Moonlight spilled through the gaps in the clouds on Eli’s training field close to one of the old highways that led into New Faram. It was a junkyard that over the past week Eli had used to hide whatever equipment he could smuggle into its grassy depths. Old weights liberated from a corner of the basement, his oil barrels, nearly six different flashlights of various intensities. He had an old radio that he checked nearly every hour to make sure no new incidents had happened nearby.
This was where he trained three to four times a week.
He juggled three twenty-five weights with his carefully shaped telekinetic field. A few different tricks had been figured out over the past week. Both his telekinesis and teleportation had a weight limit of roughly around his total body weight times two. So for now that limit was 260 pounds if he wanted to try and push his limits. However, he didn't try to teleport with anything above his weight class too often.
Only once a week. Nausea and pain would split through his body as it dug into every crevice of his being. It was far too intense. Whatever surpassed his limits would be sheared in half if he teleported, while his control with telekinesis sharply fell off to nothing. It was like trying to shove or tug something with as much force as possible through the void and it'd only be a nudge.
No lifting or throwing cars... yet.
Teleportation was as maxed out as it could possibly be, but he was still figuring out some new tricks with it. With his spatial field he could target a portion of mass and remove it to be teleported elsewhere. It took a lot of fine control, concentration and time, but it was possible. He made sure to dig a few holes every set. It was almost exhilarating to watch a hole just appear as a full foot of dirt vanished somewhere else. Inspiration had struck one of the times he’d teleported a mess out of his clothes.
His true struggles were with using his three powers at the same time. Teleportation and telekinesis felt so similar that they should have no problem functioning at the same time, but the harder he pushed both his spatial and telekinesis field to integrate, to synergize… the harder the backlash was. They didn't like occupying the same space almost, as if his powers oversaturated the area. He could use one then the other and flicker through them, but that became nauseating rather quickly.
Eli sighed as he dropped two of his weights on predetermined spots and brought the final weight close to him until it hovered in place. He closed his eyes and let his powers guide his senses.
A few centimeters away from his skin was where his spatial field protruded like a second skin. He could push it out farther, but it'd destabilize and decay eventually. However, his telekinetic field spanned nearly twelve feet in a radius around him. If he focused and shaped it he could easily triple the range to thirty-six feet away, but then his control of objects would only be adequate at about twenty-four feet away. Anything past that was far less absolute.
Eli focused his telekinetic field out past the weight that still floated next to him until he felt the large X he'd carved into the ground with his powers ten feet away. He rested his hand on the weight and felt the still surprising warmth of the metallic grip and focused on the ground that had an X carved into it.
He imagined that where his telekinetic field exerted pressure on the X was the same as his foot. It was a part of him. He felt the prickly stubbornness of the shortgrass that refused to bend next to the bed of tallgrass he'd cut and mulched with his powers. The ground was dry and coarse with dirt that hadn't seen water in a long time.
Teleport
Eli commanded with a flex of his will and then felt his telekinetic field sway out of the way like oil and water from the flash of spatial energy as the weight was thrown through the void. He stretched and cracked his neck as he squeezed his still-closed eyes shut tighter. This was the easy part. It was hardly a stretch to teleport things to his telekinetic field, but not the other way around.
His telekinetic field swept back around the weight with glee as he lifted it up again in a bubble of kinetic force that gradually changed its shape to be more like his hand. He held it and wanted to teleport it back into his empty hand.
Cracks spanned through his spatial field as it tried to appear beneath his telekinetic field, but the more he forced it to wrap around the weight, the less he held it in his telekinetic grip. Eventually, he found the proper balance of barely lifting it with his telekinesis, and only just covering it with his spatial field. The old white weight dipped and rolled before it vanished.
The weight appeared in his hand. He smirked at the growing ease he could accomplish this at the ten-foot mark. But the true test had just begun.
His telekinetic field surged out even farther until it encompassed the twenty-foot mark. He made sure to curve his field slightly so the only point of contact was his target. In a moment, he teleported the weight and winced as it crashed into the ground with a thump. His telekinetic field shattered and reset around him in its uneven ten to thirteen-foot radius before he managed to smooth it out to an even twelve feet. With a thought, he extended his field out again and tightened it until he felt the weight and the ground it rested on.
