Eli wakes to the sound of his alarm and instinctively reaches to turn it off. He turned on his back and stared at the ceiling, letting his eyes adjust. For a moment he debated if he should go to work, or turn his phone off and sleep some more, but it was the thought of homelessness that gave him the strength to roll out of his warm bed.
He stumbled his way to the bathroom and was jumpscared by his reflection. He had large dark circles around his eyes, his curly hair disheveled and his shirt was drenched in sweat. The bathroom light hurt his eyes, and he began to feel nauseous, leaning over the sink trying not to vomit. 'I'm never drinking again,' he thought as he tried to compose himself.
He began feeling better after a much-needed shower and as he got dressed, he heard his front door creak open. His sister, Farrah, entered his apartment in a bright yellow two piece set with two coffees in hand and waited for him to finish. When he saw her, he couldn't help but feel bitter, "how do you never look like shit after we drink and I always do?"
"I hydrate and you don't," she blatantly answered as he fidgeted with his shoes. He focused on her and could faintly see a mix of orange, yellow and red hues surrounding her. He ignored it and they began walking to work.
After the death of his parents Eli was sent to a foster home where he met Farrah. They had a rocky start but eventually grew close. He tried telling her about the things he could see but she couldn't understand, calling him crazy on a few occasions. Once he realized this wasn't a thing everyone could do, he felt alone and started resenting his ability.
Eli was blessed with a unique ability, but even those who are blessed need to practice. After he lost his mother, he wanted nothing to do with it and so he began ignoring everything he saw. After some years the colors he was able to see so clearly began to fade slowly. What was once something he could do as second nature, now became one he had to focus all his energy on just to catch a glimpse of.
As they walked through the busy city streets, Farrah babbled on and on about anything that came to mind. Normally, Eli would listen to her nonsense but today he couldn't seem to focus.
There was a pit in his stomach and his anxiety sky rocketed. Even with his low skill level he could sense something dangerous approaching.
Every intersection they crossed, every street corner they turned, his eyes darted up and down and side to side, searching for the cause of this feeling.
Farrah began snapping her fingers in front of his face, "are you even listening to me?" she asked angrily.
Eli shrugged her off without a care, "I never listen to what you say."
As they stood across the cafe, getting ready to cross the street, the source of Eli's comfortability came to light.
A black mustang turned the far end of the corner and barreled down the street they were standing on.
Eli threw his arm out, preventing Farrah from crossing as the mustang sped past them. "What's wrong?" Farrah asked, unable to see the danger in front of her.
Eli ignored her, watching as the mustang came to an abrupt stop at the crosswalk.
An elderly woman bearing a walker began walking across the street slowly.
As she walked, she stopped in the middle of the street, squinting towards the driver's seat. Her eyes grew wide and the mustang began aggressively revving its engine.
She moves across the street the fastest she had moved in many years, motioning a cross on her body beginning on the top of her head, following down her chest, from her left shoulder and finally to her right. Seeing this Eli did the same. The need to do this came from Eli seeing the black aura surrounding the car.
Even though Eli had been out of practice for many years, the spiritual aura radiating from the car fueled what little spiritual pressure he had, allowing him to see the dark force in front of him.
"What's your problem?" Farrah yelled into his ear.
He snapped his head towards her in confusion, "you didn't see the car just now?"
She didn't see anything of the sort, but Farrah couldn't help but feel worried for her brother, "c'mon let's go clock in," she said, dragging him into the cafe.
When they met as children Farrah immediately recognized Eli was different from the other kids her age. She liked being the center of attention and when their foster parents began swarming around him, she was upset.
Eli faced several weeks of torment from her without making a single complaint. That all stopped the night she tried untying the bracelet from his wrist.
She snuck into his room after their foster parents were fast asleep and as she tried slipping the bracelet off, Eli woke up and angrily got out of bed, shoving her to the ground. "You can have anything else, but this is off limits," he said with his eyes full of tears, before she fled to her room.
The next morning, she ignored him and when she saw him sitting alone on the tree swing, he asked their foster parents for, she decided to confront him. She stepped to him with confidence, "What's so special about that cheap bracelet?" she asked aggressively.
Eli, who was already looking towards the ground dejectedly, refused to look at her as he answered, "my mom made it for me."
The statement confused her even more, "if you have a mom, why are you here?"
Farrah was abandoned at birth, never knowing her birth parents. The thought of a child having loving parents but ending up in a foster home was foreign to her.
