Esper Chapter 14: Fire starter

Part 1

“Amala, thoughts on the matter?” Seated at the head of a long meeting room table, an old businessman lobbed that question down to Amala Singh. Busy maintaining an indifferent smirk through the agonizing pain of her shoulder, she couldn’t answer. “As Trenton’s top IT department, we cannot afford to fall further behind on upgrading our infrastructure, it is vital we don’t focus on—”

“Infrastructure has to wait. Making any changes before the president arrives is ill-advised.” Vernon Marino swiftly cut the man’s proposal down! “We spoke about these exact problems before but haven’t reached a conclusion. We’ve got to put other projects on the back burner for the time being.”

“I believe when Walter was around, he didn’t put so many projects on the table without getting them done.” A sneering figure jeered from the table’s opposite end. “Our previous Chief Operations Officer wouldn’t have bogged down everyone’s schedules with so many community outreach programs.” Fresh faced and derisively looking down his pointed nose, the young man pompously grinned. He continued to prod, while gesturing with a set of silky white gloves. “The Department of futurists was the lead information’s technology department in the state, but has lost its captain, and the ship floats adrift.”

“Well…” Vernon held his tongue, prepared to lash out, but reasonability overcame his anger. “True enough. After Walter’s passing, things got off track. I do, however, believe in our team!” Low murmuring built amongst the uncomfortable attendees, as Vernon continued. “As someone who interacts with our techs and engineers personally, I know better than anyone what they’re capable of. I do, after all, work on this floor, unlike some here.” That last remark was a clear slight.

Clearly growing animosity aside, the meeting energy slowly petered out. All involved gradually returned to their desks, escaping any potential arguments. Silently perusing documents on the walk back to his office, the replacement C.O.O. eyes were transfixed on meeting notes. So deep in thought was Vernon that he neglected to close the door behind him or notice Amala following behind. “Dorian will likely be on his way here.”

“Shoot! I didn’t even notice you there!” Vernon reflexively threw up his guard at the unexpected voice! Sides of his jacket fought to remain stitched with his toned arm and shoulder muscles rippling under the fabric!

“Sorry.” Though unintended, Amala's presence could often go unperceived. Footsteps lighter than a sparrow’s, rarely speaking up, walking several steps behind her superior; she was the ideal silent beauty. With an appearance as captivating hers, eyes were naturally drawn in Amala’s direction. It was all to her chagrin; not wanting to be invisible, just not the center of attention…not anymore.

“It’s whatever.” Vernon took the most deliberately deep breath of his life and then lowered down into his chair. “But yeah, Dorian’s probably on his way over to complain. Would you mind closing the door behind you? Maybe if it’s closed, he’ll wander off!” Amala did just that, happily, until a hand shot in suddenly! Gripping the door and forcing it back open, the short, coif haired young man, Dorian smiled his way into Vernon’s office!

“Did I hear my name mentioned? Hope it was something good!” With an unending air of smugness, he slid a seat over and plopped down right in front of Vernon’s desk.

“Dorian…what can I help you with?” No matter how many negative signals were sent; Dorian’s stubbornness would drown them out.

“I’m sure you have an idea. Incidentally, Amala Singh is here too!” Failing to escape the suffocating room, Amala turned back around with a noticeable pout. “I’m thinking of moving Amala under me.” Dorian’s statement shocked Amala but didn’t faze Vernon. “There isn’t a lot of time left before the president’s visit, and we haven’t finished establishing the operations center. The workstations there still need to be imaged, the network needs to be upgraded and maintained 24/7, and on top of all that, we still need at least one day for the secret service to come in and discuss their security details.” Twirling his wonderfully styled chestnut-colored locks with his index finger, the young man smirked relentlessly. “If Amala Singh were moved under me, she’d be a great asset.” Dorian set his sights on Amala behind him, lobbing a smile in her direction. It did nothing but a shiver up her spine. “I’ve heard it was thanks to your assistance and work ethic Walter was able to run a steady ship, Amala Singh. Vernon, allow me to oversee the operations center, since it is our biggest priority. That way, you can focus on setting up computers for the orphanage or single mothers’ center…or whatever.”

Amala noted an unusual twitch in Vernon’s brow, though it only lasted a split second. “The operations center will be finished today. Don’t worry.”

“Oh?”

“Yup. Without a doubt! I’ll get my best people on it!”

