Chapter Four #2
I looked away from Kevin and took a sip, immediately feeling better—mainly because everything stopped shaking again.
Annie knelt next to my chair. “Ryan, you were glowing.”
“I was?”
She nodded. “I’d say your powers are growing.”
“I knew it.” Jenny smiled.
“Knew what?” Annie asked her. “This is different from what she could do before.”
“Now that Ryan’s not being her usual controlled self, she can’t suppress her powers as much either, and . . . let’s just say the chaos in her mind is letting her loosen up.”
“That’s gotta be it, because those are new powers,” Kevin said.
“Yes, and you’re helping . . . by not helping.” Jenny wiggled her fingers at him. “You’re riling her up, and as much as I’d like to see where her powers go, you probably need to give her some space to come to terms.”
Hearing this, Kevin backed away from me immediately. It almost made me feel like I was a kid in school with cooties. I shuffled in my seat, looking for an escape, but there was none.
I was surrounded by all of them as if I were a rare object in a museum. I hated it.
“Plus, it might be safer to see the extent of her powers in the training center,” Nick added.
I sank deeper into my chair. “I don’t know what any of you are talking about. I didn’t do anything.”
“You were glowing, Ryan,” Annie said.
“No.” Then I frowned. “I . . . I might’ve done something with powers before.”
“Before today?”
“Yeah. When Jay was fighting the people who killed the FBI agents.” I rubbed my temples.
“Before Andrew got there. A woman came after me, but she—she zapped a baby with two tasers. I don’t think he’d have made it if I hadn’t .
. .” I looked at Annie. “I reacted, and I did something to the baby? I feel like I electrocuted him back to life? I don’t know, it could’ve been his father, though, ’cause he also had powers. ”
“Another Luminary was there? But did you touch the baby to heal him?” Jenny asked.
“Yeah, his dad definitely had powers. But we were both touching the baby.”
“Well, you would’ve felt the power building and coming from within you.”
“Oh. I mean . . . I felt something, but I can’t say what happened. There were a lot of lights and they felt like a current or something. All I know is that we brought him back.”
“Not sure about the current, but you’re a healer,” Jenny said. “It must be a combination of healing and your uncontrolled powers.”
“I guess.” I looked at my hands.
“The lights that shot out from the diner were purple-ish. I think it was you.” Jay turned to Kevin. “Let’s experiment. Why don’t you go get touchy-touchy with her?”
Kevin frowned. “I’m not— Wait! Touchy-touchy? Who talks like that?”
“Just go make her nervous again,” Jay said, pushing Kevin toward me.
I panicked. “No, you don’t have to. I’m not nervous—what are you doing?”
Kevin was already next to me, holding my hands and pulling me up to stand.
“Let’s dance,” he whispered, putting a hand on my waist—aaannnd the earthquake was back.
I was about to lose it, but then Jenny put her hand on my shoulder, filling me with calm. “Hold on to that feeling, Ryan. Push it toward your hands.” She made me hyperaware of the thing moving through my body.
I had no clue how to actually push it to my hands, but some part of my brain must’ve figured it out because my fingers started to tingle. The feeling blinked out as fast as it came, though, and they went right back to normal.
“Too bad,” Jenny said. “I wanted you to see them glow.”
“No worries, people. I got it!” Jay said, shoving his phone in my hand.
I took it and stared at him. “What am I doing with this?”
“Press play, the triangle in the middle of the screen.” Jay pointed to it after a few seconds.
I know my memory issues shouldn’t make me feel dumb, but I felt dumb anyway. It seemed logical. What didn’t seem logical was what I saw on the video. It wasn’t too bright, but it was enough that I couldn’t deny it. My face and body were glowing. Like, actually really glowing.
It stopped right before reaching my hands. “What is that? Is that the heat?”
“The glow might be causing the warmth, yes,” Nick said from behind me. I hadn’t noticed when he moved to see what was on the phone. He grabbed it and played it again.
“I didn’t feel the cold this time,” I said, frowning.
“It’s possible the cold comes when you’re pushing the lightning away.”
