“How do we approach the house then?” I asked for the second time since we’d arrived in my neighbourhood. We were currently sitting within Patricia car. A nicer, dark navy-blue vehicle than Karen’s. It had slightly tinted bulletproof glass windows and a reinforced frame.

We were down the street by two blocks, getting ourselves ready to assault the ASP society member’s house next door to my own.

After passing out from my exertion this afternoon. I had woken up to concerned faces, parroting at me about being careful and how badass I was

Or if I was taking commission’s on unfinished glass sculpting.

The wine glass was indeed half finished. It still had the flat round base and narrow stem leading up towards the rim. Except that’s where it stopped.

Or, more aptly, where I passed out.

Patricia had done a thorough check on me afterwards and had some theories on abrupt control over my Telekinetic powers.

“I believe you had an emotion trigger. Your current stress and the news of your mom being kidnapped riled your emotions up in the form of an emotional Telekinetic trigger. Put simply, you surpassed some form of block on your powers. I’d suspect that you might have easier access to them now than you did before.”

“But isn’t that a little…quick?” I had asked her, concern riddled my voice.

“Not at all. Remember me telling you how some can pick-up their super powers as easily as breathing. I imagine this block that you’ve surpassed is some form of mental barrier.”

Turns out she was right. My powers had become a lot easily to control since my nap this afternoon.

“For now, we’ll wait until the rest of your neighbours go lights-out,” Karen informed me, from where she rested with her feet up on the dash. The blonde was sat in the passenger seat beside Patricia.

Ophelia had chosen to stay back at the bar. Though I knew it really wasn’t by choice. I was starting to wonder if she may actually be afraid of going outside.

After so long spent having to hide herself, or tie-down her wings which she claimed was incredibly uncomfortable.

I sat impatiently in the back seat of the car. My arms folded and my fists clenched. My change between guises had also gotten remarkably easier, yet I still had to be careful of my emotions. An intense flare of anger, or fear could have me purpling myself all over again.

I looked out at the approaching evening and couldn’t help but feel like a stranger on this street.

Losing the collar—which was currently around my neck—was supposed to be freeing or symbolic in some way. Now more than ever I felt restricted. I couldn’t help bu wonder if there was a place out there in which people could co-exist freely.

“Having deep-thoughts?” asked a voice, and I turned back to see Patricia eyeing me in the rear-view mirror.

“Just thinking is all,” I replied, and she waited. The silence between us and the gradual soft snores of Karen filled the interior of the car. “I can’t help but think that freedom is truly illusive.”

“Why do you say that?” Patricia asked after moment of consideration.

I reached up and touched my collar. The Technomancer had added a few small barely noticeable button’s to the device.

Press one, and it would send out an alert to Judy if I were in trouble. Another disrupts transmissions in my immediate area. The last button unlocks the collar. The Arium lacing within had been drawn out and deposited in a containment jar.

It was just a normal jar.

“I spent the majority of my life wondering at the prospect of living without a collar. Of course I was no fool. I knew, like everyone else that being collared was an eternal thing. Forever beholden those who’ve hobbled us. All because they’re frightened at the possibility of us being dangerous. And some would be. Some other’s would be more inclined to using theirs power to further their own goals and twisted beliefs. Then they’re those few who’re struggled to stay… to stay right, in such a wrong and misconstrued world.”

“What about you?”

“About me? I’m… conflicted. Using power to further your own pursuit’s is well within your rights. But whether it’s fair or not I cannot say. I never asked to be born with powers. I had no knowledge of them. Yet I was told I was dangerous. Therefore keeping a collar on me ensured everyone else’s safety,” I snorted and shook my head. “Spent so long believing a life without a collar would be freeing. Instead, I’m chased and hunted for what? power? I had no power until I was without my collar. Now I no longer have that protection. That…excuse.”

