by Dawn Jansen
We both let out a shout of exhilarated joy when we realize we made it, but my celebration is quickly cut short as something that feels like a wave plows into me, nearly knocking me off balance. Tristan is quick, though; he grabs onto my waist and pulls me close.
“Careful,” he says, a big smile on his face. “There are these currents in here, quite powerful. You have to learn how to ride them. Have you ever surfed before?”
“I’m from New York,” I respond.
“Alright, well, just stay close to me.” Then he points upward. “Look,” he says.
I look up and there’s what seems to be a tear in the fabric of the space above us, and through that tear I can make out a shadowy image of the tree we were just sitting under. There’s an Academy guard with his dog. He’s shining his flashlight everywhere, but we of course have already disappeared.
“That’s wicked,” I say. “So that’s how you know where to pop out of.”
“Yep,” Tristan says, and then he starts moving away from the tear. He’s sort of gliding through the air, but also reacting to the movement of the shapes in here, riding up and down on these wave-like forms.
“Is it always so dark in here?” I ask him. “I thought my eyes would adjust by now.”
“It’s probably because our powers are different,” he says. “Besides, it took me years to become fully comfortable in here and be able to navigate. Just hang on to me.”
I press my body against his, feeling my nipples brush against the fabric of my bra as I wrap my hands around his waist.
“What are those noises?” I ask. Aside from the background white noise that I can only best describe as a kind of deep electrical buzzing, there are these other sounds off in the distance that seem to call out every now and then. They sound kind of like distorted whale songs, beautiful but also eerie, like nothing I’ve ever heard before.
“You can hear them too? I have no idea. Not to freak you out, but sometimes I feel like I’m not alone in here. There are these weird shapes sometimes. But if there are other... things here, they don’t seem hostile.”
We’ve started picking up speed, and I am having a blast. Even though everything is still so dark, I’m now able to make out these beautiful, dark-purple patterns moving by us, and I can somehow feel the shadows caressing us as we move through them. Every now and then we pass by one of those windows into the real world, and I catch shadowy glimpses of the Academy moving by.
“I feel like something is happening to me, Tristan,” I tell him. “My power is calling to me, stronger than it ever has before.”
I’ve been getting more accustomed to understanding my power, feeling its fluctuations—sometimes it’s like I have this other person in side of me that I have to appease, letting it unleash itself when it needs to, and feeding it emotions when it gets hungry. Now it feels fully awakened, and it’s glowing with intensity deep within my core.
Tristan slows down. I’ve been hanging on to him from behind, but now he turns to face me. We’re pressed close together, arms wrapped around each other. I tilt my head up to look at him, and even though it’s so dark in here I can still make out Tristan’s features; his dark hair blowing in the gentle shadow current and his perfectly sculpted cheekbones. I remember how powerful his kiss was before under the tree, and I feel myself getting wetter than I already was. I think he can probably see the lust in my eye, but I don’t care. I need him. My power needs his.
“It must be your reaction to the shadow realm,” he says. “It’s empowering you.”
Tristan isn’t moving us anymore, but we’re still drifting through the currents of the shadow realm. It almost feels weightless in here, but that only intensifies how real my contact with Tristan is. There’s nothing else to rely on but him, and as we embrace one another I feel his arousal nudging against my stomach, powerful and impatient.
Tristan and I have teased each other a lot this week, but there’s no teasing involved when he suddenly rips my shirt open, the buttons disappearing into the darkness without a sound, my breasts in their red bra spilling out, exposed. We immediately lock lips again, continuing what we started beneath the elm tree. But whereas there was a little hesitation before, both of us have now given in to our passion, and we aren’t holding anything back. His kiss is hard, and I feel his erection through his pants growing harder, filling up with blood.
There are so many things stimulating me: Tristan’s lips, our bodies pressed together, the sounds and movements of the shadow realm, and most of all my own power. It’s growing stronger now not just from the shadow realm, but from the love that Tristan and I are sharing. Everybody was right; I’ve used my other emotions like my nervousness or anger to fuel my power before, but none of that compares to the empowerment I’m gaining from my exchange with Tristan now. My power is boiling, tickling me in my core, commanding me to tear Tristan’s clothes off, and I’m happy to comply.
Tristan and I remove each other’s clothes, our kiss interrupted only to accommodate the pulling up of his shirt over his head. Tristan is tall and slim, but his body is still manly, with toned muscles from all the physical training we do at the Academy and a sexy covering of short hair over his well-defined chest.
Tristan is fully nude now, and while I’m getting more aroused from taking in the sight of his beautiful naked body, something about the darkness is making me appreciate the tactile sensations so much more. As Tristan pulls me down so that we’re both lying in the soft warmth of the shadows, a wave of pleasure courses through me each time our bodies make contact. My sense of touch is so intense now that I can make out each divot and curve of Tristan’s muscles with my fingers, and his own hands roaming and exploring my body make me arch my back in ecstasy.
