Chasing Ghosts (under construction)

Chapter twenty-three

"Right." Kit trusted Jem, he did, but he didn't trust himself.

Kit finished his massive breakfast quickly, eager to get into the training room and get this over with. Ty hadn't eaten much of anything, save for a couple of pieces of plain toast. He had taken his headphones off, ut they were still wrapped around his neck protectively.

"Are you okay, Ty?" Kit asked on their way up to their room so Kit could change. Ty had been antsy all morning, and Kit knew it came from a place of worry.

"Yes," Ty replied tersely.

"Jem won't let anything bad happen, it'll be fine."

"I know."

Ty sat on the bed and stared into the middle distance as Kit changed into gear. He got a strange feeling of de Ja Vu, like the two of them, were gearing up for a big fight. Ty handed him a blade, but Kit refused it.

"We won't be needing weapons. We aren't fighting." Kit said. Ty looked down at the weapon. Kit took it from him gently and placed it on the bed, then took Ty's hand and kissing his knuckles tenderly. Ty looked up at Kit's face with a small smile on his face.

The training room was not as large as the one in the LA institute, but it still felt massive. Weapons hung up on every wall, as well as foam mats that must have been used during training sessions. Jem was wrapping gauze around his hands. He was dressed in full tactical gear, every part of him covered. Kit couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach; Jem was protecting himself from him.

He smiled welcoming Kit and Ty. Kit let go of Ty's hand and watched him traipse over to the sidewall, leaning against it and watching Kit.

"How's this gonna go then?" Kit asked, clapping his hands together.

"I want you to come and stand in front of me."

Kit complied. Jem was almost a head taller than him, so he had to crane his neck up to look at him. Jem rested his hands on both of Kit's shoulders and looked into his eyes.

"Now I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on the magic inside you. Feel it, try and grasp onto it."

"But what if—"

"I'm right here," Jem reassured. Kit nodded and closed his eyes. He thought of that heat, the warm ball of fire that rested in the pits of his stomach, lying dormant. He frowned, squeezing his eyes shut harder. The flaming ball grew closer within him and he felt himself reaching out to grasp the heat. It took a couple of goes, but then he had a tight grasp on it. The heat wasn't painful, but he gasped as a shock burst up his arms and the temperature rose considerably.

"What now?" Kit breathed.

"Bring forth that power. Let it sit in the palms of your hands. Manifest it into existence."

He took hold of a small piece of that fire, felt it move around up his arms, across his chest, into his throat. The warmth almost tickled, that tingling sensation akin to pins and needles. Kit grunted as he pulled the magic back, trying to will it into existence. The strain caused a dull throbbing to start in his head. He almost gave up when he heard Jem's voice again.

"Don't give up. Push through it."

With a burst of energy, Kit yanked the magic through him and opened his eyes wide. Everything around him was white and bright, a blinding light that looked as if Kit had walked into the centre of the sun. He looked down at his hands and saw they were glowing. The light was coming from him. Kit gasped.

"Magic." He whispered. The light dimmed down so that he could see Jem in front of him, smiling.

"Very good, Kit."

Kit couldn't stop himself: he beamed up at Jem. He turned and saw Ty watching him, a look on his face Kit couldn't decipher. He grinned at him, and Ty quirked the corner of his lip up.

Kit clasped his hands together and pulled them apart, watching his magic form and fuse together like putty. It was fascinating, that he had managed to do this. His headache had receded and he felt incredible. As light as a feather and powerful. So powerful.

"What does it do?" He asked.

Jem stepped backwards and produced an arrow board, used for target practice with bows and arrows.

"Throw it at this," Jem instructed.

Kit formed the magic into a ball and with one hand, he hurled it at the target. The bright glow dissipated, leaving behind a charred hole in the centre of the target.

"Holy shit!" Kit exclaimed. He whipped around to see Ty, his smile broadening. Ty pushed himself off the wall and walked over to him and Jem.

"Did it hurt you?" Ty asked.

Kit's smile faltered. "No. Well, I felt a headache startup when I was concentrating so hard, but it went away quickly. I feel... Incredible. Ty, this is amazing!" Kit exclaimed. Ty still didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything else.

"From what I can gather, your random bouts of illness and fainting came from the build-up of electricity within you that had no release. If you practise like that every day, It'll become easier for you to bring forth and control. But it's dangerous for you and everyone else for you to keep it locked down for so long." Jem explained.

Kit spent the rest of the morning summoning his magic and hurling it at different things, juggling it, trying to impress a blank-faced Ty, until they were called for dinner.