Ravela heard a knock on her door. She paused her work on the electrical cables to find out who would interrupt her essential work during the early morning.
Two voices were arguing outside, which betrayed her visitor's identity.
“I mean, he might not even be here today. What if he went to town shopping today? his house still lacks most of its furniture.” Safora’s voice said.
“It took us twenty minutes to fly here. Stop being such a princess. If he isn’t here, we can just fly back. Besides, why would the generator be out and running if he wasn’t here?” Laena responded.
“We? You mean me! I am not a taxi, you know?” Safora made a scoffing noise and then conceded. “I mean yeah, he wouldn’t leave the generator out and running if he wasn’t here, or about to return in a minute.”
Ravela chose this moment to open the door. “Good morning, girls. What can I do for you two? You realize it is only just Wednesday, right?”
Safora locked onto her new target. “Yeah, well, we’re bored, and you aren’t attending the academy right now, so we came by.”
She looked at the two teenagers for a moment before continuing. “So, instead of going to the cinema with friends or enjoying the nice weather in the park, you decided you’d come here?”
Laena jumped in. “Since you have some free time anyway, we thought you could maybe use a hand.”
Ravela took a long look at Laena and Safora. “You don’t actually expect me to believe you two are here to help with whatever I am working on today? I am working on electrical wiring in the walls today, so you won’t be of much help with that.” She sighed. “But Safora is right. I still need a lot of things for the house, so we could drive to Pliada City and go shopping. That is if you’re up for the idea. I still need everything from kitchen appliances, plates, glasses, cutlery, curtains, and, of course, furniture, but that can wait. I also need some clothes.”
The mention of shopping got their attention, and Ravela knew that she was in for way more than entering different shops, picking some clothes, and leaving, just from Safora’s excited expression.
Ravela hesitated for a second before she added. “If you want to come help me pick out some nice clothes there is a reward in it for you.” She stopped herself once again before continuing. “If you want to get some new clothes too, I would be happy to get a few pieces you pick out for yourself, too.”
The teenagers were instantly all in on the idea. “That’s a great idea!” Both declared enthusiastically.
And Safora couldn’t help but add on to that. “If your taste in cars is anything to go by, you’re in desperate need of our help!”
To her chagrin, Laena nodded along with Safora’s statement, salting the wound. The girls were so in on the new plan that Ravela realized why she hesitated to bring up the idea.
Ravela turned off the fuel generator and pulled her wallet and keys with her telekinesis. “Alright, then we got you something to do for today, I guess. Let’s go. Oh, and in the future, I expect you to spend your school summer vacation on your own. Don’t come flying all the way over here from Gradjia when you get bored. I have plans I need to focus on. Also, you may want to partake in some of the school activities they offer at the end of the year instead of bothering your mentor because you’re bored, girls.”
Safora rolled her eyes at him. “I can’t imagine something more exciting than going on some boring tour of the capital and looking at monuments, our meeting the state senators after a lame tour of the chambers. YAWN!”
Ravela looked at her, shaking her head scoldingly. “Education is important. Knowing your people's history is fundamental. How will you navigate through this world with no concept of how it is run?”
Safora crossed her arm. “Look, I might go, but Laena can’t go, and I don’t want to leave her behind like a bad friend, okay?”
Ravela furrowed her brows. “Why can’t Laena go?” She turned her attention to Laena, who pretended she didn’t hear her question.
Safora pushed her elbow into Laena’s side. “Tell him why. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“It’s not for you, Safora.” Laena shot back, her voice now upset. “Ma can’t afford to send me on every cool trip, so that’s why I am not going. I’d rather miss out on some sightseeing than to think Ma doesn’t eat properly to make something possible that is out of our means.”
Ravela could hear the embarrassment in Laena’s voice. Incidentally, her companion chose to return at this moment with caring remarks.
‘Awww, it’s poor. You two are so much alike, both from destitute upbringing. However, will you raise the little thing?’ Ravela didn't appreciate the distinct scorn in her comment. It filled her with resolve, though. She decided that since Laena was, in manyfold ways, now, part of her responsibility, she would make things possible for her.
“How much do those kind of trips cost?” Ravela asked while they got into her car.
