I'D WOKEN UP A FEW TIMES. I only truly remembered doing it once. We were at a car dealership. Dick had traded the Porsche in for a Minivan, so I needed to wake up in order to switch cars. At the time my mind was on other things—I did not think much of it.

Then I woke up a final time in the passenger seat of the Minivan, stopped in the parking lot of a dirty motel. "Anna," Dick spoke softly, a hand on the side of my shoulder.

I lifted my head off the window, craning my neck to see him in my leaned-over position, "What?"

"Time to wake up. We're here."

Nodding, I pushed myself upright in my seat before rubbing my tired eyes with the backs of my hands. It'd been so long since I felt so truly, so completely, tired. Every fiber of my being begged for more rest. But I could not—I needed to wake up.

Dick slid out of the driver's side of the minivan and shut his door behind him, then walked to the office of the motel. Most likely to get rooms for us all. My whole body jolted and I inhaled sharply as Gar's head burst through the middle of the seats.

"You've been asleep for a long time, Bev," Gar chuckled, mouth a wide grin. "We thought you were dead."

Exhaling to calm myself, I replied, "Trust me, you'll know when I'm dead."

"While we're sitting here with nothing to do," Kory spoke up, from the back. "I never did find out exactly what it is you do. Dick said something about being able to tell when someone's going to die?"

Gar climbed into the driver's seat then, dropping into the empty space in a position perfectly posed to face me. As though he were preparing for story time at a library. I tilted my head with a sigh, considering a response.

Kory, this woman whom I did not truly know, had not yet earned my trust. Yet the others in the vehicle had. So I decided to tell her what I tell everyone who asks of my abilities, "Every living thing carries a vibrative frequency that I can feel. If I focus on one, I can determine location and emotion."

"Where does the death part come into it?" Gar inquired, curiously.

"The...vibrations...they tell me who will die and when—not everyone all at once. Just specific individuals my unconscious mind deems necessary," I explained.

My eyes remained forward, stuck on the door in which Dick disappeared into. The moment he stepped out would be the moment I could make my escape from the vehicle—more specifically, this line of conversation.

I was not prepared to discuss this with them, nor was I emotionally or physically prepared for the fallout. "Okay, wait—how do you know, exactly? Like, how do you know their gonna die just because of vibration?" Gar questioned, bringing me back to the dialogue.

I exhaled through my nose, "Premonitions typically come to me in dreams and visions. I see it, I feel it. If I'm not careful I can get lost in them. Only Dick knows how to pull me back when I do—so I try very hard not to."

"That sounds dark. And isolating," Kory commented, voice sombered. Then, with a much lighter tone, she added, "I'd probably go crazy if I dreamed of people dying all the time."

"I almost did," I replied to her comment without thought, my mind controlling my mouth unconsciously. Just then, Dick exited the office, room keys visible in his hand. I perked up, inhaling, "Okay, kids, let's go."

Immediately, I pushed open my door and stepped out into the chill of the morning, for it was better than the vulnerability inside the Minivan. Even with Dick's jacket still on my shoulders, I was cold. My muscles were stiffened with it.

Rachel and Kory climbed out of the back seats, while Gar came from the driver's seat. Together we crossed the parking lot to the space in front of the office where Dick waited. He handed out room keys to Gar, Rachel, and Kory. "These rooms are next to each other," he told them.

Finally, he stopped as he made it down the line to me at the end. I smiled a closed-mouthed smile, narrowing one eye knowingly, "You didn't get me one, did you?"

"I figured we could share," he tilted his head in an expression, returning my closed-mouth smile.

Something soft swirled with something flirtatious in his eyes, piercing right through the cold chilling my body. It caused my eyes to brighten and the corner of my mouth to crawl upward at the insinuative nature of it all.

Typically I stayed awake all night, on a rooftop if possible. But planning to share a room told me he had other ideas in mind. "Smooth," Kory commented, pulling my eyes away to shift toward her. "When are we getting food? I'm starving."

