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February 2008

Nancy came by in the morning to see how my first day at work went. We talked for a bit, got lunch, and got me a cell phone. After exchanging numbers she left, seeing as I really didn't need her anymore and I could contact her anytime with the cell. I was glad for that as I was sure I'd need it at some time.

That left me with an hour to kill, since I was working the same hours as Tessa. I spent most of it flying. Not because I needed the practice so much as because it's fun. I mean, really, who wouldn't enjoy being able to fly like that?

Then it was off to work. That trip only took seconds now that I knew the way. After all, I move pretty damn fast when I want to. I came down faster than before, mostly because I was feeling more confident. As my feet hit the pavement I heard a gasp. Turning towards the sound I saw Tessa standing there looking like a feather could knock her over.

"You okay Tess?" I asked. Everybody else called her Tess so I was hoping she wouldn't mind. Besides, Tessa is kind of cumbersome. At least compared to Tess.

"It...it's...you!" she whispered. It sounded like she was in awe or something. She was actually looking right at me for once and that's when I finally remembered where I'd seen her before. She was the girl I saw at the bank. I blushed in embarrassment at that, afraid she'd noticed me staring at her there. Maybe that was why she was uncomfortable around me?

"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping she wasn't thinking the same thing I was.

"You fell out of the sky!" she said.

"Nah, I didn't fall. I just came down a little fast is all. I can fly." I said, glad she wasn't on the same wavelength after all.

"No, not just now." she said, confusing me all over again. "Before."

"Huh?" I said brilliantly. I'd only actually fallen out of the sky once, and I didn't remember that since I'd just been shot down by Joe. Maybe she was there when whoever it was saved me?

"I caught you." she said, looking down now like she had the previous day. That was a disappointment, I really did like the look of her face when her hair wasn't in the way.

Wait, caught me? Could she be the one? "Uh, are you that telekinetic?" I asked. She nodded without looking up. "Wow, small world! I was hoping I'd get a chance to thank you in person. You saved my life! Thank you!"

She looked up briefly and I could swear she was blushing. Then she looked down again and mumbled, "You're welcome."

We stood like that for a couple of minutes, neither knowing what to say. I mean, what do you say to the woman who saved your life? It wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence.

We both seemed to realize we needed to get to work at the same time. Without saying anything I held the door open for her and we went in. Neither of us said a thing as we got ready to work.

Tessa stayed with me all day like before, but this time I was the one doing all the talking with a little help from her when I needed it.

I pretty much had the hang of it by the end of the day. Tessa didn't talk during our breaks, so I tried to find her before she left. No luck, though.

I hurried out as fast as I could and flew up, but I couldn't see her. It was too dark to see much, anyway.

Sighing in disappointment I headed home. I spotted those gangers hanging around the park again, but they weren't anywhere near my apartment. Then I was back and in bed in no time.

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The next few days were pretty much the same. Tessa was still avoiding me, work was fine for the most part, and I met up with Nancy every other day. She said she had it so easy with me that she was going to be spoiled. Apparently most Wyld who come here from a bad situation like me have a lot more trouble settling in. Go figure.

My biggest problem outside of Tessa was the guys that kept asking me out. It was really creepy. Fortunately I only really had to deal with them when I had to go to the store and at work. The rest of the time I was either in the air or home. I spent most of my spare time flying.

Then it was the weekend. I was all set to work, but Rami's had enough waitresses working the weekends. That meant I had two days with nothing to do.

Naturally my first thought was to go flying. I didn't have a computer; I hadn't gotten my first paycheck yet. I didn't have any books and didn't know where the library was. So, that's what I did. Fly.

I explored the entirety of Oahu from the air. I flew from one end to the other in remarkably quick time. I would have wondered if I was flying faster than the speed of sound at my top speed if it weren't for the fact there was no sonic boom. But then, for all I knew there wouldn't be for something as small as a person.

It wasn't until this flying around the island that I finally noticed something that should have been obvious from the start. I didn't feel any wind while flying. At all. My skirt didn't even fly up when I flew down quickly and my hair didn't budge at all. It was like I was just standing still. Weird.

That first day was interesting. I really pushed myself with my flying, trying to find out how fast and far I could fly. I managed to circle all of the Hawaiian islands in minutes. It really seemed like I had to be going faster than sound, so I wondered if I really was but whatever kept me from feeling the wind was also preventing a sonic boom.

