Chapter 8

There were only 2 things TJ waited for as she got ready for school every day. Okay, maybe 3, her History homeroom class, lunch hour, and the last 4 hours where she worked on her powers with her friends and Dean.

It was a week now at Aldcoast, and TJ was friendly with almost everyone except for Emilia. TJ decided that scaring everyone in her new school might not be a good option, everyone had powers, and she would not like to play with fire, literally.

Emilia didn't talk to TJ until it was necessary. She was always scowling at her. When she wasn't, Emilia was ignoring TJ.

TJ tried to apologize again, maybe that dress was really special to her, but Emilia just glared and walked away without a reply.

It was Friday, and tomorrow was their first simulation test, TJ's first simulation test. TJ was nervous, not because it was her first time, but because she wasn't quick enough. She feared that she would fail if she wasn't fast enough. She decided that it was best if she practised a bit more.

After her class, TJ went to her room and changed into sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. TJ decided it was best to warm up a bit. Although it was fun exploring her powers, TJ missed playing lacrosse. She missed the chase, she missed the thrill and, she missed her Coach's scolding. But most of all, she missed Nat. He would always be there for her, cheer her up, calm her nerves before any game, and tell her he was proud of her when they won or lost.

Deciding to talk to Nat later because there was no reception at Aldcoast, TJ started running around the ground as her usual routine. She took 5 laps before she did some push-ups and some jumping-jacks. It was her regular routine, and it felt nice doing all that workout.

"Want some help?" A voice said, this time it wasn't in her head.

TJ looked around and saw Asher removing his leather jacket appearing in his plain black half sleeves t-shirt.

"Sure," TJ smiled, and Asher helped her as she did her squat routine.

"I always wanted to do this," Asher said, his hands on her hips, his breath fanning on her neck.

"Me too, but I have to practice first," TJ pulled away as Asher grinned.

"Let's practice then," Asher said excitedly, "I think you should meditate first," Asher said, and TJ cocked her head in confusion. "Meditating helps you strengthen your mind, and your powers are connected to your mind. When you conjure your powers, you concentrate. Meditating will help you concentrate," Asher explained, and TJ nodded.

"You're so smart, Ash. I feel like an idiot in front of you," TJ came close, but Asher raised his hand.

"No stalling, practice. Sit down, I'll meditate along with you," Asher said. TJ pouted but obeyed her boyfriend.

They both sat on the grassy ground in Indian style.

"Now close your eyes, and loosen yourself," Asher said, his voice calm but strict.

TJ followed. She loosened her muscles and relaxed, instantly feeling better.

"Now concentrate on your breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat it until you hear nothing but your breathing," Asher directed, and TJ exactly did that.

It was very relaxing as TJ breathed in and exhaled as Asher said. Her focus was on her breathing.

"Good, now feel the power you have inside you. Feel it moving from your mind to your hands," Asher said, it felt like she heard his voice after hours, but it wasn't even close.

TJ focused on the tingling in her body she felt while she used her powers. She focused on bringing it to her palms. The process was faster than her first day. She could conjure her powers when she wanted, but it wasn't smooth. Making portals took too much of her energy and gave her headaches.

"Too fast, Annie. Slowly, slowly bring them to your palm," Asher instructed.

TJ did what she was told. She tried to focus on putting less effort at once and allowed only a bit of energy to pass through her, slowly increasing.

"Good, Annie. You're doing great!" Asher encouraged, and TJ smiled. "Now do it like an exercise. Slow, then fast. Do it with your eyes open," Asher told her as TJ opened her eyes and saw Asher sitting in front of her with a smile.

TJ channelled her powers into her hand, controlling them as she called them. Her hands glowed black, first, then she pulled it back, then pushed it more, then pulled back. TJ did it multiple times until it felt like conjuring her powers was at the back of her hand. It felt like they were there at her fingertips. So she tried doing that.

Her fingertips started gleaming black together. She tried doing it one finger at a time. She tried for her index one, but her middle and ring finger too shone. She pulled back and concentrated again. This time, it was just her middle and index ones.

"You're doing amazing, Annie. Just a bit more concentration. Let's see if you can make portals this fast," Asher challenged.TJ smirked.

"Let's see Ashy-boy. Name a place, and I'll make a portal" TJ accepted the challenge, planting her feet on the ground.

"Okay…um…cafeteria," Asher announced, and TJ pictured the cafeteria and channelled her powers as it appeared.

