Jump Line (Book 1 - Jump Line Series)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"Theo, I'm coming for you," I roared, getting up and running toward the trees. I wanted him to hear me. After all, this is what they wanted, me to chase them.

My vision blurred and my temples ached as the power grew inside me. I had never felt it this strong. I needed to calm it. I needed to get it to slow down just a little so I could focus on hunting down those two idiots. I ran to the closest tree and slid down with my back against the trunk. Then I tilted my head backwards and closed my eyes.

Suddenly, my eyes snapped open. There was rustling in the leaves. Then, somewhere nearby, a branch cracked. I stiffened as I tried to listen for more movement. There was no doubt in my mind someone was walking toward me, but I couldn't tell from which direction. It was quiet again, except for the soft chirp of a bird high overhead. I closed my eyes to concentrate on finding where they were hiding.

In a flash, something tightened around my neck. It was a thin piece of rope pulling me taut against the tree. The coarse string cut into my wind pipe. I flailed my arms, trying to hit something... anything. My eyes bulged; it felt as if they were going to explode from the pressure. A rip of electricity escaped from my right hand like a bolt of lightning. It struck a nearby branch. The charred piece of wood fell limply to the ground with a thud.

I thrashed my hands backward again, trying to grasp whomever was pulling the rope around my neck. I gasped for air as another bolt of electricity flashed out of my right hand, hitting the ground and leaving a scorch mark.

And then the pain stopped. The rope fell to my feet.

I grabbed my throat and rubbed the raw skin as Theo walked around the tree, his hands on his hips.

"Well, I guess that answers our question. Esa, you are definitely rusty and you almost took off your own foot." Samuel came up behind Theo.

Theo looked serious. "Esa, you have lost some of your capabilities. You use to be a soldier. Now I'm not sure what you are. You are obviously weak and vulnerable, and that, in turn, will only make our team more vulnerable," he said sternly, squatting near me. "Don't worry. I'll take care of that rope burn."

He lifted his hand toward my throat, but there was no way I was going to let him touch me again.

My right fist came up from below and connected squarely with Theo's jaw. Despite my recent lack of oxygen, I mustered enough strength to put some power behind the blow. I wanted him to feel the pain.

"Moron," I managed to choke out. "There are better ways to show me how to control whatever it is inside of my body!"

I tried to take several breaths before continuing. "Remember, I may be only just discovering how to control this so called energy, but I'm not an idiot."

I rose abruptly. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, tears began to sting my eyes as I pushed past them. Samuel reached out and tried to pull me back, but I'd had enough of this irritating game. Obviously, neither one of these two were teachers. I could feel the power start to churn again, the angrier I got.

"I need to be alone for a little bit," I muttered as I turned away from them and headed towards a different area.

It was still cool outside, but all of the movement had caused my body to heat up. I wiped a trickle of sweat from my forehead.

Sitting under one of the larger trees, I hesitated to rest my head again. I needed time to focus. To think. I tried to force myself to get angry again so I could feel the strength of the energy inside me. It wasn't too hard, given my current thoughts about Theo and Samuel. Those two infuriated me.

Thrusting out my hand, a thin line of electricity once again danced in the middle of my palm. It was taller than normal. I could feel the energy dancing inside my body. Whatever Theo had done to me had been effective. I held my other hand over the top and watched the line grow to connect the two. The pulse thickened as my anger grew. I could feel the power. It was strong. I was strong. Theo and Samuel had better watch out.