SLAP!
"Uhh lillie I can-"
Aza was met with a warm embrace, still feeling the sting of the slap. Aza grew silent and gave up on trying to explain. Lillie clung to him as though she felt he might slip away again. Aza finally returned the embrace. She must have been worried.
She looked up at him, loosening her grip. "Don't ever disappear like that on me again!"
Silently Aza agreed and realized that he'd never been this close to a girl before. His face immediately flushed red and tried to find a way to remain calm. After a few moments, Lille looked him in the eyes. "We need to talk." She stated.
Once again Aza grew nervous. "Okay, when's a good time?" He choked out.
"Meet me after soccer practice, for now let's get to class." She grabbed Aza's hand and led him to their home room class. Students along the way cooing and gossiping about the boy that had been missing finally taking a shot, or maybe the other way around?
RIIING!
"Class, today we will be going over safety procedures in the case of a fire and..." Mr. Fuller began. Aza, however, couldn't focus of what he was saying. He kept feeling the sensation of waves crashing inside of him. That Giant Ocean of stars felt as though it were alive.
Aza focused on that feeling, his breaths became rhythmic, and he could feel everything around him, even with his eyes closed. Not in great detail, but it was as though he could feel people's presence. Strangely though, there were two that didn't feel the same as the others.
His oceanic stars continued to swell and crash. Aza could feel that it wanted to grow, but he felt that if he did, he wouldn't be able to control it. He imagined calming the sea. Sending waves to cancel waves and to try and form it into a ball like a snow globe. Like gravity on a planet, this should calm the waves? The stars shined with energy as some condensed and merged together. Becoming brighter, and more majestic.
Aza felt the swells come softer and softer, until they finally grew calm. All that was left was a single Shining star, and a perfect orb of the Ocean of stars. A dense blue aura encompassing both. Aza felt his skin tingling and felt the sensation like a budding pimple all over his body.
RIIING!
Aza's eyes snapped open. Focusing again, didn't class just start a moment ago? He grabbed his bag and headed for the locker room. The tingling was getting more intense and the lockers were closer than the bathroom. Lillie was left behind as he darted to the locker room.
The tingling was now becoming painful it was as though acne were being squeezed all over his body. Aza had never felt anything like it before!
Aza looked at himself in the mirror, he could see some kind of sludge coming out of his pores!
Thinking quickly, Aza tore off his clothes and made a mad dash for the showers. The initial pain had subsided and he felt the worst had already passed. The tar-like substance smelled awful! Aza did his best to get it off of him. When the goo finally stoped pouring out of his pores, Aza went to get his soaps. He rinsed his body again and toweled himself dry.
"Weird " he pondered.
Aza looked at himself in the mirror. He was astonished! His skin was absolutely clear! He'd always played sports and had grown accustomed to acne, as well as scars. Looking at himself there were no remnants of the former marks. His skin was as smooth as Jade.
His body felt lighter as well. Aza turned back to the showers. The goo was everywhere. Aza sullenly headed time the mop closet and proceeded to to clean up the mess. He hoped that this wasn't something too out of the ordinary.
Aza would ask his mother about this later, but hurried to re-dress and get to his next class. As he entered his next class, Lillies eyes went wide. She stood up so fast that her backpack fell to the floor.
"Miss Theotokos?" The teacher Mr. Deville turned back startled by the sudden loud noise.
"Uhh, I'm sorry?" Lillie appeared startled herself. "Sir may I go to the counselor please? She asked me to bring Aza with me as well. It's about his absence."
Mr. Deville thought you himself for a moment and waved us off, returning to his lesson.
Lillie grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the classroom. "What happened to you?!" She whispered.
"You don't even want to know," said Aza thinking back to that nasty sludge.
"I need you to be honest with me Aza!" Lillie stated. She looked him deep in his eyes.
"Um, well it started with this morning, or last week I guess, and..."
Aza recounted the events from that morning up til that moment. All the while Lillie was somber. As Aza finished, she finally looked away from his eyes. She nodded then pulled out her phone, sent a text, and dialed a number.
"Micheal, he formed a core and cleansed his pores on his own. I'm coming to you with him now." She stated and hung up the phone.
"Lillie, we have to go to the counselors right?" Aza asked in his confusion.
"Well a counselor of sorts" she said. "Aza do you have your car keys?" She pondered.
"Yes I do, but my car was towed" Aza replied.
"It's out in the Auto shop behind the school. My father didn't want it sitting in the lot and couldn't let it leave government property so he asked the principal to leave it there." She explained.
"Oh well that's nice, but where are you wanting to go?" Aza asked.
"To figure out what's really going on!" Lillie answered with a determined tone.
The two left to the Auto shop and left in Aza's car. All the while Lille kept peppering him with questions.
"Where were you really? We swept the woods!"
"How did you cleanse your pores?"
"How long have you been cultivating?"
Why are you growing so fast?"
Aza heard these questions and they only served to give him a list of his own questions as he had no answers himself.
Lille, guided Aza to the governors office in downtown Palestine. It wasn't by any means a long drive, but to Aza this felt like it was an eternity.
The little Audi pulled into the parking lot. Both got out of the car, and Lillie grabbed Aza's hand. She led him inside, all the while his face turning pink.
Aza also couldn't help but notice how huge the office was. It looked like a giant church with a silver roof and towers. It was awe inspiring for such a small town.
As they stepped through the front door Aza heard from the third floor.
"Aza, what are you doing here dear?"
Aza looked up and saw his mother descending the staircase that encompassed the open cylinder that connected the entire building.
His mother quickly approached them but Lille kept walking with a purpose. Aza, being her son tried to explain what was happening. Lillie simply looked back and told him. "Don't worry about ghat for now."
He looked at her, confused. She brought her finger to her lips and looked at his mother. "Shush" she said.
Aza grew concerned as he saw his mothers facial expression change from one of worry, to one of determination As she turned and continued on with what she was originally doing.
"What did you just do to my mom?" Aza asked growing frustrated.
"You'll understand soon." She stated.
"No!" Aza exclaimed. He stopped walking and pulled his hand away from her. "What did you to my mother? I'm not going anywhere until you tell me!"
Lillie stopped walking as Aza pulled away from him.
"Aza, there are things you don't understand. I'm trying to help you." Lillie was attempting to stay calm, but he could see the worry in her eyes.
"Lillie, what is going on? I want the truth!" Aza said with determination.
"Ahh Aza Silver, I've been expecting you!" They heard from above. As the two looked towards the direction of the voice they saw the governor standing at the second floor balcony. "Come join me in my office, I'll explain everything to you there."
Lillie looked at Aza, his expression growing calm. Had he always looked like that? He appeared to be bigger. Not in a literal way but rather like his aura was dense. It scared her. How could someone grow so fast without knowing how or why?
"I'll be up momentarily." Aza said, breaking the silence.
He looked at Lillie, then moved up the stairs with that same calm face. Lillie couldn't help but notice those eyes. Their deep, deep Hue of blue.