TWENTY MINUTES LATER, EVERYONE IS outside in the back yard. Claire has put another enchantment up to make sure no one can find us here. Logan, David, Colton, Liam, and Emma are all sitting on a fallen tree to the side, and Tom and Claire are standing in front of me. I have to squint to see everyone because of the sun. I don’t really want to have an audience while I try to see what I am capable of. I don’t know what is going to happen, and I don’t want to hurt anyone.
“Since you’re a little weak still, we won’t do too much today, Ryanne. I think that we should work with the weather first. We know the least about that ability. I want to see if you are able to change the weather without getting upset. Think about the weather before a storm. The dark clouds are rolling in. You can hear the thunder in the distance. Birds are flying away. The world gets quiet and dark. Think about the way the Earth smells before a storm comes. Concentrate.”
I close my eyes, and think about everything she just said. I think about how I feel during those times. Storms are mysterious. No one knows for sure what they are going to bring. They can be loud and booming, with lighting striking the earth, and thunder clapping every few minutes. They can bring little rain with heat lightning, or they can bring the threat of tornadoes. Afterwards, the earth is calm and everything goes back to normal. Greenery regrows, and people work together to bring back order.
I think of the clouds rolling in and the thunder. The way lighting looks against the darkened sky. No rain. Even on a warm summer day, the wind that brings a storm always feels different, cooler.
Just when I am about to give up, I feel a shift in the wind. The breeze blows my hair in front of my face. The heat dwindles, and cool air moves in. I concentrate harder on the weather: the darkness that comes with a summer storm, the ominous bluish gray coloring in the sky. Everything.
“It’s working, Ryanne. Open your eyes.” When I open my eyes, I no longer have to squint to see. The sun isn’t out anymore. In its place are tenebrous clouds. Everything that I had just visualized is here exactly as I envisioned it.
“I did that?” I whisper to myself. I still can’t believe that I’m able to do any of these things; that magic actually exists.
The wind starts picking up more. Concentrating hard, I think about the sunshine—about how it feels to just sit outside during the spring. Not too hot, not too cold. I think about the way the light reflects off everything, brightening the world around me; the sounds of birds chirping, bees buzzing, and animals scurrying through the trees.
The wind starts to die down. The cool air disappears, while the heat reappears. Through my closed eyelids, I see the light return. The sun warms my chilled skin, inviting me to open my eyes again. Everything is like it was when we first came outside. Without my permission, a smile escapes.
“Good job! It looks like you are able to control the weather whenever. It just takes more concentration. However, it’s stronger when you’re emotions are brought into play, I think.”
“How about we see if she can do anything else? I have a feeling that there is more to her powers,” says Tom.
“Sure. Umm, David, come here,” Claire calls. David gets up from the log and walks toward Claire. “I want you to see if Ryanne can move things with her mind like you can.” I forgot that David is telekinetic. I’ve never seen him use his powers.
As if he could read my mind, he explains, “I don’t use my powers often, because I don’t want to get too used to them. I want to live like everyone else. It’s easier that way, but they do come in handy sometimes.” I understand that. I’m doing the same thing with the mind reading. It’s easier to not read everyone’s mind.
He stops beside me, folds his arms across his chest, and looks around the yard for a little bit. Seeming to find what he’s looking for, he turns toward me.
“Okay, Ryanne, I want you to look at that tree branch lying off to the side over there.” He points across the yard to a small branch. “Do you see it? I want you to try and bring it toward us. In your mind, picture what you want to happen. I find it easier than trying to say what you want. Picture it. Feel the power running through your body. Try to grab onto a strand of that energy and harness it. Bring it to the front, and force it out. Push your energy toward the branch, and mentally grab onto it.”
I don’t close my eyes this time. I just stare at the branch, willing it come to me. I don’t have to try very hard. After the first couple of seconds, the branch starts vibrating on the ground like a cell phone does when placed on a hard surface. I can feel the energy and power running through my body. It feels like I am in a massage chair. When you first sit down in a massage chair, the feeling isn’t exactly pleasant, but your body adjusts to it, and you start to feel relaxed. This magic is the same way. At first, it feels like pins and needles spreading throughout my body, but the more I start to use it, the more my body gets accustomed to it, and I welcome it.
Mentally, I begin to search for another strand of energy. It is harder to find a single strand. It is like searching for the end of a ball of string after throwing it around—everything gets tangled together in an unruly mass. Finally finding the end, I grasp onto it and pull, separating it from the rest. Thrusting it forward, it slithers toward the branch.
The branch lifts in the air, but won’t move toward me. It’s hovering a few feet off of the ground. I search for another wave of energy and push it forward, sending it toward the branch with more momentum than the previous one. When the energy hits the branch, it begins to hurtle toward me.
I scream and feel a hand on my arm, pulling me to the ground. I land with a thud on my stomach. David falls beside me as the branch crashes to the ground behind us. I look behind me and see the skid marks in the grass from the branch. That would have hurt.
“Are you okay?” David asks while helping me stand up.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I’m a little winded but, overall, I’m fine. “Sorry about that. I realized that I pushed too much magic at it a little too late.”
“Don’t apologize. Do you realize how long it took me to get anything to come toward me? I started off with a saltshaker, which was way smaller than that branch, and that took a lot of energy. You did it in less than a minute.”
“Oh….”
“That was excellent, Ryanne. I had a feeling that you would be able to do that. Thank you for explaining everything, David. Your powers are incredible. Are you okay to keep working? We can stop if you are getting tired.”
