Read Online Parahuman (Parahuman Series) by S. L. Hess - Free Book Online Page B

Nick
and Laney said farewell to the families, Devan hovered in the background.
Johnny waved madly to Devan out his car window as the families drove away. He
returned a more subdued wave back.
        
“Well, I doubt that we’ll be seeing them again anytime soon.” Nick said with a
sigh. Turning, he walked back toward Devan with Laney following. “It would
appear you can handle yourself pretty well in a crisis situation, and you had
no difficulty following the path back. Have you ever done any climbing?”
         “Yes,
several years.” Devan had done a lot of harness and free climbing, before and after . These days he did mostly free climbing.
         “ATV
experience?”
         “Five
years. I have a dirt bike, YZ250F. Before that I had a Yamaha Warrior 350.”
         “What
about mountain bike riding; have you done any of that?”
         Devan
had mountain biked a couple times in his earlier years, and it had been an
acceptable form of recreation at the time, but he would rather ride his dirt
bike or run.
         “The
last time I rode a bike was five years ago. I’m more of a runner. I don’t foresee
any difficulty getting back on one though.” Devan received a grin and an
eyebrow lift from both father and daughter. Same eyebrow and everything. It
must be a hereditary thing.
        
“Probably not,” Nick granted. “What about horseback riding?”
         “Horseback
riding?”  Devan grimaced slightly. “Horses are not my forte.” 
        
“You’re scared of horses, but have no problem taking on a mountain lion.” Laney
broke in with amused skepticism on her face.
         “I’m
not scared of horses.” They were scared of him. But that wasn’t
something they would understand. “They just don’t seem to like me.” 
         “Is
this one experience or have you tried a few times?” Nick asked.
        
“Believe me, horse don’t like me. Will that be a problem?” No horse was going
to be comfortable around him.
         “No,
I’m not expecting you to be good at everything as long as you’re strong in
other areas.” Nick replied.
         That
had to be a first; the first time someone told him he wasn’t supposed to be
good at everything. At one time he had been expected to excel at all things. He
had never tried horseback riding, but he’d been around enough animals to know
they didn’t like him. Most animals felt that way around him. They just went
crazy. Non-predators feared him and predators became anxious, if not extremely
aggressive. No horse was going to let him near it, let alone allow him on its
back.
         “I’m
going to want to check out your climbing abilities, but I need approval from
your uncle first. A letter will do. If you can meet me back here tomorrow, we
can do that.” Nick continued. 
         “What
time?” 
         Nick
ran his hand through his hair and scrunched up his face in thought. “We have
church service in the morning…let’s say eleven o’clock?” 
         “I
can do that,” Devan said. 
         “We’ll
see you tomorrow than, and good job today.” He said cordially, holding out his
hand. After giving it a shake Nick pivoted on his heels and headed toward the
main office building. Devan was going to get along fine with Nick; he was
direct, to the point.   
        
Nick’s departure left Devan alone with Laney and his muscles tensed at the
possibility of undesirable questions. She was always smiling, and while it did
lessen Devan’s tension it seemed to increase his internal temperature by few
degrees.
         For
some unfathomable reason even though he was uncomfortable he didn’t feel like
leaving yet, which was unusual because typically he couldn’t wait to get away
from other people.
         “You
did a really good job out there today.” Laney said, breaking the silence. 
          That
comment made the tension come right back. What was she referring