“Hey,” William said, stealing my focus. “Can I take her, Helen?”
“Sure,” she said with a knowing grin. “Have fun.”
“This just can’t be real,” I said, continuing to dwell over the scene, but William ignored the busy room and pulled me to one of the beanbag setups.
“You’ll get used to it.” A smile curled up into his cheeks. “I told you this would cheer you up.” We sat cross-legged facing each other and scooted close enough that our knees were touching.
“So, what am I supposed to do for this paired exercise? See how much I can bleed before I pass out?” I laughed. This was cheering me up.
I pulled back the bracelet, which had now emptied the remaining blood into the tissue, and saw my flesh clean and new.
“I have a bruise on my arm you could try,” he offered.
“A bruise?” I laughed. “Oh come on. I think you can handle that.”
The deceivingly elegant bracelet looked out of place against my ordinary clothes. The sharp jab was still fresh in my memory, the skin still tender, although it had healed. “I’m not drawing blood for a bruise.”
“Wuss,” he teased with a smirk.
He was right though. I would have to get used to it. I couldn’t avoid my ability.
“How about I practice on you?” he suggested.
“It’s working,” I joked.
“I didn’t even start yet.”
“I know.”
The rest of the class went well. It was even fun. William made my infatuation grow uncontrollably, which I found amusing, since I thought I was already overly infatuated. Nics convinced me to heal a cut she had on her leg from kicking the sharp edge of a table, and Sam got us all drunk and sobered up within a ten minute time span.
I even found myself anxious to attend the following week, but to think every class would be so free-form and mellow was naïve. After all, the title of the course was Abilities Defense. How could I not expect some sort of violence?
On Thursday, I walked into class with ease, comfortable and eager to attend. Things started out the same. Students made themselves at home on the beanbags around the room, while others were practicing their abilities, either in pairs or on their own.
William was beside me when Helen approached, and we both greeted her with a smile.
“Hey, Ms. Stanzic,” William beamed, happy to point out that I had decided to come back.
“I’m so glad you enjoy the class, Elyse. I have the most amazing idea for today’s lesson,” she announced.
“What is it?” I asked, taking the bait.
“Well, as long as you’re here, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
I laughed it off, thinking nothing of her plans, and followed William over to the corner where Nics and Sam were quietly bickering.
“What’s going on?” William asked, inferring a little more than a greeting.
“Nothing,” Sam spat.
Nics looked at us reluctantly and rolled her eyes. “He’s mad because I told him not to go up against me when we duel. I don’t want to make him look bad.”
“I should challenge you, just to prove you wrong,” Sam said defensively.
“Wait, when we duel?” William asked the question just as I was thinking it, but before they could answer, Ms. Stanzic began to address the class.
“All right everyone,” she asserted with a raised voice that got our attention. “Class is starting.” Everyone stayed where they were, but each head was turned her way, earnestly awaiting instructions. “As you know, we are not allowed to conduct a duel without the presence of a healer. Until now, it has never been an option. I am excited to say that today it is. So today we duel.”
Her eyes met mine as soon as she finished, and I knew she recognized the panic in them. Was she crazy? What if someone really got hurt and I couldn’t heal them? It would be my fault. The idea was terrifying. These kids had incredibly strong abilities, and if something went wrong, was she really relying on me to fix it? I had no experience with my power to heal, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to test it on live people who might truly need help. I caught her gaze and shook my head subtly, hoping she would get the message.
In that instant she waved her hand with a flick that stopped all motion and left us the only two not locked in that moment in time.
“Try not to move too much,” she said immediately. “They’ll notice I stopped time if anything is different, and I don’t want them to know.”
“Why not?”
“They can’t think you’re not comfortable doing this, or they’ll have second thoughts.”
“Well, I’m not comfortable doing this.”
“I know, but you have to start somewhere,” she urged. “Elyse, you have to get used to using your ability so that when it comes time for you to act, when it’s life or death, you don’t hesitate.”
I bit the inside of my cheek as she waited for my response. Did she know about the prophecy? I knew she didn’t know about my plans for Anna, but her words struck a chord nonetheless. If I couldn’t do this, how did I expect to have the courage to do what I needed to for my friend?
“Fine,” I agreed, “but you have to tell them to take it easy. If someone is injured beyond a certain point, I won’t be able to heal them without—”
“I know how it works,” she answered. “I won’t let it get that far, but these kids need to learn how to defend themselves. Things are going to happen, and it’s my responsibility to teach them well, to get them ready for it.”
“For what?” I asked. Maybe I knew the answer, but I was testing her.
“For war,” she answered simply, before setting the world in motion around me once again. “Who wants to go first?”
William looked at me with suspicion, and I wondered if he’d noticed the brief interruption of time.
“Are you okay with this?” he questioned with disapproval.
“Yeah,” I answered, trying to seem confident. “I could use the practice.”
I got the feeling he didn’t completely buy it, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he stared at Ms. Stanzic looking for my reprieve, but her face was serious and unyielding.
Everyone was quiet, hesitant to be the first to go, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Sam give Nics a challenging look before he stood.
