Evie's Knight (19 page)

Something wasn’t right. Wasn’t normal.

Parker swung his fist around next, hitting the smaller man to his left.

Like the flick of a fly, the thin man flew with a speed that blurred his very form. Calvin’s heart raced as he broke through the crowd in time to see the man speeding directly toward him like a precisely aimed dart.

With a quick draw of air, Calvin threw his hands out to brace himself when suddenly–all movement ceased.

Everyone in the bar had gone completely still, frozen in time and form. That is, everyone except him and Parker.

Chapter Twenty-two

The old jukebox clung feverishly to its final pitch, the eerie sound pulsing in Calvin’s ears like a siren. Only one inch lay between him and the stiff, black jacket on the hovering man before him. The one Parker sent flying across the room. The smell of leather wafted through the air as Calvin stepped back, eyeing the impossible space between the soles of the man’s shoes and the ground beneath him. From behind, the lanky figure looked more like a well-suspended puppet than a man.

Behind him stood a frail-looking woman, astonishment etched on her frozen face. Smoke, unable to obey the sudden law of stationary madness, oozed from the smoldering cigarette propped in her bony fingers.

Calvin slid between the mannequin-like figures, careful not to touch or disturb, and looked around for the waitress. He’d dismissed Grandpa’s words in the dream, even forgotten the name he’d mentioned–until now. The dream, the crazy encounter, and the woman named Fiona–there had to be a connection.

“Calvin?” Parker looked relieved to see him. “Did you do this?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, Calvin surveyed the faces in the crowd. Expressions of shock, admiration, disbelief. One man’s arms were raised triumphantly overhead, causing the beer in his mug to splash. The liquid, a transparent wave of gold, reached above the rim as a trail of drops glistened like liquid topaz in the light.

Still no sign of the waitress. “I don’t know,” he finally answered in a whisper.

Parker stood in the center of the bar, the area surrounding him, clear. Once Calvin reached him, the two circled in place, staring at the bizarre scene. The large, bleeding man on the pool table had a hand clenched over his nose. Crimson blood oozed through his thick fingers and covered his chin. A trail of ruby drops hung in the air, waiting to join the small, reflective puddle below.

“911. What’s your emergency?” The voice was muffled, distant, but undeniably there. Calvin’s fevered heart pushed faster as he shot a glance toward the stiffened bartender.

The man had one hand holding the phone to his ear, the other pressed against his forehead, and the look of utter horror in his widened eyes.

Calvin pushed the gawking troublemaker toward the door. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” He hadn’t seen the waitress, but if she really did have the answers, he’d have to get them another time.

Once they were in his Jeep, Calvin tore out of the lot, wondering how he’d explain the crazed scene to Evie. She’d be anxious to hear back from him.

“What just happened back there, man?” Parker asked through labored breaths.

Calvin pressed down the clutch, shifted into gear. “
You
tell
me
,” he said, voice booming. “What the hell is going on with you? You could have killed someone.”

“
Me?
I didn’t even know you were there. All of the sudden you just stepped in out of nowhere and froze everybody in the whole bar. I can’t believe that, man. How did you do that?” Parker’s bloodshot eyes were wild with excitement.

Calvin shook his head, unable to answer for how he’d done it; unsure it was he who actually had. “Why are you so sure it was me?”

“Cuz you’re the only one of us who
would’ve
stopped things. I was just getting started.”

Calvin’s head swam as images of the fight came back to him. “Parker, you were so strong back there. I mean, beyond normal. I’ve never seen anything like that. You sent those guys flying.” A chuckle escaped, astonishment rather than amusement. “You definitely could’ve killed someone. Probably would have if I hadn’t stopped you.” He checked his rear view again, paranoia setting in. “Let’s just hope they don’t have a surveillance camera hooked up in that place or we’re toast. That’ll be on every news station, and it wouldn’t take long for them to find us.” Calvin pictured Evie’s reaction to seeing the footage on the late-night news, and heard his phone buzz. “Damn.” He pulled the small phone from his pocket, eyed it as it rang again.
Evie.

Parker glanced at the name on the phone. “Aren’t you getting that?”

It rang once more. Never had Calvin dodged a call from Evie, but he could hardly imagine talking to her then. “I don’t know.”

His obnoxious brother raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter? Trouble in Boringville?”

