Abilities

Chapter Four

So in this chapter you find out more about the task He gave Lea, and you also find out more about the man who had approached her. I'd love to hear what you think is going on. Not that many people are reading this. I probably should do some promoting. And stop talking to myself. Whatever, if you are reading, please comment with your thoughts.

***************************************************************************************************************

     Lea just walked around at first. She had hung out in the Rest Room for as long as possible, then left Headquarters. She considered walking around for eternity, at least that way she wouldn’t have to complete her task. It didn’t matter how long she took, He didn’t care, but she knew she couldn’t just continue walking around forever.

     She resolved on going to a lake she visited often, it was her favourite place and she needed to do some thinking. She found herself standing next to it in what seemed like no time, having zoned out again. I really need to stop doing that, she told herself. I could have been attacked so easily.

     She looked around her, taking in the surroundings. It was a big lake, surrounded by trees and she couldn’t see past them. There was someone standing on the other side of the lake. Not moving around or anything, just standing. They were too far off for her to see who it was, but she could tell it was a man, from the build of their body.

     She took her eyes off him for a second while she made herself comfortable on the grassy bank, and when she looked up he was standing right next to her, like some terrible omen. She jumped and let out a little yelp of shock. ‘You!’ she cried, scrambling to her feet. It was the man she had reported, not that long ago. She hadn’t seen him in the Rest Room since the time he had approached her, and she hadn’t thought too much about him.

     He smiled at her revealing some perfect teeth and one dimple, on his right cheek. ‘I knew you’d turn up here eventually,’ he told her.

     ‘Great,’ she said, turning to leave.

     He grabbed her arm and held on tight. ‘Please, Lea, just hear me out,’ he begged. ‘I’ve been waiting here since I was released.’

     She turned to look at him and stared into his dark eyes. She felt something when she did so, it was almost like…recognition. Like when you see someone, and you know that you’ve met them before, but you just can’t put your finger on where or when.

     She shook her head to get rid of the absurd idea. She definitely had only met him the one time before.

     ‘How long is that?’

     ‘I’m not sure,’ he replied. ‘It’s difficult to keep track of time here. But they were pretty quick about checking me, so it must have been a while. I knew you had to come here eventually.’

     Lea had a million things she wanted to ask him, and she knew if she left she might never see him again, so she couldn’t resist. ‘Fine,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll talk to you, but you have to answer my questions first, and the second you get too weird, I’m outta here.’

     ‘Okay, I’ll try to keep it simple,’ he reassured her.

     ‘Don’t get any ideas though,’ she warned him, sitting down again. ‘I’m only doing this because you’ve waited for me for quite a while.’ Also, she was curious as hell about him, but it wasn’t necessary for him to know that.

     ‘Fire away with the questions,’ he told her, making himself as comfortable as he could on the hard ground.

     ‘How did you know I would come here?’

     ‘You have a thing about lakes,’ he told her. ‘You love them. Think they’re beautiful, peaceful. Like to sit next to them and think.’

     ‘How do you know that? And how do you know my name?’

     ‘I know a lot of things about you. But if I tell you how, you won’t believe me, and I can’t risk you leaving. I need to show you that you can trust me, before I answer that one.’

     This answer irritated Lea a lot, but it was what she’d asked for, so she gritted her teeth and carried on.

     ‘What’s your name?’

     ‘You know it,’ he told her.

     ‘No I don’t,’ she insisted.

     ‘Just think about it. You do.’

     She sighed, but decided to go along with it. She concentrated hard on his face, and searched for names that fitted. ‘You look like a…Mark.’

     ‘See! You did know it,’ he pointed out.

     Lea clenched her fists. Mark was a frustrating man.

     ‘No more questions?’ he asked her.

     ‘Not any you’ll answer.’

     ‘So it’s my turn?’

     She shrugged. ‘I guess.’

     ‘Right.’ He paused, putting the words together in his head. ‘Where to start? You’re an intelligent woman. If you look around you, you’ll start to notice that there are things that don’t…work. It’s like- everything is- I don’t know how to put it. Wrong? I can’t tell you what they are, or both our lives will be in danger, you have to figure them out for yourself. I’ll leave that point for you to think about.

     ‘Next. Being ready is bad. Whatever you do, do not let yourself be ready. I can’t-‘

     ‘Wait,’ she interrupted. ‘If being ready is bad, is being taken good?’

     ‘Not at this point,’ he admitted. ‘Eventually, yes. But until then, you have to listen to me very carefully and pay attention. Do you believe what I’m telling you?’

     ‘I think you’re absolutely insane,’ Lea told him. ‘You’re here, telling me that everything I know is a lie. And yet it makes sense. I’m not shocked by any of it.’

     ‘That’s because you know all of this already,’ he explained. ‘The part of your brain that…you don’t have access to, as it were, has already figured it out.’

     ‘Like subconsciously?’ she asked.

     ‘I guess it’s a bit like that,’ he said.

     ‘Figured what out?’

     He looked down at his hands, toying with the idea of just letting it all loose, but he didn’t want to scare her off. ‘That it’s not real.’

     Lea didn’t react. ‘I need some time to digest all this.’

     ‘Sure, take as long as you need,’ he told her. ‘When you’re ready to talk again, I’ll be here.’

     She got up to leave and as she did he asked ‘Lea, what was the last task He gave you?’

     Lea didn’t want to reply, she worried what the task He had given would reflect in her, but Mark seemed trustworthy and understanding. ‘To kill someone,’ she admitted.

     Mark almost visibly went pale. ‘We have less time than I thought.’ He gave a long sigh. ‘Promise me, whatever you do, that you will not complete this task.’

     Lea stared into his eyes, and it was there again, that recognition. ‘I promise,’ she whispered.

     Then she left.