From the Cosmos. [gxg]

xvi. when waterfalls stop.

"What would you say is the extent of your magic?" Mr. Schultz asked.

The waterfall roared behind Colette as she thought of the best answer. "Probably when I blasted those officers," Colette said, "I didn't even know I had it in me."

Mr. Schultz nodded, "I saw the video, and although it was impressive, I don't think that was an accurate measure of your strength."

Colette stared down at the ground, watching as the grass swayed and tickled her ankles. "How come?" she asked. She had felt the power unleashing from her body at the protest. It was an energy she had never felt before.

"You weren't completely in control then," he said, "You were angry."

Colette looked at her hands, opening and closing them. Mr. Schultz was right, she wasn't totally aware of what she was casting then. Even so, was it such a bad thing? She couldn't help but think that her actions were justified, no matter how controlled they were. When she looked back up, Mr. Schultz met her eyes thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

Colette let her fists unclench by her sides. "I don't regret what I did in New York," she said, "If my powers need to be out of control for me to protect people, then that's how they'll be." She stared at Mr. Schultz, ready for backlash over her recklessness. However, her mentor's face softened and he let out a brief chuckle.

"I used to think the same thing," he said, "But then I was taught that the most powerful magic comes from total user control."

Colette furrowed her brows. "It doesn't seem right to take the emotion out of magic."

"I never said we were," Mr. Schultz clasped his hands together, "Your emotions will still make your magic more powerful, but if you take control of your emotions..." he trailed off, turning towards the waterfall and holding a hand out.

The water fell, clapping like thunder. Mr. Schultz's hand glowed, white light spilling from his fingertips, and then everything froze.

Colette gasped, the world silent around her. The waterfall stood completely still, no longer flowing. She was afraid her heart had stopped beating. A chirp from a distant bird made her flinch. When she looked around, she could see that the grass still blew in the wind and that bugs still flew through the air. Mr. Schultz had stopped the waterfall.

As soon as this realization hit, Mr. Schultz dropped his hand, and the water dropped, the thunderous falling of the water filling environment once again. A chill ran through Colette's body when time seemed to start again. She was ready to ask her mentor how he did that, beg him for advice, but the man put a hand on his chest and dropped to his knees on the wet grass, breathing heavily. Colette reached a hand out towards him, but he shook his head.

"I need to rest here," he said, "Just for a bit."

Colette knelt down next to him. "That was amazing," she said, "I've never seen anything like it."

Mr. Schultz chuckled, though quiet from his lack of breath. "That's the extent of what I can do, and it's what you are going to aim for."

Colette's eyes widened. "Uh, I'm not sure that's a realistic goal for me."

"Oh?" Mr. Schultz raised an eyebrow.

"The extent of my magic is relieving my migraines. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to stop a waterfall."

"It's not supposed to be easy," said Mr. Schultz, "But when you learn how to do it, you'll be able to do anything you want with your powers."

"Like stopping a river instead?" Colette said, sarcasm evident in her voice.

Mr. Schultz laughed. "Let me explain," he said, slowly standing and facing the waterfall. "That waterfall requires both incredible power and precision to stop. Water falls right through your fingertips. You have to combat the flow of water and gravity all at once."

Colette stared at the waterfall, as if trying to stop it by her gaze alone. "Okay, so how do I stop it?"

Her mentor turned and looked at her. "You're not going to yet."

Colette frowned.

"You're gonna stop this rock."

A rock flew towards Colette's face and she screeched, barely managing to side-step before the solid object collided with her nose. She could hear the rock thud against the grass behind her.

"Merde!" she cursed, holding a hand over her chest. Her heart felt like it was about to burst from the sudden spike in adrenaline. "You could have broken my nose!"

"I knew you would dodge it," Mr. Schultz said, a matter-of-factly.

"How?"

He shrugged. "Call it intuition. I just knew you would."

Colette thought Nevada's dad might be insane.

"Now, let's teach you how to make this rock float."

Marisol felt her stomach flip when the door to her room opened without a knock. She looked towards the door to see familiar dark skin and curly hair. Marisol forced the conversation she had with Nevada out of her mind.

"How'd it go?" Marisol asked.

Colette slumped down on the bed, a noticeable sheen of sweat on her skin. An exhausted sigh echoed through the room. "It was difficult."

Marisol pulled her focus away from the witch's glistening skin. "Want to talk about it?"

Colette glanced at Marisol. "Nevada's dad is crazy," she said, "He stopped the waterfall."

"He stopped it?"

"Yes, he did! Then, he told me that I was going to learn to do it."

Marisol blinked. "Did you?"

"Of course not. He made me do small things, like making rocks float, or juggling rocks with magic, or throwing rocks through the air with magic."

Colette sat up. "It was draining. Making the rock float wasn't hard, but concentrating and controlling multiple rocks was."

"You look exhausted," Marisol said.

"I am," Colette responded, "I think I'm going to take a shower and pass out."

"What about dinner?"

Colette's stomach decided to respond, growling loudly.

"I'll get you some food while you're in the shower," said Marisol.

Colette nodded, stood up, and walked into the bathroom.