Eli's eyes welled with tears, "My dad.. Killed my mom, then himself."
Hearing this she couldn't help feeling upset at her previous actions. She gave Eli a tight hug as he cried. From then on, she felt an overwhelming need to look after him.
The cafe they worked in was covered in various band posters of all genres and eras. As they walked in their boss was working the counter. She lit up with excitement when she saw them, "Finally, y'all are here! Michelle called out again," she explained.
Farrah and Eli immediately made their way to the back to clock in, and when they walked to the front, before their aprons were tied the boss had disappeared to her office. "Should've taken a picture it would've lasted longer," Farrah said.
With the store full of customers, they worked together in harmony, smoothly and efficiently sending people on their way. They had always made a good team, each picking up what the other lacked in, and soon the store was empty. Other than them, there was a mousy girl wearing a sun dress sitting in the corner reading a book, occasionally looking towards Eli. Every Friday she would come in with a different book, order the same drink, and sit at the same table. Farrah took notice of this a long time ago, and as Eli restocked everything, she mentioned it. "That girl over there likes you."
Eli glanced in the girl's direction briefly before continuing with his work, "instead of stalking our customers maybe you should help me restock," he answered.
During the down time between customers Farrah would usually just lean against the counter and tease Eli while he did all the work. This didn't really bother him much as he liked things to be set up in a particular way. "You should ask her out," she insisted.
"Not interested," he said bluntly. He was looking for anything to end the conversation and luckily a customer walked in, and he jumped at the opportunity.
"Welcome in! What can I get you?" he said, making his way to the register.
A tall man stood there dressed in all black, staring at the ground. Somehow without even trying Eli could see shades of indigo, blue and orange around him. Interestingly enough, it was very dim and looked unhealthy and was full of small holes. He also couldn't help to notice that on this man's face was a thick scar beginning at the center of his forehead, slanting across his eye and ending just in front of his ear.
"Americano black," the man said, not making eye contact.
Behind him Farrah began preparing the order, "4.75 please," Eli said.
The man pulled out a 50 and handed it to him, as Eli began counting his change the man waved his hand in front of him, "keep it," he said.
Eli was shocked, never in his time here had he been given such a large tip. Normally a tip like this would be given to Farrah as she's a lot more friendly than he is, "are you sure? This is a lot for a tip," he said, confirming with him.
The man finally looked at him, and Eli saw the eye with the scar was solid white, he tried not to stare, not wanting him to be uncomfortable, "keep it," he said before making his way to the end of the counter, eyes towards the ground.
Eli couldn't help but think "I wonder what happened to him," as he touched his own face where the scar was. As if the man could hear his thoughts, he looked at Eli and touched his own scar before Farrah gave him his order. He quickly exited the building staring towards the floor again.
"Big spender, too bad he's not my type," Farrah said, shrugging.
"You don't think that big ass scare makes him look cool?" Ei asked jokingly.
She looked at him with confusion, "what scar?"
Eli could not believe she didn't notice something so evident and raised his eyebrows, "the one on his face, there's no way you didn't see it."
Again, with concern in her eyes, "Are you okay dude? You've been freaking me out today."
Although he was also concerned, he didn't want to make a big deal of it, "I'm fine, just trippin I guess," he said nonchalantly.
The rest of their shift went smoothly and before closing Eli was getting ready to take out the trash, "get ready to head out, I'll be back." he shouted to Farrah.
The dumpster for the cafe was at the very end of a long dark alleyway. There was a lack of streetlights and in the winter the sun set earlier than normal, making this walk extremely creepy and uncomfortable. This is why Eli always volunteered to take the trash out instead of making Farrah do it. As he walked, he felt like someone was watching him. He turned around quickly and saw a shadow run across the alley towards the back door, "Who's there!" he called out but when there was no response he shook it off and rushed to the dumpster. Making his way back his eyes darted back and forth from wall to wall hoping nothing jumped out at him. The neighboring business had trash cans more towards the center of the alley and as he walked past, he heard a rustling coming from it. He froze trying to decide if he should run or investigate. Against his better judgment he carefully walked over, saying a short prayer, "Please God don't let me die in this disgusting alley." It was then he saw a set of reflective eyes staring at him between two trash cans. His heart raced and jumped backwards from fear. His jump also spooked the watcher; a large raccoon bolted from behind the trach can and a wave of relief washed over him. "I can't believe I was scared of a freakin raccoon," he said out loud to himself. Suddenly a large presence stood directly behind him, he could feel its breath on his neck, "those scare me too," it said.