“You’ve only been without its full nullifying effect for a few days,” the Technomancer pointed out. “You’ll be surprised at what can become normal so quickly…” Patricia trailed off into silence, and sighed quietly a moment later.

“I used to have a brother once,” she said in a near-whisper. “He was usually so full of life as we were growing up. Then our father was taken from us and killed brutally. Our mom hospitalized with a special-sort of coma. The event that did that to them… it changed my brother noticeably. I couldn’t help but see that mad day every time I looked into his eyes. I blamed him in some small way for surviving, even while I clung to him, rejoicing that he was still with me. That I wasn’t alone,” she shook her head minimally.

“After that, my brother quit everything and began to work. Taking on dangerous… courier… jobs in the evening. I still think he left home because he knew how I looked at him sometimes. My presence was a reminder of his survival. It scarred him physically and mentally. He did everything he could to make sure I was well, and paid all of the bills on our parent’s apartment. Then he was granted a gift from the Mother. After that, our lives got a lot better for a while. But his job and gift gained him enemies, enemies that took me from him. Used me as leverage against him. Yet he always came back for me… and in the end I lost him. He saved my life over, and over, and gained nothing for it.”

The Technomancer was staring at her hands as they shook. Small sniffling sounds came from her, but I saw no tears fall from her suddenly weary eyes.

“What…was his name?” I asked her quietly.

“Rhys. His name, was Rhys.”

~*~*~*~

“Everybody’s nighty-night,” announced Karena and I jolted up right in a daze. My dreams had been filled with the pale-bronze flesh of Ophelia. I could still smell her soft coffee scent in my nostrils.

“Coffee?” the blonde asked me, and handed a steaming container back to me. Or it was the actual coffee being drank in our steak-out car.

“Where did you get these?” I asked and sipped the rich-hot liquid. I rubbed my bleary eyes tiredly and looked at the empty driver’s seat. “And where’s Patricia?”

“Patty just doing a quick assessment of the house. She also got the coffee from the local-fuel station. De-spot or something.”

“It’s meant to be play on Diatrite fuel. It wasn’t until afterwards that the owner realised he had called his place Despot,” I chuckled lightly.

“That is brilliant,” the blonde agreed with a snicker. We fell into silence as we waited. “I saw, Andrew earlier today.”

“Oh yeah, what is the word at the academy anyway?” I asked intrigued.

“Not good, for you at least,” she replied shaking her pretty head.

“It seems a few of my friends and that guy you know, what was he called?”

“Marky?” I replied, furrowing my brow.

“Yeah. He was spouting off some nonsense about how he always expected you to lose your shit and kill somebody.”

“But I haven’t killed anyone,” I sputtered in disbelief.

“Yep. No one really knows. But after your friend said that. The majority of people are starting to believe you’re on the run for murder.”

“That little bastard,” I murmured, annoyed. This could’ve only made things worse for my mom.

“It gets worse. The academy professors gathered everyone in the gymnasium. They called up a few of my ‘girl friends’ the ignorant self-obsessed bitches. They explained the tale of how Nalsteader came to take Annabelle, and how you handed her over. Then the professors put the call out that if any of the students were to notice you. They should contact the SPBI immediately and inform them.”

“This is getting so out of hand,” I groaned and massaged my temple with my free-hand. “No one spotted you though did they?”

“Nope. Luckily, the majority of the video’s that went live, showed the Sentinel’s battering somebody around. But we’re blurred or not in well enough focus to be seen.”

“I suppose that’s good for you at least,” I murmured and looked out the window.

“Why?” she asked curiously and turned around in the passenger seat to look back at me.

“Well, you can carry on with your life. Your studies, your boyfriend,” I couldn’t help but scowl as I said those last words. Not because I was jealous, but because I could imagine Andrew running around the academy telling everyone I was a ‘Villain.’

“Oh, I’m not concerned with any of that at all. In fact I don’t plan on returning to the academy, or to that meathead. You know he actually ran around the campus spouting off that he knew you were a coward and villain. I tried to stop him and explain that it was more complicated than that.”

