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Chapter 6 - Explorations

Summer hurried down the hallway after AJ when he sprinted away from the group. She could tell that AJ was upset about his new nickname. Her mind told her it was silly to be so offended by a name, but her heart reminded her that the boys were still new to their powers. Ana had completely adapted to her world of powers, because she had harnessed them during her early years of life. She was used to having these gifts and her mind had always recalled the normality of having powers. However, the boys’ powers had broke out late in their lives, so their normality had been jaded by the powers.

Summer reached out and grasped AJ by the shoulders before he could run out the door. AJ grunted as he was thrown backward by Summer’s quick moves. He looked puzzled as he stared at Summer’s eyes. Summer smiled softly, leaning against a wall. “What’s the problem, AJ?”

“What do you mean?” AJ grunted, standing against the other wall of the hallway.

“I mean your malfunction with your new nickname. Exorcist isn’t that bad. I’d much rather have the name Exorcist than a Bone. You know?” Summer told him carefully, glancing up to see that she didn’t overstep some kind of boundary between them. He seemed okay as he thought about the question.

“It’s not so much the name as much as it’s what the name represents,” AJ grumbled, smoothing his jeans as if there were some kind of deathly wrinkle. Summer stepped forward, placing her hands against his cheeks to force him to look at her. He sighed, knowing that he couldn’t somehow disappear from this conversation. “They told me I’m the Exorcist because of being able to levitate my body and other things into the air. But, sometimes I think that they might know about my stronger power…”

“Stronger powers?” Summer whispered.

“We’ve been having these outbursts of force, you know, like Ana’s been having. Only, Ana can control what’s happening inside and outside her body. We can’t do anything like that because we haven’t been trained. Howie and Nick have the same kind of problems, but they try not to talk about what’s happening. That’s a big reason as to why we came. Not only did we want to visit with you girls, but we also wanted to find out if there was something that you guys can do to help us…”

“What kind of power are we dealing with now, AJ?”

“I don’t just have telekinesis. I also have this thing… I can control others’ thoughts and impulses. I can make people do things that they don’t want to do. Then… One day I jumped out of my body and into Nick’s body. It was the scariest thing that I’ve ever seen. My body just kind of slumps to the ground and then I can see everything Nick normally sees. I don’t know how to describe it. But… I know it happens!”

“AJ, I understand. You don’t have to act like I don’t understand. I deal with Ana’s new powers on a daily basis. Anything that you say isn’t weird or complicated. We’ll just have to see it happen and figure out how to deal with it. Okay?” Summer soothed, wrapping her arms tightly around AJ’s neck. She heard him sniffle softly, but then squeeze Summer gently. She sighed with relief, glancing at him with curiousness. “I’m glad that you came to visit us and all. I’m even happier that you and that sleazy girlfriend broke up.”

“Really?” AJ asked, a smile playing against the corners of his mouth.

“Seriously,” she confirmed.

“Well, let me tell you that I’m extremely thrilled that I came to visit you and that my ex-girlfriend is finally out of my life. It just means that I have more time to toy around with our relationship and figure out where we’re going,” he whispered.

“Really?” Summer giggled, feeling lightheaded.

“Seriously. Why don’t I show you tonight… What do you say to a late dinner?” AJ rasped.

“Just the two of us?”

“Yes, Nick isn’t the only one with connections.”

“Then I’d be glad to accept.”

“Good, let’s go see what kind of creations Ana can whip up for us.”
*~*~*
The boys were fascinated with Ana’s underground playroom. AJ now understood why Ana felt so free to expand upon her knowledge. Ana could experiment with her powers to her heart’s content and no one would suspect a thing. The basement was thick with bricks and cement. There were several computers set up against one side of the room to trace Ana’s bodily functions and growth. Jamelet and Summer had recorded tons of information about Ana’s latest developments. The other side of the room was encased with unbreakable glass, where Ana could perform her gifts with no intrusions. The unbreakable glass protected Jamelet and Summer, but gave them an important gaze into the destruction that Ana could harness into her hands. In Ana’s side of the experimenting room was covered with items of Ana’s unique personality. She had a CD player along with tons of CDs stacked along the wall to keep her entertained while she practiced.

“This is amazing,” Nick whistled, glancing at Jamelet. He worried still that he had blown his chances with Jamelet. He tried his best to please Jamelet, but he still couldn’t read her thoughts. He side as he watched her load up her information. She looked appealing with a plain white tank top and a pair of khaki capri pants. Her black silky curls were tossed into a simple ponytail. “Did you make this yourself?”

