Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:25:45 -0400
From: Andrew Todd <atodd867@gmail.com>
Subject: The Chosen-Chapter 3

`The Chosen' is a sequel to my short story `Empath's Kiss' which can be
found in the Nifty Archives High School and Science Fiction/Fantasy
Sections. As always, if you are offended by romantic relationships between
men, you may not enjoy this story.


      The Chosen
      By
      Andrew Todd

      Chapter 3

      "Detoxed?" Alex asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"
      "Benji, come in and sit down, you look tired," Damon said leading his
son into the kitchen and seating him at the breakfast counter. "Now, what
happened?"
      "Ok, well, first, after school, I ran Oliver to his house so he could
change into his riding clothes. His mom was there. She was
drunk...very. Oliver was apologetic and explained that she had had a hard
time getting pregnant and carrying the baby to term and become very
depressed and then they had adopted him, but she had lost another baby and
become very depressed and nothing seemed to bring her out of it."
      "That's so sad," Damon said.
      "Oliver's adopted, too?" Alex asked.
      "Yeah, we both thought it was kinda funny that we were both adopted."
      "So what happened then?" Kai asked.
      "We went to the ranch...I need to tell you about that after."
      "Something else happened?"
      "Alex!"
      "Well, everything happens to him."
      "Anyways, I drove Oliver home and dropped him off. We made plans for
me to start picking him up for school and he's gonna start working for
Dale," Benji continued. "Oliver went into the house and I started to
leave. As I was driving away I saw his mother sitting on the patio on the
side of the house. I don't know why or how, but I got this feeling of
despair from her. I was scared, like she was going to hurt herself. I got
out of the truck and went to check on her. She was so drunk she couldn't
even focus. At one point, she reached up and took my hand and as soon as
she touched me it happened."
      Kai and Damon shared a worried looked.
      "What happened?" Damon asked.
      "It's hard to describe," Benji replied. "It was like I could feel all
the emotions in her. All the pain and the way she felt about
herself. Somehow I was able to reach in and pull all that out of her. I dug
around and found the love and happiness that was still there and used it to
push all the negative stuff out and at the same time all the alcohol in her
system poured into mine. When I opened my eyes, she was stone cold sober
and I could barely stand."
      "What did she do?" Kai asked.
      "She was crying. She smiled at me and then went into the house. I
stumbled back to the truck and made sure no one was looking. I don't know
how I was able to do it, or what I actually did, but I concentrated on the
poison, the alcohol and the emotions that I took from Mrs. Mills and I was
able to isolate and shrink them and `eject' them, I guess you could say, or
`dispel' them."
      "This never happened before?" Damon asked.
      "No, I would have told you."
      "I know, I know. I was just worried about this happening."
      "What is it?"
      Damon looked across to Kai who simply shrugged.
      "Alright, I've told you boys that at one time I had powers."
      "But you lost them," Alex stated.
      "Actually, I never should have had them, but that's another story,"
Damon countered. "I gained my powers young like you two did. Normally,
those in my family who got them did so around their sixteenth birthday. I
got mine when I was six shortly after my father's death."
      "Were you a telepath or a telekinetic?" Alex asked.
      "Neither. I was empathic," Damon explained. "I was able to feel and
absorb the emotions and pain from other people. That's what Benji
experienced today. In a way two things I was afraid of happened today."
      "Two things?" Benji asked.
      Kai answered, "Because your dad was so young when he received his
powers his grandfather was always worried that he would get stronger or
more powers when he got older. We have always feared the same for you
two. This is all uncharted territory. Twins, adopted, it's all new."
      "I was also scared that if you got new powers that one of you would
get the empathic powers. Honestly, I was most scared it would be you,
Benji."
      "Why?" Benji asked dejectedly.
      "Because I know what the burden of those powers is like," Damon
explained. "I know what it's like to want to help everyone and not
understand that you can't cure people, only alleviate. You guys both have
big hearts, but Benji, you're like I was at your age, you wear yours on
your sleeve. I'm so afraid you'll push yourself too far, like I did. You
just need to promise us that you'll be careful with these powers, just like
you've been so far."
