E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 8

Previously on E.A.A.

By the time it was the evening of the bowling date, Kent was so nervous he could hardly function. He put his shoes on the wrong feet, twice and nearly used toothpaste to shave with. He looked at himself in the mirror.

“Relax, Kent. It’s just like meeting her at the coffee shop, or ice cream in the park.” He didn’t believe himself. “I’m doomed.”

He was ready an hour early, but he couldn’t stay in the apartment without running into the risk of completely changing his outfit again or managing to talk himself out of going. He nearly turned back twice as he went down the stairs in his building and then tried to convince himself that he forgot his phone once he was outside, even though he knew it was in his pocket. He looked up at the perfect sunny day and was trying to see if there was even a hint of rain.

His phone rang. “Hello?”

“Quit looking for reasons to get out of this and get to the bowling alley.” Imogene stated without any sort of greeting.

“Did Dex?”

“Kent, I know you, Dex didn’t need to tell me anything. Go, or I’ll escort you myself.” She hung up before he could protest.

He walked the remaining mile to the bowling alley as though walking his last steps to his execution. The neon lights that happily blinked “BOWLING” essentially read “TURN BACK NOW” as far as Kent was concerned. He walked through the doors and was greeted by the sound of bowling balls crashing into pins, just like how he imagined his potential love life was going to sound as it came crashing down.

Kent glanced over the crowd and didn’t see Violet’s trademark headphones. He sighed, he could still leave and nobody would know.

His phone vibrated with a text message. On the screen was Imogene’s name and under it read, You’re probably at the bowling alley by now. Get your shoes, take a breath, and have fun. I will come down there if I have to.

Sometimes he wondered just how much Dex told her and just how well she knew him. Kent knew that Dex mostly only knew big, newsworthy things, sort of like a human Wikipedia; so Kent’s love life was most definitely not on the list. That left it to Imogene’s own knowledge of his personal life. That information in her hands was most definitely dangerous. Thank goodness she was his friend rather than his enemy.

He walked up to the counter and got his bowling shoes. He tried not to think about who wore them last or how well they were cleaned as the teenager behind the counter seemed to hardly care about anything other than the screen of her phone.

With a shaky breath, Kent sat down and put the shoes on. He tucked his under a chair and set about trying to find a ball.

“I always get stuck with the pink ones meant for little kids.” Violet said from behind him. “I completely lack upper arm strength.”

Kent nearly dropped the ball he was holding. He turned. “Hey.”

“I’m not going to bite.” She picked up a green ball and then set it down. “Just relax.”

“I just, I don’t do this often.” He found a red ball that his fingers wouldn’t get stuck in.

“What, bowl? Believe me, I’m no pro either.” She sighed and picked up the pink and purple swirled ball she had been trying to avoid. “Yeah, the only one my fingers fit in and that I can lift.” She walked towards a lane. “Come on, lane 3.”

She sat down at the score computer and typed in her name. It took Kent to realize she had written The Florest. “What’s your superhero name?” She looked at him.

He couldn’t help but smile. “Seriously?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of one. We all have. The name we’d want printed in the papers when the mayor calls us for help. So, what is it?”

“The Firefly.” He felt an odd sense of pride at finally saying it out loud. For once, he felt awesome.

“Nice.” She typed it in and the game had started.

They didn’t talk much, the first few frames. They both were trying to throw something other than gutter balls and have at least somewhat of a decent score. If Kent had to be honest with himself, this was the most fun he’d had in a long time.

“How was your grandmother?” Kent asked after he bowled his second consecutive gutter ball.

“Good, she’s knitting me a sweater for Christmas.” She bowled and hit two pins. “She always knits me a sweater for Christmas.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Usually pretty good, unless she tries something experimental, like the one year with the vest cloak thing.” She rolled another gutter ball. “I’m usually much worse at bowling.”

Kent laughed. “Me, too. You must be lucky.” He picked up the ball.

“She wants to meet you.”

He nearly dropped it on his foot. It rolled so slowly down the lane that it took a full five minutes before it tapped one pin over. Kent stood motionless the entire time.

“Are you all right?” Violet stood up and walked over to him. “Kent?”

“She wants to meet me?” His voice was much higher pitched than he intended.

She shoved his shoulder. “Nothing that serious, geez. She just is interested in all my friends, being that I don’t have a million of them.”

He cleared his throat and tried to regain some composure. “You told her about me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She shrugged. “We’re sort of a minority. There’s a bunch of normal people and there’s a bunch of enhanced abilitied people. We’re just the ones whose ability is so obscure that nobody really needs it. We’re not part of the normal crowd and not part of the ‘super’ crowd. Therefore it’s harder to make friends outside of our group.”

He had recovered enough to bowl his second turn. “I can see that, I guess I never really thought about it. I figured it was my own awkwardness that kept my friend list down.”

She smirked. “I wouldn’t completely rule that out, but I sort of think it’s endearing.” She picked up her ball and regarded the pins with a pro bowler’s focus. “The few other guys I’ve dated have either been totally preoccupied with my ability, but they were normal people. The others were abilitied, but they were totally obnoxious about it.” She lowered the pitch of her voice to mimic a conversation. “Yeah, so I was at the mayor’s last night for dinner, you know, for putting out that fire at the orphanage with the water that shoots from my nostrils.” She threw the ball and got a strike. “Even the Nose Hose, who has the worst super name by the way, thought he was leagues above me.”

“I don’t think anyone could be better than you.” Kent said it before he could stop himself.

