THE PRODIGIES

Chapter XVIII

Everything changes now. And by everything, I mean everything.

For starters, training will be different for me compared to my sisters. The workers and scientists here don't trust me. When they're around my sisters, they have to worry about what may happen to them physically. For me, they have to worry about what I may do to them physically and mentally.

At the end of the day, all I can do is respect everyone's boundaries. If they still feel uneasy around me, then that's their problem. I'm not trying to read their thoughts. Sometimes it just happens. My main goal right now is to control these powers. That's my number one priority. Nothing more. Nothing less.

When I tell Chance my decision, he immediately tells the trio. Everyone swarms around me in a matter of minutes. I'm rushed away and brought into a room. One wall is just a mirror. The wall to my left is plain except for a clock hanging up. I look at the time, and it says 10:42am. There's also a metal chair in the center of the room. I'm told to sit in the chair and wait for further instructions. I am only in the room for about three minutes staring at myself before Mr. Axel saunters in and goes to stand directly in front of me. He isn't wearing a helmet, but I can't read his mind anyway. I tried it already.

He has a few items in his hands. There's a pencil, a glass cup, and a lamp. He places them all on the floor without saying a word. He looks up at me knowingly, and I understand that he wants me to try to move them. I take a deep breath and sit up. I look directly at the pencil first. My eyes zoom in on it, but nothing happens.

So, this is what happens for the first day. I am in the room all day trying to move a pencil with my mind. I'm not given any direction whatsoever. Mr. Axel is just watching me, and that's only making me frustrated. The only time he speaks is when he sees that I have given up so he tells me to try again. This goes on until it's 1pm.

He escorts me into the same break room that he and I had been in the day prior. My sisters are already there when I enter. We catch each other up for the next 30 minutes while we eat.

Bree has been learning to phase. She's doing really well. They have her phasing through different, solid materials such as plaster, wood, and glass. They haven't tried cement yet but I'm sure she'll be able to do it. Next, they're going to have her work on her invisibility.

Mila tells us how she has been training in a protective suit. It's a prototype of our actual suits because they don't want her to burn anything while training. She's been trying to control her speed as well as her power to emit electricity. Her training is taking place outside. She said that she's able to discharge engergy from her entire body, but Skylar wants her to centralize it to her hands because that's where it would mostly be utilized. So, that's what she'll be working on next.

I tell them how I can't do shit right. I haven't even been able to move a pencil. In response, they tell me how I'll get it. I just need to keep working. I also bring up how I saw our final protective suits. This makes them even more excited, but I just feel a little defeated honestly. I don't show them that though. I try to stay as positive as they are because what's the point in bringing them down.

After our 30 minutes are up, Penelope comes to get Bree, Skylar takes Mila, and Mr. Axel grabs me.

We enter the room again, and I can't hold back my thoughts anymore. I turn to Mr. Axel and cross my arms.

"This isn't working. Can I try something else?"

"No. Now let's continue."

I stand there frozen. He's starting to get on my nerves. He motions for me to face those three items again. I don't make any gestures to move. I just stand in front of him, somehow hoping he'll change his mind. Instead, he goes to stand behind the items waiting for me to continue my training.