Elements

Chapter 46

I took a deep breath, reaching deep inside of me for every drop of power I could spare without putting myself in a coma like I had on Christmas Day. I could feel it moving through my veins, in every cell in my body, from the ends of my hair to tips of my toes. In that moment, I was truly alive, feeling immeasurable strength coursing through me. I had grown so much, so much since that first day- I felt unstoppable.

Ms. Wren told me later that in that moment I was literally glowing, my eyes shifting colors constantly and too quickly to be distinguished. She told me that my hair was floating in the Aires it would in water, some ends with flames at the tips. I was the strongest human to live, with all that power within me- no, I was more than human. I wasn't sure what, but I was more. Super.

I tested my power, the way one might flex their fingers after taking off a cast for the first time in a year. An arrow of solid ice materialized and shot through the air around the room, coating it with frost and ice. It finished its lap around and curved sharply down to the ground, burying itself in the tile. Instantly snow blossomed all around it, coating the floor, then the walls, then drawing icicles down from the ceiling so long they crashed into the chairs. Behind me, ice drew out of the snow covered stage, weaving itself in a lattice pattern of sparkling blue and white. I held the frosty spectacle for a heartbeat or two, letting the cold sink in and letting my tiny audience see their breaths paint the frigid air.

I raised my arms, making the room drop a few degrees further, then dropped them, and everything liquified in an instant. Water swirled and churned around the chairs, neatly diverting its path so it wouldn't touch the audience. One by one, I plucked the water and pulled it up into geysers just lower than the ceiling. I wove it in intricate shapes, and light reflected and refracted into shimmering patterns on the walls and ceiling. I looked out at the few people watching in amazement as my work unfolded around them, and noticed a transparent figure sitting next to Ms. Wren in the front row. Cammie grinned at me, flashing a thumbs up.

This reassurance gave me courage, and I shifted the room's atmosphere deftly from one element to the next. Fire crackled and electricity surged, and neither I nor my powers were still for a second. I let myself get carried away, and at some point I realized I had started dancing.

Don't think typical high school dance with terrible music dancing. This was something uncontrollable and natural, the way someone would sway when singing along to their favorite song, and also incredibly more intricate. My brain had. I idea what my limbs were doing, but it didn't need to: something inside me guided my every motion.

As I moved, I had a realization: my powers were dancing too. They weren't just some thing for me to create and dismiss- they were alive. I closed my eyes, and I could feel it. The power singing through my veins, humming through the air around me, creating a noiseless song that I was moving along to.

I let myself go, listening and moving along to my powers' silent song, creating a display of my skills like no other. I had done this on the first day too- that is, I had tried. I had been clumsy, and weak, because I was still so confused with who I was and what I was doing. Now, everything was in sharp, acute focus, everything clear and not a step out of place. This was what I had subconsciously been trying to accomplish that first day, but I hadn't been ready for it. Now, without question, I was.

My dance quickened, and though my eyes were closed, I could feel what was going on around me in the gym. Flowers made of fire, birds made of stones and snow- all the elements working in harmony to create something unforgettable. Then, slowly, the silent music died down, and my pace slowed. I let my powers dim, dim, then disappear entirely, leaving only echoes of its immense presence left in the room. When it was gone, I opened my eyes and looked out once more.