The Mind Games

22

The rest of the night is a blur. Naomi stumbles around the house, her eyes glazed over, looking lost.The rest of us just sort of wait idly. We all know what happens next. One by one we're all going to just sort of drop off the planet and live normal(-ish) lives.

I plop down on the brownish couch and flip the screen on the TV to the DVR section. I push down several times on the remote to get it to respond to my action, and I quickly glance down the hall into the guest bedroom to find Maddie in pajama pants, typing away at her computer.

Grandma is over at the circular glass table we like to eat at, reading a book. Kayla is outside, playing with her powers. It's the first time in so many years she's actually gotten to play with them. She picks up balls and sticks, playing a game of make-shift baseball by herself.

Naomi hears the start of her new favorite movie and dashes over to the couch to join me. The blonde grabs a large pillow and presses it against my side. Naomi hops onto the couch and leans on the pillow, cleverly avoiding making any sort of physical contact with me, yet still allowing her to lean against me.

Ember storms in and goes to the other bedroom, down the opposite hall of the one Maddie is in, Cole following shortly behind her, cast in tow.

The movie begins to play, but I am far too busy watching the hushed discussion Ember and Cole are having through the door that was carelessly left open. Ember turns her nose up at Cole, and begins to walk about, but Cole grabs her arm to prevent her from leaving my line of sight.

The two exchange harsh words and I can see anger and frustration bubbling in both teens. Cole begins to corner Ember into the wall until he pushes her into it with his hands firmly planted on her waist.

Ember holds a steady poker-faced glare, and Cole brings his hostile expression close to her. He growls something that is lost before I can hear it, and swiftly raises his cast to use as a weapon. Ember glowers at his threat and looks angry and defeated, she hisses something at him, and Cole releases her.

An extremely annoyed Ember storms from the room in a flash, and I pretend I hadn't seen anything. Somethings up, and I am going to find out what that is.

I return my attention to the TV, and a tall (very attractive, may I say) blonde man wearing extremely patriotic colors stares down at some bloodied trading cards of.... Himself? I feel like I missed something important...

We spend the rest of the time fiddling and pretty much sitting on our thumbs until Cole gets his cast off. I can tell that everyone is eager to go their separate ways, but we all agreed to wait until Cole had got his cast off.

"Ah man," Cole says shaking his hand, "This feels so weird... It's like I can use my arm again." Cole shakes his head, moving his fingers around and in intricate patterns.

I chuckle, and Ember gracefully steals my line, "Maybe it's because you can, dingus."

Cole and Ember exchange I look, and I don't like it. Ember has a very heavy stoic face, badly covered with a smile. Cole has concern drawn all over his face but pretends that it's from the cast that is no longer plastered to his arm. I don't like it one bit.

We all laugh and crack jokes until Ember slyly removes herself from the group. I assume she's headed to wherever she goes about this time of day.

I watch Cole's eyes keep flicking onto the girl with the long black hair. Maddie and I exchange the 'something's up and I don't like where this is going' look, and Cole stands up and rushes to the room that Maddie and Ember have been staying in.

I stand up, carefully tip-toeing across the wooden floor, testing the weight lightly with my foot before allowing my full weight on board to be sure it won't creak and reveal my eavesdropping.