Infamous Shifter's Genesis

Chapter 33

Just as she started walking toward her office, the sound of the front door creaking open caught her attention. She turned to see Amanda standing in the entryway, her clothes tattered and stained, her face pale and drawn. Without thinking, Trish rushed over to her new friend.

"Amanda!" Trish exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and guiding her toward her office. "You made it. I was starting to get worried."

Amanda, still shaking from the trauma she had endured, let herself be led to the back room. Once they were inside, Trish handed her a clean white shirt and some jeans she kept for emergencies. Amanda took them gratefully and began to change out of her torn clothes.

As Amanda pulled the fresh shirt over her head, she shot a glance at Trish. "You said on the phone that you knew what was going on with me," Amanda said, her voice strained. "What did you mean by that?"

Trish quickly shushed her, glancing toward the door to make sure no one was listening. "Keep your voice down," she whispered. "We're still in a clinic, and I'd rather not have everyone hear this."

Amanda, her brow furrowing in confusion, quieted down but crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

"Look, Amanda," Trish began, choosing her words carefully, "after the Blast, a lot of strange things started happening. People are... changing. Developing abilities. I've seen it firsthand, and I'm pretty sure what happened to you is related to that."

Amanda's expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. "Are you serious, Trish? Do you hear yourself right now? I mean, powers? That's straight out of a comic book. Maybe you've been working too much and need a break."

Trish sighed. "I know it sounds crazy, but seeing is believing. Let me show you something."

Trish led Amanda to Cole's room, motioning for her to stay quiet as they approached the door. She carefully pushed it open, revealing Cole sitting up in bed. Blue sparks of electricity danced along his fingers as he stared down at them, mesmerized.

Amanda's eyes widened in shock, her mouth dropping open in disbelief. Before she could say anything, Trish quickly moved to cover her friend's mouth, whispering urgently in her ear.

"Don't say anything," Trish hissed. "Let's keep your condition a secret for now. Cole's been through a lot, and finding out there may be others with powers might overwhelm him. We need to take this slow, okay?"

Amanda, still reeling from the sight of Cole's powers, nodded slowly, though the shock hadn't yet faded from her face.

Trish removed her hand from Amanda's mouth just as Cole looked up, noticing them for the first time. He immediately hid his hands behind his back, a mix of embarrassment and apprehension flashing across his face. "Trish... what's going on?" he asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.

Trish gave him a calm, reassuring look. "Relax, Cole. I know things have been hectic the last few days. You need help and Zeke and I might not be enough so I brought someone I trust to help us figure things out. You're not in this alone anymore. Trust me okay."

Cole's eyes darted from Trish to Amanda, suspicion and hesitation warring within him. "Of course I trust you Trish I just don't know if I can trust her," he muttered, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of bringing someone else into his struggles.

Trish stepped closer, her voice gentle. "I know this is a lot, but we're going to handle this one step at a time. Amanda's not here to complicate things—she's here to help. We'll figure out a way to get you full control over your powers, and having more support will make that easier."

Cole exhaled slowly, nodding after a long pause. "Alright," he said, still uncertain but trusting Trish enough to go along with it. Revealing his hands he said, "After you finish your test can you get Zeke for me? If you say I'm okay I'd like to start getting a handle on these."

Trish smiled, relieved that Cole was willing to take the first step toward trusting Amanda. "Of course, I'll grab Zeke for you in a bit. Just hang tight for a bit, okay?"

Cole gave a small nod and shifted his gaze back to his hands, the blue sparks flickering out as he concentrated on keeping his powers under control.

Trish gently guided Amanda out of the room, closing the door behind them. As they made their way back to her office, Amanda still looked shaken, her mind no doubt racing with everything she had just witnessed.

Once they were safely inside, Trish sat down and motioned for Amanda to do the same. "As I said before seeing is believing, so now that you've seen what Cole can do, we'll need to figure you can do too. Like I said for now let's just keep this between the two of us, okay Amanda."

Amanda slumped into the chair, her arms wrapped around herself as if trying to hold herself together. "I still can't believe it. I thought I was going crazy, seeing that monster and feeling that energy. But after seeing Cole... it's real, isn't it?"

Trish nodded. "It's real. The Blast changed everything, and it's awakened something in certain people—like you and Cole. I'll be working with Zeke to figure out more about these powers, but it's not easy. We're still learning."

Amanda looked up at her, her eyes searching for reassurance. "So do you... know of any others with powers?"

Trish hesitated for a moment but nodded again. "Yeah, I do. I've been keeping it under wraps, but there's another patient I've been treating and he seems to have powers too. Right now all I know about you guys with powers is that you're quick healers. That energy you felt, the way your body healed—that must have been your powers awakening. As for that monster... I don't know anything about but I'm glad it didn't hurt you."

Amanda's eyes dropped to the floor, her mind swimming with the realization of her newfound abilities. "Yeah me too. So what now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Am I just supposed to sit here and wait to figure out what I can do? What if it's dangerous?"

Trish leaned forward, her tone gentle but firm. "Don't worry, we're going to take this slow. Whatever your powers are they don't seem to be out of control right now. So if you stay here and don't disappear again then I'll help you figure out your powers and how to control them, just like we're doing with Cole. And if things get dangerous, we'll handle it together just the two of us."