Collide (8 page)

“Ok, sir. I will, sir.” I gave a soldier salute which, in turn, I received a raised brow and slightly amused smirk.

I cranked the car and turned on the radio, then grabbed my emergency hair band out of the glove box and pulled my hair back, shaking it back and running my fingers through it before grabbing it to pull it into a loose bunch. It was particularly unruly this morning what with no hairbrush or styling products.

I saw in my peripheral that I was getting the look again. What was with him? I mean, hey, if he thought I was cute, I was all for that but, that’s not what this was.

This was a...something else.

Like I was the last piece of candy in the bowl sitting on the boss’s desk, taunting him day after day- because you can’t take the bosses last piece of candy. I would figure this out but first, shopping.

“So, can you drive? I’m assuming you didn’t drive last night.”

“I can but...driving a manual is new to me.”

“Really? Hmmm. I think I’ll let you drive home then. You really should know how to drive the getaway car,” I teased as I put the car in first gear and started down the road.

“Mmmm...I don’t know.”

“It’ll be ok. I’ll teach you. It’s easy,” I said as I glanced over and flashed him a reassuring smile.

“Ok. Whatever you say.”

He returned my smile but it wasn’t reassuring. He looked ill.

They had driven us all the way to Gary, Indiana last night. ‘Music Man’ town. How my grandma would love to be here, under different circumstances of course. She loved old musicals and forced me to watch them. I say forced, but in honesty I loved them too, but I wasn’t about to let the old lady know that.

We were going to the city, far enough away that no one would recognize our faces. Somehow I could tell if he was speaking to me with his mouth, or with his mind. His mind voice sounded softer, more husky, a different voice altogether. Maybe that was what his real voice sounded like.

Did the clothes fit ok?

“Yeah. They’re fine. Definitely the latest fashion.” I smiled to show him I was joking.

We
can get you something else, anything you need. Do you have your Costco card with you? I should have asked you that before we left.

“Yes,” I said out loud. Kinda not fair he get’s to be lazy with the chatter. In fact I’d tell him that. “How come you get to the do that and not me.”

I could see the smile in his profile. A real smile, not a fake baby-you-know-you’re-the-one-for-me smile I had always received from Matt. I didn’t remember Matt laughing at anything I ever said.

“Sorry. It’s habit.”

“So Costco then? Is that it?” I said as I readjusted the seat back to my short legged setting.

“Should be. We can get some clothes and toiletries as well as food there. This car is going to be stacked up pretty high. We might need to buy some of those things...the cords...

I knew exactly what he was thinking about, but it was hilarious watching him struggle, waving his hand in the air, trying to force it out. His expression turned into a five year old, frustrated over figuring out the answer when the teacher called on you.

“Bungee. Bungee cords,” I saved him.

“Yes. Those.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It was easy to forget he wasn’t human. If he only knew things from earth from watching Danny, no wonder he didn’t know about bungee cords. Wait a minute. I wondered.

“Is Danny the only Special you’ve ever had?”

“No. He’s my seventeenth.”

“Really. Out of that many, of course Danny is the problem child.”

“Not exactly. I was the Keeper for Orville Wright. That was a problem child.” He chuckled. “It took me three trips to earth to keep him from breaking his neck before he could finish his task.”

“Wow! Really? That’s kind of neat actually. I bet he was a really nice guy. Adventurous and a pain in the butt, but nice. Guys were gentlemen back then.”

“Not everyone was a gentleman but yes, he was and it was fun. As fun as it can be watching someone everyday, all day.”

I caught his tone.

“That’s sounds miserable, actually.” I didn’t want to get started on the negative so I changed the subject. “So what are you like? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking. What do you look like?”

“I look pretty human. Very pale and blonde, we all are. Skin is almost translucent, albino.”

“So, what, you just sit in offices up there and watch us on the TV or something?” I said, not sure if he got jokes or not.

“Ha ha,” he said smiling and the breath left my body at how genuine and gorgeous he looked with that real smile on. I smiled back, happy to see he had
some
humor. “No, its not that elaborate. I can’t really describe it. We aren’t really anywhere, we just...are. No needs, no discomfort. Coming back to earth is always a shock, but it gets easier every time.”

