Read Second Class Supers – Page 45
Sam groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. “Kya, money isn’t everything. I loved my family. I loved my life. Then I lost my mom. My dad chose social status over my well being. It sucked. It still really sucks. It doesn’t matter what I do. He doesn’t want to know anything about me. The man I’ve become.”
“I know what it’s like to have a family who doesn’t care.” Kya said. She stared at her hands clasped together and they flickered out of existence. She gasped, blinked rapidly and they came back. She touched each of her fingers to her thumb, confirming they were still solid and attached. “My parents only really care about their son. My brother is the Golden Child. You’ve been more like family to me than them.”
Sam both sighed and smiled at her reveal. “Then why didn’t you come to me with everything that was happening with Amelia? Or with getting Supers? Even if I don’t agree with what was happening, I have experience with Supers and their side effects. I could have helped.”
Her neck and shoulders felt tense, as though the weight of the world was sitting on them. “Well, you haven’t exactly been around.” Kya pointed out.
“True.” Sam said with a frown. “But I’m here now, so tell me everything that’s happening. Please?”
Kya started with Amelia’s erratic behaviours, her texts and then her disappearance. She told Sam about Amelia’s apartment, and finding the Black Market contact.
Sam sat on the edge of his seat, listening intently to every detail. “Wait. Please tell me you didn’t buy your Super from that Frank guy.” Sam said, in a wary tone.
“No. My Supers are different.”
“Supers?” Sam emphasized the plural.
“I don’t know how many I have.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. He took a deep breath and Kya could tell he was trying extremely hard to keep his temper and restrain any judgement. His whole body became noticeably rigid as he shifted back and pressed himself into the couch.
“After my run in with Frank, I was helped out by a guy dressed all in shades of dark gray and black. He was wrapped in fabric from head to toe. I couldn’t see his face or any of his skin. But he had a kind voice. He said he was a Sociology Professor. He was a bit of a weird one, I guess.”
“Kya… What?” Sam stared at her, and his face was both frustrated and confused. It twisted in odd but ever more familiar ways.
Kya felt like she was telling the principal about her mistakes, or her own father about how she had sold cows in trade for magic beans. “He said he could give me Supers with a touch of his hand. Only as many as my body could naturally tolerate and only of a variety best suited to me. He said they would make it impossible for me to get Supers any other way. I didn’t actually believe the guy, but…” She extended her arm outwards for a throw pillow just beyond her reach and it jumped into her hand.
“Can they be extracted?” Sam asked in a higher tone than normal, his brow wrinkled in worry.
“I don’t know.”
“How did he transfer the powers to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are there any side effects?”
“I don’t know. None that I can remember anyway.”
“Are you scared?”
“Honestly?”
Sam nodded.
She paused, trying to understand her emotions and the erratic waves of them that were stirring within her. “Terrified.” Her mouth went dry.
The cupboard where they kept the glasses rattled on it’s hinges, and both Kya and Sam jumped at the sound of shattering glass. Kya rose from the couch and went to the kitchen, as she neared the sink the faucet turned on. The cupboard door opened and a glass shot out, hitting Kya in the chest. She caught it with both hands before it smashed on the floor as well.
“What’s happening?” Sam wailed.
“I… I think I did it.” Kya said. “I’m thirsty and I was thinking about getting a drink of water.”
Kya filled the glass with water, and turned off the tap. “I think I’m going to lay down before…”
The pillow she had picked up before hit her square in the face, causing Kya to almost drop her drink.
“Did you throw that?” Kya asked.
“Nope.” Sam said. “That was you too.” Kya felt Sam’s anxiety and stress. He looked at her like she had a strange disease. “Yeah, go to bed before you break something else. I’ll clean up the glass.”
Kya looked around her bedroom, and it was in shambles. More so than usual. Things were strewn about everywhere. The only saving grace was her well made bed. Her pillows covered the first third next to the headboard, and her comforters were flat against the mattress. As she climbed onto her soft queen sized mattress and grabbed her laptop from her bedside table, she instantly felt more at peace. A quick mental note about cleaning the rest of the room was added to the long list floating around in her mind.
With her laptop in hand, Kya opened it and checked her e-mail. She knew that there had been notifications on her phone, but she always preferred typing on a full sized keyboard. Most of the messages were, as normal, advertising and spam, but three stood out as responses to her attempts to get a new job.
The first was a quick note saying that they went with another candidate, but the second let Kya know that her references didn’t check out, after they had taken it upon themselves to contact her manager at Starlife Technologies. Kya wondered if the first response had really been about the same issues with Don Georgetown telling the world about how useless he felt Kya was.
Frustrated, she opened her resume and looked it over once again. It didn’t list Don Georgetown as a reference, nor did it provide any direct contact information relating to her position at Starlife Technologies. Kya’s mind reeled slightly as she realized that any job she was going to apply for was likely to contact her most recent employer to find out why her employment ended before she secured a new position.
Hesitant, she looked at the details of the next message before opening it. The reply was from the job that Sam had found for her at the bookstore and publisher, Classic Communication and was entitled Employment Response. Kya couldn’t help but consider all of the potential responses she would receive, and prepared herself for the worst as she clicked on the email.
As Kya opened the message, she slammed her eyes shut. It was a childish response, as she knew it could not change the content of the email, and she was only delaying the inevitable, but her nerves took hold. Despite everything else happening in her life, she was really hoping for the opportunity to work, make money, and improve her own feelings of self worth. Slowly, she opened one eye and looked at the screen.
Kya, we appreciate your application, and your passion has definitely resonated with us here at the Classic Communication bookstore and publishing house. We would love to have you come in for an interview this Friday at three in the afternoon. Please let us know as soon as possible if this is an issue.
Sincerely, Joanne Roddenberry-Roth
“Yes!” Kya screamed and items jumped off her shelves as she flailed about, unable to sit still.
Malcolm's Ramblings 