Esper Chapter 6A Chapter by Angelo KingstonEsper Chapter 6: Slowly Breaking Part 1 Nicolaus Thompson sat in
his bed astounded and anxious after receiving no replies to his multiple
messages sent out the night before. (You’ve got to be kidding me!) Atop the
hill colloquially known as Newtonville Rock, he’d made a discovery. The blue
haze of his telekinesis reacted to the hill similarly to the Newtonville lights.
He had no idea what said discovery meant, but at least wanted to discuss it
with the others. “S**t! Why isn’t anyone answering?!” The door to his room sprung
open. “Is everything okay!?” In ran the frantic Danielle Thompson, better known
as Dani, Nicolaus’s younger sister. “Christ, Dani! Knock!”
The young man said as he covered his only partially clothed body in blankets. “What? I’ve seen you in
your boxers before, it’s fine. What were you screaming about?” “It’s not important,
don’t worry about it.” “Whatever you say. Look,
me and Alonso are heading downtown to the drugstore. Do you want a ride into
work?” “Work?” Nicolaus pulled back
the blinds to his room. Morning had rolled in under the cover of the dark storm
clouds, threatening to burst open at a moment’s notice. “Ahh! I didn’t get
nearly enough sleep. Maybe I’ll take the day off.” “Suit yourself. I’m out.
Call if you need anything.” “Actually, wait! I’ll go
in! Give me a minute to get changed.” Grabbing clothes that’d been strewn about
the room, Nicolaus got himself quickly ready for work. (I’ll see Amala and
Vernon at work, then we can talk in person.) “Make up your mind, will
you; and go take a shower while you’re at it.” “Huh? I don’t stink!” “Yeah, I don’t care. Go
take a shower! You came in late and stayed up all night, didn’t you? Shower,
now!” “What are you, Laurence?”
Nicolaus obliged. Part 2 Signage for an upcoming
election was plastered all over the front of the Department of futurists
promoting a candidate for the office in an upcoming election. Multiple news
reporters swarmed people as they came in and out of the building. Nicolaus exited
Dani’s car with the assertive younger sister calling out to her brother. “Hey,
if you need a ride home, call!” “And have a nice day, Nico!”
Through his thick Spanish accent, Alonso offered what he believed was a
friendly send-off, but just sent a chill up Nicolaus’s spine. “Ugh…okay, Alonso, I’ll
say it really quick. Nee-co-laus. Let’s drop the nicknames for now, okay?” Off
he sped into the building ducking in between the reporters, leaving Alonso a
bit disheartened. “Don’t let it bother you,
babe. Nick’s a bit weird about his name. ‘Nicolaus’ is a name that’s been
passed down in our family for a few generations. My Grandfather and our Dad
were both named Nicolaus, so Nico was a family nickname.” Dani reassured the
soon to be father of her child. After getting off the
elevator, Nicolaus dashed over to his desk and signed into his computer, frantically
checking through e-mails. Nothing aside from work related messages and spam sat
in his inbox. For a second Nicolaus was furious, but almost as fast the young
man calmed himself. (Relax…deep breaths. I’ll just go over to Vernon’s office in
a bit. I’m at work anyway, so I should get some stuff done.) Less than three
minutes it took for that patience to run thin. The young man shot up from his workstation
and stormed away from the cubicle until he was stopped in the hallway by one of
his co-workers. “Nicolaus, are you okay?”
With a face full of concern, an older woman pulled Nicolaus to the side. “I’m fine, Marisa. Excuse
me, I’m busy.” He tried to push by, though once again she moved into his path
again. “You see, a few people
noticed that you seemed…a bit on edge lately. Now, as your HR rep…” “Oh, come on, Marisa. Let’s
not do this right now. I get that everyone is concerned about us after the
incident and whatever, but I’m fine.” “It’s more that people
are worried about you, specifically.” “Me!?” A few co-workers
peered out from their cubes into the hall. “…Fine…I’ll swing by your office tomorrow,
okay? How about I just head home for the day?” Marisa nodded happily and strolled
away feeling accomplished. The misanthropic Nicolaus turned and shot a glare in
the direction of the eavesdroppers. His search for Vernon began again, but with
the added pressure of his co-workers observing him like an injured animal.
