INSOMNIAC

Chapter 17

Loki sat down at his spot on the table. Being one of the newer arrivals, he was at the front of the dining hall, far away from the staff table. He was waiting his turn to be called to dish up his food. Once his table was called, he and the rest of the people walked over to the dishing table, and dished up some mashed potatoes and some ribs. He ignored the vegetables, and immediately found his way back to his table. He sat down, and started on his food. He watched as the new people tentatively took the food, unsure as to weather or not they were allowed to be dishing yet. It was always amusing to watch the new people, because they generally got their dishing times wrong, and were stuck washing the dishes after dinner. After the new people finished dishing, Loki found himself bored, and started to eat faster. He wouldn't mind a shower, and then a good rest before his task tomorrow. He was just about to finish his food when he realised that there was yet another staff member at the staff table. He squinted a little to see who it was, and nearly choked on his food upon realising who it was. Verity was sitting next to Mr. Glover, the owner of the facility, making small talk while being served by the waiters. He finished his food, and put his plate in the washing tray, and then went and stood at the door. His plan was to wait for her, and then talk with her as she went out. He waited for a while, and eventually, Verity got up. Much to Loki's disappointment, she want alone though. Mr. Glover had gotten up with her, and they were both walking towards the exit. As Verity saw him, her eyes went wide. She whispered something to Mr. Glover, and he walked out without her. She walked up to Loki, and embraced him. They let go of each other, and Verity asked, "When did you get here?"

"About 2 weeks ago." Verity nodded, and beckoned for him to follow her. 

"I'm sure that they won't notice if you're gone for half an hour or so," She said, walking back to her quarters. They arrived, and Verity closed the door behind them. They sat on the bed, and Loki pointed to her bathroom. 

"Do you have warm water?" Verity nodded.

"I haven't tested yet, but I'm sure there is."

"Lucky," Loki grumbled. "We only get lukewarm water in the shower rooms."

"If you desperately need it, I'm sure they won't notice if you borrowed mine," Verity joked. Loki smiled, and asked.

"What did you do to become a staff member?" Verity thought about it for a second, before replying.

"I don't really know. I think it may be because they want to use me as an example to get everyone to follow them, Because they supposedly gave me more powers, but I haven't tested them yet."

Loki and Verity talked for a while more, and eventually Loki had to leave to wash up and sleep. Verity took a long shower, and climbed into her bed. She made herself comfortable, and fell into a deep sleep.

-

Verity awoke early the next morning. She checked the clock, and it was only 6:30. She took her time, changing into a pair of training leggings, a plain shift, and combat boots. She was finished sorting her clothes at 6:50, and decided to try and find the training room. She took a while to find it, but eventually Verity came to a stop in front of the same doors as yesterday. She pushed them open, and found James waiting for her. 

"Ah, there you are!" He exclaimed. "I was about to come wake you up."

"Sorry, I didn't know what time to meet you here," Verity said.

"It's fine, It's my fault. Your schedule for today is to have our lesson this morning, then with the other three instructors after breakfast, and then free bounds after lunch. You can do whatever until dinner, and then tomorrow we will discuss at breakfast then." Verity nodded thoughtfully. I completely forgot about breakfast. She thought to herself. James walked over to the water section, and they began.

"When you use your electricity, what is the first thing you notice?" He asked. 

"The feeling in my arms," Verity replied instantly. "They feel as if I have pins and needles, but its not irritating like pins and needles."

James walked over to her, and aligned her arm facing straight forward. 

"Now, when you try with the water, you must forget everything you know about your electricity. You must only focus on the water. Imagine you are in the ocean, - you have been to the beach, right?" He asked suddenly. Verity nodded, and he carried on. "So you're in the ocean. You can feel the waves on your fingertips as you put your hand on the surface. So imagine that is happening, but this time think like you are the reason that the waves are created, not the wind."

Verity concentrated, and then after a while, she felt the small ripples of the water under her hand. Having learnt from experience, she didn't open her eyes straight away, but opened them slowly, keeping her concentration levels up. There was a thin sheet of water stuck to her hand like a peice of paper that could be found in the art store. She put her other hand underneath, and released the water from her one hand into the other. The water kept it's form, and eventually, Verity let it go. The water fell from her hand, and splashed onto the floor, making it damp.

"Good job!" James praised. "That was amazing for a first try!" 

"I tend to be like that," Verity said, smirking. 

"We'll see," James said. "Wait until we get to the bigger tasks. We'll have to see if you're still smiling then." Verity's smirk faltered a little, but she didn't let him think that she was disappointed. 

They worked on more control for about another half hour, and then James declared the lesson over once Verity started struggling with making shapes. They tidied up and headed down the hall for breakfast.

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Thank you for reading!