“I’ll go Ms. Stanzic,” he volunteered. I was surprised to see he wasn’t more self-conscious about being in front of everyone since he’d been aged, but even more surprised that no one was talking about it. The class seemed to accept it as simply unfortunate, and nothing more was said.
“Thank you, Samuel. Who else? We need someone to go up against him.”
Sam’s gaze was locked on Nics expectantly, but she turned away from him and rolled her eyes at William and I, giving her head a subtle shake that meant “no.” He glowered at her, but she only smiled back at him in amusement.
“I don’t want to embarrass him,” she whispered into my ear.
“How about you, Bianca?” Ms. Stanzic asked a thick haired brunette who was smacking her gum. I recognized her as the girl who had been moving things with bursts of force last class.
“Sure,” she said, standing with confidence. She smiled eagerly as she made her way to the center of the classroom.
Although Sam looked ten years older with his newly matured face, her cocky attitude made me worried for him.
“Is he going to be all right?” I asked William under my breath.
“I hope so,” William answered. “He owes me ten bucks.”
I scoffed at his joke. “I’m serious.”
“Me too,” he laughed.
“All right. Here are the rules,” Ms. Stanzic declared. “Don’t use full force. We’re not trying to kill each other here. Try to keep the classroom intact. If you break a window . . . well, that’s on you, and by all means is no one to interfere. If you get out of hand, I will be glad to un-enroll you from my class. If a winner is not obvious, I’ll decide, and if you’ve had enough and give
up, yell forfeit. Got it?”
Sam and Bianca gave a nod and went to opposing sides of the room.
“Ready?” Ms. Stanzic asked. “Begin.”
Bianca shot off a burst of force so quickly it took my breath away, and I wasn’t the only one. I heard a collective intake of breath from the surrounding crowd as well. The invisible surge moved fast through the air like waves of heat, blurring my vision, and I grabbed William’s hand as it hit Sam full on. He stumbled backwards with surprise, his face pinched in pain, but he scrambled to his feet in time to miss the next blast.
“Come on, Sam!” Nics yelled, and when he heard her voice, he became suddenly determined.
Bianca must have known she only had the first minute or so to attack before Sam’s power took hold, so she let off a series of blasts, trying to overwhelm him. He did his best to dodge them, catching the edge of a few that hit him like a slug to the shoulder, but I could tell he was focusing. The girl started to waver. She blinked her eyes hard and slow, trying to clear up her apparently impaired vision, but she didn’t give up.
“That all you got?” she mumbled foolishly before shooting off another blast, but it was so off target it hit the light and sent shattered glass in all directions.
Once Sam had her fully intoxicated, he didn’t need to move much. He just stood still and focused while her blasts hit most anywhere but him. Within minutes, Bianca looked at Sam wide-eyed and dizzy before running to the trash can in the corner to hurl.
“Man, she can really hold her liquor,” Sam said to the crowd, and we all roared with laughter. Even Bianca gave a smile as she stood up, freshly sober, and heading to take a seat.
“I’ll go next,” Nics announced without the teacher needing to ask. Sam gave her an irritated look.
“Me too,” said a slightly overweight boy with curly brown hair.
“What’s his bloodline?” I asked William with a hushed voice.
“Cronos. Sleep. Nics will win,” he answered confidently.
Their duel was brief. Nics was quick to block out his vision, as she so often threatened Sam, by creating a void of light around his head. The boy stumbled around blindly, inflicting his ability on whoever was in his unpredictable line of sight. Half the class passed out cold before Ms. Stanzic called it off.
“All right, Nics,” Ms. Stanzic laughed. “I think Stan has had enough. Lift the shield.”
Just as she did, Stan’s gaze found her reactively. He had just wanted to see where she had been standing, but the effects of his ability were still active in his defense, and as soon as he looked at her, she was knocked out.
“Shoot,” Stan yelled as she began to fall.
It all happened so quickly. He tried to wake her, but by the time her eyes snapped open, her face was already inches from the floor, and we all gasped as she hit with the full force of her body weight. The side of her head smacked hard against the linoleum, and we all heard the sound of skull hitting ground before we saw the blood.
She was silent at first, even as blood poured freely from the split skin on her eye, but after the shock wore off, she began to groan in pain.
“Stan,” the teacher said assertively. “Knock her out.”
He looked at her confused, but as the blood continued to seep out onto the floor in a puddle, he realized what she was asking. There was too much blood for it to be coming from the cut on her eye, but I couldn’t move. I stood dumbfounded as I watched her. Nics, so strong and reassured, lay there helpless and injured on the floor.
“Elyse!” Ms. Stanzic yelled, snapping me out of my daze. I wasn’t the only one astounded. The whole class seemed to be frozen as if Ms. Stanzic had stopped time again. Even William sat unmoving, his face still with fear. I jumped to my feet without thinking. There was so much blood. Was I too late? Had I waited too long? How long had it been?
I rushed to her side, apparently the only one willing to address the situation. I wondered if they would all just sit and watch while she died before stepping in to help.
