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Please, let him be ok.

Katie was holding Sky in the rocker in the commons room when I walked back through. She hadn’t really left her room since the baby was born.

I tried to give them their privacy and hadn’t gone to see them. Not only that but I was scared about the same feelings coming back making me want a baby of my own. Not to mention the fact that we’d been kinda busy around there. I wished I had gone to see her now.

“Hey, Katie. Hey, Sky.” My voice went automatically to baby talk mode when I said her name. “Wow. She is still just as gorgeous,” I said looking down at them both.

“Yeah, she is. So Aunt Sherry, you wanna hold her again? We haven’t seen you in a while,” Katie said with a small crooked smile.

Aunt Sherry. With Danny as a brother, I assumed I’d never hear those words.

“Yes, of course I do.” I reached down to cuddle the sweet baby in the crook of my arm with Katie’s help. “Sorry, things have been kinda crazy lately.”

“It’s ok. I never said thank you for helping out the day she was born.”

“It was my pleasure,” I said and I meant it.

She smiled at me as if she understood but, I knew there was no way she really could. I no longer care, though, with the baby trance taking me over again even more potent than before.

Sky was sweet smelling like lavender and her straight pitch black hair was soft against my arm, though there isn’t much of it. I sighed rocking her back and forth as I began to circulate the room with her.

After a couple minutes I looked over to see that poor Kate had already passed out in the rocker with exhaustion. I grabbed a blanket from the couch and pulled it over her, impressively with one arm.

I swayed with little content Sky in my arms and left her mommy to doze for a minute. Merrick and Jeff were discussing things silently in the kitchen leaning against the counters. Somehow I could always tell when they were silently conversing. Because they just got this look on their face.

Merrick saw me coming as I made my way down the hall and I saw that familiar smile creep up his square jaw. I smiled at him as I passed and decided to walk down to see Calvin. I hadn’t seen him nor Lana in a while and I wanted to check on them.

When I walked in they were both still in bed. I quietly tip toed out and decided to visit Trudy who also hadn’t been seen in a while. I swayed back and forth while walking at an incredibly slow pace but not minding. I wanted to keep the baby soothed and happy.

With triple the time it would normally take, I peeked in Trudy’s room. She was asleep too. What was going on? It was eleven o’clock in the morning. Why was everyone still sleeping? Trudy never slept past the crack of dawn. Ever.

The realization hit me and I could only shake my head. Oh great. Now we had a bunker full of Specials and everybody was sleeping their days away because they were all developing these powers like Danny. Jeez. Could we ever get a break? Peace was like glazed donuts down here. It didn’t last long.

I slowly peeked at Kate and saw she was still sleeping. She has good reason to. I went to the kitchen and with one look at me they knew something was wrong.

“What is it, Sherry?” Merrick asked, coming to meet me in the doorway while Jeff took a chair in front of us.

“I think we have a problem. Where is everyone?” I asked but didn’t give them time to answer. “They are all sleeping. Like Danny.”

They must’ve seen it too. Jeff leaned his head on his chair back and closed his eyes tightly in frustration. Merrick let out a long sigh.

“Alright,” Jeff said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “After lunch we’ve got to call a meeting. We need to see what’s going on with everybody. Maybe some of the others, like Danny, have noticed something but, were too scared to say anything. I can’t believe this. None of them trusted us enough to tell us? We’re their guardians!” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Maybe this could be a good thing. Let’s just talk to everyone first.”

I walked the baby into Kate and Paul’s room, Paul was sprawled out asleep on the bed. I laid Sky in her crib, her closed eyes twitched with dreams and she made little grunts and stretches then she laid peacefully still.

Merrick seemed completely at a loss, staring at a spot on the wall blankly when I came back into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table so I came up behind him and massaged his shoulders trying my best to comfort him.

“Babe, it’s ok. We’ll handle this. Maybe I jumped to the wrong conclusion,” I reasoned.