“I see. Then, I’ll make sure to follow up with you on that tomorrow! Oh, and Amala Singh, I look forward to working with you.” Dorian removed his glove and extended his hand for a shake from Amala, who reluctantly reciprocated. Off he strolled with the most victorious saunter a man had ever strut.

“…I’m not working with that man.” Amala sulked, closing the door behind her.

“No, you’re not. I’ll make sure of that.” Vernon threw himself back, nearly toppling the office chair and barely catching his desk, just short of falling!

“Seems like he has a grudge against you.”

“…I mean, yeah, probably. I…dated his sister a few years ago and…things ended ugly.”

“I see.” Amala replied with a frown.

“Getting the ops center up is going to be trouble. I’ll need a good technician for something like that.”

“Let me see…” Struggling to swing her laptop around with a bruised shoulder, the assistant went about researching available technicians in their department.

“What happened to your shoulder?”

“Uh?!” Scrambling to come up with an idea, Amala threw out the simplest one possible. “I…fell.”

“Are you okay? From here, that looks pretty bad.” Vernon referred to the discoloration peeking out from under Amala’s cardigan.

“I’ll be fine! A-anyway! If you need techs, Mercedes and Luke are available. They put in to say they’d accept overtime.”

“What about Nick’o? He’s quick and detailed with these kind of things, best person for this.” Vernon pulled up his messages sent along that morning. “He hasn’t viewed any messages.”

“…Wasn’t at his desk either.”

“Really? Damn. He probably called out or something. Did he say something to you?”

“…No.” Awkwardly shuffling, Amala rubbed her shoulder. The night before had been an adventure robbing her of proper sleep and possibly her reason for living. “I’ll reach out to Mercedes and Luke for you.”

“Great, thanks! Let them know, I’ll be there to help too.”

“You will? What about training?”

“We can just skip tonight. You’re probably not at your best today, with your shoulder and all…plus you seem like you’re tired.”

“…Stop paying so much attention to me.”

“I’d send you home, but the fact that upper management knows you’re here, it probably wouldn’t fly.”

“I’m fine.” Amala left, closing the door behind her as she returned to her desk right outside of Vernon’s office.

(I should call Raquel later to let her know I’ll be busy.) Vernon typed out a message for the group. [Training is canceled for the night! Sorry, but I’ve got lots to do!] He sat, expecting to see messages in response, and got none. From his office, he looked to Amala, who looked back and shrugged her shoulders in confusion.

Part 2

“Vergil! Slow down! Calm down!” Harper Wolf’s short legs could barely keep pace with Vergil Trask, in a full-on sprint toward Landon middle school! Only the sound of his heart erupting in his chest registered; overcome with concern for Wilhelmina!

As the boys ran from their school, a security guard hollered! “Hey! Wolf, Trask! Where are you going?! Get back here!” They didn’t, of course. Harper fell further behind his friend, showcasing unexpected speed and agility effortlessly climbing fences dividing the school grounds!

Upon reaching the front of Landon middle school, several adults, clearly teachers, were seen consoling a group of crying and frightened children. “Hey, who are you?! Back up!” One attempted to halt Vergil’s approach!

“I-I…” The young man shook like a leaf, nearly in tears himself, just about inconsolable! “Wilhelmina! My sister! I’m Wilhelmina’s brother!” Shocking the teachers with that statement, they took to whispering amongst themselves, which deeply upset Vergil. “Where’s my sister?!”

“Hold on.” A woman pulled the young men aside. “You’re Vergil then? I’m Wilhelmina’s teacher and—”

“Was she k-k-kidnapped?!”

“I…she…yes.” Vergil’s soul almost left his body, leaving him to limply drop to his knees. If he could do anything aside from shutter, he’d have cried or screamed in frustration. Words of reassurance fell on deaf ears; they couldn’t pierce the teenage boy’s downward spiral as all hope had abandoned him. “We’ve already called the police. They should be here soon. Don’t worry, they will handle it!”

(…Fuck.) Finally caught up, and having to bear witness to his friend drowning in despair, Harper’s heart shook unlike ever before. “How did she just get picked up?! What the fuck were you all doing?!” While screaming, he lightly scanned the teacher’s mind.

“It happened so fast…wait, how’d you even know about this?! We haven’t—” Fighting back a full-on sobbing fit herself, the teacher realized the boys’ sudden appearance was oddly timed.

