Extraordinary Individuals : Josiah Rising

Chapter 12

The first thing that I was aware of when I came to was that I was laying in someone's bed. The bed itself was comfy and smelled familiar but my mind was still a bit groggy. I tried to sit up but my head felt like it was full of water so I quickly abandoned that effort and laid back down. I scanned my surroundings. It was dark so I couldn't make out much but from what I could tell, I was in someone's room, a girl's room if the decorations were anything to go by.
"Where am I?" I murmured to myself.
"Oh good," a voice said. "You're awake!"
I darted my eyes to the source of the voice and was met by the face of my girlfriend, Yasmine. She was sitting in a chair by the side of the bed holding my hand, her eyes looking tired and tear streaks clear on her face. She offered me a kind but exhausted smile.
"How're you feeling, babe?" She asked, leaning forward to touch my forehead.
"Truthfully," I croaked. "Like shit. What happened? All I remember is fighting and then trying to get to the infirmary at school. How long have I been out?"
Yasmine bit her lip nervously. "Kato found you collapsed in the middle of the hallway at school covered in burns and dirt. He said that you were breathing but unconscious and he carried you to the infirmary himself. As for how long you've been out, it's only been a couple of hours."
I frowned at the mention of Kato carrying me to the infirmary.
That must've been who I heard calling my name before I passed out, I thought.
"Well where am I?" I asked, finding the energy to finally sit up.
"My house. Layla called me and said that it would be best because your parents would ask too many questions," Yasmine replied.
I nodded. Layla was definitely right about my parents being interrogative. I looked down at myself and saw that my clothes had been changed. I was dressed in a pair of black jeans, a grey crew neck sweater and my Jordans. My burned clothes were in a pile in the corner of Yasmine's room in a plastic bag that was tied.
I glanced over at Yasmine. "Who changed me?"
Yasmine chuckled. "I did."
My face must've turned scarlet because Yasmine let out a laugh and patted my hand comfortingly.
"Don't worry, Babyboy," she said still laughing. "I didn't see anything I wasn't supposed to."
I shook my head in embarrassment before turning to more pressing matters. I turned so that I was facing Yasmine and took both her hands in my mine. I wasn't sure if this was the right decision but with the way things were going now, honesty and transparency were my best bet.
I have to tell her before things get worse.
Steeling myself, I locked eyes with her. This girl. I had come to care about Yasmine in the short amount of time that we had known each other. No matter how hectic things in my life were getting, every time I thought about her or heard her voice, I instantly felt better. She accepted me for who I was and never asked me to be anything that I couldn't. I trusted her.
"There's something that you need to know about me," I said, my voice oddly calm despite how nervous I was feeling. "When I'm done, I'll let you decide where we go from here."
Yasmine didn't say anything but she nodded her head and squeezed my hands, letting me know that she was listening and ready to hear what I had to say.
Taking a deep breath, I spoke.
"I'm an omega. The reason why I hid my level was because of an incident in my past that's haunted me till this day."
Taking her silence as a sign to continue, I kept talking. I explained to her that my ability was tactile telekinesis and that I was masquerading as a gamma because I couldn't control my powers. I told her about Alexis and what she did that forced me to hide my true power and how I had spent majority of high school pretending to be weak so that I could live without the weight of my past on my shoulders. The whole while I talked, Yasmine didn't say a word but her expression was one of initial shock then understanding. I explained to her why Braxton and I were at odds as well as what had happened during our fight earlier. When I was finished, there was a long silence as Yasmine processed my words.
"I never meant to keep you in the dark," I said softly. "And I'll understand if you're angry with me."
I had put everything out there, from my past to the my secret. Now it was up to Yasmine to respond and tell me how she felt.
"Babe," Yasmine said, looking me in the eyes. "I'm so sorry that you've had to walk around with this....burden on your shoulders for so long. I understand why you would keep your powers a secret. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I were born with an ability that I had no control over. But I want you to know: you aren't the same person you were all those years ago. Your powers aren't something to be afraid of, they're a part of you. They define you just as much as your personality does."
I blinked. She wasn't angry. She understood. She understood why I had lied, why I kept my powers a secret and why I walked around as if I was nervous or afraid. Honestly, my powers did scare me. There was no limit to what I was capable of but control was my biggest hurdle in accepting my powers. Without control, I was just going to be a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment and I couldn't bear the thought of what would happen if I did lose control. But Yasmine....her words just now had struck a chord with me. If I wanted control, I had to accept that my powers were part of me and not just some tool to be used when I needed them.
"Can you show me?" Yasmine asked, breaking my reverie.
"Show you what?" I responded, confused.
Yasmine smiled. "Can you show me your powers, Josiah?"
I gulped but stood up to oblige her. Since her room was a confined space, I need to find a good percentage to use so I wouldn't destroy everything and hurt Yasmine. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, feeling the familiar electric sensation that went through my body as I activated my powers. Opening my eyes, I could see sparks of red energy arching off my body as my tactile telekinesis fully activated. The amount of energy that I was generating made a small gust kick up that made Yasmine's hair flow but she was completely entranced by me and my powers. After a few minutes, I exhaled and my powers deactivated.
"Wow..." Yasmine said, her eyes slightly wide. "That red energy around your body.."
"It's like a self contained force field that protects my body from damage while enhancing my physical attributes so that I can go toe to toe with people like Kato and Braxton," I explained. "The more I increase my energy, the stronger my force field and the stronger I get."
Yasmine watched me as I sat back down on the bed. I was drained still and that little power display had left me slightly woozy but I pushed it to the back of my mind. My main focus was on confronting Braxton. He had gotten stronger. Far stronger than expected and it was becoming apparent that what he wanted was an all out power battle between the two of us to prove that he was stronger than me. A part of me had always known that the day would come where Braxton and I would be forced to fight but I deluded myself with the idea that I could live a life without having to use my powers or worry about anyone caring about my level. But now...everything was on the line. Braxton was out of control and the only person who could stop him...was me.
"You're not alone you know?" Yasmine said, her soft voice breaking my thoughts. "I've noticed that you have this 'lone savior' thing going on but you don't have to carry the burden alone anymore. You've got your friends and, more importantly, you've got me. We're in this together."
Yasmine interlocked our fingers and stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on my lips. Unlike our first kiss which was passionate but unsure, this one was full of care, reassurance and surety. I wasn't alone anymore. I had people who cared for me and who were willing to stand by me regardless of my level. The past was past and now I had to look to the future. After a few more seconds, Yasmine and I separated and stared at each other, our hands still interlocked.
"Think it's time to hand downstairs and talk to everyone," Yasmine said.
I nodded. Braxton had to be stopped and strength in numbers was our best strategy in beating him. Which is why my mind was already working on a battle plan.