Talent Storm (13 page)

When Clayne reached for the note, Danessa said, “Instructor.”

Instructor Deo turned around glancing at Danessa before he noticed Sid and Clayne’s extended arms. “Sid, you're not in elementary school. Give me that note.”

Sid pulled it back, but the Instructor sped forward on telekinetically enhanced legs and snatched it. When the Instructor unfolded the note, Sid’s face turned bright red.

“Please don't read it to the class,” he said.

The Instructor nodded. “I wasn't going to, but maybe it will teach you a lesson.” He cleared his throat and began to read. “I just bought this beautiful yellow sundress yesterday.” He paused with raised eyebrows. “Want to come over this weekend and see how wonderful I look in it? Circle one, yes or no.”

The class exploded in laughter. I met Danessa’s eyes and we both cracked up.

Sid’s face grew even brighter red as he flinched backward. “I didn't write that,” he yelled with lowered eyebrows.

The Instructor shook his head. “Whatever you do on your free time is up to you. Just don't write about it in class.”

“But, I didn't—”

“Enough. Back to the lesson everyone.”

Sid scrunched his face, while vigorously rubbing his temples.

Danessa winked as she thought,
Pretty good huh? Look at him rub his temples, he’s freaking out.

I nodded, smiling.
Great plan—

Sid scowled at me, cutting off my thought. His mouth shaped the words, “I’ll kill you.”

So he had figured it out. Good, I wanted him to know.

CHAPTER 7

I waved to Ben at our meeting spot.

“What are you so happy about?” he asked, his long hair blowing in his face.

“I’m enjoying the beautiful day.”

“Oh?”

“Lilly accepted my apology yesterday.” I beamed at him, unable to contain my happiness.

“Stunning.” He pushed a few strands of hair out of his face. “I thought you’d given up on it.”

“Yeah... I know.” I chuckled.

“What were you waiting for?” Ben asked.

I paused, thinking about the question. “I don’t know. I was nervous and needed an apology that would work.”

“So, you didn’t mess it up?”

“Well, I did, but it worked out anyway,” I said with a shrug.

Ben nodded, matching my smile before patting me on the back. “Way to go man. Maybe you
do
have a chance with her.” He poked me in the ribs.

I shielded my ribs while scrunching my face in a scowl. “I think I do. She called me sweet, held my hand, and invited me inside.”

“Well! You really do know how to plan an apology.”

“Now I just have to convince her to marry me.”

Ben threw back his head, laughing. “There might be a few steps in between that.”

“We’ll see.” I pictured her lips in my mind, imagining what it would be like to kiss her again. The one from the park was too long ago. “Don’t you think she’s the most beautiful woman ever?”

“Eh. She’s cute, but not my type. To each their own though.”

He was crazy. She was perfect, like a painting by a master artist or the sunset’s reflection on a glassy lake.

After that, we strolled toward the creek. I was in the mood for fresh air and relaxation after all the excitement. Looking up, I admired the large puffy clouds in the radiant blue sky. Birds chirped in the distance. They sounded like they were enjoying the weather as much as I was. Although my failures to Sid piled up, a victory with Lilly erased all negativity.

“You seem much happier yourself,” I said.

He rolled his shoulders, then looked down at me, smiling wide. “I am. I just had a long talk with my dad, and he really said the right things this time. He told me he would respect me no matter what and talked about the importance of engineers. You know what. I really felt loved by him for the first time. I’m looking forward to my life again.”

My smiled stretched. So he listened to me after all. “That’s great to hear. I’m glad he did that. You deserve it. How’s your engineering training going anyway?”

“It's going great. I've been learning so much and when I graduate, I’ll be in a strong union. They just negotiated an extra week vacation.”

Pressing my lips together, I nodded. “Stunning. I heard they get paid well too.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I’m looking forward to my career. How’s your training going?” he asked while slapping me on the back.

I lowered my head and rubbed the back of my neck. “I don't know. The whole situation is starting to bother me.”

“How so?”

I kicked a rock and it bounced up the path. “It's just that everyone expects so much of me because I was found to be an elite. I'm certainly not living up to their expectations. It's like living with my uncle all over again. I just feel like I can't live my life how I want.” I glanced at three white birds pecking at a worm just off the path.

