Chapter 5


As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Rose pulled Stephanie towards the library. "Why are we going to the library? We can't eat in there", complained Steph.


"I know but I need to talk to you about your 'neighbor' and some stuff I read last night", she gave Stephanie a warning glance. "No one will be in the library right now and at least it will be cool in there."


They arrived at the library which was right across from the cafeteria. They walked towards the back where all the tables were empty. They placed their things on top of the last table in the corner. They were in the reference section which held the dictionaries and encyclopedias. A location rarely accessed now that everything was available via computers.


"Okay so I started doing searches on the whole transmitting feelings, emotions by physical contact thing and wound up with a bunch of crap, over a hundred and twenty thousand results. So I added filters to my search and targeted only clinical sites. I was able to eliminate all the adult sites and random blogs. Anyway, after scanning through what seemed like hundreds of sites and blogs I came across one tiny article buried as a link in one of the published periodical for a clinical trial. Some of the information was interesting but it wasn't a complete fit. But it gave me an idea", whispered Rose enthusiastically.


"Just tell me what you found already Rose", replied Steph in exasperation.


"I'm getting to it. Look, I can get into lots of trouble with this but I think I'm okay; I entered the site via an IP address I disguised as being registered in Korea so I think I'm okay. So I got into this site, man the security was tough but... oh yeah, sorry. Um I think that the stuff you described with Alex fits one of the cases they had on there."


Stephanie didn't like the sound of that. Rose hacking sites and confidential information with ultimate security didn't sound too good. Not to mention that Rose had yet to tell her what illness Alex had and if it was possible that she had been exposed to it. "Rose, tell me what's wrong with him. When I called you I was so scared and was thinking of avoiding him. But the truth is I am really starting to care for him."


Rose wore a pained expression. It was obvious that she dreaded the possibility of hurting Stephanie by filling her in on what she'd found. "Steph, just remember that this is just a guess. There's no way we can prove that this other case has anything to do with what's going on with Alex. Steph, the documentation was a detailed autopsy of two people. Well, one of them was a person. They referred to the other one simply as subject UNK2, and they listed the origin as unknown. Um, all indications were that it wasn't human. You know, as in not of this world. I couldn't tell if it had been alive when they found it. But the report indicated that its nervous system was like ours with the exception that it was much more powerful. It was able to communicate by touching and maybe even just via the mind. It freaked me out because there were some parts that I didn't understand. I looked up some of the phrases and I think they were talking about a being that was able to move things with its mind. I got really scared. I printed it for you", she handed Stephanie a folder which contained about 10 pages of information. "Steph, I think you need to stay away from him. Maybe even call the authorities, damn, I don't know."


Steph had listened to Rose in growing disbelief. Not from this world? It couldn't be. "Rose, if we call anyone, CJ will also be in the middle of it. Think about it, that's his brother. Then what if it turns out to be nothing? We can't do that. Let me look at this stuff tonight and I'll call you. Please don't do anything until then and for god's sake don't hack into any other sites."


They sat there looking at the folder which Steph was gripping in her hand. Steph finally put the folder in her backpack. She and Rose walked out of the library as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. They gave each other a half-hearted smile and walked away from each other towards their next class.


Steph walked into her history class and sat at her usual seat. She kept her eyes on the doorway waiting to see Alex come in. However, the tardy bell rang and there was no sign of him. Though she felt a little disappointed at not seeing him she was also relived that she did not have to face him now that her mind was full of thoughts of autopsies and aliens and other nonsense.


That evening right after dinner Steph rushed through her history and English homework. She then finished the Spanish assignment she had put off the night before. She lay down on her bed to read the article that Rose had given her that afternoon. Rose had been right; there were numerous words and complete phrases that she didn't understand. She decided to get off her bed and start up the computer. She needed to Google quite a bit of the items but after three hours was able to decipher most of the report. What she read left her shaking. Rose was right; it sounded a lot like that stuff. The report seemed to indicate that transmitting these feelings or information was done purposefully as a way of communication. But she knew deep down inside that Alex had not meant to hurt her. There was no way he had made her feel that way on purpose.


Alex had stayed home because Chris was still not back from his out of town trip and he didn't trust himself near Stephanie. He had felt the minute she had gotten home. He wasn't sure how he knew but he did. It was as if from the moment they touched they had established a connection. He felt permanently linked to her, especially now. He knew that it was going to be impossible to stay away from her. He wanted to get his feelings under control before he went to seek her out again.


He sat there in the living room and started humming to himself. He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. He was thinking of Stephanie again. Then she was there, in his mind, sitting at a desk, holding a pile of papers and shaking. "Stephanie", he whispered. She turned and looked straight at him. He snapped out of the trance he had been in. He must have been daydreaming.


Two minutes later there was a loud knock at his door. Without asking, he knew it was her. She had come to him. He opened the door and leaned against the doorway with a wicked smile on his face. "Stephie, I knew you'd come."


"What are you doing to me? Whatever the hell it is stop. Just stop it! I know what you are!" she shouted at him and threw a bunch of papers at him. "I know what you are!"


