Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

B2: Chapter 32 - Paranoia - VI

  To Natalie's surprise—and relief—nothing else happened the rest of the day. Natalie wasn't even called into the principal's office, after waiting all day for a P.A. announcement or a phone call. On the bus home, Natalie asked Quinn to sit next to her again. It didn't feel any better than the last time, and she still kept their bags between them, but Natalie didn't want him any further away either. She was afraid of what might happen if she were alone around other people... as if Quinn could somehow keep her from hurting someone.

  "What happened?" he finally asked, as soon as they'd stepped off the bus into the slush coating the sidewalk. The bus rumbled away, and Natalie started trudging through the icy-cold winter air toward the house. For a brief moment, she was annoyed he'd even asked, but it was quickly surpassed by an overwhelming desire to spill every secret to Quinn. She wanted to unleash a flood of emotion, let go of everything and finally reveal the monster he'd called his girlfriend.

  "I hurt Blake," she said quietly.

  To her relief, Quinn didn't react like the rest of the gang would—well, except maybe for Steven. He nodded, but he didn't look happy about it. "That thing in gym? Kelsey mentioned something, but she didn't get specific."

  "We were playing dodgeball. She was saying things, and I threw it too hard. I think I broke her nose."

  Quinn shook his head. "You didn't. It was bleeding, but she's okay."

  Natalie's eyes welled up. "She's not."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I ran into her at lunch. I... she was saying something and I..." Natalie stopped walking. She dabbed at her eyes with a cloth from her bag.

  "Natalie," said Quinn. He took a step closer, but she couldn't—as much as she desperately wanted to be hugged, she still couldn't let him that close. "She looked fine at the end of the day," he continued quietly. "You didn't do anything permanent."

  "I scared her. I showed her what I can do." Natalie looked up at Quinn, tears gone. She needed to be serious now, to tell Quinn everything so they could figure out what to do next. "She knows."

  Quinn glanced up at the sky thoughtfully. "...Okay. Well, there's no scary helicopters coming yet, so..."

  Natalie laughed, a painful sound that barely made it out of her throat. "I don't think they'd use helicopters."

  "Well, it doesn't matter," he said. "Nobody knows you live here, remember? Not the school, not the government, and definitely not Blake." Quinn held out his hand. "Come on. Let's go home."

  I can do this. I need to do this.

  You can.

  Natalie reached forward, pressing through the dark clouds, pressing through pain that swarmed over her like a host of angry insects, and took Quinn's hand. She wrapped his palm in hers, and for a moment, she didn't feel any pain. She savored the cold chill of his fingers, the way their fingers interlocked, the way he gripped her just the right amount.

  "...Your hand's really warm," he murmured, and it didn't break the moment. It helped.

  She giggled. "Magic," she reminded him with a small smile.

  A siren started blaring somewhere, a few streets away. It was faint, but it was enough. The moment was broken, and the clouds surged back into her mind. Natalie fell away, her hand sliding out of his. Quinn tried to hold on for just a second longer, but Natalie couldn't do it.