[IC] Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Blitz x akela)

[akela]

Alice nodded, glad he wasn't looking at her. He felt...sadness. It bothered her, and yet the young man in front of her really did care. He didn't seem like the type to go blabbering about it to the whole school, despite being one of the jocks. Course he wasn't on the team this year, so that title really didn't work for him anymore. "It's not all bad," she encouraged with a smile, taking a quick drink. "Once everything is under control. If someone's sad, she can make them feel better without them even knowing it was her. And- and there's more," Alice went on, not wanting to get to the project just yet.

"My friend, she can do more. Have you ever heard of psychometry?" Alice asked, smiling now. "It's pretty incredible! All she has to do is touch an object and she sees it's history, from recent all the way back to- well, however long she wants to sit there and watch. It can be anything. A toothbrush, a shirt...that's hard to control too, of course, but it's more based on "willing" herself to do it than happening on accident like the emotion stuff. But yeah, just imagine what can be learned! It can be helpful," she said, realizing she was sitting up straight, getting excited. If only she could show him! "Like to figure out if a guy cheated on you in his own bed..." she added with a roll of her eyes, pushing her empty glass of coke to the side.

[Blitz]

Alice’s growing enthusiasm would have induced some kind of suspicion inside most people, but not for Lucas. He was too interesting in listening to her to notice her changing body language. Hearing about all these mental capabilities was so exciting for him, even though he didn’t really know why. Maybe it was because he felt connected in a way with a girl. He knew there were psychics out there, but he had never personally met one, or heard about one for that matter. Either way it was equally as frightening as it was cool to hear about how much the girl could apparently find out about almost anything.

Lucas took a bite of his pizza and continued to listen to her intently, still very intrigued by all this.

“That’s so cool,” he said after having swallowed. “A little scary,” he admitted, “but mostly really cool.”

He bit his lip nervously for a second. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. “I know you promised not to… but can you tell me who it is?” he asked innocently.

[akela]

Alice shook her head, finally looking over at her partner. He was cute when asking for such a small favor, nibbling at that bottom lip of his. No, it only seemed small. The repercussions of telling him could be painful, even if only on a social level, nevermind her grandmother’s warning of how it might hinder her after her school years. “No offense Lucas, but I know your type. You’re trying to pry information out of me with that damn look in your eyes so you can whisper about it in the halls with your buddies.”

Her breathing had quickened a bit, her heart pounding her chest. She’d stayed quiet for so long, but this time Alice immediately went on the defensive, exaggerating the situation in her mind as if he’d been pushing her this entire time. All because she was assuming his personality. “I’ve worked hard to keep this secret, and you know as well as I do how cruel people our age can be. Hell, how cruel everyone can be! First it’s about the project, but then it becomes a game for you boys. Do you honestly think anyone would treat me the same if they know what I-“

Her heart stopped. As did her breathing, and her eyes widened as they stared at one another. No…no, no, no. A string of curses went through Alice’s mind as she realized what she’d said, yet again letting her emotions get the best of her. Alice rarely got angry, but it was probably a fear driving her frustration this time.

Did he catch it? Probably, but Alice wasn’t going to stick around and find out. Lucas brought something out of her, though she wanted to blame it on being mentally exhausted. After school was for being with a couple girls for ice cream or staying in the art room, going home to watch movies on the couch. Nothing more. Not two seconds after she’d stopped speaking Alice jumped up, glad she’d kept her shoes on when she came in. “I have to go. We’ll talk about the project over the phone or something. Tomorrow,” she told him quickly, rushing to the entrance of the kitchen to grab the bag she’d tossed to the corner. “Don’t worry about a ride, either. I’m happy to walk home, I like the exercise.”

[Blitz]

Lucas was taken aback when Alice’s walls suddenly shot up out of nowhere. He didn’t get the chance to defend himself before Alice started letting out rapid-fire accusations and assumptions. He could physically feel the energy in the room getting more and more tense and heavy as Alice got more and more worked up. Her anxiety appeared to rise and rise until it reached a peak—and her cover was blown.

Now it made more sense. Alice was the psychic.

Lucas was in shock and the two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, both equally speechless.