“No, idiot. I just don’t know what I’d say to her right now.”

Another ring sounded from the phone.”

Parker shrugged. “I guess nothing.”

A rush of guilt swept in, mingled with a hint of relief. Part of him wanted to reach out to Evie. Have her close in the uncertain moment. The other part wanted to keep her as far away from it as he could. He tossed the phone in the drink holder.  “I’ll call her later.”

Parker looked out the windows. “Where are we going?”

“Up to Waterfall Canyon. I want to keep my Jeep out of sight for a while. We may want to stay the night even.”

“That’s perfect.” Parker sounded excited.

“
What
is?”

“The canyon. Don’t you want to see what else we can do?”

Calvin looked at him warily.

“Here, nobody will see us. We can let loose, see what else we’re capable of.” Parker pushed up his sleeves with an excited grin. “I can feel it, Cal. There’s a lot more in me. Can’t you? Don’t you feel like something’s just waiting to get out?”

Calvin considered that as a static-like buzz bounced off nearly every cell in his body, sending restless energy throughout his frame. “Yeah, I think I know what you mean,” he said. “Man, I can’t believe that just happened. I’m still waiting to wake up.”

“No doubt. I feel like Spiderman or something.”

As they pulled to a stop, the headlight’s beam lit a small family of deer by the river. Though all hints of ice had melted in the valley, several remnants of snow lay scattered in patches along the base of the mountain.

Parker turned to Calvin. “Okay, try to stop time again. See if you can freeze those deer over there.”

“Alright.” Calvin focused on the deer, searching inside himself, hoping to find something beyond. He pressed his eyes closed, willed time to stop by chanting the words in his mind:
stop, stop.
He looked up again. The deer continued to slurp and splash. “I don’t know. What if it was someone else?”

Parker looked at him sideways. “What are you talking about?”

Calvin knew he should tell Parker everything. The dreams, the waitress, what Grandpa Knight had told him in his latest nightmare. But he’d never been able to rely on Parker, and tonight was another perfect example of why. One person he
could
rely on was Evie. And he’d left her, for this. “Let’s just get out of here,” he said.

“What? I want to see how strong we are, find out what else we can do. I want to see if you’re stronger, too.”

Perhaps he just wanted to punish his older brother, but Calvin didn’t like how excited Parker seemed about the evening he’d just ruined. “You know what? You need to sober up. This was a bad idea. Nobody followed us out here, so I’m just going to take you home now.”

“No, man. Come on. Let’s just try.”

Calvin closed his eyes in a tight squint, trying to drown out the sound of Parker’s voice.

“C’mon, Cal. Let’s get out of the car and you can take a couple swings at me, test it out. You’ve always wanted a piece of me. Now’s your chance.”

“Parker, do you know how crazy you sound right now? You want me to hit you?”

“What, are you scared?”

The look on his brother’s face took Calvin back to grade school in a blink. Young, childish. “No, Parker. I just want to get out of here.”

“Hey Calvin, did you know that I grabbed Evie’s butt that night at the party?”

And there it was. Parker’s lame attempt at provoking him–making up lies. He wouldn’t take the bait. Yet even the mere thought of his brother touching Evie made Calvin want to wrap his hands around Parker’s neck. “Shut up, Parker.”

“No, really. The night you introduced me to her, we had already met. I danced with her and I had my hands all over her. It was hot.”

Calvin’s fist balled up. “You’re just trying to piss me off right now. I don’t believe you, so just shut up for a minute, would you? I’m trying to think.”

“Think about what? Why do you have to think about everything? Just get out of the Jeep so I can kick your ass.”

“Shut up, Parker! You know what? I feel like an idiot. I’m the only sober one here, so why should I listen to you?” He started the engine. “I’m taking you home so you can sleep this off, and then I’m going to Evie’s. You ruined our whole night.”

“No, just wait. Do you hear yourself? Something this big is happening and all you can think about is going off to be with Evie?”  Parker gripped at the wheel as Calvin sped up.

“Parker, let go. You’re going to kill us both.” With the shove of his arm, Calvin pushed Parker away from the wheel. Though he hadn’t meant to shove him very hard, his brother flew back and slammed against the door. A loud crash sounded as the window blew out, sending thick chunks of shattered glass over Parker’s head.

