The Strangeness Within Pt. 05

Jacob wiped his eyes. "Abuela said you might be the most talented one like us in the world. She considered it a miracle that you fell into her orbit before any of the other players snatched you up. And she said you were a better person than she was. My Marisol. Always so hard on herself."

Esther hugged him. "We should deal with the bodies," she said. "And then afterwards, would you pray with me? I'm not sure what I believe anymore. But I can't think of what else to do."

Jacob nodded and smiled. "Of course," he said. "And perhaps this time we will receive some guidance. It hasn't happened yet, but on days like this I really wish God would cut us a break."

Esther laughed, as he meant her to. And she didn't even shudder when they approached the door of Abuela's cabin. She'd been right. This was the place she should stay.

..........................*** Chapter 33 ***...........................

Javier flipped through the next newspaper in the pile, finding the proper section with a practiced speed. And suddenly, there it was.

Frederick C. Daniels, 47, passed away unexpectedly after a fall in his home. A decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, he devoted his life to serving his country in both public and private sector work. He leaves his wife, Susan, and two children ...

Javier stared in shock at the words. Last night Kat had messaged him about a confusing notation in the InfoCorp human resources database she'd hacked into. The idea that Daniels might actually be dead had seemed unlikely, but then again there had already been that suspicious car accident.

Maybe he was a monster, but he'd had a family. Surely even terrible people were complicated. Javier realized the obituary gave him no satisfaction. Mostly he just felt nausea.

One thing was sure: it hadn't been an accident. Easy enough to arrange. Maybe it had been Janelle, or maybe someone more ordinary. Daniels had survived the Vietnam War only to die in a silent new conflict.

There had been another fire, at the InfoCorp facility in Orange County. This one supposedly was due to electrical problems, but the newspaper story brought up the other fires the company had suffered, with speculation from an unnamed executive that there was foul play involved. Javier didn't like that statement one bit. It seemed like something they would say when preparing to label a group more publicly as terrorists.

Clearly things were escalating. If the old woman was attempting to keep the conflict at bay, she was failing. Javier's mind raced through his usual worries about Esther, but there was nothing he could do except what he was already doing. Whatever that was. Intelligence-gathering, he supposed, but without the murderers on payroll the way Lukas and the Unit did it.

* * *

"Nicola," Esther said nervously.

Nicola glanced over from her bed, where she spent most of her time these days.

Esther rushed ahead. "I'm going to do some exercises, try out some new things. Uh, in the bath. I could use your company, if you didn't mind."

Nicola nodded slowly, and Esther's heart raced in excitement and relief. But that changed quickly.

"You don't understand at all, do you?" Nicola said. There was a bleakness to her tone that made Esther shiver.

"No, I guess I don't," said Esther. "I want to, though."

"I doubt it," said Nicola offhandedly. But then she blushed and looked squarely at Esther. "That was unfair. This is why I'm so quiet lately. So I don't lash out at everyone."

Esther nodded and waited for Nicola to continue.

"I can't use my abilities," Nicola said. "Not consciously, anyway. All that microscopic beauty I kept describing to you is gone. Or rather, I remember it too well, and it's all fused with what I did to Andrew. Esther, I'm a killer, and I might do it again with no warning. How could I know, when I don't know how I did it that time?"

"You never did it before," Esther said. "And I'm pretty sure you'll never do it again. You're nothing like Andrew. Anyway, I'm not frightened of you."

"You fucking well should be frightened," Nicola said. "You should be much too nervous to let me get that close to you, especially while you go spirit-walking the world. And since you don't have the good sense, I'll decide that for both of us."

"For all three of us, I guess," Esther said, more sharply than she'd intended.

Nicola looked uncomfortable. Mark was mostly back on his feet again, and it was pretty obvious how much he was hurting from her rejections.

Esther sighed. "We can help each other," she said. "I can watch and listen to you and help you stop anything you don't want to do. We don't have to touch. Just having you around is comforting for me."

"Why?" Nicola asked tiredly. "What possible comfort could I be?"

Esther walked over, hoping to sit next to Nicola on the bed. But Nicola waved her away and lay down again. Finally Esther left for the bath on her own.

Without someone there to help her, she fell back on her first technique. While she played water over her small opening, she imagined it was Nicola's tongue pressing insistently. And when she worked her finger slightly inside her anus, she imagined it was Javier's finger. And then she had a really unexpected thought about what Nicola and Javier might do together, with her in between.

It was a surprising pleasure when her muscles started to shudder. The orgasm was nothing special. There were no fireworks, no sudden bursts of insight. Just a satisfying amount of pleasure, followed by a deep relaxation. She felt her mind unclench slightly, and her vision expanded.

Nicola lay curled on her bed, one hand down her pants as she cried and masturbated furiously. Esther skimmed past, her nostrils flaring as she smelled forest, soil, dry air. A familiar smell lingered in the air on the edge of her perception, and she followed the trail.

