Lumen (11 page)

“Really? What for?” Daniel asked in a fit of need.

“Power classes. You from what’s been going around will be at the top end. You know you don’t get a flare like that for nothing.”

Everyone knows. I bet it’s gone around that I fainted as well and it will only be too soon before people start talking about where I’m from. Then I’ll have nobody to talk to.
 His stomach grumbled as he buttered his toast. 

Daniel raised the toast to his lips, and he saw her, the blonde girl who’d spoke to him yesterday, sitting there on a table a few tables back, she was alone and staring at him. He lowered his toast and a knock of nausea contemplated waving her over, and then two others joined her, Jasper and Mark, Jasper kissed her on her lips, and then she winked at Daniel.

“Who you lookin’ at?” Taner asked and turned. “Carlie’s bad news, she’s Jasper’s girlfriend.”

“She’s not like him though. She looks like the only nice one. She’s probably only in it for the power trip. I mean, she could have anyone right, and chooses the guy who just happens to be a leader,” Daniel said, glancing back and forth.

“Daniel,” Taner interrupted.

“Huh?” Daniel turned, a tall kid stood at the end of the table. “Yeah?”

The boy coughed several times. “Mr Croft would like to speak with you immediately,” he said and then left.

Daniel turned around to the heated stares on him, but not many had heard him from the clatter of pots and pans by the kitchen staff. He turned around to the smiling face of an elderly woman with a ladle in her hands.

“Why?” Taner asked.

Daniel shrugged. “Probably how I feel, I did faint yesterday y’know.”

“Yeah, and you said that you were feeling better.”

“Maybe he cares.”

“Yeah, sure. He’s prolly just covering his back, insurance an’ all.” Taner grinned; the whiff of a scandal seemed enough to make him forget about warning him against Carlie.

“I’ll see you in class then.”

When Daniel watched as quivering people walked out of Reuben’s office he wasn’t sure what he’d done. Reuben had been nice to him, and he enjoyed reassuring himself that with each step he took..

Daniel knocked twice, and each knock echoed in the small hallway of the third floor.

“Come in!” a voice boomed, shaking Daniel, almost to rap his knuckles on the door again.

Daniel twisted the brass handle and the door swung open. Reuben was seated; his elbows on his desk and his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He glanced over them briefly to make eye contact.

“You wanted to see me,” Daniel said and then approached the sofa.

Reuben immediately flicked his wrist and the sofas popped; they became thick, hard wooden chairs. “Take a seat.” Daniel took the offer, wiping his hands on his pants and trying to smile. “So, Daniel. Why do you think I’ve 
summoned
 you here today?”

“I fainted yesterday?” Daniel asked.

Reuben grinned; he took his glasses off, staring into Daniel’s eyes, he glanced away to his fingers toying with the frame. He shook his head slowly, “I’m a little disappointed in you.”

“Me?” Daniel’s face flushed red and he bit his lip to stop himself from panting.

“You broke a fundamental rule. Not once, but twice now. You’ve been leaving the campus. The first was Tuesday, and then I’m 
woken
 late last night to a call of another breach.”

“Last night?” Daniel voiced from a gasp. 
It was real? I met Mia last night? I knew it! 
He smiled haphazardly.

“This is not a 
grinning
 matter, Mr Satoria,” Reuben growled and grasped a hold of his glasses frame harder.

“No, sir.”

“Good. Are you going to tell me where you were then?”

“Yes, sir,” he said, holding a hand up to his mouth to cough. “On Tuesday I went home, I went to see my friend.”

“And did you receive any permission to leave the grounds?” he asked and Daniel shook his head. “And what about last night?” and Daniel shook his head again. “Your whereabouts last night?”

Daniel shrugged. “On a skyscraper, I woke from this nightmare and then, and then I was there. I thought it was still part of my dream. But you just said it wasn’t.” Daniel looked up to see a lax expression across Reuben’s face, and then a smile.

“Ah it would’ve just been The City, an awfully cramped and busy place. You may leave,” Reuben said, smiling again as he pushed his glasses back on.