Alice was the first to make a move. Out of nowhere, she had jumped up and rushed over toward the front door, grabbing all her stuff and telling him they’d do the project tomorrow. But Lucas couldn’t let her leave, not now. Before getting the chance to think about what had just gone down, he jumped up as quickly as she had and came after her, hoping to reach her before she got out the door.

He approached her from the rear as she was anxiously explaining that she didn’t need a ride, when he quickly but firmly placed a hand on her shoulder so she wouldn’t go anywhere.

“Alice, stop!” he said in a slightly louder voice, hopefully to get rid of some of her panicking.

“It’s okay,” he urged her. “I understand what you’re going through!”

[akela]

Alice twisted away from his hand, nearly tripping over her own feet as she continued toward the door walking backwards. "Bullshit, don't even try and act like you understand a single thing. And I'm not going through anything!" she hissed, glaring at him. As soon as her hand went to the door Alice realized what she was doing. He hadn't done anything and yet she was raising her voice at him. Finally she sighed, putting a hand to the side of her head. "Oh my gosh- Lucas I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be a jerk. I just- I need to go home. Please...please just pretend today didn't happen. I'll do the stupid project with you then I'm done. Just...leave me alone, okay? I don't know why you care, but I don't need you telling everyone to watch out for me."

She looked down, fidgeting with her bag. "I gotta go. No more questions that don't have to do with the project. Doesn't make sense to ask," she muttered, attempting to go outside again. It was raining, though not as hard as before.

[Blitz]

Lucas stared at her, wide-eyed, completely taken aback by her defensive bitterness. Finally, though, as her hand was on the doorknob, she calmed down all of a sudden and turned back to talk to him to apologize and try to explain herself. Lucas didn’t respond. His eyes were still wide with shock at her being a psychic all this time.

He could tell she really wanted to leave, but he couldn’t let her go. This would be the only chance he’d get to actually tell someone else… Someone who might understand…

Without thinking, Lucas reached forward and grabbed her hand as she was opening the door. A draft of cool air rushed in from the outside and he could hear the sound of rain pattering against the street outside.

“Wait,” he told her firmly. He wanted to speak again, but the words got caught in his throat. He looked down and shook his head. No, he couldn’t back down. He had to tell her. It was now or never.

“I do understand,” he said, still looking down at the floor. “More than you can imagine…” He swallowed hard and forced himself to look up and make eye contact with her, finally releasing her hand from his grip.

“I care so much because I’m the same as you.”

He didn’t want to say psychic. In reality, the word kinda scared him. He didn’t want to give himself a label. Instead, to prove his point for her, he slowly lifted up his right index finger. He mentally summoned his powers, and in response, a few small, blue sparks crackled around his fingertip. After a few seconds, he stopped and lowered his hand, giving her a sheepish smile. That was the first time he had shown anyone his powers.

[akela]

“What?” Alice tilted her head to the side a bit, her hand gripping the strap of her bag even tighter than before. Same as…did he mean-? And then he did it. Tiny bits of electricity flashed above his hand so quickly it took the girl a moment to realize what it was. In fact, even after it registered she still had a hard time believing it.

Could he have faked it? No, there’s no way. “You said you didn’t know anyone,” she whispered with a small smile, those grey-green eyes flickering from his hand up to his own gaze. Of course she hadn’t exactly been honest either. “Ah…look, if you’re not playing some game with me then could we go up to your room and do this? I just get freaked,” she sighed, looking outside before shutting the door. “If this is for real, it’s staying between us.”

Stay calm, Alice. This could potentially be a really, really great thing. Or it could go horribly bad. She just had to be careful and do everything she could to read the situation, not give too much away unless she knew it was safe, and not assume he’s friendly just because he’s a psychic. It didn’t mean anything…right?

It was horribly to judge like that, and Alice knew it. “Look- all I want to do right now is run out that door and play it safe. Or lie as much as I can while sticking around to see if you’re lying. But that’s not me, I don’t like having to assume you’re being deceitful,” she said, holding out the hand he’d grabbed moments before for him to take again, this time for a hand shake. “Seems like we have a thousand things to talk about, and I- I really want to. I promise I’ll try and be open if you do the same. No more lying. Deal?”

