Symbiosis by Timothy W. Long

Author:Timothy W. Long [Long, Timothy W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-02-25T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

Two hours later, his Mom knocked on the door. He opened it and offered her a reassuring smile.

“I’m worried. Are you okay?”

“Fine, Mom. Just listening to the news. The stuff is still pretty far away from us. Do you think it's terrorists?”

“I don’t know.” His mother’s words came out slurred. “I’m going to lay down for a little bit. Do your homework and don’t stay up too late.”

“Mom. I don’t think we’ll have school tomorrow. You probably can’t go to work either.”

“I have to. There’s a report due and I didn’t have time to finish it today,” she said. Her breath smelled strongly of alcohol.

“Okay. See you in the morning, Mom,” Bryon said, to get her out of his hair.

“I mean it. Do your homework. This will probably all blow over tonight and everything will be back to normal tomorrow.”

“I don’t think so, Mom. There’s like a war or something going on. We might have to dig in or run.”

“Don’t be silly. I don’t pay tax dollars so we have to run. I pay tax dollars so we are protected,” she said, and smiled, then staggered down the hallway toward her room.

Bryon shook his head in dismay. She was drunk, that much was clear, but she should know that this was anything but normal.

He’d been trying to use his phone as a hotspot while their high-speed was down, but it kept disconnecting, so his internet was intermittent at best. His home computer was a hand-me-down from five years ago, useless for gaming. He used it only when he had to, but with a broken laptop, it was the best he could do for now.

Bryon practiced floating, a few times. It was easy to rise, but not so easy to set his feet back down. He had to concentrate, and will himself to drop like a feather, but he was not a small guy. More often than not, his efforts found him slamming to the floor. Finally, his mother came to investigate. He knew this because from the noise outside his bedroom door, it sounded like she stumbled up the stairs.

She looked harried. Her hair, normally swept back and brushed, stood out in places. She'd tied a hasty ponytail, but the curls in front weren't playing along.

"Bryon, what is all that noise?" she said.

"Sorry, Mom. I can't sleep."

"Well, I can't sleep either, with all this racket. And take a shower. Your hair is a greasy mess," she said and slammed the door.

He should be out practicing with his new powers, but he was scared to leave the house. What if the stuff in Seattle was spreading? What if the cops were coming for him? What if an actual alien showed up and tried to destroy him?

He was nowhere close to being ready to test his powers in a battle. In his mind, he needed a trainer. Or lots of practice, like Spider-Man. Not that he was going to start climbing walls anytime soon, but he sure as hell might be able to float up the side of one.

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