Taking a Chance - J Cunningham

[Amita Bosko]

Amita couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, unused to a bed as soft as this. Typically she'd sleep under trees where she could feel the night breeze and see the stars. This apartment was too dark and stuffy for her.

Finally, a glance at the red glowing alarm clock read 5:20, and Amita decided it was better to go now. She had given it a lot of thought, but she knew that she couldn't call this apartment home.

As she re-braided her hair and got dressed, she thought of the night before. Mr. Cunningham had been so nice. He'd even given her a place to stay. Once she entered the clean, modern apartment however, she felt out of place, a little claustrophobic even. Dinner had been yesterday's meal in to-go boxes. It had been very quiet. Small talk was something Amita was getting better at. Mr. Cunningham had shown her the spare bathroom and her new room and kept checking on her until she finally insisted she was "very comfortable, thank you."

Amita didn't think Mr. Cunningham had thought ahead to having her live with him. One glance at his fridge had said enough; he wasn't used to having more than his own mouth to feed. She had realized that even with his new job, he might not be able to afford having her live here. She considered briefly the idea of having a job, but it didn't seem to suit her.

She sighed, exasperated. She didn't know what to do with herself. She felt so useless sometimes. If it hadn't been for those small friendships she had made with others who were also special and had powers, and the few times she had rescued someone from a kidnapping, robbery, or fire, she would feel like there was no point for her to live anymore. Amita shook those thoughts out of her head as she grabbed her satchel. She was special; surely she had a purpose. She just had to find it.

After a whole year, Amita finally consciously realized why she was always on the move. She was trying to find her purpose.

And now I have to go, she thought. Amita scooped up her satchel and slowly opened her bedroom door. It creaked shut behind her. She froze, listening. Nothing.

Amita crept across the hall and unlocked the front door. She grabbed her bike from the entryway where they had left it and wheeled it outside. Even though she had a chain for it, Mr. Cunningham realized how important it was to her and made sure it was safe.

The door slammed shut behind her and she winced. Now it's really time for me to go. She swung her leg over her bicycle and paused. She'd really miss Mr. Cunningham.

[Jacob Cunningham]

Having another person living with him, much less a teenage girl, was a big change in Jacob's living situation. Ever since he left home and graduated college he had lived on his own in one way or another. The last time Jacob had some kind of roommate was when he lived in the dorms and was pretty much forced to have a roommate. As far as he could remember, it wasn't that grand of a set-up because his roommate was an idiot that he could not stand to be around.

But as they settled into his apartment, Jacob became more used to the idea that he would be sharing a roof(Even though he lived in an apartment) with his former student, Amita. The girl was polite and well-mannered and it wasn't like he was her father or guardian, so he didn't have to concern himself with really managing her life or anything. He could easily start buying food for both of them and maybe he help her get a job or something, though his new job would be plenty for both of them. Though he knew he would have to learn to start knocking on the bathroom and stuff.

Maybe it was his attempt to adjust to having a young woman living him that drove him to repeatedly check on Amita when she was settling-in to her room. It took a bit of insisting and reptition on her part, but he eventually relented and left her alone for the night. As he fell asleep, he felt at ease knowing that Amita was off the streets.

-------

Jacob was gradually brought out of his slumber by a creaking noise. In his sleepy haze he couldn't figure out if he even was awake or not until he looked over at the clock and saw that it was pretty damn early in the morning. He figured it was just the neighbors or something.

However, when he heard a slamming door that sounded too close for comfort, Jacob hopped out of bed, still in his pajama pants. Stepping out of his bedroom, he looked around. It took a moment, but then he noticed that Amita's bike was missing... It was missing!

"Shit!"

He should have seen this coming, that Amita would take off again without even telling him. She was so against living there that it should have been obvious. Without even putting anything else on, he sprinted for the door and yanked it open to find Amita already on her bicycle.

"Amita! The hell are you doing?!"

[Amita Bosko]

Amita froze. Dangit. She slowly looked over her shoulder at the half-naked Mr. Cunningham. She tried to ignore this fact and instead focused on his soft green eyes that were "the eye" of his storm of words.

"This cloud needs to find the one place it needs to rain." Seeing his confused expression, she decided to cut straight to the point.

"I'm leaving. I can't stay here, in one place, after being on the move for a year." Even as the words left her mouth she could feel how lame they were. She sighed and tried again, for the third time. "I need to find my purpose, Mr. Cunningham. I know it's out there, and I know I'm close to finding it. I just know it doesn't involve me living in an apartment, probably with a job. I know I'm meant for bigger things."