Soon Tristan has found his way down to my eager pussy, which is moist with anticipation. As he moves his fingers across my pleasure nub, I fall deeper and deeper into erotic bliss, exploring his neck, chest, and even arms with my mouth, kissing and licking at every inch of his body. Embraced by both Tristan and by the flowing darkness that consumes us, I start to lose my bodily orientation as I seem to exist only in a state of pure sexual energy, lost in the strange spatial dimensions of the shadow realm, my link to Tristan the only thing that matters.
As Tristan brings me to orgasm with his fingers, I clutch on to him, digging my fingernails into his back as waves of tingling energy spread throughout my body. Once I finish writhing, I catch my breath, holding on to Tristan still. I feel for his cock. It’s hot to the touch and still as hard as ever. I start stroking his thick shaft as the final spasms of my orgasm die down.
But the energy inside me seems to only just be getting started. It craves more. It wants me to finish the bond with Tristan, and there isn’t anything I want more right now either. Things have been so tense and overwhelming since I got to the Academy, and now that I think about it, Tristan was the first person I met here. And although I acted like I wasn’t interested, mostly to protect myself, at the same time I know a part of me secretly loved all the attention he gave me. It made me feel wanted and almost accepted at the Academy. On top of that, tonight Tristan showed me that he’s more than just some player. He opened up to me in a way that I know must have been difficult for him.
All of these thoughts are flashing through my head as Tristan positions himself over me, but as soon as the head of his manhood parks itself at my soaked bottom lips, my mind goes blank. All the thoughts I was having get replaced by a primal urge to have him enter me. I spread my legs wide for him, wanting to make it easier for him to slide inside me, and when he finally starts pushing himself in, spreading open my lips more and more as his meaty shaft somehow continues to grow thicker even now, my eyes roll back in my head.
Once Tristan has pushed himself all the way inside, filling me up to the brim, he stops and we both hold each other for a moment. The shadow realm is filled with the sounds of our panting and moans. My inner walls are so tight around him, squeezing every square millimeter of his cock, and each time
my pussy twitches involuntarily, I feel him pulse inside me in response.
But I almost feel like my powers are getting out of control. Tristan begins to rock his hips, slowly moving in and out in a steady, hypnotic rhythm, and each time he does my power swells up inside me. But there’s something painful within that well of energy, a mixture of fear, loneliness, and hatred that seems almost evil at its core.
I try to ignore it, and it’s easy at first. I move my hips to the rhythm of Tristan’s thrusts, and as he starts pumping faster we kiss passionately again, but this causes my power to surge. When it does this time, that darkness inside it is even more present, flooding my heart with deep dread and helplessness.
“Tristan, wait,” I say, placing a hand on his bare chest. “I don’t want to stop, but something’s wrong.”
I can tell he’s reluctant to leave the hot wetness of my pussy that’s currently gripping him like a tight glove, and I don’t want him to either, but I have no idea what’s going to happen if I let that evil inside me grow.
“What is it?” he asks. He looks like he’s just been pulled out of a trance.
“There’s something bad inside me,” I tell him. “Some part of my power that feels dark.”
Tristan slides out of me, leaving me feeling hollow and wanting more. Breathing hard, he hugs me tightly, and we lie in the shadows.
“I’ve never heard of anything like that before,” he says, brushing my hair with his hand. “Sometimes activating more of your powers can feel overpowering, but it shouldn’t feel wrong.”
“It’s like it’s hiding at the center of my power. I could feel it growing as we made love, but the stronger it got, the more it felt like that evil was going to break out. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
My power now is receding, but with this new connection to Tristan I’ve formed, I think my power has reached a new level of maturity. It seems like my baseline, the level of activation my power normally rests at, has been permanently raised.
“Don’t worry about me,” Tristan says, putting his arm around me so that my head is resting on his bicep. “It’s good we stopped. We should figure out what’s going on with your power first. Besides, I’ve never felt stronger. You might have something dark inside you, but you’re also the most powerful EMP I’ve ever felt. I didn’t realize until we started making love, but sharing in some of your energy has empowered me like nothing else.”
“Really?” I say, feeling like I just got an A on a test or something. “They did say I have the strongest pineal thingy they’ve ever seen.”
“That figures,” Tristan says. “Hey, we better put some clothes on. As much as I like staring at your naked body, if I have to stare too long it’s gonna lead to a chain reaction that might have some serious consequences.”
I just want to lay here with him naked, feeling his skin again mine and his chest moving up and down with each breath, but I know he’s right. If I get too excited, that dark power could start rising up in me again.
That’s when both of us realize our clothes are nowhere to be seen. As we made love, both of us must have lost all track of where we were in the shadow realm as our bodies twisted together and we drifted along the gentle slopes of this other world.
“Why don’t we head back to my room?” Tristan says. “You can wear one of my robes. Think you can spend the night without jumping my bones?”
“I really must be powerful if I can make you want to spend the night together without sex,” I say with a laugh.
It’s too dark to tell, but I imagine Tristan is blushing. “I’ll admit, it’s a first for me. But like I said, there’s something special about you, Blondie.”
“Alright then, let’s test your resolve,” I say as we both get up from our lying position. “But if anything happens, it’s your fault if some demon comes out of me.”
“It’s good to test your willpower every once in a while,” he says.
