Read Online Pulse of Heroes by A.Jacob Sweeny - Free Book Online Page B

self. No more humming or
buzzing, and nothing to smell but the warm grease arising from the
food court. Oh no, she thought, did Xander finally recognize her?
Now she was really shaking and trembling. Am I going to faint, she
thought? She had never fainted before. How frightening.
    Michelle heard her mom calling her name and
she turned around to see her standing by the glass exit doors. “I’m
coming, Mom,” she called back, but her voice came out only as a
whisper. Michelle walked towards her mom, all the while trying to
figure out what had just taken place.
    When she got to the doors her mom looked at
her full of worry. “Lets get you to bed, sweetie. I should have
never dragged you out here.” Her mom put her arm around her and
they exited the building together.
    Still, Michelle couldn’t make sense of what
had just happened. Was she imagining everything? Was it all in her
head? She must be burning up with fever. She turned around to get
one more look from the outside through the glass doors, but all she
saw was Xander standing in the middle of the hallway staring in her
direction. There was no one around him; he was alone.
     
    When her mother finally left her alone in her
room, Michelle began to try and make sense of all that had happened
that day. Sipping on a warm cup of mint and lemon tea seemed to
make everything a little better, more palatable. She thought about
the obvious things like the fact that she had gotten out of taking
her Italian midterm, and the fact that since she was actually sick
there was no way she would have been able to attend the winter
formal, date or no date, so she shouldn’t feel too disappointed.
When she was done thinking about school and everything that related
to it, she finally let her mind rest on the most important
development of the day: Xander and his group of boys at the mall.
But Michelle didn't get too far with her thoughts on the matter,
because five minutes later she was deep in sleep.

Chapter 3
     
     
    Michelle spent most of the weekend upstairs
in her room, although she was well on her way to recovery. She was
still weak and napped frequently. But when she wasn't napping, her
mind circulated back to the events at the mall. She went over every
little detail that she could remember, trying to figure out why the
whole thing felt so strange to her. She told herself time and time
again that whatever it was that she felt was so odd was probably
all in her mind. After all, it was the holidays, and perhaps Xander
was out with his family. Nothing strange about that, right? That
made perfect sense, right? And the fact that the guys all had
different skin colors and that one was obviously Asian shouldn't
really change the actuality that they could still all be part of
Xander’s family. She had read about many famous people that adopt
children from different countries and different continents as if
they were collecting wild butterflies from faraway forests and
jungles. Xander was obviously wealthy. He drove a fancy car and
wore expensive clothing, and had probably adopted all the guys
while traveling around the world. Yes, she thought, that was a
perfect explanation.
     
    Later that afternoon Michelle attempted to
read a book, watch TV, and even played a game of cards with her
father. But no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on these
tasks, her mind wandered back to the scene at the mall. The whole
situation was starting to annoy Michelle, and she began making a
deliberate, conscious effort not to think about it anymore.
     
    By the Monday morning of Michelle’s holiday
break from school, she was feeling like her old self again. She
woke up early, and was dressed and at the breakfast table before
her dad even left for work. She had a voracious appetite and helped
herself to seconds. Her parents were delighted, and her father was
relieved that she would be able to join them for the holiday dinner
at the mayor's house. After the table was cleared away and the
dishes dried and