Even with his healing injuries, Mark moved as easily through the forest as water. The faintest impressions of steps, bent blades of grass, and of course the smell he couldn't hide. A good smell. She felt her groin tingling with renewed interest. Mark was the most perfect hunter, and yet here she was stalking him. It was a heady feeling.

He was in motion, and she rushed to catch him. He'd been running for some time, chasing a small animal. A rabbit. But he'd told Esther he didn't hunt this way. It made more sense to sit still and wait.

Finally he put on a burst of speed, catching the rabbit in one hand. It didn't struggle, and she realized he'd killed it in the first instant.

Mark sat quickly, pulling out his knife. And then he began to cry.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the rabbit. "I shouldn't have made you run."

Esther quickly retreated to the quiet bubbling of water against her naked skin. She couldn't unsee those scenes of private misery. The three of them were spinning apart, and she was the only one left to do something about it.

By the time Mark returned, she'd already begun to prepare the stew. He smiled in approval and the two of them butchered the rabbit together.

"How soon did you sense me this time?" Mark asked while the rabbit cooked.

Esther paused. "I saw you kill the rabbit," she said.

Mark looked down, controlling his breathing carefully. Esther put her arm around his broad shoulders.

"It will be all right," she said softly. "We'll be a family for each other."

Jacob arrived right on time, and Esther relaxed when Nicola walked in. The other woman hadn't always wanted to eat with them, especially when Jacob was around.

When they'd mostly finished, Esther looked around the table.

"I'd like to talk about where we go from here," she said. "I'm learning quickly, but I have nothing like Abuela's abilities. I can't keep everyone safe, and I can't stop this conflict between Lukas and the Unit. But maybe soon enough I can at least keep us safe here. I can already sense as far as the town in my better meditations. We can think about what this place could be. We could eventually invite more people. Make it a sanctuary."

Mark nodded, and Jacob smiled encouragingly.

"I'm leaving," said Nicola.

Esther felt as though she'd been punched. The others looked equally shocked.

"Leaving?" Mark blurted. "What?"

"You're all smart," said Nicola. "So let's try to think clearly about this. It turns out that I'm as powerful and dangerous as I always wished I could be. It scares the fuck out of me. But do you know what really scares the fuck out of me? Franklin."

Jacob nodded. "He is a thing of nightmares."

"Not so much for you or Esther," Nicola said. "Or for ordinary people, at least not yet. But put yourself in my shoes. For someone as sensitive as I am, with my abilities, and my knowledge, but without the ability to close my senses and resist compulsion. What would Franklin do if he came across me? What could he make me do? Oh, I see you're getting it now."

"But why leave?" Mark said. He sounded lost. "You're safest here, with us."

"No," Nicola said, and Esther finally saw how much it hurt her to say. "Esther can't protect us yet, not from Franklin's people. And while she's brilliant, she doesn't have Abuela's experience to teach me. What I need is to find more people who have abilities similar to mine, who might be able to teach me the control I need. And above all, people who hate Franklin and will keep me safe from him."

"You want to join Lukas," Esther said.

Nicola nodded. "It's my decision. Abuela was very into respecting that kind of thing, wasn't she?"

Jacob looked pained.

"Of course it's your decision," Esther said. "I understand your reasons, though I wish you had another solution. I don't want you to go, Nicola."

"I can't stay here," Nicola said, her voice shaking. "That's the other thing. I can't even look at that cabin anymore. I have to leave."

"I'll come with you," Mark blurted. Nicola slowly shook her head.

"No," she said. "You belong here, in your home. And Esther needs someone to help keep her safe. Mark, I need this time on my own. I have to find a way to live with myself, and I can't do that here."

* * *

"You're really leaving tonight?" Esther stared at the small pack Nicola was filling.

"Jacob said he'd give me a ride. And we'll all be miserable if I stretch this out too long."

Nicola finished with her little pack and put it on her back. The two of them looked at each other.

"I'm sorry, Esther," Nicola said. "I hope I can come back sometime."

"I'm going to miss you terribly," Esther said. "And Mark — he can't tell you, but he loves you."

Nicola sighed unhappily. "And he knows how I feel about him. Sometimes that's not enough, though. I guess you know that as well as anyone."

Esther nodded. "You still have that credit card linked to Abuela's," she said. "Jacob says it should keep working. Let him know if you run into money problems. Or any problems. We're here any time you ask."

Nicola smiled. "Thank you. I'll use a little money getting myself there, but I'm not going to spend Abuela's money supporting Lukas. And please don't think that I'm foolish enough to throw myself right into his arms. With your permission, I'll tell him I'm there because Abuela died and we had to disband. If he's as brilliant as he thinks he is, he'll already have figured out she's gone. I won't tell him a thing of your abilities, or even admit I know you. And I'll downplay my own abilities as much as I can. I don't want Lukas thinking he has a new assassin to play with."

