Shay hated coming here. It made her feel inferior, and so much in life already managed that. She was sitting in the bleachers watching for her newest instructor to come along, holding her head with her hands and watching anyone in the room with a heavy dose of disinterest that just barely hid her vexation.
At this point, Shay wasn't waiting with bated breath for something new to happen. For some secret miracle. And even if something did happen, how likely was is that she'd just learn to snuff her power away? Then she'd be almost completely human. The thought made her sick. A human in Manta Carlos. No magic to speak for. The word useless came to mind.
She shifted and took to tapping her feet impatiently. She stood and walked to one of the dummies across the room, inspecting it. She wanted to hit it... but... Shay couldn't remember how one was supposed to make their first, so they didn't break anything.
She balled her right hand into a fist; thumb tucked away behind her fingers. That didn't look right. That was how people broke their thumb. She put her thumb directly under her curled fingers, testing the feeling of it. She squeezed her hand too tightly and unclenched it a little, eyes narrowed. Who knew throwing a punch could take actual skill.
When Shay thought her fist was properly balled, she cocked her arm back as far as she could and swung, leaning her body into the strike. Pain shot through her body. If she weren't staring at the hit, she'd have wondered where the pain originated from. The girl cradled her arm against her body and doubled over.
Michael had a little too much to drink last night.
That wasn't his fault. That was his good friend Tequila's fault, with her damn sexy curves and an allure that could put the most brilliant men on their knees. All right, maybe it was his fault, and he could hear his sister's imaginary voice in his head about proper bedtimes as if he wasn't a thirty-year old man. He had his shit together! Just, not today.
Against all odds and logic, Michael managed to wake up at nine to get to his ten AM Basic Surgery class, manning the subject by himself ever since his sister decided to pursue law enforcement for real (she leeeft hiiiim), and he only zoned out a little. Success! He was more than ready to cash in his responsible adult chip, drive back home, sext his fiance and pass out. That would be conducive way to spend his afternoon.
His bag was already strapped to his side when the administrator secretary handed him a note.
Aw, man. More work. Why did he even sign up as a Powers teacher in the first place? He could remember something about the joys of teaching, but in between the volleyball team's whistle and the horrendously bright, sunny day outside, he was willing to look like a sham and a fraud just so he wouldn't work outside.
Begrudgingly, he put on his sunglasses and headed to the bleachers.
There was a little girl doubled over in pain.
He couldn't help it, he barked a laugh. "You know, most people get injured after they have Powers training, not before? Hey, I'm Mike. Call me Professor Ashworth. Doctor, if you're feeling it." He lowered his sunglasses and winked. Tilting his head to the nearby dummy, he grinned. "This your opponent? I don't know much about hand to hand combat, but if you're going to aim for something, go for the crotch."
That wasn't his fault. That was his good friend Tequila's fault, with her damn sexy curves and an allure that could put the most brilliant men on their knees. All right, maybe it was his fault, and he could hear his sister's imaginary voice in his head about proper bedtimes as if he wasn't a thirty-year old man. He had his shit together! Just, not today.
Against all odds and logic, Michael managed to wake up at nine to get to his ten AM Basic Surgery class, manning the subject by himself ever since his sister decided to pursue law enforcement for real (she leeeft hiiiim), and he only zoned out a little. Success! He was more than ready to cash in his responsible adult chip, drive back home, sext his fiance and pass out. That would be conducive way to spend his afternoon.
His bag was already strapped to his side when the administrator secretary handed him a note.
Aw, man. More work. Why did he even sign up as a Powers teacher in the first place? He could remember something about the joys of teaching, but in between the volleyball team's whistle and the horrendously bright, sunny day outside, he was willing to look like a sham and a fraud just so he wouldn't work outside.
Begrudgingly, he put on his sunglasses and headed to the bleachers.
There was a little girl doubled over in pain.
He couldn't help it, he barked a laugh. "You know, most people get injured after they have Powers training, not before? Hey, I'm Mike. Call me Professor Ashworth. Doctor, if you're feeling it." He lowered his sunglasses and winked. Tilting his head to the nearby dummy, he grinned. "This your opponent? I don't know much about hand to hand combat, but if you're going to aim for something, go for the crotch."
Shay's head snapped to the man, eyes locking on him and taking him in. He wasn't what she thought he would be. What had she thought he'd be? Professional, probably. He didn't seem like that. She glowered at him and stood up, trying to shake off the pain in her hand and appear as though she weren't hurt.
"What can I say? I'm not most people." She silenced her anger, stuffing the urge to call him Mike in retaliation. She followed his gaze to the dummy. It didn't have a crotch. Would she have thought to hit someone in the crotch if they had come at her? Hopefully.
