Page 121 of A Lesson in Obedience
I took my ring off, placing it in my pocket. His eyebrows lifted and then he launched the ball at me. I willed the ball to stay in place, inches from my face and then let it drop.
Chancellor Fowler said nothing, but repeated this ‘game’ of ours for a few more minutes. I stopped a tiny football from coming at me, but then I felt a jolt to my body that shoved me back. I lost my focus and the football kept flying, slamming into my shoulder.
“Hmph, what was that?”
“Do you really think you won’t get hit with other things at the same time?” I felt another shove to my body and when I tried to push back, it wasn’t working. My efforts were being refuted. He brought the objects that were strewn around me up and had them spin around my body.
Their constant motion was starting to make me nauseous. Chancellor Fowler yelled in my direction, “Make them stop.”
I held onto my power, wanting them to cease their movements and be still. I felt the force of the objects, the will of gravity to keep them in place. I was about to feel triumphant when something pulled on my hair, a push against my back this time and then a sweep from under my feet that lifted me up and slammedme onto the ground.
“Fuck,” I cursed, using my arms to shield myself when the objects started falling down on me.
“Do I need to encourage you to work harder? Do I need to bring your mother here to make you focus?” he threatened, his composure still calm.
I scrambled off the floor. “No! Is this how you spend time with someone?”
“I’m trying to help you, Riley.” The tiny football swooped around my head and was in front of my face now. “Set it on fire, if you can, I mean.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I didn’t ask if you wanted to, I asked you to do it.”
I rolled my eyes and focused on the ball. My skin felt that heat that melted into my veins and sparked at my fingertips. One little flame erupted from the football and then another. Each tiny flame molded into each other and then the whole thing was on fire. I blinked, pleased with myself.
“Nice, keep it up and keep focus.” I flicked my eyes to him when he lifted the other objects again. “Now all of them.”
I moved my eyes over each thing and tried to focus my fire on them. One would light and then another. They bobbed up and down, their heat licking at my skin with how close they were. Chancellor Fowler spun them around, the fire forming a circle around me as it inched closer and closer.
I tried to duck away but it was like he had used his power to keep me in place. “Let me go! Stop!”
“Do it yourself, Riley! I was able to do things like this at age twelve.”
He was getting a kick out of this, and all I could think was how this was the worst bonding time in all of history. The flames kept moving in and I swore if they got any closer, they would singe my skin.
“Stop!” I yelled as I kept trying to push them away. I tried to use my own heat to subdue the flames in front of me.
“Aw, I’m sure that’s what your little telepath tried to tell his father before he crashed into a tree.” Chancellor Fowler’s voice was mocking and it cut deep.
I balled my hands into fists and scowled at him. “I said fucking stop!” Every single object halted, their flames growing bigger as they curved into a direct arrow pointing at Chancellor Fowler. He didn’t look alarmed, but more so impressed.
They flew in his direction, the objects disintegrating and turning into one big ball of fire. Right before it reached him, he snuffed it out, whipping his hand towards the golden red flames and making them disappear. There were two more in its wake that I conceived myself. Two more that he wasn’t expecting.
He used his hands to block them, backing up and I used my telekinesis to move one of the empty bins behind him. He tripped, but right before he hit the ground, I kept him elevated so that I could slam his body against the wall.
I was about to pick him up again, when one of the bins that was still very full came at me, knocking me off my feet. My head hit the floor hard, and I grabbed the side of my face. A powerful force grabbed my throat and I couldn’t breathe.
Chancellor Fowler shook off the debris from his clothes and ran a hand through his hair. He walked over to me while I choked and gasped for air. My lungs were on fire, but it wasn’t from my lack of oxygen. They felt overheated and my skin started to sweat.
He bent down next to me, pulling my hands away from my throat. “Can you get yourself out of this?”
I pleaded with my eyes for him to make it stop. He tilted his head, watching me. After what felt like an eternity, he let up. I sucked in enough air, tears stinging the edges of my eyes.
“Emotions lead your powers just as much as you do. You showed that in the first half, clear as day. If I had been there to teach you, you would have been out of that in less than a minute, but sadly, I don’t think you trust yourself. You have to be willing to let your powerssave you in a time of crisis, and you don’t trust them either.” He patted my shoulder. “Off to your room.”
I rubbed the front of my throat, swallowing painfully. I lifted my hand, palm up and a flame formed right there. I willed it to be bigger, to have more volume and it did just that. I closed my hand, taking the flame back within myself.
I cracked my neck, violently using my power to throw the bins against the walls. The plastic broke and the items within them scattered out all over the place. I wasn’t cleaning that shit up.
