She didn’t reply. She only fanned herself with her hand. Heat pulsed around her. It was so strong I felt as if I were sitting by a bonfire.
I felt something shimmering in the back of my mind. It wriggled softly and the energy around me hummed. Things were going to get very interesting. I don’t know how I knew that. I just knew.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I was woken by the sound of a trumpet the next morning. The ear-splitting tune was played over the intercoms in every room of the dormitories. I groaned and threw my pillow over my head.
“Come on, sunshine.” Phylicia was already up. Her bed was made. She was showered, dressed, and even had her make up done.
I peeked out from under the blankets. “How do you have so much energy?”
“No reason, just looking forward to the competition.” Phylicia flashed me a brilliant smile and went back to reapplying her plum colored lipstick. She hummed as she perfect her full pout.
I hid back under the blankets. “What time is it?”
“Five AM.”
I groaned again. One day, when I graduated, I would find a job that let me sleep in until 10:00am. I was no morning bird, that’s for sure. I felt Phylicia plunk down on my bed and poke my foot.
“Let’s go, sleepy head.” Phylicia said.
I sighed and threw the blankets and pillow off of me. “Ok, fine.” I dragged myself out of bed and got ready as fast as my tired bones would let me. Phylicia waited for me, humming to herself and checking her make up in the mirror every ten seconds.
We arrived in the lobby at the same time as Ryland and Luke. I was surprised to see them. “I thought you two would be using the training room already,” I teased.
Luke shook his head. “After yesterday, I needed sleep.”
“Isn’t it sad when six thirty is considered sleeping in?” I joked. The other three shrugged, it was normal for them now. “Anyways,” I coughed. “Let’s go get breakfast.”
Ryland’s hand brushed mine as we walked. “Hey, I know you’re trying to keep things cheery, but the competition is serious business.” He whispered. “Maybe try to dial down your tone a little. We need to keep our heads in the game, and so should you.”
How could I keep my head in a game that I didn’t even know the rules for? I lifted my chin slightly. “Sure, I’ll keep that in mind.”
We served ourselves a protein-rich breakfast from the buffet and found our tables. No one was mixing with students from the other campuses.
“When will the schedule be announced?” I asked in between bites of omelet.
Phylicia shrugged, rolling her spoon around her in tofu scramble. She seemed on edge, always looking towards the door any time someone walked in.
I ignored her nervous glances the first few times, but my curiosity got the best of me. "Phylicia, what are you doing? You seem on edge."
Phylicia forced a smile. "No, it's nothing."
I knew what it was by the tone of her voice and how her face darkened in embarrassment. "It's the pyro guy, isn't it?" I leaned forward and whispered.
Phylicia feigned shock. "What? No. No way?" She dropped her voice. "Is it that obvious?"
"No, but I had a feeling," I said, shrugging it off to make her feel better. "If it matters, I think you should go for it."
Phylicia looked away. "I dunno, I don't have much luck in the love department."
"You never know until you try," I said, inwardly groaning at how cliche that sounded. Who was I to give out advice about love? I had two guys falling for me and so far I couldn't even decide. Ryland was the bad boy I craved, while Luke was the reliable guy I could depend on. Then there was Daniel. I had nearly forgotten about him in all the excitement. I nearly forgot how we almost kissed. Almost.
"Ok, girls, ready to get our schedules?" Luke said. He had polished off three plates of breakfast.
Suddenly my stomach didn't feel so great. I exhaled to calm my nerves and forced a smile. "Absolutely!" I lied. My eye met Ryland's, and he gave me a discrete smile. He was probably as nervous as I was, but he'd never let it show.
The competition schedule was posted on screens outside the cafeteria. Students were lined up to find their names under all sorts of different headings. The noise and crammed bodies was overwhelming. I hovered near the back until some of the students had moved out of the way.
Ryland put a reassuring hand on the small of my back.
"So, uh," I looked up at him. "How does this work, anyways?"
