From Embers

F I V E

I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring. I must've forgot to turn it off. I looked over at my clock on the nightstand. It was 7:30am. I put my pillow on top of my face and groaned into it. I threw off my covers and set the pillow back onto my bed. Sitting up, I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and took it off the charger. I scrolled through my notifications and clicked it back off. Nothing I needed to respond to right now. I got up and went downstairs, my stomach grumbled in response. I walked into the kitchen and there was a note on the fridge from mom. 

"Went to the school before work, I'll be home tonight. Love you. -Mom"

She's gonna see that damn video. How was I supposed to explain this to her? 

I opened the fridge and got out some eggs and bacon, might as well cook something. I grabbed the flat pan from the cabinet below the stove and turned on the fire. After a few minutes I had cooked myself an omelette and a few pieces of bacon. I sat down at my kitchen bar and enjoyed my breakfast. I thought about the questions I wrote down on my notebook. One specific question was floating around in my head more than the others. Could I control it? Only one way to find that out. I had to test my abilities and find my limits. Only one place I could do that. Home.

I cleaned up the mess I created from breakfast and put away my dishes. Grabbing my phone, I headed back upstairs. I guess there was one good thing about my dad's mysterious job. He was paid well. We had a full gym installed upstairs beside my room. I was really the only one who used it. I loaded my last max onto the press bar and lied down on the bench. I wrapped my hands around the bar and took a deep breath. I forced myself to focus on lifting the weight. Finally, I pushed as hard as I could on the bar and lifted it off of the resting bar. I pressed it down once, and tried to go back up. I struggled some but was able to lift the bar all the way back up. No noticeable difference in my strength. I let it down once again to try and lift it back up. Same thing, I struggled some but not much of a difference. I let the bar fall back onto the resting point and I sat up. So, it seems my abilities aren't just active all the time. I thought back to the shooting incident, what triggered it? I didn't do anything until the shooter pulled the trigger. It must be a fight or flight response. Will I be able to control it with time?

Then, without warning, there was a knock at the front door.

I grabbed my phone and walked back downstairs. I looked through the peephole and there was a younger woman standing outside with a briefcase. I opened the door and stood there, waiting for a response.

"Hello, my name is Kristen Largent. I'm from the Academy for the Gifted and Talented students. I'm here to congratulate you on your acceptance." She said confidently.

"Hi, do you have the wrong address? I didn't apply for an academy." I responded.

She looked down at her paper tucked under her arm and asked,

"You're Maximus Carter, right?" 

"Yes." I answered. 

"Our school awards students with admission, you've received a full ride to the school in Washington due to your excellence on the state wide test you took in January. Even though it is late in the semester, it won't be difficult to catch back up with your peers and continue on throughout the rest of your education. This is a place where you will feel accepted and be around people like yourself. Our program is among the highest level of education and success in the world. There aren't many people like you, and you will have time to consider this offer. I just wanted to drop off the paperwork and if they're home, discuss with your parents. Although, it is completely up to you if you would like to go to our school or not. It is a big step, so we understand the time you take to consider the offer. We will cover travel expenses and be sure that you are settled in nicely if you accept our offer." 

"How high did I score on that test? I don't remember it." I asked.

"You scored perfectly. You did not miss a single question." She answered.

I didn't even try on that test. I remember blowing it off because they made us take it. The school didn't even give us a notice they were administering it. We just showed up and we were taking it. I remembering just answering with the first answer I saw. How is that possible? 

"Uh, I'll have to talk to my mom and consider it. Is there any paperwork or anything?" I asked.

"Yes, I have everything you need right here." She answered.

She popped open her briefcase and handed me a stack of papers. An official looking logo was stamped on the top corner of the first page. 

"Thank you, is there anything else I need?" I asked.

"No, that is all you need right there." She pointed to a phone number on the page and continued, "Call that number when you've made your decision, it's my phone. I'll have everything set up for your travel and you'll be on your way in no time!" 

"Thank you, I'll give my decision when I make it." I stated.

"Of course Mr. Carter. I'll be expecting your answer." 

She bowed her head once and turned to leave. I closed my door and walked into the kitchen. Setting the papers down, I looked over the first page. This place looked very high class and expensive. A full ride too? I pulled out my phone and called mom. Maybe she had already heard about it. The tone rang three times before she picked up.

"Hello?" She stated.

"Hey mom, have you heard anything about this academy I got invited to? This woman just came to the door and told me about it." I asked.

"Yes! Mrs. Largent called me about it about ten minutes ago. I'm so proud of you, you did so well on that test." She said excitedly.

That was really odd, my dad always told me to never do too well on school because it would make me stand out. I forced myself to get B's even though I could've done more. Mom always told me the same thing. They never wanted me to stand out; just to be average.

"We're having a big dinner tonight to celebrate! I'm going to bake cookies too!" She basically screamed.

Another red flag. Mom can't bake. Something doesn't feel right about this. 

"Okay mom, we'll talk more when you get home." I said.

"I love you son, I'm very proud of you!" 

I ended the call. Something is horribly wrong. She didn't sound like herself. I looked back down at the papers and saw a signature line at the bottom for me. There was no parental signature, only one for me. The woman did say it was up to me. I grabbed a pen out of our junk drawer and signed quickly. I took the paperwork upstairs and threw it into my backpack. I stood and looked outside of my window. Same view as always. I looked down at the street and something caught my eye. There was an old mustang parked outside of my house. It had purple flames painted over its orange color. I couldn't see inside, the windows were tinted so dark. It was almost like the person was watching me, because as soon as I laid eyes on the car it took off down the street and was out of sight. 

Could today get any weirder?