“You’re fucking kidding me?” I asked rhetorically.

“He told me that I should know my place and listen to my betters on such complicated subjects. I honestly don’t know what I saw in him.”

“He’s tall. Thick. Massively built. His thumbs could easily crush my head. His thigh muscles are literally the same width as my torso.”

“Maybe I was too hasty in picking my piece. Now I’ll have to be content in sharing it,” she groused and sighed.

“Huh?” I asked as I played her words around in my head for a moment. “Someone making a play for your beloved meathead?” I tried not to snicker.

She scowled deeply at me and scoffed. “Please, I dumped that idiot. Not like he could keep up physically with me anyway. Or mentally for that matter. His dorm-room at the academy is littered with weights and comic books. I need someone with a lot more room upstairs if you catch my meaning.”

“Yeah…” I chuckled and trailed off into an awkward silence as her vibrant blue eyes stared at me like I was about to be struck by lightning.

“You know—” she started off slowly but jumped when the driver side door opened. Patricia jumped inside and rubbed her hands as she shivered.

“It’s starting to get cold out there,” the Technomancer shivered. She was wearing a black tank-top and black leggings. Her usual leather jacket was hung over her seat.

“It gets like that out here. We’re closer to the actual rim of the Plateau. So the wind carries the sea spray across,” I explained. The Plateau’s were really more like islands from the surface. Dive under the water and down enough, you’ll start to see the structure and incredibly complex system that keeps the city supported above the Keldasen Ocean.

“Right. I did a quick stretch of the house, the backyard has a small outhouse and shed leaning against the rear of the house. I say we climb atop that, gain entry through the top rear window and improvise once we’re inside out of the cold and rain.”

“That’s a pretty simply plan,” I noted and the Technomancer suddenly blushed heavily.

“Patty try’s hard to seem like the most thoughtful and intelligent person in the Sisterhood,” Karen snickered. “But she has one fatal flaw. She can’t plan worth a damn,” the blonde sang musically.

“I am so gonna bitch slap later,” the raven-haired beauty warned, causing the blonde to snicker harder. “Are we doing this then?”

“I want to know just where the hell they’ve taken my mom,” I growled and clenched my hand around my coffee filled travel-cup. “I say we do it.”

“I was already game anyway,” Karen shrugged as she pulled the release on her passenger door. I nodded and placed my cup down in a holder as I joined the blonde Stormcaster a second later.

Patricia shivered once and followed. I noticed how she had a metallic black and pale red band wrapped around both wrists and ankles. As well as a slim metallic choker.

When I asked her about it she simply smiled at me and stated, “patience.”

We ran quietly down the street, making our approach as indiscernible as possible. My head was on a constant swivel looking for anyone that might be watching us.

“Look straight ahead,” Karen hissed at me as she slowed her pace to jog beside me.

“Sorry,” I huffed breathily. My thoughts churned over the matter that someone – anyone - could be watching the ASP society hideout.

Of course it wasn’t really a hideout. It was my neighbour’s house. A squat two story house with a small front and backyard. The old-widow usually sat on a chair on her porch, sipping soup and staring annoyed at the world.

We turned left and headed down the path between a pair of fences. On the left was a wooden fence about seven feet high. On the right was the metal wired fence of Mrs. Bansea yard. It was three feet in height and gave us a direct view of the right side of the house.

Two small windows faced our way. Yet each were covered by a thick dark-brown curtain.

There was no light coming from within the house as we each simultaneously hopped the fence and sprinted in a crouch for the rear of the home.

As we neared, I could hear muffled voices coming from inside. I looked to my left, out across the backyard my eyes focused on a single spot. A four-foot patch of dirt had been recently dug up and then covered over. I swallowed the rising anger in my throat.

Mrs. Bansea. If the spiteful old-woman was actually dead, then that was her grave.