He jumped forward away from it and turned around to see a tall man dressed in all black. 'The Scarface from earlier!' he thought to himself. Even though Eli was full of fear, he did what he could to save face as he spoke, "what the hell are you doing here?" he asked in a cool tone.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," the man said.
Hearing this Eli felt a twinge of irritation, "You sneak up on me in this dark alley, wearing all black in the middle of the night and thought I wouldn't have a problem with that!" He scoffed.
The man took a step back giving Eli space and raised his hands towards his chest in an attempt to show he isn't a threat, "I'm sorry again, we met earlier do you remember?" he asked.
"No offense but I wouldn't forget an ugly scar like that," Eli said rudely.
To his surprise the man didn't seem upset at his comment, in fact he gleefully responded, "so you can see it! I need your help," he said as he grabbed Eli's hands.
There weren't a lot of things that bothered Eli, but if you were to ask him, he would say it was when people he didn't like touched him without asking. He pulled his hands back aggressively and lightly pushed the man backwards. "Don't touch me," he said sternly.
The man was surprised by the push but understood he crossed a line ,"I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that, will you help me? My friend is in danger." he said pleading.
Eli couldn't help but think maybe this deranged man was a psych ward escapee and felt a little bad for him. "Did you escape from somewhere? Is there someone I can call to come get you?" he asked.
The man was confused by this but before he could say anything, the back door swung open, and Farrah began to call for Eli. He took this chance to make a run for it and before entering the building, he looked back to find the man had disappeared.
Shaking it off he grabbed his things and he and Farrah began their short journey to the gym.
The foster home Farrah and Eli grew up in was in a small town where everyone knew each other and the most crime that happened was the neighborhood kids spray painting the water tower. When they left home and moved into the city, they were quite nervous about the high crime rate. Their foster parents recommended taking a self-defense class to ease their minds. That morning Farrah found a nearby MMA gym and dragged Eli there to learn. That was three years ago, and they've been coming to Mateo's Gym ever since. Although he never really liked to fight, Eli was comfortable with the regulars that attended, meanwhile Farrah absolutely loved the activity, sparring with anyone who was willing. In no time she was one of the best fighters in the gym.
Entering the gym Farrah booked it to the lady's locker room, excited to practice. As Eli made his way a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders, "I missed you so much Eli! I wasn't sure you were coming, what would I have done without you?"
"Probably harass someone else," he said as he brushed Asher's arm away. Asher was the top fighter at the gym, competing in various MMA leagues against people from all over the state. He held the state title for 2 years before he lost it to Dylan Baker last year. This hit him hard for a couple weeks, but he was resilient and has been practicing extra hard to get his title back this year.
"I would never! I'm loyal thank you," he told Eli while making kissy faces. Eli ignored him and made his way to the locker room. Asher was always particularly flirty with Eli, though it never really bothered him. He knew that at the end of the day they were just jokes.
Inside the locker room, standing in the supply closet was Coach Mateo taking inventory. Eli greeted him, asking how he was doing.
"The goddamn cowboys need to get their heads out of their asses, that's how I'm doing! I've rooted for them my whole life and all they do is eat shit! If I keep watching them, I'm gonna be sent to an early grave!" he said angrily.
Eli had already started getting changed when he noticed how red Coach Mateo was getting, "Calm down Coach that vein is popping out of your neck again," he told him.
He waved Eli off, "don't ask me then."
Coach Mateo was a crotchety old man that took Eli under his wing almost immediately. He was an army vet that loved 4 things: his late wife, his trokita, the cowboys, and beer. After Eli got dressed, he helped the old man with his inventory. "You gonna spar with the she-devil today?" he asked Eli.
Eli hated sparring with Farrah. He wasn't as skilled as she was and she beat him every time. The other regulars also realized this and started betting against the newbies on the winner, making an easy buck. He did his best to avoid it at all costs, but sometimes Coach would make him in order to gauge his progress. "I'm not in the mood to be pummeled tonight coach," he answered.
Coach guided him to the door before grabbing his shoulders, "Son, you have her beat when y'all are standing, your only mistake is letting her get you to the ground. Now that you know that do NOT let that devil woman beat you," he said with a fire in his eyes.
"You bet on me winning, didn't you coach?" Eli asked, seeing through the pep talk.
"I always bet my money on you; between you and the cowboys I'll die a broke man. Good luck out there!" he said before pushing Eli into the room.
