A Note From Lara: So, have you ever noticed how rare it is to come across a Laura on TV or in books? It's just a name people don't give their female characters, despite the fact that it means "victorious one" or "she who brings victory/honor," which you would think would be a good name for a heroine. And that's my random, totally-unrelated-to-this-fic thought for the day.
I didn't notice it at first. It's a subtle power- unless you go out of your way to get killed on a daily basis, you don't even realize you have it.
But even though it was subtle, I can tell you exactly when I must have picked it up. Claire drove down to spend the weekend with her favorite uncle and his new girlfriend. When she left, I hugged her goodbye, and felt a little tingling rush across my skin that I had come to associate with changing abilities. But because I still saw a flash of crimson light when she slammed the door behind her, I dismissed it as nothing.
The next week, I sliced my hand open on a twist of metal at a crash site, and was completely amazed when it healed before my eyes.
My powers are coming back. I don't know why- I don't particularly care why. All that matters is that they are.
It's not quite the same as it was before. I don't absorb every power I come into contact with, which is a blessing. I don't think I could handle another Kirby Plaza. With the exception of Claire's ability, which is unconscious and involuntary anyway, I've had to make a conscious choice to absorb each one... and I have to make physical contact. Usually I have to know the person to some degree as well, unless I had their power from someone else in the past.
It's probably better that way. All the abilities... in the past, they made my head swim. Being able to pick and chose which ones I want to absorb makes it easier to keep them straight and keep my head clear.
Either way, I'm on the road towards being the kind of hero I always wanted to be.