Amita knew she could help others. She knew she could probably hurt others, too. She needed to find out who she was, why she had special abilities, and what she was to do with them. She knew her old high school teacher couldn't possibly understand, but she had to make him see.

[Jacob Cunningham]

Again with the cloud bullshit. Jacob was just about to yell at her again and tell her to speak in regular words, but he paused long enough for Amita to begin talking again and she seemed to have read his mind because she was no longer talking in metaphors anymore. It was probably fortunate for Jacob too because if he kept talking, he would keep yelling and the neighbors would probably start asking questions then. Plus, it gave him a few seconds to re-compose himself. Slighty.

He couldn't quite understand why this girl wanted to NOT have a place to call home and NOT have someone who cared about her around. Between every word she said, Jacob wanted to just interject and just cut her off. Hit better nature was keeping him in check enough to listen to what she had to say, and find the words to say it. The moment she stopped talking, Jacob spoke up.

["F-Find your purpose? Look I get it. You're a young person and you're tryin' to find yourself and you're identity and all that stuff. But don't make the mistake of just runnin' off hopin' to find it doin' something stupid and reckless!"

He stepped up closer to her, not caring that he was shirtless and just wearing a pair of long cotton pants. Jacob looked more flustered than anything else.

"This ain't a movie. You're not some... super hero looking for your destiny. You're a young woman confused about herself, and what's stoppin' you from finding your higher purpose here? Some place safe and comforting."

Without even asking, his hand shot out to grab Amita by her wrist. There was no way he was giving her any opportunity to ride off on her bike, and the chance to lose him in the scramble.

[Amita Bosko]

It happened. Amita's emotions grew inside her as Mr. Cunningham refused to let her leave, and when he grabbed for her wrist, she phased. It was a natural instinct to her now, as she had practiced using it until it came with as much ease as breathing.

What probably pissed her off most was that he told her she wasn't a superhero. Well, what if she was?! How would he know? The moment Amita phased, she realized the secret was finally out. Now a "non-special" who wasn't her mother knew about her power. In the past, she always thought that at moments like these, she would feel relieved. Right now, she just felt like a huge mountain of stress had dropped on her shoulders. Tear welled up in her eyes and her throat closed up. She couldn't say a word even if she tried.

Amita looked up at him, waiting for his reaction.

[Jacob Cunningham]

Jacob nearly spun all the way around with the force that he swiped at Amita's wrist, and missed. It took a moment for him to realize what had happened, and even then it still hadn't really clicked. He had definitely grabbed her wrist, or at least he thought he did. He was totally certain that he had not missed because Amita didn't move at all. She had somehow pulled a ghost on him or something because, as much as he couldn't believe it, his hand had passed through her like air.

The entire time this was being sorted-out in his mind, Jacob just stared at this hand, trying to make sure that it was indeed his own hand and that someone hadn't played some elaborate special effects trick on him. But slowly he brought his gaze back up to Amita, to find that she was on the verge of crying.

It broke his heart to see her that way, and he wanted to embrace her again. But the shock of what just happened was too much and it dominated his emotions. He had to clear his throat before he said anything.

"Amita... Are-Are you one of those... special kids I've heard about?"

The subject of mutants was something that Jacob had come across, along with the myriad of other issues that surrounded them. For the most part, he was ambivalent about them and really didn't feel one way or another about them. If he was forced for an opinion, he tended to side with the idea that they should be treated like anyone else. Hopefully that sentiment would survive actually meeting one.

"Oh, Amita... Is this why you've been actin' like this?"

His voice had definitely softened, as had his expression.

[Amita Bosko]

Amita's breath caught as Mr. Cunningham spun. When he didn't hurt himself, she felt relieved. Her power never hurt anyone, and she didn't want it to start now. His puzzled expression was a bit of a mystery to her; she could still see the echo of his yells on his face, but there was something new there as well. Was is fear? Logic? Anger? Amita couldn't tell.

"Amita... Are-Are you one of those... special kids I've heard about?"

Amita couldn't find her voice. Special? Is that what she was called? The word jerked her heart. She just gave a small nod and looked at the ground. Why did he have to say it like that? It was almost as though she was destined to never be normal.

Wait. He had heard about them? Them?! Were there more people with powers? Were they all like her? Could they all pass through objects, like ghosts who never tasted death? And he had said "kids"! They must all be around her age, then! Amita's heart started pounding. Would Mr. Cunningham, of all people, give her the answers she had been looking for?

"Oh, Amita... Is this why you've been actin' like this?" His soft, compassionate voice was too much. Amita's eyes freely flowed. Understanding. He really DID understand her. It took her a moment to find her voice, and when it did, it shook.

