Forces of Nature, Chapter 3 by DGB
This story is a product of my imagination and under my copyright, so no reposting/publishing without my consent. If you are not of legal age or somewhere in which this document is illegal, please stop reading and focus on getting someplace safer.
Have you donated to Nifty? I have: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
If you enjoy the story, I'd appreciate comments to donbon@gmail.com.
Jake's tears came fast and hard as rain started to hammer the windows of his loft. The raw emotions of fear and rejection were strong enough for Alex to sense even through his shield. "You really don't understand any of this do you," Alex asked, his voice softened.
Jake just shook his head no as he continued to sob. Alex released the protective orb of light back into the room and moved to sit beside his friend on the couch. Without thinking he wrapped his arm around the other man and sent a pulse of soothing warmth around him, a trick he learned from his mom. "It's ok, calm down I'm not going to hurt you. I can help."
Alex could feel the tension slowly leaving his friend, so he held him a little tighter, "Jake, I need you to tell me what happened. You said the computers at your office got fried by the storm. Were you there?"
Jake nodded as he dried his eyes with the backs of his hands. "I was working late. My boss had left me to finish up a report due the next day. I was pissed I was missing our Thursday night gaming, and kind of just feeling sorry for myself." He wasn't sure why he was being so honest, but the warmth of Alex's body made him feel safe and secure. "I was just waiting for the printer to finish so I could head home when I noticed the window leaking. I tried to find the leak so I could tell maintenance where to patch, and I guess that's when the lightning hit. I don't really know what happened after that, I woke up in the hospital Saturday morning."
Looking at his friend he saw no judgement, so Jake continued, "That's not all of it... I don't think it was normal lighting. I saw the office last week when I got to pick up my stuff and it looked like a bomb had gone off right where I was standing. The carpet was singed." Jake took a deep breath, "And other weird stuff too. Ever since that night I shock myself like twenty times a day, every time I touch a door, like when I ran into you at the coffee shop Friday." Jake took a deep breath before his final confession, "and I think I can sense emotions from people. Well, everyone but you. Am I crazy?"
Alex just stared at him for what felt like an eternity. "I know you don't get along with your dad, but what about your mom? You've never mentioned her."
The apparent non-sequitur threw Jake. "Huh? I never knew my mom, she died giving birth. What does that have to do with anything?"
All the energy bouncing around the room was starting to affect Alex, he had to calm his friend down before all hell broke loose. Pulling the younger man in tight for another warmth amped hug he whispered gently into his ear, "I promise you're not going crazy, and I'll be here to help you if you let me. We need to do some testing to be sure, but I think your mom was a mage and you inherited her powers."
Sensing a slight stabilization of energy Alex continued, "I told you I work at the observatory and that work had been crazy. Well, we do have a telescope, but our main mission is to monitor the balance of nature's energy. For hundreds of years there have been gifted humans capable of manipulating the forces of nature. I'm really not the best person to explain this; grandpa would do a much better job."
Jake took a deep breath as he leaned back on the couch. As outlandish as this all sounded, it would sort of explain things. Besides, this was Alex, his friend, surely he wouldn't make all this up. Hopefully he will still be my friend, Jake mentally added. "The other night when I said you must have picked starmage because you worked at the observatory..."
The same chuckle bubbled out of Alex before he could stop it. "Yeah, I remember. That's always been an inside joke for me, but yes, I am a star mage. I have the power to control the forces of heat and light, the dominant energy of stars. Both of my parents were star manipulators too, and so is my grandpa." Alex flourished his wrist in the air like a magician, collecting a small orb of pure light to hover in midair.
Jake stared in wide eyed astonishment, the evidence irrefutable. "Dude that's awesome, can you teach me to do it?"
"I don't think so," seeing his friend's face fall Alex quickly added, "not with light at least. There was a big energy surge the night of the storm we haven't been able to explain, but I think it was you. Your powers must have built up or something since you never learned how to control them. I'm kind of making this up as I go to be honest. Anyway my point is I think you are a storm mage, able to control the forces of water and electricity. It fits with your story about the all shocks – that's your power unconsciously leaking out."
