It could have been worse, I guess. Though at the time I couldn’t see how. But at the time I thought she was dead. She sure looked dead, which meant I’d killed yet another girlfriend. Not that Lauren was my girlfriend, you know, technically, but she was close enough.
I screamed at first—so loud that I’m surprised the neighbors didn’t come to investigate even if they did live nearly two miles away—but the screams morphed into sobs when I noticed her breathing.
A wave of relief washed over me, but it wasn’t nearly enough. She was still unconscious, her hair was standing on end, and her skin looked grossly pale. I had to do something. If I hadn’t been sure I’d fry her all over again, I’d have carried her to a hospital already, but as it was, I couldn’t touch her.
I hated feeling so helpless. I tried to calm myself down, but it was useless. The crazy emotions were rebuilding the energy I’d exerted with the blast of lightning. I was already starting to feel strong again, and that made me dangerous. All I could do was sit there with her and wait.
I cried, begging Lauren to wake up, until my ears caught the sound of the faint humming I’d heard just before lunch. I sucked in my sobs and turned my eyes to the forest, focusing all my attention on the sound. It was definitely electronic. A video camera maybe? And it was coming from way off in the distance, up the side of the mountain, deep in the trees.
The harder I listened, the more things came into focus. Wind pushing its way through the pine needles. Tiny feet scampering in the branches. A nondescript rustling in the bushes. Breathing. And a heartbeat. I wasn’t sure I was hearing a human—a deer would breathe and have a heartbeat too.
At first I saw nothing, but the tiniest glint of sunlight reflected off something up the hill, and as I strained my eyes everything came into focus. The bush looked normal enough, but within its branches the colors blurred together a few shades darker. There was definitely a figure hiding there.
"Carter," I breathed. I was frozen in fear at the possibility that someone was watching me. I couldn’t tell for sure, but what else could it be? The sound? The reflected light?
As I frantically tried to figure out what to do, I was startled by a horrible coughing fit. It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. "Are you okay?" I asked, tears returning to my eyes. "Oh, Lauren, I’m so sorry!"
Lauren pulled herself up. As soon as she had her wits about her her eyes focused on me. I was so sure I’d finally pushed her over the edge, freaked her out beyond repair. I was convinced that she’d run away screaming and never speak to me again. I was also convinced that that wasn’t such a bad idea, but Lauren surprised me. The corners of her mouth slowly crept upward and she said, "That. Was. Awesome!" Her voice was a little gruff, but I could still hear the unmistakable excitement. The jolt had clearly fried her brain. "What?"
"Let’s do it again!"
If my face was pale before, now it was white as a ghost, and Lauren laughed at my expression. "I don’t mean the whole getting zapped part," she said. "Though I always wondered what it would feel like to get Tasered. FYI? It sucks. But you are seriously the best kisser in the entire world. So worth it. And did you see that? For a minute I was strong like you!"
Lauren grunted as she got to her feet. After stretching all her stiff muscles, she stepped toward me with open arms.
"Are you suicidal?" I screamed, putting a good twenty feet between us instantly.
Lauren blinked. "You’re not calm yet?" she asked.
"Calm?" I screeched. "Calm? Lauren, I nearly killed you! How could I possibly be calm?" Lauren studied my face for a minute and then rolled her eyes. Her smile turned to a frown. "You’re not going to let me kiss you ever again, are you?" It wasn’t really a question.
