Luminosity - The Beginning - 4. Chapter 4

"I may be able to help you better understand," interjected Tomas.

He stood and took a few steps away from the table, turned, and faced them with empty hands at his sides. "Your son is unlike anyone you have met or ever heard about. He processes energy differently than other humans."

As he spoke, his body began to glow with a brilliant yet translucent blue light.

"This characteristic will lead to his death unless he and I leave this place."

Henry's parents were paralyzed by the shock of the spectacle they were observing. There was a barely discernible light modulation, and the glowing blue light disappeared, leaving Tomas standing in front of them, now holding an ice-cold pitcher of tea.

"Would anyone like a refill?"
**
Henry's parents sat and stared in wonder at Tomas for over a minute. Finally, Henry's mother held up her half-empty glass of tea and, with a shaky voice, said, "Can someone get me something stronger?"

Henry's father began to stand, only to find Tomas offering him a bottle of Jean-Marc vodka he had observed Henry II and June drinking the night before.

"This is all real, isn't it?" asked Henry's dad."

"Yes, Dad, I didn't know how to tell you," said Henry.

"Can you do what Tomas did?"

"No, I can do some stuff, but I'm still learning."

"Tell us about it."

Henry relived his experiences since first meeting Tomas. They listened attentively. Tomas would occasionally add something for clarification.

"We are leaving next week," said Henry.

Tears filled his mother's eyes, "Will we see you again?"

All three of them looked imploringly to Tomas for the answer. "I'm sorry, but it is unlikely Henry will return to see you."

Tomas left the family to mourn their imminent separation.

The boys spent that night together in Henry's boyhood bed. Shoulders touching, Tomas could both hear and feel Henry's muffled sobs. Early the next morning, before Henry's parents rose, he and Tomas returned to the school for the last time.

There wasn't much to do except inform teachers and friends they'd be leaving. Henry was surprised and gratified at the heartfelt emotional responses he exchanged with the kids at the outcast table. Cynthia Walsniac embraced him and said, "You and Tomas are perfect for each other. I know you two will have a happy and exciting life together."

Henry didn't know how to respond. Tomas didn't think about him that way…at least, he didn't think so.

Even some of the 'cool kids' and 'not-so-cool kids' wished him all the best. Some made the connection of Henry and Tomas leaving the school at the same time, resulting in some admiring and a few envious looks.

Neither of them needed to take any possession on their journey. One person they were both interested in visiting was Coach O'Brien. For all his rough exterior and gruff demeanor, he was a good man who cared about them.

They suited up and headed to practice. Their teammates were sorry to see them leaving the team and the school. Even their 'A Squad' teammates seemed sad to see them go.

The coach assigned the 'A Squad' to run the 'ridge trail.' Within minutes of departing, Tomas and Henry stood before the coach, sitting in his usual spot in the first row of the bleachers next to the oval track.

"Did you two forget something?" asked Coach O'Brian with an accusatory tone of voice.

"We've finished the workout, coach," replied Tomas.

"Stop fucking around and finish the fucking run."

"We have," said Henry. "It's already posted. Check the Final Surge log."

The coach grabbed his phone and opened the app. "This is fuckin crazy. This says your pace was three seconds a mile and that you ran over two hundred miles at an average speed of twelve hundred miles an hour."

"We also updated our earlier runs. We thought you might be interested in reviewing them in your free time," said Tomas.

"We're leaving and wanted to thank you for supporting us," said Henry.

"Leaving?"

"And to congratulate you on having the two fastest runners in the world on your team," said Tomas.

"We couldn't have done it without you," added Henry with a wink and a smile.

Looking at the log again, the coach asked, "How the fuck did you do this."

"We have to go now."

Before the coach could formulate a response, the two boys spectacularly ruptured and were gone. The coach sat dumbfounded, not snapping out of the stupor until the 'C Group' returned from the 'forest loop' run thirty minutes later.

The first leg of their trip was Kings Peek, east of Salt Lake City in Utah. Kings Peek is the highest point in the state at 13,528 feet. Tomas explained that the high altitude would aid in the processing of lumin. He used the analogy of topping off the charge of a mobile phone. "The radiance at that higher altitude is similar to the plains."

Henry's senses became more keen since his first rupture and continued maturation. As he and Tomas traveled faster than the normal human eye could register, everything slowed down for him. Time was the same, but He could perceive what was happening. Henry was also better able to contribute his lumin to Tomas'. It was exhilarating.

Although taking less than an hour, Henry enjoyed the varied terrains of California's Central Valley, the crystalline azure of Lake Tahoe, the majestic grandness of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the barren flats of Nevada and Utah, and finally, the soaring peaks of the Uinta Mountains range.

And then there was the peak itself surrounded by the rocky ground with hardly a discernible trail to the summit. After Henry's first rupture, he learned that their feet never actually touched the ground; instead, they moved surrounded by lumin. A plainsrunner could expand the thickness from the ground at the cost of more significant lumin expenditure. That way, they could smooth out the route and bypass obstructions. He also learned the nature of the blue glow Tomas would project. Those proficient in processing lumin could turn it in on itself, causing a reversal of the effect and the blue glow. This allowed the runner to slow or turn in a controlled manner. Sudden discontinuance of the lumin flow without the blue counter force led to uncontrolled movement with often disastrous results.

