Seeing

5 - Training

They all stood outside, the ocean breeze flowing up the cliffside to dance through their hair.

"Since you have these abilities now, I take it as my obligation to teach each of you how to use them responsibly." Calista said as she stood in front of the children, like a general facing their troops.

Bon's hand shot up, and with an acknowledging glance from Calista she spoke "Ma'am! Question! How exactly are you going to teach us? Where are we going to start?"

Calista didn't reply for a moment, seeming less then thrilled with the girl's impatience, but after a deep breath she stated "Bon, you don't seem able to control your power at will or separate the future from your current timeline. You will start by practicing using your power until you can spot the differences when it activates."

Then she turned to Pip, who was still looking down with a somber expression of disappointment, "Pip, you seem to be able to activate your power at will and direct it easily, so you'll move on to exploring the extent of your ability. Let's start by using it to search for an item and see if you're able to do that."

Pip nodded seriously without comment, awaiting further directions.

Calista thought for a moment then walked back inside, emerging moments later with a small orb and a notebook. She put the notebook in front of Bon and opened it to a page with the word 'NOW' written in beautiful dainty handwriting.
"In a few minutes I will come and flip the page. I want you to try and predict what the next page says and tell me. Focus on differences between your 'vision' state and normal time. Understand?" Calista spoke concisely to Bon.

"Alright!! I'm gonna focus so hard!" Bon exclaimed and she stared intently at the paper in front of her.

The woman walked over to Pip and gave him a similar summary, "I will place this ball somewhere in my home. Once I come back outside I simply want you to try and use your vision to hone in on its energy signature and tell me where it is."

Pip's nerves made his stomach uncomfortable, but he took a deep breath and nodded.

Calista held the ball out to the boy "oh, it might make it easier if you touch it first. I don't know how your ability works fully, but try to create a 'bond' with this object."

Pip had no idea what that meant, so he just reached out and ran his hand over the smooth surface of the orb. How was one supposed to 'bond' with an inanimate object? Oh well, he'd just have to try anyway.

He didn't feel anything noticeable, but he looked up at Calista as he took his hand away and she preceded to walk inside.
Pip closed his eyes and thought about the little ball, remembering back to moments ago, the smooth feeling, the size, the color. It was clear in his mind. His mind's image floated to inside the mobile home, where Calista was placing it in a teacup on the table.

That was it, right? All he had to do. Had he succeeded? The more he thought about it, the more he doubted himself. He closed his eyes again and focused, just to double check. If this even worked... what if it was just his imagination being overactive? Yesterday he didn't even know if he believed in such things, maybe he still didn't...
As he imagined the ball in the teacup, he was so unsure. That was a strange place anyway, it would make more sense to be hidden, maybe it was really under the pillow, or in a cabinet, or inside a loose panel in the ceiling, or..! As he thought more and more, he just wasn't sure what was real anymore.

His eyes shot open and he felt them prickle with tears. He blinked them back and swallowed thickly, "Ah, um, I-I've got to go use the bathroom, be right back! Sorry!" He shouted with a hardly convincing smile as he ran into the crowd.