The One Thousandth Gravity Breaker book two: The sound of water

Chapter five

The moon reflected off the glass, shimmering in the moonlight as Zay drifted off to sleep.

The playground. Littered with kids. Zay was trying to hide in a tree as usual. She was safe there. She wasn't safe anywhere else. Jay usually sat with her, but today she was watching students run. Running at her. Her screams filled Zay's ears as they started beating her up. Zay looked away. This wasn't out of the ordinary. It wasn't a normal week if Zay wasn't beat up at least once. The teachers nearby turned their backs as well. But soon more and more kids joined it. It was getting messy. Zay slipped from the tree. Fear pounding through her system. Should she help fight? No. Then she would be beat up just as quickly. She had to get her uncles. Right now. Zay locked eyes with Jay for a moment. She had no idea it was the last time Jay would see her face. Zay looked away, and took off running before anyone stopped her. The look in her eyes... they were full of betrayal. Zay paused. There was a line of sky ships. Her sky ship. She was nervous. It was risky to fly alone at this time of day. But she wasn't giving up. With the feeling of solid material under her fingers, Zay flew back to the apartment as fast as she could. But by the time her uncles arrived, they were too late. Everyone had left the scene, except for one teacher that was always semi kind to them. They sat with Jay, speaking softly to her. She was in critical condition. It didn't make sense to Zay at the time, and she didn't know what she was doing, but Zay lightly placed a hand on her forehead, and imagined urging the blood in her veins along. Forcing it through her heart and lungs. It was the day she first used her abilities. She wouldn't use them for at least another few years, until testing day, but that day she knew looking back that her teacher saw the whole thing. They knew exactly what she did. And yet they didn't report her.

Later that day at the hospital, she sat in silence. The reality that her sister would never see her face again... it was almost too much. At least she was alive. The doctors were still super confused as to how she survived. It seemed like she should have died. But she lived. All thanks to the thing that had torn up Zay's entire life. All thanks to what almost got her killed in the first place. All thanks to natural abilities.

Zay sat up. She was covered in sweat and tears. She started shaking. It wasn't real right now, but it had been very real just a few years ago. The fear in her eyes was very real. The look of horror on Jay's face when she learned that she couldn't read, or see anyone's faces anymore was very real. The fact that now she had to navigate a dark, lonely world was real. Too real. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't it have been Zay instead? Why? She steadied her breaths in the darkness, slowly getting her heart rate back under control. The stars glistened in the dark night sky. Zay made her way over to the controls. Water in the air sparkled around her. She gently grasped the speed knob. It wasn't safe to go any faster, but she wasn't waiting anymore. Zay wasn't running away from her anymore. She was getting there as fast as possible. Zay turned it up to full power. The engine screamed in her ear. Kira and Jade jolted awake as they were thrown backwards.

"What are you doing?" Jade yelled over the roaring of the engine.

"Getting to my sister." Zay smiled, and flipped the switches that created friction in the air, and slowed them down. They picked up speed. Racing through the night air. Zay's heart dropped as she realized they would definitely die if they crashed into anything. She completely stopped, sending the ship into a sudden hover. Kira was thrown into the windshield so quickly that her head split open. Zay gasped. Then she realized that she was fine, and her head had already healed. Jade had been thrown to the ground, but looked ok.

"Zay! What if I was the one that just went splat!? Are you trying to see how many ways you can kill us!? Because quite frankly I really don't want to be thrown out of bed in the middle of the night!" Jade hollered from the floor.

"I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" Zay clapped a hand over her mouth, staring at Kira, who was curled up into a ball.

"I- I have never experienced that before. Wow that hurt. Being stabbed by Jade hurt less. My gosh." She looked like she might throw up. Zay sighed, and steered them forwards again.

"I'm sorry. I forgot that you weren't strapped in." She put the ship back on auto pilot, and lay back down. Her recklessness nearly killed them all. She had to get a grip. Nothing could be done about the past. But the future is very easy to alter. Unwritten words can easily be erased. Zay closed her eyes.

"I'm coming." She whispered as the world faded to dark.