Project ELE (20 page)

He moves closer to me and studies me again. I try to back up and find myself up against the same wall. Stupid wall!

He pushes my bangs out of my eyes and stares at them with a strange intensity. I find myself somehow frozen for a second but I come to my senses and slap his hand away allowing my bangs to fall back in front of my eyes again.

"Something is going on with you." He says accusingly. There is no hint that he's guessing; he knows something is up.

"What do you mean?" I ask trying to play dumb but my heartbeat has sped up again and I can hear it in my ears. I would pay a million pennies for this guy's thoughts. Why can't I hear him?

"I mean, your eyes are different and something is going on with you. You wouldn't listen to me. How did you do that?" Zack asks.

"I don't get it Zack, what are you trying to ask? Not everyone has to listen to you." I'm now thoroughly annoyed and a little freaked out.

"Excuse me." A man clears his throat behind me. "Is there a problem here?" He asks.

I turn around to see an older gentleman in his late forties with greying hair and pale green scrubs standing at the now open doorway to the assembly room.

I take the opportunity to say, "Yes, I'm Willow Mosby. I'm reporting to community service and this man is bothering me." I point to Zack who gives me a smug look. I wouldn't be so smug if I just got caught harassing someone.

The old man comes up to where we are standing and gives Zack a stern look. "Are you bothering this young lady?"

Zack looks into the man's eyes, which instantly glaze over. "No I'm not bothering her. We were just talking." Zack looks at me with a slick smile.

The man turns towards me and shakes his head just a bit. "It sounds like you two were just having a nice chat. Now you need to come inside. You are late for our service rotation. We will have to add an additional week due to this, which will make it five weeks total of community service for you young lady."

Zack puts his hand on his shoulder and the man turns around again. His eyes glaze over as Zack talks to him. "No, she's not late. Also, today is the last day of her community service. She will have satisfied all terms of it after today. Do you understand?"

The man nods his head. Zack lets go of him and the man turns back to me. "I bet you are glad to be finished with your community service today. It's time to go in. You of course don't want to be late."

"Yes sir." I say incredulously to him. I look back at Zack with wide eyes.

He turns to walk in the opposite direction down the hall. "We'll talk more later sugar." He waves his hand at me and continues walking away.

That may have been the strangest fifteen minutes of my life. I follow the old man into the auditorium to complete my first and last day of community service.

To my complete surprise, Alec is leaning against the banister looking mighty fine as my community service shift comes to an end. My head is pounding after having to listen to people’s thoughts hour after hour. It wasn't too long after being away from Alec that my mind became susceptible to people’s thoughts again. I couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. Sadly, I’ve notice when people have idle time; it gives them more time to think, which means a bigger headache for me.

I waste no time jumping into Alec’s arms. He wraps them around me in a comforting hug and plants a soft kiss on my lips. I let out a soft moan as all my aches and pains slip quickly away. My body feels refreshed. It feels like I’ve had a day at the spa, not a day hunched over picking up trash. Alec kisses me softly on the nape of my neck, before placing me gently back down on my feet.

“You are my saving grace, you know that?” I ask Alec.

A smile fills his face as he stares at me. “Glad to be of service ma’am.” He acts like he’s tipping his hat to me and I laugh. “I figured you’d need me after an afternoon like this,” he says as he sweeps his arm gesturing to the others that are leaving.

“You have no idea.” I reply. We start walking back towards the commons area. I gratefully hold Alec’s hand as we walk, relishing in the much needed silence. “So, what did you do today?” I ask Alec.

****

Alec and I eat a perfectly normal dinner together. We part ways a little while later. After a very nice goodnight kiss I head to my room for the night.

Time to check the mirror! I've been wanting to do it all day to see if my eye has gotten any better. I lean in close to the mirror and brush my bangs out of my left eye.

Geeze! It's not getting better at all, its only getting worse! The green ring still circles my iris but it looks more pronounced. The red spot is still there and now there's a little bit of dark blue to the right of my pupil.

