Avenging Amethyst (Immortal Eyes)

by Price, Kaitlyn

  "You don't believe me," I said.

  "Riley's predictions have never been wrong. She also doesn't lie. If she says you can fight then you can fight. I can't believe you've been hiding it the past week and a half. I can’t believe I actually felt so close to you. Are you a spy or something? Did some Zhulik pay you to infiltrate our facility?"

  I slammed my feet into the ground, stopping both of us only a few feet away from the gym doors. I didn’t have a chance to call him out on admitting he felt close to me. The thought of him thinking I would betray him was more important. "I can't believe you would think that! Those monsters are the reason my mother is dead and I never even knew you existed until that point. I haven't lied to you about anything."

  The hallway had been empty but my shouting carried down the hall and I saw a few staff members peek their heads out of doors. Felix gave an apologetic smile and continued tugging me into the gym. I gave up resisting and followed him in, wiping the tears of frustration from my eyes with my free hand. He turned on me the second the doors were closed.

  I would have never expected what happened next. Felix threw a punch at my face. I braced myself for the pain but before it could come I felt a burning deep in my gut. Before I knew what was happening I was dodging the punch and quickly shifting my body to elbow Felix in the chest. I didn't even know I could do that and we both stood there in amazement as we tried to comprehend what had just happened. I didn't get much time though because Felix snapped out of his shock first.

  There was fire in his eyes and I realized that I just proved that I could fight. He had no reason not to believe I was a spy and a threat to all of them. When he came after me again I felt that burning feeling in my gut takeover. I quickly dodged anything he threw at me and retaliated with a hit of my own faster than he was able to dodge.

  A few minutes of this passed before I understood what was happening. That burning sensation was similar to the sensation I got when I sensed someone using their power, only much stronger. This ability to be able to fight was part of my power.

  "Felix! You have to stop," I shouted to get his attention. I needed him to hear me out. I didn’t have any control of my power and I didn’t know what I could do to him if he didn’t stop.

  "No," he shook his head. "You've been lying to all of us. You've been lying to me. We opened our arms to you like family and it was all just part of some evil plot of yours."

  As long as he kept throwing punches I would keep dodging and hitting back. I didn't want to keep attacking him but my body had a mind of its' own right now. I kept trying to get him to calm down but he wouldn't listen to me and would scream anytime I tried to talk. I could see he was getting weak and I finally seized my opportunity and jumped on him.

  We both tumbled to the ground and I managed to pin him to the floor after rolling around a few times. He struggled but I pushed down harder until he finally gave in. The training from the past week and a half had really increased my strength. I wouldn’t have stood a chance of pinning him down back then.

  "You need to listen to me Felix." I looked deep into his eyes, pleading that he would calm down.

  He just glared at me.

  "I swear to you, I've never known how to fight before this. I've never had any lessons and I didn't train on my own. When you threw that first punch at me I felt a burning sensation in my gut and it took over. I had no idea what I was doing or how to control it. It almost felt like the tingling sensation I get when I sense a power but more intense. I think this ability to fight is part of my power."

  Felix was still tense but he was studying my face very carefully. Tell the truth, I heard in my head, along with a slight tingle. He was trying to use his power on me to get me to admit I was a spy.

  "I'm not lying," I said. My heart was thumping painfully in my chest and I was becoming more and more aware of how close our bodies were.

  He tried one more time with his power and when I still said I wasn't lying he relaxed a little bit more.

  "I have to admit," he said hesitantly. "I would much rather it be part of your power than you be a spy. It makes me feel better that I just got my ass kicked by a girl."

  I burst out laughing and he laughed a little bit too. Of course he would try to make a joke in a time like this. He was still a little tense but he was starting to believe me. I released his arms and sat back. I was straddling him on the floor, and as awkward as it felt, I didn’t want to move. Partly because I was afraid he would attack me again and partly because I wanted to attack him, only in a different way.

  "Do you believe me or do I have to straddle you all night so you don't attack me again?" The flirty tone to my voice was back and I was desperately hoping he would take the hint and not reject me again.

  "I don't know. I kind of like having you on top of me," he said, biting his lip and clenching his hands into fists by his sides. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.

  There was a moment of silence where neither of us made a move. I didn’t know whether to take that as an invitation and I was terrified to make the first move. Felix gave in first, though and slipped his hand behind my neck, pulling me onto his chest and into a desperate kiss. My heart skipped a few beats and I melted into him. I ran my hands through his soft hair and I felt his hands gripping my hips. I almost felt like crying for joy.

  The sound of the door opening made Felix tense. He threw me off of him and out of our kiss. It was like being splashed by cold water and it took me a minute to remember where I was. I was still sitting on the ground but Felix had shot up and was standing next to me while Rema and Rylie entered the gym. It was almost an exact replay of the last time we kissed.

  My breath was shallow and an ache in my heart was making it even harder to breath. Was I stupid for having feelings for Felix?

  "Well, what have you found out Felix?" Rema asked when she was in front of us. I slowly got up and Rylie glanced at me with suspicion. I had a feeling she knew what had just happened and the look on her face hinted that she didn’t approve.

