New: Powers

New: Powers (Chapter 4)

Chapter 4:

I arrived at West Point mall a few minutes late. It was an outlet mall, and it was huge. The cobblestone paths were covered in shoppers, and the center fountain was swarming with teens. Clay said he'd meet me here for answers and coffee, so I headed for the Starbucks. I looked down at what I was wearing: navy blue sweater, white t-shirt, dull blue scarf, blue skinny jeans, and white Chuck Taylors. A brown leather cross bag rested by my side, holding a sleep gun. You could never be too careful. I spied Clay on the other side of the glass at Starbucks. He looked weird. He wore a beanie and glasses, (which I thought he didn't need) a light blue unbuttoned button-up shirt, and a white t-shirt underneath, navy jeans, and sneakers. His posture helped gave him away.

"Allison."

"Clay."

"You're not going to get anything?" he asked, as I passed the counter and sat down across from him. "I'm not a coffee person. So the first answer I want is: what is your super power?" Clay took a long slow sip from his coffee cup. "You ready?" He looked over his shoulder at the man seated behind us. When the man got up and walked passed us, Clay snapped his fingers and his pants set on fire. Naturally, the man started panicking and the employees at Starbucks were rushing around for a fire extinguisher. Clay's smile was wider than his face. Now I understood. That's why he only trusted me. "Now you know my secret."

"So you're a Pyro too. Does this mean something?" I grabbed his hand from underneath the table and my fire spread from my wrist up his arm. "That doesn't work," he replied. "I know, that doesn't work on me either!" The blast of a fire extinguisher shattered my right eardrum. "Wait so why did you call me here?"

"I'm not really sure. You know that I work for, you know, the other side, but when I saw you for the first time, you were using fire, the same way that I use it, I got confused. I don't know which side to be on anymore. I know what I'm getting on my side, but if you could convince me to join your side, then I'll do it."

"How do I know you're not just trying to infiltrate the League and be a double agent?" My fingers inched towards the sleep gun. "That's just it. I don't have any proof. I know I've never given you any reason to trust me, but at the same time, if I wanted to infiltrate the league, I would've done something when I visited your... Silo? Is that what it's called?" That's true. He probably wouldn't have succeeded, but he could've brought an explosive, he could've set the prisoners free; there were multiple options to choose from, but he didn't do any of them. I've seen what he could do without his fire. Adding the fire factor back in just made him even more powerful. "So, you work for the Skull guy, right? What is he offering you and what does he want and what do you have to do for him?"

"Slow your roll. I don't know everything. He doesn't let us ask questions, only answer them. Without revealing too much, he promised me a better life with protection, in exchange for the four petals. I'm basically his bounty hunter."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but he wants the petals which possess the ability to control the elements, and How do you know that-" My bag started vibrating. A flashing light was visible through the front pocket. I took out my phone to see that Bri had texted me.

Silo now. New discovery: five petals, not four.

How could there be more than four petals? There were only four elements: fire, water, air, and earth. Bri was the earth petal, and I was the fire petal. Fire. The craziest idea started stirring in my head. "Clay, I need to tell you something about those petals."

"What about them?" He said as I slipped my hand into my bag, not sure of what he would do. "The petals. They aren't petals. They're people. And I'm one of them." Clay was awestruck for a while. Then, I heard the slow unsheathing of a blade and felt a sharp point digging into my knee, underneath the table. "Slowly get up and walk to the exit." I whipped out the sleep gun and pressed it against his knee. "Hear me out." Clay didn't move his weapon, so neither did I. "You have one minute. Then we walk. The words you say in the next sixty seconds will determine where."

"You and I have the same power don't we? The same exact power. We're immune to fire, yet we have the ability to use it against other people. In fact, fire heals us. The flower was said to have four petals for each of the four elements. Well guess what? There are actually five. Five human element-wielding petals spread out across the country that your boss wants you to track down and bring to him. If I'm a petal because I'm immune to fire and capable of attacking with it, then what do you think that makes you?"

"You're lying. You have to be. I'm not a fucking petal."

"I'm not lying. I have to bring you into the Silo, Clay. They can tell us if you really are one of the petals. Your boss, the Skull Guy, wants you to bring him the four petals. What do you think he's going to do with them? And even if you do turn us in, who says that his version of a better life is the same as yours? Do you really think that he'll give you protection and a better life once he finds out you're one of us? Clay, the League would give you a home in the Silo with the best protection on Earth, and a real life as a teenager even if you weren't a petal." Clay stared at me for the longest time. "You're an amazing guy Clay. The League could use someone like you," I said, grabbing his hand that wasn't underneath the table.

"Time's up. Nice touch with the hand. I'd be lying if I said that didn't turn me on a bit," Clay admitted. I immediately let go. "Thanks. So where are we going?" Clay sighed, his caramel eyes refusing to look at me as he got out of the booth and extended his hand. "You owe me for this." I smiled and took his hand.

When we approached the exit, Clay froze. "What's wrong?" He squeezed my hand. "I'll tell you as soon as we get outside the café, but when we exit, don't look up. They're looking for me," Clay said in a low voice. He put his arm around my shoulder and let it dangle. I held his wrist, not really knowing why, looking straight down as we passed a security guard on the way out. "I may have borrowed something from a certain jewelry store in a certain mall. I changed before I went to the café so they won't find out by my clothes, but if they get a good look at me, they can catch me by my face."

"Are you serious? What did you need from a jewelry store?"

"I'm broke. Where are you parked?"

"Upstairs, outside Macy's."

"All right, we'll take the elevator." We walked, holding hands to the elevator, and we got inside. A few seconds after we got in, we saw a security guard walking towards the elevator. "Shit! He's coming here what do we do?"

"Um, I don't know! I could shoot him with a sleep gun!"

"No, people would wonder why we left an elevator with a man unconscious-Wait, you brought a sleep gun?!"

"You brought a knife!"

"Okay, whatever, what do we do?"

"I don't know! I need time to think!"

"We don't have time!"

"Okay well-" Right as the guard walked in, Clay frantically pulled me towards him, and my lips smashed against his. I closed my eyes, since it was rude not to, realizing what he was doing. Now to make the guard even more uncomfortable. I pushed Clay against the wall, and full on made out with him. I felt really guilty that I was making out with someone other than my boyfriend, but in Clay's defense, he was a really good kisser. After what seemed to be the longest time, the elevator finally reached the second floor, and the security guard walked out. Clay and I exited after him, and thankfully, Macy's was in the opposite direction the guard was going. "That was a really nice kiss. Come on, you have to admit you enjoyed that a little bit," Clay laughed. A smile snuck on my face instinctively. "If anybody asks about that I'm denying everything. But I will admit right now, you are a really good kisser."

"Good enough to do it again?"

"Nice try, Casanova."

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I have not edited anything past this point in the book. So if you want to find out what happens you can keep reading but i assure you it is not the final draft (its really bad). Thanks for reading!

- tardisperson99