"Am I dangerous?" Jake was starting to panic again, "I don't want to hurt anyone. I mean the office was destroyed and I was unconscious for like 36 hours, what if someone else had been there? Is it going to happen again?"
Alex's crush pinged deep in his soul, touched that his friend was worried about others. "No you aren't dangerous, especially not now that I found you. The energy is actually pretty easy to manipulate once you get the hang of it." The sense of relief flooding the room was palpable, so he continued, "I should probably add that all manipulators are empathic; we can sense the feelings of others, and we also tend to project our emotions into the environment around us. That's why I was staring at you in the coffee shop - I could feel you actively trying to probe my emotions. I know you didn't mean to, but that's considered really rude amongst our people."
Jake's emotion switched to embarrassment instantly, "Don't be embarrassed, you didn't know." Alex's attempt backfired, as an even stronger wave of embarrassment permeated the room.
"Ok, first lesson, let's start with shielding your emotions. Close your eyes and pretend like you're still a kid, using a flashlight to read comics after bedtime. You know you'll be in trouble if anyone finds out, so you pull a heavy blanket over your head to hide the light."
"Is it working? I don't feel any different," Jake stated.
"Not yet. Ok I got a better idea. Imagine you really have to burp, but you're stuck in a packed conference room at work, so you do your best to hold it in."
Alex gave a sharp intake of breath as Jake slammed a barrier in place. The sudden silence was suffocating, and he found himself missing the emotional contact from his friend. "Oh yeah that worked. When you learn to control your powers better you'll be able to fine tune the barrier to only let certain people feel emotions, or even just certain emotions."
Jake looked pleased with himself, "I feel awesome, like my body is suddenly relaxed. I didn't even realize it but I must have been picking up all sorts of stuff from other people." Thinking a moment longer he started to giggle, "Ugh I feel dirty now, all that contact with random people. I hope I didn't catch anything."
The guys both started laughing at that. Alex caught his breath first, "I never thought of it like that before but you're right; that's kind of nasty."
Even with the barrier in place it was easy to tell Jake was happy. "What else can you teach me?" he asked.
"I'm honestly not sure, I've never taught anyone before, and it's not like we ever had lessons or classes. Since the powers are hereditary, usually parents teach kids when they are little. Grandpa had me do some exercises growing up to fine tune control but by then I already knew the basics." Alex thought for a few seconds, "We could try one thing... Do you trust me?"
Jake replied without hesitation, "Of course I trust you. I've known you for years. Well, you know what I mean." His face had reddened just a bit.
"Ok stand up. If I'm right about you being a storm mage you should be able to manipulate water. Close your eyes and take deep breaths, just try to relax."
He did as instructed as Alex moved behind him and held him by the hips. "Ok good. Now extend your arms out to your side," Alex ran his hands up the other man's flank and out to support his arm. "Now imagine you're floating in endless sea. Water energy is always around is in nature, either as liquid or vapor. You can control it in either form. Just relax and try to feel the energy flowing around your body."
Alex slowly nudged his student's arms together, "Now bring your hands together, scooping up water as you go." He continued in a whisper, "That's it, just let the energy collect in your hands, filling them with liquid."
The closeness was having an impact on Alex's body, and he consciously took a step backwards before giving his final instruction. "Now open your eyes."
Jake opened his eyes to find a pool of water in his hands. He had done it, he really was a mage. As soon as his concentration broke his hand shifted and the water splashed off the coffee table and started soaking into the rug. "Shit!" Suddenly he felt drained and flopped back on the couch.
"Sorry, I didn't think that through," Alex apologized as he grabbed a roll of paper towels from the kitchen island.
"Eh it's just water, it will dry. I feel like I need a nap now, is that normal?"
"Not really. Not for me at least, but then again I'm used to it. Manipulation does take a lot of energy though." Alex's guilt from the coffee shop came flooding back, "Uh, did you have breakfast this morning?"
Jake was rubbing his temples again to try and fend off a headache, "No I was going to grab a muffin. Now that you mention it I'm starving."
"That's probably part of the problem; we should get some food into you before we try anything else."
Jake knew exactly what he was craving. "Do you like Chinese food? The place downstairs makes excellent fried rice, and I probably get sweet and sour chicken at least once a week. We could order take out and eat up here."
"Perfect!"