I also learned that flying did indeed tire me out. By two o'clock I was worn out from all the flying, and I didn't start until ten or so. I wondered if I would be able to fly longer eventually or if this was it. I hoped I'd be able to fly more, though I probably didn't really need to. I could probably get back to California if I wanted to already.

After getting something to eat I slept for hours. The remainder of the day was spent thinking about what I wanted to do. I couldn't just work at the restaurant and fly for the rest of my life. Using my powers for a job occurred to me, but I couldn't see how that would work. I couldn't fly all day; at least not yet. And I could hardly carry much with me. What good would that be?

The next day started much as the previous. Shower, dress, eat and fly. But that ended pretty quickly. Before I'd gotten very far up and was still above the apartments I noticed those gangers harassing someone. Someone familiar.

It was Tessa, and she was obviously terrified. They were grabbing at her clothes and it was pretty clear what their intentions were. Next thing I know, I'm shooting down at them at top speed.

She broke away just before I started my dive and ran. They tried to follow, but were interrupted by me crashing down in front of them. Somehow I didn't get hurt. The same couldn't be said for the ground I landed on. When the dust cleared I was in the center of a small crater and the only person standing. Tessa had fallen and was curled up in a ball, crying. That really pissed me off.

I turned back to the gangers and saw they were all drawing weapons of one kind or another. Two of them had knives, one a club of some kind and the last had a small pistol. I only noticed this in passing, though. I was already moving, using my flight to power the fist that hit the nearest one square in the face. Only, my fist didn't really hit.

But something did. He went flying, spinning oddly and crashing in an awkward heap several feet away. I ignored him and used the same trick on the next one. And the next. The guy with the gun was last as it worked out. As I turned to him he fired several shots, but none of them hit me. But my fist, or whatever, got him. When he landed he hit head first and went limp.

Two of them had gotten back up, but they weren't interested in fighting anymore and fled. One was unconscious or dead, and I didn't care which. The last one was lying with his head at an impossible angle; his neck obviously broken.

I had to hold myself back from going after the other two, and that really surprised me. I'd always been willing to fight. But I'd also always lost. Now I'd gone up against four big guys and totally trashed them. Hell, I'd even killed one or two! I didn't know how I'd done it, but looking back at Tessa I was glad I had.

"You okay Tess?" I asked, reaching down to help her up.

She was still curled up, but peeked up at me cautiously. Seeing me standing there, hand out, she looked around for the gangers. Then looked back at me in something bordering on awe. "You did that?!" she squeaked.

I nodded, "Yeah. Not sure how, but I did. I really hate people like that. They tried that on me a few days ago, too. But are you okay?"

She just stared at me for a solid minute before nodding weakly, "Yes, I'm alright. Thank you." Finally she took my hand and let me help her up. Her clothes were torn and she had some scrapes here and there, but she didn't look to have been hurt beyond that.

"I just realized," I said, "that Nancy mentioned that the person who saved me had only been here a few weeks. That means you still live here, don't you?" She nodded. "I'll walk you home, then."

She didn't argue and started walking. She kept glancing back at me with the oddest expression. I couldn't read her at all, but that wasn't anything new. On the other hand, she wasn't hiding her face from me anymore.

Ironically she was in apartment number 48, just around the corner from me. When we got to her door she stopped and fumbled in her purse for her key. When she'd unlocked the door she turned and looked at me, "Thank you again for saving me Erin."

"It was my pleasure. Besides, you already saved me, remember? Are you sure you're alright?" I said. I didn't really like the idea of her being alone after what happened. Somehow I had the feeling she could use some company and wouldn't have any. I didn't like that idea at all.

She glanced around fearfully, probably worrying that the remaining thugs might come after her. She seemed very reluctant, but finally said, "Would you stay for a little while?"

I smiled, "Of course!"

She opened the door and I followed her in. Her apartment was identical to mine, of course, though it had a few more personal touches. She even had a television in the living room. "I'll go change." she said, walking back towards the bedrooms. I sat on the couch and waited. I really wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, I really liked Tessa. I didn't know her all that well yet, but I felt like she needed a friend. And a protector. On the other hand, I had no idea how to be friends with a girl as a girl.

She was back in a few minutes wearing baggy sweatpants and shirt. Like most of the clothes I'd seen her in, they didn't flatter her at all. I wondered about that. It was like she was always hiding, even in a room full of people.

"Would you like some help cleaning up those scratches?" I asked, looking at the angry red marks on her cheek and hands.