The gym had a cement walkway leading from the front door to the locker rooms and a section where the floor was covered in mats to grapple on. In a side room there were various punching bags and work out equipment, but the main attraction was the back room with a UFC style cage where the spars were held once a month.
Eli tended to work out on his own and grapple with Asher majority of the time. After about an hour of this assistant coach Raul called out, "those participating in the sparring matches make their way to the ring please."
There was a short line up today, two new faces who would face each other followed by Raul and Asher, and finally Eli and Farrah. Everyone cleared the ring except the newbies.
"You really think you'll beat Raul today?" Eli asked Asher.
"Probably not but I'm gonna try!" he responded happily. This wasn't their first face off; in fact this was the tenth time Ash had challenged Raul and every time he's lost. Ash loved a challenge and was fixated on the idea of finally beating him. After a few minutes the bell rang, and the first match was over.
The strong energy from the car this morning had left a lasting effect on Eli and as Ash and Raul stepped in the ring, he could clearly see both of their auras. Both had red and yellow hues surrounding them and as he focused more, he began noticing something else he had never seen before. Within their bodies he saw 7 colorful pinwheels spinning starting at the top of their head to the base of their spine. He also saw vein-like paths emitting a small blue light throughout their body. At most he had only been able to see auras, so this frightened him slightly. He noticed that when one of them would get hit in a certain spot the blue light would flicker before returning to normal. Despite his resentment for his abilities, he couldn't help but be curious, wanting to know more about what he's seeing.
It wasn't long before the bell rang and the match was over with Raul once again the victor. Asher, looking defeated, threw himself on Eli seeking comfort. Eli awkwardly patted his head before he was called into the ring. "Good luck out there babe," Asher told him, Eli of course ignored him.
The bell rings and Farrah immediately attacked, Eli dodging to the right. Through his vision he can see the blue veins surrounding Farrah's left rib are not as bright as the rest of her and that's where he hits her. To everyone's surprise she stumbles to the side, almost falling over. She straightens up and lunges at him, hitting his jaw before trying to take him to the ground. Eli resists and puts distance between them trying to think. Although Farrah was quite coordinated in the ring, everywhere else she was accident prone and was always hurting herself. Eli could see all her weak points and used it to his advantage. He noticed her elbow was quite faded and made his move. He took her by surprise, getting her to the ground and putting her in an arm bar. She tried her best to fight it but ultimately tapped out. The bell rang and he immediately sat up to make sure she was okay.
"That's my boy!" coach yelled from the sideline. Eli could hear all the regulars praising him while the newcomers claimed it was unfair for them to fight each other. None of it mattered because as he saw Farrah laying on the ground staring at the ceiling, a wave of guilt washed over him and tears welled in his eyes. She noticed this and sat up to comfort him, "don't feel bad, I'm proud of you. I was just shocked cause normally I kick your ass," she said, patting his shoulder.
After confirming she was okay, he wiped his tears and left the ring to go shower, not saying a word to anyone. He let the water wash over him as he listened to the other guys come and go. The only thing he wanted was the guilty feeling to leave his body and so he imagined it as a color and watched it wash off him into the drain. It actually made him feel a lot better and when he was sure no one else was in the locker room, he left the shower in nothing but a towel. The lockers and the showers were separated by a wall and as he turned the corner, Asher was sitting in front of his locker waiting for him to finish. Unconcerned with his presence, Eli began to get dressed. He could feel Asher scanning him up and down and without looking in his direction he asked him, "see something you like?"
This was one of the rare instances that Eli actually flirted with Asher, and it took him by surprise every time. Asher's face turned red and he turned his back on Eli, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. After he was fully clothed, he walked into Asher's line of sight and not surprisingly, his face was still red thinking about the comment he made earlier. "Let's go," Eli said before walking out of the locker room.
Waiting for them by the front door was Farrah and Coach Mateo, "C'mon I'll give y'all a ride," he said, swinging his keys around his finger with the key ring. Farrah and Ash bolted out the door to his truck arguing over who would sit in the front, while Eli walked with Coach Mateo. "Thank you for the ride, Coach."
Coach nodded his head before yelling at the other two, "both of y'all get in the back, Eli rides shotgun."
With looks of disappointment they both get in the back seat before Farrah asks, "why does Eli always sit in the front?"
"Because he's the one who always helps me fix her when he breaks down," he pointed out.