"Rachel and I can go get pizza," I suggested, leaning around Kory enough to see Rachel on her other side. Rachel leaned forward as well, and she nodded at my proposal. I leaned back on my heels and looked to Dick.

He nodded, shrugging a little, "Alright. Just keep your eyes open."

There was a pizza joint not far from the motel. Rachel and I drove there in the Minivan, got enough pizza for all five of us, and drove back to the motel in less than an hour. Rachel knocked on the door to Dick and I's room while I held the boxes.

Gar answered the door and quickly ushered us inside. "Guys, pizza's here!" he exclaimed, hurrying further into the room as Rachel and I entered.

"It better not be all cheese," Kory commented, sitting on the end of the bed.

Rachel closed the door behind me and I walked the pizza's to the table by the window. "Don't worry, we got a variety," Rachel assured Kory. Gar was at my side in a heartbeat, digging into the first box he came to.

I chuckled as he picked up the box and swept it away for himself. He handed a piece to Rachel as she dropped onto the side of the bed nearest us. Under the first two boxes was the one I really wanted to get to—a special order.

My fingers gripped the box and I carried it across the room to where Dick stood, leaned against the wall by the tiny bathroom. He raised an eyebrow at me curiously as I approached. "Andouille and pineapple," I answered his silent question.

Instantly his lips broke into a small smile, huffing an airy chuckle as I came to stand just in front of him. He pushed off the wall to stand upright and I held the box out to him. "I love you," he told me, taking the box from my hands.

"I know you do," I smiled.

"Can you be cute after we eat?" Rachel questioned, sitting on the bed with a slice in hand. "I really like this pizza and I don't want to throw it up."

I dropped into a chair at the table and raised an eyebrow at her, "I was wondering when you were going to start acting like a teenager."

She gave me a side-eye but chuckled before continuing to eat. "We, as of right now, are a group of people who share a common enemy," Dick spoke up, sliding his hands into his pockets as he turned to address all in the room.

Kory raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall, "Which makes us what?"

"Let's call it an alliance, one born of mutual need."

"And what is that?"

"To stay alive," Dick answered her, before looking to the rest of us. "We have no idea how long we have until they find us."

"You just said 'they'. Who are they?" Gar questioned, still holding a pizza box. Leaned down toward Rachel, he asked, "What do they want?"

Rachel replied, "We don't know who they are. But they want me."

"It's because of her...abilities," Dick added.

"They make violence look like an art form," Kory commented, thoughtfully.

Dick continued, "The people that attacked us fought in unison. They were perfectly coordinated—we're not. We can't fight like that unless we learn each other's moves."

I leaned forward in my seat, resting my forearms atop my knees. "Are you suggesting the five of us train together? That's not exactly a good idea," I said, narrowing my eyes in an expression.

"We don't have any other choice," Dick shrugged. "None of us are prepared for another attack—well, except maybe for you. But we need to learn to work together."

It was not the smartest idea—what he was proposing. Rachel's darkness could kill someone, so could Gar's tiger form, and I still had yet to build up trust in Kory. Though, I could not argue with him. He was right. We'd run out of options.

With a singular nod, I pushed myself up from my chair. "Alright then. I suppose I'll be needing my duffel bag," I said, taking steps toward the door.

Before I passed him, Dick reached out and took hold of my upper arm, stopping me with a gentle grip. An eyebrow instinctively rose high on my forehead. "Are you sure you wanna do that?" he spoke quietly.

"Trust goes both ways, does it not? Time to put skin in the game."

A bit reluctantly, Dick released his hold on my arm. Though, it was easy to see he was displeased—but, above all else, he simply appeared concerned. I could not blame him for it.

Letting others see this side of our lives was the most daunting task we could ever face. It meant opening many doors, pulling back many curtains, and trusting that those let inside would not leave them open once they'd left.

I would not allow someone random into this part of my life. It was guarded too fiercely. But Rachel and Gar were not random. The idea of showing myself to Kory was daunting. Though, it created an opportunity for trust to be built.