=============================================
Jake was reluctant to order extra food like his friend suggested until it was pointed out that he'd need the energy if he wanted to try and continue lessons. Alex just laughed at his protests and said of course he was being manipulative, that was kind of their thing.
Jake couldn't help but groan at the pun, just like after every pun made while they played games together. Alex insisted that his friend rest while he ran downstairs to pick up lunch. Staring at the wet spot on the rug, he let his thoughts wander in the quiet loft. In just a few hours his whole world had changed. He had finally met Alex, and maybe they had a rocky start but now things seemed to be going smoothly.
There was no denying he was attracted to the red head. If he hadn't been standing so close distracting him earlier, the rug would probably have been twice as wet. Jake decided to keep that bit to himself, afraid to lose his friend and the help controlling his powers.
Jake wasn't crazy; he really was a living and breathing mage. And his mother probably had been too.... Oh sure he thought about her all the time growing up, making up stories about his mom had been almost as fun as the stories he made up about the people in his dad's office. She had never been magical though in his stories. He wondered if Alex could help him find out more information about her; of course his father had always refused to discuss the subject.
Above everything else though Jake wondered what would happen next. Suddenly going back to work when the office was running again didn't seem so appealing. There was so much more to the world, how would he be content with his old tedious life?
===============================================
The few minutes apart gave Alex time to think too. Grandpa was going to kill him for the heat ball in the coffee shop, even if it was a joke. Maybe he could just gloss over that detail and focus on the fact he had found the source of the storm?
He also wondered what all this would mean for his friendship. So far Jake seemed to be taking the news about manipulators pretty good, but he didn't know any of the downsides yet. He didn't know about the rules against being friends with normal people, or what it was like to keep secrets from everyone he met. Just like the ghost stories about shadow organization still hunting them from the Inquisition, there were also stories about what would happen to individuals that refused to live by the rules or threatened to expose the community. Surely the stories were just meant to scare children, Alex thought, the elders wouldn't actually kill someone, would they?
On the bright side now he had someone to share all of his life with, something he never had before. Assuming Jake still wanted to be his friend of course once he knew everything.
===========================================
Jake hopped up to open the door when he heard his friend coming up the stairs.
"Dammit!" he cursed, "After we eat you have got to teach me how to stop shocking myself."
Alex just snickered, "Have you ever tried not to shock yourself?"
"No, I didn't even know it was my fault till a few hours ago."
"Sorry I forgot," Alex intoned as he started to unpack the food. "You should just have to consciously think about not shocking yourself; focus on not summoning any energy. In a few days it should become automatic."
Jake was incredulous, "That's it? And what's with all the soup, I didn't order that."
"Yeah the lady at the counter was surprised when I said I was picking up your order. I told her I was a friend and that you weren't feeling good so she insisted I wait for her to pack up some soup for you. I figured it was easier to just take it than argue with her."
The duo quickly demolished the food, Jake being far hungrier than he realized. Conversation came easy as they relived their favorite gaming sessions, eventually drifting onto work and what else they did for fun, surprised by how much they had in common. They read the same authors, liked the same food, and listened to the similar music. Two hours later the conversation took a more serious turn.
"Alex, what happens now? I mean you mentioned the elders earlier. Am I going to be in trouble for the storm?"
"I don't think so... I mean there will be some questions, but it wasn't really your fault. I'll talk to grandpa tonight and I know he'll be able to smooth everything over if there is a problem." Alex saw he had failed to comfort the storm mage, "You're my friend; I've got your back."
"Thanks," Jake smiled shyly. "I don't really have any friends and I wasn't sure you'd still want to hang out after today."
"Of course I do! I always wanted to talk to you more I just couldn't because of the rules." Alex pulled out his cell phone, "What's your number? I'll text you so you have mine."
After they both saved the contact information Alex figured he might as well fill his friend in on all the rules.
Jake listened intently before finally responding, "Those don't sound too bad, I think I can handle that."
"It just gets a bit lonely sometime," Alex was morose. "Most of the mages our age are kind of stuck up so I don't really have anyone to talk other than grandpa."
"And now me," Jake interjected. "You sound close to your grandfather. Dad doesn't get along with his parents, so we rarely visited them, and I never met anyone in my mom's family. I don't even know if they are dead or alive."
