Eclipsed

Chapter 6

An abandoned building
Manhattan, New York City, New York.
6:37 p.m.

    After a day of meeting people, too much talking, and way too much sympathy as I tell people my story, shortening it every time.
    Finally, after dinner, I get some time alone, sitting on the edge of the building's roof, watching the sunset.
    My hair's down, blowing into my face. I swing my legs, my heels hitting the building as I close my eyes and let the cold consume me.
    Footsteps behind me startle me, making me jump and almost fall off the edge of the building. A pair of hands grab my shoulders, and I go into defense mode, rolling sideways and coming up into a fighting stance, hands up.
    I relax when I see that it's just Uriah. "Don't scare me like that," I scold him.
    He holds his hands up. "Chill. I was just trying to keep you from toppling off the side."
    "I would've been fine."
    "Whatever. You're getting tested for abilities, so I was told to come and get you."
    "Oh, okay." I turn away from him, pull my board from my pocket, and jump off the roof before it even finishes unfolding.    
    I'm fine, of course, but Uriah still peers over the edge. "Phew. You scared me for a second there."
    "I told you I'd be fine."
    He rolls his eyes. "I have a right to be concerned."
    I put my hands on my hips. "Do you, now? Jump off the roof like I did. It's safe enough."
    "Fine, I will." He pulls his board from his pocket and does the same thing I did, almost crashing into me. I end up having to reach out and grab his hands as he falls, pulling him onto my board as his finally unfolds a few feet below us.
    I blush from our closeness, try to make a bit of space.
    "See?" He says. "Unsafe."
    "I caught you. You're fine."
    He gets a look on his face. "Yeah, I am."
    I push him off my board, and he lands on his own, but I lose my balance and end up spiraling out of control, toward him.
    He grabs my hand and pulls me upright. "What was that for?"
    "Ask yourself that question." I start toward the lower levels, where the camp is.
    Uriah pulls up beside me. "If you really think about it, hoverboarding itself is dangerous."
    "But who cares?" I finish for him. We reach the camp, and I head toward the testing tent.
    To my surprise, Uriah follows.
    "Don't you have things to do?" I ask him.
    He shoots me a lopsided grin. "Yeah, but I want to see this."
    We enter, trying not to disturb anyone. Inside, Luna, Rajiv, a boy who I assume is Niko, and Adelée sit in the glass boxes that line the walls. As Uriah finds his own box, I notice one other person in the room: a boy with sideswept dirty blonde hair and piercing green eyes that sparkle behind thin, frameless glasses.
Adelée's voice is broadcast over a loudspeaker. "Rune, meet Cyen, one of our Plotters. He's going to be helping Rajiv with your testing."
"Uhh, what's gonna happen exactly?" I ask.
Adelée gives Uriah a look. "Uriah, as an Advisor, I thought I'd made it clear that it was expected of you to explain."
Uriah ducks his head. "Sorry, I forgot. You're gonna be pummeled with other powers— machine-generated, of course — and we'll wait for a reaction. Just brace yourself."
Cyen retreats into the box Rajiv sits in, and the two of them press some sort of button on the control panel in front of them.
"Oh, and no hoverboards allowed." Luna adds.
    I give an audible groan, but don't protest.
    Flames instantly spring up around me, closing in on me. Then, they leap up in the air, transform into a blob of water, and drench me.
    "Nope, and nope." I hear Rajiv mutter over the loudspeaker, clearly immersed in his work.
    Suddenly, moisture is sucked out of the air, and a big crack opens in the ground. I jump away just in time. It closes, and the temperature drops, hail hitting my face. Then, it thunders and the hail changes to rain. Lightning jumps from cloud to cloud, and I don't panic until the strikes start landing near me. I don't want to die! I think to myself.
    Just then, a strike comes right for my head, fast as, well, lightning. Instinctively I curl up in a ball, knowing there's no hope of jumping away, and wait for it to hit me. But it never does. After waiting for a good ten seconds, everything around me quiet, I risk taking a peek.
    The tent is just as it had been before, with dark clouds overhead and rain coming down. But all the lightning's gone. Everyone sits frozen in their boxes.
    For a second, I think I was the one to stop them from moving, but then they all get up and exit the clear spaces.
    Having the six of them standing in front of me, expressions unreadable, arms crossed, is honestly a bit intimidating.
    But then Uriah says, "Well, most confusing test ever?"
    My jaw drops. "You're telling me you still don't know what ability I have?"
    He gets half of a shake of a head in before Rajiv interrupts. "Actually, we do. Well, some of us." He shoots a pointed glare at Uriah.
    I look at them expectantly. "So? What do I have?"
    "Electricity."