Ingenious

Chapter Six

 It's my 5th day in confinement. I can't say I'm used to it, but I'm coming to terms with it. Kacey and I have stayed up late talking almost every night when I can't sleep, and she really feels like the big sister I never had. Sometimes I wonder if this is what I was like to Morgan without even noticing it. I miss home and Morgan and Bailey, but Ryan's advice was to not think about it, or come to terms with the fact that I just won't see them and focus on the good memories. That's the other thing, Ryan and I have... connected as well. He always waits for me while everyone else goes to training early. Everytime bouncing his ball back and forth against the wall in a steady pattern. I've gotten so used to waking up to it already that it's kind of calming. We have a deal where I let him practice his ability on me in the training room, if he stays late with me to practice. I've been determined to strengthen my ability but there isn't much anyone can do but encourage me, so it's all on me. This morning I wake up to the pattern of the ball bouncing, lying there for a moment to just... absorb it.

"Morning," Ryan says. I sit up giving him a questioning look, a devilish grin plastered to his face.

"How'd you know I was up?" I ask him. He places the football on his bedside table and turns to me,

"I've been connecting to your emotions to alter them a lot, so I guess sometimes I just sense the change automatically," he starts, "like when you woke up and immediately felt happy about something I could feel it." My face turns red realizing he must sense my happiness and change in mood around him. I guess you could say I've developed a bit of a crush. Ryan sits on the end of the bed putting both of our meals down. Today it's a waffle each and a bit of fruit. He's started eating breakfast with me too.

"So training today..." I trail off, trying to change the subject from my emotions. "Start on our own a bit then you can practice on me?" I offer. He nods and smiles, that goddamn smile. My heart flutters but I quickly block it off, afraid he'll sense a change in emotion again.

"Deal," he grins, "now how about we hurry up this eating thing and get to the training." That's his way of telling me I haven't touched my food. I blush again and start eating the waffles quickly. He makes me nervous, and I'm not sure if I like it. We live together, this could end... really badly.

"Ready to go," I say, trying to break my thoughts of him and me... "I want to figure this whole shooting from my hand thing out." Ryan nods and follows me to the training room after we both quickly change into shorts and a tshirt. The same shorts and a tshirt I wear pretty much every day and wash every night.

As we sit in the block of cement accented with furniture I struggle to work with the electricity. I just have trouble focusing enough to do it. Flickering the lights isn't a problem and at night, when it's just Ryan and I, I've been turning the lights off all together sometimes. Ryan says I'm learning faster than he did, and for some reason it satisfies me. I like winning and accomplishing things. My mind works faster and I like it.

"You just need to focus," Ryan calls from across the room as he finishes a set of sit ups. Ryan does a lot of working out with Shawn when no one will let him practice his abilities on them. It gives him muscles, so I have to say I don't mind.

"I am focusing!" I yell, and then immediately feel bad, "sorry, frustrated." He nods. He's testing the waters on my emotions. I can't feel it, but I know he's doing it. He always has this expression when he's trying to slightly alter your emotions without you noticing. I feel myself take deep breaths and calm down. It feels natural and normally I wouldn't doubt it. But letting Ryan practice on me makes me more conscious of it. "I told you not to do that when I'm not ready for it."

"1 - you were ready for it, don't lie, and 2 - you were frustrated and angry with your work. You weren't going to focus on what you're doing without calming down first," he states, a smirk spreading to his face as the realization of him being right hits, "your welcome." I roll my eyes, though I know he's right. I go back to focusing on drawing the electricity to shoot it out, so I close my eyes and start to imagine the currents rippling through the air. I slowly reach out and grab one steadily pulling it in. This is the hard part. I always lose it before I can get it into my body because it's so... well to put it in perspective this is when the lights flicker. So I focus on slowly bringing it to me. Not letting it go no matter how much it tries to get out of my grip. I pull the electricity into me slowly and carefully, holding tight and it's almost there, I've almost pulled it into me, but then suddenly it's gone. It's escaped my grip and I'm back at the beginning. I open my eyes and let out a scream.
"This is impossible! How am I supposed to deal with something so, so unpredictable and inconsistent!" I exclaim. The lights flicker out of control with my anger on accident. I feel my emotions being influenced slowly, but I ignore it and let them work their magic. At this point, someone calming me down, well it helps.