“No, I actually feel good. I’m not tired at all. I can go on.”
“Good. You probably won’t like this next thing, though. I want to see if this will work. I want you to bring that rock over here, and place it in front of us.” That doesn’t seem too difficult. I concentrate solely on the rock, and send one larger strand of energy into it, instead of a couple smaller ones like I did last time. The rock lifts off of the ground, and slowly moves toward me. I release the energy, and it drops to the ground a foot in front of us.
“Excellent. Now, I want to see if you are able to liberate a single element of weather. I want to see if you can strike this rock with lightning. Just lightning. No storm. Just manifest the energy into a lightning bolt to strike that exact spot. To do this, I have a feeling that you’ll need to be angry or upset. Do you need someone to help you with this?”
I nod. “Liam, can you help me?” I told Liam everything about me when I met him in the field after being shot in a vision. He knows most of my fears and other issues that will induce anger.
“What do you need help with?”
“I need you to make me angry. Please.” I need to know what I am capable of. I want to know everything that I can potentially use to help others. He stares at me, searching my eyes for any sign of apprehension, and finally nods. He understands. I’ve tried to push everything into the back of my mind. I avoid thinking about anything that would allow for me do what Claire is asking. Liam saw what happened to me, the end of it anyway, so he knows what to say to make me upset.
Claire and To
m take a couple of steps backwards, giving us enough room. David walks back to the log, and sits near Colton, Logan, and Emma.
“I’m so sorry for anything I’m about to say,” says Liam.
“Claire, is this really necessary? Hasn’t she been through enough already?” yells Colton.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry,” I tell everyone. Turning toward Liam, I ask if he is ready. I don’t wait for a response. I just turn, and put all my concentration on the rock.
“I’m really sorry, Ryanne,” he repeats. He really doesn’t want to do this, but I need him to. If he can’t, I’m sure I can think of enough stuff to manifest anger, but it’s easier to get mad when someone else is telling you everything. “Your father abandoned you when you were a baby. Your mother left you a year ago. She saved your life, but left you alone when you needed her most. Now, Jane spends all her time with her new boyfriend, and has forgotten all about you. You aren’t important to her anymore.”
The wind starts to pick up. I concentrate harder on the rock and lightning. I push the clouds away. I don’t want to bring a storm.
“Adam harassed you in the park last year, but you got away, so he accused you of coming onto him. He and his girlfriend tormented you your entire senior year. They made fun of your name, called you a freak, told too many rumors about you.” I can feel the power building up inside, pushing to the surface. It’s still sunny around, but the wind is intensifying even more. I concentrate more on the rock. I can’t see anything else around me.
Only the rock.
“Now, Adam is working for Dravin. Dravin kidnapped you, and tortured you for information. Adam is his new recruit, and will do anything to finish what he started last time. You were weak, and weren’t able to escape on your own. You have to rely on everyone around you to keep you safe. You don’t have any family left. You’re all alone.”
I am literally vibrating with the power that is surging to the surface. It’s too much magic. I double over and scream. Everything inside me is released, and shoots toward the rock. A lightning bolt manifests out of the clear sky, and hits the ground in front of me. When the energy hits the rock, it shatters. Fragments catapult in every direction, and all the energy I had just pushed out ricochets back. Energy and rock pieces hit Liam and me, sending us flying backwards.
I freefall through the air momentarily before landing on the hard ground. “Ugh…that went well.”
Groaning, I try to sit up. My bones and muscles protest with the movement, before a set of hands pull me into a standing position. I can hear Colton talking to me, but there is a slight ringing in my ears. Swaying, I lean back against his chest, waiting for the haze to pass.
“Did I do that?” The grass around the area where the rock was previously is now brown and dead. Smoke tendrils are rising out of the ground, and coalescing with the air. Rock pieces are scattered haphazardly all across the yard.
“Yeah, you did,” Colton replies. He brushes his thumb across my forehead. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine. Where’s Liam?” I turn around and find him on my own, standing with David and Emma. “Oh my gosh, Liam! I’m so sorry. Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’m fine, Ryanne. I said too much. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lie all that out like that. Are you okay?” He pauses, and his eyes linger on my forehead. “You’re bleeding.”
“You didn’t say anything that I haven’t thought about. This exercise allowed me to release some pent-up issues I’ve had. It was a good thing. Very cathartic...I just wish I could have controlled that a little better.”
Claire and Tom finally make their way over to us. “Ryanne, that was excellent. You did it.” She beams, but when she fully looks at me, her smile falls. “You’re bleeding.”
I feel something wet start to drip down my face. Reaching up, I put a hand to my forehead. When I bring it down, I find that it’s covered in blood.
“Oh.” Suddenly, I feel woozy. If I weren’t still leaning against Colton, I probably would have fallen down again. I was never able to stand the sight of blood.
“I got it,” says Logan. He cups my face in his hands and inhales, concentrating on the spot. A couple of seconds later, he opens his eyes and smiles down at me. “All better.”
“Thank you.”
David bumps me with his shoulder. “Remind me never to make you angry.” I playfully shove at him.
“Claire, I’m so sorry about your yard. I’ll clean it up!”
“Goodness, girl, you apologize a lot. Come on, I made dinner.” She starts walking back toward the house.
I arch my head up and ask Colton, “Does she want me to clean the yard up?” Shaking his head and chuckling, he grabs my wrist and drags me inside. “Well, does she?”