Discovery (24 page)

Grace had no response. Her fingers started tingling again so she just shoved her hands in her pockets.

But now, luckily, Petra had seen just enough into the future to know that she should not interrupt Grace's thoughts for the remainder of their walk.

The ball field turned out to be a perfectly maintained, half-size football field. It was located in a large clearing that sat about a mile from the main road at the end of a long, winding dirt path. Trees surrounded the clearing and sitting at one end of the field were two sets of makeshift bleachers, again made from the forest's discarded branches. The bleachers were crowded with elderly Misfits, unable or unwilling to play in today's big game, so Ben's dark wavy hair stood out from the top row like a spot on an albino Dalmatian. He sat next to Vector, who waved furiously at Grace and Petra.

“Miss Grace! Petra!” the old man called. “Over here.” He motioned for them with a wave of his feeble arm.

With Vector's yell, every white-haired Misfit on the bleachers turned to look at Grace and, with all eyes on her, she had no choice but to duck her head and join Vector where he sat. Right next to Ben.

“Hello, Your Highness! Welcome to your first Powers game,” Vector excitedly said, struggling to scoot over so Grace could sit next to Ben.

Instead, Grace purposefully crossed over in front of Ben to sit on the other side of Vector. Petra followed and took her seat on the other side of Grace.

“I thought you weren't coming to the game?” Petra leaned over to ask Vector.

“I wasn't. I was going to work Marshall's shift so he could play for the Mentals but he hasn't returned from meeting the Triplets yet. It's too nice of a day to be inside and, since Numbers is doing inventory, he offered to watch the computers for me so I could still come to the game.”

Ben's ears perked up. “Did Marshall get the report on that stuff going on outside the fourth quadrant?”

“I assume that's what he's doing now. You know, he's kind of sweet on that Triplet Carrie so he is probably out there trying to flirt with her as we speak. With her blonde ringlets and rosy complexion, he may even forget to come back and bring me the report altogether!” laughed Vector.

Ben shot a glance at Grace who seemed oblivious to the conversation.

“There's Dave,” Petra said to Grace, pointing to the large man standing in the end zone. “Dave's a natural referee with his powers. Kind of like our own special brand of instant replay when they're working right.” Petra proudly beamed.

Grace just nodded at Petra. She really was not in the mood for this.

“Play ball!” Dave shouted and the crowd clapped the teams onto the field. All but two of the players spread out and faced each other in two parallel lines that stretched from one end zone to the other.

“The Mentals are batting first,” Vector proudly waved to the team on the left as if Grace knew what was going on. “That's my team.”

Grace followed Vector's point and watched the first player saunter up to the goal post. He was swinging a large bat but held it more like a tennis racquet than a baseball bat. “Wait. Is this football or baseball or tennis?” she asked no one in particular.

“It's a combination of all those sports with a little basketball and soccer thrown in as well,” Petra said. “With Powers, none of those sports are really challenging by themselves, so a while back the Powers kind of combined them all into one.”

Grace still looked confused. Sports had never been her strong suit so everything about this game was over her head.

“It's easy,” Petra continued. “All you need to remember is that the object of the game is to move the ball up and down the field five times before getting it into the goal on the far side of the field over there.” Petra pointed to a basketball goal that stood forty feet high in the opposite end zone. “There are outs just like in baseball, but you can only get them if someone on the opposite team catches the ball right after the batter bats. After that, you can pretty much do what you want with the ball and the rest of the game is more like soccer or football. The players just try to move the ball up and down the field the fastest way they possibly can. The players can use any powers they have as long as no one gets injured. If a player gets injured, the other team automatically gets two points. We don't want anyone getting too zealous with their powers and forget we're all friends here.”

The Physicals team pitcher stood in the opposite end zone under the basketball goal and was tossing a ball that looked to be a little larger than a baseball in size but was neon orange in color. Had it not been so brightly colored, Grace doubted she could have seen it so far away. At the sound of Dave's whistle, the pitcher wound up and threw the ball so fast, Grace didn't even see it. “Where'd the ball go?” she asked no one in particular.

“There,” Petra pointed to the ball that had stopped in mid-air and now hung suspended over the middle of the closest end zone and directly in front of the batter who was grinning at the pitcher with a sportsman's taunt. The batter swung his bat at the levitating ball, causing it to fly out to the field beyond.

