Rift Pt. 02

"I know with you on the team, they'll win," she says.

"Of course, I never lose," I declare. She lets out a little giggle. "You find that funny?"

"No. I just think that your confidence is so sexy."

"Oh..." I can feel the heat rush to my face. Why do I feel this way when I'm around her. My heart beats faster. My hands get all clammy and I get all hot and bothered. Now all I can think about is ripping her clothes off and depositing my seed in that perfect ass of hers. "Fine... I'll do it. I'll play that stupid game."

She smiles. "Yay!"

She springs into me and wraps her arms around my shoulders. "You won't regret it."

After School

Once the final bell rings, Mackenzie drags me out to the football locker rooms. "Now go in there and tell him you want to play. I'll stay and watch you practice."

"You don't have to do that," I sigh.

"I want to. Why wouldn't I want to see my sexy boyfriend getting all hot and sweaty," she says.

Once again I find my heart rate rising. My face heats up as if the sun is focusing all its rays on me. "Fine."

I march into the locker room as all the weaklings take notice. The fat coach looks up and me with a look of excitement. "I'll play your stupid game."

"You don't have to get all excited," says a guy wearing the same hat and also has a whistle around his neck. I give him a glare that could freeze the seven hells.

"Well, it's good to have you on board. You won't be able to play on Friday because you have to have 3 days of conditioning, but you'll be able to play next week," he says.

"Wait, you're saying I won't even be able to play?" I ask.

"Well, you have to go through three days of conditioning before you can play. It's the rules and unfortunately, our next game is on Friday. Including today, that's only 2 days of conditioning. Also, you still need to learn the plays," he says.

I cross my arms. "It'll take me less than a few minutes to learn all your tactics."

"We'll see," coach number 2 says.

"Well, why don't you get changed into some gym clothes and we'll get you a helmet. After practice we'll get you the rest of your equipment," he says.

"Whatever," I sigh.

"Hey, no need for the attitude," coach number 2 says.

I follow the coach number 2 out to the equipment room and he gives me a helmet. Not that I'd need one.

As I join the other players out on the practice field, they stare at me as if I'm one of those... Bears or whatever those large animals are called on this planet. The ones that strike fear into the hearts of these earthlings. I can hear one kid with blonde hair mutter to another kid. "If he thinks he can just walk on this field and take the starting quarterback position, he's got another thing coming."

Stupid human, I'll crush you under the weight of my thoughts. I'll take your mind and rupture all your veins until you're bleeding from the inside. But that would upset Mackenzie even though they all hate her, she doesn't seem to hold any ill will towards any of them. I will admit that I'm going to revel in defeating this arrogant piece of trash and yes, I do intend to claim the quarterback position and anything else I want.

Mackenzie walks up and sits off near the side. She waves at me with a shining bright smile.

"What is she doing here?" someone asks.

"Don't you mean he? He's a fucking dude," says the blonde-haired piece of trash.

"Say one more thing about her and I'll rip your brain out of your head," I growl as I glare at him.

"Bring it on," he says. "You're not so tough. I could take you."

Just then the coaches pull up in a car and get out and head towards us.

"Great, I see you've all met your new teammates. Everyone, say hello to Jordan Taylor," the fat human says as he hustles out onto the field. He must be their leader. The general of this team.

"Coach, is he automatically going to be QB? Why can't we have a tryout? I can beat him," the blonde-haired pretty boy says.

"Yea!" another kid says behind him.

"If you think you can beat him, then we'll have a tryout. I suppose it's only fair," the fat coach says. "Who else would like to try for the position?"

A few others raise their hands.

"Alright, for those who want to try out, line up at the 30-yard line," he says.

I join the 6 other players that run out to line up at the 30-yard line. "Really Morgan?" Asks a kid. "You're our best wide receiver."

"Hey, man, what can I say? I'm greedy," the tallest kid on the field says as he lines up on the line. He's got dark chocolate skin and a careless smile.

"I'm surprised you're not out there, Stan?" someone blurts out.

"The running back position is mine. No one will ever outrun me," a redheaded kid says as he holds his helmet.

"Alright, here's the drill. Each of you get ten attempts to see how many times you can hit the crossbar of the goal post," says the skinny man as he holds a bag of the oddly shaped balls. "From there, the ones who hit it the most will then throw pass routes to the rest of you."

