The Creative Process

Chapter Five: So Many Questions

    We ended up watching les mis and eating Chinese food. Thomas slurped soup, somehow managing not to spill any on the couch, Kate gingerly ate pad Thai with rice noodles and eggs, I had rice and an order of egg rolls and crab Rangoon. Thomas and Kate sat on the couch while I insisted that i didn't need to squeeze in between them and sat on the floor in between their legs. Thomas and I had never seen les mis and upon finding that out, Kate made us watch the movie, helped (at least she thought) by her explanations and "this is important"s throughout the show. By the end of it, Kate was sobbing and I saw Thomas wipe his eyes a few times, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. But I wasn't paying enough attention to the movie to get attached to any of the characters.

    It was a great time and I was super happy to have them there, don't get me wrong, but I couldn't seem to shake the image of the mans face, swimming in the back of my mind, wrapped in the shadows of the alleyway. After the movie, Thomas had shyly asked if he could stay the night on our couch because he was afraid to go home after dark. Kate, being the parental friend she is, agreed heavily and rushed off to grab a spare blanket from the closest.

    I had finally gotten into bed, ready to hide from the fear beneath the covers, but my mind raced and the only thing I wanted to do was hit the streets and find the man.

    Why? How? When? Questions swam through my head in unfinished pieces, Where did the man come from? How did he get his abilities? Does he know how I got my abilities? Why was he trying to hurt Thomas? Who else has he tried to hurt? Who else has he actually hurt? Is there a reason he went after Thomas? Does it have anything to do with me? If it does, how did he find me without me finding him first? I rolled over in my bed again and stared hard at the wall. My bed had the squeakiest frame in existence and it screeched as I moved. The softest knock sounded at the door and I knew I'd woken someone up with my inability to chill out.

    "Come in," I said, sitting up on the edge of my bed. Thomas seemed so much smaller as he slipped into the room,

    "Are you alright?" He asked me, standing just a few steps inside the door.

    "Yea I'm alright, sorry I woke you,"

    "You didn't," he said, letting no emotion into his voice, "I cant stop reliving the moment in the alleyway, do you think you can stop him?"

    "I think I can try," he smiled at me, hiding both of ours fear behind a grin. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to me.

    "I can't seem to figure you out," he said "it frustrates me even more because I know you can know everything about anyone in the blink of an eye,"

    "But I would never-"

    "I know, and that complicates it even more!" He threw himself back on my bed so he was laying with his legs still hanging off the side, suddenly I'm aware that I've never had any other person in this room besides me, "What human is so pure that they wouldn't use supernatural abilities to their own advantage, not even once,"

    I had no response.

    "Tell me about yourself, Arthur," Thomas closed his eyes, his hands resting clasped on his chest, "talking will help you be more tired and listening will help me,"

I laid down next to him and put my hands behind my head.

    "I'll only do this if you promise it won't be a one way conversation,"

    "Deal,"

    "I'm an only child, lived with both parents down state until I was fifteen and they found out about my abilities. My grandma took me in, a secret she hid from my parents and I switched schools and told no one about my past, or my abilities. My grandma was the one who let me, helped me even, train my abilities, but also knew just the right way to contain my teenage-ness and told me how important it was that I shouldn't use my powers for anything she wouldn't approve of,"

    "Her words?"

    "Oh yea," Thomas laughed, Grandma Ann would have liked him.

    "My turn, I have one sister, she's 16 right now, three years younger than me. After I graduated high school, I planned on doing the "take a year of to travel the world and party and do stupid illegal stuff while you're still young" thing, you know what I mean,"

    "I do indeed,"

    My parents didn't like that very much but they obliged me. A few months into that crazy year I hadn't really done any crazy yet and stumbled upon the internship. Kate and I had a few mutual friends and she got me into the station as a resident reporter, mostly because they don't have to pay me until I actually get a job. Hopefully, ill get the position at the start of the summer when the internship ends."

    "That's actually really cool, I bet you'll get it,"

    "Fingers crossed,"

    "My turn again?"

    "Yep," his words were turning sleepy and I knew I'd loose him soon,

    "Ok, I grew up with no friends, and suddenly in the last week I have two super good ones. Ive exposed two of my three biggest secrets to them in a week and every time I see them I'm reminded of how happy I am that they're here. But I still have one secret I haven't told anyone, not even my grandma Ann knew this one," he doesn't respond and he's completely still, I assume he's asleep, "Ive never had feelings for anyone in a serious way, so there's never before been a reason to acknowledge it, but im bisexual,"

    Silence.

    "Ok, goodnight, felt good to get that off my chest,"

    I used my telepathy to get him completely on the bed, and he didn't move. I went back outside and took his place on the couch. I fell asleep almost immediately.