Shattered (4 page)

“Forever,” he said simply.

“What are you, like some kind of mutant? Like those X-Men?” The closest thing Laura could think of that would match this was Professor Charles Xavier’s mindreading abilities in the X-Men, but that was just a
movie
!

Unexpectedly, Logan began to laugh. “No way,” he answered. “Definitely not.”

“Then… how do you do it?”

“I don’t know. I just can.”

“Have you ever used it before, then?”

“Like how?”

“For some kind of an… advantage?”

He laughed again. “Some advantage,” he said sarcastical y. “Al the voices converge as one, and you can’t separate them at al .”

“Then, what’s the point? Why’d you show me?”

“Wel , to tel the truth, there is one way you can separate them.”

“And what’s that?”

“If you have a strong emotional bond to somebody, and they share it with you, their thoughts… stand out.
Call
out
is more like it, actual y.”

“A strong emotional bond? Like… love?”

“Or hate. The person… cal s to you. Their thoughts become more distinctive. But in that case, it works both ways.”

“What do you mean?”

“They feel the emotion more intensely if you do it.”

“You mean, if you listen to their thoughts?”

“Yes.”

“That’s… that’s a miracle,” Laura marveled.

“Not so,” Logan answered.

“What? Why not? It’s absolutely a miracle.”

“No, not real y. They start to feel the emotion more intensely. So somebody who hates you starts to detest you, wanting you dead. And somebody you love becomes obsessive, fol owing your every move. It’s quite the opposite of a miracle, real y.”

“Woah. I didn’t think of it that way.”

“And if the emotion fades some time later – if you stop feeling it yourself – the bond from this stil remains.”

“They continue to hate you?”

“Yes. But in the new, stronger way.”

“Wow,” Laura whispered.

“Did anyone cal out to you like that, when we touched?”

Laura thought back. She knew what Logan was asking. He wanted to know if Brady’s thoughts beckoned her.

“No,” she final y admitted.

“Wel , I think that answers your original question, then.”

“Yes… I think it does.”

“So you see, I meant what I said.” He flashed a triumphant grin. “That I could show you what Brady thought of you.”

“Apparently, not much,” she mumbled. “But it’s not like I expected anything more after what happened, anyway. Thank you, Logan, for sharing this with me.”

“Of course. But you mustn’t tel anyone about it.”

“Who would believe me anyway?”

“That’s right,” he chuckled. “No one would.” He paused for a second. “And, Laura… I hope you won’t hate me.”

“Hate you?” She was taken aback again. “Why would I hate you?”

“Because of what I showed you.” Suddenly, he looked every bit the shy boy she had met last week, and nothing like the proud young man who was standing before her.

“You shared with me a precious gift,” she told him quietly, “and I could never hate you for that.”

“Thank you.” He looked relieved. Then he smiled at her, returning to an image of confidence. “We’d better get going, then, to our next class. I’l see you afterschool?”

Laura smiled back. “I’l see you there.”

~Questions~

When Laura got to her math class afterschool, Logan was already there, waiting for her. He smiled from their usual spot in the back as she walked in. She’d had al day to think about what he showed her earlier. And the more she thought about it, the more amazed she became.

She racked her brain al day, trying to put some type of logical explanation to what it was. But she couldn’t think of anything. It was
il
logical, it was supernatural, it was paranormal, it was… magical. It was nothing short of a miracle.

She wondered how many people knew about his gift. She didn’t think many did. And he must have felt real y bad for what transpired on Thursday, for acting without asking her, to show his ability to her. She felt privileged to have been shown it at al .

But above al , she was curious. Curious to know more. So despite herself, she rushed to the back of the room as soon as she saw him there, eager to ask him a mil ion questions and more.

“Hey,” he said as she sat down.

“Hey,” she replied. Then, looking up to see that Mrs. Mil burn wasn’t paying them much attention, burst out with, “What you showed me today was
amazing
!”

“I thought you might like it,” he said slyly.

“Oh, absolutely! But… can I ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“The mind thing… can you do it whenever you want? I mean, does it happen whenever someone touches you?”

