Tempest: The Moments In-Between (#1.5)

A New Beginning--Chapter One: Rational Sensibilities

Jack Hamilton

Penn is Felicia? Felicia is Tempest? Tempest is Penn!?

"Are you ok?" Penn whispered to me. "Are you hurt?"

The laughter of the strange woman who attacked us surrounded the area. And as her cruel chuckle echoed, a shiver ran down my spine, but all feelings of timidity fled when I took a look at Penn.

"Pe—" I stopped myself, remembering our situation. "Tempest? Tempest!?"

I could see Penn struggling to stay awake as her body continued to cover me. She was growing cold and bloody by the second, and in that moment, I was at a loss for what to do. How do I help her without causing any more harm? Was it even possible?

Suddenly, a giant black shadow appeared in front of us. Sitting up, I grabbed onto Penn and did my best to move her, but our positions left me with little choice but to try and cover her with my body as she lay splayed across my lap.

As I lifted my head to look at the shadow, I came face-to-face with a humongous black wolf! It was growling viciously, surveying the area before placing its crystal blue eyes on mine.

I was terrified to move, and yet, something about those blue eyes made me unafraid. As if I knew this wolf. As if I could trust it. What in the world am I thinking? It's a freaking wolf eyeing us for dinner! Why is there even a wolf on a rooftop in CC!? Don't you know you live in a forest!?! Get your habitats straight!

"Quickly, get on, Jack!" I heard in my head.

"How the hell—"

"We haven't much time. Hurry up! Chaos might be reluctant to let us go."

It took me a moment, but I suddenly recognized the wolf's voice minus the slight growl attached to it.

"Des?"

"Yes! Now get on! I will explain once we are safe."

I took a leap of faith, and safely secured Penn and myself on Des's back. Whoa, never thought I'd be doing this...

She seemed to fly through the air as she leapt from building to building as if she was playing hopscotch. Never missing a beat. Never speaking, or rather, thinking a word.

I clutched onto clumps of black fur as I stared at Penn who sat limp on my lap. Tempest's mask was mostly still in place, but her costume was torn and bordering on B-horror movie gory. She'd taken a real beating to save everyone today. And now... now she's lying in my arms... unconscious. Not entirely the way I thought I would be holding her one day.

She left me alone to re-think my entire existence. Only someone like Penn Benson could have my thoughts going in a hazy swirl of confusion.

People changing forms, villains using magic. If I didn't know better, I'd think we were in one of Penn's comic books!

Reality and fantasy were never supposed to mix. For goodness sake, it goes against all of my rational sensibilities!

UGH! I'm a scientist, damn it! I know logic, numbers, things I can explain, but this... there wasn't a category for the mess I found myself in.

To think I thought the hardest thing for me was trying to express being in love with a girl I thought I knew. Compared to this, admitting my feelings are a cakewalk. Whoa... My subconscious put the brakes on for me. I don't know if we'd go that far, buddy.

I took a breath as I felt the wind whirl past me.

How did everything get so screwed up?