“We all built this together. We all had talents that put together this place,” Jamelet explained.

“Totally!” Ana giggled, sauntering into her glass case. She knew exactly how this process worked. She would go into the glass case and put on her music. When she felt ready to release her powers, she would do so. Until then, she would talk and converse with Jamelet and Summer as if it were any other day. She glanced at Jamelet to confirm that she was allowed to start. Jamelet nodded her head, giving Ana nodded, shutting the door.

Ana closed her eyes, putting on some of her favorite country music. She flowed with Emerson Drive as she waited to get back into her zone. The boys were watching her as if she were a fish in a tank. Ana didn’t mind as she sang softly with her music. The boys were surprised to hear that she was actually a talented singer, but that wasn’t why they were down there. Howie stepped beside Jamelet, mesmerized by Ana’s presence. “She’s listening to country music?”

“What can we say? The girl was born in North Carolina. Don’t you know that saying? You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl?” Jamelet teased, waiting for Ana to complete her first gift. She didn’t know what Ana would do to show her new talents, but she was pretty sure that Ana would do her best to show off for the boys. That was just Ana’s playful nature.

“The girl is amazing,” Howie murmured softly.

"Definitely,” Jamelet laughed, making Howie turn bright red. He hadn’t thought that she overheard him. He glanced down to feel Jamelet place a gentle hand on his shoulder. He glanced up, his cheeks still burning. “Howie, it’s okay to like Ana. She’s a great girl. Just because she’s eighteen doesn’t mean a thing. Ten years difference in your ages isn’t a big deal. She’s used to that. Her mother and father were nine years apart.”

“Are you telling me that I should put the moves on a eighteen year old girl?”

“If that’s what your heart is telling you to do,” Jamelet whispered back with an encouraging smile. She knew that Howie and Ana cared deeply about each other. She could see the instant bond the very first time Howie had met the icy girl. She knew that they would follow whatever lay within their hearts.

Howie said nothing more as Ana announced she was prepared. Everyone turned toward the glass case, waiting for the new powers. Jamelet grinned when Ana’s skin turned a pale blue and her irises turned a frosty white coloring. AJ gasped, stepping back away from the case. A few places on Ana’s skin started to ripple from the sensation, breaking open as a blue liquid spewed forth. In a few short seconds, large chunks of sharp ice shot up from Ana’s skin. Her shoulders, wrists, arms, legs, and back exploded with thick ice, threatening to kill anyone near. The boys gasped as Ana smirked, releasing the giant icicles from her skin. The icicles cut through the air with amazing force, smashing against the glass and shattering into sharp fragments. Nick was so overwhelmed that he fell over a couch, landing hard on the floor.

“Nick!” Jamelet laughed in surprise, leaning over the couch. “Are you okay?"

Nick trembled, scrambling to his feet. He pointed to Ana as she stepped out of the glass tank with an amused smile. His jaw dropped open as he tried to relay the visual information to his brain. “DID YOU SEE WHAT SHE DID?!”

“Yes, that’s one of the newest gifts. This time I clocked it at over a hundred miles an hour,” Summer quoted, glancing at the speedometer.

“That’s improving,” Ana chirped.

“Definitely,” Jamelet answered with a triumphant smile. She then glanced back at the boys, who were eyeing Ana’s skin for remnants of the icicles. She pulled up the sleeves of her shredded t-shirt to reveal unflawed skin. They were shocked as they glanced back at Jamelet for confirmation. Jamelet laughed, “Guys, Ana’s skin is fine. The icicles burst from the skin and then the skin forms back over the original wounds. It’s like when she breaks a bone and the ice forms a cast over the injury to prevent damage. So, that’s what we wanted to show you. We wanted you to see that Ana is changing, too, and the way we test her. We want to know if you’ll enter the chambers and show us your new gifts?”

“Enter that…”

AJ couldn’t finish his sentence, because Nick had already peeled the shirt off his back. He handed it over to Jamelet, flashing a daring grin. “I’ll get in there and do what I got to do, Jam,” Nick announced.

“Show off,” Howie grumbled.