Every time he tried to teleport it back to him, his fields clashed and broke each other. He had to restart again and again until he gritted his teeth hard enough that his jaw ached and his temples throbbed. A last ditch effort surged through back fields like chaotic eels thrashing through the water to wrap about the weight and teleport it back to him anyways. Lightning sizzled through his brain as he stumbled back with half of the weight in his hand. Dry dirt sloughed off of it and fell with a thump to the ground.
Eli wiped the oozing leak of blood from his nose and stumbled his way over to the other half of the weight and sighed at the partially crumpled metal grip with its sheared-off end. The plastic weightend ring at the ends had cracks in them from his telekinetic field rupturing. Not to mention the irregular hole that spiked through the earth where the end he held was.
He sighed as he picked it up and stumbled over to where he kept his oil drum with his spare weights, flashlights, and a tarp in case he ever needed one for whatever reason. He dropped the two halves of the weight on the dirt patch he'd burnt all of the grass from and pulled out two flashlights.
Eli sat down and winced as he tried to use his tender telekinetic senses to squeeze the dents out of the weight, but the more force he exerted, the more his headache bloomed into a migraine. This wouldn't be a pretty fix, but that was fine. It wasn't like it lost its weight. However, he did manage to use his telekinesis as a vice to line the ends of the weight up as precisely as he could.
Then he thumbed the switch on both of the flashlights and trained their blinding rays towards the barrel to reduce any visibility. He closed his eyes as he used Photon Shot to gather and focus the light from the flashlights and moonlight into an orb of light on the tips of his index and middle finger. A dull red light grew and brightened to a sort of orange. Any brighter than that and he'd start to lose control of it. It had swelled to the size of a baseball, but an effort of will condensed it to about the size of a pea.
Eli turned away and relied on his senses from telekinesis and Photon Shot to guide him as he released a narrow burning beam that he used to slowly carve a boiling trail across and over the broken path of the weight. Sweat beaded across his forehead from the heat and the heavy labor of mental power.
He had to balance his telekinesis with his Photon Shot perfectly. Thankfully, Photon Shot had no issues being used simultaneously with telekinesis or teleportation. Which was useful for cases like this or if he wanted to rely on a laser to teleport things around.
Eventually, he had a crude weld holding the two halves of the weight together. Dimples and scorch marks marred the surface of the metal where he'd accidentally used too much or too little power from the now flickering red sphere of light. Eli glanced hopefully at his status, but grumbled at the lack of a level up.
[Equipped Power List:
Slot One -- Teleportation Ev. 0/Lv. 5 (Maxed)
Slot Two -- Telekinesis Ev. 0/Lv. 4
Slot Three -- Photon Shot Ev. 1/Lv. 2
]
A full week of near-constant training had provided good experience for telekinesis, but he was still stuck at a low level Photon Shot. What he probably needed was some more target practice, but he found the power fairly reliable when he combined it with telekinesis. Otherwise, the slightest tremble could bump his beam somewhere he didn't want it to stray. He had some other ways he wanted to test it. It'd be nice if he could store light and basically have a portable lightbulb, but once he let it free to illuminate something, the containment always broke and all of the light exploded free.
Overall, he was fine with it being more of a backup power. He wanted to be accurate with it, but as long as it was in his twelve to thirty-six foot range of telekinesis he'd have near perfect aim. Telekinesis made it as easy as touching his nose to get a bull's eye every time with Photon Shot. Plus, he could teleport around as needed and even use teleportation with Photon Shot too.
So far, he'd only experimented with using it as a laser to teleport whatever he focused it on, but that only turned it into a cutting beam as it'd only teleport in the path of the beam. He'd also tried teleporting the actual beam itself and had mixed results. It certainly worked, but it disrupted whatever kept it stable and dispersed the light in a blast rather than a ray. He already had a hard time aiming at those ranges anyway.
Too bad he’d always turned Grandfather Denson down on learning how to shoot a gun or hunt. Maybe he’d have better aim now.
Eli sighed in contentment as he leaned his head back against the oil barrel and relaxed with a glance at his analog watch. A slow draw of light with Photon Shot was enough for him to check it and see that it was 3:27AM.
It was time to head home.