My mind flashed with an image of me finding a similar grave in my own backyard.

“Hey!” Patricia hissed quietly at me. “If you’re done being quite sufficiently pissed. I need your head in the game.”

“I know,” I murmured softly and glanced down to see my hands slowly darkening with the starry-purple of my otherworldly guise.

“Keeping the colour?” Patricia asked me after I decided not to changed back.

“It’ll make for quite the surprise, when they see the monster,” I grinned nastily.

“I like purple on you anyway. It’s a regal choice after all.”

“If you’re both quite done flirting,” Karen grumbled from where she stood beside the shed.

“For now,” the Technomancer winked and shivered as a breeze blew through us. I ignored the bare impression of her nipples through her top and bra. Her raven hair pulled into a tight ponytail behind her head fanned out in the stiff breeze.

I crouched down near the blonde and cupped my hands together before she pressed her grassy black sneaker into the centre of my palm. I helped her jump up and she quickly scampered onto the roof of the shed.

Then Patricia came next, the Technomancer was only slightly heavier. she jumped up and clung onto the lip, then swung herself up gracefully. Both women helped to pulled me up after I jumped and caught the edge.

“Let’s move,” Karen whispered to us and we followed as she stepped out lightly onto the roof of the outhouse. Now when I mentioned outhouse, you’ll likely consider something in comparison to an outdoors toilet. Outhouse in this instance might as well been a second less sturdier shed.

The entire structure creaked ominously as the blonde stepped more fully. Then looking up at the second story window above her, she crouched, wiggled her ass, and leapt upwards.

She caught the frame and pulled herself up enough to snap her arms out and catch a hold of the roof. I breathed a deep unsteady as I watched her go. Keeping my Telekinetic powers at the ready encase she fell. The blonde proved too dexterous though. She pulled herself up until her feet were barely clutching the window’s frame.

Karen pulled the miniature Braken off her choker and wedge it between the window’s border and frame. A few shimmying seconds later and the blonde nudged the window up and open.

We had our way inside.

Karen waited as Patricia went next. The outhouse groaned deeply, and protested the Technomancer’s heavier build.

The raven-haired beauty nervously held her hand out and I grabbed it, ready as she stepped more fully onto the roof. She quickly spread her weigh and lower her centre of gravity as the outhouse began to creak stressfully.

“Ready,” she whispered and squeezed my hand once before I let go. The Technomancer sprung upwards and grabbed a hold of the windowsill. The blonde quietly rushing through the gap and inside the house.

A second after she disappeared, Patricia pulled herself up. Karen’s arms came through and grabbed a hold of the Technomancer.

I heard a dull thud resound as Patricia rolled within. I quickly pressed my head against the exterior wall of the house. But the voices within continued speaking as if they’d heard nothing.

“It’s clear,” Karen hissed down at me. “Get up here.”

“Okay,” I mumbled and looked down at the rickety outhouse worriedly. I stepped out and lightly touched my foot down on the outhouse’s roof.

A shout came from within inside the house, and was followed by another more annoyed grumble. “Someone’s coming upstairs. We’ve got to move,” Karen called down to me quietly. Then the dark silhouette of her blonde head ducked out of sight and back inside.

I sighed annoyed and shook my head as I pressed more weight down on the outhouse’s roof.

“Who in the fucking sunken hells left a window open?” snapped a loud voice nearing the window above me. I looked up sharply and froze as a bald head poked out through the open window and quickly glanced about.

The man’s head glanced my way and retreated.

“what the…?” I heard him trail off in a mumbled and a second later his head poked out again. “What the hell are you—Wait! stop!”

He flew through the window and plummeted straight down towards me. I scrambled out of the way and fell onto my ass as the ASP member slammed into the roof of the outhouse headfirst. The outhouse jerked as the supports holding it in place collapsed inwards toppling the small building.