Violet turned at met his eyes, she smiled sweetly. “Really?”

“…a-at bowling.” He added lamely while furiously blushing.

She smiled knowingly, but there was still the light of the compliment in her eyes.

E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 7

Previously on E.A.A.

There was an ice cream shop next to a park a few blocks away. Violet ordered a double scoop of mint chocolate chip and Kent ordered caramel swirl. Without a word, and knowing Kent would follow, Violet walked out of the ice cream shop and to the park. She walked along the paths until she got to a bench near a fountain. He expected her to sit on the bench, as most people in the park do, but she sat on the wide cement wall of the fountain.

Kent sat down next to her and watched the families playing in the grass. It suddenly occurred to him just how many plants there were. Did each blade of grass count as one? Because he read once that grass all links together with the same root system, but he wasn’t sure if that was scientific or poetic. Then there were all the trees, and the rose bushes and the other bushes that he didn’t know the name of. The dandilions, did the grass hate them as much as lawn owners did?

He glanced over at Violet, sure he wanted to ask her questions, but if he were in her place he won’t want any questions.

“This is weird.” Violet stated.

“Your ice cream?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, you not asking me endless questions about plants.”

“I’m sure people talk to you about other things.”

“Not people who just found out and I just met.” She looked at him, again giving him the impression that she was sizing him up. “Would you mind if I told you? Not in any expectation that you have to explain yourself, but that in telling you, I can feel like you want to talk about other things.”

“I guess.” He had never met anyone who wanted questions, though he was never really in a situation with people who had useless abilities like himself.

Violet took a breath. “The grass generally speaks in unison, which is good, because if each one had something different to say, I’d probably go insane. This grass is fairly quiet, the park is nice, it’s not manicured like the rich peoples’ lawns, so it doesn’t feel privileged or too good to be stepped on.” She ventured a look up at Kent to judge his reaction, most people looked terrified at this point.

“What’s it saying, now?”

“Mostly just what’s happening, grass isn’t very clever. Some of it is upset because of a picnic blanket, some was pooped on by a dog. The usual.” She paused. “I guess it’s not really like speaking, like we’re doing, it’s more of an impression of what they would say.”

“And you can always hear it?”

She nodded. “That’s why I’m usually listening to music.”

“What’s your favorite to listen to?”

“The plants at the retirement center my grandmother lives in.” She nodded as though agreeing with herself. “They give the impression of gossipy old women, like The Golden Girls.”

Kent’s eyebrows drew together in slight confusion. “I meant music.”

Violet’s laugh was amazing, soft and genuine and free. “I’ve been listening to a lot of fiddle, banjo folk…with some speed metal thrown in when I need to get up early in the morning.” She looked at Kent. “Sorry.”

He smiled along with her. “The plant version is good to know, too.” He looked out over the park. “I guess it’s my turn.”

“Not if you don’t want to.”

“Honesty goes both ways.” He shrugged. “My butt glows, more like a flashlight beam rather than a glow stick.” He looked down at his lap. “Usually I can turn it on when I want, but most often I just goes on by itself.”

Violet nodded then reached out and took his hand. “Thanks for telling me.”

He nodded.

“I have to visit my grandmother tomorrow, and her plants.” She got a small smile out of Kent. “But I’d like to see you again the next day. Maybe we can go bowling or something.”

He looked up and turned to her. “You want to see me again?”

“Unless you’re not into me.”

“No! I mean, bowling sounds great.” He blushed. “I’m not used to drawing attention to myself, especially after I explain my inner glow.”

“I figure anyone who follows up my plant explanation by asking about music, is definitely someone special.” She smirked. “Besides, I think you’re fairly handsome.” She hopped down off the fountain. “See you later, Kent.”

He was speechless. He watched her put her headphones on and walk away. By the time he couldn’t see her any longer, he had moved from disbelief of what just happened to panic over the upcoming bowling. He needed help. He was in way over his head.

Kent did the only logical thing, he took out his phone and dialed. “Imogene? I think I’m going on a date.”

He went back to his apartment and waited anxiously for Imogene to finish work and come over. Imogene knocked on the door. When Kent opened it she jumped into his arms in uncontained glee.

“Kent! I’m so proud of you! A date, a real date?” She beamed and squeezed him tight.

“Can’t. Breathe.” He struggled out of her grasp. “As for the realness of the date, I don’t know. We’re going bowling.”

She couldn’t stop smiling as she pulled him to the couch. “You found her all on your own? Is she nice? Is she pretty? Did you tell her she’s pretty?”

“Imogene. I just need to know what to do.” He sunk into the couch.

“Tell me about her and I’ll help you.” She smiled evilly.

“I met her at the meeting you told me about, her name is Violet, she’s pretty.” He answered it all in a monotone. “Help me.”

“Just be yourself.”

He looked at Imogene, trying to figure out if he was missing something.

She grabbed Kent’s hand. “She obviously likes you for things you’ve done so far, so you probably don’t have to do anything to win her over. Just be you.”

“Be me?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “Do you want to go bowling and practice with me as Violet?”

He feigned horror. “No! It’d be like dating my sister.”

“You don’t have a sister.”

He smiled. “Oh yeah.”

Imogene punched his shoulder. “Just be like this, like you are with me. Don’t doubt yourself so much.” She grabbed the remote. “There’s a crappy horror movie on, want to join me?”

“I’ll get the beer.” He got up and went to the kitchen.

E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 6

Previously on E.A.A.

