Post 9

Chapter 2

Archia returned with them to Laddinley. She shouldn’t have been traveling, but she didn’t care anymore. Cassia let her ride the horse, opting to walk with Atropos and the rest of the Elfin Brotherhood. They walked slowly, having no need to hurry. It might as well have been a funeral march.

They walked until twilight. The Elves found a spacious cave. After searching
for a little bit, they handed Archia and Cassia a bundle of furs to sleep on.

“We have catches of supplies hidden everywhere.” Atropos explained, settling on his own furs. “You only need know where to look.”

Cassia couldn’t sleep. She needed to find her father. More importantly, she needed to get to the Armet, as quickly as possible. Her entire family was in danger. What of Thad and Padrig? Had they escaped with her father?

The road to Laddinley was effectively the opposite direction from the crossroads. It was the closest Elfin city to Keshia, which meant they would follow the road that Cassia had traveled to get to Millea.

She sat up, looking towards the mouth of the cave. Atropos was sitting there, staring up at the twinkling stars. Cassia stood up, careful not to disturb Archia, who had managed to find sleep, and found her way over the sleeping forms to the head elf.

“Can’t sleep?” She asked him. He shrugged.

“We always keep watch. It’s my turn.” His voice fit the setting. If she hadn’t known he was talking, Cassia might have taken it for the wind.

“We need to find the Armet.” Cassia said, looking out at the forest.

“We need to report back to your father. Then we can worry about the Armet.”

“It might be too late.”

“We might already be too late. And what of your sister?”

“She would be safe with your men.”

“You propose you go alone?”

“That’s how my father sent me.”

“The conditions are different now.” Cassia glared at Atropos, taking him in. He was no longer wearing the leather tunic, instead his wore a loose, white cotton shirt and leather breeches. His long blond hair was pulled back, his piercings glinting in the moonlight. He was well trained. Experienced in fighting, and leading. He would help her, out of respect for her father. If she asked him.

“Very well. What if you accompanied me?” He didn’t seem surprised. He bowed his head, thinking.

“If you insist on going, it is only right that I go with you.” He said. Quickly he stood, walking over to where he stored his gear. Quickly he strapped his leather armor on, shouldered his quiver and bow, and packed up the furs. Cassia made her way back to her pack and carefully put a sleeping Honey in her place.

Cassia looked for Atropos, who had awoken his second in command and was whispering orders to him while the others slept. Then he looked over at Cassia and met her eyes.

She carefully made her way to the mouth of the cave for the last time. Atropos met her there, as did the other elf.

“We will bring your sister to Laddinley, and to Master Graystone. Then our orders are to follow your trail until we meet you.” He said, standing at attention. Cassia nodded, and looked at Atropos.

“We should get moving, to make up the time we lost today.” He said. Cassia nodded. He nodded to the elf, who saluted him, then started walking in the direction of the path that they left to find shelter. The elf bowed to Cassia, then went back into the cave. Cassia turned to follow Atropos, wondering if she had made the wrong decision, and wishing she could go back to her father like Archia was lucky enough to do.

They traveled all night, making their way next to the path instead of on it. No travelers or soldiers came there way, all had taken a rest tonight. Cassia was fearful of Witches, but realized they had been traveling the other direction when she had seen them two days ago. They were long gone now. The pair passed Millea sometime as the sun was rising. It was a miserable place, now that Cassia thought about it. Who wanted to spend their whole life sailing or smelling the rotten fish odor that was far too abundant in the town?

“We should be at the crossroads before nightfall.” Atropos said, slowing his pace for the first time that night. Honey, who had been silent since she awoke as the passed the fishing town, yapped a bit until Cassia put her on the ground to
walk. “We can take a break for nourishment, if you so desire.” Atropos said, stopping to remove his pack. Cassia did so as well and sat in the shade of one of the few trees. The forest had ended before Millea, and the sun had beat down on the trio ever since.

All was uncomfortably silent. Even Honey was quiet as she rolled around in the dirt, trying to move around as much as possible before she had to be carried again.

