Boundless

Chapter 2: Something New

Rashad regained consciousness but didn't immediately open his eyes. He could tell from the smell of sterility that he was in the Medical Facility. 'What was that?' He thought to himself, seeing the redhead, the blinding light and the...feelings. He had never experienced something like that ever in his life and he needed a moment to process it. He lay there for a few more minutes thinking and then decided it was time to leave.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was in a private room with no windows and only a door. It was completely white but the lights were low. The room had a bed, which he was in, a couple of chairs, a small closet and a computer on a mobile platform. As he was slowly becoming adjusted to the light, the door opened and Anthony walked in.

"You're finally awake. You have been out for about 6 hours. What happened? One minute you're fine and the next you're out cold." Anthony said as he took one of the chairs, sat in it and leaned back against the wall. Rashad kicked his feet to the side of the bed and sat there noticing for the first time that he was wearing a gown, and apparently nothing else. He turned to Anthony.

"I don't know. I was walking into the cafeteria behind you, felt this pull and turned to its source. I saw this girl standing there and when we made eye contact, Wham!" Raz said as he clapped loudly to emphasize his point. He looked at Anthony, who had a slight smile on his face and followed his statement quickly with; "It wasn't love at first sight or anything. I don't know what happened."

Anthony raised his hands in mock surrender and leaned forward on the chair. "I didn't say a thing." He stood up and looked toward the door. "C'mon. Dinner is on and I brought you something back to the room so we don't have a relapse of this afternoon." Anthony said with a slight smile and headed toward the door.

Rashad stood and went to the closet. His clothing was there and as Anthony left the room, he put his clothing on. He expected to feel dizzy but he felt normal. They exited the Medical Facility and headed down the hill toward their dorm. When they got into their room Rashad could smell the pizza. He looked at Anthony with a questioning look.

"I made it while you were out. I thought you would like it since it is your first time falling in love." Anthony said and started laughing. Rashad went to the pizza while rolling his eyes and began inspecting it. Anthony stopped laughing and looked at him with curiosity. "What are you doing?"

"Just making sure there isn't any hair in it," Rashad said and then started laughing. It was Anthony's turn to roll his eyes as he and Rashad sat at the kitchen table and ate the pizza. While they ate they talked about the next day's exercise and classes.

"What's strange," Anthony said while grabbing another slice, "was there was a girl that seemed to pass out at the same time you did."

"Was she a red head?" Raz said with a slice halfway to his mouth.

"Yeah, but I've never seen her before," Anthony said, took another bite of his pizza and then continued. "She passed out at the same time as you. I think she was in the room next to you at Medical."

"Huh," Raz murmured and then finished eating the slice he had in his hand.

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Tessa awoke in the Medical Facility and took a look around her room. The room was exactly like the one Rashad had been in and she assumed she must be in the Medical Facility. She started to get out of bed and the door to the room opened. In walked a girl, seeming to be the same age as Tessa, who was curvy with full breasts that were barely contained by her clothing. She had a radiant smile with full white teeth. Her hair was a fiery red and looked like a rippling flame as she walked under the soft light.

"Hey, you're awake. That's good. You passed out in front of the cafeteria and the doctors here couldn't figure out what happened." The girl said and never stopped smiling. She stood in front of Tessa as if waiting for a response. Tessa looked at her with curiosity in her eyes.

"I...I am not sure what happened," Tessa said with a slightly raspy voice. She realized that her throat was dry. She stood up and looked around the room. No sink. So she headed for the door. The new girl stepped into her path. Tessa looked up with a mixture of curiosity and indignation until the girl nodded her head at Tessa.

"I'm not sure where you're going, but you might want to get dressed first." She said and Tessa looked down at herself for the first time. She realized that she was wearing a hospital gown and that was it. Her face heated up with embarrassment and then she headed toward the lone closet in the room to retrieve her clothing.

After dressing Tessa walked into the hallway and saw a drinking fountain. She took a couple of sips to moisten her lips and throat and then turned to the girl who was standing there looking at her with the same smile on her face. "That's better, now who are you?"

"How rude of me, my name is Trinity Dóiteáin, I'm your roommate." She said with her hand extended toward Tessa. Tessa took the hand and shook it, Trinity had a firm but gentle handshake. Tessa finally returned the smile that she had been offered and felt a little more relaxed.

"It's nice to meet you, Trinity." She said as they let the handshake go. Trinity turned toward the exit and Tessa followed.

"Your stuff was already delivered to the room. I was on my way to meet you after your meeting and caught up with you right when you passed out." Trinity said as she walked down the hill from Medical. "How do you feel?"

"I feel fine. I really don't remember what happened. I was just standing in front of the cafeteria and felt this...pull. I turned toward what I assumed was the source and...that's the last thing I remember." She said as they neared the Tier 1 dorm. Trinity led her into the left side of Traditions hall. They walked to the front door, unlocked it and walked in. The set up was the mirror of Anthony and Raz's.

Trinity escorted Tessa to one of the bedrooms and as Tessa walked in she saw her suitcases sitting on the bed. Trinity shut Tessa's door and went to her room. Tessa went to the bed, removed the suitcases by placing them at the foot of the bed and lay down.

She thought back to earlier when she had felt the pull of emotions. She had only seen the man's face for a moment, but now it was etched in her mind. 'Who was he? Why had this happened to her? Was it because she was an Evolution?' These questions bounced around in her head as she lay there thinking of the day. After a few minutes she walked out of her room and sat down on a couch in the living room. A few minutes later Trinity came out of the kitchen with 2 steaming cups. She handed one to Tessa and sat down on the love seat.

