Eden's Gate

Chapter 8: Do it Wrong

Summer break had finally come to a close, and it was time for their first class. They had their usual classes of Math and English in the morning, and after lunch they'd have World Cultures, Science and then today's special, Workshop, but before that was the class every third grader got the most excited about: Psychic 101. Psychic 101! The very first class where they would officially and completely be taught how to use their powers, and not just how to control them.

They all sat in the classroom, the fancy new white board hung over the old white board, which had apparently been doodled on by someone at some point and never erased. It was a cute decoration of blue, red and black that emphasized the screen. The screen was currently displaying a graph of flickering data, marked SETI@Home. Kaitlyn had no idea what that was but the colorful graph appealed to her.

The door suddenly glowed with a stoney gray glow and opened itself, as Mr. Manfred stepped in. Manfred was not the sort of man you think of when you think of a psychic. He was broad shouldered, muscular, bearded, and at one point in his life had even styled his hair in mutton chops before he apparently thought that was ridiculous. Even now though, he'd look right at home in a pith helmet and safari vest. Instead, he wore a beige suit with a blue tie. His brown hair was starting to get peppered with flecks of white, especially his big bushy moustache, which Kaitlyn for some reason always expected to see some sort of food detritus in but never did.

"Good morning children!" He said. "I'm Professor Edgar Manfred. "For the next school year, you'll all be learning about what it means to be a psychic - and what you're all capable of."

He gave a hearty chuckle as he scrawled his name on the board. He turned to look over his students.

"Now, I'm more than certain that not a single one of you has entirely obeyed the suggestion to not use your powers, but the intent of that was never to keep you from exploring your abilities. The restriction was not meant to make you afraid of your powers, but to help you learn control. Your abilities, as incredible as they are, can also be dangerous."

A solemn expression crossed his face as he continued, "they are tied innately to your emotions, to your feelings. To your very soul. Great care must be taken or you will lose control - maybe even lose yourself. It doesn't help that the outside world isn't ready to understand that and it probably won't ever be. You are each of you, blessed. But you are also cursed."

He drew a pentagon on the board, and labeled each side with one of the five skills. In the center, he wrote "Overall".

"But it's over now. You are, from this point forward, allowed to use your powers whenever, as long as you don't cause trouble - except within this classroom."

He turned to them again, a smile on his face.

"As part of your training, you will learn control even when things seem frustrating or without solution. You do not use your powers until I tell you in this class, no matter how much you may want to. Theory and control are as important as usage and practicality."

He then turned his attention back to the board.

"Now each of you was graded on six categories, but only five of them are related to actual skills. The sixth category, your overall Psychic Grade, is a measure of how much power you have access to. This doesn't mean you're a better or more powerful psychic - it more means you can do more."

A hearty laugh erupted from behind Kaitlyn. She twisted around to see Devon had made the noise. Devin was a lanky boy, his shape giving an impression that he had already hit puberty, even though he had just only lost his baby canine, leaving a hole in his stupid little grin.

"Of course a C Grade would say that," he sneered.

"C+ Grade," he corrected, "and while you may be a higher grade then me that definitely doesn't mean you are better."