“How did Cristo die?” Cassia asked. “Who do you think killed him.” The question made Atropos uncomfortable, and he was silent for moments more before answering.

“They were sword wounds. Likely some soldiers that follow the command of the Tempest Council.”

“Don’t soldiers have a code of honor?” She asked, drinking some water from a skin. “Not to kill a defenseless man?”

“Maybe he fought back.”

“Maybe they weren’t soldiers.”

“You asked my opinion, and I gave it.” Atropos snapped. Honey stopped rolling and looked at the quarrelling creatures. “You do not need to-“ He stopped and turned his head toward the path. In the distance a wagon could be seen, traveling faster than horses or wheels could carry it. Atropos hissed and picked up his pack again, and then pulled Cassia up by her arm.

“What’s-?”

“Gypsies.” He snarled, handing over her pack. Honey all but jumped into Cassia’s arms as the wagon approached. Atropos didn’t move. There was no where to hide, and they couldn’t outrun it.

The wagon rolled to a halt. It appeared abandoned. There were no horses or people or anything. The main window opened and an old lady peered out at them.

“Afternoon, travelers.” Her voice creaked with age, her skin wrinkling as she spoke. “Anything I can help you with?”

“No thank you.” Atropos said, his voice firm.

“A ride to the crossroads?” Her knowledge brought forth no surprise from the pair, it was the only place they could be going. Her brow furrowed, bringing forth more lines. “An elf and a human? Together? That is no normal sight.”

“These are not normal times.” Atropos responded.

“Indeed, young Brother.” She cackled, bringing forth a crystal ball. “Need you know your future?”

“I know all I need to.” He responded.

“There must be something I can do for you.” She said, waving her hand over the ball. It glowed dully, pulsing in her palm.

“No thank you.” Atropos said, beginning to walk away. Cassia followed, keeping the elf between her and the wagon.

“Your mission is for nothing!” The woman called after them, her laughing and cackling at what she saw. “You will return empty handed! More blood is coming, my friends! You have no idea!” Her laughter died as the wagon began to turn to smoke. In an instant, it was gone.

“Gypsies.” Atropos spat, shouldering his bow again.

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I lay in bed two days later, waiting for the soft knock that would announce Cameron and Jeff’s arrival. I glanced at the clock. 2:27. Cameron had said they’d swing by around two-thirty. She probably did not expect that I would expect her to be accurate to a minute. I knew exactly why I was so looking forward to their visit; I had just reread my last book, and I was in no mood for a movie. And I was looking forward to seeing my other friends as well.

“Maggie, honey?” I twitched at the sound of my mother’s voice. She had tried to talk to me a few times during my recuperation, but I found myself giving short, uninformative answers to her questions, such as who Charlotte and Jeff were, and why and when I began to hang out with them. Slowly I felt us drawing apart, an invisible force driving a wedge between us. I knew exactly what it was, but my mom remained blissfully, agonizingly unaware.

“Yeah?” I looked at her face, where small lines had begun to distort her features.
She hesitated, “I’m glad you’re making new friends and everything. But…” she thought carefully, “you seem different for some reason. Is there anything you want to tell me?”

I wondered if I would tell her, even if I could. I shook my head reflexively, “no, mom. Everything’s fine, really.” My voice, light and sincere, flowed out of my mouth before I could think about it.

My mom searched my face for a moment, then sighed, her eyelids drooping slightly. “Alright, honey. Well, if there ever is, you can tell me. You know that, right?”

I nodded, “I know. Thanks.”

She withdrew, and I settled back into my bed, relaxing a little. Then I sat up again as I heard the chime of the doorbell echoing up the steps. Moments later, there was a rasping sound as the door dragged over the carpet. There was a moment of faint greetings, then my mom called, “Maggie, Cameron and Jeff are here!”

“Okay,” I called down. I closed my eyes and listened for the tramp of feet. There was the soft, light tread of Cameron, and a slight stumble as Jeff stumbled over his feet. I smiled a little. Jeff would always be bit of a nerd, no matter how much he worked out.

