Fractured Light (22 page)

“Are you not listening? I admit you’ve done remarkably well with so little knowledge, but don’t let it go to your head. You are not invincible. It was that attitude that cost your mother her life.”

“So you’re saying I can’t have friends?”

“Of course not, but you have to choose the right ones: those who are like you. At Lucent there are girls your age who are going through the same things you are.”

“I doubt that,” I mumbled.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.” Sophie was the last person I wanted to share my woes with. “How are we supposed to help others if we are locked away in some school?”

“Right now we are just trying to preserve our kind. And you’re not locked away. The girls can come and go as they please.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but she interrupted me.

“We want our kind to help others, but not until they are properly trained. Eventually you’ll be placed back into society where you can help the most.”

“Like serving on the boards of charities?” I mocked. From what my father had told me, Auras were rarely allowed to have hands-on experience helping others. I’d never heard of an Aura who worked in a soup kitchen, but I’d heard of plenty who helped build one. I remember my mom saying once (not too happily either) that our safety had become more important than our purpose.

“Exactly. You can still help without getting too close to others.” Sophie suddenly slapped the arm of the couch. “Enough serious talk. I’m only here for a couple of days. Do you want to do something fun?”

“Like what?” I didn’t think it was possible for her to have fun.

“First, let me ask you a question. What can you do with Light?”

“You mean how can I use it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I can turn lights on and off by just thinking about it. Once I made an entire gymnasium black out.” I waited for Sophie’s eyes to widen with surprise, but she just stared. “And I can calm people down by touching them,” I added.

“Like your mother.”

“I guess. And I think I’m really good at reading people, but I’m not sure if that’s Light or just me.”

“Could be a little of both. Anything else?”

“I have great hearing.”

For some reason this surprised her. “Really? How long have you had this gift?”

I shrugged. “For as long as I can remember.”

She stared through me and whispered, “Mark.”

“What about my Dad?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to discuss your father right now. What else can you do?”

“Well, on full moons I’m really fast and I have great reflexes. I think I might be a little stronger too.”

“Yes.”

“What’s up with the full moon anyway?”

“It’s when the sun’s reflective light is at its strongest. This reflection makes it easier for you to take advantage of Light’s powers.”

“Are you saying I could have Light’s energy all of the time?”

She leaned forward. “Absolutely. You just have to know how to call upon it. That’s why you need to come to Lucent. We can teach you all of this.” She paused. “But I’m getting distracted. We wanted to have fun. Let me show you what else Light can do.” She stood up.

“Really?”

Sophie flashed a mischievous grin. “You might want to put on something warm.”

F
OLLOWING
S
OPHIE’S DIRECTIONS
, I
DROVE UP THE CANYON AS
far as Jake’s little car could before the snow became too deep. From there we had to travel by foot, and it didn’t seem we were going in any particular direction. She’d stop frequently, look left to right, and then keep walking. I just wished she’d make up her mind because I was freezing.

The snow was at least a couple feet thick and every time I took a step, I broke through its hard crust. Sophie, however, had no difficulties walking across the snow, even though she had to have been at least twenty pounds heavier than me. She wore a white coat that covered the entire length of her body. Beneath the coat, her wispy, layered skirt fluttered behind her like a tailgating ghost. I finally called out to her to stop.

She turned around. “What are you doing sitting on the snow?”

“Apparently, I have elephant legs! I can’t walk in this stuff.” I moved out of the hole and took another step, but once again the top layer couldn’t support my weight, and I fell through.

Sophie laughed and walked back to me.

“How do you do that?” I asked.

“Do what?”

“Not break through the snow. You walk on it like you’re a mouse.”

She gave me a pity smile and tilted her head. “There is so much for you to learn. I’m using Light, dear.” She helped me up.

“How?”

“The best way to explain it is,” she thought for a moment, “it’s like holding your breath, only you can still breathe.”

“That’s the best way to explain it? Hold your breath but still breathe? Sounds like a bad Chinese movie to me: ‘Go through the door that is not a door!’ ” I mocked.

“Would you stop? I’m trying to help.”

I mumbled a sorry and found my way out of the hole.

“Try and imagine there is a balloon inside you, making you weightless.”

“Can I fly?”

She shook her head. “You’re still bound by the laws of gravity. Light is only making you lighter, almost as if you’re in water. Now close your eyes and call upon Light. Imagine it expanding inside you.”

“Serious?”

“How else are you going to learn?”

“Fine.” I closed my eyes and concentrated. I did as she asked and pictured a balloon, but after a minute I felt like I was burning up. I opened my eyes and gasped for air.

“Well, that’s one way of doing it,” Sophie laughed.

I looked down. All around me the snow had melted. “Not quite what you had in mind?”

“Not really but you’re learning. You just need to practice.” Sophie glanced around. “I guess we can stop here, but we need to wait a little longer for the sun to go down.”

“Why?”

