Paradoxical (Fantastic Four)

9.

A week had flown by since we quarantined ourselves and since my spontaneous shift into a wind flurry. Cabin fever was driving everyone up the wall. I often retreated to my room to recover and video chat with Layla and the others who all were interested in our wellbeing. They were bummed out that I couldn't see them in person for a while but understood that I needed to maintain control of my new powers before I could do all the normal stuff again without losing control.

I could tell Ben was getting frustrated with how long Reed's plans were taking. Johnny was itching to get out of the building. Plus, when he found out about my turning into an ice flurry and landing on the balcony, he was psyched thinking that I flew and was eager to try and fly to keep up with me.

I had prepared breakfast for everyone to try and mellow out the tension they had been feeling. Ben squeezed a large handful of oranges letting the juice into a large glass bowl. The day before, I had caused an orange plant to produce a large number of its fruit. 

"All right, I'm here, " Johnny entered the room, "Let's make this quick. I got a lot of places to go today." He grabbed the juice bowl from my brother, "Oh wait. I don't go anywhere."

I shook my head and pulled out a carton of orange juice from the fridge.

"Johnny, it's imperative that we stay inside for the foreseeable future," Reed suggested.

"I know, I know, Reed, but when you said that last time my brain heard a week," Johnny poured himself a glass of the freshly squeezed juice.

I added the rest of the juice from the carton into the bowl and placed it next to Ben and helped him with gripping a fork with his large fingers. My brother nodded at me with a grateful smile.

"Johnny, it's too dangerous for you to be in public," Susan told her hotheaded brother.

"You've been saying that for years," he stated.

"What worries me is that our powers are evolving," Reed pointed out and glanced over at me. 

Ever since my random turning into a gust flurry, it appeared that my abilities were enhancing a lot more.

"I know! I know! I am so close to flying, guys, I can taste it," Johnny remarked as he threw a crumpled-up napkin on the counter and it lit up on fire.

I breathed deeply in the direction of the counter and the flames went out and frost was left in its place.

"You can't fly," Susan shook her head.

"Yet," Johnny pointed out.

"I don't think so," I added and sat in my seat.

"So what's going on Reed? How are you gonna cure us?" Ben asked looking straight at Reed.

I didn't blame my brother for being aggrieved. I can only just do my part and let him have his own space and help out in any way I could.

Reed pulled out what appeared to be the plans for his next invention, "I'm gonna build a machine to recreate the storm. The cosmic rays will travel from this generator to this chamber."

"What, no pop-ups?" Johnny sassed.

Susan and I frowned at him.

"If I can reverse the wave signal--," Reed continued.

"It'll return us back to normal," Ben added.

I could tell my brother was eager to be back to his regular appearance again.

"Right, but what are the risks?" Susan wondered.

"Even a small miscalculation could increase our symptoms exponentially. Or perhaps even kill us," Reed answered with a dreaded expression.

"Now, dying-- that's bad right?" Johnny seated himself in the chair next to me, "I say we just let sleeping dogs lie, guys."

"So how long till this contraption's up and runnin'?" Ben inquired.

"I don't know. It's hard to say," Reed shook his head.

"How long, Reed?"

"I don't know--."

"You don't know?!"

My brother stood up already impatient with our best/family friend as if he had all the answers. Even the most brilliant scientists didn't know every answer to every solution.

"Ben, you don't want this to get worse," Reed suggested.

"Worse than that?" Johnny smirked at my big bro.

I punched the hothead in the arm who just gave me a wicked expression that he would get back at me for that.

"Guys, look, we're gonna be stuck here for a while. So let's just try and get along," Susan advised all of us.

I noticed Ben glaring at Johnny from the latter's remark. I gave the hothead a warning expression to not make things worse for my brother.