time he is examining the car from the driver’s side , “How ‘bout,” he hesitates for just a second, “You take the back seat with your head this way,” he points to his side of the car, “and I’ll recline the passenger seat as far as it will go and take it. Sound good?”
“I don’t know about good, but probably as good as we can expect,” I say, already making my way to the back seat. John waits until I am all set up before getting in and pushing the passenger seat back.
“Is that going to bother you?” he asks when the seat is practically lying on my legs.
“No, but if I jerk in my sleep, it isn’t personal,” I assure him.
He laughs and situates himself. When he lies back and the seat lightly presses into my leg with the added weight, I realize I am about to spend the night with the only boy I have ever found even slightly attractive. My heart rate accelerates and I try to control my breathing. In the dark I can barely make out his silhouette but it is enough to bring back that desire to curl his hair around my finger.
As if sensing my staring, he turns to me, “Paige, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I reply, hoping my voice doesn’t betray any of the strange desires I am feeling.
“Have you ever touched anyone? You know, with your bare hands, since you have been old enough to remember?” He reaches back and lightly holds my right hand.
My heart races a little faster. “Of course not,” I reply, fighting the urge to draw my hand away. “We have been hiding my whole life, I would never do anything to draw attention to myself like that. Besides, before we understood what I am, there were some pretty bad situations that I don’t ever want to repeat.” Please don’t ask , I mentally beg.
“Will you activate me?” he whispers.
I have been waiting all night for him to ask and I am kind of impressed he has waited this long. In so many ways I want to share my ability with him. I want to be able touch a person other than my parents with my bare hands, and I want that person to be John. I want to know if Dr. Cox has created a superior race just waiting to be unleashed. I am very curious what he will become.
But there are more reasons I don’t ever want to spark whatever is in him. Even though he has my life in his hands, I am still not sure I can trust him. He could very easily be a part of the Pandora Project; lulling me into a sense of security and getting me to use my power on him. I am afraid of what I will do to him. The hole in the wall of my bathroom is still a very fresh memory that I haven’t even begun to understand. And while my parents have very successfully learned to live with their powers, not everyone has been so lucky.
“I can’t.” I whisper back. “Not yet.”
“I understand.” He gives my hand a squeeze and rolls onto his back.
We both know he could easily overpower me and rip my gloves off. His understanding makes me want to trust him even more, and worse, it makes me like him even more. I don’t know how many of his breaths I count before I finally fall to sleep.
*****
The pain in my lower back and legs from being scrunched in the back seat is almost more than I can bear when I wake up. My legs involuntarily spasm and the movement wakes John abruptly. A giggle escapes at the look of horror and confusion on his face as he jerks to a sitting position.
“Oops, I wa rned you,” I say between laughs and try to maneuver out of the back seat.
It takes him a couple of seconds to remember where he is, when he does, he opens the door and moves out of my way. Stretching my legs and back, I head immediately out into the forest to take care of business. I have to walk quite a bit farther since the early morning light makes it much easier to see through the trees.
When I return, John has granola bars and water bottles pulled out for breakfast. “Ready to go?” he asks, heading for the front of the car.
“How long will it take us to get there?”
“I don’t know about good, but probably as good as we can expect,” I say, already making my way to the back seat. John waits until I am all set up before getting in and pushing the passenger seat back.
“Is that going to bother you?” he asks when the seat is practically lying on my legs.
“No, but if I jerk in my sleep, it isn’t personal,” I assure him.
He laughs and situates himself. When he lies back and the seat lightly presses into my leg with the added weight, I realize I am about to spend the night with the only boy I have ever found even slightly attractive. My heart rate accelerates and I try to control my breathing. In the dark I can barely make out his silhouette but it is enough to bring back that desire to curl his hair around my finger.
As if sensing my staring, he turns to me, “Paige, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I reply, hoping my voice doesn’t betray any of the strange desires I am feeling.
“Have you ever touched anyone? You know, with your bare hands, since you have been old enough to remember?” He reaches back and lightly holds my right hand.
My heart races a little faster. “Of course not,” I reply, fighting the urge to draw my hand away. “We have been hiding my whole life, I would never do anything to draw attention to myself like that. Besides, before we understood what I am, there were some pretty bad situations that I don’t ever want to repeat.” Please don’t ask , I mentally beg.
“Will you activate me?” he whispers.
I have been waiting all night for him to ask and I am kind of impressed he has waited this long. In so many ways I want to share my ability with him. I want to be able touch a person other than my parents with my bare hands, and I want that person to be John. I want to know if Dr. Cox has created a superior race just waiting to be unleashed. I am very curious what he will become.
But there are more reasons I don’t ever want to spark whatever is in him. Even though he has my life in his hands, I am still not sure I can trust him. He could very easily be a part of the Pandora Project; lulling me into a sense of security and getting me to use my power on him. I am afraid of what I will do to him. The hole in the wall of my bathroom is still a very fresh memory that I haven’t even begun to understand. And while my parents have very successfully learned to live with their powers, not everyone has been so lucky.
“I can’t.” I whisper back. “Not yet.”
“I understand.” He gives my hand a squeeze and rolls onto his back.
We both know he could easily overpower me and rip my gloves off. His understanding makes me want to trust him even more, and worse, it makes me like him even more. I don’t know how many of his breaths I count before I finally fall to sleep.
*****
The pain in my lower back and legs from being scrunched in the back seat is almost more than I can bear when I wake up. My legs involuntarily spasm and the movement wakes John abruptly. A giggle escapes at the look of horror and confusion on his face as he jerks to a sitting position.
“Oops, I wa rned you,” I say between laughs and try to maneuver out of the back seat.
It takes him a couple of seconds to remember where he is, when he does, he opens the door and moves out of my way. Stretching my legs and back, I head immediately out into the forest to take care of business. I have to walk quite a bit farther since the early morning light makes it much easier to see through the trees.
When I return, John has granola bars and water bottles pulled out for breakfast. “Ready to go?” he asks, heading for the front of the car.
“How long will it take us to get there?”
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