The Seven (Fist of Light Series) (6 page)

I was about to jump off a building. To another building, perhaps, but the fact is that has to qualify me for some kind of insane asylum. Granted, the whole thing sounded like a whole bunch of fun when you talked about it as if it was just around the corner, but not an immediate occurrence. The butterflies in my stomach attested to my nervous disposition, and tingles raced up my spine.

The amulet interceded on my anxious thoughts. “
Relax. You’re giving me a headache. Your kind has accomplished more dangerous feats when out on a picnic
.”

How any medallion could get a headache, whether it was sentient or not, was worth a chuckle or two. My posture relaxed as my skittish nerves were soothed and my muscles loosened. And then I felt my stomach flutter in protest when I saw how high we were. When we reached our target height, we were fifteen stories high and about to hurdle off the precipice of a building. I looked to my left and examined Jas for any outward signs of stress. Impossibly, he wore a smile as if it had been etched permanently into his features.

I soothed my nerves, exerting complete control over my body as we stepped into the corridor. At least my competitive nature still endured. I wasn’t going to be shown up by some no-good shape-shifter, especially when the first animal he invoked in my presence was a
bunny
. The walls were a deep gray, with doors spaced incrementally throughout the building. Our destination was apparent, denoted by the red “EXIT” sign hanging from the top of the ceiling. After stepping through the door behind Jas, I idly looked down between the gaps in the stairwell. Suffice to say that it was quite an extensive drop to the ground. As I climbed the last flight of stairs to the roof access, I decided there was no way I was going to back down from this challenge. Backing down wasn’t one of my strong points, anyway.

As we neared the elevated brink of the roof, I took another gander at the scenery below. Cars drove by on the busy thoroughfare, oblivious to the two boys who were about to jump off a building. Though, I doubted many residents of this city would spare time from their hectic schedule of their technology-fueled world to glance skyward. At this hour, the streets were jam-packed with people, all of who were no doubt engaged in business of the utmost importance.

The sound of cooing pigeons roosting at various points along the top of the building was most prevalent. There was the sound of running engines, loud conversations made by self-important individuals, and a few vendors hawking their wares to a crowd that was clearly disinterested, utterly disengaged in their own world. Finally, when there was nothing more to put off the inevitable, I formulated my game plan.

It appeared that the next structure was at least ten feet distant. That would be the hardest aspect of the course, as a retaining wall prevented me from gathering up speed for a running jump. The following buildings, luckily, had no more than a foot-high partitioning wall, if any. The buildings were all equidistantly spaced from each other, which, for continuity’s sake, was good.

“So,” Jas said when he noticed that I was done analyzing, “You ready?”

“No, but let’s do it before my adrenaline wavers and my higher thinking regains control,” I replied resolutely.

Jas went first, almost without pausing for thought. That might be a useful skill in these situations. He pulled himself up the wall, and once adequately balanced, leaped into open space. He practically soared through the air, arms extended behind him and body pushed into the wind. As he landed three feet from the edge of the building, he rolled gracefully, using his momentum to carry him farther from the precipice. He gave me a thumbs-up from the other side of the building, and I decided to skip the preparation portion.

Without thinking, I mimicked his approach. I climbed up the five-foot adjoining wall, and propelled myself off the building with as much forward and upward thrust that could be mustered. My hair flew wildly about my head as the wind rushed raucously in my ears, and the gap preventing me from obtaining my goal rapidly dwindled. Instinct took over as my feet impacted the paneling. As I fell forward with the speed of my stop, I brought my shoulder forward and instigated a tumbling, less-than-graceful roll. The fact that I had come out relatively unscathed from my near-brush with death, however, was exhilarating. I hollered with the joy of adrenaline singing through my veins as I stood up from my tumble.

Jas echoed my cry of exhilaration. “Now let’s do it the way it’s supposed to be done. That last one was the hardest bit. All the next ones will be a piece of cake. This time we don’t stop. Keep going as fast as you can, and don’t fall.” He grinned.

“Of course,” I managed to stammer.

And then I pushed him to the ground before dashing off ahead. As I came up upon the next gap, I never slowed before throwing myself forward toward the next objective. I landed lightly, energized at the accomplishment. I blanked my mind of anything besides the next obstruction. There wasn’t a retaining wall on this building, and as I jumped over the rectangular cooling units in my way, I prepared myself for another leaping bound.

I repeated my first jump, competing in an insane race without any conscious thought, but for the feel of the wind in my hair and the electric thrill in my bones. Everything became a blur, the world around me bending into where my focus was centered. I jumped over obstacles without seeing them and was back out in open air faster than I could ponder my reckless actions. The scenario was repeated ceaselessly, it seemed, although I would have been content to remain in those moments for eternity. Eventually, I reached the point where there were no more buildings in sight, but the green grass was now only a measly fifteen feet away, waiting to embrace me.

Without slowing my headlong rush, I vaulted off the two-foot high partition that separated me from the edge, arms pin wheeling. From that point there was nothing left but to enjoy the last adrenaline-charged free fall toward the green blur that was the soft earth below.

I whooped at the thrill, the sheer, primal joy. “HELL YEAH!”

“Have fun?” Jas asked.

“You cheated, didn’t you?” I smirked condescendingly.

“I cheated? You kidding me? You were leaking Air the whole time. Didn’t you even notice how fast you were running?”

I thought back, and as I did, felt something stir inside me. It was the slow uncoiling of a snake as it rears to strike, the hibernating bear that has just woken up from an extended period of rest. It was an alien sensation, and there was only one piece of information that could adequately illuminate it. There was a point where I would have to accept the situation, and this was it. I rode along this new awareness, testing its bounds. It was still frail, I could perceive that much, but it would flourish and strengthen, given adequate time and implementation.

