Chapter 5:
The First Spark
Jay stood over Kenny's shoulder, still staring at the computer screen filled with his mother's files. The words swam in his vision, too dense and technical to make sense. Frustration bubbled inside him, the events of the last few weeks weighing heavily on his mind. He clenched his fists, wanting—needing—something to make sense.
"Jay," Kenny said, his voice cutting through the silence.
"What?" Jay snapped, but Kenny wasn't looking at him. Kenny's eyes were glued to his hands.
"Your hand," Kenny whispered.
Jay glanced down. At first, he didn't notice anything. But then, faint yellow sparks danced across his fingertips, crackling like static electricity. His breath caught in his throat. "What the…?"
Kenny leaned back in his chair, his eyes wide. "Dude, what's going on? Are you—"
"I don't know!" Jay interrupted, lifting his hand to examine it. The sparks flickered and danced, growing brighter. Before he could stop himself, he instinctively curled his pinky and ring finger toward his palm. A small but sharp zap burst from his middle and index fingers.
A yellow beam of energy shot out, striking the wall. It left a perfectly circular hole about twice the size of a quarter. Smoke curled from the edges of the hole as both boys froze in stunned silence.
Jay stared at his hand, his heart racing. "How did I do that?"
"I don't know," Kenny said, his voice tinged with awe. "Do it again."
"What?" Jay turned to him, incredulous.
"Do it again," Kenny repeated, sitting up straighter. "Come on, we need to figure this out."
Jay hesitated, but curiosity got the better of him. He made the same motion with his hand, and another beam shot out, leaving an identical hole in the wall next to the first one. His eyes darted between the two holes, disbelief written all over his face.
He raised his right hand this time, trying the same motion. Sure enough, a third beam fired, punching another hole into the wall. Smoke and bits of plaster drifted to the floor as Jay stared at his hands like they were foreign objects.
The door burst open, and Molly stormed in, her arms crossed and her expression stern. "What are you two doing in here?"
Jay quickly shoved his hands behind his back, glancing nervously at the holes in the wall. Kenny spun his chair around, trying to look nonchalant, but his face betrayed him.
Molly's eyes narrowed as she scanned the room, her gaze landing on the holes. She pointed at the wall. "Cover that up. If Dad sees that, he's going to freak."
Jay stammered, "It's not—uh—we didn't—"
"I don't care," Molly said, cutting him off. "Just fix it. And don't mess anything else up, or I'm telling Dad."
She gave them both a pointed look before walking out, muttering something about being the only responsible one in the house.
Jay sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, that was close."
"Close?" Kenny said, spinning back around to face him. "Dude, you have super powers! Do you realize how awesome this is?"
Jay frowned, looking at his hands again. He hesitated, then made the motion once more. Another beam shot out, leaving a fourth hole in the wall.
"JAY!" Molly's voice echoed from the hallway.
Jay winced. "Okay, I might have super powers."
Kenny grinned, practically bouncing in his chair. "Bro, we need to experiment. Figure out what you can do, how far this goes. I know the perfect place."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "You sound way too excited about this."
"Because I am!" Kenny said, standing up. "Come on, you're like a real-life superhero. We need to test your powers somewhere safe, somewhere we won't get caught."
Jay hesitated, the weight of everything that had happened threatening to pull him back into doubt. But then he glanced at the holes in the wall and felt something stir inside him—something new.
"Fine," Jay said, grabbing his hoodie. "But if this goes sideways, it's your fault."
Kenny smirked. "Wouldn't have it any other way."