Miss Quick

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven
Missing

We got to school the next day and as we were going to class, an announcement came over the loudspeaker. There was another student missing. Another sophomore, this time a boy. I recognized the name, Darren Hanson, it might've been one of the jocks from science. Naturally, everyone was talking about it.

"This is so weird!" Camille said that morning. "Are all the kidnappers suddenly being let out of jail?"

"Who says they were kidnapped?" Chaste says. "Maybe they ran away."

"Maybe Laurie, but Darren was just telling me the other day about his football game coming up. He was starting. He wouldn't have missed it."

"It is pretty suspicious," I say, before Mr. Medina tells us to shut up.

In gym we get a free day, which with Mr. Bosley means we are free to sit around and talk on the bleachers if we wanted to. Josh joins me in my intense sitting. "I like your hair today."

"Thanks," I say, smiling.

"Wanna meet me in the room after school?" he asks.

"Sure," I say happily. With all these after school meetings, I've been getting home late pretty often.

After gym, I go to the wrestling room and expect to see Becca there again but instead it's Smith.

"Hi, Ari," he says. "Becca is with the regular class. I wanted to train you today."

"Okay," I say. Normally being alone with a teacher would be intimidating, but Smith is so nice it doesn't bother me. As much.

First he has me do dashes back and forth across the room and records the times.

"Your times have gotten much better since the beginning of the year," he tells me. "You're doing good."

"Thanks," I say.

"So now we'll be starting something different. Instead of just running, I think it's time we started improving your speed in things that require more dexterity," he explains. "So today we'll be working on your hand-eye coordination. Regular sports trainers use this same technique," he says, displaying a large flat screen mounted in front of me. "As soon as you see a dot, touch it."

Smith says my times are about three times faster than the times of a football player or boxer.

I grin.

"So we should work on getting it up to five times," he says.

"Five?!?" I say.

He laughs. "Don't worry. It should be easy for you."

After a little more training, class ends.

"By the way, Ari, I might be training you more often now," he says.
"Especially since I got another teaching assistant."

I nod and leave.

Finally I am free to meet Josh, and we spend some good quality time hanging out. I had to reapply my lip gloss after, but you know. The cause was worth it.

As I'm walking down the hall to CA with Tara, she's telling me about the studies in abilities she's doing for a report in one of her advanced classes.

"Most sources say that all abilities are equal in importance and power. But actually, there are records of rare abilities which are less and occasionally, more powerful than normal."

"More powerful? Like how?"

"They have fewer limits than normal abilities. And they can be improved greatly with training."