It didn't take long until my patience for the two love birds annoyed me to a fit when I saw them everywhere together. If it was a sign from the gods or cruel punishment, I couldn't get myself alone for nearly twenty minutes before I could hear there cooing voices and their hands rub together as they stood glued to each other. Cal was a grown man and I assumed CJ was the same, but her young pure skin said otherwise, his actions with her served like two children who had never been in a relationship before. Like he had never been in a relationship with me.
At that moment, where they cooed no more, I found them in the training circle, practicing his gift with hers. Ice and fire, sweats and pants that echoed through the hot and humid area that was the base.
I knew I was watching too much, but neither of them stopped. I tried my best to look as if I knew they were weak, that I could do better against Cal and the girl.
I could tell Cal was taking it easy on her, he could sear her skin off if he wanted but all he did was light her pants on fire which she quickly diffused with her icy touch. She was very flexible too, almost like a gymnast on bars, looping and hopping around him, and with Cals oddly but quite nice big stature, it was hard for him to turn his back and attacked when CJ had jumped over him and nearly struck an ice blade right in his leg. He fell and CJ circled him, in a flirtatious and predator way. I gritted my teeth, but Cal was able to sweep his leg and cause her to lose her balance when his foot knocked her ankle. Both regained balance and Cj backed up anticipating the spat of fire that could come out of Cal's hand. As I knew, as she knew, he did his attack and she dodged it, nearly though and I imagined when it could have caught her hair on fire and I could walk away laughing in pride. She was able to turn the floor he stood on into ice and he slipped and fell on his arm, it started to bleed and CJ grinned.
What a bitch. I hated her, not because she smiled at his scar that bled onto the icy ground but because Cal laughed alongside her. That his eyes lit up with her smile, that everything she did could have the same effect of Cal just like it did with me.
It was eating me alive and I could feel the jealousy chew and bite at my heart, hands, feet, lungs, and eyes. I could cry, I could light up the sky, but I won't, I don't know if I even can. That lightning that turned against me in the shower caused me to feel drained of all that I had, that made me, me. The empty power was now filled with anger and jealousy and I was letting it overflow on purpose.
I settled my mats and bag near the arena where both girl and boy where wiping there sweat off their brow and getting ready to leave.
"I guess you haven't been training that much Cal."
I caught him off guard as he frowned when he saw me for a few seconds before immediately smiling back and looking at CJ like emotional support animals, she can't save him, especially from me too.
"You think you could do better?" He said with a fake smile, but I gave him an obvious face reminding him of what I'm cable of. He put his hands up and stood remained, "Actually, I think I can remember that you can toast a whole city with a single storm."
"A whole city huh?" CJ remarked. Her brows furrowed and I watched as I caught a glimpse of skepticism.
"That's right, you've never seen the lightning girl in action."
I kept my face neutral, my anger wanting to creep out.
"I would love to see that in action." Her hands folded and her hip stuck out. Biting my lip like a child, I wanted to slap that smirk off her face.
"I don't know Mare, you up for a one on one."
I slid my eye to him, "with you?"
"No, with me."
I stared at her, hair short and tucked behind her ear. Her small face that rested with ease that it was hard to tell how she felt.
"I don't know C."
"It's fine, if she's stronger than me, she'll know when to stop." She smiled and went back into the netted area.
Cal looked over to me in a plead to decline but my anger was starting to spill over that my idea of a fighting her until her lips bleed sounded great in my ears.
I entered the area as well, taking my jacket off and throwing it next to my stuff, my anger slipping out as my eyes narrowed and my brows folded.
"Mare?"
I sneered at Cal, he could have stopped this but I know deep down he wanted to see who was stronger for him. He knew it would be me, I know it is me.
CJ wrapped white tap on her hands and wrist, folding it on as if she was ready to get into a boxing match.
Her bare legs and arms where an advantage, not only where they exposed but they also were very skinny, she looked more like a dancer than a fighter.
"You ready lightning girl."
Those words rolled off her tongue like honey, in the context, it was in, I wanted to slap those words out of her vocabulary, but remained quiet and ready.
Her stance that was across from mine was timid but calm, hands extended waiting who would go first. I could see her chest go up and down, her breathing slow and pattern like, her eyes dilated and fingers tingling with energy.
I felt the energy surged through me like I was going to burn her up as I did with Elara, but, like she was actually in my head, something was telling me no.
I caught her rubbing her fingers, popping them and twisting them, the white bandages rubbing against each other.
I looked at my fingers, dirty nails, cracking skin and those blue and purple bruises and cracks that laced around my fingertip. How ugly, how weird.
I heard one last crack of CJ's fingers until I was finally ready to stick, but Cal's voice skimmed over me.
"Mare I don't think-"
"Cal! Cool it!"
I felt a sharp hot pain in my shoulder and felt my back slam against the netting. Finally realizing that CJ found an open window to strike me. The icicle was melting away and left a hole in my shoulder.
That moment I lost all train of thought, I didn't counter but instead remained still and in awe that I was bleeding from my shoulder.
CJ was smiling in such a daring way. She struck again, letting her hand expose her palm and lasing out tiny ice daggers near my legs and arms.
