You're Not in This Alone

While Nadia, Sarah, and I were waiting for Skyler to pack his things, Nadia mumbled to Sarah and I, “I’ve just teleported Lance, Miranda, Ebony, and the two new ones, Faith and Tristan to Catskill. Lance says the other group is already back, and they’re waiting for us to do introductions.”

“I wish we could tell them we’ll be there soon.” I said to myself, and Nadia nodded.

“That’s okay,” Sarah assured us, standing up. “Skyler is done now anyways.”

Sure enough, Skyler came down the stairs with a backpack a few seconds later, smiling. “I’m ready. How does this teleporting thing work?”

Nadia cracked a smile. “You’ll see.”

The next thing I knew, I was trying to keep my balance in the family room of the supply house. Skyler was grinning from ear to ear, and Sarah was helping him stand up. We all fell the first few times we teleported.

I heard many voices in the kitchen. I guessed everyone was cooking dinner. The first to realize we had arrived and came to greet us was Ebony. She smiled at Skyler warmly before coming to hug me. I held her tightly, trying to eliminate the dreaded feelings of both physical and emotional distance.

When she pulled away and settled for holding my hand, she called to everyone, “They’re back! Time for introductions!”

Ethan, Shelby, Leo, Miranda, Lance, and four other people walked around the corner. First, I learned that the plain girl and boy who stood next to Ebony and I were named Faith and Tristan, they were sixteen, and they had no powers. Skyler introduced himself after that. Last, but definitely not least, the boy and girl Ethan’s group brought with them introduced themselves. Well, actually, only the boy spoke. I never heard a word from the girl.

The boy said he was Jason. He was very obviously of Native American dissent, as his dark skin and hair suggested. However, his eyes were bright orange. He didn’t have any powers.

He introduced the silent girl as Grace and said they were fourteen. Grace had long flaming red hair, but her wide eyes gave me the chills. She had pitch black irises and milky white pupils that seemed eerie and alien.

Jason explained this when he said, “Grace doesn’t see like we do. She sees and hears on a whole different plane... dimension is the closest word to describe it. In this dimension she can communicate with spirits.”

I felt Ebony shiver. As if we needed another thing like that to make our lives like a horror movie. This was spooky.

Jason saw the looks on our faces and looked distressed. Grace’s eyes didn’t stray from his face, and he reached out to hold her hand. “It’s not bad or scary,” he insisted stubbornly. “She’s just different. She can’t control it, and usually she can interact with other people pretty normally. It’s just that there have been a lot of dead people who haven’t moved on lately. She’s distracted.”

I still felt unnerved by the girl, but Ebony took a step closer to them, dragging me with her. “Poor Grace,” she whispered quietly. “I know how you must feel, with so much death in your heart.” I squeezed Ebony’s hand in alarm. Her voice was deep with emotion.

Grace’s strange eyes strayed from Jason’s face for the first time to look deeply at Ebony. To everyone’s – even Jason’s – surprise, the corners of Grace’s mouth lifted into a subtle smile.

Jason looked delighted. “That’s the first time she’s smiled in a week,” he explained to Ebony. “She really liked what you said.”

“We’ll talk some time, Grace,” Ebony promised the poor girl. “I don’t have the same power as you, but I think our abilities overlap in some places. I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

Grace’s smile grew a bit before she looked to the side of the room where nobody stood, a distracted expression on her face.

“Don’t take it personally,” Jason said. “She like you, she’ll talk to you. It’s just hard for her to stay focused.”

Ebony nodded solemnly.

“Are you… together?” I asked curiously, eyeing their clasped hands.

Jason grimaced. “No, we’re like brother and sister. We’ve been traveling from foster home to foster home together since we were five. We’ve been friends for nine years.”

I nodded, but the way he cared for her seemed like more than friendship and different than brotherhood. I didn’t share my thought with anyone yet, but I made note to talk to Ebony about it later.

We ate dinner with many side conversations going on. There were fourteen of us now; too many to hold on conversation together. Skyler was telling Sarah an animated story, and Nadia and Ethan were listening. Shelby and Leo discussed something with Lance and Miranda. Ebony and I spoke to Faith and Tristan, explaining to them our story about what had happened to us the day everyone else died. Jason rarely joined in on a conversation. He spent most of his time reminding grace in a low voice to eat when she got distracted by something the rest of us couldn’t see.

When we were done with dinner, sleeping arrangements were made. It didn’t surprise me that Skyler chose to live the house with Sarah, Ebony, and I. He and Sarah seemed comfortable together. I didn’t mind at all. It would give Sarah someone else to sleep in the same room as to drive away her nightmares. Not that I wanted to get rid of her, but I wanted to be alone with Ebony. Faith and Tristan invited Grace and Jason to live in the same house as them.

While Ebony and I got ready for bed alone with Sarah and Skyler upstairs, she said, “Tomorrow should be another fun day. We need to relax and all get to know each other.”

I was careful with what I said, conscious of Sarah’s open ears not too far away. “I agree. What do you think of all of them?”

Ebony gave me a look that told me to wait for Sarah and Skyler to sleep. “I think they’re all nice,” she said out loud.”

We got into bed, and I wrapped my arms around her in a hug. “I missed you today,” I whispered into her ear.

“I missed you too,” she mumbled. We held each other for the next few minutes before she declared, “They’re sleeping.”

I slammed my lips against hers, letting my hand stray to her cheek and hold her there.

“Finally alone,” she murmured when I moved to her neck and continued to kiss her. Tangling her fingers in my hair, she said, “You asked what I think of the new ones. Skyler is a strong boy. I hope he and Sarah become good friends, and he makes her stronger.”

“Mmmm,” I agreed.

“Faith and Tristan seem cautious of us because they feel different and left out. But I know even if they don’t have powers, they never thought of themselves as true humans, so they also feel like they fit in. I like them a lot,” she continued.

“Me too,” I took a short break from kissing her to add.

“And Jason and Grace are intriguing,” she finished.

“They are,” I said, resting my cheek on hers so I could talk. “Jason says they’re like brother and sister, but there’s something else in the way he looks at her and acts around her. And Grace seems troubled. I think it would be good if you talked to her… if she talks.”

Ebony didn’t answer. I looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep. I smiled and kissed her forehead light, a little disappointed but not wanting to wake her. I didn’t have prophetic nightmares that night.