Tainted

Chapter Twenty

I read this chapter out loud. So, I guess that means it's edited. I hope there aren't many mistakes. Anyways, enough of my rambling. Enjoy!

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My leg kicks up more dirt while I used my power to hold the dirt in the air. My temporary hostages. The dirt particles are here to help me control smaller things. It's like I'm training while doing everyday things, something I know Ian would applaud me for.

"Could you stop kicking up dirt?" A grumpy Nick asks and I roll my eyes and release the dirt.

"I'm strengthening my focus on smaller objects." I tell him. He shrugs, not seeming to care much.

"Yeah, go do that elsewhere." He asserts and I stop momentarily. One part of my brain is ordering me to do just that; ditch the dirtbag and practice until I figure a way out of this. The other part is telling me to just stay put and follow Nick. Because he has the teleportation power, after all, and I don't.

"Don't just stand there, kiddo, come." He says and I follow but raise both eyebrows at him.

"Kiddo?" I ask. He throws his hands up, too exasperated by my behavior to explain.

"Just follow me. I've already told you that I'm not a normal teen. I say weird stuff sometimes. No big deal." He insists, using his arms to stress his points since I can't see his face.

"Where are we even going?" I ask. He hesitates, causing me to speak up again. "Nicholas!" I say sternly.

"I don't know, okay! Sheesh, how about you take the lead since you're so anxious to do something." He spits and I grab the opportunity.

"Gladly!" I say, stretching out the word and marching past him to lead the way.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" He asks quietly. "I remember you being a lot cooler when you only hung out with Josh and not that Ian kid."

"Newsflash, I hung out with Ian before Josh." I inform him. The silence that follows is just what I need. I exhale slowly, trying to figure out my next move from here.

After countless minutes, I hear Nick's voice again. "So, have you figured out where we're going now?" He asks and I turn around, continuing walking backwards but looking at him at the same time.

"You beamed us here, you dough bag; you figure out where we're at and where we're going." I grumble and he grins.

"Dough bag? Wow, that's a new one. Um, last time I checked, you were the one who wanted to lead, so go on and lead." He says. I turn around, trying to frown but I end up biting back a smile.

"I'm amusing to you?" He asks, teleporting directly in front of me. I almost fall because I have basically no time to stop. "We're becoming friends again." He coos and I laugh.

"We'll be better friends if you take the leading role again and find out where we are. I implied that I knew where I was going, but that was all an act." I admit. Something about his goofy facial expression reminds me of Josh, thus keeping my smile plastered on my face is effortless. Maybe it's the fact that they're brothers, my sarcastic, sass-mouthed conscience silently remarks.

"A farce act indeed." He confirms. "I'll have to admit, though, you almost had me fooled." He says. He disappears again before appearing several feet ahead of me.

"How can you teleport around in this desert but you can't teleport us home?" I can't help but ask. The question was bugging me like birthday money burning holes in your pockets.

"My teleportation is a bit complicated." He starts off saying. "If I'm aware of my location, even without knowing the name, I can move around it. For example, if someone blindfolded and kidnapped me and locked me in a cell, I could teleport around the cell. I could even teleport out of the cell if there were bars." He stops and takes a lengthy pause, yawning for countless seconds.