On the Bounty

[kindaemissary]

Anderson gave a sad smile. "I'm not saying you shouldn't consider it an option, but it's a little rash to do it now. But it's your life. You have to be able to make your own decisions, and if you think that this is something you need to do, then do it. Don't listen to me. I'm only one person."


He knew there was probably more reasoning behind her wanting to go with him, and he didn't want to dismiss her completely. He didn't know her story. For all he knew, she could be going through the same problem he was. It was hard to make an informed decision with knowing little to none of the facts.


"Tell you what," he said. He combed a hand back through his hair. "Come with me. And I don't mean this to sound rude, but I won't baby you. I'm not going to make decisions for you. If you want to, go home and get some stuff. You could probably get another ticket since it's a red-eye. They're normally cheaper. But you can't complain to me. The moment you do, if you do, I'm gone. This is for self-exploration. I don't want to have to be a tour guide."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

She blinked a couple times as if to comprehend what he said and then smiled again. "You won't get any complaining out of me! I'll cover my own payments and everything." That was the only good thing about having a family like hers. She had a large allowances that she's been saving up for years since she was little. She had enough money on her own to get by for a couple years. "I'll meet you at the bus station in a bit then."


She waved as she turned to head home quickly. This was it. She was going to escape and do her own thing. She came home for the first time in a week and as soon as she entered her house her mother was already yelling at her.


"Where have you been? With those idiots again?! Mrs. Delprete called and said you were crashing at her place all week!" Jaime rushed past her mother up the stairs to her room and locking the door. "Why haven't you called or texted us back either!" Her mother yelled on as she grabbed her tie dye suit case and packed a weeks worth of clothes. She didn't want to pack that much cause she knew she would come back eventually.


Looking around her mess of a room, she grabbed a few essential things. One was a family picture of course, her harmonica that she played occasionally, several notebooks and her favorite teddy.


"Yeah yeah mom I know. I'm a horrible child! I'm a disgrace to the family name. I'm not going to college yet by the way." Jaime said as she exited her room to head down stairs.


"Where do you think you're going?" Her mother glared. "Wait until you're father hears about this!"


"Bye mom, I'm going on a road trip. I'll be back eventually!" She waved and rushed along down the sidewalk.


"Probably those hippie guys she always hangs out with..." Her mother slammed the door and continued to do her own thing. Jaime didn't care much on where she was going. She just had to leave... and boy was she happy.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson nodded as Jaime darted off and he kept walking back to the edge of town. He didn't have that much to do, and he knew if Jaime got back enough he'd have some time to get some shop in Birmingham before the plane. He had a good amount of food to tie him over at least before the plane ride, and he could always get some more afterwards once they got to Switzerland.


It was a very complicated situation. Not the food, but leaving. It was hard to think that he had a chance to get out before anything started to change drastically, but he was glad that the problem would be over once he left the states. No other countries had said anything about a solar flare changing people, but then again, the USA was a little more conservative these days. It was more controlling than he wanted it to be, even though people thought he only thought that way because he was young and naive.


He hoped there would be a way to get a taxi from the bus station. He wasn't taking another one of them if his life depended on it. If anything, he could call for one, but that could take just as long as the bus ride alone. This town seemed big enough to have at least a couple, and he had money to drive the 45 minute trip.


It might be easier to just buy a junk car for the trip, but if he was only going to be in America for hours more, there was no need. It would be a waste of money and time with all of the paperwork. Besides, insurance costed a fortune. Once he got to Spain, he'd buy a bike. Two wheels and energy sufficiency. Sounded like a dream come true.


Anderson sat down on a park bench outside of the station. It wasn't too hot today. Kind of nice in the shade. He checked his time on the phone. 2:30. He had time. He had to dump his phone at the airport. Otherwise they could track him overseas. It was good that he paid for the plane ticket with a credit "gift card". There was no name, no address, and no trace. It was a clean payment with no strings attached. He pushed the phone back into his pocket and set his duffel bag between his feet. He pulled the guitar case off his back and rested it on his thighs, opening the lid.


My, was she a beauty. His Gretsch G9550 was a thing of craftsmanship and technique. She was perfect. Someone that he could always depend on and someone that had always been there for him. After his grandfather's passing, that guitar was the only thing that made him want to get up in the morning.


