Chapter Six

As the afternoon dragged on Johnny felt it, something was wrong. School was more long and drawn out than usual, and the events that took place didn't help him feel any better about the day. He was probably going to be in trouble. He didn't care, that's why he chose not to attend the rest of the school day, leaving just after lunch. He figured since his mom wouldn't be home until around six, and his sister was still in school herself, he had time. He wanted to understand. He needed to. Although he knew a little piece of what was happening most of the situation eluded him.

"Thank you Denise"

He would be completely in the dark if it weren't for his sister having gifts herself. As "Elton John" ended "The Beach Boys" began serenading his ears.

He made his way to his make shift camp in the park right behind his school. Today had started out strange, he woke up, one arm holding onto his sister with no clue why. All morning she barely spoke to him and her demeanor clued him in that she knew more about today's events than he did. There was something else. It was more like a hint of uneasiness around him, she had left from the house in a hurry and she kept to herself. They were very close there was no reason for it, unless…

Turning away from the school he made his way deeper in the park. Last summer he and his buddy Collin made a small fort deep in park where there were very few visitors. Now, as he approached his small make shift structure, everything was as they left it. No one has discovered their hiding place and it remained undisturbed.

The partially broken lounge chair was folded in between the logs. They had placed it there for extra seating. One baseball sat nearby, unused.

Placing his pack on the ground, Johnny lifted his hands to his face staring at them front to back. When he had left the house he had a queasy feeling in his stomach, and though it was no colder than any other day Johnny was shaking uncontrollably. He thought maybe he was coming down with a cold. Without a fever his mom wouldn't let him stay home so he had no choice but to ignore it. Then as if his day wasn't bad enough, at lunch today, he found out Collin was out sick. He has known Collin for five years and in that time while Collin shot up in size, Johnny hadn't grown that much. Collin always had his back and he made sure no one messed with John. There was enough kids that tried due to his small size. One kid in particular was Brian.

At one point in time he and Johnny were good friends but John really didn't like that he was always trying to get him into trouble so he cut their friendship off.

Today, once Brian noticed Collin wasn't there, he started antagonizing John. Johnny has always seen himself as a somewhat good kid, he tries not to cause trouble for his mom. He knows she has a lot on her plate raising four kids. So he was not one to fall victim into fighting, normally at least. For some reason, maybe because he felt ill, John got really angry. As Brian came up with his new set of friends he badgered Johnny and then proceeded to shove him as he ate.

Avoiding any violence John put his ear phones on and allowed the music from "Trapt." to help him overlook any ignorant ranting Brian might've been saying. Then Brian shoved him more forcefully, he could hear the other kids snicker words like "Coward," this made Johnny angry. As the freckled face boy continued to taunt John, he could barely make out anything the boy said, but, some words stuck out like wuss, yellow belly, and a few more followed by laughing.

The fury filled John, then he could see it. At first it looked like a small match burning inside him. As Brian continued he could see it grow into a camp fire. Then everything that Brian said was completely covered by the sounds of the crackling of fire as though he were sitting right next to it. Another shove, more snickers, and from there it flew into a house blazing he could even smell the burning wood. Without moving Johnny could see the other boys approaching close to Brian as they laughed alongside him. It finally grew into a forest fire. As the last image passed through his mind, in an instant, John felt as though time had slowed and then Brian had swung at him once again.

Quickly spinning around John intercepted and grabbed the other boy's wrist. Standing up from his chair, the fire was hot inside him. He could even taste the burnt wood as though he just came from whatever area the fire might've started. It drowned out the taste of his pizza which infuriated Johnny even more. He didn't know where this new found anger came from but needless to say he did enjoy it, and he could see the look of fear as it crept into Brian's face. Immediately the other boy tried to pull away but Johnny held fast and said. "I know you think I rely on Collin for protection, but I don't need him for protection you just don't wanna see me pissed."

Then as if it were like the blood coursing through his veins, a piece of the fire raging within him came through his palm and broke free and he burned Brian. He broke his trance when the boy screamed in pain.

Snapping back into reality he pulled away only to see the mark left on the boy's wrist and forearm. Where his hand had been, there were four small markings clearly seared into the skin as though he had just been burned on a hot stove. With the redness and swelling it also looked like it was noticeably starting to blister.

Brian was about a foot taller than Johnny, not as tall as Collin, still taller than John. He had no reason to fear him, but at that moment Johnny could see the fear and confusion in the boy's eyes. The three boys looked at John bewildered, as they turned and walked away, none of them reaching out to get in a last word. After that he couldn't stay at school. He was afraid he would be called out of class and he was sure tomorrow he was in for the surprise he left behind today. Trying to explain something he didn't understand to a bunch of counselors, or worse yet his mom was going to make him seem like a delusional raving lunatic. Not good.

