Extraordinary 》phan

07-Carving

Daniel James Howell

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"Somehow you went nineteen years of your life without making a friend or loving anyone."
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ZOË HANDED ME A KNIFE WITH A TINY SMIRK ON HER LIPS. Maybe it's because my hands shook as I carefully grabbed the knife. It was so sharp that I was afraid I would cut myself by even lightly touching it.

"Calm down o-mighty." She teased with a small laugh. She put her tiny hand on my shoulder and gave me a tight squeeze. I let my shoulder sag as I held the knife with care in both hands. Phil was with Elizabeth to discuss his powers, and he was being assigned to start training. I, on the other hand, wasn't allowed to train until we've figured out how to unlock the absorbing gene. I wasn't sure of the game plan, no one felt like it was important to tell except Zoë. She didn't tell me much though.

"Stop calling me that." I whined in an annoyed tone, not removing my eyes from the knife.

"You never told me your name, so what do I call you?" She argued in a lighter voice. She handed me a branch to hold as well, I removed one of my hands from the knife and grabbed the stick.

"My name isn't important." I may sound stubborn but in reality I was careful. I'm not going to just give my name away to her, I don't even trust her yet.

"Okay then o-mighty." She chuckled, she had a similar knife and branch in her hand. She began cutting the end of it like she was peeling a potato, probably to make the end sharp.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes stubbornly. I carefully mimicked her actions and began running the knife across the tip of the branch.

"Why are you so tense? I can't hurt you." She pointed out but why would I believe her? This might be an act of some sort to get me to open up.

"What are you powers?" I asked her curiously. I couldn't find the exact thing to fit her, she was strong though. I could tell from how she tackled me before.

"Super strength and invisibility." She cheered, her powers surprised me. Her cheerful personality didn't give me the impression. I wonder if Tyler had an aggressive power too. He was awfully cheerful as well.

"Invisibility?" I questioned.

"Yeah it's cool. Look try to stab me." She told me and I stopped carving the branch. I can't stab her, I didn't trust she would able to disappear without the blade touching her.

"What? No." I refused. She rolled her eyes, but seemed to understand.

"No one trusts me. It's fine, whatever." She spoke in a quiet voice. The sad look on her face vanished quickly though. "Try grabbing me then."

I agreed, carefully putting down the knife and the stick. I tried to grab her shoulder but the moment I blinked she was gone. My hands went through the air, I fell onto where she sat. I heard her giggle in the air and quickly got back up.

"Wow o-mighty. You seem confused." She teased, it sounded like she was still sat in her spot.

"J-Just come back. This is creepy." I pointed out. Before I could say anything else she reappeared.

"I could show you my super strength but it doesn't work as well on you. I could use my strength but I can't hurt you with it." She explained and for once I was kind of thankful she was explaining everything, bit by bit.

"Where are we? Back where I live it was snowy. It's so sunny here." I asked, changing the subject. I didn't want to dive into the subject of the absorbing gene. It creeped me out and I didn't know whether to trust this idea or completely scrap it.

"Well we're on the outskirts of Floral City. We have to enter tomorrow to get information from one of Elizabeth's friend of how we can help you use your gene." She explained, my eyes widened. Floral city? That was almost six hours away from where I live. It was a sunny city that seemed to be stuck in spring.  That car ride must have been longer than I thought.

"Floral City?!" I yelled in confusion but Zoë shushed me.

"Yeah, don't disturb the training o-mighty. That's a big rule here." She informed me, her smile dropping. It didn't intimidate me. If what she said about her not being able to hurt me was true or not, I know she wouldn't do anything without Elizabeth's order.

"Sorry. But does this mean I won't go home ever again?" I asked, her eyes turned soft and sympathetic.

"No, I'm sorry you can't see your family until-" She began but I had cut off her thought.

"No I don't care. It's just a relief honestly." I sighed, grabbing the stick and knife again. I didn't face her, I didn't want to deal with her shocked look.

"What do you mean? You never loved your family?" Her voice was a bit more intrigued now. I was quite a weirdo, huh?

"Nope, they've never treated me right. Who cares?" I shrugged.

"Me too." She excitedly exclaimed, I turned to her and saw her looked shock. "I mean, my parents never valued me, just my brother because he was a man. We have the same powers though, so I never understood it."

"Wait, you too? My parents thought I was some weakling because I had no powers, so they treated my brother like a god. They thought I was ordinary." I didn't know Zoë and I had so much in common, but then again she might be trying to trick me into trusting her.

"Trust me, you're the most extraordinary person there is." She assured me, giving me a swift pat on the back.

"Thanks." I smiled at her. I thought back to the absorbing gene, and why no one noticed I had it. Or why they were surprised I wasn't younger. I never loved anyone before, but what threw me off was this Phil put off the alarm. How is that possible? I've only known him for a day.

"I just don't understand how Phil could have set off the alarm. I've known him for a day and only had one conversation with him." I told her, hoping she had an answer for it.

"Maybe you considered him a friend, or maybe he did." She suggested.

"Wait, if he considered me a friend then the alarm would have went off?" I questioned and she nodded. My heart sank and I felt lied to for a second.

That means my parents don't love me and neither does my brother. If they had, the alarm would have went off. They don't love me? I had always thought that my family was looking out for me and that even though I never felt a connection with them, I thought they had. I don't know why I'm feeling so hurt, maybe it's because in my nineteen years of life, I never liked anyone and no one has every liked me. Not until Phil, I mean.

"Are you ok?" Zoë asked, she looked at me concerned and I shrugged.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I just want to sleep for a while, I'm tired. Can you find me a place to nap?" I pleaded to her, her concern grew but she chose not to question me.

"Yeah, you could be in your and Troye's tent." She suggested and I nodded. She got up and I followed her to the tent at the end of the row.

"Feel better." She sighed as I entered the tent. I felt bad, she must be so confused. She probably think she had said something wrong but it wasn't her fault, it was mine.

"W-Wait." I called out."Why am I sharing a tent with Troye?"

"Hate me that much, Doctor?" Troye asked walking past me.

"Doctor?" I questioned the nickname.

"You just remind me of someone I knew, he was a doctor." Troye vaguely explained. I nodded and entered the tent, I thought back to what Zoë had said about activating the gene.

Was I that repulsive? That unlikable? I can't believe no one has ever liked me. Does Phil? I mean Elizabeth said it was friendship, so how can Phil just like me right away and consider me a close friend? Maybe I considered him a close friend. That morning I was giddy, and excited to see Phil again. That's what probably set off the warning.

Probably.

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