He hoped it held the same optimism about this next adventure. He really, really hoped.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Jaime hummed along happily as she skipped down to the bus station. Along the way several people stopped to talk to her. Elderly people asking why she was so happy and where she was going. She of course skipped out on their advice about leaving so suddenly. Living in a small town like this was hell in a way, can't get away with things. She knew the one person who would be the most angry would be her father, but she would explain it to him once everything was cleared up. She would keep in regular contact of course, just not everyday.


She passed by the skate park and seeing some of her friends there who was asking if she could hang out. "Sorry boys, this girl's going on an adventure!" She laughed and waved and spotted the station a mile away. She hurried along and looked around, spotting Anderson on a bench. She went to pay for a ticket first before joining him.


"I'm here, just in time too." She pulled her little suitcase next to her and sat down. "My mom bitched at me nonstop but it's going to be fine. Oh I didn't know you play guitar." She saw the guitar case on his back but she didn't think he actually played it.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson nodded and closed the guitar case. No use in getting her dusty before a long journey. "I called a taxi, since the bus running today doesn't run through Birmingham and won't get her for another three hours. They should be here in about fifteen minutes." He smiled and locked the guitar case. He needed a coat or at least a sweatshirt. He had one sweater, but it was more cold weather material not cool weather material. It rained a lot this time of the year in Spain, so maybe that was an option. A raincoat. He added to his list of things he'd probably forget to do.


"Sorry about your mom," he said. "Parents can be like that. At least from what I hear. Mine normally understand what I'm doing and why unless I don't explain myself. They're not too keen on my trip now, but they believe if it's what I want to do, I should do it." At least that's what he figured his parents would say if they knew he was leaving the country to escape the possibility of being locked in some federal facility for chemical testing. That wasn't happening.


He leaned back into the bench. "Don't worry too much. They love you. They'll understand."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"Yeah they're just being parents." She leaned forward on her elbows and shrugged. She decided to think of another topic to pass the time. She wanted to trust him and tell him about her abilities, but she didn't want to out right say it. She needed something to lead up to it.


"So... you heard about that whole solar flare thing right?" She asked. This kind of topic was a shush shush kinda thing to talk about, at least from her experience in town. No one talked about it cause it would only bring more trouble. "Do you think the whole solar flare giving people abilities is real or some really big made up hoax?" She figured she would start off with that; see how it went from there.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson's shoulders stiffened, but he immediately relaxed them. No need to get nervous over nothing. She was probably just curious. It had nothing to do with him. She had probably wanted to talk about it with someone, but of how controversial the topic was she probably hadn't found anyone to listen.


"I've heard about it, yeah." He gripped the neck of the guitar case and rolled back his shoulders, turning his torso towards her. Remain calm. "I don't know if it's true, but it seems possible. I don't think that the government would start using scare tactics now. And if people are actually being pulled from their homes, they have to have a real reason, right?"


He understood that it was dangerous to have so many people with unknown "powers" out and roaming around the country, maybe even world, but it wasn't like he had tried to get this ability. It just came to him and to so many others. He didn't want this.


"Maybe it's just a cover up for a giant drug bust," he offered. "Maybe they want to instill fear in the public and get these drug lords to stay calm before they raid there houses and take away their families." That sounded a little bit more than a bad action movie, but it was a chance. And since Anderson didn't want anyone to know that he had this power, it was good to have something else to believe was the real root of the problem.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

She listened to what Anderson said, his reasong about a drug bust seemed to be something he kind of made up or something. It didnt click right with her.


"...I saw a little boy being taken away from his family who turned him over." She said softly. "He was so scared... it kind of... stuck with me." She leaned back into the bench.


She looked down as she saw the taxi driving on up and stopped the conversation. She stood up and grabbed her suit case. "Our rides here."

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson frowned, but grabbed his belongings and headed towards the cab. He opened the trunk and put his things inside and took Jaime's suitcase in before shutting it. He slid into the taxi and told the driver to head to Birmingham. He had enough money to cover the ride, so that wasn't a problem. A forty-five minute drive wouldn't kill his money supply.


He buckled his seatbelt and leaned back into the seat. The driver wasn't that old, and looked in a relatively good music. He had some kind of indie music in the background that Anderson hadn't heard before. It was catchy, though, and not too annoying.


