Page 66 of Her Magic Light

Fear clung to the edges of my new energy. Dr. Anderson pressed a button on his control table, and the prism in front of me and a rainbow arced from it.

“Separate them,” he instructed.

I felt for red, orange, yellow…and immediately felt sick.

Dr. Anderson watched me, and he leaned closer. “What have you got?”

“Yellow,” I gasped.

“Push it out… push it out.” He pointed. “Make it hit that glass over there.”

I concentrated, quashing the nausea, and forcing my energy out instead. Slowly but surely, a narrow beam of yellow light hit the glass, and a fine hole drilled itself right through.

“Stop!” Dr. Anderson held up his hand as he ran toward the glass, and I staggered backward, relieved now I didn’t have to sustain the effort.

I was going to need more energy bars.

“This is incredible,” Dr. Anderson muttered as he leaned close to the glass. “Agent Cooper, do you see this?”

“See what, sir?” Coop didn’t answer the question directly.

“The hole Meira has put in this bullet proof glass. It’s incredible.” He ran the tip of his finger over the surface of the glass then turned to me. “How precise can you be?”

I shrugged. “I didn’t…” I sucked in a breath as fatigue overwhelmed me. “I didn’t know what to…”

Dr. Anderson moved to his desk. “Time to fuel up again. With practice, you will be able to work for longer.” He tossed another energy bar to me, and I fumbled it. “Don’t forget to go in the sun. Agent Cooper, escort Meira.” He all but clicked his fingers at Coop as he spoke.

The morning progressed with bouts of strange activity with light and prisms until I could control where I directed the individual colors. Violet was easiest to work with, bending to wherever I willed it to be, and a strange sense of pride took root in my chest.

But I didn’t want to be proud. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t know Dr. Anderson’s plans for me. And, based on his behavior and the whispers in the vent, Dr. Anderson probably wanted to use me as a weapon.

“Straight through bullet proof glass,” he muttered at one point, and it was like he was talking to himself.

Finally, he walked to his control table and pressed a button. The lights dimmed, and my stomach sank, leaving my throat hollow and vomit climbing from my nauseated gut.

“We’re going to work with shadows again now,” he announced.

Coop made a show of checking his watch. “Should Meira eat?”

“Yes, yes...” Dr. Anderson waved him away. “Go and get something to bring back.”

Coop had already turned around and was heading to the door when Dr. Anderson jerked his head up from what he’d been doing.

“And gather six more agents,” Dr. Anderson added.

Coop hesitated, and his steps faltered for just a moment. Then he nodded his head and left the room, clicking the door softly closed behind him.

“Sit, Meira. Sit.” Dr. Anderson gestured to the sofa. “Conserve your strength. I’m amazed at your achievements so far today. I couldn’t have predicted such strides forward, even though I knew you were special.” His tone turned solicitous.

I didn’t even look at him. I couldn’t. The tight feeling had already returned to my chest when he’d mentioned working with shadows. I didn’t mind working with light—the energy was pure.

But the shadows had hurt. They’d clawed the inside of my chest and made it hard to breathe, and I couldn’t guarantee I was safe to hold whatever energy they produced. Adrian came to mind. Would anyone else be safe from me?

Coop reentered the room and walked straight to me. He handed me a pizza-pocket, partly secured in a napkin. “Some lunch,” he muttered.

Six agents poured into the room behind him.

Dr. Anderson gestured to the wall. “Agents, backs to the wall, please. We’ll begin shortly.”

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