Wanting to avoid suspicion, Harper pressed on with questioning. “Well, who saw it happen?! Did they tell you guys what they looked like?!”

“A friend of hers saw! Look, once the police get here, we’ll see what can be done. Now please, just wait…” Wilhelmina’s teacher returned to consoling the children. Harper eyed one particular girl; seeing her thousand-yard stare, and the abundance of adults focused on her, she stood out.

(Was she the one who saw it? Then…maybe…) Recalling his previous discovery, an idea popped into Harper’s head. That new ability to vividly replay other’s memories to the point that he could recite them as if he’d experienced them himself, would it work again? (Sorry in advance, this’ll be quick!) Preparing himself, Harper dived in!

The little girl felt it instantly! That boring sensation tore into the child’s mind, digging for the memories! A trickle of blood spilled from Harper's nose, but he drilled deeper! Like booting up a computer, slowly the eager teen’s senses were linked with the young girl. Images and sounds were reconstructed bit by bit around him, and her paralyzing terror gripped Harper, but he fought on! Needing support to stay standing as a growing migraine ravaged him. Harper sheepishly steadied himself with Vergil’s shoulder. That sensation yanked Vergil back to reality, witnessing his friend’s physical distress! In the end, Harper finally found what he wanted, the moment Wilhelmina was taken…

The two girls were on the playground. Wilhelmina glumly sat under the jungle gym alone with a pink hood pulled tightly over her bushy gray locks. The girl approached, speaking with her. “Wil…are you okay?”

“…No. I want to go home.” She huffed, curling up. Wilhelmina’s shaking was evident even through the pink outdoor wear. The girl pulled her phone out and brought up a video on how to construct a rocket, trying to show it to Wilhelmina, who just pushed away and ran off! “Leave me alone!”

“Wait, Wil!” That girl gave chase, following Wilhelmina as she sprinted toward the back of the schoolyard! “Don’t go back there! That’s the street!” Beyond a small, wooded area, a nearly deserted intersection sat with only a single idling vehicle. The hot pink dragster slowly crept across the asphalt; even that girl noticed the car suddenly start moving. “Wil, come back!”

The tinted windows rolled down gradually as the car turned in their direction. Wilhelmina wouldn’t stop! She haphazardly ran, trying to escape the school until the car abruptly stopped alongside her! The door flew open, and it happened in one fell swoop! An all too familiar, shady young Hispanic man, with one mangled hand, grabbed Wilhelmina up in his arm and tossed her into the back seat! Before the girl could cry for help, the car sped off!

“Makenzie! Makenzie, are you alright?! Call the nurse!” The teachers shouted, breaking Harper of his spell! On the ground lay the little girl, convulsing, blood pouring from her nose, eyes rolling into the back of her head, as adults began administering first aid!

Shocked, Harper recoiled. (Shit…that’s not my fault…right?) The probing, had it left that girl in such a state? Swirling and twisting knotted Harper’s gut, an unusual sensation.

“Harper a-are you alright?” Vergil asked his friend who rejoined him in a continually bewildering reality.

“I…yeah!” He replied, hurriedly wiping away the blood under his own nose! (Fuck…that was Juan, right? It was so him! No chance in hell it wasn’t! Does…does this mean this is also my fault? No! He saw Wilhelmina in the woods…but why would he take her?!)

“…Harper…what d-do we do?” Looking directly into his best friend’s eyes, tears streaming down his face, Vergil begged for a solution! “W-Wilhelmina…I-I have t-to save her!”

“No! The cops…they’ll handle it!” Harper tried to reassure, but that statement held less weight than gas!

“No t-they won’t!” Vergil, distraught, asserted back! “There have been lots of kidnappings already! They never find the people! They never do!” Heat brimmed under the boy’s collarbone!

“What are you saying, dude?! Are you…you’re not going to find her yourself!”

“T-the police suck! What if they never find her?! I-I’ll find her! I’ll find her!” Vergil sprinted off toward the back of the school, desperate for any clues!

“Vergil, wait! Ugh!” A migraine unlike any before, so intense, Harper collapsed. Consciousness rapidly fading, the image of his friend sprinting away blurred into darkness.