"Good, faster than before," Asher said. "Your room," He said, and TJ pulled back and pictured her room, it appeared. Amaya was lying on her bed, listening to songs as she bobbed her head to the rhythm. TJ snickered but pulled back the portal.

"Homeroom," Asher said. TJ pictured the homeroom as the portal appeared.

"Library," Asher said immediately, and TJ pictured the library quickly as the portal changed to the library's entrance.

"The locker room," Asher said, this time, TJ didn't even pull back, but the scene changed.

"Okay. Now let's try something different," Asher said, and TJ pulled back the portal. "Instead of two hands, use one, even if the portal is small," Asher said. TJ groaned.

"I'm tired, Ash. I can't do this anymore," TJ said, and she was right. TJ was sweating like she played a game of lacrosse. Sweat was literally dripping off her body as she panted for air.

"Push your limits, Annie. You have to come out of your comfort level. The simulation thing is not going to be as easy as it was last time. Dean is not going to throw things at you. You will face real challenges there," Asher said, and TJ nodded.

"Can we at least take a 5-minute breather. I need to collect my energy a bit," TJ said, and Asher nodded.

TJ laid down on the ground and closed her eyes, hearing only her breathing. Slowly she calmed, and TJ felt better. She stood up, and dusted herself, and planted her feet on the ground.

"Break over, Ashy-boy. Let's see what you got," TJ smirked, and Asher gave her an impressed look.

"Okay. You will use one hand. We'll go slow first," Asher and TJ nodded with excitement, feeling charged up suddenly. "Science lab," Asher said, and TJ allowed power to flow from her left hand, and a small portal opened.

TJ tried to push it open a bit wide, but Asher stopped her, "No, don't push it," Asher stopped her, and TJ relaxed.

"IT lab," Asher said next, and TJ used her left hand again, and the IT lab door appeared the portal was big enough to horizontally go inside.

"Cafeteria," He told her, with a wicked smile, and TJ changed the portal image to the cafeteria, but this time the portal was wider than before.

Before TJ could even get satisfied, Asher spoke, "Your dorm," He declared quickly, and TJ pulled her hand back and thought of her room as the portal appeared.

Again, Asher was fast, "Lockers," He said, and TJ's portal changed to the locker room's view.

"Your room's bathroom," Asher was faster, and TJ pushed and pulled her left hand as the location changed. Before she could breathe, Asher said, "Homeroom," TJ pictured again as the homeroom appeared.

"Library," he said again. TJ, this time, used her right hand, and the library's entrance appeared.

"The tree behind you," Asher tried tricking her. TJ's left-hand side portal changed images, and the tree appeared.

"The basketball court," Asher kept on changing places quickly, and the right-hand one changed.

"The swimming pool," He spoke again, and TJ changed the library one to the swimming pool.

"Your house," He said. TJ pictured her house, and the right-hand side portal changed scenes.

"School," He said, and the left-hand side portal changed.

"Nat's house," The right one changed.

"Lacrosse field," The left one changed.

"My house," The right one changed.

TJ waited for more, but Asher stopped. And TJ turned and looked at Asher, who was staring at the building of his house now.

TJ's eyes softened as she looked at her boyfriend looking at his house longingly.

The left side portal changed images, and Asher's room appeared. Asher's eyes went to his room.

She got an idea, and both the portals disappeared. TJ pictured and wished, and a small hole appeared in the air. She widened it so that Asher and her could see through it.

It was Asher's father's office. They saw him sitting on his chair as he typed furiously on his laptop. He looked tired. His eyes weren't the same bright blue anymore but were a dull and sad shade of blue.

Asher's dad stopped typing as he sighed a long sigh and slumped back to his chair with his eyes closed. He looked unhappy, depressed, and TJ felt like someone punched her gut. She wasn't the only one grieving. Aiden Black lost his only son too, his only remaining family. As tears stung her eye, TJ wished for the portal to stay as she tracked her hand back, and it happened. Leaving Asher watching his father, TJ slumped back to the tree behind them.

Soon Asher realized that he was the only one standing there and turned to see his Annie. Her back was towards the tree, and her head was between her legs. He knew she was crying. Asher walked to her girlfriend and sat beside her.