"When we get there I want to do a little bit of shopping," he said looking at Jaime. "I've checked out an area a little whiles away from the airport, and there are a couple stores that I'd like to go to. I need a backpack and a strap for my guitar case, maybe some clothes, and it won't take too long. I'm a quick shopper."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"Sounds good to me." She said relaxing in the seat as she hummed along to the catchy tune. "I don't need that much." Her attitude from the conversation earlier had changed suddenly she almost forgot what she was talking about. Jaime was that kind of person; her mood changes rapidly. When she was happy she talked like crazy. When she was angry she stayed quiet and reserved, not really the kind of person to let her anger affect others. She knew she wanted to finish that conversation with him again and get to what she wanted to say, but not around other people. They might turn her in to those 'fixers'. She closed her eyes and rested the rest of the way to Birmingham.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson thought about bringing the topic back up, but he realized it was a bad idea before he said anything. He didn't know the driver. Hell, he barely knew Jaime. It wasn't a wise decision to bring up one of the most controversial topics in the entire country near a stranger who was most likely going to disagree with you.


Not a good idea at all.


The ride to Birmingham was quiet and relaxed, but Anderson's mind kept running. As soon as the cabbie stopped the car a few blocks from the airport, he reached into his jacket pocket and paid him, adding a little extra. "Thanks for driving all the way out here," he said. He got out of the car and grabbed their things out from the back trunk, setting them on the sidewalk before the car pulled away from the curb.


He pulled his guitar strap over his shoulders and rested it against his back, took his duffel bag in hand, and handed Jaime's suitcase to her. "After we pick up my stuff, we can head to the airport. I think they have a couple restaurants in there, so we can get some food before the flight."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

She picked up her suitcase and walked alongside him. "Thanks again." She said. It was a little bit chilly in birmingham but it didn't bother her. They passed by a couple stores with tvs in the front of them talking about the whole situation. It showed some protests from people who are trying to protect these people with abilities. IT was nice to see that some people actually supported people like Jaime. Of course there were many more people who opposed and wanted to get rid of them... or 'fix' them whatever that meant.


When they got to the store she only picked up a pack of bubble gum and a bottle of water and a few snacks for the airplane trip. She hated the food on airplanes cause they were so nasty. She thought about getting a few more things but she figured she would be fine until she got to where they went. She didn't know how long she would stay with Anderson or how far she will travel with him, but for now it was a smooth ride.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson found a backpack that would hold the clothes that he had now and maybe a coat. If anything, he could just wear it until they found somewhere to stay. It wasn't that big of a deal. His guitar strap was wearing pretty thin, and he was lucky that he found one so quick and cheap. They paid one after another and left the store without any hassle.


"Let's head to the airport. If we get there early will have extra time to wait, which will be way better than being rushed." He smiled and traded out his guitar straps once they were outside. "They'll probably have somewhere I can eat, but I can bet that the plane won't. It'll be easier to eat sooner than once we land in Switzerland. That's too long for me to wait."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"Man you have everything planned out." She said in amazement. "I can try to plan stuff out but fail in the long run. Like one time I planned stuff to do all day, like a set schedule. Wake up at 5 in the morning, go for a jog at 5:30, come back home at 6, eat, and then other stuff." She started laughing as she continued. "But I ended up sleeping in and watching that show Friends all day!" She rolled her suitcase along to the airport which was a good walk from here.


When they eventually got there she headed to the counter to book a ticket right away, joining Anderson as they headed to the next area to wait around. She picked up a little tour guide of Switzerland, looking through the pictures mainly. "Wow... look at the beaches! I've never been to one either and it looks so pretty!" she rifled through the pages at the different country. In the end she picked up travel guides for all of the countries to stare at them and was already planning future trips to them.

 

[kindaemissary]

"I like to plan things out," he said, and he gestured towards security and started walking towards the line. It wasn't too bad, not like when he went to Beijing for a summer, but it wasn't as nice as he'd ever seen.


When he got to the front of the line, he emptied his pockets and took off his shoes and belt. He set his bags on the line as well and walked through without a problem. He grabbed his things and finished getting dressed again once he was on the other side. Since they were through security, they needed to get to their gate and hopefully find somewhere good enough to eat.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"I'll buy us lunch." She offered. "It's the least I can do. What do you want? I see Pizza Hut, McDonalds, some kind of asian place." She scanned the little variety they had. "It doesn't matter to me much." Once they picked she paid for the food and sat down to eat.


"Mmmmm that hits the spot!" She said with a full stomach. "We have a couple hours before we board too." She looked around at the various people waiting for their planes to come, or waiting for the people they were waiting for. Whatever their reason, they were here. And so were they, two young people leaving the country. For Jaime it was her first time traveling overseas and she was looking forward to it.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson nodded, looking out from the window of the restaurant wall. The airport wasn't too busy, but a lot of the planes were leaving later in the afternoon. At least that's what he remembered from the sign out front. His plane didn't leave until ten that night and was supposed to get to Switzerland at 5AM US Central time. If he was right with the time zones, they would arrive in Geneva around noon. Hopefully he could sleep on the plane, because there was a small chance that they'd be able to find a hotel right away. He wanted to stay in Switzerland for a few days, but not too long. Just enough to have a decision and get his things together.


