Young Hellions

By Carson Merrick

Josh and Bart had noticed they had some rather strange abilities since they were young. Now, in their later teens, they had found another neighbor, Maud, had some strange talents as well. Josh wondered if the remaining person born during the same time, Helen Abrams, had any similar abilities?

He had already devised a theory to account for their oddness. They get Helen alone and reveal their talents to her and she confesses a shocking talent of her own.

Unknown to the group of four, someone has witnessed the display. But Miss Lawrence, their teacher, is not about to blow the whistle on them. She is more interested in helping them develop their gifts. She tells their parents she is forming a "reading club" for the summer.

They practice out of town, far from prying eyes, learning the depth of the talents and how they can control their usage. And then they encounter two boys from a neighboring town exhibiting similar strange abilities.

Having to reformulate the theory of their advent, they extend their search to outlying towns and discover only a handful of others with rare abilities. The reading group grows. To belay suspicions, they call themselves a ball team.

Still not understanding what their abilities are for, a schism forms as some of the members think the situation makes them somehow better than normal people and they naturally think they should be running the show.

The remainder of the group find their purpose in stopping the power-hungry from their bid of "running the world".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martian Publishing
• Release date: Apr 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476245379

Book preview

YOUNG HELLIONS

By Carson Merrick

MARTIAN PUBLISHING

Copyright 2012 by Martian Publishing Company

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.

No portion of this volume may

be reproduced in any format

without the express written

permission of the copyright holder.

This is a work of fiction.

Any resemblance to persons or

organizations, living or extinct,

is entirely coincidental.

CHAPTER ONE

Okay, Mizz Richards, that'll be…

Just a moment. How silly of me to forget! I also need some flour. Twenty pounds, if you please.

He nodded, smiled, and stepped to the wooden shelves behind the counter. Certainly. That'll bring your total to five…

What am I saying? Ten pounds should suffice.

Fine. Another smile. Your total is four-eighty-five. He brought over the cloth bag of flour.

Mister Mortenson, she spoke to the lad's parent, young Ulysses has a way with numbers.

Josh, if you please, Mizz Richards. He was placed the flour carefully on the counter next to the rest of her order.

The way he is capable of adding up such a list of items… She sighed and opened her purse. Well, it is a wonder.

Thank you, ma'am, the proud father looked at his son. He certainly didn't get it from my side of the family, that's for sure. He laughed and returned to stocking the shelves with cans of meat and vegetables.

Will there be anything else this afternoon?

No, that will do fine. She smiled and dug around in her purse.

Josh began filling a pair of wooden crates with her order, starting with the flour. The smaller items were set on top. The second crate started with the canned goods. When finished, he pushed the two crates of dry goods together. There you go. He took the bills from her outstretched hand, opened the register and retrieved a dime and a nickel. And there's your change. He grabbed one of the crates.

His father threw the towel over his shoulder and stepped forward. Let me help you carry this out to the wagon.

The father took one container while his son the other and they carried them out of the store. Heat and sunlight beat down on the dry dirty main street of their small Nevada town as the crates were placed in the back of her wagon. The young man propped a shovel against them to prevent any movement in the long journey ahead. Meanwhile, the father helped the elderly woman up into the seat.

Thank you so much, Mister Mortenson. And thank you too, Ulysses.

He nodded. Call me 'Josh', ma'am.

She cackled in delight and flicked the reins. The horses set off down the street, a bit unsteady at first, then more smoothly as they gained the feel of the weight and each other's steps.

The father turned to see the disheartened look on his son's face. Give it time, son. Most folks have known you as Ulysses for so long now, it'll take some time for them to get used to 'Josh'. He put his fingers through Josh's hair, mussing it. Still can't understand your dislike of the name; you were named after a President, after all.

Well, the young man straightened his hair after the fatherly attack, it usually becomes 'Uly' or 'Ses'. If everyone prefers a single syllable name, I'd rather it was 'Josh'.

That's fine, son. So long as you feel good about yourself, and still know who you really are, I have no objection to you calling yourself whatever you want. He put an arm around Josh's shoulder. Come on. Let's finish the stocking and get home for supper.

Okay, Dad. He glanced up at the sign over the entrance: Mortenson and Son it said. He thought for the hundredth time that it might be correct but the name was a bit clumsy. He shrugged and went back inside before the heat got to him.

***

After supper, when the last dish and pan had been washed, dried and returned to its place in preparation for its next use, Josh headed for the back door. I'm going over to Bart's for a while, he said over his shoulder. Is that okay?

His father looked up from the Bible and looked to his wife in the other chair, who paused in her knitting to nod. Okay, son, but don't be out too late. We have a shipment coming in early tomorrow.

Right, Dad, I didn't forget. He grinned and opened the door.

