The Talents of the Fallen - 5. Part Five: Chance Meeting

Chapter Five: Chance Meeting

Eight years has passed since Mary Mays fled Canada to the States with Aaron in tow. During those years Mary had figured out some of Aaron’s quirks. He didn’t like loud noises, bright lights, and anything made of flesh, blood, or bones. He would eat fish which is why she planned to get sushi for his birthday party. She didn’t know if the other kids would like it but she was sure Aaron would. What did worry her was that no one would show up.

Due to his special needs the school had placed him in special ed. She knew her grandson was far too smart to be there but it was either that or boarding school. She would rather die than give him up.

Today she was taking Aaron to get fitted for his school uniform. As an entering freshman that meant a whole new set of outfits.

Two other students were planning the same thing. Though they went to a far different school, their chance encounter would change Aaron forever.

It had been near the start of the new school year when Jon and his friend Sam had gone to a clothing store to get fitted for their school uniforms. Unlike Aaron, who went to public school, the two boys were students at the Lakes Academy, a coed private boarding school near Northwestern University.

The two, quite tall for their age couldn’t get their clothes off the rack. The two needed to be fitted. This meant they had to endure the poke and stabs of the tailor’s pins as their pants were cuffed and tapered.

Having gone through three sets of clothes Jon was eager to hurry up and leave. However, when he got back to the changing room he found it locked. Someone had slipped in between changes.

He wasn’t amused. With his street clothes locked behind the other side of the door he knocked and asked for whoever was in there to hurry up. When he didn’t get a response he began shouting and hitting the door harder.

Losing control of his temper he grabbed the knob and yanked the door free from the sliding bolt. There inside he found a short kid cowering under a bench. Jon was about to drag the kid out but then new feelings emerged. The youth was by no mistake the sort of kid he got a kick out of bullying. This time he felt no desire to hurt the frightened youth. If anything he wanted to lift him up and hold him protectively in his strong arms. It was an emotion completely new to him.

“Uhmmm. Sorry about that. Take all the time you want.”

“No hurt?” The young man asked.

“I’m not going to hurt you. Would like to help you if I can.”

“No…” the young man began gathering his clothes.

“Here… let me help you.” Jon knelt to pick up a stack of discarded uniforms from the floor. Instead of being thanked all he got were a dozen stabs from the pins.

He did his best not to appear too interested as the two changed. Curious however he attempted to probe into Aaron’s mind with the Talent. All he sensed however was a black empty void. The teenager was either that empty headed or was able to block his mental probing. Could he be a Talent?

There are four known Talents, physical, mental, emotional and kinetic. Most Talents could use a bit of all four but usually they were strong in only one. Jon was a physical Talent and proud of it.

Whatever Talent this kid had, Jon had to know more. “The name’s Jon. What’s yours?”

“A… Aaron.”

“Well Aaron it’s nice to meet you. Put it there pal.” He offered his hand.

Aaron saw the needles piercing Jon’s skin and stepped back. “No. No blood.”

“No blood? You mean my hand? Don’t worry about it.” Jon put the clothes on the counter. Looking at his hand he did indeed see a few tiny drops. The kid must have sharp eyes to have noticed them. No matter. Jon licked his hand clean and offered it a second time.

If the sight of so little blood had upset Aaron, watching the other teenager lick the blood was a thousand times worse. What Jon had done brought forward memories he and long tried to suppress.

Whenever faced with the horrors of his past he wouldn’t scream or run away in fright. He curled into a tight ball and entered a catatonic state.

Jon didn’t know what to think. He knew he had done something wrong but didn’t have a clue as to what. Glad the dressing room was in the back of the shop he knelt down and tried to lift the young man up. The moment their hands touched the two felt a jolt of emotions hit both of them. It caused Jon to feel a rush of excitement and shook Aaron from his trance like daze.

Aaron jumped to his feet and backed away so fast his ran into a rack loaded with jackets. The two stared at each other as if they didn’t know if the other was real.

Before either could speak, a woman in her mid-60’s appeared. “There you are Aaron. I will not ask why you’re hiding in the rack. No matter. The tailor says your clothes will be ready sometime before school starts. You’ll like that won’t you; getting your new high school uniforms? You looked so cute in those outfits.” Mary Mays reached to pinch Aaron’s cheeks.

Jon looked at the pair as if he was watching a scene from the Stepford Wives. Robot kid with his robot mother or was it grandmother. Still I have to be sure if he is a Talent. Even if he was a Blip he had the right to be taught how to master his Talent.

He tried again to reach into Aaron mind a second time. Once again his probing came up against an empty void. Could that be the kid’s talent… some sort of mental shield that he doesn’t even know he has. It was not perfect. Direct physical contact broke through the shell. That had to be what triggered the release of so much empathic energy. It was unlike anything Jon had experienced before. He had to know more.

