Adventures of an Employed Planeswalker

(Matt's PoV)

"I'm telling you, man. She was the one who came to me asking for trouble! I was like "Later, on!" and she freaked out! How's that my fault!?" I say, to an amused Steve and friends.

Very drunk Duncan, Phillip (holding an ice-pack over his throat), Kyle - who is constantly drinking yogurt - and Samantha, Steve's girlfriend.

"But what exactly did she say, anyway?" Samantha asks, smiling but not quite smiling.

"Ah, you know, the usual. 'Hey, can we go somewhere?', 'I really want to go on a ride in your car', 'We can even go to my place if you want...'" I gesticulate and imitate the obnoxious girl's voice, causing the group to laugh, even Samantha.

"In fact, she called me to this party yesterday, I was just... planning something else. I just happened to have finished it early." They all nod.

"That's good, dude! Good to know you made it... a pity you just missed the competition. I couldn't delay it more, Gavin had to go home and he really wanted to participate." I wave Steve's explanation away.

"It's okay; I witnessed the finishing act firsthand," I smile, looking briefly at the door and the already cleaned-up mess. They laugh at that, though Samantha starts getting up from Steve's lap, much to his visible and audible displeasure.

"It was nice meeting you, Matt, but I need to go. I've been away from my besties too long!" She says, waving her fingers at me and the boys. "See you later, Stud~" She gently whispers into Steve's ear, making him shiver lightly, before heading into another section of the house. The voice-able boys whistle at that, causing Steve to mock stare at them in response.

She seemed to be satisfied with something when I told her I rejected Monica... maybe they don't see eye to eye? Should be.

"Never mind that; we did the Chug Competition, Kyle... but will you be able to participate in the Arm-Wrestling one?" Steve asks the big guy.

Not that any of us here is particularly thin or small, but Kyle and Phillip are especially very bulky.

"I mean- cough... I could, yeah." Kyle says, still not totally ok on his throat. That combination left a nasty irritation there, apparently.

"Great! You better be prepared, you know how much more disputed that one is!" Steve says, getting excited.

"After that, we'll start making the specific song areas and the beer pong. The party is only just starting!" Steve smiles widely.

He then turns to me, "What about you, Matt? What do you like to do at parties?" He asks curiously.

I shrug, "I'm not much of a Party-Goer" Anymore, "or a Party-pooper. I'm somewhere in the middle. I like getting a drink, talking to people here and there, and generally looking on as the party goes."

It's always been like that, rarely do I go to dance or take the initiative to go and get a girl or something. Not that I wouldn't do it, but when I frequented parties, I didn't have to do it since my friend did all that for me.

Perks of being an adopted introvert.

Steve shakes his head, "No no no, none of that here! Look at you, man! You're built like a wall..." He gestures a me, "A small wall, but a very strong one! Yeah, I could feel it just by touching your shoulder; you feel like your muscles are compacted steel!" He was obviously exaggerating, though not by as much as he thought, funnily enough.

"I guess. I never participated in a competition like this. What's the prize for the winner?" I ask.

All the boys look at me funny, even Duncan. "Glory, of course!" Most of them respond at the same time.

I quirk an eyebrow, "So you're saying that you did this," I point to their throats, "to yourselves just to... prove you can?"

"Yes...? Of course! And it's fun too; you should try it!" Steve said, answering for them all and even getting a few thankful nods from Phillip and Kyle for sparing them from speaking their minds.

That's... yeah, we're very different people, I guess. "Our concept of fun might be a little different. Beer pong I get, but chugging that nightmare? You're asking for a heartburn in the nth degree."

They all flinch at that. See?

"But fine, I can participate in a little arm wrestling," I say, making Steve smirk in triumph. "You do have some safety measures in case someone breaks their arms, right?" The smirk falls a bit.

Figures.