Urgh! What in the world is going on with me? Before I lay down for the night I tell myself that if it's not better in a few days, I will go to the doctor.

My work schedule on Sunday is so busy that I barely get to see Alec at all. They gave me a heavy workload today probably because most everyone is off except me and three other runners.

When five o'clock rolls around I gladly hand my tablet over to Alec to download my delivery signatures. We are the last two in the office so I sit on top of his desk next to him as he finishes the last of his work. I watch him typing furiously on the keyboard. I don't pay attention to the words being entered on the screen, instead I take the time to study him in a way that you can't do when someone's looking at you. Well, at least not without totally creeping him out.

His hair is so dark that it nearly looks black on most days. Today, when I look at it just the right way I can see the deep brown and chestnut colors that stand out underneath the light. I also notice that his eyebrows furrow in and his eyes squint ever so slightly when he's concentrating. It's endearing.

I inch myself closer so I can see more of his eyes. The deep emerald green that he once had is now completely replaced with the most unique shade of navy blue that I've ever seen. It starts out dark, almost black around the outer part of his eye and then fades into a lighter, yet still navy shade of blue as it leads into his pupils. Both of his eyes are completely changed and I wonder why only one of mine has changed.

Alec turns and catches me staring. He doesn't say anything though. He shuts the computer off and stands up from his chair. He leans in to where I'm sitting on his desk and studies me.

"What are you doing?" I know I'm blushing and it's possible that I should feel self-conscious but nothing about Alec's stare makes me feel unsure of myself. If anything the look that he's giving me makes me feel beautiful and more confident.

"I figured if you got to study me for an uninterrupted five minutes then I should get to do the same to you." He smiles.

"Oh, you saw that?" I push some of my hair behind my ear.

He nods his head but continues to appraise me.

My body feels warm and flush and the butterflies are dancing around again in my stomach. The silence is killing me so I decide to break it. "So, what exactly are you studying?"

"Hmm, an exquisite specimen really." He says in his best official scientific voice.

I crack a smile at his corniness.

"Yes, her teeth are perfectly white. Her unruly waves have a color that is quite unique, it reminds me of a mix between caramel and toasted coconut."

I giggle. "I'm sure it doesn't taste as good as either of those."

He pushes his hand through my hair and continues. "Her eyes are almond shaped and one is the most beautiful brown I've ever seen."

I put my hand up to my left eye knowing that it must look horrible and freakish.

He pulls my hand away and sets it gently on my lap. He pushes my bangs aside and says, "And the other one is the most amazing mixture of colors that she seems to think is odd but I think it's stunning." He kisses me on my cheek then finishes. "I will conclude my findings with one final appraising statement. Willow Mosby, you are the most breathtakingly beautiful creature that I've ever set eyes on."

I forget to breath, instead I stare at him stunned yet feeling so loved and more beautiful than I've ever felt before. He pulls me into his arms in a passionate kiss. I stand up and lean into him. I feel as if we aren't close enough. I feel a lightheaded dizziness wash over me as our lips part.

He kisses me on the bridge of my nose and then says, "We better get you something to eat. You've been working your tail off."

"Sounds good to me." I look up and give him a peck on the cheek before we head out of the office.

Alec puts his arm around me and pulls me closer to him as we walk.

“Have you seen Connor or Claire today?” I ask.

He nods his head. “Yeah, I saw them earlier. They were on their way to you-know-where,” he says in a hushed voice since there are a lot of people moving about in the hallway.

“Ah, I wonder if they found the other part of the cave.” I say in a hushed whisper.

"I don't know how I feel about that." Alec says in thought.

I have the same mixed feelings. That place was so special and I selfishly wanted to keep it just Alec and my place. I push that feeling aside knowing that my friends deserve to know about the cave too. "I hear you but if they haven’t found it, we should definitely show them next time we are there."