“Hey Maggie,” he said shyly as he followed Cameron in. She plopped down on my bed, careful to avoid my broken leg. Jeff stood next to her.

“Hi Jeff, what’s up?” I turned to Cameron and added dryly, “Long time no see.”
Cameron grinned. “Jeff wanted to see you.”

I turned questioningly to Jeff. He never blushed, but when he was embarrassed, the his eyes narrowed behind his glasses and he blinked rapidly.

Cameron smiled smugly. “I’m going to get some fruit for you,” she told me.

“Wait, what?” I was confused, “I don’t want fruit.”

Cameron shrugged. “Then maybe I’ll eat it.” She got up to leave.

Jeff stopped blinking. “Wait!” He panicked and turned to Cameron. “Don’t leave me!”

I pushed myself off of the pillows, wincing as my weight shifted. “What’s going on?”

I demanded. “Did the monster come back or something?”

Cameron shook her head and shot me a look. “Don’t be silly Maggie.” She turned to Jeff, who now was staring at her in disbelief.

“How did you know?” he demanded. “Was it Andrew?”

Cameron laughed. “I don’t need my brother to know everything.” She told him.

I brightened at his name, “what’s this about Andrew?” I wanted to know. Both Jeff and Cameron ignored me. Jeff stared at Cameron, fists clenched a little.

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” he told her. She shrugged, already in the hall.

“You’ll thank me later.” She shut the door behind her. Jeff took a deep breath and turned to face me. He opened his mouth to speak.

Page 23

“Maggie?” No, it wasn’t Andrew who said my name. I looked up to see Jeff, walking through my door.

“Did you find it?” I asked, my voice unusually high. He shrugged.

“It was pretty badly hurt.” He said. “I don’t think there’s any way it could have made it out alive…”

“But you didn’t find it.” I finished, feeling like the Earth had dropped out from under me. Jeff nodded.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the air. The uncertainty of our, and its, fate left everyone with a chill.

“So…” Cameron said, trying to lighten the mood. “Anyone for a movie?”

“I can’t exactly go anywhere…” I said, rubbing my leg. Cameron smiled, eyeing my computer on my desk on the other side of the room.

In a matter of minutes we were watching the latest adventure flick, munching on popcorn and laughing and talking, me on my bed and them sitting against the side of this. I sighed, for the moment happy. With friends like these, life couldn’t be so bad, could it?

I found out just how bad, with days of doctor’s trips and physical therapy, it felt like my break was being eaten up, one second at a time.

I tried to balance time with my friends, but in actuality, it was hard with all my time being spent indoors or in offices, so I hardly saw them. The one exception was Cameron, who would visit almost daily, to talk to me, watch TV, or do anything to keep me entertained. Without any homework, we found fun in gossiping about celebrities, or occasionally using our powers to annoy people. Cam’s powers made it especially fun to steal treats from downstairs, which my mother usually reserved for special occasions.

One day, as we were munching on brownies, Cameron said, “Hey, do you think it would be okay if Jeff came over sometime?”

“What?”

“Well, it’s just that he hasn’t seen you in a while, and he’s getting kind of sick of just seeing Charlotte and Andrew making goo goo eyes at each other, so he wanted to know if he could come over here once in a while.”

“Um…sure. I guess. If he really wanted to…” I still hadn’t thanked him for saving me the day of the fire. I mean, I had given him credit, but I had never had the opportunity to one-on-one thank him for what he did. Especially getting rid of that monster. I really owed him for that.

“Do you think tomorrow would be good?” She asked, handing me another brownie.

“No, I have physical therapy most of the day, and then maybe I’ll have crutches so I could walk.”

“The next day then?” She was really insistent about this.

“Sure. Why is it such a big deal?”

“It’s not. It’s just that I think it’d be good for you to hang out with your friends again.”

“I hang out with you.” I pointed out, smiling. She returned the smile, but then rolled her eyes.

“And we all know you’re getting bored of just seeing me. So you need to hang out with your friends more. So I’ll bring him over the next time I come. End of discussion.”