      "Benji, your dad and I love you guys so much," Kai said. "We can't
bear the thought of anything happening to either one of you. Day's scared
cuz what happened to him almost killed him. We've been diligent and he's
worked with you to make sure you guys can control your powers, so as long
as we know what going on with both of you and we keep working we should be
ok."
      "Well, I don't think it's fair," Alex pouted. "He got new powers and
I didn't."
      "Be careful what you wish for," Damon warned him.
      "So you said you needed to tell us about something that happened at
the stables," Kai said.
      "Oh, yeah. It was the strangest thing. Remember I told you about
Jester, that mustang stallion that Dale bought last week. Took me and
Carson forever to get him in a corral and he's been there ever since. He
doesn't do anything but run around and buck and rear. Well, I was showing
Oliver some different horses that he could try and we passed Jester's
corral. Oliver stopped to watch him. I told him all about him and how
dangerous he was and that he'd put his last trainer in the hospital and
that Dale had said he was off limits; and then without a word, Oliver
jumped the fence and walked right towards Jester."
      "What is he, nuts?" barked Alex.
      "That's what I was thinking. Jester came charging after him, but he
was about five feet from Oliver and he stopped and reared and then he came
down and just stood there and stared at Oliver. They were just eye to eye
for the longest time. I swear if I didn't know better I would have thought
he was talking to Jester the way you and I talk, Alex. Next thing I know he
swings up on Jester's back and is riding him around the corral bareback and
bridle-less. Dale about had a fit when she saw him, but after she calmed
down she told him he could work with Jester since she figured he was the
only one who could. We spent the rest of the afternoon riding Jester and
Arya in one of the arenas. I couldn't believe it was the same horse."
      "So, he's that good a rider?" Damon asked.
      "He's a really good rider and Arya took right to him, but it was
something more than that. He's never done any training or anything like
that. I mean, I did almost all of Arya's training and I wouldn't have
gotten on that horse on a bet."
      "He didn't strike me as a daredevil," Alex laughed.
      "He's not, he's British," Benji grinned. "He wasn't taking a chance,
that's the thing; if you had seen him, he was a hundred percent confident
that nothing bad was going to happen. I would swear he was talking to
Jester."
      "Well, we talk to each other that way," Alex shrugged. "It's possible
he could talk to a horse. Isn't it?"
      "He probably just got lucky," Kai said as he stood up from the
counter. "I've got some recordings to mix before it gets too late, since
your dad kidnapped me from my studio this afternoon."
      "Oh, ho...so I wasn't the only one..." Alex laughed.
      Damon snapped a towel at Alex. "It was a massage, you brat."
      "C'mon, Alex, we have to get in some work in the playhouse," Benji
said.
      "Right."
      "Need any help?" Damon asked.
      "No, just need to work on A's control before lacrosse season starts."
      "Are you having issues?" Damon asked Alex pointedly.
      "Dad, you know he sometimes has control issues when he loses his
temper," Benji explained. "We just need to work on that some more."
      "Alright, but if you need any help, call me on the intercom."
      "Will do," Alex said as the two left the kitchen.
      The two walked out to the playhouse.
      Benji unlocked the door and the two entered.
      There was a large empty room that looked like a gymnasium.
      Benji ran into a closet and wheeled out a cart loaded with balls of
various shapes and sizes.
      "Oh, man...really?" Alex whined.
      "Ok, brother of mine, what would you like to do to practice? Levitate
feathers and empty soda cans? That's really gonna help your concentration,"
Benji replied. "Look, this has to work two ways. You need to have total
control of your powers when you're using them and when you're not using
them."
      "I know, I know."
      "When you're on the field, you can't let these guys distract you and
piss you off. Look at this morning. Mrs. Kramer ticked you off just a
little and your pen was floating over your notebook. Think of how you get
when you're playing, you could end up sending a ball through someone's
head."
      "You are just a big ball of fun tonight, aren't you?"
      "And when you're using your powers you can't let yourself get
distracted either. What if you were moving something and dropped it on
someone or moved it too far?"
      Alex walked over to Benji and put his hand on his brother's
shoulder. Benji was shaking.
      "Dude, what's wrong?"
      Benji grabbed Alex like he was a life vest.