I shook my head. “There was no lightning in there.”
“Because you were distracted the first time. Unlike this round, it built up without you trying to control it.”
“And I was trying to control it this time?” I asked, confused.
“Exactly.”
“I feel more like everything and everyone is controlling my actions, but sure. If you say so.” I shrugged. “What about the trembling on the floor? Did anyone else feel it?”
“No,” Jenny said. “But that is interesting . . . and it’s probably the best clue we have, actually.”
Nick looked at Jenny. “Conduit?”
She nodded. “Ryan, you’re acting more like a circuit . . . a conductor of energy, if you will.”
“Alexa.” I was tired of correcting everyone at this point.
“Sorry.”
Nick stared at me, completely ignoring my annoyance. “It explains how you worked as an amplifier. Before, you were probably pulling the energy from around you in a controlled enough way that you didn’t cause or feel the quakes, then you transferred it to us.”
“Now she’s pulling it erratically. And since she’s not conducting it into anyone else, she’s powering herself up, and with such potency she’s literally lighting up as well.”
Kevin walked up to me. “This is so cool. We have to see what else you can do, Ry—Alexa.”
“Rylexa!” Jay laughed. “That’s it! Let’s just start calling her Rylexa.”
“Yeah . . . no, that’s not gonna happen.”
Jay continued laughing and pointed to Kevin. “Maybe you should step away from her, huh? Before you trigger her again, ’cause she looks tired.”
I nodded. “I do feel tired and terrified. But why Kevin? Do you think it’s because he was helping me meditate and now he’s the trigger?”
Jay started shaking his head. “Uh, no, I don’t think th—”
“Yes,” Jenny said rather sharply. “That’s probably why. Your powers probably see him as your switch.”
“Sure, we’ll go with that theory.” Jay play-punched Kevin.
“Back off, dude. We’re not bros.”
“Yet.”
“What’s with you? You’re so invested in us.” Kevin shook his head. “I know Jenny said to trust you, but I swear if you try anything, you’ll be sorry.”
“You do what you have to do.” Jay raised his chin. “I’m on the good side. I know Rylexa and—”
“Stop that!” I said.
I saw Kevin’s lip twitching before immediately changing his expression to disdain as he looked at Jay. “She doesn’t even remember you.”
“Does she remember you?”
“I can respect your game.” Kevin gave him a full smile this time and nodded. Then he lowered his voice and said, “Plus, you get credit for Rylexa.”
“I heard that!” I gave both of them dirty looks.
Jay raised a fist for a bump, but Kevin didn’t meet it. “No? Not ready for that? All right, man.” He shrugged.
Bonding on my behalf only went so far, apparently.
“What were you going to say, Jay? You know Alexa, and? And what?” Annie asked.
“Right.” Jay turned to me. “I know you enough to know you’re always on the side of what’s good and what’s right.
I normally stay out of Luminary drama, but this fight, I will fight.
” He then looked back at Kevin. “So, no, I’m not trying anything, or whatever you’re implying.
But if any of you cross the line in the name of good, I will stop you. Just so we understand each other.”
Kevin folded his arms across his chest. “Likewise.”
“Yeah, I think that was already determined,” I said to Kevin.
“Okay, that’s enough. Let’s go back inside,” Annie said, grabbing my arm. “I can’t take more of those two trying to measure their— Never mind.”
I nodded. “They’re giving me a headache.”
She led me over to the kitchen island and pointed to the stool. “Sit. Tell me, do you feel sick or tired?”
“I feel dizzy, but not really sick. A little tired? I don’t know how to describe it.” I shrugged as I turned the stool to face her.
“If you allow me, I can give you a boost. My kinetic energy will bring you back to normal.”
“Sure.”
“See if you can sense what I’m doing. You did this also to amplify our—uh, their powers.”
“Not yours?”
“Nope, you and I were too much alike in a way that we couldn’t boost or amplify each other.”
“So this might not work?”
“I’m hoping it will, now that you’re not controlling your input or output of powers. Try to sense what I’m doing.”