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My mom was just behind them. Her hair, usually in a tight bun that accented her sharp features, hung in wisps around her face. She glared slightly at Charlotte. “Are you going to be alright, sweetie?” She wiped away her anger and looked at me, probably a little concerned that Charlotte might accidentally knock me over and shatter me.

I smiled at her, reassuring her that I was at least less fragile than her porcelain vase. “I’ll fine, mom.”

My mom nodded, trusting my judgment, and withdrew.

Once she was gone, Charlotte’s sweet smile faded from her face and she handed me the flowers gravely. “You are very lucky, Maggie.”

Andrew nodded. “If not for Jeff, you may have ended up like Peter.”

Cameron sighed a little. “I told you he was going to be fine.”

I shuddered, remembering that hot, gaping mouth. “Is it…dead?”

Andrew shook his head. “We don’t know. Jeff says he probably died in the burning building, but he also said that it withstood a lot of flames.

I caught my breath. “Where is Jeff?”

“He’s out poking around the wreckage,” said Cameron. “I put a bit of invisibility on him a while ago. He should be back pretty soon.”

I nodded. Then a thought occurred to me. “How did I become un-invisible?” I asked. “Why could the monster see me? And Jeff?”

“Oh.” Cameron looked sheepish. “I lost control. The invisibility came off a little before you screamed.”

“And you weren’t caught?”

“Well, we were,” said Andrew,

“But luckily no one saw us the moment we appeared.” Charlotte finished.

“Oh.” I sat back on my bed, wincing a little as my leg scraped at an uncomfortable angle. “So what now?”

Andrew and Charlotte shrugged. Cameron grinned a little. “We do have a couple of months,” Andrew said slyly. “They found that the fire affected a few of the pipes and stuff. We’ll be free.”

“And now that the monster’s gone…” Charlotte smiled also.

“We can pretty much use our powers whenever, as long as we don’t let regulars see us.” Cameron added. “We could go exploring.”

“Pranking!” whooped Andrew.

“Driving,” suggested Charlotte.

I grinned weakly. “That should be fun.” Part of me was elated, ready to indulge in weeks of mindlessness, no homework, complete freedom and lack of responsibility. But another part of me cringed, remembering the monster. And wondered if it was still alive. Still, it had been trapped inside a burning building. It’s only human, right? Or at least it was once.

“Maggie?” Charlotte’s calm interrupted my growing sense of unease. “You alright?”
I nodded, trying to remember the time when I was blissfully unaware of my powers and the dangers they evoked. “I’m fine,” I said for the second time in ten minutes. I hesitated.

“You’ll just be a lot better when Jeff confirms that the monster is dead?” asked Andrew gently.

I nodded, and looked away, trying not to envy Charlotte again, hoping that my envy would not show on my face. Sometimes, I wondered if Andrew read my mind often. I wondered if he knew.

Did he care?

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“Get away from her!” A jet of flame came from behind the creature, making it fall forward, to my side. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Jeff’s face. His glasses were missing, his shirt was burned and a little torn, but he was okay. He reached his hand out and closed it over the flame on my calf, putting it out. The pain seared through my whole leg, not just where the burn was. I winced and tried to ask Jeff what had happened. But he was looking over at where the thing had landed. I followed his gaze, and to my surprise, the monster wasn’t there anymore. In its place was a wiry man; across his back was a scorch mark.

“Who’s that?” I asked, coughing and trying to clear my throat. “Where’d that thing go?”

“Can you stand?” Jeff asked me. I leaned forward to try to get up, his hands on my shoulders the whole time. I tried putting pain on my hurt leg, but nearly collapsed from the pain. Jeff sighed, then placed his hand on my lower back. “Jump.” He said, holding out his other arm. I looked at him and bit my lip. Did he really think he was strong enough to carry me? I mean, I was short, but not that short.

The man in the corner groaned and started to move. I closed my eyes and, with my good leg, jumped, putting all my weight on Jeff’s hand on my back.

He didn’t even struggle as he walked toward the back of the classroom, toward the door that I had come through. The smoke in the atmosphere was making my head spin, but it didn’t seem to effect him. The flames eating at the doorway smoldered out as we approached, due to Jeff’s powers, and he opened it with his back.