If I showed her I meant business, maybe she would do the same? It was a long shot, but a shot I was going to take. So I'd gone out to the minivan and found my duffel bag in the trunk. I brought the bag back to the motel room.

When I reentered the space, it was as though everyone in it were awaiting something exciting. It was Christmas morning and I was Santa Claus. I carried the bag to the table, and Gar moved the pizza boxes to the other chair to allow for space.

I thanked him and dropped the bag atop the small table. "If we're going to work together to stay alive, you're going to see a part of me most people don't live to tell about," I spoke as I unzipped the bag, shoving my hands inside to find my hood.

"Sounds ominous," Kory commented, across the room.

My hands pushed sweaters and jeans out of the way, revealing a stark crimson at the bottom. To the right of the red was a black roll—my knife set. I pushed the bag back a bit on the table and then unrolled the black sheath in the new space.

Gar chuckled in surprise beside me, "Whoa...those look really sharp."

"That's because they are, Garfield. Give me your hand," I turned my head to see him, holding out my hand. He was hesitant, glancing quickly between my hand and my face. Unsure if he would like whatever I was about to do. But, ultimately, he complied. "Relax. Just feel this."

I placed one of the knifes flat on his open palm. My eyes remained on his face as his features contorted, gazing at the blade. "It's...heavy? Cold? What is it supposed to feel like?" he questioned, looking up from the knife.

"Imagine that this knife is vibrating. Not like a cell phone...quieter, softer. It's vibrating in your hand, getting stronger or softer depending on its position," I instructed, calmly. "And when you throw it...it decides where it goes based on the strength of the vibration."

"So it's like a compass," Gar concluded.

I nodded, "Yes. These knives are like a guide—but only in my hand."

Gar retracted his hand once I'd removed the knife, placing it back inside the sheath. "Hold on...you're saying the knife tells you who to kill?" Kory questioned, disbelieving. My muscles paused at the sound of her words.

That reaction was natural and expected. Though, it gave me a wicked thought. My fingers slipped back around the knife I had previously sheathed and gave it a tug to pull it from its holder. "The vibrations indicate who is supposed to die," I answered. "If you're supposed to die...you will."

Once I'd spoke those words, I twisted on my heel, sending the silver blade across the room with a flick of my wrist. The knife sunk deep into the wall space to the right of Kory with a hollow thud. It caused all in the room to visibly startle.

Kory gasped, darting away from the knife stuck in the wall, and looked up at me with increasingly wide eyes. "I suppose it's not your time," I told her, with a small shrug of my shoulders.

"What the fuck?!" Kory shouted. "You could have killed me!"

Dick took a couple of quick steps in my direction, "Okay, enough show and tell. Put it away."

"No. The point is that you wouldn't have been hurt if you weren't supposed to be," I explained, ignoring Dick's words. "I don't control it. The vibrations do. Do you know what yours feel like, Kory?"

She stared back at me with still angered and concerned eyes, but remained silent as if to prod me along. So I inhaled sharply, and continued, "Yours are incredibly warm. If I focus too long on them, my fingers start to physically burn. Don't believe me? Look at them. The skin is pink."

I outstretched my open palms for her to see them. Her skeptical eyes scanned them a second. Then, after a moment, she took slow steps across the room toward me—still eyeing my fingertips. She stood directly in front of them, looking them over.

All in the room were silent. Finally, Kory spoke up, "Okay...anything else you wanna throw at me?"

She looked at me questioningly, with her head tilted—as though she were expecting the answer to be yes. "No," I shook my head, retracting my hands. "But I do have more to explain, regarding my past."

"Sweet! Story time," Gar dropped onto the bed next to Rachel.

Dick stepped up beside me, "Anna, don't you think you're telling them too much?"

"They deserve to know, don't you think?" I countered, looking up at him.

He eyed me seriously, and I stared back stubbornly. Finally, after a few seconds, he gave in and took a step back. Though, I could tell he was not at all supportive of my plan. Kory moseyed back to her spot against the wall while I began to speak.

