The Major let out a long sigh and drummed his fingers on his mahogany desk. “Alright, that’s everything then. Oh, actually one more thing,” He added as I stood up. “Bianca, can you stay back for a few moments, I wanted to check in to see how your first week was going.”
I sat back down and watched Luke leave. He looked over his shoulder before shutting the door. His faced had paled since the Major discussed the teleportation ban.
“What’s limbo?” I blurted before Major Griffiths could speak.
The Major shook his head sadly. “It is an awful, awful fate. Sometimes when a psychic teleports, they don’t have enough energy or something disrupts them. When that happens, they often disappear. Forever. Those who don’t have no recollection of what happened between the time they left and the time they returned, which in some cases can be years.” He shuddered. “Truly horrifying.”
I sank back in the chair. Now I knew why Luke’s face had turned to ash; I wouldn’t doubt that it was one of his biggest fears.
“Don’t let it trouble you,” The Major said with a forced smile. “After all, Ms. Blackwell came back, so it is likely her student will show up soon. I have some of the best agents on the case, including Inspector Dolinsky.”
That was a relief. I knew Mr. Dolinsky wouldn’t rest until the student was found. If he cared as much about the other students as he did about me, that kid was in good hands.
“Now, on to other matters,” The Major said. “Seeing how Ms. Blackwell is going to be off for some time, I wanted to introduce you to your new teacher. Jack Turner is one of the finest experts in telekinetics that I know.”
I looked up at Professor Turner, who was still standing patiently. He needed no introduction. He was handsome, charming, and caring.
Turner nodded towards me with a slight smile. “Miss Bianca,” He said. “I’ve heard great things about you. I’m very happy to cover for Ms. Blackwell in the interim. I understand that you’ve been doing private training in order to get you up to speed?”
I nodded. His voice made me want to melt.
“Excellent. I’ll meet you in the training facility at three o’clock.” Turner said. “I’m sure our time together will be most enlightening.”
#
Why was I fixing my makeup and hair before training?
Everyone else was in silent shock after the assembly while I ran off to the dorms to shower and change. I guess the news didn’t hit me so hard because I had already spoke to the Major; I still acted as surprised as I could.
I layered on mascara carefully, using the mirror in my room. I changed into my training clothes and brushed my hair into a sleek ponytail. My heart was fluttering despite me trying to tell myself to calm down and not think of a teacher in a romantic way.
I went to the training facility, not bothering to stop at the cafeteria for a snack. I wanted to be early to warm up so we could get started right at three. I wondered how his training techniques would vary from Ms. Blackwell.
The training facility was busy this time of day. Our closed off space was near the back of the gymnasium-sized rooms. I used the narrow corridor that ran between the accordion walls, which I learned were bulletproof and fireproof to allow many students with a variety of skills to all practice at the same time without having to worry about a stray fireball or something of the sort. They weren’t soundproof; it felt like being in the middle of an action movie with a blindfold on. I could hear all sorts of fighting and yelling around me.
When I got to my area, Professor Turner was already there waiting for me. He looked calm and completely at home. He had changed out of his suit into compression leggings and a loose gray t-shirt. Seeing him dressed so casually lit a fire in my chest. For someone who was nearly twice my age, he sure was fit.
“Good afternoon, Professor Turner.” I said. It was a miracle I didn’t trip over my words.
Turner looked up from his clipboard. “Ah, Bianca,” His glowing smile was enough to make my heart flutter. “Please, call me Jack. We don’t need any of the formal stuff outside the classroom.”
I didn’t argue.
“Let’s begin.” He gestured to my feet. “Go ahead and take off your shoes. Having your feet flat on the floor can help you connect with your powers.”
I noticed that he too was barefoot. I kicked off my shoes and socks before beginning my usual warm-up stretches. I took deep breaths, holding my hands over my head and stretching my arms to the sides and forwards and backwards. I arched my back and shook the tension out of my body.
When I glanced up, I noticed that Professor Turner was staring at me. I bolted upright, wishing I had left my hair down to hide how red my face had become. “Sorry, just warming up.”
“Not at all,” Turner said. “Don’t let me stop you. I was just reviewing your progress so far.” He tapped the clipboard with his blue pen. “Would you say that your meeting with Ms. Blackwell have been challenging?”
I nodded. “Yes, very much so. I didn’t even know I had powers until recently so you could say I’ve been starting from the ground up.”
He nodded in agreement. “And it seems you’ve built up a good base. But now I think it’s time to push you a little further.”
I bit down on my cheek. Push me? Was I ready? Ms. Blackwell was still focusing on the basics for me. “I can try,” I said after a moment.
“Good,” Turner said. “That’s the kind of motivation I like to see in my students. Forgive me for saying, Ms. Blackwell is a lovely woman, but she has gone soft in the past few years.” He paused. “But I shouldn’t gossip with a student. Why do you show me what you can do?”
Knowing what I did about Ms. Blackwell, I couldn’t imagine her being any more hardcore than she was now. And he said she went soft? That was more than a little terrifying.
I laid out the usual tools on the mat in front of me. Two weighted balls, a five pound plate and a ten pound plate. I remembered vividly when even the five pound weight seemed impossible. Now it was too easy.