The fresh air was a welcome relief to my aching lungs, and I breathed deeply as I leaned against Jeff’s chest.

“Maggie! What happened?” Cameron, Andrew and Charlotte came running towards me. From another direction, some firefighters and a few teachers came running too.

“Hm. This is going to be hard to explain, isn’t it?” Jeff muttered. I couldn’t have agreed with him more.

***

School was closed for the next few months, while they rebuilt the science building and some of the cafeteria. Unfortunately, the time we spent out of school would just be replaced by having school during the summer.

And I had to spend most of my time inside, healing my poor leg.

“Hey, Maggs.” Cameron said as she came into my room, holding a tray that my lazy mother had no doubt asked her to take up. She put it on the short table next to my bed and pulled up a bean bag chair I had bought just for this reason.

“Hey,” I sighed. “What’s going on?”

“Well, Charlotte’s on her way up with Andrew, they took her car so they should be here any minute.”

From downstairs I heard a crash.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry Mrs. Scrivenor!” Charlotte’s voice floated up to my open door. In a few minutes the couple walked in, smiling and bearing flowers.

page 20

Teachers began to take charge, herding people out of the hallways, and towards the cement and grass atrium of the school. The first wails of a siren could be heard in the distance.

“Jeff!” I called into the crowd. A few people glanced curiously my way, but no one responded. I could not catch a glimpse of his flat, brown hair, his thick glasses, or that ridiculous camouflage backpack he liked. I turned back to my friends, “have you guys seen – ?” the look on their faces answered the question for me.

Andrew shook his head. “He’s on his own.” When I looked at him in horror Charlotte put a gentle hand on my shoulder and patted it, “He must have managed. He is more powerful and more resourceful than you think.”

I started forward. Cameron pulled me back. “Are you crazy?” She demanded. “Don’t worry. Jeff’s here. He probably just got separated from us. It’s a big school.”

I looked into her eyes. She half believed what she was saying. I didn’t believe it at all. Jeff was just one table away from mine. I pulled out of her grasp and eyed the nearest teachers, waiting for them to look away. Andrew grabbed my hand. I bit back a gasp, fixed my gaping expression and turned to glare at him. “What?” I snapped.

“You’re not going in there.” He told me.

“But I have to find Jeff.” Months of practicing made it easier for me to whisper, even when I was seething mad.

“Then we shall help you,” Charlotte took my other hand. She turned to Cameron. “Will you do the honors?”

Cameron hesitated, and glanced around us. People were busy chattering amongst themselves or gazing at the enflamed building with glazed eyes. Cameron raised her hand. Instantly, I felt a strange sensation wash over me, as if I had skipped through the sprinklers and a heating panel in a single second. I felt the reassuring squeeze of Charlotte and Andrew on either side of me, and I heard Cameron treading behind. As we cleared the crowd and the last of the teachers, Andrew stopped. “Shoot.”

“Oh dear,” Charlotte added. The firefighters had entered the school. They spread out in a line, spraying at the flames, which had spread to the two adjacent buildings. “We will never make it past the line.”

“Yes we will,” I gritted. I broke free of Charlotte and Andrew, knowing that they would never be able to find me, knowing that I was still invisible, because Cameron could not take off the invisibility without people wondering about my sudden appearance next to the burning building. I ducked under the pressured hose, and dodged the sputtering jet of water that attacked the voracious flames. I entered through the side door of the science room just in time; flames licked along the sides of the doorway. I began to cough. The fumes and smoke of dozens of carcinogenic chemicals filled my nose and eyes. I began to regret running in here so recklessly, but I needed to find Jeff, quickly. A flicker at the corner of my eye caught my attention. A dark figure was crouched by the teacher’s desk, now cracked and crackling.

