Every part of my body ached as I sat up in my bed and scooted backwards, so my back was against the headboard. The excruciating movement gave me time to contemplate my answer to Penny. I couldn't give her the whole story, and then again I couldn't lie to one of my best friends. There were things I couldn't say, but I wanted to share what I could. Was I alright? I was bruised and sore, and I had seen a smoker, Curtis, die, and at the same time I had been with Brandt, and that somehow made it better.
"I will be," I answered Penny with a smile that pulled at my swollen cheek.
"The guy at the door, that was him, the one you like?" Penny asked with a quiet voice. Of course she had been with me these past months. We had seen each other more. She had witnessed the zoned out moments and the sudden new attention to training. She had even volunteered to go for a run with me a couple of times.
"Yeah, Brandt. I was so excited to see him there. And then there were these guys who were attempting something illegal and Brandt confronted them. The fight broke out and I thought I could help. Silly me."
"No, you're not silly. You're brave. You did help. The police came with flashing lights and everyone scurried away. Now, what can I do to help?" Penny's tone of voice turned cheerful at the end.
"Would milady like breakfast in bed?" She rose and gave a courteous bow.
I couldn't help giggling. Penny knew how to balance the heavy with the light.
"You read way too many romance novels."
Penny made me breakfast and told me to take it easy. We talked about normal high school things. About Andrea and Dylan. About Penny having a crush on Ben, but how she was too shy to say something to him. About the essay due on Tuesday. She stayed until I yawned, ready for a nap. I was happy for her company. It was easy and comfortable with no hidden agendas, except my duplicity of hiding a part of my life. How much do we share even with our friends? I knew Penny was an avid reader, but what did I really know about her inner or home life?
————
Sunday morning I met my mother in the kitchen. She was putting away groceries and saw me out of the corner of her eye.
"Hi Harper. I just wanted to tell you that I have a busy week ahead of me, so I won't be home much. Actually, I plan on staying in the city a couple of... what happened to you?" She slowed her movement of skillfully setting oranges in a decorative fruit basket and froze with an orange in each hand.
"I tried my hand at boxing. I wasn't prepared." A fight could be described as boxing, couldn't it? I may not have a close relationship with my mother, but I didn't want to lie to her. Lying is complicated. You have to keep track of what you've said to whom. I wanted to stay as close to the truth as I could.
"Do you need a hand?" I asked and immediately started to help her unpacking the bottles of water. We worked side by side for a couple of minutes, where neither of us spoke.
"You could try yoga. Less direct contact," she suggested.
I smiled a quiet response.
My mother was uncomfortable. She didn't know what to do or say, but her suggestion came from a good place. I was grateful. We finished putting everything away and she was halfway to the door and she turned.
"Let me know, if there is something I can do," she said and left the kitchen. She really tried.
My plan was to stay home and recover as much as I could, but my thoughts weren't cooperating. I kept thinking about the fight, my role, and Brandt. And just ahead of all of that rolled into a conundrum, the bigger picture: a relationship with Brandt, if his father allowed it, and the fact that the smokers were destabilizing the energy market and causing harm in the process. I wasn't usually interested in the news, but I searched the news outlets to get a clearer picture.
I was thankful, that the party, I had attended didn't make the news. There were however, clusters of incidents with development of smoke at different properties. There were four incidents in the neighborhood of Greenwood, where an elderly man died in his home, a couple succumbed while sleeping in their beds, a teenager was hospitalized with smoke inhalation, and a family of five died while eating dinner. The youngest child was no more than a year old. First, there was a suspicion of a gas leak, but none could be found, then electrical issues. I found an article where the insurance agency, who represented the builder of the home, the couple lived it, adamantly denied any faulty wiring. The city inspector was interviewed,
"My inspection of the home, at the time it was built, showed that it was in compliance with the building code. Maybe there was a power surge or another issue with the electricity supply to the neighborhood." The city inspector looked down at the ground in the interview, and the reporter was quick on her feet.
"Do you mean that this is a risk for every home in Greenwood?"
The city inspector shrugged and looked to the side.
"I don't know."
A frenzy of worry exploded in Greenwood and Neil Duncan came with his statement. There were no more incidents in Greenwood, but a week later a development of smoke in a storage facility behind a grocery store. The cause couldn't be found. Then followed incidents in the neighborhood of Milton Crest. One in an empty house, where neighbors heard the smoke detector and called 911. Another in a home with an elderly lady, who was hospitalized. Again Neil Duncan assured the public that there were no power surges in the distribution of electricity from Duncan Energy Technologies. The party Friday night was in Milton Crest.
The lump in a throat made me gasp for air. I pulled out my phone and found Brandt's number.
YOU ARE READING
Crossfire - a sizzling slow burn with supernatural powers
Teen Fiction"I... I didn't see anything." I tried, not knowing where to look. I was curious enough to take glances at him. His dark hair was flopped into his face to obscure his chiseled jaw. He laughed out loud. "What exactly didn't you see, Harper?" He said...