The voice of the amulet emanated throughout my mind, satisfied. “
Enjoy the feeling of control while it lasts, boy. Manifestation only occurs once, and then it’s an uphill battle for the duration
.”

Swatting the voice like a fly, I felt the Earth beneath my feet as never before, its intricacies not conceivable before this instant. The Air sung around me, and I heard its song for the first time. Pipelines bursting with Water were arrayed all around me, and I rode their current. The Fire in my veins called to me, and the Metal in the world made itself known. And I demanded they all manifest before me.

Water burst a hole through a pipeline and shot straight to the surface. An explosion of Earth followed, and Metal clawed its way out of the ribs of the structure behind me. Air howled, and Fire belched, summoned from within, called from without. All five elements came together in spherical shapes, twisting and turning, gyrating furiously above my head. I laughed, with the surety of the power in my veins, convinced that my opportunities were limitless. I had power. I
was
power.

Then a sword appeared in my right hand, crackling with electricity, burning red-hot fire. I recoiled in shock, and what had been held together before, so definitively, fractured with my concentration. Orbs of Earth, Metal, Fire, Water, and Air rocketed outwards, wreaking destruction until they too dissipated, their energy expended.

“
Now this kid, I can get used to
,” my amulet sent to my mind.

Except, as I turned to look at the sword in my hand, I realized it wasn’t any kind of medallion or amulet anymore. It was a katana, perfectly balanced, perfectly weighted, an extension of myself. The curved blade was wickedly sharp, with a guard that, while not decorated, seemed to serve its dual purpose exactly as it was conceived, as a tool of death. The handle and guard were made of the same unknown material as the rest of the sword, and though it felt like metal, it was too light to be forged of any known material. I dubbed it unobtainium. I recognized that this weapon was a part of me, as Jas had indicated from the start. I felt an ages-long connection that spoke volumes, although only the tiniest fraction was gleaned in that fleeting instant of understanding.

“
Later, we’ll talk
,” I thought. I willed the sword back, where it reverted to its original state.

Now, however, I felt the steady pulse of its power residing against my skin. I brought my hand up to feel it, that warm, near-weightless piece of unobtainium that was resplendent with potential. With myself under control, I surveyed the damage that I wrought. We were directly across from Golden Gate Park, the name of which I remembered because of its close relation to the orphanage. The destruction disseminated into five separate directions from where the chaotic, swirling mass of elements had spun off without any deliberate direction.

Trees dotted the grass, and the Earth and Metal had slammed into two of them, leaving broken fragments in their wake. The Air and Fire had collided with the wall of the building, leaving two spherical holes, one singed and melting, with smoke rising from the points of contact. I had to look around for precious, hand-clenching seconds before the Water’s blast area was discovered. It had collided with a street sign that used to proclaim the speed limit to oncoming vehicles. It lay in two halves on the ground. I figured this was my cue to high tail it out of here.

After coughing self-consciously, I said, “I think you were right. We should get out of here, now.”

“Yeah,” Jas said, dazed. “I think so too. It’s this way.” He pointed through the park.

We started forward, both of us taking regularly conspicuous looks behind us until we were out of sight of the wreckage. I skipped over a broken branch, some couple hundred feet removed from the rest of the tree. We maneuvered around the small clusters of trees in the park, if that’s what it was. Rather than the conventional definition of a park, it seemed that this one was different. Although there were trees to be seen, streets brought a steady number of cars throughout the whole of the greenery.

“
You all are so alike in the beginning. No control. I’m surprised you didn’t blow the top off that Skin Walker friend of yours
.”

“
You know, you’ve got a lot of lip, for an amulet
.”

I could practically feel the booming laughter emanating and was surprised that Jas couldn’t. I resolved to speak with my talking piece of unobtainium later and feel for how Jas was coping presently.

I coughed to break the silence. “So, uh, not quite what you expected?”

Though slightly withdrawn, I could see Jas was returning to himself. “No shit! I didn’t know you would be able to do anything like that so soon. You guys are supposed to take time to develop, and if you’re still developing. I don’t even want to think about it. That’s crazy.”

I laughed despite myself. “Apparently that was just a by-product of my manifestation, a transitory period of relative control.” My talking amulet had already taught me so much, it seemed.

He eyed me. “You should ask your girlfriend Emily about it, then. Girls mature faster than boys, remember? I’d bet my life savings that she’s been past this stage for months. She’ll have more control than you, so be wary.”

I patted my amulet, where it rested below my shirt. “I think I have what I need in the teacher department, even if he does mouth off a bit. But yeah, I think Em and I need to have a heart-to-heart.”

W
e had finally arrived at the foster home, which I could now actually distinguish from its foliage-filled surroundings. The sign, made primarily of brick, first caught my attention. I had been calling it just the “foster home,” because it was easy to distance myself that way, and partially because I hadn’t even bothered to read the sign in the first place. “The Home For Wayward Children” was displayed prominently in grimy black letters for all to see. The house was deep beige, and it seemed the only thing on the house that was recently refurbished. Everything else reeked of disrepair.

Weeds and shrubs infested the rest of the available space around the house, except for a small circular garden in the back. And, of course, teenagers were everywhere, lazing about after school. The sun had come out rather unexpectedly and most everyone just seemed to be relaxing, though I saw some kids kicking a soccer ball around and throwing some footballs. Typically, the girls had taken over the only table and had congregated in a cluster around it, giggling loudly. Em was visible, but only her blonde curls and sweatshirt could be seen.