Traffic, in the middle of summer in LA. Hot sheets of air smashing into the windows, creating a haze of rippling waves making the surreal scene waver like a shimmering window pane.

  It was 3PM and Dorn was on his way home from a long day of work, the daily drudgery continuing in a familiar fashion known to most adults. Long hours, not enough pay and the constant worry on how to make ends meet was the daily turmoil that Dorn had grown accustomed to. Yet for all the monotony of his daily work schedule, he had a good life.

  A great wife, healthy kids, a job that paid decent money, not enough to get them the things they wanted but enough to get by, if barely. . Dorn was like most Americans, getting by with a decent job that allowed his family to survive but in a living situation that left a lot to be wanted. Still renting, never enough money to do things that others might have found easy to accomplish. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken his wife out to dinner and a trip to the thrift store was the highlight of his wives’ and children’s annual shopping experience. It wasn't from his lack of trying, he worked hard would start to save some money so they could purchase their own home or more aptly pay off debt, but then inevitably something came up and they had to spend those savings to just be able to function.

  The latest issue was a broken transmission on their 1996 Honda CRV, costing a little over two thousand to fix. Added to a long list of emergent spending and the basic situation in Dorn’s life was that he was going nowhere.. Slowly. He just could never seem to get ahead and when hope was in sight it inevitably was dashed on the rocks of the reality of life. Sitting in the afternoon traffic was as lethargic as it usually got for Dorn, his time to go over the events of the day and day dream about a better life for himself and his family. A life where money wasn't a problem, a life where his wife could have some things she wanted, where the kids could have some good experiences and a life where Dorn retained excitement for the future. Not just one big defeat after another. If he could just get enough money to save a little more he was sure he could help to create a slightly more comfortable life for him and his family. A place to call their own with a good view, where his kids could grow up in safety with some space to stretch their legs. His three brothers were in a similar situation and though they helped each other out as much as possible, there was only so much one could do when struggling to make ends meet.

  Dorn, broke out of his reverie to hear the sound of a helicopter passing overhead, damn it, it looked like there was another traffic accident ahead. Peering out of his window and slightly ahead he could see firefighters and cops with their lights flashing next to a several car accident about a mile ahead. “Great, just what I need”, he muttered to himself. He loved spending time with his wife and kids when he could and spending another hour in an already long commute was the last thing he wanted to do. Sighing with exasperation Dorn, calmed himself as best as he could and settled down for the wait. Things could always be worse, he could be one of the poor sops driving with their windows down, no AC to keep them cool.

