**
“Men, tonight’s game gets us one step closer to the state championship,” Coach Miller said to the crowded locker room. All eyes were on him except mine. I was thinking about Genevieve and how she manipulated Chase to get what Riley wanted us to do. They were taking over every aspect of my life, with little hope of escape. I hadn’t heard a word Coach Miller had said, so I re-focused.
“Eric, you and Bryce are going to have to work hard today. Their pass rush is top in the league. They aren’t going to make this easy. We’ll have to fight for every yard. Let’s show them whose house this is,” Coach Miller said.
Then he went down on one knee. “Now let us pray.” We all bowed our heads while Coach Miller said a silent prayer. After he finished, we all followed him out to the field.
During the game, Eric managed to throw the ball to Bryce a few times. When he got it, no one was a match for him. He would weave in and out of the players like they were standing still. I missed being in the game; the excitement of it was incredible. Bryce and Eric were unstoppable. Every time Eric got the ball to Bryce it would result in a touchdown. We were killing them, already up by 35 points at the half. The crowd was cheering so loudly that I couldn’t hear what the announcer was saying over the PA.
“Kelly, Hess, Archer, Hallum, Otto, Beverley, get out there,” Coach Miller yelled. We were running out of players for Coach Miller to substitute into the game. He was using everyone. This was the first time ever that Coach Miller used this many back-ups in the game. At least that was what Coach Hoff told Riley during halftime. With Bryce and Eric out there on offense and Chad on defense, it didn’t matter who was playing the other positions.
After the game, Coach Miller stood at the entrance of the locker room and shook the players’ hands as they came in, congratulating them on a good game, because everyone ended up getting to play. The locker room was filled with loud music and celebrating. I escaped to go find Elle.
Elle insisted on coming over to my house after the game. I wasn’t sure what she told her parents she was going to do, because her dad was having her stay home more and more. It was really starting to bother me. What did he have against me?
“Elle, why has your dad been trying to keep us apart?” I asked, sitting on our front porch, wrapped in a thick, warm blanket with her.
“He thinks I need to be focusing on my future more,” she said, doing her best impression of her dad.
“What if he’s right?”
“Are you saying that you don’t see us together?” She pulled away from me.
“Elle,” I grabbed her and pulled her back to me. “No, I meant that I have been scared about our future for a while, you know, with you going off to school. Maybe you will meet some college guy who will replace me.”
She brushed my cheek with her hand. “Nicholas, no one could ever replace you.” My doubts about our future were suppressed for the moment. She always knew what to say.
“Nicholas, I still can’t believe what happened to Mrs. Lemmins and Chase earlier at the game,” she said with a giggle.
“I know. It was crazy.”
I was lucky enough to see all of the events unfold from the field. The game had ended. Chase was walking out of the stands with Cora and Genevieve, signing some autographs of course, when Joy Lemmins caught sight of him. She was a few rows above him. They had just started walking down the steps when Joy Lemmins rushed down the bleachers, taking two steps at a time, trying to catch up to Chase. She tripped, falling head first into him. He turned right when she hit him, knocking him off his feet and pinning him to the bleachers like a wrestler. He couldn’t get free because she was unconscious. Cora swore she was faking it, because she thought she could hear Joy Lemmins whispering, “I’m lying on Doctor Hotty Pants; this is the greatest day of my life.”
It took a couple of minutes before three men from the crowd could help lift her off of Chase. The paramedics at the game rushed into the stands to help. By the time I got to them, she was already strapped down on the gurney. They tried to put her in the ambulance, but she refused to let go of Chase’s jacket. She had a death grip on it. She kept mumbling about how she must be taken care of by Dr. Letterby. When he finally agreed to go to the hospital to check on her, she promptly let go of his jacket and beamed a big smile. Genevieve and Cora were right next to Chase, watching everything and laughing. I guess in the end, Chase was no match for a determined Joy Lemmins. Forget about the Seekers, she was far worse. She got what she wanted, Dr. Hotty Pants.
Later that night after Elle left, I wasn’t able to sleep at all. My thoughts were consumed with the anniversary of the 10-10 Earthquake. Also, I was worried about Genevieve and Elle both being with me the whole day, which probably meant trouble. As difficult as it was to fall asleep, I eventually drifted off. I was instantly surrounded by the familiar black nothingness. I am asleep, I told myself, and this will all end soon. Maybe like Elle, I could learn to block out these dreams, but tonight I just had to survive.
After a long night of fighting with the darkness, I finally awoke sick. This was the sickest I had been in a long time. I looked for my Tic Tacs but didn’t see any in my room, so I got up and walked slowly out into the hallway to see if Cora had some. To my relief, there was a fresh pack on the table just outside my room. I quickly emptied part of it into my mouth. The cool vanilla and mint flavor helped to take the edge off of my sickness immediately.
I had to see Elle because I needed to get some of the relief that only she could provide. She was my medicine, the only one who could heal me completely, so I got ready quickly.
“Cora, I’m going to pick up Elle. I’ll be right back.”