Daniel rushed off to his class on the second floor. The class had already started and the door was closed. He took a couple of deep breaths and wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants. 
Be confident, now
, he told himself as he opened the door. There was a loud squeak and everyone turned around to see him walk in.

“Our first challenger,” the teacher said, throwing his hands up.

Challenger?
 Daniel asked, glancing around the room in search of Taner.

“Let’s welcome Daniel to the stage, guys!” the teacher, Rik parted the crowd to a large white square in the middle of the room. “Mark, make your way to the stage as well.”

Daniel took one look at Mark and realised just who he was, Jasper’s friend. Mark stood in one corner, his chest puffed out as the class cheered him on. Daniel was yet to receive any words of encouragement.

Rik pushed through to the white stage. “The aim of this game,” he began.

Game? 
Daniel thought, rolling his eyes. 
This is one funny game.

“You have to affect your opponent physically, without touching them. Although you may use techniques which value motion and allow you to manipulate your energy much easier. You may quit, but you will lose. If you step out off the stage, you lose. And if you come into contact with your opponent, then you lose,” Rik explained. “You both got that?” They nodded at Rik and then Mark stared at Daniel.

Daniel scanned the stage, his first thought had been the only trick Jac had taught him, but he couldn’t do that here. He couldn’t 
mix
 the Divides, he didn’t even know what it did. It could kill.

“He can go first, he’s a first year,” Mark said.

“Okay, Daniel, you will start, you get one move, and then it’s Mark’s go. Don’t forget to block, this class is about being able to defend against an attack as well. Start when you’re ready,” he said, “and guys, try not to scuff the floor, only just had it repainted.”

Daniel inhaled and looked out across the crowed. Behind Mark was Jasper and Carlie, he looked out further and could just about make Taner’s head popping up out of the crowd as if he’d been standing on his tiptoes. Daniel shook at the faintest echo of laughter, but then he gulped at the fear inside his throat.

Mark glared into Daniel’s eyes and then cracked his knuckles. Daniel took a slow deep breath and closed his eyes. He opened them and flicked both of his wrists at once; a thread of gold shot free from his hands. There was a crackle and grey smoke appeared at the bottom of Mark’s pants with the smallest of flames. The class gasped, and then huffed in disappoint as Mark put the flames out.

“Really? That’s weak,” Mark grinned, rubbing his palms together.

Daniel didn’t see it coming, until his teeth started to clatter and the group began laughing at him. He was grounded by a small bump of ice going over his feet. It was Daniel’s go again, and all he wanted to do was break free from the ice around his feet.

“C’mon!” Mark groaned, his voice muffled in Daniel’s ears.

Daniel stroked his goose pimpled arms as he tried to keep from shivering. He closed his eyes, trying to string together something warm, something that would burn Mark. The more he thought about it the warmer he got. The hair on his body had matted and thickened in record time, with the ice crumbling at the long talons on his feet. Without realising it, he had taken the form of one of the carriage men, and he squawked in Mark’s face.

Mark fell to his knees, cupping his ears, while everyone else took several steps back and curled their heads into their abdomens, trying to cope with the ringing in their ears. Jasper stood still, his eyes glazed over staring at Mark.

“Stop!” Rik shouted. The room was quiet again and everyone started to stand ever-so slowly.

Daniel wriggled back into his human form, inhaling the process away. Mark was the last to stand, his legs quaking at the balls of his feet.

“Cheating,” Rik said, and glanced from Mark to Daniel and then to Jasper.

Mark started to snigger, “knew there was a rule against 
that
.”

“No, not that. You, you cheated. Jasper fed some of his energy into you, that’s why the noise couldn’t pass his ears. Not until you took too much, trying to retaliate I suppose,” Rik explained, leaving everyone dumbfounded, especially Jasper who’d been none the wiser of what had happened.

Daniel couldn’t help smile, although it wasn’t one of the ideals he’d planned out for the lesson. It was better. Jasper and Mark were being laughed at while Daniel was praised for turning into a bird and then breaking from a double energy bound ice bond. It was a good first impression, if you discounted the weak fire summoning.

Chapter Thirteen

Daniel opened his bedroom door to the mess he’d left it in. The duvet was still on the floor and the sheet on the bed had come up. He stood at his door for a while, trying to figure out how, if he could, clean it, and it was freezing. And if he could, he wanted to make his bed. He flicked his wrists in imitation for what he’d seen Reuben do.

