One Touch

30: The MIST

Eddie took off the target board from me and shifted it to another girl in dance class today. Either he fooled around with gullible people or he found it best to stay away from me. Whenever he dropped by, Caspian would cast him ray of death through his eyes.

No one could master tango. There was a ranking board up on the screen at the beginning of class today, and I wasn’t surprised to see Caspian and I were dead last. I felt something shatter inside of me.

“Oye!” Eddie called, standing beside the screen. “You beauties are really getting the hang of it. I got to say, this is my favourite class, the best of all years I taught.” A cheer went off like an alarm in the room before he silenced it. “None of us are perfect yet, and that is our ultimate goal. All the dance forms have been covered. Use this time to choose which one suits you best.”

I had always opted for the slower dance form, the one where I had to memorize fewer steps and feel the beat of the music to follow its rhythm. I wanted to do one where I could look at Caspian rather than at my feet.

“Any suggestions?” Caspian asked, putting on his gloves as we stood at our usual spot at the back of the classroom. I played with my fingers, studying the lines on the ground. “Slow and steady. Easy?” I nodded. “Ballroom dancing?”

I nodded again. “What about you?” I asked, lifting my head. He liked the more hyped, fast dance forms such as salsa and the tango. But I must’ve made it pretty clear I was a dancing disaster. “You…you won’t bail on me, right?” I said. He gave me a strange look and I sighed. “We’re terrible as dance partners. I made us get last place on that stupid list.”

“Practice makes perfect,” he said. “Besides, who else would want to be your partner?” I gawked at him and he folded his arms across his chest. “What? It’s a good thing.”

“Eddie would’ve helped me,” I pointed out, and frost coated his eyes. “He helps me with the dance. That's all. You know that, too.” That cold expression didn’t leave his face and I gave him a light punch to the chest. “Come on, why are you so uptight?”

Caspian grabbed my wrist and my fingers loosened. “You know, I’m glad I’m dating an ugly chick.”

“Excuse me?” I scoffed, trying to brush off his unpredictable hostility.

He rolled his eyes. “Back to being self-conscious, aren’t you?” I wanted to punch this guy so bad. “If you’re unattractive, no one will get their hands on you.”

“Is that your horrible explanation for partner loyalty?” I commented in disbelief. “What does that have to do with anything?”

He loomed over me, like a tower under a thunderous night sky. “Naturally, no one should be interested in you. I don’t know why that Eddie guy is fondling with someone who’s out of his league.” Fondling—? “I don’t care what the reason is. That’s my explanation. Got it?”

“Basically…you’re jealous,” I stated. Caspian stilled. My gaze hovered down to his shoulder and my fingers went to the ridge of his bone. “How is the wound?”

He took a step back and put a hand over his shoulder. “It’s a tiny scar,” he replied. “You don’t need to worry.” What? He was shot with a two-inch needle! How could it heal to a dry scar in less than a week?

“Does Atlanta know what happened to your arm?” I asked, my gaze floating to her as she practised with Ronald.

“I didn’t tell her, and it’s isn’t noticeable,” he said. “It’s not that big of a deal.” Before I could object, he took my hand and pulled me towards him. “If you have anything to say, wait until we’re alone. Don’t talk about your dad right now.”

“Why not?” I asked. Caspian nodded to the side, a couple feet away from us. Amber and Zavian were in an inaudible range, but they were watching us with keen eyes. Every now and then, Amber would give me a glare for clinging onto her boyfriend. The title was used for nothing but a label, but she sure took it seriously. With Zavian there and working his charm on her, she didn’t pay too much attention.

For the rest of class, Eddie never visited us or flocked by like he did often. He came towards the end of class with his usual, radiant smile and commented on our dance. I wasn’t surprised to be hit with another Spanish term, and by Caspian’s expression, I knew I was being teased again.

“Good luck, mis amigos,” Eddie said once the bell rang. Caspian and I got our things and headed out the door. I needed that luck, and at this point, I depending more on that than my ability.

