light and dark

I was itching to speak to Xavier about the strange sparks I saw pass from G-D to him, but I knew then wasn't the best time. Instead I focused on the long walk before us. Now I'm watching the sun slowly slide below the horizon with my legs dangling off of a cliff. Behind me lies our camp for the night. This is the first time we've traveled far enough to stay overnight and it's exciting! Tonight I won't have to run off to see the stars. And I get to share them with my friends tonight, which will make them even better. The swirling winds tug at my bare feet, enticing me to go fly. I let myself fantasise about the roar of the wind in my wind as I fly through the sky, but I reign myself back before I throw myself off the cliff. I hear a noise behind me before I see another pair of legs join mine hanging off the cliff.

"Beautiful view, isn't it?" Georgia asks me. I mutter an agreement under my breath.

"We should be able to see the stars really well tonight." She comments. "Without running off alone." She adds pointedly.

"Yeah, I guess we will." I nod. 'What does she want?' I wonder.

"Was it really just the stars that enticed you to go off to that hill?" She asks, staring at the pink smear across the sky.

"Yes." I say, perhaps too quickly. 'You,'

My brain complains, 'are a terrible liar.'

Georgia lets out a sigh. "Can you look me in the eye and say that?" She presses.

I nod hesitantly. Throwing her hair out of the way, Georgia turns to me. After a bit of procrastination I look her in the eye.

"The stars were all I went for." I lie, pushing down the sick feeling of guilt that sits like a stone in my gut every time I lie, especially when I pretend I have no powers. Georgia searches my eyes a bit more until, seemingly satisfied, she gets up and turns back to camp.

"Enjoy the sunset." She tells me as she walks off.

But the beautiful sky is marred by more than just the red sun.

3rd POV:

Georgia smiles as she walks back to camp, leaving Jai on the cliff. She had got more out of that than she expected. She starts listing them off as she walks. ' One: Jai is a horrendous liar. Maybe that will be handy to know. Two: He does have powers! Jai has the ability to fly. And perhaps most interesting of all, three: she wasn't the only one to see the lightning that crackled up Xavier's arm. Speaking of...'

Georgia watches closely as Xavier and Gold-Dust sneak out of the camp, thinking no one is watching. 'Perhaps,'

Georgia ponders as she walks over to the camp fire, 'There's more going on here that meets the eye. But if I know anything, it's not more than meets my mind.'

***

Xavier's POV:

The grass rustles beneath my feet as Gold-Dust and I sneak out of camp. I feel bad for running off, especially as it's getting dark, but I need to be away from the others for a while. We walk until we find a small clearing in the grass. Tired from a long day, I drop down into a cross-legged position on the ground. Leaning back on my hands a little I watch my new pet. Whilst I'm struggling to get over how amazing it is that I have a 1.4 meter fox for a pet, what's really occupying my thoughts is the strange lightning that seemed to come from Gold-Dust's fur. I whistle quietly and the fox in question pads over. "How did you do that thing with the sparks, huh boy?" I whisper, stroking the back of his neck. "How'd you make lightning?"

Gold-Dust looks at me with his big eyes. Stepping back from me he gives himself a shake, making his fur stick out a little. I watch in shock as his eyes turn neon yellow, although they're dimmer than they were when he attached Jai. Watching my face as if to see my reaction, Gold-Dust seems to almost grin as large sparks start crackling through his poofy fur.

"Woah!" I whisper, watching my electric fox crackle with enough energy to charge a laptop! Spellbound, I hardly realise when I reach out towards my pet, or when my fingers entwine into his fur. But I do realise, when volts of electricity start flowing up my arms. And not just in the outside either! My jaw drops as I watch my veins begin to glow yellow. Gold-Dust yaps excitedly as a laugh escapes my lips. This isn't the first time I've handled electricity, but my veins have never glowed like this before! I start laughing loudly, unable to contain my excitement. How is this happening?! I've not got my fingers in plug sockets like I normally do when I hold electricity. It's almost as if Gold-Dust is making electricity! Laughing louder than I have in ages, I untangle my fingers from my pets fur and watch the sparks flick around my fingers. Grinning wildly I reach my fingers up towards the skies, forgetting how close I am to the camp as bolt after bolt of lightning shoots from my palms and into the clear sky, lighting up the now dark night. Slowly the electricity all gets used and the glow in my veins faints away. I glance at Gold-Dust to see that his eyes are no longer neon yellow either and his fur isn't crackling.

"That was awesome!!" I cry as loudly as I dare. I laugh again and ruffle Gold-Dust's fur before we turn to head back to camp. As we turn, however, a figure steps out of the fairly tall grass with wide eyes.

"What," they breathe, "was that?!"