“How many times have you been here?”

This was the most he’d talked, though I had only known him a day, I was going to keep him going. He looked amused. I guessed he wasn’t upset at my questions, not these anyway.

“Ten.”

“Three with Orville,” I reminded him I was listening.

“Yes. Three with Orville.” He smiled at my remembering.

Wow, that was a good smile.

“Do they usually know who you are? What you are. Do you tell them or...”

“No. Not unless it’s an extreme situation and we have no choice. We just do what we can. A strangers kind word or advice, a helping hand with something heavy, a question about directions that leads to something else. We don’t know until the time comes what the Special is meant to do nor what we are meant to do for them.”

I couldn’t think of anything relevant to say after that. He was so selfless. This was
his
life? Making sure others fulfilled theirs? How old was he? Could he really be happy like that? He seemed to be. What a useless life I’d lead and look at him. This guy made me look like Dahmer.

He looked over at me just in time to see my tortured expression.

“Are you ok? What did I say wrong?” he said as he twisted in his seat a little to look at me better.

“Nothing. You might want to put your seatbelt on.” I laughed a humorless laugh under my breath to cover.

“What is it, Sherry?” he ignored my suggestion and probed further.

“Are you happy? Living this way?” I looked over to see his eyes.

I wanted the truth to my question.

“I am what I am. Why fight what you can’t change?”

“I guess so...” I said as we pulled into the half empty parking lot.

It had taken longer than I thought because I had driven so slow, lost in thought and conversation with Merrick. I wondered if Merrick had already seen all this, our conversation and everything in his glimpse of the future.

We got out and I pulled on Danny’s thin blue corduroy jacket that was left in the back seat last night. It shouldn’t be cold in June.

The sleeve got caught outside in as I tried to force my arm through, quite comically and unsuccessfully. Merrick grabbed my arm to help me and reached in the sleeve, grabbing my fingers instead and readjusting to grab the fabric out gently.

I watched his face as he did this with great interest. When our hands touched he looked up into my eyes, then jolted his gaze away. The look. He refused to meet my gaze again as we started towards the doors but instead he briefed me on the rules we discussed earlier.

“Remember, no thinking of Danny or the warehouse. No thinking about anything you wouldn’t want one of them to see. Let’s get in and out as quickly as possible.”

“Okay. Understood.”

I flashed my card and the door attendant flashed a smile. We snagged a squeaky shopping cart and he pushed as I grabbed. Then I pushed while he grabbed. I thought we were getting too much but, when you started to add how much three people eat in a month, I guess it did add up pretty quick.

How the rabbit would hold all this was beyond me. Beyond. Then I remembered a pretty important question still left unanswered.

“Uh, Merrick. How are we going to pay for all this? I’m sorry but I definitely don’t have the cash.”

“I’ve got it under control. Now, uh, you want to go and get some... personal items. For yourself. I’ll keep going and meet you in the toilet paper aisle in fifteen minutes, ok?” he said looking a little uncomfortable.

“Oh, I’ve only dreamed of a guy saying that to me...”

He looked at me puzzled, going over in his head, no doubt, what he could’ve said to have prompted my dreaming. I pursed my lips to keep from laughing.

“It’s a joke, Merrick. A joke.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. It apparently wasn’t that funny,” I said as I chuckled and walked over to the ‘personal items’ section.

After grabbing a few things I made my way over to the clothes section of the warehouse for a five pack of underwear and then two pairs of jeans and two tank tops. I mean, if he’s paying.

I grabbed a pack of socks as well, and a new under wire bra. A girl couldn’t live on one bra alone. I was set, Where was Merrick... Oh yeah, toilet paper. I chuckled to myself as I made my way down the aisles.

I heard my name being called behind me and swung around thinking I somehow missed the toilet paper aisle, but no. It was Racine, Matt’s flamboyant gorgeous older sister. Oh no. What in the world was she doing there? I’d have to keep away from the toilet paper aisle.