Gar and Rachel were sitting up straight, their eyes aimed at me intently as they listened, eager to hear all I had to say. I inhaled sharply, and began, "You will undoubtedly hear many things about me. I need you all to know that most of it...is true."

There was no right way to start this story. This horrific timeline of ruination. So, I did my very best to give an account with as much detail as I knew they could handle.

"I was imprisoned in Arkham Asylum for the criminally insane for ten murders. They kept me in a box, with no contact from the outside or from the inside, and put poison in my veins that made me feel...heavy. After three years, I escaped," I spoke calmly, sitting at the table.

Gar, however hesitantly, eased a hand into the air. I gave a nod, and he asked, "Did you kill those people?"

Rachel's elbow shot into his side and she gave him a disapproving look. Gar, though, was not truly deterred. He only shrugged, rubbing his side. Sighing, I answered, "No. I killed ten others."

Only a year after my escape I began my crusade. Suspicions arose when middle aged males turned up dead all over Gotham in an unusual pattern. All were gruesome, bloody killings. One would wonder if it were a murderer or a butcher.

They were dark days, but I had never felt more in the right. I had been imprisoned for horrific crimes other men had committed. The blood of those killed unjustly cried out to me from the pavement of Gotham City, demanding justice. Demanding revenge.

That is what they all called me—in the headlines, in the ranks of the Gotham Police, and in the hearts of the wary civilian. Vengeance. As though I were the very embodiment of the word itself.

"I am wanted by the FBI, hence the drastic change of my appearance—the glasses, my hair from red to brown, and my name. Knowing this, if you don't wish to partner with me, I would sincerely understand. I might even commend you for having sense," I finished my story.

A thick hush had fallen over the entirety of the motel room—reasonably so. I did not look to them, chastening them to reply. Instead I sat quiet as well, simply waiting, allowing for an answer in either direction. Rachel was the first to speak.

She looked up from the carpeting, her features still drawn into thought, "So...you've done bad things. But they were all really bad people. That doesn't change anything."

"Yeah, but I have a question," Gar spoke up, holding up an index finger. "What are we supposed to call you then? Beverly or Savannah?"

"In private, you're free to call me Savannah. In any public setting, my name is Beverly," I answered.

Gar pointed at Dick, "He calls you 'Anna', like, all the time."

He'd presented quite a valid point. Tilting my head back on my shoulders, I shifted my eyes to look up at Dick. Dick glanced down at me a moment and sighed, before looking to Gar. "It's an old habit," he explained. "I'll call her Beverly, if necessary, just like everyone else."

Kory spoke up, in a characteristically uninterested tone of voice, "This seems a little too complicated for my taste."

"You're free to walk out at anytime," I shrugged lightly before standing up from my chair. "Anyone still interested in this endeavor—we're going to train."

Dick and I stood a handful of feet in front of the others—Rachel, Gar, and Kory. It hadn't surprised me when she said she would come. In fact, I expected it. I'd hoped for it. The main objective for this excursion was to find out just what each other was capable of.

We knew the vague details, but to work together you must know all of it. You must see it for yourself. That way, you can better anticipate how to match their technique and level of strength with your own. Abilities would either be equal or complimentary.

This training session will determine who fit into which category. "Alright. If we're gonna train together, we gotta see what each other can do," Dick said, his voice echoing off the walls of the large empty space. "Any volunteers?"

Gar's gaze ventured off to the left, his hands dug deep into his pockets as he slowly swayed on his heels, obviously uninterested in volunteering. Kory fidgeted with her rings, analyzing her hands—also uninterested.

I tilted my head with narrowed eyes in an expression, inhaling sharply, "How about you, Kory? Rachel said you create light?"

"Honestly, i'm still trying to figure it out," Kory shrugged a bit, shoving her hands into the pockets of her large fur coat. "I think it comes from the sun. I can absorb its power and...redirect it. I'm weaker at night, though. I'm sometimes empty—and it takes me a while to recharge."

"How long?" I inquired.

Kory exhaled, "A few hours, a day...i don't know."

"And you can control it?"

