Parahuman (Parahuman Series) (11 page)

      For
the first time ever Devan was flabbergasted, he stood there with his hands out
not knowing what to do.

     Laney
looked up into his dumbfounded expression, tears in her eyes, and smiled.
Confusion swamped his brain. Not the first time it had happened around other
people. Their emotional outbursts were difficult to understand.  

     “Oh
man, I’m sorry; I must seem totally mental.” She sniffed. “I didn’t mean to
blow up at you, I just didn’t want to cry, and when you asked me if I was okay
it sort of pushed me over.”

    
“Asking you if you were alright made you cry?” Devan contemplated this.
Sometimes human interactions were impossible to comprehend.

     His
obvious bewilderment seemed to divert Laney from her unhappiness. Her eyes were
still glistening, but at least her tears had halted, and her pained expression
was replaced with a mild amusement.

   
“Haven’t you ever been on the verge of tears, and then someone comes along and
asks if you’re okay and that’s the one thing that sets it off?” 

     Devan
frowned. “I never cry.”

     A
brow raised in disbelief. “Never!” Laney scoffed.

    
“Never.”

     Maybe
it was the gravity of Devan’s demeanor that convinced her he wasn’t just
spouting platitudes.  

     “Everyone
needs to cry sometimes.” She declared, looking sad that he never cried. 

     “You
just became
more
upset because you cried, why does anyone need to cry if
it’s further upsetting?” Devan was trying to rationalize her assertion. The
last time he’d cried had been when he was five, living at the facility. He had
hurt himself in one of his first physical training exercises, and when no one
had offered any comfort he’d learned crying was of no use, a waste of energy.
So the next time Devan had converted that emotion into his training to make
himself do better. 

    
Laney’s lips twisted in a half grin as she huffed. “You just can’t help it
sometimes. Like now, I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t help myself. Anyway,
it’s good to cry
sometimes
, it relieves the pressure inside when you
feel overwhelmed…and sad.” Laney’s voiced choked up slightly at the end. 

     Devan
shifted uneasily. “What are you overwhelmed by?” He had to ask, when he
probably should have let it go.

     She
considered him for a moment before answering. “I guess being in a small town
I’m used to everyone knowing and you’re bound to find out anyway. Everyone
knows everything about everyone here.”   

     Not
if you don’t become involved Devan repeated to himself.  

     “You
don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” He stated, trying to stay
true to his mantra.      

     “No,
like I said you’ll find out anyway, better that you hear it from me than other
people gossiping about it.” Unaccountable relief filled him that she was still
willing to share. She took a deep breath. “My mom died eight months ago from
cancer, and at times I get a little emotional, especially when I look at
pictures of her.”

    
“Maybe you should take the pictures down until you can handle it.” Devan mused.

    
“Never,” Laney exclaimed with a dismayed expression, “it would be like cutting
her out altogether.” She looked toward one of her mother’s photographs. “I love
looking at her pictures; it’s just painful at the same time.” Laney finished
this last part softly. Devan didn’t say anything for fear of intruding or
saying the wrong thing...something he was good at. After a several seconds she
turned back around wiping at her eyes self-consciously.

    
“Thank you for not saying ‘sorry’. I am so tired of hearing that.” She smiled
the sweetest smile Devan had ever seen, and he had to swallow the lump that
suddenly formed in his throat. Where were all these lumps, and aches, and
cramps coming from? Was his body going through some kind of metamorphosis?

     Devan
gave Laney a shrug in way of acknowledging her gratitude. It had really never
occurred to Devan to offer an apologetic remark. People said ‘sorry’ when they
could empathize or sympathize about another person’s pain and losing a parent
and wasn’t something Devan could relate to.

     Laney
looked down and fidgeted with the papers in her hands before abruptly thrusting
them out toward him. “Here, fill these out and bring them back tomorrow after
school. Don’t forget to have your uncle sign them.” 

    
Reaching forward Devan took the papers from her hands. Her nearness
was…unsettling. “Thank you. I will see you tomorrow then.” Tomorrow, for some
reason, seemed a long way away.

     As
Devan turned to leave Laney reached out and touched his arm, and that painful
constriction in his abdomen happened again. Devan tensed automatically, not
just from the constriction but because of the unaccustomed touch. Laney must have
felt or sensed his tension because the hand retracted immediately. Realization hit
Devan; his discomfort wasn’t from his body changing, it was Laney causing it. 

