Talent Storm (11 page)

I wheeled and jogged down the hall. There was no need to be even later. “I look forward to seeing your drawing,” I said from halfway down the hall.

After I located the correct door, I straightened my shirt, took a deep breath, and entered. There were about thirty students in the class. All sixty of their eyes locked on me. I bit my lip and made a mental note to show up on time tomorrow.

“Nice of you to arrive at the appropriate time. You’re no more civilized than a Wilder,” said Sid.

I looked at his chubby face and grimaced. Next to him, Lilly’s dark eyes drilled into me. She frowned, crossing her arms, then turned away. Talent, she was tough to please. It was not like I meant to hurt her. She should have forgiven me; it was an accident.

“Jaden Stone, I presume.”

I turned to regard an athletic man, with short, white hair and deep wrinkles, standing in front of the class. He wore a fitted, blue uniform and the handle of a large weapon stuck out from behind his back.

I squinted and chewed on the side of my cheek. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him.

He tapped his foot, staring at me.

I said nothing.

He smiled and held out his hands. “See everyone, there’s no reason to be intimidated. He hasn't even mastered time telling yet.”

The class broke out into laughter.

Were they really intimidated by me? No one had ever been intimidated by me. “Sorry everyone it's one of my weak areas, maybe I could get some tutoring.”

Danessa laughed; everyone else was quiet. She caught my eye and shrugged. I sat in the back of the room.

“At least you have some spirit,” he said with a smile. “While teaching, I’m Instructor Deo. In the military, I’m Commander Victor Deo.”

My eyebrows climbed halfway to my hairline and a gasp escaped my lips. The Iron Will was my instructor. It took a second for the revelation to sink in. He fought in all three border wars. As a commanding officer, he was the victor in nineteen battles. He only lost once; although, people say it was a devastating loss. He had been awarded more medals than any other soldier or officer. His skill in telekinesis was unmatched in Coalition history.

I frowned as I realized something. He was a once in a generation hero. What kind of expectations would he have for me? I chewed on my lip, mulling over my concern as my eyes drifted to the weapon handle sticking out from behind his back. If he was Deo, then the weapon was...

My hand shot up. “Instructor. Can we see Peacemaker?”

Deo smiled, the corners of his already wrinkly eyes crinkling further. “I was wondering when someone would ask.”

He reached back, his arm glowing purple with talent and grabbed the handle. As he hefted it over his head, my eyes widened in anticipation. My classmates murmured and shifted in their seats. The blackened steel and iron weapon was over five feet long and was crafted by a master blacksmith over a hundred years ago. The steel handle was textured for grip and ended in a fist shaped pommel that was about the size of a man’s hand. The crushing end’s cylindrical core was six inches wide and a foot tall of solid iron. Four armor-puncturing, steel flanges added another six inches to the width. It must have easily weighed two-hundred pounds, maybe more, but the old man carried it with ease. All of the legendary stories I’d heard of Peacemaker ran through my head. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing it.

He held it out for another moment, then returned it to its holster. “Now that that’s taken care of, we’re going to separate the class into your respective talents and potential.”

After he handed us all color-coded tags, he instructed us on where to stand. The class stood and found their positions. Next to me stood Sid, his greasy hair covering the top of his glasses. Just looking at him annoyed me.

“Notice that most of you are proficients,” said Deo. “Some of you with proper practice will become more powerful than adepts. There are fewer adepts and only two students who are elite, both of whom are, amazingly, telekinetics.”

The class began to mummer.

“Yes, yes. Quiet down. We’re all impressed. Telekinetics are rare in more ways than one. They are the only talent wielders to give off colored auras. The color or at least shade is different for each person. All other talents give off invisible auras. Powerful talent wielders can feel the invisible auras and their direction, but most people can’t. The feeling is typically a tingling sensation on a part of your body. We never figured out why talents give off auras though.

“Even though proficient, adept, and elite are your titles, do not let it go to your head. You have achieved nothing and without hard work you will never match your title,” he said, looking directly at me.

I rolled my eyes.