As soon as we stepped out, we saw Ryu and Zavian waiting against the lockers. I ignored them and made my way towards the washroom to change out of my dance attire. Caspian didn’t follow me. It was perfect. We left no suspicion. It had become a habit to avoid each other at school to fool his friends into believing we were still strangers.

Across the mirror in the restroom, I gazed at my unmoving reflection. I had been looking at the same insipid eyes, bony jaw, shallow cheeks, stringy hair, and sandy, freckled skin for the past eighteen years of my life. I wasn’t aware of how plain and unbeauteous I looked, but I was a little ashamed. I wanted to fix it, so I could be somewhat beautiful to Caspian.

I sighed, taking my bag into a stall and locking the door. What was I thinking? I never cared what anybody thought of me, and now, I was letting someone influence me to do something risky and unnecessary. I didn’t need a ravishing appearance. I wanted it, but I didn’t need it.

I met Atlanta in her car out at the parking lot, and smoothed my fingers over the roof of it. It was a nice car, and it smelled great. I apologized for the wait and sat on the beige, leather passenger seat.

“You look awful,” Atlanta said, giving me a quick look before grabbing the steering wheel. “Did something bad happen?” I shook my head. “Alright.” Atlanta seemed to love driving, as she commented on how smooth and fast it carried us across the street. I had to admit, she was much better at it than I was.

I pulled down the flap from the roof of the car and checked my face in the mirror. “Hey, Atlanta,” I said, and hesitated. “Do you think I’ll look better if I let my hair go more often?”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter. You’re cute either way.” Cute?

“Cute?” I repeated. “You’re kidding.” That sounded too good to be true. “Do you think I would look better with a bit of mascara? Maybe lighter skin?” Atlanta raised an eyebrow, and I surprised myself, too. “I was just wondering. That’s all.”

“You look fine to me,” Atlanta said. But it was Atlanta, the sweetest cutie I’d ever met. “Eve, did someone say something to you?” I shook my head. “Let me guess, was Caspian being mean to you again?”

“No.” I didn’t like to lie, but I was at this horrific stage of self-doubt. “I’m curious about myself. That’s all.” Before Atlanta could speak, I changed the topic. “So, tell me about your date with Ronald. How’d it go? Did he kiss you?”

Atlanta’s hand tightened on the steering wheel, a shade of pink blossoming over her cheekbones. “Of course not,” she said. “Caspian would kill him if he did, if he finds out. But the point is, no, Ronald didn’t. I want him to though.” My eyebrows shot up and a deeper pink coloured her face. “I mean...I mean, he’s really nice and he made me laugh the whole time. We went to the movies and I was pretty sure we were going to kiss, but…but I don’t know.”

“What did Caspian say when you came home?” I asked. I left their house an hour after treating Caspian’s wound, but Atlanta hadn’t come by then.

“Uh, he didn’t say anything,” she said. Oh. “He saw me, but ignored me like I wasn’t even there. He was probably zoned out or in deep thought, although it’s unlikely of him to ignore me.” She grinned. “But, I’m not complaining.”

“Of course you aren’t,” I said, smirking.

“Ronald and I talked about homecoming, his game, a marathon he was running, and we held hands…” Atlanta explained in bliss. “I was wearing gloves, but it still made me nervous. He said I was cute three times that day, and didn’t even realize he did.”

“That’s great,” I said. “I’m happy for you.”

“I have to thank you, Eve,” she said, putting one of her hands on mine. Damn, she drove well with one hand. “I know you told Ronald to take me on a date. Caspian must’ve told you not to, but you did anyway. For me. It means a lot. He can be rude and trying to make me stay away from you—”

“Caspian has nothing to do with us. Me and you are inseparable,” I told her, and she beamed at me. She was, after all, the first real friend I had. A keeper. “Right?”

“Right.”

* * *

Rick and I ate dinner together on the dining table. He left right after he was finished with his food, and hadn’t said a word to me. It was dark and empty when I began to head upstairs and towards my bedroom. To my surprise, the light in my room was switched on. I did not expect to see dad, since not a single part of me wanted to see him right now.