  "Look and see." I had just barely gotten on my feet when Felix quickly turned around and threw his fist at me again. My body reacted in the same as it had earlier. The burning in my gut took over and seconds later Felix was on the ground holding his stomach. I had landed a blow hard enough to knock him to the ground and knock the wind out of him.

  "Oh my gosh, Felix, are you okay?" I asked as I kneeled next to him.

  He gasped a few times before he caught his breath to speak. "Fine. Fine. That was a lot more power than earlier."

  "You really caught me off guard. And I didn't want to end up on the ground again."

  Felix and I both blushed a little bit but I don't think the others noticed.

  "What just happened?" asked Riley after she recovered from her shock.

  Rema didn't say anything. She just looked at me with wide eyes and occasionally glanced at Felix. She was apparently still in shock.

  "I thought you already knew," I said.

  "I knew you could fight but you didn't even have to work to get Felix on the ground. I figured you knew some basic stuff and Felix could help develop it. That was nothing like what I expected."

  I shrugged. "I really didn't think I knew anything about fighting but apparently it's engrained in my body. Every time Felix starts to attack me I get this burning sensation in my stomach and then my body just fights back. I really have no idea what I'm doing. It just happens naturally."

  "So you think this is part of your power?" Rema said, finally snapping out of her shock.

  "Yes. I don't think there's any other explanation for it."

  "I've never seen anything like this," Rema muttered. "We need to take you to see Nia. She'll confirm this."

  "Whoa, Nia? Why do I need to see her?" I asked. Nia scared me and I hoped I wouldn’t have to see her again after our first introduction.

  "Nia has the power to tell if someone is lying," Felix explained. "She'll be able to confirm if it's part of your power or if you'r
e a spy for someone. She seemed to trust you before so I'm hoping it's the first option but she could have misjudged you."

  I gave a pleading look at Felix but his face didn't show any emotion. He agreed with Rema and we all left the gym and went back up the stairs. Felix and Rylie both walked stiffly next to me. I knew they both believed that I was telling the truth but they wouldn’t relax until it was confirmed. Felix would probably never relax around me again.

  Chapter 14

  Nia did not look happy to see us knocking at her door. It was the middle of the night, which was technically the middle of the day for Nesmyr and Lovac, but it looked like she had been sleeping. I didn't think Nia would have looked happy to see us at any time though. Her face seemed to be in a permanent sneer.

  "What do you want?" she grumbled.

  "Nia, I need you to help us out," Rema said. "Can you tell us if Avery is lying about some things?"

  Nia glared at me, sighed and then looked back at Rema. "I suppose. Have a seat in the lounge. I'll be out in a minute."

  She closed her door before we could say anything and we all took a seat in the lounge area. No one said anything and the tension was making me uncomfortable. I didn't want to be scrutinized by Nia but if it would make the tension go away then I would welcome it.

  Nia came out a little while later, looking much more refreshed. She sat down in front of me and told Rema to ask away.

  "Avery, are you a spy?"

  "No," I immediately said.

  "Truth," was all Nia said.

  "Have you always known how to fight?" This came from Felix.

  "No."

  "Truth, kind of," Nia said. When she didn't elaborate we all gave her a questioning stare. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Her mind believes she didn't know how to fight. Her body says otherwise. It's complicated. Basically, she believes that she didn't know how to fight so it's still the truth."

  She gave Felix a look that asked if that was good enough for him and he shrugged and sat back in his chair.

  Riley was the next to ask. "Did you really get a burning sensation when Felix came after you?"

  "Yes."

  Nia nodded. "She's telling the truth still."

  "Do you think it's part of your power?" Riley continued.

  "Absolutely."

  "Still the truth," Nia said, looking bored.

  After that, everyone relaxed.

  "Is that all you need?" Nia asked.

  "I think so. I don't have any more questions. Do either of you?" Rema asked Riley and Felix.

  They both shook their heads but Nia was the one that spoke.

  "I have a question then. Are you ready to fight Zhulik?"

  I was caught off guard by this and had to pause to think about it. Now that I knew more about my power, I felt like I could fight anything but was I really ready for it? I wasn't sure. I had only been part of this world less than two weeks and I was still learning about it. I wanted to be ready to make myself useful but I was afraid.

  "I don't think so," I finally said.

  Nia stared at me for a moment and then nodded her head slightly. She didn't say anything and stood up to leave. "If you need anything else please hesitate to ask," she said and then sauntered back to her room.

  "Why does she have such a horrible attitude?" I muttered.

  Rema surprised me by laughing, which caused Riley and Felix to laugh too.

  "Nia is Nia," Rema said. "That's just the way she is and always has been. She was raised by strict parents and grew up with an emotionless attitude. Deep down she's a good person though."

  "So, is my trial over then?" I asked next.

  Rema grimaced. "I'm sorry we had to do that. We've had some Lovac on the verge of craziness become spies for Zhulik and other dark creatures before. We had to be sure we could trust you."

  "Does that mean you do trust me then?"

  "Yes," all three of them said in unison then laughed.

  "So what happens now?" I asked.

