Awakening - The Last Science #1

Interlude I - A Year in the Life of Hailey Winscombe - V

V.

Late September, about six weeks later, on a warm sunny afternoon at Hailey's apartment.

  Try as she might, Hailey couldn't seem to pull anything more out of the stone. She could summon up nearly-solid blocks of air, barely perceptible hazy outlines in the air that nonetheless felt like solid concrete to the touch. They never lasted more than a few seconds at most, but they were tangible things. They were a real result.

  It had been over a month and she still couldn't produce anything more than what she'd first managed. Still, for once she didn't feel quite so alone in her struggles. Neither of the others had managed to show much for their efforts. Jessica, lounging on the bed with her newly-dyed purple hair, was fiddling with an amethyst crystal and muttering to herself incessantly. Hailey was beginning to worry about her. Sometimes she seemed too determined—too narrowly focused on the magic. She was neglecting everything else. Laundry was beginning to pile up in the room, dishes stacking up in the sink, and Hailey was pretty sure (though she never brought it up) that Jess hadn't even attended two of her classes yet that term.

  Weston, on the other hand, had grown so distant that he'd stopped coming to their place. It had slowed from the exciting first few months where he'd spent almost every waking hour with them, reveling in their new discovery. Now they were lucky to get together once a week. It had been an emotional roller coaster for Hailey. First she was thrilled, since she was spending so much time with the guy she was sleeping with, and thought they might have actually had something. She'd later despised it as he'd become overprotective and neurotic, particularly after Ian left. Now, with their group having shrunk down to two, Hailey was beginning to miss him. She didn't want to get back together romantically, but Hailey would given anything for the five of them to just spend an afternoon hanging out.

  She'd had taken to staring out the window more often, lost in thought. Hailey liked watching the clouds float by. They reminded her of her goal and kept her focused and sane. When they gathered together in thick columns on a sunny day, Hailey imagined they formed vast kingdoms and mystical lands drifting in the sky. A deep and complex cloudscape was more breathtaking and beautiful than anything else nature had to offer, in Hailey's opinion. Even more so, it was a temporary fleeting thing—something that could only be seen by those watching at that precise moment before they morphed into something else and moved on, ushered away by the wind.

  Someday I'll be up there flying through them, Hailey promised herself stubbornly. She might not be making any progress lately, but it wouldn't stop her. Nothing would.

  Hailey noticed the room had gotten quiet. She looked back from her seat at the window at Jessica, who'd stopped muttering. Jess' eyes were wide, and Hailey recognized the telltale signs of revelation. She'd just figured something out.

  "What's the news, Jess?" Hailey prompted. She wasn't worried about interrupting an important thought. Jessica had asked them to speak up and force her to get her ideas out before they faded and became indistinct. Hailey was just doing her job.

  "The stone gave me an idea. I think I know how we can get more power out of them. Maybe even use multiple stones at once, if I have it right. I— I think I can even do permanent things." Jessica's voice was quiet and rapid, and Hailey strained to hear her clearly.

  "Permanent things?" Hailey asked, cautiously excited. If she could levitate herself permanently, was that the key to flight? It seemed like a clue.