"Hey, Jace," Jamie greeted, a broad smile forming on his lips.
I put my finger to my lips to shush him. "Oma's sleeping."
"So's the rest of the world," Jamie whispered back, still smiling.
I smiled. He was a good friend to indulge me by coming over to run so early. He had black mesh shorts on and a bright green t-shirt. A white bandana covered his blond hair which was pulled back into a ponytail again. He still wasn't wearing his glasses and he held a stainless steel coffee mug.
"Nice shirt. Is it bright enough?" I teased.
"This?" he asked, pulling out the bottom hem in recognition. "I have one brighter, but I didn't want to overdo it."
"Yes, quite an understatement." I laughed and Jamie smiled broadly.
I started stretching, first my shins and calves and then my hamstrings and quadriceps. Jamie just sipped his coffee, watching me.
"It's going to be another beautiful day today," Jamie stated, nonchalantly taking another sip of coffee from his mug.
"Yeah, you're right," I agreed, looking up from my stretch. I didn't really want to make small talk right now. I just wanted to finish my stretching so we could start our run. When I was done stretching, I stood up. Placing my hands on my hips, I leaned back to stretch my back. Jamie was right. It was going to be another beautiful day. The sky was a pale blue with hints of pink and orange from the rising sun. The sky was completely cloudless. A slight breeze was blowing bringing goose bumps up and down my arms and legs. I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes. The cool air filled my lungs, burning slightly. Jamie laughed again, still sipping coffee.
Opening my eyes, I looked at Jamie. He was staring at me, a twinkle of humor and mischief sparkling in his eyes. I noticed their beautiful and unique color. They were smoky blue, a color that reminded me of the lake just after a rough storm. Cocking my head slightly to the side, I asked, "Where's your glasses, four-eyes?"
"You like?" Jamie said, striking a mock pose, both of his hands on his hips. "They're called contacts."
"I know what contacts are," I answered.
"I'm trying to get used to them. Thought they'd be easier for football."
"Well, they look nice. I mean, if you're going for the big goofball look," I joked in return.
With mock surprise on his face, Jamie replied, "Why yes, I am. So relived that I have achieved the look I'm going for."
We smiled at each other, enjoying a moment of silence. But this time, the silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was a warm and soothing just to be with Jamie. He never required too much attention or expected too much from me. It was okay just to be me. And likewise, it was okay for him to just be him. I finally broke the silence. "Ready?" The word sounded so loud and obtrusive. Jamie just nodded in response, a smile still on his lips.
I took a couple gulps from the bottled water I had been holding. Jamie placed his mug on the steps of the front porch, and I followed his lead, placing my bottled water next to his mug.
"Aren't you going to stretch at all?" I asked.
Jamie flexed his arms in front of him stretching his back and shoulder muscles. "Ahhh," he groaned with exaggeration, "All done."
Rolling my eyes in response, I said, "Let's go, hotshot."
I led the two of us down the same path I had run the day before. Town was still pretty sleepy this Sunday morning. There were very few vehicles on the road and the only business open in the little downtown was the family-owned restaurant; Jameson's. As we ran past Jameson's, I could smell the delicious aroma of their homemade cinnamon rolls. My mouth watered at the smell and my stomach growled with hunger. Jamie must have felt the same thing. "We are definitely stopping there after our run. My treat," he added.
"You're on," I panted back, my voice acknowledging the exertion my body was feeling from the run. I was running a slower pace for Jamie's sake; this was his first run this season. As we ran side by side, Jamie's breath became more labored. My breath was still even and regular. I stole a glance at Jamie as we ran. He was concentrating, his eyes set on some stationary object ahead of him. His gait was deliberate and natural, his arms swung loosely at his sides. Dark spots of sweat had begun to form on his bright green t-shirt. I was thankful I had worn a white t-shirt. With his hand, he wiped the sweat off his forehead just as it rolled down the side of his face.
Turning my gaze away from Jamie, I looked back toward our path. Jamie was such a good sport. He was trying very hard to keep up with me. I could tell the run wasn't easy for him, but he wasn't complaining. I smiled, breathing easily.
We entered the forest that led to the boardwalk. I couldn't help but think of the events of the prior morning. As we ran past the large oak behind the library, I looked to see if he was there, hiding behind the thick, sturdy trunk. I tried not to feel disappointed when he wasn't. I ran, strong and controlled. I could feel my disappointment ebb away with each step, each breath.