(F*****g people. Can’t stand the a******s here!) Quickly realizing he was
getting angry again, Nicolaus took deep breaths. (Can’t get angry. My telekinesis
seems to be affected by my mood, so I need to remain calm.) On the other side of the
building was Vernon’s office; one of the largest on the floor, which he’d
inherited from Walter, his former superior. Nicolaus took every shortcut possible
just to cut down on being watched by the pitying eyes of others. Jovial laugher
and chatting could be heard coming from the ajar door to Vernon’s office.
Inside sat a bunch of business types, all well-dressed, clean cut young guys in
suits. The meeting went on for a while with Nicolaus being unable to work up
the nerve and just walk in, thus he sat and waited outside. Vernon kicked back
in his chair as the other men left, then spied his fellow survivor sitting
outside. “Come on in, Nick’O.” He waved with a smile. “Did you get my message?”
Nicolaus asserted and closed the door behind him. “I saw you messaged me,
but I didn’t have a chance to read it. I was busy all the way up to…” “Whatever, listen! This
is really important. I was at the ridge last night and when I used my powers, I
saw something.” “…You went to ridge?” “What? Yeah.” “…” Vernon squeezed the
bridge of his nose, his brow furrowing. “You know good and well that place is
off limits not just to us, but to everyone.” “It’s not like I’m going
to get caught…” “…” The vein in Vernon’s
forehead bulged as if it were aiming to escape his scape. Annoyed, Vernon sat
down the window sill, hoping to calm down. “What did you discover?” “So, I used my
telekinesis last night when I came across this deer and then, out of no where
it started reacting weird. It made that strange effect just like the night of
the incident.” “…Nick’O, let me ask you
something…no, never mind. It can wait. Is that what you wanted to tell me?” “Well…yeah. I messaged
everyone in the group and haven’t heard back.” When the young man checked his
phone, he noticed a message from Katie and a few from Harper, lightening his
mood a bit. “Guess everyone finally saw what I sent them. Still haven’t heard
from Amala yet…” “She’s not in today. She
said she was feeling sick.” “That sucks. Hey, let’s
go to the ridge tonight!” “What?” “We may be able to find
something out about our powers!” “…Tonight, huh? Fine. For
now, I’ve got a meeting and since Amala’s out sick, I’m going it alone. We’ll
discuss everything later.” Vernon hurried Nicolaus out of his office to the
young man’s annoyance. “Son of a…” Nicolaus said
under his breath noticing other employees eying him. (Alright, that’s enough of
this for the day.) The aura given off in the department drove Nicolaus out of
the building. As he exited to the back courtyard the sudden intense wind and
slowly building rain squall blasted him hard. (Ugh! Could’ve used an umbrella.
I’ll head to Katie’s job and sit down for a bit.) Nicolaus held down his hood
as he pushed into the oncoming wind, weaving in between people as he made his
way toward his destination. “Excuse me!” Someone
stepped right in front of him. Nicolaus tried to move to one side, but mirror
his interaction with Marisa, the person stopped him again. (What is with today?) “What?
Are you with HR?” “No! You’re Nicolaus
Thompson, right?” “Another reporter…? Look,
I told the others everything I know, so if want a story, go somewhere else. I’m
in a rush, so if you’ll excuse me…” Dodging around the unknown person, Nicolaus
hoped to end escape another interview. “But wait! I’ve got
information on the Newtonville lights.” “So did the others…I
really don’t want to talk.” The person gave chase down the street, yelling to
make their light voice heard over the rain and ever-growing wind. “…and on the effects they
have on people!” “There are no effects.
Leave me alone!” “It’s…It’s…you’re in
danger Nicolaus Thompson!” That statement stopped Nicolaus cold. He turned to
face a young man, a few years younger than himself. The young man’s blonde hair
slightly obscured the conviction filled blue eyes on the younger man. “Please…at
least here me out…” Part 3 Nicolaus and the young blue-eyed
man sat in Captain Louie’s Ale House. He scanned the not so busy room for Katie
Vang, his redheaded waitress friend who he harbored feelings for, however she
was nowhere to be found. The young man sitting opposite to the extremely
suspicious Nicolaus, began pulling a nearly unbelievable number of folders and
newspapers from his oversized trench coat. (This guy…what does he know?) “Since we’re waiting, Mr.
