The Return - A Michael Vey Fanfic

Chapter 40

"So how do you think Axel even knew I had powers in the first place," I asked Raymond during one of my breaks.

It had been two weeks, two weeks since Axel visited us, yet the question still plagued my mind.

"I don't know," Raymond said. "Maybe he was just trying to make it seem like he knew so it wouldn't damage his ego." Raymond was currently stretched out on the grass in Nichelle's backyard, soaking up the sun from the warm day it had turned to be. Raymond looked very relaxed compared to my scrunched up ball with my hands wrapped around my legs. I had been nonstop stressed for the past two weeks and today was no different

"Maybe," I muttered. I highly doubted that was it though. It didn't seem like he had done it just to protect his ego.

Raymond turned his head toward me and sighed. "You know, you really need to relax, Emily," He said as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Easier said than done," I retorted. "It's been two weeks, we haven't heard from Axel, we still have no plan on how to break back in to the compound and there has still been absolutely no other signs of me having powers!"

"So it's been an uneventful two weeks," Raymond said and shrugged. "There's no problem with that. Something will happen soon."

I groaned, not sure how Raymond could be so relaxed. He was the only one who was right now. Everyone else was just as stressed as me, Jacob maybe even more so.

I heard the door open from the house and looked up to see Nichelle emerging from it. "You ready to go at it again, Emily?" She asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I said. Raymond and I both got up and walked toward her.

The others had come out every once in a while to watch me fail with my powers, but Raymond had watched all of my training sessions and even helped in a few of them. Not that it had helped much.

I already knew that knowing what my powers are would help the most, but that was simply a luxury we did not have. So Nichelle had simply just pushed me past the brink of exhaustion and terror during every session to try to get my ability to rear it's head.

"Alright, I got a new idea today," Nichelle said. "I'm gonna shock you."

"You're going to what?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I had heard Nichelle correctly.

"I'm going to shock you with 800 volts," Nichelle said.

"Won't that, you know, kill me?" I ask nervously. I start start chewing on a small lock of my hair and try not to think about what that'd feel like.

"Oh calm down. No it won't. You can absorb electricity and I'm fully confident that you always have been able to."

"Your power isn't blocking that ability of hers?" Raymond asked.

"No, it is not."

"How do you know?" He challenged.

"The same way that I know that this should work. Emily's father once overpowered me by absorbing electricity then forcing me to take all of it, and if Emily has the same power as Michael and my power restricting her, a large surge electricity should be able to over power it."

"Okay, are you sure it won't kill me though?" I asked softly.

"Yes," Nichelle said.

I looked to Raymond who's gaze held a look of pleading remorse. I shook my head softly. "I'll do it," I said.

"Emily," Raymond started.

"It's fine, Raymond," I said to him. "I need to be able to use my powers and if this is the way to do it then this is the way to do it."

Raymond frowned, but didn'tsay anything else to try to stop me.

"Just... Don't tell Ethan or Jacob, okay?" I added.

"I won't," he sighed.

"Alright, come on," Nichelle said.

She led the two of us to the garage which was empty except for and electric chair that was set up in the middle of the garage and a control panel that went with it. I looked around at the dank emptiness and swallowed hard.

"Do I have to sit in that?" I asked, referring to chair.

"Yes," Nichelle said and this time, she sounded sorry for me.

I slowly walked toward the chair and lowered myself down into it.

"Okay, tell me when your ready."

Raymond stood next to Nichelle but I didn't want to look at him. If this did end up killing me, I didn't want him to see the life drain from me eyes. Instead, I shoved a clump of hair in mouth, closed my eyes, and clutched the arms of the chair. "I'm ready," I mumbled through the hair.

I heard Nichelle flip a switch, squeezing my eyes shut. While waiting for the pain to come, I felt a strange sensation run through my limbs, almost as if someone were tickling me. I smiled minutely.

"Okay, you can open your eyes, it's done now," Nichelle said. Confused, I opened my eyes, and looked around the garage and at Nichelle and Raymond.

"Was that it?" I asked. Even if the electricity hasn't hurt me, I still expected there to be some large surge of power from within me when I got my powers back.

"Yes, what did you feel?" Nichelle inquired.

"It felt like someone was tickling me," I said.

"Well I guess that's the good news then."

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "The good news? Is there bad news?"

Raymond spoke up, "I still can't detect your powers. Which means it didn't work."

I leaned my head back against the chair. Another bust. Great.

"At least we know you can absorb electricity though," Raymond suggested. "I mean, that would've killed you had you been anyone else."

"Yeah I guess," I muttered as the door to the house was opened.

I pivoted around in my seat to see Jacob standing there. He paused for half a neat then asked, "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing," I answered quickly.

I looked at Nichelle and Raymond to remind them not to say anything.

"What do you need?" Nichelle asked instead.

"Oh, right. You guys need to come inside."

"Why?" I questioned. It wasn't like Jacob to demand things of other people.

Jacob looked me straight in the eye and announced, "Because Axel finally called."