Seeing the speed with which the Physicals players were gunning for the ball, Grace stated to no one in particular, “He's out.”

“Not so fast, Your Highness,” Vector grinned.

Just before the ball landed in the opposing team's hands, it weaved, mid-air, and started flying in another direction. Grace's eyes flew open at yet another violation of the laws of physics before she glanced down at the batter who had dropped the bat and was now charging down the field and apparently yelling at the ball.

“Is he doing that?” Grace asked, pointing to the ball jerking from one player to the next, never landing in anyone's hands.

“Yes,” laughed Petra. “Hilarious, isn't it?”

“Yes,” chuckled Grace. She had to admit the game was more enjoyable than she had expected.

The batter continued to yell at the ball while the Physicals team raced from side to side trying to catch the ball that weaved back and forth in mid-air. Even Lofty, who quickly flew from one side of the field to the other in the bright sunshine, could not catch up to the zigzagging ball. After the ball had flown over the field five times, it raced back to the opposite end zone and swooshed through the basket perched high atop the goal. As soon as the scoreboard reflected the Mentals point, the batter waved his hand and the ball dropped instantly to the ground at the base of the basketball goal. The crowd cheered and Grace assumed most of the gray-haired fans in the bleachers were Mentals fans.

Vector leaned over to Ben. “We may beat you Physicals again today, my boy,” he chuckled.

Ben laughed, “Not if I can help it.” He stood up and yelled to Dave, “Hey Ref! Can I get in on this?”

Dave smiled and looked over at the coach for the Mentals. The coach cocked his head for a moment and then waved Ben in, grinning, “Bring it on, Benjamin!”

The team members sitting on the Physicals bench cheered when Ben jogged out onto the field. The other Physicals fielders clapped and waved Ben out almost to the edge of the field before he stopped and turned around. He bent down into a catching stance, even though he had no mitt.

Even at that distance, Grace thought she could still see the blue in his eyes.

“This ought to be good,” Petra said, nodding toward the field.

The next batter stepped up and again stopped the ball mid-air before taking a hard swing. The ball flew into the air, but this time, Ben was faster. Before the batter could maneuver the ball between the fielders, Ben jumped twenty feet into the air and caught the ball in his bare hands. He landed in the field, his two feet firmly planted, and held the ball up high over his head with one hand. The crowd let out a collective disgruntled sigh as Dave yelled, “Out!”

And so it went with the next two batters until the inning was over and the Physicals came to bat. Ben was the fourth batter for the Physicals team and, although he tried to hold back, he hit the ball so hard it disappeared into the trees beyond the clearing.

“That's an automatic score. I certainly hope we have enough balls to finish the game,” Dave smarted to Ben when he ran into the end zone.

Ben laughed as he headed back to the Physicals bench. On his way, he glanced up at Grace who actually returned his smile for the first time today. She appeared to be enjoying herself and Ben hoped the game was erasing the edge she had developed yesterday.

“He's a cute one, that Ben. Isn't he?” Petra asked Grace when she saw their quick exchange of smiles.

“Yeah,” Grace whispered sheepishly.

Still looking straight ahead at the field, Petra continued, “You know Grace, I can't see everything in the future, but what I can see is not always set in stone. Sometimes things change. Sometimes for the better.”

Grace did not reply but kept her eyes on the Physicals team bench. And Ben.

The game progressed with each team taking turns being in the lead. Finally, with Ben's help, the Physicals team won, much to the dismay of the elder fans in the bleachers.

“Better luck next time, Vector,” Dave shook the old man's hand after helping him exit the bleachers at the end of the game. “It was about time the Physicals had a fighting chance against us Mentals.”

Vector laughed, “Yes, I guess you're right about that. And I did enjoy seeing young Benjamin in action. Reminded me of his father.” Vector turned to Grace and bowed as much as his stooped back would let him. “It was a pleasure experiencing your first game with you, my lady, and I look forward to seeing you tonight.” Without waiting for a response, Vector hobbled out of the clearing toward his shop.

Grace turned to Petra. “What's going on tonight?”

“Oh, just a little get together at our community center. Nothing special. We have them at the end of each week,” Petra smiled. Seeing Grace glance down at her blue jeans, she added, “Don't worry, Your Majesty. We'll find something for you to wear. Come on. Let's go home and freshen up.” Petra pulled Grace toward the path, leaving Dave at the bottom of the bleachers and Ben on the sidelines.