He stood up and stretched as he focused on his spatial field and closed it in around his clothes and shoes and made sure to exclude any dirt or other stains and teleported an inch to the left. A cloud of dust, dirt and tufts of grass billowed in the breeze as he took the batteries out of his flashlights, put them in a plastic bag and returned it all to the oil barrel before he covered it up. Then he teleported in a series of gentle pops towards the highway with a compass and pair of binoculars he'd found in his hands.
Before too long his feet were on asphalt again and with a quick glance at his compass, made sure he was heading SE and off he went back into the open air of the sky. He'd practiced chaining multiple smaller teleports together compared to chaining his long range teleports. Due to his telekinetic field, he had a passive awareness of about twelve feet that he could easily teleport around in. When he teleported and hung in that void, his spatial field encompassed both where he was and where he was going. As long as he teleported within his passive telekinetic field, he was basically walking and could teleport multiple times a second without a hint of nausea. When he combined that with his teleportation launches, he skipped in and out of his void in a staccato of blasts of air. His journey of twenty or so minute wandering a week ago had shortened to twelve minutes.
Once he entered city limits he had to slow down and stop blasting himself and the air around him through each teleport. The number of patrol cars he saw had gradually increased until Farbrook resembled a hive of red-and-blue lit drones intent on keeping the peace. Incidents had still continued, but while the police and National Guard presence had spiked, some semblance of normalcy had started to return as well.
Phone service was back, even if it was spotty. Most websites and everything else were more or less fully operational.
A gentle series of teleports was enough for him to land on the roof of his home with contemptuous ease. He sat down carefully. Quietly.
Then he compacted and narrowed his telekinetic field as much as he could until it was practically a quivering, vibrating mass of kinetic potential that he slowly unfurled downwards through the roof. He felt in between the shingles, the grain of the wood, the foam of the insulation... and then he felt the cavity in space that was the attic, a teensy bit farther showed him the crowded floorspace of the attic. A slow, gradual teleport silently dropped him into the dark without a single breeze to betray his presence. A stray telekinetic tether snaked into a specific spot above his closet and he teleported all of his dark clothes, his compass and binoculars and boots. Everything he had and wore teleported into that spot.
Next he let his telekinetic field slide down the four walls of his room until he could feel the floor of his room, his closed door, and his shared wallspace with his parents’ office. He didn’t feel any movement in the hallway or anyone lurking in his bedroom for some reason. It was all clear. He loosened his hold on his senses, at the cost of resolution, until he felt the soothing chill of his mattress and rumpled bedding to look like he was in it.
A moment later he was curled up under the covers sleeping.
Three hours later his alarm rang on his phone and he rolled over with a groan. His body felt gritty and sore with countless aches from staying up far too late and pushing his body far too hard. Crust coated his eyes and he’d drooled all over his spare lumpy replacement pillow. He stumbled out of bed as he shut off his alarm. A flutter of telekinesis flicked the light switch on and he started to get dressed for the day.
He stepped out into the hallway and teleported down the stairs and then into the kitchen. A part of him was irritated at the unnecessary leaps, but he didn't want his family knowing he could teleport with his telekinetic senses yet. If they knew, they might figure out that he was sneaking out. Or that he was a bit better with his powers than he pretended. A twitch of telekinesis opened the fridge and pulled out the jug of cold brew that Mom had started preparing every night once she got tired of everyone asking her to make coffee for them.
Another wave of telekinesis flipped a cabinet open and pulled out a mug, a plate and some silverware plus a couple of frozen waffles. He teleported into his seat at the table with his mug of coffee and his phone out. He scanned through the different news channels and sighed at the government's demands that people start to go back to work and school if able.
They wanted people cooped up at home, but also out and about to keep the country productive. Several countries had closed their borders, not to mention the excessive lockdowns on airport travel and all of the checkpoints everywhere. At least the riots across the United States had started to die down and stay down.
Emergency Congress meetings had gone through and passed a number of bills that had a mixed response. Everyone with a license or ID would have to return to the DMV to renew their cards with their powers listed on it. Accordingly, they were going to treat active public use of powers as the same as using or holding a firearm without a permit unless there was proper cause. Efforts were being made to categorize powers accordingly.
