SAVANTS

The Chapture 14

Wrickenridge beat Aspen but man of the match went to the player in the away team. Zed melted into the crowd around the captain, not looking for attention. He receives an enthusiastic hug from the long-legged Hannah but quickly breaks away and moves on to shake hands with the opposing team.

 I know about playing just to be a part of something—that's the core of the orchestra, not the individual—but his reluctance to stand out in my opinion is strange. He could have become famous, but he chose not to be famous.

"Would I take Sky home?" I was offered Tina. "I also gave Zoe and Nelson a ride."

They live on the other end of town from me and he always picks me up and drives me. And with just two seats, we'll jostle—it's illegal. Besides, it might not hurt because he would take Zoe down first and then be alone with Nelson …

"It's okay. I want to walk. I'll buy some groceries for Sally."

"All right then. See you tomorrow."

The cars were waiting to get out of the parking lot. I was standing in the back as the Aspen bus came out, taking the wide lane to pass the corner. I then set off, leaving the crowd behind. 

The further I walk, the more deserted. I saw Mrs Hoffman rushing past me but she was across the street, heading down the hill— suddenly I saw a slight ray of light on Mrs Hoffman in a self-justifying blue. I rubbed my eyes and luckily she was back to normal. He waved but luckily it was across the street so I didn't have to stop and chat. The mechanic Kingsley passed by his truck and honked his horn.

Arriving at the store, Leanne, the big-bodied assistant I had known for the past few weeks since the dill sauce incident, had me tell her about the match as she packed my groceries. I was constantly surprised how many local people cared about the fate of the school team. They treated him like a professional, not a bunch of amateur teens.

"How was your day at school" Leanne packed the eggs carefully in a bag.

"Well, I'm still in the stage of adapting" I took a new graphic novel off the shelf and threw it in the basket.

"I've heard good things about you, Sky. You have a reputation for being a very sweet person. Mrs Hoffman was like shining when she told me about you"

Yeah, it glows blue according to my crazy brain. "Oh, well, he ... he ..."

"No stop. He's like a rocket.  But it's better that we just take the good side of it than the bad," Leanne said wisely and escorted me out. "You gotta get back before it gets dark, you hear me?"

I nodded and said Thank you.

The shadow stretched down the street like a huge ink stain seeping into the ground. I felt cold with my thin jacket and quickened my pace. Wrickenridge is always prone to sudden changes in weather, the reality of life in the mountains. 

It was like living next door to our old neighbor in Richmond who had become a very stubborn old man. I never knew when her mood would change—one while bathing me with a bright smile, the next moment catapulted a rain of insults. Just as a light hail began to fall, wetting the pavement with pieces of snow the size of corn kernels, making it slippery underfoot.

As I turned onto the deserted road, I heard someone approaching by running behind me. It might be the one who was running but still I couldn't resist the nervous jump in my veins. In London, I'd be very worried, but Wrickenridge, I don't think it's a suitable place for robbers to hang out. I gripped the handle of the shopping bag, planning to use it as a weapon just in case.

"Sky" A hand landed on my shoulder. I swung the bag with a cry—I was stunned to see Zed behind me. He caught the bag before hitting it.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" I pressed my hand against my chest.

"sorry. I've told you that you should be careful when walking home alone after dark"

"You mean there's gonna be a boy jumping out behind a bush and freaking me out?"

He gave a wink of a smile, reminding me of his alter ego, Wolfman. "You never know. There's this kind of freak in the mountains"

"Well, you've proven your point and that's you"

The smile turned into a grin. "Here, let me take him." He took the bag off my finger. "I'll take you home."

Whatisthis? Did he have a character transplant? "No, I can do it myself"

"But I want to"

"You always get what you want?"

"Almost always."

We walked for a while. I was looking for a safe topic but everything I thought about sounded boring. I felt uncomfortable being so close to him after all my wild imagination of him— I never knew if he would finance me or well-meaning.

What's he talking about? "What then?"

He stopped me under the streetlight. The hail slid through the pool of light then winked in the darkness. He raised my jacket collar.

"You have to realize how amazing this is" His eyes were fixed on my eyes— the color was attractive, unusual for one of his Hispanic appearances. I will mark his eyes as the boundary line between blue and green. Color of Eyrie River on a clear day.

Still, I can't understand his expression right now. "What's amazing?"

He laughed, his voice rumbling deep within his chest. "So so. You're punishing me for having bullied you. But you have to understand that I don't know it's you. I thought I was warning a stupid stranger to prevent him from being stabbed at night"

I pushed his hand from my collar. "What are you talking about?"

"I got this hunch a few nights before we met in ghost town—you know what I mean, right?"

This conversation is very strange. I shook my head.

"You ran on the road in the darkness—knife—scream—blood. I have to warn you—just in case that doesn't happen"

OKAY. I thought I had a problem but he's really weird. I need to get away from her. "Nm ... Zed, thank you for worrying about me, but I'd better get back now."

"Yes, as if it were going to happen. Sky, you are my soulmate/spouse, my partner—you can't just walk away from me."

"I can't?"

"You must have felt it too. I know when you answer me—like..I don't know how to explain it, like a haze lifted. I can actually see you "He rubbed his finger against my cheek and looked at me. I'm shivering. "Do you know how likely we are to find each other?"

"Gee. Back away slightly. Soulmate?"

"Yes." Yeah." He grinned and pulled me closer.  "It can't be delayed anymore, so much time for us. It took me a few days to overcome my shock and after waiting to talk to you so that I could pass this news on to my parents."

He keeps making me dizzy. I put my hand on her chest and pushed her back. "Zed, I don't know what you're talking about. But if you expect me to ... for .. I don't know what you expect, but it doesn't happen. You don't like me and I don't like you. Forget it."

He doesn't believe. "We can handle it! The Savants waited their whole lives to find their soul mate/partner and you thought I could handle it without you?"'

"Why not? I don't even know what a savant is!"

He hit his chest. "I'm one of them." Then pointed at me. "You are one of them too. Your powers, Sky—your abilities make you a Savant"

I had planned stupid things in my head, but this was far beyond anything I could think of. I took a step back. "May I have the shopping bag?"

"What's? That all? Savant made the most amazing discovery of life for our people and you're just going home?'

I looked around, hoping to see someone. Mrs Hoffman. My parents are even better. "Um. It seems so."

"You can't be like this"

"Look at it"

I pulled the bag from his finger and rushed the last few meters to my house.

"Sky, you can't ignore this!" He stood under the street lamp, hail settled in his hair, hands clenched beside him. "You are mine—you must be mine because we are partners (spirit partners) "

"No, it wasn't me"

I slammed the front door.