"I'll pick you up in the morning on my way to the observatory and introduce you to him. I'm sure a few of the elders will want to meet you too." Alex wanted to lighten the mood a bit, "So you up for testing your powers a bit? We should probably find someplace outside so you don't ruin your floor, but it needs to be private so no one sees. Any ideas?"
Jake knew just the place, "Come on, my rooftop deck should be perfect."
"Remember; concentrate on not shocking yourself when you touch the door."
The roof would be perfect for more training, shielded from view and no problem getting wet. Seeing a strand of fairy lights gave him an idea. "Ok let's test your power to control electrical energy. Here hold onto this plug and try to envision energy flowing off your fingers into the wire."
A few seconds later Jake had managed to summon a handful of water. "Wrong energy buddy," Alex giggled. "Try again, maybe try to think of the tingle you get when shock yourself."
His friend's face lit up as the lights began to faintly glow, getting brighter the more he focused. "Easy now, if you feed in too much energy they'll blow."
Jake dropped the cord and pulled his friend into a tight hug, "Thanks for teaching me all this, for the first time since the storm I finally feel like everything is going to be ok."
The men lingered in the embrace, neither wanting to break the contact. Alex finally drew back, "Let's work on your control of water for a bit. I think that will be easier to get the hang of."
They practiced all afternoon with Jake quickly learning how to summon a floating orb of water. As dusk fell he managed to dissipate the water back into thin air without a single drop hitting the ground.
"Ok I think that's enough for today. I have to finish laundry tonight or I won't have anything to wear to work tomorrow," Alex called the lessons to a close.
Jake couldn't help but imagine his friend naked after that comment, thankful the darkness hid his face "So what time should I be ready in the morning?"
"7:45ish work? I'll text you when I'm outside."
============================================
Alex called his grandfather as soon as he got back to his apartment. "I was beginning to think you were going to make me wait till tomorrow to find out why you've been excited all day," he said in greeting.
"You were able to sense me from the observatory?" Alex asked.
"Just barely, I figure you must be really excited for the emotion to carry so far."
"Long story short, I found the storm mage responsible for the surge two weeks ago. I ran into him at the coffee shop by my apartment the last few days and he was leaking energy like crazy. He tried to probe my emotions while I was in line, and I confronted him today. His name is Jake, the guy I've been playing games with online for the last 2 years."
"Hmmm," was all his grandpa replied.
"His mom died in childbirth, but she had to have been a manipulator too. He thought he was going crazy from sensing others emotions and shocking himself every time he touched a door. He never knew he had powers until that surge gave him a jolt. He really didn't mean to cause any problems grandpa, and I was able to teach him some basic control this afternoon. He's really a great guy."
"And you trust this Jake with your heart?"
"I didn't say that..."
"You didn't have to. That was just an old man fishing for information," the old man chuckled.
Alex sighed, only his grandpa could manipulate him and get away with it. "To answer your question, yes I do trust him. He was leaking tons of raw emotion before I taught him how to shield it. There wasn't any deception going on. But beyond that, he's my friend, and I don't even know if he's attracted to me."
"It's so good to hear you happy and excited again Alex, it's been too long."
"I know. Life hasn't been the same without mom and dad. It's more than that though; I feel like I can finally accept they died trying to do something good. Helping Jake today was amazing, and I know that's why they did what they did."
"They would be so proud of you. They loved you so much and just wanted you to be happy, and so do I," the old man blinked tears from his eyes. "When do I get to meet Jake?"
Alex spent another twenty minutes telling his grandfather about Jake and how quick he had learned.
=========================================================
It wasn't until he was in bed that night when Jake realized he hadn't shocked himself a single time since lunch. Laying there he couldn't help but think of all the things he wanted to try with his powers and wonder what the observatory would be like. Hopefully Alex's grandfather was as nice as his friend made him out to be.
His thoughts finally turned to Alex, drifting off to sleep remembering the warmth of the hugs.
Author's note: That's all I've got written so far. I can imagine all sorts of places to take the story from here, but it will depend on what kind of feedback I get from readers. Hopefully I've fleshed the story out enough so far that you guys want to read more!