"The rest of you go catch the balls," coach number 1 says. The people who aren't on the line run past the goal post. "Now get in a single file line behind Ken in the center."

We follow suit and I end up last. He hands the golden-haired piece of trash the first ball and he wipes it at the goal post. It goes sailing between the two poles, completely missing the post. After 10 attempts, he hits 5 of them. He holds his head up high with a smirk on his face. "Beat that."

Are you kidding me? You only hit it 5 times. That's horrible. The kid behind him, a tall well-built kid nearly misses every throw. He walks away laughing. "I guess I'll just stick with the full-back position."

A small caramel skin colored kid goes after him and actually does miss every pass. This is pathetic. He walks away with his shoulders slumped. "Why did you even try?" the golden-haired walking trash bag asks. "That was awful, my left arm could have done better."

The tall dark-skinned kid goes next and hits the goal post 7 times out of 10. "Dude, that was incredible!" says a kid standing in front of me.

"Eh, it was nothing," he says as he walks off nonchalantly.

A short fat chubby kid goes next and can barely even get the ball to the post, let alone hit it. "Haha, tubby can't even throw the ball," says the blond-haired human filth.

The kid in front of me goes next and hits it 4 times. "I did a lot better than I thought I would," he smiles as he joins the rest.

Finally, it's my turn. "Go Jordan!" I hear my slave shout as she watches off to the side.

The kids all snicker. "Look he's got a tranny cheering squad," says the stupid blonde haired kid. I'm going to kill him.

"That's enough, Ken," the skinny coach says.

I walk up and grab the ball and pelt the crossbar, ricocheting the ball halfway out into the parking lot. I hit it in the same spot every time and I never miss.

Everyone goes silent with gaping jaws once I finish

"Alright, time for round two," the skinny man says. "Ken, Morgan, Chris, and Jordan line up here. The rest of you line up over here. You're going to run a post route. You'll run 20 yards and cut in towards the middle of the field at an angle."

"Ken you're first," he says, tossing him the ball. Ken hikes it and steps back as the tubby kid runs up the field. After twenty yards, he turns at about a 45-degree angle towards the goal. Ken passes it to him as soon as he turns, bouncing the ball of the kid's helmet. Everyone starts laughing.

"Come on fatass, catch the ball. You're making me look bad," the blonde-haired piece of shit says.

"20 pushups, Ken. Don't talk to your teammates that way," the skinny coach says. "Morgan, you're up next."

The blonde-haired arrogant little shit drops to the ground and starts pushing up against it as he mumbles a slew of unintelligent derogatory insults.

The tall chocolate-colored kid goes next and throws a perfect pass to the short caramel-colored human. He bobbles it and drops it. "Aw, come on man. You gotta catch that."

After him, the one referred to as Chris goes. He overthrows his target by 5 yards.

Now it's my turn. I take the pointy ball as a tall, broad-shouldered, big belly, dark chocolate skinned kid lines up. He bumbles down the field. Definitely a big enough target. I wipe the ball at him as soon as he turns in. It crashes into his chest and lifts him off his feet and onto his ass. Amazingly he caught the ball though.

Once again, everyone is speechless. "Damn, he's got a cannon," someone says.

"Can we stop with the profanity," the big coach says.

"You don't have to throw it so hard," the skinny human coach says. I shrug him off.

We continue to take turns throwing passes and I continue to pelt these humans with the ball. I never miss. But most of them can't even catch the ball. Although, the short fat one caught it with his helmet. I don't think that was on purpose. Most of them get knocked off their feet.

"You can ease up this time, you don't have to throw a bullet everytime," the coach says.

Is he seriously asking me that? If they aren't strong enough to catch the ball, then they shouldn't have the position. I'm just weeding out the weak.

Time to show these insects what true power is. If they think I was throwing it like a bullet before, wait until they see this one.

As soon as he's about to turn the corner, I wind up and I heave the ball so hard it felt like a cannon went off. The ball hits the kid's helmet so hard it knocks him off his feet. If I would have used any more of my strength behind that throw, I could've taken the human's head off.

Let that be a lesson to them, never tell me what to do.

To my surprise, the earthling is still conscious. He rolls over and slams his fist against the ground. "I want another try." He yells as he points at me.

"Fine," coach number 2 says. "Don't throw it so hard this time."