I pulled her blood-matted hair back exposing the cut on her eye and saw how it spidered up her forehead into a split in her skull. I wondered why Ms. Stanzic hadn’t stopped time. She could have prevented this. She could stop time now, I thought, so I could help Nics, but she didn’t. In real time, I pressed the gold buttons on my new bracelet and jumped at the feel of the pain in my wrist. I started with the split on her scalp, where the injury was worst. There was so much blood, hers and mine, I couldn’t tell if it was working, but as more drops fell over the broken flesh of her forehead and eye, I could see the skin start to seal up. Her wounds were healing, and I couldn’t believe I was the one doing it.
“I think it worked,” I said, looking for reassurance in Ms. Stanzic.
“I’m sure it did,” she agreed, with a satisfied smile. “Stan, go ahead and wake her up to see how she’s feeling.”
We all stared on with nervous eyes as she began to stir. She looked at me first.
“Are you okay?” I asked unsure.
“Yeah,” she answered, a little shaken up. “Thanks.”
Class ended soon after that. All of us were more than discouraged from continuing the dueling, so Ms. Stanzic let us have free time to practice. Just as we were about to leave, everything froze, and I found myself trapped once again in a moment in time with her.
“Do you think I’m horrible?” she asked, moving around the still bodies toward me.
I sighed. “No,” I lied. I couldn’t help but resent her lack of effort in stopping the incident. So many times she could have helped, and I knew she didn’t on purpose.
“Yes you do,” she said, acknowledging my lackluster response. “But that’s okay. I don’t need you to like me. I need you to learn. I need you to do what you were meant to—for all of us.”
17.
I TRIED NOT to dwell on her words throughout the week, and by the next class, we were back to paired exercises. Anna seemed to be doing well, which meant I still had time to come up with a plan. There had been no sign of Ryder or The Council. Not even Kara had been around to cause my still waters to ripple.
Ms. Stanzic was making her rounds, evaluating techniques and suggesting ideas while William and I were testing Nics on light manipulation. I would call out objects and Nics would make each one disappear. It was a fun game, but we were shortly interrupted by the sound of my name being announced over the intercom.
“Elyse Adler, please report to the fifth floor,” a woman’s voice droned through the building.
“What do you think they want?” I asked, hoping one of them would know.
“Fifth floor is administration,” Nics answered. “They probably just need you to fill out a form or something.”
I wanted to believe her, but I had a bad feeling in my stomach as William and I headed for the elevator.
The fifth floor was nothing like The Institute. It had a completely different layout. The entire level was one big room with a winding maze of cubicles surrounded by office doors and a front counter.
“I’m Elyse,” I said to the gray-haired receptionist whose lips pulled into a frown. “You paged me.”
The corners of her mouth continued to sag as she passed me a letter. “Report to testing,” she croaked and pointed to the right corner office.
“What does it say?” William asked as we worked our way through the cubicles.
“Something about a Human Evasion Test.”
He grabbed the letter from my hand without asking. “You’re kidding?”
“What?”
“I can’t believe they’re making you do this.”
I grabbed the letter back. “Why? What is it?”
“It’s a test we all have to take when we turn fifty. They put you in a situation, and you have to get out without exposing your ability or age.”
“Is it hard?”
We stopped just outside of the testing office, and the muscles in his jaw tightened as he remembered. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever
had to do in my life.”
The expression on his face told me this wasn’t a simple sit down exam.
“What did they make you do?”
“I had to watch a guy get mugged in the street without helping. The mugger had a gun, so I couldn’t just jump in. I had to let it happen without persuading him to stop. The guy was almost beaten to death. It was horrible.”
The thought made my chest hurt. “Why didn’t you just help him? Who cares about some stupid test?”
“They kill any humans who know about us, Elyse. If you fail, they die.”
“That’s . . . disgusting,” I said, appalled. “You were just a kid.”
“We’ve all had to take it. It’s their way of indoctrinating us. So we don’t expose our abilities.”
“Forget this,” I decided out loud. “I’m not taking a test like that.”
As I turned around, ready to charge my way to the elevator, my body froze, and I found myself face to face with Ryder.
“Going somewhere?” A snide smirk crawled up his cheeks as I struggled to break free of his invisible chains. “I’m here to escort you to your exam.”
I could smell his foul breath as he moved close to me and grabbed my jaw with one hand. I expected him to hit me like he had before, but instead, his rough fingers pinched tight, forcing my mouth open. He flaunted a tiny blue pill in his other hand before shoving it down my throat, and in a matter of seconds, I was out.
I heard the commotion before I opened my eyes. The sounds were disorienting, unfamiliar. The last thing I remembered was choking on Ryder’s thick fingers, and then blackness. As I lifted my lids, things were blurry. I was groggy from the mystery pill. I didn’t know where I was.
When my eyes began to focus, and my brain finally registered the sound of cries for help and terrified screams, I nearly stopped breathing. My fingers dug into the warm asphalt that lay beneath my back as I tried to make out my surroundings. I didn’t know what happened or how it happened. The crumpled wreckage of a city bus lay sideways in the street, and smoke was billowing from somewhere inside it. Bodies were strewn across the pavement and blood was everywhere, painted on people’s fearful faces and pooling beneath the wounded. The chaos overwhelmed me, sending me into an internal frenzy, and my chest began to rise and fall with panic.
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