Ingenious

Chapter Seven

 I make another tally in my journal marking a full 3 months here. I started keeping track in the book because I'm not sure how else I will. I've gotten quite comfortable here with the schedule and the space and the people... Ryan and I have not quite announced we're together together, but I told Kacey about our late nights in the training room, sitting and talking as we cuddle up for warmth. I have a hunch Shawn and Ev know even if they won't admit it. Overall with my power, I've gotten pretty good, or at least better. Now I know how to get electricity from my mind to my hand easily, it just takes a bit of time and thought, and getting the lights to flicker and turn off all together I've figured out. So I guess life's as good as it could be. It's almost Halloween and Morgan is in grade 9 so she'll be going to the huge annual party that's thrown for only grade 9s. I remember how badly she wanted to come my year, but she was too young. By now Bailey's been placed, though I have no way of knowing where, and probably never will.

"Rae you coming?" Shawn asks as they all head to the training room, which today is a green room. I nod and jump off my bed. I try not to think about what Bailey and Morgan are doing too much and remind myself these are my people now. The bathing suit I have on was one of Kacey's but it fits ok. When I get into the green room I smile. This is my favourite part of the week because we really feel like we are outside, and we get to swim. I miss swimming every summer at Bailey's enormous pool.

"Last one in cleans the bathroom!" Ryan yells jumping into the pool. I run cannonballing in after him and Everett, who was cleaning up from breakfast comes in last.

"No fair!" he exclaims, "it's Ryan's turn anyways!" The two of them continue arguing over who's turn it is for about 10 minutes while Kacey and I race back and forth in the pool. Kacey wins every time, but to be fair she was a competitive swimmer when she was younger. Soon enough we are all swimming and splashing around. Of course our daily water fight comes up, which always leads to unfair advantages with alliances and power usage. Mine is no good in the water unless I want to make it dark because electrifying all of us is no good. This time Everett uses his ability to freeze me in place causing me to get out since he flings the water under his control. Once I get out and sun bathe on the side I watch everyone else compete. I can tell Ryan is trying to use his powers, but he has too much focus on that, and his head is fully dunked within seconds. As he gets out of the water and joins me on the sun bathing chairs, he gets so close I'm afraid everyone else is going to notice.
"Wanna team up for the sandcastle competition?" he whispers. I smile, not at the words, but his tone, his teasing and pleased tone. That's another thing we do. We make sandcastles to pass the time. We do a bit of training sometimes, but what's the point when we actually get a day in the 'outdoors'. I nod,

"We are going to win this," I tell him, smiling.

Once the water fight ends with Everett and Shawn in the finals, Everett winning, we all dry off and go to the patch of sand.

"Rules same as always," Kacey says. We normally team up so today she's with Shawn. Everett has his ability which can do it for him so he has to be alone. "45 minutes max, ready, 3, 2, 1!" She doesn't even bother with go as we all rush off in our building. We have no molds or anything so it's pure shaping on your own. Neither of our abilities are any good for this, so it's all talent in this, though Ryan grew up on the beach, so he's pretty good at this. We start with the base, and Ryan carefully carves out the details in the tower as I start with the moat. I grab the water in my hand, struggling to get it to the tiny moat. About 20 minutes in, we are done the basics, and now it's time for extreme detailing to win this. Competing with Kacey, Shawn, Ryan and Ev is like competing with brothers and sisters, and well... as an eldest child I'm quite competitive.

"Ok," Ryan says as we get down to the last stretch, "you got this Rae, we can do this, finish the detailing!" I feel him push an influx of both creativity and urgency as we both quickly finish off our sandcastle.