“Yes and no,” he laughed. “I have to consciously decide to let people experience that before they make contact. So like, if someone brushes my hand accidental y,” he reached over to slid a finger over Laura’s hand, “nothing happens. But if I want them to experience it, like I did with you earlier today, then I have to decide to let them in, so to speak, at the moment contact happens.”

“Wow. And did you always know you had that ability?”

“The truth is, I didn’t
always
have it. It developed when I was very young, but I wasn’t born with it, I don’t think. Then again, maybe I just can’t remember back far enough. Everything from my childhood is a bit dark, and somewhat blurry. There are not a lot of good memories from there.

“But you were right. Before I learned to control it, it happened every time somebody touched me, no matter how briefly. Most people just pul ed away, thinking they experienced something like an electric shock…”

“What about
you
? What’s it like, for you, when it happens? Like today, when I held your hand, what did you feel?”

“Nothing,” he replied simply. “That’s why it took me so long to understand what people experienced when they made contact with me. My earliest memory of it was when I couldn’t figure out why adults were becoming frightened of me. Of course, it was because whenever they touched my skin, they experienced that… flood… of thoughts, barraging through their heads. I can’t imagine what it’s like, personal y. But I’ve been told, and pieced enough things together.”

“So you’ve shown other people before, then?” A little bit of disappointment blossomed in Laura’s stomach as she said that, and she didn’t real y know why.

“Not many,” he shook his head. “There was one person, though, who I shared it al with, a long time ago. And they helped me learn to control it, taught me what it real y was.”

“Wow. Who was that person?”

“I… can’t tel you. Something happened to them that I stil … can’t… make myself talk about.” He sighed, and his eyes looked sad. “I’m sorry. I know I must be giving you more questions than answers. And I can imagine how overwhelming it must be for you.”

“No, not at al ,” Laura said. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, don’t worry about that. You didn’t pry at al . It’s my own demon I have to battle.” Suddenly his eyes lit up again, this time with concern. “You mustn’t worry, though. What happened to her had nothing to do with my ability. There’s no danger to you.”

Laura caught something in what he said that stuck out immediately. He said
her.
Meaning the person who helped him develop the ability had been female. She didn’t think he meant give away a detail like that. She decided to change the subject. “You know what I think?” she said. “I think your gift is an angelic power.”

To her surprise, he burst out laughing. A rich, booming laugh that caused Mrs. Mil burn to look up. On seeing that, he quieted down, but inadvertent chuckles stil escaped his lips.

“Hardly,” he said to her final y. “That’s the furthest thing from the truth.”

“No, I’m sure it is,” Laura persisted. “That’s the only explanation I could come up with.”

“No, it definitely is not that. It’s a curse, if anything.”

“How can you say that?”

“Say what? That it’s a curse?”

“Yes.”

“There are stil parts of it you don’t know, Laura.”

“Like what?”

“I… can’t say.”

“So you
do
know more than me!”

“About what?”

“About your ability!”

“Yes, a bit more,” he admitted. “But it’s nothing you should worry over.”

“You showed me so much already,” she said, “it’s not fair for you to not tel me more!”

“Laura, I wish I could, but I can’t.”

“Why not?” She knew she was pressing the subject, but didn’t care. She
had
to know more.

“Some things aren’t meant to be shared,” he said. Then, he added quietly, as if to himself, “Some things are a burden you must bear on your own.”

“What was that?” Laura asked.

“Nothing.” He shook his head. For a second, he looked to be fighting two conflicting thoughts in his mind. Then he sighed. “Laura, I can’t tel you everything, but if you want… I can
show
you some of it.”

“Show me? You mean something other than the mind thing?”

“Yes. In a way.”

“…ok. When?”

“Today?”

“Like, right now?”

“No, not right now,” he laughed, “but after we’re done with this class.”

“Oh.” Laura thought for a second. “My mom’s picking me up after. Because of the animal warning.”

“Animal warning?”

“Yea, haven’t you heard?”

“No…?”

She was surprised. It had been al over the news for the past few days. “Everyone’s talking about it. It’s been pretty much the only thing on the community’s mind.”

“Wel , if you haven’t noticed,” he said drily, “I’m somewhat new here.”