"We have a long wait," he said, and he pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was close to 4PM then, and Anderson had to remember to toss his phone out before they left. No need for the excess paper trail. It would only hurt him later. "I should have brought something to read," he said, frowning. He didn't think about planning for the time he had to spend there.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Jaime took a comfy jacket out of her suitcase to wear. With it's fluffy hood she could easily sleep in it while she waited. As she put it on however she felt her powers starting to act up. She cussed under her breath as she stuck her hands in her pockets, feeling them become hard and jagged. she didn't know what they were becoming but she couldn't let it be seen by everyone. If she didn't use her powers on a regular basis then they acted up on their own accord... and now was not the time for this. Around all these people.


"I-I'll be right back!" She said in a bit of a hurry. She stood up quickly and bumped into Anderson a tiny bit as she rushed off in a hurry to get to the bathroom. She pushed the door open with her shoulder and found a way into an open stall, taking her hands out to lock it as she breathed heavily. "That...was...close..." She looked at her hands as they became smooth and edgy. She took her jacket off carefully as she watched it slowly travel up her arm.


Ever since getting these powers, they've never gone past the point of her hands, and now both her arms were looking like diamonds. The lights above hitting them and making them shine and glitter all over the stall. She closed her eyes and tried to make it go away, and after a few minutes they did. "Thank god..." She breathed a sigh of relief as she tried to calm her heart before heading back out to Anderson.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson watched as Jaime ran off in a hurry, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in response. He wondered what had set her off so suddenly. He didn't imagine that she had to go to the bathroom, of just noticed it out of nowhere, but she headed down and followed the bathroom signs. He hummed to himself, curious, but not pressingly.


It was none of his business. Jaime might be his travel partner for the time being, but it wasn't like they were going to be together for ever. He had no reason to want to know anything about her, and he had no right to question anything. If he asked questions, that would give her reason to ask things of him, and he didn't want that. With his ability, skin contact was necessary for anything to happen, which was nice. And normally it was easy to brush off the feelings as if he never felt them at all.


Like when he was at the hotel back in Jaime's hometown. An elderly woman touched his bare shoulder and smiled when he left in the morning, wishing him luck on his journey. He could feel her optimism and her kindness, but he could also feel the ache of her arthritis as it progressed further into her hands and fingers. It wasn't always something that he minded feeling, but he could imagine ways that people could use his own power to torture him. Maybe that was the main reason he was running away from it all. He was absolutely terrified of what could happen. He was worried that if someone the government got ahold of him, he would be in for the mental destruction of his life.


When Jaime came back, he felt a sense of relief surge through him, and oddly enough it was his own. At least she was okay. They might not even know each other, but it was nice to know she was okay. Whatever had happened obviously hadn't been bad enough that she was hurt, so it was okay. No worries.


"It's nice to see you're back in one piece," Anderson grinned. They still had so much time to go. They could at least talk, maybe get to know each other. Besides, if he was going to be in Switzerland, he was going to need more than her name. "I have an idea, and not one we need to take too seriously. What if we did a variation of twenty questions, but instead of figuring out a thing we're talking about, we just ask about each other. If I'm going to be in Europe with you for God knows how long, we should know each other better."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"Thanks!" She sat down and kept her jacket on even though it was fairly warm in the airport. It was precautionary in case her skin started to act up again. And she thought this twenty question like game might be a fun way to pass the time too. "Alright hot shot," She smirked. She knew how to answer any question. "What's your family like? Big? Small?" She asked first, starting off with something easy and corny to lighten her mood up to say the least.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson leaned back and tried to relax into the uncomfort know as airport chairs. He crossed one leg over the other and perched his hand on his upper knee, looking up towards Jaime. Once he answered her questions, he'd ask his own, and hopefully he'd be able to get a feel out for why she had really come with him. It didn't seem to make sense that she wanted to go on a last minute vacation, or that it was August and the school year was about to start, but she kept saying that she wasn't sure. Most colleges expected replies in May or sooner. It didn't add up.


