We suddenly gliding in the air. Well, it's jumping for really long distances, actually. I'm the sidekick out and about with the jumper. What a liberating experience! We softly descend on a hill that overlooks a river, situated on the outskirts of our town. My face is glowing and my ponytail askew from the thrilling trip. Euphoria is the best description of my emotions at this moment. "Eben, that was AMAZING!" I exclaim. He stares at me.

"It seems your eyes turn sapphire blue when you extremely excited," he smiles. Looking into his eyes, I see the bluest pair of eyes, pulsing steadily. I am fixated by the color of my eyes, reflecting in his eyes. My heart is beating wildly against the walls of my chest as I continue staring at this phenomenon.

Eben steps closer saying, "Allyssa-Coco --" He reaches for my hand. As we touch, we instantly feel a surge of power flowing through us. A display of fireworks illuminates the night sky, we abandon ourselves in its glorious delight. The next moment, we flying over an expanse of forests, rivers, oceans, valleys, and mountains. The view is breathtaking. And for several moments, time stood still. As we slowly drift back to reality, gazing at the bright stars above, the gentle beating of our hearts reminds us that everything that just happened was true.

My training sessions leave me exhausted as I focus on controlling my enhanced ability, making it seem natural to the human eye. Every afternoon when I get home, a meal infused with the best ingredients is waiting for me. My mom knows how crazy this time of the year gets for me, so she spends extra time preparing healthy meals.

My dad, on the other hand, acts as my therapist. We have these weekly catch up sessions, it becomes more frequent during my training period. He sits on the edge of my bed and asks, "Sweetheart, on a scale of one to ten, how are you feeling right now?"

Last year, my responses were always one of the following, "Exhausted, okay, fine, not too bad, average," And he just ends up silently sitting with me or placing an occasional ice pack on my aching muscles.

This year, however, I feel overcome by unfamiliar emotions, so my answers come from that deep-rooted place previously untouched because it's just so raw. This afternoon my response to his question is a sudden flood of tears. I'm caught up in a swirling vortex of emotions. He immediately comes closer and gives me a hug. He holds me for a full sixty-five seconds before looking at me. He asks, "Would you like us to dialogue about this?" I shake my head. My dad continues to hug me. Before leaving my room, he says, "A quote by Paulo Coelho, "You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it."" I blink away the tears and smile at him. My dad is a treasure chest filled with precious gems.

"Thank you, Dad," I whisper as the door softly closes.

The sporting event of the year finally arrives. I cannot contain my excitement. The cheers from our school are deafening as I get ready for my first sprint. I can hear Nate and Li passionately playing their instruments as the cheerleading band spur the crowd on.

I'm moving like the wind, enjoying the freedom. I win my first race and continue winning every race.

The scoreboard indicates that we trailing by ten points, we are currently in second place, so very close. Evergreen High School won the trophy for many years, according to Mr. Gray. Bethany High School, that's our school, always held a steady second place. The time for the winner to be announced has come. The silence that fills the stadium is unnerving. Announcer, "The winner of this year's inter-schools is...Bethany High School!" We scream until our vocal cords feel like it's about to erupt. Needless to say, we made history!