Consuming Fire

Chapter 12

"Have you travelled through time before Ryo?"

The girl looked at Joshua with blank eyes. They were all gathered in the living room just minutes after Jenny, Eli and Zac left. "Yes."

"And you can teleport as well, correct?"

Ryo gave a curt nod.

"Okay. When was the first time you travelled?"

"When I was nine."

"And did you practice travelling until you were captured?"

Ryo stared at Joshua for a long time. It was unnerving - he'd never met someone so young who could make him feel as if she knew something about him that no one else did. Ryo's face remained a mask of complete emotionlessness.

"Ryo?" said Fearne encouragingly. "You should tell him the truth. It could help him understand how to train you."

Ryo bit the corner of her lip and nodded. "Alright. When I first discovered what I could do, I was a young child. I didn't know of the consequences and I didn't tell anyone who could help me.

"I went back in time to save my father from an accident that took his life when I was eight. I was lucky not to get lost, but it worked and my family was happy and together again. Then ... a week later my older sister was killed by one of my father's business associates because my father broke a deal he made with a wealthy colleague. My sister was perfectly healthy. She was engaged. In saving my father, I changed the course of life as it should have been. I killed my sister."

The room was left in bitter silence for Ryo's loss. Joshua didn't deal with sad stories very well. He looked down at the ground.

"Ryo, I'm so sorry," said Chantal with tears in her eyes. "I didn't know."

"Me neither," said Benji.

"It's okay," said Ryo. "I realized then that I was not granted this gift to change the fate of others, and I stopped time travelling completely. I forgot how. Dr. Wolfe couldn't make me do it either."

"That's probably a good thing," said Joshua. "Your ability is one of the most dangerous and useful powers there is. You can change the course of time and re-write history."

"But I won't. And I don't know how I can help you. Besides, you know nothing about my powers."

"Will this help?" asked Marcus from behind them. He handed Joshua an old manila folder creased at the edges. It was labelled '0544 Wasushi, Ryo'.

"Where did you get this?" asked Joshua as he flipped through the pages filled with hand-written notes and equations.

"In Dr. Rosenthal's office," he replied. "We've been looking in there since we arrived, trying to find answers. Instead we found copies of our files. But we don't understand them. Maybe you can."

Joshua nodded, his eyes wide as he skimmed through the information. The knowledge Dr. Rosenthal had acquired on Ryo would be a most valuable tool in training her, and in training all of them. Joshua's smile widened. This was the answer to understanding their abilities. This was also Dr. Wolfe's answer to complete power.

Joshua looked up at their young and innocent faces all eager for his help and ran a hand over his mouth. It wouldn't be easy, but it was going to work. It had to work.

"Okay." He took a deep breath in and exhaled. "I'm going to study these notes so that I can better understand you and your abilities. Tomorrow we'll start your training, Ryo. We'll begin by getting you to jump only a few feet, just enough to practice with. You won't need to go through time to get Hunter out, but you may need to go blindly."

"Not completely," said Fearne with a smile. "You'll have me to guide you."

"Exactly. And before we start tomorrow morning, Ryo, I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"Go for a walk. Clear your mind. Try to forget what happened to your family and focus on the present. You're right; you were not granted this gift to change the fate of others. You were granted it to change your own. Will your fate be to survive? Or will it be to live the way you were created to live, and to use every talent to which you were entrusted?"

Ryo's black eyes sparkled as she nodded.

"That's deep man," said Marcus.

"It is," said Joshua. "And for everyone else ... I think it's time for bed."