The Prodigy Page 4

  “Dude, you’re going to let her put me on blast like that?”

  “Chill out, guys, I’m trying to see what’s going on,” I reply, dismissing Erik’s plea. Clarissa snickers while Erik’s mouth hangs open, baffled by my unwillingness to respond.

  I find it hilarious how Clarissa is one of the friendliest people ever but also a low-key savage. You’d never take her for the friendly type if you only saw her in combat though. She goes completely unhinged, but at the same time, she’d bake you cookies just because you popped up on her mind.

  “Aiden!?” Erik groans.

  “Shh. Something’s happening.”

  “Aiden!”

  Summer dissipates the ice around the arena and on Malik’s hands. After that, they exchange pleasantries while Ms. Cosgrove takes centerstage.

  “Okay, class. Head over to the training grounds immediately so we can begin the exercise for today.” As she’s speaking, I can see Summer and Malik still having a conversation of their own with Mr. Hoover between them.

  Summer’s good at hiding it, but after Clarissa pointed it out, I can kinda see from her body language that she has some discomfort. If an attack’s strong enough to damage our suits, there’s almost always some sort of tradeoff that comes with it, even if you have some form of defense. Even the fact that she was able to keep her footing after taking Malik’s attack is incredible.

  Knowing Mr. Hoover, that’s probably what he’s talking about with her...Malik too.

  After Erik, Clarissa, and I get up, I watch Mr. Hoover try to heal her, but she opts for Malik to go first. A simple touch is enough to patch up any injuries they might have had, and after a few seconds, they’re both on their way to the training grounds just like the rest of us.

  Chapter 3

  “Well, that was a good warm up. The new kid has some serious potential. Mr. Hoover and Ms. C. sure know what they’re doing,” Summer says while stretching.

  “Malik? Yeah, he was great.”

  “He really was. He should have been with our group from the start. It’s crazy how there are some folks around here who have wicked abilities, but don’t want to use them.”

  “I mean, not everybody wants to fight, I guess. It can get pretty brutal. He was working in R&D, so he probably thought he was contributing enough through the stuff he was creating. It makes sense when you think about his powers.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s true. He’s pretty much a walking battery...uh...generator. Generator is more accurate. Power...plant? There’s definitely some wattage flowing through his system.” She groans. “It stung like hell when he zapped me.”

  “How did you do it?”

  “Do what? Beat him?”

  “When he attacked you, he discharged his electricity.”

  “Yeah, and? I blocked it with my ice.”

  “I got that part, but like, how did you resist your body from locking up? People get tasered and can’t move. Malik virtually struck you with lightning, twice.”

  “When I kicked him, it was like I touched an electric fence,” Summer says nonchalantly. “But I’ve already told you—it was my ice. I blocked the current, so that took away a good bit of its potency. The rest was just grit and determination. I knew what I was in for, so I endured...plus I reinforced parts of my suit right before impact, while attacking.” She winks. “You may not have seen it, but Mr. Hoover noticed. After I caught on, when I shot my ice, I let the tail of it travel back to coat the arms of my suit. I knew I had to make a move, so I kept him busy and distracted him.”

  The mist...

  “...And then I wrecked him when he left himself open—well—more open. I could have ended the match sooner. He had a bunch of openings, but I was being careful. When I froze his hand the first time, that was a big one. I could have frozen his feet and someone would have called it, but I wanted to see what he could do.”

  “So, you took his attack head-on.”

  “Yup...and I’m better for it. We both are, I guess.” She smiles. “I got a warmup and he now knows that he can do more. What would really make me happy is if I could get my hands on Tristen. He doesn’t really say much these days, but he’s always lurking. If you’re sneaky, you can catch him sometimes looking our way. Our powers clash, and he’s one of the best in our class. I want to see if I can take him. If you had to bet though, you’d put your money on me, right?”

  “Of course.” I smile while Summer continues to stretch. “You’d totally win.”

