Jackson Humes is Not a Superhero

CHAPTER TWENTY

He shook his head in disgust. I'd never seen him so angry. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you on drugs?"

There was nothing I could say to convince him that I was telling the truth. I needed to show him. My heart was pounding again; it was a mixture of excitement and relief. I couldn't believe I was about to fly in front of my brother. I lifted my arms overhead and jumped into the air. Nothing happened.

"Hold on," I said, "this will work. I just need a moment." I focused on the feeling I'd had last night when I was chasing the Silhouette. It was almost like a dull constant pressure in the pit of my stomach. I jumped up a second time, but again nothing happened. Tanner was not amused by my display. I urged him to follow me as I ran into the living room and up the stairs.

He got all panicky when he saw me trying to climb onto the railing. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

"I just need a little incentive," I said.

"Stop," he cried out, moving forward until he was almost right under me. "I believe you."

"You, you do?" I asked startled. "But you haven't seen me do anything yet."

"If you say you can fly, then I believe you. Just get down." My brother had gone completely pale, which was quite an accomplishment given the tan he'd spent hours cultivating all summer long.

"I'm not lying." I was more than ready to jump off the bannister to prove my point. "I swear to you, I can fly."

"Why don't you come down here instead and explain everything from the beginning." He watched me with a mixture of fear and something else I couldn't put my finger on as I climbed down the stairs. We both sat on the couch facing each other.

Tanner listened patiently for the next half-hour as I recounted the incident at the mall, the numerous times I had woken up to find myself hovering against the ceiling, being chased into the woods only to discover a talking mountain lion and how Marv could transform himself into a variety of animals. I pulled up the shaky video footage of the velociraptor that Jesse had shown me and explained how our parents had been working on these experiments when we were very young. I finally got to ask him if he knew our mom was pregnant when she died, but he didn't have a clue. I also told him about Wendy and how she had been the one responsible for pushing Tracy and finished with how I'd found the Silhouette outside my window and how I'd flown after him. I explained that I suspected him of kidnapping Mr. Saltzman and Graham.

Tanner sank into the couch and stared at nothing in particular. I gave him some time to process everything. Only now that it was suddenly lifted, did I know the severity of the weight I'd been carrying on my shoulders. It felt good to come clean to my brother.

"I know it sounds crazy," I said after a few minutes of silence. "Only Marv, Shannon, and Mr. Saltzman know about any of this. Jesse knows about Wendy and suspects something is up with me, but I haven't told him I can fly. The reason I didn't say anything sooner is that we're scared the wrong people are going to find out."

Tanner nodded his head, slowly, and turned to look at me. There was sympathy in his eyes. "What can I do to help?"

His words caught me off guard. The fact that he was not only willing to believe me but wanted to help as well was almost too much. I spoke calmly, making sure to keep all my emotions in check. "I need to send Marv a message. And then I'm thinking I should go over to Mr. Saltzman's house and see if I can find any clues that might help me find where he was taken. But first I need a shower."

"Okay," he nodded, "I'll go with you to Mr. Saltzman's house and help you look."

It was a huge relief to have Tanner on my side. I ran into my room and sent Marv a text, explaining to him that I had told my brother everything. I also informed him about the Silhouette outside my window and how I suspected him of kidnapping Graham and Mr. Saltzman. I jotted his number down in case I needed to call him from Tanner's phone before I hopped in the shower.