IDENTITY: FOURTEEN

ALEX POV

My cheek instantly started to heat up as I listened to the whispers of the two girls. I tried not to overhear them, but their voices were just too loud to ignore.

Be serious, self! You need to learn what Sky taught you.

I cleared my throat and adjusted my seat. I scanned the room to find a target, but everyone seemed engrossed in their phones. I glanced outside, and something interesting caught my eye—the black car. It was parked on the other side of the road, just in front of the restaurant. Luckily, the side window was down, and I thought he was currently talking to someone.

"Perfect," I muttered and observed the man. I started visualizing a sound wave coming out from him. After a while, I began hearing voices.

"He's in the restaurant right now. He's with his boyfriend." Boyfriend? This guy is such an idiot. "Okay, boss. Yes." I noticed him looking at me, so I quickly averted my gaze. I waited a few more seconds, and when I looked again, the window was closed.

"Is everything alright?" Sky suddenly asked me, which startled me. But I was more irritated by the girls' sudden squeals.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now, where's our food? I'm starving."

"I don't kn—"

"Here's your order, sir," the server interrupted, placing our ordered food and drinks on the table. "Enjoy your lunch date, sir."

"Lunch… what!" I asked Sky in shock.

"Sorry, but umm... we're not a couple," Sky corrected the server. When he said "couple," my cheeks heated up again, so I quickly looked down.

"Oh, sorry, sir."

"It's okay. Thank you for your service."

"You're always welcome, sir."

What did I get myself into? I thought this was just an ordinary lunch.

"Eat it while it's hot."

I gathered all my courage and bravery and faced him as if nothing happened. I grabbed the spoon and fork and started eating. I tried my best not to blush because I might just leave. It took us an hour to finish the meal. During that time, neither spoke, and the awkwardness reached where other customers started staring at us.

We didn't linger in that restaurant and left. The tension in there was too strong for me to handle. I felt like I was going to faint from the heavy atmosphere earlier. Since we were done with the restaurant, we headed to the Municipal Hall.

While on our way, Sky couldn't help but ask, "How's your clairaudience?"

"So far, I managed."

"That's good. Now, I will teach you about mind reading."

"Proceed, master," I joked.

Sky started explaining how I could learn mind reading, and now it was my turn to do it. The process was the same as clairaudience, but with a few changes. "Read my mind," he ordered.

"Like, right now?"

"Yes." I sighed and followed his instructions. Like in clairaudience, it was all about waves, but this time, I utilized brain waves instead of sound waves. Still, visualization was essential since that's where everything began.

"Congratulations."

"It says, ‘congratulations,’" I announced, and he nodded in approval.

"Well done. You're quite a fast learner, Alex. Good for me because it won't be hard to teach you."

"Is that a compliment?" I didn't receive a response from him, so I decided to read his mind.

"Nice one," I heard from Sky's thoughts. I saw Sky's lips curve in amusement, annoying me. I just faced forward and focused on walking.

Exactly at 6:30 in the evening, we reached the Municipal Hall. The employees were quite busy preparing for the upcoming festival. I glanced at the banner outside the Municipal Hall, and my eyes widened.

"Right! The festival!" I exclaimed as an idea popped up in my head. I turned to Sky, who looked confused. "The festival. It will be a great time to execute the plan. The plan will be easier since people will be busy," I explained, noticing Sky's eyes gleaming, a sign that he liked my suggestion.

"And when is that?"

"Next Friday."

"6 days from now."

"It's enough for us to prepare. I'll train every day, starting tonight," I volunteered, giving him my determined look. Sky just stared at me, seemingly contemplating whether to agree or not. But I'm sure he'll agree. I'm certain.

******

"Psi balls are good for offense. With enough energy and force, it can be an instant bomb," explained Sky. He was teaching me a new psychic ability that he claimed would be helpful for our mission this Friday.

"I'll agree if you will learn everything I will teach you," he said, and I quickly agreed. So here I am, about to learn a new technique.

"Now, I want you to focus all your energy in one place, like your palm, and then visualize a transparent ball forming from this energy you've collected. A ball will materialize if you succeed. If that happens, I want you to hit this," he said, placing a bucket on the floor a few meters away from me. I nodded in response, and he left to give me some space.

I held both hands before me as if doing a chest pass. I closed my eyes and began collecting energy. The energy was a by-product of active molecular activity. In just a few moments, I felt the warmth forming between my palms as if some kind of fire was present.

Accompanying this sensation were pricking feelings as if my palms were being pierced. I also noticed a light emanating from it, even though my eyes were closed. Out of curiosity, I opened my eyes and was amazed at what I saw. A ball of white and yellow hovered between my palms. It released a flare and electricity. I never knew I could do this!