  “Freaking right. He wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  “Yeah.”

  I’d been so focused on myself ever since the incident, so I never really thought about it, but Summer’s been training too. Everyone involved has feelings about that day. It’s hard not to.

  “I know you already said it, but I figured I might as well ask again before I get started. Are you sure you don’t want me to train with you? We don’t have to fight or anything. We can just workout or something.” As much as I’d like to train with her, I can’t let her know what’s going on.

  “It’s fine, Summer, really... I’m taking things slow until Mr. Hoover gives me the green light. I’m just going to be doing laps and some light exercises. Besides, I’d probably only slow you down on your quest for world domination.”

  “Hmph. Yeah, probably, but when I get to that point, I’ll definitely need an assistant, so I’ll keep you in mind.”

  “Ha. Dope.”

  “But seriously...” Summer softens her tone. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? You remember the last time you pushed yourself too hard? I found you passed out in one of the training rooms.”

  “Yeah.” I laugh nervously and rub the back of my neck. “Yeah, I remember.”

  “It’s not funny. You know you could have been seriously hurt, right?”

  “I know...you’re one hundred percent right, but I learned from it, and I’ve been safer since then.”

  “I just don’t want someone to find you passed out behind some rocks or in the forest somewhere. This area is huge. You don’t have to show off or anything just because you’re back with us, and no one wants to see you in the infirmary again.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Promise. I’ll look out for you when I make a lap.”

  “Okay.”

  “But don’t flip if you don’t see me for a while. I’ll be in the forest training. Solo.”

  “Okay, everyone. Gather around so we can begin!” Ms. Cosgrove calls out in the distance. “There’ll be plenty of time to work on your techniques after we complete the exercise. Chop chop!”

  “Looks like that’s your cue... See you around.” I wave goodbye to Summer and take off jogging to the trail that runs along the perimeter of the training grounds. I appreciate her concern, but I need her to trust me. She doesn’t even realize what shape I’m in, and she’s still worrying. If she knew the truth, she wouldn’t be able to see me without losing focus of her own goals.

  I’ll get through this—I just need more time.

  I push off the ground harder, propelling myself across the terrain at an accelerated pace. The wind bends along the contours of my face, my sweat keeping my temperature cool as I press on. I wasn’t much of a runner before I started here, but just like everything else, things change. We adapt. One time around the trail is a mile, and I probably won’t get started with the bulk of my training until I’ve done about two and a half. Just like at some parks, there’s workout equipment scattered in various sections along the way in little designated areas. If I stay focused on running, I should be able to finish my run in about twenty minutes. It shouldn’t be a problem.

  My body is fine, it’s my powers that aren’t.

  I make the first lap at a decent pace and watch the other students as they follow Mr. Hoover and Ms. Cosgrove’s instructions. They seem to be working on some kind of parrying technique for hand-to-hand combat that can also be used as a way to disarm an opponent. It’s always interesting seeing how each student tackles techniques becau
se of the wide variety of abilities in our class. Some of the students are learning the technique without the use of their powers, while others have free reign. Anything can happen in combat, so it’s required for us to be able to learn how to navigate without our powers just in case the situation presents itself. Summer’s helping Clarissa with the technique, and she seems to be doing okay. Clarissa’s ability is primarily used from a distance, so her close-combat skills aren’t the best.

  Summer catches me watching from afar and we lock eyes. I give her a nod and she turns back to instruct Clarissa on whatever it was she was telling her before I caught her eye.

  The teachers are usually good with pairing up individuals in the class to suit their needs. Malik is partnered up with Wayne, and Mr. Hoover is observing them both. Mr. Hoover seems to be coaching the portion of the class that’s allowed to modify the technique with their abilities, so pairing him up with Wayne is a good choice. Wayne’s ability makes him extremely durable, so he can take a ton of punishment, even without the battle suits giving him an extra line of defense.

