Inspiration Point (26 page)

“I didn’t even know I was better at that stuff, I mean
that’s how it has always been for me since I was born.  But when they
tested me, I could hear heaps more stuff than normal people, and when I am
shooting in the range I rarely miss with my eyesight.”

It made me feel a little uneasy hearing that he had
been using guns, but he seemed so impressed with himself that I didn’t say
anything.  Dad spoke then.  Our conversation must have interested him
because he hadn’t paid us any attention for ages.

“What about drawing?” He asked.

“Drawing?” Tyler seemed confused by the question.

“Yes, your father was exceptionally talented, so much
so we nearly didn’t become partners all those years ago.  He had offers
for further training and even sold some pieces, but, in the end, his love for
science won through.”

“I used to love to draw before my mother died.” Tyler
remembered.  “Spencer doesn’t really let me try stuff like that
though.  If he can’t see some benefit in my skills, we don’t pursue
it.”  His voice was now soft and stained.
 
“Sometimes
I just wish I could forget all this stuff and be normal,” he said as he left my
side to return to his seat at the window.

“I wonder if your father would agree,” Dad
mused.  “If given the same choice again I wonder whether he would choose
art or science.”

“He was that good?” Obviously Tyler was still a little
surprised.

Dad smiled for the first time in twenty four
hours.  “He was – why don’t you give it a try?”

Tyler considered this for a moment and grabbed some
blank paper and a lead and started drawing.  I thought about what he had
just told me, and something dawned on me.

“Tyler, is he training you to be a super soldier?”

He stopped sketching for a minute, to answer.  “I
think I am the base model.  He hopes by putting your strain into fully
trained soldiers they will be almost unstoppable.”

“And what happens to you?” I asked apprehensively.

“I’m pretty sure he wants me to be his bodyguard and
personal scientist.” He picked up his lead and started sketching again,
obviously not comfortable with talking about the future with Spencer. 
Neither was I, so refocused on my work.  After talking to Tyler, I
actually had an idea which may help us, so I decided to work on that.

I was having limited success with my idea when my mind
started wandering again to my possible talents.  Tyler was still busy
sketching so I decided to ask Dad.

“Do you think my senses are enhanced?”

He answered quickly without even giving it a second
thought.

“Yes I do.”

“You seem pretty sure about it.”

“I always suspected, even when you were younger. 
I have never done any tests to prove it, but there were signs.  And after
hearing about Tyler’s experiences I am sure of it.”

“What sort of signs?” I questioned.

“Your eye sight for one.  You could always see so
much more than me, and in much more detail.  I even went to get my eyes
tested because I thought I might have had a problem.  When the optometrist
told me that I had 20:20 vision, I realized that your vision was easily twice
as accurate as mine.”

“Your hearing is as good as mine too.” Tyler
interrupted, and I waited for him to continue.  “I knew about my abilities
and what I was capable of and you could always hear everything I did. 
It’s just that you didn’t realize no one else could.”

“Have you noticed anything else comes easy to you?”
Tyler asked me.

“Cooking, and I am pretty sure running as well.”

“There will be more, now you know about it - it’s easy
to test.”

I nodded hoping that I would have time to find out if
I have any other abilities.  For now though I had one more question before
I got back to my work.

“What about feelings?”

I got both of their attention immediately, but neither
of them answered straight away.  They both took their time before they
spoke.

“I don’t see why not,” Tyler said.

“Although I don’t think it could change them,” Dad
said obviously seeing I was a little uncomfortable with this prospect.

“They are your feelings after all, I just think it would
just make them more… vibrant.”

I accepted this as being a reasonable answer and
continued with my work.  I started to make pretty good headway with my new
plan, but something was missing.  I needed a break, and I wanted to see
Zeke again plus I was extremely hungry.

I went to the kitchen to find something for Zeke, and
I to eat, Mum wasn’t there so I grabbed what I could and headed upstairs. 
I met Mum at the top of the stairs, and she eyed my load and smiled.

“Lunch time for the patient?”

“Yeah, I need a break from the lab,” I said a little
awkwardly.

“Are you okay Hayln?” Mum reached out and touched my
shoulder.  We had made so much progress over the last few days I didn’t
want to brush her off.  So I decided to let her know what I was thinking.

“We have been talking about what extra abilities I may
have.  Dad and Tyler seem to think my senses are enhanced as well as my
feelings.” 

“And it's the feelings part, you're worried about,
isn’t it?” She said as if she could read my mind. 

“Yeah I guess so.  Dad said it wouldn’t change my
feelings, but it would make them more - vibrant I think was the word he used.”

“You’re worried about your feelings for Zeke,” again
she hit the nail on the head.  “I don’t think you have anything to worry
about Hayln.  Your feelings for him are your own – just like your father
said.  They may have become more intense faster than anyone else’s may
have, but that’s all.  If you had any doubts, you would feel that too –
but you don’t, do you”

I wasn’t a question but rather a statement.

“None, but I guess it does explain why I feel so
deeply about him so soon.  But I was also worried about his feelings,
maybe they aren’t as strong for me – I mean he isn’t the one with enhanced
abilities.”

She pulled me closer and laughed.  “Hayln, for someone
who is so intuitive you truly are blind.  Zeke couldn’t be more head over
heels for you if he tried.  Which reminds me, I know how you both feel for
each other, but I want you to be safe alright.”

Wow, that took me by surprise.  Not the parental
warning part but the part where she told me to be safe – like she assumed we
would be together and she was giving me permission.  Okay, maybe not
permission but she certainly wasn’t warning me against it.