"You're right babe. They would totally love it." Alec says as we enter the cafeteria and jump in line.

After we get our food we end up finding Connor and Claire sitting at our usual spot. They aren’t even touching their food but are talking in hushed whispers. Claire spots me and practically jumps out of her seat to her feet.

I stop, taken back by her audacity. Claire is such a shy, ‘in the background’ kind of person. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her jumpy…or is it excited? I can’t tell. “Hey Claire, what’s up?” I barely get the words out of my mouth before I’m dragged by my free hand over to sit next to her.

Claire squeals with delight. “Guess where we went today?” Claire asks trying but feigning to hide her buoyancy.

I sit quickly, ready for her to dish it out.

“We went back to the cave today and found the most amazing place!”

I share a knowing look with Alec. Not wanting to rain on her parade, I let her continue while acting mildly surprised. “Really? What was it?”

Claire looks so excited that she just might explode in a few seconds. “We found another cave, it was so cool! It had a big underground spring, but it was a lot warmer. We could even see the sky!" She looks at me in amazed anticipation then continues. "The sunlight came in from above us through this little hole. It was so amazing! I can't believe we actually saw the real sky! It's seems like forever since we've seen outside! I wish you were there!” She takes a deep breath, winded from talking so fast. She then gives me a frown extenuating her last point.

I nod my head in response trying to look interested. I hope she doesn’t get mad when I tell her Alec and I have already been there. Claire drones on while I eat. I nod my head every now and then to show her I’m listening. But when I see Candy sitting in a nearby table I can't help but shift my thought focus to Zack.

His actions yesterday were so unsettling and I can’t put a finger on the extent of my anxious feelings yet. There are too many unanswered questions with Zack. Does he know about my newfound abilities? How on earth did he make that man change his mind about my community service? I think back to the picture I saw so long ago in his room. His eyes are different now than they were in that picture. Could that be correlated to the changes Alec and I are seeing in ours?

My head starts aching again as Claire continues on about the cave. I rub my temples, then I run my hands up over my head bringing my bangs up with it. I should probably tell her we were at the cave earlier, I think to myself. I look up at Claire who has suddenly stopped talking. I soon realize that I must have lifted my mental guard because suddenly I can hear her thoughts. I should stop listening in, but my curiosity wins.

“WOW, HER EYES LOOK CRAZY WEIRD NOW. IS THERE A HAZEL SPOT IN THEM NOW? YES, IT’S RIGHT THERE! I WONDER IF SHE KNOWS…SHOULD I TELL HER?”

“Hazel? What do you mean hazel?” I ask interrupting Claire’s inner monologue.

“Oh, man. I totally forgot you can do that!”

I look away in embarrassment. “Sorry Claire. I’m trying to work on that.”

She pulls her arm around me. “Willow! I know you can’t help it.” She puts her face right in front of mine and talks to me like she would a small child. “It must stink having to hear everyone’s thoughts, well, it’s probably cool sometimes. Well, I don’t know... Just know it’s okay. You’re my best friend, and well, if I had to choose one person that could do that, I’d choose you.” The sentiment in her voice is almost tangible. I smile at her.

“Thanks Claire bear.” I say back to her. Her face beams. I guess she likes the nickname Connor gave her.

Suddenly, I remember what Claire just said. My eye has hazel in it now? I look around for a mirrored surface and find my spoon. I pick it up and move into the light just enough so I can see a semi-clear reflection. I move my bangs out of the way and gasp at my reflection. There’s a definite trace of hazel in my eye now. It lines the outer edge of my left eye just outside of the red portion. I look at my other eye and it still reflects the normal brown it’s always been. I compare the two a few more times before looking back at the table.

Everyone stares back at me, expressions all blank. What do you say when freaky things are going on with your friend anyhow?

Alec breaks protocol and inches closer to me. He gently pulls my bangs back and tilts my chin up towards the light. "I still just see beautiful."