"Find your name, it's alphabetical. Your schedule is posted there. There's three main divisions of skill testing: combat, problem solving, and everyday tasks." Ryland explained. He was more helpful than anyone else had been so far. He craned his neck to get a better look. This competition could decide the fate of the graduating class. I just tried to stay out of the way as usual.
The crowd thinned and Luke and Ryland pushed their way through. Phylicia snorted something under her breath before shouldering past the other students. They had strength where I had none, but I could use my small stature to my advantage. I slipped in between two south campus students who had tried to block me.
The screens were huge enough to read from almost any angle. They scrolled upwards slowly; I waited for the "H" section.
Hall ... Hampton... Herb ... Hernandez. There! Bianca Hernandez (North) - Round 1 Telekinetic Task - Telekinetic Sparring - Round 2 Problem Solving …
My first event was in the everyday task section and I breathed a sigh of relief. Something easy should get me warmed up. I noted the time and locations of each of my first round tasks before slipping back out of the crowd. The air was noticeably cooler when I wasn't surrounded by bodies.
Luke popped up a minute later, having literally teleported ten feet in order to get out of the crowd. He had a huge smile plastered on his face. "So, what's first for you?"
"Telekinetic task, nine o'clock." I said. "You?"
"Sparring is first for me,"Luke beamed. I had never seen him so excited before. "We spar with students in the same talent group and then it gets harder." He explained. "The sparring matches are popular, so come by if you want to watch. My first match is at ten."
I made a mental note. "Sure thing," I said.
Phylicia pushed herself out of the crowd next. She was literally shaking with excitement. "Oh my god," She said. "Oh my god."
I looked at her. "What?"
"I'm starting with sparring tomorrow afternoon. Which means I might go head-to-head with the pyro from east campus!" She squealed and then regained her composure. She forced herself to keep her voice low. "I'm freaking out."
"Yeah, I see that!" I laughed. "Maybe it's meant to be." I teased.
Phylicia rolled her eyes. "Don't get my hopes up."
"Sounds like I'll be watching a lot of sparring," I said. "I'm starting with the tasks division and I'm not complaining." Maybe it wasn't as flashy as sparring, but that suited me just fine. I needed to start this slowly. I had barely sparred at my home campus without cause trouble, I'd be terrified to spar in front of a crowd.
When Ryland came back through the crowd, he didn't look thrilled.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Every day task for me. I was hoping to spar," He said flatly."I have to wait until tomorrow."
"They're probably afraid to let you spar," Luke said, but he was only half-joking.
"Let them be afraid, it won't change anything. I'm going to win." Ryland spat. He looked to me. "What about you?"
"Everyday task at nine," I said.
"Uh, it's almost nine." My three friends said in unison.
"What?" I glanced at the clock reading 8:51 and gasped. "Holy shit, I gotta go!"
Luke grabbed my hand. "I'll get us there. What room?"
"Main building, 240" I rattled off from memory, which was nothing sort of a miracle.
"Good luck!" Phylicia said.
I glanced at Ryland just as Luke teleported us out.
A moment later we were in the main building. Thank goodness we had a tou
r the evening before or else I'd have no idea where to go. My vision blurred as I caught my breath. The combination of teleportation and nerves had my stomach in a knot. I grabbed the wall to keep me upright.
"You ok?" Luke put his hands on my shoulders.
I nodded, swallowing hard and not trusting myself to speak. "Give me a second." I croaked after a few more deep breaths.
The hallway was nearly empty. It was a long corridor with a few doors and bright lights. It looked like the inside of any other school and far less impressive than the buildings that had been renovated before the National Competition.
I straighted up and looked at the door before me. 240. "Ok, so I guess I just walk in?" I said meekly.
"Yep. Sorry, but I won't be able to wait for you." Luke said.
"I know. I'll try to make it to your match." I promised.
