Book 1: Awakening (The VIth Element Series)

Chapter 3: Alex

As I tore through the school building, past the gates and out into freedom, one thought consumed my mind.

What the HELL had just happened?

One minute my life had been completely "normal" in as much as I went to school, knowing that Jessica Wademen was waiting for me and was about to extend my unhappiness further, despite the fact that it was my birthday, when BOOM. Something deep inside me had 'awoken' and it had been wonderful.

No, I thought. Not wonderful.

Instead, it had been weird, freakish and damn right terrifying and had resulted in me almost killing someone. Then, whilst their life had hung in the balance, I had contemplated about killing even more people. How could I suddenly go from a person who had struggled to dissect an already dead mouse, to someone who was willing to murder a human being? There was no logic to it. Also, there was no logic to what occurred when I'd actually commanded that water to surround Jessica. It simply defied belief, science and understanding.

As I raced towards the park, I knew I hadn't dreamt the whole thing up. I could feel, actually feel this new source of energy seeping out of every pore in my body. For the first time in my life, feeling the wind race through my hair, I felt alive and it was wonderful. I slowed down when I saw the enormous willow tree in the near distance, which overlooked the local lake, sighing in relief. I was tantalisingly close to my favourite destination for contemplation, space and reflections. When I reached the bench situated underneath the tree, I sat down, groaning as my brain desperately tried to absorb all this fresh information.

This is just unbelievable, I thought, now turning my hands over in wonder. I remembered how they were responsible for shaping and taming the water from the sprinklers and tracing the lines on them with my finger. It's all just too good to be true.

As I mulled over this new found knowledge, a dark thought came to me. If this really hadn't been real and instead, it had been from the creative section of my brain, I could prove it right here, right now, in front of me. Scanning the area to see if anyone was watching and seeing no one there, I extended my hands out before me. Then, closing my eyes, I imagined the water swirling, bending and twisting until it formed the clear, vivid image laid out in my mind.

When I opened them, my heart stopped.

"Yep, this isn't a dream, a hallucination, a delusion or anything of that nature. Your ability to create a dolphin, out of the lake water before us, is proof of that fact, once and for all."

A man's voice suddenly sounded behind me.

As soon as this had occurred, I nearly jumped out of my skin, spinning around to face him. As I did so, the liquid dolphin collapsed and the water fell back into the lake, for he had broken my concentration. Immediately, I scanned my eyes up and down the stranger's body, taking him in with interest. The stranger was undeniably handsome and he had short, brown hair and brilliant, blue eyes. He was also dressed in casual clothes which, although were lose fitting, betrayed a hint of a toned physique underneath.

As he approached me, I registered his dazzling smile, which was one of those that had the ability to make anyone automatically grin back, no matter how hard you tried not to or how emotional you felt. However, whilst he walked closer, much to my disappointment, I realised that he was in his late-twenties. My smile dropped. I guess that the goddess Venus wasn't on my side with this fine specimen of the male gender.

As he came to a halt, the stranger beamed at me, as if he had just found a long-desired prize.

My stomach resumed its fluttering.