"The doctors at the Medical Facility were curious because there was a guy standing about 20 feet from you and he also passed out at the same time. In fact, he woke up about 5 minutes before you did." Trinity said as she sipped her hot chocolate. Tessa was intrigued now.

"Did the doctors give the guy a clean bill of health?" She asked.

"As far as I know he is just fine. He is staying in this dorm as well, on the other side." Trinity said. "Are you hungry? I know you didn't eat lunch."

Tessa's stomach began to rumble and she realized that she was hungry. "Actually, yes I am." She responded with a sheepish smile.

"Then let's see what's available in the kitchen." Trinity said and headed toward the kitchen. She pulled out some chicken, onions, fresh mushrooms, green sweet peppers, carrots, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and artichokes. While Trinity was in the kitchen and the aroma of the food she was preparing wafted out of the kitchen Tessa returned her thoughts to that afternoon and the man she saw.

She had only really caught a glimpse and to say that she saw what he looked like would be an exaggeration. She more or less, felt him. She had boyfriends before and had felt...love for them, but this was different. It was almost like she main lined the emotion in its purest form. If she was being honest with herself, she wanted more.

Trinity walked in breaking Tessa's thoughts. "Dinner is served." She said and then headed back into the kitchen. Tessa got up from the couch and headed into the dining area. On the table were 2 empty plates. Tessa sat down at 1 as Tessa brought over a bowl with angel hair pasta in it. She put a portion on each plate; she then placed a grilled chicken breast on the pasta. To top it off she drizzled a tomato vegetable sauce over the pair. The food smelled heavenly. While they ate the girls talked about life in the Complex and other light subjects.

After the meal the girls cleaned up and washed the dishes together. They continued talking while Tessa unpacked her stuff and organized her closet and dresser. Right before she went to bed she felt that rush of emotion she felt right before she passed out. As quickly as it came, it left. She closed her eyes and had the best dream she will never remember.

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The next afternoon after classes, Raz and Anthony were standing in the middle of the training field waiting for their instructor to meet them there. Like most afternoons, they were early. They usually get to the field, run the perimeter for about 20 minutes to warm up and then spar with each other. They had just finished their sparring match when Anthony started sniffing the air. Raz looked at him and waited to see what scent he had caught.

"She's coming this way," Anthony said when he turned to Raz smiling.

"Who is coming this way?" Raz asked as he looked around. He didn't see anyone, but he did notice that the wind was coming from the direction of the cafeteria so that is where the scent of whoever would be coming from. Raz returned to stretching. After the match with Anthony, which he lost again, he liked to make sure he was loose in case he had to do some long distance sprinting.

He was getting faster. He had been clocked at 450 mph (724 kph) last week. He was sure he could faster. His mind was also getting faster. He played speed chess with 10 different computers at the same time and won all but 2. It was a vast improvement from the previous month where he only won 2 out of the 10. As he was turning to Anthony to ask him a question, he saw her and then their eyes met. The world disappeared and she was all there was.

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Tessa had gotten good sleep and woke before Trinity so she had gotten the shower first also. When she got out of the shower, with the towel wrapped around herself, she saw Trinity making her bed. When she was done Trinity went into the bathroom to get ready and Tessa laid out her uniform and got dressed. When Trinity was finished getting ready they grabbed a quick bite in the kitchen and then headed to their first classes. After classes they headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

This time in the cafeteria it was almost completely full of students. They got their food and headed to a table with 3 girls and boys. When they saw Trinity coming they smiled and waved her over. Trinity headed their direction with Tessa in tow. She introduced Tessa to them but she wasn't really paying attention. She had this, pull, which was taking her mind from the present. Something was making her want to go outside, but she didn't know what it was. She quickly ate her lunch so she could find out what was going on.

When she was done she got up without really paying attention to Trinity and dumped her tray, then headed out the door heading toward the Training field. As she drew closer to the field, the pull became stronger. When she got closer to the field she saw to students standing there. The pull was impossible to ignore now. She saw that one of them, the shorter one, was covered in dark hair and the taller, darker, one glanced over at her, and then she knew the source of the pull.

Mindlessly she started walking toward him, and he to her. When they were closer he gently took her face in his hands, and without hesitation, kissed her. Suddenly there was an instant connection. In a blink of an eye, she knew everything about Rashad. She saw the painful memories of being picked on for being different. Seeing his humanity slowly being eaten away by his power and the loneliness it used to bring. Seeing the level he depended on Anthony for a human connection. Seeing that Raz and Tessa were made for each other and there would be no one else. Knowing that he is hers and she is his and that was that. Feeling loved and at peace, emotions main lined.

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When their lips met he felt human again. He hadn't felt truly human since he was 5. He felt love for this woman who would always be there for him and tether him to his humanity. To a level that Anthony couldn't. That he would always protect her and they would never be alone no matter the distance from each other. He could feel her in his soul as well as hear her in his mind.

He also knew that she was an Evolution. Her abilities were Telepathy and Aerokinesis. He also knew like he and Anthony she had a drawback, him. He became her drawback when they kissed. If anything happened to him her powers would reach a near catastrophic level and she wouldn't be able to control it.

As their lips separated and the rest of the world came back, he could hear her in his mind. 'Raz' she said. 'Can you hear me?'

'Yes.' He replied without saying a word. He smiled and so did she.

'We need to talk' she said and he nodded. Without looking back at Anthony, Raz scooped Tessa up and raced with her up and over the fence and straight to the fields.