One by one I stood before them, held out my hand and lifted them with my mind. I brought them up to eye level and then back down on the mat.
Turner scribbled some notes on the clipboard. “Bianca, your file says that you’ve been causing explosions when agitated. Has this happened at all on campus?”
I shook my head. “No. Ms. Blackwell has taught me to control my anxiety. My powers are much more focused now.”
Turner made a noise and wrote more notes. “That’s what I was worried about.” He muttered to himself.
“Worried about what?” I asked.
Turner looked up from his notes and caught me in his alluring eyes. “Well, it’s just that, Ms. Blackwell had good intentions, but she might have actually made things harder for you,” He said. “Bianca, you are a very powerful psychic. I can feel it when I’m near you. All of this focus is good, but it might have dimmed your shine.”
I was shocked. “But before I was destroying everything. That can’t be good either.”
Turner closed the distance between us and I held my breath. “Destruction has its purpose in this world. Do not be afraid of being powerful.” He kept his eyes on me and held up his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the ten pound weight rose into the air. The cast iron plate groaned and buckled; a moment later it fell back to the ground in two pieces. He had torn it in half as easily as wet cardboard.
I gasped.
“That is what you will be capable of if you train with me, Bianca.” Turner said. “Do you want that kind of power?”
The feeling of his breath on my neck gave me goosebumps. “Yes.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The ban on teleportation had a great number of students upset. Those who were used to the freedom were irritable and paced in the halls. Those who normally teleported home on the weekend because their families lived too far away were trapped here with the rest of us.
I sat in the lounge with a book on my lap, but I wasn’t reading. I moved my hand over the pages, turning them back
and forth with my mind. I couldn’t get Professor Turner out of my head.
Phylicia went to bed an hour ago. The group of guys playing Fortnite on the X-Box left shortly after. Now there was no one left in the lounge except for the tiny goth girl. She was tucked away in the corner reading with headphones on. I got the hint and didn’t bother talking to her.
I flicked my wrist upwards and made the book levitate above my head.
Turner’s words rolled through my mind constantly. Did my training with Ms. Blackwell really dampen my powers? Did I have the potential to do bad ass stuff like rip metal apart? Maybe eventually.
Suddenly, a loud thump rang out through the room. I startled, and the book fell on my head. I flung it off and bolted to my feet to see the goth girl was laying face down on the carpet and convulsing.
I had never seen a seizure before, but I knew enough about first aid to guess this was it. I ran to her side, turning her over gently and making sure that she wouldn’t hit her head.
The girl’s eyes rolled back in her head and she was drooling. Her body trembled and jerked unnaturally.
I instinctively reached for my iPhone before remembering it wasn’t there. “Shit,” I breathed. It was almost midnight, and no one was around. I couldn’t see anyone in the hall and I knew I couldn’t leave her like this.
The girl gasped and sat up. Her head lolled to one side and a trickle of saliva hit the carpet. “You,” Her voice was raspy. “You. Listen.”
I swallowed hard. This voice did not match her small frame. She was a china doll with the voice of a monster.
The girl coughed. “Listen. Something is happening. Nothing good will come of it.” She reeled backwards. Her eyes were now wide and staring into nothingness. “Be warned, Bianca Hernandez. Those around you cannot be trusted. There are secrets. Secrets!” She convulsed and shuddered.
I looked around wildly and shouted, hoping someone, anyone, could hear me. “Help. Help we need a doctor!” I shrieked. “Help! Someone help!”
Just as my voice began to fail me, the lounge door was torn open. Ryland. I had never been so happy to see him before.
Ryland didn’t say a word, watching the girl shuddering on the ground. “She’s having a vision.” He said. “Don’t touch her.”
“A vision?” I repeated.
“She’s got Premonition,” Ryland said as if that would mean anything to me. “She sees the future. It’s a rare talent.” He added.
I went cold. Was her prediction for me or was she just shouting nonsense? I edged away from her as the shaking turned violent again. “We need to call someone.”
“She’ll come out of it on her own.”
“What? Dude, she’s like fourteen. We can’t just let this happen without reporting it!”
Ryland rolled his eyes. We hadn’t spoken since our run-in at the gym and he had no reason to be kind to me. But this wasn’t about me. It was for her. “Fine. Wait here, I’ll use the emergency phone to call downstairs.” He ran down the hall.
I waited, holding my breath.
Slowly, the girl’s trembling stopped. She was panting and heaving. She began to cough and then vomited all over the floor.
I instinctively rolled her over onto her side, rubbing her back. “It’s ok.”
The girl screamed and pushed away from me, clawing at my skin. “Get away! Get away!” She stopped. With a sigh and a deep breath, her eyes refocused. She sat up and looked down at the vomit on her black dress. She spoke in a new voice, one that was soft and much more fitting. “Oh dear, I’ve made a mess haven’t I?”
The security guard came up a minute later with Ryland at his side. “What happened here?”
“A seizure,” I said. I stood up so the guard could get down on her level and inspect the situation.
Ryland put a hand on my shoulder as we watched the security guard question her and take down some notes. “She’ll be fine.” His face was blank, as if he couldn’t feel sympathy but he was trying to make me feel better anyways.
