Adelaide Academy

Chapter Eight

                Feeling my muscles tense up, I felt my body get ready. Jace sidestepped me and swung a quick blow to my temple that I blocked using my forearm.

                What the fudge?! I thought as my mind tried to wrap itself around the fact that my body seemed to move instinctively on its own.

                 Feeling my feet get kicked out from underneath me I fell towards the ground, however instead of landing painfully my arms reached forward and pushed at the ground propelling myself into a cartwheel as I landed facing Jace.

                He stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me intensely.

               "Give me your hand," he demanded. Wordlessly I stretched my arm out, still gaping at what I had just done.

                 A sudden pain spread across my hand and I looked down to see Jace pocketing a small knife. "You just cut me!" I cried out in disbelief as I stared at the red gash on the palm of my right hand.

                 Jace stayed silent and continued to hold my hand staring down at it intently as if it would give him the answers to his questions.

                  We stood silently for about 10 minutes , with me fidgeting nervously as my hand started to get sweaty in his grasp. Just when I was about to pull away and demand that he tell me what was going on I gasped. Because unless I was going blind at the age of 17 I just saw the skin around my cut move. Five minutes later the gash on my palm had completely healed and closed up.

                  Feeling a sudden rush of tiredness I sat down on the edge of Jace's bed, my head swirling with confusion and questions that I was too afraid to ask.

                "What's happening to me?" I asked in a small voice.

                "It's very likely that you've just discovered your skill." Jace replied

                 But-when Ellie discovered her skill nothing like this had happened to her. It was just a simple transition for her. I thought desperately.

               "Nikki, for now don't tell anyone about this. I probably don't need to say this but what just happened and what happened last night is not normal." Jace held my gaze, his eyes swirling with something unidentifiable.

                 I felt fear pierce my heart.

                "Wait, how do you know my name?" I asked.

                 Jace held up my wallet which he had open to the panel where my driver's license was.

                "I had to know who I gave up my bed for."

                  Turning my head to the side I blocked my face with a curtain of black hair in order to cover up my blush. What are you doing Nikki? This is a life or death experience and you can't stop yourself from being shy? I chastised myself fiercely.

                  "So...if I could have my clothes and stuff back that would be great. Thank you so much for taking care of me last night. I'm sorry to have bothered you." I said sincerely forcing myself to look directly into his eyes.

                  Jace throws my wallet and cellphone at me.

                 "I'm afraid you can't have your clothes back though," he said, "they were so shredded that I threw them away."