I Know How You Feel

“Olivia, are you okay?” David asked after debating whether not to ask for the past hour.

“No. How much longer do we have to stay in this tin can?” I asked for the mere interest of conversation.

I already knew the exact time the pilot promised. I had been counting down the seconds since the plane took off.

“A few hours, I think. You don’t like flying?”

“What was your first guess?” I grumbled.

“What about it scares you?”

“Hmmm… the fact that we’re going faster than a car could ever think of going and are several miles above the ground. Oh, and this thing is made of metal shrapnel and glass shards. Yeah. That’s about it,” I ranted wringing my hands.

I was pretty sure this trip was going to be the death of me before we even made it to California.

David snorted.

“You realize none of that can hurt you right?” he said in a low voice.

“David, I’m telepathic not immortal,” I argued copying his voice.

“Yeah, but think about it. You could either see the crash happen and save everyone or if it happens randomly, you can push all the deadly things away from you and levitate down to the ground.”

“I can’t lift a plane. I can’t even lift myself,” I said.

“You never know what someone like you could do when pushed to extremes.” He leaned back in his seat.

“I highly doubt that I could get any worse,” I mumbled mostly to myself.

We hit a bit of turbulence and I gripped onto the chair for dear life. I felt the warmth of embarrassment hit me in a wave and turned my head.

I had to hold back a coo. Sam’s sleeping head fell onto David’s shoulder away from her pillow. She snuggled up to him. I couldn’t imagine him being comfortable, but she liked it enough. He sat there with a blush that looked like it reached his entire body. I turned my head and held back giggles. I let the predicament keep me occupied. David didn’t seem to want to move her and I was pretty sure Sam was too narked out to even notice his embarrassment. So for the rest of the flight, David leaned back and let Sam use him as a pillow. After I thought about it too long, my mind wandered to Romeo. Sure, we had only been together for a little bit, but still. My heart ached like any teenage girl in love. I let myself weep silent tears for everyone I missed. I tried not to think about the fact that I might never see them again.

“Where are we?” Sam asked groggily.

“Hollywood dah-ling,” I said with a peppy voice.

She smiled and got up from her seat, hiding a blush. I was glad my eyes weren’t red anymore. I didn’t want to ruin her good mood.

We grabbed our backpacks--the only thing we had--and found the nearest taxi. The taxi drove us out of the big lights of the city I hoped to live in someday, and headed to a small town near the coast. An old coffee shop was where we stopped. We got out and went inside to spend the little money that the FBI had given us. The PAV had this weird thing about possessions. All the clothes the Mission Prep team gave us were hand-made and really ugly. The PAV didn’t believe in true leaders either. Everyone had a voice. So I would be the “elder” of the group since I’d be the most knowledgeable of the group’s beliefs. Or at least that’s what they thought. This is what I thought about as we walked those five miles. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad for me or Sam.

I’d never thought I’d be in shape like this! she thought.

I laughed and David looked from me to her. He had been trying to mask his feelings for Sam from me but failing miserably every time he looked at her. It made me smile and tugged at my heart all at the same time. The warehouse came into sight and my stomach twisted.

I remembered the specific instructions the Prep Team briefed us on.

“Knock three times and walk in.”

Our footsteps echoed in the dark warehouse.

“Wait for a man or woman to call-“

“Hello, brother and sisters,” a male voice spoke into the dark.

“Then you, and only you reply-

“Greetings from the outside, elder,” I said.

“Child, what is your reason for entering this house?”

“I’ve come to give myself to the People Against Vanity’s cause and fight. I have brought these two with me to fight alongside all our brothers and sisters,” I stated.

The man walked up to us. His appearance startled David and Sam. I had seen one of them before in Loren’s head and in real life, but I was still lost at words. His hair hung tangled and knotted, an oily brown, down to his chest. He wore a black shirt that was poorly sewn along with black pants. His face was haggard and heavily bearded. Behind the grunge, I could see a man who was barely forty.

“Faithfully?” he asked.

“To the grave,” I lied.

“And you two as well?” he asked.