Eli sighed as he took a sip of coffee and shivered at the wave of alertness and contentment that rolled through his knotted body and relaxed him. He scrolled through the news a bit more and groaned at the reports that schools in their area would be resuming session in a couple of days either remotely or in person. He pulled his waffles out of the toaster, buttered them with a swipe of his telekinetic field.
"Good morning, son. Sleep well?" Dad asked as he strolled into the kitchen with his empty mug of coffee. He was wearing pajamas, even though he'd already been awake and working remotely for an hour. Technically, he was probably still working right now. Eli wondered if he could get a version of his Technomancy power. Even if it were a basic one.
"Yeah, I slept okay," Eli said as he took another sip of coffee to purge any remnants of dark circles under his eyes. "How's work going?"
"Pretty crazy, to be honest. After we released the standard, free build of technomancy protection and started advertising the more robust models we've had an insane amount of offers. Every company and organization wants its security to be unique and powerful. I can't even crack it with my technomancy at level nine now." Dad shook his head as he poured his second ration of cold brew, mixed in an insane amount of milk, and started chugging it. "It's all hands on deck now. We've had to pause all of our previous contracts as much as we could. At least brute testing all of the different versions plus everything else is entertaining."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Has mom already left?"
"Yeah. She has all of her seeds on her though if anything were to happen. She should be back around the afternoon." Dad frowned as he shook his head and pretended to peek at Eli's phone to read the news page he was still on about school resuming. "Are you ready to go back? It's almost May now. It'll be your birthday soon and then you'll be graduating!"
"Ugh, don't remind me." Eli slumped at the thought of finals. He’d put off practically all of his homework and everything else during the impromptu break. "Do you want to play Eldritch Wars later?"
"Maybe, we'll see. After you've done some chores and studied a bit. I don't want you getting complacent about school." Dad said as he started to walk out of the room and then stopped. "It looks like we're going to meet Addy later at the DMV to re-register our licenses and the girls' permits. Be ready for that in a couple of hours."
"Okay!" He called out then sighed as he stabbed his fork into his waffle. He had completely forgotten to study for his finals or to do any of his homework. How could he not when a System came out of nowhere handing him power after power to discover and explore? It was too bad he couldn't hand wave it away. What he really wanted to do was continue practicing with his telekinesis. He only had that final level left until he could hopefully evolve it or get a new power. Even though he had no idea what he’d even want power wise.
Eli sighed as set his phone down on the table, snaked his telekinetic field up the stairs and into his room, then teleported in there to start slogging through his homework. Now that school was starting up again, he knew one or both of his parents would check on him. While he started getting everything together, tendrils of telekinesis crept back downstairs to drag his phone through the air up to his room. He didn’t want his dad sensing his phone vanish from the kitchen to appear in his room. Tendrils of telekinesis wrapped in fields felt out the kitchen as he moved his plate and silverware into the sink so he could rinse them off, and place them on the dishwasher’s rack. Before he dismissed the tendrils, he remembered his coffee and carefully sealed it in a field before navigating it up to his room and setting it on his desk.
Then it was time to start working.
Eli frowned as he exerted his will behind him to do telekinetic curls with his bed. Hopefully it'd net him that final level, even if it probably wouldn't. While he skimmed through his textbook, he idly wondered what the issue was with Telekinesis. He had range, more than adequate precision, and while his power was lacking it was still steadily growing.
He’d figure it out eventually.
***
Change had swept across Farbrook and the entire world. It was far harder to tell at night time when he teleported across the horizon to train. Now in broad daylight, everyone huddled together and regarded other people with suspicion and distrust. Police were stationed at and around both of the DMV's in Farbrook decked out in full SWAT gear. Eli's nape tingled and tickled every time someone twitched in his twelve-foot radius.
It was exhausting.
"This is horrible," Lyra complained with a huff as she glared at the line that slipped out the doors, around the side of the building, and straight into the parking lot. "I can't even practice with my new power."
"Just create illusions in your pocket or something." Lana whispered with a wink and nudge. "I've leveled Graylight Construction so much since I first got it."
“What power did you even choose, Lyra?” Eli asked, then sulked when she winked at him and shrugged. He didn’t think she’d evolved her Illusion power, but she could’ve also kept it lowkey when she practiced around the rest of them. Just like what he was doing with his powers.
"Don't use your powers in public." Mom snapped as she tapped her left foot while she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's rude, not to mention practically illegal now."
