us. Jessica walked up being front of me. They were high and looked strong. One of them spoke, “Hi. Chesel.”
I fell into silence. I had no idea who they were. “Who are you?”
“They are from The Dark.” Jessica whispered to me.
“So, they must know -”
“Yeah, but - Let me do the talk.” I struggle. I believed Jessica had better ways for us, even though I just wanted to coerce them to tell me about my mom and kill them. Jessica continued as I spoke nothing opposed her, “Why do you want her?”
Want me? and then, another one said, “It’s the order from the Dark. You’ve no right to know.”
“Well, so, there’s no reason for me to give her to you.”
“She’s nothing with you. So, just let her come with us. We want her.” This time was the right one did the speaking. I saw they touched something at their belts. It looked like guns.
“They have guns.” I whispered to Jessica.
“I saw it.” She stared at them without losing her control. She whispered to me but still looked at them, “I’ll count on three. Jump though the window. Start the car.”
“Wha- What?!” I cried out with shock. Was she serious? Jumping though the window!
“One.” She still looked at them. I saw she touched something inside her jeans’ pocket.
“Jess, wait.”
“Come with us, Ches. You’re worth for us.” The man kept persuading me to go with them.
“Two.”
“Look, I can’t -” I was speaking to those two men.
“Don’t you want to see you mom?” That minute I was stunted. My head turned blank. They knew, they knew my mom. My mom, she’s still alive.
“Three!” I blinked. My conscious back when I heard gunshot. I saw Jessica running to them. She was fighting. The thing that she grabbed out of her pocket was a digger. It’s metal. It all happened so fast. I saw her kicked the right man at the middle of his body. He hit the drawer. She got charge with the left one. Her body was hit the wall, it made the hole to the bathroom.
“Jump! Ches! Jump!” I heard Jessica screaming. The right one was still at the drawer. He held his belly. It had to be hurt. I stepped back to the window direction. He was getting up. He put his right hand on the drawer, pushing himself up. It wasn’t good now. I ran to the window. I looked down. It had to be more than five feet high. How could I jump? It was not different from suicide! I turned around and saw that man was running toward me. He was fast. I decided to turn around to jump down the window but then I felt hurt at my head. He was pulling my hair. He was dragging me away from the window. I couldn’t fight him back. He was stronger. My tears were wailing up as my head hurt. I was screaming, telling him to stop. But he wasn’t. He dragged me to the middle of the room. I was still screaming out with my tears. Please, just stop. Anyone, please stop him and suddenly, everything was stopped. He was standing and grabbing my hair but wasn’t moving. I looked through the hole; I saw another man was lying in the bath but I couldn’t see Jessica. She might be stunted somewhere. I looked at my hand that still could be waving up and down. I surprised with this. It had to be one of my powers, same one of my mother’s. I pulled myself in the opposite direction but I had to sit down again as my head still hurt. My hair couldn’t be loosed from his hand. I tried it one more time but it ended the same. Suddenly, there’s someone running inside and using her digger cutting my hairs. I was free from his grab. I looked at the person who just ran inside and it was no one but Jessica.
“I’m sorry to cut your hair but it’s the only way.” She shoved her digger back into her pocket. “Now, it’s time to go.”
I nodded to her and looked at my hair. It was pretty lots.
“Don’t pity them. They will grow up. Let’s go!” She grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the car. We threw ourselves inside.
“You don’t need your stuff?” I asked her while I was fastening my seat belt.
“We have no time!”
“See, I stopped the time.” I looked back to the house. “I can wait.”
“No. It’s not like that! Just leave my stuffs and go!”
“Are you su -” But then, there’s a sudden sound like a bomb inside the house. I saw the man who grabbed my hair running down the stairs.
“Now! Go!” No more any of her words, I speeded up the car and quickly got out of her land.
I drove far enough as I couldn’t see the road that I came from and Jessica’s house. It seemed like the men weren’t chasing us either. I was driving in the same speed as I wanted to get as far from them as I could.
“Are you alright?” I talked to Jessica. She had been silent since we were driving away from her house. I saw her bleed on her mouth.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said and leaned the seat. “That was fun, though.”
“What! No! It’s not! We almost die!” I shouted out.
She chuckled, “This was simple.”
“Oh. God.” I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say.
“See. Anyway, Ches, Thanks for listening to me?”
“Listen what?” I asked her with curious. I gazed at her and then, back to the road.
“Listen that I would do the speaking and for going to jump.”
“You almost made me suicide.” I said it out normally. I heard Jessica’s laughing.
“No, you’re not.” She continued laughing. It upset me a little. “And for not going with them because of your mom.”
I said nothing. Jessica continued, “It is a wise decision for you not to go with them. It isn’t easy like you think. Walk inside the Dark and kill them and take your mom out. That is suicide.”
“Well. What are we going to do now? Do we miss the chance?”
“No, we’re not. Anyway, did your dad tell anything why they want you so bad?”
“No, he didn’t.” I thought about the conversation last night. “Does it matter?”
“Well, actually, no, for me.” she chuckled. “And for the jumping, next time, don’t be scared. It’s one of our simple practices.”
“Practices?” I asked her. Did she practice jumping from the roof?
“Oh. You don’t know!” She cried out with amaze. “Oh. Right. You’re not raised like us.”
“What do you mean us?” I slowed down the car, so, I could talk to her easier.
“You will know. Well, now, open the maps. We are going to the Campus.”