“At the same time, if you all work hard, some of you might even develop a second talent. It’s rare and typically not as strong as your first, but it happens. Our arch enemy, Goldwater, wields three talents.”

The class grumbled.

“Screw him,” said a boy.

A girl shook her head. “I wish that fascist would die.”

“I don’t know,” said Sid. “You have to respect all he’s achieved.”

“What? No,” said one boy. “He’s a tyrant.”

Deo cleared his throat. “No, Sid. Goldwater should not be respected. He’s nothing but a monster.”

Several students said, “Oooo,” and pointed fingers at Sid.

“Settle down, everyone. Most days we’ll split up into talent groups for training. I’ll have assistant instructors work with each group, except the telekinetics. I’ll work with them. I’m going to work you guys hard.” He smiled, the corners of his piercing blue eyes wrinkling.

Why me?

“Now, everyone have a seat. We are going to learn some relaxation and focus techniques,” he said.

I reclaimed my seat while the class shuffled back to their chairs.

After everyone settled in, he continued. “The ability to control your talent is maximized when your body is relaxed and your mind is focused. Sometimes, however, extreme emotional states can enhance talent. It depends on the person. For the most part, without proper control you will lose power and can even be dangerous to your friends.”

He eyed me again. “The first technique is called Progressive Relaxation. It's a simple technique that can produce strong results. After I teach you, you’ll practice at home. It’s best if you lay down when doing so. The basic idea is to progressively tense and relax every muscle group. You will tense the muscles for ten seconds and relax them for twenty. When working on a particular muscle group you must focus your mind entirely on it and take slow, deep abdominal breaths. After finishing, you should go back and focus on each muscle group again, relaxing them further. The second part of the exercise teaches healers, emps, and bios to better control their own bodies.”

After he led us through the technique, I was more relaxed than ever. Maybe there was something to these tricks. He taught us a few more techniques including meditation and guided imagery. The imagery was apparently great for illusionists. At the end of class, I shuffled out with everyone.

“Jaden,” the instructor said.

I reluctantly turned back. “Yes, Instructor?”

“Have a seat.” He pointed to a desk in front of his. “I wanted to talk to you in particular because of your high potential and lazy personality.”

“Lazy? Who told you that?” I wasn’t lazy. I just liked being relaxed.

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. As a telekinetic, it could be dangerous to slack off on your training. Without proper emotional control, you could hurt yourself or the people you love. Take what I teach you
very
seriously. Now go home and make sure to practice the relaxation and focus techniques.”

I left, dismissing what he said immediately. My anger made me strong. Why would I dampen it? I shook my head while strolling to meet Ben at the creek.

☼☼☼

Instructor Deo stood before us. “Hello everybody, today you’ll be taking a logic puzzle pop quiz.”

I hated pop quizzes.

“A large part of using your talent effectively has to do with your creativity, your ability to think outside the box. Every talent has many uses. Illusionists must ask themselves which illusion is most effective with the least effort. Bios and emps must decide which function or emotion to disrupt in various circumstances. Even telekinetics must determine how to attack most effectively to prevent Fatigue. Fatigue is when you over exert your talent and can no longer wield it. It has led to the death of many talented citizens. It’s wise to keep a reserve at all times and being creative will help you do that.”

After he handed out the quiz to the front row, students passed it back. “The puzzles are very difficult. It’s unlikely that anyone will finish all of them, so don’t be too hard on yourselves,” he said.

I examined the ten questions and saw that he wasn’t lying when he said they’d be difficult. Although I was better than most people were at logic puzzles, I didn’t like my prospects on this quiz. Grabbing my pencil, I set my mind to the task.

1.
Treasure:
While walking through the Wilds, you arrive at a clearing. Three treasure chests lie in the center with a sign posted on a tree next to them. It reads, ‘Stranger. There is treasure in one of these chests, but the others are booby-trapped. Choose correctly. Determine the correct chest by reading the clues.
None or one of them is true
.

Bronze Chest – The treasure is not in this chest

Steel Chest - The treasure is in this chest

Wooden Chest – The treasure is not in the steel chest

The questions continue...