      "I don't know. It's like all of sudden this just got real," he
whispered as he held onto to Alex. "My telepathy was hard enough, but what
happened with Oliver's mother scared the hell out of me. It hurt so much,
but I still wanted to do more. I understand what Dad was saying. If it was
you or Dad or Pop, I don't know how far I would push it."
      Alex wrapped his arms around Benji.
      "It's ok, B," he whispered as he rubbed his brother's back. "We'll
just keep working. When we were kids this was all fun and games; now we're
growing up and the stakes are higher, but the one thing that hasn't changed
is we have each other and we have Dad and Pop."
      Alex kept his arm around Benji's shoulder and led him over to one
side of the room. The two slid down and sat against the wall.
      "Remember that first night?" Alex asked. "When Dad and Pop left us
with Mason?"
      "Yeah." Benji grinned. "We had just figured out what I could do after
school and we stayed in our room all afternoon practicing. Mason thought we
were sick cuz we weren't driving him crazy the whole time."
      "Then after we were supposed to be in bed you threw that soccer ball
at me and I made it float in the air. I'll never forget the looks on their
faces when Dad and Pop opened the door and I was standing there with those
two soccer balls floating around me and you were just sitting there
grinning away."
      "I said `Hi'," Benji laughed.
      "I think that's what sent Pop over the edge," Alex chuckled as he
slapped Benji's arm. "I can still remember him grabbing Dad's arm and
pulling him out of the room, slamming the door and yelling all the way down
the hall to their room."
      " `He said this couldn't happen! Your grandfather lied to us. Look at
them! Oh, my God!'" Benji mimicked Kai. "I was scared. I thought there was
something wrong with us and he was going to leave."
      "He'd never leave us, neither of them would."
      "I know, but we were only seven and I just found out I could talk to
people with my mind and read their thoughts. I was just a bit confused and
a whole lot scared. But you never were."
      "Who says?"
      "Alex, you're never scared of anything."
      "B, just because I don't say it or show it doesn't mean I don't feel
it. I get scared all the time. That night, as fun and exciting as that all
was, I was terrified that we were freaks, that we had done something wrong,
that Dad and Pop were going to send us back, or worse, split us up," Alex
explained. "I think that's the biggest fear I have, losing you. It would be
like losing a part of me. I could eventually cope with losing Dad or Pop,
but you're more than my brother, you're my best friend, you're the person
who's been there every second of my life. I know everyone thinks we are
just so different, but I think that's why I need you so much. We started
off as the same cell and damn it we're sticking together." Tears were
rolling down his face as he finished.
      Benji was crying as well. "I can't imagine not having you as my
brother or my best friend, either," he said as he hugged Alex tightly.
      The two brothers sat on the floor of the playhouse hugging and crying
for the longest time. Eventually, they became aware of the late hour.
      "Shit, so much for practice," Benji complained as they stood up and
left the playhouse.
      Alex clapped his hand on Benji's shoulder. "We needed that more."
      "Yeah, but you still need practice," Benji insisted. "I know, come to
the stables tomorrow. If there's any place I can get you pissed and
distracted that's it."
      "Oh, come on! Now that you have Oliver I thought I was getting a
reprieve," Alex complained.
      "Eventually, you will, but you do need to practice on
concentration. If you're focusing on riding, we'll see if you can keep your
telekinesis in check."
      "Alright," Alex pouted as they reached the house.
      Benji's laughter echoed through the house as they both went to their
rooms for the night.
      ***
      Dyson sat at the counter of the greasy spoon quickly eating his
overcooked burger and cold fries.
      He had taken a bus to Oakland and planned to lay low for the night
before starting for Los Angeles. He didn't know who had killed his father
or how much they knew. He knew he had to find the five quickly, but he also
had to be careful. Rushing would put them all in danger.
      When he finished eating, he left some money on the counter and left
the diner. There was a Y across the street. He rented a room and went up
the back stairs. It was small and it smelled, but it would be safe for the
night. In the morning, he would move on. It was important that he not sleep
in same place two nights in a row, at least not until he was safe.
      He locked the door to the room and shoved a chair up under the
knob. He stripped down to his underwear and crawled under the stiff and
scratchy sheets.
