Chapter 24
Leo gave her an untraceable tablet so she could complete her assignments from her courses in order to graduate later that fall.
While she was a semester early and would have been a year early if Mamá had her way, Esmie still didn’t want to forfeit the semester by not finishing her courses.
The work only lasted half a day, then Esmie would set up the makeshift curtains on the windows so she could work out and practice the moves Samson taught her.
Afterward she would focus on honing her powers.
At this point, Esmie could move large objects around the room, change the channel on the tv without touching the remote, and even cook without lifting a finger.
While fascinating, her ability to partially see through walls and listen in on conversations was even more fun.
Eventually, Esmie would be bored again, searching the internet for any information on what could have happened to the CEO.
Everyone was tight lipped at Genetronetics, including Mindy and Tessa who weren’t allowed to talk to Esmie about it anymore, as well as Leo and Samson who didn’t want to involve her.
Leo still made her wear the nodes when using her powers to track her results.
Every night he checked her vitals and brought creams, sprays and pills to try and remove the purple from her face.
Nothing worked except to make Leo’s frown lines deepen.
Mamá called several times asking how classes were going, how the meetings with the Law Enforcement Lab Division went, and if she was ready for the Downtown Internship Fair.
Esmie had completely forgotten about the fair but came up with an answer her mother approved of.
Although it didn’t spread, the purple mask was still along her eyes, which meant she definitely would not go if it was present.
Sunglasses and baseball caps wouldn’t work this time.
With Leo preoccupied at work, she wouldn’t be surprised if he had forgotten about the fair was well.
Mamá also insisted on letting Esmie know she wasn’t permitted to leave Leo’s apartment building.
Esmie pacified her mother with promises she hadn’t and wouldn’t leave, which was for the most part true.
She hadn’t gone anywhere since The Bodega a few days prior with Samson.
Speaking of Samson, keeping her distance was a lot easier now with him wrapped up with work.
Once he and Leo returned to the apartment, Esmie presented their dinners, they thanked her, quickly ate, cleaned up, then jumped on their tablets to deal with whatever remainder work needed to be done.
After a while, Esmie would go into her brother’s bedroom, close the door, and attempt to sleep while her mind raced.
Every now and then, Samson would try to catch her eye or say something nice to her while passing by.
She forced herself to give him little acknowledgement.
Her heart still ached, for their camaraderie, but she reminded herself this was for the best.
The news droned on as Esmie flipped channels.
Recently, television had been reduced to news outlets, information channels, shopping networks, and educational shows.
There weren’t even cartoons for the little kids.
Esmie already heard the same news stories five times throughout the day.
She was about to throw the controller at the tv when the front door clicked open.
Samson’s broad shoulders entered first. He glanced around the apartment before spotting her and fully entering. Esmie flipped herself back to sitting upright, although it was very ungraceful. She forced the blush from her face.
“You’re home early.”
“Being several days out, things have calmed down at work. At least for me. Leo still has another late-night shift, but he’ll be able to go in at the normal time tomorrow. I didn’t want to wait so I took a cab home.”
“Has he been able to figure out how to take this purple off my face? The Downtown Internship Fair is tomorrow, and I was hoping to attend without having to wear sunglasses.”
“Unfortunately, not yet. I know he was working on another cream, but I don’t think it’s ready yet. I’ve also been running some data for options but haven’t had any luck either.” Samson placed his work messenger bag down.
“Well, thanks for trying anyway.” Esmie curled her feet underneath her and set her attention back to the tv.
“Want some pizza?” Samson pulled out a box of a pizza from a place Esmie had wanted to try. She hopped onto her knees, bouncing up and down on the couch.
“I love pizza.”
“And I love to see you smile. Move over, I’ll join you on the couch.
” This time Esmie couldn’t hide her blush from him.
She scooted over, handing him the remote.
He grabbed it, turned off the tv, then tossed the remote onto the love seat.
Balancing the pizza box on his lap, he pulled out napkins from his pocket and handed some to her before opening the box.
The smell of mozzarella and basil filled her nostrils.
“I’m surprised they still allow us pizza, considering where it’s from,” Esmie noted dryly.
