Leo Hernandez
We travelled all...freakin'...day. This potholed road seemed to wield us with nothing until, alas, a rundown neighborhood! Man, it's been so long since I've seen anyone outside of the Asylum nuthouse. There's more minds to read, too. You know, listening to the thoughts of the same people get tiring after a while. It's like when Sarah was happy about Ren's arrival for a new face to paint.
"Oh, baby!" I shout, jumping and pumping my fist in the air. "I've never felt to alive!"
Elektra punches me in the gut, the air escaping my lungs. "Shut up, will you? We don't want to attract attention."
"How would we attract attention? We look normal, right?"
"Kya is covered in mud, Ren has glowing eyes, Sarah has cream-colored hair and lavender eyes, I have blue in my hair and lightning markings, and you have on suspenders. We don't need any more attention than we'll only be getting. In fact, we should all lose the dog skins. We can steal some clothes from a shop."
We all ditch the skins. Tiny, delicate hands grab my twiggy arm. "Can you believe it?" she excitedly whispers, eyes sparkling. "We made it. Normal people who lead normal lives are doing normal things in a normal place...and we get the chance to be in the middle of it."
"Did you doubt we would get this far?" I ask, fingering my suspenders. "And are these really that bad?"
"I did, honestly," Sarah admits with a frown. "And no," she says, grabbing my suspender straps and using them to pull me into a hug. "I love them."
I rest my chin on top of her head. "And I love you," I mumble.
"Hm?" she sounds. "I couldn't hear you. What did you say?"
"I said..." Crazy energy starts to stir around a street corner. There are two guys surveying a girl who, frankly, looks like a prostitute. "Hey, get a load of those horn-dogs. Man, those testosterone-fueled thoughts are crazy! Someone douse them with estrogen or something." For once, my sporadic mind saves me from looking like a blushing idiot. Now, I'm just a blushing mind reader.
"Now what so we do?" Kya asks.
"We should split up," Elektra suggests. "We need food and water, clothes, and information on where we are."
"I say we pick team captains," I suggest.
"You're on Asylum's Most Wanted list, Leo," Elektra lectures. "Not an elementary school playground."
I scoff at her and roll her eyes. "You're just against the idea because you wouldn't get any votes to be a captain. You're not exactly people friendly...and stop imagining that you're shooting me with lightning, now you're definitely not getting my support."
"I don't think it's such a bad idea," Sarah chirps, coming to my rescue. "Even aside from getting food and clothes, I think we do need leaders. It would be good to have someone decisive make choices for our better interest."
"In that case," Kya speaks up, picking out dried mud from her hair. "My vote actually would go to Elektra. She's the most objective one here."
Grunting, I roll my eyes. "Yeah, whatever."
"I agree with Kya," Sarah sides. "What about you, Ren? Should Elektra be a leader?"
He gives us a half-shrug. "I mean, she is leader material, but she's so apathetic that she wouldn't have a problem leaving us behind."
"Well, Leo, Kya, and I elect Elektra," Sarah admits. "Sorry, Ren. But majority wins."
Dramatically, I crack my knuckles. "Now we need a co-captain. I elect Kya."
Immediately, Kya cringes. "No way. I can't do that. I think it should be Ren."
Wait WHAAAAAT? There's something I never expected to hear – especially from Kya. I mean, even the Dragon himself is surprised. "Huh?" he sounds.
"Look," Kya says to the disproving group. "I know Ren can seem..." she looks at his glaring eyes. "A bit rough around the edges...but when it comes to it, I don't think he can abandon us like you assume about Elektra." The energy around Ren becomes cloudy. The emotion I read from him is shame – he must think that he would abandon us in a heartbeat. I don't know what Kya thinks she's talking about.
I speak up. "I find that super-duper-ultra-pooper hard to believe...no offense, Ren. Please don't beat me up."