[Blitz]

Lucas’s lips curved into a small grin when Alice suggested they go up to his room and “do this.” But in all honestly, he was completely thrilled about all of this. This was the first other psychic he’s ever met personally, no excluding those who kept their powers a secret. He couldn’t wait to tell her everything about his powers and learn more about hers. It was weird, but he was a little glad that things had gone the way they dad… Maybe missing the football tryouts weren’t so bad after all.

“Of course it’s for real,” Lucas replied, raising an eyebrow at her suspicion. “And who would I tell? Who would even care?” He shrugged but kept a small smile still plastered on his face.

He reached out and shook her hand, which consummated their unspoken alliance and mutual respect. He wouldn’t say anything if she didn’t.

“Deal,” Lucas agreed as he pulled his hand back. “Follow me upstairs.”

He turned and beckoned her toward the flight upstairs that lead up to the second-floor hallway. Lucas opened his door and immediately felt a little self conscious about the extreme chaos that his bedroom was. Socks, shirts, shorts, and various sports equipment littered the floor, the bed was unmade, and the desk was cluttered with papers from God-knows-when. Trophies of different shapes and sizes were arranged in no particular order atop his dresser along with more miscellaneous pieces of junk, including batteries, cards, a keychain, empty water bottles and energy drink cans, and a book.

“Whoa,” he said, now realizing all the disorganization. “Sorry about the mess.” With a timid chuckle, he leaned down and picked up a few pairs of boxers and tried to nonchalantly throw them into the corner. He walked over to his bed and turned on the remote-controlled fan to hopefully get some fresh air circulating.

“Hope it doesn’t smell like stinky boys,” he laughed. He messily pulled up the covers on his bed and sat down, patting the spot next to him.

“Pop a squat.”

[akela]

Alice grinned at his comment, shaking her head. "Nah, it's fine. Actually makes me feel a little better, more at home," she answered, watching him sit and gesture for her to do the same. Uh, maybe coming to his bedroom wasn't the best plan of action. Oh well...they were here, and he seemed to have good intentions. She slipped her shoes off and sat down on the bed crosslegged, facing him. "Ah...so," she said, clearing her throat. "Guess we have a lot to talk about. I haven't exactly done this before. Told anyone, I mean," she added, biting her bottom lip. "And by the way, I can think of a few people you could tell. Like everyone at school. Nobody would want to be with someone who could read their emotions. Which reminds me...I've been reading yours. I'm sorry," she added quickly, using her hands as she spoke. This was common for her, Alice wasn't one to sit still for very long.

"Usually I wouldn't. But it's more work than it's worth. You're pretty boring, so no worries there," she added with a nervous laugh, shrugging. "Not quite as big of a creep as other guys at school can be," Alice added, joking. "So...when did you find out? You could do- well, that? Can you do anything else?"

[Blitz]

Lucas sighed when she informed him that she had been reading his emotions this entire time. He expected to experience a feeling of invaded privacy, but to his own surprise, he didn’t feel like that at all. It came as a slight relief to hear that he was bore to read mentally, which was a sign to him that his own mental walls were pretty well-fortified. Or maybe he really just was boring. He smiled at that thought because that it was probably true. Nevertheless, he reminded himself to be especially careful with his feelings around her.

“Don’t be sorry,” he told her. “And look—you’ve got dirt on me too. There isn’t any possible benefit in telling everyone at school about you. Besides, I’m not that big of an asshole.”

He then exhaled deeply and leaned backwards slightly when she asked him about his powers.

“Well… It’s kinda a big story,” he explained. “I think I was like thirteen when I noticed something was, well, different. It was pretty innocent actually. Like, I remember, whenever my phone died, it would turn on when I held it in my hand.” He held out his palms as he spoke.

“But I mean, that isn’t that strange, so I didn’t really think much of it. I honestly thought it was just because my phone was really shitty. In fact I’d still believe that was the case if things didn’t get weirder. Like… after that, I noticed that on really dry days, these sparks would sometimes pop around me—kinda like the static when you pull a hoodie on or something—except these would happen out of nowhere. I’d just be sitting and my bed trying to sleep, completely still, and then pop! Sometimes when I got upset, I’d come up here as then as I would fume, pop, pop, pop! I never felt them like you would with static, but I could see them. Sometimes it really scared me. And—this was really weird—whenever there’d by a thunder storm, I’d get filled with this really weird, almost euphoric energy, almost like some kind of high. It was the strangest feeling…”

He stopped and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to remember what happened next.