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"Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve!" The people around me go crazy, chanting Steve's name. The man himself is giving his best, grabbing the table corner in a fit to get himself more leverage. Kyle, his opponent, also does the same. Their arm muscles are swollen, veins popping here and there in their massive effort to finally give that final push needed to win.

"Kyle! Kyle! Kyle! Kyle!" Kyle also has some fans trying their best to show their support.

This has been the most balanced match until now; most other guys (and occasional gals, much to my surprise) had some side or the other with a clear advantage, be it technique or raw strength.

These guys, though? They know each other. I'd risk saying they faced each other in every opportunity they've had; the rivalry in their eyes is visible, their competitive spirit almost tangible.

Maybe that's because of a little something I did. I found that my aura can induce some more... exotic? Complex? Feelings, like competitiveness. So this whole competition has been very fierce.

With a yell of exertion, Steve pushes Kyle's arm all the way to the table, making the people surrounding it explode in excitement. Steve himself slams the table and jumps up with his arms in the air. "YEAH!!!"

Kyle looks on, defeated but with a smile. "Damn, man. Couldn't leave with a win for my life!" He said, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Steve, hearing that, extends his hand to Kyle, who gets up from his chair. I subtly change my aura to project camaraderie. They look at each other for a while, before Kyle takes the hand and they shake it in a very manly way.

I could even hear some girls freaking out in the background. I bet if this was an anime, they would have a shining aura around them.

Steve - not one to miss an opportunity from what I've seen - chooses this time to get up on his chair and speak up, grabbing most of the party's attention.

"People! I'd like just a moment of your attention here." He grabs all of their attention with a single sentence. Crazy how this guy irradiates charisma.

"This day, this party... I know it was sudden. I mean, most people only got here late - not that that isn't the usual!" He says, to general laughter. "But this party, sudden as it was, is for a very important reason." He speaks seriously, making everyone hang onto his words.

He looks at Kyle for a second, resuming his announcement/speech. "Today is the last day Kyle will be here with us, in Seattle." Some people frown, others gasp. The main crowd's emotion is surprise. "He's had some... issues, that I won't be going into, that need him to finish his studies elsewhere. This party, today! Is in his name! So, enjoy! Drink till you drop, pour your heart out, and say everything you want!" He yells, hyping the crowd to no end. He grabs a nearby drink and raises it.

"Let's all give our cheers to Kyle Jones! A great friend, a great football player, and... if the rumors can be trusted, a great lover~" The crowd laughs, though everybody raises their cups. "Cheers!"

"CHEERS!" Everybody yells.

I see Kyle nodding to Steve - trying to hide some tears that threatened to appear - who returns the nod.

I came expecting a teenage party and got some Shounen-level scene, what the hell.

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"What was all that, anyway?" I can't help but ask Steve.

Most people are now gone and he and a few of his close friends are cleaning up the place. I decided to stay to have some alone time talking to him. Maybe I can speed up the growth of the little seed of doubt I planted a week ago.

"What was what?" Steve says, mopping the multiple drinks and... fluids, off his wall.

"That speech to Kyle. I mean, great speech, but wow..." I leave my sentence unfinished, though the tone gives him enough to know what I mean.

He puts the mop back into its bucket, putting both hands on top of it and using it as support. He looks at me for a while - time enough for me to finish gathering the cans in the area I was in and get up to look at him.

"Matt, he was my friend- he has been my friend, since freshman year. We've studied, trained, played, and partied together for almost three years now... He's my best friend and he's going away." His look gets very intense. "If anything, this party was too little."

"Too little? Damn." The party wasn't Prom levels of crowded, but the people here enjoyed it a lot. They were very 'in here' at this party; hardly anyone moping around, nursing a drink by themselves, or things like that.

"Yeah, it's too little for me. He only said anything to me this week." Steve scoffs. "Kyle was always reserved about his personal life and stuff." He shakes his head. "I at least got this party together in time. I even had to bribe my parents to get them out of the house for the weekend!"

"Bribe? With what?" I ask.

