Blood Bender

Chapter 28 - I'm Sorry Mrs. D

Cham's eyes went wide.

"Say that again?" He blinked a few times, probably to make sure he heard me correctly and wasn't dreaming.

"I think you have an affinity, you just aren't using it. Look, it's hard to explain,"

"Wait, wait, wait," Cham stepped away from me, hands up in front of him. "I love my brother but he's always been the stronger one, the better one in everything. Please, please don't get my hopes up if you aren't sure." I smiled sadly at him.

"Let me try to explain. Phoenix for example, when I met him, he was probably at seventy percent of his full potential. He already had an affinity and used it. With all this training he's probably more at ninety. Maiah, when I met her, she was using about forty but I could tell there was almost a block there stopping her from getting her any higher. When she unlocked her affinity, her power shot up to about sixty, then with more training its about seventy."

"Okay, I think I follow." Cham nodded his head for me to continue.

"Well, I've always been able to sense that you were strong. You always used about sixty percent and with all this training, I don't even think you're even at seventy yet. It's more like you're at a solid sixty all the time. Some attacks are only five percent, ten etcetera. For example, this," I raised my hand and made a water bomb. "This attack is about three percent of power but," I stretched my arm out and sent out a hydro cannon. "This is about thirty." I stopped my hydro cannon and turned back to face him. His eyebrows were furrowed together.

"So, what you're saying is all of my attacks are sixty, all the time?" I nodded my head.

"Even with all this training, your power isn't getting much stronger. That makes me think you have an affinity which your body knows, you just haven't tried to use it yet."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I honestly don't know but if I had to guess..." I paused before answering. "It's probably because fire elements are known for having a temper and you're..."

"Happy?" We both laughed at his comment. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I was going to say docile. Peaceful. Happy go lucky. I don't think you've quite found your fire yet." Cham snorted at me.

"So, what? You want me to get angry?"

"If it works, then maybe. Have you tried to see if you have an affinity?"

"Yes. More times than I'd like to admit. I don't have blue flames, I don't have combustion, I can't create things with my flames or a comet."

"Is that all?" I frowned at him. There was one I read about in the restricted section. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense for Cham to try.

"Pretty much. Hey, what are you thinking?" Cham stepped closer to me, seeing the look on my face. I looked around and pulled him further away from people so we were definitely out of ear shot.

"I read in a book once about an affinity for fire elements. It's really, incredibly rare and the teachers won't talk about it, let alone teach it." I kept my voice low.

"Read where? Why won't they talk about it?"

"I read it from a book in the restricted section. On my first day of lessons here, Mr. Alon spoke about it in history. I don't think he was meant to tell us but it intrigued me no end. I had to get some answers."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Cham was thoroughly confused with what I was telling him.

"Sorry, I'm not making any sense." I shook my head to help clear my thoughts. "The affinity that the teachers won't talk about is the same one Mars had. Lightning." My eyes widened and a large smile split my face. "Don't you see? They won't talk about it because of Mars. It's an incredibly powerful affinity, if anyone were to try it that doesn't have it as an affinity, it will kill them. Even more so, the ones that do have it as an affinity are incredibly powerful. They're probably worried that whoever has lightning as an affinity will be like Mars." Cham didn't say anything for a while, his eyes darting all over the place.