An eyebrow lifted on my forehead instinctively with my words, causing Kory's eyes to narrow at the edges as she focused on my face. Reading me, I knew. There was a shift I could feel in the nerves of my fingers.

A density, a tension that carved itself into my bones, letting in the sensation of a cold breeze. The feeling was familiar, but it felt so different simultaneously. Kory's shoulders squared as she lifted her chin, settling her features into a stiffly calm position, and replied, "Of course."

It was clear she'd taken it as an insult. An insight into how I perceived her. The insinuation that she could not control her abilities was visibly offensive. Though, her actions were so subtle I doubted many others would notice.

The chill settling into the open wounds in my bones sparked a kind of counter fire, an offensive to stop its spread. Instead my muscles felt warm, limber, and I found myself wanting to react. It was almost instant, chemical.

"Alright," I nodded once, before turning my body and taking a step aside. I held up a finger to aim at the idle tractor on the other end of the large space inside the barn. "Hit that tractor."

Kory tilted her head in a confident expression of spite, "Watch."

She walked past Dick and I to put space in between us and whatever she was about to do, coming to stand a couple of yards closer to the tractor. I folded my arms over my chest and turned to watch, exhaling as I did, an act to expel the unwanted density within me.

There was no need to make this outing a competition. There was nothing to compete for. Yet somehow this woman had managed to ignite a feeling inside me as though there was.

It was quiet for a second as Kory readied herself. Then she tilted back her head, her magenta corkscrew curls igniting at the roots, causing a shimmering array of orange shades to engulf all of them in vibrancy.

A sharp heat flared against my fingertips despite their comfortable positions beneath the cover of my arms. The suddenness of this caused my muscles to tense, jolting the entirety of my body, as my arms swiftly unfolded.

Kory's outstretched hands were the same vibrant shimmer as her hair, a moment before she thrusted her left hand forward. A ray of flaming reds, oranges, and yellows burst forward from her skin, burning a large hole in the hay at the back of the barn.

The stream of searing color ended and slowly my fingertips began to cool. Gar let out a sharp, shrieking giggle, "Sick!"

Kory turned on her purple, velvet heels and walked back toward her original position. "Hot damn," I commented, loosely wringing my hands. "Looks like we won't be needing a toaster ever again."

"I didn't hit the tractor," Kory pointed out, her tone unexcited as she stepped by me.

I shrugged, "Close enough."

Dick turned to face the others and, still wringing my hands, I did the same. Gar held up his hand as Kory approached, eagerly awaiting a high-five. She obliged, her hand slapping against Gar's as she past him, leaving behind a hissing sound.

Gar quickly retracted his hand, shaking away the sting from such a sudden touch of heat. "Your turn," Dick nodded to Gar with smile.

"Okay, I just, uh...give me a second," Gar replied, before darting past me and Dick.

He jogged a handful of feet away from us and again I turned to watch. Knowing just what Gar could do, I found myself waiting in anxious anticipation. It was almost as though something in me was excited to see it again.

Though, Gar did not seem as eager as before. He shook his arms and cracked his neck in preparation. But he did not do much else. "Any time today would be good," Dick said, in impatience.

"It's uh...I can't..." Gar turned halfway to see us all, glancing at each of us nervously. "It's a little weird with you guys watching and all."

I rolled my eyes in Dick's direction, a smirk curving its way into the lines of my face as I witnessed the expression of bewilderment on his features. "Everyone turn around," I spoke up, turning around myself in order to see the others.

Dick turned around hesitantly, shaking his head. "It'll be worth it, I promise," Gar assured, excitement finding its way back into his boyish voice.

"Heard that before," Kory commented, before turning around.

A collective chuckle resulted from her words. I refolded my arms over my chest as everyone was finally turned around. Gar's quick footsteps echoed off the walls, getting softer as they distanced, followed by the distinct sound of a zipper.

Dick sidestepped across the few feet between us to stand beside me. "What exactly are we waiting for?" he asked, voice hushed as he leaned in to speak.

"If this wasn't a drill we'd all be dead by now," Kory pointed out, impatiently.