He scratches the back of his head, "I had this surprise trip planned with Samantha on Winter Break and I was saving some money..." He looks around and gets closer to me. "I used it all to buy them a trip nearby and promised I'd clean the whole house after the party!" He whispers, getting a mischievous smile on his face.

I can't help but smile back, "Impressive. I hope you get all that money back, though, and fast. Wouldn't want to make your girl feel unloved after this big ass celebration to a bro."

Steve pales slightly. "Damn... didn't think of that." I pat his shoulder in a placating way.

"Yeah, better plan around that. You have roughly four months; good luck." I smirk at him and he mock gasps in fright.

We both laugh at that and go back to gathering the trash and mopping the wall, respectively.

"Oh yeah, I... wanted to talk to you later. Somewhere private." I offhandedly say.

"Sure, man. You're helping the cleanup, the least I can do is hear you out!" He says, exaggerating the relief in his voice.

Then again, maybe he's not exaggerating that much. The place is a mess.

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(Steve's PoV)

"So, what's this about?" I say, resting on my father's couch in his office.

Good thing I locked this place, as well as my parent's room to make sure it'd be untouched. Someone tried to get into both of the rooms, getting vomit all over the floor and door.

The whole house reeks of something sour, alcohol, and something nasty that I can't put my finger on. My hopes are chlorine, bleach, and Samantha's family's age-old cleaning solution.

That shit works miracles.

Matt closes the door behind him and takes a look around the room. There's not much in the way of accommodations for guests, only my dad's chair - which he promptly left alone, much to my relief - and this old couch that he sometimes uses to read in peace.

I make to get up, but he raises his hand and says it's fine. I shrug, appreciating the rest. My body sure needs it.

"So... you remember when I called you last Saturday? About something being off?" He starts, standing in front of me, arms crossed and feet tapping.

Is he anxious about something? Something about the hole? I frown, "Yeah, I remember. Though I haven't felt anything 'off' like you said."

He looks into my eyes intensely for a second, making me realize this might be very serious.

"Nothing? No weird nosebleeds, weird feelings, and-" He interrupts himself.

My frown deepens, "No, Matt, I haven't felt anything like that since that day. Are you ok? Maybe whatever frequency that thing was outputting hit us differently or something."

He grimaces, "I asked the other Matt too - and asked him to ask his cousin in turn - and they both haven't returned anything since then." He sighs deeply. "I'm starting to think maybe I'm crazy."

"Look, just because you're feeling weird and are having constant nosebleeds doesn't mean you're crazy, dude." I think for a second. "You're new in town, right?" He nods. "Maybe it's a climate change - humidity! Maybe you're reacting to it, is all." I try to console him.

He barks a laugh, apparently finding my theory amusing. He then looks me in the eyes with a sudden intensity that makes me glad I'm sitting down.

"Can I show you something? You'll have to keep it secret." He says, slowly uncrossing his arms.

I'm not gonna lie, this is sounding weird as fuck.

"Um.. sure dude, ok. As long as it's not anything criminal? I need to keep my records clean, you know haha." I crack a joke, trying to lighten the mood. His expression does not even twitch.

"I'll show you why I think I'm going insane. If you see it too, then we're either both batshit crazy or..." He leaves the sentence hanging. Come on, dude! You're killing me here!

He stops looking at me, making me breathe a little easier. Focusing on what he's doing, he walks over to my dad's table. His gaze seems to loom over most objects on top of it, settling on a bunch of pens.

He picks them up and turns to me, showing them all in his open palm.

"You better not talk about this to anyone, Steve. I'm serious." He levels a glare at me again, then focuses intensely on the three pens on top of his palm.

He seems so serious, I don't even want to tell him to be careful with those pens since my ma was the one who got them for my dad and he likes them- WHAT THE FUCK!?

Above Matt's palm, are the pens... floating. I... I'm... what??

He seems to concentrate deeply on it until his nose starts bleeding and he snaps out of it, grabbing the pens and pinching his nose.