“Jeff?” I called tentatively. There was a low groan. “Jeff?” I called again. Was he hurt? I picked my way through the smoking tiles, wincing at the suffocating heat. I struggled to wave the smoke away from my eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure. When I managed to finally blink away the tears in my reddened eyes, I stopped. He – the figure – was not Jeff. He – it – was something I had never seen before. A head lifted from the rest of its broken and charred body. White – pure, blazing hot white – shaped a crooked, disconnected grin. The gaping hole of a mouth opened, and I gasped as a new wave of heat slammed into me, forcing me backwards. My foot landed awkwardly on a flaming table, and I fell, staring into the mouth of the monster. I felt flames lapping at my ankles, tasting my flesh. I began to scream.

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Our days seemed to fly by after that. We would get to school, get through our days slowly, as if wading through swampy muck, and then the bell would set us free. From there we would get a ride form Charlotte, who would take us to Cameron and Andrew’s house, or mine, or Jeff’s, depending on whose parents weren’t going to be home. There, we would practice our powers, or talk about powers, and sometimes just talk.

We all became really good friends. Over time, it would sometimes just be me, Charlotte and Cameron hanging at the house, and Jeff and Andrew would go somewhere else.

One day I confronted them about it. “Where are you guys always going?” I asked when they were ditching us again.

“To the gym.” Andrew replied nonchalantly, shrugging and grabbing his car keys. Being the more popular twin, he had learned to drive before Cam had.

“The gym?” I repeated “With Jeff?” His face fell, his glasses hiding his expression.

“Maggie, don’t be mean to him.” Andrew said, rolling his eyes and opening the door. “He can lift more than me sometimes.” With that they left, leaving me feel disappointed and a little angry. Or maybe that was ashamed.

And as I began to pay attention, I could see that Jeff was changing. He was coming out of his shell, and being friends with Andrew helped that happen. He was gaining muscle from his almost daily workouts. It wouldn’t be long until the girls would be flocking to him too. All he would need were contacts, maybe grow his hair out a little, some clothes that showed off his body a little more, and he could be a popular kid.

Andrew started picking up more signs of people with powers as the days and weeks went by. We made an early decision not to tell them that there were others. Andrew was just barely getting used to covering our minds- not counting Jeff- and he couldn’t strain himself that much.

Before we knew it, it was winter. The harsh winds and endless rainstorms made one day run into the next. Jeff began to use him power to keep himself warm, and sometimes to keep us warm as well.

One day there was no rain. It stands out in my memory, because that was the day of the fire.

It all started in Advanced Chemistry. We were studying the effects of different chemicals when exposed to heat. Heat, not an open flame, though for some of them, it was required to heat them using a Bunsen burner.

If I ever find out who’s genius idea it was to pour the HIGHLY FLAMMABLE chemical onto the open flame, I will kill them.

“Oh my god! Oh my god! Mr. Leaman!” The blazing fire, roaring across desk tops and climbing the window shades, drowned out anymore sound. The fire alarm went crazy, the bright lights only amplifying the danger.

I ran from the classroom, Charlotte and Cam on my heels. We met Andrew halfway out of the school, out of the hallways which were quickly filling with smoke. When we got out of the burning school, coughing from smoke inhalation, we could hear the fire trucks’ wails in the distance.

“You okay?” Andrew asked Charlotte his arms encircling her waist and his tone panicked.

“I’m fine.” She said calmly, smiling a little. She reached her hand up to stroke his face. I turned away, looking around the crowd for Jeff.

page 18

Three heads (Cameron’s, Jeff’s and mine) whipped towards Charlotte. “You can drive?” We chorused.

“But how?” Cameron stared at her.

“How old are you?” I asked, jealous.

Charlotte smiled serenely. “We are of age, you know.” The rest of us exchanged sheepish glances and muttered affirmation.

“But...you drive yourself to school?” Asked Jeff. Charlotte and Andrew shared a secret smile.

“Come,” Charlotte said, “I shall show you the vehicle that I drive.” Andrew offered her his arm, and she took it. Cameron and Jeff followed after. I sighed and trailed behind. There was a lot of walking involved with today.

We wound through the outdoor corridors of the school, passing a lone custodian making his usual after school rounds, and a few clutches of students who gathered by the library and the tarped cafeteria. We skirted the front parking lot, reserved for staff and visitors, and turned into the strip of dirt that marked the beginning of the student parking lot.