"My parents are married, and I have an older brother. He's seventeen years older than me. It's kind of weird, but it's not too bad. He was off to college before I could read, so we didn't grow up together, but he's cool. He has a partner and a toddler. He's busy, but we talk time to time. My mom's an obstetrician, and my dad's a contractor. They're pretty busy, but we see each other. Less when I was in college, and even less now."


He shrugged and folded his hands together, stretched his arms out, and looked back towards Jaime. "Why haven't you decided what you want to do with your life? Obviously, you're not that old and it's okay, but I'm just curious. Why didn't you decide to go to college or get a job right away?"

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Jaime leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "My family has been here in Alabama for many generations. My ancestors were here when the town first started and helped to build it. My family has history here." She leaned on her elbows on the table.


"My parents are renowned in the community as my dad runs the museum of history. My mom is on the counsel as well. I'm an only child and they put so much pressure on me growing up. I used to do really well; straight A's, was a member of a lot of clubs"


"Then once I got into high school they pushed me to extremes that i buckled under the pressure. I almost dropped out... but i didn't. I stuck through with it even though i hated it.


With a sigh she finished. "I still don't know what I want to do. I don't want to let my parents down... but I don't want to be the kind of person they want me to be." She wanted to add more to this since the rest of her reasoning was behind her powers, but she left it out this time. She then looked back up at him.


Getting off this depressing topic, she thought of another question to ask him. "How long have you been playing guitar?"

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson didn't know first hand what Jaime was going through, but he could imagine. If his parents expected too much out of him, too much to the point that he couldn't do it, he would not be as happy as he was. Sure, they believed that he could accomplish anything that he put his mind to, but they never made him do anything that he wasn't interested in. The first time he went to the Himalayas with his dad was because he wanted to go. He had heard so many good things from his dad and brother about how much they had grown as a person out there, he wanted to experience it too. But he never had to do anything to impress them. They seemed to always be happy with what he was doing with his life.


Up until now, when he ran away from college without a word. His mom was still freaking out and sending emails, but he had to hold out a little longer. He had to wait until they were in Switzerland. Otherwise, he might not have a choice whether the government got him or not.


"I started playing guitar when I was nine or ten. I don't remember which, but I got a small acoustic for my birthday. My older brother played, and I really just wanted to be just like him, even though now I'm even better. Guitar is literally the best thing in the world. It relaxes me like nothing else can. It's like another breed of meditation." He smiled and looked down at his guitar case, giving the spine two quick taps. "She's my baby. I bought her myself after saving up for a couple years. I got an allowance until I was sixteen, because then I was old enough to get a job. She cost me about $750, but she was damn well worth it. Still is."


He looked up from the case and back to Jaime. "Do you have any hobbies? What kind of clubs were you in during high school?"

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

She smiled hearing him talk about her guitar like that. Reminded her of her grandpa when he talked about his saxophone and she loved to listen to the music he played. Soft jazz, and whatever he liked to play. She used to spend all of her time as a kid with her grandpa listening to him play.


"Well in High school I was captain of the track team. It was about the only thing I really liked doing in high school. Feeling the wind flowing through my hair and feeling like you're running like a cheetah. Our team was unstoppable for three years once I became captain." She smirked at the memories. Her room was filled with trophies.


"That was the only club, or well team, I was a part of in high school. In middle school my parents made me join all these clubs that focused on helping the community, student council, even drama club. I hated that one the most because I get stage fright. Heh, you wouldn't think it nowadays but performing in front of people terrify me."


"What are your favorite movies and books?" She then asked.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson leaned forward, perching one elbow on his raised knee, pressing his hand against his face as he listened to Jaime. He wondered if she got the position due to being a good athlete or having good team leadership skills. Either way, it was something to be proud of. He never did anything in school besides orchestra, and that was only because he wanted to learn how to play the violin and it was like getting free lessons.


"That's really cool," he told her. "Quite an accomplishment, if you ask me. I didn't really stand out that much in high school. I was the kid with 'those well-off hippie parents'." He grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. What could he do? It was better than being thought of as an outcast or a freak.


"I'm not big into watching movies, but National Lampoon's Vacation is pretty good. They're just so long, and I don't like sitting around for so long when I could be doing something else. Something productive. I read a lot, though. I'm a really big fan of Stephen King and James Patterson, so they're pretty much all I read. I have a lot of books at home, but they're mostly thriller novels. Keeps me on my feet."


"Do you have any hobbies?" he asked after a moment. "My dad liked to knit, and my mom was a poet. Obviously, I play guitar. Do you have anything you just do because you can?"