A Disease of Magic

The jumpsuit they put me in was the most ridiculous, unflattering piece of clothing I had ever seen and was, fucking surprise, beige.

I wondered if I could teleport only a part of it to rip it in half so I couldn’t be forced to wear it.

Definitely worth a try.

Later, though.

Leo and his father were standing in front of me, heads bent over a tablet, discussing something about my ability in hurried, hushed tones. I could make out a word here or there when Leo got excited about something, but his father would quiet him so I couldn’t decipher anything meaningful.

“You want to share with the class, fellas?” I wasn’t expecting a response but asked anyways, even if it was only to annoy them. Just because I had signed a contract of employment didn’t mean I had to be all smiles and sunshine. I had something they wanted, after all, which granted a small measure of protection. There was surely a limit to what they would put up with, and I would be careful to toe the line without going over.

Leo shot me a look for interrupting, and my answering smile was saccharine sweet.

Fuck him.

“Leo,” Andrew admonished, snapping his fingers once, like calling a dog to heel.

Hah.

I was growing bored. The past three days had been spent showing off my ability, eerily similar to how the Organization tested me. They’d also pushed me, trying to force me into doing new things I’d never done before, to see how quickly I could adapt to new situations. They wanted a prediction of how long it would take to further “evolve” my ability into whatever they thought it might become. I went to bed each night exhausted and slept without dreaming. It was a good kind of tired, the type that was both physical and mental rest, but it left me with very little time to do anything that I wanted.

It was unclear exactly why they pushed me so hard, but Leo mentioned that my early instances of breaking objects, shattering them, made them believe there was something else to my ability we hadn’t uncovered yet. People had one ability, not multiple. The temporary theory, until proven otherwise, was that I had an abundance of power that had to go somewhere. It was unchanneled, raw energy, simply thrown out into the universe. But they wanted to rule out something else, whether it was a secondary ability or a strange nuance of my teleportation.

While they continued to pour over whatever interesting tidbit they’d seen from the most recent data set, I popped myself over to the table set up in a far corner. I was there in a blink, having become much more familiar with teleporting myself over such a short amount of time, and grabbed the most obnoxious snack I could find.

I crunched loudly on the cheesy tortilla chips, feeling smug when Leo shot me another annoyed look.

He had no idea what was coming for him. Because I was just getting started.

I couldn’t attack him, harm him, or do anything else permanent. Technically, Leo was now one of my bosses. And while Andrew got me a new apartment yesterday, per my request, and handled the move for me, I was Leo’s new neighbor in the same apartment complex.

That cunning, irritating man only put another door between us.

It was a gorgeous apartment, unfortunately, and I loved it. Whoever had lived there before had impeccable taste, and being there felt like living in one of my books. The walls were painted in rich, deep tones with detailed trim and one room held floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. It would be heaven if it wasn’t so close to Leo.

Speaking of the devil, I watched as he shifted to keep me in his line of sight over at the snack table. It was like he though I would just up and vanish into thin air without warning, just to spite him.

Tempting. But I’d signed a contract, and I wouldn’t break it except in extreme circumstances.

I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him, setting down the chips and looking for what I actually wanted to eat.

Using my ability so frequently made me ravenous. It was an unexpected side-effect. Though, once it was pointed out, it was easy to notice the signs all those weeks ago. The extra portions here and there, the high-calorie desserts, the snacking, all without making any difference to how my clothes fit. If anything they were slightly looser, almost unnoticeable.

I threw the finished apple core in the garbage can and turned to face both men. They were looking at my expectantly, as though they’d been waiting for me to finish.

“What next?” I asked while I examined my nails. Maybe I’d paint them tonight, something obnoxious. Or better yet, I could dye the terrible jumpsuit and then match my nails to it.

Andrew answered me. “You will teleport Leo about one yard.”

I raised my eyebrows at Leo as if to ask, did you agree to this?

Leo nodded once in answer.

“Might be your funeral,” I muttered. I took my time walking over to them as I built up my power, grabbing it with metaphorical hands.

It took significantly more effort to teleport a living being that wasn’t myself. There was surely a reason for that, but not one I cared to figure out. So far, they’d had me practice on smaller animals, mice, rabbits, even a goat. It had bleated in panic afterwards and shit all over the floor as it ran in circles, some of it almost landing on Andrew’s shoes. It was hilarious.

But another person? That was new. I figured they’d have something else first, maybe a miniature pony or a llama or something. But if they wanted to jump straight to people with Leo as the guinea pig, I wasn’t going to say no.

“From how far away?” I asked, slowing as I approached. Even though the contract had been thorough, ensuring my safety and well-being, something still rubbed me the wrong way. I’d keep my distance.

“Whatever is comfortable for you for this first attempt. If you can manage it, then we will get technical.”

“I’m going to be nearing my limit after this,” I warned honestly. I could feel the very beginnings of the tingles at the tips of my fingers, my own personal warning sign that I was running out of juice. I’d learned that the hard way on day one, when I’d nearly collapsed after teleporting the entire group of mice at once. I’d ignored the strange feeling in my hands and arms, thinking it was because I had moved to multiple animals versus one.