Work seemed to drag by. Just after lunch, he wondered in horror if Violet would hate him for his job. What were the plants saying as he removed their leaves, thorns, and quite literally cut them off at the knees only to be bound and taken from the only dirt they knew? He could be a murderer to her. He then had to remind himself that she had probably dealt with all of those issues and didn’t particularly seem to be of the mindset to save and protect all plants. But still he had to wonder if they said anything after they were cut and sent away.

As slow as the morning hours passed, all the sudden it was the end of Kent’s shift and he was a mere hour from when he was going to meet up with Violet. By the time clock, there was a dusty vase of silk flowers, he always guessed it was some sort of joke being in a greenhouse. As he passed it, he plucked out a red daisy and left before he could change his mind. He walked home, distracted with the thoughts of how to dress, was it a date, was it a meeting? A coffee shop is a pretty neutral location, but they could have talked after the last meeting. The flower was clenched in his hand, he was still unsure if he was going to give it to her or not.

He didn’t have time to stop at his apartment to change before he had to be at the coffee shop, which was probably a good thing, because otherwise he would have spent all evening trying to find the perfect shirt. He tried to straighten his hair in the reflections of windows he passed and all too sudden, found himself in front of the coffee shop.

He took a breath, sort of hid the silk flower behind his back and walked in. A bell jingled overhead and his eyes adjusted to the dim light. It was one of those anti-corporate chain coffee shops, the kind that writers and musicians hang out in under mismatched lamps and ugly couches. He glanced at the few small tables, but didn’t see Violet. He looked at his watch, he was right on time.

“Steve, I’m taking a break.” Violet’s voice came from behind the counter.

She was wearing a black apron over a gray shirt and jeans. As soon as Kent saw her, he didn’t know how he could have missed her. She met his eyes and tilted her head towards a back door. Kent made his way through the maze of tables and chairs. The door opened to a back parking lot.

Violet sat down in an Adirondack chair and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “You want to sit down?”

He pulled a chair closer and sat down. The flower stuck him in the side, but he ignored it. For now.

“Relax, it’s a candy cigarette.” She bit off a piece. “I figure all the other coworkers get cigarette breaks, so I might as well join. Except I didn’t want to fill my lungs with tar and cancer.” She shook the box towards him. “Want one?”

“Sure, thanks.” He smiled and set it between his lips. “So…”

She watched him for a minute, sizing him up. “So. I can practically see the questions in your eyes, might as well get this over with.”

He was caught completely off guard. “What?”

“Ask me anything, I don’t care.” She sighed. “I’ve heard it all before.”

He took a breath. “Okay. Why did you ask me to come here?”

She sat back in the chair and looked at him. “Because you couldn’t keep your eyes off me at the last meeting. I figured you had a novel of questions to ask. Most people do. I figured this would be the easiest place for you to talk.”

“Oh.” He paused. “What questions do you want me to ask?” It never occurred to Kent to ask her about her plant conversations.

Sure, he was curious, but he figured she didn’t really want to talk about it like some scientific specimen, that’s how he felt anyway. He hated people’s endless questions and would rather just let the whole topic go. Unconsciously he shifted the flower to his lap.

She took another bite of her cigarette. “Well, most people ask about the whole plant thing.” She turned to him and saw the silk daisy across his knees. “Do you always carry flowers around?”

He looked down like he was surprised to see it, made a move like he was going to hide it, and glanced up at Violet. “I thought you might like it.”

She smiled. “I would.”

“Okay.” Kent handed her the flower.

“It’s fake.” Her smile grew.

“Well, I didn’t know, with your talents, if real flowers…said things.” He almost smiled. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to give you a flower in it’s Shakespearian death soliloquy , or screaming…”

“Talents?”

This wasn’t turning out how Kent expected at all, though he didn’t really know what he had expected. It wasn’t a date, it was a meeting. She didn’t like him, she just wanted to get the interrogation out of the way so he would stop staring at her during the meetings.

“I should go.” He stood. “Thanks.”

She looked up at him and something in her eyes softened a little. “You called it talents.” There wasn’t the usual edge of sarcasm in her voice.

“Aren’t they?” He thought it was wonderful, thinking of what flowers and trees would say, though he was picturing happy cartoons with rainbows.

“Do you think yours is?”

He didn’t need to answer, she already knew.

“Listen.” She stood up and finished her ‘cigarette’, her breath smelled faintly sweet and minty when she stood close to him. “I get off work in an hour. If you want to hang out at one of the tables, maybe we could go for a walk and get ice cream or something.”

“Why?”

She glanced away, Kent’s usual trait. “Maybe you’re the first person in a long time who’s been more interested in me than having me talk to their house plant because it looks a little wilted and they don’t know why.” She held onto the flower Kent had given her with both hands.

He found himself smiling. “Okay.” He followed her back inside.

She tucked the daisy into the top of her apron without so much as a backwards glance to Kent, but he did notice her shoulders straighten and the hint of a smirk.

Kent went up to the counter and ordered an iced tea just to give himself a reason to be there without drawing attention. Sometimes he’d look up at Violet and see her smiling at him. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he did know that he didn’t mind it too much.

When Violet’s shift ended she hung up her apron on a hook by the back door and grabbed a black backpack from under the counter. She kept the flower that Kent gave her in her hands. They both headed towards the door and out of the coffee shop.

E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 5

Previously on E.A.A.

Kent arrived earlier than usual at work the next morning. He didn’t mean to, it just sort of happened because he didn’t want any empty time to dwell on the failed date. Even though he focused on trimming the plants and filling the orders for the flower shop, he couldn’t help but play out how the rest of the evening would have happened.

