Super BLAND

Episode 27 Wind blown

December 2ed, One week later, Christmas parade

"I don't want to talk about it now!" Tom said through clenched teeth.

"You can't ignore what happened forever!" Josh insisted with his smug smile, "You're just lucky that I haven't told anyone about what I saw you do."

Tom leaned in closer his dark face suddenly looking very cross, "No- you'll be lucky to have two front teeth if you tell anyone!" Tom wasn't use to threatening or playing the part of a bully- it startled him to hear such aggressive words come from his own mouth- but it down right scared him to realize... that he meant what he said.

It was a chilly gray day- the kind that would actually be made better if it did snow! Indeed some were really hoping for snow, considering it was the day of the Christmas parade, but it didn't look as if it would snow at all that day. The main street in the down town area had been blocked off, and all the floats, and the marching band were clustered about in a parking lot waiting for the parade to start. In amongst everyone, was Tom, Josh and Lee, as well as some other teens from different schools.

Tom and Lee would be carrying a sign for their school, well Josh was going to be sitting comfortably on a float. Tom wished that the parade would hurry up and start already- then he could get away from Josh!

"Oh yeah?" Josh asked with a cocky smile, "Knock my front teeth out huh?"

Tom swallowed his shame, "Just get back to your float- and don't tell anyone about what you saw." He gritted.

"Oh sure- my lips are sealed!" Josh promised sarcastically as he backed away, (sometime Tom really did think he could punch him) "Your secret about fire powers are safe with me!"

Tom glared at Josh's back as the annoying blonde made his way through the crowd back to his float. It had been one week since the quiz meet- and in all that time Tom hadn't really figured out what had happened that night with the candle. He had kept the charred paper (a grocery list) and looked at it often; had he really made the fire go out just be WANTING it to?

Of course Tom had tried to do it again when his sister and Mom weren't around, but no mater how hard he stared at a candle, or how enthusiastically he flung his hand at one; he could not make the flame do anything- other then flicker from air currents.

'I did do it once before' he would remind himself when he thought he was going crazy, 'I did something similar at Halloween when Garbage girl almost fell on the flaming torch.

"Maybe I am going crazy." He mumbled to himself, but he didn't have any more time to think about it then, for someone announced that the parade was starting. Tom looked around for Lee; he wasn't going to carry the sign by himself!

Lee was sitting on a curb, her face screwed up as she held her cell to her ear.

"Lee! It's starting now." Tom called her- he felt a bit bad; her phone call looked important.

Lee frowned and ended her call.

"What was that?" Tom asked as she took up position beside him and lifted her end of the sign.

"Foster parents- informing me that we'll be traveling all over for the holidays visiting old people I've never met!" she said with false cheerfulness, "Like that's going to happen."

"What'd you say?" Tom asked as he adjusted his grip on his end of the sign.

"I said I'd just stay here- then I hung up."

Tom grunted; over the years that he had known Lee, she had been with three different foster families- and had hated each one.

* * *

Lee swallowed hard, but the lump in her throat wouldn't go away. She really had tried to get along with this foster family- she really had! But it seemed like they were more interested in the government funding that she came with then they were in her.

Thankfully Tom was silent; he probably already knew how she really felt despite her words; he was a good friend.

The parade started and soon Tom and Lee started walking down main street following the children's choir, with Josh's float coming up behind them. Lee knew that she should be smiling and waving- but she couldn't make herself do it; there are few things worse then wanting to fit into a family, but knowing you never will.

Vivvvet! Vivvet!

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket and she made a sound some where between a sigh and a whimper; she knew it was her foster Mom calling back to give her 'what for'.

"I gotta take this." She told Tom before abandoning the sign and dropping back to walk just in front of the float where she could get a bit of privacy behind the pickup truck that was moving at a crawl as it towed the float.

The call was from her foster Mom- and she was angry! Lee spent about two minuets listening to her foster Mom yell at her for hanging up on her, then she moved on to what a horrid disappointment Lee was- and how much work it was to foster a teen. Lee spent the whole time with her head lowered trying to ignore the ache in her heart. A cold wind started to pick up and blew in her face- chilling her unshed tears

When at last it was her turn to say something she took a deep breath and masked her hurt and pain with sharp words and indifference, "Sorry, I didn't realize what a burden I was to you- why don't you just call the agency and have me moved some place else!?" the last word ended in a sob, but when she tried to draw a breath- it was stolen by the fierce wind that seemed to have come from no where!

Decorations from the floats fell over and she heard Josh swear- the wind was so strong it was knocking over kids! Lee couldn't hear her foster Mom's voice over the wind so she hung up again, and fought to keep her footing in the wind- her curly hair flying all over.

"A little help here!?" Tom yelled back to her as he struggled to hold on to their sign. Lee blinked back her tears. 'Forget your problems for now!' she ordered herself, 'lock up the pain again and pretend your fine!'

She ran forward and grabbed hold of the sign beside Tom.

Then... the wind stopped. Just like that.

I've never been fostered, but I understand it can be pretty awful, have you ever felt like Lee in this EP?