One Touch

28: Edible Energizer

Mom, Rick, and I ate dinner together around the dining table today, and it was a rare sight seeing all of us in one place. Mom was overjoyed to eat with us, and her happiness made my insides rejoice. It wasn’t every day I saw her smile since she worried about dad most of the time.

Rick excused himself after dinner, going upstairs in a flash. He hadn’t talked to mom much, but neither of them minded. Mom gave him some money to take with him to college tomorrow, and I hid my scowl. She was spoiling him in a way that blinded her. Rick was nearly twenty-two, and he should be on the search for a job to pay for his own textbooks, tuition, and college fees.

I helped mom wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen before we called it a day. She went straight to bed, and I could see her tiredness through those bright, energetic eyes. On the other hand, I couldn’t sleep thinking about her and what she felt about her life.

I pressed a pillow to my face, trying to get rid of my tension. Noises from outside the door broke me from my thoughts, and I put my pillow aside. They were faint voices coming from out the corridor, and neither belonged to mom.

I went outside towards dad’s room and saw Rick talking through his door. Their voices were hushed, softer than before. When Rick noticed I was there, he ended their conversation and charged towards me. Taking my wrist, he dragged me to his bedroom.

“Rick, what the…?” I said as he closed the door. He went to close his curtains over his window, but hesitated. “Did dad tell you?” I asked. “About the eyes?” I wanted it to be a secret only dad knew. I was crestfallen when Rick nodded.

“I brought you here to discuss about that,” he said. I prepared to learn something new when he sat me on a chair next to his desk. “Dad took samples of your DNA, to see if there was an imbalance in your body that drew that creature to you.”

“You mean that thing outside my window every night?” I asked.

“He can’t confirm that it’s an Energy God,” Rick said, pacing back and forth. “But we can confirm who you are.” My brows shot up. Did they think I was an alienated? “There are several human beings out there that have a very strong vigor. They have a lot of potential energy stored in them, more than humans need in their daily lives.”

“So I’m still a human,” I affirmed. Thank God.

“You’re still a human, but not like most others,” he corrected. He took out a file from his drawer and flipped through it. “Typically, people like you would have lighter pigments in your skin, hair, or eyes. Your pupils might be a shade lighter, or your irises may emit invisible light. The consistency of your hair is abnormal and if we had your blood sample, I’m sure we would’ve found more.”

“And how did you come up with that?” I asked. If dad had told me this himself, I might’ve considered it to be true.

“It’s hard to say how, but we are sure about it,” he said, closing the file. “Those creatures, Energy Gods, can see your third eye which is usually not visible to other human beings.” On instinct, my hand flew to my forehead. “The third eye is an orb of light, not the actual structure. The more energy your body possesses, the brighter it shines. Like a radar, or sign for them.”

“Why am I different?” I asked. “I’ve never heard of this before, or seen it written anywhere. It can’t be scientifically true.”

“This isn’t science, Eve,” Rick said with a blunt tone. “You should know that by now. I’ll tell you the most science you can get: some people have large metabolism speeds and can eat lots of food. Other humans do not need to eat a lot but are very energetic. In other words, you are the candy of energy. An Energizer.”

“Excuse me?” I said. I did not picture myself to be some sort of sweet edible. “Is that a name you made up on your own?”

“They are all theoretical names, but the meaning stays the name,” he answered. “Energy Gods consume energy, and an Energizer provides the energy. That creature with the red eyes is positively an Energy God, and is lured towards you because you’re a source of energy.”

“Then why hasn’t it, I don’t know, taken my energy yet?” If all it took was a second to attack me, why hadn’t it? Why wouldn’t it move, or threaten me? I, of course, didn’t want it to.

“That’s what we don’t know,” he said, rubbing his chin in thought. “They’re living creatures as well, and have a life. Every life is different and if they’ve adapted to the human world, they should be run by human psychology. They can possibly have emotions, and sentiments.”

“So? What does that have to do with my question?” I demanded.

“You know what, I’ve told you enough,” Rick said, taking me by the shoulders and pushing me out his door. “Dad told me to tell you this so you can be more careful. Take this seriously. We can’t make stupid decisions on such a delicate situation. Don’t go out there and fight with the Energy God, or you could be dead meat. After all, you’re the only one who can see it with your bare eyes.”

“Yeah, I know that,” I mumbled.

In my bed, I fought the urge to peek out my window in search of the red eyes. I was shaking just thinking about it, and wrapped the covers around myself like a mummy.

It didn’t help the fact I was candy, the victim to a strange, inhumane creature in an otherworldly dimension we couldn’t comprehend as humans. Why did it have to be me of all other people? The consistency of my hair and the emission of light from my eyes distinguishes you from other humans…

What the hell did that all even mean?

* * *

With the kingdom back in school, much of the spirit had returned. Ryu had a gang of girls gathered around him like magnets, Zavian reunited with everyone as a whole, Emerald continued to act like the queen of the squad, and Amber clung onto Caspian to keep up the lovey-dovey image of their fake relationship.

Atlanta surprised me most, as her eyes were hollow with the lack of their usual exuberance, and her dull cyan hair was frizzed along the ends. She dragged herself around most of the day, but got better towards our dance class.

I asked Caspian what had happened the other day at the playground, but he refused to tell me anything. When I approached Atlanta, she told me they went on an important event and it was very tiring. I was given no details on what the event was.