Reaching out with his mental talent he called out to his friend Sam.

Sam, a black teenager the same age as Jon had dealt with Jon’s theatrics enough times to not rush himself. By the time he arrived Aaron and his grandmother had finished checking out with the clerk and heading to the exit. “What’s up dude?”

Jon glared at his best friend and pointed at Aaron.

“And what am I supposed to see?”

“I want you to use your Talent on him.” Jon, one of the greatest physical Talents of his generation had very little in the way of empathic or telepathic Talent.

Sam might have been born a Blip in the slums of South Chicago, but he was a powerful empath. If anyone could break through the kid’s barrier it would be him. “You know I don’t do love potions.”

“Sam!”

“Alright… here I go.” The two followed after the pair out of the store and into the parking lot. Reaching out with his Talent Sam tried to sense the emotional state of the teenager Jon had pointed out. No matter how hard he concentrated he couldn’t sense anything. Frustrated he lashed out with a storm of terrifying emotions.

Feeling the wave of negative emotions Jon went pale. So did the rest of the people in the lot. It was as if the Spector of death was hunting them down. Some ran back into the shop while others hurried down the street to escape the waves of negative emotions. Soon the parking lot and nearby sidewalk was empty of ever one except the three teenagers and Aaron’s terrified grandmother.

Mary Mays was slumped against the hubcap of her car. Her brown eyes appear to be ready to pop out of her skull. Her lips were trembling as she whispered the same sentence over again.

The boys couldn’t hear what she was saying with their ears, but even Jon could read it from her mind. “They’ve found us… They’ve found us. Oh god lord protect me. They’ve found us.”

While the old woman lay paralyzed with terror Aaron stood over her unaffected. He looked worried but was did not appear to be scared.

It was as Jon suspected the kid was immune to empathic Talent. “Enough Sam… I think we’ve scared the poor lady enough.”

“Not enough for my liking.” Sam grunted.

Jon was surprised. Sam was not the sort to cause other people pain. He must have read something in her mind that Jon was too weak to sense. Jon elbowed his friend in the ribs. “Come on Sam… enough.”

Sam groaned. Jon’s idea of a soft punch would cause bruises in a normal man. Sam included. “You didn’t have to hit me.”

“Yes I did. Go get the car.”

“It’s your car Mr. Fancy Pants.”

“Take them.” Jon tossed over the keys.

“Sweet.” While Sam was dirt poor, Jon came from a quite wealthy family. As an Omicron he was a direct descendent of one of the original families to possess the Talent… known as the Elected. Over the centuries his family had used their Talent to amass great wealth.

Sam, not a member of the Elected, was derogatorily referred to as a Blip. No matter how powerful Sam’s empathic Talent might become he would never be considered one of the Elected.

While Sam ran off to get the car, Jon headed towards Aaron and his grandmother. “Something wrong here?”

“Uhmmm, help?” Aaron pointed at the terrified old woman.

“Sure but I’ll need your help too.” Jon offered his hand for Aaron to take.

Aaron looked at it debating if he should take it. He recalled what he had felt when they first held hands. A part of him had enjoyed the feeling. For that same reason it also terrified him. Closing his eyes first, he held out his open palm.

Jon looked at the teenager’s squinting eyes and swore under his breath. “What the fuck is this about.” Still he wasn’t going to turn down the chance to take hold of that slender hand.

Grabbing it as if it were a rabbit about to run away he basked in the wave of emotions the contact triggered in him. It was like the last piece of a puzzle falling into place. He felt love, lust, pleasure, and wholeness. He was certain Aaron felt the same. But who was the source of this empathic force? Was it coming from Aaron, or was it like a chemical reaction where only the presence of both could trigger these powerful emotions, hungers, and desires.

The moment was perfect until the disapproving voice of the grandmother broke the mood. “You can let go of my grandson’s hand now.”

“What? Oh… Sorry about that.” Jon had not noticed that his eyes were closed. Popping them open he saw Aaron, goggled eyes looking up at him. “Are you alright ma’am?”

“I am fine… just a short fainting spell. It’s gone now. So if you don’t mind we will be on our way.”

“Of course, but should you really be driving? You might faint behind the wheel.”

“I…” Mary could not quickly forget the vision that had so terrified her to cause her to slip. It might not be safe for her to drive. That didn’t mean she was ready to take the young man up on his offer. She had seen him and Aaron together in the shop. It was clear his motives were not as generous as he claimed. Still she had to get back home to prepare for Aaron’s 15^th birthday party. “You seem awfully young to be driving on your own.”

Jon took out his wallet and let her see his learner’s permit. “Will be getting my license in six months.”