I half smile but still feel freaked out. I hadn't noticed the hazel earlier this morning when I was getting ready. This means my eye is getting more and more freakier by the second. “What’s going on with me?” I ask him just above a faint whisper. I’m too terrified to ask anything else for fear he may know the answers.

“I don’t know, but I'm sure you are fine. My eyes are changing too, so you aren't alone." He tries to comfort me.

I take a deep breath trying to chill out. I'm scared that tomorrow I will wake up and have another crazy color in my eye or perhaps it will just turn into a freaking rainbow! I know I'm totally setting myself up for a panic attack so I take breath several deep breaths trying to calm myself.

I look out around the cafeteria and my eyes stop cold when I see Zack. He’s standing about twenty feet away leaning up against a pillar. He gives me a wicked smile, then turns and walks away. I get goose bumps on my arms and an unsettled feeling as I turn back towards Alec.

“What’s wrong?” He asks me, barely above a whisper.

“We need to talk.” I reply simply.

"NO." I hear someone yell in my head.

What in the world? That did not sound like Alec. Alec stares at me like I'm crazy. I look around the cafeteria and find Zack standing across the room near the exit of the cafeteria.

"DON’T YOU DARE TELL HIM ABOUT ME." He's staring at me boldly now.

I hear his thoughts loud and clear as if he's talking directly inside my head. How can I hear him? I couldn't hear him before!

"Are you okay Willow?" Alec asks. He puts his hand on my shoulder as if to steady me. He looks in the direction that I'm staring, but he's too late, Zack has already left.

I open my mouth but can't think of anything to say. "Um, I think I need to go to the restroom." I feel bad for lying but I'm thoroughly freaked out by now.

"Need me to go with you?" Claire asks.

"No, I'm fine." I say to her. "I’ll be right back." I tell Alec. I give him a quick kiss on the top of his head and head out of the cafeteria.

"So does his dad know about the two of you? I mean, I would think that a little boss on employee action would be frowned upon." I spin around to see Zack leaning coolly against the doorframe of a nearby office. His blonde hair is spiked up with gel and his hazel eyes stare at me appraisingly.

"What does it matter to you?" I ask him snidely. I throw my hand on my hip to further show him my annoyance.

"Nothing, I just find it interesting. I wouldn't have pegged you as a 'go against the grain' type of girl." I don't like the way he stares me up and down as he says this. His voice holds a sly, snake-like quality that makes me on edge.

"Look, cut the small talk crap. What exactly is going on with you?" I try to open my mind up to hear his thoughts but once again they are non-existent.

"What's going on with me? I think a better question would be what's going on with you?" He raises his eyebrow and rubs his chin in a questioning gesture.

I don't like how he plays back the same question I asked him yesterday. I'm finding myself not liking a lot of things about Zack. "Uh-uh. I know something is going on here with you. You obviously don't want me to talk to Alec about what happened today. I'm not one for keeping secrets without a good reason. So spill it." I stand taller trying to look intimidating.

He laughs which makes my face flush with an angry heat. "You are kind of cute when you get all worked up, you know that sugar?"

I'm so flustered that if I were a two year old I'd throw myself on the floor in a full-blown tantrum, but I'm not going to do that. Not with Zack especially, because then he wins whatever pissing match this is. I count to ten in my head and then take a deep breath. "Look, I'm not your sugar and if you want me to keep my mouth shut then you'd better tell me exactly why you were able to do whatever you did in the hall yesterday. I've never seen anything like that, it's like you were compelling that man to believe whatever you said. And it worked!"

"Shhh." Zack looks around. Nobody is paying attention but he grabs me by the elbow and pulls me into an empty office. I look around and see menu boards, a computer and several stacks of paper. I'm guessing the office belongs to someone who manages the cafeteria. He closes the door. My heart starts racing as I remember the last time we were alone. I don't like whatever it is that he does to me. I feel unsafe around him, almost like I can't control myself.