Sparkle (KOTLC) {Completed}

2

For a week, there was no training. Every morning, Fintan would bring breakfast, Gethen brought her lunch and probed her mind, and Brant, unwillingly, brought her dinner, glaring at her. There was no love lost between Gethen, Brant, and Janessa, but she couldn't figure Fintan out.

At first, he had seemed strangely sincere and honest, but as he continued speaking with her, she noticed the ever-present gleam in his eyes, not of anger, but of determination.

"Good morning, Janessa." Fintan greeted as he handed her her plate.

"Hey Fintan. What's up?" Janessa wondered.

Fintan smiled at the phrase. "Are you ready to start training?"

Janessa paused, unsure for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, I guess."

Fintan led her out of her room for the first time since she'd arrived and they walked down a few hallways before they exited the building to find themselves at the bottom of a hill by a lake.

"Make a flame." Fintan demanded.

Janessa nodded nervously and complied, making a small red flame hover above her palm.

"Bigger." Fintan said.

Janessa let it grow to the size of a yoga ball.

"Bigger." Fintan repeated.

The flame grew to the size of a human. Janessa felt the pull of the flames beg her to let it grow bigger and when Fintan asked her to do exactly that she shook her head. "I can't. I'll lose control."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will." Janessa insisted.

Fintan sighed. "Stop."

Janessa quenched the flames without wasting a single second.

Fintan approached the white-haired girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, lowering himself to her eye level. "You won't lose control, Janessa. You can do so much more than what you just did with complete control. And even if you can't, I'm here and I can stop any flames you make. We're far away from any civilization of any kind. No one will get hurt. Ok?"

Janessa nodded, feeling like a child again when her father had taught her to ride a bike and she was too afraid to try. "Ok."

"Good. Now, let's try again."

Janessa made a new flame, starting at human size, and looked at Fintan. He nodded at her, no doubt in his eyes, and Janessa nodded back slightly shakily before focusing on the flames once more. They grew and continued growing, past the size of a refrigerator, then a car, then a school bus. Janessa shook with the effort of controlling it and limiting it to that space.

"Stop." Fintan said.

Janessa took a few moments this time before she was able to completely snuff the flame.

"You're doing it wrong. They didn't teach you well. You're focusing too much on controlling the flames. What you should be focusing on is the air that feeds it. If you try to limit the space of the flame without limiting air supply, the flames will keep growing until the pressure is too much and you'll lose control. You need to control the amount of air and fuel the flames consume as well, ok? And just guide them, don't fight them." Fintan explained.

Janessa nodded and began again. This time, though the flames were the same size, the pressure wasn't overwhelming. At least for the first few seconds until she lost control of the air supply and the flames began building up pressure again so Janessa snuffed them.

"That was much better, Janessa." Fintan said almost fondly. "Now, let's try that again."

Janessa blushed with pride and repeated what she did before, gradually holding this new technique for longer and longer periods of time until she managed to hold it an entire hour.

"You're improving faster than any students I've ever had before." Fintan commented as they made their way back through the hallways of the Neverseen base to her room.

"Thanks." Janessa mumbled, conflicted about how she was supposed to feel about Fintan.

Fintan stopped her. "I told you before, I'm not all bad. I know you don't agree with the way I've done things, but my inspiration is pure."

Janessa nodded unsurely again. "Ok." Janessa's eyes hardened. "I'm still never going to join you."

Fintan chuckled. "I believe you. But, that doesn't mean we can't be civil, does it?"

Janessa's face scrunched up in conflicted distrust. She knew he was probably manipulating her to think he's a good person, but in that moment, he sounded right. She began to shake her head.

"Are you afraid if you act like I'm a good person you'll see I'm right and join us? Are you afraid when you give us a chance you'll agree?" Fintan taunted.

Janessa's eyes hardened in determination. "No way, I will never betray my friends. Even if you actually act ok when you're not killing people."

Fintan smirked, but it looked fake on him. He wasn't completely evil enough or young enough to seem genuine.

Janessa's apprehension shone through her face, but Fintan didn't pay any mind to it, only bringing her to her room and locking the door, leaving her by herself.

As Janessa sat pondering her day and how to react to Fintan, something that felt like a pounding headache hit her, almost making her fall off the bed. Then it happened again.

Sophie's voice echoed through her mind.

JJ! Can you hear me?