“I think, after I accepted that there was something different about me, I wanted to really see what I could do with what I had,” he continued slowly. “So one day, before my parents got home, I wandered down the street to this forest nearby, and I walked in deep enough so I was sure I was completely alone. And at first, I didn’t know exactly how to summon my powers, because, you know, I didn’t really know what exactly my powers were, except that it had something to do with electricity. So all I did was, I imagined all this static energy bided up inside me, and I thrust my hand out, channeling my energy in that direction and this bright little vein of lightning came right out of my palm and burned the bark of nearby tree. All I can say is that it felt… exhilarating, but a little exhausting too. I ran straight home after that, but since then, I’ve occasionally gone back to that forest and played around with my powers… The good news is that I haven’t started a forest fire yet!”

He smiled but quickly went on. “Anyway,” he said, “I’ve gotten a pretty good grip on my powers and controlling them.” He left the part about keeping his emotions in check out. “Now, I’m perfectly okay with going in a swimming pool without barbecuing everyone inside,” he added with another chuckle. “But, so yeah. That’s my story… I still don’t know if I’ve found out every applied use of my powers, but I’m pretty sure my affinity is electricity. Sometimes it’s pretty handy, especially if you’ve lost your phone charger or something.”

He stopped for a moment to let that sink in, but he was also curious to hear her own story. “What about you?” he asked, leaning forward and giving her his undivided attention.

[akela]

His story was truly fascinating, and Alice thought she could listen to him all day if he kept telling her about his experiences with the new found abilities. By the sounds of it they were around the same age when all this happened, making her wonder if that’s when they developed for everyone.

With each exciting part of the story Alice nodded with an excited grin, leaning forward when she was afraid his account would lead to an injury or trouble. By the time he finished she was bursting with questions, but they took a back seat when he asked about her. It was only fair, and he certainly felt inquisitive, like a good listener. Alice had a feeling Lucas was a better friend and person in general than she gave him credit for. If he were the boastful, vain person she’d assumed he’d be, he would already have dragged her outside to show how much damage he could do with electricity.

“Well…my story isn’t so grand,” she shrugged, gripping a piece of the blanket beneath her, something to fidget with while she drifted into the past. “After my mom died, dad wanted me to live with my grandparents. I stayed down there during middle school years…so I guess I was probably twelve. Anyway, I just became more…in tune with those around me. If my grandma was upset with me, I knew it before I even came downstairs. At first I was so overwhelmed, but thankfully it was a loving home. I’ve learned to deal with it pretty well, else high school would be a nightmare,” she said. “I let it go, though, thinking it was just me having an extra keen sense or somethin’. But then…one day I picked up a necklace that had belonged to my mother.”

Alice pulled a thin gold chain out from under her shirt, the pendant on the end being a gold locket with an intricate design on the front. “It was left to me after she died, she wore it every day. See?” The young woman opened it to show pictures of her as a child, showing she’d left it just as her mother had. “But I…I saw everything. It’s like it played backwards in my head, her getting hit by the drunk driver, to her wearing it all the time, where she left it on the jewelry box at night…like a movie, only I saw the ending first.” Her voice had become somber, the images still painted within her mind. “I cried and cried so much I had no choice to tell my grandparents about it. Thankfully they were pretty cool! But she said I shouldn’t tell anyone, not even my dad. I moved back in with him freshman year, and…well, here I am. You’re the first person I’ve told,” she finished, looking up at him. “I was homeschooled through middle school while I learned to build up those defenses. I guess that’s why you’re pretty boring emotionally, you must be strong to be able to handle abilities. It's actually...nice. Not having to constantly worry around you like I do others if I want some peace and quiet”

Feeling more comfortable around him now that their pasts had been revealed Alice laid down, her back against the bed and her feet shifting to the floor, so her knees were bent at the edge of the bed. She raised her arms, putting them behind her head for a makeshift pillow. “So you don’t shock people when you touch them?” she asked, moving one arm to hold up her hand, showing Lucas her palm for him to touch. “I think it’s pretty amazing. But you know, there’s one more think I can do I haven’t told you about. I just haven’t figured out my….limitations, so I don’t use it much. At all, actually.”

