The Academy: Detective Stories - Part I

Chapter 6. The Journey

Elisa stepped on the glade, her hands carrying a bunch of dry branches. She kneeled before the fire pit and placed the brushwood on the ground nearby. The evenings became much colder and shorter, so the fire must be strong. She removed her gloves and started preparations - the thick branches vertical and the small ones with chips in the middle.

"Do you need a hand?" Jackie asked. She sat beneath the bright-red maple tree with the diary in her hands, making her usual weekly record. Now, she put her pen aside, her emerald eyes gazing at Elisa with doubt.

"It's fine." Elisa finished with the preparations and placed her right palm over the wood. "Get ready to write about the second night of our incredible journey."

Jackie sighed. "Fine. But please, be careful this time."

Now it was the most critical part - to make her magic work properly. Elisa took a deep breath and focused on her right hand. The purple sparkles cracked on her fingertips, becoming stronger until they merged into a ball of electricity. Then, she released it.

The energy hit the branches with a deafening noise, making the wood explode. The cloud of sawdust raised and twisted in the air, slowly falling and covering the ground, the grass, and Elisa's head.

"Shit!"

Jackie came closer and sat by her side. Her hands gently touched Elisa's hair, removing the sawdust from her bright locks. "I'm so sorry. Maybe next time you'll make it work."

"I hate my power ..." Elisa looked at her shaking palms. "Seriously. I can't touch anyone. I can't even start the fire! I'm useless."

"I know it's hard to handle." Jackie gave her a sad smile.

"But you can choose to read them or not."

Jackie took a navy-blue handkerchief from her pocket and gave it to Elisa. "Now I can. But it was too much for me to handle before I learned to control it. Most adults feel trapped in life, choking with the grief they can't live through. I felt every bit of it once I touched them. And the most terrible thing was that I could do nothing to help them feel better. When I was fifteen, all my world turned upside down."

Elisa wiped her face and cramped the handkerchief in her hand. "How did you get used to it?"

"I didn't," Jackie said, staring at the ruined fire pit. "One day, I just became one of them. Now I have my wounds, which probably means I became an adult."

"Gee, it's so silly for me to complain about the fire that I ruined."

"It's not." Jackie patted her shoulder. "All I mean is that you'll eventually learn. Not only how to set a fire but also how to protect others. Just give it time."

"Time is merciless." Elisa glanced at her wrist. She was right - the time crystal on her bracelet glowed blue, meaning it was already seven in the evening. "The sun will sit in less than twenty minutes, and we are not ready for the night. Not even close." She opened her eyes widely. "What if we freeze to death? Or the wild animals eat us?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen."

"Why are you so damn calm?" Elisa looked at her suspiciously. "You said you hate long trips because of the dangers."

Jackie blinked. "It's true. I just try to be supportive."

"Or you know that we are not in danger." Elisa narrowed her eyes. "Did you tell Urchin?"

"We made a deal that I won't tell him about our trip, and I didn't."

Elisa weighed a handkerchief in her hand. "If my memory serves, Urchin learned to use the same type of cloth to make the subjects in the classroom disappear. He put his initials on the corner to mark it, so I can easily check it."