Luke reached out to touch my hand and a bolt of energy shot through us. Maybe our connection wasn't as strong as the one between Ryland and I, but I hadn't exactly been fair to him either. That kiss in the classroom. That night in the dorms. Luke was amazing, but I was so blinded by my lust for Ryland to notice. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks and pulled my hand away. "Thanks for teleporting me." I fumbled over my words.
Luke pushed his hands into his pockets. "No problem. I should get back. Good luck."
"You too." I said, watching him disappear.
I braced myself and focused on the task at hand, gently knocking on the door. I knocked again. No answer. I took a deep breath and twisted the handle open, finding a simple white room.
It was much smaller than a normal classroom, lined with mirrors at the back of the room. A shiver down my spine told me I was not alone and a glance towards the camera in the corner confirmed my suspicions. This was strange. A single desk and chair sat at the center of the room. My footsteps echoed as I walked towards the desk and found a paper taped to the top.
Dear contestant, in order to respect the anonymity of the judges and the employers, the room will be empty and monitored remotely. Please perform the task assigned to you.
"Complete the task?" I whispered. "What the heck is the task?" I glanced around. The room was almost completely bare, except for a large bin on the floor. I crouched down to inspect it, realizing that it was full of colored shapes, a mix of all sorts of colors. "What the hell?" I whispered.
Instructions were taped to the top.
Please arrange all shapes according to color by only using telekinesis. Any physical contact with the bin or the shapes will be an automatic fail.
"Sorting shapes? What kind of everyday task is this?" I shook my head and stepped back.
An alarm beeped and the digital clock on the wall burst to life, the timer ticking down from twenty minutes.
My heart jumped into my throat. Twenty minutes? But there were thousands. I took a deep breath and focused on the bin. There were so many tiny pieces, how was I supposed to latch onto just one? There had to be some trick to this.
I flexed out with my powers, sifting through the plastic shapes, watching them swirl around the bin as if they were caught in an invisible whirlpool. I narrowed my focus, trying to pin point one single shape, but it seemed impossible. How could I feel just one if I put my hand in there? It was the same feeling, but in my mind.
I shook my arms and took a step back, pacing and glancing at the clock. These pieces were the size of a coin, way smaller than anything I had ever practiced with before. What was the trick?
Fifteen minutes remained.
"Shit," I breathed and rolled my head back and forth. Ok, now was not the time to freak out. Fifteen minutes was plenty of time. I closed my eyes and pushed my energy towards the huge bin of shapes. I worked through the pieces, letting them swirl and move against the force. I found myself in a relaxed state very quickly. The soothing sound of plastic pieces moving against each other like waves filled my ears. How could I latch on to one piece at a time and sort them all? It was an impossible task.
No. It was an impossible task if I didn't think outside the box. I extended my power and flipped the box upside down, sending the plastic shapes all over the floor. Now that they weren't so close together it should be easier to get a feel for them.
My fingertips tingled as I let the feeling pass through my mind. It was then that I noticed the slight differences. I closed my eyes. One shape felt round, one felt smooth, one was sharper, one was rough. I sorted through them all, seven feelings in total, that soon became distinct in my mind as if I were seeing them.
That's it! I focused on the round ones, sending them up into the air and opened my eyes. To my surprise, it wasn't the circles that were hovering at my eye level. It was the yellow pieces. Yellow felt round? If I hadn't done it myself, I'd say I was on drugs. I lifted the yellow shapes higher and gathered them together in a floating ball.
I smiled to myself. I'd show those judges something they hadn't seen before. Now that I had it figured out, it was time to show off.
I reached my energy out to the smooth ones next, the blues. I gathered them into a ball next to the yellows. Next was the sharps. Red. Rough was green. Squishy was purple. Bumpy was orange. Last was the cold-feeling pieces. The white.
In less than a minute, I had all seven colors floating above me in nearly perfect spheres. I was amazed at myself, but didn't let it show. I breathed in and out slowly to calm my nerves. With a slow twist of my wrists I let the colorful balls lower to the ground and arrange themselves in the order of the rainbow, with white at the end. The plastic pieces settled on the ground in neat piles with barely a sound. I stepped back and put my hands on my hips.