     She
turned away hastily, but Devan was able to see she was disconcerted by his
behavior. Her hand trembled faintly and she was holding herself stiffly. “I’m
sure you heard Jarrod talking in the van about some shindig happening tonight.”
She was talking as she walked around the other side of the desk. When she
turned her expression was serene and smiling. “Every Sunday a few of us get
together to do something, because there’s really nothing to do in a small town
unless you want to go two tracking or mud bogging. Tonight it’s movie, cards,
or darts; whichever floats your boat. I wanted to ask…or I was wondering if you
wanted to go?” Pink began to suffuse her cheeks. “It would be a good way to get
to know some of the other kids before tomorrow.”

     Getting
to know others wasn’t something high on Devan’s ‘to do’ list and an automatic
‘no’ was his normal response to these offers. His lips formed the word, but no
sound came from his throat. His eyes were snared by brilliant green and
something was preventing him from voicing the word this time.

     Unaccountably,
he didn’t want to say ‘no’. “Uhh…I would like to go…” Devan scratched his head
and stumbled over the words, in a state of shock that he was actually agreeing
to go.

     Laney’s
face looked expectant. “You want to go…you can’t go?” She queried with a half
smile, looking slightly confused by his half statement.

     Devan
struggled again, attempting to make himself clearer. “Yes, I would like to go,
but I wouldn’t know how to get there.” Or what to do once he got there…or how
to act...what was he thinking?!

     “If
you want to meet here at 6:15 tonight, you can follow me and my friend Hali
over to Duane’s, he’s the one hosting the party.” Laney offered tentatively.

    
“Okay.” Devan couldn’t believe he was going to do this. He should just retract
right now. 

     Laney
grabbed a piece a paper off the desk. After writing down a phone number she
offered it to him. “This is my number; if something comes up and you can’t make
it just call me.”

    
Perfect, here was his way out. When Devan arrived back at the house he would
give her a call telling her that something had came up and he wouldn’t be able
to make it.

     Reaching
out for the slip of paper their fingers connected and a tingle ran up Devan’s
arm. Laney’s green eyes locked with his, a startled look upon her face. It was
as if she felt it too.

     “So,
I guess I’ll see you back here in a few hours then.” She gave him huge smile…a
dazzling smile. The sight of it caused his chest cavity to constrict
disturbingly.   

     “Okay,
until tonight then.” Devan was speaking fast and backing up toward the door,
feeling an urgent need to get away and think. It was becoming a difficult thing
to do when he was near her. She extracted a variety of conflicting emotions
from him, because even as he was backing up he felt an almost urgent need to
stay there with her. Spinning around he forced himself to leave the building…and
her.

CHAPTER EIGHT

     “So,
what’s the rating on the newbie?”

     “Oooohh,
that’s hard to say.” Laney puckered her lips in thought. “I don’t think Devan
can be held to the standard rating system. He’s quite…unique.”

     A
growl of irritation came from the seat next her. Hali, Laney’s best friend, had
been digging for information on Devan ever since Laney had climbed into Hali’s
truck…with poor results. Anything Laney could have said about Devan wouldn’t
have done him justice. He was definitely a ‘have to be seen to be appreciated’
sort of guy. 

     “What
does that mean…‘unique’? Does he have a third ear growing on his forehead or an
extra finger or…ohh, ohh; I know he’s got a tail doesn’t he?” Hali wiggled her
eyebrows suggestively. “Come on, you’ve given me barely any info and it’s so
not like you. Now come on and spill, is it a cute birthmark? I know, it’s
shaped like Mickey Mouse, or Harry’s lightning bolt.” Hali’s eyes gleamed with
unmistakable mirth and curiosity.

     Laney
leaned back in the passenger seat of Hali’s Chevy S-10, her neck cranked sideways
to view the road. “No extra ear, finger, or tail, but he does have an eye
sensitivity problem, so he has to wear sunglasses all the time to keep any kind
of light off his eyes. Don’t make a big deal about it because I think he’s self-conscious
about it. Hopefully, now that the sun has set he won’t be wearing them.”

     “He’s
sensitive about his eye sensitivity.” Hali snorted with a grin.

     Laney
rolled her eyes at Hali’s humor. She could make a joke out of anything.

     “Yes,
so be nice.”

     “I am
always
nice.” Hali announced dramatically, resting her hand on her chest
in mock offense.

     Laney
grinned. “You’re
always
sarcastic, with some semblance of nice.”

     Hali
adopted a false contemplative air. “Oh yeah, you’re right. So this eye
sensitivity is the only thing you’re going to tell me about him.”

     “He’s
going to be here any minute and then you can see him for yourself.”

     Hali
narrowed her eyes. Laney smiled innocently. A slow smirk spread over Hali’s
face. “What?” Laney exclaimed with exaggerated naïveté.  

     “You
are in-ter-es-ted, aren’t you?”

     Laney
maintained her innocent smile. “He’s just a new student and coworker. I barely
know him.”

     Hali’s
eyes narrowed even further. “Ohh, you’re interested all right.”

