Jackson Humes is Not a Superhero

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"So, you actually believe me?" I didn't know whether to be relieved or suspicious, but after the ordeal with Tanner I decided it would be safer to veer towards the latter.

"I will once you prove to me you can fly." Officer Velasquez turned on a computer before she walked across the room and opened up a large metal cabinet. I caught a glimpse inside and saw the shelves were neatly stacked with office and cleaning supplies. She plucked a feather duster off one of the shelves and began cleaning the various surfaces around the room. I stood rooted to the spot baffled that she was spring cleaning at a time like this.

Once she was satisfied that the room was more presentable, she put the duster away and sat down at the computer. Her fingers raced over the keyboard. I'd never seen anyone type so fast in my life.

My voice cracked. "If I do prove to you that I can fly, are you going to turn me in to the government?"

"Of course not," I heard unmistakable annoyance in her voice.

It was my turn to x-ray her. Officer Velasquez didn't strike me as someone who was crazy or evil, not that I had a whole lot to compare her to besides some of the people at my school. Then again, Wendy hadn't appeared evil to me, but she had attacked Tracy and vandalized the school. Perhaps I wasn't the best judge when it came to such matters.

She frowned and bit her bottom lip. It was probably something she wasn't even aware she was doing. For some reason it made her appear a lot younger. She pulled her cell phone out and checked it, but whatever she found didn't help her mood any because her frown deepened.

The room was now filled with floating dust motes. I couldn't see them in the dim light, but I could feel them tickling my nose and throat. Before I could stop myself, I let out a very loud sneeze followed by another one that left my chest hurting. She stood up, pulling a tissue out of a drawer and handed it to me.

"Thanks." I turned my back to her and blew my nose, the sound that came out was something a duck would make. It was a little mortifying. I never blew my nose in front of anyone if I could help it. I tossed the tissue into the little wastebasket underneath the desk, but I missed. I bent down and placed the tissue in the trash feeling ridiculously self-conscious.

She took several steps back. I wasn't sure if it was my germy sneezes that were making her cautious or her police training. Either way, it made me uneasy.

"So," she broke the silence after a few seconds of watching me, "let's see you fly." There was no derision in her voice. She might as well have been asking me to show her the palms of my hands.

"You promise me you won't freak out?"

She nodded once.

I lifted my arms over my head and concentrated. My previous attempts hadn't worked; but if there was ever a time I needed it to work, it was now. Up. I said to myself. Up. Up. Up. Nothing happened...yet again. The intense way she was watching me was also not doing me any favors.

I shook out my arms and legs to release some of the tension and tried again. This time when I held my arms directly over my head I also jumped in place, hoping it would push me off of the ground. After about my tenth jump, Officer Velasquez sighed.

"This was a big mistake," she said. "I should've never brought you here."

"Wait," I wanted to prove to her I wasn't crazy, "I really can fly. I've just never done it on my own. It's always happened when I've been scared or in trouble or when I haven't been forcing it."

There was nothing in the room that I could jump off of except for the coffee table, so I hopped on top of it and jumped off. Her expression went from disappointed to one of irritation rather quickly. I decided to change tactics. I took several steps back and ran towards the couch. When I was just a few feet away I threw myself into the air. For one brief moment, I thought it had worked, but then my body tilted downward and I hit the couch hard, unsettling the dust and causing me to have a sneezing fit.