She would have influenced him, he would have brought her back to his place or hers. They would have made out, clothing would have been removed, and then the shock of his “inner glow” would have snapped her out of her concentration and he would suddenly find himself mostly naked in front of a girl he actually thought he had a chance with.

It was better just to leave, he made the right decision. He aggressively gathered the red tulips he needed and wrapped them in twine to be sent to the store. After checking his list, he moved to the roses. He focused more intently on work than he usually did, just so that he could get the pretend image of Bliss’s horror of discovery out of his head.

“Kent, those flowers ready yet?” Dave called from across the greenhouse.

He turned. “Nearly.”

“I need them in 10 minutes.”

He nodded then refocused on the flowers.

By the time Kent arrived home, he was exhausted from trying to keep busy enough to not think about how he’ll probably die alone in his apartment, surrounded by his seventeen cats. If he was going to be alone, he might as well be a crazy cat guy as well. He grabbed his last bottle of beer from the refrigerator and sunk into the couch. He had just leaned his head back and closed his eyes when his phone rang from his pocket.

He answered it without looking who was calling. “Hello.”

“So, you are talking to me.” Imogene sounded apologetic. “I told her not to, Kent. I swear, I did.”

“I know.” That made it worse somehow, that Bliss could see that she would get nowhere with him unless she influenced him. “Just promise you’ll lay off the matchmaking for a while?”

“I swear.” She paused. “If I came with beer and a bad movie, would you let me in?”

“You’re outside my building, aren’t you.” He couldn’t help but smile. “Come on up.”

“See you in a few.”

He walked to the door and opened it as Imogene came down the hall. She held up the beer and movie as a peace offering and he ushered her into the apartment.

She popped open a beer and leaned on the kitchen counter. “Do we need to talk about this further?”

“No.”

She smiled, a hit of mischief under it. “If it’s any consolation, I might have encouraged her to forget there was a lamp post as we were walking back to the car.”

“Imogene.” He sighed and tried not to smile.

“She wasn’t hurt.” She went over and put in the movie then joined Kent on the couch.

Everything was the way it had been before, and if he tried hard enough, he could almost forget what it felt like to be so happy that he forgot how unusual he was. The one thing he was looking forward to was the next meeting of the E.A.A.

Even if he still didn’t really know the other group members and wasn’t sure that he fit in with them, it was still a group of people who had lives closer to his than most other people he knew of. He approached the community center Tuesday night with much less trepidation than the previous week. He even smiled and said hello to some of the Weight Watchers as they passed.

He helped DJ set up the chairs and cookies as the other members came in. They all sat in the same seats as before, Kent was directly across from Violet who still had the giant headphones around her neck like a scarf.

“DJ? Can I move the plant?” She gestured to a sad looking potted plant in the corner of the room. “He won’t shut up about missing the sun and the window being soooo close.”

“Of course.” He shrugged like it was a common occurrence.

She got up and pulled the plant over in front of a window. She looked at the plant for a moment, like a silent warning, and then returned to her seat.

It took Kent a moment to process what happened before he remembered Violet’s talent of communicating with plants. She flashed him a smirk when she caught him staring. It was one of those moments when a person gets caught staring at another person, and then can’t help but continue to glance at them only to be more awkward each time their eyes meet. His thoughts were everywhere but the meeting, and mostly about Violet. Did all plants talk? What did they say? Did they know she could hear them? Do seeds talk? Does she have a boyfriend? She’s beautiful. Her eyes are amazing. When did she know she could hear plants? Could she always do it? She seems so comfortable with herself.

Violet cornered Kent by the coffee maker at the end of the meeting. “You were staring at me.” “I didn’t mean to, I just…I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

She looked up into his eyes as though she could see what his thoughts were. “You know the coffee shop on 7th? Meet me there tomorrow at 4.” She smirked and left him.

He watched her slip her giant headphones on her ears and turn on her music. Her head bobbed in time with the music and then she was gone.

Kent looked at the plant she had moved and wondered if it did actually look a little healthier, or if he was just imagining things. He shook his head and left the room. He tried to ignore the hope that tomorrow would go well, if things went well then she would eventually find out exactly what he meant when he said his but glows. In theory it seems sort of interesting, and then someone actually sees it and the interest is replaced by awkward staring and sudden excuses to leave.

He walked home and realized he smiled the entire way, like one of those poor , love-struck guys in the romantic comedies that Imogene made him watch for blackmail purposes. If he couldn’t guarantee that Violet wanted to like him as much as he liked her, then he could guarantee that Imogene would know nothing about the situation until all the cards were on the table. Besides, once Imogene knew, he was certain to be pulled into a double date with her and Dex.

Kent woke the next day with the unfamiliar pang of nervousness in his stomach. Not the usual ‘please don’t let anyone see my butt’ paranoia, but definitely more of the ‘please let Violet think I’m funny/charming/somewhat attractive/nice/not a total freak’ paranoia. He took a slow breath. What had he gotten himself into?

E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 4

Previously on E.A.A.

Chapter 4

As the night wore on, Kent grew more relaxed and more attracted to Bliss. No one else had ever made him feel this at ease. His usual anxiety about someone finding out about his ability had been pushed into a far corner of his mind. Maybe it was the dancing, or the couple drinks he had, or maybe it was just that he had spent so long avoiding everything that he had forgotten how much fun life could be. Either way, he didn’t want the night to end. He felt like he always imagined it felt like to have one of the useful enhanced abilities. He felt like a superhero for the first time in his entire life.

