West San Jose, California, March 12, Present Day, 9:00 p.m. PST.
We pulled into the long driveway of the house, and we could already hear the music.
“Scip! Man, wake up and wipe that drool off your chin; you look gross!” Ian laughed as he elbowed me awake.
“I’m up, dude!” I was annoyed about being pushed from the dream, but I checked my face just in case.
“Dude, how do you do that?” Ian asked as we got out of the car to let the valet park it.
“Do what? Be this badass?” I said, and Ian laughed hard.
“No, I mean fall asleep in a car so fast. We weren’t even on the main street, and you were already out like a light.”
Ian seemed genuinely curious.
“I don’t know; it’s a gift, I guess. How do you not fall asleep?” I countered.
“Well, that’s why you don’t have a license. You’d fall asleep during the driving test.” We were laughing as we approached the enormous house.
Then Ian said, “Oh shit, Scip, there she is!”
I followed his gaze to Diana, looking fine as she could be. I have known Diana since fourth grade. She was a shy little girl. Her big hazel eyes were wide and trusting behind her glasses. She kept pushing her chestnut hair out of her face.
On her first day, Ian and I were the first ones to talk to her. We became fast friends. At the time, I didn’t know how other girls can be so mean to other girls they consider a threat. During one recess period, I came out of the bathroom and went to find Ian and Diana. When I found them, Diana was crying, and Ian was sitting next to her on the lunch table benches. I rushed to her side. Ian explained some girls were teasing her about her glasses. I stalked off, determined to make them apologize for hurting Diana’s feelings.
The clique of three girls, on any other day, would have had me shaking in my shoes, but today I was angry, and none of that mattered. I lit into them. I yelled and called them all kinds of names. I never cussed at them because I did not want the smoke from my parents. They tried to defend themselves from my tirade, but I was too angry to care. It was like I knew stuff about them I could not have known. Looking back, I heard a voice in my mind that was not my own. When I returned to my friends, Diana had stopped crying, but her cheeks were flushed and dirty from wiping tears away. I used my shirt to wipe the dirt and tears away. When I finished wiping, she looked up at me, and there was something in her eyes I did not understand, but my heart leaped. I think that was when I fell in deep like for her. I was too afraid to jeopardize our friendship to ever ask her to be my girlfriend. When Ian realized how I felt, he was no help at all. He was always trying to get us alone together.
In sixth grade, it only got worse. Diana started dating other boys in the class but never me. Our friendship stayed steady, and I told myself I was happy. Now in high school, I came into my own physically, but I never genuinely was attracted to anyone else; it was always Diana. Ian tried to get me to notice all the other girls looking at me, or he heard about wanting to date me, but they had no pull. It had to be her. We texted all the time. Today would be the day I would talk to her about my feelings. I would explain how our friendship should be more and how I would never hurt her like those other guys had done. I felt good and confident that no matter her reaction, I would be okay, but I also was daydreaming about all the fun we would have together after we got married. Oh man, I was so nervous, but my brush with death taught me to seize the day.
She was with someone; someone I had never seen before.
Her skin was dark brown and shone even at night, her eyes were the color of a golden sunset, and her hair was curly and black like the night sky in my dreams, full of shining stars and infinite possibility, it seemed to leap from her head, reaching for life. My heart literally skipped a beat. She was tall, maybe 5’10”, and strong like time herself had sculpted her. She looked like she was a dancer and a casual weightlifter. Two ends came together to complete a spiritual circle. My heart and mind aligned.
CLICK!
My heart skipped another beat. The Mystery Girl was laughing at something Diana said, and her smile lit her whole being up. I was mesmerized.
“Scipio Octavius Harelson! Dude!” Ian hit me in the shoulder.
I turned. “What, dude?”
“Dude, you were staring so hard at Diana that I thought your eyes were going to fall out of your head.”
I was dazed. I didn’t know what Ian was talking about; the new girl had my full attention.
“Dude, what has got you so messed up?”
Then he looked and saw what I saw. “Oh man, who is that?”
“I don’t know but aim to find out,” I said.
Suddenly, Diana didn’t seem so scary. The memories of my nervousness around her seemed absurd.
“Scip…" but I was already walking up the long path to the house. It felt like I blinked, and I was right next to them.