Mr. Mortenson chuckled and turned to his wife. No, I don't expect he would forget.

Josh walked across the small back yard, along the short alleyway beside the store and onto the wooden sidewalk along the main street of town. The shadows of the buildings stretched across the hard-packed dirt of the street though sunset was still some time away. Summer days stretched later into evening than other times of the year.

Ahead he saw two young women approaching. He quickly diverted his eyes to the opposite side of the street, as if there is something interesting to see over there.

Hi, Josh.

He looked around quickly, as though surprised to see them. Oh! Evening, Helen, Rachel. He quickened his pace to pass them without having to say anything more. He was sure he heard some giggling as he turned the corner by the hardware store. He absently wiped his palms on his trousers, barely noticing how quickly they had become damp.

Evenin'. Bart spoke as Josh came into the yard.

Josh looked around for the source of the greeting as Bart was nowhere in sight. Then he spied a dark head of unruly hair poking up between the azalea bush and the porch. Oh, there you are. I thought I was hearing voices or somethin'.

Oh, is that your special ability? He stood and came into the yard. And here I thought it was a super-fast intellect. He grinned.

Sh! Josh looked around nervously. We don't want anyone to know about that!

Bart shrugged it off. Ain't nobody here. Mom and Dad have taken Doris over to Aunt Tilly's place. Uncle George is feeling a bit poorly and they've gone over to lift his spirits.

Josh looked around. Now that would be a right interesting ability to have. He saw Bart's confusion. The power to make people feel better, you know.

Yeah, but what good would it do? Not like something we can do.

No, but I think it might be more useful that adding up numbers in your head…

That's not all you do.

… or being able to breathe underwater.

Well, that's a damned sight better than drowning, ain't it?

Josh shrugged. I'm not sayin' what we can do is not without value, but we have to find some more useful purpose for it, otherwise we're nothing better than a freak show. Now, if we lived nearer an ocean or even a large lake…

Yeah, I know what you mean. Hardly anyone falls into Werner's Creek and drowns.

You mean, no one. He looked around again. Is Maud planning on coming?

He nodded. Said she'd be here come hell or high water.

That Maud, he grinned, always making jokes.

Huh? What's so funny about that?

Think about it: 'high water' would be you and 'hell' would be her.

Oh, yeah, he blushed, if I had been smart as you I'd of known that.

No, Bart, that one didn't even take a genius to figure out. One might think our little Maud likes you a little bit.

Nah. She just likes making jokes. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. He kicked at the ground. It was just a joke, you think?

Sure, Bart. Oh, and here she comes.

Bart followed his gaze to see Maud skipping into the yard, her pale red hair bouncing on the shoulder straps of her overalls. Hallo!

Sorry I'm late, fellows. Got caught up in a conversation.

Whoa, Bart paled, someone discovered our secret? He looked around as if expecting the Sheriff to come into view with two deputies.

She shook her head and looked at Josh. And just what was his great ability again, worrying?

I think that could be his secondary talent… He grinned.

Or his nature, Maud added.

Come on, guys, lay off! He shook his head and glanced upward for some strength in his social battles. So, what was this conversation that delayed you?

Okay. She looked solemnly from one to the other. You remember when Josh told us that he had heard about a strange occurrence a few months before we were born… not all at the same time, mind you… but there was some sort of solar disturbance or something?

Yeah, Bart agreed, he had talked to his mom and found out that while she was carrying him they had the annual picnic and everything seemed to get brighter or something.

Right. She nodded and looked to Josh for confirmation. And he developed a theory about it being some sort of brightening or increasing the intensity of the solar something or other…

The solar radiation, Josh said.

Yeah, that thing. And since all our mothers were there and they were all pregnant at the time, he figured that was what made us so different.

Bart glanced sideways at Josh. I remember the story well enough, but I still don't see how a little extra sunshine is going to do things to us like that.

Maud's glance spoke volumes. And that's why Josh is the brains of this outfit. He knows those sorts of things.

Josh raised his hand. No, it's not something I 'know' exactly, but from the scientific theories I have been able to study, it is a theory I've devised. He shrugged. Heck, this is so strange, I don't think anyone can really know how it came about. He saw Maud's face. What?

Her grin was ear to ear. Well, a theory it may be but I think I have a further morsel to bolster it up.

We're all ears, Bart said. In a manner of speaking.

Okay, I checked around and found that there was another mother-to-be at the picnic that day. And only one.

Another one? Josh thought, how did I miss that? And I wonder if this one has any unusual abilities as well. His pulse quickened. And who was it? he asked.

Her grin became devilish. Missus Abrams was also there that day. She saw the look of shock on Josh's face. I mean, you knew she was born just a few months behind us. And you had to figure her mom would have been there for the social event of the year.

