Rebel

chapter eighteen

***Caroline's Point of View***

Everywhere I looked I saw gaping mouths and shocked eyes. It was dead silent for a moment before the whispers started breaking out among the crowd. "Caroline." My dad's voice brought me back from trying to decipher what the whispers were saying. "How long have you been able to do that?" He sounded scared. Was he scared of me? I don't want anyone to be afraid of me. "I-It started after William tried to turn me." I stuttered out. Everyone is still just gaping at me or whispering about me. "I didn't mean to scare anyone." I whispered out. My father stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. "We aren't scared we were just surprised and a little confused." He told me calmly. I nodded and was going to respond, but William stepped forward looking excited. "This is obviously a side effect of the failed turn. How much can you move at one time?" He asked as if he was a small child on Christmas morning. I looked around and noticed an old tree that was in the middle of the practice field. It fell last spring and we keep meaning to chop it up and carry it away. It has to be a least three hundred feet long and five feet wide.

I concentrated on the old tree and it lifted from the ground with a loud groan of protest and a few parts broke off. I caught those and made them float along with the tree. I heard people gasping an a few people letting out some not so nice curses, but I just focused on what I was doing. I lifted them high above the crowd and pushed the tree to the tree line on the opposite side of the field. I laid it down by several other trees that need to be chopped for fire wood. I heard the crowd talking, but my family, William and Elizabeth all stood silent behind me. I turned to face them and was ready for their cries of hatred when someone grabbed my hair. "She's a monster we need to get rid of her." The voice that belonged to the girl pulling my hair screeched. She pulled down sharply obviously trying to get me to my knees. I used my gift to force her feet out from underneath her and she was soon floating upside down with both hands behind her neck. "Touch me again and I won't just make you float." I threatened. I let her down all at once and she fell in a heap.

"I'm not a monster!" I yelled loud enough so the whole crowd could hear me. "I am still the same Caroline that was captured. I just have a cool trick I can do now. This can help us win. This can help us I know it. If anyone does not agree and thinks I am a danger then leave now." I finished waiting to see if anyone would leave. The girl who had tried to attack me was now standing up being comforted by an elderly woman. After a few minutes and no one had moved I nodded. "Alright then. Get back to practicing. We have to make a whole other plan, but no matter what it is you will need to be able to fight." I yelled while walking back towards my family. The crowds dispersed and quickly went back to fighting with a new energy.

"I always knew my sister was weird." Daniel teased me while pulling me into a hug again. I chuckled and ruffled his hair earning a glare. "Yeah well I maybe weird, but I could totally take you in a fight now." I snickered causing everyone in our little group to laugh. "Well then. Challenge accepted." He said seriously while taking his shirt off. Father, William, Elizabeth and Allison, who was still holding scout, backed up getting us some more room.

Daniel came at me without warning, but I quickly forced his feet out from under him resulting in him falling onto his but. I laughed along with my family while he stood up slightly jumping on the balls of his feet. He was obviously thinking really hard about how to come at me. I briefly had a flashback to when I was younger and Daniel would always make me hit myself and laughed at me because of it. So I snickered as I forced him to slap his head over and over again while I chanted "Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself." I was laughing so hard at this point I thought I might pee. Daniel wasn't about to give up though. I finally let him stop hitting himself and he called for a time out. He went over and talked to my father and William in hushed tones. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I knew they planned on attacking me as a group.