I turned my head a little, a smirk ever-present, "You'll find out."

"That doesn't really answer my-"

His smug voice was drowned out by a sudden burst of sound. A loud, sharp roar straight from an animal's throat. Dick's whole body lurched upward like a startled feline as he immediately twisted to look over his shoulder for the source of the sound.

I barked a laugh, turning completely to see the rest of the barn. Kory released a chuckle of surprise and amazement behind me. "Oh, shit," Dick said, under his breath. His hand pulled me back a step with him as he shuffled away from the animal.

A muscular beast with green coloring leapt up onto the haystack Gar hid behind to transform. The tiger was certainly a majestic creature. "What do you know, it was worth it," Kory laughed.

"Rachel," I spoke up, twisting to see her as a thought came to my mind.

Rachel smiled knowingly, before tossing a circular object my way. I caught it effortlessly—a medium sized ball I'd retrieved while out getting pizza. Only Rachel knew I had it. "Wait, no," Dick shook his head, eyes widened still. "Don't do that."

"Relax, Dick," I spoke calmly, giving him a reassuring expression. Then I turned and took steps forward, toward the haystack Gar's tiger form was perched upon, and whistled, "Hey! Come here."

There was a certain shimmer, a sparkle to the beast's eyes. It growled rather loudly as it descended quickly from the haystack, then began trotting toward me. I held up the ball, showing him where it was, then bounced it against the concrete.

Gar pounced forward, landing with his front legs bent and chest against the ground—his back end standing upright—and his tail slithered in the air behind him. Giggles from Rachel and amused laughter from Kory filled my ears as I tossed the ball.

It bounced to the left. The tiger darted after the small traveling object, roaring as it lunged for it. Gar retrieved the ball easily and trotted back to my position with it in his mouth. A soft, rumbling sound reminiscent of a purr whispered from him.

I knelt to take it back from his mouth but Gar darted away as my hands neared, causing me to stand with a soft chuckle. "Oh, I see how it is," I said, lunging for him. He backed away again, causing me to miss in my attempt. "You know you're not a house cat, right?"

Gar growled, baring his teeth around the ball by retracting his lips momentarily, and leapt away. He trotted for the haystack and I started after him, jogging. The tiger caught onto my plan and took a sharp turn to the left, causing me to quicken my pace to readjust.

Rachel's giggling grew to loud laughter. The joyful sound echoed off the walls, calling into my ears, and brought a warmth to the center of my chest.

The spirit of competition was not only between Kory and I—it was now between me and Gar. I bit my lower lip and sprinted after the green animal, causing Gar to move faster to avoid me, his animalistic sounds taking on a feeling of excitement.

At one point, I took a stance of parted legs, hunched forward in a position ready to move. And Gar mirrored me a few feet away, his tail twitching as he attempted to predict my next move. Finally, after chasing him for what felt like far too long, I managed to tackle him.

My arms wrapped tightly around his neck, the rest of my body loosely draped along the length of his back, and he growled as I reached for the ball in his mouth. "You're not a dog, Garfield," I huffed, gripping the rubber with my fingers. "Drop it."

"Don't put your hands in the fucking tiger's mouth!" Dick warned, voice elevated in concern. He sounded like an anxious mother watching her small son play soccer, trying to shout words of guidance from the sidelines.

Finally Gar released the ball, the rubber slick with his saliva, and it dropped into my hand. He shook his head after dropping it, then lowered his body to the floor in a plop against the concrete. I struggled to hold onto the ball.

But, once he held still, I was able to sit up with it securely in my hands. "Good boy," I used a patronizing tone purposely, reaching out a hand to pet the top of his head.

He growled lowly, resting his chin on the concrete to escape my hand, ears pinned. I slid off the tiger's back and stood upright, the wet ball in my hands. "Alright. Time to be a real boy," I told Gar, taking a step back.

Gar went through the transformation of beast to boy, complete with unnerving sounds of bone contortion. He stood to his full height, stark naked, and threw out his arms with a wide smile. "Ta-da!" he beamed at the others.

