Sierra nodded her agreement then turned to face the room, her naked hands instantly attuned to the static in the atmosphere that was leaking through the door towards her. She closed her eyes as she tried to focus.
"Just breathe," Luc whispered encouragingly into her ear.
His breath reminded her of Jason, and the confidence that he, too, had in her. She realised that they were not the only ones. She'd been getting support and encouragement from different people in different ways from the first day, but she'd been too blinded by her own fear to see it. If they could see something in her, surely she should open her mind and try to see it too? She took a nervous, small step forward and felt the charge in the air increase a fraction around her exposed skin. This time she let it in instead of fighting it. It didn't take hold and pull her in as she'd always thought it would. Instead, it seemed to glide through and around her body as though she wasn't even there.
Feeling even more emboldened, she took a bigger, more decisive step forward. The electrical charge that had always sparked her craving reached out towards her and, for a moment, she balked against it as she felt the familiar clutches of its pull. Fear tried to claw its way back into her heart. She felt heat behind her back and opened her eyes to glance over her shoulder at Luc. There was not an ounce of doubt in his face. His certainty inspired her. She forced herself to let go again. In seconds, the intensity seemed to have vaporised. The charge was floating through her again as though she was nothing more than air.
That was the point where her amazement took over. Her focus moved from her fear, and the struggle that it had created within her, to the sheer wonder of having a strange natural current channel through her. She felt connected to everything around her. Her skin still tingled, but it was not unpleasant and she was not twitching involuntarily from it. She wandered a few more steps into the room, captivated by the new sensation - eager to explore it. She closed her eyes and felt the collective energy swirl all around her like some sort of magnificent rainbow, different strengths and vibrations co-existing, dissipating, merging together. She could let them flow in their natural patterns around her or... or she could drawn them towards her, almost reaching out to pluck at their delicate strings and feel their subtle notes settle on her skin at the interruption.
"Uh... Sierra?"
Luc sounded far away, like he was looking in at her from another world. Somehow that seemed fitting.
"Luc, this is incredible..." she mused in awe.
"I'd say..."
It wasn't Luc's voice. Sierra's eyes shot open with surprise. Kal had come into the room, and he was staring at her very strangely. So was everyone else for that matter.
Can't a girl catch a freaking break???
"What?" Sierra asked defensively, annoyed at having her private revelry interrupted to be gawked at like some alien in a research tank again.
Devon pointed at her, speechless. Confused, she looked at her hands and was surprised when she saw that they were virtually glowing. It was as if tiny little white pockets of energy had attached themselves to her skin, their almost invisible tentacles giving them a spidery appearance.
"What the?!?"
She wasn't sure if she should be totally freaked out or fascinated. She instinctively shook her hand to try and dislodge them, but they stuck to her like static. Devon came closer, intrigued. He looked like a kitten that was eager to swipe at the nearest feather toy. It didn't take her long to realise that 'toy' was effectively her...
"Yeeeoooowwww!" he yelled as he recoiled after prodding one of her hands with his finger.
Sierra's brow knitted in confusion. The hand seemed to have lost some of its glow, but she didn't feel any pain.
"Devon what is it?" she asked as she went a few steps closer.
"Stay away from me!" he shrieked as he bandied his arm about like a petulant child.
She grinned, suddenly feeling like the kid with a bug so big and gross that it freaks everyone else out. Devon's melodramatic antics faded fast as he realised what she was thinking.
"Don't. You. Dare!" he growled as he started backing away from her.
"I'm pretty sure I owe you for a certain telephone call..." Sierra mused with a devilish grin as she started circling him, "amongst other things."
"No way! That's not fair..." Devon whinged as he scrambled away from her.
Everyone else in the room was quick to move out of the way, but kept watching - equally intrigued to see what would happen. Sierra scuttled after Devon playfully, somehow managing to outsmart him by getting ahead and cutting him off. She tackled him around the torso, flinging them both down onto the couch for what should have been a nice cushy landing. Before she knew what had happened, she was lying on the floor instead and her friend was writing in pain next to her. She glanced at her hands to see that the little globules of energy were gone.
"You bitch!" Devon griped between gritted teeth.
Sierra realised that he was clutching his side as though both too afraid to hold it tight and at the same time, too afraid to let it go. Whatever she'd done must have hurt like hell, but he was moving far too much for whatever was wrong to be critical. She rolled over and got to her feet.