Nick didn’t answer as he stepped into the chambers. He cringed at the sound of the country music. He gave an apologetic grin toward Ana and shut the music off. Jamelet laughed as Ana flipped him the middle finger. Nick shrugged his shoulders as the door closed behind him. He took a deep breath to clear his mind. He concentrated on his powers, struggling to perform under the obvious pressure. No one knew what would happen, but suddenly Nick felt as if he were burning up. His skin began to form large beads of sweat and rolled down his muscular frame. In an instant, a flame exploded against Nick and engulfed his entire body. Orange, yellow, and blue flames licked around his skin as Nick did a complete circle. He felt no pain as smoke billowed around him, engulfing the tank.

“He’s heating well into the five-hundred mark!” Summer shouted in amazement.

“Did you know he could do that?” Ana laughed with admiration.

“No,” Howie murmured.

“Nick! Turn that off!” Jamelet called into an intercom. She hurriedly touched a button, sending a shower of water sprinkling down upon Nick’s flame-ridden body. The snapping and sizzling of his flames crackled against the glass, but finally Nick appeared beneath the flame with charred shorts. “That was amazing, Nick!” Jamelet cried toward him.

Ana whooped in delight, running to the chamber and opening it. She threw her arms around Nick’s warm body talking quickly. Nick stared at her in surprise, grabbing her by the shoulders to slow her down. Ana blushed faintly, stopping. She took a deep breath, and then began again, “That was amazing! I thought I was the only one out of everyone that could envelop myself in my powers! I can make myself turn into ice! Want to see?”

“Turn yourself into ice?” Nick questioned.

Ana didn’t answer. She took a deep breath and concentrated on cold thoughts. Her irises sparked with a brilliant white as her skin turned a deep sapphire blue. Nick stepped out of the glass chamber in alarm. Ana grinned as her body immediately thickened with a sheet of blue liquid and hardened. Within several minutes, Ana was in an icy form. “How’s that?” she asked, her words spinning amongst a chilly cloud of air.

“She’s down in the negative hundreds,” Summer whispered.

“Fantastic, Ana!” Jamelet approved.

“Go me!” Ana laughed, closing her eyes. The thick layer of ice cracked, shattering onto the ground where she stood. Ana stepped out of the chamber and the ice crunched beneath her feet. She wiped her damp curls away from her sapphire-emerald eyes, waiting for the response. “So, what do you think, Nick?”

“That was amazing!” AJ blurted, reaching out to seize Ana into his arms and whirl her in a circle. Ana was shrieking from the wild motions as she held onto AJ for dear life. She knew that he would protect her, but she worried about his clumsiness at times. Everyone burst into laughter at the sight before them when AJ and Ana tumbled to the ground. They entangled themselves in piles of arms, legs, and other body parts.

While everyone laughed with amusement at the situation, Howie became overcome with another emotion from the scene before him. Howie was not amused with the situation at hand and noted that his heart started to ache with a wild passion. He became increasingly tired of Ana manipulating his affections in the hands of his friends. He didn’t know if she knew every detail in his heart, but he was sure that she knew he was fond of her.

Anger ripped through Howie’s body, lighting something deep within his tender soul. Without any warning, two balls of powerful electricity shot out of Howie’s palms and bounced around the room. The balls burned brilliantly as they bounced wildly around the room. Jamelet and Summer shrieked in surprise, ducking as one ball whizzed past their heads, landing against the glass wall, making a deep crack in the center. The other ball bounced heavily against the floor, placing a large crater before Ana and AJ. Everyone grew deathly silent as they stared at Howie with complete shock.

“Are you having issues?” AJ whispered.

“I… Damn,” Howie cursed, glancing down at Ana’s shocked face. He had scared her more than anything. She didn’t seem delighted with his power, since it came close to hurting her personally. He had made a complete mess out of everything he had hoped to accomplish during the visit. He reached his hand out to help Ana off the floor, but Ana instead pushed herself off the floor and brushed the bits of plaster off her jeans.

“Are you okay?” AJ asked, accepting Howie’s hand. He glanced at his friend with wariness. “I really didn’t know you could do that kind of stuff with your hands, man!”

“Me either…” Howie trailed.

“Are you okay?” Jamelet repeated.

“Actually, I need to talk to Ana…” Howie finally insisted, glancing up at Ana hopefully. Her eyes went wide with surprise, glancing at the girls for confirmation. Summer and Jamelet nodded like caring mothers, and then quickly turned off their machines. They glanced at the boys, quickly shooing them up the stairs. Jamelet shot Howie a smile as she shut the door behind her, leaving Ana and Howie alone. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, motioning toward a couch that they could sit on. Carefully, Ana gingerly sat down on the couch, flinching slightly as he sat beside her.

“You almost took off my head,” she finally announced.