Thompson, my name is Aran. I’ve been following your case for the last few
months!” His slightly freckled face lit up as he gushed with wide-eyed
enthusiasm. Somehow, Aran continued to pull papers out of his pockets. “Months? You’re not a
reporter, right?” The ever-growing questionability of Aran was very off putting
for Nicolaus. Whatever the strange young man was looking for seemed to have been
buried under piles documents. “No! I’m more of a…sleuth,
if you will.” He flicked the tip of his hat when he said that. Nicolaus began
to find the overly expressive Aran less mysterious and more annoying.
Everything from the way he dressed to his exaggerated mannerisms came off as if
he were playing a detective not being one. “Can we cut to the
chase?” Nicolaus leaned in close. “What did you mean by me being in danger?” “Ah…” Aran pulled up an
article on his phone. “Do you know about Delta Exceed?” “No…what’s that?” “It’s the code name for a
government experiment…hey, wait!” Aran said as Nicolaus got up from the table,
nearly ready to walk out of the establishment. “Look…I’m willing to hear
you out about your findings, but a government experiment?” “Come on now, is it the
weirdest thing to ever happen to you?” “…” Flying through the
sky propelled by telekinesis came to mind. “F-fine…I’ll hear you out.” Humbled,
Nicolaus returned to his seat as his food arrived. “In recent years, many
things have changed, but the Delta Exceed experiments haven’t. Since the 1970s
the government has been running trials under different names, but all maintaining
the goal, an attempt at altering human genetics and brainwaves to a massive
level.” “What do you mean by
altering?” “With the rampant
speculations and constant fear of war the American government wanted to enhance
their soldiers, so they started the project, formerly known by multiple
different names, Super Soldier, Hero, Stargate, Tomorrow people, Alpha, Beta
and Gamma, ultimately leading to Delta Exceed.” Aran scooted over to Nicolaus’s
side as he eagerly rifled through the myriad of articles and papers. “Some of
the known contributors of the experiments are George E. Crowe, Roger Willow and
Ned Neely. Have you seen any or these men?” Multiple pictures of the old men
were shown, but Nicolaus didn’t recognize one. “I see…that’s unfortunate. Well,
it doesn’t matter! Here, look at this!” On one of the papers Aran had drawn a hand
lifting a head encircled by a halo. “This, it’s the symbol they use. I think
it’s their logo.” “No…I’d probably remember
something like that. Hey, all of this is informative, but what about me being
in danger?” “Huh? Oh right!” More
seeds of doubt sprouted in Nicolaus’s mind. Upon closer inspection, the
spirited Aran looked even younger than the wary and pessimistic Nicolaus had
first thought. The young freckle-faced investigator, with his poorly kept
blonde hair, was hiding an almost model like face with a small nose, long eye
lashes and prominent cheekbones. Aran was as far from one’s expectations of a ‘sleuth’
as could be. “These are cases of missing persons involved in the project.” More
than twenty people’s names were written down, all with information about the
date they’d been reported missing. That intrigued Nicolaus. He grabbed the notes and
looked them up and down. Scanning for a certain two names. “…Not here…” Neither
Niles Letterman nor Kevin Greene were on the list. (Not sure if I should breathe
a sigh of relief or what…) “Ehem!” Aran clearing his
throat made Nicolaus consider breaking his neck. “Like I was saying, these are
multiple accounts of people involved with the project who’ve disappeared. Some
are as lowly as janitors and others are simply people who were test subjects.” “Aran, how did you come
across all this information?” “Well…my grandfather was investigating
it. He told me…that he was very, very close to a break through in this case
that he’d been working on for decades before…passed. I want to finish his work.” “Alright then. I just
want to know how you’re linking all these back to our incident. How is it that
you’ve linked the incident to this Delta thing?” “The tests have moved
across the country multiple times, but I’ve tracked their movements here, to
Arizona. I know for sure whatever their new experiment is, it has to do with
the lights that have been appearing over Newtonville.” “…This is a lot of
information to take in.” “I know it is. Which is
why I just wanted to talk with you about a few things I’ve found. There’s way
more to come, but for now…” Aran pulled a card out of his jacket. On it, a
number and website were printed surrounded by colorful art and graffiti.
Nicolaus stared at the small hand gesturing for him to take the business card.