     “He’s
interesting
, that’s all.” Laney corrected.

     Now
it was Hali’s turn to roll her eyes. “Don’t give me that wide eyed innocent
girl act; you’re talking to your other half here. We shared the same crib,
binky, high chair, training bed, bunk bed, futon, hammock…”

    
“Okay, okay,” Laney threw her hand over Hali’s mouth. The girl would go on
forever if allowed. “But sharing only goes so far.” The comment came out
unconsciously, surprising Laney. It’s not like she had a claim on him, or
wanted one, especially with the way he kept running away from her. Twice now.
She had kind of expected a call from Devan telling her that he had changed his
mind about going tonight, but he hadn’t called to cancel, and now she was on
pins and needles waiting for him to show up.

     Hali
dragged Laney’s hand away, her eyes wide. “Now I know you’re interested. You’re
staking a claim. And really, when was the last time you left your hair down
and
wore makeup, because I can’t remember.” Hali got a faraway look in her eyes.
“No, wait, it was the summer of 2000 when we raided my mom’s vanity and made
ourselves up as clowns.” 

    
Before Laney could laugh that outrageous statement off, a green jeep pulled
into the parking lot. Laney’s heart began to beat a little faster and her body
temperature spiked uncomfortably. Thank god for deodorant!

     Both Hali’s
and Laney’s heads swiveled, following the jeep as it drove around to the
passenger side of Hali’s truck. Devan’s window was down, and Laney rolled down
hers as he parked next to them. It was forty-two degrees, twilight shrouded the
sky, and Devan was wearing a t-shirt with the window down and was still
sporting his sunglasses.

     Did
those things never come off?

     Laney
couldn’t stop a grin seeing that Devan’s head was scrapping the top of the
jeeps cover. An image of him stuffed into a little Fiat or Mazda flashed
through her mind causing her grin to spread wider. She rested her arm on the
truck door and leaned out the open window.

     “Six
fifteen on the dot. I bet you’re a punctuality-holic.”

     Devan
mirrored her move on his door frame. Disappointment shot through Laney that she
wasn’t able to see his eyes. She knew he had to wear the glasses to protect his
eye, but the sun was down now. How much of a foe-paw would it be to swipe them
off his face?    

    
Devan’s head tilted in that oh so familiar way. She was really liking that
gesture. “If you are implying that I’m compulsive, then yes, you would be
correct.”

     Laney
didn’t think her grin could get any bigger, but his complete seriousness caused
it to notch a degree higher. Taking in his multi-colored, windblown hair and hard
russet features Laney felt a foreign hitch in her chest. Was she interested?     

     Hali
suddenly leaned across her, sticking her face in the window. A faintly astounded
expression rolled over her face but she quickly recovered and replaced it with her
signature smile. “Hellllooo, I’m Hali, best friend, compadré, pseudo-sister,
partner in crime, etc, etc.”

     Laney
found herself watching Devan closely to see how he responded to her friend.
Hali was shorter than Laney by four inches but really beautiful with long blonde
hair, blue eyes, and a vivacious personality, which she demonstrated with a
couple of pink stripes in her hair, and an outfit that consisted of an overly
long pink sweater…to match her hair. She wore black yoga pants, and calf high
black boots. Laney
may
have styled her hair and
may
have applied
a touch of make-up, but she was wearing ordinary jeans and a green fitted shirt
that some people
might
have mentioned brought out the green in her eyes.
Over that she wore a tan spring jacket, because she felt the cold unlike some
other people who wore only t-shirts. 

     The
sunglasses on Devan’s face concealed a lot, so Laney wasn’t able to get full
insight into his feelings as his face remained expressionless.

    
“Hello Hali.”

     So
polite. So serious. Sooo…fascinating.

     Laney
gripped Hali’s chin fondly between her thumb and forefinger. “This is my friend,
Hali. You learn to love her.” 

     “I’ll
have you know that some people love me right off the bat.” Hali said in mock
outrage.

    
“Besides your mom and dad.” Laney replied dryly, pinching Hali’s chin. 

     “Hey,
there was that person who had to be institutionalized last year for stalking.
He loved me whole lots.” Hali countered in a horrible Asian accent.

      “I
have to apologize for her; she’s between meds at the moment.” Laney commented
jokingly.

     “I’m
not the one on the meds, that was my institutionalized friend,” Hali refuted.

     Laney
rolled her eyes and gave Hali a small shove sending her back to her own seat,
but before she went a mumbled ‘interested’ whispered from her lips. It was said
so low that Laney was sure Devan couldn’t have possibly heard it, but when she
looked his way there was a frown between his eyes and his head was tilted
again.

