The car swerved and spun in the icy street. It'd easily beat him back to the building. He had to think fast—his shadow moved as the car angled towards him—okay, he had to run fast. Brighter it became as the lights caught up, he was going to get hit. Holy shit, this brother misfortune gave him.
The football field, his feet dug deeper into pure snow as he made the sharp turn onto the field. Axel popped the curb and continued the chase down the field, chasing Connor as he took another turn between the stands and the out-of-bounds line.
Swerving into snow and mud to stay on target, Axel slid the back end into the goal post. Connor kept close to the stands as he kept pace. He wished the stands weren't fenced in and on an elevated platform.
Gotta keep running.
As the car drifted into the turn, snow blew into a cloud, and the car slid about thirty feet parallel to the stands, giving Connor more space. He reached the tennis courts between him and the parking lot and ran alongside its fence, but the car was gaining on him.
Instincts forced him to jump on the fence and climb the cold metal chain links. The side of the car screeched on the chain links, sparks flew, and Connor bent his legs up, narrowly missing the top of the car.
He climbed over and jumped onto the tennis court, rolling on the snow as he landed. Anticipating Axel's move, he headed towards the gate leading to the parking lot and then to the school. To safety. Axel popped the curb again, back onto the pavement of the school parking lot facing Connor at the tennis courts exit, staring him down with the headlights. Connor sped into a row of cars, hoping Axel would lose control as he turned.
It didn't slow Axel down at all. He bounced off the first vehicle at the end of the aisle and fish-tailed the car straight. Connor bolted between some cars, and Axel crashed into them. The vehicles collided, nearly crushing Connor's leg as he jumped out of the way, landing one foot on a bumper and the other on a hood, and then he ran over the car and into the other aisle.
Connor heard the car rev up again. He turned towards the spotlights near the school entrance, and the car chased along the other aisle. Axel swerved on the ice at the end, performing a haphazard u-turn around the vehicles, getting in front of him. The wheels spun, and after several rotations, the car moved forward from its u-turn.
Before Connor knew it, he was back on his feet and climbing a snowbank—like hell he was going to risk running between parked cars again—and he dove headfirst into another pile of snow as the car popped the curb, and Axel crashed next to him. Connor caught his breath and anticipated where to run next, but instead of wheels screeching, he heard tires spinning in place in the snowbank.
My chance, he ran to the closest part of the school. The entrance was on the other end of the parking lot, and he heard a door slam. Axel is on foot.
Connor prayed for a door but got only windows. The landscaping by the wall caught his attention. He reached into the snow, grabbed a rock, and threw it through a window. He covered his hands with his coat sleeves, knocked away some glass, and hopped in.
He knocked over an easel and art supplies as he ran to the door. Luckily, the doors don't lock from the inside. Glass crunched behind him. Axel was catching up.
The gym. He had to get to people. Reaching the public meant safety. Axel won't chase him, then.
Or so he thought.
Down the dark hall, Connor ran. His lungs were on fire, and he slipped, turning down another corridor. His body slammed into some lockers, which he pushed off of to keep his speed. The only part of the school used was the gym and nearby hallways. Everything was dark and empty except for the two of them. The footsteps behind him got closer, and his foot got kicked over behind his other, tripping him onto the floor. It felt like a wave turned him over, and his neck got constricted.
"No dog this time," Axel said. "I'll tighten if you don't answer my questions. What does she have? What is it? Where is it?"
Connor struggled to get his brother to loosen. He reached for his keys and wailed at him. Hoping for a key to break the skin, stab after stab, Axel was undeterred and tightened his grip. Another hit to Axel's side. Axel screamed.
Finally, Connor twisted and prodded the key that punctured his brother. Axel lunged off Connor and grunted as he pushed against his side. Connor ran after noticing a small amount of blood drip from his brother. He could hear Axel swearing at him, and the chase continued.
"Help!" Connor called out multiple times. He heard the band playing grow louder, but Axel got closer. This time he got choke-slammed against the lockers. Axel's hand pushed against Connor's throat.
"Last chance or I'm knocking you out," Axel said, "just tell me anything about whatever she does."
"I don't know," Connor's voice hurt with each word he spoke.
"Yes, you do."
You're an idiot, Connor thought, as Axel didn't learn. A knee to the groin and a thumb in an eye sent Axel to the ground.
Connor continued his escape and went for the doors where the music was playing. He yelled, but hardly any noise came out. The doors flung open as Connor rushed through, tripping on a chord and landing against a curtain. If he could just reach the band on the stage, he'd be in public view and could escape into the gym to safety. He dashed up to them, almost passed through the curtain, and landed face-first on the hardwood, not from a chord, but from Axel's hand, which gripped his ankle.
***
Is that drummer single?
Stuck on food and beverage, her mind wandered some. Occasionally, students would bust out funny dances that would be entertaining, but she just wanted the night to end and to work on her nonexistent dating life.