“Oh.” Laura blushed. “That’s right. Wel , there was this murder last week, sometime Thursday evening, in a nearby pub. A fight got out of hand between two people, and they took it outside. Apparently, one of them got knocked out, and the other left. But that wasn’t the lethal blow. When the police found the guy who was knocked out a few hours later, he had two inexplicable, large, like… teeth marks… on his neck. And his body had been drained completely of blood. They’re not sure what did it, but they think some type of animal was responsible. So they issued a warning for nobody to walk anywhere alone until they figure it al out.”

“So that’s what they’re cal ing it,” he said quietly, half to himself. Laura was sure she wasn’t meant to hear. Then he looked up at her. “I have a car,” he said, “I can drive you after school.”

“Real y?”

“Yes.”

“Wel , ok. I’l text my mom then.” She pul ed her phone out of her pocket and switched it on. While she was typing, she spoke up again. “So what you want to show me… is it similar to the mind thing?”

“You’l see,” he said mysteriously.

“Ok,” she laughed. She had no idea what it would be.

~At the Lake~

When the clock hit 4:15 PM, Laura and Logan were dismissed from their afterschool detention. She’d already texted her mom, saying she was going out with a friend, and that she’d have a ride home. Logan lead her outside, where a few cars dotted the parking lot. He made his way over to one in the corner. It was a gray old Volvo, and had a few dents along its outer body. The tires looked worn, and a bit of rust edged out from underneath the vehicle.

“
That’s
your car?” Laura asked incredulously.

“She’s old, but she’s trustworthy,” Logan said. He patted the car’s roof affectionately. “She’s been with me for a long time.”

“Did you buy it yourself?”

“I saved up for it, yea. I know it might not look it, but the car’s safe, trust me. I do the maintenance.”

That didn’t offer much reassurance to Laura.

“Come on,” Logan urged as he unlocked the car, “it won’t bite.”

A light drizzle started to fal , and Laura shrugged. As long as the car worked, it would get them where they needed to go. She came around the front and climbed in.

As she closed the door and pul ed her seatbelt on, Logan inserted the key and started the engine. To her surprise, it started smoothly, purring as al the gears started to move. “See,” he smiled at her, “I told you it’s wel maintained.”

“I was expecting it to barely turn on,” Laura laughed.

“Ah, come on, it doesn’t look
that
bad,” Logan laughed back.

“No, I guess not,” Laura admitted. The start of a familiar song started playing from the speakers, and Laura listened for a second to catch it. Then she got it. “Bob Marley?”

“It’s a classic, yea.” He flashed her a grin. “A CD

of his greatest hits.” He leaned forward to turn up the song.

She laughed. “Nice.”

Logan nodded, and switched the gear to drive. As the car started moving from its parking spot, Laura spoke up, “Where are we going?”

“There’s a lake around here, isn’t there?” Logan asked, pul ing out into the street. “Lake Vancouver?”

“Yea, there is.”

“We need to go there.”

“How come?”

“For what I want to show you, we need to be somewhere calm… somewhere serene. I’m sure there’s a lookout point at the lake, right?”

Laura thought for a moment before remembering.

“Yea, I think there is.”

“Good. Do you know the way?”

“Yea, I think so.”

They drove off, and Laura started giving Logan directions to the lake. She didn’t quite know where the lookout point was, but thought they’d be able to find it if they started driving along the shore.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Laura asked after a while as Logan took a left turn off the main road.

“Sure.”

“It’s kind of personal, and I don’t mean to pry, but I’ve been wondering this ever since last week.”

“Yes?”

“Um, when you took on the four guys in the school. You were like, amazing. Fast and agile, and you knew exactly what you were doing.”

“Thanks for noticing,” he chuckled.

“Wel , I wanted to know, how’d you learn to fight like that?”

Logan spared a look over his shoulder at her.

“
That’s
your question?”

“Wel , yes,” Laura said. To her surprise, Logan burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?” she demanded, feeling her cheeks start to grow red.

“It’s just the way you framed that,” Logan said amidst laughter. “Building up the question like that. Saying it was something personal. I was expecting something much worse.”

“No, I…” Laura stumbled abashedly. It felt like he was laughing
at
her, and she began to feel awkward.

“I just wanted to be polite!”

