Subject 15

CHAPTER 25 - Samantha

Defeating Seth was harder than I thought, since he quickly learned the controls and memorized my attack strategy. I died more often than he, but we had fun. We eventually turned off the game at around 11:30 and started talking about nothing again; I just rested my head on his chest, feeling the rise and fall of it and listening to his heart, and his arms were laying on me – not feeling around, but just on me.

"Seth," I asked, "Why did you choose me? There are far prettier girls out there you know..."

Seth just shrugged his shoulders, moving me from my comfortable position for a second, before saying, "Again, you are... different. To be perfectly honest, I never felt this way around someone. If you haven't noticed, I'm not really good at the whole, 'social skills,' part of life, being locked away and tested on for a good while," deadpanned Seth. I smiled, and repeated in all seriousness, "Seth... come on, there has to be another reason besides, 'You're different.'"

He stayed quiet for a time, and I could tell that he was thinking deeply, and he finally replied, "Samantha... I don't fully know what I feel, except that I feel attracted to you. You represent everything that I want: freedom, love, autonomy... really, you are like a new beginning for me. If it was possible, I might've wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, in another life, but..."

I sat up a slight bit, looking at Seth's face as I asked, "But?"

He sighed, and said, "But we both know that anything, 'normal,' is out of the picture. I mean, look," and he held out his hand. Slowly, the air started to move around his hands, seeming to dance in between his fingers. With a small grunt of frustration, Seth let the air disperse, not willing to give it the needed concentration to sustain it.

I shrugged, then said, "You got me, but I say to that, 'Who determines what is normal or not?' I mean, yeah, it's not everyday that you're boyfriend can control the air and whatever, but..."

I paused here, looking for something to follow it, and Seth just looked at me knowingly, understanding that nothing could follow that. I sighed and let my head fall back to his chest, then said, "I mean, living with you wouldn't be that bad," and Seth laughed his deep, true laugh. I smiled, finding comfort in his laugh. His laughing subsided, and he replied, "That's not what I meant."

I waited for him to explain, and he eventually stated, "As long as I am alive, someone, somewhere, will be looking to use me, and they will use anything," and here he paused before continuing, "or anyone, to do that."

I nodded against his chest, and said, "I'm sorry Seth."

He wrapped me in his arms, the muscles gentle to me, and he whispered, "It'll be ok... I'll think of something." I sighed again, just letting Seth hold me, when I looked at the clock to discover that it was 11:57. "You have to go," said Seth, and I nodded, sitting up. He looked at me, and I at him, and he smiled and said, "Don't worry Sam. I'll be here in the morning."

I smiled, then leaned in and kissed him again, letting a tingle of pleasure run up my spine. I stood up and walked to the stairs, saying, "Ok. Good night Seth. Sweet dreams."

As I walked up the stairs, I turned to get one last look at him, and I saw him laid back against the couch, a big grin on his face, and he replied, "Good night Sam. Sweet dreams." I smiled, then walked up the stairs to the door and left Seth to smile at the stairs. I sighed, my back against the door, my eyes closed, and I heard my mom giggle and ask, "So I guess he's a keeper?"

I laughed and opened my eyes, and as I walked off to the room my parents reserved for me, I just smiled. When I got to my room, I closed the door behind me and let out another sigh. In reply, I heard my father clear his throat. I whirled around to see him sitting calmly on my bed, the chair from my desk in front of him, and he gestured to it, saying, "Sam... we need to talk."

I nodded, and sat down in the chair waiting for what my father would say, his face a block of carved stone, just staring at me. He eventually said, "Sam, I love you more than anything, and I want the best for you, and because of that I want to know more about this boy that is currently sleeping in our basement."

I smiled and jokingly replied, "Passing the test not good enough for you dad?" but his facial expression didn't change. I acted like I didn't notice, and asked innocently, "Well... what do you want to know?"

My father gave a slight sigh, barely a breath, and said, "Why him? Why not someone like Jason Camery, the football player? What makes this boy special?"

"Jason Camery?" I asked, not disgusted but definitely surprised. "What makes you think that he would be a good choice?"

My father shrugged and said, "I dunno. You've been around him for all these years."

"Yeah," I replied with a smile, "and we're still only friends because of that."

My father gave a deep laugh, and said, "You're avoiding the other questions, Sam."

The words caught in my throat, and I stared at the carpet, thinking about what I could say, when I finally answered, "He is... different. I choose him because he is someone I trust, a person whom I don't dislike, and because he is... good." My father looked at me expectantly, waiting for more, but Seth's words echoed in my mind: As long as I am alive, someone, somewhere, will be looking to use me, and they will use anything, or anyone, to do that.

"That's it? You're willing to date this boy, whom you met only a few months ago, because he's different?" asked my father, disbelief making his forehead wrinkle and his eyebrows raise, but I just nodded and finished, "I know the likelihood of a college romance turning into a fruitful marriage, and I know the likelihood of us screwing it up... But that's a risk I'm willing to take with Seth, and that's what makes him different, because I can't do that with anyone else," and here I smiled before saying, "especially someone like Jason Camery."

My father nodded, his hand on his chin, and he smiled, standing up and kissing me on the forehead, saying, "Aren't I blessed that I get a daughter wiser than her years suggest?"

I smiled and hugged him before he left the room, replying, "Thank you daddy." He nodded and left, shutting the door behind him and leaving me alone in my bedroom.

I stood up from my chair and undressed, putting on a thin silk nightgown, crawling into bed. I used an old digital alarm clock, just to get the job done, and I made sure my alarm was set for 6:30. I put my head on my pillow, my lips still tingling from Seth's, and I smiled, falling asleep to a now subsiding gentle Texas rain tapping on the window.