“I promise,” I said starting to feel a little awkward.

She started to head down the stairs.  “He’s doing
well, by the way, he should be able to get up, and about this afternoon if he
is careful.”

“That’s good news,” then I remembered what he would
have been doing this morning.  “How did the shower go?”

“Emin is still is his room, trying to block the memory
out I think he said.”

I couldn’t help but smile – I genuinely wished I
could've seen it.  Still smiling I quietly opened Zeke’s door in case he
was resting but he was sitting up waiting for me.  Mum must have just been
here retaping his ribs because his shirt was off.  Even with the bruises
and tape on one side of his chest – he still looked phenomenal.  His chest
was even more defined than his shirts let on.  I took a breath to steady
myself before he noticed me drooling.

“Did you hear me in the hallway?” I asked a little
nervously as I thought about what Mum and I had been talking about.

“Just voices, but I knew it would be you.  Why
what's was going on?” He asked innocently, obviously not noticing me stare at
his body. 

I have never lied to Zeke before, but I wasn’t ready
to tell him I’d been talking to my mother about having safe sex with him, so I
brushed it off.
 
“I was just filling Mum in on what’s
been happening in the lab.” Still true I thought to myself.

As we ate lunch, I told him about my conversation with
Tyler, about his abilities, and that I may share a few of them.  He didn’t
seem fazed about it, which I was definitely relieved about.

“What about what you were working on, any progress?”
He asked.

“Yeah I had a good morning, although I’ve had another
idea that I am working on now, but I am still trying find the inspiration
point.”

“The what?” He asked.

“The inspiration point, it’s what Dad calls the moment
your vision becomes clear, and you know how to achieve what you are trying to
do.”

“Maybe I could inspire you?” He said with a sneaky
grin and those emerald glowing eyes that I get lost in.

“You do inspire me, although I’m not sure that’s what
my Dad had in mind.”

“Or you mother,” he said quickly.

“Why do you say that?”  He must have heard us
talking in the hall. 

“When she was in here earlier she had a talk to me
about us and making sure we take it slowly and safely.” He exaggerated the last
word so I knew the meaning.  Although it wasn’t required as she had given
me the same talk, only he didn’t know it.

“She said the same to me.”

Zeke’s beautiful eyes trapped me, and without having
to say anything, I told him the rest of the story.

“I’ve learnt that part of my new abilities is that my
feelings are enhanced as well.  They're still my feelings, but I feel them
more intensely, especially when I am sure about something.”

“Or someone?” He whispered as he reached for my hand I
nodded suddenly feeling breathless again.

“Well I like the sound of that,” he said pulling me
closer to him.  “What about touch, do you think that feels different
because of your abilities?”

I closed my eyes to tried and recover my brain that
was suddenly gone again.  “I suppose so, but I have nothing to gauge it
off – I mean I have always been this way.”

“Well, why don’t you describe to me what it feels
like, when I do this.”  He drew closer to me so his lips brushed lightly
on mine, teasing me with a kiss but not allowing me one.

“I, I don’t think I can,” I said, and it was true, I
could barely breathe I wanted him so badly.

He moved his mouth to my neck and kissed me gently.
“Well then, how about I tell you what I feel and you can compare that way.”

I nodded still not capable of much more and then he
looked into my eyes as he spoke to me slowly.

“When I’m this close to
you,
it
feels like every nerve ending in my body is pulsing.” He traced his
fingers from my shoulders down to the palm of my hand.  “And when I touch
you, the heat I experience in my body, makes me feel more alive than I ever
thought possible.”
 
He paused, but neither of us moved
or breathed for that matter.
 
“And right now, there is
nothing more I want in this whole world than to feel your lips on mine.”

So that’s what we did.  The heat and the
electricity between us were just as powerful as the passion and love I felt for
him.  His body was warm under my fingertips.  My mind raced forward
thinking of all the things I would like to do - we seriously needed some alone
time.  I was catching my breath from his kiss when he asked me how that
compared to what I felt.

I couldn’t help but laugh a little.  “It sounds
exactly like how I feel, every part of it,” I told him honestly.

“Well that’s good I wouldn’t want to be missing out on
something,” he teased. “Now could you help me get my shirt on?”

“Are you going somewhere?” I enquired.

“Yes, I’m going for a walk downstairs, your Mum said I
could after lunch.  Would you like to escort me?”

“Are you sure we don’t need Emin, I mean are you
strong enough?” I said looking at his chest again.

“I’m fine Hayl’s, besides I think Emin still needs his
space after our shower scene this morning.”

“It sounds like you had more fun with that than you
should of – poor Emin.” I said shaking my head as I stood up to look for his
shirt.  Then I saw it folded on the dresser.  If I was alone, I
probably would have inhaled his scent from the shirt, but I controlled myself
in his presence. 

“Here you go,” I said as I passed him his shirt. 
When we touched we got a little zap of static electricity.

“Wow,” he said smiling at me casually.  “I always
knew there was electricity between us.”

That’s when it hit me.  My inspiration
point.  I knew what I wanted to do, and, I knew how to achieve it.  I
just had to get to the lab.

“The joke wasn’t that bad,” Zeke said looking at my
expression.

“It’s not that Zeke,” I said giving him a big
kiss.  “You’re brilliant you know.”

“Thanks Hayl’s, but I really have no idea what you are
talking about,” he said looking very confused.  I helped put his shirt
back on being careful not to hurt him.