Red Numbers

Chapter 3

I approached at the pond. I heard a couple splashes. I ducked the undergrowth covered me. Looking at the ground there were footprints marked in the mud. Someone was here.

No one knew about the pond as far as I was concerned.

"You might as well come out. I could hear you from way back." A male voice called and a couple more splashes. Skipping rocks?

My head started spinning getting dizzy. Just by hearing this boys voice. It made me sick to my stomach.

"I won't bite." More splashes "suit yourself and stay there get bit by bugs."

This was happening really fast. I stood up my back facing him. My head hurt. I've said before I never have gotten a head ache. So what was this?

"Hello number three." He mused. I froze. Three. My number. I squeezed my eyes shut. Without looking I knew his number. A four. This explained my head ache. But how did he know my number.

I brazed myself and slowly turned around. There he was. With black sunglasses on. Across the pond in a long sleeve green shirt. A puffy camp vest. And faded ripped jeans. He wasn't even looking my way. Just bent down and felt around for another skipping rock. He didn't look at the rocks either. In fact it didn't seem he was looking at anything. True he had dark sunglasses on but I could just tell.

My brain did a flip it hurt more looking at him. My heart nearly lunged out of my chest. I was excited and scared.

I wanted to run to him and tackle him demanding how he knew the numbers. I resisted I could tell that if I got closer my head would hurt worse and he was smarter then normal and would probably dodge. I didn't know if he had any weapons either. Best too keep my distance for now.

"What did you just say." I asked cautiously. My hand went into my pocket grabbing my pocket knife.

"You heard me. I called you three."

I stepped forward but he spoke "best to keep your distance for now. At least until my head gets under control."

His head hurt to? This was amazing. "Who are you?" I called to him.

"My name is Finn." He answered simply still failing to return a glance at me.

"How do you-" I began

"Know about your number? You and me are very similar. Can't you feel it?"

He finally looked at me and I nodded slowly.

"That wasn't a rhetorical question you can answer me."

I have a puzzling look. Then it hit me, his glasses and the way he stared at nothing. "Wait are you... Are you blind?"

He gave a crooked smile. "I prefer visually impaired. I can see things if I'm close enough. But these glasses block out everything. This way I don't have to see how ugly the world has become."

I nod then stop myself "I guess that makes sense."

"So anyways," three skip stone across the water. "Who are you."

"My name is Kyla." I spoke softly.

"Nice name Kyla. I don't think I've heard it before."

I just stand there unsure of what to say.

"Look Kyla. I know this is sudden but you and I both know there isn't another three or four on Earth. It's chance that we met. I think that we are supposed to like stay together."

He was right that was fast. "How come your acting like you knew this would happen? Can you, like predict the future?"

He burst out laughing "Kyla phycicks don't exist," that almost made me want to laugh because neither should I "No I didn't exactly know this would happens today. But I did seance this would happen. If this even makes any sense. But I knew at some point I would meet a three. And as you walked here -ever so noisily- I felt that you were a three."

"So you can feel the numbers instead of see them?"

"You see them?" He laughed "yeah I guess you would."

"This is really weird."

"You should be used to that by now."

"Touché."

It was quiet for a bit. "Does your head still hurt. Mine does but I'm starting to get used to it." He called.

I suddenly realized I felt almost nothing. When he mentioned it my head went back to hurting but it was much more controlled. "Yeah I mean no it's barely noticeable now."

"You could probably come closer to me now. If you still wanted to."

I scuffled around the pond and slowly made my way to him. I normally wouldn't of even stayed this long but I just knew I could trust him. Whether he knew the numbers or not.

When I stood next to him his hand touched my shoulders. Surprisingly I didn't flinch.

He smiled. "Your quite short aren't you Kyla?"

"Yeah I guess, maybe you're just tall." That was a lie I'm short. He was about 5'6 and I was 5' exactly.

His hands traveled down my body and stopped at my waist. "Skinny too."

"Uh gee thanks?" I felt his hands beginning to move again but I grabbed them and pulled them away. I grabbed his glasses. "There am I close enough for you to see."

He crookedly smiled and mumbled "kill joy." Finn squinted his eyes and looked at me. Moving his bright green eyes up and down. He took his glasses from me but kept his hand in mine for a minute before I pulled mine away.

"So about what I said earlier about us staying together. What do you think?"

I looked at the ground glad he had put his glasses back on so he couldn't see my shyness. "I don't know I've never really done good with others."

He put his hands on my shoulders "but we aren't normal people. Tell you what. We meet back here tomorrow at nine a.m. come back with an answer."

I shrug so he could feel my shoulders. "Okay sure Finn."

"I like the way you say my name." He smiled and I started to laugh.

"Creep." I said not being offensive.

After I left I forgot about sleeping at Carl's house. And since I had to meet Finn in the morning I ditched work for the first time. I didn't even realize how scared Carl was going to be.

When I met Finn he already knew my answer.

He looked at me in the eyes and grabbed my shoulders "Your place or mine?"