The Eclipse III

She remarked with a smile that showed her pearly whites.

"So, how does it feel to see my power up close?" She dusted her skirt with her hands and asked with a smile as she inched closer.

Apart from her collar which was stained with a little blood and the sand or dust stuck on the white part of her full shell and parts of her hair, she looked normal.

There wasn't even a tiny scratch or bruise on her face or body that would prove that she just fell from a height of more than sixty feet.

Seeing her power up close was spectacular and mind-blowing, the show's visual effects didn't do it justice...

"I hate to admit it but that was pretty cool Claire. But don't do that again when I'm around, you nearly scared me to death." I complimented her genuinely with a smile and suggested, cringing playfully as I closed the screen of the device.

"I can't make promises," She smirked as she stopped right in front of me. "Now, it's your turn. Show me what you can do." She urged dramatically, curiosity and excitement burning in her eyes.

"I told you my power allows me to know things about people. What do you want me to do? Tell you Marilyn Munroe's bust size?" I rose my shoulders and asked sarcastically with a smile.

Claire folded her arms on her chest and rolled her eyes but then her eyes lit up, and a devious smile came on her face.

"Yeah, I remember perfectly. You said your power allows you to know about people, but you forgot to add the word 'only', meaning there's more you can do," She looked at my face with an 'I've got you' look.

"C'mon Xander, I've shown you mine. The least you can do is show me something." She held my free hand and said convincingly, as if pleading, her eyes staring into mine.

I rose an eyebrow in surprise at her actions and her words. It was true, I didn't explicitly say that was my only power.

It was a very small detail I failed to add because I didn't think it was necessary but surprisingly, she was fast enough to catch that detail.

I never knew she was this attentive. Maybe, she finding me, someone remotely like her, had made her more focused? Especially when she was talking to me.

Hmm, it was time I stopped looking at her and maybe everyone through a lens made from my show knowledge. The characters were now real people, with real complex emotions and unique mindsets...

With these thoughts settling in my mind, the corners of my lips rose into a smile and I nodded at her. If my goal was to be her friend or build a strong connection with her, then I had to go all in.

That meant, trusting her like the way, she trusted me by letting me witness this. She was putting in the effort so it was time to put in mine and it wasn't like she was going to tell anyone about it...

"Okay, okay, you don't need to give me the puppy dog eyes, I'll do it." I sighed helplessly and placed my left hand on my forehead, the smile still on my face.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist, even my dad can't, and trust me, he's way more intense." She grinned proudly and joked, her eyes shining with victory.

She looked down at her hands holding mine and quickly removed them, almost blushing as she looked away. She looked way cuter when she was embarrassed...

"Alright, if you say so," I shook my head and chuckled. "Here, hold these and watch closely." I gave her bag and the camcorder to her and she took a step back to watch me, her grey eyes burning with curiosity.

I glanced at her, standing at my left side, a few feet away, and then concentrated on my power. It was time to spook the hell out of her.

As always, everything warped around me and instantly, all I could see was a grey colorless world, my feet a few inches above the sandy ground.

I heard her cry out in surprise and immediately, she started looking around, her eyes darting all over in an attempt to find me. Meanwhile, I was floating right in front of her.

She moved closer to where I was and stretched her hand, waving it in the air at where I was standing. It passed right through my waist.

"Xander! Where are you!?" She rose her head and yelled, turning as she looked all over the sky.

I moved away, a few meters from her, and watched in amusement as she continued to scream my name, calling for me to come out.

A gust of wind howled as it flew in, sweeping away some sand around us, and creating miniature clouds of dust. The whole place became silent as a cemetery once it left and I could see Claire increasingly becoming anxious.

I almost laughed at this and wanted to continue but I shook my head and decided to end this before she freaked out.

Hovering towards her, I moved to her back as she used one hand to hold her waist, still looking around, and deactivated my power.

"Boo!"

"Agh!" She turned sharply and shouted in fear, stumbling backward, but I caught her before she fell and moved backward as I started laughing, clutching my stomach.

"Hahaha, oh my God that was fucking hilarious." My laughter continued as I looked at her shocked face, breathing heavily.

She snapped out of it and instantly her face fell into a frown, her lips pursed.

"You think that's funny huh? Let's see you laugh after this." She said, obviously annoyed and irritated at my laughter, and bent down to pick some stones.

I immediately stopped laughing. She was going crazy on me? Hell no...

"Claire wai—" My words came to a stop as I had to step to the side to dodge her pretty accurate throw that would've hit my leg.

"Claire wait, I'm sorry!" I rose my hand in surrender, a wry smile on my face but she didn't look convinced and threw another stone. "Hey! C'mon, I said I was sorry so why are you still attacking me!?" I dodged another accurately thrown stone and dashed towards her the moment I saw her bending down to take another set of stones.

I got to her just in time as she was about to hit me and held her hands. She tried to resist but I increased my strength and held her tightly.

"Let me go! You think what you did was funny huh? Do you know how scared I was!? I thought something had happened to you! I was worried!" She yelled at my face fiercely, huffing and puffing as she stopped resisting, her eyes showing how sincere she was.

I was taken aback by her words and left her hands, my eyes wide in surprise as I looked into her eyes. She calmed down, still huffing and puffing, and dropped the stones, looking away when she saw me staring.

What the hell was going on? Did she care that much for me? We barely even knew each other? I knew she was compassionate but she was taking it to the next level...

"...I didn't know you cared that much, Claire. Look, I'm sorry, it won't happen again. You have my promise." A bright apologetic smile blossomed on my face and I told her assuredly, my voice low and soft.

She turned to look at me and seeing the sincere look on my face, she inhaled and exhaled softly, seemingly calmed down, and smiled brightly.

"No, I should be the one apologizing. I overreacted when I shouldn't have, it's obvious you were just playing with me. It's just that when I saw you disappear like that as if you didn't exist anymore, I felt so alone like I had just lost an important friend." She smiled wryly and apologized, her smooth cheeks reddening a little, unable to make eye contact.

"Don't worry, I understand. In hindsight, I could've done it in a better way. I take full responsibility," I nodded sagely and she burst into giggles. "So, I couldn't help but notice you called me a friend. Is that what we are now? Friends?" I asked her with a funny smile.

"Yeah...I guess. You don't wanna be friends?" She shrugged and asked with a shy smile, tucking a strand of her hair behind her right ear.

"Hmm, let's see. If I excuse your masochi—," She punched my forearm hard before I could finish, a fuming look on her face." Ouch, fine, I guess we are friends, in fact, we're besties." I winced in pain and nodded with a genuine smile.

"Better," She chuckled and flashed me a happy smile that was from ear to ear. "I think it's time, we head home. The eclipse is almost starting." She looked up to the sky and I mirrored her movement.

The sky was getting darker and I could see the moon just a few moments away from covering our view of the sun. It was very clear from where we stood.

If I recalled correctly, it was around this time, Hiro would time-travel into the future, at least two weeks or so from now. Wha t would he see when he got there? Would New York still go nuclear or because of me, would things change?

One thing I knew for sure was that, before that time came, I would be a hell of a lot prepared...