Free A Chosen Life by K.A. Parkinson

mind’s eye the group surrounding him. Their intoxicated bellows were muffled, their fierce expressions almost comical. He started to wonder how long it would take Jeff to decide he’d had enough when the tenor of the conversation taking place around him sent him back into full consciousness with a jolt.
    “Dude, you ever seen anything like that?” Someone asked.
    “No way man . . . ”
    “What is he?”
    What are they talking about? Tolen focused on coming back to his senses and every ache in his body hit him with force. A couple ribs had to be broken—each breath felt like knives stabbing through his chest.
    He searched back through his thoughts for the incident that had brought on the confused shouting. The picture stayed hazy, but he could see that someone, he wasn’t sure who, had lifted Tolen’s right eyelid—probably checking to see if he was still conscious—and then jumped back, stumbling over his own feet.
    Shocked back to the present Tolen blinked and felt his blue eye dilate. The contact! Crap!
    “I don’t know what you are freak, but I promise I’ll knock whatever it is right out of you!” Jeff cocked his bloody fist back and Tolen quickly closed his eyes.
    “NO!”
    Dane? Tolen’s head snapped up. Sure enough, Dane ran toward them as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.
    “Dane, get out of here!” Tolen tried to shout, but the blood in his mouth muffled the sound.
    “Well look-y what we got now boys. Two freaks for the price of one!” Jeff dropped his fist and the crowd parted to let Dane in beside Tolen.
    Dane’s face was covered with sweat and his small chest heaved. “Leave him alone. You stupid idiots need to find a new hobby.”
    Tolen struggled for breath. “Dane, just get out of here. I can handle this.”
    “Oh, would you listen to that.” Jeff lifted a hand to his mouth, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Parks is trying to protect his little freak. Don’t worry Parks. We have special plans for your boyfriend. Wonder how fast those fat legs can run when they’re dragged behind my truck?”
    The crowd laughed again and Tolen’s heart began to pound so hard it hurt.
    “Or maybe we’ll just try to give him a little face lift like the one you got tonight. Dude, he’s so ugly I bet his father’d pay us for takin’ him off his hands.”
    Fire seemed to rise from Tolen’s toes and consume every part of his body. “Touch him and I’ll kill you.” The words left his mouth before he could think to stop them.
    Blinding white light sheeted across his blue eye until he could see everything surrounding him as if it were midday instead of the middle of the night. His arms shook and his blood pulsed hard and fast through his veins.
    The trees surrounding them began thrashing their branches so wildly that chunks of bark rained down on their heads.
    Jeff and his friends started shouting all at once. A thick branch swept down knocking Jeff off his feet and his head hit the pavement with a sickening crack. Tolen’s arms were released as the boy holding him was hoisted into the air by his ankles and lifted screaming into the trees. The rest of Jeff’s cronies ran away yelling, tossing their beer cans behind them.
    Tolen leaned over and tried to suck in air. His ribs burned and his lungs felt like they were in a garbage crusher. “Can’t breathe . . . ”
    The guy fell out of the tree and landed with a thud.
    “Tolen?” Dane grabbed Tolen’s arm and everything went black.
    “Tolen? Tolen, wake up.”
    Someone shook his shoulder. He wished they would stop.
    “Come on man, you’ve been out for hours.” Dane’s desperate voice sounded far away.
    Images flickered like the broken pieces of a dream before Tolen’s eyes—he jerked upright and the room spun.
    “Whoa buddy, take it easy.” Dane’s anxious face glimmered in the lamplight.
    Tolen looked around. He was sitting on his bed. He rubbed his eyes with his fists and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was 2:00