After a few seconds, Ben asked, “Still with me?”

“Oh... Sorry, I'm just really distracted. I just keep losing to Sid.”

“You could always train harder.”

I breathed in through my teeth. “I know
,
” I said shaking my head.
“
The competitive part of me wants to win, but I just don't want to put the time into training. It doesn’t seem worth it.”

“Don't worry. I know that you're good for nothing.” He cracked a smile while smacking me hard on the back.

I stumbled, nearly tumbling to the ground, but regained my balance. After a few seconds, I talent focused on Ben’s leg as he was about to take a step. Unable to move his leg, he fell to the ground with his long brown hair trailing behind him.

“Oops,” I said.

He laughed, shaking his head. “Good one.” He lifted his lanky frame and dusted himself off. “I guess I deserved that. I'm kidding though. You're a good friend and that's all I expect from you.” He wrapped his arms around me, giving me a big bear hug. His strong scent wafted around me.

My arms dangled down, my breathing shallow in his tight embrace. He finally released me, and I gasped for air.

After regaining my composure, I smiled. “Thanks, Ben. You too.”

We walked in silence for a while before passing through the western gate, into the outer sanctuary. We continued down the path, past the vertical farms and into the thick forest. I enjoyed the relatively untouched natural state of the woods, admiring the tall trees and chirping birds. Hearing a stick crack to my left, I turned and saw a squirrel dart up an oak tree. Below the tree were two more squirrels chasing each other in circles. Looking deeper into the woods, I saw two small white tailed deer chewing on some foliage.

I pointed toward them, whispering to Ben, “Look.”

He turned his hazel eyes toward the deer. “Oh cool. We don’t get to see them often, even in the sanctuary.”

After another moment, the deer jerked their heads and bolted deeper into the woods. We continued down the path.

At hearing another stick crack in the distance, I surveyed the area. Were the deer back? Another louder crack drew my attention to some movement in the trees. I inhaled sharply. Two people ran toward us while others shouted in the distance behind them. I met Ben’s eyes, growing uncomfortable; something was wrong.

Ben squinted, half turning to the side. “What are they doing?”

I squinted as they grew closer. At seeing swords, my eyes went wide. Outsiders! The outer wall guards must be chasing them. How did they get inside? For a second, I thought about running, but they were too close.

“Run Ben!” I pushed him, attempting to relax my nerves to focus my mind. The adrenaline surging through my body made focusing difficult.

Ben held his ground. “I won't leave you.”

Damn. He was, however, the one that usually protected me. There was no time to argue; it was my turn to protect him. Two rough looking men, dressed in wool traveling cloaks, darted from the forest onto the path in front of us. Blood coated their swords.

One had a long scar on his face. He pointed at us with his hairy arm. “Look. Get him.”

My heart sank as his unshaven partner charged. Seconds before impact, he thrust his bloody sword at my chest. Almost by reflex, a burst of telekinetic energy erupted from my mind, deflecting the blade clear of my body. The man’s eyebrows shot up. He glanced back to the scarred man while taking several steps backward. He shouldn’t have looked away. Ben leapt forward, swinging a branch and striking the man's jaw. The man’s head jerked to the side, spraying spittle and blood.

He stumbled backward and then collapsed, his eyes rolling back in his head. His scar-faced partner bared his teeth while pointing at me. A wave of talent rolled over me. Pain exploded in my body, driving me to the ground. Trembling, I clenched my teeth, writhing on the ground. He was a bio. My stomach sank. How could we hope to beat a trained and battle hardened wielder of talent? I had to act. Awakening my mental defenses, I located the talent invading my mind. Pushing hard against it, the pain subsided in a warm rush. The man’s eyes shot open wide, his jaw falling slack. He took a wobbly step backward, shaking his head. A heartbeat after, he raised his sword and charged with a growl.

Screaming, I exploded to my feet. I refused to die today. His scar contorted grotesquely as he grunted. His blade cut through the air, aimed at my neck. Just before it hit me, the blade awkwardly curved off to the side. My talent had saved me again. I quickly glanced over toward Ben.

