FIFTEEN

Chattering animatedly amongst themselves, the six friends walked down the street towards a nearby pizza shop. Each one had a bounce in their step; though, the most excited were Jacob and Brielle. Laughter followed their playful skips. The sun shone brightly, the breeze gentle and light. The air was crisp and refreshing.

Zach hung back somewhat, walking with his hands in his pockets. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh air. He really wanted to enjoy this with them, but he couldn't shake off the misgivings floating around in his head. He could easily pinpoint the sources of these feelings, but it was more the overall effect they had on him.

Lost.

He'd managed for so long without the support of an adult. He wished he didn't feel so darn lost, wanting someone to talk to – someone who could offer wisdom and advice that came with age and experience. He wasn't sure why he was missing it lately. Maybe it was the deadline. Maybe it was Falcon. Maybe it was the overwhelmingly helpless feeling that burned through every particle of his soul.

Sure. Multiple choice? How about all of the above?

Zach sighed, running a hand through his hair. Hikaru glanced back at him, concern on her face. He gave her a reassuring smile. She returned it and rejoined the chatter.

She always knows…

How she did it, Zach would never know. He was thankful she didn't prod him further. If she pushed, he wondered if he would break. Would he tell her? Would he reveal this secret, like he'd done before with so many other things in his life?

Or would he lie to her?

Just this once?

His thoughts were a chaotic mess. Zach walked with his head bowed, his eyes watching his footsteps. He bumped into a stronger body and stumbled backwards, almost falling to the ground – if it hadn't been for a pair of powerful hands clasping him by the shoulders and keeping him on his feet.

He looked up. It was a tall man with wavy black hair. A hint of white could be seen at the roots, yet the man looked young enough to be in his thirties. His crystal blue eyes were the most intense feature on his face.

"Are you all right?" asked the man. Zach nodded, unsettled. The man removed his hands and gave him a warm smile. "Deep in thought there?"

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," said Zach, taking a step back. "Thank you, though."

"It's quite all right," said the man. "We all have those days." The man studied him, so much so that Zach felt a little uncomfortable at the scrutiny. Before he could say anything about it, the man spoke up, "Have we met before?"

Oh, probably mistaking him for someone else.

"I doubt it, sir."

"I'm sorry, it's just…" The man paused, his eyebrows furrowing. A distant look entered his expression. His tone dropped. "You really look like someone I knew many years ago."

There was such sadness within those eyes. They had the light of remembering a distant past and a loved one gone. Zach recognized it. The person this man saw in him had passed on. Compassion surged through his heart.

"I'm sorry," whispered Zach.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." The man paused for a moment, seeming hesitant. "Just to be sure, if you don't mind… Would you tell me the name of your mother?"

Should I?

All right, this was a little weird; a complete and random stranger asking about his mother. But… A part of Zach didn't see the harm. On the outrageous off chance this man knew his mother, then Zach gained an old family friend – a precious connection to the past. If this man was someone untrustworthy, it wasn't like he could go after her.

He couldn't hurt the dead.

"Abigail Bennet," whispered Zach, reverence in his voice. A swell of hope took him by surprise. He swallowed it back. "Ring any bells?"

An Adam's apple contracted.

"No," breathed the man. A blank, stillness fell over the man's face. With an exhale, it softened into disappointment. "I guess I was mistaken. I apologize. I didn't mean to pry."

Zach smiled. "You're fine. I'm sorry to disappoint."

The man let out a laugh. It was warm and Zach found he liked the sound of it – rarely hearing something so gentle from an adult male. The man dropped a hand onto his head and ruffled his hair. Zach flushed, embarrassed.

"Have a nice day, kid."

The man lifted his hand as he walked away. Zach turned around, keeping his eyes trained on the man's broad back. Zach couldn't place it, but there was something familiar about him. Had he met him before? Even the man had wondered it himself…

Where?

Zach inhaled sharply. Hang on. He had seen that man before. Those eyes. Odd as it was, Zach had been able to pick the man out of a crowd because of those eyes. Small world. He'd seen him at the bank, when they had tried to save the hostages.

Blood flashed inside his mind. Childlike screams filled his ears. Zach sucked in his breath and shoved the image away. He squeezed his eyes shut. He leaned against the brick wall of a street shop, exhaling with a shudder.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

A hand touched his lower arm.

"Zach, what's wrong?" whispered Hikaru.

"Are you all right?"

"What's going on?"

"You sick?"

"Don't throw up, bruh."

"All right, shoo," said Hikaru, motioning the others away. "Give him some space."

Zach laughed softly. He looked at his friends. The other four stood a few feet away, watching him with united concern.

"I'm fine. I'll catch up, all right?"

Hikaru glanced back at the others and nodded. With hesitant movements, they turned away and began to walk – very slowly – down the sidewalk. Hikaru leaned in closer, studying him intently.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine—really, I am."

"No, you're not," whispered Hikaru, frowning. "Something is troubling you. You're more quiet than usual. You're tense. What's going on?"

And she does it again.

"I just… I just have a lot of things on my mind, all right?"

"Like Falcon?" whispered Hikaru, hushed.

Zach stiffened. His insides churned. A taunting voice entered his mind once more, that horrible number ghosting through his vision. But another voice swept over it, ringing with a foreboding truth.

'You have a month, One.'

'Regain your powers.'

'Or else Unit Twelve will be dissolved and assigned new members.'

"Yes, like Falcon," whispered Zach.

She stood at his side, not pushing him further. She waited, giving him a chance to elaborate. Zach let out a tired exhale. Where do I begin? What do I say, without revealing the frightening truth? His mind could easily articulate what he wanted to say, but connecting his mind with his mouth was another skill altogether.

