Aquiver -> J. Constantine

09

Jade took a deep breath as she raised her hand in the air. Her fingers bent towards the inside of her palm as she imagined the water bending to it.

The bowl in front of her shook as the water slowly went up and imitated the gesture her hand was making. The elements were easier to manipulate than physical objects. They were pure, obedient even.

She formed a fist and swung her hand towards the mirror on the wall. The water splashed against it before dripping down to the floor. The mirror was intact.

A sigh left her lips as she collected the water and brought it back into the bowl. Her goal was to crack the mirror by making the water hold her own force.

Easier said than done.

Jade repeated her actions, only this time she imagined the water's density increasing. In doing so, it became more difficult to control but enough for her to swing it at the mirror.

The sound of cracking made a proud grin form on Jade's face. It was only a slight dent but it was definitely progress. She didn't feel fear when using her powers inside the mill.

On the contrary, it helped with her pent up energy. The more she practiced, the more in control she felt. It was the first step to controlling her powers when her emotions run high.

"Oi, why aren't you with those two troublemakers upstairs?"

Her heart skipped a beat in fright at John's sudden reappearance. He had left a while ago to fight the hunger demon, on his own. Like a big boy.

"I'm not their babysitter, John." she remarked.

Using the same trick as before, she brought the water back into the bowl. John's eyes followed her actions taking notice of her cold shoulder.

Well, not much of a cold shoulder as a lack of response. Her words were calculated, impersonal. Acting like they were strangers again which in a way they still were.

"Any progress?" he asked, motioning at the bowl filled with water.

Jade shrugged. "A little. It's slower than I'd hoped."

Zed had made so much progress with her own powers and Jade envied that. If only she could have such a grasp on her own abilities.

"Well, keep at it and once this is over, we'll focus a bit more on you." John reassured her.

He turned to leave and Jade realized it didn't feel right to let him. Not without making sure he knew how cruel he was acting.

"You shouldn't have said what you said to Garry. Even if it's true."

He stopped at the door before turning back to her. "No, better to be like you and torture him with painful memories so you can dig up dirt on me."

Jade frowned as he brought up her conversation with Garry in the hallway. Turns out he did hear them talking.

'That's not what I was doing."

"Oh, no? Then what were you doing?"

She didn't know how to answer that. The truth seemed ridiculous. All she wanted was to know more about him but she didn't think he'd appreciate the sentiment.

He took her silence as a confirmation of guilt. "Yeah, it's easy to pass judgment, love. More difficult to own up to your own deeds."

This time, when he turned to leave, she didn't try and stop him. She wanted to yell that he was wrong. Yet admitting that her actions were born out of curiosity seemed worse somehow.

Curse him for turning this on her! He was the one who actually hurt Garry, not her. What she did was nothing compared to his own deed. Her heart raced as she tried to cool herself down.