Yeah… I guess it makes sense…

And what's wrong with that? Bart asked.

Maud patted Josh on the shoulder. I guess you never noticed that our mental friend here has a certain feeling toward Miss Abrams.

Josh winced.

Oh, that! Bart laughed. Its something we just don't talk about.

So, Maud, what's your point? I thought it likely that her mother would have been there…

Yeah, and I know you never thought of going up to her and simply asking her if she did anything a little weird, like causing furniture to float around the room…

Or hearing conversations in the next town, added Bart.

Josh was turning pink. Okay, so I never asked her. So, did you?

She drew back. What?! And let our little 'secret' out of the bag? Not a chance!

After waiting a moment, Josh asked, You've got my attention. What do you know?

After another evil grin, she took a deep breath. Her cousin was visiting from St. Louis last week when a rather embarrassing incident from the past came up. She glanced from one to the other. I got this story from their maid, Annabelle, who saw the whole thing. Anyway, Helen was standing near the fireplace when the cousin started telling the story… and she vanished! The maid was disturbed and thought she had imagined it. Everyone else thought she had merely fled the room while their attention was on the cousin, and then they lit out to look for her."

Josh looked from Bart back to Maud. You mean she literally vanished? Just like faded from view?

Bart scratched his head. Where'd she disappear to?

Maud pushed his shoulder. To nowhere, silly, she simply became invisible. After everyone left the room, the maid went out to look as well. She did not see Helen reappear but when she came back into the parlor a minute later, Helen was back, still standing in the same place.

Jeez! Total transparency! Josh shook his head. I sure hope that story is not making the rounds.

Annabelle swore she had told no one… as if anyone else would believe her. I made her promise to tell no one else.

But won't that make her suspicious. Won't she wonder why you want it kept such a secret?

She grinned. I'm not that dense! I told her there's been a bug going 'round and people have been seeing things. Told her that Latimer was fired from his job when he mentioned something. And that's before my father learned of the strange illness. I told her she should go have it checked out. A wink ended her tale.

Josh looked at Bart dubiously then turned back to Maud. You think that'll work?

Of course! After the episode last year with the missing liquor, she won't dare tell a strange story like that.

What missing liquor? Bart asked.

Oh, just Mr. Abrams noticing the levels in the bottles were a little lower than they should be. All the help was trotted in and had a breath-check.

Bart leaned forward. And was it Annabelle?

Her eyes rolled. Of course it was Annabelle, silly. I mean, otherwise there wouldn't be any point, would there? Before he could respond, And they did not find her out because it had been a day or two since she had last taken a drink.

And you knew about this because…?

Well, she shrugged, I just happened to run into her when she was a little bit tipsy. She had me swear to keep it a secret. She looked from one to the other of her companions. You guys don't get out and about too much, do you? She shook her head. You really ought to get out and talk to more people sometimes. People love to talk and you could certainly find out a lot.

Yeah, right. Bart nodded. I'll get right on that.

~~~~

CHAPTER TWO

There she is. She nudged Josh in the back. Go on!

He jerked to retain his position on the sidewalk and scowled at her. Glancing back to the trio of females across the sunny street, he whispered, No, there are people with her. I can't ask her anything with people around. It would blow our secret.

The blue eyes rolled again. Oh, brother! I'll be right back. She stepped around him and stepped down from the sidewalk. Josh took one step and reached for her.

Let her go, Bart pushed his arm back. We both know it has to be done but neither of us can do it. he shrugged, Let Maud exercise her unique gifts.

I never thought being social could be considered an enhanced ability, he said, but there are certainly times when I wished I had it.

Bart grinned. Well, you better develop it pretty quick.

His eyes were still on Maud, talking to Helen. What do you mean?

Don't you realize that once Maud gets her over here, she's not gonna be talking anymore. You're going to have to be the one to convince her to join us.

Josh went beet red. Darn! I forgot! He glanced one way and the other.

No, don't even think about it! You're not going to chicken out on us now. We already talked about this. Just relax and go at it real slow. He shook his head. I don't care if you stay red in the face, you just tell her what you need to.

Josh wiped his sweaty palms unconsciously on his trousers. I don't know if I can.

Remember, this is nothing personal, this is business. We just need to know if she wants to join us.

And what if she won't? Our secret will be out of the bag!

Bart dropped his voice to a whisper as Maud approached with Helen. So what? We know her secret too! If she blabs, so do we!

Hello, Josh, Bart. Helen nodded to each of them, but seemed to keep her attention on Bart. Maud says you two wanted to see me about something.

Bart shook his head. No, not me. It's Josh wants to talk to you.

She turned her head slowly to Josh. Yes?

Josh could not seem to get his mouth to work, and it was suddenly getting oppressively hot. It even seemed to be affecting Helen, her skin