Immediately, I averted my eyes, turning my head. Kory erupted with a string of giggles across the room. "Gar!" Rachel said, pointedly.

"Oh, uh..." Gar only just remembered he was naked.

I shrugged off my jacket and held it out in his general direction, refraining from looking that way at all. "Here," I gestured with the jacket. "Cover up and go get your clothes."

Gar quickly snatched the jacket from my hand, "Thanks."

His feet slapping the concrete as he sprinted for his clothes behind the haystack echoed throughout the empty space, letting everyone know it was okay to look—however cautiously. Sighing, I walked back to my original position near the others.

Dick's expression was one of amazement, though he still appeared concerned. "You realize he could've bitten your hand off," he said, rhetorically, as I approached.

I nodded once, coming to stand beside him, "He could do a lot with those teeth if he wasn't so vegan."

Emphasizing the word vegan was important to point. Gar wouldn't eat one of my appendages regardless, but it caused Dick to finally understand my boldness. "He'd be a lot scarier if he wasn't green," Kory mused, as Gar approached.

"You know I let you catch me, right?" Gar said, smugly, as he was about to walk by me.

He held out my jacket, and I took the garment from his hand. I was a bit reluctant to put it back on—thinking of where it had just been. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Green Bean," I replied.

Gar laughed at the name, returning to his previous spot. Dick turned to face the others and, once again, I followed suit. "Okay. So we have Sun Woman and Tiger Boy," he said, glancing at Kory and Gar. "There's definitely potential here."

My features wrinkled at the names, but I didn't bother commenting. "Rachel, you're next," Gar said, smiling at Rachel. Rachel's face immediately dropped, and she shook her head quickly.

"No. No, I could hurt someone," she protested, a bit anxiously.

Kory commented, "Hurting people is kind of the idea here."

It had occurred to me when we arrived that I had nothing to show for my abilities. Dick literally had nothing to show other than a fancy vigilante suit. But all the things I could do were internal. There was nothing visible.

But, when Rachel's anxiety began to warm my chest, I had a thought. It brought me back to Hank and Dawn's apartment, both inside and on the roof. I had done something physically after all. Though I was unsure if I could recreate it, I could still try.

So I took a deep breath and spoke up, "Let's do it together. Remember what I did, back in D.C.? You might be able to help me figure out how to do it again."

Rachel looked at me with surprise in her eyes. Dick put a hand on my shoulder then, bringing my eyes to the right to meet his questioningly. "Are you sure you wanna know?" he asked, quietly. "Once you let it out, you might not be able to put it back in the box."

"I need to know—preferably before I throw you into another wall."

"Wait, what?" Gar perked up, intrigued but concerned.

"Rachel?" I turned to look at Rachel, eyebrows risen expectantly. She eyed me in indecision for a quiet moment. Then, quite hesitantly, she nodded a little. I returned her nod, "Let's do this."

Rachel walked with me to a spot a handful of feet from the others. The last time Rachel had gone completely dark, I could not get within three feet of her without being in excruciating pain. Now, however, would be a dialed down version.

I turned to see the others once we'd found a suitable spot. "I'm going to need a valiant volunteer whose name is not Richard," I said, gaze shifting between Gar and Kory. Dick huffed a chuckle, shaking his head at my statement.

Gar and Kory glanced between each other, passing a silent question, before Gar nervously stepped forward. "Uh...I'll do it, I guess," he said. He walked to our position and I directed him to stand three yards from the haystack.

It was an equation simplified by sheer memory. But, given what I knew happened on the rooftop, I assumed three yards just might be too short of a space. Though, it would work for this experiment. "So, what do you want me to do?" Rachel asked me, curious.

Inhaling sharply, I answered, "I might need a boost. If I can't do it on my own, take my hand and get angry. Alright?"

"Okay," she nodded.

"Uh...Savannah? What exactly are you gonna do?" Gar questioned anxiously, from where he stood in front of the haystack. "I mean, like, is this going to hurt, or…?"

