SpellShocked (SpellShocked Saga: Book 1)

Chapter 2 - Jazz Hands

There was still chaos all around us. People were still screaming and running for their lives. The cops began rushing past us in the direction of the men they had just shot. There were the distant sounds of yet more sirens heading our direction. But all of this seemed to fade into the background as I looked between the palm of my hand and slightly crushed bullet at my feet.

Zac yelled something I didn't hear as he began to pull me up and drag me quickly towards a wide alley between two shops. I stumbled along, dazed and confused, not really paying attention to what was happening. My head was spinning, and I couldn't think of anything other than what had just happened. Was I going crazy? Well, if I was, Zac was going crazy too because he had seen the floating barrier as clearly as I had. And besides, losing my mind didn't explain how I had stopped a bullet from plunging deep into my chest.

Zac looked up and down the alley, before turning back towards me, "Dude, what the fuck?!"

I looked up from my hand and stared at him, "I-I...I don't..." I mumbled, still too stunned to form a coherent sentence. Zac was gripping his hair, his eyes wide, mouth hanging open slightly.

"You stopped a bullet, Charlie. A bullet!" he yelled hysterically.

"I didn't...I couldn't have..." I was starting to come out of my stupor, and I could feel the familiar sensation that told me a panic attack was coming on; heart pounding in my chest, breathing becoming laboured, body tremoring.

"Charlie, that white...stuff came out of your hand." I gawked at him and then stared back down at my shaking palm again.

"But...but...how could it have?!"

"The hell if I know?!" Zac had started pacing up and down the alley, mumbling to himself. Oddly enough, the fact that the usually unflappably Zac seemed to be worried made my anxiety worse than knowing I had just created some sort of supernatural shield out of nothing. I usually relied on Zac to be that calm one out of the both of us.

Zac suddenly whipped around to face me, "You honestly don't know what's happening to you, do you?" he asked.

"No!" I yelled, feeling like my chest was being crushed, "Don't you think if I could make magical shields, you would have been the first person I told about it?! For god sake I told you my biggest secret because I trust you!"

Zac winced and sighed, "You're right...I'm sorry Charlie. I know you trust me. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"N-No...it's fine," I clasped my trembling hand together to hide the shaking, "I-I'm sorry I yelled at you I'm just...I'm s-scared, Zac. I don't know what's happening to me, but I shouldn't b-be taking it out on you." I folded my arms over my waist in a familiar act that made me feel safer and less exposed. It was my other tell-tale sign that my anxiety levels were rising.

Zac lowered his hands from his head and placed them on my shoulders, "Look, I know this is weird - trust me, I'm freaking out a bit too - but we can figure this out. I promise we'll figure this out." He hugged me and I felt some of the tension leave my body. I hugged back tightly, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths like I had been told to do whenever I could feel the panic setting in. It helped to concentrate on the tight embrace Zac had me in; for some reason being compressed in a hug had a calming effect on me. Zac was well aware of my anxiety problem and had long since learned the best way to handle it. It took a minute but eventually I could feel my heart rate slowing down and my breathing return to normal. I was still shaking but not as badly, and I put that down to the adrenaline of the gun fight.

I dropped my arms and stepped back from Zac, finding it difficult to meet his gaze after falling to pieces like that. "Um...thanks for that," I mumbled.