We followed the sidewalk into the forest. The forest was dark this morning, but it was alive with noises. Crickets chirped loudly, silencing when we ran past them. A bullfrog bellowed. The unexpected sound startled me, and a surge of adrenaline coursed through my body. It was a little scary running through the forest so early in the morning. The spring sun was not high enough to penetrate the thick forest ceiling. I was glad Jamie was with me. His presence helped calm the panic that was building inside me. Although I could not see him very well because of the darkness, I knew he was still there, running just a couple of feet behind me. Each heavy step and each labored breath that Jamie gave reassured me.
We neared the boardwalk, emerging from the dark, dense forest still cloaked in darkness. Images of the prior morning flashed through my mind. As we neared the very spot where I had twisted my ankle and he had helped me, a pang of disappointment and doubt stabbed at my heart. I realized I wasn't going to see him on this run with Jamie. The realization was crushing.
"Jacey," Jamie panted heavily behind me. "Hold up...going too fast."
I turned and saw that Jamie was quite a way behind me. Without realizing it, I had sprinted through the dark forest to the boardwalk. Jamie was bent over, his head down, hands on his thighs. He was desperately trying to catch his breath and his body heaved in response. I had been running too fast and Jamie couldn't keep up with my pace. I jogged back to him.
"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I didn't realize I was running so fast."
Still bent over, Jamie titled his head up to look at me. He was sweating profusely, droplets of sweat running freely down his face. That familiar smile broke out across Jamie's lips.
I smiled in return. Putting my hands on my hips, I teased, "McMann, if you can't keep up with a weak, puny girl, how do you expect to compete this fall against those big college guys?"
Laughing as best he could between his heavy recovery breaths, Jamie hung his head again. "I know," he panted in response.
When Jamie had regained his breath, we began to walk on the boardwalk toward the dunes. The sun was higher now and it was beginning to warm up. I looked up into the clear blue sky, allowing the beauty to clear my mind. We walked in silence for a moment, until Jamie spoke. "I hope you'll still run with me in the future. I guess I'm not as conditioned as I thought I was."
I glanced at Jamie's reddened face from the run. Smiling, I teased him further. "I don't know. You kind of cramp my style."
He smiled in return. We rounded the sand dune and the road leading home came into view.
"Do you think you could run the rest of the way or are you too lazy?" I joked.
"I don't know...I'm pretty tired." But then he took off, sprinting toward the house.
"Why you!" I yelled, surprised by his sprint. I began to run as fast as I could, my arms pumping in time to each step. I concentrated on the back of Jamie's head, making it my focal point. I was breathing deeply, evenly, filling my lungs fully with air to fuel my sprint. Just as I was about to catch him, Jamie turned to look at me.
I smiled. I was getting closer.
We had just crossed the road towards home. We were both running as fast as we could up the driveway to the front steps of the porch. I was about to overtake him when Jamie tripped. He fell forward and the momentum of his body threw him headfirst into the brick steps leading up to the house. A sickening thud accompanied the sight of Jamie's head slamming into a brick step.
"Jamie!"
He groaned and slowly tried to sit, turning to face me. I helped him to a sitting position. When he finally sat up, I noticed he had some blood on his green shirt.
"I think you're bleeding," I said.
Jamie placed his hand on his forehead, groaning. "God. My head hurts."
I looked at Jamie's face. Gasping loudly, my hands flew over my mouth. I was horrified to see bright red blood oozing from underneath his hand and trickling down the side of his face.
"Jamie, you're bleeding badly," I whispered through the hands still covering my mouth.
Jamie looked at me, his eyes dazed and clouded. He slowly took his hand from his forehead. His palm was covered with blood. It flowed freely from the wound on Jamie's forehead down the side of his face nose.
A familiar voice filled my ears. "Jacey, you know what to do. Help him."
I listened to the voice, desperately trying to identify it.
"Help him," the voice ordered.
My mind instantly cleared and my purpose focused. I sprang to action to save my friend.
"Jamie, give me your bandana."
"Huh?" Jamie mumbled. His face was white and his eyes were still cloudy from the impact. The blood was freely flowing down his face.
Frowning, I grabbed Jamie's bandana from his head. I folded it quickly and placed it on the injury to his forehead, applying pressure.