  As if on cue, at that exact moment the air coming out of the vents of his car turned from a paltry cool air to warm, he played with the knobs hoping against hope that it was a fluke, that his AC had not just broken in the middle of the hottest day of the summer. “Shittttt!!” he screamed, hitting his steering wheel and giving an outlet to his frustration. Why, why, why did this always occur, why couldn't life just be easy, why couldn't he catch a break. Cursing under his breath, his mind turned to the cost of having to fix something else with no money to do so, he thought he had a few hundred dollars left on their lone credit card, or maybe he didn't really need an AC. He laughed at that thought as the heat grew and perspiration dripped down his neck and ran down his back, he could live without AC but it was going to be tough. Rolling down the windows to the car, he felt a slight breeze, and the feeling of being in an oven lessened to the feeling of being next to a really warm oven. Craning his neck to see what was happening up ahead with the accident, he glimpsed the emergency personnel dealing with the victims and knowing there was nothing he could do he fell back into his seat in frustration. The heat continued to pelt him through the windshield and his perspiration soaked clothes clung to his body in an exceedingly uncomfortable way. Retreating into his mind had long been a way for him to deal with situations beyond his control and he did so to help relieve some of the discomfort he was currently experiencing. Closing his eyes, he imagined driving down the road on the other side of the accident, the cool wind hitting his sweat and cooling him, making the heat go from unbearable to comfortable. Opening his eyes he peered at the open freeway less than a mile from his car, all that open road and nothing but obstacles in between him and freedom. Beyond that man made barrier of crushed steel and broken glass was the freedom he needed to be happy, if he could just get their he knew it would be okay, that there would be an end to his misery. He Just Had To Get There. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the shimmering air thrown up between him and that glimpse of freedom, heck maybe it was the universe or god providing him with some respite from his lifelong struggle, but suddenly he felt an imperceptive pull from somewhere in his head, connecting him to the asphalt on the other side of the crash. Focusing on that pull, that yearning to be on the asphalt, the need to solve his problems and to get to a better place in his life he focused with everything he had. He focused like his life depended on it, like he could taste what that freedom meant, he focused on that pull, dragged it into being by the force of his will alone. Dorn suddenly felt a coldness wash through his body, starting from his head and quickly moving down to somewhere in his chest ,the chill a welcome respite to the summer heat until suddenly and without warning he found himself on the other side of the accident, parked in his car. A slight displacement of air and the shifting of the vehicle was the only indication that anything had occurred, besides of course the now open freeway in front of him. The coolness dissipated from his chest and he sat in stunned silence as a wave of exhaustion hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest. Stunned and slightly disoriented from the exhaustion and disbelief in what had just happened Dorn, whipped his head up to glance in the rearview mirror to confirm his suspicion. Looking back he could see the ambulance, emergency personnel and the car wreckages behind him. “What the fuck just happened!!” he yelled to himself in disbelief, his mind awash with confusion and sudden fear that he had finally lost it, that he had cracked from the heat and stress of his life. “Did that really just happen?” he muttered to himself, lending credit to his nagging fear that he had finally lost it. Grasping the steering wheel, he looked at himself in the mirror checking his eyes for any signs that he had gone insane, unsure of what that might look like he looked anyway, searching for an explanation in everything that had just occurred. I mean he couldn't be going insane, could he? He didn't think there was any mental illness in his family, no more than usual.. Maybe it was the heat and he was just imagining that he had appeared there, he had been under a lot of stress lately, and exhaustion laid upon him like a mantle, maybe that had played a part in his hallucination. Maybe he had driven through? He looked back to see which route he would have taken but just saw rows and rows of unmoving vehicles. Even in his exhausted state, with confusion and concern about his mental wellbeing, he knew that being parked on the freeway was no place for him. Jesus help him, if he really did what he thought he did then he needed to be mindful that no one would be able to find out. He had seen enough movies where the government or even more nefarious individuals wanted to exploit what he thought had just occurred. With his mind racing and comprehension of what had just occurred he started the car and started driving down the interstate, starting slowly to not garner any unwanted attention and then faster the further he moved away from the accident. Looking back to ensure he wasn't followed and that no one had seen what had occurred Dorn continued on his drive home. The cool air helped to sooth the heat in his brain and his growing apprehension on his mental well being. By the time he was a couple minutes down the interstate, Dorn was mostly reassured that he was not going insane. Teleportation…. Like a word out of a comic or the novels he read on occasion, he had actually teleported. The rush, the coolness, the exhaustion and how he saw that freedom in the stretch of empty freeway and grasped it with the power of his mind. His comprehension of what had occurred started to sink in and the fact that he had somehow used his mind to teleport not only himself, but also a 3 ton vehicle some 400 feet down the freeway.. The continued drive home took Dorn another 45 minutes and during that time all he could think about was how he had teleported and how to do it again. His thoughts rolled around how he could use this power to get to work faster, home faster and how he could use it to make money to help out his family. Parking the car in the driveway he went inside and was greeted at the door by a chorus of “Daddy!!” He picked up his two youngest daughters, Hilda and Carrie. “How are my baby girls doing” he asked as he pretended to eat their brains. “Good” came the response, ahh to be young and have no responsibilities he thought. Raina his oldest came up and gave him a long and big hug, fifteen was close enough to adulthood that she understood some of the problems facing the family and she’d grown considerably over the last year. Helping around the house, babysitting the kids, trying to come up with creative solutions to money problems. Dorn, stopped for a moment thankful for the many blessings in his life and part of that was having great kids. Smelling a enticing aroma coming from the kitchen Dorn walked in and greeted his wife. Dolne, was quite possibly the most attractive woman Dorn had ever seen, petite dark brown curly hair with the deepest brown eyes he’d ever seen. She was his partner and his best friend, his confident and when times got rough his inspiration. “How was your day honey?” she asked him with a hug and kiss, looking deeply into his eyes. “It was good, honey bunches of oats” he responded, giving her butt a quick squeeze. “ I’d like to go on a walk after dinner if you don’t mind” he stated. The dinner was a rowdy affair filled with laughter and conversation and while Dorn enjoyed himself he was still trying to come to grips with his new traveling ability. Walking down the path that ran along his house, the air slightly cooler due to the darkness, Dorn finally had some time to put his mind to what had occurred earlier that day. He had never felt that tugging on his mind before today and he slowly came to a stop determined to try and create that feeling. He slowly recalled how he had focused particularly hard on that open part of the highway earlier in the day. Focusing on a point of the path in front of himself, Dorn stared and stared and stared, no tug, no burning sensation in his chest, nothing. Thinking back on the first time he had used his ability it suddenly occurred to him that he wasn't willing himself to that part of the path. Focusing again on that distant part of the path, the familiar feeling of a tugging of his brain occurred yet again, startled Dorn lost his concentration and while the tugging on his brain occurred nothing happened. Refocusing, Dorn focused again on that need to be at the distant part of the path and a warmth crept down from his head into his chest. Instantly, he found himself on that distant point and exclaimed in excitement, he had done it again. He was beyond excited and tried to refocus on another part of the path to try again, while he was successful he gradually felt exhaustion start to creep in slowly and he recognized that the power must take more energy than he thought. He then noticed how far he was from the start of the path outside his home and cursed beneath his breath, this was going to be a long walk back. As he walked he wished that he could be in his bed laying down resting and the familiar tug on his brain surprised him but he slowly allowed the warmth to spread down to his chest and with a painful pause in his breathing he lost consciousness.

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