“Want to get some air?” He said close to her ear.

She nodded.

He took her hand and led her through the crowd. Outside the night air was much cooler than inside, though still had the warmth of a summer night. It was quieter, calmer outside.

“I’d like to kiss you, if you don’t mind.” Kent smiled.

“Please do.”

When he kissed her, her hair smelled like lilacs and roses, her skin was soft against his hands. She slid one of her hands down to the waistband of his jeans. Subconsciously he tensed.

“What’s wrong?” She whispered.

He tried to figure out why he felt suddenly tense. “We’re in the middle of the street, anyone can see.” That wasn’t the reason why, but it was the best reason he could come up with.

“Everyone’s inside, the street’s quiet.” She kissed just below his ear and he closed his eyes.

Suddenly everything lost the soft, glowing, happiness that had been there and Kent’s eyes snapped open. Imogene was standing with her hand on Bliss’s arm.

“Goddamn it, Bliss. You swore to me you wouldn’t.”

She smiled like she had a secret. “He just needed a little confidence.”

It slowly dawned on Kent that he never did find out just what Bliss was capable of and he realized that maybe he had found out after all. He looked to Imogene.

“Kent, I’m sorry.” Imogene started, her hand still on Bliss’s arm. “I made her swear she wouldn’t do anything.”

He felt betrayed, angry, foolish. “What exactly do you do?” He looked at Bliss.

She shrugged and at least had enough compassion to look like she was sorry. “I can manipulate dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. They’re the chemicals in your brain that make you feel happy.” She paused. “I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted you to have fun.”

“Does anyone like you without you making them?” It was cruel, but he was angry.

“I didn’t do anything until after we had been here a few hours.” She paused. “Did you like me then?” She looked like she might cry.

He did, but how could he believe her. “Imogene, I’m going home.” He turned and started walking.

“I’ll give you a ride.” She reached for his arm.

He spun to face her. “I think you’ve done enough. Just let me be. You’re always trying to make me happier, friendlier, more social. Maybe I’m none of those things, maybe I didn’t get that either in my genetic code.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Stop trying to make me into something I’m not. I can’t be like you, nobody is going to call for my help, nobody needs me when something happens. Goodnight, Imogene.”

He walked away from her. Anger and shame burned hot in his stomach. He should have known, he should have pressed Imogene for what Bliss could do, he should have figured there’d be some trick to it. It wasn’t the first time Imogene tried to “help” him. Sometimes she forgot what they went through in middle school when there were far more average kids than enhanced ability kids. She forgot what it was like to not fit in. Unfortunately, Kent felt like he never left middle school.

His phone rang a few blocks from his apartment building. The two mile walk had cooled him down enough. He looked at the screen and saw Imogene’s name, he let it go to voicemail. He was still mad at her, even though now he could see that she did honestly try, she did tell Bliss not to do anything. He wondered why everyone was so concerned with his dating life.

Imogene called two more times, or at least he assumed it was her. She was really the only person who called him and she had a habit of being very persistent. Maybe he’d talk to her tomorrow, he’d let her explain and he’d forgive her. She was one of the few friends he had, so he really didn’t need to go getting rid of her. She invite herself over with a six pack of his favorite beer and they’d watch crappy movies and everything would be fine between them again. That was the founding principal of their friendship; the person who messes up makes up with it by bringing beer and bad movies.

He finally arrived at the safety of his apartment. He turned his phone to vibrate so that it was easier to ignore if Imogene kept calling. He threw his clothes in the hamper and fell onto his bed. He could see his shadow on the ceiling from the light beaming from his butt. It wasn’t a glow, like those plastic stars that kids stuck to their ceilings, it was more like a lantern. He amused himself by thinking of what his superhero name would be, if he were a superhero.

They all had them, even if nobody really called them that. Dex was The Encyclopedia, Imogene was Imagination, The Shield was bulletproof, Crypto could break any code, Nitro could withstand sub-zero temperatures.

Kent could be The Firefly, lighting up the darkest of nights by removing his pants, not even remotely as sexy as it sounded. Lost your keys in the dark? Call The Firefly! Flashlight ran out of batteries? The Firefly will light your way! Want to cut your electricity bill in half? Why, The Firefly can light up any room. His last thought before he fell asleep was wondering if anyone else in the E.A.A. group had thought about what their name would be if they were important enough to have one.

E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 3

Previously on E.A.A.

Chapter 3.

Kent was barely home five minutes when his phone rang. Imogene’s name was on the screen.

“How was it?!?!!”

He sunk into the couch. “Fine.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

“I’m glad you made me go.” He admitted without any emotion at all, like a child forced to apologize.

“I knew it. Want to go out for drinks and dancing to celebrate?”

He weighed the benefits of going out and appearing to have a social life verses staying in and not having to worry about being noticed.

Before he could answer, Imogene chimed in. “I’ll be at your door in a half hour.” She hung up before he could protest.

Other than gelling his hair, he didn’t change anything about what he was wearing. Imogene showed up at his door exactly thirty minutes after she called. When he opened the door, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hall. Dex was standing near the elevators. Kent honestly didn’t mind Dex, and he wasn’t annoying about his ability to know everything up to the minute, like his brain was connected to every news source in the world. It was just that he tried so hard not to be annoying, but you could see it in his eyes. It was the fact that Kent knew that Dex knew.

