The Eccentric

17

The final part of our plan. We are so close to the fence I can basically sense the hum of electricity even without my Spark powers. The inmates begin to bunch up around the fence as they fight off the soldiers, creating an unbeatable force made up of some of the words most powerful eccentric. Strength in numbers.

I push to the front with Emmie stumbling along behind as she tries to keep up with my long strides. I hear Tate's voice in the crowd, encouraging everyone to move along and helping those who are unable to keep up. Tate always seemed to have a thing with words. In my few months of knowing him, I have come to find myself wishing to be more like him every second, but we're opposites. Blunt, strong minded and selfish compared to enthusiastic, open minded and selfless. I turn back and give him one last reassuring smile which he returns half-heartedly. He's drained. Time to act fast.

I stop a few feet away from the fence and close my eyes, focusing on the little power I have left. I don't think any of the experiments could have prepared me for what I am about to do next but that hasn't stopped me yet. I reach forward and grab onto the fence, flinching as the electricity shocks me but the pain isn't enough to make me to let go. I recall sitting in the chair in that stupid room with Dr. Mann and her helpers watching me as I scream out in pain. Not this time. It's her turn to be in the chair. I lean into the fence and begin to absorb it's electricity until my limbs begin to shake with the newly found power. The smell of burning skin fills the air as the skin of my hands sizzle on the fence but I don't pull back. Almost there. Sparks being to escape out of my arms and I know I won't be able to take in much more. Then the power stops. I lean my forehead against the fence but there is no zap, no pain as there was before. The fences power has been completely drained but I can still hear the buzz.

I open my eyes slowly and look up at the fence to realise that it isn't the fence buzzing, it's me. I stumble away from the fence in confusion but the small moment brings on my powers. The first sign of the electricity begins to surface in small sparks that run up my arms in rapid moments. The sparks then meet at my chest where they collect as a force adding an enormous amount of pressure to my heart. I let out a small whimper as the pressure gets stronger and drop to my knees in agony when, suddenly the sparks shoot out from me. I watch in disbelieve as a huge bolt of electricity flies out from inside my chest into the sky like a backward lighting strike and disappears into the clouds as if nothing had happened. I let out a huge breath as I feel the last of the pressure release inside me and stare at the last of the sparks that fade into nothingness with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. I slowly push my self up from the ground, groaning as my head begins to spin from exhaustion and turn around to face the group. Instead, I see every Eccentric in the courtyard standing, eyes wide in shock, staring at me. Each and every soldier and inmate has stopped their arguing and fighting just to see the famous Ten do her magic.

I pretend to not notice and send a blast of water at the nearest soldier to start up the fighting again so Emmie and I can break through the fence together without anyone noticing. I smile when I hear the hiss of fire and water and the sound of crackling electricity, knowing that the fighting has started again and the novelty of my powers has submitted. Then I signal for Emmie to come forward. She hides behind Tate as he faces the back of the courtyard with the rest of our misfit group, protecting us from any incoming danger that I may have just encouraged. Tate doesn't say a word to me about my outburst, instead stares off into the distance, breathing heavily.

"Come on Emmie, its time," I coax and bend down to her height.

Tate gives her a pat on the back but continues to avoid my gaze and she slowly makes her way over to me, while nervously chewing on her fingernails and quivering ever so lightly.

"Now Emmie," I say and reach for her hand. She gives me a brave smile and faces the fence.

"I can do it," she reassures herself and stands up against the face. She slowly raises her hands above her head and begins to make the slightest of swirling movements with her fingers. Any sane person would think she is performing some sort of interpretive dance move but we are far from sane and this is far from a dance...

Nobody realises at first but it's hard to miss once she puts her ability into action. Slowly the fence begins to raise off the ground into the air leaving a trail of bolts and screws as it begins to twist in the air. Emmie begins to tremble as her power begins to take over, moving the rest of the fence out of the ground and spin in the air. I reach out to touch her but Tate pulls me back.

"She doesn't need help, she can do it," he says and takes my hand. His heat spreads through my body and I smile at the sensation.

I look back up expecting to see the fence laying flat on the ground but instead watch in confusion as the fence begins to melt and compress into a huge glowing globe of metal. This was part of the plan.

"Emmie?" I whisper but she ignores me. Instead, she turns around to face us, with the ball still behind her and gives us a wicked grin. Her abilities are now in full control and there is nothing we can do to stop her emotions that are feeding them.

"What are you doing?" Shouts Eddie over the sounds of gasps and murmurs of the crowd who have once again stopped there fighting to watch the scene that plays out in front of them.

"Three years." She whispers as she looks off into the distance. "Three years of my life wasted here."

The crowd gasps as every object made of metal shoot up into the air to join the fence and begins to melt into the slowly expanding ball as if it was a huge magnet.

"No one should have to live like that," she says, louder this time. "Which is why this has to be done."

She throws her hands out and sends the glowing ball of metal through the air. Straight toward the facility.

The metal smashes through the bricks, shatters glass and killing whoever was unlucky enough to still be inside. A little bit of me hopes that Dr Mann was one of the unlucky ones but I push that thought away. We watch in horror as the ball flies straight through the building, leaving a huge hole the size of a small football field and rolls to a stop on the other side in the distant fields. Dust flies up from the ruins and burst water mains spill out with water that has begun to puddle below.

"Is it bad that I found that entertaining?" Whispers Tate. I mean, it did feel pretty good to watch the prison that held me captive for months on end be demolished, even if it was by a 12-year-old with powers she can't control but right now that 12-year-old needs my help. I turn around just in time to catch her as she passes out into my arms from exhaustion. This is not good.