Page 88 of Reluctant Rebel

“And you’re procrastinating,” Sabre scolded. “Come on. You said you’ve been practising by yourself. Show me how much progress you’ve made before Jinx arrives.”

His head snapped towards the door. “Jinx is coming?”

“Yep,” Sabre said. “I messaged her. She insisted on coming when I told her what we were doing.” She smirked at him. “I think she wants to make sure you don’t get hurt.”

She cares about me,Mikhail thought, warmth spreading through his chest. The knowledge gave him a good confidence boost. Plus, he didn’t want to look like a loser in front of her, so he stopped prevaricating and closed his eyes, trying to focus.

After a few moments, the air around him shifted in density, and his eyes flew open. A faint iridescent shimmer rippled outward for a moment before fading away. He sighed in frustration. “That’s not going to stop a fly, let alone Z.”

“No. But it’s a start,” Jinx said, stepping out from behind Brax. “I arrived when your eyes were closed. I didn’t want to disturb you. I saw something. How amazing!”

Jinx’s excitement was infectious, and he grinned, puffing out his chest. “Yeah. I did that.”

“Down, boy,” Sabre drawled, moving towards him. “Don’t celebrate yet. Stop these.” She opened her hand to reveal a bunch of small glass balls.

“Are those marbles?” Mikhail demanded. Before he could protest, Sabre tossed one at him. It hit him in the stomach. “Ow! Thosearemarbles!”

Sabre picked up another one, holding it up high. “You know what to do if you don’t want it to hit you.” She made a show of aiming for his head before letting the marble fly.

“Hey, cut it out!” Mikhail yelled, ducking and trying to shield himself with his arms.

“Come on, Mikhail,” Jinx shouted encouragingly. “Show me what you got.”

“Fine, foryou,” he grumbled, glaring at a grinning Sabre. “But not foryou.”

Sabre gasped. “Ouch. Words hurt.” Then she threw more marbles at him.

As the barrage continued, Mikhail's frustration grew. He focused on the energy coursing through him, imagining it as an impenetrable wall and building it brick by brick. He took a few more blows to the chest before he felt a surge of power erupt from within him. His forcefield expanded outward in a brilliant burst of light, sending Sabre stumbling back in surprise.

“Whoa!” Brax exclaimed in awe. He moved closer, pressing his palm to the barrier. It held strong.

He looked around at his friends' shocked expressions and couldn't help but smile triumphantly. “I did it,” he whispered in disbelief.

“You sure did,” Sabre said with a grin. “Now, drop it and do it again.”

Mikhail nodded and did his best to relax. When that didn’t work, he closed his eyes and pictured a wrecking ball slamming into the ‘brick’ wall he’d built. The energy around him immediately changed, causing him to stagger a little. But when he opened his eyes, the forcefield was gone. He felt exhausted yet exhilarated at the same time.I may just be able to protect my people,he thought, feeling hopeful.

“No rest for the wicked,” Brax informed Mikhail. This time, instead of marbles, his brother tried to stab him with a dagger.

“Shit!” Mikhail yelled, dodging to the side.

“Don’t dodge it!” Brax yelled at him. “Stop it with your forcefield.” Then he tossed it.

Mikhail's heart raced as time seemed to slow. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his heart pounded in his chest. But instead of running, he took a deep breath and focused. He identified the source of the new energy building up in his body and channelled it outward, giving it direction. The dagger bounced harmlessly off the new barrier, clattering to the ground with a metallic clang.

“Impressive,” Brax praised, clapping.

Jinx joined in, as did a few others who had stopped to watch, including Mercy, Shiloh, and Hugo. Mikhail accepted the praise gracefully, pleased with himself but knowing he had a long way to go. But as Jinx said, it was a start.And more of one than Brax had.He looked at his brother, thinking, It’s payback time. “Your turn.”

When Brax opened his mouth to complain, Sabre cut him off. “Now, now. Turnabout is fair play. Get your juices revving.” She began picking up the marbles, pausing when she got to Mikhail. “Great job,” she told him.

“Thanks, Sabre. I’ll keep working on it. Especially holding it longer,” he said. The forcefield had already dropped without his control.

“Definitely,” Sabre agreed. She frowned, thinking. “It would be good if you could expand it to encompass more people. Make it bigger. We’ll practice that next. But first,” she turned to Brax with an evil grin, “I want to torture my mate.”

The marble she pelted at Brax hit the middle knuckle on the back of his hand. It bounced off with a clang, thanks to his exoskeleton legacy. The dull, grey ‘scales’ remained for a moment before disappearing back into his skin. Brax looked more than a little disgruntled.

Mikhail snickered. “Not so funny when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?” he goaded. His brother scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest. Mikhail's grin widened. "Oh, come on, little brother. You've always been bulletproof; now you can create electricity, and you won’t even try?"

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