Fire and Ice

Chapter Eleven

     The next week consists of me working at the diner during the day and going to the boxing club with Emmett after.  I'm surprised that he hasn't had to leave at all to stop any sort of crime.  

     "I'm off duty."  He answers one night when I ask him.  

     "What does that even mean?"  I ask.  "You can't be here helping me all the time when there's crime to be stopped.  I'm not that important."  He looks at me for a second when I say this, surprised.

     "You think you're not important?" 

     "Not important enough to ignore crime."  I answer, starting to feel awkward.  He sighs.

     "What is it with you and your poor self-esteem?"  

     "I do not have poor self-esteem!" I defend myself.  "I just don't think I'm more important than saving the city!"  I punch the punching bag in front of me.  

     "Make sure to tilt your fist down a little so that you're putting your knuckles into the punch." He says, completely ignoring what I just said.  It's probably because he knows I'm right.  "There you go."  Suddenly, I feel a familiar sharp pain in the front of my skull.  I realize that it's the same headache that I got right before I had that vision a couple of weeks ago and I'm confused.  Why is this still happening to me when I lost my powers?  I grab my head in pain, which is kind of difficult with the boxing gloves on.  

     "Amy?" Emmett asks, seeing the pain on my face.  "What's wrong?"

     "Headache." I lie.  It's probably more than that.  "I'm going to the bathroom."  I take the gloves off and start to walk to the bathroom in the back of the gym.  I can't have this happen in front of him.  Unfortunately, I'm unsuccessful in making it to the bathroom in time.  I become dizzy and slide down the wall I'm closest to.  

     "Amy!" I hear Emmett say, but I don't see the gym anymore.  Instead, I see myself lying on the ground in an alley.  On top of me is a man punching me, and at first I can only see his back.  Then, he turns around and I see the face that's been haunting my nightmares.  

     It's Alex.  

     Suddenly I'm back in the gym again and I can hear Emmett shouting my name frantically.  I open my eyes and see him crouched in front of me, his eyes wide with panic.  Luckily, we were alone in the gym tonight so I hadn't caused a scene.

     "I'm fine."  I say, my voice trembling from fear.  

     "You sure as hell don't seem fine."  He says, his voice filled with concern.  "Jesus Amy, what just happened?"

     "You'll think I'm insane if I tell you."

     "Try me."  I explain to him how I had known to go to the warehouse the night I lost my powers and how that same thing was happening to me again.  I attempt to avoid telling him what this vision was about.

     "So you're psychic now?"  He says excitedly after I explain what happened.  "That's so cool!"

     "It doesn't feel cool." I answer, my head still hurting a little.  He offers me a water bottle and I take a sip of it.  

     "So what did you see this time?" He asks.  I guess I failed at avoiding this.  

     "Somebody I thought was dead." I whisper, the reality of the situation just hitting me.  Alex is somehow alive and I'm vulnerable without my powers. 

     "Alex?" he asks, and I look at him with a mix of shock and anger.  He had read my mind, invading my privacy.  That's something I never wanted him to know about.  Seeing my face, he explains himself.  "I didn't read your mind, I swear.  I just remembered you mentioning him the first boxing lesson we had."