“We have a surprise for you downstairs.” Imogene jumped up and down.

“Oh, god.” Kent knew about her surprises. “Please not a bind date. Please tell me that there isn’t a girl waiting in the lobby.”

She rolled her eyes. “Then I won’t tell you.”

Kent turned and rested his forehead against the wall. “Imogene, how many times do I have to tell you?”

She smiled wickedly. The elevator doors opened and they rode down to the lobby. A woman stood in a bright green dress, her dark blond hair perfectly curled, her brown eyes warm and kind. She smiled as soon as she saw Kent.

“Kent, this is my friend Bliss. We met at work and practically hang out all the time.” Imogene gushed. “Bliss, this is my good friend Kent.”

Kent took her hand and immediately felt a little better about the situation. “Nice to meet you.”

She had a soft, southern accent. “Pleasure’s all mine. Imogene never said you’d be so handsome.”

Dex smiled with that all knowing smile Kent hated. “We should walk, it’s so nice out.” He took Imogene’s hand and led the way.

Kent didn’t take Bliss’s hand as they walked, he didn’t rush into things, he didn’t want to lead her on at all. He didn’t have a great track record for relationships. Once the women noticed that essentially the sun shone from his butt, it sort of killed any sort of mood that was there. There were a few times where he was lucky enough to find someone who would only have sex if she was blindfolded. One said it was to increase the sensory experience, she also believed in the power of crystals and aligning one’s chi with the pull of the moon. That was a one time thing and for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel like the strange one.

“You look deep in thought.” Bliss smiled at him.

“Not so deep.”

She took his hand. “Imogene said you two have known each other for years.”

“Since seventh grade. She’s something else.” He felt giddy and had no idea why. “So are you.”

She blushed. “You are every bit as sweet as she said you were.”

He cleared his throat. “She said you work together?”

“I’m just a few desks down.”

They slipped back into silence and arrived at the bar shortly after. The four found a table towards the back. A live band was setting up on the small stage and most of the tables were full. The way Imogene kept smiling at Kent made him nervous, he knew she was up to something.

“Imogene, let’s get drinks for everyone.” He smiled. “Bliss, what would you like?”

“I would just love a Cosmo.”

Kent turned to Dex. “For you?”

“Seven and Seven.” He looked to Imogene.

She winked at him. “Got it. Come on, Kent.”

Once Kent and Imogene were far enough away from the table to not be overheard, he turned to her. “Okay. What can she do and which “work” did you meet her at?”

She rolled her eyes. “I met her at the job I can’t talk about, but she does work in the same office as me on normal days.” She smiled at the bartender. “A Seven and Seven, and a Madras please.”

“Gin and Tonic, and a Cosmo.” He turned back to Imogene. “What can she do?”

“I’ll tell you later. Just get to know her first, give her a chance.” She smiled. “You don’t want people writing you off because of what you can do, so don’t put other people in that box.”

He forced a smile and paid for the drinks. Dex and Bliss were in some conversation about books they’ve read lately when Kent and Imogene returned with the drinks. Kent hated it when Imogene was right, he was doing to Bliss what he hated other people doing to him.

“So, Bliss.” Kent smiled, she was pretty. “Would you like to dance?”

“I’d love to.” She took a drink and smiled.

The band started playing some underground, indy rock and people headed to the dance floor. It wasn’t half bad and it didn’t take Kent long to forget his usual trepidation and just enjoy the moment. He’d have to make sure not to let Imogene’s ego get too inflated from the apparent success of her matchmaking skills.

“I’ll get the second round of drinks?” Bliss said between songs.

Kent shook his head. “It’s on me.”

“If you insist.’ She smiled.

“I insist.” He headed to the bar and ordered another Cosmo for her and a second Gin and Tonic for himself.

Bliss was at the table when he returned. She fanned herself with a cocktail napkin. “I forgot how much fun this is.”

“Me, too.”

“Imogene talks about you all the time, says you’re one of the sweetest guys she knows.” She paused. “Did you ever date?”

“We thought about it in high school, but we didn’t want to ruin what we had. Besides, we’re better as friends. After a few days of each other, we start to fight like cats and dogs.”

“I’m glad she introduced us.” She rested her hand on Kent’s.

He smiled. “I am, too.”

E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 2

Fiction Friday!!!! Sorry for missing last week see Busy Busy Busy for reasons why.

Previously on E.A.A.

Chapter 2

Kent stood in a shadowed doorway and watched four more people enter the room. He worried that the others would have abilities that were useful, that they would see his as truly worthless. He was afraid that he wouldn’t fit in with the last group of people that he could possibly even stand a chance of fitting in with.

He took a breath, raised his chin, and did what he had done every day of his high school experience. He walked into a room and pretended like he wouldn’t care what anyone said or did to him. He opened the door and the seven people seated in chairs all turned to him.

DJ smiled. “Would you like to join us?”

The others in the room looked perfectly normal, a little timid maybe. A person with exciting enhanced abilities always walked with a confidant glint in their eye and a spring in their step. People like Kent tended to look at the ground more and try to blend in with the background. There were three women and four men besides Kent. They were average, the poster person for every man and every woman. Some looked young, barely twenty, and others like DJ looked closer to forty.

Kent took a seat between DJ and another man.