I ran to her as I usually did or she’d think something was up. Crap. I wondered if Merrick saw this too in his future glimpse. Racine and I had been friends since grade school. Surely this would be ok, we didn’t have to worry about her.

“Racine! Hey! What in the world are you doing way out here?”

“I’d ask you the same thing. And Lord, what
are
you wearing?” She gave me a cursory glance and then covered her heart with her hand like she was in pain as she went on. “Honey, did you hear about Matt? They found his truck at Orland Park. Burned. He crashed into something but escaped somehow. Haven’t seen a trace of him. Mom and dad are out looking with a search party. I’m just here stocking up on supplies for our trip to Georgia. The news said those things, the Keepers or Seepers, or whatever, were crawling closer to town and we should evacuate and run like heck if we see one. I heard on the radio that Georgia and New Mexico are safe, they aren’t there yet.”

“How can you tell if it’s one or not?” I asked, trying to probe and see what the news was saying about them.

“They have a mark behind their ear but other than that, you can’t tell them from anyone else. Little deceiving suckers,” she said in her usual southern belle accent which I’ve always found weird because they’re originally from a prominent subdivision of Detroit.

“What do they want?”

“Well, the news said they want to trick us onto their side. They want the world but the good guys have come now and told us all about them and their shady plans. They’ve already taken the moon, that’s what happened to it. Isn’t that awful? They’re trying to flood the earth by messing with the tides.”

“Yeah. It is.” I didn’t contradict her that that would have happened along time ago if that were true. “But maybe we shouldn’t believe everything we hear on TV though right? I mean, have you seen these so called good guys? Did they come on camera and say these things?”

“Oh no, they are strictly anonymous. They don’t want to take any credit or focus for this. They want us to concentrate on savings ourselves from these things.”

“Ok, well, I gotta go, but it was so good to see...”I couldn’t finish because her eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open. I knew exactly what she saw before I even turned around.

Merrick, well Matt, standing there with our loaded down cart, alive and well and out with me. I squinted my eyes to tell him to stop but he had already noticed her face and realized a mistake has been made, though not knowing which one.

Sherry, what do I do?

I shifted me eyes towards her so he’d come our way.

“Matt, honey, look who I ran into. Your sister, Racine. They found your truck, someone crashed it and left it in Orland Park. Pretty crazy, huh?” I said before I turned back to Racine, waiting for the blow.

“Sherry! Why didn’t you tell me Matt was with you?”

“I’m sorry. You got to talking about those...things, the Keepers and I got sidetracked. He’s fine though, see,” I spouted, waving my hand over him.

“What are ya’ll doing? I thought you broke up with him, Sherry. What? Are ya’ll on a getaway or something together?”

More of an accusation that a question. She never saw her brother for what he was and thought me ‘ungrateful’ to let such a handsome catch get away. I had better lay it on thick if she was going to believe me. I reached over to grab Matt’s arm and laid my head on his shoulder. I felt Merrick tense a little under my touch.

I knew I was about to lie. Racine was always so unfocused I doubted she’d notice. She kind of seemed to have only two cylinders out of six running most of the time. I could pull this off. I could lie.

“Now Racine, you know me. I’m so back and forth, but I can never let him get away for too long.” I glanced up at him and smiled. “We just decided to head up here and get away from things for a while, spend some time, alone.”

She totally bought it.

“Ah! That’s so sweet! I’m so glad you finally came to your senses, girl. Well little brother, you’re never this quiet. Get your butt over here and give your big sister a hug!”

Think. Think.

“Oh. Me first! I mean we have been separated for a whole ten minutes,” I said lamely, hoping she took it as loveydoveyness.

I reached my arms up around his neck and hugged him, up on my tip toes, while I whispered in his ear. He put his shaking hands on my waist while he listened. I pulled his cheek down to touch mine.

“He always picks her up and twirls her when they hug. Be cocky and enthusiastic,” I whispered against his ear and pulled back to give him a reassuring smile.

I let go and stepped back, he seemed to be breathing heavier. He was just nervous, fearful of a scene in the middle of the store. I placed my hand on his back, rubbing to soothe him, but that seemed to make it worse. His eyes glazed over and he shivered, but quickly recovered.