Here we were, the twelfth of June, a Friday morning that I wish had stayed far away. Why couldn't I just be struck by lightning yet again instead of enduring this?

But it had come sooner than later as I sat at the kitchen table with my breakfast. My mind had been racing from the night before. How exactly could I explain something like this to her? I mean, sure it'd be difficult, but come on. She'd assume me as a crazy, and then shun me for good.

Can't we just get this crap done, but then what? You'll lose a friend because she'll condemn you as a freak forever. Oh well, not much choice in the matter. Not with the argument and rebuttal she gave me.

Lost in thought, I muttered with a sigh. "So Dianne, still ready for this, or should we just end it here and now. Go our separate ways after you see it. After you see what I am afraid of. I told you it was a surprise. Not anything like a normal one though, far from it."

Finishing my breakfast and morning tasks like usual, I left the house at seven AM instead where I was met with a fairly nice but breezy North Dakota spring morning.

Today was going to be a weird day indeed. Let's just hope this doesn't go to hell in the process.

And so, I walked on.

The whole day was utterly nerve racking for me already. And it wasn't even nine AM yet. Started second period science and biology. Boy, a Friday morning "surprise" project dissecting a pig sounds more fun than it actually is, at least for me.

The stench, nasty. The guts, no thanks. But the lecture, no, no, no.

Anything else except his voice. I don't need to hear exactly how I eat my meat and things, then be splitting it open five minutes later while my hateful excuse of a teacher drones on about nonsense, claiming it as "instructional material that we all must learn to be successful in the class."

Excuse me while I might throw up after this barbaric lecture from a cruel adult is finally over. Sigh

"And that my students is how the pig's heart is used in the modern world today. Now, lets move on to our next area, shall we? As we look to the stomach and liver areas here, let us examine them in detail. For starters, these pieces of the pig were and still are a topic of debate in some communities such as research and development. An example of this..."

Good lord let him stop talking, I can't take it.

Round 1 and I'm already being shit on. As if this wasn't the only surprise I'd end up with today. Maybe we'd have a food fight or a random explosion somewhere? Anything but this ugly disgusting pig. I don't care if it is what I eat, let me eat it without discussing it, for all that is right in this world.

Rotten luck! Why is it always my stupid self that has to endure it?

As if my luck was anything to go by after my freak accident. Ha that'll be a good story to write one day. I can see the headlines now. I just wish I knew why it had to end up with nearly being killed and then alive, but now with a power floating around inside me.

I just can't wait for this to be over with.

Gym class felt like it was going to be a nightmare. More like hell on earth.

It was here that I had begun to have dread. One that was going to eventually kill me off quickly if she didn't first. The reaction to my question by Dianne the week before wasn't something I was mentally prepared for.

As if going easy on me had ever been any part of the itinerary for today. Events earlier had already proven that. Oh well more running, jogging, and a game of jail ball. Well Mr. Darwin did have his fun moments, most of which I enjoyed. The class split up into teams and the games began.

Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. It was pretty simple when you thought of it, while the balls flew everywhere as students tried not to turn the simple fun game into a kill zone in the process of getting carried away with it. Most students would scoff at the term "brain damage" as the endless beatings we dish out to each other in gym class is more like the side effect of a manic personality disorder. But we all just refer to it as "harmless fun."

Although I always considered myself good at jail ball, it wasn't until now I began to really take a look at myself. My senses of awareness and speed seemed sharper now, but I couldn't detect or find anything to really validate the opinion.

As I dodged the endless assault as teams started to whittle down, the game became very intense with sides hoarding whatever stock they had left. I picked one up and hurled it at a classmate's foot, intending to strike his knee and get him out. As I did, I felt a weird sense of power go through me as the ball moved. Soon afterwards, a time was called by Mr. Darwin and we all packed it up and headed for the locker rooms to get ready for the next period.

"Hey Pete nice shots out there, I can't wait to see it later" Dianne's voice snickered from behind me.

I turned to face her with a smirk. "Are you so sure of that, miss know it all."

Her face had taken on a slightly playful expression. "Only if you want me to be. I can be sure of one thing. That you're still chicken." She began to make clucking noises at me.

I brushed it off and shot a tongue out at her, indicating my "who cares" look, which made her giggle as Darren came up behind her and did a bunny ears on her. This caused us both to start laughing at her, much to her irritation, as we cracked jokes and started up being our random selves.

