Amber by Dan-Dwayne Spencer (e book reader .TXT) 📕

rolled his wet shirt into a make-shift towel-whip and snapped at us, making the fabric pop loudly as it lashed the air.

I danced. No, we all danced in the raining stream of water like we were eight-years-old again—stomping and whirling.

“More. More, spray us again,” Roger called.

Others joined in as he sprayed. Everyone took turns under the hose’s nozzle until we were clean again. When we were done, he spoke into the walkie-talkie and the water pressure dropped. He took hold of a crank attached to the brass sprayer head and began rolling the tubing back into a coil.

In the distance, sirens finally blared. Getting louder by the minute, they were heading our way.

Flower called out, “Come, meet together at the Roundhouse. We have much to discuss.” Everyone nodded and began walking in the general direction of the trailers. Except for Stoney, who slowly wound the hose and step by step inched closer to the river.

“Stoney,” Flower called, “Will you be joining us?”

The sirens stopped.

“Yes. After I get this put away properly, I will. It shouldn’t take long.”

Jimmy asked, “Where is he going?”

I retorted, “What’s it to you? You’re leaving right away to get to the concert.” I slowly headed toward the Roundhouse. “You better get everyone and head out or you’ll miss the whole thing.”

Jimmy fell in step. “We’ve no hope of getting there in time now. What was I supposed to do, run off when these guys had everything on the line? That was one hot fire. And they needed everyone they could get.” He tapped a cigarette out of the Dorel pack and lit it.

“You’re right. Thanks for sticking around long enough to help, but seriously, if you hurry you might get to see at least one rock star.” I stopped and put my hand out so he would have to hear me. “Before you leave, I want to say I’m sorry all this weird crap has come down. You know, I didn’t ask for it and I’d give anything to change things and make them go back like they were, but I can’t. This is something I have no control over.” Looking up at him, I smiled gratefully. “I want you to know it was a privilege being your friend, even if it was only for a day.” With nothing else to say, I headed for the Roundhouse.

“Yeah, I was thinking...I mean, about how you didn’t ask for this thing they call a gift.” He called out, making me stop. “Arland. Tell me you can’t control it. You get these flashes or whatever you want to call them, but you can’t stop them from coming on you?”

“No, Jimmy, there’s no controlling them.” I wheeled around, facing him again. “I tried to make that clear from the start. It’s like…,” I stammered. “There’s no actual word for it. It’s like I’m here and somewhere else at the same time.” I wheeled back around, facing the Roundhouse. “It’s like my mind is being split in two. A part of me is here and the other part has gone traveling without permission—like it has run away from me.”

“I was thinking. You know the council might not let you stay here. You being only fifteen and all. They might say you have to go home.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’d rather be here than home.”

“Well, what if we hung out here… That is until you knew for sure?”

“You don’t have to. I don’t want to freak you out any more than you already are.”

“Rose told me it wasn’t spooky, the gift Flower has, I mean. Maybe if I stayed then it might not seem so weird.”

“And, if it gets weirder than it already is?” I faced him again. “I can’t guarantee this won’t get more freaking crazy before it’s all over.” I bore down on him with my crazy amber-yellow eyes. “What if it gets worse?”

He reached up and rubbed the black stubble growing on his cheeks. “Well, Loveless, why don’t you tell me the freakiest thing you’ve experienced so far and I’ll see if I can take it.”

“Okay. Here it comes. You ready?”

He nodded.

“You remember I told you I saw Roger looking like a zombie?”

His jaw clinched, and the muscles flexed in his face. He nodded again.

“In my vision—Roger’s eyes, his irises, went bloodshot; they turned red as blood, and in a gravelly voice he chanted, holy hell, holy hell, holy hell. It freaked me out, so, I asked him why he said that…and, he replied he had said nothing. I knew right then, all the zombie crap was in my head. I thought I was going crazy. And that’s why staying here is my only option. Flower has already helped make sense of some of the crap going on in my head. If they make me leave, I’m pretty sure I’ll go completely mad.” Our eyes met again. “There. Can you handle that?”

He stepped back. Every muscle in his big arms flexed tight. It certainly didn’t look like he could handle it. He was right about one thing. I started this mess. If I hadn’t opened my big trap, none of this would have happened. At the very least, he deserved an explanation—whether he liked what I said or not. Really, nothing he said changed how I felt; I had no choice; I had to stay at the commune.

His muscles were still all clenched, but he answered in a civil tone. “I think I’m okay with it—at least for now.”

Roger came over to where we were. He was walking with Rose and holding her arm, much like Stoney had when we arrived. Jimmy shot him an intimidating glare.

“What? This is how people show friendship here,” Roger responded.

Rose wore a reluctant smile. “Are you ready? We better leave now.”

Jimmy announced, “I decided to wait here and see if Arland