“Probably because it’s a staple here now, and the people would riot without it.” Samson winked.
Esmie laughed, thanking him when he handed her a slice. She closed her eyes savoring the earthy, savory, and slightly sweet mix of flavors. When she opened her eyes, Samson’s dark eyes watched her, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
“What?”
“Can a guy enjoy watching you be happy?”
“Depending on the guy, it could come across as creepy,” Esmie said before taking another bite of pizza.
Samson pointed a finger at himself. “Me? Creepy?”
“I didn’t say you were creepy. I said it depended on the guy.” Esmie stifled a giggle at his expression.
“Well, am I creepy?” Samson rose an eyebrow. Esmie covered her mouth and shook her head. Samson pursed his lips. “What’s the opposite of creepy? Handsome?”
His question surprised her midbite, and she choked on her slice. Samson rushed to the kitchen to grab them both waters. He handed one to her. She chugged, gripping the glass in her hand. When she finished, his hand was on her knee. He sat postured as if ready to spring into action to save her.
“Thank you,” Esmie said when she recovered her voice.
Samson’s demeanor relaxed. He bit into his slice of pizza.
“And the opposite of creepy isn’t handsome for every guy.
Just you.” Why did that just come out of her mouth?
Esmie dropped her gaze, unable to match the intensity of his stare.
Samson leaned over, placing a finger under her chin and lifting her face.
“And I think you’re beautiful. Purple eyes and all.” He leaned in brushing his lips against her cheek. Esmie sighed, wishing he had kissed her.
Instead, Samson sat back on the couch and continued eating his pizza. Frustration bloomed in her chest. Why would he tease her? Was it because of her brother? Maybe it was because he knew as well as she did that getting involved right now would be the worst thing for them.
Never mind. It was better for him not to have kissed her.
She couldn’t even handle a kiss on the cheek let alone a kiss on the lips.
His mere presence sent her mind and emotions into a tailspin.
She needed to get over this infatuation with him and focus on getting her life back to normal.
Then, maybe one day, they could try this again. Esmie rolled her shoulders.
No, they couldn’t address this ever again, even if her life went back to the way, it was.
Leo wouldn’t be okay with this. Her mother would definitely object to him, and when this was over, their lives would take very different turns.
Samson handed her another pizza, helping take her mind off her runaway thoughts.
“While I, personally, don’t mind your purple eyes, I know it is a point of contention with you, so, until Leo can find something to hide it permanently, I have an idea. Considering you have telekinesis you might be able read people’s minds as well as control what they see.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, sometimes people with telekinesis can see into people’s minds or hear their thoughts. If you could, then you could blur their realities, like how they see your face. Make it so people don’t see the purple.”
Esmie tapped a finger on her chin. It could work. If she could blur people’s realities, and that was a big if. “We can try it. I’ve been meaning to ask you. How do you know so much about my powers, or even powers in general? You talk as if you know someone else like me.”
Samson stopped midbite his eyes rounding then returning to normal.
“Like Leo said before, I’ve done a lot of research on it.
It’s my job, especially considering my suspicions of Andloor Capitol trying to develop super soldiers.
It was just a thought if you wanted to try.
Let me know.” Samson jumped up, grabbing the empty box and dirty napkins, then headed into the kitchen, ending the conversation.
His reaction nagged at Esmie. Samson was hiding something, but how could she call him out on it?
She hardly knew him enough to say whether he was lying or not.
Esmie bit her lip. Did her brother even know much more about his supposed best friend than she did?
Samson divulged some of his story, but from their interactions, less was known about his background than what he knew of them.
She would have to do some digging. First, she would grill her brother about Samson’s background without tipping him off that she was suspicious.
Or reveal she had a crush on Samson. Then she would do an internet search on him.
Esmie didn’t even know his last name, another tidbit of information she would need to retrieve.
This all would require her gaining his trust. Plus, she wanted him to help her hide her purple scar if possible.
“Hey Samson, I do want to learn how to mask the purple if possible. I don’t know if I can, but it would be worth a try.” Esmie gave him her brightest, most innocent smile. Samson smiled back.
“Then let’s get started.”