It's Not Magic

Sixteen

Kane and I pretty much ate in silence, the only sound was us chewing in our heads. And I kept glancing back and forth between him and the news, not sure what to make of either.

The lady on the screen was talking, but no words left her mouth. Occasionally, mine and Kane's pictures would pop up next to her head, and I looked over at Kane each time, seeing the same thing every time. The muscles in his face tightened slightly, and he quickly looked away, and ate his sandwich.

I nibbled at mine slowly, finishing long after Kane. I was actually kind of surprised when he broke the silence.

"Where do you want to be?" He asked. "Recovering, I mean."

I shifted myself so I was facing him. "Is this about that conversation with Max?"

Kane became silent again, staring at the TV.

"I'd want to be wherever it's best for me to recover," I told him. "And if that meant being in a hospital, I'd do it."

Kane didn't reply, and I looked over at him. It seemed as if there was something etched into his face, some sort of worry or concern, but I quickly dismissed that idea. Kane didn't seem the type to worry about things. The expression just as quickly disappeared from his face, shoved behind the neutral mask he wore.

"And what if Hain suggested you go with Tate and Bray?" He asked after a long while, seeming uncertain.

I shrugged. "I wouldn't go. She obviously had her intent on me being here. Why, I don't know, but I have a feeling it was here or the hospital." I leaned back into the couch. "And here is much better."

I heard Kane sigh. Glancing over at him, I saw the corners of his mouth pulled upward ever-so-slightly, almost looking relieved.

"How're you feeling?" He asked, standing up as he reached for the remote, shutting off the TV.

"Pretty okay," I honestly told him. "Why?"

"Do you think you're up for a bit of learning?" Kane walked towards a door clearly visible from any point in the main part of the house.

"Depends," I replied, turning so my I was facing backwards on the couch. "What am I learning?"

"How to control your magic," Kane answered almost instantly, pulling open the door.

Nodding, I twisted myself so I could swing my feet off the couch. Once standing, I made my way slowly over to the door. "I'm up for it," I told him. "As long as I don't have every single person in a mile radius's voice in my head."

"You won't," he said, watching me as I made my way over to him.

I nodded as I watched my feet shuffled across the floor. One in front of the other. Slowly, but surely. Since taking that medicine, the pain in my chest and body seemed less than it had since I woke up in the hospital, and I was feeling really good. Better than I should've been, I was guessing. Talking seemed easier, so I guess that was a bonus.

"Easy," Kane said as I reached the steps, lowering myself so my foot could reach the step below me.

Nodding, I reached out to my left, and found that a wall was there, ready to support me. Carefully, I watched my feet as they made their moves down the steps. The unevenness that rocked my body was uncomfortable, and I had to pay extra attention to where I was placing my feet.

About halfway down the steps, the wall disappeared from under my palm, and I felt bare without it beneath my outstretched hand. I looked in front of me and saw Kane walking at the same pace I was, but that was no comfort walking down these steps. I was smart enough to figure out Kane was there as a safety net, in case I fell. And I didn't want to be doing any falling today. I'd already had my fair share of that.