“Wel , after what I showed you this morning, I don’t think you need to worry about
prying
,” Logan said lightheartedly. Then he smiled over at her. “Ahh, come on, I’m not making fun of you. I’l answer your question, don’t worry. How’d I learn to fight like that?

Wel , you don’t know this, but I al uded to it, earlier. When I said things from my childhood were dark and foggy. The truth is, I don’t have much of a family. I don’t have a family at al , actual y.

“I grew up in an orphanage, and moved around a whole lot. Doing that as a kid, especial y without a real family to back you up, you learn to stick up for yourself. I guess I just learned to do it on the streets.”

“Wow,” Laura said. “I’m so sorry. About your family. It must be tough not knowing who they are.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Logan shrugged it off.

“It’s not like I haven’t gotten used to it by now, anyway.”

“I guess,” Laura said. “But I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

“Nor should you,” Logan answered.

They drove a bit further in silence, and then Laura spoke up again.

“Your ability,” she said, “you said you developed it when you were a kid. Have you ever met anybody else with it?”

“No.”

Just then, Laura recognized the area they were in.

“Ah, ok, we’re very close,” she said. “Take a right at the next side-road, and I think there’s a little lookout at the end of the dirt road.”

“K.”

Laura looked out her window at the evergreens around her as they drove down the smal road. She always found them beautiful. Clean, and pristine. Sure enough, after a minute or so, the road up ahead ended in a smal dirt lot right on the shore of the lake. They drove up to it, and Laura saw they were the only ones there. Logan parked the car, and looked over to her.

“Do you dream, Laura,” he asked suddenly.

“Do I dream? Of course I do. Everybody does.”

“No, no.” He shook his head. “I don’t mean dreams like dreams and hopes. I mean the journey that you go on when you’re asleep.”

“Of course I do.”

“And do you ever believe in your dreams? Do you ever feel like they have something to reveal to you, perhaps a truth about the world?”

“Hmm… maybe. When I was younger. Not much,

anymore, real y.”

“Wel ,” he said coyly, “how would you like to experience that feeling again?”

“What, dreaming?”

“No, not just dreaming.
Knowing
your dreams. Knowing they signify more.”

“How?” Laura asked suspiciously.

“I can take you there.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s another… ability… I have. It’s what I wanted to show you.”

“Umm, ok.” She couldn’t back off now.

“Ok.” He looked ahead, at the lake, and when he moved

his

lips,

the

words

were

barely

distinguishable. “Look outside, Laura. Look at the calm of the lake. Feel at the serenity of the water.”

He rol ed down his window a bit. “Breathe in the air, feel the freshness, the vibrancy of it al . Actual y,” he looked to her, “this would work better outside.” And he stepped out of the car. Laura didn’t have any choice but to fol ow.

Logan jumped up onto the hood of the Volvo, and motioned for Laura to do the same. She climbed on, sitting beside him, hands wrapped around her knees.

“Breathe the air in, Laura. Take in the silence, the nature. Hear the sounds of the lapping water, the rustle of wind through the trees. Embrace it al , Laura.”

“Ok…” she said uncertainly.

“Now, I want you to focus on this very moment. The very spot you’re in right now. Feel the cool metal of the car beneath you, the breeze tugging at your clothes. Inhale the pristine smel s of the trees al around you, the rhythmic lapping of the lake.

“Ok,” Laura said. She listened to what he said, and made her mind focus on only what he pointed out.

“Now, I want you to give me your hand. But before you do, know that this is going to be different from last time.”

“Different, how?”

“I wil show you what I know.”

“Ok.” She reached over to take his hand, not knowing what to expect. When their fingers touched… there was nothing. No barrage of unwanted thoughts flooding into her mind. For some reason, she started to feel drowsy. Her eyes began to droop shut. Her focus was wavering, and she had a hard time keeping her head up. She held his hand, though, and noticed it was icy cold, stealing her warmth.

“This… wil go the other way,” he told her gently.

“You’re going to want to take a nap.”

“I wil ?” Laura said drowsily.

“Yes, you wil .” He tightened his grip on her hand.

“Do not be afraid, Laura. Relax your mind, and let go.”

“...o…k…” she drawled the words. She felt her eyes close, and just before she fel asleep, she slumped heavily into Logan.