  "Good question," Felix said, looking at Rema for the answer.

  Before she could reply, Carson came running into the room. Well, not really running. I think he was too old to fully run but he was walking with urgency.

  "Finally," he said as he came up next to us. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Rema, I finally found some information on Avery's power."

  I sat up in my chair. I was excited to know if there was even more to my power. He hadn't heard about the latest discovery and I was curious to know if he had researched the right power.

  Rema sat up in her chair too. "What did you find?"

  Apparently we were all going to keep quiet about the fighting part until hearing him out.

  "Well, it's rare, that's for sure. There is only one other documented case. That is, if I have the right power. I found a power matching the description you gave me about being able to sense other powers. If it's the same power, Avery should also have unmatchable fighting skills. I think we need to take her out to the field and--"

  Felix coughed a little to interrupt politely. "Sorry, Carson, I don't mean to interrupt but we've just tested that out. Avery beat me up without even breaking a sweat."

  Carson finally looked at Felix and could see parts of his body that were already starting to bruise and swell. He gave an apologetic smile and continued, "It seems I must have the right power then. Only one other person in our history had this power. Aleksia Salvador."

  That name did not ring a bell to me but Riley, Felix and Rema all gasped.

  "Of course," Riley said. "I remember studying her a few years back. She holds the record for most Zhulik killed. Everyone believed she would have made them extinct if that were possible. She would have killed so much more if..." she trailed off, glancing at me.

  "What happened to her? Did she never find a Dimidium?" I asked.

  Felix shifted slightly. "She did. She lived to be in her thirties. The Zhulik got smart though and the few that remained at the time gathered together to take her down. They knew they couldn't physically take her down so they went after her Dimidium instead. They kidnapped him and did some pretty horrible things to him before killing him. When Aleksia found the body the darkness consumed her and the Zhulik took their chance to kill her. No one believes they killed her right away, though. There is suspicion she was endlessly tortured until her heart gave out but there is no proof. Her body was never found so there’s even some suspicion she was never actually killed."

  "That's horrible," was all I could mutter. It almost made me hope I never found my Dimidium. I didn't want to put anyone else in danger because of what I could do.

  "This was hundreds of years ago," Riley said. "Other Lovac had gotten lazy when Aleksia could easily take down Zhulik. If their guard wouldn't have been down, they could have protected her Dimidium. If you find one, we will make sure he is securely guarded when you're not with him."

  "I thought your power was seeing the future, not reading minds," I teased.

  She tried to hide a smile. "I just have really good intuition. I would think the same thing if I were in your situation."

  The more time I spent around Riley the less I believed she was as young as she looked. She was always so mature and calm about everything and it made her seem like how I imagined a perfect mother would be.

  "So, what exactly is my power?" I asked. I knew it had a lot to with sensing things but no one had told me the full details of it.

  "It's an enhanced power," Carson said, reading over his notes. "Most Lovac get an exact copy of a power from another creature but sometimes it morphs or enhances. It's pretty rare when it enhances this much though. All Zhulik have naturally heightened senses but yours is so enhanced that you can feel it resonating in your body but it doesn’t sound nearly as cool as it actually is."

  So it was a Zhulik power, which wasn't as cool as having a demonic or fairy power but with it being so enhanced made it rare and valuable.

  "Well, I guess I'll keep it then." It was a cheesy joke but it g
ot a small chuckle out of everyone.

  "That brings us back to our previous question. What do we do next?" Felix asked.

  Carson was the one who answered. "Well, in theory, you could start taking jobs and going after Zhulik. I have no doubt you could easily take one down. You're power will basically fight for you unless you become too tired or distracted but a hard hit from your opponent will probably bring you right back into the fight."

  "When―" I started but Felix cut me off.

  "She doesn't know the proper procedure for any of the jobs though. She hasn't learned how to properly kill a Zhulik either."

  I had been about to ask when I could start but this made me stop to think. I had no worries I could pin a Zhulik down to the ground but I didn't know how to kill one. Or if I even would be able to bring myself to kill, since they looked just like another human-being. Then another thought occurred to me.

  "How much stronger than us are Zhulik?" I wasn't sure if I would even be able to pin one down now.

  "Quite a bit. Our advantage is speed, not strength," Riley answered.

  "So, there's no chance I'd be able to pin one down to kill it? I would need to do that while fighting?"

  "Yes," Felix said. He gave me a curious look, not sure where my questioning was going.

  "If that's the case, then I don't know if I really will be able to kill one. I can't control what I do when my power takes over. I just start moving but I'm oblivious to what I'm really doing."

  "I think you need to learn to speak with your power," Carson said. "You need to concentrate while your power is active and learn to control it. Felix informed us that you were able to use your power to pinpoint exact locations where people are using their powers. That's speaking with your power."

  "And you think I will be able to do that while I'm in the middle of a fight?"

  "Anything is possible."

  I appreciated Carson's optimism but I didn't share it with him. When I was fighting with Felix I had no control over what I was doing and I wasn't sure I would be able to concentrate when I felt like I was just stuck inside my head, watching a movie of my body fighting.