Coach Mateo drove a solid black, lifted 03 Silverado, with chrome honeycomb rims. She was an absolute beauty, but because of her age she needed constant maintenance. Eli loved the way she looked and the first time she had problems he offered to help Coach, and he gratefully accepted. From then on they've changed various parts together including the engine and transmission, and at this point she's basically a new truck. Most people wouldn't want to spend so much of their free time with an old man, but Eli actually enjoyed learning about mechanic work and hearing his old stories. Coach would reminisce on his younger days, but particularly his memories of his late wife. Eli would listen intently to every word he said, "I knew the moment I looked into her eyes she was the one for me, and I swore to never let her go," he would say with a glimmer in his eyes. He would sometimes confess to Eli that he couldn't wait for his time to come so that he could see his beloved again.
They pulled into 'The Rusty Nail,' a bar they would frequently visit after training. Again, Eli walked with Coach Mateo while the other two ran inside, ready to drink. "You don't have to wait for me son, I'll make it in eventually," he said to Eli.
"Farrah is gonna make me take shots. Believe me I'd much rather be out here with you," he said as they slowly approached the front door.
Once inside, Coach buys Eli a beer and sits with Raul in the back behind the pool tables. Eli sat alone at the bar hoping no one came to bother him. Behind the bartender there's a small tv that always played the news, Eli watched it as he drank, "Panic ensues as an odd occurrence happened today, a small earthquake was felt in southeast Texas. Officials say that although this does not usually happen in this region, there is no cause for alarm.." Eli couldn't help but find this odd, he hadn't felt anything like an earthquake today.
"That girl is staring at you, are you gonna go talk to her?" Asher asked as he walked up and sat next to him. At the end of the bar was a beautiful woman with caramel skin, hazel eyes and bouncy curly hair looking at Eli. He tilted his beer in her direction to acknowledge her, and she did the same but that's as far as it went.
"Youre not the only loyal one here Ash," he said cooly.
Farrah sat in the other seat next to Eli, "y'all keep talking like that everyone's gonna really believe y'all are together."
They both shrugged, neither of them really concerned with what others thought of them. Ash and Farrah entertained each other while Eli continued to watch the news, "In other news, tragedy strikes a local neighborhood as a well known teacher sadly passes away in her home. Ethel Vargas, a retired elementary school teacher was found dead in her home, medical examiners determined it was a stroke, and the local community is devastated by her passing…" A picture of the old woman flashed on the screen and Eli's stomach sank. He recognized her as the old woman from the crosswalk that morning and a storm of thoughts swarmed his head.
This is just a coincidence right? The car can't be connected to this woman. How would that even be possible? The memory of the terrified look on the old woman's face was so clear in his head. He couldn't help but think something was wrong, but he knew if he brought it up they would think he was crazy and so he shook it off the best he could. It got a little easier to do when he heard something that piqued his interest.
"Youre an evil woman, and I pity whatever fool is unfortunate enough to end up with you," Asher shouted at Farrah.
"How am I evil? I'm the sweetest person I know!" she raised her voice in disbelief.
"Would a sweet person sneak into Eli's apartment every night for two months and move his action figure around to freak him out?" he asked.
Eli's ear perked up and he looked at Farrah, "you did what now?"
She ignored him and continued, "he said my haircut made me look like a Victorian child, he deserved it and you laughed when you found out. You're no better than me!"
"My limited-edition action figure that was signed by the voice actor himself?" He asked but was once again ignored.
"You didn't tell me till after you did it! He loved that thing and you ruined it for him, Shame on you!" Asher said pointing to her.
"I sold that cause I thought it was cursed.. I had a priest come bless my place after that.." he said dejectedly.
They continued arguing about who knows what while Eli ordered a shot and put it on Farrah's tab.
It was then he heard a familiar revving of an engine, it sent chills down his spine. He snapped his head towards the window and saw Coach Mateo standing outside smoking a cigarette, in front of him a black mustang was aggressively revving its engine. Without hesitation Eli ran outside trying to get to Coach Mateo, but as he crossed the threshold the mustang was driving away. "Are you alright coach?" he asked.
"I'm fine son, just some asshole peacocking," he answered. Coach wouldn't admit it but Eli knew from the look in his eye and his shaky hand that he was terrified. Looking into his aura Eli was also scared as he saw a black snake coiled around his heart. He tried questioning him about the driver but Coach Mateo insisted he didn't see anything. He finished his cigarette and offered Eli a ride home.