She looked down at her hands like she hadn't even noticed and nodded. We went into the bathroom where she started washing her hands. Then she cleaned them with alcohol and rubbed some antiseptic cream into them. Seeing her face in the mirror she wordlessly handed the alcohol to me and waited while I cleaned the scratches for her.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" I asked when I was done.

She shook her head, "No, that's it. Thank you."

We had another of those awkward silence moments. "So..." I said, fishing for something to say to break the ice, "where did you live before here?"

"Texas." she said softly.

I winced, "Ouch, that might be even worse than California. You don't have much of an accent, though."

"My father was in the military. We moved around a lot." she said with a shrug. Suddenly she started walking out of the bathroom and I had to scramble to get out of the way. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a soda out of the fridge. She stopped as she was closing the door and turned to me. "Would you like anything?"

She had opened the door again so I could see what she had. "Sure, I could do with a Coke, thanks." She handed it to me and we sat at the table. After taking a swig I asked, "Was it bad in Texas?"

She shuddered, "Yes, very bad. I don't want to talk about it."

I nodded, "I can understand that. My parents tried to kill me, so I can only imagine what you must have gone through. Being Wyld really sucks sometimes, huh?"

She nodded, "Yes, though at least I got a useful ability out of it." With that she let go of her soda, but it stayed floating. I already knew she was telekinetic, but it was still pretty cool to see it for myself.

"That's cool!" I said, taking another drink. Then I remembered what had just happened, "Why didn't you use that again those guys, though?"

She glanced at me briefly and started crying. The tears turned to sobs. I sat there, wondering what I should do. Would a girl hug her? Or was that just with friends? This girl stuff is confusing!

I didn't like seeing her so upset, so in the end I went ahead and hugged her. Next thing I know she's basically sitting in my lap bawling into my shoulder. I didn't know what else to do so I just held onto her.

As I held her I became aware of her tail brushing against my legs. It startled me at first, but actually felt rather nice. And she had this nice smell that I couldn't quite place. Like some kind of flower maybe. And her breasts were pressing against mine. It was a really weird sensation, but nice, too.

That's when things went horribly wrong. What can I say, she's a pretty girl and we were in pretty close contact. I'm a guy, what would else would happen?

She didn't notice right away and I thought maybe I might be okay. But then she stopped crying suddenly. Slowly, she leaned back and looked at me. And then looked down. I know I was blushing and I couldn't look her in the eye. I really hadn't wanted her to find out. Especially like that!

"W-what is th-that?" she whispered.

I seriously thought about lying to her about some kind of weird tail or something, but somehow I couldn't do it. With my eyes downcast I whispered, "I'm a guy."

The weird thing? She didn't run away or call me a pervert or freak or anything like that. She just sat there, still halfway on my lap, staring at me. Finally she said, "Going Wyld did that to you?"

I nodded, then shook my head as I realized she might have the wrong idea. "I was always a guy; just didn't always look like this." I whispered.

She nodded thoughtfully. Then she seemed to realize where she was and hastily returned to her seat. She sat there staring at the table, nodding to herself for a while. I figured I had outstayed my welcome, so I stood and started towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Tessa asked.

I turned and she was still sitting at the table, looking up at me with an unreadable expression. "You don't want a freak like me around." I said, eyes back to the floor as I turned to go. But I couldn't. I don't mean I couldn't bring myself to, though. I was frozen in place. I tried to move, but it was like I was frozen in ice or something. Only not cold.

I even tried flying, but that didn't work either. I realized she must be using her powers. I already knew she was powerful. She rescued me from what must have been miles away after all. I looked up fearfully, not sure why she'd want to keep me there but figuring it wasn't going to be pretty.

When our eyes met she gasped and suddenly I could move again. But I didn't, because she looked really upset. "What? Why?" I said, not even sure myself what I was asking.

In the blink of an eye she had literally flown to me and wrapped her arms around me as she cried, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! I won't hurt you!"

I just stood there, not sure what the hell was going on. Why was she apologizing to me?!

She got herself under control and backed up a few steps. She wrung her hands together before saying, "I'm sorry about using my powers on you like that. I just didn't want you to leave thinking you're a freak. You're no weirder than me. I'm sure you didn't ask for this anymore than I did, either."

Objectively I could see her point. Objectively. But that part of me wasn't at the helm at the moment. "You don't know what you're talking about! You're beautiful, I'm a freaky shemale or something."

Her eyes misted up a little, though I couldn't imagine why, and she took my hand between both of hers. It was similar to the way that Nancy had at the hospital, but it felt totally different. "Thank you for that, but you're beautiful too. Being different doesn't make you a freak. Those guys who attacked me are the real freaks."