"You know what to do, Jacey," the familiar voice said again. "Follow your instincts."
Breathing deeply, I applied more pressure to Jamie's injury. He groaned in response.
"Sorry," I whispered.
I pressed harder on the bandana. Blood soaked the bandana, covering my own hands. Pressing even harder, I closed my eyes. I concentrated, forming an image in my mind of Jamie's wound healing. I pressed harder and closed my eyes tighter.
"That's it, Jacey," the voice encouraged. "Just like that."
I began to feel a warm sensation at the center of my palms. The warmth grew to cover my entire hand down to my fingertips. The warm sensation intensified and I pictured Jamie's wound healing, the blood clotting and the skin coming together.
"Yes," the voice started in my ear. "Trust me."
I applied more pressure. The warmth intensified even more. I could feel the heat penetrate the bandana and flow into Jamie's forehead. As the heat intensified to a burn, my breath quickened. Suddenly, the burn sparked to sharp whiteness. I gasped at the burn, forcing my hands to stay put. Jamie moaned. And then the heat was gone.
I looked at Jamie. His eyes were beginning to clear. "Jacey?' he groaned.
"Jamie! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, what happened?" Jamie asked groggily.
I lifted the bandana revealing Jamie's smooth, unmarred forehead. There was no laceration, no flowing blood, just smooth skin. The only evidence that Jamie had an injury was the blood on his bandana, his shirt and my hands.
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain," I mumbled as I felt my head begin to throb.
The familiar voice in my ear said, "Well done, Jacey. Well done."
As soon as I heard that rich deep voice, I knew it was him. I desperately wanted to look around to see if he was near. He had to be. I had heard his voice loud and clear in my ears. He had helped me save my friend. I wanted to ask him so many questions. What could I do? How did I get these powers? What was my purpose? And how did he fit into this part of my life? So many questions that only he could answer. He. Him. Would I ever learn his name?
Jamie groaned, bringing my attention back to him. He was staring at his blood stained hands, a look of disbelief filling his face. Yes. All those questions had to wait. My friend needed me right now.
I knelt beside Jamie as he sat on the bottom brick step. He was still staring at his bloodied hands when I softly placed my equally bloodied hands in his. Jamie looked up, his eyes filled with confusion. "What happened?"
"I don't really know," I answered softly, tears starting to fill my eyes. I grabbed hold of Jamie's hands in both of mine. I felt as though I was holding on to him so he would keep me grounded, keep me here, right now. I guess I needed him as much as he needed me. Fear gripped at the corners of my heart as I stared into Jamie's confused eyes. My vision blurred as the tears welled in my eyes. I was afraid that Jamie wouldn't believe me. I was afraid that he would fear me and my strange powers. I was afraid that Jamie, my friend, wouldn't want to be that anymore.
Jamie stared back at me, obviously waiting for an explanation.
"I don't know Jamie," I mumbled quietly. "It's a long story, most of which I really don't believe myself." I searched his face desperately.
Jamie gripped my hands in return. He squeezed gently and his eyes softened. "Jacey, you saved me. I don't know what you did or how you did it, but you saved me. Thank you." His voice was thick with emotion.
As Jamie thanked me, I let the tears fall freely. So too did I let fall the fear that was trapping my heart in a vise. Jamie brought my hands to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on my right hand. "Thank you," he whispered. He placed another kiss on my left hand. "Thank you," he whispered again, looking deep into my eyes. He let go of my hands and wiped the tears away. He hesitated momentarily before he placed both of his hands on either side of my face, cradling it. I rested my hands on his forearms. Not to stop him, but rather to hang on to him, to keep the feeling that he was holding me right now. He leaned in closer to my face, he whispered, "Thank you," and placed his lips on my forehead.
I closed my eyes, allowing myself to respond to his lips touching me. The tears stopped and the fear subsided. The kiss to my forehead felt warm and caring. When he pulled away, I felt a pang of disappointment. My heart lurched and my stomach tightened. My eyes opened, staring back into Jamie's smoky blue-grey eyes. As Jamie dropped his hands from my face, I realized the disappointment I felt was because I wanted more. Jamie's lips on my forehead felt so warm, so right, that I realized I wanted to feel that on my lips too. My cheeks began to burn with embarrassment and sheepishly, I looked down at my bloodied hands, clutching them together in my lap.