“What I’m going to show you is much more impressive when it’s dark.” Sophie jumped down in my hole with me. In seconds she had warmed the rest of the snow around us until the ground was dry. “We can sit here and wait.”

We sat in silence for several minutes, listing to the winter stillness. My thoughts drifted to May and how difficult it would be to not know where your ability came from. I was about to ask Sophie about her but stopped. May should be the one asking, not me.

“What are you thinking about?” Sophie asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing.”

“You can tell me.”

I glanced around while trying to think of something to say. “Just how strange it is to be here with you.”

She nodded. “We should’ve been doing things like this a lot sooner.”

“Why?”

“You are so far behind other Auras. Normally it’s the mothers who teach their daughters about Light, but where your mother isn’t around, it should’ve been me.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Llona,” Sophie paused. “I need to ask your forgiveness.”

“For what?” Sophie ask forgiveness? This had to be a first.

She looked me in the eyes. “Your mother’s death was very hard on me. In a lot of ways, I blamed myself. After her death I knew I’d have to be the one to teach you about Light, but every time I saw you, I saw your mother’s eyes staring back at me. It was just too difficult. I know that was selfish of me and not fair to you. You had already lost so much and here I was, not even able to be in the same room with you.”

“That’s pretty harsh.” I had to look away.

“I know. That’s why I must beg your forgiveness. I was a coward. I see that now. I promise from here on out I will be there for you like I should’ve been for all these years. Could you ever forgive me?”

I was extremely hurt by her confession. Why was it that everyone around me acted like my parent’s death was the most devastating thing for them? Did anyone stop to consider how their death might affect their actual child? I wanted to get upset and ask her why she waited so long to finally “confess,” but thought better of it. Choosing to take the high road, even though I felt like storming away, I said, “It’s fine. It’s in the past.”

“Really? I’m so glad you said that. I feel much better now.” She reached over and gave me a hug. I forced myself to return it even though I was repulsed by her sudden affection.

Sophie looked up. “It’s dark enough. Wait here.”

She moved about twenty feet away in the middle of a small clearing and bowed her head as if praying—concentrating was more like it. In a matter of seconds, bright lights ignited all around us. Several of them were moving but most of the lights were still. Some lights were bigger while some burst from the seams in the trees or glowed from beneath the snow. I suddenly felt like I was in the middle of space with stars all around me.

“What is this?” I asked.

“I’ve lit up the life forces of all the creatures around us: bugs, squirrels, spiders—you name it. Most are immobile due to the cold, so you can imagine how much more impressive this would be with warmer weather.”

“It’s amazing. I had no idea there were so many living things around us.”

“Most of us are ignorant to life. If one can become aware of the beings around us, they have a much better chance of fulfilling their destiny.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The future is never ours alone. Without others, our destiny could never be fulfilled. Could you imagine Superman trying to fulfill his purpose if there weren’t people to save? He could never do it. And so must we be aware of those around us and never shut the door on opportunities that help us to grow and learn, no matter how difficult they seem. Only by doing this will we be able to live to our full potential.”

I was speechless, to the point where my eyes filled with tears. Sophie’s words, combined with life’s glow against the darkness of the night, hit me hard. I’d missed out on many experiences, because I chose to shut myself off from the world. I’d gotten better, thanks to Christian and May, but I was still holding back.

“Llona? Are you all right?”

“Huh?” I blinked. A single tear fell from my eye. I quickly cleared my throat and said, “I’m fine. This is just so impressive.”

“It’s one of many beautiful things you can do with your gift if you will allow yourself to be taught.”

Before I could think of how my next words might be received, I said, “Can we use Light as a weapon?”

Sophie’s face twisted in disgust. “Light should never be used as a weapon. It is only to be used to beautify, uplift, and to comfort. Your ignorance has given you a lack of respect for Light and its purpose.”

“I was just asking,” I mumbled.

Sophie took a deep breath. On her exhale, the lights went out. “Come on. Let’s get back.”

I followed her back to the car in silence. I knew she was majorly disappointed in me, but that only made me madder, especially after her apology. How was I supposed to know the rules and etiquette of Light?

When we returned to the house, Jake was waiting for us with pizza. Gratefully, Sophie acted like nothing had happened, and other than a few comments about Jake’s appearance, she was actually pretty decent. We ate dinner and played games until midnight before we finally called it quits.

The next day, Jake and I didn’t break from our normal Thanksgiving tradition, much to Sophie’s dismay. We left for the local all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant at eleven and didn’t return until two. Sophie looked bored the entire time, but Jake and I had a lot of fun trying to see who could eat the most food. We agreed I won, but only because I had avoided drinking anything. Jake had filled himself with milk way too early. When we got home I called May and told her about Sophie.

“Do you want me to ask her about you? She might know something.”

I could practically hear May thinking on the other end. “Let me do some digging first, see what I can find. If I come up empty, then I’ll ask her next time you talk to her. Did you tell her about me?”

“Not at all. I’ll let you do that when you’re ready.”