“Hi, Diana.” She jumped.
“Scip! I didn’t see you walk up. How are you doing? Where’s your other half?” her voice was climbing in volume as she got closer to the house.
“Who’s your friend?” I asked. Her eyes widened a bit at the abrupt change, but I didn’t care; she was just an obstacle.
“Oh, this is Saphronia; she's an exchange student from Cape Verde, and she is staying with us.”
She stepped to the side, so Saphronia and I could see each other. Saphronia smiled, and my heart leaped in my chest. I rolled her name around in my head, Saphro-nia.
“Hi, nice to meet you.” Her voice was clear and strong, like a morning sunrise.
She had an accent I had never heard before. She stuck out her hand for a handshake, and I took it.
“H…. Hi, nice to meet you as well. My name is…” My mind was reeling. It seemed like I knew this girl. My own name slipped from my head. She was familiar to me, but at the same time, I had no idea who she was. There was something about her eyes that called to me.
“This is Scipio. I like to call him my sippy cup. Isn’t that right, Sippy Cup?"
I was mortified, but Saphronia and I never lost eye contact; I could not look away. Diana had not called me that in years. In fact, the last time I heard it was in fifth grade. Fifteen minutes ago, I would have been on cloud nine to hear her call me that, but now I was just pissed off. I tore my gaze away from Saphronia to look at Diana.
I laughed courteously and said, “No, you haven’t called me that in years, Didi.”
I focused my attention back on Saphronia, “People call me Scip for short. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I reached my hand out for a shake.
Where was all of this coming from? Our eyes remained locked, I was content to get lost in the golden pools, and I felt completely comfortable talking to her, even with Diana acting salty and calling me by my old nickname. She barely gave me the time of day these days.
Just then, Ian ran up and grabbed my arm, physically tearing me away from Saphronia’s gaze.
“What the hell, man!” he was visibly upset and out of breath.
Diana took the break in the obvious magic that was happening to walk off with Saphronia. “See you guys inside!” she called over her shoulder, guiding Saphronia inside.
I could still smell the shea butter she used. I turned to Ian. “What is wrong with you?”
Ian gaped at me.
“Me? Me? What the hell is wrong with you? Do you even know what you just did?” Ian asked, exasperated.
“Dude, what the hell are you talking about?” I was getting exasperated.
“Dude, you just teleported or something!"
Ian’s eyes were as wide as saucers.
I pulled him aside. I did not want anyone to start thinking he was crazy, so I laughed when I responded. “Ian, what the hell are you talking about? I ran over here to meet that girl, Saphronia.” Oh man, even her name was special.
Ian was shaking his head.
“You were staring so hard at her I thought your eyes were going to pop out of your head. Then, poof, you were gone. You had me fucked up! There was a whump sound right after you left, and then I saw you standing halfway to the girls. Then you were gone again. Then you were standing next to Diana just as relaxed as you please.”
My eyes widened as well.
“Ian, what the heck are you talking about? I ran over there! I didn’t disappear and... teleport or whatever."
I was incredulous.
“Yes, the fuck you did! I saw it with my own two eyes. Did you drink a potion or get bit by a radioactive magician? And why is this the first I hear of your superpowers?”
I looked at him at a loss.
“I don’t know, man; I was still figuring things out.”
Ian’s brow furrowed in confusion. “This isn’t the first time you teleported?”
“No, it’s the first time; it’s just not the only thing I can do,” I said, defeated.
Impossibly, Ian’s eyes doubled in size.
“What? What else can you do?”
“Well, so far, I can...” I concentrated for a moment. I saw a blue glow when I closed my eyes.
When I had it, I opened my eyes.
“You were thinking, ‘Holy shit, my friend has powers! I wonder if it was something he ate; I wonder if I’ll get powers.’”
Ian’s face went white as a sheet.
“You read my mind! Holy shit, Scip!”
His voice was loud, very loud, but luckily the music coming from the house was also loud.
“Shut up!” I said, gripping his arm and moving toward the front door.
“Dude, what the heck are you doing?” I growled.
“Sorry, sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to blow your cover, but you just read my mind. How am I supposed to react?”