The other attacker was back on his feet. Sweat and blood drenched Ben’s shirt, but he miraculously held off the man’s steel with oak. I had to save him. Focusing back on my attacker, I deflected another attack. He growled, striking again and again. Every time the sword was about to find purchase, the blade glanced away in a shower of green sparks. My mind deflected blow after blow, but I was fatiguing. Instructor Deo explained talent fatigue, but the explanation did it no justice.

My mind slowed as if mired in a thick black bog. My body trembled, craving rest. With each second, the effort to concentrate doubled. Then, on a single misstep, the briefest lapse of concentration, the blade burst into the right side of my chest. The tearing sensation overwhelmed me. I collapsed as my muscles went limp.

“Jaden!”

Ben wound up his stick and struck his man, throwing him clear off his feet. The scarred man jerked the sword from my body. His muscles flexed as he raised his sword again. The sunlight glistened off the blade as it cut through the air toward me. Miraculously, Ben jumped in front of the blade, blocking it with his stick. The blade sliced through his stick and bit deep into Ben’s upper stomach. He screamed as blood spouted from the wound. He collapsed on his back next to me and pressed his hands onto the gash.

“Nooooo!” I shouted.

My pain vanished and my concentration returned. Talent poured back into my mind. Intense heat radiated in my muscles as blood pulsed through my body. I howled, contorting my face. I felt my body ripple, then explode in a green storm of talent. My power threw the two men into the air. The unshaven one smashed into a tree with a grunt. The scarred one hit the ground, slid on muddy leaves, and then rolled to regain his footing.

He looked back once more before sprinting away. His comrade limped after him. I wobbled on my feet, staring at the blood covering my chest. My breath came in ragged puffs. I collapsed next to Ben before shivering as warm blood streamed from my wound and soaked into my shirt. The sword had clearly missed my heart, but I bled profusely anyway. At least there was no pain. Then my talent dimmed. With a flash flood, my pain returned. I gritted my teeth, holding my chest.

I peered over to see Ben, clutching his stomach and groaning. Blood spurted from his wound. We were losing too much blood; we were going to die.

Our eyes met and the desperation in his tore at me. “Please... please save me Jaden. Can you stop the bleeding?” he asked, through gritted teeth.

The realization struck me, I could. I sought to regain focus over my talent, directing it toward my wound. Feeling a tingling sensation in my chest, the warmth subsided. I held it shut; I could save us. Now for Ben. I targeted his wound, a green glow appeared, and the flow stopped. I had done it! I saved us.

I glanced down at my chest and froze—a crimson flow ran up my neck toward my face. I gasped for air, unable to meet my body's demands. Moments ago, when I lost control, I drained my talent. Clenching my fist, I knew I had to try again. I strained to maintain control to save us both. If only... no. Exhaling sharply, my body went limp. I couldn’t do it; one of us would die.

I began to feel faint as blood fled my body. My stomach soured and acid scorched my esophagus. I couldn’t lose Ben; I couldn’t let him die. I reached out to him, but the thought of eternal darkness, of not existing, was horrifying. Heart beating and mind racing, my whole body was gripped by terror.

Dizziness overtook me, and my extremities tingled. Then, I decided. Still looking at Ben, I grimaced as blood spouted from his laceration, while mine ran dry. The look in his eyes destroyed my belief that I was a good person. I truly was selfish; I loathed myself.

“I understand,” he whispered.

Even now, he was the good one, and I was letting him die. I was a horrible creature, but I couldn’t let myself die. I winced as feelings of love and friendship escaped my body. I no longer had a right to them. Lying there, I couldn’t look away from Ben’s eyes.

He slowly shook his head, barely managing the act. “If only I had talent...”

His eyes fluttered briefly before closing. When his head fell limp, my world was over. I existed, but I wasn’t me, I wasn’t human. I killed him. I killed him.
I
killed him.

Overwhelmed, my stomach sank. My eyes welled with tears before I broke. I punched the ground, growled, and punched it again. Mud splattered my face as my fists struck the earth. The scared man’s face sprung into my mind, reminding me of his escape. I jerked my head up. Where did he go? I’d kill him. I stood, clenching my fist and scanning the area.

A hand touched my back. I spun around, breathing heavy. Two wall guards holding swords stood before me.