"I can phase through anything, and take objects or people," Amita sent him a watery glance, "with me."

[Jacob Cunningham]

It broke his heart to see Amita crying. Hell, it broke his heart to see anyone cry, but he knew Amita personally and he was still wrapped-up in her well-being. Jacob wanted to do so much, like comfort her with a hug or take her inside or something, but something was keeping him doing any of those things. It was either the shock of the revelation still reeling through him or, god forbid, a fear of touching her again. If it was the latter, Jacob was less concerned with his own safety and more concerned if the process hurt Amita in some way.

Jacob took one deep breath and stepped closer to Amita, like he was indeed about to hug her. Instead he stopped and crouched down so that he had look up at her slightly. Somehow this felt better than looming over her, nodding as he learned what her power was.

"I see... That explains me "missing". It doesn't hurt, does it?"

He was silent for a moment while he put everything together in his head. Amita's desire to not be tied down. Running away from her own home and wandering. Her powers. Her secrecy in trying to run away again. Even her cloud metaphors. Shaking his head, he knew he wanted to ask why she had kept that secret from him, he could feel the impulse. But he had a pretty good idea why. It was a pretty damn big deal. Instead he turned his eyes back up to her.

"You don't have to be afraid of me now that I know. As far as I'm concerned, you're still the Amita I taught a few years ago. At least I get why you wanna run off now..."

[Amita Bosko]

Amita shook her head at the question. She sniffed as tears continued to fall. Even though she wanted them to stop, they just kept coming. After being locked up tight, her feelings were finally unraveling at a steady pace. There were just so many tears that needed to fall; not only from the emotional roller-coaster, but tears that she had hidden away ever since she took off on her own.

"No. I don't feel a thing." She watched him carefully. She felt so awkward now that he knew. She wasn't sure what was going to happen now. What would the living situation be like now? Would she still be welcome? Would she even want to stay? Amita nervously tugged at the golden chain around her neck, a habit she had never been able to break.

"You don't have to be afraid of me now that I know. As far as I'm concerned, you're still the Amita I taught a few years ago." She looked up hopefully.

"At least I get why you wanna run off now..."

Amita nodded. "I didn't think you'd understand..." She paused and looked back at his apartment, wondering what he thought of her now. "Am...I still welcome in your home?" She was still a little scared that he'd see her as a freak. Some people said they were against prejudices, but natural instincts sometimes had a stronger hold on a person than they thought. Amita couldn't rule out the possibility that even though Mr. Cunningham said that he didn't mind, his heart might still recoil at her abilities.

[Jacob Cunningham]

"Good. Good."

Jacob was relieved to hear to that the power didn't harm her nor did using it. It would have killed Jacob to know that he had inadvertently hurt her while he was trying to restrain her wrist.

To also silently nodded when she voiced her concern about him not understanding. It was sentiment that was very clear to him and she didn't need to explain it to him. If he was one of those special kinds of people, that could something like that, he would want to hide it from everyone too. While it was an extreme circumstance, at its core it was still a similar situation that nearly every person has experienced. It was the fear of being too different and ostracized for it.

When she asked if she was still welcome at his home, Jacob couldn't contain himself. Between the question and her crying, there was no way he couldn't comfort her. He stood and wrapped his arms around the girl, much tighter than when he had greeted her at the school, and he held her for a moment and let her cry.

"You're always welcome here. Always."

After the hug, he stood back and smiled.

"Just try to actually USE the door. Don't ghost through it or something', okay?"

[Amita Bosko]

Amita could not have appreciated the hug any more. It simply wasn't possible. She started sobbing from it all. Only the thought I'm crying on my teacher was able to make her stop and pull away.

She smiled back at him. Mr. Cunningham was so nice.

"Just try to actually USE the door. Don't ghost through it or something', okay?"

At this, she let out a little laugh. "Okay. I promise." Ghosting. What an interesting word. Amita found she liked it. Now in a better mood, she wiped her face with her hands and smiled. As they reentered the apartment however (Mr. Cunningham was ever the gentleman and insisted on carrying her bicycle), Amita still felt the small claustrophobic attack. Her heart sank as she realized that she wouldn't be able to stay for more than a couple of days.

------------------

Two days later, Amita laid in bed and finally knew she would have to fess up to her teacher. She took as long as possible getting ready for the day, redoing her braid twice so that she would have more time before she had to confess.

At breakfast (he had finally gone shopping and gotten enough cold cereal for both of them), she waited until she finished her cereal until she cleared her throat and looked across the little table at him.