  Powering forward, I pick up the pace for my second lap around the training grounds. By the time I finish, it looks like the teachers decided to switch up the students. Everyone seems to be working on the new technique except for Tristen and Kaci. They’re working on something entirely different from the rest of the class. Tristen is projecting a constant stream of flame at Kaci while she bends the trajectory with her abilities. Mr. Hoover is supervising, but all he seems to be doing is watching from a safe distance and nodding on occasion. I can’t make out what he’s telling them to do, but I get the gist of what’s going on. Kaci’s ability allows her to do a variety of things. She’s a telekinetic, but she favors defensive options like barriers and manipulating the environment. Tristen can generate and manipulate flames. It looks like Mr. Hoover is trying to stress-test Kaci’s willpower while also working on Tristen’s capacity to effectively use his abilities. It’s an endurance test for both of them; a necessary one despite how odd it appears to be. Our powers are just like muscles. There’s no room for growth if we aren’t constantly working towards pushing past our limits.

  I deviate from the track after I finish another half-mile and cut into the forest for privacy, Tristen and the other students serving as my motivation to push myself.

  I stop my run while under the cover of the forest and begin to unleash a flurry of punches and kicks to solidify my warmup. My body responds nicely to the movements...my strikes are precise and fluid. Once I’ve had my fill, I pause and begin to pool my energy into my arms. Mr. Hoover said it’s always useful to use visualization when training alone. Whether it’s a goal, execution, or an opponent, having your vision set in your mind can give you something to work towards.

  In the space in front of me, I imagine Shadow Von—the towering menace who taunts me in my dreams. He growls at me with his glowing, crimson eyes peeking through the parts in his shaggy hair. I plant my feet into the ground and begin to pool my energy into my hands. At first, I feel a steady flow, but before it can fully manifest, I feel it beginning to throttle in small spurts. I strain harder and a set of small flames appear, the aura of dark energy flickering, barely enough to cover my fingers.

  A stream of sweat falls down the side of my face, and my breathing becomes labored—even more so than when I was running. Bringing out my energy normally doesn’t cause this much exertion, but ever since the incident, things have changed... Von really did a number on me.

  I continue my training with a series of punches and kicks, slowly building the intensity as I go. The mental imagine of Von starts out by taking my assault without budging, and then he throws a punch of his own. I weave under it and counter with an upward strike combined with an explosion of energy from my palm—or at least that’s what I’d normally do. Rather than releasing my energy, a sharp pain shoots down the length of my arm and I retract it, resisting the urge to grab my forearm. Von doesn’t care that I’m in pain. In fact, he’d use it against me. The Imaginary Von swings at me again, but this time he overextends with a cross, leaving his midsection wide open. I pool all of my energy I have access to and transfer it to my dominant hand for one decisive blow—my signature strike—my flash touch. While yelling to draw out more power, I strike the base of a tree with an open palm. My energy radiates outwards from my hand in a shockwave and weaves through the tree, causing the point of impact to slightly concave. I immediately fall to one knee and grab my wrist.

  Yeah...I’m definitely a lot weaker now.

  Maybe I exhausted all of the years of energy I had pent up when I blasted Von into the sky? No...that doesn’t make sense. If I held onto energy like that, I would have had more than that one instance when my powers randomly activated.

  Some abilities are like that, but they’re outliers. Most projection types have a well of energy they pull from that regenerates over time. There’s a limit to how much is readily available for immediate use. Part of the reason that we train so hard is to increase our capacity.

  Expand the pool and you can draw more...

  But what if I?

  No, I don’t think that can happen... Can it?

  I hope it didn’t, but I should probably talk to Mr. Hoover just to make sure. He’ll know what to do, no matter the outcome.

  It was dumb for me to have waited so long to get help.

  Not wanting to put it off any longer, I relinquish my energy and gather my remaining strength before standing. There’s no use in injuring myself if my body won’t cooperate. My top priority should be finding a way to restore my powers, not make them worse. Von really had to make it his life’s goal to ruin everything I worked for...I can’t let him win no matter what happens.