"Good," said Esther. "But why don't you tell him I was here, since he already assumes as much. Just say that I was clever and really into math but not all that interesting when it came to the changes or any particular abilities."

"Perfect," said Nicola. "I'll play exactly the arrogant bitch I was to you at first. Plus then everyone will think I'm overcompensating about my own weak talents."

Esther smiled and moved to give Nicola a hug. But even now Nicola shook her head and stepped back.

"I'm not joking about how terrified I am," Nicola said. "I have to go if I'm going to have a life again. I won't forget about you, though. Or Mark, obviously. Take care of him, Esther. And if something happens between you, for God's sake don't feel guilty on my account. I'm glad you have each other."

An hour later she and Mark watched Jacob drive away with Nicola. And just like that, they were alone. She turned to face him, but Mark had disappeared silently. When she got to bed, he was already asleep, or so she thought.

"Why'd she have to go?" Mark whispered. "Why did she leave me?"

"You know why," Esther said. "It doesn't mean she doesn't love you. It might have been the hardest thing she's ever done. She probably already wishes she could come back."

Mark didn't reply, and soon she realized he'd already fallen asleep.

It was always so easy for him, even when he was upset. Mark fell asleep the way he hunted, or had sex. His body was a tool, something to keep sharp no matter the circumstances. Mark was straightforward, and he didn't typically try to hide things. But that didn't mean he entirely understood his own feelings.

Ever since Nicola had made her casual comment about Esther and Mark, Esther had been reviewing the interactions she'd had with him that she didn't understand. She made him uncomfortable, and perhaps the reason wasn't that there was anything wrong with her body.

She suddenly had an almost irresistable urge to climb into bed with Mark. She'd feel his hard muscles against her bare skin, reaching down to stroke his penis the way she'd seen Nicola do so many times. And she'd teach him the kinds of things that her body wanted.

Instead she pulled off her shorts and began to masturbate quickly, rocking her back against the sheets. Running her fingers between her breasts, feeling her freckles begin to pulse with arousal. Feeling the faint dampness coat her tiny hole. She imagined sitting atop Mark, letting his penis rub against her. Except now it was Javier instead, his fat penis hard as a rock, his eyes begging her to pull off her panties and show him what she'd been too scared to let him see.

She wondered if he still thought of her when he masturbated. Maybe he was doing it right now. She extended her senses towards him — much too far, of course, but she liked to imagine she could smell him. He would be sleepy and excited, his body nearly ready to come, even though he wanted to delay.

As was often the case, tonight she just couldn't manage to get her body there on her own. She wiped her fingers on her thigh and settled for replaying some of her favorite memories. Javier's body certainly worked just fine.

* * *

"Esther," Javier mumbled. She was so close he could smell her, the faint musk so different from any other woman he'd been with.

Her fingers encircled his dick and she began to get him off, her tiny hand as always making him feel magnificently big. When he was getting close, she rolled over and pressed her back into him, encouraging him to rub himself hard against the sensitive areas on her lower back. She mumbled something encouraging, and he moved faster, hugging her tight. Something tickled his mind and he slowed, but then she told him she didn't mind, that he could make a mess on both of them if he wanted.

Javier let out a deep groan and then his dick exploded, his balls shaking with the force of his orgasm. He spilled all over Esther's back, and she kept urging him on. When his orgasm finally ended, he was still hard, and Esther kept rubbing against him. But he felt cold and wet and oddly ashamed. Esther's presence faded and he opened his eyes.

It was dark, and Kat was still rubbing her back against his erection. He yelped lightly and rolled away, realizing with a sudden horror that it had all actually happened. He'd made a mess in his pajamas and the bed. And Kat's pajamas too.

She sat up slowly.

"Hey," she said sleepily. "It's OK. It was really nice, honestly. Don't be embarrassed. I didn't mind at all."

Javier stood there like an idiot, feeling his erection finally subsiding.

"I haven't done that since I was thirteen," he finally said. "Oh my God. Let me go get cleaned up. I'm so sorry."

Kat got up to find some replacement sheets. "No problem. Must've been a hell of a dream. Can't pretend I'm not jealous."

When they finally got back in bed, Javier kept a little distance from her.

"You can hold me if you want," Kat said. "It's OK. I know you were thinking about Esther. I'm not asking you to pretend I'm her."

Javier reluctantly shifted a little, putting his arm around her. Kat snuggled happily against him. When his dick started to stiffen again, she pretended not to notice. It was a microcosm of the strange relationship they seemed to be managing. A little more than friends, but not lovers.

Esther, I miss you, Javier thought. Please tell me to come find you. I can feel the storm coming and I don't know what to do.

But of course she didn't reply. Javier buried his face in Kat's back and tried to recapture the smell of Esther's exotic body. Black hair, soft hands, pale skin. Pine needles, and a world with only the two of them.