"Did you see it?" He asks with a groan.

"I, um...uhh." I don't even know what to say.

"Did you see it, Steve?" He asks again, this time coming closer.

"Ye-Yeah, I saw that! What was that, man?" I swear I didn't see any light reflection, so it's either very transparent strings or... but how would he put strings on the ceiling of this room?

Almost as if reading my mind, he hands me the pens. I absentmindedly check them over, not feeling anything out of the ordinary.

"I don't know why or how, but ever since that day this has been happening."

"So, ever since Saturday...?" I ask.

"No, I can only do this much now, a week after that. It seems to get stronger the more you use it." He says, finally letting go of his pinched nose and wiping the blood away with the back of his hand.

"And how do you do that!? Can I do that too!?" I ask excitedly. I mean, who wouldn't want to have cool mind powers!?

He shakes his head, "I don't know. At some point I just wanted to reach for something and... it floated to me." He sighs deeply, his shoulders dropping relaxed.

Seems like telling this to someone lifted a weight off his mind.

"So, like I just..." I look at the pens in my hand, trying my best to lift them up.

They don't even move.

I look at Matt, seeing his expression now a lot more relaxed. "I thought you would call me crazy or something." He said, chuckling.

I quirk an eyebrow at him. "You did see that thing down there, right? That shit looked like it came straight out of an alien movie! Area 51 kind of shit!" I say, exasperated.

I mean, really? Glowing blue rock, deep underground in Haven Hills, an abandoned place? That shit screams "alien" and "government research facility incoming" to me.

He tilts his head slightly to the side, "Touché."

"Anyway, do you want to get the others together? Maybe they'll all come if it's you asking." He asks.

"I could, yeah." My eyes widen, and I look at him. "Do you think they started doing this too? Or is it different for everyone?" I can't help the theories popping up in my mind.

It's been a while since I've been a 'nerd', but old habits die hard.

Matt shakes his head, "I don't know, that's why I've been asking you guys. I just..." He sighs, "I wasn't even sure if this was all real."

He turns around and starts to leave, "Anyway, good to know I'm not insane yet. Call them and call me, set up a gathering point; preferably secluded." He turns his head. "If we can all do shit like this... we need to know who can do what and how strong it is. And especially; if we all have some sort of weird ability like this, we need to learn to control it." He intones.

"Otherwise, we might make a mistake and end up like lab rats." He mutters, just loud enough for me to hear, before going through the door and closing it behind himself.

I take in a deep breath.

"That!... is not what I expected..." I can't help but say... what a day.

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(Matt's PoV)

"Rock, paper, Scissors, GO! Ha, I got you!"

Me and Matt have been playing different games for a while now and I'm sure he is cheating, but I don't know how!

"Yeah! Now I'm Matt and you'll be Mat. Or would you rather it be, Mateo? Mathias? Mac? ttaM?" He mocks me, making me grit my teeth in frustration.

This guy...

"It doesn't matter now, 'Matt' is my nickname now." He gloats, a smile on his face.

(Matthew's PoV)

Ugh. "Steve, why did you call us here?" I can't help but ask, wanting nothing more with this conversation.

Steve comes out of his house, bringing with him a box. Oh, so it finally arrived!

"We have... some things, to ask." He looks at Matt, "And something to show." Steve says, putting the box in front of Andrew.

Andrew's been even more withdrawn since the rave party, but he won't tell me why. Maybe the new camera will cheer him on?

Andrew looks up at Steve, then at the box, and back at Steve, as if asking what it is.

Steve looks at me briefly, but I wave at him, motioning for him to explain, "We did say we would get you a new camera, in case yours broke. Here it is!" He points at the box.

Andrew gets a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, before starting to tear the box apart.

We all sit at a table in Steve's backyard, watching Andrew open the box like a child opening a Christmas present.

"So..." I start, trying to make the moment less awkwardly silent. "Something to ask and something to show, you say?" I look at Steve and Matt.

