Bullies and Counselors: Part 4
By the time Haley, Jaclyn, and I got changed and went downstairs, Vaughn had calmed down, but we didn't get to talk to him much. We said goodbye in the parking lot and watched him drive off in his mother's Audi.
Then I drove Jaclyn and Haley home, Haley next to me in the front and Jaclyn in the back.
Typically for February, the sun was already setting. I pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward 90th Street, the road that would take us most of the way to Jaclyn's.
We rode home in the twilight, no one saying very much at first. I guessed they might be tired. I certainly was.
As we crossed the railroad tracks on the south side of the city, Jaclyn said, "He knows how to fight. Did you see it when he threw me? He didn't use anything more than normal human strength and I ended up lying on the mat."
"Lee says he's got better than human abilities uh... 'in storage' somewhere, but he doesn't use them. Something about not liking the price."
"Let me guess... The bank of powers charges fees for early withdrawals?"
"I think he said they were 'in storage just outside of reality.' I didn't ask him for details."
"He smells wrong," Haley said. "Not really wrong. He smells like a person, but... off."
I glanced over at her. She looked thoughtful, but with a slightly nervous smile.
"Off, how? Like he's spoiling?"
"I don't know. Just off. It doesn't mean I don't like him. He's funny, and he's a better teacher than some of mine at school, but I don't think he's... human."
"That's okay," I said. "I don't think he is either."
"Good," Jaclyn said. "Then it sounds like we're all on the same page. When I told my grandpa what I was doing this afternoon he said, 'You're training with Günther? Never thought I'd see it,' but then he said, 'you should be completely safe provided he understands you're Nick's friend'."
"Really? I don't know what he meant by that."
"You did tell him that we were your friends, right?"
"Maybe not directly, but it seems obvious." I slowed the car as we approached a stop sign. "I'll make a point of saying something if it'll make people feel better."
Haley adjusted her position in the seat. "So what is he, Nick?"
"I don't know. All I've ever known about him is that he's immortal, he's a good musician, and he's good at killing people. Outside of that, it's all speculation."