heartbeat ~ a f t g

Andrew

Andrew's 'power' was incredibly hard to explain.

The reason for this was not the complexity of the power itself, but that no-one asked for an explanation. They were all to scared of what Andrew would do if they opened their mouths. That was ridiculous. Andrew would only attack if provoked, and though many people provoked him just with the fact of their existence, he had impeccable self control.

But on the whole, describing what he could do was just as easy as describing Kevin's, or Nicky's or Aaron's abilities. Kevin was- strictly speaking- a physic. He could read objects, which basically meant he could see their pasts, and even glimpses of their future. This made him an incredibly annoying person to be around, as he was constantly gasping at some traumatising event he'd witnessed through a teaspoon. Aaron could fix things: toys, household objects, and even, when he was in the mood, bones. Combined with his brief doctors training, his ability had designated him Columbia Houses resident medic. Nicky had the strangest, but none the less useful, power of the three. Provided he'd met the person first, he could pinpoint there exact location anywhere in the world.

And Andrew could sense the blood circulating around the body, and control it.
Control wasn't exactly the best word. Manipulate was probably better. He could feel pulses and each individual heartbeat as if it was his own. He could give you a light nosebleed, or suck every last droplet of blood from your body, draining you dry. Andrew could tell if someone was lying, depending on how much a person was blushing, or stop your heart in a blink. He was a walking weapon, and the boy now curled up on the bed looked absolutely terrified of him.
So Andrew found himself explaining this, how he could only hurt if he chose to, and if he wanted the boy dead, it would've happened a long time ago. The kid didn't seem any more reassured, but was apparently more willing to answer questions.

"Name." Andrew's voice was harsher then he meant it to be.

"Neil- Neil Josten."

"Well, Neil Josten, are you going to tell me why you were wearing this?" Andrew held up the NeuroPatch again. It hung limply in his fingers like a rag doll, wires trailing behind and leaving bloody smears on Andrew's palm. They tingled on his skin, each droplet a tiny needly piercing his flesh. Neil hesitated before speaking, and when he did, his voice was hoarse and resigned.

"It was a way to hind my, uhh, powers. So no-one could track me through them." That was a surprise. "You have powers?" Andrew was interested enough to forget adopting his trademark monotone.
"Yeah, I-" But just at that moment, just when Andrew thought he might be somewhere to understanding their impromptu guest, Nicky burst back through the door, chattering loudly. Aaron trailed behind, looking tired and reluctant, with his arm slung over a sobering-up Kevin's shoulders. "He's awake!" Cawed Nicky jubilantly, as if Neil's recovery was all thanks to him. Aaron looked less thrilled, but dutifully checked Neil's pulse on a screen beside the door. Something about this perked Neil's interest: he looked up and inhaled sharply.

"He has powers, you know."

Both Nicky and Aaron's eyes flashed over to where Andrew was sitting beside the bed.

"What?"

"Oh, Nicky, you didn't think he was defenceless, did you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Andrew saw Neil's eyes widen at the new information that was Nicky's name. Though if he was being honest, it was probably that Neil would now have to share his powers with the group. He coughed uncomfortably and fixed his eyes on Kevin, who was slumped half-asleep in the corner.
Neil started, as if seeing Kevin for the first time, then shrank back again the headboard, looking uncomfortable. Andrew hated seeing him like this.
"Neil. Powers."
"Oh, right."
Narrowing his eyes at Nicky in a silent warning, Andrew stood up and turned toward the boy on the bed.

Neil cleared his throat and stretched his arms out, clenching his fist in front of him- mimicking Andrew's pose from earlier. Everyone held their breath, except for Kevin, who'd started snoring.