Before she answered, I was out the door. The bed that she had made for Chase in the family room was untouched. Where did he sleep if not here? His car wasn’t in the driveway either.
I went and got Elle, and by the time we got back, Chase’s car had returned. Everyone was standing in our foyer.
“Good, I’m glad we are all here,” Cora said. “Chase can’t go with us today. He has to go back to the hospital to check on Joy Lemmins one more time, and then he has to head to London to perform an emergency surgery.”
“And yes, it is a royal secret,” Chase said as he sauntered out of the kitchen. Genevieve smiled big, keeping up her part of the charade. Riley and Cora didn’t even bat an eye.
“So I thought it would be nice if we girls went to Oktoberfest, and the guys spent time at home watching football,” Genevieve said.
“No, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Elle doesn’t want to spend the day with you two without me,” I said.
“Elle, you and Nicholas will have plenty of time together. Plus, Elle has to get used to doing some stuff with your family and friends, especially if you guys are going to stay together for the long haul like Riley and me,” Genevieve said.
The nervousness I felt from Elle was intense. I wasn’t sure if she was worried about spending the day with the “girls” or about our future together. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, “I’ll be fine.”
Genevieve took Elle by the arm and led her out the front door. Cora gave Chase a quick goodbye hug, leaving the three of us guys standing there.
“Well, I guess I better get back to that loon at the hospital,” Chase said after a brief moment.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked.
“Of course. There’s nothing wrong with her, but every time I tried to discharge her, she made up a new symptom so I would have to keep running more tests. I would have passed her on to the Bethesda South staff, but she refused to talk to anyone but me. I finally convinced her that I would make house calls if she agreed to leave the hospital today. Needless to say, I won’t be coming back to Winsor for a long time. She needs help and not the help I can give. She needs to be locked up.”
Riley nodded his head profusely, as if he knew exactly what Chase was talking about. I think he’d had a couple of run-ins with her at school. Chase took his s
uitcase out to his sports car, hopped in and was speeding down the street in a matter of seconds.
“Did you know that Genevieve was going to do all of this?” I asked Riley. “You both knew Chase was coming into town.”
“No, but when she wants something, she usually gets it. If it makes you feel any better, I think she just wanted an excuse to get out of the house with the girls. Even if it’s not with her choice of company, she is tired of being cooped up with me for all of these years. I can’t really blame her. I’m not the most talkative person. So what do you want to do today?”
“Watch football. I want to see the University of Cincinnati play Rutgers,” I said.
“Okay, but let’s do it at my house.”
“Sure,” I agreed.
For most of the afternoon, we sat on the super-sized couches in their basement, watching football and eating leftover pizza. Their basement was still mostly covered in plastic. Riley explained how he was building a panic room and some tunnels to get out of there, if needed. But it wouldn’t be completed until after spring because he was waiting on some more parts to get in from the manufacturers. It still amazed me how little furniture they had. They only had the necessary pieces in each room. It would make packing easy and quick. Cora and I knew that firsthand. But at least we had some personal touches to make our house feel like home, not plain like this.
It felt so good just sitting and watching football. It was relaxing, another slice of normalcy that I craved.
It was getting close to dinner. My stomach was beginning to rumble.
“So when do you expect the girls to be home?” I asked.
Riley didn’t answer at first. Then he responded, “Not sure.”
He sounded like something was wrong. I knew it couldn’t be the football game, because he had told me earlier he didn’t care who won.
“Riley, are you okay?” Right then he turned off the game. I sat up. He was now slumped-over, sitting on the edge of the couch.
“Nicholas, you and I have more in common than just being Thusians. I also lost my ma and da six years ago today.” When he mentioned his parents, a thick, rich Irish accent resurfaced.
I had made it pretty far into the day without discussing or really thinking about the past. I should have known it was only going to be a matter of time before I would have to talk about it.
“You lost both of your parents the same day, too?” I asked.
“Remember, Nicholas, that Genevieve and I had our Realization of our talents the same day, and in a very public way too. Both of my parents died during it.”
He took a deep breath, and then continued. “I grew up in a small fishing village just north of Dublin called Howth. My parents owned a pub there named Abbey Tavern. It had been in our family for generations, a real solid establishment that had loads of traditions and good food. I, of course, was going to take it over when my parents retired. From an early age I knew all about the Thusian way of life because my parents had told me everything. They were proud of our heritage and acted as historians of sorts for the Thusians. They and a few others kept the history alive after the Keepers were gone, often using the pub as a meeting place.”
He continued, “Our pub was always busy. If you wanted a pint and some fish and chips, it was the place to go. One day during a busy lunch hour, a man walked in. He didn’t look any different than the rest of the people that frequented our establishment, but he seemed suspicious to me. Something was off. I waited on him, but nothing. He seemed normal enough, but that bad feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn’t go away.
