ACTION TIME *evil laugh*
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Hermes's POV
We begin training again about two days later.
Within three more days, Anke can make a forcefield every time she tries. I can not only lift and throw objects, I can crush and even manipulate them. Adrian can heal more and more serious injuries, to the point where he managed to heal a what-would-have-been fatal wound and save Parker's life. Lateysha can now phase through anything and Noah is able to fire both short blasts and long lasers.
The amount of harassment we've been getting has dropped. Now it's pretty much only Madeline who's giving us any kind of bad treatment. Anke hates Madeline for that reason. She doesn't know why Madeline dislikes me so much but I do. She's bitter because she was romantically interested in my brother Teddy but he chose Piper. Now she has a vendetta against our whole family.
After training one day, Adrian, Anke, and I go outside and lie down on the grass hill, watching the little kids play wrestle. It's such a nice September day that it doesn't even feel like Fall.
"I feel like we've come a long way since training began," I begin.
"Speech?" Adrian grins.
Anke giggles.
"Seriously, when we started training, I couldn't even throw objects, Anke only made wisps, and you could barely heal a scratch. Today, I bent a street lamp in half, Anke protected herself and the two phoenixes at the same time from a cutting laser, and you healed a fatal stab wound to save someone's life. I'm serious: we've come really far, and it's only been just about a month."
"It has," agrees Anke. "I like to think dying twice toughened me up a bit."
That makes the three of us laugh. It feels good to laugh about it now, considering that it was the scariest thing in the world while it was happening.
All of a sudden, one of the kids screams. The three of us sit up sharply just in time to see an object lit up with pink kinetic energy come flying into the clearing. Reacting fast, Anke creates a forcefield over the object. When it explodes, the force is contained, but Anke collapses backwards. Adrian catches her and envelops her in his "healing aura" while I use my telekinesis to pick up the seven kids, including Felise, Hughie, and Austin, my niece and nephews. I gently manoeuvre them inside the OWCA building where they will be safe.
Anke has recovered. She readies herself in a battle stance, a movement I copy. "Adrian, go get Lateysha and Noah," I order my friend.
Adrian nods and runs off.
Out of the bushes on the other side of the lawn comes a silver bobcat, a pink rabbit, and a blue turtle.
I recognise all three of them, and it hurts my heart seeing them with such anger...not quite evil...in their eyes.
"Anton, Rose, and Lydia!" gasps Anke, who has also recognised them.
"Anke, we need to think," I say, keeping a wary eye on my former friends, who seem to be searching the area. "We need to remember what they can do so we can stop them from hurting anyone."
"Uh...I only remember Lydia the Turtle. She can kinetically charge objects and make them explode."
"That...is actually useful, thank you."
Lydia suddenly picks up a rock, charges it, and throws it at us. Luckily, Anke casts a domed forcefield around the three animals and the rock, on which Lydia hastily cancels the charge.
Just then, I see my mother and father run out of the OWCA building and take up fighting stances a few metres behind me. "Hold it as long as you can," I tell Anke, before I turn and run over to my parents.
"Please, you have to go back inside," I plead.
"Hermes, this is what we're trained to do," Dad says.
"We're trained to fight people like this," adds Mom.
"No you're not, you're really not," I say pleadingly, to their surprise. "With all due respect, you can't fight these people. They're too powerful and they use their dangerous abilities unsparingly."
"I can't hold them for much longer!" calls Anke's strained voice.
I have to make my parents understand. I change my approach to a slightly more blunt one. "You're out of your league with these guys. They won't hesitate to kill you, and neither you nor I will be able to stop them. Please, just leave this to us."
Anke suddenly gasps as the dome breaks apart.
"We can take them. We're a match for them."
As if to illustrate my point, Noah rushes past me and flings an energy blast at Rose, who turns invisible and presumably dodges it; and Lateysha swoops overhead and phases through the bolt of electricity that Anton fires her way.
Mom and Dad exchange a look. "Okay," says Mom finally, and all three of us know she's speaking for both her and Dad. "Just be careful and stay safe."
"Always."
I briefly hug my parents, before they head inside. I barricade the door from the outside so that nobody can try and be a hero. I know my parents and the rest of OWCA will be watching so I'll have to try to not let them down.
I survey the battle.
Tish is helping Noah to phase through the electricity bolts that Anton is firing their way (a trick Tish learnt recently: being able to not only phase herself through stuff but up to two people at the same time) while Noah fires energy blasts back at Anton, who dips in and out of visibility, thanks to Rose.
Anke and Lydia are locked in battle, neither of them actually using their powers. They're simply punching and kicking each other and trying to pin each other to the ground. So far, it doesn't look as if there is a clear winner.
Deciding that Anke is the one who could use some help, I charge towards the two fighting females.
What happens next is something I'm really embarrassed about. Lydia spots me and throws a rather heavy rock at me without even using her powers. Like an idiot, I don't move in time. The rock hits my right forehead, drawing blood, and sending me falling backwards. I save myself from falling with my powers and try to redeem myself by lifting Lydia into the air just as she's about to kinetically charge another projectile. She instantly begins kicking and struggling against the invisible force holding her.
"Rose!" she yells.
Before I can properly realise who she's calling for, I feel someone grab me from behind in a chokehold. As my oxygen supply is suddenly and forcefully restricted, I drop concentration to my powers, dropping Lydia from ten feet in the air. Anke leaps on her the minute she lands, and the two are immediately re-embroiled in their wrestling match.
Through my dimming vision, I see Lateysha knock Anton out. Noah has his arm and palm out towards me, preparing to fire. I expect him to do just that but he's hesitating.
"Take the shot!" I choke.
"I might hit you!" Noah snaps. "Can you move or something?"
"Oh yeah sure, IT'S NOT LIKE I'M BEING STRANGLED OR ANYTHING!" I yell hoarsely.
But I do manage to twist myself so that the torso of Rose (who I assume correctly to be the person holding me) is more exposed. Noah fires a stun blast (a trick Noah learnt recently: he's able to fire a non-lethal blast that we call a stun blast because it is still fire and it does still cause pain, but it can't kill), which I think hits Rose.
However, a small part of it also hits me.
As Rose shoves me away in pain, I clutch my side and fall sideways onto the grass, my head down, trying to stem the pain as well as gasping for breath. It's not as bad as it could be, and I struggle to my feet just in time to see Anke subdue Lydia and hold her down with a forcefield.
We've won.
...
youll want to remember Lydia I:} just a heads up
