Winter's Edge

Chapter 31 - Powers

Ian

ASA sat in front of me in what she called a lotus position, and I mimicked her pose. She breathed slow and deep with her eyes closed, having me do the same. I never expected such a thing from her, but this was how she'd chosen to start testing my power.

"Release your breath slowly for twenty seconds." The air passed from her lips with the subtlest of whispers. "Are you sufficiently calmed now?"

I nodded.

"How's the chatter in your head? Quiet?"

I nodded again.

"Open your eyes."

Her eyes stared into mine as they opened. The lighting wasn't bright in the large arena between the training rooms, its stone walls scarred by years of brutal fights and ability testing, I assumed.

She tilted her head forward ever so slightly, her eyes fixed on mine. "You are the most insufferable idiot I've ever laid eyes on. Not using your powers all of this time. It's sheer stupidity. You could've killed hundreds of people if you'd discharged. What were you thinking, child?"

I grimaced, wondering if she was for real or if this was to stoke my anger. Probably the latter. "It won't work. I know what you're doing."

She shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try. You're not as gullible as some. Just because we're hyperintelligent doesn't mean we can always spot a ruse." She adjusted her feet. "Okay, we'll use the same tactic as in training. Think of an extremely upsetting memory. Let's bring out the beast."

I closed my eyes again, searching for the most painful memory closest to the surface. It didn't take long before a disturbing instance from my past lodged itself squarely in my gut, and the dark roots of power seeped from my bones.

"Good." She drew out the word. "Now, sink into the feeling as best you can, but catch yourself before you lose control of it. Hold the energy at bay."

As it slithered through my muscles, it struck at my core, bringing energy pushing out of me. I felt the ground around me as it snaked across the surface, searching for cracks or anything else it could corrupt. As it touched Asa, she snorted, and the sound of clothes sliding against stone sounded a few feet from me.

"Keep hold of it, child. Visualize it."

I saw it like a bubble in my mind, covering me like a shield.

"Now, stop it from going any farther."

I tried to mediate the anger coursing through me, but it wasn't working. My breathing slowed and became deep, but the anger persisted. I opened my eyes. "I can't." My breathing sped up.

"What?" Her eyes were a little wider than before.

"I can't stop it from spreading."

It touched her again, forcing her back.

"Try harder," she said, trying to keep a calm exterior, but her words defied it. She backed toward the door.

"I can't." My limbs began to shake. I couldn't hold it much longer.

She cursed and ran for the door, then jerked at the handle. It wouldn't release the lock. Asa looked back at me. "Hold it!" She yanked at it again.

I pushed the memory from my mind, but my father kept stepping right back in, kept looking at me like a freak, like there was something wrong with me. "I'm trying,"

"Try harder!" She put her hand to the lock, trying to pick it with her powers. A frenzy of tiny little ticks sounded off inside. It was taking too long.

I strained a grunt, tensing my body, trying to hold the coming explosion of energy. My God, I was going to kill her.

She looked back, panic in her eyes, then turned back to the door. A god-awful growl escaped her lips as the metal handle mechanism twisted violently, bending in on itself.

The door released and Asa shot out, ducking behind the wall just as I lost hold of the energy. All was silent for a split second as the energy backlashed into me, then every ounce of it exploded out of my core.

The door shot out, straining against its hinges, slamming against the stone. Electricity sizzled and popped as it climbed the walls, then crackled out. Pressure pushed back in on me against the walls of the circular chamber but seeped at the edges where the two doors released it. Had I been in a smaller room with no doors, the pressure might've crushed me.

Once everything fell silent again, Asa peeked back in the door. "Are you okay, child?"

My chest heaved, body still shaking. I nodded, taking in large gulps of air. Her method proved to be a little too effective. "Sorry."

She stepped back in the door with a dismissive hand raised. "Not your fault. We'll have to work on control." A smile inclined the edges of her lips. "And we may need a bigger room."

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