Sam and David nodded their heads solemnly.

“When you two become pure, you will become fighters. For now, your vows of silence are recognized,” he stated. “Come with me.”

As the man led us down to the underground, I couldn’t help but look back to the outside. I was a sister of the PAV now. Even if it wasn’t for real, I felt like I might not see the light of day for a while.

“Elder,” I called to a haggard man in multi colored patched clothing.

“Yes, sister?” he looked over his shoulder.

“May I have a word with you?” I asked hesitantly.

I had only been an official PAV sister for about three meal cycles so I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take the next step in my mission. I had passed every test and trial they laid upon me in secret. I knew exactly what they wanted me to say and do. I could feel the admiration from the elders, so I felt it was my turn to ask about the plan with Hollywood.

“Have you finished stitching the cloth?”

“Yes, elder.”

“Very well. What is it?” he asked beckoning me into his living quarters.

This was mostly just a cot in the large room below the warehouse. The underground group wasn’t much for modesty. Sam had a hard time with this at first, but once she realized no one noticed, she got used to it. David still respectfully averted his eyes. I found myself seeing more skin than I ever wanted to see in a lifetime.

The man of nearly thirty sat down on his cot and I stood. “I’ve heard talk of a plan,” I said with rehearsed excitement, “a plan to rid the world of H-Hollywood. Is it true?”

“Yes, sister. Only a special few will be able to join. Where did you hear of this?”

“There was talk at the morning meal cycle. Excuse me for listening, elder. I just-,” I began.

“Very well, sister. You have proven you are worthy of the task. You’ll be welcomed on the team. If that’s what you were wondering.”

“Oh yes, elder. Thank you!” I cheered.

“Quiet, sister. Don’t disturb the others,” he said looking around. “There will be a meeting after the night meal cycle,” he continued in a whisper. “Be there.”

And I was. David and Sam watched me go, but didn’t question what I was doing. The meeting took place in the warehouse. I was so glad to see the sun again.

“Brothers and sisters, I ask you to sit and listen to your elder,” a tall woman said, her voice booming over the crowd. Everyone sat and became silent. “We have all called you here for a very special mission. The elders have decided it is time for a large-scale movement on our most evil-ridden city. One that sits close to our home: Hollywood, California!”

A huge applause broke out. The woman let the uprising run its course and continued.

“Yes. Our outside forces have discovered a mass event crawling with the superficial animals that misled people have worshipped and idolized. With this mission we could rid the world of these so called celebrities and make our cause open to even more brothers and sisters! This could be our chance to revolutionize our Anti-Vanity movement…” I tuned out the propaganda and put myself on autopilot.

The first thirty minutes of the speech consisted of the woman elder accusing the celebrities of being untalented and less than human, sucking the potentially individualistic and intricate minds and not allow them to further the nation.

Basically, they sounded like angry Youtube commenters with bombs.

I finally listened in when I started hearing about the means of attack. The woman pulled out a large map and I saw the new art building in extreme detail. Everything looked like it was planned out to the second. I looked at that map like it was a spot in the Hollywood mansion on American Idol. I had to have it.

While figuring it out how to take it from the strong woman without revealing anything about me or my mission, an outside messenger came in. His thoughts were jetlagged and loud. They interrupted my scheming and I began to wonder why they were so loud. I follow the sound and saw a less haggard man than most of the elders carrying a note that was from the Northern sector.

“Attention brothers and sisters!” the woman yelled her voice filled with excitement. Everyone quieted and looked up to the woman. “I have great news! The messenger from the Northern sector in Washington D.C. has just given us a paper with an agreement to help us in this movement! The Northern elders and their chosen few will be arriving here in a week,” she said but only three words sunk in.

Washington D.C.

This was the man who I had bumped into.

The one that played a huge part in getting me into the FBI, it was him.

The man turned his head and scanned the crowd. I knew then if I ducked my head he would notice me. My best shot was to act completely normal. I looked towards the woman elder who was putting up the map. Everyone else talked quietly and I cursed myself for not finding other people to talk to. I stuck out.