Part 3

With lunch coming to an end, Amala decided to take the senic route back to her desk. Strolling by the same set of long cubicles, the overworked woman, the desolate cube, and an empty cubicle for Nicolaus. (I guess he really just isn’t coming in today.) Another glance of the group messenger showed Nicolaus marked inactive. (Should I…call him?) Unprepared to engage Nicolaus again after their recent unpleasant incident, Amala’s selfish and bratty nature seeped out. (He needs to get over it!) She quickly determined Nicolaus to be at fault, not mustering the courage to phone him yet.

From the corner cube, the bald man once again appeared with a smile. “Hello, Miss Amala!” He happily waved, only to receive an icy glare. “Still no Nicolaus! I’ll let the guy know if he comes in that you’re looking for him!”

“D-don’t bother! I wasn’t looking for that…brat!” She said, basically running off! (Stupid nerd! I’ll call him right now!) After finding an empty hallway, she pulled up her phone and immediately called Nicolaus! The phone rang…and rang…and rang until it connected! “Nicolaus…you’d better listen—” Cut off by the answering machine. Amala huffed and pouted, holding back a hissy fit, but only barely. “Nicolaus…call me.” She said, leaving the message…then deleting it when the chance came. Dejected, Amala marched to the bathroom and sat in a stall, silently, lonely, meditating on her solitude.

Stillness blanketed the restroom until Amala’s text message notification resounded! [We need help! Something bad happened!] A message blinked on screen from Harper, until it was retracted almost instantly!

[What happened?] Vernon replied. [I missed that message! Is everything okay?]

[Everything cool?] Katie Vang replied, confused as well.

Harper began typing again, then stopped. Then started again, and stopped. The wait was killing Amala who’d already seen the message, but wasn’t sure what was happening! [Sorry! Wrong chat, lolololo! :0] Was sent in reply. The most obvious lie possible!

[Oh, cool then! Like I said, no training tonight!] A blasé reply from Vernon showed his concern lie elsewhere.

[Gotcha’! Kind of sucks though. Feels like I was close to a breakthrough with something! :(] Katie and Vernon went back and forth for a bit; the whole while, Amala was perplexed by what she’d seen for that instant.

“What an annoying bitch!” Someone burst through the bathroom doors, seemingly whining to another person.

“She’s just doing her job. Chill out!” Was lackadaisically replied. The two hadn’t noticed Amala seated in an adjacent stall, clutching her legs up off the ground. Though initially wanting to leave, she felt awkward after hiding. “Marisa’s an old weirdo. She spends all her time talking about her daughter.”

“Probably why her husband left her!”

“Ouch, Callie! That’s pretty harsh.”

“Do you disagree?”

“No way! I hate listening to her go on and on about her kid too, but you shouldn’t say that aloud! Haha!” After washing their faces and fixing their makeup, the women left, spending most of the time insulting the HR rep, Marisa.

Amala exited the stall, thinking back on her limited interactions with Marisa. She found her more pleasant than either woman. (Jerks.) Leaving the bathroom, Amala took the usual less trafficked route to her desk as a way of avoiding prying eyes. (What was that message from…him?) Thinking about Harper naturally led to thoughts of Calvin, leading to thoughts of Chelsea…leading to thoughts of her argument with Nicolaus. Before Amala knew it, she was slumped over in her desk seat, beat down by depression. (The way Mist– Calvin Wolf spoke… No! I know what happened, I’m sure of it! I was there! I remember all the abuse! But…) All of that built up resolve, the bedrock she’d formed into her reason for living was slowly deteriorating, all under those gray eyes and staunch denial. Amala was rudderless, floating down stream toward a pathless destination. She leaned back in her chair, letting her eyes flutter as sleep felt like her only peace. This lasted until suddenly an arm reached out from Vernon’s office, dragging her out of the chair and inside!

“Amala, listen! We’ve got…an emergency.” Vernon, brow damp with sweat, manic look in his eyes, and suit jacket cast aside, clutched Amala by the shoulders!

“O-ok…what is it? Also…you’re hurting me.” She referred to his fierce grip on her shoulders.

“Oh! Sorry!” Releasing her, Vernon turned away and quickly redid his hair and clothes. “Sorry. It’s just…Harper and Vergil are in a jam.”

“…What do you mean?”

“According to Harper, Vergil’s younger sister was kidnapped.”

“What?! By who?! What?!”

“She was taken and Vergil ran off looking for her. Harper said that the cops are already looking too. We need to keep our heads down.”

