“Oh come on guys! This was my idea!” Jack yelled. He carefully peddled the child size bmx bike he road. He had wiped out two times already and didn't think his ego or his knees could take a third.

The others all peddled well ahead of him on the cache of mountain bikes Jack found in the back yard of the house next to where they stayed for the night. Their laughs echoed back to Jack, making him blush even further.

The night before had been uneventful, with Jack and Bryan each taking turns keeping watch.

Sara slept through the night and when she was told what she had done to Jack’s arm she jumped with joy into his arms, excited at finally using her powers.

"Did my eyes glow??" Sara's excitement was bubbling over. Her jump had landed her with her head just above Jack's and her legs wrapped around him to keep herself up.

Jack leaned his head back and smiled staring into her bright beautiful eyes.

"Yep!"

Sara shouted with joy. The creeping useless feeling had completely left her.

Finally I can help!!

Realizing she was yelling in Jack's face, Sara quickly dismounted him and turned her usual bright red. After making some quiet excuses with no eye contact, she ran out back to find a bush.

Now what the hell was that. Jack couldn't figure her out. Hot cold hot cold. I'll have to ask Bryan... O God help me.

Breakfast of assorted energy bars and granola bars went quickly as they gathered what meager supplies they found in the house and Jack tried to focus on the day ahead.

A quick sweep of the yard and a hop over the fence and the friends headed out for the bikes next door.

There where five, 3 adult size with two womens and one male mountain bikes, and then a child bmx and a kids size with training wheeles. Jack got stuck with the BMX.

“This is ridiculous! My knees are hitting the handle bars!” Jack complained.

“Quit your whining!” Bryan yelled, trying to stifle his laughter.

Jack, looking for help , looked toward Sara but found she was laughing just as hard. Defeated, he pushed on and kept his grumbling to himself.

The bikes had greatly increased their travel speed, having left the house they had stayed at less then an hour ago they where almost into the city limits.

Houses had become common sight, lining the sides of the roads. From time to time they had to swerve around cars dead in the middle of the road.

The majority of the time it was down hill, which made it easier on Jack as they went. What Jack found odd about the road they were on was the lack of people. He swore he saw a family watching out the windows of a few houses as they rolled on but he wasn’t certain.

As they came to an intersection at the bottom of the road, Jack almost plowed into Bryan and the girls that had come to a stop.

“What’s the hold up?” Jack asked, looking over his travel companions.

No one said a word, they just pointed ahead.

They finally had made it to the grid lined streets of LA, and the sight was horrifying. Buildings and shops had crumbled from all the earth quakes of the past two nights. Fires raged in some buildings still, while others still smoldered, releasing towers of black smoke into the air.

In the distance, more smoke rose from what was sure to be more burning buildings. The city was destroyed.

What concerned Jack was the graffiti that looked fresh on some of the closer buildings. Although there where no visible people, Jack knew that whoever had tagged the buildings couldn’t be far.

Closing his eyes, jack tried to push the vison of the city from his eyes, not wanting to believe that it was no more.

But as soon as they where closed, his mind reeled, processing possible outcomes like a slide projector moving at one hundred miles per hour.

So sudden was it that Jack lost his balance standing on the bike and started to fall over.

“Wo there!” Bryan shouted, droping his backpack and gun and rushed over to Jack to keep him from hitting the ground.

Jack opened his eyes with a gasp, coming back to the present. “This is gunna be rough,” he stammered, sitting back on the seat of his bike.

Everyone looked to Jack, the jovial mood seeping away in the scilence.

“We’re going to have to be very careful,” Jack's tone was deadly serious but Bryan as always just smirked.

“Duh genious, do you think we planned on not?” Bryan shot.

“No, I mean really careful. We’ll ride in a close group of two and two. Meaning we can only go as fast as our slowest rider. Let’s hope we find a replacement bike for me soon so we can get out of the city as quick as possible. Keep an eye out for sports stores. Bryan, you keep the shotgun and ride up front, il ride cady corner with the rifle. I’m going to go back up the hill a bit to get some energy from a copse of tree’s I spotted. I have a feeling we’ll need it. My sights been back to normal since I woke up this morning, hopefully that will turn that back on as well.”

Jack had been hoping to be able to keep that last bit to himself, but now facing the realization of what the city was like he felt he had to tell them all.

If the others where shocked at his admission and speech, it didn’t show as they all rechecked bags and helped Bryan unlash the rifle from his pack.

Jack hurried back up road to the tree’s he had spotted earlier.

His father had taught him plenty about all the plants and trees of the northeast but Jack was having trouble identifying most of the trees he had come across in California.

After a short jog up the hill, Jack reached a cluster of what to him looked like young dogwood trees.

Placing his hand on the ruff bark, Jack closed his eyes and tried to repeat the process he had used the day before.

Nothing came.

Remembering how the bush’s energy from the night before had responded to his muttering of niceties, Jack tried again. “Please nice tree, lend me your aid.” He muttered.

Still nothing.

Trying not to panic, Jack took a better look at the tree. Seeing the green leaves and thriving blossoms, he knew it wasn’t dead.