I couldn't argue with that one, though her calling me beautiful was simultaneously weird and wonderful. And being wonderful was weird, so I guess it was more weird than anything.

She dragged me over to the couch, without powers, and gently pushed me down. I sat, wondering what the heck she was doing. Wouldn't she be afraid to have a freaky guy like me alone with her like this? Especially after what those guys tried to do?

She sat next to me and stared at her hands for a few minutes in silence. I was just starting to get fidgety when she started talking, "I... have issues with men. My father was... not a nice man. And there have been others. Men frighten me. But I am not attracted to women. I had come to think I would always be alone. Then I saw you falling out of the sky that day."

I really couldn't see the connection between the two things, though her talk about her father was upsetting and distracted me a little. "I felt you before I saw you. I felt drawn toward you. I can't explain it. I had never felt anything like it before. Using my power to stop your fall was more reaction than thought, though I'm glad I did."

There was another pause, but she continued before I could find something to say myself, "I didn't think much of it after that. I figured it was just another weird aspect to my powers. That our powers interacted in some way, or that I had some kind of psychic power I wasn't aware of. But then I saw you at the restaurant."

"I felt the same way before I even saw you. That it was you hadn't occurred to me, though. I assumed it was my powers acting up in some way again. I'm still new to them. But I felt strangely around you. From the first time I saw you up close I felt it. I couldn't understand what it was at first and tried to stay away from you as much as I could. And once I figured it out I tried even harder. I couldn't understand how I could be feeling that." she said, still staring at her hands.

"Feeling what?" I asked when it seemed like she wouldn't continue.

"I was... attracted to you. I've never been attracted to a woman before. It didn't make any sense to me. I began to wonder if my fear of men was affecting me more than I thought. Then I saw you land outside the restaurant that day and realized you were the same person I felt falling out of the sky." she paused, glancing up shyly from a curtain of hair before returning her gaze to her hands.

"You're attracted to me?!" I exclaimed. That was definitely the last thing I was expecting!

She nodded, "Yes. It was so strange, but finding out you are really a man changes everything. I can't help but think that I knew, somehow on some level. And I'm not afraid of you."

"Wait, what are you saying?" I asked, not daring to hope. Much.

She tried to answer me without success. Then she shook her head angrily and turned to me. Before I knew what was happening she had her lips pressed against mine.

She pulled away slowly, looking at my eyes as if there was some message there she really wanted to read. I just sat in stunned amazement. Then my mouth turned up into this big, goofy grin. "Wow." I said, for lack of anything better.

She grinned back, then turned sad and turned away. "I'm sorry about how I've acted around you." she said.

"No, I think I get it now. I can understand your confusion. It would be like me being attracted to a guy. I wouldn't know what to do with that and it would definitely freak me out." I said, ever so glad that hadn't happened to me.

We said more after that, but I'll keep that to myself. Needless to say, we started seeing each other. Oddly enough, nobody at the restaurant was surprised. Nor did they seem to mind.

We both started thinking more about the future after that. She wanted to teach, which was quite a surprise to me. She always seemed so shy; teaching seemed out of character. But the more I got to know her the more I realized a big part of that shyness was because of what her father and some other people had done. Thankfully none of it was sexual, but they still did plenty of damage.

I finally settled on science, oddly enough. I think mostly because I became very curious about why our powers worked the way they did. I knew modern science hadn't come close to figuring out Wyld powers yet. Then there was a class at the local college about metaphysical science. In other words, Wyld science. It was very interesting, to say the least.

We both started classes, though it meant we didn't see each other much outside of work. But we made up for that in the break room. The other waitresses gave us a bad time about it, but only in jest. They were actually really happy for us and helped us take time off together by covering for us and swapping work days.

I'd never been in a relationship before, so it was all new. The same turned out to be true for her, which shouldn't have been a surprise with her fear of men. But we certainly had a good time.

I'm not sure if it's going to last. I really hope it does, and she says she does too, but I'm afraid it won't. I don't know what I'd do without her. In just a few weeks I've become so attached to her it's like I can't tell where I stop and she starts. I'll just have to make sure it does last, somehow.

I never would have thought being Wyld would lead to such wonderful possibilities as I have now. I thought it was the end of my life when I changed. Now? I think that maybe, despite how horrible it was at the time and how uncomfortable I still am with my body sometimes, that it might just have been the best thing that could have ever happened. Weird, but then with the Wyld things usually are!

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The End…?