“Um…so where is it?” Cameron scanned the rows of cars.

Charlotte led us past a blue sedan and a large red pickup truck. “Here it is,” she beamed proudly. The car was silver, just a skeleton on wheels, basically. The three seats in the back were metal, covered in a thin layer of cotton sheet, as we discovered when we sat down. The seatbelts, steering wheel, and every other discernable part of the car was also metal.

Jeff blinked at the metal contraption. “Is this safe?”

Charlotte reassured him. “Completely. Please, seat yourself.” He gaped at her for a moment before settling in the seat left of me. After he closed the door and the car locked with a metallic click, Andrew turned around from his place in the passenger seat.

“We can talk freely in this car. I’ve layered multiple shields on it over time, and since Charlotte has complete control over metal, this is pretty much the safest place we can ever find. Away from that monster.” He shuddered.

“Monster?” echoed Jeff.

Charlotte responded by starting the car. It clanked and jingled weakly for a moment, then puttered to life. Andrew eyed Jeff warily. Cameron sighed, “stop being so cryptic and just tell him what you told us. He’s one of us, now.”

I raised my eyebrows. “One of us?”

“Yeah,” Cameron lifted on shoulder. “We have to sort of stick together, right? To be safe from the monster.”

“Monster?” Jeff raised his voice.

“Hold that thought,” said Andrew. “Cameron, remember what I taught you about your powers?” Cameron nodded, “Can you put a small shield on this car? You probably haven’t learned enough about your powers to render the car completely invisible, but at least you could make it less noticeable.” Cameron thought for a while, then closed her eyes. Andrew seemed to take that as an affirmative, and turned his attention back to Jeff, who’s face had gone slightly pale. Andrew repeated, in a condensed version, what he had told us. As he spoke, Jeff’s face slowly returned to its normal shade of pale pink.

“Well,” he commented, blinking slowly, “I don’t know what to say about the monster, but I should tell you, that I didn’t learn to control my powers all by myself. At least, not after the first few weeks. They’re showing up in more people, and there’s a reason for it.”

“And what reason is that?” asked Andrew.

Jeff’s face crumpled a little. “That’s just it. I don’t know. Never got a chance to find out.”

Page 17

“Well then, good.” Andrew said, shrugging at Charlotte. She returned the gesture, and moved to open the door.

“Now we must fix Mrs. Eacker’s room.” She said, looking around before holding the door open for the rest of us. We were walking back down the hallway, when suddenly Andrew began pushing us.

“Go! Teacher’s coming! Go!” We took off, running down the hallway, taking the turns necessary to get to the broken classroom without even thinking about where we were going. Andrew was behind us, making sure no one was following us.

Cameron and I got there before Charlotte and Andrew, so we saw him first.

“Hi Maggie.” Jeff smiled weakly. It disappeared when Andrew and Charlotte turned the corner. Andrew cursed. I looked back at him in shock. I had never heard him use that type of language before!

“Not now. We’re focusing on training these two and I’m in over my head…” Andrew muttered, and then glared at Jeff. “Why? Why now?”

“Like I can control when I learn my powers.” Jeff said, shrugging slightly. “I always thought there was something weird about you. And then you kept trying to talk to Maggie and Cam, and then she came to school…”

“I can’t protect you.” Andrew told him. “I’m already using all my power now, just protecting them.”

“I’m not asking for your protection.” Jeff said, standing up straighter. “I just…I wanted you to know.” Then he turned to look at me and Cam. “All of you.”

I turned tiredly to Andrew. “No guessing games. What’s his power?”

He sighed, running his hands through his lovely brown hair. “Fire.”

“Fire?” I looked to Jeff for conformation. He smiled and held out his hand. A flame lit in the center, as if he had lit a match. Slowly it grew, contained in his palm but spreading until it became a fireball.

“Put that out! Put it out!” Andrew nearly screamed, rushing forward. Jeff closed his hand and whimpered before Andrew, who was glaring down at him. “Never,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “do that again. You have no idea what you’re doing.”

