Chapter 10
Strength
"Hey there. You need to practice your aim today." Sandy met Aspen in the parking lot as soon as she'd left the bus. She laughed and sent a small current of electricity through Aspen's arm.
"Ouch, you witch!" Aspen ran after her friend and tried to return the favor.
"Wait, don't do it." Sandy held out her palm and giggled. "You don't know how strong you are."
"You should've thought about that before you started." Aspen turned this way and that, trying to find an open spot of skin around the top Sandy wore.
"Wait, stop." Sandy gasped, holding up her arms to defend herself and shifting back and forth as she laughed.
Aspen danced around her, looking for a target. She was too scared to shock her friend's bare skin, so she settled for the back pocket of Sandy's jeans. Sandy yelped and jumped into the air, even though the shock was mild because of the leather strap Aspen wore. Luckily it seemed to give her more control of her power.
"No more, no more, I give up!"
Aspen and Sandy were still laughing as they entered the small courtyard in front of the main building. The bell rang and students raced around them to get to class on time.
They were stopped short by Miriam, who stood directly in front of them, blocking their path.
"Aspen Walker!" she rasped. "You're acting like a kid."
"We are kids, Miriam, in case you haven't noticed." Sandy glared at her, hands on her hips. "We are acting our age."
"I wasn't speaking to you, trailer trash," Miriam spat at Sandy.
Static electricity hummed around Sandy, making her pale blond hair rise around her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with anger. "What did you just call me?"
"You heard me. You're new at our school and you're a nobody."
Sandy lifted her chin and stepped forward menacingly. "It takes one to know one."
Aspen's head barely reached her stepsister's chin, but she pushed Sandy back and stood between her and Miriam. "Leave her alone. She hasn't done anything to you at all."
Miriam smirked. The ugly grin didn't look good on her. "What are you two up to? You're as thick as thieves lately. Don't you know she'll ditch you once she finds out you don't have any money?"
Aspen's temper rose suddenly. Tendrils of power licked within her fingertips, and the hair on her arms lifted up.
"Leave. My. Friend. Alone!" she said, enunciating each word forcefully.
"Or else?" Miriam gloated. "What can a featherweight like you do, huh? You're just as stupid as your mother." She reached out and poked her finger into Aspen's chest.
The anger building inside Aspen exploded as Miriam's touch triggered a blast of energy so powerful that it frizzled her stepsister's red curls and blew her right out of her stilettos. With a jolt, Miriam flew backward and hit the wall, her head connecting with the brick behind her with a loud thud. Aspen gasped as the girl's eyes rolled back in her head and she slid down the wall in slow motion.
Sandy pushed her back. "Wait. Don't touch her," she cried.
"I didn't," she murmured to herself.
Sandy glanced around to make sure that no one had seen what had happened. Luckily there were no witnesses. The courtyard was empty since most of the students were already in class. She bent down and grasped Miriam's chin in the palm of her hand. The girl was quiet for a moment, then groaned as she regained consciousness.
"Ow, my head hurts," Miriam mumbled. "What happened?"
Sandy turned to Aspen and made a shushing motion, then crouched next to Miriam. "You tripped on your high heels and fell against the wall. You've hit your head. I think you've got a lump already."
Miriam reached up to feel her head, grimacing as she touched a sore spot.
Picking up her stepsister's shoes, Aspen slipped them back onto her feet. "These shoes are dangerous-you should try wearing something with a lower heel. Why don't we take you to the nurse to get your head checked out? That bump is starting to grow."
Miriam groaned and allowed Sandy to pull her up. Aspen was too scared to touch her, so she stood back and waited. Her stepsister wobbled unsteadily on the shoes and then took a few tentative steps forward.
The three girls walked slowly through the courtyard into the empty hallway and followed the signs to the school nurse's office. Sandy knocked on the door and handed Miriam over to an older woman dressed in white. She led Miriam to a bed and thanked the girls for their help. Once she'd written down their class numbers, she pressed an intercom button and spoke to their teachers. Aspen and Sandy were excused for being late, and she shooed them out of the office.
Aspen's eyes were huge and she breathed a sigh of relief as they left the room. "Oh my word, what did I do?"
Sandy laughed. "You should see your face. That look is priceless."
"Stop it," Aspen said with a giggle. "I thought I'd killed her. Did you see the way she flew through the air?" She straightened her green top and felt for the dream catcher, which was strangely hot.
"You don't know your strength yet, Princess. I told you not to shock me. You'll have to learn to control your power, otherwise we're going to have fried students everywhere," Sandy joked.
Aspen smiled broadly. "You'll have to teach me tonight." The two girls hugged each other outside of Sandy's class.
"See you later," Sandy whispered before she slipped inside her art classroom.
Dylan waited for Aspen as she rejoined her English class and grabbed her by the wrist as she sat down. Her heart thumped with pleasure. She wanted to ask him about the girl at her party, but she was too shaken after the incident with Miriam.
"What happened?" he whispered tersely, a deep crease appearing between his eyebrows.
"Nothing. Miriam just got a taste of her own medicine, that's all."
He ran a hand through his hair, and she wanted to reach up and push a wisp of hair out of his eyes.
"What did you do to her? I felt a disturbance but I couldn't tell where it came from."
"Nothing, she dug her finger in my chest and I blasted her without doing a thing. I didn't lift my hand, I swear."
Sitting back thoughtfully, his lips curled into a smile. "That's interesting. I didn't know you'd be so strong already. You've only been sixteen for a day."
Aspen winked and gave him a big smile. "That's what happens when you mess with me."
Dylan laughed. He spent the rest of the day with her and carried her bag from class to class. When it was time to go home, he asked if they could walk instead of riding the bus.
Aspen was thrilled. She was comfortable in his company and didn't want to spoil the mood by raising the topic of the red-haired girl at her party. They strolled along the pavement as other students made their way noisily around them.
"I've never seen your parents, do they go out often?"
Dylan scuffed a leaf on the pavement. "They aren't home a lot. They're busy, but Molly looks after the house, and me."
"What do they look like?"
"Ah, same old Dream Walker looks. My dad has dark hair and my mom has fair hair. You know, the usual." Without warning, he shouted, "Race you to the end of the street."
He dashed away and a second later, Aspen started to run after him. Her legs had somehow become stronger since the previous day, and her chest wasn't tight from the exercise. The feeling was incredible and she sprinted with abandon.
She caught up with Dylan and shrieked when he increased his speed. The two touched the pole of the road sign at exactly the same time, though, and the metal zinged with power. They burst out laughing together. Aspen wasn't out of breath at all.
"Wow, this is amazing! What a birthday gift."
"Great, isn't it?"
"You didn't tell me that I would get any other abilities."
"How do you think you'll be able to fight the Chancellors if you aren't strong enough? We need you in fighting form, Princess."
Aspen smiled at his new nickname for her. "So I'm Princess now?"
Dylan reached out and s
troked her cheek softly. "You'll always be my princess."
Tiny butterflies fluttered around in her stomach, and she pulled away in embarrassment. "That's my house over there. I guess I'll see you tonight."
Dylan chuckled and handed her backpack to her. "See you later, Princess."
Aspen could feel his stare burning into her back as she ran to the house.