She moved along side her cousin; he had always been her protector since birth. Named after her father, she saw Jonathan Vargo as a slender young man, with his long snowy white hair; he kept it a little too much on the shaggy side for her liking. His steel gray eyes where always an eye catcher with any young thing, that he turned his attention to. He was tall for his age, so he was able to hang out with the older boys in school. He might only be barely in his teens but he looked older for his age and acted it.
He held her hand as they made it through the bus station in Detroit. Though not siblings Snowy King was his sister, he had always had. He worried as he hurried through the masses; of her distinctive in features being just as pronounced as his.
She too had the same white hair, only hers was long and silky and her eyes were a cool baby blue. She had all ready entered into children modeling so her appearance was more seductive than a normal fourteen year old. There was always a chance she would be recognized. Her small frame made Jonathan tower over her. The difference in height seemed amazing, since they were the same age. He looked around them, to see if they where follow, than checked the schedule for their bus arrival time.
“Snowy, Let’s find a seat. It will still be another hour.”
She looked at him with frighten eyes, “Do we have to go? What about our gigs? What about school?” She thought to herself, “What about dad.”Never had she been on the run.
“ You know we have to split. They caught us on film! Even your dad can’t buy us out of this. They know what we are. Once we get to Canada we will be fine.” His Uncle wasn’t super wealth but pretty close to it. He was one of the top bio chemists in the field and was paid handsomely for his work. The pay cut didn’t affect him, when he had to quit his travel to tend to the two of them, at least it didn’t appear any different. He knew money didn’t matter to Uncle John he would give it all up to make them safe.
They sat down on the bench as Jonathan rubbed his forehead. He had escaped discovery once, when the plane crashed, killing his parents. He survived in the frozen waste of northern Canada for days. The government wasn’t called in and no questions were asked. He was shipped back to the States to live with his Uncle.
(2) The past
They had always been together, the five of them Robert, Tina, John, and the kids. The adults worked for the same worldwide Technology Company, Global Tech. It was a tech company that hired all the high end professionals around the world, in all different fields. The company had a finger in every pot. Since they had operations in just about every country, the lead people had to travel a lot to aid varies projects when things stalled. Sometimes it was just a few days but could be up to a year. The children were naturals at picking up the languages.
The story of their joint birth was sad but was, what it was. His Father Robert, had been Canadian and his mother American. His father had been away on a trip to Germany when he was born. His mother was visiting her brother John and his wife Sarah, she was to far along carrying him for the airlines to allow her to join her husband. His Aunt, was just as far as long as she was with Snowy. It was a freezing cold blizzard when both women decided it was time. John King rushed them as best he could through the treacherous ice and snow. He could hear his wife in the backseat giving birth as he pulled up to Ostego Memorial Hospital in Gaylord Michigan. The gunneries rushed both in Sarah holing their daughter as his sister wailed in pain. Sarah never returned from the hospital, the last thing she did was hand John his daughter making the comment “Snowy” as she looked out at the storm and fell into an eternal sleep.
Robert, Tina, and John worked their travels so the family could move as a unit through the foreign lands for work. John home base was Gaylord Michigan and his sister in Ontario Canada. Once they became school aged they would stay with the adult of the month in Gaylord, in order to get accustomed to their own native land and be able to attend the home school courses, with welfare checks. Travel was restricted to school breaks.
For Jonathan’s early thirteenth birthday present, his parents had picked him for a week for a family outing to a remote village in northern Canada. His father had rented a sea plane to carry them in. The weather was supposed to be crisp and clear. Something about the snow and ice stirred things deep within Jack as ice storm came out of nowhere. The wings iced and the plane headed down for an emergency landing with the pilot screaming out the mayday. Jonathan was in trance, as the snowflakes formed around him, dancing in the air. He didn’t seem to notice all the panic around him, as he watched the snowflakes. He unbuckled his seat belt, the snowflakes lifting him to the emergency door. He didn’t remember opening the door but he must of, for the next clear memory was him floating down to the blazing fire of the crash.
Miles away in Gaylord, Snowy was on stage in a talent show, just finishing her rendition of let it snow. Her head began to hurt worse with the claps of the audience, thundered in the room. She tried to clear her head by focused on the Judges, under her breath she commanded, “Pick me.” The Judges obeyed her command. She was stunned; she knew she had made them.
(3) Back to the here and now
Jonathan pulled out his cell phone. He dialed his Uncle’s number once again. It went to voice mail. He closed the phone. The last he saw his Uncle John was after the car accident. As they loaded the his Uncle in an ambulance, the last words he said to him was “Run, both of you run.” Uncle John knew what they were; he knew how many of governments used the gifted. Not a life for his kids, they had to hide if discovered.
Snowy leaned against him bored, tired and frighten. “You get a hold of dad?”
“Not yet,” he put his arm around her, “They might not have given his phone back yet.”
“He’s going to be alright. He has to be alright.” she tried to assure herself. In her heart she prepared for the worse.
(4) The night before
Had it only been a day? The night before Jonathan and Snowy were performing, with their band, at the School’s winter dance. It was their first year in a public school. Attendance was low because of the snow storm heading their way. The parents of the students showed up early, pulling the children from the dance as the weather worsen. Uncle John was among the parents. The roads were slick and the visible was near nothing as they moved along the heavily car laden street.
A mini van pulled in front of a semi, the semi slamming on his brakes. The trailer fish tailed slamming into the car in front of them. To avoid the car, Uncle John, turned the wheel falling behind the semi , the car going into a spin. It was like a game of pinball as the car was bounced around, from medium to car and then back to the concrete wall. All movement came to a stop.
Jonathan called out, “Snowy! Uncle John are you okay?” he tried to open the back door where he sat. It wouldn’t budge. Something deep inside him stirred again. He could feel the energy building in him as he willed it’s released against the door. The stream of ice and snow shot forth from his hand, blasting the door off the hinges, sending it flying a mile down the road. He saw a flash but exited the car. Snowy climbed out her window and ran around the car to the driver’s side. “Daddy! Daddy!” The man moaned to her.
“Snowy, we need help to get him out.” Jonathan noticed people with cell phones out, some calling some taking pictures.
Snowy’s anger grew as she looked at the gawker’s. With every ounce of herself she commanded all who she could, “Get my father OUT!” The people began to swarm their car, as they all moved as one till they freed the man.
“Snowy! They are taking pictures!” he tried to warn her but her eyes were on the first ambulance to arrive. He was afraid for himself as much as her, they weren’t suppose to use their “gifts” in public.
She stared at the driver ordering, forcing into his mind, “MY DAD FIRST!”
The ambulance stopped as the crew made their way to them.
Jonathan stayed by his Uncle side until they started to load him in the back. His uncle barely able to speak whispered to the boy. Jonathan scooped Snowy up, the snow moving beneath his feet making it look like he danced on the snowflakes as he lifted them up and away from the accident.
(5) Time to go
Jonathan nudged his cousin awake, “It’s time to go.”
Together they boarded the bus. They picked seats to the back of the bus and waited. The door shut and the bus was on its way to safety.