      He lay on his stomach and started to review the files that he had
removed from the safe. Most of his notes were on the flash drives and he
wouldn't be able to access them until he could get to a secure computer,
but he did have some notes and photographs.
      He laid the four pictures out in front of him. The two men were in
their early forties. They were both handsome. One was blond with a dark
almost Mediterranean complexion; his husband had jet-black hair, light blue
eyes and pale milky skin. He knew that Kai was only involved by marriage
and that the powers came from Damon's Abercrombie lineage. He then looked
at the pictures of the two boys. The faces, height, hair and eye color were
identical, but everything else about the twins was different; it radiated
off the page that they were both strong individuals.
      "Why twins?" he thought, not for the first time. He and his father
had wondered for the longest time why the prophecy of The Chosen had
started with twins. Did it mean something or was it coincidence. It made
sense since the prophecy referred to the chosen five, but everything seemed
to start with the twins and the Abercrombies.
      He needed to get to Los Angeles.
      ***
      Alex, Matt, Austin, Benji and Oliver were all sitting together at
lunch again. Oliver was regaling everyone with tales of the dreary English
weather compared with sunny southern California.
      "Be right back," Alex said as he stood up. "Gotta take a leak."
      He walked out of the cafeteria and passed the closest men's room. It
was always crowded this time of day. He quickly walked to the bathroom at
the far end of the corridor.
      It was empty, so he walked up to the nearest urinal and took care of
business. He shook off and zipped up and went to wash his hands.
      While he was drying his hands he heard someone else come into the
bathroom. Before he could turn around he felt two big hands lift him and
carry him into the handicapped stall.
      Next thing he knew he was pinned to the wall staring into the smiling
face of Ethan Holt, the senior center of the basketball team. Ethan was
6'5" with red hair and a face full of freckles.
      "Ethan, man, put me down," Alex ordered.
      "Alex, I missed you, buddy," Ethan said. "I saw you coming down here
and figured we had some time for a little fun."
      "You said you weren't doin' that any more, Ethan."
      "I know, but Tif's on the rag and she's being such a bitch and man,
she ain't nowhere near as tight as you are and she can't suck dick anywhere
near as good as you can."
      "That's all very flattering, Ethan, but I can't right now," Alex
protested. "My brother and my friends are waiting for me. Besides, I'm not
really doing much of this right now."
      "Then, this will be the last time," Ethan insisted. "One for the
road."
      Alex started to speak but found Ethan's lips pressed to his and the
ballplayer's tongue trying to pry his lips apart. Alex struggled as Ethan
held him pinned against the wall. Ethan relaxed his grip so that Alex could
slide down the wall till his feet touched the floor. He took Alex's hand
and placed it on the front of his shorts. Alex was sure that others would
be shocked by the size of the cock on the other side of the cotton shorts,
but he had seen it, swallowed it and sat on it before.
      Alex continued to struggle as Ethan kissed him and moved his hand
down the front of Alex's jeans. Alex tried to yell, but as soon as he
parted his lips, Ethan's large tongue would try to find its way in.
      Alex felt his anger rise. He could see the toilet start to shake in
the corner of the room. He knew he had to try to calm down, it would be
hard to explain a flying toilet or sending Ethan flying through the wall.
      Ethan started to unzip Alex's pants.
      <<ETHAN STOP!!>>
      Ethan staggered back holding his head. "Oww!"
      Alex shook his head. How? He looked at Ethan.
      <<Sleep.>>
      Ethan slumped over in the corner by the commode.
      Alex quickly zipped up his pants and ran out of the bathroom. He
walked quickly back towards the cafeteria.
      <<Benji?>>
      <<Alex? How are you doing this?>>
      <<You're not the only one who got new powers.>>
      Benji looked up and saw Alex walking back into the cafeteria. He
could feel the anger and embarrassment coming off of his brother.
      <<Alex what happened? You're really upset.>>
      <<Ethan Holt came at me in the bathroom.>>
      <<Came at you he tried to beat you up.>>
      Alex sat down at the table next to Benji.
