Powers

Chapter 20

"When seeking to master the power of control, this is how it differs from the rest of the powers: instead of having a clear, calm mind, you have to be angry. The anger makes you want revenge, makes you want that person to pay for what they did. The power of control can be used for a variety of things: you can whisper inside someone's mind and tell them to do something, you can control that person's body by moving it against their will, you can control their emotions, and many other things," Adam says.

"Sounds......terrible," I admit. "It is, but it's the only way we'll have any hope of rescuing Peter tomorrow. Now Julia, what makes you angry?" He asks. I ponder this for a moment, but it doesn't take long for me to think of a few things. "People who think they're more important than others, the sound of nails on a chalkboard drives me to insanity, being threatened, someone telling me I'm not good enough, when people try to pour milk on my cereal for me-" "Wait...milk being poured on cereal by someone? Why?" Adam questions. "They don't know how much I want! They don't know me! They don't know my life!" I exclaim. "Understandable, I guess," Adam answers.

After a moment of silence, he speaks again. "Ok, so you listed some things that make you angry, but most people hold their tongue when they get mad. Do any of those things make you mad on contact?" He asks. "Nails on a chalkboard is where you'll probably get the reaction you want from me," I answer. "Well, forgive me now, because that's your new motivator," Adam says.

He walks toward me, presses his index finger right between my eyes, and an image pops in my head. Must be a knowledge thing. In my head, I see a black chalkboard and a hand right next to it with nails sharp at the ready. "Adam, I really don't think this a good idea," I warn. "Just try it," he pushes.

Before anything else can be said, I hear the nails press against the board, and start to move downward very slowly, making the merciless grating sound last longer. My hands clench into fists, and I begin to shake with anger. I try to hold it back, but the noise makes me want to scream. "Don't try to hold back your anger! Let it loose!" Adam yells.

Even though the nails are nowhere close to finishing off the chalkboard, I snap. I fly into a rage, screaming and throwing myself on the ground, pulling limbs off of trees with a strength I never knew I had, picking up stones and clenching them so hard that they turn into pebbles. When the sound is finally gone, I unclench my fists and try to calm down.

"Why...why did you do that?!" I demand. "I had to know what makes you snap. It worked!" Adam answers cheerily. "You little..." I begin.
"Please, there's no time for protest. Now that we know what sends you into a rage, are you mad at me?" He asks. "YES!" I scream. "Don't you want to do something about it?" He pushes. "I want to slap you in the face," I answer, my hand making the slapping motion. The moment I do that, Adam clutches his left cheek in pain. "What now?!" I ask annoyed. "You....you did it! You used the power of control to slap me!" He says, trying to sound like he's in a good mood. "No I didn't. You're a good ten feet away, and all I did was act like I was slapping you," I answer. "That's kind of how it works: you get angry enough at the person who inflicted your anger, and you have the ability to control what they feel. You made me feel pain. And very painful pain, I might add," Adam answers. "Well...you deserved it," I spit back.

"Maybe," he answers. "Now, here's where you're really going to get really mad. The image of nails on a chalkboard that I implanted in your mind...well...let's just say that whenever you use the power of control, that is the first thing that will come into your head. Until I decide you can become angry without a motivator, that it," Adam adds.

"WHAT?!" I scream. My anger intensifying, I try something: I put my hand in the air, and I make a quick downwards swipe, and sure enough, Adam's body falls out from under him, and he's pinned to the ground by the quick motion. I try the next part: whispering into his head. "Take it back, or I swear, I'll-" "You'll what? If you want to master this power and save Peter, you can't do anything to me. Now, let me up this INSTANCE!"