DJ looked at the group and took a drink of his coffee. “As you can see, we have a new member. I know it’s hard to come here, so I hope you can all feel a sense of home here. Let’s go around the circle and introduce ourselves.” He paused. “I’ll start. My name is DJ, it doesn’t really stand for anything, my parents just named me two letters. I have to line my hat with tinfoil otherwise I’ll pick up every radio station on this planet.” He closed his eyes and removed his hat for a moment to show the tinfoil inside. His face registered intense concentration until he put the hat back on.

The woman to the other side of DJ, was one of the younger ones, small in stature and light hair and eyes. “I’m Claire. I can turn invisible, but only about ten percent of me at one time. Like one hand, or my nose and an ear, or one shin.” She sighed. “Completely obnoxious when I was a kid and couldn’t control it.” She shrugged with a half smile.

“I’m Elmer.” He was somewhere in his forties and a little on the heavier side, there was a sock stuck to the leg of his pants. “I experience constant static cling.” His hair was a little wild, like he had an encounter with balloons wild.

Claire leaned over and pulled off the sock with a sympathetic smile. She handed it to him.

“Thanks.” He tried to shove it into his pocket, but only succeeded in getting it halfway in without it sticking to his hands.

The woman directly across from Kent looked to be about his age. She had a pair of headphones hanging around her neck, the cord disappeared to an ipod in her pocket. Her hair was dark and her eyes vibrant green. “I’m Violet. I can communicate with plants. All plants. They kind of never shut up.” She met Kent’s gaze. “Trees tend to think they’re the best, a lot of flowers are egocentric, house plants gossip, and grass screams when you cut it...” She sort of trailed off, like she hadn’t quite meant to say that last part.

Kent felt immensely guilty for working in a greenhouse now, though he did wonder what was being said around him.

The woman next to Violet was a little older and had black hair. “I’m Eve. I can tell you the exact time, down to the second, without looking at a clock or the position of the sun or anything. I could be in a completely silent, pitch black room and tell you the exact time, in any time zone.”

The next man stared into his coffee cup before he looked up. He had a faint Scottish accent. “I’m Glen.” He let out a slow breath. “You know how some people can like, blend in with their background? Like a chameleon? Or they can turn other colors? I can turn any color of plaid you could think of, which is only helpful if like, I find myself in a fabric store or the Scots invade.” He took a drink of coffee and looked to the man next to him.

“I’m Seamus.” He had intense eyes, like a police detective, and a presence to match. “Anything sticky; tape, glue, band-aids, gum…it won’t stick to me.” He shrugged.

Kent realized everyone was now looking at him, waiting to know. His palms were sweating and his mouth was dry. He glanced over at DJ.

Violet smiled at him. “It’s all right. We’re all here for the same reason.”

He nodded and took a slow breath. “I’m Kent.” He focused on the floor as he spoke. “I can, well it’s a little hard to explain. You know how fireflies sort of glow at one end?” He never had to explain this before, usually people didn’t know or they found out by accident. “I can do that, but only at one end.”

Seamus chewed his coffee straw. “So, your butt glows.”

“Yeah.” Kent could feel himself blush.

“I knew a guy whose nose glowed like Rudolph. At least you can wear pants to cover it up.” Seamus shrugged and took a drink of coffee.

Kent sighed, the relief of actually telling someone rather than them finding out was sort of nice.

The rest of the meeting was mostly just hanging out and talking about jobs and bad dates they went on and ways they have found to either blend in or find some sort of use for their ability. There was also a bit of conversation about being envious of those with enhanced abilities that were more “useful”.

“How’d you hear about this group, Kent?” Glen asked towards the end of the meeting.

He smiled a little. “A friend told me about it. She’s dating a guy who knows a lot of things, and he knew about this.”

DJ turned to Kent. “The Encyclopedia?”

“You’re friends with him?” Claire watched him carefully.

Kent hated attention focused on him. “Well, no. His girlfriend, Imogene, we’re friends. She told me about the meeting.”

“Did she make you go?” Elmer asked in the tone of voice usually reserved for conversations that involved the phrase “tell me where the man touched you”.

“No. We’ve been friends since we were kids. She doesn’t make me do things.” He felt like he had done something wrong. “She never has.”

The thing was, people like Imogene and Dex were sort of held in different social circles because they could actually do things that people needed. They were asked to help by people like the police and the mayor and on rare cases, the president. So there was a bit of a social caste system among the enhanced ability population. Most people had heard of Imogene and Dex through the news headlines and interviews on morning talk shows. Imogene could influence people’s decisions and put thoughts or images into their heads and Dex literally knew everything. It wasn’t that people like Kent couldn’t be friends with people like Imogene, it was just that it didn’t happen very often and it didn’t work out very well in the long run.

“I think it’s great, that you’re friends first and everything else after that.” Violet said. She smiled at Kent. “I think that’s how it should be.”

For the first time in Kent’s entire life, he finally felt like he had a place, like he was understood, like he was a person and not just something he could do. Unfortunately that feeling mostly only existed on Tuesday nights in the room after the women finished talking about their weight watching.

To be continued.

E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 1

Fiction Friday is finally a real thing!!!

So, remember in that post a LONG time ago, I asked you for useless super abilities, and then said I'd write a story and update it on Fridays, and call it Fiction Friday?

Yeah, so I finally got around to that. First, thank you for the superhero suggestions. Second, I don't know how long this story will be, but I'll be updating it in about 1000 word chapters "every" Friday. I'm going to try really hard to do this. Third, feel free to add suggestions, edits if you want, whatever. I'm pretty much just uploading this as I write it, so there will be typos and whatnot.

I hope you enjoy.