“Because of what happened to those cops…?” Despite circumstances beyond her control, Amala couldn’t justify the killings of Niles Letterman and Kevin Greene in her head. Unlike killing gangsters, the officers were just doing their jobs. She was mostly unaffected by the ordeal, but Nicolaus’s outburst in regards to the incident weighed heavily on her conscience.

“Yeah.” Realizing he may have wandered onto a sensitive subject, Vernon drilled his thumbs into his temples, trying to figure a way back onto the other matter. “…Amala, can I leave this to you?”

Bewilderment struck Amala’s whole body like a truck! “Seriously?!”

“I can’t go, I have to work at the operations center; and look, we aren’t heroes, or vigilantes. All I want you to meet up with Harper, then find Vergil; not go out and try to rescue his sister. Just make sure Vergil doesn’t get himself in trouble, okay? We should believe the police can handle this.”

“…I…” No response seemed right. Amala was totally beside herself! “N-no! I don’t want to!”

“…You don’t want to?” Totally baffling!

“I don’t!” Amala desperately asserted, feeling backed into a corner!

“…Why?”

“…” Again, no response seemed right! At one point, she was confident in her memory! Positive the pain she experienced, that etched sorrow into her soul…was real. That unsureness, it terrified her.

“What’s wrong?”

“I…” Amala’s conviction felt irreparably damaged.

“You know they’re our allies, right?”

“I know…” Unable to rely on her own memory, she couldn’t muster the will to argue back.

“You know they’re kids, right?”

“I know.”

“You know if something happens to them and we don’t help them, it’s our fault, right?!”

“I know!”

“Then tell me what you’re thinking!”

“…I…!”

“I’m sorry. Things are stressful. I should calm down and think this through. I’m the only one who can. Dammit!” Vernon was upset, more so than Amala had ever seen before. His telekinesis slowly began to activate, exuding slight burgundy mist up from his back.

“…I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“I’ll do it, okay?!”

“…You will?!”

“Yes…”

“Thank you! Perfect! Thank you, Amala!” Vernon groaned, feeling one of many weights disappear from his back. “Look, I didn’t mean to get angry. It’s just that you have to explain yourself, you can’t just…freeze up and get quiet about stuff, okay?”

“…” Amala was beyond listening at that point. She just wanted to gather the boys, and get it all over with! She was busy choking down her anxiety, shuttering, and cycling only one thought around in her mind. (Do it fast! Get it over with, quick!)

A knock came to the door. “Uh…Vernon? You there? I heard shouting.” It was Marisa! The thought of upsetting HR ran ice down Vernon’s back!

“Oh, uh…no everything is fine!” Vernon quickly tossed back on his jacket, fixing his hair once more, and spared a second to check with Amala, who remained silently seething. “…” His eyes bounced between the door and Amala, over and over, not wanting to open up to a scene which only could’ve been perceived terribly!

“Oh Marisa, you’re here?” Another voice came! “Amala messaged us to come see Vernon. Is he in there?” Immediately recognizing it as Luke, Vernon rushed to the door!

“Yeah, I’m here!” Gathered outside his office was Marisa and two other workers. Luke, in a weathered tennis shirt and Mercedes, hair fleshly dyed blue. “I wanted to have a quick meeting with all of them. So, best we get to that.” Frantically trying to steer the subject in his intended direction, Vernon feigned a wide grin.

“Before that…uh…Marisa, can you come with us?” Mercedes winked in Luke’s direction, then to Vernon, bafflingly. “We need your HR expertise!”

“For what?” Quizzical, Marisa scratched her head.

“Y-you’ll see when you get there! Vernon, you too! Oh, and where’s Amala?” Hearing her name called, Amala unconsciously walked out of the door behind Vernon. “Oh, you’re here.”

“…Yes.” Amala was slowly regaining her composure, having successfully held back tears. “What’s happening now?”

“Worry about that later. Come on!” Mercedes and Luke both pushed Amala, Vernon and Marisa down the hall. The group eventually reached a meeting room with slight murmuring beyond the door. Amala was confused, but Vernon correctly surmised what was coming next.

The door blew open! “Happy birthday, Marisa!” From wall to wall of the meeting room, co-workers cheered at Marisa’s arrival! Pleasantly aghast, the woman’s face went totally flush, as she cupped her mouth.