A bright smile was drawn on the face of the young sleuth with stars in his
eyes, it was clearly a big moment for him. “Contact me if anything happens.” Nicolaus snatched the
card as he stood, realizing that Aran’s optimism hadn’t been even slightly
affected. He also noticed that the young blonde man was surprisingly short,
much shorter than him or even Dani. (This guy…is he really a private
investigator?) “I’ve got to go now. I’ll
also need your contact info…so…” Begrudgingly and a bit distrustful, Nicolaus
handed over his cellphone number. “Great! Take care!” Aran quickly and
effortlessly gathered all of his documents off the table and funneled them back
into his jacket. He then walked out into the pouring rain, noticeably getting jostled
by the intense wind. A call from Vernon came
in on Nicolaus’s phone. “What is it, Vernon?” “Hey, you wanted to do
something at the ridge, right? Well, I’ve got other things that need to be done
later tonight…” Nicolaus nearly snapped
at his manager. “I…you promised…!” “I know. Which is why I
want to go now. If you’re free.” Part 4 The wind roared by
Nicolaus’s ears as he flew, propelled by his telekinesis, toward Newtonville
rock. His azure mist cut through darkened and stormy clouds like a bullet. He
flew as fast as he could, only fearing that if lightning struck, he could be
hit. The whole time, without any other way of keeping himself shielded from the
torrent of rain, Nicolaus elected to use his hood to cover a portion of his
face. The telekinesis, to Nicolaus’s surprise was keeping out most of the downpour,
but somehow drops here and there broke into the stream of energy. Below, the ridge came
into view and just a little bit off in the distance, Nicolaus could make out what
looked to be a burgundy cloud speeding in the same direction, obviously
however, it was Vernon. The contrast between the thick rainslicker he wore as
opposed to Nicolaus’s old hoodie was as stark as their personalities. The wind
began to pick up even more, so Vernon pointed down at the ground signaling he
wanted to land. Nicolaus obliged and followed behind his supervisor. Even on the ground, the
wind was still strong. “Hey, so like I was saying, the whole thing took place
over there!” Nicolaus called out. “I…barely…anyway!” Was
all that could be made out. “What!?” “I…we…discuss…things!” “Ok!” A halfhearted
thumbs up from Nicolaus was given as confirmation to the inaudible words Vernon
spoke. Often pessimistic but wanting to prove himself, Nicolaus pointed toward
the direction of his discovery with some optimism. The two shuffled into the heavily
wooded area until they reached what Nicolaus believed was the correct location.
He began trying to move the blue haze around, almost scouring the dirt hoping
to find the exact spot again. “Hang on! It’s around here!” “What…point…standing…video…”
Their voices were getting pulled along with the harsh winds. “Huh!?” “Do…video…look like!?” “I can’t hear you!” “…D****t!” Vernon raised
his hand in the air and released a huge wave of burgundy haze outward; Nicolaus
shielded his face and steadied his feet as the shockwave almost threw him back.
The telekinesis hung in the air, pushing away the wind and rain. When Nicolaus
finally looked again he saw an astonishing sight. The rain surrounding him,
and Vernon had completely stopped. Each droplet looked as if they’d been tinted
with a reddish hue as they were held, suspended and unmoving. The wind had
totally been blocked out as well, not even a slight breeze could be felt.
Nicolaus looked around, seeing Vernon’s telekinesis had covered almost the
entire ridge. Beyond the edge of the burgundy barrier the rain continued
unabated. “V-Vernon…how’d you do
all this!?” Nicolaus was dumbstruck at the feat. “I…don’t really know.”
Vernon put his hand down and stared the forcefield he’d erected in confusion.
“I didn’t know I could do things like this before now.” “Hey, your eyes!” Normally
brown, Vernon’s eyes shined with a piercing red. “Wow…hey look, over there!”
Nearly missable as the brush surrounding them was denser than the clouds in the
night sky, some of Vernon’s telekinetic haze reacted as if it were the Newtonville
lights. A small hole, no bigger than Nicolaus’s sneaker sat with the blooming
lights sparking over it. “See!? I told you.” “What’s going on? Hey, do
you have your phone? If so, film it.” In Nicolaus’s haste and great distress,
he hadn’t thought to record the event from the night before. Vernon suggestion
caught Nicolaus off guard. He prepared his phone, but it wouldn’t start. “Huh? I swear I charged
it.” “Ugh…” Vernon’s legs
began to shake as he nearly collapsed to the ground. The sensation of blood
running down his nose frightened the normally calm man. “S**t…my nose is
bleeding a bunch…” “Is it the telekinetic
field you’re making?” “Maybe…f**k…my head’s
starting to hurt too.” “Hang on! Just hold it up
from another few seconds…” Unfortunately, Vernon couldn’t. The burgundy haze
almost immediately disappeared as a huge splash of water and wind nearly blew
Nicolaus back onto the ground. “Damn! We were so close…” He wanted to complain
but noticed how much pain Vernon was in as he knelt down wincing. (If he could
do that, then I should be able to as well, right?) Nicolaus focused, digging
deep to draw out as much telekinesis as he could; then spread it as wide as possible.
