I am Number Ten

CHAPTER 15

        The next little while passes on like a blur. Blake and I fix up the house to the best of our abilities including putting some traps out for the rats, some air fresheners for the smell and putting a coat of paint on the walls. The place still creaks and looks run down but it slowly starts to feel like a home. It's like Blake and I have our own little apartment.

        I start working on the plumbing when I hear Blake scream. I whack my head on the sink but I run to the bedroom. There's a creaky hideaway bed that springs out of the wall.  We've been sharing it and I see that the bed has folded back up and caught Blake in the middle. Obviously, Blake had underestimated how strong the bed springs are and got himself in quite the pickle. I start laughing, just seeing his legs sticking out from among the blankets and mattress gets me going.

"It's not funny!" he protests, kicking and trying to push the bed back into place. He pushes with his legs but the bed comes back again. "Little help would be nice."

        I laugh and use my telekinesis to push it back down.

"Having a little trouble Mr. Fix-It" I giggle. "Why don't you leave the bed alone and come to help me snake the shower drain?"

"Yuck, I'd rather stay inside the mattress" 

"Come on" I insist, grabbing his arm.

        The place isn't perfect but it's good enough for us to lay low for a while. As soon as the house is taken care of, I start to train. I was able to buy a few decent guns from a pawn shop so Blake can learn to shoot. I set up a few stuffed dummies in the back and show Blake how to aim and take cover. His first few shots only end up scaring birds out of the trees he's hit but he slowly gets better. He hits a few dummies in the crotch and one in the shoulder and I tell him to aim a bit higher. I'm no expert with guns but I've had my fair share of experience with them. The next time, Blake hits a dummy square in the forehead. 

"Nice shot," I tell him after inspecting the dummies.

"Kill shot" he cheers acting like a total dork. "I am Rambo... Go ahead, make my day"

"Yeah terrifying" I tease and begin punching one of the dummies.  I do a few kicks and such and then I get an idea.

"Shoot me" I call.

Blake drops the gun. "What???!!!"

"I mean it. I need to learn how to do two things at once. I've also haven't stopped a bullet before."

"You're nuts," he says. "I'm not going to shoot at you!" he points the barrel at the ground and leans against the gun.

"Should we wait until the Mogs shoot at me" I suggest. "Just shoot. I won't get hurt. I have that new legacy remember. Impenetrable skin. I need to test the limitations of it anyways."

"No, I am not going to shoot my girlfriend."

I'm frustrated. "Stop being a baby, I have telekinesis. I'll be fine" 

"No!"

I get an idea.

"Alright," I smirk. "If you don't want to shoot, then we have to do hand to hand combat."

I don't give him much of a chance to react. I run towards him and practically mow him down with a football tackle. He crumbles immediately and I stand up and smile.

"Ow!!! What was that for?"

"The first rule of hand to hand combat, you need to be at a hand to hand distance."

Blake grunts. "Ow, I think you may have broken something."

"Oh please, you're just being a baby."

"Do we have to do this now?"

"It's either that or shooting at me..."  He pauses and examines the choices.

"Fine...I'll shoot at you as long as we start out simple with hand to hand."

"Deal!" I say.

I'm in position and Blake takes aim. I begin lifting a couple of rocks from the ground and twirl them in the air.

"Ready!" I call.

"Okay..." I can hear the hesitation in his voice. He lifts a twelve gauge shotgun onto his shoulder and prepares to fire. I continue to juggle the rocks and I hear a bang. My first instinct is to stop juggling but this is an exercise, I need to focus. I hold up my hand and practically have to guess where the bullets are. I don't feel it in the air and a few more shots go off.

"AIM for me!" I call out to him. "You need to try"

"Fine!" he barks.

        The next few shots ring out and I stare in the direction that they came. It feels like time slows down as I stop the bullets in mid-air. I turn them around with my mind and shot them back, all while juggling the rocks.

"Again!" I call.

"I need to reload!" 

"Alright"

        I continue to move the rocks in different directions and I hear Blake lock and load. I prepare. When I see flashes. Explosions, screaming, a skeleton, a blue...pendant, Mog's eyes. A glowing earth and I hear...Adelina?! I can't focus and I'm scared that the figure has come back and found a way to get me when I'm awake. There are loud noises and my vision is messed up.

        All at once my side explodes in pain and I come out of my daydream. I see Blake running towards me screaming and crying. I don't see much else before everything goes black.