“Please close the door,” he said. His voice was coarse, deep and weary. Chunks of his hair fell over his wrinkled forehead, and his cheekbones looked much higher and paler. He must’ve stayed up all night. “Can you return the Energy God module Rick gave you?”

I went to my table and fetched the paper from my drawer. Along with that, I got the glass jar sitting on top of my books and gave both of them to dad. The samples inside the jar were untouched, and though I wanted to set them on fire, I wanted to prove my dad I was trustworthy and could handle the task. I had no other intention.

Dad took the jar and paper. “You did well, Eve. I doubted you, but I saw your determination.” I was upset with him and what he had done to Caspian. I didn’t want his words to melt me, but it was the first time dad praised me for something.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“No.” Dad’s hand went behind him and he pulled out a little grey utensil. Upon closer look, it was the same gadget he had in his hand when he shot Caspian. “I call this the Medicinal Innocuous Sampler Template, or MIST. When the needle penetrates through unfamiliar body codes, or DNA, it is programmed to attach a blood sample and brought back to the MIST for analyzation. It is safe and injects a healing elixir into the bloodstream before it’s taken out of the body. ”

“Why are you telling me this?” I said. For the first time, I understood what dad was talking about. I wanted to know why he would use that gun in the first place.

“That boy is unharmed,” dad assured me. He was careful with his words. “He will be healed from the shot with or without medical treatment. The MIST needle detected unfamiliar DNA in his body, and that’s what I had been suspicious of. That’s what I came here to tell you.”

“Everyone has different DNA,” I argued. “You can’t show me these random technological devices and expect me to believe everything you say.” I was going against my dad. He wanted to tell me his discoveries, but now I...

What happened to me?

“I may have to test these samples you’ve given me,” dad said, turning the jar in his hand, “for extra assurance and proof. But I am positive, they are no ordinary people. I know you don't trust me at this moment, but I had no choice but to do this the hard way to get the boy’s blood sample.”

“You did have a choice,” I said, hurt consuming my stomach. “I would’ve gotten the sample if you gave me some more time. I would’ve given it to you myself but you didn’t wait.”

“Why should I wait when I realize my daughter is closely attached to one of my test subjects?” he said. “When my family is involved in my experiments, I will not be lenient or easy on the situation. I am doing what’s best for you.”

“What is your problem?” I was on a rollercoaster of emotions. Should my love for him grow because of the importance he was giving to his family, or should I resent him for carrying out his experiments on whoever he wanted?

“They are not humans, Eve,” dad said, his eyebrows pulled down. His voice lowered. “That boyfriend of yours, I can bet on all my years of experience and hard work, is not a regular boy you have feelings for. Listen to me carefully, Eve, and believe me.” He stood up, coming forth until he held me by the shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes. “He is an Energy God.”

What?

“Are you, are you seriously, joking right now?” I sputtered. I didn’t know what to think or how to react. I didn’t want to believe dad, but couldn’t help but wonder if it was true. “Caspian’s not…he’s just someone who moved to the neighbourhood. We just happened to like each other and we just, we’re here now. He’s a normal person that may be a little unchivalrous at times, but is caring.”

“Is he really normal, Eve?” dad said. “Didn’t he, at least once, act in such a way it made you question his way of life? Or even his way of treating people a certain way?” I wanted to say ‘no’, but deep inside, I knew that wasn’t my answer. Dad took off his hands. “I’m not forcing you to believe me. I saw that boy’s manners when he met me, but I only care about my daughter’s safety. Think wisely and carefully. Think it over and observe him. You will realize.”

Dad left, and I continued to stand for the next five minutes. It wasn’t possible. Caspian was not an Energy God. What was an Energy God anyway? Shut up, you know exactly what it is. Either I was oblivious to the obviousness, or dad had put my mind on the spindle.

No, it couldn’t be true.