"Get your freaking head on straight or I swear to god, Cassie. You might be Shepards kid now, but if you think I'm letting you off easy because of it, you're sadly mistaken."
Jack. An old friend of Jane and Garrus who just so happens to be the Biotics instructor on the Citadel. A bad-ass, tattooed bitch-of-a-woman who somehow manages to get out of the dress code for the teachers. Quite frankly, I don't think she gives a damn about rules.
Or about student safety.
I stand there, panting with sweat dripping down my face and my bangs sticking to my forehead. This feels more like boot-camp than Biotics training. Jack walks up, hands on her hips, a smirk on her face.
"You gettin tired? Too bad. Try again." She practically hisses, and I close my eyes, my hands forming white-knuckled fists. "You're going to get this goddamn barrier down today or I swear-"
I yell loud, forcing my hands out in front of me, palms out. A wide, shimmery bubble forms around me, and Jack grins as I grit my teeth, struggling to keep it solid. She taps on it with her fingers, as if testing it.
Testing me.
"Not bad," She says, nodding subtly before walking back towards the four other kids in the class, including Jona. "Time for the real test."
"Ah crap, you've got to be kidding m-"
"Now!"
I don't even finish my sentence before Jack signals the other students to unleash biotic attacks, and my first solid barrier gets pummeled. I groan as I feel myself struggle to keep it up, and the barrier wanes a bit.
As if on instinct, I shift as I slowly pull my hands in towards me, causing the barrier to shrink. With the next movement, I take a step forward and force my hands out, yelling again at the top of my lungs. The barrier to disappears, but it sends out a pulse that pushes everyone back a solid three feet, even Jack.
The students all look at me, wide-eyed, but Jona is the only one who looks impressed rather than intimidated. Jack claps her hands as she walks over, placing her hand on my shoulder.
"Not bad. Not freaking bad at all." She smiles at me, a genuine smile. "You're done for the day. Hit the showers; you smell like shit."
My schedule got shifted enough that I have lunch right after my training; that's a great thing, because I need a break after all that. And a meal. Kam had her schedule shifted as well, so she, Jona and I can all have lunch together, all while avoiding Alero - but that might just be for his sake.
"Jona! Cassie!"
We hear Kam run up behind us, and I turn a bit too fast, which spins my still-wet hair into Jonas face.
"Ah! Hey!" He exclaims, laughing while swatting at it with his hands. I blush and quickly twist my hair up into a bun so it won't happen again.
"Sorry..." I say as Kam laughs as well, hooking her arm through mine.
"How'd your first day of class go?" She asks, and before I get a chance to even take a breath, Jona answers for me.
"She's epic!" He even does some kind of hand motion for emphasis. "She nailed the barrier on her first try!"
"It wasn't my first try," I shake my head as Kam leads us into the line for our food. "That was my fifth, or... something like that."
"Whatever. Point is, you got it on your first day!" He squeezes my hand and shakes it excitedly. "I don't think that's ever happened before. Anywhere."
"Regardless, Cassie, that's really impressive." Kam says and hugs my arm.
"Thanks... I kind of scare myself to be honest." I admit as we reach the front of the line and pick up our food.
"That's not a bad thing," Jona says as we walk to an empty table and sit down. "It's good, actually. If you're even a little afraid of your strength, then it helps you keep it under control. Makes sure you don't go overboard. If you're not a bit afraid, then... who knows what you might end up doing to innocent people?"
"I guess you're right," I admit. "It's still weird."
"Agreed," Kam laughs, and Jona nods in agreement with his mouth already full of food.
Sitting down, just talking and laughing with my friends... that's weird, too. I haven't had a genuine friend since Earth. It's something I'm still getting used to.
I have no complaints at all.