Turning my head at the exact wrong time, the man caught a glimpse of my eyes. My face appeared in his mind and his thoughts began to race. My mind copied his with thoughts of how to get out. The first thing I did was tell Sam.

I closed my eyes and channeled her thoughts. They were very soft but I heard them perfectly. She was sewing up clothes and watching David from afar. I interrupted her thoughts.

“I’ve been discovered! They’ll find out who we are! Grab David and get out of there quick!” I yelled in her head. Once I figured she heard me, I made my escape.

“Where are you going sister?” A teen girl asked me as I got up causally.

“Off to get some air. It’s really stuffy in here.”

She nodded and I began to walk towards the door. The man was helping the woman elder with the map and waiting for his chance to speak. I stopped suddenly remembering the map. I looked over my shoulder and saw it was strategically placed on an easel in front of everyone. My hesitation gave the man time to drop his car keys and tell the woman elder of his discovery. I turned around and faced my maker as she called attention.

“There are traitors among us!” she bellowed.

I didn’t flinch when her finger pointed to me. I looked over slightly to see Sam walking out the door with David.

“You!” she hissed. “Are you or are you not one of us?”

I turned to run but two boys came after me. So instead I turned and ran towards them, pulled the map and keys towards me with invisible force and sprinted outside. David was attempting to hotwire the car.

“No need!” I tossed him the keys and before I could blink we were driving down the road.

Sam sat with me in the backseat and we kept looking back. It wasn’t until I saw the city around us did I realized we were in Hollywood again. David made a sharp turn into a parking lot.

He got out of the car and Sam protested. That was until he took his shirt off. I knew what he was up to but all Sam could do was stumble over her words. His stomach was wrapped in a white bandage. He unwrapped it and a small device fell on the ground and broke into a hundred pieces.

“Was that supposed to happen?” Sam asked nervously.

“Yeah. It gives off a small amount of radiation that they can track,” he said.

“They meaning the F.B.I, right?”

“Of course.”

“Genius. Now what do we do while waiting for them?” I asked absentmindedly rubbing my head.

“Get behind the car and listen,” he stated.

“How is that supposed to help? We’re on the outskirts of a ci-,”

“Do you think we’ll get out of here?” Sam whispered.

“I don’t know-.” A gunshot interrupted my thoughts.

“DAVID!” Sam screamed. I turned my head and saw a bullet hit my bestfriend in the back of the head. I screamed as a bullet came towards me. The gunman holding a satisfied smile was the last thing I saw.

The scream carried into my consciousness.

“Olivia!”

We were going to die. I had just witnessed my own death.

“They have gunmen following us,” I said.

“In the city?” David asked skeptically.

“David, they’re terrorists against vanity in the most vain city in the world. You think they care?” I asked.

“Smart thinking. Let’s get in the car,” he said. We opened the car door and got in. A gunshot reverberated off my door and Sam screamed.

“Drive!” I yelled. David floored it and I grabbed a hold of the thing nearest to me. A shot hit the back end of our car but thankfully missed the windshield. Sam looked like she was about to lose it. I couldn’t think of one thing to comfort her. I, after all, had seen her die right in front of me.

“Shit!” David growled.

They had a car. Of course.

Gunshots hit the car from two sides and the passenger side window shattered. Sam grabbed my arm and we both got down. A shot hit the back windshield and Sam screamed.

“Olivia, do something!”

I searched my mind for something, anything, that could fix this.

Wyatt’s words replayed in my head.

“Wow, you could cause spontaneous combustion with a glare like that.”

I stood up and stared down the PAV car. An intense heat began to build up in the gas tank and the car filled with smoke. An explosion of red and yellow fire followed that, if we had been any closer, it would have singed my eyebrows. I blinked and looked down at my hands. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Did I really do that?

“HOLY-,”

“SHIT!”

“Drive,” I whispered. The world around me seemed to blur. This was not a good time to pass out. We sped on into the city. David reached a stop in a place that I knew we would get picked up. Sam looked at me with amazement and I passed out.