The bell for recess rang and he headed for the table where he usually sat with Simon in the cafeteria. He was there and so was Owen.
‘Don’t even try talking to me,’ Simon began when Brendan sat in front of them.‘I’m not,’ Brendan said maintaining his calm. ‘Has any of you seen Samantha today or did she come into your classroom at all?’ he asked them. Owen had been placed in the same class as Simon.‘Like that’s any of my business,’ Simon responded with spite in his voice.‘Look, just tell me if you did or didn’t, that’s all.’Simon sighed furiously then said, ‘Well, she called me last night. I don’t know how that witch got my number but she did.’‘What did she say?’‘It was distorted, I couldn’t hear it.’‘So you captured not a single word at all?’‘She sounded like she was in troubleWhen he told them to come in, Brendan noticed that Miss Putin’s rage-filled eyes were fixed tight on Thomas who, to Brendan’s surprise, looked outdone. He felt overjoyed, not that Thomas had committed such an offence, but because there was a great possibility of his expulsion.Unnoticed, Brendan went into class and grabbed his books and left school. From Principal Johnston’s office there had been a debate in his mind. A debate about Samantha. Simon said that when she had called him, she sounded like she was in a great deal of trouble. And she had mentioned the words “Fred” and “help”. Was it her brother that had been in trouble last night or had it been her? Even still, either case was not something he could easily dismiss. If it were her brother in trouble, a boy who could create…wait, the Finch said “manipulate” particles to create, or was it to summon…fire, what kind of trouble could you be in, except if t
‘He’s just a boy,’ the officer in charge said to the female officer, chuckling in the process. ‘You failed to restrain, a what..? A seventeen or eighteen year old junkie? You are a disgrace, Sergeant Stone.’ In Bradwield, the highest police rank was lieutenant, followed by commissioner then the sergeant and then the corporal and below corporal were the trainees. The sergeant gulped, ‘His flame weapon is what makes him irrepressible, sir.’‘So you’re telling me that with all your guns you were chased away by a seventeen year old junkie who happened to hustle some jeans or a skateboard to get that flamethrower? Humph! Where’s the flamethrower, boy?!’ The officer in charge had resumed communicating with the Flicker through the megaphone.‘What flamethrower?’ The Flicker’s smile had changed to a smirk. His entire body was covered in ash but the crimson of his hair was still noticeable eve
He waited for almost half an hour for the signal, then he made up his mind that waiting any longer would only shorten Samantha’s life. He walked slowly in order to prevent himself from starting the Flicker into doing something illogical. He had almost given up hope when suddenly he saw it. The flame burned in the air above the trees for roughly five seconds but he could tell where it was. Using his enhanced speed, he rushed to the northwest of where he was standing.In a split second he arrived at the location of the signal. About eight hundred yards from where he now stood was a pine tree and bound to the foot of that pine tree with ropes was Samantha. She was only wearing violet colored pajamas and her feet were bare which backed up Simon’s story that she had called him the previous evening.He walked forward to untie her but just as he did, the Flicker emerged from behind the tree and stood beside her.Samantha looked unconscious but then sh
‘That tree won’t save you, Eriksson,’ said the Flicker rubbing his hands together, a little blue still visible from beneath his skin, like a kitchen stove after use. ‘I understand that you have principles, but so do I. You have a good heart. My sister told me all about how badly she treated you…she even wept over it. And you’re still willing to save her all the same. To risk your life for someone that treated you like garbage. Dissed you for being an orphan etcetera. And you helped those people back there, at the bank. I mean, if it wasn’t for you, they’d be toast right now. Literally.’ He shrugged, now getting closer to Brendan’s hiding spot. ‘I guess I can respect those principles, Eriksson. But it doesn’t mean they won’t get you killed some day.’The Flicker began hurling electric spheres at the tree Brendan was hiding behind. The impact of one of these spheres would produce a whip-like sound, ripping a huge amount of the bark and scattering it in many places, progressively de
Sweat greased his palms and his grip on the boulder was quickly slipping. But it had to be done, he decided. If he let him go, then everyone else was in danger, especially Samantha. ‘Brendan, please don’t! I’m begging you.’ It was Samantha. She had finally woken up.He placed the boulder back on the ground and he rushed to her aid. He knelt on one knee and tore the ropes that bound her with ease using only one hand. As soon as she had been freed, she embraced him and began crying heavily into his chest. ‘Please don’t hurt him, Brendan. You don’t have to kill him, please.’‘Not only did he kidnap you, Samantha but he burnt people alive, innocent people with wives, husbands and children.’‘I understand that but I cannot watch you kill him.’ She had removed her face from his chest.‘Don’t worry; I’ll make it quick.’ He got up and moved towards the Flicker but
She sat up with a start. She looked at him with eyes quivering in exhaustion. ‘Oh, please tell me you didn’t go through with it?’ she asked him, her voice pleading and trembling in grief and fear. She looked like a child that couldn’t find her mommy.‘I…I couldn’t…’ he answered her, ‘Only for your sake.’She pulled him towards her and embraced him, thanking him repeatedly.‘What exactly do you remember, Samantha, from what you’ve been through?’ he asked her hoping she would not get too curious about the absurd things that had happened between him and the Flicker.‘Well..,’ she released her hold on him, ‘…I remember Fred kidnapping me and taking me to the forest, but before that, I called Simon but he didn’t seem interested. I tried begging Fred to control himself. I don’t know, I think he lost his mind. He was talking about destiny and the fu
When he arrived, he knocked twice before there was an answer. Simon’s father opened the door. He was tall and chubby and he had a brown, scruffy, bushy beard. He was a builder and he owned two trucks. He was wearing his overalls and his boots and looked ready for work. ‘Hello, Brendan,’ he greeted Brendan with a friendly smile but it somehow looked invisible inside that giant beard.‘Good morning, Mr. Drewmorphin,’ he responded with a smile too.‘If you want to see Simon, you can come in and have breakfast with us, he’s still in the shower.’He could feel his stomach crying out for food. ‘That’s kind of you but I already ate, and besides, I came to see you only.’Mr. Drewmorphin looked surprised. He closed the door and stepped outside.‘I need a favor, sir.’‘Anything for my son’s best friend,’ he rubbed his hands with glee when he spoke.‘I was wondering if you could pick up something for me and deliver it to a certain place…after your working hours tha
Brendan shifted on his bench to see behind him and saw Samantha walking towards their table. Simon and Owen stood up. ‘Come on, Simon please!’ Brendan begged him. ‘She’s turned a new leaf.’ ‘Yeah, right…’ Simon grunted before picking up his tray. ‘If a person had a photo of the devil in one hand and a photo of Samantha in the other, they wouldn’t tell them apart. They’re absolutely identical; she is the devil in person.’ ‘Now that’s being heartless,’ Brendan said watching them move to a table behind him. This time Samantha did not sit in front of him but at his side. ‘Hi,’ they both greeted each other. They sat for a while in silence. Brendan noticed that she had not collected food from the food counter. ‘Aren’t you hungry?’ he asked her. ‘No, I’m okay actually,’ she answered him. They sat again in silence for about twenty seconds. ‘About the money,’ he broke the silence, ‘Simon’s dad will be delivering it