Near the end of class, I had only finished four questions. Talent, the quiz was difficult. “I’m finished, Instructor.” I heard Lilly say. How could she be done already? It must have been a joke.

“Hmm, anyone else close?”

The class was silent as students looked around.

“Let’s have a look.” After she passed it up, the Instructor looked at her paper. “Bronze chest, good.” His eyes scanned down. “Hmm, uh-huh. Okay. Very good.” He glanced up, smiling. “Well, you’ve answered them all correctly. Very impressive.”

What? I couldn’t believe it. She made me seem like an idiot. She looked at me and smiled. Was she rubbing it in? Each day since the apology, I had grown angrier. It was an accident. Grow up. I didn’t return her smile as I focused on my quiz again. During the rest of the class, I only managed to finish one more question. Who knew how many I had right?

☼☼☼

Sid’s Journal:

My whole life, people have made fun of my weight, looks, and intelligence. They mocked my glasses and nasal voice. I always felt like I didn’t belong, like I was garbage. Maybe that is why I’m so antagonistic toward Jaden. In a way, he’s the only peer I’ve ever felt connected to, even if it’s as an enemy.

Now that I have elite potential, everything can change. People will like and respect me now. Maybe I’ll find a group of friends. But are people going to overlook me because of Jaden? After all this time, I can’t let him ruin my chance. I’ll work hard and become the best. Finally, people will not insult or belittle me but love me.

☼☼☼

I walked down the path back to my dorm.

“Jaden.” I turned to see Lilly jog up to me, smiling.

I scowled. “What do you want?”

Her smiled vanished. “I—”

“No, you know what? You should have forgiven me. It was an accident. I thought you were someone else and I apologized. If that’s not good enough for you, then I don’t care.”

She gaped, her dark eyes wide.

“Rubbing it in with that quiz was the last straw. Go bother somebody else.”

She huffed, throwing her arms down. “I wasn’t rubbing it in. I smiled at you because I planned to give you a second chance. I thought you were worth it; I was wrong.”

I felt my stomach burn, and my body go cold. “What? No. I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”

“Too late. Go screw yourself.” She whipped around, then stomped off.

☼☼☼

When I entered my dorm, I collapsed on the bed. What an idiot I was. She planned to let me apologize again. She probably would have accepted it much easier too. I couldn’t believe I blew it. Why was I so mad at her anyway? I knew the answer. It was because she rejected me. I only made it worse when I accused her of rubbing in her intelligence with that quiz. Of course she wasn’t; she wasn’t like that. Talent she was smart. The quality made me even more attracted to her.

What could I do? I breathed out, slowly shaking my head. I didn’t think a simple apology would work after our last exchange. If I wanted to win her over, I’d have to do something grand. What could I do though? I punched the bed, exhaling sharply. Talent, she made me crazy. If I wanted my next apology to work, I’d have wait for the right opportunity. Maybe I could just avoid her until then. My life would be a lot more relaxing without the drama.

☼☼☼

During the next few weeks, I spent every day at advanced training learning about talent control. In my free time I hung out with Ben and Danessa, but Ben wasn’t his usually self. He had been irritable and tired looking, his face thinner. Every time I tried to cheer him up, I failed. Hopefully, his dad would make amends soon. It was really killing Ben that he hadn’t.

I didn’t practice outside of class and tried not to think about Lilly. In class, we also competed in mini challenges against our similarly talented group. I wouldn’t say it was much of a competition though, because Sid beat me every time. It didn't seem like I was ever going to be better than him, but frankly I didn't care. I would much rather enjoy myself than stress out over who was better.

The weekly rankings for each talent group were posted on the classroom walls. Each week, Lilly gave me nasty looks and often said that lazy people disgusted her. I did my best to avoid her. I knew that I should have apologized by now but hadn’t come up with a plan yet.

The Instructor pulled me aside several times to talk about how I needed to put more time into my studies. Although I knew he was right, I ignored what he said every time. He hadn't bothered me in the last few days though. Maybe he finally realized that he was wasting his time. I felt like I was wasting my time as well but had no choice but to show up to class.