"I dunno," whispered Zach. "Money's tight – that's old news. Thanksgiving's this month; Christmas is…" His voice dropped against his will. "…next month. The chief is always on my case—" At this, the tender light in Hikaru's eyes darkened. "—and I always have to worry about whether things will change."

And not for the better.

"But Falcon—" There was another sigh, more exasperated than the last. "He throws everything out of whack."

The hand on his arm squeezed lightly. Such gentle care were in her eyes. His face tinged with heat. Before he could pull away, Hikaru drew him into an embrace, her arms tightening around his chest. His breath caught in his throat.

"I don't know what to do," whispered Zach, curling his arms around her. "Nothing ever seems to get better. I feel like I'm drowning."

"It will get better," said Hikaru, the gentle lilt of her accent affecting her pronunciation. It was faint, almost unnoticeable, but Zach liked it. "It has to get better."

"People always say that. It doesn't make it true."

"I know," said Hikaru, pulling back out of the hug. She smiled brightly at him. "But we've made it this far. We just have to hang in there and believe – because if we don't have hope, then there's nothing to look forward to." She bumped his shoulder with a playful expression. "Like pizza for dinner."

Zach snorted. "Wait, are you saying you're the mastermind behind getting pizza today?"

Hikaru stuck her tongue out at him, grinning mischievously. "I guess you'll never know."

He laughed. The two of them started walking again, quickly catching up with the others since they hadn't gotten too far ahead.

Zach was overcome with a deep wish. He wanted to slip his hand into hers. But he held back. They were in public, after all. The others might see, too – and Drake was sure to rib him about it. He couldn't hold her hand under the guise of being friends, right?

Holding hands definitely meant something more.

A gentle touch slipped into his hand. Fingers plied through his own, spreading them apart and fitting perfectly there. Heat flared inside his cheeks. He glanced over at Hikaru, but she deliberately didn't look at him. She walked, face towards the horizon, each step taken with strength.

But there was a light squeeze.

His heart fluttered. Zach enjoyed the warmth. She was his rock, his foundation, the one person who kept him sane. He heard the thoughts of her heart through her hand, thoughts only spoken of through such touch.

She would stay at his side, supporting him.

They broke apart before they reached the pizza shop. Neither looked at the other; neither spoke of it; neither mentioned it to the others. They all gathered around one of the outside tables, while Zach went to order two large cheese pizzas. Once done, he took a seat next to Hikaru.

He was able to forget, even for a moment. They were laughing, silly meaningful yet meaningless conversations about so many different things. Zach became lost in the stream, joining in with ease. Even when the pizzas arrived, there was little lull. Every last one of them chattered with full mouths, laughing more when someone's food disgustingly fell out.

It was fantastic.

Maybe going out for pizza had been a great idea.

It wasn't long before both pizzas disappeared. Zach checked his wallet. There wasn't a ton of money left. Oh, well. They were going to have to live on PB&J, white rice, and bananas for awhile or else no Thanksgiving dinner.

"All right, guys," said Zach, standing up. "We need a few things from the store. You ready to go?"

The store – a convenient dollar general – was a few blocks away. With full bellies, the conversation was soft and the walk slow. But it was wonderful and Zach's spirits were lifted. As they walked inside the dollar store, he grabbed a cart. He stopped abruptly. His friends had surrounded him with identical looks on their faces. Zach instantly read it.

"Oh, no," said Zach, shaking his head firmly. "We had pizza. We can't get more stuff over budget. Okay, guys?"

Five pairs of bright eyes blinked at him.

Crap.

Ah, screw it.

"All right! All right," said Zach. He received five glowing expressions for his troubles. "Two bucks a piece. Go!"

Jacob and Brielle whooped, high fiving each other. They darted away. With a grin, Drake was gone, while Sevati and Hikaru went off together.

All right, ten more bucks to the bill. We can take that, right?

Yeah, sure, Zach was letting them splurge. But come on! They were all kids. Something so small as two dollars shouldn't bring a teenager this much joy, not in this day and age. Zach didn't want to be the one who said 'no' all the time. He wasn't supposed to be the 'mean' adult, the stingy parent.

He was supposed to be a kid, too.

They shouldn't have to worry whether or not a bag of chips was in their budget. They shouldn't have to worry about whether or not they could afford food for six growing teens, let alone healthy food. Worrying about such things was an adult's burden. It was not meant for a child's heart.

Bananas and carrots were the cheapest produce he could find. Zach grabbed some white bread. Yay for no nutrition. His biggest purchase was a large bag of white rice, but that would last them for the rest of the month. As he shopped through the store, one of the others would come up to the cart and put something inside.

Hikaru dropped off two packs of hair bands. The two older girls broke their hair bands frequently due to their long thick hair. Drake put in a bag of potato chips and a sketchbook. Sevati got a large bag of animal crackers and a notebook.

Brielle took the longest. She perused the book aisle, carefully flipping through page after page of different books. Jacob was in the same row, but looking at something else. He shyly glanced over at Zach, who – understanding instantly – gave him an encouraging thumbs up. Shyness faded, Jacob put a tray of cookies and a small stuffed toy, which looked like a little brown bird, into the cart.

Once Brielle picked a book, she gently placed it at the top. A tug on his t-shirt pulled Zach's attention.

"I'll share my cookies with you," whispered Jacob.

Zach smiled at the young boy and ruffled his hair. The others quietly gave him a similar look: all food was to be shared. Zach went to the checkout, lightness in his heart. They each supported him in their own way. No matter the stress he had to deal with, he had his friends.

His family.

But it didn't stop a memory from cruelly tainting the moment.

'…a month, One.'

'You have a month.'