“I’m sorry… I was upset…”

“Upset?” Ana repeated, finally looking into his chocolate eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat as she ran her hands through her thick honey curls. She struggled to comprehend what he was saying. Finally, she took a deep breath, deciding to go with it. “You’ve been acting weird since you’ve gotten here. I don’t really know what to say to you or anything… I thought everything was going great after the last time… In the hospital and all… You kissed me… I liked that, and all. But then you pull these stunts in my home that make me think twice. I don’t understand what’s happening at all. I need an explanation before another electric power ball comes zooming in my face.”

“An explanation?” Howie gulped.

“Yes, an explanation.”
*~*~*
Jamelet closed the basement door behind her in hopes that Ana and Howie would resolve their unrequited love issues for the final time. She glanced to see Summer and AJ hurrying down to the beach. She smirked with approval, knowing that AJ and Summer finally had a chance at exploring each other with AJ’s girlfriend completely out of the way. Jamelet glanced at Nick, noting that he was staring at her. She blushed faintly, pulling a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “You thirsty?”

“Yeah, hungry, too. Doing all those tricks really throws it out of you,” Nick agreed.

“I’ve got some Snapple and whatnot and Ana has stocked the fridge with soda. The girl is going to rot her brain out on that caffeine someday, I swear,” Jamelet teased, sauntering out to the kitchen with Nick at her heels. She opened the fridge and tossed him a bottle of Snapple. He smiled, popping the top and taking a long sip. “You’ve definitely got some new abilities with your gift, Nick. They’re pretty amazing. I didn’t think that you boys would evolve with your powers since the powers became active at such a late age. I suppose I was wrong.”

“For once in your life?” Nick smirked.

“For once in my life,” Jamelet agreed with a small chuckle. She was about to speak again, but the phone rang. She smiled apologetically, hurrying toward the cordless phone. She picked it up and clicked the on button. She leaned against the kitchen table, speaking clearly, “Hello? Who are you looking for, today? Jamelet, Summer, or Ana?”

“Jamelet?” a weary voice called loudly.

“This is her… May I ask who is speaking?”

“This is Brian! I’ve been trying to reach you guys all day. Have the boys made it there yet? Kevin and I were worried that something happened to them along the way. Then when you didn’t answer your phone at all I thought something had happened to you girls!” Brian panicked.

“Brian, hold up! Why would we be in trouble?” Jamelet asked with confusion.

“Are you joking?”

“No, I thought you were.”

“You mean they haven’t told you?”

“Who hasn’t told me what?”

“Howie, Nick, and AJ didn’t tell you what was happening?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Have you been watching the news at all today?”

“No, stop answering my questions with more questions! What are you talking about?” Jamelet asked, moving away from Nick to walk into the living room. Her heart was beating faster than before. She didn’t like the tone of Brian’s voice. There was something missing in the puzzle and she was becoming annoyed and angered by the perplexing nature of the puzzle.

“Damn, I can’t believe they didn’t tell you. Howie, J, and Nick SAID that they’d go and visit you to break the news about what is happening. They said it was better to tell you girls face to face than blurt it out on the phone! They were supposed to tell you and get back here as soon as possible! I could strangle them!” Brian raved, ignoring Jamelet’s question again.

“BRIAN!” Jamelet screeched, noticing that Nick had walked into the living room with curiousness. She glared at Nick, knowing that something had gone terribly wrong. Somehow, she realized that the boys hadn’t dropped by for a friendly visit. She started to doubt the friendship in the first place. It seemed like the boys were only using the girls for their own benefits. Jamelet managed to control her anger, submersing it in her heart for the time being. “Brian, tell me what you’re talking about. It’s obvious that the boys neglected their duties and forgot to get back home. Now, tell me what the Hell is going on before I hurt someone!”

“Jamelet, someone is buying up all the CAPPA property in hopes to rebuild. Nick, Howie, and AJ were supposed to tell you and then leave. Kevin didn’t want them traveling under these conditions. I mean, whoever owns CAPPA now must be the same breed as the others who have owned CAPPA. I don’t know how else to tell you. I’m sorry, Jamelet, but CAPPA is back—”

“CAPPA?” Jamelet questioned, cutting off Brian’s apologies. She offered a deadly glare toward Nick, waiting for confirmation. However, she didn’t even need the confirmation as she clicked off her phone, stepping toward Nick. She wanted to strangle him for delaying important information because of his sick pleasures in toying with the girls' fragile affections.
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**