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E.A.A. (Enhanced Abilities Anonymous) - Chapter 1

Kent was sprawled out on his couch, the windows open and the radio on to cover most of the sound of the city below. He was bored, but worse than that, it was the middle of summer and the hottest on record. He honestly didn’t mind the heat, it was the clothing that went with it.

Given a choice, he would wear only black pants. Thick, black pants, but that was nearly impossible when it was sunny and 100 degrees. He couldn’t go out like this, not in just a tee shirt and shorts and especially not at night. It was best to stay in and be bored.

The song on the radio changed and the lyrics caught Kent’s attention. …yoooouuu light up my liiiifeeee. With a frustrated growl, he threw a throw pillow at the radio and knocked it to the floor where it was silenced.

His cell phone rang from his pocket and he was tempted to just let it ring, but he was bored and hot and had no plans. “Hello?”

“Kent, what are you doing tonight?” Imogene sounded way too excited.

He had known Imogene since middle school, they bonded by a similar “talent”, but she had found a use for hers and Kent, well, he hadn’t. She was successful, well liked (though she could make anyone like her) and had a great boyfriend who was also successful. She had her life together at age 25, Kent was either at work in a greenhouse for a floral arrangement company or at home, alone.

“Dex knows of-” She gushed on.

Kent ran a hand over his sweaty face. “I don’t care what Dex knows.”

“I know you two don’t get along, but he’s just trying to help. I care about you, Kent.”

“None of your mind tricks.” He sat up and sighed. “What does he know?”

He could practically hear her smiling over the phone. “There’s a group. They meet tonight, well every Tuesday, and today is Tuesday. People like you, Kent.”

“Like me?”

She paused, shifted the phone. “You know, with talents that, well, are unused…”

“Worthless. Talents that are worthless.”

“Kent.”

He slumped back into the couch. “No. Thanks, but no.”

“I’ll come over there and make you.” She wasn’t kidding.

He was beat and he knew it. “Fine. What time?”

“Eight. The basement of the community center.” She paused. “I’ll know if you do show up.”

“Tell Dex to stay out of my business.”

She sighed. “He can’t help it, Kent. You should know that. Talk to you later, yeah?”

“Yeah, talk to you later.” He hung up and took a deep breath.

Kent wavered back and forth between the pros and cons of not going. This wasn’t Imogene’s first attempt to prove his usefulness to himself, but he wasn’t easily convinced. In the age where people can read minds, lift cars like feathers, fly without planes, enjoy the benefits of laser vision and all of the other things that the X-Men predicted ahead of their time…he was one of the unlucky ones that got stuck with something nobody needed. It made sense, not every enhanced ability could be considered super. Some people had to be stuck with the useless talents, like that kid in elementary school who could lick his elbow. Fascinating, but after a while nobody cared and he became the punch-line to jokes and fists. Most often, when asked if he had an enhanced ability, he denied it. Most people didn’t do things out of comic books; it was more like people who were brilliant musicians or athletes or artists. Some people had it and they were special and some people were just people.

Then there were the few people like Kent, special, but desperately wishing they weren’t anything at all.

He might as well go, he had nothing to lose at this point. He found the darkest pair of jeans in his closet, tucked his black shirt in and put on a button shirt. He had to roll the sleeves up because it was still hellishly hot. He glanced in the mirror, he didn’t look too out of place now that it was evening. He was thankful that it was socially acceptable for guys to wear tight fitting jeans again, that JNCO jeans fad in the early 2000s was his worst fashion nightmare.

His last minute wardrobe check involved him stepping into his closet and shutting the door. In the complete darkness he looked to where he knew the mirror to be and waited to see if he saw anything of himself. If he didn’t, he was good to go out.

Kent grabbed his keys, his metro pass and his wallet from the counter as he left. It was two subway stops to the community center, a total of ten agonizing minutes.

The community center had been built forty years ago in an effort to give kids a non-violent outlet after school. It offered basketball courts, an assorted collection of athletic equipment, rooms available for classes or meetings and an auditorium. The hallways were dim and echoed footsteps, the ceiling tiles were water stained, but at least it was air conditioned to the point of being reminiscent of a walk-in freezer.

Anxiety tightened in Kent’s stomach as he kept walking. The sign on the bulletin board said room 217, right after the Weight Watchers meeting. The door opened just as he arrived and a handful of women left. They glared at the man holding a bakery box of cookies who stood a few feet away from Kent. The man looked normal, nothing that would identify why he was waiting for the same meeting Kent was. He was tall, skinny and wore a baseball hat.

Kent had heard about some people who were permanently lime green, or had gills and had to live near the ocean…but he was fairly sure that a lot of those stories were from tabloids and gossip. He hoped anyway, he didn’t want anyone to be cursed with anything worse that a useless ability.

“Here for E.A.A.?” The man smiled.

Kent nodded slightly.

“Everyone’s nervous at their first meeting.” He waited for the last Weight Watching woman to leave the room. “Come on in.”

The man set the box of cookies on a table next to an industrial coffee maker.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kent surprised himself by asking.

He turned. “Set the chairs up in a circle? I’m going to get this coffee going.” He extended his hand. “Everyone calls me DJ.”

“Kent.” He returned the handshake.

DJ left to fill the coffee maker with fresh water and Kent set up the chairs in a circlesque shape. He didn’t notice the two other people enter until he had turned around. All the sudden he had the feeling that it was a bad idea to leave his apartment at all.

“I’m, I’ll be right back. Get a drink of water.” He mumbled and left the room.

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To be continued next week...