It covered almost the same amount of space as Vernon’s, which made him smile,
but the rain and wind still broke through the mist. “Hey…those lights are still
reacting, let’s just take a short video and go…” Vernon explained as he pulled
out his own smartphone while staggering over to his disheartened co-worker.
“The hell?” To both of their surprises, Vernon’s phone also wasn’t working.
“Does this have to do with the lights?” “Maybe. Also, why isn’t
my telekinesis blocking the rain too!?” “…” Vernon took a deep
breath and pulled out a handkerchief to dry his nose. “We’ll have to figure it
out later. I’m already going to be late if I don’t hurry.” “What!?” Nicolaus yelled,
losing control of his powers. The azure mist faded almost immediately. “What
could be more important than this discovery!?” “I’ve got something
really important to take care of.” The wind picked up again. “Go home for now.
We’ll talk tomorrow!” Vernon shot up into the sky and sped off in the direction
of the city at a breakneck speed. “Hey, wait!” Nicolaus
screamed into the wind. “…what could be more important than this…?” The gears in
his head started turning. “…let’s find out.” Part 5 The downpour aided Vernon
as he surreptitiously landed in an alleyway. He quickly ducked into an
expensive hotel to escape the shower, taking a minute to pull off his nearly
dry rainslicker. With his vision obscured, Raquel Childs, the beautiful
investigator was able to sneak up behind him. “Admiring your own jacket,
Mr. Marino?” She said with a playful smile showcased. “Oh! Uh…haha…” Vernon
chuckled awkwardly. “Here.” Out of the jacket pocket, he produced a beige
wallet. “Thanks! I can’t believe
I left it in the car.” “Awfully devil-may-care,
miss investigator.” “I’ve been busy, okay? Give
me that!” Raquel grabbed her wallet from Vernon. “Alright, I’ve got to go…we’ll
talk more later?” “So soon? That sucks, I
was hoping we could…grab lunch or something.” “I’m technically on duty
right now and shouldn’t even be down here.” Raquel began subtly pushing Vernon
towards the door. “Duty? What’s going on?
Did something happen here?” “I’ve already said too-”
Just then someone called out to Raquel. “Childs!? There you are! I
was looking for you…hm?” It was the old and greying detective, Tobias Bennet.
“Aren’t you…Vernon Marino? What are you doing here?” “Awhawha-what’s up,
Tobias!?” Raquel frantically tried to divert Tobias’s attention back to her. “Oh, well…” Tobias pulled
the young woman in close and whispered something to her. “…Beset…” Was all that
Vernon was able to pick up. “Seriously? Now?” Raquel
bit the tip of her thumb making a distressed face. “Uh…Mr. Marino, we’ll
talk…er, take care.” She quickly sped off through the front door, leaving both
her partner and Vernon alone. Tobias briefly turned to look at Vernon, who
shrugged with a confused smirk on his face. “Take care, kid.” He
followed his partner, leaving Vernon alone. “Beset…? What’s Beset?”
After throwing back on his jacket, Vernon left the hotel. “Sir…how much longer are
you planning on examining the detail on our faux plants?” A waiter from the
dining hall asked to the poorly concealed young man. Unbeknownst to Vernon,
Nicolaus had followed him, hiding in another part of the lobby. “Uh…” He responded,
embarrassed. “S-sorry…” Nicolaus leapt from behind the plant chasing after
Vernon, who walked to a secluded area and shot off into the sky. (Where’s he
going now?) Nicolaus continued to shadow his superior. From above the clouds,
the suspicious young man kept a close eye on Vernon, still unclear as to what
his goal was. (S**t…please don’t let lightning strike right now.) Nicolaus
thought as he flew through the ever-darkening clouds. Vernon quickly descended
at one point, making his tracker do the same. Both men stay hidden off to the
side of separate buildings; Nicolaus stayed as far away as possible while keeping
an eye on his target. A police car drove up, and out ran Raquel and Tobias
pushing their way through a small crowd of people at a law firm’s front doors.