Concentrate, he scolded himself.

Jack knelt next to the tree and put both hands forward onto the trunk near its base.

Closing his eyes, Jack tried to clear his mind. The task was a lot harder then his books made it sound. The mongoloids face as he caught him and then his body on the ground, kept showing in his mind.

Over and over.

Only inturupted by the look of furry on Jimmies face as he left him in the bubble.

Jack shook his head and thought of what happend after. Sara woke up her powers and healed him, Bryan actually acted like a brother. If he hadn't done what he did, he knew that they would be injured, captured or worse.

I had to. It was me or them.

Coming to a bit of acceptance Jack tried again to clear his head. He knew that night would haunt him for a long time, but he had to worry about the hear and now or it will have been for nothing.

When he felt his mind was clear, he focused on the feeling of power that had been with him the night before.

Slowly, Jack felt his power coming through. From deep inside him he felt a trickle of ice start at the base of his skull and drip down his back and then down his shoulders. That wont be enough, he thought. Pushing himself mentally deeper, pulling on that trickle, it slowly became a river.

His arms tingled with the icey power. Finally feeling he had enough, Jack opened his eyes to find his vison had still not changed.

Jack couldn’t help feeling let down that his second sight had not come back. But even after opening his eyes, the river was still flowing, filling him with power.

But it was differen’t, he noted.

Unlike the night before, it held no warmth. When Jack relized this, he finally took notice of the tree. It haden’t changed at all.

Blossoms and all, not an inch had been drained.

Maybe it has something to do with my second sight, Jack thought.

Jack walked slowly back to the group at the bottom of the hill where the others where waiting. On the way, he played with the stream of internal power he’d found. Slowly letting it slip away to nothing then bringing it back to the full river of before. Controling it was easier then he had imagined it being. In the short walk back, he already felt he could manage his power level and was confident he could call it when needed. What he could actually ,an age to do with it was yet to be seen.

Smiling he greeted the others, to his surprise, their looks ranged from confused to concern.

“What took you so long?” Bryan blurted, “Its been thirty minutes, have a good heart to heart with the tree?”

Jack shook his head at his brothers remark but didn’t get a chance to answer.

“Your eyes..” Rachel started.

Not this again, Jack thought.

“They aren’t glowing, did you get enough energy from the tree?”

This was an out of place comment from Rachel for Jack. Normally she was so scared of his eyes when he was charged up then she flinched at every move he made like a scared rabit. Now she held the same fear in her voice to see him without the glow.

“I didn’t get any at all actually.” Jack replied.

The collective intake of breath at that somehow made him smile.

Playing bryans fear like that always made him feel better. For the girls he held a pang of guilt at the twist.

“I got a better handle on my own power though.” Jack boasted, bringing sighs of relief and looks that pleaded for an explination.

As to show his point to make things move along, Jack brought his power to a river inside himself and created a shimmering shield like he had before.

“Phew, if what you said is true we’re going to need all you can get. Now spot wasting it and lets get moving.” Rachel said with force.

Jack couldn’t tell if it was fear pushing her forward, or her want for this to be over with so she can sleep in a her own bed.

Her Sheltered upbringing was becoming more apparent. That morning as they road with her complaints and constant belittling of houses she didn’t approve of as they passed. The shock and awe was whereing off on her he thought.

Her true colors would show through soon enough. Something in that moment made him think of Sara.

Hopefully she doesn’t change too, he thought.

Jacks thoughts where soon interrupted by Sara handing him the rifle.

Her face was contorted in a fasion that made it hard for him to know how she was feeling.

“Your doing it again,” Sara stated.

Seeing Jacks confusion she continued as she climbed back on her bike next to him. Speaking as they started to ride she went on, “The last two days it seems that if you’re not unconscious or hurt, your doing that mind thing of yours.”

Jacks confusion deepend, he only used his mind exceleration power a few times that he could recall.

Heading off Jacks response Sara Started in again, “You know what I mean, don’t give me that face. Your eyes glaze over like your miles away sitting right next to me.” Her boldness slipping, Sara Mumbled, “besides, you promised to teach me about my powers and lately your barely even speaking to me.” she trailed off on her last words.

Jack struggled hearing the words. In the last two days his life had been turned upsidedown.

All of their lives had, he thought. She was right that he haden’t been talking much lately, he had been consumed by his thoughts and concerns.

Jack knew he had feelings for Sara but it was all so new and with everything going on he hadn’t had any time in his mind for her. Besides, he had little to no experience romantically. With the world in it's current state was it really the right time?

Smileing Jack said, “I’m sorry Sara, your right. I’ve just been so overwhelmed with everything lately. I’ll do better.”

The playfulness of the first night they had met finally returned to Sara’s face as they started talking of their magic. They road next to each other, following closely behind Bryan and Rachel.

Jack struggled to keep pace on his smaller BMX bike while talking at the same time, but he managed.

He was still slowing down their progress by quiet a bit. But he and Sara where finally getting along as they had the first night. For the first time since then, Jack was happy.

That was until they got further into the city scape.