I looked up just in time to see Karen staring down at me, she face cool, calm, and passive. I stared at her and had to remind myself that these women weren’t exactly the nonviolent nor don’t kill type of vigilantes.

I rolled to my right and swung myself off the sheds roof and down onto the grass of the backyard’s lawn. The instant my feet hit the grass. The back door of my neighbour house burst open to emit two bald men.

They wore simple dark green robes, like the standard cultist were apt to do.

I focused and summoned my Telekinetic power to the surface. Both of my arms became engulfed with a starry-purple aura. One of the men held a flashlight up and scanned the debris of the crashed outhouse.

“Lawrence?” one man asked as the other shone his flashlight upwards. I followed the beams direction from where I hid behind the shed. Thankfully, Karen had ducked back inside long before they’d come out.

“The idiot must’ve fallen out of the bloody window,” the man with the flashlight sighed and rubbed his bald scalp with his freehand.

“I heard him shout something, but I don’t know what.”

“Maybe he saw something,” flashlight mused and scanned his flashlight out across the yard. That was my cue. I sprinted out from behind the shed, and shot my hand out. One of the supporting beams of the outhouse sprung from the debris and smacked into my hand. My shoulder connected with the unarmed man knocking him over and I spun, lashing out with the wooden beam striking the flashlight man across his chest.

His cry of alarm choked off into a gasp and he flinched away falling onto his backside. His flashlight fell onto the ground and I flicked my free out dismissively sending the flashlight rocketing into the air across the yard. “Where the fuck is my mom,” I demanded and stepped over to smack the beam down on the first man’s head as he tried to stand up.

His skull bounced between the beam and the ground, and he cried out in pain, curling in a fetal position. His hands clutched the back of his head and his nose.

“You’re that kid!” the other man asked gasp, and clutched his chest where I’d hit them.

“I am. And I’m very pissed at you assholes for kidnapping my mother,” I growled and raised my left hand. The man jerked into the air and flailed. I felt my arm and mind strain with weight of the man. But when my arm began to quake and tremble I pushed out and slammed him into the exterior wall near the backdoor.

I stepped forward dropping the wooden beam and brought both barrels to bear. The force of both mediums assaulting the man, pressing him against the wall, finally gave. The exterior wall blew open in a radius around his body and I let go.

The he collapsed and fell limply to the ground. I breathed shakily as I released my control and fell weakly to my knees for a half a moment. Adrenaline screamed through my veins, making my head pulse erratically. Then I stood up, squared my shoulders, and moved forward to step inside.

Three men were on the ground floor of the house. Two of them were in the process of picking themselves up off the floor. The ceiling above jolted solidly as something bashed down against it.

I guessed Karen and Patricia were contending with their own problems.

“Who are you to enter this house, demon?” asked the man still standing. He was dressed far more smartly in a suit than the previous two cultists. His green eyes watched me intently.

On his hip was a black glassy knife in a sheath. He didn’t seem afraid or surprise by my sudden visit. In fact he seemed more annoyed than anything.

“This isn’t your house,” I replied casually and snarled at the man. “This is – or was – Mrs. Bansea’s house.”

“It is no longer within her—” the man started.

“Yeah, yeah. I saw the grave. You idiots aren’t exactly subtle you know,” I waved his words off and quickly glanced around. I heard the deep whump from above and recognised it as Patricia plasma shots.

“Then tell why you are here, foul demon?” the man asked and stepped back as his two goons regained enough awareness to stand before him protectively.

My knuckled cracked as I clenched my fist.

“What did you bastards do with my mom?” I snarled and summoned forth my power once again. A table behind them rose as I levitated it into the air.

“Your…mom?” the man asked with a note of amusement in his voice. “I have no idea of whom you speak, demon.”

As he finished speaking, the two men before him shook. Their eyes sank into a pitless void as their skin became an ashen grey. “For only the dead, do I converse with. Kill him my Draugen.”

Oh shit. I was dealing with a fucking Necromancer.

This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]