He was shocked. He wanted to pretend that he didn't know what she meant, but he did. He hadn't been dreaming. Somehow he had done it again; he had been in her room just minutes ago. She was terrified of him. She had rebuilt the wall between them and this time he felt it would be insurmountable. What had he done? "Stephanie please just wait until Chris is back. He'll be back tomorrow, we can explain", he implored.


"Chris? You mean to tell me CJ is a part of this too? It can't be. He's touched me before; he's never hurt me or made me feel... the things you do. You're lying", she tried to convince herself.


"Stephanie, please just go home right now. Don't talk to anyone about this. Please trust me. If not for me do it for Chris. Give him a chance to explain."


"There's no explanation needed, I read all about what you are. To think I was having feelings for you. I actually thought that maybe..." she trailed off.


He felt as if she were slipping through his hands once again. Out of desperation he took hold of her shirt sleeve and yanked her into the room and slammed the door shut. "You shouldn't have come here. Not tonight Steph. I've been thinking of you all day. Even I'm not sure what's going on here. I want to hold you so badly", he said as he took a step back. He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath and slowly released it. He ran his hands through his hair. Then, knowing he was making a potentially fatal mistake, he walked up to her. He kept taking slow calming breaths. She retreated and wound up with her back against the door. They could feel the tension pouring off of each other. Both of them knew what was about to happen and neither was willing to stop it. He deliberately closed the gap.


"Stephanie", he sighed her name. He gently touched the ends of her hair and took a deep breath. She knew that he was different, that he guarded a horrible secret. Yet when he looked at her the way he was at that moment, she didn't care. She looked at his mouth, so close to hers, all she had to do was lift her lips towards his.


He sensed the moment she yielded and it broke the last strand of tension he had been battling. "Steph, I want to kiss you. You can say no. But you need to do it now. You can walk away. But you have to do it quickly." He leaned a fraction of an inch towards her and relished being so close to her. He counted five seconds in his mind, which was all the time she was getting to say no.


"My sweet Stephanie..." he whispered. She closed her eyes as he leaned forward and softly brushed her lips with his. He pulled back to gauge her reaction. She opened her eyes and reached up towards him. Very gently she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt warmth and happiness. It was a very comforting feeling, like coming home after a long trip. He didn't need any further encouragement. He placed his hands on her hips, bent down and kissed her. This time it wasn't a soft caress. He pressed his lips against hers and demanded a response. He licked the corners of her lips with the tip of his tongue until he coaxed her to give him access to the inner recess of her mouth. His body pressed against hers and she felt her knees weaken.


She felt her response to his mouth. Simultaneously she felt his, almost as if they had combined to become one or as if she were inside him. Her subconscious dimly wondered if this was part of his "powers". But then just as her body, her mind was ruled by Alex. There wasn't enough of him. She put her hands in his hair and tugged at him trying to get closer. She whimpered when he left her mouth to trail kisses along her collarbone and down her neck. She clung to him as if her life depended on it.


Abruptly he swore and pulled away from her. The instant before he broke contact she saw herself laying in a pool of blood. "Oh my god! What did you, oh my god", her voice was barely audible. "What are you doing to me Alex? Am I losing my mind? How can I kiss you and feel that way and then have a vision of..." she paled at the memory. "Did you make me feel that way? Like mind control? Is that what you're doing?" she stammered.


He reached for her and she shrank away, "No don't touch me. Don't you dare touch me again!"


"Steph, I can assure you that I did not make you feel anything. I can't control you or your mind", he turned around and paced the room in exasperation. "I think that when my feelings are too close to the surface I can transmit them by physical contact. But you seem to be more susceptible than anyone I've encountered in the past. You felt something even that first time we touched." He looked at her as she stared at him in shock. "God, I'm not even sure if that's how it works. But you have to believe me that everything you felt when I kissed you was your reaction to me, nothing else."


"I need to get home. Damn, it's the middle of the night and I'm here with a..." she blushed as she realized what she was about to say. She looked down at her bare feet in embarrassment.


"Steph, look at me. Don't' feel bad. I don't know either. Let me assure you that everything else about me is normal. But I don't know where I come from, I don't know who my parents are or were and my earliest memories are of... well I think Chris needs to be here for that. But I can promise you that I will never hurt you", he smiled at her.


"Oh, don't look at me like that. Even after everything that's happened and everything you just told me, when you look at me like that..." she replied breathlessly.


"What Steph, when I look at you like this, what", he baited her.


"I... I want you to kiss me again", she said shyly. It was the small tremor in her voice that kept him from following his initial intention. Wisely, he denied them both.


"There's nothing I'd like more than to kiss you again. But that might not be a good idea given that I lose control whenever I touch you. You should leave right now, while I still remember I'm a gentleman", he tried to convey a casualness he was very far from feeling.


He reached for the doorknob and she moved out of the way. He hesitantly opened the door, wishing she'd ask him to stop. She took one last look at him and walked out. Before closing the door he said to her retreating form, "Steph, next time I will take you up on that offer, and there will be a next time." The last thing she heard as she reached her door was a hoarse whisper, "Please lock your door", as if that could keep him out, he thought to himself.