“I think I have an idea-”

“You don’t.” Andrew was near shaking. “You’re putting us all in danger. If you want in, sure, fine I don’t care. But never do anything that will endanger us again.” Charlotte stepped forward and put a hand on Andrew’s shoulder. He stopped shaking and turned to look at her.

I felt tears come to my eyes. They had a connection that him and I could never have. I had lost him, before I even had a chance. And I would have to accept that. Accept it, and move on.

Cam cleared her throat.

“So, um, are we going to fix the lights or not?” Andrew looked at her, the circles under his eyes growing.

“Jeff already checked them out. They’re broken, not unable to absorb power. The custodial staff will just have to change all the bulbs, and they’ll work again.”

“Good.” I said, exhaustion beginning to dawn on me. Andrew looked at me, a small smile on his lips.

“Does anyone want to go get something to eat? To hang out a little bit…and maybe try to figure some things out?” Jeff piped up. Andrew turned to look at him, but it wasn’t threatening. It was almost friendly.

“That’s a good idea.” He said.

“I’ll drive.” Charlotte said, a smile spreading across her face.

page 16

The teacher guarding the door that we were facing tucked his book under his arm and walked off.

“That’s not a very good guarding system,” Cameron observed.

“Well, it’s good for us,” I muttered.

“Yeah, well, the teachers are pretty annoyed that they have to stay guarding some decrepit door after school hours,” Andrew laughed softly as he crossed the hallway and opened the door.

The room was almost exactly how I had left it. However, the lights, bright white when I turned them on before, had faded to dull yellow-orange. I squinted at them. “Why did they get dimmer?”

“You control pure electricity. Since they are no longer being powered by you, but the school grid, they’ve lost some of their power.” Andrew explained. He shut the door. “The teachers probably won’t bother to check in here. But if they do, we can always hide behind those couches,” he pointed to a couple of sagging, corduroy covered futons. “I’ll give an advanced warning if that happens.” He smiled crookedly.

I pointed at the lights. “Are you going to tell me how to fix this?”

Charlotte stepped forward. “I will do that,” she said, “My powers – metal working – are closer to yours.”

I nodded, waiting for her to begin helping.

“First, you must connect with the lights.” A strange expression flitted over Charlotte’s face as she fought to explain. “The electricity essentially flows through you, as it does through the wires in the wall. So you must learn to direct it.” She stopped.

I waited patiently for a few seconds. “How?”

Charlote smiled mysteriously. “Just try.”

I glanced at Cameron, who shrugged, though her face betrayed her confusion. “This isn’t how you taught Cameron, is it?” I couldn’t imagine her patiently accepting this explanation.

Andrew shook his head. “We taught Cameron differently.”

I sighed, and craned my neck backwards to stare at the lights. They flickered, slightly. Just as my eyes were beginning to water, I felt a jolt in one of my fingers. I jumped, blinked, and kept staring. My ears began to hum, not unlike the mosquito ringtone, or the sound I heard when someone left the t.v. on in the next room. I saw, suddenly, that electricity was all a connected series of particles that flowed together. I saw the patterns that flowed in and out of the lights, creating the thing that was light. It was calming; the energy flowed in and out of the light fixtures like waves on a beach. In. Out. In. Out. I just wanted it to go out. Slowly, little by little less electricity flowed in through the wires and more and more went out.

At the back of my mind I was aware that the light in the room was getting dimmer and dimmer, but my eyes were fixed on the point where electricity was flowing out, and out, and out.

“There.” Charlotte’s contemplative voice echoed hollowly in the dark room. “Well done.”

“Thanks.” I looked back up at where the lights should be, but the energy was gone. All I could see was the static darkness of the isolated room.

“How do you feel?” Andrew asked, his voice rumbling through the quiet.
I thought about it. “Fine, actually.”

“Really? No tiredness, no buzz, nothing?” I could almost feel Andrew raising his eyebrows.

I nodded in the dark, then realized that no one could see. I wonder if this is what Cameron felt like, I wondered, bemused. “Really. I’m fine.”