  As I walk back towards the main trail, I notice a pain stemming from the shoulder of the arm that launched my last attack. I place my palm over the top of my clavicle for some relief and press on. Running at this point will only aggravate it further.

  I hear the sound of crackling wood in the distance and pause to trace the origin of the sound. I turn around just in time to see the tree I struck topple over onto the forest floor, ending its descent with a dull thud that shakes the forest.

  Yeah, I’m definitely weaker... I’m sure Mr. Hoover will know what to do.

  I walk along the running trail until I come across the rest of the class about thirty minutes later. In that time, my pain managed to subside but I can still feel that something isn’t right. “Aiden! Back so soon?” Mr. Hoover greets me with a warm smile, momentarily turning away from the other students. They’re sparring...singles. Everyone seems to be doing fine except for Kaci. She’s in her battle stance, facing off against Tristen. From her body language I can tell that she’s nearing complete exhaustion.

  “I need to talk to you about something...something’s wrong,” I confess.

  “Wrong?” His smile fades as he gives his full attention to me. “Are you hurt? Did something happen?” he says while scanning me with his eyes.

  “No. I’m not hurt...at least I don’t think so. I didn’t notice it until after I recovered from my fight with Von. I thought I was rusty...that things would get back in working order once I moved around, but that hasn’t been the case. Honestly, I think it may be getting worse, but I’m too afraid to really test myself to find out. I want to stay at the academy as long as I can, but I don’t think I’ll be able to continue at the rate I’m going.”

  “Aiden, what are you talking about?” Mr. Hoover asks, confused. “What’s going on? You’re not making any sense.”

  “It’s my powers,” I say soberly. “I think they’re dying.”

  Chapter 4

  “All right, Aiden, have a seat.” I do what Mr. Hoover says, taking note of the sharp tension evident in his words. His brow furrows as he looks at me from the other side of his desk. Leaning forward, he hesitates as if gathering the right words to say. When I spoke to him during class, he immediately excused me from the rest of my classes for the day and
told me to meet him in his office as soon as class was over. He didn’t ask me if I was joking or if I had overused them. He simply took my words at face value and began to take action, which meant he had a valid reason to believe my claim. When I left, so did he. I saw him briefly explain the situation to Ms. Cosgrove and take his leave while being as discreet as he possibly could. And now, we’re here, and I’m just as much in the dark as I was an hour ago. “So, your powers...you think they’re dying?” He bridges his hands and rests the top of his nose on his index fingers. “What makes you think this is so?”

  “Ever since my fight with Von, they haven’t been working right. At first, I thought it was because of the damage I’d sustained, but after I was healed, things didn’t really improve. Dr. Kresnik confirmed that I didn’t have any lasting damage to any part of my system. He scanned me before I was cleared to come back...which is weird because as it stands, I’m fully healed. I don’t have any aches or pains, and I haven’t been putting too much stress on my powers...but when I try to use them, it’s like, I don’t know how to describe it. Uh... An engine?”

  “Elaborate, if you will.”

  “It’s like, I turn the key and the engine clicks, but it has a hard time starting up. Like, a really hard time, and when it does, it’s not anywhere close to everything I’ve got. It’s gimped. Usually I can tell how much power I have available and how much I’m going to use, but these days, it’s like I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel for the most basic things. It’s like my body isn’t producing energy anymore or something...or it’s slowed down to the point where it’s basically nothing.”

  “Hmm...can you use them now?”

  “I should be able to if nothing’s changed since the last time I tried.”

  “Okay, please, show me if you will.”

  “Okay...” I extend my hand out in front of me and begin to channel my energy.

  “Go on.”

  I close my eyes, visualizing a portion of the dark energy pooled in my core as I siphon it into my hand. Once I feel it begin to manifest, I open them to see the beginnings of a small flame flicker and dance below my fingertips.