"I know," Kya assures. "But think about it. When Leo was helping Sarah run in the courtyard, who carried his sack for him? When Cerberus took my energy away, who carried me to safety? When Elektra and Cerberus were battling, who came back to help her? When I was dangerously close to death – and we all know Ren probably loved it – who used their own energy to help me? And when the dogs came after us, it was Ren who stayed back to hold them off, and it was Ren who helped slay the dogs. Elektra and Ren have been the leaders since the beginning, we just never acknowledged it."
Sighing, I feel myself pout. She has a good point. "I hate that you're right," I admit. But why did she do such a good job of lifting Ren up? She either has a fear of leading people for some reason, or she owes Ren for something. "My vote is for Ren."
"Mine, too," Sarah says, raising a hand.
"Yeah. I guess he'll do," Elektra shrugs, cranky as always.
"Alright! Zeus and the Dragon: at first, sworn enemies. Now, co-captains of the benchwarmers," I joke. "Now which one of you is going for food? Because that's who I'm going with."
"I'll go for clothes!" Sarah predictably pitches in.
"I'll go wherever," Kya shrugs.
"Girls will go for clothes," Elektra instructs. "Guys will go for food. Try to find a map or a newspaper or something, too."
I can't freaking believe it. After all that time pent up in Asylum, we're finally here. Sure, this place looks like some rundown ghetto, but it's totally an upgrade from the structured life of Facility That Shall Not Be Named. I'll be able to interact with people, see things I haven't seen in ages, and eat food that hasn't been bouncing around a cargo bus for days.
"Isn't this awesome?" I ask Ren, who reads store signs to try and find what we need. Naturally, he's grimacing.
"Sure."
"Why are you so grumpy? You get to go home! That's more than a lot of us have," I glumly sigh. Something in the air makes my nose do a double-sniff. I smell something spicy...something cheesy...something delicious. My mouth waters and my stomach rumbles. Oh, man, I've got to find what this is. "Dude, there's something cooking."
"What are you, a dog?" Ren scowls.
"If by dog you mean loyal companion, then yes...now come on, it's coming from over there," I direct, crossing the street and rounding a corner.
As we stroll down the sidewalk, a group of girls walk this way. Just for funsies, I read their minds. It's been ages since I've had this many available minds – now I know how Sarah felt when she finally had someone new to paint back in Asylum.
Wow, that guy's a total hottie. I wonder if he's single.
Man, grouchy guys always look so sexy.
He doesn't even have to try...
Growling, I glare up at Ren. Those girls are right – he doesn't even have to try. Meanwhile, I'm over here bending over backwards and breaking my neck to even get a smile out of Sarah. And she doesn't even look at me as anything but a friend. What's this guy's secret? I. Must. Know.
Ren looks down at me. "What now?"
"Nothing. Geez, relax." A thought crosses my mind: if Ren is so popular with girls, then maybe he can give me advice? "Uhh...hey, Ren...Ren the Man...Firelord Ren...my dude –"
"For the love of God, Leo, what?"
Scoffing, I look away and cross my arms. "Nothing now...I was just going to ask you for advice, but never mind."
Heavily, Ren sighs. "Don't be such a martyr. What did you want to ask?"
I feel my face get hot, despite the cold temperature. I've never told anyone how I really felt about Sarah. And now I'm about to tell Ren, the temperamental Dragon? Yeah, makes sense... "Do you think I'm a loser?"
Dubiously, Ren looks down at me. "Don't answer that," I order. "You think everyone's a loser. But do you think I have a chance at, maybe, possibly, sometime, if even...getting a girlfriend?"
Ren stops in his tracks, looking up at a storefront. On hot grills, spicy chilly cheese dogs are cooking. Holy moly...so full of sodium, so full of cholesterol, so full of hormones...I love it already. "Oh, you mean Sarah?"
Internally and externally, I cringe. How did he know? Is it that obvious? If Ren, the Stoneman, can figure it out, then even Sarah might know. I'm ruined. "What makes you say that?"
