Parahuman (Parahuman Series) Page 11

  Her mouth opened in disbelief. “He said that?”

  Her stunned reaction attested to the falseness of Jarrod’s words.

  It was silent in the jeep as she appeared to process his words.

  Devan was processing how he felt about the two of them not being a couple; ecstatic, jubilant, serene. Why did he care so much?

  After a while Laney spoke. “Jarrod and I have been friends forever, most of us have been around here, but I don’t understand where he got the idea that we’re together. And even if we were together he no right to act that way; he was completely tyrannical.” She frowned and gave him a quizzical look. “I wonder why he thought you were a threat?”

  Devan shrugged. “Maybe just being the new guy makes me a threat.” It couldn’t possibly be the way he stared at her as Jarrod implied.

  “There’s a hidden road up here on the right, it’s kind of hard to see so go a little slow so you don’t pass it.”

  Laney was pointing straight ahead, and Devan saw immediately where she was indicating. The road was a small, hidden one lane two track. He made the turn, keeping the jeep at a minimum speed to cut down on the speed bump effect.

  “Have you been here before?” Laney asked, surprise in her tone.

  “No.”

  “Really,” she mused, “it seemed like you knew exactly where to turn. I’ve been to this spot a bazillion times and I still miss it sometimes, especially in the dark.”

  Devan realized that he hadn’t displayed any hesitation in his turn; any other person would have had difficulty finding the road because it was well hidden with brush and trees.

  "I’ve been told I have better than average eyesight.” Devan said, giving her an innocuous smile.

  “Your disorder to light doesn’t affect your vision at all?” She asked curiously.

  “No, it’s just an extreme case of photophobia.”

  “Is the condition related to the color of your eyes?”

  Devan was surprised it had taken this long to come up. “Yes,” he conveyed briefly.

  “How can you see so well in the dark with your dark tinted glasses?”

  This was another question he was accustomed to answering. “The dark tint is actually one way. When I look through them I can probably see more clearly than you.”

  He could feel her gaze studying him thoughtfully; she even had one eyebrow raised in a quirky sort of way. Devan’s neck and cheeks began to warm from her scrutiny.

  “The tracks stop up ahead. Just park at the end; we’re going to have to walk the rest of the way.” She said, finally looking away from him. Devan breathed easier with her gaze off of him.

  Devan parked and turned off the jeep at the end of the man-made tracks. They climbed out and he walked around to her side while investigating the surroundings. To her it would look as if he was just looking around, but he was actually taking a deeper survey into the forest. Night was the time many animals woke and started to hunt.

  The area they were in didn’t contain an abundance of trees and the glow from the moon gave off a sufficient amount of light for normal human eyes to see well enough without a flashlight. As his gaze penetrated the greenery Devan identified where Laney was leading him; it was unmistakable. One hundred and thirty yards away beyond some trees was a waterfall with a wooden bridge built over it; by the looks of the bridge it had been built many, many years ago.

  “Are we safe?”

  Devan looked down at her. The smile on her face was beguiling; it felt like someone reached inside him and squeezed his intestines…but in a good way if that were possible.

  “What?” He asked a bit dazed.

  “You looked like you were taking an x-ray of the forest.”

  It was disconcerting how observant she was. “We’re in the middle of the forest at night. I was only looking around.”

  She raised an eyebrow again and started walking in the direction of the waterfall. Devan fell in step beside her. The path looked as if it had once been well traveled but now hosted new growth from less wear.

  “You seem to be very in tune with nature.” She commented in the same kind of innocuous tone he had used earlier.

  “It’s the one place I’m the most comfortable,” he stated candidly.

  “I thought my dad had an affinity with the forest, but your connection seems to be more.” She turned her head to look at him. “It’s like you breathe as the forest breathes.”