They both exchange looks, nodding at each other. Matt says, "Let's just wait until the camera is up and filming before I show you." He takes a look at Andrew, smiling slightly at his excitement. "We also need his attention, so we need to wait either way."

Not much longer after, Andrew was holding a new camera in his hand. I personally chose the model; thought about giving him this more modern camera - smaller too - since he wants to film everything.

Seeing the joy in his eyes while he messes with the camera makes me sigh. I don't know what happened between my mother and aunt Karen, I just know our families aren't as close anymore. Last I heard, Aunt Karen was sick but it's been a while since I visited.

"This is so cool..." I hear Andrew mutter, looking through the camera's display.

"Yeah, it better be!" I can't help but say. That thing cost a pretty penny!

He looks at me and Steve, a grateful look on his face. "Thanks, guys...."

Steve claps his hand, drawing all attention. I notice Andrew starting to record us discretely. "The thing we have to ask... From what I know, Matt already asked Matt- rather, Matthew." He throws a smirk in my direction. "And asked you to ask your cousin about it too."

Oh. "Is this about noticing something 'weird'?" I ask, looking at Matt. He nods seriously.

"Yes. I've felt something was wrong ever since last Saturday." Matt starts, taking over the conversation. "At first I thought I might be crazy, or sick. Nosebleeds, weird sounds, goosebumps... something was off."

I see Andrew messing with the camera zoom, focusing on Matt's face. He acknowledges it with a look but keeps his attention on us.

"Suddenly one day, I was on my couch and wanted to get the TV remote. You know when you're just out of reach of it?" We all nod. "Yeah, that was the case. I stretched my arm as much as I could, but it wouldn't bridge the gap... but the remote got into my hand anyway."

I frown, looking at Andrew and Steve around. Steve makes an expression like he finally understands something. Andrew is frowning, just like me.

"But what does that have to do with us?" Andrew asks.

Matt looks at Andrew, then at the table. On the table are scraps of cardboard that Andrew tore apart. He looks at those scraps with a little too much concentration. Just as I'm about to ask, Steve puts a hand on my shoulder and shakes his head, stopping me. I look at Matt again and my mouth drops.

The scraps of cardboard are floating!

WHAT TH-

"YOOO WHAT THE HELL!!" Andrew screams, mouth agape as well, but there's an excited look on his face.

"Is this... is this some magic trick you want to show us?" I can't help but ask. Maybe it's a prank or something.

Matt shakes his head, not taking his eyes off the floating pieces. "Try and... feel for strings if you want." I reach my hand above, bellow, to the sides... nothing.

"Nothing..." I can't help but mutter, incredulously. The cardboard pieces slowly drop back down to the table and Matt sighs in relief.

"Yeah, that's how the remote got to my hand that day. Right after it, I felt a headache and my nose started to bleed." He points to his own nose. "As you can see, now doing something like this doesn't make it bleed anymore." He gives us all a serious look.

"I think whatever was in that cave did something to me... and possibly you too. That's why I asked Steve to bring you here. We need to know if you can do anything like this as well."

Steve gets up and goes to a box in his backyard, coming back with a baseball. "And I have the perfect exercise right here!" He throws the ball up and catches it, a somewhat sadistic smile on his face.

I don't know if I like where this is going.

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(Andrew's PoV)

I still don't know if I believe that... he lifted that with... what? The power of his mind? That's X-men stuff, it can't be real...

Still, looking at Steve and Matt throwing the baseball at each other, while funny, does not seem to show that we also have that.

"I think you're doing it wrong," Matt says after a bout of laughter. Seeing Steve getting hit in the face by a baseball is never not going to be funny.

"Yeah, Jedi? Teach us your ways, then." Steve says, nursing his cheek.

"Whenever I do it, I think about catching or holding it, just not with my hands," Matt explains. "Maybe if you reach your hands in its direction, it might help. It's what they do in movies and comics, so it's gotta have some base." He shrugs.

