The Gifted

Black Outs and Threats

Carmen's POV***

Time seems to come to a complete stop. Everything slowing down until my senses is on overload. My hearing fades away, leaving me with only touch, taste, sight, and smell. The only thing I can see is Jackson's face. His sharp facial features and piercing green eyes digging into my soul. The only thing I can feel is Jackson's heavyweight pinning me to the ground; locking my arms to my sides. The only thing I can smell is Jackson's hot minty breath as he breathes heavily like he just finished running a marathon. I can literally taste the tension in the air, between my panicked breathing and the racing of my heart. Once again I find myself feeling hopeless and lost. The impending feeling that there is nothing I can do, or ever will be able to do.

I shrink back down into the shell of my mind; the place I once vowed never to return to. The very place where fear and helplessness used to rule over me. Fear that I don't belong or ever will. That I'm stuck in this state of shock. A heavyweight much like a blanket smothering me into my place whenever I try to escape. I panic trying to claw my way back up. The power within me pushing out seeking anything to grab ahold of. Or maybe just the reassurance that everything will be ok.

Whichever it is, I find something. I don't know what it is exactly, but my soul grabs on to whatever feeling is threatening to explode from inside. Anger, revenge, power, denial, fear, regret. It's all there, mixed together in a hurricane of emotions. I hold on for dear life as they grow bigger, tumbling around faster and faster. I feel exhausted and yet, fueled at the same time.

As I look into Jackson's eyes, I can sense his own feelings. They flicker between fear, anger, regret, and understanding. At that moment I know that he can see my feelings as well. I don't have time to process this new information I can only act. The feelings I bottled up over the years are on the brink of escaping. If I don't do something, Jackson will die.

I force my head to the side, straining to see anything. There! Right across from me on the wall, is a power outlet. I stop pushing against Jackson and begin forcing all my strength into reaching across the floor to touch the outlet. I escape his tight grip stretching and straining my fingertips. I'm only a couple inches away, but that's still not enough.

Determined I knock my head hard against Jackson's forehead wincing painfully from the force. He groans reeling back clutching his head. I take my chance and lunge for the outlet, turning my body in the process. My fingers connect immediately sparking into the wiring system. I look over my shoulder seeing Aaron and Lucas holding back Jackson. Aarons jaw is clenched shut as if he was trying to hold more then Jackson back. Both his and Lucas' eyes swirl into different colors.

I scream out in pain from the raw power circulating in my system. Never in my life have I felt this much power, and it hurts, really hurts keeping it locked in. I decide to let go. The electricity and pain that was building up released through my arm, out my fingers, and into the electrical socket. I arch my back, throwing back my head from the pleasure the electricity gave me as it ran through my body. The darkened room lit up blue, from my sparking fingers.

Through the shock of it, my hearing came back in full throttle. Jackson was screaming meaningless things, fighting to get away from Aaron and Lucas. Cody starts shoving Derek and Chloe out of the room creating more space. Where was the faculty?

The energy I've been holding in was wearing down like a battery. Shortly, I was left with only sporadic sparks leaving my fingers. Slowly, I get to my knees in the fully darkened room. The lights in the office were off, along with the lights in the hallway.

"What's going on in here?!" Two voices echoed each other. I look up seeing Heart and Mr. Hample. They're squinting in the dark, frantically looking around the room before staying at Aaron, Lucas, and Jackson.