  Devan looked at her in astonishment. Even at this moment the forest hummed inside of him; the sound of woodland mice scurrying and digging, the squirrels jumping and scampering in the trees, the leaves that rustled in the breeze. That she had discerned this from the short time she knew him was rather astounding. It made him want to reveal things; things he couldn’t. But maybe he could divulge some things.

  “The first time I was able to experience the wilderness, it was like I was set free,” which was literally true, “I didn’t have the restriction of walls holding me back any longer. Anytime I have to be inside all I’m doing is waiting for the moment I can be outside again. I’m never entirely at ease unless I’m outdoors.”

  Devan thought he was able to keep the edge out of his tone, but the look Laney shot him revealed that he might have failed.

  “What is it about being inside that keeps you on edge?” She asked, bending down to pick up an acorn.

  Devan contemplated his response as he watched her thumb smooth over the nuts shell. A small amount of truth here would be okay…and he really wanted to be sincere with her…up to a point at least.

  “As a child I wasn’t allowed to go outside, and when I finally was allowed out I never wanted to go back in.”

  Laney stared at the acorn in her hand, but Devan sensed her attention was fixated on him. “Why were you stuck inside?”

  The truth could only go so far and then the lies had to come into play. “Medical reasons.”

  She frowned looking up at him with a sad expression. “Your eyes?”

  He gave her a nod instead of a lie.

  “Is this place you’re taking me to part of one of the tours?” Devan asked, switching topics. Her lips twitched, and he realized that she knew what he was doing and was amused by it. His own lip twitched at her reaction and he marveled at how intensely he was monitoring her actions and responding to them.

  “It used to be when my mother was alive, but after she died neither my dad nor I wanted to bring people here anymore.” She paused briefly before continuing with a sad smile. “This used to be her favorite spot and it was hard to bring others here after she was gone.”

  “Is this your first time here since her passing?” It was sometimes difficult for Devan to understand the depth of emotion people felt for one another. When questioned about his parents Devan know he didn’t sound or look like Laney did when she talked about her mom.

  “No, I’ve been back every now and then. It was difficult at first, but now it helps me to feel closer to her.”

  “It’s not going to be unsettling to have me here with you?”

  “If anyone can appreciate this setting, it will be you. I think that’s what I’ve been afraid of; others not cherishing it as I do.” She flicked a glance his way.

  “Do you imagine you’ll ever stop feeling sad?” Devan asked curiously, trying to get some understanding on this grief condition.

  “Eventually it will fade. I’ll always miss her, but I know I’ll see her again someday.” She said softly.

  Devan recognized her statement as another reference to her religion, and her God. He had, of course, studied it as he had others, but they all seemed rather outrageous and unsubstantiated in their claims.

  “Does it lessen your sadness to believe that?” He asked, interested as always on what she was thinking, how she was feeling.

  “Yes, I can say that it does,” she confirmed smiling.

  They walked quietly for a moment and Devan noticed Laney biting her lip as if she was mulling over a question. She breathed in deeply a
nd let it out with gusto.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to go there, but…can I ask about your parents?” Both eyebrows went up as she voiced her question.

  It was another question he was familiar with and usually had no problem answering, but with Laney’s personal tragedy and her deep emotions on the subject it felt very wrong telling her his customary lie. But he really had no choice.

  “They’re both dead. It was a long time ago and I don’t remember them much. I’ve been with Brett basically my entire life.”

  She nodded her head but didn’t offer any apologies for his loss as others had. Devan recognized it was because she didn’t want to say what so many people had been saying to her.

  They’d arrived at the waterfall, and Devan acted as though this was his first view of it even though he had taken in the entire panorama on the walk there. It wasn’t hard to appreciate the surroundings; the landscape was remarkable with trees lining each side of the river and the bridge stretching across to the other side. The river was approximately twenty-five feet wide ending at the edge of a cliff, where water rushed over the side. The bridge had some definite wear and tear, but it looked as if someone was trying to keep it from total collapse by replacing damaged boards sporadically.