“My goodness!” Marisa entered the room, smiling from ear to ear! Luke and Mercedes joined them, as off in the corner, Dorian blasted a smug grin at Vernon.

“It was Dorian’s idea!” Luke pointed out!

“…” Letting only a single sigh loose, Vernon leaned over to Amala and whispered in her ear. “Harper said he’d wait at 1500 Poehler avenue. I’ll say you need to go out of the office and handle something for me. Make sure to keep a low profile.” He walked into the room, forcing a smile, and warm body language! To that less than eager young woman, watching the man who’d upset her so deeply, having to obviously writhe in a situation he hated, was cathartic. She didn’t dwell on it; Amala slipped away from the door, and returned to her desk to gather her things. With an unfathomable want to escape reality, she almost quit right then and there, but soldiered on to meet up with Harper!

Part 4

Hurdling through the sky, Amala continually repeated a calming mantra in her head. (It will be fine. It will be over quickly.) The warmth of her telekinesis had changed. Before, akin to an active oven, but at that time, more of an open flame wrapping her body. (Can I even call this telekinesis anymore?) Amala spied the road coming into view, so she landed in an empty clearing. (…I’ll look up my powers.) She strolled along toward the meeting spot, using her phone as a reasonable distraction to move with less urgency. Bringing up an article on supernatural powers, Amala ran down tons of possibilities. (Teleportation…no. Telekinesis…no. Telepathy…no. Did I go too far down the list?) She quickly scrolled back to the top. (Pyrokinesis? An ability which grants one the power to control flames, fire, or heat using one's mind…that does sound accurate.) Amala’s thoughtless wandering brought her to an empty city block. Weathered buildings with broken windows, boarded up doors, and crabgrass braking through unmaintained sidewalks, spread out across the nearly deserted neighborhood. A lone figure, Harper’s chubby visage, wheezing heavily on a corner, drew Amala’s eye. She approached, and before even calling out, Harper turned right around and faced her!

“W-What are you doing here?! I thought Vernon was coming!” Frantically stepping back, his eyes conveyed only disdain!

“…” Amala considered how to speak with the boy. He wasn’t her enemy, his father was! She didn’t want to hate him, believing the boy knew nothing of their interwoven history. “He sent me.”

Harper never wanted to see the woman who accused his father of something so awful, ever again! “…Whatever. Let’s just find Vergil.” Time and options were lacking, so even while distrusting her, they began their search.

“…You!” That tone briefly infuriated her! The sudden rush of anger caused Amala’s, then rechristened, pyrokinesis to flare! (Calm down…he’s not Mister—…Calvin Wolf.)

A wave of heat rolled up Harper’s back for an instant, causing him to turn and lock eyes with Amala. (What was that?)

“Let’s go. Where was Vergil headed last?”

“…This way…I think.” Though Harper pretended, he had a near perfect idea of where Vergil was. A constant telepathic link had been in place; feeding Harper with bits and pieces of Vergil’s thoughts and feelings, as well as his friend’s general location. (He’s gotten pretty far, but he’s still worried. Fuck, this headache is making it impossible to focus!) Harper fell to one knee, feeling his nose begin to bleed again.

“Are you alright?!” Pulling a napkin from her bag, Amala moved to help Harper, but he swatted her hand away!

“Get the fuck away from me!”

“You…! I…!” Again, she held back! Using every ounce of self-control, the woman struggled to not lash out!

(Fuck…can I even trust her?!) Ill-will between the two built more by the second, to the point they weren’t even searching for Vergil anymore! (…I need to know. Can I trust her? That new thing my power does…can I…) Harper, still maintaining a bead on Vergil, also attempted to scan Amala’s thoughts. Within less than a second, that crawling sensation drilled into Amala’s mind! It caused a slight headache, but Harper hadn’t nearly expected the response he received! His nose spilled blood, his head quaked, even his eyes hurt! The boy nearly fell face first into the asphalt, but was caught by the much smaller woman! (…Bad idea…) Lucidity gone, Harper struggled up from the ground and gently away from Amala. “Thanks.” Humbled, he spoke.

“…” Amala narrowed her eyes at the boy, inspecting his disheveled appearance and connecting the dots in her head. She reached the conclusion… “That pain just now…it was like the other night. Your bloody nose too…I had one just like it when my pyrokinesis acted up. You…you’re the cause of it. You do have powers, don’t you?”

End of Chapter 14