Though she tried to think of a plan to approach the drummer, she had only been on one date her entire life, and thinking of a game plan for this wasn't in her wheelhouse. The first week of freshman year at MIT. The boy-to-girl ratio was in her favor, but she cared little for it. Her peers rarely felt genuine or had ulterior motives.
A hand and a face collapsed on the side of the stage, just behind the curtains.
Connor? What are you doing? And she watched his head and flailed-out arm gets dragged. She moved without saying a word to a colleague and ran up the stage stairs, getting glances from the band, and hurried backstage. The doors at the backstage's far end closed. With no gestures or signals, a gun dark-mattered its way in front of her, and she caught it midair.
She hustled out the door and into the hall, where she spotted another opened door. She ran, busted through, and pointed the gun at the first thing that moved.
"Wake up, Connor," the man stood over his captive and slapped him.
Stephanie pointed the gun. "Don't move, or I fire."
He looked startled or maybe surprised. It was hard for Stephanie to tell, as the only light was from the dark sky outside the windows behind him.
"Alright," he raised his hands, "bold move, Stephanie, to bring a gun to a school."
"Axel?"
"Been a while," he said.
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Connor's hand moved, and he tried to speak but couldn't.
Oh my God, Stephanie thought. "Get away from him, now."
"Not until someone tells me—"
Blood exited the backside of Axel's hand and landed in a line of red on the tile. He screamed and tucked his hand into his chest, holding it. A kick to his side, where Connor stabbed him, sent him rolling off of Connor.
"What is wrong with you two?" he screamed at Stephanie as she turned her head toward Connor.
And he watched them disappear into the white and purple light.
[]~*
It was dark, but he saw Teresa and heard Stephanie yelling something from a distance. Teresa lit purple and danced as two bright lights appeared and slowly dove toward him. Before getting hit, they disappeared, and Teresa was next to him in the passenger seat.
"Tell me what you want," Teresa said.
Neon lights and dark purple streaks zipped past them as Connor drove. It was quiet as the engine hummed through the ether.
"What do you mean?" Connor said.
"What do you want?" Teresa rubbed his chest while driving with the other. "Tell me what you want," her voice whispered. An embrace around his shoulders and his torso rubbed his back. She remained still in the seat, yet he felt a kiss.
"I don't know!" Connor said.
"You do!"
The car chair turned into a couch, and the steering wheel transformed into a video game controller. Neville, Christian, and a few other friends were spread out in a room, goofing off and playing games with him on the couch or sprawled on the floor. It was loud and fun; everyone looked younger by a year or two.
"Not this," Connor pleaded. Everyone in the room disappeared, and he was left alone, holding the controller and staring at a static TV screen. White noise resonated with his thoughts and isolation, and Teresa's figure appeared on the screen, dancing. He sat alone in silence.
*~[]
They landed on her plate. Connor remained still wide-eyed and blue-faced, and Stephanie rummaged around frantically. He faded, and he felt something enter his mouth.
"Sorry, I don't have coordinates for the hospital," she said. "Yet."
And he faded.
[]~*~[]
Brown, gold waves of light filtered away negative sights. "Where am I?" It's all he saw, two angels. Blurred motion and muffled voices. An arm moved, and someone said something that calmed him.
He was speaking. No. No, he wasn't, not at all. His mouth remained open, and his voice was more jumbled than he had heard.
"Heaven?" He was astonished. He knew it. He died. His mind was adjusting to new heavenly sights and sounds.
Was that Teresa? Did she smile? She did.
Someone else showed up—a man. The man looked into Connor's eyes, looked around out of his view, and left.
Connor could lift an arm and feel his head. "Wow."
A soft, warm voice eased him. "Take it easy."
"Stephanie?"
"Yes, does it hurt to talk?" She said.
"Yes."
"Please don't because you're barely making any noise," Stephanie said. "Also, it's the doctor's orders to rest your throat."
Panels in the ceiling, railings on the bed, a monitor, it all cleared up in his eyes, and he started feeling his surroundings. The bed was okayish, and the fluorescent lighting became sharper. He could make out the tiles, and Stephanie and Teresa stood over, still in the outfits they wore for the school dance. Dark lines ran below Teresa's swollen eyes, but she looked relieved.
"Axel," Connor yelled, but it hurt.
"Stop," Stephanie said. "He was here earlier for some injuries but is already gone."
Connor noticed a pen and pad in the corner of the room. He nodded to it, and Teresa hustled urgently and handed it to him.
"My mom?" Connor wrote.
"She didn't visit you," Stephanie said.
He covered the inside corners of his eyes and stifled his crying. Of course, she didn't.
"What happened?"
"Your windpipe collapsed, and you nearly suffocated, and you just got done with a procedure to keep it open," Stephanie said.
"You idiot," Teresa said, "getting us worried and leaving me at the dance. Just stay with me next time, and I'll protect you. That's what happened!"
Connor ignored her. "Joules? Where is she?"
"I blipped back home and got her. She's in my living room."
Connor rested his head on the pillow, relieved; a clock next to him read three o'clock in the morning.