"Well they say payback's a bitch, so I guess that makes us even," she shot back meanly.
That was about the time that her whole world went really woozy. The life in her body drained and her vision swirled. Before she knew it, she was being sucked in by the worn old sponges of the couch as she fell back into it, blackness looming on the edges of her vision. For a moment, she couldn't see or hear anything. She didn't know how long she was like that, but when her senses returned to her she could feel someone slapping her cheek lightly and a hand checking her pulse.
"Sierra!"
Luc's voice rang in her ears unpleasantly, like someone screaming on top of a fresh hangover.
"What happened?" she asked groggily, her face skewed by the unpleasantness of it all.
"I am not entirely sure. You just sort of fell over," he informed her with concern.
She blinked a few times until her vision started to come back into focus.
"Devon... Is Devon okay?"
She glanced at the floor where she'd last seen him but he wasn't there. Her eyes darted around until they found him. He looked very miserable and unimpressed, but he was on his feet at the front of the group of concerned onlookers. There was a burn mark on his shirt where he'd been clutching himself.
A what?!?
"What did I do to you? Shit! Devon, I'm so sorry - I had no idea!" she mumbled apologetically as she rolled over to get to her feet.
She realised immediately that she wasn't entirely recovered yet.
"Sure you didn't," he shot back ruefully, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.
He shirked a little from the tenderness in his side, though he tried not to show it.
"I was still just so angry at you. The other night was beyond embarrassing. I wasn't thinking clearly and I honestly have no idea what that was. I just knew it didn't hurt me and it wouldn't kill you," she spluttered out as she tried to move towards him remorsefully. Her head started swirling again at the effort.
He pulled up his shirt to reveal a nasty dark singe one the side of his stomach, the skin raised and tortured.
"I'd say you came pretty darn close," he grumbled angrily.
She clutched her fingers to her mouth in horror at the sight.
"Is that... Did I...?" she couldn't quite get the words out. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say.
Devon nodded his head, his gaze stormy.
"You basically shocked the crap out of me!" he informed her with irritation. "I think I'd rather take a cattle prod to the ribs, thank you very much."
Her knees weakened with shock and she dropped to ground. Her skin felt cold all over and her body still felt weak from whatever it was that had happened.
"I was just exploring the energy in the air - the currents you all give off," she muttered as she gazed up at all the wide-eyed faces. "I'll never do it again, I promise!"
"Yes you will," Kal informed her sternly.
She turned to argue with him, immediately annoyed. Why did he keep doubting her ability to contain herself? Sure, she'd slipped up with Adam because she'd been unexpectedly overwhelmed. And what had just happened with Devon was an accident...
Hmmm... maybe the man has a point...
"There is no way I'm ever going to hurt anyone on this team like that ever again!" she shot back defensively. "I'd rather kill myself."
She meant it.
A little smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth as he crossed his arms resolutely over his chest. She realised he hadn't been arguing her lack of control at all. He'd merely been questioning her declaration that she would not repeat the procedure.
"No, you won't hurt anyone on this team, you can bet your life of on that," he told her.
Uh... was that a threat?! I might consider making you the exception to that...
"But we sure as hell will find out what that was and teach you to control it."
"Kal, some things are just not meant to be poked and prodded..." she reasoned.
"I'm not talking about examining it under a microscope. I'm talking about coaching it," he replied confidently.
Sierra rose to her full height so that she could at least attempt to look him more directly in the eyes.
"No!" she replied defiantly. "I refuse to take a chance and risk hurting someone on this team..."
Suddenly her world went all woozy again and she felt the room spin around her as gravity took effect. She realised when she looked up through blurry eyes that she was looking at Devon's chin. He must have caught her. He looked concerned.
"Sorry," she whispered hoarsely, her eyes finding his. The extent of her guilt shone through clearly in them.
He nodded that he understood and she felt the unease inside start to dissipate. But then Kal stood over her, his shadow coating her like the evil curse on her life that she'd come to see him as.
"That is exactly why you will do it," he informed her. "Because not knowing - not understanding - brings greater risk. You can't control what you don't understand."
Argh! I hate it when he makes sense...
Sierra groaned miserably. She really wasn't feeling well. A dark fuzzy ring was lurking at the edge of her vision. It was staring to look like a familiar old friend that would rescue her from her predicament if she would only let it. She decided to let it.