Chapter 1

An arctic wind slammed against my marshmellow of a winter coat that made me look like a big blue thing waddling around campus. I would take the comfort of the warm coat over the lack of fashion statement it made, but it didn’t protect against the cold in the least. The wind blew right through the thick layers, through my sweater, t-shirt, and tank top right to my bones. December was proving to be brutal and winter hadn’t even officially started yet. Cold or not the crowds of interested students gathered across the street from the Aqua Complex or Plexie, as many people called it. Each of them curious and anxious to find out the juicy details about what happened last night. From what I could tell the fire hadn’t woken anyone when it happened, but this morning the campus was abuzz. It started with the early birds waking to get a start on studying, the moment one of them noticed the emergency vehicles by the Plexie news spread like–for lack of better phrasing–wildfire.  Everyone from the studious morning groups to the all night party-goers were about, whispering in large groups coming to their own theories and conclusion to what was happening at the complex. Some of the brave more annoying class clowns took turns yelling questions at passing police or firemen. None of them answered with anything more than a shake of their heads while continuing about their business.

I woke shortly before dawn, when the sun started to lighten the sky and chase away the shadows of night, shocked to find myself on my former roommate’s bed among my collection of clean clothing. There was one problem with the bed. I couldn’t figure it out right away, there was too much disoration from having woken, and an ache in both my head and wrist. The wrist didn’t surprise me since I broke it, twic, last year, but my head as another matter. It felt a little like whiplash. When a little of my wits returned I noticed the bed I was on had collapsed, the wooden legs had splintered and snapped apart. Whatever happened last night did a number on me and my room. As I thought it, memories of the explosion came racing back and I was on my feet in a matter of seconds, scrambling across the room, up onto my own bed, and nearly falling into the window to see the ruination from last night. There had to be a mess after the explosion, I was surprised my windows were intact since the blast sent me across the room. I readied myself for the devastation on campus, almost hoping finals would be pushed back due to the incident, but there was no destruction to be seen. When I looked out the window the Plexie was still standing with no real outward indication of an explosion of any type. How was that possible?

Right away I felt panic knot my chest, disbelief halting my slight bit of a disappointment. Without thinking I turned from the window, grabbed up my jacket and bookbag, nearly tripped over my half tied shoes and raced from my dorm. This wasn’t right, none of it was right. I still couldn’t believe it was standing right across the street, minimal damage. I saw an explosion. A big powerful explosion.

Emergency vehicles had slowly started to dwindle after the sun rose, and now they were down to a handful of police, campus security, and one fire truck. The firemen packing up the long hose which streamed out of the Plexie and to the back of their truck. Some remiments of water dripped from the end as it emerged from the broken doors of the building.

There should be more damage.

Aside from some melted windows on the higher levels there was no identaction of destruction, but I saw it… 

Did I really see something or was I dreaming again?

No, I felt it too! The sudden impact and being thrown from the window and those colors. . . those flames. Someone else must have seen it.

“Miss Morris, always where there is some troubles going on,” Chief Rogers joked as he approached from across the road. 

For a moment the chatter among the huddled groups of students behind me hushed before roaring back to life. No doubt adding me into the rumor mill. The blue marshmallow girl with the inside man, that was all I needed to end my semester. Random people asking me questions I had no answers to.

“Trouble?!” I asked with a quivering chuckle as he stood before me. “I don’t know anything about trouble. Just came to see what everyone was gawking at.” 

Chief Rogers put his hands on his hips in that powerful cop stance which projected authority, but his power-stance did nothing to hide the wear on his face. To say the last year was hard on him wouldn’t be a fair assessment. Impossible for a man like him. Someone used to being in control watching his town fall into chaos and fear. Those black dogs did a number on everyone living in Portstown, including the Chief’s son, Carl. 

Everyone in town knew the Chief and his son, it had been the two of them since Chief Rogers moved back to Portstown years ago. Carl was his whole world, and to have him–

Don’t think about it. 

I reprimanded myself, because if I traveled down those memories there would be no stopping the guilt or the tears that followed. I would end up throwing myself at the old man and hugging him while sobbing uncontrollably. Screaming how sorry I was for his son’s inability to walk, or follow his father in law enforcement, because that was Chief Rogers’ and Carl’s dream, and I took that away from both of them. Damn me. 

Dark circles rimmed the Chief’s eyes, and the wrinkles on his face had deepened over the last year. More gray now dusted the hair sticking out from under his big rimmed chief hat. Everyone thought the old chief was going to call it quits after last year, but he didn’t miss a beat. He saw this place as ‘his’ town, and by god he was going to serve it till he couldn’t any longer.

“Nah, I know,” he replied with a chuckle. “You’ve been keeping clean. I know.” he offered with a wink and I didn’t know what to think about that. 

“Ya’ll’s chemistry department was missing some of that sodium stuff. Kind that blows in water. Seems it was found last night.” 

Before I was waiting on edge to hear the news, hoping the oldman would slip up and let something out. Not that he ever did, but there was always the possibility and I was hoping for. . . Well, I don’t know what. Something more than a bunch of kids throwing sodium into the pool. Must have been a big bunch to damage the upper windows like it did.

“That’s it, huh?” I muttered looking over the building again, heartily disappointed.

“Yes, sir. Nothing much going on like usual,” he said the last part louder so the chattering masses could hear. “Just some students conducting their own experiencements.” 

Groans sounded behind me, I felt their disappointment. The wonder of the unknown now solved and as always, the truth was less glamorous than fiction. 

“You keepin good Miss Morris? Getting those good grades,” the Chief asked, making small talk. Normally I didn’t mind small talk, it was something to pass the time, and indulging the old man seemed fine by me until I looked at the windows again.

“Sure am,” I replied on autopilot. Something about those upper windows had been bothering me since I arrived on the scene, and when I looked again it clicked. The Chief was lying, there was no explosion. Well there might have been, but something else was going on because those upper windows, in fact all the windows, were not cracked or blown out like would be normal with an explosion. They were melted.

Melted?!

The realization fluttered in my chest, the mystery was back on. It could be as simple as students playing around in the Plexie or could be something more. The thought of which brought an energy to my tired body and I started thinking about those different colors and the rush I felt watching them. I wondered how hot the fire had to be to melt those windows? I would think fairly, but that would depend upon what kind of glass the windows were made out of.

“You should stop by sometime,” Chief Rogers was still going on. “Do Carl some good with company. Especially you.”

Was he still talking?

“Oh, uh. . . Yeah, I’ll try after finals. On my break,” I plain-face lied to the chief. I couldn’t go see Carl. To face him after what happened. I had no right, and I could only imagine how much he must hate me for hesitating as I did. It’s because. . . no, there was work to do. No trips down the darken forested lane of memories.

I gave Chief Roger’s a polite nod and turned to leave as something, or rather someone caught my eye. There was no missing that caramel hair, olive skin, and mocha colored eyes among the pale white towns’ people in police uniforms.

Gwen. . . 

If she was here looking into the Plexie event something was up. Something not of this world and suddenly I didn’t want to know what happened. My stomach dropped out of my body and my head started to swim in a haze. Was it all starting again?

Copyright J.N. Sheats 2022