“He finished his pint of Guinness, paid and walked outside. His car was parked on the street right in front of the pub’s large glass windows. As soon as he got into his car, everything slowed down around me. At first, I didn’t know what was going on, but everything my ma and da had told me over the years clued me in to what was happening to me. My body just took over like it knew what to do on its own. The man’s car exploded. I’m still not sure if he knew it was going to happen, or if someone planted a bomb in it. Either way, I could see the fireball heading toward the windows. I pushed a young couple who was right next to the window to the ground and picked up their small, round table and used it as a shield. The blast sent me and the shattered table back to the other side of the pub. When I was hurtled backward, I knocked several other people to safety while flying through the air. The blast shattered all of the front windows and destroyed a good part of the front of the pub, leaving black scorch marks everywhere. I was unhurt—just a couple of gashes, but nothing bad. The people around me weren’t hurt, just dazed. The table I picked up had absorbed most of the blast and most of the flying glass.
“For a moment after the explosion, everything was quiet and still, like people mourning at a funeral, but then the screaming and yelling began. People everywhere were hurt. It was horrific. I looked at the bar where my parents had both been working at the time of the blast, but they were gone. I frantically searched for them.” Riley paused, his voice full of grief. His Irish accent became even thicker.
“My da had done the same thing I had done with the table bu-but, but at his age he was not able to take being thrown back with such force. When I pulled the table off of him,” Riley fought back tears and continued, “my ma was right next to him lying there. My ma must have seen him pick up the table to shield everyone from the blast and tried to help him hold the table in place against the explosion. The car that blew up was right in front of the window by the bar area, so most of the force came right at them.”
Riley sat back with his hands over his face and began to sob quietly. His grief reminded me that I, too, was alone. My parents, like his, had died protecting others. A voice in my head said, They died because they were destined to. This is what Thusians’ lives are for, to sacrifice for others, our Final Sacrifice.
They died because of this curse that we both bear, I shouted back at the voice in my head.
We spent the remainder of the time in silence. Later, I asked about Genevieve’s story. He told me that it was for her to tell when she was ready. The girls got home right before 6:00 p.m. They must have known that we would end up over here, because they had all of the shopping and food bags on the kitchen table when we came up.
I took a couple of the hamburgers and some fries and put them into one of the empty bags. My mind was abuzz from everything. I had to escape. I took Elle’s hand and led her outside. I walked her to my truck, opening the passenger door for her to get in. She didn’t look like she was upset after the time she spent with Cora and Genevieve, which was a relief.
We didn’t talk on our way to her house. She sat in her seat, looking out the window, holding my hand in her lap. Her long fingernails gently scratched the top of my hand, moving back and forth, sending reassurance through me. She sensed my pain and without words she was taking care of me. She was what I needed.
We arrived at her house and went down to her basement. We sat and ate dinner, watching the TV, which was already on when we got down there.
The evening news came on and the reporter said, “My name is Rachel Roberson and tonight we are remembering the victims of the 10-10 Quake.”
Before the reporter was able to say another word, Elle turned the TV off.
“I hate the news. It’s so boring,” she said, with her small, crooked smile.
After eating, I laid my head down on her lap, taking her hand and pressing it to my lips. She rubbed my head slowly, taking away all of my pain from the day.
I left her house later that night feeling renewed. I was able to stay until midnight because her dad was gone on another business trip. After a long, final embrace at her front door, I walked back to my truck. I got in and started driving home.
“So, do you feel better now?”
I nearly swerved off the road. Genevieve was sitting in my back seat with her arms folded.
“What are you doing in here?” I didn’t give her the satisfaction of looking back at her.
“Well, the way you two were on the couch, and that big old goodbye kiss, it looked like you were feeling a lot better.”
I had to ignore her—I wasn’t in the mood for her antics. “I know we have to do the buddy system thing. But I don’t think I was in any real danger on her couch. What do you want? You knew I was fine. Why don’t you leave us alone?”
“Believe me, I didn’t want to chase you over here, but Riley told me to.”
“Do you do everything Riley asks?” I said, holding back the anger welling up inside me.
“No, we work together. You would understand that if you started to act like we were all on the same team for once. Leaving without telling anyone was childish. You are supposed to let us know. You know she’s not that important in the grand scheme of things. She’s not the 4th.”
I swerved off the side of the road and slammed on my brakes, sending her into the back of my seat. I couldn’t take it anymore. She had crossed the line. I turned around to look straight into her eyes.
“First of all, you will not talk about Elle ever again. Do I make myself clear?” I was yelling. Her face drained of all color. “And secondly, you might be right about her not being the one, but maybe you are not looking at her fairly because you are jealous of her.”
Her face became even paler.
I turned back around. I was so angry, but the anger wasn’t fueled by any type of fire or Thusian response. We arrived back at my house and I pulled into the driveway.
I stood holding the door open, waiting for Genevieve. She got out of the back and took both of my hands. I wanted to jerk away but her warm, soft hands gripped mine tightly, keeping me from recoiling.
“Nicholas, you are right about what you said. I didn’t give her a chance because I am jealous of what she has. She could be the one we are looking for and I wouldn’t know it.”
She looked at me, and her eyes were damp with tears.
“I promise I will never let you down like this again. I’m so sorry for making you feel this way, especially today.”
She turned and walked toward her house.
I stood there stunned and puzzled by what she had said. What did she mean she’s jealous of what Elle has?