Chapter Title Ideas for Chapter 6:
- "The Bus to Catastrophe"
- "Secrets in a Carry-On"
- "When the Future Flashes"
- "A Mother's Revenge"
- "Blake's Two Faces"
- "The Explosion That Never Happened"
Chapter 6: The Explosion That Never Happened
I was tapping my foot impatiently at the bus stop, staring down the road as I waited for the city-bound ride. My shopping list was tucked safely in my pocket – I'd been meaning to pick up art supplies and a new notebook ever since transferring to Ephemeral Academy, and today was finally the day I had free time to head into town.
Just as I pulled out my phone to check the time, someone stepped up beside me. I turned to find Blake standing there, his usual gentle smile on his face as he adjusted the strap of his messenger bag.
"Going somewhere?" he asked.
"City center – need to grab some things," I replied, surprised to see him here. "What about you?"
"Coincidentally, same place. I have to drop off some documents at my dad's office," he said. Before I could respond, the familiar rumble of the bus engine filled the air, and we both turned as it pulled to a stop in front of us.
We climbed on board quickly, and I reached up to hold the metal bar above the aisle to steady myself as the bus pulled away. But the moment my fingers wrapped around the cold metal, my vision blurred – fragments of a terrifying future flashed before my eyes: the bus doors opening at the city terminal, passengers streaming out… then a deafening boom, flames engulfing everything in sight.
I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs as the images faded. A warm hand on my shoulder made me jump – Blake was looking at me with worry etched across his face.
"Zoey? Are you okay? You just went completely still."
"I'm fine," I lied quickly, forcing a weak smile. But inside, fear was coiling in my stomach. I might not have been caught in the explosion in what I'd seen, but I couldn't just sit back and let all these people die.
The next 20 minutes felt like hours as I racked my brain for a way to stop what was coming. I didn't know who was carrying the bomb, or where it was hidden – and I couldn't exactly tell everyone I'd seen the future.
"Hey." Blake's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He'd noticed my tense shoulders and furrowed brow, and he gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Whatever's bothering you – you can tell me. I won't judge."
His kindness broke through my hesitation. I leaned in close, keeping my voice low so only he could hear. "There's a bomb on this bus. I don't know who has it, but we have to find it before we reach the terminal."
Blake's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't ask how I knew. Instead, he sat back and thought for a moment – then suddenly stood up, his entire demeanor shifting.
"MY PHONE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice sharp and demanding. I stared in shock as he transformed from the gentle boy I'd come to know into an entitled brat, his face twisted with fake anger. "My brand-new expensive phone is missing! Someone here stole it!"
He scanned the bus with narrowed eyes, pointing at random passengers. "I know one of you took it! My father is the Chief of Police – if you don't all show me your bags right now, I'll have every single one of you arrested for theft! I have connections, I can make sure you all rot in jail!"
Murmurs of protest rippled through the bus, but one by one, passengers reluctantly opened their bags to prove their innocence. Everyone complied – except for a woman sitting near the back, clutching a worn canvas tote bag to her chest like it was made of gold.
"I didn't take anything," she said firmly, not moving a muscle. "My bag only has useless stuff in it. You have no right to search me – you don't have any evidence!"
I stood up then, walking slowly toward her. "What kind of useless stuff are we talking about?" I asked calmly. "If it's just scraps or old things, why are you holding it so carefully? It's almost like you're protecting something inside… or maybe hiding it. Do you have a bomb in there by any chance?"
It was a shot in the dark – but the way her eyes widened and her body went rigid told me I'd hit the mark.
I lunged for the bag, but she was faster. She stood up abruptly, pulling a small device with wires and a red digital display from inside. The bus went silent as she held it up, tears streaming down her face.
"Stay back!" she screamed. "One step closer and I'll press the button! What I'm doing – it's for my son!"
I held up my hands slowly, trying to keep my voice steady. "Please, let's talk about this – there has to be another way."
But she wasn't listening, just repeating the same words over and over. Then Blake stepped forward, and his demeanor shifted again – back to the gentle, calm person I knew.
"Your son would want you to be safe," he said softly, his voice carrying across the quiet bus like warm honey. Something about his tone seemed to soothe her – her grip on the device loosened slightly, and she stopped shouting.
"My boy was a good son," she whispered, her voice breaking. "He worked two jobs just to make sure I had enough to eat. He deserved better than what he got."
Today is his death anniversary," she continued, tears pouring down her face now. "He was hit by this exact bus route – and they called the driver a hero for saving everyone else on board!"
Blake's expression was full of sympathy as he nodded. "I know how much pain you're in. But your son wouldn't want this – he wouldn't want you to throw your life away, or to hurt all these people who have families waiting for them too. Can you imagine how their loved ones would feel if something happened to them?"
Just then, the bus driver stood up from his seat and walked down the aisle toward her. His face was etched with guilt as he stopped in front of the woman and bowed his head.
"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "That day… my brakes failed. If I'd swerved left, the bus would have gone over the cliff and killed everyone on board. If I'd gone right, I would have hit a road worker. I beeped my horn as loud as I could to get your son's attention, but it was too late. I've carried this guilt with me every single day since then."
He sank to his knees in front of her, and the woman finally broke down completely, dropping the device and collapsing into sobs as she cried for her lost son.
A short while later, the police arrived and took the woman into custody – but the driver told them he wouldn't be pressing any charges. As we stepped off the unharmed bus at the terminal, I felt tears streaming down my face.
"Still crying?" Blake teased gently, nudging my arm.
"Shut up," I shot back, jabbing him in the stomach. He laughed and grabbed his side, pretending to be in pain.
"Okay, okay – I'm sorry! But hey, we saved a whole bus full of people. That's pretty impressive, don't you think?"
I couldn't help but smile through my tears. He was right – and for the first time since discovering my ability to see fragments of the future, I felt like I'd finally found a way to use it for good.
When I finally made it back to my dorm room, arms full of shopping bags, I pushed open the door to find my three roommates – Rory, Clarisse, and Leila – huddled around the small TV mounted on the wall. The volume was turned up loud, and the screen was showing footage from inside the bus – footage of Blake and me confronting the woman with the bomb.
"THE BUS HEROES – TEENS SAVE DOZENS FROM DEADLY EXPLOSION" flashed across the top of the screen in bold red letters. The newscaster's voice echoed through the room: "These two brave young people acted quickly when they realized a woman on board was carrying an explosive device, preventing what could have been a catastrophic tragedy..."
I froze in the doorway, my face burning bright red as my roommates turned to look at me.
"Well, well, well – look who's on TV!" Rory grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "Our very own bus hero!"
"'Fearlessly confronted the suspect' – that's so dramatic!" Clarisse laughed, pausing the TV right on a shot of me with my hands raised toward the woman. "You look so serious here – like you do this every day!"
"Did you really just ask her if she had a bomb?" Leila chimed in, barely able to contain her giggles. "That's both terrifying and hilarious!"
I dropped my shopping bags on the floor and buried my face in my hands. "Please tell me this isn't playing everywhere…"
"Sorry, Zoey – looks like you're famous now!" Rory said, pulling me over to sit with them. "We were just about to call you – everyone at school is already talking about it!"
I groaned, feeling more embarrassed than I'd ever been in my life. Being a hero was one thing – having the whole academy watching footage of me on the news was something else entirely.