     He
couldn’t possibly have heard; although, he did seem to have exceptional
hearing. Crap, she hoped he hadn’t heard Hali’s comment, or at least didn’t
understand it. Laney could feel her face starting to heat up and was thankful for
the darkness.

    
“Sorry, we can get carried away sometimes.” Laney apologized.

     Devan’s
head tilted the other way. It was enduring, the way he did that.

     “It
was…entertaining.”

     Short,
sweet, and totally sober; had to love it.

     Laney
gave him a cheeky grin. “Why thank you sir.”

     Was
that a slight quirk of his lips? She thought it just might have been and her
heart lightened at the thought. Laney had a feeling that a genuine smile from
Devan was a rare thing, and it just became her objective to get as many as she
could.

     Hali
leaned over Laney’s lap again. “Well kiddos, let’s get a move on. The
entertainment doesn’t start until I get there.”

     Laney
gave Hali another shove. “Duane’s house is only ten minutes from here, just
follow us, okay?”

     Devan
nodded his acceptance—although his expression might have appeared a somewhat
pained. Laney frowned at the possibility and wondered why.

     Hali
started the engine and began backing up. Laney gave one last look behind her
before rolling up the window. She didn’t want a rat’s nest for hair when they
reached Duane’s house.

    
“Soooo…” Hali drawled, switching gears and speeding up.

    
“Soooo, what? Laney drawled back, hanging on tight. Hali was a good driver but
she liked to go fast.

     “I’m
a little confused on the ‘not the usual standards’. A little quiet, a little
tall, but where I was sitting he was at the least an eight. The glasses hid an
essential asset, but ‘WOW’.” Hali shifted again, revving the engine.

     Laney
grinned at the ‘little tall’ remark. Wait till she saw him standing.

    
“Devan’s just different.” Laney commented vaguely. “He can’t be measured by
normal standards.” Typically, Laney shared everything with Hali, but she’d held
back on many of the details of what she had seen Devan do the other day, and
her feelings about those details. The thoughts going through her head were a
little far-fetched, but it didn’t stop her from ruminating on them.  

    
“Ohhh, you are sooo interested.” Hali snorted.

    
“Maybe,” Laney replied as nonchalantly as she could.

    
“Maybe my bum,” Hali retorted with a snicker. “Your face is as red as Sammy’s
sunburn in July.”

     
Laney’s hands flew to her cheeks. She thought her face had been getting warm. “You
can’t even see my face. It’s totally dark in here.”

     “It
can feel the heat radiating off of you.”

     “Shut
up,” Laney retort irritably. She hated that she blushed so brightly.

     Hali was
still teasing her as she pulled into Duane’s driveway her tires kicking up dirt
as she braked abruptly behind several other vehicles lining the driveway. Laney
breathed a sigh of relief at another safe journey.

     Laney
and Hali had both hopped out of the truck by the time Devan parked next to
them. They walked to the rear and waited for him to climb out and join them.
When Devan opened his door and stood to his full height Hali gaped in
astonishment.

     “Jeez,
you said he was tall Laney, but I wasn’t expecting gi’normous.”

     Laney
gave Hali a shove which sent her stumbling sideways.

     Hali
only laughed. “What! He
is
gi’normous. Do you think he’s not aware of
it?” Hali turned to Devan and looked up at him as he walked over. “You are
aware that you’re gi’normous, right?”

     A
small indent settled between Devan’s eyes. “If gi’normous is a contraction of
the words giant and enormous, than I would have to consent that the description
is nearly accurate.”

     Hali
snorted and punched Devan in the arm…she was probably aiming for his shoulder,
but couldn’t reach that far…then she patted it. “But I have to say you are a
gi’normous glass of ‘yum’.”  

     Face
red again Laney gave Hali another shove—more for her personal touching than the
comment. “Hali, behave.” Turning her face up to Devan she gave him a sheepish
grin. “That was a Hali compliment.”

     “Well
of course it was.” Hali exclaimed in affront heading for the house. “By the
way,
love
the hair.”

      Laney
threw Hali a murderous look that she didn’t see as she was already half way to
the house. “She’s a sweet heart, really.” Laney growled.

     “I’ll
take your word on that.” Devan replied looking down at her and not after Hali’s
retreating figure. That he didn’t watch Hali walk away lifted Laney’s heart.
Hali was gorgeous, blonde, and bubbly, and a lot of guys went for that. In
fact, a lot of guys in school tried to get with her, but she wasn’t interested
in anyone at school that way.  

      “Just
think how smooth our relationship would go if you took my word on everything.”
Laney lifted one eyebrow and grinned.

     The
corner of Devan’s mouth lifted slightly. “Dull and boring.”

    
Laney’s smiled widened at Devan’s dry quip. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Who
wants to hang around someone who agrees with everything you say. There’d be no
excitement of a good argument or debate.”