“By the look of you six months too soon.” She looked him over and found several things she didn’t like. With his broad shoulder thick arms and sun bleached hair he had to be a sport’s freak. Most would not hold that against the kid. She had gone to the principal’s office enough times to know he was the sort of kid who would mistreat Aaron. More than his looks, one thing in particular irked her. “You can let go of Aaron’s hand now.”

“Oh, what? Sorry about that.” He let go but Aaron didn’t quite loosen his grip. Not like Jon couldn’t shake his hand free. He wanted to watch how Aaron’s grandmother would react.

Her reaction was swift. She grabbed Aaron’s and dragged him towards her. The woman looked ready to scold the kid but for some reason she bit her lip and stayed silent.

It was during that awkward moment of silence that Sam drove up beside them. “Need a lift?” He sat behind the wheel of a Lexus LFA. Sam didn’t know how Jon talked his father into buying him a $400,000 plus car as his first ride, especially since he didn’t have his license yet. While Sam got a kick of being allowed to drive it, he was also terrified each time he got behind the wheel. If anything were to happen to it while he was driving he was sure Jon’s father would tan both their hides.

Dr. Mays couldn’t disapprove more. “Eh? Is this what you kids drive these days?” She gripped Aaron y his shoulders as if the car would attack him. She didn’t know who these kids were but they were exactly the sort she wanted to keep her grandson away from. Oh they would be nice in the beginning; drive him around, take him to the movies and all the other stuff normal friends did. But like in the Stephen King movie Carrie, it would only last until the worst moment possible.

In one case Aaron had been invited to another kid’s birthday party only for them to use him as a human pincushion playing pin the tail on the donkey. There was also the case where an older group of kids talked Aaron in going for a trip on the L-train. They dumped him the worst part of south side. It had taken the police threatening to arrest the kids before they would help the police find him.

There were many other such incidences where Mary had put her trust in the wrong people. She had no doubt that these two boys were no different than the others. “We’ll call a cab.”

Her cold tone sent a shudder down Jon’s spine. She clearly didn’t like him. She might have gone and done exactly that but Jon had an ace up his sleeve. “Sam, you think you can help this nice lady to her car.”

Sam didn’t need to ask what his friend wanted him to do. Reaching out with his Talent he settled the woman’s fears and put in her the calmness of a trusting woman. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like a ride?”

Mary looked at the pair. They seemed clean cut and had acted in a polite fashion. So long as she didn’t let things go further than a ride nothing bad should happen. After all, the two had done nothing to justify her suspicions. “Alright… but we’ll be going in my car.”

“Good. Sam will follow us so he can pick me up after you get back.”

“If you were to give me the address I could get there twice as fast.”

“Your ‘friend’ can follow.” Mary wasn’t a racist in that she didn’t hate black people or saw them as inferior. It was that growing up in Bay Bulls there really hadn’t been any. As most people fear the unknown, she couldn’t stop herself from tightening up. After all Canada got almost as much American televisions as in the States.

Sam didn’t need his Talent to know the woman had taken a dislike to him because of the color of his skin. Before the day was through he would be sure to use his Talent to teach her a lesson.

Jon didn’t need to ask where the two lived. Though his mental Talent was weak he easily picked it out of the woman’s mind. It took more concentration on his part to block out the woman’s rambling. By the time they hit the highway he knew more about Dr. Mays then he could ever want to know. Her constant need to lecture was intolerable. It could explain why Aaron was silent most of the time. Not engaging in the conversation appeared to be the only way to get her to shut up.

“Now turn right and go down three blocks. You’ll see the house on your left. It will be the blue one.”

“Yes ma’am.” After being told the risks of getting a girl pregnant, catching STD’s, and drunk driving statistics, he was almost glad they were almost at their destination.

The house was indeed blue… in fact too blue. A dark navy it didn’t fit in with the white, red brick, and beige houses that were more common in the neighborhood. It was two story Victorian made up if the nasty blue bricks. The windows were all heavily draped. In one section the windows had been bricked up. Jon guessed that had to be Aaron’s room.

After parking the car he handed Dr. Mays her keys and followed them to the house. If he had intended of joining them inside he had fooled himself.

After she had herded Aaron inside, she turned around, crossed her arms over her chest, and braced herself between the screen and the main door. Like a lioness protecting her cub she was not about to let him get anywhere near her grandson. “It was very nice of you to bring us home but we’re done her. You can go back to wherever you come from and leave us alone.”

“Jeeze… ma’am. Can’t I even use the bathroom?”

“There’s a Starbucks six blocks from here on the main road. With your fancy race car you should get there before you can unzip your pants. Now if you don’t mind I have a birthday party that needs seeing to.”

