that far yet.
“Popcorn?” asks Wiki, peering over his shoulder at me.
“Huh? Oh, sure.” I study the faces around us. It’s amazing how many kids there are here. All these impressionable minds…
“Connie!” Lebz frowns at me. “Are you eavesdropping on people’s thoughts again?”
“Actually, I was looking for Ma-fourteen.”
Lebz shivers melodramatically. “Maybe the brats are at home for once, doing their homework.” She grabs my arm and pulls me towards Cine 2. “Come on, I want to see the attractions.”
I follow her, but my eyes are still scanning the area, searching for something… and there it is. It’s not what I expected, but the little flutter in my chest lets me know that this is what I was looking for all along. Black Lizard, in dark jeans and an even darker T-shirt, disappearing into Cine 2. My stomach flips over. I’ve been thinking about that boy all weekend, and now we’re about to spend two hours in the same dark cinema. Coincidence? The hand of fate? Or… telepathy?
By the time Wiki, Lebz and I get inside, it’s already dark and Lizard could be any of the figures in any of the chairs. Lebz pulls me into my seat and hands me my popcorn. I try to pay attention to the screen, but every time the cinema lights up even a little I scan the seats. After a while I’m forced to give up and focus on the film. The storyline is ridiculous, but there’s enough cheesy dialogue, gratuitous destruction and sexual tension to keep us happy.
Halfway through the movie I get a sudden urge to turn my head. I know better than to ignore it, so I swivel round and see someone get up two rows behind me and walk out of the cinema. It’s Lizard, I know it. I lean over to tell Lebz I’m going to the toilet, then follow him. This is becoming a bad habit.
He’s sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting area. The minute he sees me his lips curl into a smug smile. Cocky little snake. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I snap, dropping gracelessly onto the seat beside him.
“I move, you follow.” His eyes twinkle. “Like a dance.”
“Stop being impossible.” I glare at him. “We need to talk, and we both know that’s why you’re here.”
“I thought I was here to watch a movie.”
“Then why are you sitting out here? You wanted me to follow you, and there’s no point in pretending otherwise.”
He chuckles and says nothing.
I look him straight in the eye. I’m in no mood for games. “You can block me, just like my grandfather.”
To my surprise, he smiles. “You noticed. It took you long enough.”
“What?” Honestly, this guy is going to drive me crazy! “Why didn’t you just tell me? You are different!”
His eyes narrow as he looks at me. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it matters!” I’m exasperated by his nonchalant attitude. How can he not care about something like this? Hasn’t he felt the way I’ve felt all my life? Strange, uncomfortable? Alone? “What can you do?”
He shakes his head and looks at his hands. They’re big hands, strong and dark, with enough lines zigzagging across them to give a palm reader a headache. I’ve never seen hands like that before. I wonder what they’ve done, what kind of magic flows out of them. Without thinking, I reach out and place my palm over his. My hand looks weak and pale in comparison. Just before he pulls away I feel something like an electric shock.
“Tell me,” I whisper. “Please.”
He shakes his head, and I finally lose my temper.
“You are such a bloody hypocrite!” I hiss. I glance over my shoulder and lower my voice. “All that talk about how I should be proud of the things that make me unique! You just came out of nowhere and stuck your nose in my business and found out my secrets, and now you don’t even have the guts to share yours!”
He recoils as if I’ve hurt him, and then, just to throw me off, he says, “You’re right.”
I have no idea what to say to that, so I keep my mouth shut and wait for him to continue. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to fight with someone and having them surrender without even throwing a punch.
“You’ve been very open with me, and I should return the favour.” He takes a deep breath before going on. “I am different. Not like you, but… not like the others, either. And there are things… that I can do.”
“Like?”
He looks around us. “You want a public demonstration? I’ll show you at school tomorrow.”
I can’t hide my excitement, even though I know I should play it cool. “You swear?”
He laughs, rolling his eyes. “Take my number, since you clearly don’t trust me.”
We exchange phone numbers, then I lean back into the chair, satisfied, and peer into his face. “Can you tell me what it is? Your gift?”
“Be patient!” He looks at me and shakes his head, but he’s smiling.
“And the other thing?”
“What other thing?”
I reach out and touch his hand and he pulls away, just like the last time. “That! That… whatever it is. Did you feel it?”
He pulls himself up, unfolding like a deck chair, and towers over me. “You should get back to your friends. I have to go, anyway.”
I leap to my feet. “Just tell me about the spark thing. What is it?”
There’s a mischievous edge to his smile. “You mean this?” He runs a finger down my bare forearm, and I swear I see sparks jump between my skin and his. It’s strangely pleasant, and I’m surprised by the realisation that I want to feel it again.
“Yes, that!” I look up at him in wonder. “What is it? Is it something to do with your… you know…?”
He shrugs, flashes that smug smile of his and starts to walk away. “It’s probably just overactive hormones. Yours, naturally.”
It takes me a moment to figure out what he’s implying, and by the time I get it he’s already heading for the escalator. Ugh! Could he be more conceited? As if I could ever be remotely attracted to someone like him! Not while Thuli lives and breathes, and not even if he didn’t.
I walk back to the cinema, rubbing my arm, and take my seat.
“You took forever!” Lebz hisses.
“Sorry. Long queue.”
I sit back and pretend to watch the rest of the movie, but my mind is far away. I can’t wait until tomorrow. I have no idea what to expect. Maybe he can levitate, or change shape, or fly. Don’t get sceptical; anything’s