"Close the portal now, Annie," Asher said softly and Annie without looking, waved her hand, and the portal vanished. "Look at me, Annie," Asher said, but she didn't. "Annie, stop it, it's not your fault," Asher told her, but she still didn't look up at him.

He sighed and draped his arm over her shoulder to pull her towards him. He felt her shoulders moving, and Asher realized that Annie was trying to not make a sound while she cried. Asher felt powerless as he saw his Annie like this. She blamed herself for something that never happened. She was blaming herself for the crime she didn't commit.

He pulled Annie to himself, but she resisted. Asher sighed as he had enough of this.

"Annie, you have to look at me. I know you are crying, and it's not your fault, please stop giving yourself a hard time,"

Finally, Annie looked at him.

Asher's heart melted as he saw Annie's red eyes. Tears were flowing non-stop from her eyes. Asher pulled her to him as she cried on his shoulder, so he hugged her tightly.

"I…I am so so…sorry A…Ash," Annie hiccupped, "I did…did not mean t…to do th…this," She cried as Asher rubbed her back lovingly.

"I'm here, Annie. Stop crying," Asher consoled her, rubbing circles on her back.

"I…If I k…knew this w…would ha…happen, I would ha…have ne…never done it," Annie cried, and Asher felt helpless. How to tell his Annie that she wasn't at fault? How to tell her just this without telling her everything?

"Hush, now Annie. It wasn't your fault, it wasn't anyone's fault," He consoled her, but Annie pulled away.

"You sh…should h…hate me. I di…did this to you…to your f…father. Why do…don't you ha…hate me?" Annie asked, waving her hands through her hair, pulling them, and looking away.

"I can't hate you, Annie. I can't, especially for something you never did," Asher told her, this made Annie look at him. She wiped away the tears from the back of her hands as the fresh ones flowed out.

"You should. You should hate me, you should be disgusted with me. You should loathe my presence!" Annie cried loudly.

"I can't Annie. I can't hate you when I love you. I can't be disgusted away from you when you are the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on. You can't be disgusting because you have a beautiful heart. A beautiful heart that is in pieces because of me. Annie, stop guilt-tripping yourself. This is not your fault!" Asher answered, keeping hands on her shoulders as Annie melted to his touch.

"Why do you love me?" Annie asked him. Asher couldn't look away. Innocence, care and gentleness were clearly visible in those beautiful dark grey eyes.

"Because I can't help it. I couldn't help falling in love with you before, and I can't help it now, Annie," Asher said, simultaneously TJ's hands sparkled, and the next thing Asher know was that he was in her room at her dorm, on her bed, and Annie's lips were on his.

Asher pulled away and looked around before Annie kissed him again, and he returned the kiss like it was his nature.

"Amaya is in his brother's room. I checked," Annie said as she kissed him, from what he understood was pent up passion.

"Annie, stop before your roommate comes," Asher gasped as Annie nibbled his earlobe.

"She won't be here for an hour. It's her sibling time," Annie answered as she licked his neck and sucked it. "We will meet at dinner, remember?" Annie raised her brows, and Asher smirked before Annie could proceed, Asher was on top of her, kissing her hungrily.

"We have to stop, Annie," Asher told her cautiously as he dropped a kiss on her shoulder.

"No," Annie refused, gasping as Asher's hands went under her top.

"We have to, I can't do this when I am somewhere else, far from you," Asher stated, and Annie looked at him with confusion.

"What do you mean? You are here," Annie said, pecking the mark on his eyebrow, and Asher smiled. Annie loved it for some reason. It was no scar he was proud of, but Annie was.

"I mean that, yes I am here, but I am not with you. You might see me, touch me, kiss me. But I am still not me," Asher explained, and Annie finally realized what he said, and the guilt reappeared in her eyes.

Asher kissed her again, trying to wipe that guilt again.

"Annie, I am not sure how, or when, but I want everyone to know you are mine. I want to drape my arm around your waist possessively and tell everyone that you are mine, and I'm yours. I want you to be guilt-free when we do it, Annie. Love and passion should be the only things in your mind when we make love. Do you understand?" Asher asked, and Annie's face turned beetroot red with just the mention of it, but she nodded. Asher smiled goofily. He loved when Annie blushed.

"Good, now go, take a bath," Asher told her as he pushed her.

"Fine, but are you sure you don't want to join me?" Annie asked in a wicked tone, biting her lip suggestively, and Asher groaned.

Whatever time it will take, Annie would not make it easy for him.