"What if it was a girl I was aiming at?" she asked with a raised brow. "I don't think a crotch strike would help much, then." Shay wished she knew what he could do. What were his powers?
"How are you supposed to help me train my abilities?" Shay asked, figuring she had the right to know. Was his 'gift' the reason he wore sunglasses? She had noted a bit of red to the whites of his eye when he winked at her, but that didn't give her a lot to go on. Shay squinted as she made no secret of analysing him.
She had mostly given up on participating in power classes. They hadn't been doing much for her, and Shay was resigned to the idea that her abilities were simply untrainable. She'd have considered trying to find a way to rid herself of them if she didn't loath the idea of being wholly human. Then she really would be prey, wouldn't she?
Edgy pre-teen goth types. Of course. Everyone had been there at some point in their lives. He came, he saw, he got embarrassed about. Michael adjusted his sunglasses. "You're not like most people? In an island full of special people? You saying you're normal?" He grinned. "But of course, of course, please, live out your individualistic phase to the fullest. Shit gets tougher when you start discovering boys, but, hm." He shrugged.
Michael looked at the dummy, then back at her. "Crotch shots hurt women too. I've seen it happen, believe me. It's a universal weak point unless your enemy doesn't have a crotch to begin with."
That wasn't really the point of this, though. The point of it was her last question. Michael raised his hands. "I'm a magical surgeon. I can touch your magic and know exactly what you need, and it's a miracle." He walked over to the bleachers, patting on the area near him for Eroshay to sit. "Before we start cheating through power class, tell me what's the deal with you: What's your power and what's your problem with it?"
Michael looked at the dummy, then back at her. "Crotch shots hurt women too. I've seen it happen, believe me. It's a universal weak point unless your enemy doesn't have a crotch to begin with."
That wasn't really the point of this, though. The point of it was her last question. Michael raised his hands. "I'm a magical surgeon. I can touch your magic and know exactly what you need, and it's a miracle." He walked over to the bleachers, patting on the area near him for Eroshay to sit. "Before we start cheating through power class, tell me what's the deal with you: What's your power and what's your problem with it?"
Shay stared for a moment. She supposed she had walked herself right into that one, not that it was completely wrong, mind you. By all writes, strength-wise she might as well have been a human compared to everyone else on the island. So, the girl shrugged one shoulder, trying for nonchalance, "pretty much."
She made a face when he mentioned boys, but decided not to comment on it and further embarrass herself.
Shay's brows knitted as she, too, looked back at the dummy and thought. "Really?" she was quiet for a moment, flexing and clenching her hand as the feeling came back to it. "Thanks..." she said it only just loud enough for him to hear.
She followed him to the bleachers and sat near him, sitting, so she was sideways, rather than facing outward. It forced her to sit on one of her legs, but it was comfortable nonetheless. While Shay didn't often get into the details of her powers when explaining them to people, she figured she should with him. Not only was he her power instructor, but he was also a surgeon, and Shay knew you weren't supposed to leave anything out when informing doctors of stuff.
"When I touch people I see their death, from all possible sources. Like, multiple dimension theory, you know? Every decision that could lead to something bad, I see. I also hear the dead whisper around people who have killed, directly or indirectly. I kind of wish I could touch people, so I guess that's my problem. I can't touch anyone without activating it."
To Shay, it was so odd talking about it with the hope there might be a solution, any solution, but she was very aware it might not be a fix she was willing to take. Who knew what it would cost? Magic came at a price.
Mike smiled, just a small one, and made a show of stretching his limbs and slumping on the bleachers. He could remember disapproving of people making out under it in High School, and then turning on his head and making out with someone in College. There was no fondness. Mostly he thought: Man, this shit is old.
He listened to her explanation intently. She was twelve, right? That didn't sound like the sort of thing a twelve year old should be exposed to. He felt... genuinely sorry for her, being exposed to things like that. There weren't any shortage of victims in the world, that much was true for every generation.
Unfortunately, Mike wasn't one to be so openly sympathetic. He muttered a small, thoughtful-sounding "that sucks" before lowering his sunglasses to look Shay in the eyes. "Well, par for the course, people with your problem do eventually develop control with training. At the moment, I can provide you power resistant gloves so you can move on your day to day without troubles. You know, like Rogue from X-men." That was a hip reference, right? "There's also the option of sealing it completely, either through surgery or with a handy device, but that has the potential to end badly. I guess we should start training. All right, offer me your hand."