[Blitz]

Lucas listened to her story with an almost child-like fascination. It was beyond description for him to hear about her powers, how she discovered them, and what they could do. He didn’t want to interrupt her story, not even to offer condolences for her deceased mother. Her continued listening attentively and was amazing to hear the part where Alice described seeing the ‘backwards movie’ upon touching her mother’s beautiful necklace, which she showed him.

“I’m sorry about your mother,” he said rather quietly when she finished her story, as he thought that was the most appropriate thing to say. “And I’m glad I can put your mind at ease,” he added with a smile.

He remained seated as she reclined her back against the bed and cushioned her head with her hands. She then held up one of her hands toward him and inquired if he didn’t shock people upon contact, after which she mentioned another power she might have that she’d never tired out before.

“No, but I could shock people on contact if I wanted to, I guess,” he answered, but he was afraid to reach out to touch her hand to prove he was harmless.

“Does this power involve physical contact with other people?” he asked, somewhat anxious that this power was something that could do harm.

[akela]

Alice frowned when her hand was left untouched, but quickly laid it back down behind her head. They shook hands earlier, she would just have to trust based on earlier contact.

“Does this power involve physical contact with other people?”

Alice gave an uneasy nod, still unsure about this little talent. “Yes, but I’ve only tested it on animals. It happened on accident the first time, of course, as these things always do I think.” She hesitated, feeling more vulnerable than ever. “Two years ago I picked up a baby bird that had broken a wing. It had a couple cuts, I suppose it’d fallen while learning to fly, I don’t know much about birds,” she smirked, playing with the tips of her hair as she spoke. “Anyway, I held it in my hands when I- my hands. They started to glow around the bird. Thank goodness I was alone, I almost dropped the poor thing I was so freaked. But it was healed. I had fingers at the broken wing, and beneath them his bone and all those scratches were fixed.”

Despite being nervous there was a certain excitement in her eyes as she remembered how scared she’d been. “I’ll tell you what though, it took a lot out of me. I was so exhausted I almost passed out. It’s happened a few times since then, healing small cuts. I can’t seem to heal myself, though. Guess my body doesn’t think it makes sense to tire myself out just to heal a cut. But I bet if I worked hard or practiced I wouldn’t get so tired. What do you think?” she asked, looking up at him.

[Blitz]

Lucas sat quietly as Alice recounted her story about having healed a wounded bird. Healing was such a useful power to have, and Lucas knew that, if she trained her healing abilities, they could become an indispensable asset. Well, for others, that is. He could picture her working in a hospital working with small cuts at first, then moving on to larger gashes, broken limbs, stab and gun wounds, ruptured organs, and hell, maybe she could even regenerate an amputated limb? He wondered how much of a strain that would put on her, especially the latter injuries. He also speculated something a little darker, but both very fascinating and possible—with Alice’s powers, that is. He was curious if she could bring back someone from the dead in exchange for her own life. In a way, that was healing and Alice’s own death would be from the extreme exertion of her powers. Although he supposed death wasn’t exactly something that was “curable,” and he didn’t dare have Alice test that hypothesis.

Alice then had asked about his opinion, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Well then…” Lucas said as he suddenly got an idea. “Why don’t we practice right now?”

He stood up and went over to his nightstand. He opened the drawer, rummaged around inside, and pulled out the Swiss Army knife his father had bought him on a business trip. Without saying another word to Alice, he pulled out one of the knife edges and made a small slit at the tip of his thumb. Bright red blood immediately began to accumulate around the cut.

“Don’t worry,” he said as he placed the open knife atop his nightstand, making a mental note to wash the blade later. “I’ve got a high pain threshold…—Here.” He walked up to her and held out his hand for her to touch.

[akela]

Alice pleaded and begged for him to not do anything stupid, whining as if she were the one getting cut the entire time he was up moving about the room. She wasn’t surprised he ended up cutting himself, it was such a boyish thing to do, but she didn’t have to like it.

