4650 State Ave.

Chapter 1

I watch the colors stream past in a blur through the car window, trees bleeding into sky bleeding into buildings. The colors mix and mingle becoming one incoherent frenzy. As I watch, a small inconspicuous plane flies across the sky leaving a trail barely visible through the cloud coverage, the car slows to a stop at a red light. Shaking my head to clear the fuzzy feeling taking up residence, I turn just in time to see my dad crank up the volume on the old cars radio.

"I am the Champion; I am the Champion, of the WORLD!!!"

Laughing I join in on the fun then turn in my seat to survey the rest of the car. As usual Mere sits between two serious and stern faced bodyguards belting out the lyrics with me while my brother puts his noise cancelling headphones on in the back. Mere's flaming red hair is pulled back in a bun at the top of her head. With her brilliant green eyes and gentle curves I'm always surprised that no one asks her out at school. Probably has to do with the two giant guys with guns that follow her everywhere. I'm still surprised.

Turning to the front of the car and turning down the volume as the song changes, I watch the traffic light turn from red to green prompting my dad to drive onto the on ramp for the freeway.

"Mere. Any tests today?" I asked surfing the channels trying to find a station playing something I can sing to. 

Finally landing on Rise Up by Andra Day Mere responds, "Not really. But one of my teachers was absent so he pushed the test we were supposed to have today back like.. woah!" Mere cuts off as a truck wizzes past our car to close for comfort and dad swerves to the right barely missing the truck bed and earning blaring horns from those in the lane he swerved into. 

"The fucking idiot!" Dad said sternly. His cheerful attitude from a moment before gone, "he's going to get someone killed!"

We watched as dads prophesy seems to come to fruition before our eyes. The truck weaving through traffic becomes unstable and topples crushing two cars beneath it and skidding to a stop in the middle of the freeway, blocking all 5 lanes. Dad slows our car to a stop and I immediately open the passenger side door not bothering to close it, dad following my lead.

Surveying the situation I notice the truck dripping fuel dangerously close to the engine of one of the cars. Keeping my voice low and void of emotion so only dad can hear, as to avoid panic, I whisper, "It's going to blow. We need to get them out of the cars."

In the second it took for me to convey this information the passenger side door of the truck bed was kicked open and a man in a bright orange jumpsuit jumped down from the truck and started running. Dad raised his voice and without turning he addressed one of Mere's bodyguards, "Derek. He's yours." The smaller of the two melts into the maze of cars chasing after the escaped convict.

As the two disappear I sprint towards the cars losing no time in prying open on the the back door of a small Camry. I find two children one unconscious but still breathing and the other obviously in shock. Unstrapping their seatbelts as fast as possible I push the older child out of the car looking in his dazzlingly blue eyes and telling him to go to the crowd of people near the traffic stop. The boy turns with wide terrified eyes. 

"Quickly! Please!" I yell after him and his walk turns into a run making it to the crowd as I unbuckle the little girl carrying her carefully supporting her small frame. Testing the pulse of the driver I close his eyes knowing there is nothing I can do. 

In the corner of my eye I notice a spark, "shit." I'm out of the car sprinting as fast as I can towards the crowd noticing the ambulances arriving and my dad ushering an elderly couple into one. The world seems to slow down as he turns and sees my sprint his eyes widen understanding dawns As I watch I see his mouth forming my name reaching out for me in fear. I see Mere struggling against her second bodyguard refusing to let her run to me. She's screaming my name but I can't hear anything. I feel the force of the explosion hit my back throwing me foreword.

The only thing I can think of is how the little girl I'm holding won't survive the blast if she takes any impact from this fall. So in mid air I twist throwing my back towards the ground and protecting the child using my body as a shield. 

The world seems to speed up again I feel the impact with the ground we bounce once my head cracking against the concrete we bounce twice then skid along my head finally coming to a rest in a puddle of something wet. Then nothing and everything at the same time. I feel like screaming but I have no voice and I can't open my mouth. Through barely open eyes I watch Mere being pulled away from my body. A paramedic gently taking the little girl from my hold. The inside of an ambulance with beeping machines and cursing paramedics. Being rolled into the hospital. More yelling. Too much yelling. God my head hurts.

Then thankfully, nothing. Everything, seems to slip away.