I sauntered casually in to the common room again, hiding behind the tea mug. Perez gave me a quick glance and returned his attention to the television. He knew what I had been up to, I am sure, but he didn't say anything.
Maria was at the dining table with her own mug of tea and a magazine. She looked up with her sparkly eyes.
"Thank you," I said as I pointed to the clothes, she had lent me.
"No problem," she said, and continued to make conversation on all sorts of subjects, that I didn't care the least about. When she started to make dinner, I went with her and helped, all the while I kept my eye on the front door and the other occupants in the common room.
I learned that the front door wasn't locked, but when I left the common room to go to the bathroom, Perez watched me to make sure that I went down the hall and not towards the front door. Despite seeming to watch television, he had a keen eye on my movements. A couple of people came and went. Some stopped by and talked with Perez. He was a man of few words, but he seemed to have their respect.
The elderly woman in the rocking chair was Maria's grandmother and Maria doted on her, making sure she had tea and water.
I set the table for seven people as Maria had instructed me as Maria sprinkled chopped cilantro on a richly scented stew. She called out for dinner and the occupants of the common room came to the table, a young man helping Maria's grandmother. Perez sat at the head of the table with a man on either side. Maria pointed to the chair across from her, and I sat down.
The meal was delicious and Maria tried to start conversations, but every time it fizzled out. I felt sorry for her and understood why she was happy to see me here. The others spoke in low voices about training.
"I'l be happy once we don't have to live under this storm cloud," the jittery woman next to me said. Perez reacted with a hm, and the woman stopped talking with a quick glance at me. Apparently, that wasn't meant for my ears. I wanted to ask, what she meant and sensed there was a different perspective to everything I had learnt from Brandt or even at Setter Hill. However, Perez had effectively shut down any conversation on the subject before it even started. An awkward, almost vibrating silence was held during the rest of our dinner.
Maria had the job of cleaning up after dinner, and again I helped her. I cleaned a final pot in the sink and Maria cleaned the work surface. We were side by side and I could ask my question in a low voice.
"What did she mean about living under a storm cloud?"
Maria immediately hushed me, but when we were finished, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the common room.
"We're in no. 7," she announced over her shoulder, not waiting for Perez' acknowledgment. I looked and saw him watch us leave down the hall.
In no. 7, Maria closed the door and we sat down on the bunk bed. With her back against the wall and her wrists resting on her bent knees, Maria appeared sad.
"You might not be free to leave, but I'm caught here too." She turned her wrist and smoke rose from her palm in slender flames. I thought I was seeing things, but in the smoke I could see Maria's grandmother sitting in her rocking chair as a smoke colored figure.
"I'm here, because of my grandmother. She called my cousin, Perez, after my parents died, and we came here til Galvan's compound."
I offered my condolences.
"It was a long time ago. You see, smoke, like most other powers, can't be bottle up. If you try, you can combust when you experience strong emotions. My mother was a storyteller like me. Our smoke isn't a weapon, it is an aesthetic. My father's smoke was hot and black, but he tried to control it by suppressing it, and when he couldn't he would go to the energy plant and deposit it."
I must have frowned. Maria used both her hands to conjure the smoky picture of a her father sending his smoke into what looked like an incinerator at an energy plant.
"Sometimes he couldn't contain it. My parents had an argument. My grandmother took me to get ice cream as she did when their arguments were too loud and deep felt. When we returned, the house had exploded and my parents were dead inside. A terrible accident, perhaps a gas leak, or so the authorities said. Then we came here. Here, nobody looks at you sideways, if you're fuming."
Maria paused and collected her thoughts. I thought of Brandt in the meadow.
"Then there is the storm cloud. Duncan Energy Technologies and their kind." Maria let the name hang in the air between us.
"Do you know them?"
I must have reacted in some way, even though I tried to stay neutral. I pulled the neck of the sweatshirt to the side and showed Maria my figure.
"I've met them," I said and hoped she wouldn't ask for details.
"Duncan is ruthless," Maria commented, "and there is fierce competition between his company and Ganar Waste & Energy. The electricity from Duncan's company is cheaper, which pressures my entire community. It's not pretty. There are other companies under Galvan's umbrella and other activities too." She didn't have to say. It was the same as the Duncans'. Business interests, pride, survival, and hate combined in an empowered display between ruthless men.
"Have you heard of the electrical issues in different neighborhoods?" I asked.
"Yeah, Galvan's orders to undermine Duncan's company. There are people here that thrive in that chaos." Fabric rustled as Maria crossed her legs and leaned forward.
"I guess that is true there as well as here." I pointed out. I thought of Brandt and the lives I had seen him take. Was he one of those thriving on chaos? I didn't see him in that light. He was unquestionably not in the same box as the creep. Neil Duncan and Galvan however, they enjoyed their respective positions of power and thrived on the chessboard.
"Since moving here with my grandmother, I've only been outside Galvantown a handful of times. We are safe here in this... cage." Maria blinked to hold back her tears. I was about to ask her, if she could help me escape, but I hesitated. I didn't want her to get in trouble, I realized. I leaned over and clutched her hands.
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...