“What if it doesn’t work?” she sighed, sitting up and looking the blood on his thumb. With nothing left to do, since complaining obviously got her nowhere, Alice reached out and put her hand around his injured finger. A comforting heat came from the interaction, and twenty seconds later she pulled away to see blood still on his thumb and now her palm, but no sign of the cut that made it. “Whoa,” she whispered, getting on her knees and grabbing his wrist to get a better look. “That’s- that’s incredible.” Her smile faltered as she sat back down on the bed. “Too bad I can’t show anyone, huh?”

She let go of his wrist, opening her hands and starting at her palms, then his before making eyes contact with him again. “Hey, no more cutting yourself to experiment! I don’t want to see blood all over the place next time I come over,” Alice laughed. “I mean- you know, if I see you outside of class again…”

[Blitz]

Lucas smirked at her complaining, but he really didn’t mind the pain at all. After all, he was doing it in the name of science. Or was this even science? Well, he was doing it for the sake of experimenting, anyway. And he knew that was science.

When Alice questioned if it wouldn’t work Lucas merely shrugged without a response. It was a little cut, so it’d heal in a matter of minutes nevertheless. His heart was beating quickly when she reached forward and placed her hand over the cut. He felt a warm sensation emanating from her palm. It was soothing and it felt like it was dissolving the cut’s pain. He watched it happen stunned silence. After little less than half a minute, the pain was completely gone and Alice pulled her hand away. While some dried blood still remained, there was no cut nor scar to be seen.

They both gaped at his thumb, and she snatched his wrist to get a better look at it. She then lamented not being able to show anyone else and released his wrist dejectedly.

“I still think it’s pretty cool,” Lucas replied, as he held his thumb up to his face, pushing down on his skin here and there in search of any residual pain. When he pulled his thumb away he found her looking him in the eyes. He laughed at her comment.

“I’ll resist the urge,” he joked.

“And of course you’ll see me outside of class again,” he added, flashing her a sly smile. With a somewhat over-exaggerated grunt, he stood up from his bed and stretched his arms.

“C’mon,” he said as he began to head toward the door. “Let’s wash that blood off your hands. Don’t want it to look like a murder scene in here. Bathroom’s right down the hall.”

[akela]

“ ‘kay.” Alice got up and followed him to the bathroom, taking care to wash what little blood there was off her hand. “I guess we should actually start working on the project we were given,” she added, drying her hands. “Sounds like we both have a lot we can put on paper, though I think we should keep a few things to ourselves. You were holding out on me the entire time,” she laughed, lightly shoving him.

“Hey, but seriously…thank you. I can joke all I want but I’ve never…well, you know,” she shrugged, looking a little timid. “Thank you. For everything.” With that she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face against his neck. Not only was he a comfort on her mind, but she felt her muscles relax in the assurance that he would keep her secrets for as long as he lived. Pulling away Alice grinned, slipping out of the bathroom and going back downstairs to the kitchen table. “Hey, why don’t we meet outside in the forest you talked about? We’ll be all alone and you can show me what you can do with your abilities. Fair enough?” she asked, sitting down to finish the school work. It would be nice to knock it out in one day. “We could go this weekend, Friday evening after school. Unless you have plans, we can do it another day.”

[Blitz]

Lucas ran his hand quickly under some warm water to get the dried blood off his thumb. As he did, he rubbed the part of his finger where the cut had been. There was no residual pain, no scar, not even a scratch. Amazing. After drying his hands, Alice had suggested that they actually start their project soon.

“Like you weren’t hiding anything either,” Lucas laughed in reply when she commented on his holding out.

“Oh, well, you’re welcome,” Lucas added with an awkward smile when she thanked him, and before he had the chance to process what was going on, she stepped forward and hugged him tightly around his waist. That came as a surprise to him, seeing as she was such a shy person. He had unknowingly presumed she wouldn’t be very touchy-feely. She had pressed her face into his neck, and with a subtle smile, he wrapped his hands around her shoulders—as she was much shorter than he—in response. It was a rather warm hug, metaphorically speaking, and he could tell that she had placed her complete confidence in him. That was good.