"Hehe Reese's Pieces is getting upset, hey Darren. Hahaha think we should run now?" I started.

He followed it up. "Oh come on man, against her? We can take it. Although which girl in the class do you think we could mess with next?"

"What about Abby? Or Serena? Even Katie would do."

"Explain to me why this is a good idea again?"

"We'd both have fun doing it."

"And the Double Team of Double Trouble can strike again, against Katie no less there Pete."

"Nah man. You take Katie on, she'll beat the tar outta you before you know it. Although Serena does have a nice figure, I must say."

"Bah, Serena's a goddess man. You really want that kind of heat if you invade?"

"Well why not Serena, she'd be fun to mess with" I joked.

"Are you sure you want a life expectancy longer than 55 there man?" His expression was serious yet so funny at the same time.

"Come on dude. It's not we are asking to get hit by Abby now ya know. She'd train wreck us into a wall if we did that, and that'd be complete game over for us."

"But then what, we can't just get sloppy. I mean who else would we practice on, ya know."

"There is that idea" I said, with a hand to my chin, in a thoughtful pose. "But then again, we might not get another opportunity like this again. Think of the wonders man."

"Erggg, this planning shit is hurting my brain Pete. Why can't we just go after a girl we can actually agree on" Darren sighed.

Dianne was clearly getting worked up, to both our amusements. "Hey you two boneheads, I'm right here ya know! Don't act like I don't hear you! Or there'll be something else for your noggin to receive!" Our laughing just started again as she stood back, passively looking at us, with slight twitches in her forehead. Unknown to us, of course, was that we were the next targets of her rage. Her fists clenched as her face had an angry look on it, and we didn't hear the subtle sounds of her rage building.

THWACK! THWACK!

Both me and Darren were then on the ground moaning, clenching our heads as we both felt pain in our brains. Dianne, however, was feeling like she wanted to dish out more punishment. Like she was enjoying the beating she handed us, as her face read like That was only Round 1, you jerks. Just you idiots wait for Round 2!

"You two idiots will never learn, will you. Or do I need to beat it into you!" Her voice was harsh as her tone indicated that she wasn't happy with us.

"No need to do that Dianne. We get it, we get it..." Darren muttered with a sigh, as we both sat rubbing our heads for a minute before getting up.

"Well next time don't test me and we won't have problems, will we?" She retorted.=

I stood along the wall as Dianne looked at me with a spark in her eye. "Hey Pete, just remember our promise. If you break it, you'll be in for far worse than just that little head pain."

"Yea yea Reeses, alright sheesh! Now quit reminding me." I said with a slight annoyance in my voice, which she didn't seem to either care or take notice of.

She chose not to respond. Instead, she let out a low growl and I looked at her with curiosity at the noise.

Her face, however, had a smirk on it that radiated a feel of a deathwish waiting to strike. Darren was shying away from her ever so cautiously, in the meantime. I had already heard the alarm bells clanging away in my head. I backed up and slightly grimaced, as if about to be hit yet again. Why me, why me? Why can't I just avoid my stupid luck for once today! Would it really be too much to ask for?

"Hey. Just remember what you owe me later. Kay?" Her voice was calm yet collected, and as I looked at her, she had a smile on her face with an odd look in her teal blue eyes. She came over and lightly tapped me and Darren in the shoulders with her fingers. "You two could stand to do a little better, if you're ever to have a chance on me." Her voice followed by an audible chuckle as she walked down the opposite corridor towards lunch, hands in her pockets.

Me and Darren just stared at each other. Like we couldn't comprehend what just happened. As if we had been given a toy, and didn't know how to use it. She didn't beat us up for once? Did we do something wrong?

Our looks of confusion just sat on our faces for a few seconds before the bell snapped us out of it. We started heading for the lunchroom.

"Man, what was that all about? She actually didn't kill us for once." Darren asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." I said.

"What did she mean when she said not to break your promise to her?"

"Eh, it's about the thing we talked about." I replied.

"If you mean your junk, you've got a long way to go man." Darren said with a chuckle as I gave him a look of shock and disgust at the thought.

"How can you even think of that! I mean my ability, man! Stop and get your head on straight." I retorted.

"What, it's not like that was my first thought. Well, actually..." He said, again with a chuckle.

