Invincible

Chapter Six

I walk up to the front porch and kneel over the black mat placed in front of the door. I lift it up and find a key that Brad mentioned a while back, in case he lost his, or wasn't around, and I needed to get in. Good thing he left it there.

I pick up the key and place into the doorknob, twisting the key first, and then the knob. The door sticks and I push it open, surprised that it didn't fall apart as I walk past the threshold.

I wondered how I would explain this to Brad. Not everything, but the fight. I didn't want to call him and let him know, having him yell at me. Though I'd prefer it happen now and get it over with, I'd rather wait it out, and see if he was in a happy enough mood. That way, if I told him, he'll probably be too peaceful to think about it.

Yeah. Like that would be so easy. He'll never be happy, at least not as happy as I wanted him to be.

I go upstairs and head to my room. Once I'm inside, I take off my shoes and jump onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as I think about the things that have happened.

I couldn't believe what was happening to me. I had abilities. The word ran through my mind for a couple of minutes. Before this I had nothing to hold onto, nothing that I could remember. I used to think the only way I would feel comfortable was by figuring out about my past, but suddenly it wasn't. These abilities—or gifts—made me feel different somehow. In a good way, that is. I could finally take away some of the stress from my mind, forget about the worrying, or the empty space in my heart. I now had proof that this new life was somehow unique. Brad taking me in, me meeting Taylor, these cool things happening around me—this was a sign of something positive.

But what was going on? I mean, I knew what was going on, just not all the specifics of it. What kind of skills do I have? What was the explanation for the things I was experiencing?

I had to find out.

But I was exhausted. I need to take a nap or something. Maybe when I wake up, I'll do some research. I close my eyes and think about Rick, the image of him groaning on the floor still fresh in my mind, and laugh at the possibility of him still lying there at this very moment...

--

I open my eyes and look at the window, seeing nothing but black. It was nighttime. Eleven o'clock, to be exact—at least that's what the clock says.

The smell of food fills my noise, and under the crack beneath my door, I notice lights seeping from downstairs.

Oh, man. Brad was home.

I get out of bed and walk downstairs, hoping to find him happy, like I'd seen him earlier before I went off to school. But instead I see him sitting in the living room, watching football.

"Hey," I say casually.

He turns his head and looks at me.

"Hey," he repeats, his tone and expression surprising. "How'd you get here?"

I pause, quickly thinking of an excuse to give him. "I...took the bus," I lie.

"I didn't give you any money."

"I burrowed some from a friend."

He makes a face and shrugs, turning back to his game. Wow, that was easy. I thought he was going to kill me. Maybe I underestimated him.

But that all that came to an end when I started heading into the kitchen, and the rug got pulled out from under me.

"Well, I went by your school regardless," he says. "I thought you would be there, but no, you weren't. Want to know what happened instead?"