      <<No, he wanted sex when I told him no he tried to force himself on
me that's when I found out about the telepathy.>>
      <<Shit! I'm sorry but you need to calm down.>>
      Benji looked at Alex's tray and saw an apple starting to move.
      <<Alex! The apple!>>
      Benji reached under the table and took Alex's hand. He closed his
eyes and focused on Alex's anger. He pulled the anger into himself and
pushed his love and affection for his brother into its place.
      <<Relax.>>
      <<Wow that's cool.>>
      <<I just need to get rid of it though.>>
      <<How?>>
      <<Well it's nothing like what I took from Oliver's mother so it
should be easier give me a second.>>
      Benji focused inward on the anger and hurt and, like he had with
Mrs. Mills, he imagined them being pressed into a small ball and then
projected from his body.
      <<There that's better.>>
      <<Thanks.>>
      "Earth to Benji," laughed Austin. "Are you still with us or are you
taking a nap?"
      Benji opened his eyes and grinned. "No, wise ass, I've been getting
headaches lately and I felt one coming on. My dad has me doing some
meditation to try to relax since he thinks they are tension headaches."
      "Do you want to go home after school?" Oliver asked.
      "Oh, no, I'll be fine, besides, we're going to have company," Benji
laughed.
      "We are?"
      "You are," Alex groaned.
      "You're joining us, Alex?"
      Alex slumped in his chair and nodded.
      "I'm helping him with a project and I thought some time at the
stables would be good for him."
      "Great, we'll have a good time," Oliver said. "Anyone else?"
      Austin and Matt both shook their heads.
      "Oh, no," Austin said. "We've already been sucked into that. It's not
that we don't like the occasional ride, but Benji's a taskmaster out
there."
      "I'm not that bad," Benji protested.
      "Shit. I couldn't sit down for a week after the last ride," Matt
moaned. "And I never thought my balls were gonna recover."
      ***
      Dyson left the Y first thing that morning. He pulled the hood of his
sweatshirt over his head and found his way to a 24-hour diner. While he ate
a quick breakfast he scanned the local paper and noted there was no mention
of his father's death. Unless those responsible for his death reported it
in an attempt to flush him out no one should find him until the cleaning
lady came the day after tomorrow. He felt terrible leaving his father
there, but he knew that the mission was the most important thing to him.
      After leaving the diner, he ran around the city hitting various ATM
machines drawing as much cash as he could from the various accounts that he
and his father had set up over the past few years. All of the accounts were
under dummy names and none could be traced back to them. He had credit
cards and identification under all of the false names, but they all had his
picture on them and his appearance was the next thing he needed to change.
      After collecting several thousand dollars in cash he found a small
salon that wasn't crowded. He had the stylist trim his long black hair and
then bleach it blond. He left the salon and went to a nearby thrift shop
and bought several pairs of shorts, t-shirts and oversized button-down
shirts. He was lucky to find a pair of Vans amongst the shoes they had for
sale.
      In the store dressing room, he changed into some of his new clothes
and left his old ones with the sales clerk.
      He passed an outside mall and made a few more stops. At the Sunglass
Hut, he picked up a pair of Oakleys and at a cell phone store he purchased
a disposable cell.
      On his way to the bus station he saw some kids skateboarding. After
some brief negotiation, he paid one of the kids $250.00 for his extra
skateboard. He had no idea how to ride the thing, but carrying it with him
would complete the look he was going for.
      Dyson boarded the bus from Oakland to San Jose just after three in
the afternoon. He'd spend the night in San Jose and then travel to San
Diego and double back the next day to Los Angeles. He had to make sure he
wasn't being tracked or followed. With luck he'd be in Los Angeles by
Friday night.
      ***
      Oliver met Benji at his locker after school and they walked to
Benji's truck.
      "Is Alex riding with us?" Oliver asked when they reached the truck.
      "No, he's got his bike, so he'll meet us there," Benji replied as he
unlocked the doors and they climbed in.
      Benji put the key in the ignition and was about to start the truck
when Oliver stopped him.
      "Benji, can we talk for a minute?"
      "Sure."
      "What did you do to my mother?"
      Benji's hand dropped from the ignition and he turned to face Oliver
wide-eyed. He searched Oliver's face but saw no sign of anger or malice,
only curiosity.