"What! Are you kidding me! I want him to throw it harder. I swear I'm catching it this time," he growls. Finally a human with some fight in him. "That's a promise!"

I hike it once more and he sprints as fast as he can, which if I'm being honest, is a lot faster than any other human I have seen thus far, just as he turns I throw just as hard as I did before. The ball bounces off his chest and still manages to knock him over.

"One more time!" The kid screams as he pushes his way off the ground. "I know I can do it this time."

Is this kid crazy? Fine, if he wants his head knocked off, that's what's going to happen. I'm not messing around this time.

Once more, I hike the ball and he goes running as hard as he can down the field. Faster than before. Almost like a lightning bolt. I wait until I see the whites of his eyes. I want him to be as ready as he'll ever be before I put a hole in his chest.

I wind up just as his pupils meet mine. Like a spaceship breaking the sound bearer, the air around me even exploded out of the way. Before anyone could blink, the ball drilled into his chest and blew him off his feet. Everyone around let out a gasp as he slammed into the ground.

Coach 2 rushed over to him. He almost caught the ball! Even without catching the ball, I'm actually impressed that he's still conscience, let alone still alive. Not even a bone broken. I'm intrigued.

Even so, he still manages to roll onto his hands and knees. "Again!" he screams.

"That's enough," Coach number 2 says. "We need to move on."

"Come on Stan, you can't even catch a pass?" The annoying blond kid says. I can't stand the sound of his voice.

"Let's see you try to catch one," the kid says before he turns to me. "This isn't over. I'll catch all your passes. That's a promise."

"We'll see about that," I say.

"Dude, the point is to throw a pass that they can catch. We're your teammates, not your enemies," the tall dark chocolate kid says. I believe they called him Morgan.

"Everyone is my enemy."

After practice ends, I get in the car with Mackenzie. "You were amazing out there, but maybe instead of pushing your teammates away, you could try making them your friends."

"Why would you want that? None of them like you?" I say as I pull out in her car.

"None of them even know me. Once they actually get to know the real me, they'll come around," she says with a smile. "Now, let's go back to my house, you could use a bath. Let me clean you up. And I'm also craving that dick of yours."

She leans over and places a kiss on my cheek. I sigh and press the gas peeling out of there, leaving a cloud of smoke in my wake. The device the old man gave me vibrates in my pocket. I open it up and answer it. "Hey, it's just me. The old man as you like to refer to. Just wondering if you'll be home for dinner?"

"I'm with Mackenzie."

"Why don't you invite her over," he says.

I turn to Mackenzie. "The old man's inviting you over for dinner. Do you want to go?"

"Sure!" she says with a delighted smile.

"We'll be over in 5 minutes," I say as I end the call and whip it around and drive in the opposite direction to the old man's house.

"Can you please not do that again!" Mackenzie complains.

I let out a sigh. "Relax."

Back at the Old Man's House

As we walk into the old man's house, his woman has the table set. "Hey, dear. It's good to see you, Mackenzie," the woman says.

"You as well, Mrs. Taylor," she replies. "Thank you for inviting me over for dinner."

"You're very welcome," the old woman says. "I'm happy Jordan and you have become friends."

"We're actually dating now," Mackenzie says as she latches onto my arm.

"Oh, that's nice. Jordan could really use someone special. He's had a rough life," she says. Mr. Taylor lets out a forced cough.

"Don't worry Mr. Taylor, Jordan's already told me everything. I know he's not from this planet," Mackenzie says.

"Oh..." the old woman says wide-eyed.

"Jordan! I told you not to tell anyone," the old man says.

"Don't worry Mr. Taylor, I won't tell anyone. I promise. He saved my life."

"Is that so?" the old woman says.

"A car lost control and was heading right for me. Jordan swept me up with his powers. Before I knew what happened, I was in his arms floating 40 yards off the ground."

The old man lets out a long sigh. "What if someone saw you. Or caught you on camera."

"I couldn't just let her die."

"Of course not. But if people find out about you. Who knows what the government will do."

"Let them try. I'll destroy anyone who goes against me."

"Relax, he was in his armor. I doubt anyone would have recognized him. Although, he didn't cover his face, but at 40 yards off the ground, it'd be hard to see his face. Especially at night."

"Listen, I'm glad you saved her, but you have to be careful. I'm not opposed to you using your abilities for the common good. You just can't let anyone know who you are. You have to protect yourself," the old man says.