"Only if it's dangerous!" Lyra protested in outrage. "My powers are harmless, you know they are!"
"Every power is dangerous," Eli murmured as he kept a vigilant eye out. Dad had dropped them off. Due to his work he'd been able to get his core team processed in advance along with everyone else who either served a prominent role in city government or who had powers that were in high demand. Mom could protect them, of course she could, but he knew that if anything happened it'd be up to Lana and him to protect Lyra.
"No. Powers. Please. And Eli, stop being so melodramatic."
"It's too bad that Dad couldn't get us expedited licenses too." Eli sulked, then sighed at a sharp glance from his mom. "Anyway... How did volunteering go?"
"It was exhausting. I made so much food. I've never pushed 'Cooking Enchantress' so hard. I finally hit level eight with it though." Mom smiled with pride. “But I have to work remotely once we get home.” They passed their time waiting by chatting, playing on their phones, and doing whatever else they could to pass the time until they made it up to the front desk. Eli had found some forums where people talked about powers and some other stuff, but they were pretty restricted. Lana had told him about some of them: Superior Power Trading, Power Cultivation, Foolproof Guide to Powers, and The Irrefutable Power Tier List.
Most of them were a mixed bag of people either crazy about the powers and conspiracy theories, but it was still interesting. It wasn’t like there was anything else like these sites. They both had their eyes on them to see what people were saying and if there were any good ways to level up their powers. That and to just see what these people were saying. It wasn’t like their parents were paying attention to this stuff.
"How may I help you?" asked the disgruntled DMV worker who seemed like they had a personality that was more stale and flavorless than tepid water. Eli had to remind himself that these people also had powers... and they were still doing the job they had before. Or at least, some of them. Only these two older ladies were running the desk. No wonder the line was devilishly long.
"I need to update my license, my son's provisional license, and the driver's permits for my daughters." Mom said as she splayed out the various forms across the desk with all of their cards pinned to it with a paperclip.
"Is the address still correct on these?" She asked as she typed away at the computer with one finger at a time. Eli had to resist the urge to teleport behind the counter and fill them in himself.
"Yes."
"And you've verified that the abilities you've listed on the forms are accurate?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Your children will undergo a threat assessment at their schools. If they are homeschooled you will need to schedule a meeting with an agent for them. And you, Mrs. Newton, will need to come with me for yours right now. Your children can wait for you over there in the lobby." She said as she printed out the quick changes to his and his sisters’ cards then waved for them to leave the line.
Eli glanced down to study the changes to his card:
ELI NEWTON
POWER: TELEPORTATION
DOB: 05/17/20XX
SEX: M
Right next to the space where his power was listed was a conveniently empty border for a stamp. He led his sisters over to the side of the lobby then groaned once he saw Tom Harver sitting next to some of his bully friends. He started to guide them away towards the door, but Tom met his eyes with a widening smirk on his face. His telekinetic field tightened around his body like a suit of non-existent armor.
"Well, well! If it isn't Ms. Newton. I was sad to see you didn't return my texts once the phone lines were back up, Lana." Tom called out in that artificial low-voice he used when he was being sleazy. Him and his friends sauntered over to them before they could escape.
"Let's go wait for mom in the car." Lana rolled her eyes as she turned to lead them towards the door.
"They won't let you. Minors have to wait for a parent or guardian in case they need to be put in a foster home." Tom smirked as his eyes flitted up and down to study her. "I see that your power made your body even hotter."
Eli gritted and ground his teeth so hard he was surprised his molars didn't crack. He stuffed his fists into his pockets so he wouldn't start charging up a Photon Shot to grill the bastard.
"Don't be a pig." Lyra spat out with a quick glance at Eli, but when he didn't do anything she joined the conversation. Tom’s friends giggled and jeered as they joined in on catcalling his sisters whores. Eli took a casual glance around the room and saw that no one was paying them any attention. As long as they stayed within the pen. He made eye contact with a security guard who glared at him as if he were the punk.
If he got in a fight he'd probably be tried as an adult now. Especially with powers in the world. The government was trying to make as much of an example as they could with every case. He glanced at his status and quickly unequipped Photon Shot so he wouldn't be tempted to use it. A wave of coldness washed over him as he felt the power disconnect from him and disappear into his status.
