Zoe Thanatos(11)

“Holy shit,” she exclaimed. She circled around him, taking in the 360 degrees of new environment with her jaw dropped open.

Evan’s heart beat at an uncomfortable pace inside his chest. Transporting with another person was not something he had ever done before, and he felt certain he was never meant to do it at all. Catching her on the island had been a quick decision on his part, and one he was willing to accept the consequences for. Transporting her just to prove he could was another matter entirely. Subsequently, he was even more obligated to her, creating a connection he was certain was not meant to ever exist. However, there in a vineyard in a strange place he’d never been to before, the look of pure astonishment on her face made it worth the risk. He took a moment to study her face again, and to appreciate her beauty.

In another moment the sign, vineyard and highway were gone, replaced with the restaurant, street and the city of Ventura around them. They were back in their seats, her glass of wine still chilled on the table next to their half-eaten sandwiches, the waiter still distracted with other patrons in the far corner of the restaurant.

“How did you do that?” she exclaimed with breath caught in her throat. She was looking around at her environment again, seemingly trying to comprehend how the world had changed around her so literally.

Evan shrugged and took a sip from his water glass, settling back into his seat and preparing himself for the inevitable questions to follow. “I told you that I have certain abilities.” He tried to sound nonchalant but inside he was reeling. He didn’t like not knowing what was going to happen next, especially when he had opened himself to her in a way that could not be undone.

“So when you say you caught me, you did so literally and then just zapped instantly to the beach?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. He watched her face carefully. Clearly it was one thing to explain the truth to her, and another to to prove that it really did happen.

“And you can do that anywhere?”

“Yes.” Suddenly she didn’t look like the sad girl he watched that morning. There was no more melancholy or sadness, no more anger; just pure, unfiltered excitement.

“Hang here for a second,” she insisted as she rifled through her backpack for something. Having found what she was looking for, she went inside of the restaurant and consulted with the waiter. Evan took a sip of water so as to not look like he was watching her. The orange glow of the sunset diffused into a soft blue, a sign that night was falling through the city. His eyes found her again and he realized she was paying the check for dinner. He took a final sip from his glass of water and moved to stand from his seat.

She was back at the table as he did, grabbing her bag from the blue couch.

“I was planning to pay,” he mumbled awkwardly. She wrapped her bag around her shoulders and looked up into his eyes.

“Take me somewhere and we’ll call it even.”

He wasn’t sure what was going on. She demanded answers but he hadn’t given her many, and he thought for sure she would only want to know more now that she’d seen what he was capable of. What was going on? “Anne, I...” he began.

“Actually,” she interrupted, her hand reaching up to silence him. “My name is Zoe.”





Chapter 5: Before Sunrise



The knowledge that she lied to him about her name bothered him in a strange way. Her lie, as small and insignificant as it was, happened before he caught her, before he followed her, even before they landed on the island. They were mutual travelers on a boat headed out for a day’s worth of adventure. He didn’t understand why she felt it was necessary to lie about something as simple as her name. Ordinarily he wouldn’t stand for it, but he decided to make an exception in her case.

“Zoe,” he confirmed. He gave a terse smile and tried to hide the irritation from his face. “You know, I’ve never done anything like this.”

She looked a bit surprised. “Why wouldn’t you if you were able to? In fact,” she started, pointing towards his rental car, “why do you even have that? Why waste time driving when you can just pop in and out in an instant?”

He scoffed at her logic. “It isn’t exactly subtle. How would I explain it if some random stranger just happened to see me appear out of thin air right before their eyes? I don’t just go around popping in and out where I please. Just because I can do certain things doesn’t mean I have to.”

“Except...” she started, “you did with me.”

He knew she was right. In all the time he spent there away from his own home he never once exposed his true self, never even considered taking the risk It had only been a couple hours since he prevented her from taking her life, and so far she made no attempt to try again. Maybe this was what was keeping her from making another? Despite his personal reservations and the fact that they were barely more than acquaintances, he didn’t want their time together to end. What would have happened if he never followed her and subsequently saved her life? What if she never tried to take her life at all? Would they have talked again after their first conversation?