Afterwards, he followed her back down to her kitchen table and they worked on the project together. After brainstorming for a couple minutes, they just decided to do some simple research and discuss some varying opinions about the topic. Lucas searched for some webpages about psychics and showed them to Alice, who would synthesize that information into something presentable. Although Alice was doing the brunt of the dirty work, they did make a pretty good team. By some miracle, they actually managed to get it all done that afternoon. It felt pretty weird to Lucas when they finished the project. Normally, after a project like this, Lucas would forget about everything he just learned and move on with his life, but this project was his life. He’d really be doing his own research on it, probably until the day he died.

Once they had finished all the research and printed out two copies of the presentation, with Lucas’s and Alice’s lines highlighted in blue and red respectively, it was around 5:30. Alice had insisted on walking home, to which Lucas acquiesced. He spent the rest of that evening trying to finish the rest of his homework, but he simply had too much on his mind to focus on anything.

---

Lucas was sitting in his last period, bored as always, but the weekend was just a few minutes away, and was excitedly looking forward to it. The day they first started the project, they had actually planned to meet up after school that very Friday. Lucas made extra sure to prepare a reminder in his phone so he wouldn’t almost forget to pick up her up again.

That day they had nonchalantly presented their project without displaying and real subjective viewpoints. Lucas was mostly glad they got it over with. During the presentation, Lucas felt as though they were all staring at them like they were psychics themselves. Which they were. But there was no way they could know that. Lucas had to tell himself that many times in order to keep his cool. In the end, their presentation went pretty well, and their turned in their papers without any problems.

After what seemed like ages of sitting at that desk, the bell finally rang. Lucas grabbed his backpack and stood up with a yawn, as he had been drifting in and out of light sleep with his eyes open, a practice he had nearly perfected. But the time he started making his way to the front door, he was wide awake with excitement to show Alice the full extent of his powers. Well, actually, not the full extent. That would probably cause a forest fire. Maybe he’d just show her a decent extent of his powers. Yeah, that was good.

Like always, Lucas ran into his friends on his way out.

“Where are you in such a hurry to?” one of them asked after he told them he had couldn’t talk long.

“Yeah, are you hanging with Alice again?” another asked with a laugh.

Lucas wore his best poker face, and a silence grew among the group of boys.

“I mean yeah, but—“

“Really?!” the first one blurted out in surprise before he could finish.

“They’re working on that psych ‘project,’ remember?”

“Wait a second, I’m in psych too… Weren’t the projects due today?” someone else added in.

All heads turned to Lucas, who grinned awkwardly at them.

“We’re just hanging out—“ he tried to say.

“Hanging out! Ha!”

“I can’t believe this. Do you have a thing with her?”

“No, no,” Lucas said quickly with his eyes wide. Oh god. This could get out of control quickly. “We just realized we have a lot in common I guess,” he explained.

“Yeah? Like what?”

Of course, Lucas couldn’t just say they were psychics. He needed to think of something, quickly…

“Well, you know… Like… Umm…” He was desperately scrambling to make up something.

“A mutual sexual attraction?” one of them guessed, causing an uproar of agreement among the rest.

Lucas shook his head. There was no changing their obstinate minds.

“Whatever, there’s nothing between us, okay?” he told them, slightly irritated, moving out of the way to leave.

“Tell us what happens!” they shouted as he left.

---

Out front, Lucas met up with Alice in the same spot as last time.

“Hey,” he called out loudly to her, as she had her headphones in. “I’m not as late today.” He took out his keys and unlocked his car from where they were.

“Let’s go quickly,” he told her, beginning to walk to his car. “My asshole friends are probably spying on me.”

[akela]

In Alice’s opinion, the project couldn’t have gone better. Everyone in class seemed pretty bored by it all, but she successfully went through it all without giving anything away. More importantly, Lucas didn’t tell anyone about her secrets all week. Meeting him had been incredible, she was in the best mood all week. Alice even took some time to hang out with a couple friends on the bleachers while football practice was going on Thursday, so she could relax before the presentation. It made her wonder if Lucas was bummed to not be out on the field…as bummed as the girls were that he wasn’t playing anymore.