I get close and wrap my arms around his waist. He keeps one hand around me and the other he uses to navigate his path. As we glide across the shadow waves back to Tristan’s room, both of us naked, the warm currents caressing our bodies, I feel something I haven’t felt in a long time: happiness.
Chapter 10
Mazzy
Even though Tristan and I didn’t finish what we started, and it left both of us craving more, that sense of happiness I felt making love with him—as well as the proceeding night we spent in his room—has stayed with me all the way until Tuesday, which is the day I’m set to meet with Mr. Ward about my amnesia.
I just got out of philosophy class, one of the few non-powers-oriented courses they make us take here, and I’m headed toward Mr. Ward’s private office. This is the first time I’ve met with a teacher outside of class hours. Although they live in the mansion too, they stay in an entirely different wing, one that’s closer to the government labs and facilities that are a part of the mansion, and we rarely ever see them walking around.
Ever since I made love with Tristan, I’ve noticed a marked increase in my powers and my ability to control them. Last time we trained in Test Chamber Alpha, I was able to manipulate three objects at the same time, whereas before I could only ever handle one. I even managed to catch small objects in mid-air, which I never would have dreamed of trying before. I can tell the other students are starting to look at me differently; some with newfound respect, but most of them with resentment. I’ve come to see how cliquey this place can be; oftentimes, you’re either cool with somebody and in their crew, or you have beef with them. It seems childish to me, but I guess that’s what happens when you take a bunch of emotionally unstable super-freaks and make them live in a huge mansion together.
In actuality, it was much more than just the sex that caused this change in my powers. That definitely sealed the deal, but the very act of connecting with him emotionally was the real catalyst for letting me tap into my power at a greater level.
And although we’re holding off on sex until I find out what’s going on inside of me, it’s obvious we’re bonded now, and we don’t make any attempts to hide it. At the Academy, however, among both the teachers and the students, monogamous relationships seem to be the exception rather than the rule. As a result, Tristan and I haven’t mentioned anything about rules or dating, although I’ve hinted that I won’t be able to handle him seeing anybody else. Call me old-fashioned, or maybe just selfish, but that’s what I need to really feel that emotional connection to Tristan, and I can tell he accepts this. Part of me even thinks he likes it. I tried to ignore it, but I know what he was like before he met me, sleeping with any attractive woman he could get his hands on and then ditching them. He knows I won’t put up with that, though, and I think that makes him appreciate me more.
But this activation of my powers has got me thinking about my relationship with Paul in a new light. He’s been tutoring me for around two weeks by now, and whereas at first I thought he was acting cold to me because he wasn’t interested in me, now I think I can see that he’s only acting this way because his powers are so dampened. Not only did he lose the love of his life and one of his limbs (the one that helped him kick the most ass, at that), but I’m sure he hasn’t had sex—or even had a strong emotional connection to anybody—in well over a month. Knowing now how much energy we draw from romantic encounters, I’ve started wondering if that’s all Paul really needs.
Because it’s really difficult to see Paul the way he is now. Every once in a while, I catch glimpses of what he must have been like before; the cloud of gloomy despondency that normally hangs over him will subside for a few seconds, and I’ll see a glimmer of the hero that he used to be. I can’t help him regrow his arm or bring Starla back from the dead, but what if I could help him connect with his power again? I mean, if he doesn’t try something, he’s gonna be dead meat when the Academy makes him take the Test again.
Aside from Paul, the only other thing that puts a damper on my otherwise great mood is when I think about the st
udents who got caught in the raid during the party at the lake. Luckily, Crash made it out, but Rush and most of his friends weren’t so lucky. Tristan told me they got sent to Test Chamber Epsilon, which is located far underneath the mansion with the other government facilities. Whereas Test Chamber Alpha was built for us to train our powers, Epsilon is a place where they conduct tests on EMPs to learn more about our powers. Apparently Epsilon was the basis for all the conspiracy theories about time travel experiments taking place in Montauk, but the government ran a disinformation campaign to make people think it was all taking place at Camp Hero, which in reality was never anything more than a comms facility. Apparently not every student makes it out of Epsilon, and sometimes when they do, they’re totally different than they were before. The whole situation creeps me out and reminds me that although they put us up in fancy dorms and feed us well here, in reality we’re nothing more than government pawns. They support the most useful of us, turning us into killing machines or political manipulators, while the ones that can’t cut it or prove themselves unwilling to follow orders are simply disposed of.
I should get that all out of my head though. I’m going to see Mr. Ward, and if he picks up on all these anti-establishment sentiments swirling through my thoughts, he might arrange to have me sent off to Epsilon. Or maybe just give me an embolism right there in his office? Frankie says the really powerful psychics can do that, but part of me thinks he was just trying to scare me.
━━━━━ ▣ ━━━━━
I was expecting a skinny guy with a big head, but Mr. Ward actually looks a lot like Apollo Creed from Rocky—not what I expected from the most powerful psychic at the Academy, but way hotter than what I was picturing too. Unlike most schools, the Academy is fine with student-teacher relations, given the benefit they bring to both parties, and that’s got me thinking some dirty thoughts about Mr. Ward soon after I’ve sat down in front of him.