I quickly dodged them and moved to the side, gripping the netting and exposing my back. If she wanted, she could catch me right there but she didn't.
She wanted me to attack, show my strength but something inside me wasn't working.
"Mare?"
I heard the whisper in my ear, Cal worried and scared for not my life, but my dignity that was slowly cracking.
I decided my best bet was to turn around and face her and maybe run over at her. If my lightning decided not to work I still had my strength under my skin and through my knuckles.
She saw the run towards her coming because I was feet away from her. It caused me to slam back into the netting and I moved closer to the black metal pole that was near me and grabbed onto it.
She struck me again, this time with the ice beneath my feet and I fell on my ass. I gripped the pole and with some surprise saw my purple electricity pour out onto the pole lighting the arena where the metal was. CJ backed away from the edges avoiding any shock, it neared her toward the middle closer to the center.
I got up, letting my hands take in the weak energy that poured out into my burnt fingers. I directed it towards her and watched as her fear finally showed. She dodged again and it made the anger show through my hands.
I enjoyed the fear she showed but I wanted her to fall beneath my feet. While backing up I let the lightning consume me until I went numb and directed it toward her.
What I wished to see was her cry in fear but instead, I saw black. I felt pain everywhere and saw as the ceiling, the sky, become my focus.
I heard a voice and felt heat consume me until everything was pitch black and silent.
-
The bed was smoother and softer than my bed, whiter and pretty. It was calming really, to not be in a humid and boring room that was mine in the corner of the housing quarters. Even if I didn't know where I was, the room felt safe and secure. Even my body felt relaxed, I couldn't feel the blood or heat that radiated off of me.
The beeping drove me crazy though, the timed seconds, the high pitched sound drowned anything else around me.
When the sense regained, I found myself drooling and it sticking to my cheek. I wiped it away, all in slow motion and I didn't even notice it, as if my nerves didn't exist.
I turned my head, from which I laid in an uncomfortable position before, to see what was around me. A blank ceiling with blank walls and a door. A door with a woman beside it.
I groaned and saw that my arm was laced with a tube and a needle inside me.
"The fuck?"
"Hey, hey."
I turned my head to see Farley, using her motherly whisper to calm me back into submission.
"You knocked yourself pretty hard there."
"I...I did what."
She scoffed in such a way that it unsettled me that I glared. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, but Cal said you used your lightning to attack yourself."
Attack me, how dumb was I at the moment?
If it was like the shower incident, I would presume I would have the same scars on my body the same as my fingers.
I lashed out to see any bruises that stripped my body but my movement was so quick and thrash that Farley set me down thinking I was trying to get up.
"Mare, its best you relax for a while until we figure this out."
"I...I just want to-" I kept moving until the head rush kicked in and as well as whatever was in the liquid that was flowing into my body.
"I know sweetheart, just rest and I'll be back with some food." She kissed my forehead and walked out of the room.
The sheer mention of food made my mouth water again and I imagined a bagel and butter that would enter into my mouth. The frustration that kicked in knowing I wouldn't have it any sooner caused me to move to my side in a huff.
I finally saw the bruises and blue-purple crack on my stomach. It didn't upset me as much as it did when I saw that Farley left her stuff near my bed, blocking the water and making it harder for me to reach it.
She had keys, and her phone but also a letter that was folded underneath her keys. I don't know if it was the painkillers or my actual thoughts but I stretched to grab the letter instead of the water that I was quenching for.
My eyes glimpse at the written letter, cursive, and a man's writing, it was a mans' writing because of the illegible scribbling but the words were not hard to make out, each one I read over twice, making sure my vision wasn't trying to screw me over.
Labs came out negative with dosage, did not affect silver blood cells but did cause some severe hemophilia like symptoms that caused the patients to fall into a fever. More results with come back with hopeful results.
Signed Dr. Minklin
The next thing was a graph showing charts, with the ink dissolving, so with my weak eyesight and screwed ink, I couldn't make out anything in the chart.
I threw it back onto the desk and hoped that my memory would save it for later when I wasn't so high.
I sat in silence and forgot about the loud beeping that echoed through the white room. I licked my lips every five seconds and every ten seconds I tried crackling my knuckles even after there pops were enough.
I'm sure if someone had walked in on me, they'd think I was paralyzed, my eyes stuck to the wall, hypnotized. If only.
I turned my head to the next wall and saw that even the walls of the room had imperfections, even for being so white.
I could feel my mind melt and the liquid swim into my veins.
I turned my head back to the regular wall but my heart stopped, my vision blanked and my palms sank into the bed as pure fear swam through me.
It had to be a ghost, a ghost ready to take me to the next life, especially since I went through such a scare seeing him just standing there.
Bony, dead, horrible but remaining the same posture and grin that I hated.
I dug my nails into my palm as I let my breathing go back to its normal patterns.
If it was him, I would strike him down, but I remained still, like watching a star fall, but I wasn't going to make a wish, he would bring no luck.
"Mare?" He whispered.
"Ma...I thought you were."
The door slammed open and the spirit that haunted me for a few seconds was gone.
"Mare?" Cal whispered, but just like I thought, my eyes remained glued to the white wall, wanting to see an imprint of the white pale boy in the white pale wall.