“A birthday party? It wouldn’t happen to be Aaron’s?”

Mary bit on her lower lips and held her breath. She had been so eager to get the kid off her front lawn that she had gone and spilled the beans. The troublemaker would certainly want to attend but she would rather cancel the party before allowing his like at the party. “You are not to come within a hundred yards of my home. If you do I’ll call the police and have you arrested for trespassing. This community is very strike on safety so I will know if you come back to snoop around. Stay the hell away from my grandson. He doesn’t need people like you hurting him.”

“But ma’am.” Jon was about to protest that he meant any such thing but before he could say more than two words the door was slammed in his face.

Dejected and a bit angry how he’d been treated, he hopped into the passenger seat of his car. It didn’t take long for him to feel Sam’s probing thoughts massaging away his tension. “Let’s get back to Lakes.”

“But it’s not even close to curfew.”

“I don’t care… All I want to do it go back to Lakes, bust up a few punching bags, take a hot bath and go to bed.”

“You’re not going to tell the headmaster about this kid?”

“Dang… I forgot about that. Take me back to the administration building. Dr. Balthazar and I are going to have a little chat.”

“You know he doesn’t like you.”

“So… this is different. Isn’t it his job to find people with Talent? I might not know what his Talent is but I’m certain he has it.”

“Fine, tell him, but you know he won’t let you anywhere near this kid.”

“Why not? I’m the one who found him.”

“Because he knows you too well. Dude, he will know you have more than a passing interest in this kid. You know what he will do. He will set the kid up with the very last person you want Aaron hanging with. We all know who that is.”

“He wouldn’t dare. He doesn’t hate me that much.”

“He doesn’t hate you per say but he does get a kick watching you squirm.”

“Damn it. Life is so unfair.”

“Hey… you have no right to say that in front of me.” Sam was not kidding. His father had left his mother the moment she told him she was pregnant with Sam. She, in turn, had been so hooked on drugs that Sam had been born dangerously underweight. His grandmother had been the one who raised him until one of Dr. Balthazar’s people found him.

The head of the Lakes School for the gifted had people everywhere looking for those with Talent. By the time Sam was twelve he had learned how to cause people to do what he wanted, and scare off those who threaten him or his grandmother.

When his grandmother had died of old age, he lost control of his Talent. No one could get near him; not his social worker or the police. It had been one of the Elected’s liaisons who learned of Sam. Suspecting what was going one was due to an untrained Blip, he sent word up the chain of command until it reached Dr. Balthazar.

Sending in a team of Talents they were able to subdue Sam and bring him back to the headmaster. It had taken some time and effort but Sam eventually gained enough control of his Talent to not be a threat to the other students.

Becoming a student at Lakes was like entering another world. It was hard being the poorest one of the few black students but at Lakes, the strength of one’s Talent supersedes race and income.

That did not mean he was fully accepted. Having lived a completely different life before coming to Lakes it continued to be hard to fit in. Jon, a rebel but nature, took Sam under his wing. Being the physically strongest person on campus and one of the wealthiest no one dared to openly challenge their friendship.

While they had been best friends over the last three years Jon still had the habit of saying things to remind Sam of how different he was from the other students. As in this case he did his best to ignore it.

“Sorry about that… but you know what I mean. It’s not my fault my family and the Balthazar’s don’t like each other.”

“It has nothing to do with your family. It’s all about your need to challenge his authority.”

“Yeah, yeah… if I would learn to behave and apply myself he wouldn’t give me such a hard time. Still I’ll be damned if I let ‘HIM’ near Aaron. Let the others say what they want about me but he’s dangerous. I’m shocked they even let him back in.”

“His family is one of the original three.”

“Four… there were four families.”

“You see it that way because you’re a physical Talent. As far as most of the Elected are concerned there were only three… empathic, telepathic, and telekinetic. All three are focused in the mind. Yours, well, it’s all muscle.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know… we physical Talents are just dumb sheep.”

“Sheep that can bring down buildings. Anyway… want to head back to campus or not?”

“Yeah… might as well get it over with. But I swear if that Covert spreads his filth on Aaron I’ll kill him.”

Sam sighed. He didn’t dare argue. He knew a serious threat when he heard one. Jon would kill Landon if he turned the kid into one of his fellow Converted. Why the headmaster had let Landon back in was all too well known. What else could Dr. Balthazar do? Andrew is his brother.

Before leaving Sam reached out with his talent and fiddled with Mary’s mind. The next time she looked in the mirror she would find Aunt Jemima staring back at her.

On the way back only the sound of Sam’s rap music entertained the pair. Jon was too busy trying to figure out how to convince the headmaster to let Aaron into Lakes. He would have to tell what he discovered.