The Things Left Unsaid

The next morning it was library day. Apparently people actually couldn’t spend every waking hour underground; so there were a few things throughout the week to get us out and about. Library day, for instance, was when David drove everyone out to Klydeston and spent the day at the library. It was cozy and nice to get out and about; but today I’d have to skip it for something more… important.

I moaned as Hannah stood over my bed, nudging my shoulder. “Hey, hon, it’s time to get up. You’re going to miss the car into town. We’re waiting for you.

I moaned once more, “Go on without me, I couldn’t sleep at all last night. Let me catch up while you go…” *yawn* “…read books.” I rolled over, hoping she’d just leave. I needed an empty house.

I heard her sigh and skip off, “She’s staying in today.” She called.

I tucked myself into my covers further and waited for them all to leave. I heard them loiter for a few moments further then they all skittered up the stairs and the bunker door shut tight. I waited a few minutes more before jumping up and walking out of the bedroom. I stopped dead when I saw who was sitting in the loveseat in the living room.

“Morning.” Tyler said, glancing over his copy of The Art of War.

I frowned, “What are you doing here?”

He gave a satisfied smirk, “Not expecting me here?”

I shrugged, “I thought maybe the library might have books for you on removing sticks from…”

“-I was just there the other day; that’s why I’m not there.” He interrupted, his smirk turning to glare and I smirked at him now. “Why’re you here?”

“Couldn’t sleep last night, I think I got frost bite in my toes.” I said casually, reminding him of his roughhousing last night.

“And I think you paralyzed my cheek!” he said indignantly, “I think we’re even.”

My smirk widened, “Good.” I trotted off towards David’s room.

“You’re not going to stick your abnormally large nose in things that aren’t your business again, are you?” he asked, now reading his book once more.

“No… I’m taking the spare bedroom. I need a good sleep, and the bedroom is drafty!” I paused, “…and there’s nothing wrong with my nose!”

“It can’t be drafty; there are no windows!” he growled, but returned back to his reading. Good, I thought, now he can’t get into my business… again.

I paused at the door to the spare room and glanced back at Tyler from the hallway. He flipped a page in his book, in fact rather oblivious to me now. I pouted slightly, I had expected a little more from him… now I almost wanted him to come over. No, no… I need to find out what the hell is going on…

I quietly shifted into David’s room and made sure my feet didn’t make a sound. However, I was shocked to see that the desk that only last night had been totally cleared up.

“Snooping around again, are we?” Tyler growled, I turned and he was barely an inch from my face. I gasped but didn’t move, and the flash I saw in his eyes made me realize he hadn’t quite noticed just how close his face had been to mine. He didn’t move either however; too proud I supposed to show he had missed his mark from intimidating to just plain awkward.

Slowly I slipped back, putting my hands behind my back and giving a fake pout. I muttered, “I’m sorry, sir. I promise not to do it again.” Lie.

Tyler just snorted, “Trust me; you’ll get your knowledge when you need to know it. Just keep your pants on.”

That was it. I rolled my eyes and flew my hands in the air “Yes, yes. Just trust the people who practically kidnapped you and won’t give me a freaking straight answer to any one of my questions. Yes, yes.” I was near insanity. I was frustrated and tired and I just wanted to go home. “Trust, trust, trust; yeah I trust y’all!” I backed, “A trust earned is a Sally saved!! Trust me; these are not the freaking Sallies you are looking for!! Trusting you, is easy ‘cause you’re beautiful!” I paused, taking a breath and shaking my head rapidly. “Trust, trust, trust every single flipping person says to trust them but never trust a person that tells you to trust them because someone that has to freaking ask for trust doesn’t deserve it in the first place!” I was panting, I was sweating; I had cracked. Delusional. Bonkers. Nutty. Whatever you want to call it, anyone with a right noggin’ would have turned me into the asylum without a second though and locked me up ‘till hell froze over.

Tyler looked at me with eyes so wide I wanted to point and laugh and call him ‘Mr. Owl’; though to be honest, I was so hysterical I would have laughed at him anyways. He gently took my arm and tried to guide me into the living room, but I tore my arm from him. I can’t really remember what I was saying, or what was even going on exactly. It was like a fog filled my head and it scratched at my skull. “Trust? Trust!? I’ll show you trust!” I howled, my voice hurting even my ears.

Smash, bang, boom. Glass shattered all around me, sparks flew and the ground itself shook. Tyler jumped and threw me to the ground, protecting me as more glass shattered. Mugs, plates, Charles spare glasses, shattered. Tyler flipped me to face him and I whimpered. What was happening? I was terrified, so was he. Somehow, he kept a straight face as he frowned then shook his head. “It’s going to be okay.” He said, and met my gaze. I nodded, trying unsuccessfully to keep a brave face. Finally, the light bulbs broke and we were blanketed in darkness. I felt him flinch as glass scraped at his back and I felt tears running down my eyes. He made a sound as if he wanted to apologize, but another tremor made me cry out in fear. I felt his fingers on my neck and everything became a dizzying sea of black.
--

I woke in my bed, my body heavy and my eyes stale with tears from earlier. The room was lit again, and I heard voices coming from the living area outside the bedroom. I stumbled from my bed and winced away from the light like a vampire. I leaned on the archway, my half-awake eyes only making out the blurred shapes of my bunkmates. “Déjà vu, eh?” I commented, trying to give the nonchalant smile I had seen so many times. To this day I’ve never been able to pull it off.

“Oh, you poor thing!” I heard Hannah cry, and a bouncy figure hopped over to me and pulled me in a hug. To be honest, I didn’t really want a hug right now but I shrugged it off. As Charles said, it was her way.