As soon as it was offered, Michael took it, but he immediately directed the magical flow away from him so she wouldn't be able to use it on him. "See, that's with outside intervention. It could be prevented. Try pulling the magic inwards."
He listened to her explanation intently. She was twelve, right? That didn't sound like the sort of thing a twelve year old should be exposed to. He felt... genuinely sorry for her, being exposed to things like that. There weren't any shortage of victims in the world, that much was true for every generation.
Unfortunately, Mike wasn't one to be so openly sympathetic. He muttered a small, thoughtful-sounding "that sucks" before lowering his sunglasses to look Shay in the eyes. "Well, par for the course, people with your problem do eventually develop control with training. At the moment, I can provide you power resistant gloves so you can move on your day to day without troubles. You know, like Rogue from X-men." That was a hip reference, right? "There's also the option of sealing it completely, either through surgery or with a handy device, but that has the potential to end badly. I guess we should start training. All right, offer me your hand."
As soon as it was offered, Michael took it, but he immediately directed the magical flow away from him so she wouldn't be able to use it on him. "See, that's with outside intervention. It could be prevented. Try pulling the magic inwards."
Shay was glad when Mike didn't say much other than "that sucks" because that was all someone needed to say. Yeah, it sucked. And that was all. No more. Relief.
She listened to him as he gave her options. When he mentioned gloves, she rose her hand to reveal the leather gloves she was already wearing. "Normal ones work," she said. Luckily, Shay had learned about that early on and had used it for many years. Or, many to a pre-teen.
She was glad to hear her powers could be trained. The truth was, Shay didn't train them too often, no more than the mandatory powers class for her age group. It was hard on her body, but Professor Ashworth, who must have seen plenty of different powers, was saying she could train them. It made her want to work harder at it. To stop hiding.
When he offered his hand to her, Shay took her gloves off and reached to take hold of his hand. She stiffened in anticipation for a current of visions, and when none came, her eyes widened.
Pull the magic inward? She imagined a current of magic, tried drawing it back, but nothing happened. At least, nothing that Shay felt. Was it like...sucking? Sucking something into you?
"Visualize it?" she asked, closing her eyes to focus harder. She willed her magic back with her inner voice, and she felt a slight ripple, but beyond that nothing else. She didn't think it was working.
Michael nodded. He'd seen how other people handled Powers coaching, and it sounded like PE coaching. Unluckily for Shay, Michael never liked PE. He was better at finding easy solutions, skipping over the arduous middle part of teaching by cheating to get to the good bits.
He held her hand and felt the magic interact with him. There was a brief ripple, but aside from that, nothing. Michael pulled out a bracelet from the Islets from his jacket pocket to show to Shay.
"This? Is like a magical handcuff. We use it in the correctional facility. It forces people back into their human shape and deactivates their powers. I'm going to put it on you for a bit. You're not in trouble. I just need you to compare how it's different from when your powers are working." With that, he put the bracelet on Shay. He held her hand again, waiting for a reaction.
He held her hand and felt the magic interact with him. There was a brief ripple, but aside from that, nothing. Michael pulled out a bracelet from the Islets from his jacket pocket to show to Shay.
"This? Is like a magical handcuff. We use it in the correctional facility. It forces people back into their human shape and deactivates their powers. I'm going to put it on you for a bit. You're not in trouble. I just need you to compare how it's different from when your powers are working." With that, he put the bracelet on Shay. He held her hand again, waiting for a reaction.
Firstly, Shay wondered why he had the bracelet in the first place. Being a child of twelve, her conclusion was that she was in trouble. It didn't matter how strange a jump of logic that had to be right then, to Eroshay it was true, and she was all too prepared to run. She didn't know where she'd run, but she'd do it, anyway.
Firstly, Shay wondered why he had the bracelet in the first place. Being a child of twelve, her conclusion was that she was in trouble. It didn't matter how strange a jump of logic that had to be right then, to Eroshay it was true, and she was all too prepared to run. She didn't know where she'd run, but she'd do it, anyway.
When Mike told her to relax, Shay breathed out but remained tense. She let him put the bracelet on her without a fight and eyed it over warily. The girl's hands were clammy, and her heart beat hard. She felt trapped and weird. Shay didn't even know why.
Eroshay honed in on the feeling of the wristband. "It feels... strange to me. Um," she searched for the proper words to describe the feeling of her magic stopping short. "Like, um, like a block? I don't know how to explain it."
She waited a beat, gnawing her lower lip thoughtfully and looking away from him. "Does this mean.... if I wear this am I functionally human?" The idea had always bothered Shay. Humans were prey to most creatures here. Without magic. Without anything. Shay was lower than she already was.