Aquiver -> J. Constantine

10

"I can't do it."

Jade glared at the stupid pen on the desk. It's been a pain in her ass for the last hour and yet she's made zero progress.

"You can. You're just not focused enough." John replied.

He didn't even look up from the gadget he's been tinkering for the last couple of hours. While he's been doing that, Zed and Jade have been practicing their abilities.

Both have failed.

Jade groaned in frustration. "What does that even mean? When I do it with my hand-"

"Your hands are just tools, love. You have the psychic ability to move objects which means you don't need anything but your mind."

When he puts it that way, it seems easy. Just make the pen move or flicker. Anything that makes it seem like she actually has powers. Yet the stupid thing hadn't moved at all.

"What if our powers are slipping? I've been trying for hours, too, and all I've gotten is a migraine." Zed mumbled.

She was working on the map which had bloody markings on it. Stigmatas, if Jade recalled correctly. Places where there are supernatural events.

"A migraine's good, pain's good. It's how you build muscles. Just find the thing that guts you and do it over and over again." John grunted.

Jade rolled her eyes at him. If they don't make progress soon, it'll be her that guts him. She was supposed to be making progress. Controlling her power instead of it controlling her.

Yet the more in control she tries to feel, the less it's in her grasp.

"That's how Chas learned to cook, isn't it, Chas?"

At the mention of his name, Chas appeared with two plates in his hands. Some kind of salad by the looks of it. Still, Jade was grateful as he set the plate in front of her.

She didn't hesitate to dig in. Feeding herself was more productive than trying to move that pen with only her mind.

"I've got the burn marks to prove it. Well, metaphorically." Chas said.

Jade furrowed get eyebrows at his subtle hint at something. She couldn't quite place Chas. He seemed nice enough but there was something hidden beneath.

Zed looked at John's gadget. "What is that thing, anyway?"

"A zoetrope. Belonged to Queen Victoria. Her court magician used to use it on his seance guests to induce a hypnotic state." John explained.

Huh. Despite the fact that monsters are all, Jade was finding it difficult to comprehend that they've been around for centuries. How they managed to stay under the radar is a mystery to her.

She eyed it suspiciously. "Does it even work? Looks like a piece of garbage."

John ignored her lack of enthusiasm as he finished his modifications. It should work beautifully now that he's fixed it.

"Uh, the wheel was stuck, but," he moved it and it twirled perfectly, "ah, result."

Jade rolled her eyes at his smug expression as she continued eating Chas's perfectly cooked meal. As much as enjoyed cooking, it wasn't nearly as good as his.

"Gather around, story time." John said.

Zed came closer to the wheel as John spun it. There were some photos inside the wheel. They moved too fast for Jade to comprehend but they seemed to have some kind of effect on her friend.

By the time she snapped back to reality, she found all three of them watching her and waiting for a report. Her vision didn't seem to have a connection to anything.