"You're joking, right? Aside from being glued to her side and always trying to cheer her up, you couldn't hit her when we escaped. I've had more experience with people in the world than any of you, so these things are clear to me. As for everyone else: I doubt they suspect a thing, so stop looking at me like some wild animal and get a grip. We've got food to steal."
Nervously, I laugh. "Right, yeah...food...hey, you never actually answered the question."
Ren enters, me behind him. Using the tongues, he carefully places all 15 dogs and buns into three bags. "I mean, to me, you're hopeless. You've got no game. But sometimes girls like that sort of things: the awkward, goofy kid who's so disheartened at his lack of a love life that you just have to cheer him on."
Grabbing a sports bag from one of those twirling stands, I stuff bottles of water inside. "Wow, that really means a lot, Ren. Thanks."
"Luckily for you," he barrels on, adding protein bars to the bags of hotdogs. "I think Sarah is one of those girls."
"And who's an example of a girl not like Sarah?"
Considerably, Ren stares into space, trying to conjure an answer. "Most of the earth's population. The epitome of that is Elektra."
I try to imagine myself attempting to woo Elektra over. Honestly, I gag and almost vomit. I could never like someone so brash and harsh as her. She makes a good friend who you look to for an honest opinion, but Elektra definitely isn't the softer, emotionally supportive type that I would go for. Speaking of types... "So if I'm the guy who goes for the heartfelt type, who's your type?"
Without hesitation, Ren answers. "I don't have a type."
"Does that mean you go for anyone, or nobody at all?"
He shrugs and sighs. "I'd appreciate if you stopped trying to be my friend." An aura of guilt radiates off of Ren. He's been feeling strange since last night. Whenever people talk about how Ren won't leave us behind, or whenever someone starts getting close, his guilt amplifies. He might be able to block his mind off from being read, but I can still feel the energy he radiates. "You asked for advice and I gave it to you. If you really want Sarah to see you as a man, then tell her how you feel – tell her you love her."
Just say it? How can I do something so brusque? I've been working on our relationship since the beginning of time and now I'm just supposed to put it all on the line? That's either brave or all kinds of stupid.
"So what do we do now?" Ren inquires, looking around. "We got all this stuff but no money. Do we just...walk out?"
"I dunno, team captain. You figure it out."
Ren grits his teeth, glowing eyes at a pulse. I assume they grow brighter when he experiences greater emotions. Example A: anger. "Give me your stuff. You distract the guy at the counter."
"Sir, yes, sir," I salute, handing over my salvaged items. I hustle over to the store clerk. "Hey, mister," I call to attention. The man is an overweight, greasy pig with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He rifles through a magazine, scratching his balding head. "Yo, dude."
"What is it? You here to buy something?" he grouches, blowing smoke in my face.
"I have a question to ask you: do these suspenders make me look lame?" I loop my thumbs around the straps and present them to him with bravado.
Tiredly, the man sighs, rolling his eyes and pushing up his reading glasses. "Exceptionally. Now if you're not going to buy anything, get lost."
Well, geez. I don't feel bad about stealing anything from you at all. Leaning on the counter, I sneak a peek behind me. Ren is gone. Mission: success. "You'll miss me when I'm gone, old man."
"Whatever, Suspenders."
Turning on my heels, I meet Ren, who leans on the wall of the store outside. "I got a map on the way out," he tells me, unfolding one and scrutinizing it. "We're in Maine. The nearest airport is about three hours away from here by car...which, we obviously don't have."
"But man, would one be convenient."
"What would be convenient?" a familiar voice asks from behind me. Turning, I see the trio of girls. They've all cleaned up and changed, as well as taken extra clothes for themselves and us.
"A car," Ren answers.
Evilly, Elektra chuckles, cracking herknuckles. "Luckily for you suckers, I know a thing or two about grand theftauto. And in a place like this, stealing a car's gonna be a piece of cake."