Flicker

VI

Training took place in a concrete building behind the hotel. It was a single, empty room that had holes for windows and doors but nothing in those holes. Basically the perfect place for potentially uncontrollable fires.

I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, waiting on Diamond's instructions. Gar was there, and had had me do a few basic exercises to keep me in shape. Now the real training was supposed to begin.

Diamond scowled at me. He had cleaned up a little since breakfast, but his bad mood hadn't dissipated. "Sit," he said, pointing to the center of the room. I sat, folding my legs in front of me. He sat in front of me a few feet away.

"Now hold out your hand, palm up." I did so.

"This is your greatest point of extension. The majority of your power will radiate from your hands, which is why you have a habit of burning the things you touch." I winced a little at that statement, recalling my meltdown in the car. I really needed to replace that phone.

"Focus!" Diamond shouted at me. "You cannot let your mind wander. You have to focus only on the creation of the flame."

I huffed. If this guy knew so much about me, then he already knew I had a focusing problem, especially in school. "Wait, don't I need to be at school?" I asked.

Diamond answered impatiently. "No, it's too dangerous for you to go back yet. Sophie will bring you your assignments as needed."

I pressed my lips together, but didn't say anything. Staring at my outstretched hand, I waited on further instruction.

"Now, focus on channeling the heat through the center of your palm. Envision a small flame, no larger than that of a birthday candle, gently flickering."

I closed my eyes and pictured it. I could feel the familiar warmth coursing through my body, and I imagined it all flowing to the center of my palm, and sprouting like a new plant into a soft orange glow. I opened my eyes just a teeny bit and looked at my palm. There was nothing there.

"Ugh," I grumbled a complaint. "It didn't work."

"Try again," Diamond said. I closed my eyes and repeated to progress, only to crack open my eyes and find nothing but my bare palm. "This is stupid."

"It is not," Diamond said. "You're just not doing it right. You have to channel your emotions into power, and learn to separate the intensity behind those emotions and use that as your power source."

So I tried again, but this time I recreated the anger I had felt last night when I realized Diamond wanted to kill me. A blossom of heat formed in my hand, and a very weak, flickering flame sputtered in my palm.

"Yes!" I yelled, jumping to my feet, extinguishing my flame in the process. "I did it! I did it!"

Diamond gave me an amused smile. "Almost. You didn't separate the intensity from your emotions though. That's why it flickered. It was still not completely under your control as much as it was your anger's control."

"How did you know it was my anger?" I asked, sitting back down where I had been.

Diamond smirked. "I could see it written all over your face. Something tells me it had to do with me."

"Well you're not wrong there." I said under my breath.

I kept doing it until I could mostly separate the intensity from my anger. It was kinda difficult at first, but I pretty much imagined it as melting the anger into a tiny dart that I shot directly into the palm of my hand, and boom. Fire.

After a few consistent rounds, my stomach grumbled. "I'm starved. When's lunch?"

Gar glanced at his watch. "Right about now."