Page 56 of Catching Camila

John

Thursday 11:27 p.m.

John ran for miles. With Camila clutched to his chest, her arms around his neck, her hair fluttering against his face, he could run forever.

When he’d put enough distance between them and the cops, John skidded to a stop. A few feet away, a small cliff dropped off into a moonlit valley, shimmering like a Renaissance painting. Cutting through the valley, a river burbled over the rocks. Tall pines lined the hills, their dark bows bobbing in the breeze. John strained his ears for a single man-made sound and found none. The forest sounds were soothing: the gentle drone of insects, the wind stirring the pines, and the peaceful trickle of the river. He let out a tense breath and gently lowered Camila to the grass.

Once she was sitting comfortably, he bent down to examine her ankle. He gingerly touched the puffy joint. “I think it's just a strain, but I'd stay off it for a couple of days.” He lifted his eyes to hers.

“You ran so fast.” She was staring at him, eyes wide, and mouth open.

He gave a weak smile and shrugged. “I'm training for the Olympics?”

She shook her head, her mouth still gaping.

He sighed and sat on the grass beside her. An owl cut across the field and swooped down on its prey. “I'm going to tell you something crazy.”

She nodded, staring. “Tell me.”

He scooted closer until their arms were nearly touching. The breeze slipped over his skin, making him shiver. “Are you going to freak out?”

She shook her head. “Never.”

He moved his hand until it was inches from hers. “I'm not normal.”

She rotated her hand in a hurry-up motion. “Keep going.”

“I…” He lifted his eyes to the giant round moon in the sky. “Oh God, I'll just say it.”

“Say it,” she said.

He swallowed hard. “I'm not from around here.”

Camila shook her head, her mouth tightening. “Quit beating around the bush. You ran like… You ran as fast as a car back there.”

John sighed. “What I meant to say was I'm not from here.” He pointed down. “Here as in Earth.”

Camila sucked in a breath. She looked up at the sky, then back at John. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” He clutched his hands together and tried to find the words. “I mean I'm pretty sure I'm from another planet.”

“Another planet? Like…up there?” She pointed at the moon, her finger trembling slightly.

He shrugged and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Really?” She drew her knees to her chest and hugged them.

“Really,” he said, chucking a rock out over the ravine. It sliced through the air and sailed for a quarter mile before falling out of sight. “And also, I can do things.”

She laced her fingers into the dry grass and gripped it like an anchor. “What kind of things?”

He ticked them off on his fingers. “Flight. Super strength. Super speed. Healing. That's all so far.”

“That's all?” Her voice rose.

“Oh, and I lied before about the cops.” He flicked his eyes to her face to watch her reaction. “At the gas station the cop shot me, but I healed. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

Camila snorted. “I wouldn’t know how to tell someone that, either.”

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