"Okay, Alex. Let's knock that bucket down," I muttered, preparing for the next move. I stared at the bucket ahead of me and focused my hands toward the target. At that moment, I swiftly pushed my hand toward the bucket, releasing the psi ball. The ball dashed towards the bucket, and the moment it hit, it suddenly exploded.

"Good thing I decided to do your training here," Sky said, carrying a fire extinguisher. The bucket was on fire, and the surrounding concrete was cracked and damaged. Sky quickly extinguished the fire as if he were watering plants.

Sky was right; it was a good thing we did the training outside the lab. I'm grateful there's enough space here for training. But I was still worried.

"Do you think they heard that?" I asked the guy who just finished putting out the fire.

"I don't think so," he replied, easing my mind. "This room is soundproof, so no matter how many explosions you make, it won't reach the upper floors." I sighed in relief upon learning that we were safe. I thought it was the end for us because of that explosion. But I never expected it to be that powerful. If a person were hit, their entire body would indeed explode.

"Congratulations, by the way. I was expecting less. But what you gave me is beyond my expectations," my teacher praised and commented.

"Thanks for the compliment, Master," I joked, then went inside to rest and eat. All that training made me hungry. Speaking of food, Sky mentioned earlier that he would be the one to cook, so I wondered what he prepared.

I headed to the kitchen area, but before I could reach our mini-kitchen, I saw something on the screen table. It was an image of a house with a "sold out" label on its upper right corner.

"Sold out?" I clicked on the purchase info and saw my name as the buyer. I noticed Sky approaching, so I decided to ask him. "What's this?"

"We're moving."

"What?" I furrowed my brow. "We're fine at the boarding house, right?"

"It is not safe there, especially when we get Maica. They will do everything, Alex. They'll retaliate." I couldn't respond to Sky's statement. He was right. Once we get Maica, nothing will be normal anymore. We will be the prey hiding from the predator.

"How about Lola Vemine and Tita?"

"I already have plans for that. So if I were you, eat now, and I'll teach you something else." I just nodded in response and continued towards the cooking area.

Many questions popped up in my head, and I didn't know how to answer all of them. But there was one question that bothered me: Can I still live like I used to before?

******

I sat on the floor after several attempts at creating energy waves. I glanced again at the wall I had been targeting and saw it was completely damaged. I closed my eyes once more and tried to steady my breathing. As I opened my eyes, a hand was extended before me. It was Sky. I took his hand, and he helped me stand.

"That's enough for today. Take a rest," he suggested. I nodded and walked into the hideout. I quickly grabbed my towel and headed straight to the bathroom. I turned on the hot shower and enjoyed the relaxing feeling it brought. After 15 minutes, I finished.

I went to the sofa and sat down. I checked my watch and realized it was already past midnight. I wasn't sleepy yet, so I looked for something to occupy myself. I searched the entire place for something to do, but nothing interested me.

I decided to expand my telepathy, like trying to contact Maica. I know Sky didn't mention earlier that this would work, but there's nothing to lose in trying it, right? I adjusted my sitting position and closed my eyes. I visualized the image of Maica and generated some brain waves.

"Maica?" I called out to her. I didn't expect her to respond because it was just a test run. It's probably impossible for Maica to hear it.

"Alex?"

I was surprised when I heard her voice. My heart started beating faster, and my body felt a chill of excitement. "Sky?" I called the guy who had been looking at the screen table. He looked at me and walked towards me. "I contacted Maica through telepathy," I informed him.

"And?"

"She answered."

Sky's eyes widened when I told him what happened. It's a sign that even he didn't know we could communicate telepathically from a distance. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"I never thought we could do that."

"I was surprised at first, too."

"Contact her again. Ask her if she's fine. Then, get her location," Sky ordered, which I agreed to. I had never felt so happy before. Knowing that I could talk to her was the best news so far. We might not see each other, but at least we could communicate.

Once again, I closed my eyes and visualized her image. After establishing the right brain waves, I didn't waste any time and called out to her. "Hi, Maica."

******

MAICA POV

It was cold. Based on the clock, it was already past midnight, so it was very cold. This was my situation every night — I went to the corner, hugged my knees, and tried to warm my body. I couldn't sleep. I didn't know why, but sleep didn't visit me. And every time I can't sleep, I just remember Mama and Alex, which triggered the breakdowns.

"I miss them so much," I mumbled as tears filled my cheeks. I just bowed my head and felt the sad and cold night. I tightened my embrace around my knees, intensifying my crying. All I could do was cry and hope that one day I would be rescued from my current situation.

If only I had the power.

"Maica."