“No, you didn’t. You’re right and you know it. I just don’t know what all this could mean. I don’t like not knowing. How can I keep you and Danny safe when I don’t even know what’s going on in the next room?”

“We’ll figure it out, we always do.”

I came around his chair and sat down facing him in his lap. Jeff was gone so he must’ve went somewhere to think.

I held Merrick’s face in my hands and pushed my lips to his making him tightened his grip on my waist. I pulled back just a little, still feeling his breath on my face as I tried again to soothe him.

“Don’t worry so much, Keeper. We’ll be alright.”

“Maybe you could take my mind off of it?” His voice was deep as he ran his fingers down my arm.

“Hmmm... How would I do that?” I said in a teasing tone but, I had goose bumps already.

“I can think of a few ways.”

He pulled my face to his with a hand on the back of my neck and his lips took over mine hard. His tongue turned circles around mine and his fingers bit into my flesh.

I forgot for just a second that we were in the kitchen and then I was brought back to reality with the sound of shuffling footsteps. I pulled back and positioned myself in a more respectable manner on Merrick’s lap. It was Danny.

“Morning again Mr. and Mrs...uh...what are you gonna be called?” he asked, looking at us suspiciously.

“Afternoon actually and don’t ask.” I laughed glancing at Merrick.

“So, should I ask what’s going on? Jeff is freaking out down the hall.”

“We don’t think it’s just you. The others are showing signs of it too. We’re going to have a meeting about it once we can get everyone to wake up. Danny, I need you to tell everyone what’s going on with you,” Merrick answered, back to his glum thinking.

“What? You mean others might have these...powers too? Whoa.”

“We’ll see.”

The Powers That Be

With the meeting regarding the Specials and their powers called to order and everyone present and accounted for, Merrick and Jeff seemed to already know the answers before asking them. Something was happening and changing. The rules were no longer the same for either of our worlds.

Anxiously, the conversation began. I was prepared for an overkill of gasp and outbursts but, I was surprised once again. Mostly people just looked pensive, thoughtful and scared. Oh no.

They did notice something different in themselves.

I reached over and rubbed my hand on Danny’s back as he slumped over on the couch edge, elbows on his knees still looking exhausted.

Celeste wasn’t sitting by him nor was she looking his way. She didn’t seem too worried about him earlier either. Hmmm. I continued to look at her and noticed that she too looked tired and worried.

She refused to meet my eyes or look anywhere in our general direction. Margo sat on the couch next to her and she was more surprised than anyone by the news. Kay, who knew what was going on from the other Keeper’s minds was sitting on Celeste’s other side looking like a death sentence was about to be carried out.

What was going on here? If people knew something weird was happening to them, why would they not say anything? Surely Celeste would have mentioned something to her clearly astonished mother. Why did Danny wait for me to check on him and force it out of him?

Jeff finished up and asked people to please speak up if they had noticed any changes. No one said an word. He then spoke for Danny to break the ice.

“Danny already advised us this morning of his change.”

That got Celeste’s attention. Her face jerked up in panic, her eyebrows arched up in surprise and mouth opened wide.

“What is it?” Celeste almost yelled, looking right at Danny. Then she quieted her tone and met his eyes with nothing but concern. “Danny, what is it?”

“I can...I can put thoughts into other’s heads, tell them what to do. I did it to you and you didn’t even notice.”

Danny seemed sad and remorseful by his admission like he had done something wrong.

Celeste got up and walked over to him to sit on his lap as he outstretched his arms for her. They had apparently been avoiding each other and trying to hide their new developments. She pressed her forehead to his and confessed.

“Mine is seeing. I can see anybody at any time if I just think about them. I can see what they are doing or saying and who’s with them.”

This turned a few heads and got me thinking.

Trudy stood next. She was sullen with eyes red and dark eerie bags under them like she’d been crying. She didn’t look at all like someone who had been sleeping nonstop for days.