The people were screaming and pushing against a police barricade, holding
signs, shouting in megaphones and recording the event as other police tried to
maintain order. The rain and wind were picking up, but that didn’t hide the
fact that Childs and Bennet hurried someone out of the building. The person in
question stumbled awkwardly with a hood covering their head. Suddenly, the
crowd became more frenzied. Journalists began holding up microphones and
cameras while yelling questions at whoever the person was being escorted. “Mr.
Joffe, Mr. Joffe! Do you have anything to say about the death of Omar
Redmond?!” In all the commotion, three
people stood out to Vernon and Nicolaus, all of them wearing beige and black
hoodies. They began throwing bottles and rocks at the police as the officers
pushed beyond the crowd, hoping to reach their cruiser. Unfortunately, Tobias
and Raquel were stopped by the swarm of people. Vernon sprung from his hiding
spot while pulling down his hood to obscure his face. Despite not having a
plan, he tried to push through the crowd but with the number of onlookers and
reporters it wasn’t possible. “That idiot, what’s he
doing?” Nicolaus got ready to leap into action and assist Vernon, but the
thought of using his power aggressively against another person halted him in
his tracks. The hooded group began to rush the officers. “Enough!” Raquel shouted.
“All of you get back, now! This is official police business and if any of you
interfere or so much as lay a hand on me, my partner or this man, I swear that
every last one of you will be going to jail for a long time!” Without a hint of
fear or irony, the young police woman stood her ground, reaching for her
sidearm. The group backed away clearly startled. “That’s Raquel for you…”
Vernon said under his breath, feeling relieved that the person he was involved
with was someone so strong. He was ready to retreat until he noticed one of the
beige and black hooded figures pull out what looked to be a firecracker from their
bag. They lit it and wound up, then tossed it in Raquel’s direction! “S**t!”
Vernon shot his telekinesis onto the firecracker just inches away from Raquel’s
head! The rain was so intense by then that it mostly cloaked the burgundy haze
as Vernon pulled the still sparking explosive back toward himself. “You son of
a b***h!” Before Vernon had a chance to do anything the group made a mad dash
away. He wanted to give chase, but he was stopped by the last person he wanted
to deal with. “Stop, you right there!”
Vernon turned to see Raquel with her gun drawn. “Don’t move! Tobias, get Mr.
Joffe to the car!” Everyone held still while Raquel slowly approached Vernon, who
pulled his hood down, farther obscuring his face. “Drop the firecracker and put
your hands on your head.” (D****t…what do I…oh
s**t!) Vernon’s telekinesis had kept the firecracker’s wick from being extinguished.
He tossed the explosive away just in time for it to explode, scaring the
reporters and onlookers, causing them all to stampede away. With his telekinesis,
Vernon took the chance in the confusion to snake a trail across the ground.
(Sorry Raquel. I’ll buy you dinner for this.) He grabbed the woman’s leg and
pulled it out from underneath, causing the officer to fall flatback onto the
drenched street. “Agh! What the hell!?”
She screamed as Vernon took off running. “Hey, get back here!” Raquel only made
it a few steps before quitting; with her backside in pain she wouldn’t have
made it far. Vernon got away, while
Nicolaus watched the man jump into flight once getting to a safe distance.