The buzzer rang again, and the clock stopped. I had finished the task with six minutes to spare. I let my powers recede, feeling the familiar tingle at the base of my skull.
There was a crackle and a robotic AI voice spoke over the intercom. "Thank you, contestant. You have successfully finished the first task. You are dismissed."
I glanced around the room. I figured the anonymous judges were watching be behind the mirrors or through the camera, or both. I backed away from the piles and didn't take a breath until I had closed the door behind me.
Relief flooded me like a wave. My legs suddenly felt like jello and I sank to the ground with an emotional gasp. I did it. I had done the task flawlessly with time to spare. I could barely believe it myself.
"Bianca, are you ok?"
I looked up to see Ryland leaning against the wall. I smiled and jumped to my feet. "I'm better than ok. I did it!" I squealed and pulled him into a hug. I kissed his cheek before I fully realized what was happening. "Wait. How did you find me?"
"I found your schedule on the screen. I wasn't about to let Luke whisk you away and not follow up." Ryland said. He held me tightly. "I was worried about you. I know these challenges can get intense, and it's not like you've had as much practice as most of us."
"It was amazing," I said. "A simple task, really." I added with a humble shrug.
"Good," Ryland said with a smile.
A group of west campus students walked by, shooting wary glances at Ryland. They were silent until they thought we were out of earshot. "So, anyway, are you guys going to watch the sparring?" One asked his friend.
That reminded me. Luke's sparring match was today and starting soon. "Do you want to come watch the sparring with me?" I asked.
Ryland's cold expression warmed slightly at the thought. "Absolutely! Come on, I can't wait to show you the training arena."
#
For what seemed to be the hundredth time since yesterday, I was completely blown away by the west campus facilities. The training arena made our facility look abysmal. The arena was modern with a sharp utilitarian architectural design. It looked more like a stadium than a gym. There was enough tiered seating for a few hundred guests. The main floor was divided into six equally sized sparring areas divided by tall plexiglass walls. Scratches and dents from previous matches dotted the gleaming plastic.
A huge
screen on the wall showed the matches as they were scheduled. Luke was up a few minutes. He was matched with a student from west campus. The arena was buzzing with energy; many seats were filled with west campus students, eager to cheer on their own.
"How does this school afford all this?" I asked, gesturing around.
Ryland chuckled. "Private donors. Silicon valley money," He said. "They get way more funding than we do back in Detroit." He looked around, his expression unreadable.
This used to be his home turf. I had no idea how he was feeling. I gently touched his knee. "I'm glad you came to Detroit. I wouldn't have met you otherwise," I said. Just as I leaned in to kiss him, an announcer spoke over the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please focus your attention on square 6."
I tore my eyes away from the pair of students sparring with telekinesis and saw Luke standing in the middle of a square. He was paired against a student with blond hair and glasses. He was gangly and thin, but I knew better than to judge someone with psychic powers based on their physical appearance.
Ryland sucked in a breath and nearly choked on it.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"That's Kevin Spooner," He said. "The kid that got me expelled.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Luke and Kevin stood facing each other at the center of the square. The area was completely empty. Nothing for them to use to fight except themselves. They were motionless, staring each other down like hungry wolves and waiting for the buzzer to signal the start of the match.
"Hand to hand combat?" I squeaked. "What if someone gets hurt?"
Ryland leaned forward in his seat. "Sparring matches only last nine minutes. That isn't enough time for anyone to do serious damage," He said. "It's more of a test of your skills than actually trying to hurt the other person. For those of us who want a job in the military or law enforcement, fighting is part of the game."
I shivered. I had no interest in anything like that. I'd be quite happy to return to a normal mundane life once I graduated. But I had a feeling that I wouldn't be so lucky not after everything that had happened to me these past months.
Psychic Lies: An Urban Fantasy Academy Romance (Psychic Academy Book 2) Page 9