Stephanie quietly got back into her room. She had no reasonable explanation to offer her mom for being out in the middle of the night. So she needed to make sure she didn't get caught. Without turning on any lights, she made her way down the hall to her bedroom and crawled back into bed. She felt dazed; there was no other word for it. From the moment she had first seen him she had felt an irresistible attraction to him. It was more than just his appearance, though that in itself was enough to have any girl gravitate towards him. She had felt an uncontrollable need to be near him, even after that frightening encounter on the stairwell. Had that really been only the day before? It felt as if months had passed since then. That kiss, her first kiss had shattered what little control she had possessed to keep her distance. In that all consuming kiss she had felt something wonderful and elusively familiar; it was as if her soul recognized its mate in his.


Stephanie turned on her side and started sobbing quietly. She had fallen in love with him and she was scared to death. She couldn't get that image of her lying in a pool of blood out of her mind. It had just been a brief flash, almost like a memory. But in that fraction of a second she had known she was dead and that the one responsible had been Alex. She couldn't explain how she knew this, but she was as certain of it as she was that she was falling in love with him. She knew she was powerless to stop him from hurting her and even knowing this she knew she wouldn't stay away. As she finally cried herself to sleep, her last image was of him, standing by her bed, looking at her longingly and whispering her name.


Alex waited until he heard the deadbolt fall into place. Stepping back into the living room, he closed and locked his own door. He walked into the kitchen and took a Diet Coke from the fridge. As he made his way to his room, he popped the top and took a long sip. Exhausted he dropped onto his bed and placed the can on the bedside table. Absently he reached for his guitar and strummed a few notes. He knew he'd find no comfort in his music tonight so he placed his acoustic back onto its stand by the side of his bed. With a weary sigh, he closed his eyes and lay back to rest for a few minutes.


Alex knew he was dreaming but it didn't make the nightmare any less real. He was running down a deserted street; running away from something that pursued him. The night was quiet except for the distant sound of traffic on the nearby highway. The sound of his running footsteps echoed hollowly off the buildings around him. He didn't know what was after him, but he was sure that if it caught up to him, it'd tear him apart.


He turned into a dark alley hoping to lose his pursuer. That's when he stumbled upon her. She was lying on her side, holding her arm, and moaning softly. He knew he had to keep running but he couldn't leave her behind. He had thought she had gotten away. She should have been long gone by now. Chris had promised to take her away. If she was here, then where was Chris?


She spoke to him. But her words were so soft that all he could hear was his own heartbeat and his labored breathing. He leaned down towards her and tried to lift her in his arms. "Just go Alex, I'll be okay, it wants you, please go", she whispered.


They both heard it approaching; the faint light from the street elongated its shadow and kept its face hidden in darkness. Steph feebly gripped his arm and implored him to run. He gently removed her hand and stood. He wasn't going to lose her after finally having found her. If it meant he'd die here, tonight, then so be it. He steeled himself for what was to come.


As it walked closer he was able to make out its features. Stephanie let out a blood curling scream when she saw its face. Alex felt the breath knocked out of him, his body became numb and then the world was just a dark void. He became aware of his surroundings with a sudden start. He saw himself plunge the dagger into Stephanie's heart. In the next instant he was holding her lifeless body. They were both covered in blood. "NO!!!!"


Alex woke up screaming. His body was covered in sweat and there were tears running down his face. He raised shaky hands to his face. He knew it was just a nightmare but he had to be sure. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw there was no blood on them. The dreams had always left him feeling scared, exhausted, and angry. But now that he had found her, had held her, felt her heartbeat pound against his, it was worse. He knew he could no longer survive if he lost her.


Stephanie tossed in her sleep. She thought she'd heard someone screaming. But she was so tired that she was unable to fully rouse herself from sleep. It was probably nothing. The morning would come soon enough and with it a million questions and not enough answers.


Mary slowly walked into Steph's room. She knew that something was troubling Stephanie. Mary was not the type of mother to pry and she had never felt the need to. Ever since her husband's death, four years ago, she had felt that she and Steph had grown even closer. It worried Mary that Steph hadn't shared her troubles with her. In the past she had always come to her for everything, especially boy trouble. Mary had heard an anguished cry and although it hadn't seemed to have come from Steph's room, she'd needed to check on her nonetheless. She draped a blanket over her daughter and quietly walked out of the room.


Christopher dragged himself up the flight of stairs. He was exhausted. He barely managed to open the door, walk past Alex' room and into his, and take off his shoes before dropping to his bed. He fell into a deep sleep and didn't move an inch for the next six hours.


In a small hotel room in Carson, Kade sat up and smiled to himself. Finally, his mission would be coming to an end. But he wouldn't make the same mistake he'd made with Neela. He would take a couple of days to assess the situation and come up with a plan. The main thing was that he had finally found them. Tracking Chris had proved to be quite simple once he had come within range of Kade's mind. He now knew where they lived and could keep tabs on them without having to make direct contact. He'd also found that being close enabled him to probe his target's mind for information. "Gotcha", he smiled to himself.


New"U�7]r/ 

Comment