Calvin slammed on the brakes. “Parker, are you–”

“That was wicked,” he shouted, shaking the glass from his hair.

“Turn around, Parker. Let me see your head.”

He turned to show off his unwounded head. “See? Nothing. I told you, man. We can’t get hurt. This is awesome!” The Jeep door creaked open as Parker stepped out. Calvin joined him.

Parker stared up at the sky, puffing his chest. “I feel like I could fly.”

“Hold up, Parker. Don’t do anything stupid. Just wait a second.” Calvin’s words came out shallow, thwarted by the currents of energy surging through his body.

Parker bent at the knees, squatted low to the ground, determination set on his face. “I’m going to do it,” he said in a whisper.

Calvin focused on his brother’s movements, the straightening of his legs, the lifting of his feet.  A gasp tore from his throat as Parker burst like a bullet into the night sky. Straight up. High. Higher still.

“Parker!” Calvin tipped his head back to keep him in sight.

“Wheeew-hooooooo!” Parker’s distant cheer grew louder as he fell back toward him. The canyon floor rumbled in protest when he hit the ground just yards away, scarcely within the headlight’s reach.

 Calvin’s mind rushed into overload. Something was happening, something huge. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, the events unfolding before him were real.

Parker threw fists in the air as he danced in delight. “That was incredible, Calvin.” Loud breaths dominated the pace of his words. “You have to try that. Just bend your legs, then jump like you’re going to slam dunk at the hoop.”

“What makes you think I can do it, too?” Though a part of him almost knew that he could.

Parker tossed his head back in frustration. “Just try. C’mon.”

Calvin’s pulse raced cool with adrenalin, mingled with excitement. Pressure brewed beneath the soles of his feet as he squatted to the ground. The muscles along his calves and thighs clenched tighter, stronger, felt more alive. He pulled in a deep breath, imagining the vapors from a boiling kettle, feeling as weightless and powerful as the steam it contained.

Impossible strength shot through Calvin’s legs as he straightened them, pushing him off the ground and into the sky. Wind rushed, cool against his face, pressing at his skin as he sped through the darkness. The air found pockets in his ears where it bounced and hummed in thick vibration.

He shot higher, faster, gaining speed along the way, hands clutched into fists at his sides. Within the darkened blur, Calvin caught glimpses of triangular shapes and edges of jagged white–the snow covered tips of the mountain.

In less than a blink, his weight shifted. At first, his body mass seemed to help press him off the ground, propel him further into the sky. But in that moment, as Calvin hovered weightlessly in dark silence, gravity reached out to him, and pulled with all her might. A pull that dealt him his first dose of fear.

His heart pumped heavy as he plummeted toward the ground, focusing on the growing sphere of light streaming from his Jeep below. It was reliable. The only thing he knew to be real, constant, in the crazed moment of impossibility. 

The earth rushed toward him, dark and angry, threatening to consume him. Filling his mind with panic. Ideas that the weight of his speeding mass could send him deep into the soil, burying him alive. The Jeep grew nearer, the ground did too. Back and forth he looked as he dropped, fast and heavy. Every muscle within him clenched tight in dreaded anticipation.

As the soles of his shoes met the earth with an echoing crash, Calvin bent his legs to absorb the blow, wondering when he’d feel the wrath of it, realizing then that he wouldn’t. He’d easily distributed the impact throughout his six-foot frame. He opened his eyes. “Incredible,” he breathed. He lifted his legs to survey the damaged land beneath, shaking his head in amazement. His shoes had sunk nearly three inches into the dirt.

“Can you believe that?” Parker asked, jogging over to him.

Calvin shook his head, breaths coming rapid. “No. I can’t. Let’s go again.”

Parker smiled and hunched down by his side.

Calvin felt like a kid again–his boyhood dream of super-hero action–coming to life.

“Mark…” they started in unison, “set…go!”

Parker’s buoyant shouts filled the air once more, and this time, Calvin joined in. He let go, releasing cheers of his own as he soared into the sky, enjoying the sheer, undeniable rush. It wasn’t quite flying, but it was close enough. Shooting through the dark night, breathing in the cool air, defying gravity for bits at a time. Calvin had managed to push the plaguing thoughts to the back of his mind, and for at least a moment, revel in the magic of the night.