“We can talk about it later, I promise,” I said, turning him toward the front door and the party. “Right now, let’s go in.” I had read enough comic books in my life to know that once you could read minds, you could push them as well. So, I pushed him with my mind.
Ian’s entire demeanor changed, and he just nodded his head and strode into the house.
I would think about that later, I told myself. Right now, I wanted to find Saphronia. I looked around but did not see her. I pushed and shoved my way to the kitchen, hoping to catch sight of her and to get a break from the crowd. I wondered if she experienced the same CLICK I did.
I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned to see Saphronia walking into the kitchen close behind me.
“Hey,” I said in surprise, “I was looking for you.” Ugh. I mentally facepalmed. Creepy much, I thought to myself.
To my surprise, Saphronia smiled.
“I was looking for you, too. You are a fascinating boy,” she said. Her accent was terrific, and it gave me goosebumps. "I would like to get to know you better.”
“Uh, me too,” I said clumsily.
This was going well.
“Can we leave this place?” she asked with a small smile accenting her face.
“Sure, let’s go for a walk outside,” I said and mentally facepalmed myself again.
Where else would we walk? Dummy.
“Do not be so hard on yourself, Scipio. I would be flustered if I met me, too.”
“Wait, what?”
“Oh, nothing. Let’s go.”
We wove our way out of the party, somehow ending up in the backyard. Kids played in the pool and laughed, while others sat on the grass talking and just hanging out.
We left the backyard through the gate, walked down to the sidewalk, and turned left. My dad, who was a lefty like me, or me like him, whatever, always said when in doubt, go left, so left it was.
I asked Saphronia where she was from, and without missing a beat, she said, "Wakanda."
At first, my mind ground to a halt, but when she couldn’t hold in her laughter, I knew she was kidding.
I started laughing, too. Probably a little too hard, but it was funny. Saphronia said she was from Cabo Verde, a small group of islands off the coast of West Africa. I told her I had never heard of that place, and she told me I wasn’t unique. She used unique in everyday parlance. How hot was that?
We walked and talked. When I told her about my training, she asked to see some of my moves, and I was happy to oblige. I showed her some basic forms, and she clapped for me. A goofy smile appeared on my face.
Then she showed me what she knew. She had an expert grasp of combatives, and she was scary... and hot.
Her body was lithe, and her moves were crisp. I was impressed. I invited her to our studio to meet Adrian, and she accepted.
I told her about my recent match and how I passed out, and I left out the new parts, about hearing other people’s thoughts.
She seemed genuinely interested and concerned. I told her I was all better. We talked about where she was from and how different it was here. I was intrigued by her description of her home. I wanted to see it for myself.
We walked and talked, sharing and listening to each other. Saphronia totally enraptured me. After what seemed like only a few minutes, my Global rang; when I checked it, I saw it was Ian calling. I tapped the earpiece and answered the call.
“What’s up, bro’?” I asked casually.
“Where the heck are you, Scipio?” Ian sounded pissed.
“Dude, what’s wrong? I just went for a walk. Did something happen?" I was genuinely worried.
“Yeah! You ditched me! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in hours!” Yep, he was pissed but kind of overreacting.
“Dude,” I laughed, “we’ve only been gone for what?” I looked at my Global to check the time. Two hours had passed.
“Ian, I’m so sorry; I didn’t realize how long we had been gone.”
Just then, Saphronia touched my arm. I looked at her, and she seemed worried.
“I have to go back. Diana is looking for me,” she whispered. “Are we far away from the party?”
I looked around to get my bearings, and my heart skipped when I realized where we were.
“Dude, we are like three miles away. Can you come to pick us up?”
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” he sounded defeated.
I sent him our location after he hung up.
Saphronia was looking at me with raised eyebrows. Oh man, was she gorgeous!
“Ian is on his way,” I said.
“Is he a good friend of yours?” she asked.
“Yeah, he’s my best friend: we’ve known each other for years. Since we were very young, like seven or eight years old.”
We found a place to sit and wait for Ian. I was getting nervous sitting out like this so late at night. I had completely lost track of time and place, which was very uncharacteristic of me. As we talked, I kept looking around, and my nervousness must have shown.
“Are we in a bad part of town?” Saphronia asked. “You keep looking around like a gang is going to show up.”