“What the hell was all that?” Baffled, Nicolaus was left totally clueless about
everything he’d witnessed. (What’s Vernon’s connection to that police officer?) Part 6 Nicolaus flew to Amala’s
apartment complex; a high-rise that’s head stuck out over most other buildings
in the area. He hid underneath the awning, only realizing then that he’d been
soaked completely through his telekinetic field. (Welp, here I am, wet and
tired. How am I even supposed to contact her? Should I just call her from the
front desk? I didn’t think this out too well.) He considered using his
smartphone but remembered the issues on the ridge. When he checked however, the
device was in the process of powering up. (What the hell? Why didn’t it work
before? Whatever. Let’s see if I can call her.) Even after numerus calls was still
no response. (I really need to talk with her about all the information I came
across.) He worked up the nerve and entered the lobby, being instantly spotted
by the desk clerk. “Sir, uh…” The soaking
wet young man was flagged down by the cautious woman. “Are…you here to deliver
something?” “No. I’m here to see a
friend. Her name is Amala Singh. Could you call her for me? She isn’t answering
her phone.” “R-Right…” While the
receptionist started flipping through papers Nicolaus looked around. He’d only been
outside of the building before, so seeing the stark difference in status was
somewhat vexing. The lobby was pristine, with leather couches, a digital fire
place, nice shag rugs, marble flooring and every inch of the freshly painted
walls were spotless. (Man, I’m starting to get
sick of hanging around people who are doing so much better than me.) “Sir, Ms. Singh isn’t
picking up. Maybe it’s best you come another time.” Cleary an uncomfortable
face, the clerk began to urge Nicolaus to leave. “But she’s probably home,
can you call her again? Or I can just go up and…” “Sir, I’m sorry but I cannot
allow you to just walk the floors. Please, leave!” “…” Disheartened, Nicolaus
gave up and walked out the front door. “A*****e.” He walked out into the rain,
angry, but suddenly his phone started ringing. “Hello?” “…Why are you here?” A
grumbled voice came from the speaker. “Amala…? Is that you?” “Why are you here?” “Where are you? I’m stuck
out in the rain. Can I come up?” “…” “Amala?” “Why are you here?” “…I just…needed to talk
to someone. I thought we agreed to talk to each other about stuff.” “…Alright.” The whoosh of
the automatic doors flying open behind him surprised Nicolaus. He turned to see
Amala with her hair pulled back into a lazy ponytail, wearing purple sweats.
“Come on…” He quickly followed her in out of the rain. Nicolaus flipped off the
receptionist behind her back with a smile as they passed the front desk. After getting on the
elevator Nicolaus noted how groggy Amala looked. Her hair was disheveled,
clothes were wrinkled, bags hung under her eyes and she didn’t have on any
makeup. When the doors opened up to the lift, Amala jolted back awake then
slowly trudged down to the end of the hall to her room. “…Don’t…touch too many
things, please.” Amala said in a small voice to Nicolaus. “Huh?” She opened the threshold,
kicking off her sneakers on the way in, as did Nicolaus. Amala’s apartment
was…sterile, in Nicolaus’s view. On the almost totally unmarked faux wood floor
was a single pristine white couch, lined up along the white walls and a tall solitary
silver lamp. Down the hall appeared to be Amala’s room, but before Nicolaus got
a good look she called his attention. “Hey!” Amala tossed a
towel. “Please…dry off. If…something is bothering you, tell me. I’ll listen.”
Amala nearly collapsed onto the couch. Her eyes barely remaining open as she kept
sparking awake. “Are you alright? You
really must be sick.” “Well…I didn’t sleep
much.” “You’re not having
nightmares again, are you?” “…Not any new ones…” “So, the sleeping pills
and brown noise aren’t helping anymore. You never told me about-” “Oh…can I…sit down?” He
asked thoughtfully, remembering Amala’s adverse reaction to being touched
before. “Yeah…” She shuffled a
bit to the side, leaving a ton of room for Nicolaus. With a bit of hesitation, he
joined her. Nicolaus pulled out his phone and brought up the message he typed
before. “You saw what I sent you?
The message from last night.” Amala shook her head. “Alright, well…” He
confirmed the message remained unread. “I think I came across something at
Newtonville rock.” “Oh…this is about…the
investigation…” Amala appeared a bit disappointed. “Yeah, why?” “…Nothing.” “Ok? So, I was messing
around with my powers…” Nicolaus explained the reaction his telekinesis had the
night before and earlier in the day, also bringing up what he saw with Vernon
and the officers. “Vernon and that detective, I think her name is Childs, seem
to be pretty close. I’m wondering what’s going on there.” The whole time
Nicolaus was deep in thought, not noticing Amala occasionally drifting off to
sleep. “And what was with that group of people?” “People…?” “Yeah, the police were
bringing some guy named Joffe out to their car, I caught that much.” “…” Amala sat up with her
attention being caught. “Joffe, huh?” Amala got up and walked to her room, then
returned with a laptop. She searched the name Joffe, pulling up a bunch of very
recent articles online. “Liam Joffe is suspected of involvement in the case of
the recently deceased Omar Redmond. Joffe has also been receiving threats
online made by an unknown internet group whose origins and motives remain
unclear. They have dubbed themselves ‘Beset’s sword’ and are known for protesting
and making vailed threats to many politicians and business owners.” “Those officers did say
something about Beset.” “…Recently deceased…huh.” “Can I see that?”
