Out Of Orbit

Chapter 19

REBECCA

Rebecca whistled as she walked, swinging her arms through the tall grass on either side of the pathway. The suns shone down on her, warming her cheeks. Rebecca smiled up at the sky, already looking forward to the afternoon. It had been exactly two weeks since the first afternoon they'd met.

Reaching the mini weeping willow tree, she settled down and placed her book on her lap. Hopefully she wouldn't need it. She hadn't the last six times she'd come

"Hey."

Rebecca grinned and looked up at Jay.

"Hey!"

He smiled at her and sat down next to her, their elbows brushing slightly.

"You're in a good mood. I take it training is going well?"

Rebecca smiled. Somehow, Jay always seemed to be able to read her. And she always felt better around him. Everything seemed to become a little clearer.

"The training is going amazingly well!" she replied, eager to impress him. His blue eyes never left her face as she spoke. "I can create even bigger force fields now, and I'm learning to direct my blasts more carefully."

"Sounds amazing. You're getting stronger, too, right?"

"Right. But Riley says control is more important than power. Once I can control myself it will be safe to use more power."

"I think Riley underestimates you a little."

Rebecca flushed. Jay always thought she was better than she was.

"You always say that."

"Because it's true. I bet, if you tried, you could be stronger than all your friends put together."

Rebecca smiled, but shook her head. "It's not about that. I just want to be able to help."

"Exactly," Jay slid in, his arm brushing hers ever so slightly. "And the more powerful you are, the more you'll be able to help." He paused, thinking. "Riley could even be holding you back in case you're too powerful for him to control."

"Control? Riley doesn't want to control me. He wants to help me." Something sparked in Rebecca's mind and she fought to put her finger on it.

"If he wanted to help you, he would help you get stronger, not keep you from being all that you can be."

The something slipped away as Jay kept speaking. Rebecca found herself nodded. It made sense. Riley would be more worried about making sure she was safe than making sure she was powerful. He was just like Jarryd in that way.

"Just like Jarryd." Rebecca looked up, Jay's words perfectly echoing her thoughts.

"They don't have enough faith in you, Rebecca. They still think you need to be protected. But you're the one who can protect all of them."

Rebecca nodded again, her heart leaping at hearing her hopes expressed out loud. She could protect them. She was strong. Not weak. Never weak.

"You need to show them. Prove to them that you're stronger."

"How?"

"There's only one thing you can do..."