Somehow, his teleportation and telekinetic powers felt crisper. More distinct.
"You two should come by later to my house. We can have a good time if you leave that waste you call a brother behind." Tom suggested as he leaned closer to Lana and Lyra who were glaring at each of them.
"And I can't believe you call that dilapidated trailer a house, Harver." Eli said, no longer able to resist joining the conversation. He couldn't forget the beating and everything else he'd said about his sisters. The way he kept trying to fuck them even though Tom was already eighteen. "Oh, wait, sorry. Was that word too big for you? Dilapidated means that a building is in poor repair just like your social life."
Tom's face turned bleach white then darkened as purple as a plum as he stood up and balled his fists. Smoke began to coil off his smoldering skin. He took a step closer to Eli and snarled, “At least I have a social life, Newton. My only friends aren’t my siblings.”
“Is that because your siblings are in jail?” Eli asked innocently as he moved closer until they were almost nose to nose. Tension vibrated in shudders up and down his skin. Both of his powers ached and rippled like rising hackles.
"Come on! Elias, Lyra, Lana! Let's go." Mom called as she waited next to the door to collect them.
"Leave my family alone," Eli whispered before he turned around and followed his sisters out of the DMV. His hands shook with rage in his pockets where he hid them. People seemed to glare at him and everyone else. He ignored the jealous studying stares. Gauging them as they left. He tuned out the murmured conversation his family was having as they walked toward the car. Wrath illuminated every memory he'd ever had of Tom Harver bullying him for the past year ever since his sisters started their freshman year.
He'd been harassed, humiliated, and beaten over and over. Anyone that was friends with him had become a target. Now he was practically alone. None of his family knew except for Lyra and now Lana. Vengeance warred with his morality. He wanted to pay him back for every bloody lesson he'd been forced to learn.
He idly got in the car while he thought about pinning Tom down with his telekinesis and using Photon Shot to burn him to a crisp. Telekinesis to break his wrist where Eli had broken his when Tom had shoved him at the beginning of the year. Teleportation to dump all of the cafeteria’s grease all over him and drag him throughout the halls of the school so everyone could see and make fun of his body like they'd done to Eli after the catfishing scandal. Tom and his friends had pretended to be someone in New Faram and then leaked every detail and picture he’d ever sent to her all over school. Ever since then his parents had made him delete all of his social media, just in case.
It had to be Tom’s turn, right? He seethed with ravenous joy at the thought of punishing him for every bad thing he'd ever done to Eli. For every single disgusting thought he’d ever had about his sisters.
"Eli!" Mom clapped her hands and he jumped from the sudden noise. "You haven't said a word since the DMV." The rearview mirror showed Mom staring at him with concern. Anger bubbled inside him again until he reminded himself that he needed to calm down. They couldn't know what he was thinking. It would have just made things worse if she did. Before she’d worry, but now with superpowers?
They might be afraid.
"I'm just exhausted from all of the waiting. We were there for almost three hours." He said flatly with a glance out the window where a ton of people were parked at the grocery store. "And I have a headache."
"Okay. Do you want me to make you something when we get home? Make you feel better?"
"No, it's fine. You've been cooking all day. Don't worry about it. Some sleep will be enough." He said before resting his head against the window as he made up plan after plan. Ideally, he'd keep his identity as lowkey as possible. He knew where Tom lived after all.
He'd followed them there after school one day when he'd started making his moves on Lana. The whole time he'd thought about how it was justified in case something happened. So he could tell his parents and call the police. But nothing happened.
It hadn't been necessary. Tom hadn't done anything to her, it had only been a way to try and get to Eli. Lana only started paying attention to Tom when she failed to get on any of the varsity teams. Failure had destroyed her. Next thing he knew... Tom's attention and advances started becoming more real.
Eli hopped out of the car the second they pulled into the driveway and he snuck into his room and laid down in bed to pretend to be asleep. Before he did anything, he had to level Photon Shot and Telekinesis some more. Plus, he needed more than a dark outfit to blend in with the night. He needed some way to actually hide his identity.
Was he actually considering this?