They slept that night on the flats leading up to the mountains, with a view of the mountain range and Kings Peak in the distance. Tomas created a thin coating of lumin around them to keep them comfortable through the night.

At Dawn, they rose and made the short trip to the summit. They quietly watched a glorious sunrise illuminating the peaks and plains around them. Henry somehow knew this would be the last sunrise he would experience in the world he had always considered home.

Near the summit, they found a flat formation of rocky stone slabs. "This will be a good place for us to sun ourselves," said Tomas.

He then proceeded to undress … completely undress. He stood in front of Henry, completely naked. Henry was both shocked and overwhelmed by the sight of the winsome teen with his body that was perfect in every way.

Henry blushed and dropped his hands to his groin in an attempt to hide his growing arousal.

Tomas gave Henry a knowing smile and said, "There should be no secrets between us. Strip down. The more sun exposure you receive, the better."

Henry did strip down. He stripped down to his boxer briefs. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to strip completely nude in front of Tomas.

They sunned all day. It felt wonderful. Henry could feel his body drawing the lumin into his body. At sunset, they descended the mountain, feeling refreshed and energized.

They traveled to the flats of the Great Salt Lake Desert.

"When do we leave for the plains?" asked Henry.

"We leave tonight. We should leave under the cover of darkness when fewer people are around because we're likely to cause a serious sonic percussion on our departure."

"So soon," uttered Henry nervously.

"We leave when we're at our strongest. There are a few things I need to tell you before we start. You must rupture with me when we begin our journey. I won't need the lumin you process initially, but it is protective to you and will allow you to respond more quickly when I need you to."

Concerned, Henry asked, "What do I need to do, and how will I know when to do it?"

With a reassuring smile, Tomas answered, "You are ready, Henry. When I tell you 'now,' summon up all the lumin you can, and I will combine it with mine as needed. Trust me. Let's run."

Tomas erupted. Henry, taking the cue, also erupted. Something amazing happened. Tomas flared beyond anything Henry had seen before, and this time, there was no countering blue lumin. Within a fraction of a second, they were moving at a speed that even Henry's enhanced vision couldn't track. The lumin projecting from Tomas' body was bright orange, almost red. Henry knew they weren't in Utah anymore but weren't on the plains either.

Tomas flared more. His eyes shined a silvery gold color. The lumin flare intensified to a plasma white. With so much power, Henry could only observe it in awe. He wasn't sure, but Tomas' skin seemed paler than before they started. He sensed they were gradually slowing down. Soon, they were frozen in space. Henry heard Tomas utter with a hardly audible voice, "Henry, now."

Henry was ready. He reached into himself and flared. Henry's contribution was barely, if at all, noticeable against the overwhelming power Tomas was projecting. Nothing was happening. Henry dug deeper, deeper than he knew he could. He could feel the strain on his body; Henry was giving all he had, and he dug deeper.

Slowly, they began moving again, at first an inch at a time, but accelerating until suddenly they broke free from whatever force was slowing them down. Faster and faster they traveled. Henry was shocked to observe Tomas was visibly faint, almost transparent. His eyes were a flat, luster-less metallic color. Henry knew they needed to stop but was powerless to do anything. He had neither the power nor knowledge to slow them. With renewed concentration and fighting through pain and malaise, Tomas managed to project blue lumin in front of them. They were slowing but not nearly fast enough. Tomas didn't have enough lumin to slow them down.

Henry observed a strange drifting of the blue field surrounding them. The blue lumin slowly drifted away from Tomas to encompass Henry alone. Henry slowed quickly and stopped as the blue lumin undulated erratically and disappeared. Exhausted, Henry fell to the ground. Looking around, he discovered he was alone. Panic-stricken, he thought, 'Where is Tomas!'

Henry forced himself to his feet and followed the direction he and Tomas were traveling before they separated. He was so tired. After fifty yards, he came upon a slimy splotch in a shallow crater on the dusty soil. Upon closer inspection, he was horrified to find a pool of blood mixed with skin, sinew, and bone fragments. Twenty yards further, he found a similar, longer splotch of tissue. And then he saw it, the hardly recognizable broken body of Tomas.

Henry approached the body, fell to his knees beside the lifeless body, and cried, eventually lying beside Tomas. He fell into an exhausted and restless sleep.

It never got completely dark that night. As the sun set on one horizon, another sun would rise on the opposite horizon. This seemed a strange alien world to Henry. During the sunrise/sunset the following day, Henry woke to a strange shimmering aura descending from the brightening sky. He rolled away from Tomas and sat up. Waves of white light were pouring into Tomas' body, and his wounds appeared to be slowly healing.

Henry began to cry again; only they were tears of happiness this time.

End of Luminosity-Part One