"Mr. Cunningham, I-"

[Jacob Cunningham]

As he carried Amita's bicycle back into the apartment, content that she had finally come clean with him and that he had stopped her from running away again, Jacob already started to prepare for the next, similar incident. He didn't know how long it would be until then, or how she would spring it one him, but now he could see it coming and at least not be so angry about it. He might even have something completely different for when that came around

------

Turns out that Jacob would only have to wait two days before that certain incident came up. Before then, he could hardly sleep at night and he was plagued with constant paranoia. Every night he kept as ear out for the sound of door opening and closing, or footsteps on the floor. Any time he wasn't home, he had the urge to call and see if Amita would pick up. But he held his tongue and just waited, and prepared.

Looking up across the table, he listened to Amita try and start. When she couldn't finish, or start, Jacob finished his mouthful of food and spoke up for her.

"Ready to go, Amita?"

As much as he still didn't like the idea of letting Amita out into the world alone, knowing what she was capable of forced him to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was no ordinary teenager, and she had survived this long already. Still, he just couldn't let her go out as she was. Standing up, he went to a nearby closet and retrieved a satchel similar to what she had originally, except this one was newer and a little bigger.

"Take this with you. Please? Consider it a care package."

He placed it on the table in front of her. Inside were some basic first aid stuff, food, and most of what someone would find in a survival kit, along with a taser. Jacob had been tempted to give her a cellphone too, but he knew that he would be calling everyday to check up on her. Judging by the look on his face, he was ready for this moment, though still a little wary.

[Amita Bosko]

Mr. Cunningham somehow had already known what she was about to say. She was a little relieved that he wasn't angry with her, and that he was already expecting something like this. It made it way easier than she thought it would.

However relieved she felt, it still caught her completely by surprise. By the time she had gathered her thoughts, he had already brought over a nice, newer satchel than the worn out bag she already owned. Speechless, she opened the bag and scrutinized its contents. There was some dry food, rope, a map of the area, a first aid kit, and a basic survival kit including matches, a lighter, a whistle, a compass, a large Swiss army knife and sharpener, a flashlight with spare batteries, and a small bag with who knows what else inside it. Mr. Cunningham had thought of everything.

"Wow...thank you!" Amita shifted the contents to the side and pulled out a taser. She gaped at him.

"A taser?! Where on earth did you get this?!" Amita didn't really care, she was more touched that he had included so much. Besides, she already knew self-defense so she might not ever need it. The bag itself was big enough for her to move the contents of her older, smaller one inside, but it still wasn't terribly bulky. And, Amita couldn't help adding, it doesn't look bad on me either!

She tried it on without waiting for a response. This was truly the perfect gift.

"Mr. Cunningham, thank you so much. This means the world to me!" Without thinking, Amita threw herself at him in a hug. She stepped back, embarrassed. "I promise I'll visit often." She beamed at him. She meant it; he felt like family now.

[Jacob Cunningham]

Jacob was glad that she loved his gift, and chuckled a little when she seemed very surprised about the taser he had included along with her care package. The taser would have been a couple cans of mace, but somehow the taser seemed a better option.

"I know a place. Just remember to replace the batteries occasionally."

When she jumped into his chest for a hug, of course he hugged her back, and seemed a little hesitant to let go of her. She had quickly become something like a daughter to him, and as such her safety and well-being had become very important to him as well. Not letting her go would ensure her safety, however she was adamant about going out and finding herself. It was a necessary step to her growing up, even more so because of her abilities.

"You can call me Jacob from now on."

Mentioning that she would visit often, he smiled. He supposed that as she visited and reassured him that she was alright, and still alive, he could live with her being out there. It was a compromise, the best kind too. Amita was excited and ahppy, and Jacob was satisified.

"Please do."

[Amita Bosko]

Amita phased onto her bike, her right leg passing through the metal before coming to rest on the pedal. She was grateful that she no longer had to hide her abilities from Jacob. She looked over her shoulder at him. Jacob. The name felt strange, yet appropriate, like trying on a new pair of shoes. She sent him one last smile as he waved at her before pushing forwards. She pedaled without looking back. As she turned a corner, the satchel that was slung across her back bumped her hips. Her heart overflowed with gratitude. She couldn’t have imagined a better outcome to her visit with her teacher. It felt like a dream, but Amita knew that it had all been real.

The bicycle’s wheels smoothly cut across the asphalt, and the sky was clear with no clouds to be seen. Amita felt it was symbolic: part of her life had smoothed over, and the inner turmoil that had been overshadowing her hope for the future had cleared and she felt certain that soon, very soon, she would have all the answers she was looking for.