He shook his head with a sigh as he pressed his hands tight against face until his skin pinched with pain. He needed to calm down. Eli inhaled a shaky breath, before he sat up and glanced over at his status. A distraction would be good. Maybe some more training? In case he needed to deal with Tom…
[Equipped Power List:
Slot One -- Teleportation Ev. 0/Lv. 5 (Maxed)
Slot Two -- Telekinesis Ev. 0/Lv. 4
Slot Three -- N/A
]
[Unequipped Power List:
Photon Shot Ev. 1/Lv. 2
He tried to equip Photon Shot but frowned as another message popped up in front of his face.
Well, fuck.
He flopped back and laid down so he could study the ceiling. More and more often, he wished this System had come with a user manual instead of just sweeping him into that empty space, giving him powers, and dropping him back into his body.
Before too long, he even managed to fall asleep for real. Half-remembered nightmares plagued him throughout the rest of the afternoon. Footsteps sounded from the hallway as his bedroom door creaked open, the hinges somewhat busted ever since he was rammed into the door frame.
"How are you feeling?" asked Mom as she walked into the room and rested her hand on his forehead to check for a fever.
"A bit better," he admitted as he loosened himself out of his blanket prison. "The DMV was a lot.”
"You know... your sisters told me what happened. Do you want to talk about it?" Mom asked as she hovered at his bedside.
"Not really..." He mumbled as he fought to keep hold of his anger, and while it was still there, the fire felt spent. Cold ashes after an all-consuming blaze. "I just... I hate that guy. He's made my life a living hell."
"So why haven't you told us or a teacher?"
"Because nothing ever changes. It'll happen again eventually. And worse next time because now he knows exactly what buttons to push on me. He's so cruel, mom, I'm afraid of what he'll do now that powers are real." ‘I’m afraid of what I’ll do with powers.’ Eli fought to keep a hold of his emotions, to stuff them down deep in his chest. Pressure flattened his blankets as a unilateral force smooshed against him as he tried to imprison his feelings with telekinesis. It didn't work, but the weight was nice. "You probably don't understand. Everyone loves you and Dad."
"Ha!" Mom chuckled then shook her head. "Sorry, sorry. I'm not laughing at you. Hon, everyone does not love us. School was a vicious time period for both of us. My 'friend' was a horrible person who took every opportunity to victimize me or make herself look better and I grew up in such a small town it was barely on the map. My class size was smaller than the population of our neighborhood. And Rick? Every bad thing that really ever happened in his life happened while he was in school. Bullying, mental health issues, his parents' divorce... Everything."
"But... didn't you guys say school was an important part of your lives?" Eli frowned.
"Yeah, but nothing really matters in high school and definitely not anything before that. It's all about the next step. College matters... but it also doesn't as long as you do it, and even then people are alright without it. Not that you shouldn’t do college if you can.” She shrugged. "Do you know why Rick is so obsessed about you all doing college?"
"No?" He had to throttle the urge to roll his eyes at the rhetorical question.
"Because he dropped out of high school. He was convinced that it was the only way for him to be happy. We didn't know each other then, but his life had practically fallen apart."
"So... school is optional?" He asked, latching onto the idea that he could easily solve all of his problems. Drop out and never deal with Tom or the bullshit ever again. He could practice with his powers all of the time! Maybe start a gym or something so he could others get better with theirs.
"Elias Newton, you’re finishing high school. You barely have a month left.” She scoffed. "It just doesn't matter as much as it seems like. You're almost done. Soon you'll be graduating and moving on to college or doing whatever else you’ll do. Hold on and it'll be over before you know it. It might feel like the whole world is after you sometimes, but it’s not. I promise."
He furrowed his brow and nodded while he thought over what they talked about. He supposed that there was little less than a month left, as long as they didn't extend school due to the two weeks they'd missed from powers appearing. He could avoid Tom that long, especially if his parents let him do school remotely. Or he could just teleport away every time he came near.
Doubt and discomfort wriggled in his stomach, but he ignored those feelings.
"Thanks mom," Eli said as he rolled over and burrowed under his blanket once more.
"Of course, you can always talk to us..." She said before walking out and shutting the door. He bolted upright the moment she left and stared down at his hands as he gathered field after field of telekinetic force between his palms. Telekinesis would never finish leveling up if he didn’t try new things.
And he needed to try new things. Needed to improve and get stronger. Eli might not start anything with Tom or anyone else, but if it happened…
He'd make damn sure to finish it.