Instinctively, I turned to see Dick for the answer. He was the only one present whom had felt what I was about to inflict. But Dick shrugged, shaking his head, "Don't look at me—I only know it hurt because my back hit a wall. I have no idea if it hurts as is."

Sighing, I turned back to Gar, "We don't know. But you have a soft landing, so you'll be fine."

Gar was not at all put at ease by this discussion. It was visible on every inch of his being. But that did not stop the necessity of a sacrificial volunteer. Inhaling a deep breath through my nostrils, releasing it through my lips, I searched for a singular set of vibrations.

I'd closed my eyes to shut out all the rest. Rachel was the strongest presence in the whole of the building. When I pushed that warmth to the back of my mind, a pulsating breeze of warmth of vibration took its place, and I knew—it was Gar.

No one else in the area was anxious, so that helped me to distinguish him amongst the sea of heat. "Gar? Take a deep breath, please. You're fine," I spoke up, though keeping my eyes closed in focus.

My fingertips absentmindedly moved in random shifts with the motion of Gar rocking on his heels. "I'm trying, alright?" he defended, nervously. "But you're not giving me much to go off of here."

The thought came to me that like Dick's anger, I might be able to use Gar's anxiety to direct my energy. So I further focused on the bundle of nerves that was Gar, and lifted my hand to hold up, palm out in an effort to shift the control from my mind to my hand.

It seemed my body was understanding what I wanted to some extent—pressure building between my eyes, but not strong enough to do anything at all. Though, the second I held up my hand, I could feel the anxiety dancing inside my fingertips.

Pricks of numbness and electricity competed inside my skin, crawling deep into my hand and upward throughout the muscles of my arm. "I could try pissing you off again," Dick offered, half-heartedly.

Kory asked, obviously not talking to me, "She has to be angry for this to work?"

"Well, the only times it's happened were when she was angry."

"Is it possible it's simply a defense mechanism? It could be triggered by a perceived threat."

"I suppose. Really anything's possible-"

"Quiet!" I shouted the single word, my voice echoing sharply. Gar's startle was felt in the tissue of my fingers. But that was not all. My sudden burst of frustration granted me a sense of clarity.

The vibrations I felt from Gar were sharpened, brought into focus. But the most noticeable change was a warm electricity centered in my right arm. With an involuntary twitch of my finger, Gar's eyes widened, before his head snapped forward to look down.

His foot had shifted outward. I could not get excited or tell myself any encouragement—i could only remain focused on the task at hand until it was finished. "Uh..." Gar looked up from his moved shoe. "Was that supposed to happen?"

There was no specific plan. This was lead purely by instinct. "Just stay calm," I reminded. Slowly, I retracted my hand by a few inches. With this action Gar took shuffling steps forward.

One foot after the other, lifted and placed shakily, almost not leaving the ground at all. It caused a jerking motion, almost knocking him over. But he held his balance despite the unnerved look of panic on his face.

"Whoa," Rachel watched with round eyes. "You're making him do that?"

"Just be careful, okay?" Dick spoke up from behind us.

Gar let out a string of nervous yet excited laughter, "This is awesome! I feel like a puppet! Can you make me touch my toes?"

I almost—almost—shook my head at his behavior. He was enjoying it. Something about the change in emotions, the stark triumph of excitement over anxiety, put a bubble of anger in my gut. It wasn't what I wanted to feel.

It was not at all what I wanted to feel. And yet, it was all I could feel. When the bubble popped, my hand shot forward, and a pulse of sharp electricity burst from my palm. Gar was thrust backward, his feet coming off the ground.

The boy's back hit the haystack with a shout of shock and fear, and suddenly it all stopped. I could no longer feel his vibrations in my veins. My hand retracted in a lurch, waves of surprise and worry filling my body from Rachel at my side.

Gar was groaning, rolling himself over in the hay. "Gar? Are you okay?" Rachel called to him. He was quiet a second. The silence replaced my anger with concern. But then he barked a laugh, quickly followed by another groan.

"I'm okay! Just one question...am I on fire? It feels like i'm on fire."