I responded with a snort. "It's not as if I'm not carrying something within me that I haven't explained to you or anything recently."

"Well I'm just sometimes easily confused, you know. After all, it is my brain you are referring to, right?

I sighed and said, "you are really weird Darren. Really weird" while I looked lost in thought on the way to the lunchroom.

He joked, "hey now, hey now. You know me, ehehehe" as a dumbstruck expression hit his face.

"Tch! Always so odd. Sometimes I wonder how I put up with you." I said with a smile. "Know what I mean."

"Ha, don't get me started man, and there's a battle you can't win" he retorted. I enjoyed a good hearted chuckle at this.

We soon caught up with Dianne, much to our initial discomfort at possibly being pummeled again, and made our way to the lunch line. Everything seemed normal now, so we let it go. It didn't stop her from nagging me about our promise. Even if her jokes did contain sarcasm, sometimes they just seemed really odd. So off putting and annoying at times, but I still like her. It's not as if she's all that bad.

We all sat at a table together and enjoyed our meals, even if there were some jokes thrown around, amid all the other noises of students in the room. I was hoping it got better before I had to show her. Just let me find one way out of this.

I sat in study hall for my last class of the day, and I couldn't exactly help but glance every now and then at the clock. It was not only nerve wracking and tense to say the least, but also irritating in the face of my situation I was going to endure. Either way, I didn't like it nor did I want to, as I would have wished that I just was somewhere else entirely. I would do it, even if it meant giving up a body part in exchange. Heh, am I really that insane? To go so far as that nonsense? Boy, Academy City is going to have a field day with my brain soon enough if this keeps up.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. That annoying sound on the wall had begun to irritate me even more with every passing minute. I had a picture of a target in my mind in the shape of the blasted thing. Now I only needed a gun and everything would be right with the world. At least for me it would be. God how I wished something would happen before this stupid thing got underway. Alas, that something seemed like it would never come.

As study hall ended, it never did.

That cocky reminder of the bell just served to seemingly laugh at me for my dilemma, as I had walked to my locker, lost in thought. Finally gathering my calm and composure, I stood at my locker, thinking about my next move.

Well Pete, how exactly are you going to handle losing a friend after this is over with? You should have run when you had the chance. But that kind of crazy talk isn't going to get you anywhere, so let's push through this and see it to the end, eh! After all, you aren't a cowardly fool. It's time to man up and face reality, and roll with the punches.

After gathering my stuff, I began to walk to the back of the school. As I did, my phone chimed. I looked at the screen, and my confidence sagged a little. She was waiting for me, and had told me not to be skipping out now.

I replied and told her that I was on the way and put the phone back in my pocket. I had begun to take breaths and just relaxed as I tried to be calm about this rapidly deteriorating situation.

I walked out the back doors behind the weight room. There she stood, against the side wall. Waiting for me, arms crossed but a smile on her face as she stared me in the eyes.

Dianne spoke with a laugh and said "Bout time you show up. Was beginning to think you really had gone full chicken on me. Seriously, I hope this is worth it, or else you owe me big time for this stunt."

I retorted, "I think you'll be the one in for the surprise here, Dianne." I put a smile on and continued. "So you want to see or not?"

She laughed and said, "Bring it. I can take it. Let's see what you got."

"Are you sure about this? If I show you this, will you promise me you won't just run off or ditch me?" I asked with concern in my voice as I looked right at her. "I need to know that what I am about to do will not change your view of me in a negative way. Otherwise, maybe we shouldn't do this."

She looked at me with a smile that was content and happy, as her eyes had locked with mine, she spoke softly. "Yes. I promise you, I won't run away from you or abandon you. You're my friend and I am not going to be outdone by something ridiculous when I have been waiting for it."

I had thought for a few seconds before continuing. "Alright then, I don't exactly know how to explain what I can do. Just don't stand right up close to me, in case this backfires. Are you ready?" I said with confidence and nervousness in my voice and face, as I stood five or six steps back.

She nodded and looked on with curiosity and attention. I closed my eyes and held my hands out, concentrating of the image in my mind of the electricity I was to see. I formed a picture in my head, and I felt something within me spring up, as if reaching for a string. I envisioned it in my head.

Focus. See the string, and grab it! Then release it and grab for it again! Concentrate on the image…Con…cen…trate!