If Axel had just thought about threatening Joules, Connor would have told him anything, except that he doesn't know how the Aeon Switch works. Chills jolted down his spine at the idea of Joules being harmed.
He felt like there were more important things to think about. But his mind wandered anyway. When Stephanie was getting him home and the hospital via dark matter, his thoughts were all over the place. He can't remember any of it except for Teresa, who kept appearing.
"Did Stephanie ask you to take me to the dance?" Connor wrote.
Teresa's face turned red. "No, I don't know why I said that. I didn't know you heard that."
He looked at Stephanie, and she said, "I didn't."
"Why?" Connor wrote.
She crossed her arms and walked around a little. "I don't know."
"I'm sorry if I ruined your dance," he wrote. "But please, I don't want you here right now."
She grew desperate. "I had the best time until you left." She bolted out the door.
After a beat, Stephanie said, "You'd never guess that she's one of the smartest people in history."
He hadn't noticed until now, but she never took her eyes off him. With every move he made, Stephanie took notice.
"I'm sorry," Connor wrote.
"Never apologize," she said, "not you anyway."
He cried and wrote, "I have nowhere to go. I live with Axel. Will he be arrested?"
"I spoke with Mr. Furyk, and Axel will cease this. But consequences never come from his decisions. That was a bold move, and he assured me he didn't tell him to be physical."
Connor placed his forearm over his forehead.
"You will live with Teresa and me," Stephanie said. He looked at her so fast that his neck nearly figuratively snapped off. She smiled. "Are you okay with that? Even with Teresa?"
He nodded yes.
"I'll try to make some phone calls to the state university. Maybe I can get you into college in January. It's a tall order, but I'll try. Many high schools have a two-semester minimum to graduate, so moving right now is out of the question if you have to finish."
"Thank you," he murmured. He wished he had stuck with the notepad, as it did hurt.
She leaned over and reached into her bag, rummaging around. "Excellent," she held up a small round metallic ball with a few notches. "This is something I always send with you and everyone on a dark matter trip." Bringing it closer to Connor, he got a good look, but he wasn't sure if he needed to see the details. "It records brain waves. I asked a colleague for some of these to record our brain waves on dark matter trips to see what happens during the Lucid Passage. I'd also figured the dark matter device could be used for psychological reasons. It's stored in my drawer, I send it as dark matter along with the person, together, but I don't stop the ball at the destination. I relay it back to the desk, and then it uploads its recordings onto one of the computers. Understand?"
Connor nodded.
"Great. What it does is create a three-d representation of what is going on, almost like a video game where we can watch what we experience during the Lucid Passage. Your trips to Mars, the Moon, etcetera, have all been recorded. I do this to make sure we're all sane."
Pen went to the paper immediately. "Oh God," Connor wrote.
She smiled. "It's fine. Mine was so much stranger than yours at first. Don't worry about it. I've only watched your first few, to be sure. And the most recent one when I picked up Joules."
She held the small circular device closer to Connor's head. It dazzled him as a UI appeared in his vision, like something he's seen in sci-fi shows. Amazing, he thought. Was this what I saw before? He recalled waking up next to her before Mr. Furyk arrived at her house. As she saw the look on his face, knowing he saw the effect, she took it further away, and the UI blinked out of his vision.
"I'm surprised you haven't fired me," he wrote.
"Well," she said. "You're an adult and can have your own thoughts, dreams, and fantasies. Every time I traverse the Lucid Passage, I'm at a beach. It's how I remember a family vacation that I enjoyed when I was thirteen. I visit it intentionally. I can create any environment I wish, but that road trip to the coast from Blue Ashe is one of my favorite memories, so I relive it. At first, I was not able to. It took a few years, but I discovered that the less I tried to control what was going on in the Lucid Passage, the better it became. I had to let my dreams, desires, and fantasies run their course instead of stopping them, such as when you danced with Teresa recently in dark matter, not at the actual dance. Keep dancing with her in your head or playing games with your friends. Don't fight it and be honest. See where it goes. Don't stop it. And eventually, you'll take control because you'll know what you want. It's you, telling you what you need."
Connor nodded.
"I am a scientist. Though I know little about biology, I don't want you to have any more unpleasant experiences. The last thing you've seen or experienced can immensely impact the Lucid Passage."
She stood up and took her coat off. The shoulder straps slid off as she unzipped the back to lower the dress. And she took off her bra. Panicked, Connor looked away and tried to control his breathing. Yet, he kept her in the corner of his eye. For him, it was pure bliss, and because he was too immobilized to respond by notepad, he took a few deep breaths, calmed down, and looked at her figure straight.
She walked around the bed in front of him and leaned in. "Hopefully, this will keep some horror out of your mind. Remember, pleasure or horror, keep going. Because if you can't do the things you want to do in here," she tapped him on his head, "then you'll never be able to do them out here, such as kissing Teresa." She twirled her finger around the room.
And she sent him on a Lucid Passage he'll never forget.