Jump Line (Book 1 - Jump Line Series)

Chapter Three

Our gazes locked for a moment. The new boy's eyes were ablaze with an intense look of hatred.

"Glad to see you finally got her to come home," he snapped at Samuel as he walked into the room, stopping right in front of me. His white suit seemed almost small on his thick frame. "But, it's too late. Take her back and let her live her life wherever she was hiding. We don't want her here Samuel."

There have been very few times in my life when I had felt like I didn't know what was going on or didn't have an answer. Usually, I was the one who silently witnessed what others were doing. I knew their favorite drinks, colors, the people they liked and secretly didn't like. All of that information was stored in my head. I had gotten perfect scores on all of my standardized tests in school and had managed to shoot to the top of the class, but none of that seemed to matter right now.

"What in the world is going on?" I asked.

Samuel looked over at me. "Esa, this is Theo... Theo Marcus. You obviously don't remember him either."

Theo continued to glare at me with his arms crossed over his chest. He opened his mouth to say something and then stopped. His eyes were filled with so much anger, it caused me to look away.

"Theo, give her a break," Samuel said as he leaned in and tried to pull back a strand of my hair. Instinctively, I jerked my head backwards, away from his touch.

"Hold still Esa," he said.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Don't touch me."

"I'm looking at something behind your ear."

"I said don't touch me," I pulled away again from his approaching hands.

"Relax. I'm just going to pull back a lock of hair —"

"I'm not joking. Stay away from me," I pointed my finger at him, this time my voice firm; although, I wasn't sure it mattered since I had no clue where I was or anything about the two boys in the room with me.

"Can I just look at something right behind your right ear lobe?" Samuel asked.

"No."

"Esa, don't be tough. Just let me look."

"Why?"

"Esa, answer my initial question," his face had grown even more serious.

Finally, I relented. "Fine." I had never allowed anyone to touch me before. It felt weird to have someone else's hands on my skin.

I felt a shock of electricity as his fingers touched my ear.

"Ouch!" I jerked away. "That hurt."

Samuel pulled his hand back. "Esa, let me ask you something else? Have you noticed any changes to the electricity inside your body?"

"What do you mean? What electricity?"

He looked at me for several seconds before holding out his hand, displaying a thin line of electricity dancing in the middle of his palm. "Earlier when you touched my shoulder, I felt your electricity. It was weaker than in the past."

I had never told anyone about the odd things I could do, but Samuel knew my secret. A part of me wondered if this was some sort of trap. Was I being watched right now by the government? I had felt the shock from his touch a few seconds ago, but he hadn't even flinched when I had touched him.

I thought back to the bridge. Samuel grabbed my shoulder. He had caused me to black out. I stared at him, trying to take everything in, wondering if I was stuck in some sort of weird dream.