'Maybe... imagine like I'm holding it, huh?'

I'm drawn out of my thoughts by Matthew, who points at me and says. "Maybe we should let Andrew have a shot!" This guy...

"Yeah, Andrew! I can even film it for you if you want!" Steve also adds. I consider for a moment but soon nod. I think I've got an idea and I want to try it.

We change positions, Steve getting the camera. I position myself where he was and wait for Matthew to send the ball. 'Hold it, Hold it, Hold it...'

When he throws it, I feel its speed. He threw it too strong! That's going to hit my face! 'Hold it hold it HOLD IT!'

"Ooohhhh shit!" I hear Steve exclaim, though it sounds muffled.

I can see Matthew approaching, but my sole focus is on the ball in front of my face. My whole concentration is spent, holding it in its place.

"Dude, dude stop, you're bleeding." I feel Matthew shaking me, breaking me out of my focus. The ball falls and I register a headache and his words. I put my hands to my nose, feeling a liquid run down. Blood.

"You did it! You did it, Andrew!" Matthew hugs me.

I did... I did it!

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(Matt's PoV)

Everything is going according to plan.

We're now in Steve's living room, enjoying the fact his parents aren't here yet. They've been trying to levitate different objects the whole afternoon, with varying levels of success.

Now, we have a Lego set in front of us. While Andrew and I demonstrated some proficiency in using our powers (Andrew is developing quite fast), Steve and Matthew still don't have full control; their hold sometimes fails.

"Come one, put on the music," Andrew says to Matthew, already having set up his camera on an ideal angle to capture the tower they want to build.

I'm just to the camera's right, barely out of sight. While Matthew starts trying to move the pieces together - which he succeeds in - he can't seem to make them fit on each other.

"Matthew, you have- You have to pretend like you're squeezing them together with your hands." Andrew caught onto how the power works.

"I'm doing it! Look." Matthew tries a few more times, getting close but not quite getting it.

Meanwhile, I see Steve looking at his phone, a range of emotions going through his face. Knowing that silly smile, he's texting his girl.

"AH! I can't do it, dude, I give up. You do it, you're better at this than me." Matthew says, frustrated.

"Really? Am I?" Andrew answers, smug. He clearly enjoys being better than someone at something. 'Hubris, huh?'

"Just do it." Is Matthew's exasperated response.

Andrew smiles and looks at the pieces. He puts his hands to the sides and mimics throwing them up. They stay floating in specific places, forming a floating tower. Even Steve's attention is captured, drawn in by Matthew's exclamation.

"Dude, no way!" Matthew says. Andrew finishes putting all the pieces in their respective places and his nose immediately starts to bleed.

"Bleeding, Drew!" Matthew throws him a tissue, which Andrew accepts with a grateful nod.

"Dude, I am so impressed." Steve and Andrew high-five. Matthew, frustrated and a little vindictive, bashes the Lego tower away, destroying the construction.

"Ohhh dude, not cool!" Andrew says, though he is smiling.

I was simply happily smiling and looking at their interaction. They all turn to me, though.

"What about you, Matt?" Matthew asks with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Me? What about me?" I ask, confused.

"Well, Andrew just discovered these powers this morning and he can already do this. What about you?" He asks again, the three looking at me with different levels of expectations.

Hmm... if I want to be consistent, I should show that I evolved, but maybe not as much as Andrew... A week from now, I can say I've been training to catch up, now that I know I'm not crazy.

Yeah, that could work.

I smirk, "Watch this."

I put my hands forward, moving them around like they were doing something. The Legos start flying around in a miniature tornado, slowly getting organized inside the box.

"It's still so cool looking at that," Matthew says.

"Yeah, I can't wait till I can do that!" Steve adds. He then widens his eyes.

"Do you guys think it's still there?" He asks suddenly.

"What?" Matthew says.

"The thing in the hole!" Steve seems very excited.