Laena didn’t want to say anything, but Safora jumped in without hesitating. “That really depends. A day trip might not be so expensive, but if it is to another city, it goes up quickly. If there is an overnight stay or even a three-day visit, it can be up to forty dollars per child, which is crazy money for small-town people like us. And that’s if we stay at some youth hostel. My parents could do it, but I don’t like to go see stuff without my friends.” The sentence ended with big puppy-dog eyes from Safora.
‘She isn’t even hiding what she’s doing. Utterly shameless, I like her more and more. Unlike that timid wallflower too ashamed to ask you for the evident nepotism.’ Her companion commented.
For Ravela, it was the exact reverse. Safora’s shamelessness rubbed her the wrong way, while Laena came off as much more dignified about her situation, a bit too shy considering what secret she was keeping for Ravela. She didn’t respond to Safora and just looked at her with a neutral expression. “I see,” was all she said in response.
Inwardly, she decided to pay Ma Stone a visit the next day to ensure Laena could go on those trips with Safora, if not for the educational aspect, then at the very least to get them out of her hair for a bit. She reasoned the idea to herself.
Safora’s shoulders slumped a bit at her underwhelming response, but to her credit, she didn’t push the issue further.
The drive to Pliada City’s biggest mall would take a while, and Ravela thought about what they should take care of first. “Let’s go buy the plates, glasses, and cutlery first. After that, we can buy clothes. What do you think about that?”
Laena and Safora just nodded. They were fine with whatever order they wanted as long as it would be fun.
She drove at a relaxed speed; not being in a rush or under pressure felt nice.
‘You’re getting too comfortable. The universe tends to punish slackers.’ Her companion complained, not for the first time in the last four months. She was clearly starved for action, and if Ravela was honest with herself, she was not alone. Every news story of the Bomber striking again and the FBI failing to arrest him had her itching.
It was only a question of time till she had to intervene. Ravela told herself that the next time she rode out would be after she was good and ready, but the escalating tensions in the city were tangible.
“Any news on Troy and his clique?” Ravela checked in on the situation Laena and Safora were keeping their eyes on for her.
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“There are three new students in the group, so I think it’s safe to say there are more people who managed to hide from being discovered, just like you said,” Laena reported. “Like the increase in criminals and vigilantes running wild in the city wasn’t already proof.”
Safora jumped in. “It’s concerning how quickly people resort to crime the moment they get powers.”
Ravela hummed before answering. “It is easy just to do whatever you want when you suddenly have powers that make you so much stronger than the people around you and the authority enforcing the law. Solving your problems through force becomes so much more tempting when you have an edge over your fellow men. You must never fall into this kind of trap. It doesn’t make you greater or better. It will turn you into a lesser person than you were without the powers.”
‘Oh, you bloody hypocrite!’ The voice in her head scorned her lecture.
“But we have to stop those criminals. I mean, you don’t help us train our powers and want to make suits for us so we can sit on the sidelines and watch society crumble, right?” Laena pointed out.
Ravela smiled. “Yes, but I want you to work with the law and help people. I don’t want you to use your abilities to solve your personal problems or bully your fellow students. You’re good kids, and I know I needn’t lecture you on this, but imagine how more petty people or crueler students would act if they had your powers. Cheating in sports? Intimidating a fellow student? Or much worse things. Using your powers responsibly is-”
Safora interrupted Ravela’s monologue. “Yes, we know. We understood you the first few times you said that. Trust us, we understand.”
Ravela looked at Safora for a long moment. “First of all, it is rude to interrupt someone. Second, you were the first of you two to get into trouble all on your own and with little regard for yourself, so you might want to tone down your attitude because last I checked, you risked your life without even asking Laena or me to have your back or the slightest clue what you got yourself into.”
The teenager shrunk in the passenger seat, reminded of her own failings.
“Ramiel, come on, she made a mistake and learned from it. Can’t you let it go already?” Laena jumped in to protect and support her friend.
“Oh, that’ll be the day,” Ravela said sternly. “If I don’t call you out for ignoring your own mistakes, then who will? Look, Safora, I hold this over your head for nothing. What if you had gotten caught? For example, by the FBI and their Agent Buster? Now, they know your identity. And that is forever!” She took a deep breath. “I realize you’ve grown since then. I see that; I truly do. But don’t dismiss my worries as beneath you because they are not.”