"Well, dinner is ready," the old lady says as she brings out a big dish of what she refers to as pasta.

"Wow, it looks delicious!" Mackenzie says.

"Thank you, dear," the old woman says as she dishes us all a plate.

"So, Mackenzie. How is your mother holding up? I know how tough it can be without having a father around. Mine also died when I was young," he says.

"Honestly, she's not doing all that well," she says.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Maybe we can stop by and bring her dinner," the old woman says.

"That's okay. She's usually in a drunken stupor and when she's not drunk, she's high on pills," Mackenzie says.

"That's... That's terrible. That's no place for a teen to grow up in. Do you have anyone looking after you?" the old woman asks.

"Actually I do." Her gaze shifts over to me. "Jordan has really gone out of his way to help me. I feel so fortunate to have him in my life."

"As sweet as that is, you really need an adult to look after you. A parent."

"Hey! I have lived longer than any of you humans," I say.

"Have you ever looked after someone? Raised a child? Been responsible for another person's life?" she asks.

"I have been responsible for many people's lives. I have commanded a full contingent of Novalan's to victory over the Cotholians."

"That's nice and all, but that isn't what being a parent is about. Being a parent isn't about commanding them. It's about raising them to be good people. It's about providing them with guidance, safety, security, love, and care. Something I don't think you have ever experienced before now."

"What good will any of those do on the battlefield? What good will those do against the monster that took my people from me?" I slam my fists against the table as I stand up. "You humans have no idea the dangers out in the universe. You sit here in the comfort of your homes without a care in the world. One day monsters will be at your doorstep. Will love save you from then?"

"Jordan. I know your hurting..." she goes to say.

"You know nothing!" A tear slowly falls from my cheek. I close my eyes as Xarla beautiful face shows up in my mind. I see her as fierce as ever. She didn't once run away from a battle. Even when death stared her in the face. Even when the monster responsible stood in front of her. She stood her ground. She died fighting. The mainframe showed me this. And I wasn't there to protect her. I couldn't keep her safe. Just like I won't be able to keep Mackenzie safe from that monster. I wipe the tears away from my face and walk away from the dinner table.

I hear the girl follow me as I walk into my room. I sit on my bed and she sits down next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know... You asked me once if I ever was in love. The truth is I was. She was a warrior like me. She was strong and brave and she fought to the end."

"What was her name?" Mackenzie asks.

"Xarla. We trained together. We fought alongside each other and saved each other on numerous occasions."

"Did she perish with the rest of your species?" she asks.

"Yes," I nod.

"I'm sorry," she says. She leans into me and wraps her arms around me.

"What do you have to apologize for?" I ask.

"For your lost. I can't imagine what you're going through," she says, kissing my shoulder. "I wish there was something I could do to help ease the pain."

"She's gone. There's nothing anyone can do to bring her back or any of my people, but I will avenge them. I swear it."

"I know you will. I believe in you," she says.

I turn to her and look into those lively blue eyes of hers. She leans in and kisses me. I take her face in my hands and caress the soft skin of her cheek with my thumb. "Will you come back and eat dinner with the Taylors?" she asks. I nod.

She takes my hand and leads me back to the table with the old folks.

"Listen, young man," The old geezer says. "What happened to you was truly horrific, but getting worked up about it won't bring them back. Would any of your people want you to wallow in their deaths? Would they want you to suffer and sink into despair? You're the last of your kind. That means you have to live a life worthy of them. It's up to you to carry on. Live the life they can no longer. Now eat up. You need your strength."

I nod. For being a human, the old man sure knows what to say. Mackenzie lays her hand on my thigh and gives it a squeeze.

After we finish eating dinner, Mackenzie and I take a shower before heading into my room. I push her up against the door with my hand wrapped tightly around her throat. She looks up at me silently with those innocent blue eyes. I can see the world in them. I press my lips against hers as my hand loosens up and slides up to caress her cheek. She runs her fingers up my side and wraps them around my waist.

How can someone so fragile have such a huge effect on me? I could break her with a single thought. And yet, I find myself becoming attached to her. A human without any abilities of the mind, a weak earthling, and yet, she has so much power over me. She makes me feel alive. It's like my heart finally beating again. I feel the need to protect her. She's mine.