“I...can hear things. I can hear things I’m not supposed to from far away. You guys talking in your rooms or anywhere in the bunker really, I can hear you. That’s why I’ve been spending so much time in my room. I felt guilty for listening but I don’t know how to turn it off. I just bury my head in my pillow. I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”

She put her face in her hands and started crying again. I was closest, so I stood grabbed her for a hug. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and squeezed me so tight. I felt her shaking and it wasn’t until then that I realized how scared she was.

“Trudy, it’s ok. I don’t think this is a bad thing,” I said, reassuring her but, myself as well. “This could be just what we need. Think about it, this is more of an upper hand that we’ll have on them when it comes down to having to fight them.”

She jerked her head up.

“You think we’ll have to fight? I just...I just assumed we’d stay down here forever...I see now that’s stupid and naive. Of course we have to fight. I hope you’re right, Sherry. I hope you are. Thank you, honey.”

Then she leaned down and whispered in my ear.

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

I gasped then smiled at her crookedly understanding what she meant. She knew we were married as she knew everything.

Trudy let me go from our almost excruciatingly tight embrace and sat back down on one of the few couches. Merrick handed her a tissue then looked up at me.

You are the sweetest woman I’ve ever seen. Everyone here thinks so not just me so don’t start saying I’m biased. I’m so proud of you. I love you, wife.

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him sheepishly.

After a long silence, it looked like no one else was ready to fess up so Jeff began to try to ease their minds.

“So, it looks like all the gifts are of the mind, nothing physical so far, just enhanced senses. Is there anyone else who would like to share?” Jeff looked around at the confused and drained faces.

No one came forward but, that may just be because there was no one else with powers. Maybe I would have reacted the same if it had happened to me. You never knew how you’d react until you were in the situation yourself but it still stung that they didn’t trust us to know.

That night we headed out into the pitch black yard for some fresh air and exercise. It was breathtaking still after all this time seeing the stars so bright in the moonless sky.

Merrick, who lived somewhere out there in the stars, of course knew every constellation and had been slowly showing me their positions over our few night outings.

To me it was a mystery. I wanted to see them, I really did. I saw the obvious ones; Orion, the Big and Little Dipper but nothing else beyond grade school mystification.

It’s like one of those 3-D pictures, a stereogram or stereograph, where you stare at the center and another picture comes into focus out of the gibberish.

Not once in my life had I gotten one of those to work for me but I tried still. Merrick loved talking about it and I loved listening as we laid with our heads touching, side by side on a pallet in the sand.

“So there’s Draco Dragon. See the long tail that curves around the Little Dipper?” he asked, willing me to see it and pointing.

“Hmmm. I wanna say yes, I do but, I still really enjoy you telling me about it.” I smiled at him and shrugged my shoulders, looking innocent.

He laughed and I felt him shake his head in mock disappointment before continuing.

“Ok, here’s an easy one. Only six stars make up this one. Camelopardalis Giraffe. There, see it?”

“Yeah! Yeah I see it!” I yelled.

“Really!?”

He jumped up with excitement.

“No. No, not really.” I laughed and I assumed he was scowling at me in the dark. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. Some of us can’t be perfect know-it-alls like others can.”

“Oh yeah?”

He reached over me on our blanket where we were laying and pinned my wrists down, straddling me in his jeans. He pushed himself against me in the pitch dark and kissed me good and hard, interlacing our fingers.

The sand moved under the blanket beneath my shoulders and head giving it the feel of a bean bag. It was surprisingly comfortable and relaxing for someone being pressed into the ground.

I didn’t mind, of course. Every kiss was deeper than the one before it, sweeter than the one before it. Ah, he was so good at it. How was he so good at it? He always knew just what to do to drive me the right amount of crazy.

He released my hands and moved his into my hair and neck, holding the sides of my face in his palms. He rubbed his nose back and forth against mine as he spoke.

“Mmm, you feel so good and real. Everything about you is better than I could have ever imagined. You know, I never told you this but...I used to dream about what your hair would smell like...and what your skin would feel like.” He ran his hand down from my face down my neck. “And what color your eyes were up close.”