They drove for a long while in silence and as she pulled into the mall’s parking garage, Ravela said. “I apologize if I came off as preachy, girls. I just care about you, okay?” In her thoughts, she added, ‘about your and my secrets.’
Safora’s mood seemed to become a bit better after Ravela’s appeasement.
They walked into the mall and found a store for common household wares.
Ravela began to pick up and look at some glasses which lead to very opinionated feedback from the two teenagers.
Safora started. “Not those glasses, that old people glasses.”
“Hey, Ma has those exact glasses,” Laena said aggrieved.
Safora looked at her friend and shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
Laena crossed her arms. “I, for one, like those glasses very much.”
Ravela observed them curiously. “I was just looking at them. If you see something that would be better, feel free to point it out.” She then went on to look at different glasses, thinking which she would like best.
‘Take the plain ones with a slightly angled base. They would be easy to pick up with our ability.’ Her companion advised helpfully, to Ravela’s surprise. She found herself agreeing with the reasoning of her companion.
“I think these are neat,” Ravela said, turning to the teenagers who were busy looking at the displayed items, trying to find their favorites.
The teenagers turned, looked at her choice, and then each other shrugged. They had probably decided that the sooner they finished picking kitchenware, the sooner they would get to shop for clothes, Ravela wagered by their accepting demeanor.
“No objections? Great, then how many do I need? Hmmmm,” Ravela pondered aloud, thinking about her kitchen in the house and the one planned underneath her hideout. “Three sets should be enough.”
Safora looked down at the sets. “That’s twenty-four glasses, Ramiel.”
“Don’t worry about it. Having spares is never wrong.” Ravela said, not letting her in on her plans just yet. It was to be a surprise, after all.
“Now, let’s look at the other stuff.” Ravela moved on to the next section without hesitation or further explanation.
It took about one hour before they returned to the car carrying all her kitchen would need and then some. Ravela was satisfied with her bounty, but there was more yet to be purchased.
Safora and Laena were excited to get to the fun part of their little trip, and Ravela couldn’t help but smile. Teenagers were easy to placate at times.
They were in the upper gallery when a low rumble went through the mall, and everybody stopped in place, looking around in confusion, except for the three of them, who were honed in on the location of the rumbling that slowly became louder.
“Girls, get away from the railing,” Ravela ordered with a tense voice while she remained close to the railing, her eyes narrow and her smile gone.
The teenagers took a few steps back, but not enough to not be able to look over the edge.
The rumbling was soon joined by crashing noises. People began to flee, and Ravela saw the masked men crashing from store to store, robbing the businesses or people in their way. Some onlookers on the lower floors hadn’t yet seen or understood the writing on the wall.
“Ramiel, look!” Laena hissed, pointing down at a cafe. “There’s Troy and his clique.”
Sure enough, the young, powered teenagers were filing out of the cafe to investigate what was happening there.
Ravela turned back to the girls. “No matter what happens, you don’t jump in. You hear me.”
Safora opened her mouth for a moment before shutting up.
Ravela recognized that as growth. “If you feel like you can’t stop yourself, now is the time to return to the car.”
She refocused on the ongoing catastrophe unfolding right in front of her eyes. She tried to recall the powers of the kid in the group. There were many unknown factors there, and the files she had were only a first impression of their powers. The first expression of power could vary enormously from its true potential, and she was one of the best examples.
She observed the group as they looked down the mall's long hallway at the scene unfolding before their eyes. They couldn’t possibly be ready to confront three rampaging grown men with powers. Beth and the overweight girl saw what was happening, and Beth took the girl by the arm and led her away in a hurry. “Yes, that’s smart, Beth, good choice.”
Ravela slowly walked around the round upper gallery to retain a better view of the situation, barely paying attention to the two teenagers following her. The boys were looking at each other and some clearly wanted to intervene while one of the boys loudly told them he couldn’t fight with his powers.
She kept talking to herself as she watched the ever-approaching criminal trio. “If you can’t fight, you too should run, kid. Don’t be stupid.”
The boy stood there unsure of what to do as one of the older teenagers yelled at the rampaging robbers and got their attention.
“Oh, you better have a plan for this,” Ravela said, grabbing the railing.
