SAVANTS
The Chapture 24

Benedict's third oldest brother, Victor, came calling after we slept. I could hear Simon swearing as he fumbled over the dressing gown to cover his T-shirt and shorts. Sally came to pick me up.

"Not slept?'

" hasn't. What's up?"

"FBI is in the kitchen. They want to talk to us.''

Victor with a female colleague. He had long straight black hair tied back in a ponytail and wore a sharp black suit with a silver tie.

Victor was like his father, he had a calm aura, as if he was a calm lake. The guy thinks I'm more nervous. Victor tapped the stylus on his electronic memo, his hawkish face, his slightly long brown hair covering his forehead. Like Leon in Resident Evil.

"Sky." Victor reached out to me and took me to the chair opposite him. It was strange how she acted as if she was in control in our kitchen.

Sally and Simon gave way to her. "Do you mind if we record this conversation?" He pointed to a smartphone lying on the table.

I glanced at Simon. He nodded his head.

"It's okay. I don't mind." Answer me.

He pushed a button. "Recording. Incidents seven, seven, eight, ten. Interview four. Present in the room are agents Victor Benedict and Anya Kowalski and a witness, Sky Bright, underage. Also present were the witnesses' parents, Mr. Simon and Mrs Sally Bright.'

Cripes, this sounds like an ordeal.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, rubbing the tea stain on the table.

Victor's expression softened and he shook his head. "In addition to going out on a date with my idiot brother, I would say no. Sky, you're sixteen, right? What's your date of birth?"

"Nr ..." I'm rattled.

Sally stepped in "No one is sure of the exact date when she lost her biological parents when she was six. We chose the day we adopted it - one March - as his birthday."

Agent Kowalski noted.

"OK," said Victor, looking at me with a speculative look. "Now Sky, I want you to tell us in your own words, given as much detail as possible, what happened that night in the woods."

Pushing a few grains of sugar to and fro on the table, I relived the experience to record.

Remembering it in my head was like one plot frame by frame, leaving only the fact that for some time Zed and I had been using telepathy. Oh, and that kiss. I don't think they need to know about it.

"Zed said you were the one who realized there was more than one shooter. How do you know?" Ms. Kowalski interjected when I had reached that part in the story.

I wondered if I should make up something about hearing voices or seeing others, but decided that I better hold on to the truth.

"That's a hunch-you know, like an instinct." Answer Simon to the side.

"Sky always had good instincts" Sally added, timidly eager to help the authorities with their questions. "Remember how he never liked the tutor we hired for him back then, Simon? Turns out he was involved in a hit-and-run incident."

I forgot about it because it happened years ago. Mr. Bagshot made me panic-guilty - the moment I was with him was as if his emotions were overflowing and flooding me.

"Interesting." Victor put his fingers together. "So you don't see anything, just feel it?"

"Yes." Yeah." I rubbed my temples, the headache came back.

Victor reached into his pocket and took out a packet of medicine. "Zed sent this. He said you forgot to take one."

He has seen her and isn't that we'll get shot if we take a walk? The second view is disturbing. I took the tablet with a mouthful of water and finished the story.

"Are you going to arrest the people who did this?" ask Simon. Neither he nor Sally were both pale, they had not heard any details of what happened, or how close the bullet came.

"No sir."

"Do you know who they are?"

"Not at this time."

"Is Sky in danger?"

"We have no reason to think so." Viktor stop. "I'd like to tell you something, you need to understand so you can make sure Sky is safe, but I'll have to ask you to keep it to yourself."

I wondered for a terrible moment if he would tell my parents about things about Savant. They'll never trust him.

"You can trust us" Simon said.

"My family is here as part of a witness protection program run by the FBI. We are worried that news of our location must have leaked to the fellows of the people they sent to the prison. The attack was aimed at us, not your daughter, so I don't think she's under any further threat as long as she keeps her distance from us."

Simon guessed the next step. "Are you moving? now your location is no longer a secret?'

"We hope not. We all try to be inconspicuous and stay hidden"

"But it's too early to say it - and it's hard to uproot the whole family. Our preference is to face this threat, hold it, and see where the enemy's position will be." Further.

I drew a circle with my fingertips. ''And if you have a leak in the FBI, do you have to cover it up before moving or will the problem follow you later.''

Viktor's gaze sharpened. ''You're a smart girl."

"But I'm right, right?"

"Yes. We can protect ourselves better where we know it until we're sure it's safe."

"So that's it."

He got up and bagged the recorder. "Yes. You're sweet, like my dad said. Thank you for your time, Sky, Mr and Mrs Bright."

"It doesn't matter, Agent Benedict," Simon said as he led them to the door.

Sally sat next to me. Simon sat by my other side and grabbed my hand.

"I'm sorry" I said, leaning my head on Sally's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Sky, but we can't let you and Zed go out together, until the family takes care of this"

"It's not fair."

"No dear. Forgive us" Sally replied.

Unable to see Zed for such a long period of time, I can't wait to meet Zed at school to find out what's going to happen to his family.

°°°

I felt very confused when Zed didn't show up for the next few days. He worries me and I have to face everyone with unexplainable black eyes. It's really embarrassing.

"Wow, Sky, are you in boxing class?" Nelson exclaimed in a loud voice as he saw me in the hallway of the school.

I tried pulling a bundle of hair to cover my bruise. "No"

The other students were now looking at me as if I was an exhibition. Cute Girl with Black Eyes.

I quickened my pace, hoping to reach the space before him.

"Hey, Sky, you can tell me." Nelson caught my arm, not flirting but seriously right now. "Did someone hurt you?"

I removed my hair from my face and looked at it straight. "I hit my elbow yesterday."

"Who?"

"Zeds. Not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? You're kidding! Where's she?" Nelson looked very angry. "I already know there won't be anything good if you guys hook up. He should have taken better care of you."

"It's okay."

"It's okay how is it? Sky. Zed's no match for a girl like you."

"It was an accident."

"So how did you get this bruise?" He put his hand on the door, not letting me into the classroom. "How did you get hit by his elbow?"

What can I say? We're being targeted by a killer? It would be like lighting a box of fireworks throughout a school meeting.

"We were chatting in the forest and I kind of fell towards him. Nelson, can you let me in? It's bad enough to look stupid in front of other students, I don't want to be late either."

Nelson lowered his hand. "But I'm protecting you, remember? You're a friend of someone I like. It may have been an accident but I didn't see it here and check if you're okay. I'll talk to Zed."

"Don't."

"There's nothing you can do to stop me, Sky"

So now there's something else I'm afraid of, Nelson's going to scold Zed or maybe hit him but I'm not sure if Nelson can hit Zed.