Elements

4. outside time

The next hour or so I spent growing all different types of plants for Dr Martin in the name of 'science' although I couldn't manage to get anything larger than an average size bush. Dr Martin says I'll get stronger and stronger every day and we'll start working on new things with time.

I hop off the table and walk towards the exit, as our meeting has now come to an end before leaving out the door into the main room.

I step out to find Aaron and Malek sitting on the couch watching tv as Jesse is at the table painting? I cross the room without making eye contact with anyone as I go and sit beside Jesse as she paints.

"Oh there you are!" She says pulling her earbuds out as she has music playing on her mp3 player?

"Where did you get that?" I say confused

"You get gifts for cooperation" she says "you can request things on the white board in your room and with good behaviour and sessions at the end of the week they reward you" she smiles

"Last week I got an entire black eyed peas album downloaded and the week before a new pillow. I guess it's also to remind us that we are working towards something and have a reason to live or some phycological bull shit" she says

"If we are the ones with powers why haven't you guys broke out of here yet?" I say honestly

"They know our weaknesses, there is no point. If I tried anything they will use one of you against me, that and the building is steel and nothing any of our powers can do get through those big fucking steel doors"

"Outside time" suddenly a man in all black says holding a taser gun coming out of Dr Matins lab says. What does that mean?

We all stand and follow him towards another door as he swipes his key card the unlocks the large door taking us into a stair well down 2 flights to another door he also key cards.

It opens to a field with a huge metal mesh fence going from the ground up to the side of the building, closing us in. Along the entire fence is "electric fence" signs posted. Wonderful.

"What the fuck is this" I say shocked at the lack of everything and I notice as Maleks lip twitches up at my comment.

"This is our 'outside time' for us to get sun or some shit idk" Jesse says shrugging as we start to walk around in loops around the field as Aaron and Malek start to do push ups and burpees before running the perimeter.

"Thank god you're here now, I always would feel obligated to join them and they would alway kick my ass and lap me like 4 times over" Jesse says laughing and I give her a small smile.

"Ynow tonight is game night" Jesse says grinning

"How can you be so cheerful in here?" I say looking up at her, honestly she always smiles like we aren't prisoners, how long has she been here? Has she just gone mad?

"You gotta make the best of it, you have to adapt. If you let it get to you that's a deep depression that will seriously fuck you up" she says "trust me, it's better to enjoy the little things like the gifts and art and stupid shit like pizza, game and movie nights. It's small but it's all the difference"

"How long have you been here?" I say confused

"I came after Malek, he was the first back in February then Aaron came in July, now you" she smiles. "Malek still has never asked for anything" she says as we watch him running

"What?" I say confused. He's been here for 8 months and never asked for anything? Why?

"He fights it, he makes it harder than he has to with the doctors. They beat him and aggravate him for their tests because he won't cooperate, it doesn't have to be that hard, they don't hurt me or Aaron" she says and I continue watching him as he runs until he looks my way and I shoot my eyes back to Jesse.

"Why?" I say confused, why won't he just submit?

"He doesn't talk about that stuff, he's kind of a closed book" Jesse says as we go and sit down along the building watching both of them now. "More like a vault actually" she adds

I watch as Jesses eyes follow Aaron when it starts to click.

"Are you and Aaron a thing?" I say confused looking back up at her

"No what?" She says smiling

"You like him!" I say smiling now too

"Shut up, we're just good.. friends" she grins and I roll my eyes. "I don't believe in labels" she says

"Don't think I haven't noticed you eyeballing the eye candy over there" she says and my jaw drops

"He hates me" I say as my cheeks go red and she nudges me. He is really hot you can't really blame me but he's also too rude for me, plus why would he like me? He's out of my league.

For a moment there I almost forgot we where here. I forgot I'm a prisoner. It felt like we where in the school yard and Jesse was my friend. Suddenly reality rushes back in and sadness washes over me. Fuck.

A moment or two passes when I press my hands down on the grass and shut my eyes. I start to focus on the earth instead of my feelings

"Holy shit girl" Jesse says and when I open my eyes there is moss and vines reaching up my hands and wrist as the grass in our patch is now knee high with dandelions. Well shit

"That's cool" she smiles. "Watch this" she says before holding her palm out infront of her as a small bubble of water forms above her hand. It's starts to grow and move freely, I reach forward and poke it and it's real water?

Suddenly it flys out of her hand and onto the ground and when we look up Aaron is standing there with his hand out slightly? He must have used his air power to shoot the water out of her hand?

Jesse smirks and Aaron smiles before going back to his workout with Malek.

"Times up" the man in black then shouts after a while. We all gather by the door and follow him back up into the common area as Aaron and Malek head to the showers

"That's his 3rd shower since I got here?" I say to Jesse

"What else are you suppose to do around here" She says as we sit down on the couch.

About 10 minutes later Aaron and Malek reappear with wet hair and join us as the ladies from before now serve us lunch.

I talk with Jesse as Aaron talks with Malek about about yesterday's tests they ran on him. I find myself listening more to Malek talking about how they poured gas on him and lit him up more than Jesse and before I knew it Malek stopped talking as he realized I was listening. Jesse stopped talking as she realized I wasn't. Well shit.

Malek then stares across the table at me and my stomach twist before I turn my head back down to my plate and continue eating. I don't know if I was being rude or if he just has a problem with me at this point.