The training center was a massive, state of the art building that housed everything from an elaborate gym, a basketball court, a number of studios, and a meditation room. Aunt Gemini introduced me to Mats, who was the human equivalent of a Clydesdale horse. He managed the training center and told me that I was always welcome.
In the meditation room, Aunt Gemini introduced me to Sylvana and left us to get acquainted as she said. Sylvana's hands were soft and her skin clear and unwrinkled, even though I suspected she was above 70 years old. She guided me over to the middle of the room, where we sat down on facing pillows. Serenity flowed from her, and I wanted to ask what her power was. Perhaps calmness was her power.
"Try to still your thoughts and be present," Sylvana began as she guided me in a meditation with a soothing voice. She asked me to breathe, while she counted backwards from ten, and the world outside drifted away. I was present in my body in a way that felt unlike how I normally felt and at the same time I felt at home. Under Sylvana's guidance, I travelled to the inner, hidden workings of my brain.
My thoughts were a calendar where each day is ripped away. First, Andrea and Penny at school, talking and laughing with a school bus in the background. Rip. My mother cooking with a glass of white wine by her side and her back turned towards me. Rip. A profile picture of Brandt, smiling, with a social media filter with small pink hearts popping around him. Rip. Neil's eyes flashing blue as he slammed his hands on his office table. Ripples of blue power bouncing across the surface. Rip. Brandt standing over a body, sending blue lightning to end the life before him. Rip. Me at age four or five, covering my head while I listened to raised voices in the next room. Rip. A warm palm on my cheek, before he left. "You hold your own power, peanut." Rip. A swirl of air carrying the petals of a pink rose. My dad's laughter. Rip. The loss of his presence, echoing through the house. Rip.
"Harper?" Sylvana's airy voice was a long way off. I saw on a green field, walking towards me in a mindscape. She smiled at me and opened her palm. It was full of pink rose petals. It brought tears to my eyes.
"Can you make them ascend?" I shook my head; the lump in my throat stealing my voice. Sylvana blew into her palm and instead of the petals scattering and being pulled down by gravity, they rose and hung in the air. It wasn't the same as my dad had done. He made the petals swirl around in a little whirlwind.
"You can take it from here," Sylvana said and lowered her palm. I put out my palm instead and tried to make the whirlwind bigger. The petals moved in a larger swirl and higher into the air. I made it larger still and higher, until the petals were carried away by the breeze and fluttered around the field. I followed the petals, turning around, but stopped when I saw the house, I grew up in. This was the house we lived in, when my dad was there. It was painted yellow with white trim, a little house for a little family. I rushed to the front door. With my hand on the knob, I heard Sylvana behind me,
"Remember, we are in your mindscape. What you see is not real." I took a deep breath and opened the door. I immediately knew the house was empty, but this was the house, I lived in until I was seven. I remembered every nook and cranny as if I had visited yesterday. I saw the kitchen, where my dad would cook French toast for me when it was just him and me. I remember my mom, my dad, and I eating pizza at the kitchen table. My mom would laugh at my dad's jokes. I remember joy and happiness. I remember being the little family in the little house. I glanced at Sylvana, who had stayed in the entryway,
"Thank you."
"Are you ready to go back?" She asked. I took a last look around the house and felt the memories take form. I had found something that I didn't even realize I had lost.
"Yes, I'm ready."
Sylvana guided me back to the meditation room, where we hadn't left the comfortable pillows on the floor. I felt changed, stronger even. I know I hadn't changed fundamentally, but regaining these memories from my past was a gift. Sylvana gave me a bottle of water and told me to take my time getting up. We had meditated for almost two hours.
"Ready?" I blurted in disbelief. "It went by so quickly."
"Time in mindscapes flows different than in reality." Sylvana turned my hand between us looking at the skin, that was devoid of the normals wrinkles.
"Are mindscapes your power?" I said and immediately felt rude, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't impose on you. I don't know if it is acceptable to ask."
"Yes, they are a part of my power. You are welcome to ask me, but generally empowered are a bit withdrawn with announcing their particular power. Some empowered are purists, believing a community is defined by one particular power, while others embrace all powers. They all share the consensus that people without power must not know about the empowered."
"Did the meditation give you a sense of my power?" Asking the question I realized I wanted to be empowered. Like my dad. Before today, I didn't have any memories with my dad and I certainly didn't know he was empowered.
"It certainly did," Sylvana rose and continued, "I believe you are ready for a little training session." As she uttered the word 'training' Mats entered the meditation room.
"I thought I heard my name," he said with a booming voice and a chuckle. I thought I saw Sylvana roll her eyes. "Come on then," he bellowed and I shuffled to stand up and follow him. He took me to a training studio with the floor covering in springy matting.
"Brandt! You might as well come in here. We might need a zap or two!" Mats called. Everything he said was followed by a chuckle of him just being a happy guy. Brandt rounded the corner to the studio in no time. He couldn't have been far away.
Sylvana glided in, closed the door, and spoke with Mats.
"How did it go?" Brandt asked.
"Well, I think. I still don't know what power I have." I answered and in my thoughts I added "if any". In Brandt's presence I felt like a fumbling mess or a naive high schooler and I didn't want to be either of those. I wished to be his equal, but I doubted that was even a possibility.
"Alrighty then," Mats came over and stood in front of me. "Hands up," I immediately put my hands up. He placed his fists on each of my hands and pushed gently, "now all you have to do is push back." I changed my stance and tried to push back. I didn't want to end up on the mat with a human Clydesdale on top of me. Mats pushed a little harder.
"We're going to fa-all," he said in a sing-song voice. I felt the strain in my shoulders, even though Mats wasn't giving his all by a long shot. I wasn't going to let that happen. Brandt stood with Sylvana and watched.
"No, we're not, " I said with my jaw fixed. Pearls of sweat appeared on my forehead. Mats pushed harder still. We were not going to fall.
"Push back, Harper." Brandt spurred me on from the sideline. I held my breath and pushed against Mats' fists. I made them move an inch backwards.
"Again, " Mats called out. We did the exercise and each time, it was easier to push back. "You've got good defences, and you will even better with training. Well done."
Sylvana stepped forward. "For this next exercise, inhale the push, into your being, and on your exhale, push Brandt." Again I held out my hands. Mats pushed one of my hands and I tried to absorb his push before sending it towards Brandt, who was palm to palm with me. Brandt took a step backwards incredulously. It felt like a wave going through me.
"Again!" Mats encouraged again and again, before he suggested we go to opposite way. "A kind zap, if you please." Mats spoke to Brandt. I locked eyes with Brandt. He wasn't trying to erase my thoughts, he was helping me come into my power. The first zap was a jolt and I forgot to let it roll through me. The second time a flicker of blue lightning formed between my hand and Mats'. The third time, he jumped as I zapped him.
"I see her power," Mats said, massaging the zap out of his hand. What was it? Sylvana smiled at me,
"You're an amplifier. "
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What do you think of Harper's power?
YOU ARE READING
Crossfire - a sizzling slow burn with supernatural powers
Teen Fiction"I... I didn't see anything." I tried, not knowing where to look. I was curious enough to take glances at him. His dark hair was flopped into his face to obscure his chiseled jaw. He laughed out loud. "What exactly didn't you see, Harper?" He said...
