Blank Girl - (Book One)

Chapter 11 - Gross, but Kind of Cool

Cassie

"So, not blind any more." Greg commented, definitely not a question. He clicked the remote on his car keys and a silver sedan blinked to life. He opened the passenger side for me and I got in. 

"Um, yeah."

"And you remembered all that stuff about Jack." He turned the car on and settled in, turning the radio down to a whisper.

"It was fuzzy at first. I mean, when I woke up it was strange that Jack wasn't there, at my feet like he always is. Then I saw him back there and it all came flooding back. I was so angry and hurt and just so fed up with them. I don't understand what I did, but I hurt them. My classmates I mean." I was rambling and I knew it. "Did any of them, I mean, did I-"

"You didn't kill anyone Cassie. None of them remember much of anything and we sent in Emily to clean up. She put on an incredibly convincing story about a bunch of local high school kids throwing an unsupervised party on government property. Turns out the Banks family doesn't own that particular stretch of land and they are in quite a lot of trouble."

"And, what do they think happened to us?"

"We died."

"What?" I exclaimed. How could he be so blasé about it. "So, my mom thinks I'm dead."

"She had to. She's not like us Cassie. She's safer not knowing about what you can do and about who we are. Safer for her and for us."

The tears came swiftly then. It seemed that was all I was capable of doing anymore. Losing control, crying... was that who I was now? Was that all my life was going to account for?

"First things first, we're going to have to teach you to think more softly." He smiled at me as I mumbled an apology. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. Listen, my dad will text when he's done with Jack. Until then, I figure we can drive around Blackburn Bay. We'll get lunch and just take the day as it comes. Is that okay?"

I nodded and we were off. He drove out the gates and down a long wooded drive. When the forest gave way, I saw the ocean for the first time ever. It was so beautiful. The water was a steely blue and the road traveled along it. There were small sandy areas, but the coast was mostly rocks. The waves lapped against the stones frothing the water and spraying into the air. Gulls cried and I even saw a couple of seals.

"So much has happened, hasn't it?"

"That's kind of an understatement. It seems like there's some sort of conspiracy surrounding you. Someone sent Jack. Maybe it was the Order, maybe it was someone else. Regardless, that means that someone knew about your power."

"And what is my power?"

"It's a legend really, at least we all thought it was. I'm mostly sure that you're a Void Psychic. My father has a very technical explanation, but the way I understand it, the Void is all the stuff inbetween. So if you look at an atom, you see the protons, electrons and neutrons, but what about everything that you can't see? What happens to all of that empty space? That's what you do. You can essentially tap into and manipulate that nothingness. Like that night, you levitated and created a vortex, probably without even thinking about it."

"So I control nothing?"

"Basically."

"That doesn't seem like anything special."

"Are you kidding! Humans, plants, animals... we're all made of mostly nothing. If you look into space, the universe is mostly nothing. Where a regular psychic can tap into the 1% of power available, you can tap into the other 99! It's incredible!" Greg was getting really excited. 

I don't understand and I don't know that I ever will, but it seems like it's an ability that no one should have.

"Well that's just it-"

"Were you listening in on my thoughts?"

"I can't help it. Like I said, you think really loudly." He smiled, "Anyways, like I was saying, your ability shouldn't exist. There have been rumors about Void Psychics in the past, dating back past Ancient Greece. The lore says they were the first ones. They pulled the veil of humanity back and stared into nothingness. Then nothingness stared back."

I shivered. That's what it was I kept feeling. How could nothing be watching me? 

We pulled into a drive-thru restaurant and Greg ordered two combos. We got our food and after a few minutes, Greg pulled into a parking space facing the ocean. 

We got out and walked down to sit on the sand. 

"Greg! Greg you're back!" A short boy with curly brown hair and glasses came running down the beach. A tall willowy blonde girl and a redheaded boy trailed behind.

"Hey Toby, Grace, Ryan." Greg waved. "How are you guys?"

A chorus of "goods" followed and Greg introduced me. "Cassie, this is Toby, he's a Firestarter. Grace is a Shifter, specializing in reptiles, and Ryan is a Teleporter."

"Nice to meet you guys." I smiled. So far so good.

"So what are you?" Toby asked.

"Dude, you're so rude." Ryan shook his head. "You don't just say that. If you're gonna ask, you say something like, 'what is your ability?' You know, use some tact." 

"It's okay I don't really mind." I paused and looked at Greg. He nodded for me to go ahead. "Um, nothing, I guess."

"Huh?" Grace asked. 

"She's a Blank." Greg said. 

"You're fucking with me." Grace gasped. "That is so cool!"

"What's a Blank?" Toby asked. 

"She can create black holes and stuff." 

"An oversimplification, but yes." Greg sighed.

"You're starting to sound like your dad." Ryan laughed.

"Take it back!" Greg got up and charged at Ryan. 

Ryan blinked out of existence and reappeared about twenty feet away. "Too slow!"

Grace and Toby sat down beside me. Toby started to eat Greg's fries and laughed at the two boys antics. Grace smiled at me. "Don't worry about them. They're actually really good friends. They tease each other all the time."

"It must be nice."

"What?"

"To be like that with someone, to have friends."

"Well you're one of us now Blank Girl." Grace winked and before I could say anything a long sticky tongue whipped out of her mouth and stole one of my fries. She munched as she spoke. "Also, friends share food."

"That was-"

"Gross?"

"Well yea, but also-"

"Kind of cool?" I nodded and we laughed. "I know right? I kind of amaze myself sometimes."

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Author's Note: Huge shout out to GreatBigGalaxy for the amazing cover! I'm so happy to be featuring it and dedicating this chapter as a thank you!