The three criminals came together in the center of the hallway, looking at this group of teenagers.
She watched as Troy Han pulled from a waist bag a round white object while the boy that had called out to the three gangsters just grabbed one of the decorative lamp posts an pulled it out of the ground.
“Ramiel, what are we going to do?” Safora asked from behind her.
“You two will do nothing,” Ravela said with finality. “And I will try to stop any of them from getting hurt badly. See this as a live demonstration of what can happen if you get into a fight with too much confidence and little else besides your ego.“
The men dropped their loot on the floor, and one of them yelled, “Oh, so you got some powers, and now you think you can take us? Big mistake, we’ll whoop your asses, you little brats.”
He barely had finished talking before stretching out his arms, emitting a blindingly bright flash of light from them. Two of Troy’s group had been startled by the surprise attack and had shielded their eyes too late to avoid the effect. The two colleagues of gangster clearly had expected the surprise attack and were rushing forth to punish the kids for standing up to them.
The boy with the lamp post in hand jumped to the side of one of his blinded friends, swinging the lamp post at the gangster, trying to rush them. The pole hit his target, but the man took the blow without issue. Ravela saw a change in his body at the moment of impact.
Laena spoke up from behind. “His body turned solid weirdly when he got hit, but just as he got hit.”
Ravela nodded. “Yes, he looked like a wax figure for a split-second. His ability activates on impact. Memorize that. Shock-absorbing abilities can grind your attack to a halt in no time. Expect it, be prepared to retreat instantly, unlike…” She trailed off as the boy with the lamp post got punched in the stomach and sent flying backward. “...him.”
They kept watching as the two groups clashed. Troy threw the object he held, and with a loud crack, it crashed into the gangster with the blinding effect power. It was an impressive hit square to the nose. The criminal had no time to react and hit the floor instantly. Ravela could now see the small white ball the boy had thrown roll away, still with a good amount of spin and speed.
“That was a reckless shot. Let's hope that didn’t kill the guy.” Ravela commented disapprovingly.
She looked around for the other teens and spotted the boy, who had claimed not to be able to fight, running off in the same direction as Beth and the other girl. The second gangster had struck the one blinded boy with his burning hands, flinging him away as had happened with the boy holding the lamppost. The teenager’s clothes caught flame during that. Ravela intervened, putting out the flame as best she could.
Troy Han readied his next throw. Ravela saw him aim for the gangster with impact protection. “Wrong target, kid,” She mumbled as she got ready to change the trajectory of Troy’s throw.
The way Troy's arm snapped forward made for a terrifying projectile out of a normal ball, and she had to intercept it the moment Troy’s fingers lost contact with the ball; otherwise, there would be no time to achieve a hit on the gangster with the burning fists.
Ravela barely managed to make contact with the ball even as she tried to tip it slightly at its starting point, but it was just enough to let it zip past the impact-proof gangster, hitting the man with his burning hand right in his jaw, which promptly broke. She was more and more impressed by Troy’s capabilities.
‘A deadly throw, indeed. If trained right, he would make a fine weapon.’ Her companion chimed in with unusual praise.
Ravela ignored the remark and kept her attention on the fight.
She blinked as she saw the gangster with the impact protection fall over on the ground. “What just happened?”
Laena jumped in. “The ball ricocheted from the other gangster’s jaw and hit the bad guy, who took the lamp post in the back of the head and knocked him out.”
Ravela felt that her shoulders were still tense. She took a deep breath and stepped away from the railing. “Okay, girls, the show is over. The good guys won. Let’s get out of here before the authorities show up.”
As she walked away, Laena and Safora remained a moment longer, looking at the severely mangled railing she had held onto and then at each other. Ravela looked over her shoulder, wondering about the holdup, urging the girl on with a hand motion.
Sirens could be heard blaring closer from all around town. They got into her car, and Ravela declared, “Guess we’re going shopping in some other mall then.”
The teenagers were stunned, and Laena found her voice first. “Wait, we’re still going shopping after this incident?”
“Come on now, what are the odds of something like this happening twice?” Ravela said, regretting it the moment she said it.
The voice in her mind again saw fit to mock her by chanting in an echoing rhythmic singsong. ‘Cursed, cursed, cursed!’