  “Isn’t it incredible?” She breathed.

  Devan heard reverence in her voice attesting to her attachment.

  “It is quite remarkable,” he concurred.

  They both walked up to the edge of the cliff where the water flowed over the side crashing about fifty feet below.

  Laney moved to cross the bridge.

  Devan grabbed her arm. “You’re not walking across that, are you?” Even though the bridge had been repaired in spots it was looking rather dilapidated in other areas, like it had been overlooked for a while.

  “For years my dad has regularly upgraded this bridge, replacing boards to keep it safe. He’s been a bit lax lately since autumn, but I’m sure it’s still safe to cross.” Her tone was almost defensive, as though defending her dad’s reputation.

  “It looks as if your dad has done a great job keeping it together, but you just stated yourself that he’s been lax lately.” Devan did not feel comfortable with her going out on that bridge; some of the underlying frame work looked unreliable.

  She put her hand over his and Devan realized in surprise that he was still gripping her arm. Touching others wasn’t something he normally initiated, but he’d done it a few times with her already. He noted that his fingers reached completely around her forearm to overlap on the other side. It seemed like her arm should be bigger and more muscular from the climbing she did, not slender enough for his fingers to reach around. Devan jerked his hand away afraid he might be bruising her, but also because her hand on his had caused a surge of heat to radiate through his body.

  A wounded expression briefly crossed her face before being replaced by stubborn indignation. “I’ll be fine; I’ve crossed this bridge hundreds of times without anything happening.” She turned and walked across the bridge before Devan could think of an adequate excuse to stop her. He followed; there was no way she was going across without him.

  She halted in the middle of the bridge to gaze down into the swirling water at the base of the waterfall. Even though it was dark the moon’s glow highlighted the area well. The water rolled and churned as though fighting for the chance to be on top rather than pushed to the bottom by the force of the water coming down. Even with the crashing of the waterfall Devan could hear the groaning and creaking of the bridge.

  He stood next to her uneasily, wanting her to keep moving. “Is there anything on the other side?”

  “There’s a rope that will take you to the bottom.” She made no move towards it though.

  Devan could see the rope tied to the trunk of a large tree at the top of the hill. It was about two inches in diameter and trailed down a steep fifty foot incline to a tree trunk at the bottom where the other end was tied. Now to get her over to it and off this bridge.

  “Would you show me?” He smiled hopefully.

  Laney’s eyes widened, and there was shock in them. “You’re smiling. Does the bridge make you that nervous?”

  What did smiling have to do with him being nervous? “Extremely nervous.” He admitted, seeing no reason to lie about it, but it wasn’t for himself, it was for her.

  She sighed with a grin. “Well, since you smiled so sweetly, if ever so briefly and fakely.” She continuing across the bridge to the other side and Devan followed closely behind, breathing easier when they reached stable ground.

  “We use the ropes to get down because the hill is very slippery.” She immediately began making her way down, hand over hand. The hill was angled at about sixty-five degrees and she went down cautiously to avoid slipping on the wet earth. Devan watched her descend unaccountably restless and then followed when she reached the bottom.

  Laney walked down to the river bank and appeared to be looking out across the water in thought. Devan ambled up beside her. They were twenty yards from the waterfall so the noise level was fainter and the mist wasn’t as bad either. Devan perused the area. Gazing further down the river he could see animals utilizing the water, quenching their thirst. There were large quantities of small animals but also a few deer and elk, nothing he would consider threatening. Devan thought he detected the sound of a car engine, but with the sound of the waterfall it was difficult to tell.

  Returning his attention back to Laney he saw that she was watching him thoughtfully instead of the river.

  “You always seem to be looking deeper into the woods than most people, like you’re on the alert for something.”

  “You can’t be too careful when you’re in these kinds of woods.” Devan said casually.

