Asylum

I Spy Kya's Disturbance

Sarah Lewinski

Elektra used her link to electricity to kick this car into high gear, sparking some kind of turbine. I have no idea what any of that means, but we ended up pushing a mileage way past 100. Kya assured us that we wouldn't be pursued any longer, but when Elektra says that distance was safety, she didn't put up an argument.

"That was close," Leo notes, sinking down in his seat. "I almost peed my pants."

"How mature," Ren smugly digs, despite his face being a bit of a lighter shade than usual. "Are we almost to the airport?" he asks a highly-concentrated Elektra, who dares to even take her seafoam eyes off the blurring road. The slashes of dark blue in her irises glow, along with her veiny markings. Firmly, she nods.

"About thirty minutes away now," Kya estimates.

"How about this rain, huh?" Leo grumbles as water drops crawl into our car from the roof and through the shattered review window. "Kya, you can do something about that, right?"

"Um..." unsurely, Kya looks to our curly-haired friend and down at her hands, like she did just before Asylum ended their chase. "S-sure."

She turns around to freeze the gaping hole. When she isn't looking, I reach over and punch Leo in the arm. Flinching and yelling, "Ow!" I cover his mouth with my tiny hand. He mouths, "What was that for?"

To which I mouth back, "You know she doesn't like to use her powers."

He conjures a very educated and well-stabilized response: a lopsided frown and a shrug. You know, for a mind reader, he can be rather socially inept. Nevertheless, the car issue gets taken care of and we're all left dealing with the aftermath of our recent encounter. And that includes the mind-fogging cloud of despair surrounding us – well, Kya, in particular.

I don't know what she did – and quite honestly, it didn't look like she did anything at all – but it caused a disturbance in her natural flow. I didn't see any water move or any raindrops freeze, so I can't tell what Kya did to make her body reject itself so much. Though she seems fine on the outside, I can tell she's in pain. I feel all the twists and knots in her usually-placid chi.

Every manipulator of energy has a source they tap into to use their powers. Mine are the senses of others, Leo's are the minds of others, Elektra's is the sky, Ren's are his emotions – his heart (though you'd hardly guess he has one), and Kya's are the emotions of others – which a water bender channels through the abdomen.

One could easily say that Kya's so disturbed because she might've accidentally channeled the panic and chaos of the situation. However, is you'll remember the time Kya proved she's extremely powerful when she froze a bunch of bullets mid-air, you'll realize that the previous claim is bogus. Kya knows how to use negative energy and make it positive – hence her sub-power being the ability to heal people. Perhaps she's been jaded because she tapped into the emotions of our pursuers – Cerberus and his acquaintance who thrives off death.

But that can't be true, either. The only ones who have to tap into other's sources are...well, me. And perhaps Cerberus.

"Kya," I finally whisper, tugging on her shirt sleeve. She looks down at me with wavering gray eyes. She attempts a lighthearted smile, but it backfires and notifies me that she's in more pain that I had realized. "Did you experience anything...different?"

Her eyes wander to her hands, which tremble ever-so-slightly. To stop the shaking, she squeezes them tightly together. "In fact..." she manages after a bit of contemplation. "I did." I get excited, ready to soak up new information to add to my mental encyclopedia. "I kind of knew exactly where Cerberus and the other person were. Like, there was a little voice in my head telling me once the rain starts."

"Kya, that's called schizophrenia," Ren disses, going out of his way to insult her today. Well, more than usual, at least.

She rolls her eyes. "I'd rather listen to psychotic voices than yours," she effortlessly retorts. I wonder, if all those lonely nights staring at the moon, up in the guard tower in Asylum, she just thought of a bunch of witty responses. I wonder if there's a list she's stowed away somewhere.

"I experienced that too," Elektra unexpectedly adds. "When there was thunder, that voice chimed in, too."

"That's easy," I wave off as Leo perks up and eagerly waits for my explanation as he always does. "Your elements. Kya's information came through the rain and Elektra's through the thunder. We've been precarious of Asylum, so when our abilities picked up traces of them, we felt it."

"I was always wary of guards," Elektra negates. "But this never happened."

"Your life didn't depend on it," I point out.

Comprehensively, she nods.

"Anyone ever been on an airplane before?" Leo asks, lightening the subject.

"Yeah," Ren distastefully answers. "I hate air-travel."

I notice Ren look in the review mirror and at Kya, expecting her to form an insult. It's quite easy, too. She could simply point out the fact that Ren seems to hate everything. He walked right into a wisecrack, yet she doesn't bite. Her head hangs low and her palms are splayed open. She stares at them with dread. It seems like the world outside of her own head doesn't exist. When Kya says naught, Ren's gaze flicks away, but I sense that he's noticed Kya's change as well. In fact, he should be feeling it the most, considering they swapped energies.

"Are you okay?" I question Kya.

"Yeah, I just need to rest...or do something..."

"Those are two complete opposites," Ren spites, again searching her eyes for any sign of retaliation. Kya opens her mouth to respond, but shuts it and shrugs. Minutes ago, she was bantering with Ren. But now that whatever she's done has settled, she must find it hard to keep a calm façade.

"I spy with my little eyes..." Leo perks up, desperately trying to remain positive. "...something dark, full of angst, and selfish."

"Is it Ren?" I easily piece together.

"I spy some kid who's skinnier than a grain of rice but somehow has a mouth larger than the African continent," Ren instantly roasts, whipping around and lunging towards our chili-cheese dog inhaler.

"Yeah?" Leo challenges. "I spy..." he narrows his chocolate eyes. This is the face he makes when he reads someone's mind without any tact. "I spy concern for Kya," he blurts. Then, he frowns. "Wow, what a boring mind."

Ren ignores Leo's claim – neither denying or confirming that he's worried. "What am I thinking now, Curly?"

With a ridiculous grin, Leo enters Ren's mind. That grin quickly vanishes. "I find that thought insulting, blasphemous, and scarily detailed." Pettily, he huffs, crosses his arms, and turns away.

"I've got one. I spy the airport," Elektra points out, slowing the car down. "Get your passports ready, stay calm, and meetup at the terminal."

"Are we bringing our supplies?" I question, referring to our stolen food and clothes.

"No," Ren replies. "Just bring cash."

"I have to admit, I'm kind of excited to see where you grew up," I disclose.

Ren doesn't respond, but his energy does. It lurches and retracts. I figured he didn't get along with his family, based on his behavior since the day I met him as The Dragon, but perhaps more went on that I don't know. At my statement, Kya finally looks up from her hands and at Ren. Ren, who catches her gaze in the mirror. A sort of understanding passes between the two, and I know at this moment that there's been a lot more going on between those two than I've been noticing. How haven't I noticed the peculiar bond between them? Has something been distracting me?

"Sarah!" Leo calls, leaning forwards past Kya and beaming at me. "Let's get our tickets together so we can sit side-by-side."

"Okay!" I agree. I always appreciate Leo's company. He constantly makes the day a bit brighter, whether it's with his lame humor or compassionate nature.

Hmm...perhaps he's the one distracting me...