I had been wrong. Thankfully a medic had been on standby the entire time, and I was quickly hooked up to IV fluids. It took only ten minutes to recover, but my hands buzzed uncomfortably the rest of the night.

“Noted.”

I gave Leo my full attention. It was difficult to look at him, to see the man who had been my best friend for years, and reconcile that with what he had done to me. Even though I was perfectly fine, and truly nothing terrible had happened, it was traumatizing. Sometimes him being too close to me triggered my anxiety, causing me to break out in a cold sweat. Thankfully, he noticed the few times it had happened. He was smart, at least, and realized what his presence did to me if he got too close.

Letting the burn of anger fuel me, I closed my eyes and extended my hand. The hand wasn’t always necessary but it helped direct the flow of my energy, my ability, as a physical conduit, especially when trying something new. It was probably a mental crutch, but for now I’d continue using it.

I visualized Leo, where he was and where I wanted him to go besides the thin air outside this building. I felt it, that shimmering, vibrating feeling washing over me. I let that energy wrap around him until it held him in a firm grasp.

I’d been paying attention lately. Before, I’d had no idea what I was doing or how I was making it work. I’d simply done it, probably on instinct. But throughout these few days of assessment and training sessions, I’d learned more about my ability than I’d noticed over weeks. And I wanted to improve, to get better. Not for them, but for me. And that was the biggest motivator.

With my eyes closed, I saw the white-violet sparks at the edges, the tangible indicator that my power was ramped up and ready to go.

I deposited Leo on the other side of his father, startling both men when I didn’t quite manage to land Leo on his feet. He stumbled forward, crashing into Andrew and sending them both sprawling to the ground.

“Oh, goodness! I am just so sorry!” I exclaimed. They both ignored my half-fake apology as they worked to untangle themselves from each other. I think the smothered giggles gave me away.

Leo grabbed his father’s tablet while they struggled to disentangle, looking down at the information there and soaking it in. I watched his eyes widen just a little before he recovered. Getting to his feet, he extended a hand to his father and helped him up before handing the tablet back over.

“You’ll need more practice, Callie,” Andrew chided, shaking his head, as if I should’ve had it perfect on the first try. I ignored him.

I caught Leo’s eye, raising a single eyebrow at him. At times, our apparent former best friend telepathy came in handy, even though it hurt. Like now. He mouthed “dinner” at me, and I nodded once. I didn’t want to, but I wanted to know whatever Leo had seen on the tablet. And if I insisted we go out to eat, in public, I’d feel safer.

Hopefully.

There was not enough bread on the table to share, not with the incredible butter and cheeses displayed between us. So I tugged the tray closer to me, feeling a pang in my chest when Leo rolled his eyes and let me take it without a fight.

While stuffing my face, I watched Leo scribble notes onto a little notebook he had started keeping with him. When I caught his eye again, I raised an eyebrow to ask what it was about, the hand-writing.

“There are some things that I’m trying to put together. And I don’t want any record of them, not until I’m sure of what I’m looking at.”

I nodded, picking up another piece of bread. The server brought our drinks, and Leo waited until he was out of earshot to continue scribbling away.

“My father hasn’t told me everything.”

“Shocking,” I said, my voice practically drowning in sarcasm. The side of Leo’s mouth twitched, the only sign he even heard me. “I can only assume that’s why you took your sweet time picking yourself up off the floor earlier. You’re welcome for that, by the way.”

Unsurprisingly, he ignored me. “From what I’ve been able to piece together, and from what he told you, I think he believes that your ability will mature or evolve into something else. Looking at the specifics of what he’s focusing on, it has something to do with how you’re bending space.”

“Um…what?”

“When you use your ability, you aren’t actually moving the object or person; you’re bending the space between the starting and ending points. You warp the space the object occupies. You’re not atomizing anything, sending it through the air, and reassembling it once it reaches its destination.”

I snapped my fingers and pointed at him. “Like that one movie about the chocolate!”

Leo shook his head. “There are so many better references you could have gone with. ’Beam me up, Scotty!’ being the best.”

I shrugged. “My movie was better. It had chocolate.”

Leo, being of sounder scientific mind, brought us back on track. I was grateful. This Leo I was very familiar with. This Leo hadn’t betrayed me. “I think my father is hoping that you can learn how to bend the space without it being centered around an object.”

It took my brain a few seconds to figure it out, but when I did, I burst into laughter, earning me a few confused looks from other patrons nearby. I smothered my laugh and asked, half-joking, “What, like portals or something?”

“Or something. I’m not positive. But he’s been measuring not only your ability, but also taking readings on the room we’re in itself to see what can be picked up. And it could explain why you shattered those objects earlier on. You were reacting strongly, or quickly, without thinking at all. And instead of being purposeful about it, you fractured the space the object occupied.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s like this,” Leo began explaining, leaning forward and holding his fork between us. “This fork takes up space.”

“Obviously.”

