Chapter 4: The Scanning and Dorm Assignments
Zan's heart raced as it was finally his turn to have his ability scanned. The bullies murmured among themselves, their voices dripping with sarcasm. "That's Zan, right? The peepsquek didn't cower off?" one of them sneered. Another bully chimed in, "It's nice to know that we could have our fun in here. Wonder what ability I got."
As Zan's ability was scanned, the room fell into stunned silence. Professor Calvin's eyes widened in surprise. "You're a rare case," he exclaimed, struggling to hide his astonishment. "We have only little information about your ability since the last recorded person to have had this was centuries ago. You could check the library later to see if they have records for this."
A whisper passed between one of Zan's bullies and another. "His ability is probably so weak that no one paid attention to them," one of them chuckled.
The scanning process continued, and the other students discovered their abilities as well. Zan's three bullies each acquired their own unique kinetic abilities. The first bully, named Derek, gained the ability of enhanced strength. He boasted about his newfound power, flexing his muscles to intimidate others.
The second bully, named Carla, received the ability of pyrokinesis, the power to control fire. She delighted in demonstrating her ability by conjuring small flames in her hand, reveling in the fear it invoked in others.
The third bully, named Trent, was the lucky one among them. He acquired the rare ability of telekinesis, allowing him to manipulate objects with his mind. With a smug smile, he declared himself superior to the other bullies, confident in his newfound advantage.
Meanwhile, the mentors responsible for teaching the students were introduced. Each mentor specialized in a particular field of kinetic abilities. The students were divided into smaller groups and instructed individually. However, Zan found himself in a predicament. The mentors seemed perplexed, as they were unaware of his biokinetic power. Zan sat there, feeling lost and miserable. "Even here, I'm an outcast," he thought to himself.
Just then, a girl student with short green hair approached Zan and sat beside him. She spoke with a friendly and comforting tone. "Hey! So much is happening, huh? Just five hours ago, I was tending to my plants, and now I'm here. I wonder what my family is doing."
Zan, initially taken aback, managed to calm himself and replied, "I'm not shocked anymore. It's just that I got a terrible ability. What's your ability?"
The girl smiled and replied, "I have chlorokinesis. Professor Calvin said I can manipulate plants. I guess it makes sense since I've been tending plants since childhood. By the way, I saw you earlier. Biokinesis, right? That's a cool ability."
Zan, feeling slightly reassured, introduced himself, "I'm Zan Dawry." The girl introduced herself as Demeisha Fant. They exchanged pleasantries, but their conversation was cut short as Demeisha's instructor called her. "Gotta go, Zan! Let's meet again," she said, waving him goodbye.
After the training session concluded, Professor Calvin led the students to their new dorms. Each student would have two roommates. Zan entered his assigned dorm room and found two students already occupying the beds. One of them seemed outgoing and kind-hearted, while the other appeared introverted and distant.
The timid roommate introduced himself as Lucas, and Zan reciprocated. They both turned to the third person, the cold and aloof individual. Lucas persisted, pleading, "Please, we're now roommates, so we'll be seeing each other quite a lot. It would help if we knew your name."
The cold roommate sighed and finally relented. "Fine, my name is Ethan," he said in a reserved tone.
Zan nodded appreciatively, and Lucas continued to engage in conversation, sharing his own ability. However, Zan quickly interrupted, placing a hand over Lucas's mouth. "I think it's dangerous to reveal our abilities to just anyone," he cautioned. "It's a good idea to keep our abilities hidden until we fully trust each other." Ethan silently agreed, and a sense of cautious camaraderie settled within the room.
With the lights now off, Zan lay in his bed, his thoughts consumed by the uncertainties of his future. He couldn't help but wonder if his bullies would continue to torment him even in this new environment. Sleep remained elusive as he contemplated the challenges that lay ahead.
To be continued...