Stars Of Our Lives

Faith In Humanity Restored

Our second big scare was almost three weeks later.

We'd been driving on our routine, nothing really changing besides Varvatos teaching me how to use the nine millimeter. He'd buy a whole pack of Diet Coke and the three of us would drink ourselves silly over it. The next day, we'd use the empty cans for target practice. He also started teaching us wrestling more often, actually showing us techniques and making us practice them rather than just having us do it for fun.

Slowly, the techniques would turn from the sport, to just basic self defense. The more intense it got, the more Krel opted out to mess around on his laptop, which left me sparring with Varvatos for hours on end. I'd be aching in places I didn't know I had by the time it was over, but the shot of adrenaline was worth it.

Through the weeks leading up to it, mine and Krel's abilities started acting up more. Especially Krel's. After a whole two hours of sparring with Varvatos, I came back to find Krel desperately trying to mend his burnt and busted laptop.

"I don't know how it happened," He'd choked. "It just started sparking and then . . . I couldn't get it working again."

And for good reason.

Everything inside the computer had been fried. Several circuit boards had even melted together. It was beyond saving. Varvatos ended up shoplifting a second one the next night, but Krel refused to touch it for three whole days. He made up excuses about being tired or his neck hurting, but I could still see the fear in his posture.

I knew that fear. Every time someone came within twelve inches of me, I knew that fear. Of getting trapped in someone else's mind. Of forcing things in that mind. 

Of taking things from that mind.

Just the thought of that power was terrifying. Knowing that I could force something on someone, twist them from the inside out, whether I wanted to or not.

But after what happened with the trolls, I decided to start wearing short sleeves. I just had to learn to keep my distance.

Speaking of trolls, I never could let it go of what happened. I kept expecting to just wake up one day and be over it. But, no matter how many days passed, I wasn't. Horribly vivid nightmares refused to let me sleep in peace. Nightmares where it went further. Where I didn't have crazy super powers to stop him. And that feeling of helplessness, never really left me.

I tried to keep quiet about it from Varvatos, but when I was waking up in a cold sweat almost every night, he took to noticing. But he thought it was the stress of always being on the run and I just let him keep thinking that.

It got to the point where I didn't even want to sleep. One night, out of pure exhaustion, I passed out beside Krel on the seats. Somehow, we'd managed to brush arms and not even an hour later we were both bolting up in a cold sweat. He'd seen the nightmare, I knew it just by looking at his face. I'd somehow shown it to him by accident. And it gave me the migraine of a lifetime.

But it was more than that. It was the look of hurt in Krel's eyes. How broken it made me feel.

"Aja," He said, reaching for me but I threw myself back.

We were parked at the side of an abandoned road at the time, Varvatos asleep in the driver's seat. So I threw open the door and collapsed into the road, my headache barely allowing me to stay conscious. I didn't want to be touched. I didn't want Krel back in my head and I didn't want to be in his. I wanted nothing to do with that kind of violation.

With any kind of violation.

"Aja, wait!"

I was panting, leaning against the car door with my knees at my chest as I held my head. "Just go back to sleep, Krel."