He managed to pull at the sheet slightly, before frustrating himself and walking over to it. He slumped on his bed and stared at the ceiling, but nothing could match the stars he’d seen last night.

“Mia,” her name trickled from his tongue as he closed his eyes, creating her face from behind his eyelids.

His bedroom door swung open and he shot up. Carlie walked in wearing a fluffy white robe. She slammed the door shut with her foot, and bit her lip, which is all she seemed to know how to do.

“You,” she mouthed.

“Carlie?” he said, his voice breaking.

“Don’t act so surprised.” She grinned, “this can be a secret.” She winked at him, her eyes wide as she stared into his, teasing her bottom lip with her teeth.

“No,” he said, pushing himself up against the wall.

She laughed. “You want me, 
Dan
. Everyone wants me.” She whipped the rope from around her waist and her robe fell to her shoulders.

Daniel closed his eyes. “Jeesh. Put some clothes on.” 
Please, I don’t want no more trouble from Jasper!

She glared at him and smiled, then shook her head, messing up her hair to fall around her face. She climbed on his bed and Daniel opened his eyes again. She had opened her robe to show her matching lacy pink underwear which her breasts were pushed up in. Daniel gulped; she was getting closer, on her hands and knees, her skin turning whiter as she closed in.

“Can you go, please,” he said and squeezed his eyes shut.

“It’ll take more than that,” she whispered into his ear.

Daniel forced himself up against his wall and opened his eyes. They were inches apart and looking into each other’s eyes. There was a shared mix of shallow breathes as Daniel’s hands relieved his straining body and he eased up against the wall.

“See,” she whispered, and then kissed him on the lips.

He pulled back but she pressed harder. He tried to pull away again, but he couldn’t, his head was against the wall. She gripped his hands and pushed them against her breasts. He moved his hands and pushed her off him by her shoulders.

“No, no,” he said, wiping his mouth. But there was something that wanted to continue, the thought that kissing her could hurt Jasper.

“You’re nicer than Jasper. He’s so demanding,” she said, in a sulky tone.

“So why are you with him?” he asked, trying to find a comfortable place to look.

“Don’t you like me?”

Daniel sighed, he didn’t even know her and it was harmless up until now. He’d read it in the books his father had brought home, if you told a girl you didn’t like her, she’d think it was about her looks and then break down in a fit of hysterical tears. If you told her you liked her, then she’d expect more kissing, hand holding, and sex.

Carlie flicked her hair back and grinned. “Oh, it doesn’t matter,” she said and kissed him on his lips again.

She kept on kissing him, and Daniel didn’t pull back; he kissed her and then one after the other they kept on kissing each other. The contrast of her pale skin and his tan skin became blurred as they started to glow.

Daniel stopped and took a deep breathe, panting and keeping himself from becoming too relaxed.

“Oh, it’s okay. I was thinking of leaving anyway, early morning an’ all.” She flicked her legs over him and climbed off his bed; she grabbed the white robe, covered herself and tied the rope around her robe to keep it intact.

Daniel began to spurt out random words. At first he didn’t realise, his blinks become longer and what he saw was blurred. The last thing he noticed was Carlie blowing a kiss at him as she left, and then his eyelids collapsed together.

Black swirls crawled up his skin. It woke him to take deep gasps, and then choke on his own awareness. He panicked at the black around him, and again he waved his hands in front of his face. His skin was sallow in the unknown source of light. He glanced around, everywhere, but there was nothing. Just black.

“Again?” A familiar voice asked.

Nostalgia took Daniel by the throat as he dipped and spun around on his foot in search of the voice’s holder.

“That’s something you can’t do so easily, is it?” it asked again, and still Daniel couldn’t find him.

“What isn’t?” he asked.

“Watching your own back, Daniel, although someone has been. Me.”

“What? It’s my dream! Show yourself!” there was a dryness in Daniel’s voice, he’d read a book that he wasn’t supposed to have once; people who were mentally weak are susceptible to being controlled or killed from inside the mind. 
No. I am strong!