Cardinal Tower (Trinity Central Book #1)

Chapter 20

"What happened? You were doing great!" James says into the mic, his voice booming through the speakers and ringing around the room. "I've never seen anyone pick up on their ability so quickly, whatever you were deciding to focus on it must have been strong."

I chuckled a bit, "It was." I look down at my arm, disappointment replacing the hatred I felt moments ago. The black mark has returned to its original state, and the room looks as white as it did before.

A wave of exhaustion finally washes over me, the events of today taking a real toll on my stamina. I walk over to the wall on my right and sit down, staring at the target across the room.

The rest of the session passed quickly. I couldn't seem to release the same amount of mist from my middle marking with my fire ability, let alone get a spark. I couldn't reach the same level of emotion as I had initially. Molecular manipulation was different. James told me that the way Cody would use his power was mentally rather than emotionally. I was excited about that.

"He'd visualize his target and the changes he'd wish to instill," James said, "And like magic, it did." He pauses before continuing, thinking of the best way to phrase his reasoning. "You're basically part Cody now, so it wouldn't hurt to try it like he did." I was already exhausted from the events of today, and the thought of thinking makes my head hurt.

Despite the throbbing sensation panging through my skull, I nod obediently, bearing through this torture for another hour. My eyes focus on a row of bottles placed where the target once stood. Five pieces of vintage looking glass line a table that camouflages into its white background.

"Let's start with something simple: turn the first bottle into ice," James says. I wanted to retort, but I realized I don't really have the energy to explain to him how ridiculous he sounded. Simple was one word I wouldn't use to describe my situation. Of course, let me just turn this glass into some ice, I'll only be a minute.

I push aside my thoughts of doubt and try to imagine atoms. Oxygen, hydrogen, the loose bonds holding them together. I think of molecules, picturing the three parts floating along with other identical combinations, turning around freely. I imagine the golden bands that flow from my left stripe wrapping around the atoms, putting them together like a machine. They fit like puzzle pieces, and soon, a pile of a hundred completed puzzles becomes thousands which become millions that topple over each other like an ocean. They follow a current like a flock of birds gliding in the air.

I open my eyes to see the bottle, golden mist surrounding the neck, melting. It wasn't turning into ice, it turned to water that's now pooling over the edges of the glass. I close my eyes again, trying to imagine it differently. Instead of seeing free-floating molecules, I trap them, confining them to a cage of my own mentality. I grab every bird flying away, and stack them into a neat tower. The building is unstable, threatening to topple over with the slightest change in pressure, with the smallest gust of wind. A prism of water looms in my mind, towering over my imagination.

The sound of cracking, no, freezing floods my ears. I opened my eyes and gasped in delight when I see the golden mist floating around the glass, creating a layer thin enough to reveal the half-formed bottle frozen in time. The ice shows the dripping from when the bottle was melting, blending in with condensation running down the sides. The drops, frozen in time, manifest into a solid form like a modern work of art.

As soon as enthusiasm consumes my thoughts, alongside the pride I feel in what I have just accomplished, my moment is crushed when my internal tower falls apart. The ice turns back into water, spilling off of the table in a saddening splash leaving only the four intact bottles in a row.