As Phil Collins started his serenade he got an idea. Reaching in his pack he pulled out a blank piece of paper, placed it on his lap, and put one hand in the center. Trying to recreate the images that raced through his mind earlier he thought of a match lighting, then a camp fire, followed by a burning house and then the wild forest fire raging out of control and coming through him as it had done once before.

Nothing happened.

He sighed, and tried again and again recreating the images in his mind. Nothing. He was so confused, the only difference with now and then was he was really angry. Maybe he needed to be mad. Trying again he thought about the feelings that hit him when Brian started his banter, the fires blazing in his mind.... Still nothing. "Ugh... what a fucking headache…"

He slumped back and crumpled the paper tossing it aside. It was no use, he wasn't angry and, because he's not usually an angry person, he had no idea how to make himself angry. There was nothing here that could fuel him in that direction either. How useless. What good is this gift if he can't learn to control it?

This was the last thing he needed, he and Denise may have gotten along better than any brother and sister duet he could think of, but they still had their minor spats and he would hate himself if he were to lose control and accidentally burn his sister.

In light of his last thought, as another one of Elton John's songs played, he got an idea. Denise. Denise would know what to do. How did she handle her ability when it first started to emerge? Surely she could not have been in complete control. She would know. She had to know. Though his talent seemed to differ from hers there was no doubt he was gifted too. Now he just had to hope it wasn't as useless as it seemed.

Making his way back towards civilization John left his fort behind and headed towards the more populated areas of the park behind the school. Even during school hours it was not completely empty he knew there would be a few people but, Oregon was a different way of life, no one bothered anyone else. Everyone kept to themselves so he had nothing to worry about. He figured he could hang out at the swings and wait until school ended before heading home. For today no one would be the wiser.

As he walked around the park John could feel an eeriness creep in on him as though something were out of place. A cool breeze picked up, glided around him, and swept itself away into the air. At that moment he didn't realize he was still walking, away from the swing set, past the jungle jim, and into the makeshift parking lot where he stopped abruptly and began to scan the surrounding area. Unsure what he was looking for he took one ear bud out of his ear, and slowly let his eyes wander. There were two kids around the age of four playing on the nearby jungle gym with a woman close by gossiping on her cell phone. Normal. Two cars parked toward the right of him with three teenagers laughing and talking loudly sitting on the hoods of the vehicle. If they were seniors this was normal. Just past them two adult males were starting a round of disc golf. Also normal.

Still scanning he stopped at the sight of a dark green Grand Cherokee parked at the far end of the parking lot. He could see that there was someone sitting behind the wheel, and though there was distance between them, he noticed that his sights were set right on John. Not normal. He stood there for a moment watching the driver watch him. Unsure of why he wasn't alarmed, he also didn't care to hide the fact that he noticed the stranger watching him. He had no intention of breaking out in a sprint, running in the opposite direction, or even screaming out "stranger danger."

Instead as if to show he was not intimidated John continued walking the path he would take for his eventual way home. Standing about twelve feet from the vehicle, the driver made no attempt to get out of his car. Wearing dark sunglasses, he kept one hand on the steering wheel while his eyes noticeably followed John's movements. As in returning the gaze Johnny made no attempt to seem as though he was looking at anything but the driver. He wasn't sure if this new found bravery was due to him finding out he was special or if it's something he always had. It could have been he didn't feel any threat from the stranger, either way he liked the sudden display of confidence. The driver's eyes followed John as he passed by the vehicle.

Unsure of why he had such a fixed gaze on him, John decided to wave as he made his way around the jeep. Surprisingly the driver smiled and waved back. Feeling reassured Johnny turned from the car, placed his ear bud in and allowed more of his music collection to lull in his ears. As he headed down the gravel driveway he figured it might be best to wait somewhere else, maybe he would walk the isles of the local grocery store, in any way he didn't like the idea of just sitting for another three hours waiting for the bell.

The day was long already that would make it seem never ending. Before he could get too deep in thought, John felt something pull him from behind. Turning the direction of the force he noticed the Jeep was making its way up the gravel driveway. A small island in the middle separated the cars entering and exiting the park. John was walking up the entrance side so he was in no danger of the vehicle stumbling across the divider and slamming into him. Not that he had any reason to believe that it would. Although, even as he left he made it noticeable that he was very interested in John. The SUV crept its way up the driveway and as it made its final approach it slowed altogether. The man's window was down and his sunglasses were off. John was able to see more of the strangers face.

There was nothing about him that would seem menacing in anyway. His clear blue eyes were warm and welcoming, along with a broader smile than he had previously shown. The glasses he was wearing had been hidden under the shades now John could see their black frame, and it all complimented the stranger's unnaturally young look, which made him seem more like a high school nerd than some creepy pedophile.

Whatever tension was built up in Johnny's body was relieved as the man pulled up, waved one last time, and headed off.

"Well that was weird." He thought.

Today was full of surprises and, for him, the end result of whether they are good or bad, remains to be seen. Listening to a piece of his collection from Imagine Dragons, John continued his walk.