The Rise

Chapter Two

"That was fun," I say, wearing my newly made pyjamas and sitting in front of the fire to dry my hair.
"Yeah it was nice to let loose and feel like kids again," Andrew nods, placing a pot of water and mint leave onto the stove to boil. When my hair is mostly dry I sit back onto the couch. I take some of the clay I had just gathered and shape it into mugs as the water boils. I use Sophie's trick of sucking the water out to dry it faster as well. Since it is salt water I have to throw my ball outside instead of down the well. I do take the time to wash it out, but when I sucked the water out I also got most, if not all the dirt. When the water is done boiling Andrew takes the mugs from me and fills them with mint tea.
"Thank you," I say as he sits next to me. Every time I put my hand down it rests on my stomach.
"Are you nervous?" Andrew asks, noticing my movements.
"A little to be honest," I reply. "Are you?"
"Oh I'm terrified," Andrew tells me, which makes me smile for some strange reason.
"You're going to be a great father," I tell him, taking his hand so he's touching my stomach.
"As long as I'm nothing like mine," he smiles weakly.
"From what I've seen you're nothing like him," I tell him, trying to make him feel better.
"Yeah except for the part that I've killed innocents, and-" he stops, seeing the pained face. I don't even mean to make it, it is just natural when we talk about the people we have killed.
"Different motive though," I whisper, feeling like I have already lost this battle.
"Yeah, I guess so," Andrew replies as I take another sip of tea.
"I wanted to postpone this, but we have to talk about you running away like that," he says now serious, and moving his hands so they wrap around me instead. I start to feel nervous as I lean into him.
"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have gone, but I got so scared that you would be mad or upset and you sounded so disappointed," I groan, burying my face into him, feeling guilty and terrible.
"Well yes there's that and I understand why you left, so just promise me you won't do it again? You scared me, I thought the worst. Maybe I was a little shocked and scared so I'm also sorry that you only saw what was on my face instead of what was in my heart," he says, calmly, looking into the fire.
"Your heart?" I ask, looking back up at him.
"Well, as scared as I was, within a short time I grew excited. Then I was worried I would lose the two things I have fallen in love with," he continues in the same tone.
"So you weren't mad?" I ask, feeling hopeful.
"Well of course not. The closest I can to mad was when I realized you wanted to hide it from me."
"I never meant to hide it from you. I was just panicking of what I was going to say to you," I reply, trying to get closer to him.
"Well problem solved now," he laughs nervously. We sit in silence for several minutes, until I finish my tea.
"Andrew?" I ask, in a light tone.
"Mhmm?" He answers before yawning.
"Do you think I hurt it?" This question has been gnawing at me forever.
"What?" He seems confused.
"My powers, do you think I'm hurting it? And then I was tortured and shot and so many bad things have happened. What if it's dying?" I panic a little and force myself to stand. I begin to pace the room, my hands over my abdomen, protectively.
"Okay first of you need to relax. You being anxious isn't going to help it either," he advises me so I stop pacing. "And honestly I was thinking the same thing. Well kind of. With everything you have been through I'm surprised it's held on this long, but then again, have you felt extra drained when using your powers lately?" He questions, sitting up straight and looking at me. I can see the gears turning in his brain. I think about his question. I mean, I guess so now that I think about it. Everything seems to take a little extra effort, even with my stone and I working together. I noticed it more today when I was lifting the rocks. I was after that one task.
"Yeah kind of, why?" I look at him intently.
"I think it may be absorbing some of your energy." My puzzled look makes him continue. "I mean I think the reason it has stayed alive this whole time is that it has been absorbing the energy you use to heal people. That would also explain why you could only heal one of us on the hovercraft. You weren't even bleeding out, but it wore you out so fast you couldn't save yourself," he finishes, looking at me in the eyes as he speaks.
"Wait if it's absorbing my energy then..." I think about it but Andrew finishes my ideas for me.
"It may be born with powers too."