Nicolaus pulled the PC over onto his lap and read the article over once for
himself. “They found this Omar guy only a few hours after he was killed? Then…how
could they not find two officers after they were killed? There really must be
something going on. I knew I was right!” Despite the suspicion growing further,
Nicolaus feeling validated about the lack of investigation brought the
pessimist some joy. “Amala…thanks for listening.” Nicolaus gave Amala a rarely
seen smile, making her feel happy, a sincere happiness she’d not felt in a long
time. Nostalgic feelings overcame her with a rush of comforting emotions,
allowing the young woman, for the first time in years to let her guard down a
bit. “…Hey…do you like
dancing?” A weird and unexpected question was posed to Nicolaus. Amala’s face
lit up through the bags under her eyes. “Uh…not really…” “Oh…” She reacted sadly. “N-Not because I hate
dancing. I just…don’t know how to dance.” Admitting that made Nicolaus blush. “Really!?” Amala stood
up. “Come here.” Suddenly invigorated, she offered her hand. “No! You’re not serious.”
She nodded, wholly enthused. The very idea of dancing was already embarrassing
for Nicolaus, but having his co-worker teach him to do so, mortifying. “…ok…”
Begrudgingly he took her hand. “I-I’m still a little wet and dirty, you know.” “It doesn’t matter.” The
normally down trodden Nicolaus’s cheeks blushed bright red as Amala grinned
with a big smile. She gripped his hand firmly and pulled the man, more than
half a foot taller than her, in close by the back of his waist. “…Yeah…this is
fine…it’s just like before.” “Hu-huh?” Amala began to giggle
at the rattled face Nicolaus was making. She played music through her phone,
then slowly, she guided his hips as his feet stumbled about awkwardly. “Do you
really want to do this?” They glided across the floor as classical music played. “Yes…” Amala relaxed,
letting those feelings of nostalgia overtake her. “It’s been so long since I
last danced.” Even though she was smaller, Amala took the lead with such vigor
that Nicolaus couldn’t resist. Her small, soft hands were warm as they gripped
tightly onto her dance partner’s. “I really do love the classics.” They
ballroom danced around the room as Amala laughed openly. “This is so much fun!”
Both as secure as a parent with her child and as tender, Amala kept Nicolaus in
close. “Yeah, I guess it is…”
Nicolaus had never seen Amala so happy or smile and laugh like she was.
Normally cold and distant, ever since getting to meet her, the image that he
had of a quiet and composed model had shattered; the slightly bratty, introverted
girl before him wasn’t the same Amala Singh he’d worked with. Even with all
those revelations, there was still a question that hadn’t been answered. “Did
you learn how to ballroom dance when you were younger?” “Huh?” “I mean, you mentioned
swan lake before. I don’t know much about musical theater, but did that have
ballroom dancing in it?” “…I…” Amala suddenly got
silent as she broke her grip on Nicolaus. He felt whatever he said was stepping
on a sore spot. “Sorry! I didn’t mean
to…” She then began to shake. “Oh s**t, are you okay?” “I’m fine! I…need a few
minutes…is all. C-Can you leave…? Please.” Amala braced herself as she
collapsed to the floor. “Are you serious!? You’re
not fine!” “I am! …I am. I just
need…sleep. Just go. I’ll lock the door behind you.” Amala continued to shake.
Nicolaus thought it best to just do as she said and walked toward the door. “Hey…call me, okay?”
Amala gave a halfhearted smile as she watched Nicolaus disappear behind the
door. She laid onto the floor,
clasping her chest and staring up at the ceiling. “…Nicolaus…you’re so much
like her…I miss you…Chelsea.” End of chapter 6 © 2020 Angelo Kingston |
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Added on February 1, 2020 Last Updated on February 26, 2020 Tags: Esper, super powers, psychic powers, action, drama, comedy, romance AuthorAngelo KingstonPhiladelphia, PAAboutI'd like to hear what people think as much as possible, so please feel free to comment. I will finish every single novel I start! more..Writing
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