"When I woke you guys up, the hole seemed to have caved in." I shrug. "Even if that thing is still there, it's not going to be easy to get to."

Steve deflates a little but bounces back. "Still! If we heard that thing from so far away, maybe we'd still hear it, even below a bunch of dirt."

"You might be right." I nod, conceding the point.

"Ok, any of you have anything on..." He looks at his phone for a while, probably going through a calendar or to-do list, "Thursday or Friday?"

I shrug, "Nothing for me."

Matthew and Andrew soon also deny having anything on their schedule.

"Great! We meet at Haven Hills then!" He says, getting up. "Now off you go. My parents are coming and it's getting late anyway." He starts making shooing gestures with his hands.

I chuckle and start getting up. Andrew stops the recording, mumbling a goodbye as he catches his backpack. Matthew also gets up and gives me and Steve a handshake, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry about him... not many friends."

I smile back, "He has two more now." Matthew nods at that.

I shake Steve's hand as well, going to the door. He puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"Matt... I- well, everyone really, noticed you don't go to school. Anything happened, man?" He asks, looking honestly curious and maybe even concerned.

I shake my head, "No, no. It's just... I don't really have to go to school, I guess." I shrug. "I have money, a house, a car. What would school really give me?"

"Friends, human relationships, education?" He rebukes immediately, though even he doesn't seem to believe all that. "Look... what about college, man? Even if you got the money, will they accept you if you didn't even graduate from High School?"

I lightly frown, "I can just take a GED if I want to go to college."

He notices my frown and takes his hand off my shoulder, putting it up in a surrender posture. "I'm just saying. I don't wanna sound annoying or anything like that, but you could just... go."

"Oh, I could it's just... too much work." I shake my head. "Thanks for worrying anyway. Bye, Steve." I walk through his door, waving at him.

Now, almost all the pieces are in place.

They know about their powers, will start trying to practice on their own and I can slowly show my expertise to them as well.

Since I talked to them two weeks before they were to start developing their powers more actively, I still have some time before Karen Detmer dies. That means, in just a few months I'll have to get their trust - especially Andrew's - and heal her.

When we go to the hole, I'll mention the people Sherry told me about. That little 'side-quest' might be a good starting point in changing how Andrew sees himself and other people.

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Today is a Wednesday. It is, like any other, an empty day.

I say 'empty', because I would usually call them boring, but I just can't say training this power is ever boring.

I grew too used to controlling every single thing in my house. Every cutlery, cable, cotton swab, paper, pen, bag, electronic device, and furniture. They all float, turn, vibrate, open and close, and shake on their own rhythm; a rhythm that changes every few seconds.

So I started trying harder, or in this case, smaller.

I bought a hundred Lego sets, with budlings, vehicles, people, and general pieces. I now have an actively functioning town all over my house, with traffic, people working jobs, and construction sites working on more buildings.

I can't control all the sets at the same time yet, but every day my control and reach grow stronger, more refined.

Soon, I'll be able to keep track of the Lego people's names, occupations, personalities, and relationships.

I feel like a puppeteer.

Puppeteer...?

I frown, a few of the Lego pieces stopping in place.

I never thought about how my reach manifests itself. I always thought of it as an omnidirectional 'energy' that covers the things I wish to control. What would happen if they were like strings?

I put all the pieces in their respective boxes and bring one singular box in front of me.

This is a millennium falcon, with all its 7541 pieces. I open the box with my hands and stare at the pieces. Slowly but surely, I start reaching for them with telekinetic "strings".

Immediately I notice how the strings need me to picture how and where they connect. Is it the whole piece? Or just the middle of it? Maybe wrap a single stud?

And what about how it's wrapped? Vertically? Horizontally? Diagonally?

Even if it seems complex, I smile. This might not be the most effective way of controlling things, but the fact alone that there are different ways of imagining how the reach forms and that affects how it pulls things...

"Yeah, I know how to train next." My smile knew no bounds.