A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 39: Capture the Flag

"Alright, what have you got for us, buddy?" Eight asks in the big backyard. It's as big as the Lecture Hall to start, except it extends off to miles and miles of open field.

"I'm so glad you asked Eight. But don't call me buddy," Nine states. "Today, we'll be playing capture the flag. It's pretty straightforward. Get the other team's flag before the time runs out. Each team will get two Mog blasters. As far as rules go, there's only one: you must be carrying the flag at all times. No telekinesis. Oh, and no teleporting to the other team's flag and back. That takes all the fun out of it. Got it? Cool. Me and Johnny will be team captains."

"Ready?" John asks.

"Go ahead, Johnny. I'll let you have the first pick."

John nods to Six; Nine nods to Eight. Next, John picks BK; Nine picks Marina. I watch them all take sides from the balcony—I hear them as if they're right next to me. John takes Crayton; Nine takes Ella, and finally, John chooses Adam. I'm not surprised the Mog got chosen last, truthfully—I just hope he won't try anything to hurt any of them.

As far as I'm aware, Henri isn't playing, but watching, along with Malcolm. Pixie whines at my feet. I give her a quick smile until I hear my name. "You sure you don't wanna play, Em?" Nine calls from the middle of the yard. "We're short a player."

I shake my head and say nothing—because I meant what I said last night. I don't want to train. Even though I know it's probably not the smartest move, I can't do it.

"Are both sides ready to start?" Malcolm yells beneath me.

"We're ready!" John yells back.

"Let's kick some ass!"

Malcolm blows an airhorn that pierces my ears, and everyone jumps into positions. Nine's the first to rush the other team, and John rushes to meet him, Lumen ablaze. They collide halfway. Six goes invisible and Ella takes cover behind a pile of old hay like Adam does opposite her.

The Mog stomps his foot, and even from the second floor, the strength of its vibrations is evident. Eight's teleporting to various places—I can't keep track. Crayton's talking to Ella; why's he firing at nothing? BK's in the air. Wait... where...? What—?

Marina? I think, wondering if I'm going crazy or if she really is upside down underneath. Is that her? What is she doing?

It was Nine's plan, she says in my head. I'm sneaking over to get the flag.

I don't know how she plans on doing that. Adam will totally see her—he's basically guarding the thing—unless BK spots her from the air before then.

I feel terrible now for not playing with the rest of them. The teams are unevenly matched (because of me!) and Nine's team is stronger even if he's down a player. It's unfair. Would it be so bad to help from afar? Somehow? I don't want to play; I really don't.

Marina makes her way off the balcony closer to Adam and I shut my eyes and focus on the telekinesis at least, mentally kicking myself for going back on my word. I've never tried to use this Legacy with so far of a distance before—gladly! I focus on the blaster the Mog's holding, then try to aim it a different way—up, left, and around so Adam sees Marina coming. It works! As soon as his blaster's leveled at Marina, he fires once, and Marina's forced to dive.

"There!" Ella yells, pointing to nothing but air on the far right. "Right there, Papa!"

Crayton opens fire 'till his next beams hit something, and Six appears on her knees.

Six, watch out! I scream and she looks up and rolls out of his next volley.

Henri's words come back to me then: "It's called ergokinesis, the ability to control and manipulate energy." I step back from the balcony's railing, hands at my core, feet flat, eyes closed. I concentrate. It doesn't seem like there's anything inside me at first, but if I... if I recall what he... what he did—I can feel it: Rage. Energy. Steam. Heat. Boiling under my skin. I grit my teeth but do it anyway. For John, I tell myself. And Nine—to give them a fighting chance.

It swirls like a vicious whirlpool; the power from Crayton's blaster, and Adam's, and all their auras... I sense them like before, like I sensed Setrákus Ra. I try not to focus on the latter. My hands twist and twirl like they would if they were to mold a ball of playdoh. I do the same with the energy of Crayton's blaster, as if I can do the same, as if energy's the same as playdoh. I mold it until it's in the shape I want: an invisible sphere. It's hard to hold together, slippery; it's like it wants to be released. I clutch it with both hands like it's a bar of soap. I clasp it until it gets smaller and smaller, until... it crushes.

I open my eyes, breathe out a sigh. Crayton's blaster is dead. Nothing but useless metal, the light disappeared. He slaps it once, like an old man might slap a TV, but it doesn't turn on. He looks my way, and I look away, down, and tuck a strand of sweaty hair behind my ear. "I thought you said you weren't playing..." My breath catches in a hilt. I'm too tired to turn and face him. I want a quick nap, but I know that's not going to happen.

All I do is sit at first and catch my breath, sit in front of the pane of glass, holding my knees in a ball trying to get his face and his words out of my head. "I wasn't," I slur. "I just felt bad. I thought I could help in some way, but it wasn't worth it..." I try to keep my voice stable while I fight the images of the Mogadorian Leader in my head. "It wasn't worth it, it wasn't, it wasn't..." My hands won't stop shaking. My body rocks forward and back, over, and over...

Henri puts a hand on my shoulder, but even then, I don't look up. "You did help, Emily. I didn't even know you could do that with their technology."

"Every time I try..." I utter, shaking, remembering... "I see his face, Henri. He won't go away."

"He'll go away with time," he says, calm. "It's only a matter of time."

"You're saying he'll go away when the others kill him." I stop rocking then, and the world freezes before dread replaces the edge. "What if they don't?"

"They will."

"You don't know that."

"Emily, I know you've been through a lot. You didn't deserve to go through everything you did and I'm sorry for that. I tried to find you as quickly as possible that day. I have no idea why you can do what you can do now; all I know is that there's a reason. I know that one day you'll figure it out. You'll become stronger than you ever thought you could be; I promise."

I'm silent for a while, in thinking of that. "But the stronger I become, the harder the battles I have to face. I don't want to be that strong. I don't want to face anything harder than this. If this is what it means to have power... then I'd rather be normal. I'd rather be human."

"You will be human, Emily. There's no doubt about that. I'm not asking you to use these Legacies. None of us are asking you to use them if you don't want to." What on Earth's name is he getting at? "But could you live with yourself if you didn't use them and something bad happened?"

I hate that he's doing this, here, now. It reminds me of him and what he did. I hate that Henri's forcing me to remember that. But I know it isn't a question. "Stop," I plead, hiding in my arms, hiding from him. "Stop, Henri. You and I both know that I'm only here to help. If that means I use these Legacies and face what I did in that cave, then... then I'll do it. I said I would. But don't make me remember what happened in there if I don't need to."

"That wasn't my intention," he says. "But I want you to know you don't have to do anything you don't want to do, whether you're trying to help or not. None of us will think of you any differently because you decided not to help us. You can go home any time you want; you know that, right?"

"I do... and I will use these Legacies if I need to, just not now. Please. Not now."