Adrian (The Write Awards 2013)

07: Why

His hair is dark-red, pin straight, shaggy and unkempt. He wears glasses that are crooked and askew. Freckles dot his nose and cheeks like sesame seeds that Adrian adores on his burgers. He has a gangly appearance that isn't intimidating in the slightest.

So why am I scared out of my wits? Because, I answer myself, not knowing is something that sends me into fits of paranoia. I shove that thought out of my head, for I can't be sure if Jax is listening in (he could be standing in front of me, for all I know), and I can't let him have insights to my weaknesses.

"If you want to make sure that Jax can't get in," he says, his voice sounding airy, "block off holographs. That's how he channels his powers."

It's an ingenious idea, but can I trust him? After Jax's lies, I don't want to trust anyone. But my impulses act for me and ask, "And exactly how will I do that?" I cross my arms over my chest for good measure, and to convince myself that I won't trust this man that easily.

He gives me a devilish half smile, then shrugs nonchalantly. "It's your job to find that out."

I shouldn't be surprised; no one has really helped me much yet, and I don't know why they would start now. It's time for me to come up with a plan, and fast. Every second that I waste is more time for Jax to rejuvenate and regain his strength.

The only thing that I know about holographs is that they're futuristic, and I don't think that's going to aid me much. I think back to my first day (do day and night even pass anymore?), which was my first experience with Jax's holographs. They seemed to flicker before they disappeared and they were the recurring misty-blue. I also remember Jax saying that my powers outweighed his, and that has turned out to be a lie, from what I can tell. Everything he has ever told me has been a web of lies.

A web! Like a spider web! Sticky, thin, yet strong, perfect to capture something. Or reflect holographs. Didn't Jax say himself that I would need to use my imagination to recreate the universe? This is exactly what I will do.

But I can't produce anything of that magnitude. I wasted my energy on the ice like an idiot. I should've thought it through.

"I have an idea-" I begin, but the strange man cuts me off.

"But you need my help?" He seems pretty smug with himself at this fact.

I sigh. "Sadly, I do. And I don't know if I trust you."

I don't want to trust him. He was Adrian just a moment earlier. I think. Maybe Adrian didn't morph into him, maybe he just disappeared and this guy just took his place. Still, it doesn't matter who he is, I can think of a million reasons not to trust him, but not of one to trust him.

"What's your name?" I ask, as if it will give me the gateway to his motives. And maybe it will. After all, Jax started to seem evil after I learned his name. Adrian turned into a monster after Jax's name was revealed.

"Darren."

I decide not to trust Darren, but let him help me for this once. I know that I trust him more than I do Jax, and that's what really pushes me to tell him my plan. But I first must find out if he has the same powers that Jax and I do.

When I ask, he replies, "Yeah, and I haven't exhausted them as you two have."

I want to punch him in the face, but I hold back. I don't bother to ask whose side he's on, because I know it will just waste time. Instead, I go for a more direct approach. "I need you to break down this ice, and surround my land with a web that reflects holographs," I state plainly.

"That's your own original idea. I won't be able to do it without your help, because I can never be exactly sure of what you mean."

I try not to groan aloud in frustration as I wonder how he knows all of this. "What if I explain it to you?" I pester.

"It won't work," he says adamantly. He tugs at his hair, as if he should be the one that's angry.

"What if I let you read my mind?"

He retorts, "You don't trust me enough to let me do so."

He's right, and I really don't like that. I don't even know why I offered in the first place. "Then how can I help you?"

Darren more or less explains that I could use just a small bit of energy to begin to execute my act, and from there he can carry it out without my help. I just have to get it started right. I just have to give him something that he can expand off of.

I ask him what will become of me after I use my last bit of energy. He says that I will probably pass out, but if I don't, it will be a true testimony to my strength. I'm not fond of this idea; when I pass out, Darren will have a chance to kill me. I realize that I'm more wary of him than I was of Jax, and I'm quite proud of myself. I don't ever want to be screwed over again. Despite my wariness, though, he could still betray me easily. The only difference is that I'll be expecting it.

I begin to focus, picturing in my mind exactly what I want. The ice will crush, shattering into a million pieces. There will be a dome that surrounds my entire section of the universe, including the clouds. It will mimic a spider web, each strand intricately strung and stronger than titanium. Grafted into the strands will be ridges, like those on the edge of a coin. Their magnetic compound will throw off any holograph, as well as anything that seems to channel the same type of energy. It will also deflect any soundwaves, so Jax's voice won't be able to echo in my world anymore. The ridges will also act as sensors. Anyone who touches them will instantly be wrapped up, like a fly in a web. It sounds so insane, even in my own head. Maybe because it has no boundary. It could become anything.

I'm already starting to feel tired when I begin.

One.

Two.

Three.

I feel dizzy, but I can see the web being formed around me, and Darren continuing to execute it. The way he channels his powers is interesting, in my opinion. Blue waves radiate from his body and once they leave an area that they were meant to affect, the webs appear. I'm fascinated.

The web spirals upward like a skyscraper being built in slow motion, reminding me of a field trip to the city (I can't remember the name) that Adrian and I went on. It towers overhead and casts a gloomy shadow everywhere, exactly as I imagined it. But I don't care. I am safe from Jax and everything outside, and I am awake.

I am awake. This, apparently, is not supposed to be happening. I'm supposed to be in a comatose state, and my eyes are wide open, taking in my surroundings like a fish out of water. I feel worn yet hyper at the same time, and my feet are planted firmly on the ground. I don't even feel like I'm pressing my abilities.

"How?" Darren asks when he approaches me after he's finished. He looks tired and beat, but he probably still has a substantial amount of energy left in him. I'm not sure what he's asking. How did I think of the web or how am I awake? Most likely both.

The answers to both questions are identical. "I don't know."

There are many things that I don't know, but I'm suddenly reminded of Adrian again. I don't know how he got here, how he disappeared, or where he vanished to. I'm worried about his well-being, even though I don't want to be. I know that he must be just another one of Jax's many lies.

And there's another thing that I don't know, another thing that I have yet to question: why, which just may be the most important question of all.