  “Or when walking across bridges,” she bantered with a grin. Stooping down she pushed up the sleeves on her shirt and reached into the water scooping up a handful of small stones. She then began sifting through them setting flat ones aside in the grass and throwing the others back in the river.

  Devan watched curiously as she repeated this process several times. She did the task intently, quietly, and Devan just stood there studying her. Her scent drifted up to him along with the mist and a peaceful sort of sensation invaded his being. It was different from what he experienced alone out here in the forest. It encompassed his whole mind and body. Devan couldn’t remember the last time his thoughts were so silent. No thoughts of the past or the future, no concerns trying to overrun the tranquility, no theories, equations, or strategies to solve. He closed his eyes and marveled at the sensation.

  After several moments—that seemed like blissful hours to him—Devan noticed a hush in Laney’s activities. Opening his eyes he looked down to see her staring up at him, an arrested look upon her face. She looked away hurriedly at his consideration.

  “You have to search diligently, but there are the best skipping rocks to be found at the bottom of this river.”

  Devan turned his attention from her to the pile of stones on the ground. She stood with at least two dozen in her hands, holding out half to him. He took them with a small frown. Skipping stones? Did these stones have some sort of mineral attribute that caused them to leap about. He hadn’t come across anything in his studies about such a rock.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve never skipped rocks before?” Laney exclaimed in surprise. She began shaking her head. “You’re years have been woefully neglected.”

  Devan couldn’t argue that point with her.

  Laney held out her hand gripping one of the stones between her thumb and forefinger. “This is how I hold it. Then you just draw back your arm or wrist and…” Laney demonstrated rather than finish the instructions and her stone went skipping across the top of the water.

  “Only four that time.” Her lips formed a pout that intrigued Devan to no end. “The most I’ve ever done is eight.” The pout curved into a smile; a smile that time after time caused his chest to tighten.

  Devan look
ed down at the stones in his hand. “The purpose is to obtain the greatest amount of skips across the water.”

  A musical laugh floated from those curved lips. “The purpose is to have fun. But, for the competitive individual, and I must consign myself to that category,” another musical laugh drifted from her mouth, “the highest number of skips does proclaim a victor.”

  Devan situated the stone in his hand in the manner Laney had demonstrated, but then modified it slightly to increase the throws effectiveness. He drew his forearm back slightly and then snapped it forward. The stone went flying over the water, skipping across it fifteen times.

  Laney burst out laughing. “Oh, come on. Jeez, are you good at everything you do?”

  “No, remember, I can’t ride a horse,” Devan reminded her.

  “Oh yeah, they don’t like you, right?” She said with dubious humor.

  “It’s true; cats, dogs, birds, you name it, they don’t like me.”

  “Really,” she mused. “They say that animals have a sense about a person.” Her eyes roamed over Devan as though looking for something deficient.

  He shifted uncomfortably at perusal. “They just take offense to certain odors,” Devan explained rationally.

  “So you’re telling me you smell.” She grinned widely. Turning she drew back her arm and sent another stone flying. It skipped five times.

  “We all smell, but my smell is offensive to them.” Devan admitted, feeling his temperature rise. He wasn’t sure why he was discomfited, it was only the truth.

  Laney launched another stone over the water. Six skips. Devan launched his, with a little less fervor this time. Fourteen skips. Well…it was less. Laney gave a snort.

  “Some people believe animals can sense good from evil.” Laney announced, throwing another stone. Six again.

  Devan frowned at her source of information. “Where did you hear this? I’ve never heard of good and evil having a smell.”

  “That’s just something certain people believe. I don’t believe animals have some special sense of smell to tell if someone is good or evil. I don’t think people are either one or the other. We all have tendencies and it’s up to us on whether we follow through on them. Some people find it easier to follow their own desires for whatever they want; be it money, power, or material possessions, whereas others believe in something higher than just the desires of this world.” She skipped another rock across the river and turned to face him. “I definitely don’t believe that you’re evil, not the way you saved Johnny yesterday.”