“We’ll start the last dance today,” Eddie told us at the beginning of class. “We’ve done ballroom, more so the waltz, salsa, the swing, and now we’ll start tango. I don’t expect any of you to master tango in the couple months we have. It is the hardest dance and gives some insight to how the other members on stage will dance.”

Tango was horrible, not to watch, but to learn if you had no knowledge or experience of it. Or if you had no patience or interest to do it. Eddie made it very clear this was an optional lesson we could ignore if we wanted to, but he guided those who were interested.

“Tango.” I sighed, putting a hand to my head. It sounded difficult, too.

“Nothing's wrong with it,” Caspian said, interrupting the war I was having with my confidence.

“For you.” I glanced at the other partners. "Shouldn't we be practising?"

“I shouldn’t…” he started, and rubbed the back of his head. “I have to keep my distance for a while. After what happened on Sunday.” I couldn’t shake off the image of his face, all drained and empty, soulless and unfazed. He was back to normal now, but…

“Are you ever going to tell me what happened?” I asked. “I saw your hair turn black, Caspian. And you smelled different. It was like you’ve been possessed by a soul or something.”

A laugh escaped his mouth and it made my stomach flip. Did I not hear him laugh before? It sounded strange...and carefree? “No, I wasn’t,” he assured me. “But we did go on a trip to another place. Maybe I carried that smell here. And everyone’s hair looks black in the dark.”

I stared at the floor. “You’re probably right.”

Caspian relaxed, and took my hand with his gloved one. “Things might seem like a mess to you. Don’t worry. Just don’t…don’t hope for too much. Or get too close.” Urgh! There he goes again!

“You got to be kidding me,” I muttered. Before I could snatch my hand back, he placed a kiss on the top of it. It was the only kind of affection he can show me in a class of twenty students.

In the middle of class, I’d drifted towards Atlanta since Caspian was serious about keeping his distance from me. He didn’t like the fact he had to stay away, but he didn’t stop me from going to Atlanta. A small part of me felt bad for leaving him to sulk at the corner.

“How’s it going?” I piped up, startling her and Ronald. “Did I disturb you guys?” When Atlanta looked at me, a splash of deep red was shown across her cheekbones and the freckles on her nose. “The mother of all blushes,” I murmured in wonder.

“H-hi, Eve,” she greeted me. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?” And that was a hint for me to go away. Something definitely happened between them, and there was no way I’d leave her alone until she told me.

I returned to Caspian and he grabbed me halfway through, pulling me behind a shelf of equipment. His arms draped around me, but he let go in an instant. I hated this rule, this intangible touch we had to abide to.

“That was quick,” he said, low enough so people couldn’t uncover our hiding spot. “Did you miss me?” I rolled my eyes, and he took a lock of my hair between his fingers. It was brittle, like it might snap off with a slight tug. “Eve.” He paused. “Why do you like me?”

Dead silence enveloped us, my jaw dangled to the floor in disbelief, and he waited with unbelievable patience. Why did you like me? Well, why the hell did he like me? Did he at all? I couldn't help the warmth rising in my cheeks. But the bluntness, that expression he had on his face when he asked me, it was all absurd.

“How can you ask something like that, at a place like this, at a time like this?” I spewed at him, trying to control the heat simmering from my face. His gaze followed every shade of red in my skin, from my forehead to my nose, from my lips to my neck. I wasn't sure why I was so nervous. “How am I supposed to answer so suddenly?” I continued. “I can’t tell you anything at the spur of the moment. Dumbass.”

“It fell out of my mouth,” he said, “and I couldn’t feel it as I spoke. I apologize, but I’m still curious.” I stared at the buttons of his shirt, the flush in my cheeks returning to their usual colour.

“Some things are better told when not forced out,” I said in response. To be honest, I didn’t know how to reply. Why did I like him? It was too blunt. I needed time.

Caspian didn’t ask me after that, and he wasn’t hurt or upset with my response, to my relief. We came out of our hiding place and danced with minimal physical movements as possible. If we wanted to be together, we had to keep our distance from each other. To hell with this stupid rule.

Towards the end of class, Caspian began to take his gloves off and we prepared for the bell. A thought had been running through my head for quite some time now, but I didn’t know if Caspian would agree to it. It was a daring step that would, hopefully, enhance our relationship.

He caught me staring at him. “What?” Caspian said.

I shifted from foot to foot. “You’ve never really met my dad, right?” Caspian slowly shook his head. “I don’t know. I really want you to meet him.” He was on the verge of refusing when I held his hand. “We won’t tell him we’re, uh, dating. We can bring Atlanta with us.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said, his lips forming a hard line. “Why do you want us to meet your dad anyway? Aren’t you very protective over him?” Huh, what did that have to do with anything?

“It’s just, you guys are…you are…” I sputtered. “You’re special. That’s why. Both you and Atlanta.” He contemplated for minutes, and I twiddled my thumbs in anticipation.

When he looked at my hopeful face, he sighed. “Fine. But Atlanta’s not coming with us,” he said.

A wide smile spread on my face. “Thank you! I never talk about my dad to anyone, and it means so much to me that you agreed.” Caspian’s own lips turned up a smudge, watching me light up with excitement.

Accepting this might’ve been one of the nicest things he’d done for me, and I wanted to see more. I wanted more, and speaking truthfully, I knew he did, too. Aside from all the supernatural crap I'd been going through, I needed this to stick with reality. I wanted to stick with something I could count on and believe it wasn't just a dream. It was real and normal.