Criminals

Chapter 3 Ian

The wind whistled around me as I shot through the sky towards nowhere. I passed over fields of corn and soybeans before going over another small forest. My arms were down at my side, pushed down by the force of the wind. Sticking out my hands and feet I found that I could steer by slightly putting out an arm to turn. 

When I had been trying to discover my powers in the weeks before now I had only figured out that I could break things pretty easily like: pencils just by picking them up, about ten light bulbs while I was trying to change the dead one in my room, and the sink in our upstairs bathroom. I still wasn't sure how I was going to get away with that one. I was doing chores and cleaning I was washing the bathroom counter and sink off when the faucet snapped off in my hands. Thankfully water didn't start spewing everywhere and I had managed to keep my parents from using that bathroom for the past week but with me gone now there would be no doubt they would find it. 

I wonder how they will react when a few dark armored military officers show up on their doorstep telling them their son was a dangerous criminal that was running from authorities and if they had any idea of my whereabouts then they should report them immediately. I could almost see the shocked and hurt look on my mother's face when she would hear, and the disapproving and disappointed one on my father's. 

But I wasn't a criminal was I? I had done nothing bad except for maybe shorting out the power in the Dewitt High School but I wasn't some maniacal super villain going around killing people or robbing banks. I hadn't harmed anyone except for Little but he had it coming. All that I had done just today and yet I felt like I hadn't done anything worthy of being deemed criminal. 

As more thoughts and conclusions crowded their way into my head I suddenly remembered Kyrsten. What was I going to do? I had told her to run the second she got home but with so many police officers out on the streets where would she go. Anybody out running the streets would be taken into custody and screened instantly. I needed to find Kyrsten and soon, hopefully we could maybe hide in a city abandoned from the war. 

Staring at the river that was running below me I tried to think about flying lower until I could see the ground slolwy rising closer. As my feet were about to skim the dark water something nailed me in the back. I was shoved down and under the water until I skipped back up to the surface. My body skimmed over the water like a rock until the shore caught me. I covered my head as I tumbled through the weeds and dirt that lined the water's edge. I finally stopped rolling and lay on my back, my heart beating fast and my head aching. 

Everything hurt, my arms were lined with scratches and cuts and my dark pants were stained from the grass. Slowly I sat up and cradled my head in between my hands, water dripping from my hair and clothes. I thought suddenly of what had hit me and looked around wildly. The land around me was empty but the sky was not.

A girl floated in the air several feet away from me, a foot or too off the ground. Her dark brown hair fanned out in waves behind her as if she was in space. Slowly she floated downwards until her feet touched the ground and she walked over to me. 

I struggled to get up afraid that she would knock me out and take me somewhere, my head pounded at the thought of the truck. Instead she walked up calmly and stuck her hand out to me. I hesitated but grasped her hand as she yanked me up from the ground. 

"What's your name?" she asked with smile. I looked down and brushed the leaves and grit from my  wet long sleeved shirt. 

"Ian," I said brushing twigs from my messy hair. "Who are you?" The girl smiled again hovered a few inches off the ground.

"Alyssa," she said pulling yet another twig from my hair.  "Sorry about the take down by the way. I didn't mean to knock you into the grass." I stretched my arm and gripped my shoulder when I felt pain.   I forced a grin back at Alyssa.  

"You're good, I doubt my first landing wouldn't have been much better," I said feeling my shoulder. I noticed Alyssa staring and before I could say a word she was behind me rolling up my sleeve. 

"Ouch," she said looking at my arm and shoulder, "I think you hit a rock or something when you hit the shore." I winced again as she pulled on the sleeve. 

"It should be fine just..." I started to say as Alyssa poked at the cut with her finger. I yelped and jumped away from her, "as long as you don't touch it!" I finished angrily.         

Alyssa folded her hands and offered me a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," she said an walked back over to me and pulled the sleeve back down carefully. "We can fix when we go back to base." I turned back around and faced Alyssa with a serious look, there was no way I was going with them, a bunch of Super renegades who had done who knows what to people, when I needed to find Kyrsten as soon as possible. 

"I can't go I need to find my friend before the MP's do," I said sternly and watched as Alyssa frowned. 

"Are they a Super?" she asked and I nodded. Alyssa's smile returned again as she grabbed my arm, I was tempted to wrench it from her grip but I stopped when her hold tightened. 

"Ian listen we can find you friend but we need to talk to Wade first, it's too easy for a Super to be caught just walking around the city nowadays," Alyssa said looking at me intently with hazel eyes. Reluctantly I nodded. Alyssa seemed pleased and started off at a jog from the direction we came. 

"We're gonna run all the way back?" I shouted to her. Alyssa glanced over her shoulder beaming. 

"We can't get too high or we might be spotted," she shouted back, "Would you rather try to fly through the woods?" I frowned and started after her into the trees, hoping I wasn't making a bad decision.