“All I’m saying is it’s his senior year and he was always out on the field. Great player,” one girl said. “Right up there with David and Shane, always starting lineup.”

“Oooh, it’s all about how they play, not how they look in those tight pants,” another chimed in, getting a few giggles around her. Alice only smirked, stretching out with her elbows propping herself up and ankles crossed below. “Don’t lie, you don’t actually watch those games. They’re boring. You’re just upset you won’t see his ass in anything that tight again.”

“I didn’t say that! And where’re your school spirit? Anyway, maybe that is a small perk. We deserve small perks while sitting out in the cold for hours at a time.”

“Yeah, well, school spirit or not you couldn’t pay me to be one of those cheerleaders. Going to all the games rain or shine and have my back to those boys? No thanks. Anyway, I’m surprised Lucas didn’t try out. I don’t get it.”

“Oh, he wanted to but he was on vacation,” Alice finally chimed in, her eyes still on the field despite everyone looking at her. Eventually she looked up when it got quiet and grinned, shaking her head. “I asked him, we have class together.”

“Look at you! Hanging out again, talking to Lucas Reed. When did our little girl grow up?” one girl laughed, playfully ruffling her hair. A couple of the girls there already dating athletes, and to them that was something to brag about.

“Hey! I’m older than you, shut up,” she answered, getting to her feet and fixing her hair. “He’s just…not as arrogant as the other idiots out there. I like talking to him.”

“Hun, that’s called a crush. I know you haven’t had one in years, but when you can stand talking to a boy for more than five minutes I think your next step-“

“Okay, okay, I don’t need you to walk me through this,” Alice groaned, shrugging her bag back over her shoulder. “I gotta do homework. I barely see him outside of class, you know me, so it’s nothing. Kara, we’re riding together tomorrow right?”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re no fun, you know that? All I’m saying is that if you like somebody, you have to do something about it.”

Alice waved with a roll of her eyes before jumping down and heading home for the day. Despite trying to ignore them, she knew they were right. Whether there was something between them that way or not, this wasn’t something to be ignored. Being around him, even when they weren’t speaking, was calming. Most boys at school were always feeling the most intense emotions, especially ones she wanted to work hard to keep out like lust, anger, over excitement. Girls could be just as bad with their jealousy, of course, but Lucas was someone she could actually sit by and not get distracted. Now whether that was just his personality or his own mental strength she wasn’t sure, but in the end it didn’t matter. By Friday afternoon she was actually catching herself daydreaming about their trip to the forest, which got her thinking…maybe it didn’t have to be a short trip just to see his powers.

******

“Oh, hey.” Alice smiled, glad to see she didn’t have to wait as long for Lucas to show up. She had a stop to make before they headed over to the forest.

“Let’s go quickly,” he told her, beginning to walk to his car. “My asshole friends are probably spying on me.”

“Spying?” she asked, walking alongside him. By now she could recognize his car and his parking spot. “They don’t have anything better to do?” Alice got into the passenger side just as she had earlier in the week, laying her bag in her lap. She had little homework for the weekend, so it was almost empty. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something, if you don’t have any plans for tonight and tomorrow morning. I have an idea, if you can get one of those asshole friends of yours to cover for you. Tell your parents you’re spending the night with them. But we have to stop at my house and get a few things before we go. What do you say? Trust me?”

[Blitz]

“Probably not,” Lucas answered her question with a roll of his eyes at the thought of his friends spying on them. They probably didn’t follow him out, but it wouldn’t come as the slightest surprise to him if they had. With a sigh, Lucas got into the driver’s seat and revved the engine, but before he began to back out, Alice had spoken up.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you something,” she said. ”If you don’t have any plans for tonight and tomorrow morning.” Lucas’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, then he furrowed his brow, turning his head to look at her and let her finish. ”I have an idea, if you can get one of those asshole friends of yours to cover for you. Tell your parents you’re spending the night with them. But we have to stop at my house and get a few things before we go. What do you say? Trust me?”

Lucas looked at her strangely. What could her idea possibly be?

“I’m not saying I don’t trust you,” he replied tentatively, “but what kind of scheme are you hatching?”

He pulled out of the space and drove out of the lot.

“Just tell me how to get to your house,” he added.