-Author notes-
Two years later and it all kicks off from here. Needs a bit of editing.. hope you can enjoy.
Chapter Six Two years later...
The warm feeling churned in the pit of her stomach. Mentally, she thrust tight hands around its throat, dragging it through her whole body as it tried to twist and turn out of her grip. It was like trying to sing a long, high note on little breath - the feeling would wobble and fall at any second if she did not keep putting more energy in. But then her hands began to tingle, and excitement spurred from the tiny feeling of magic stretching out across her fingers.
Her eyes flung open in hope that some fort of light would be crackling on the surface of her palm. For a second her fingertips looked a brilliant white, but with another slight twist of the hand revealed that it was just the training room lights bouncing off her sweaty grip. The feeling evaporated, and her hands returned to normal. "I can feel it. I just can't get it past my fingertips-"
"Close your eyes and create that feeling in your stomach again, Kelsey." Kiyo's soft words settled over her mind. Feya held her breath in the corner of the room next to Tristan, who had settled himself on one of the crash mats.
With all her power, Kelsey tried to recreate the feeling, but as usual it grew weaker with each try. Still, she conjured the warmth and pulled it up through her body and into her fingertip; even with her eyes closed she knew nothing had changed. There was no crackling of fire, no gasps of amazement, just Feya's low murmurs of encouragement.
"Come on," Kelsey could hear her whisper. She meant well, but the repetitive and frankly patronising encouragement just made Kelsey frustrated. It made the warm feeling shoot to her head as her mind snapped, "Just shut up, okay, 'Miss I-have-a-cool-gift-and-you-don't.'"
"Not once have I said that," Feya snapped back.
Tristan's head shot up to look at Feya, and then he followed her glare to squint at Kelsey. He shrugged.
This could not be right.
Kelsey dropped the churning feeling so that it disintegrated in her stomach. She frowned at an equally aggravated Feya. "Is mind reading another one of those gifts you've just suddenly mastered?"
"I've been nothing but supportive, tell her Tristan." Tristan shook his head leaning away from Feya.
"Bad move Fey, you can't kiss a guy who's madly in love with you, reject him and then expect him to stand up for you." It was something she would not dare to say out loud, yet her mind could not be stopped from thinking it.
Feya looked shocked, tongue tied. Her lips did not move but her voice stilled carried across the room. "He kissed me, not the other way round. And it's your fault I can't be with him, not after you found out that stupid, futile... visionary... can't do this..." Her voice faded away, and Kelsey could feel Feya's shield pass over her mind. Her eyes were brimming with tears but it was clear why she had held her argument in her mind. Only Feya, Kelsey and Tristan knew about the prophecy, and they had made a pact to keep it that way. There was no use slicing the hope of the hundreds who lived in the Velvet Bunker, no matter how hard Kelsey thought about twisting it into something less soul destroying. Before she could start trailing her mind down that path again, a strange huffing noise shuddered from her mentor. When she saw he was smiling, her thoughts were lost altogether.
"What?" Kelsey snapped.
"You're not a flamethrower, my child."
This was beyond frustrating now. "Clearly." Sarcasm did not seem to affect Kiyo, who thought that a fresh start began with a fresh breath. "The nutter."