“That’s close to the truth,” I responded.
I looked left and saw a car turn left onto the street we were on, and I looked right and saw the same thing. I hoped one of the pair of headlights was Ian. I jumped as a bright, white light illuminated everything around us. I instinctively turned to look at the bright beam and covered my eyes reflexively. Red and blue lights joined the bright white searchlight, and a whoop came from the source.
Saphronia and I stood up without thinking. My knees felt weak with dread. The police car stopped ten feet away from us, its blinding bright lights washing all details from the world.
The other car stopped across the street; it had to be Ian. Two officers got out of the cruiser and walked over to us, both of their hands resting ominously on their sidearms.
“You kids are out kinda late, aren’t you?” one of them asked. Saphronia didn’t move, but I could sense her tension. I spoke up.
“Sorry, officer, we were on a first date and really hit it off. We lost track of time,” I explained. I hoped Saphronia didn’t mind me embellishing our situation.
One of them laughed and said, “Oh, I see this is a pre-baby momma moment.”
I still could not see their faces or exactly where they were because of the light, but I realized I could sense where they were just by focusing on their thoughts.
Hmmm, that’s a nice piece of young ass.
The thought appeared in my mind like a rancid piece of meat. It made me sick and angry at the same time. The fear I felt was washed away by a wave of familiar anger. It was a living, breathing thing, clearing space in my mind. The world sharpened, and I was filled with clarity.
“What did you just say?” I said surging to my feet. The challenge in my voice was evident and surprising. I felt the surprise flare from them, but it was replaced by twisted amusement and eager anticipation for violence.
“What did you just say, son?” The cop with the rancid thought stepped up to me, his breath hot and forced through his nose. He was as tall as I was and muscular with a broad angular face. His brow was furrowed in anger, and his cheeks were still in the process of flushing. I thought I would stand my ground, but my legs took a step back on their own, the ghost of the earlier fear asserting itself briefly.
“I thought I heard you say something,” I said in a small voice. The cop turned and looked at Saphronia but still spoke to me.
“That’s what I thought,” he said as he turned his full attention to Saphronia.
“Hey, young lady, do your parents know you are out so late with this homeboy?” His head gestured toward me as he spoke.
He was invading her personal space, and I was about to say something when the other officer took me by the arm and said, “Come with me, let’s check you out,” he ordered, walking me over to the cruiser and pushing me up against the hood.
This cop was a little shorter than me, and he didn’t like that I kept looking over him to see what was going on with Saphronia.
“You’re a big one. What’s your name, son?” the officer asked.
“Scipio Harelson,” I said. “I’d like to call my parents if you wouldn’t mind, Sir.” I glanced over his head again to see if Saphronia was alright.
“Oh, parents plural? You got a daddy, too?” the officer mocked. “We don’t need to call them; we’re doing just fine. Don’t worry about your little girlfriend over there. My partner will take good care of her. Maybe I will, too, when he’s done.”
My eyes dropped to his when he said the last part.
“What?” I could feel the anger rising to assert itself. It was like an explosion in my chest, spreading to my arms and legs and then my head. I tried to stare holes into his head.
“Turn around, hands on the hood, and spread your legs. Let’s make sure you aren’t armed.”
He tried to spin me around, but I didn’t budge. I was staring at him with unabashed, living anger. As worried as I had been about the cops showing up, I still could not believe this was actually happening. I could see the other officer pushing Saphronia up against a nearby tree outside of the splash of light. He was way too close to her, and I heard something about frisking her. What happened next transpired so fast, that I barely remember what exactly occurred.
My cop’s hands moved so quickly that I felt them before I knew what was happening. His hands gripped my neck with a crushing force. We were hip to hip, and he was trying to break my posture by lifting me off my feet or hitting me up against the police cruiser. His hands were enormous; I could feel the fingertips of both his hands pinching the skin on the back of my neck.
I did not bend. Instead, I flexed my neck and growled at him. Spittle flew between my clenched teeth.
“Stop resisting!” he growled at me. His breath was hot with fear, and his voice broke.
I heard Saphronia yell, “Get off of me!”
Something old and dangerous sprang across the bridge in my soul and burst into flames in my mind. The angry flame spread through me in an instant.