      A slim grin danced across Benji's face.
      "What did you do to Jester?" he asked.
      Oliver paled and his eyes grew as wide as Benji's for a moment and
then he broke out into a wide smile.
      "Honestly, Benji, I've never been able to do that before," he said.
      "So you were talking to him."
      "I don't know exactly. Since I was little, I've always had
this...way, I guess you'd call it, with animals. I've always loved them,
but my mom would never even let me have a hamster. No animals in the
house. I guess that's why I started riding. I took right to it. You know
how it is when you start, everyone takes a fall."
      "Well, yeah, that's part of learning."
      "I never did. Ever. Not when I was learning to ride, trot, canter,
and jump, none of it, never lost my seat once. Drove some of the older kids
nuts. They started trying to give me the harder horses, the ones that had a
rougher trot or canter or who were usually too strong for someone my size
and I always got along great with them. I'd just talk to them and we'd be
fine. My instructor started calling me a `whisperer'. I figured I just had
a touch with horses."
      "Some people do," Benji offered. "Dale calls me that sometimes when I
work with some of the new horses, though I have come off my fair share."
      "Then when I was about twelve or so, some lads and I were walking
home from school. We had to pass this house where there were a couple of
Rottweilers that were kept chained up. They were the meanest things
ever. They would bark and growl at us and pull at their chains. Even
chained up they scared the hell out of us. That day they were really riled
and the bigger of the two lunged forward and the chain snapped. He took off
after us and we ran as fast as we could. My mate, Connor, was a mite small
for our age and not very fast. The dog was on him quick. The others kept
running, but I turned to help Connor. The dog was coming right at him and
Connor was frozen with fear. I screamed for the dog to stop and...he
did. The damned thing stopped cold in its tracks. Tilted its head and
walked up to me and started licking my hand like I was its best friend. It
never bothered us again. The stupid owner yelled at us and claimed I
`broke' his watchdog."
      "Did anything like that ever happen again?"
      "Just queer little things, mainly around the stables. Horses that
would follow me, dogs and cats that would ignore everyone but me. Some of
my friends started calling me `Noah'."
      "So what happened yesterday?"
      "I don't really know. When I saw Jester, I thought he was beautiful;
I mean who wouldn't, right? But, there was something more. It's like I knew
he wasn't mean or angry, just confused. He needed someone. He was calling
out."
      "You were talking to him."
      "I guess. I mean it wasn't like we were carrying on a conversation or
anything, it's more like I knew how he felt and what he wanted and I was
able to assure him that no one was going to hurt him and that we were going
to have fun and then he let me ride him."
      "Were you controlling him?"
      "Again, I don't know." Oliver shook his head. "Since it never
happened before I really don't understand it."
      "We'll have to see how he reacts to you today."
      "So I told you, now you tell me."
      Benji nodded. "Well until yesterday, all I could do was this."
      <<Hi Oliver!>>
      Oliver's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Did you just? Are you?"
      "Yes, I'm a telepath. I have been since I was seven. It's something
that runs in my dad's family. He didn't think it would happen to me and
Alex since we are adopted, but it did."
      "Alex is one too?"
      "As of today he is," Benji grinned. "But before today he was just
telekinetic."
      "What was different yesterday?"
      Benji explained about his encounter with Oliver's mother and the
emergence of his empathic abilities.
      "I guess I sort of gave her an instant detoxification."
      "Well, whatever you did, thank you," Oliver grinned. "She was so
happy last night. I think father thought she was taken over by a space
alien or something."
      "The thing is all those feelings were in her. The love and caring,
the affection she has for you and your dad, she never lost them, they just
got buried under all the depression and self-hate. All I did was bring them
to the top. She never stopped loving you."
      Oliver turned away and looked out the window.
      Benji reached out and placed his hand on Oliver's shoulder.
      "Are you ok?"
      "I'm fine," Oliver replied turning back. His emerald eyes glistened
as they met Benji's warm chocolate ones. "I told you yesterday you just
hadn't met the right person. The truth is neither had I."
      He reached out and gently caressed Benji's cheek. Both boys felt like
they were falling as they leaned forward and their lips met in a gentle
kiss.