The Space Between Us (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 30

Nicole arrived back in New Tibet. It felt different to when she first arrived, more alive, the energies of those around her fizzing as she passed. Unlike Waverly who could see energy, Nicole could feel it, manipulate it, bend it to her will. She moved silently through the crowd, unnoticed, her head down, no longer needing to look where she was going. She knew. Flowing with the movement of energies around her body.

The shuttle station was busy. She waited to enter, passing through the gate leading to the platform. A man behind shoved her roughly as the shuttle approached. She turned, smiled, lifted her right hand, sending a small wave of energy towards him. It hit him with full force in the stomach sending him reeling back into the people behind, earning him a shove from an angry woman who had dropped her package in the scuffle. Their eyes met, fear replacing anger as the man saw the colour of Nicole's change from hazel to red. He disappeared into the crowd not wanting to be anywhere near such magic.

No seats. She stood, hanging onto the rail, balancing her movements to the motion under her feet. The shuttle slowed, arriving at the stop for the satellite stations. She wondered whether she should purchase a fresh set of clothes before catching a flight to Gideon, deciding she could live in what she was wearing for a few more days until she reached her planet. Her planet, it no longer felt like her planet. Keplar, Waverly's home, Earth, Loco Papilio all felt more like home.

She waited in line for a place on any ship heading her way. "One-way to Gideon."

The man behind the window looked up. "Difficult. Only a few flights going in."

"I need to get to Gideon. Is there any way?"

"You might be able to get a ride on a military ship from Mars."

Her place purchased on a ship heading to Mars, she sat waiting for the space hopper. A couple were arguing loudly nearby, a baby screaming at the top of his lungs looking for milk, a drunk managing to throw up close to her feet. The stench of alcohol made her retch. Guards arrived, tugging at the arms of the drunk who appeared unwilling, unable to make his legs move in the direction they wanted them to move. A small crowd gathered to watch the spectacle, her seat now in the middle of something she really did not want to be involved. The guards shouting at her to move, one waving a baton, threatening to hit her if she stayed seated.

She could feel anger rising through her body, her hands shaking. She needed to go somewhere out of sight in case her powers took over. Still learning how to use them, she could sense when they were becoming too powerful for her to control. More discipline, she counselled herself. Stay focused, don't let it build.

Too late. She could feel the energy wanting to escape. She scanned the area. A door leading to storage, it would have to do. Her heart beating through her chest, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, she pushed her way through the crowd, moving quickly to open the door, closing it, holding onto the handle in case anyone came in after her.

Heat in her body radiated out from the centre. She would have to let what was happening run its course. The force of the fire energy she sent out punched a hole clean through the wall opposite. It would have killed anyone in its path. Her breathing remained fast, her hand shaking, still holding the handle. She remembered the words of the entity, telling her to calm her mind, let the heat pass, focus on bringing the energy under control.

The first time she used her power she had been terrified. To have this ability was one thing, to experience, to control it a completely different matter. She was glad to have not known about it until now, recognising there would have been so many occasions she might have used it to exact revenge over some minor grievance, as she had done at the station. The entity had warned her not to mix energy with emotion. Too dangerous. Too volatile. The results too unpredictable. Cool reasoning was needed to harness and use such a gift.