Potent

Chapter 5

This headache has gone past annoying and is well on the way to being infuriating-it’s clouding my mind in this fog of pain which is even more intensified by our proximity. Of all the empty seats he could’ve chosen he chooses the one next to me. Great.

“Today, we’re going to be learning about the Reactivity Series. Instead of just giving you the answers, I’m going to let you discover them for yourself as today you’re going to be doing a practical.” Mr Odin then further explains how to set it up and that we basically just have to add different elements to the beaker of water and record its reaction. He also says that we have to work with our lab partners (the person we sit next to) which earned a groan from the class.

 Dylan and I spend the first few minutes in a tense silence as we set up the practical, but my curiosity gets the better of me.

“Why did you save me in the woods yesterday?” I ask.

Silence; he doesn’t reply. 

“Don’t you dare ignore me, that’s just downright rude.”

“Do you seriously think I care about being rude?” He answers back.

“Of course not, but it wouldn’t hurt for you to at least treat people with some respect.”

He carries on doing the practical as if I hadn’t said anything.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were different?” I question.

“Shut. Up.” He orders.

“Why should I?”

“Because I told you to.” He says in a hushed voice.

“YOU can’t tell me what to do,” I spit back angrily.

“Not now…,” he mutters.

“Not now? Then when? When will you give me answers?”

“When you stop demanding them, like a spoilt, short-tempered child!” Dylan retorts, shaking with anger. Just as the words leave his mouth, the beaker of water in his hand freezes to solid ice. I gasp.

Impulsively, he shoves the beaker of water into my hand and the ice melts immediately, causing Dylan to breathe a sigh of relief.

Still in shock, I can’t think clearly because of the headache swamping my mind, so instinctively I reach out and clutch Dylan’s ice cold hand and for some reason the pain in my head dissipates. The headache is gone.

Looking down at our hands, something in Dylan snaps and he quickly withdraws his hand as if I’d stung him. The pain comes flooding back into my head. We then carry on the Reactivity Series practical in silence.