As soon as Petra and Grace were out of sight, Ben darted over to Dave. “Can you see if she's still mad?” he asked.

“It's not real clear, but the way she was smiling and all, she might have cooled down a little,” Dave said without looking at Ben.

“I sure hope so,” Ben sighed as he headed down the dirt path. He walked slower than usual and Dave had to work at curtailing his own long stride to maintain his pace alongside Ben.

Neither said much at first but Dave's thoughts finally got the best of him.

“I know you love her, son,” Dave said, still staring at the path in front of him.

Ben let out a deep breath. “I know you know. You weren't exactly subtle the other night.”

“So what are you going to do about it?”

“Not much I can do. I'm just her Guardian. Tom's the Chosen One, remember?”

“Does your brother know how you feel?”

“He might have suspected it a while back, but probably not now,” Ben said hopefully. “I mean … I've told him over and over again … I know my job. I'm her Guardian.”

“How does Tom feel about Grace?”

“I don't know. We never really discussed it.”

“Huh,” Dave grunted.

“What do you mean ‘huh'?”

“Nothing. Just can't believe you all never discussed it.”

Dave noticed that Ben's pace quickened slightly just then. Nothing was said for the next few strides as Dave now reworked the speed of his steps to keep up with Ben.

“Did I ever tell you how Petra and I met?” Dave asked once his steps were back in pace with Ben's.

“No.”

“Do you remember Studio 54 in New York?”

“It was kind of before my time, old man. Way before my time. But I know what you're talking about.” Ben sounded like he was quickly losing interest in Dave's conversation.

“Man, that was
the
place to be when I was younger. Your father and I practically lived there. We were so socially naïve back then, we actually thought we could dance,” Dave chuckled. “If you were a Power secretly looking for other Powers, that's where you'd go. It was an absolute blast.”

“Good to know.” Ben rolled his eyes.

“Yep. It truly was a blast,” Dave continued to reminisce, ignoring Ben's tone. “And then one night we walked in and there she was. You couldn't miss her. Petra was all decked out in this tight, silver metallic jumpsuit from head to toe. She was so shiny she reflected every light in the room. I don't know what sparkled more, the huge Studio 54 disco ball or Petra. She was perfectly beautiful. And the minute your dad and I walked in, do you know what she did? She came right up to me and said she'd been waiting for me. Over everyone else in the room, that gorgeous stranger was waiting for
me
! I couldn't believe it,” Dave laughed, shaking his head.

“Why are you telling me this?” Ben asked.

Dave continued to ignore Ben. “You see Petra had seen the future. She knew she was supposed to be with me. But instead of waiting for it to happen, she made it happen. Kind of sped up the process, so to speak. She didn't wait for the future to come to her. She met up with her future on her own schedule.”

“So?”

“So, it just goes to show that the future is not always concrete, son. Sometimes you have to make your own.”

Without another word, Ben instantly disappeared. He sped down the path and away from Dave, leaving nothing but a little dust to evidence he had been there.

Dave smiled to himself. “Yep, sometimes you have to make your own.”

The butterfly's large frozen wings spread wide across the cabin's front porch railing, splayed out as if encased in an entomologist's shadow box. Despite the insect's evident lack of life, Grace was envious of its stillness, its vibrant colors now forever motionless perched atop the wooden rail. Death had not touched the beauty of the butterfly's wings, only its mashed and crooked body revealed its now-determined fate. Grace stared at the wings, hypnotized by their quiet waves of delicate color. Without thinking, but with an unrecognized need, she reached out to caress one of the large wings, to feel its fragile softness. Her tingling fingers had barely touched the velvety wing when it suddenly began to move. Grace quickly pulled her hand back, afraid that her closeness would ruin the moment. She held her breath as she watched the wing slowly move up and down, up and down. The other wing joined in the dance and, within seconds, the previously lifeless butterfly was standing, stretching and pumping its wings to the rhythmic beat of Grace's heart, its crooked body now straight and lean and ready for takeoff. The butterfly's wings worked furiously now, it's vivid colors now indistinguishable with the wings' speed and, before Grace knew what was happening, the butterfly floated off the railing and flitted into the dense forest surrounding Dave's cabin. Grace watched the resurrected butterfly disappear into the trees' green leaves and assumed that, perhaps, death worked differently in the Misfit community.