My eyesight began to clear and I backed away from Hannah, who simply hugged me tighter. “Do y’all mind me asking what the hell happened?” I asked, biting my lip and wondering what they knew. Everything seemed to be pretty much cleaned up, and apparently not all the mugs were broken because there were scattered cups of tea dotting around on any clear surface. The broken glass was gone and the light bulbs had obviously been replaced. They did a good job of cleaning up, but I couldn’t see Tyler.

David looked at me with soft eyes, then stood and took my hand. “Come, let me tell you.” He turned to Hannah with a single raised eyebrow, “In peace.”

Hannah let me go and I followed David into the spare room. He had me sit on the bed and I looked at him with question, “Where’s Tyler?” I asked.

David blinked in a mild surprise, “Really? That’s your first question? From what Tyler told me I thought you were much more curious of other things.”

I blushed and looked at my hands, “Well, I am but…”

The young man looked at me with softness in his gaze, “You’re not sweet on him, are you?” he asked.

His tone had been light and humorous but I flushed red and barked, “No! No way! I just mean…”

“Tyler is taking a walk, he’ll be back later.” David finished, looking at me with slight concern, “But I assure you, he knows what’s going on and he’s fine.”

I nodded then crossed my arms, “So, can you tell me what happened? Please?”

“You happened.” David said simply, “You got angry, you lost control.”

“Yeah, I know that part but what does that have to do with...”

David interjected me with a flick of his hand, “There are things you need to know… Things you don’t know about. Things that need to be said.” I paused and nodded; letting him go on. “The curse… it does more than bring you back from death.”

He explained it all, and I sat there. I sat there with my eyes wide and my feet and hands tucked close to my body.

“People who have the curse come back… different. They never seem to age, and they have… they have powers; powers like the one you have. ”

“What are you talking about I don’t have a…” I was shaking slightly. I rubbed my arms and shook my head, I felt sick inside.

“Sally, I know this is tough to understand. From what we’ve seen we believe you were given the power of telekinesis. That’s why when you got mad, the place started shaking. You’re not in control… yet. You will be. We’ll help you.”

“No! No, I don’t believe you. I… I…”

David moved to the door and gave me one more sympathetic look, “You can stay here, work things out, and you can call me if you need anything.” He left and the room was silent.

I sat there for god knows how long, shaking slightly. Out of nowhere I burst into tears, wiping my face of snot and sour tears I held myself tight and let myself slowly fall back into a sleep.

--

My dreams were filled with black and white images, things I couldn’t explain. I tried to make sense of it all but it just… it was indecipherable. I cried out for help but no one answered except for the sound of a deep, cackling voice.

When I woke up once more my face was stiff with dried tears and I was cold. The world was dark and silent and I assumed they had gone to bed. I grabbed an extra blanket folded at the end of the bed and draped it around my shoulders while I slowly waddled out. Everything felt muffled, like I was walking inside a thick fog. I sat down on the sofa and curled up into a ball, unsure of what to do now. I whimpered slightly, but then cursed myself for being such a baby. There were things to do, and none of them were crying in self-pity.

I reached under my shirt and pulled out the feather and held it in my hands. It burned with a warm touch that soothed her. I bathed in this fiery feeling and for the second time it healed me. Well, until I heard swift footsteps and I practically hit the ceiling. I stuffed it under my shirt again and whispered, “Who’s there?!”

I heard a slight shushing sound before a patch of wall began to change colours and in a matter of seconds there was a figure standing in front of me.

“Holy-!” I shrieked, but was stopped as they held out their hands, whispering fiercely “Don’t freak out!”

I held my tongue just before I recognized it to actually be Leon. Completely freaked out, I was speechless. Well, at least of any proper speech. “Wha, no… what? Y-you j… just… What?!

“David told you. We… we have these abilities. That’s mine.” He said simply, “Camouflage, Hannah doesn’t call me Leon the Chameleon for nothing, you know.”

Faintly I realized these were most words he’d ever said to me in a single event. “So it really is true.” I ran my fingers through my hair and murmured a few choice words under my breath, “I’m in way over my head, Leon.” I moaned.

“We all are, but don’t fret; we were all in your position when we came here.” He sauntered over to the couch and sat beside me at a friendly distance.

We sat in silence for a few moments before I asked, “What were you doing out here anyway?”

Leon shrugged with a smirk, “Grabbing a midnight snack, Tanya likes to hog the cookies and always complains when we’re getting our fair share.”

I laughed. I had to clasp my hand over my mouth. My face grew red and I rocked back and forth. Leon soon joined in, laughter really was contagious. “Inhuman supernatural powers… unheard of by man… used to steal cookies from the cookie jar!” I had to hold back another howl of laughter so I didn’t wake up the others.

Once we settled down, I asked Leon another question. It was strange how easy he was to talk to; I hadn’t had that in a friend since elementary school. “So you can disappear… what can the others do?”

Leon hesitated. I understood, and I wanted to take back the question but… he answered before I could withdraw it, “Well… most of the others will probably want to tell you themselves, but… Hannah won’t mind…” he paused, “You’ve seen sci-fi movies, haven’t you? Like Star Trek and… the other one?”

“Star Wars?” I asked.

“Yeah, they have these things called force fields… Raw energy pushed together to create an impenetrable wall.”

“She can do that?

“Yeah, but it’s not useful as much as say, our powers are.”

“How in the hell is my power useful? I blow up things when I’m angry.”

“Right now you do, but we were all like that.” He chuckled, “Really we were. You should have seen me, and Hannah.” His eyes glazed with thoughts, and I couldn’t help but give a faint, inner sigh of romance. “Honestly, I’m no gossip. You’ll find out soon enough.” Leon rose from his spot and walked towards the kitchen, “I’ll see you, Sally. Goodnight.” He gave a slight wave then disappeared. I didn’t see him again that night.