“So after all that, after a whole lifetime of being honest, when you finally decide to cheat you’re so bad at it you get caught right away.” Flinch rolled on the floor, laughing so hard he started to gasp for breath.
Cheater laughed, too. Then his face grew serious and he looked around the room. “I don’t try to spy on anyone. I really can’t.”
“We know,” Lucky said. He put a hand on Cheater’s shoulder. “I trust you.”
“Hey, don’t worry,” Torchie said. “We aren’t afraid of you or nothing. Honest.”
“You aren’t crazy. And you aren’t the only one with special powers,” I said.
They all turned back to me. I felt like I was jumping out of another plane.
“You aren’t going to start that again, are you?” Torchie asked.
“No,” I said, “I’ll just sit here and let you set your chair on fire.” I pointed toward his left hand.
“Youch!” Torchie jumped up from his seat. On the arm of the chair, where he’d rested his fingers against the wood, a smoldering spot gave off a small wisp of smoke. “Who did that?”
“You did, Torchie,” I said. “Somehow, you can start fires. There’s no other explanation.”
Torchie stepped away from his chair as the glowing area dimmed and then vanished, leaving a charred blotch. He didn’t say anything. I turned toward Flinch. “What do I have to do? Throw stuff at you? Come on, Flinch, this is the time. Cheater has stopped lying to himself. So has Torchie. Well? As you just said, you gotta learn to live with it.”
“You’re right. And I guess I gotta talk about it. Stuff speeds up sometimes,” Flinch said. “I see something about to hit me, so I jump out of the way. Then everything slows down until the world catches up. But I’ve already gotten out of the way. That’s how it’s been my whole life. I figured it was kind of like that for everyone. Or else I was some kind of freak.”
“You’re seeing into the future,” I told him. “Not very far, but definitely into the future. That’s why you always have the flipper ready in time when you play pinball.”
“No, that can’t be it. I’m …” Flinch stopped. He couldn’t seem to think up another explanation.
“And you have a talent for finding things,” I told Lucky. “I’m not sure what it means. Maybe you sense the objects. Or maybe you sense some sort of mark left on the object by the owner. I don’t know. But it sure isn’t a skill everyone has.”
Lucky shrugged. “I’ve always figured I was just lucky.”
“You are,” I said. “You all are.” As much as I should have been thrilled that they finally believed me, there was a sad side I couldn’t ignore. I guess I felt left out. They had these wonderful abilities. I had nothing. But at least I could help one more person—someone I’d treated pretty rottenly. “There are others,” I said.
“Who?” Lucky asked.
“Well, I’m not positive in some of the cases, but there’s one person I’m absolutely sure about. Hang on, I’ll go get him.” I went down the hall and knocked on Trash’s door.
“What?” he asked when I stepped inside.
“There are some kids down the hall who want to meet you,” I said.
“Is this your idea of a joke?” he asked.
“No joke,” I said. “Promise.”
“Why would they want to meet me?” he asked.
“Let’s just say you have a lot in common.” I turned toward the door, then stopped. “Well?”
Trash shrugged and got up. I could understand that he’d want to be cautious. But as he crossed the room, I thought I saw the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.
UNFINISHED LETTER FROM DOROTHY ANDERSON
PART THREE
POWERS
NOW WHAT?
The others accepted Trash pretty quickly. I guess it wasn’t hard for them to realize they shared a rare and common bond—especially Torchie and Trash. Since the two of them had the most destructive powers, they’d gotten into the most trouble. For the first week, I had to walk down the hall and invite Trash to our room each evening.
“Hey, why don’t you come over and hang out with us?”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, come on.”
But then he started popping in by himself. I guess it had been a long time since anyone had welcomed him anywhere. I knew what that felt like.
Trash certainly added some excitement to our lives. We were never sure when he’d launch a book across the room or tip a chair, dumping out whoever was sitting in it. I learned to keep an eye on Flinch. As soon has he ducked, I knew it was time to hug the carpet and cover my head.