“Just…let me explain it from start to finish. Please.” When I didn’t respond, he continued, “If you were to teleport the fork, you’re bending the space between the beginning and end points. But, if you didn’t mean to, and touched the fork, instead of creating that instantaneous portal, your power breaks the space apart because it’s directionless. You’re bending space in a random pattern, with no intention. So it shatters.”

I crossed my forearms and leaned them against the table. I wasn’t convinced. “Could it be anything else?”

Leo sat back against the booth and regarded me. “I don’t know. That, he won’t share with me.”

“He’s such a—”

“Here you are, folks!” the server interrupted, bearing two plates of steaming food. It smelled incredible, as I picked up my utensils as soon as he set both plates down between us. Assuring him we didn’t need anything else, he disappeared again.

In thoughtful silence, we dug into our meals. I had noticed that Leo was practicing his ability behind his father’s back every so often, including earlier today. He had to be hungry, too.

“So, he still doesn’t trust you,” I said after I’d swallowed the first several bites.

Leo shook his head slowly. “No. I doubt he ever will.”

“What is his problem?”

Leo scoffed, shaking his head. I could tell he was hurt that he wasn’t being told everything. He was the type of person who latched on to information like it would solve all the world’s problems. Then again, maybe it would.

“Do you think that I’ll be able to create a portal?” The question came out unintentionally, and I shoved a bite of mashed potatoes into my mouth to shut myself up before I expressed any other worries or fears. They were cheesy and garlicky, the potatoes, and I wish I had ordered only them as my meal.

“Oh, absolutely.” My heart squeezed, more at his tone of certainty than his words. Apparently, I still valued his faith in me. “There’s still a lot to learn first, and obviously we’ll need to get your stats in the right range, but—”

“What stats? What range?” I interrupted with a mouthful of potato.

“Uh, you weren’t told?”

I gave him a look. “Seriously? Me? Told anything useful or meaningful?”

“Fair enough,” he sighed. “So, my father is under the assumption that for your abilities to be at their best, you need to work on your physical and mental health too.”

“I can tell you right now my mental health isn’t exactly in a good place.”

Abashed, Leo flushed and looked down, poking at the food on his plate. I considered saying more, like how I would be a more willing participant if someone had simply asked or explained it to me instead of going straight to abduction. But a part of me, the small part of me that still wanted Leo as my friend and mourned that friendship, wouldn’t let me.

“If I could go back and do things differently, I would,” Leo said quietly as he stared down at his plate. I had to strain to hear him over the dim chatter of the restaurant. “I didn’t know what I didn’t know. If I had…” He shrugged one shoulder, then met my eyes. “Truly, Callie. I’m so sorry.”

I glanced away and set my fork down, staring out at the windows to the city, all the strangers walking past with their umbrellas and jackets. The quiet, constant drizzle didn’t stop them, and being inside the restaurant felt like being in a whole other world.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I don’t expect you to give me your forgiveness. I’m going to work for it.”

His words stung, reminding me of how awry everything had gone so suddenly. “All this time, you’ve treated me like I’m inferior. Too uneducated to learn new things.” I shook my head. “You do remember that we met after I dropped out of college, right? I started a degree, took the basic core requirements and the prerequisites for my higher level classes. I even started a handful of them before I got diagnosed. But I couldn’t keep up with the labs with my absences because of the LaShoul’s, and I was told to either switch majors or drop out.”

Leo’s brows furrowed, as if he’d never considered this before. “Why didn’t you just make up the labs another time?”

I steepled my fingers in front of my face and tried not to blow a gasket.

“You do realize that people who run the labs get paid for their time? Their work? And how was I to pay them to meet on the weekends or during times I was free to make up the labs?” I cocked my head and stared at Leo.

“Couldn’t you get a disability accommodation?”

“You’re missing the point. But no, to answer your question. I still couldn’t make half of the available labs. They were usually back to back sections.” I took a deep breath and held it, counting to five before letting it out. “The point is that you treat me like I’m not smart enough for this, which is probably why we ended up here in the first place. You need to tell me things, tell me everything. Don’t try to spare me the boring details that you think I won’t understand. Treat me like an equal, Leo, or this—” I pointed between myself and him “—will continue to break.”

Leo blushed, embarrassed at being called out on his misogyny. Intentional or not it was wrong, and was the first thing that had to change before I’d even consider…anything.

“What was your major?”

I narrowed my eyes. He hadn’t accepted my demand, so he’d get nothing. “You haven’t earned that answer yet.”

“It’s something important to you, then.”

I opened my mouth to snap back at him when the waiter returned for our dessert order. Leo ordered two at random to-go and paid.

After a couple minutes of silence waiting for the desserts, Leo finally said, “I hear you, Callie. An equal. I can do that.”

I nodded, satisfied for now. Time would tell if he could actually uphold his end. I was betting not, but I hoped to be proven wrong.

On our way towards the door, a thought occurred to me, and I added, “Oh, and to start with the whole I’ll make it up to you, Callie thing…can we stop and pick up a few things on the way back? I have an arts and crafts project I want to do.”