I glanced up at him. He was so hot and cold. I didn’t know how to feel about him. Ryland was everything Luke wasn’t; he was assertive while Luke compromised, determined when Luke was patient, aggressive where Luke was compassionate.
The security guard called housekeeping to get the mess cleaned up and helped the girl to her feet. “Hey,” He barked at me. “Can you do me a favor and help her get washed and go to bed? I have all the details I need. She’s alright.”
I nodded and looked at the girl. Her black dress and long hair were covered in vomit. Her face was pale and sallow. Her eyes rimmed with dark circles. She looked, in a word, pathetic. My heart sank for her. “Of course,” I said.
The guard took down Ryland’s and my name and left.
“Do you need help?” Ryland asked.
I noticed he was in his gym clothes. He had probably been on the way down to the gym when he heard my calls. “No, I’m good. Just going to have some girl time,” I joked. My laugh sounded forced. The girl didn’t crack a smile.
Ryland shrugged. “Have it your way.”
#
“So what’s your name?” I asked the girl as she dried her hair.
“Katie White,” She said in her soft angelic voice. She was wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe and sitting in front of the mirror. Her pale skin and protruding cheekbones emphasized her dark eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “I’m Bianca.”
“Bianca,” She said at the same time. “Yes, I know.”
A chill ran down my spine. Did she know my name from the visions? No way. She heard me talking to the security guard. That was it.
“I’ve been having visions of you since you came on the first day. I saw you in the cafeteria.” She said.
The chill turned into a full on deep freeze. “What?” I breathed.
Katie shook her hair as she dried it. There were strands of gray running through it, despite her young age. “Do you remember what I said to you when I was in the vision? I have a hard time remembering details sometimes. Visions are like a dream; usually I can only grasp a few memories or feelings at a time.”
“Uh,” I said and clutched my knees so she wouldn’t notice my hands shaking. “You said that there’re secrets and no one I know should be trusted. You spoke my name. Told me to listen. Your voice didn’t sound like you. It was deep and dark.”
Katie set down her hairbrush. “Sounds about right.” She stared at herself in the mirror. “I hope I didn’t scare you too much.”
“Honestly, you scared the shit out of me. But I’m glad I was there.” I admitted.
Katie glanced down at my hands, noticing the scratches on them. “Word of advice for next time, don’t touch someone while they’re in a trance. We tend to come out of them terrified and violent. It’s like waking up from a nightmare. People lash out.” She reached out and touched the scratch; her hand was like ice.
I flinched.
“Sorry,” Katie said and stuck her hands into the sleeves of the robe.
“It’s ok,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t know what to do. I thought you were having a seizure. There was no one around. It was scary. But I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
The corners of her lips turned up in a tiny smile. “Thanks for being there and calling security. Usually I’m alone when they happen. Could you walk me back to my room?”
“Of course,” I said.
Katie piled her dirty clothes into a bag and pushed her feet into her fuzzy slippers. She also lived on the third floor, a few doors down the hall from me.
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” I asked for the hundredth time that night.
Katie nodded. “Yeah. Just need to sleep.” She paused, her key card inches from the door. “Bianca, about what I said while I was in the trance.”
“Yes?”
Her voice was low and quiet, as if she was afraid even the walls could hear her. “Don’t forget it. Something is happening. I don’t kno
w what. But whatever it is, it started with you.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Good news broke on Monday afternoon — they found the student who had been teleporting with Ms. Blackwell. He had been located on the outskirts of the city by a highway patrol officer who got in touch with our agents. The entire school population breathed a sigh of relief as the news was shared over the speakers at lunch.
Questions filled the air: How did it happen? What went wrong? Was the teleportation ban going to be lifted? Was it safe to go out on field assignments?
Phylicia shook her head and let out a breath. “Thank goodness,” She said.
I was equally as relieved. Since finding out about teleportation limbo, I decided there was nothing more terrifying than that. I saw Katie across the room and gave her a little wave.
Phylicia watched us exchange smiles. “Who’s that?”
“Katie,” I said.
“Huh, look at you making new friends,” Phylicia said. Her tone lowered. “Speaking of friends,” She jerked her chin in the direction of the lunch buffet.
I turned around slightly to take a discrete peek. Ryland and Luke were there filling their plates. They looked as if they had just finished sparring; their hair was still wet from the shower.
“I don’t know why the two of them are always together. They seem to hate each other,” Phylicia whispered.
I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. They’re both top of the class. No one can beat them. Doesn’t the saying go: keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”
#
“So, do you think you’re ready for a field trip?” Professor Turner asked.
I let my hands fall to my sides. My fingers were tingling with pent up energy. I was moving objects with ease now and we had moved on to glass, which brought back scary memories. So far I had cracked the glass, but the fear was holding me back.
“You mean outside of the academy?” I asked.
Turner scribbled some notes as he inspected the cracks in the glass. “Yes. With our missing student back safe and sound, I suspect the teleportation ban should be lifted shortly.”
Psychic Secret: An Urban Fantasy Academy Romance (Psychic Academy Book 1) Page 11
