Chapter 21

"Teleport!" "Teleport!" "Teleport!!" "Teleport!!!"

"For the love of God, would stop saying-"

"TEREPŌTOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

My self control is gone. I have reverted to full on crazy mode.

I don't even know what happened. One moment, I was thinking about the possibility of my powers being teleportation, the next I'm teleporting the ball all over the place without any real thoughts to my actions.

"Yuri, stop it, you're gonna break something!"

Can't stop. This is what I wanted. Reality has given me something that I've needed for a long time.

"Terri! Do you see what I can do!?"

"I see you've literally gone mad with power!"

"I'm not mad! They said I was mad, but look at me now! I was right."

This isn't just power, this is something that puts me above it all, something that breaks me free from the normality they all suffer in.

"Yuri, please? I need you to calm down. You're having some kind of manic episode, but-"

"Manic episode?!"

"Just like when we first met. Remember what you said? Sometimes you're normal, sometimes you're like you were when you fired that gun at me. I think- I think you're having a manic episode."

"What? Am I really being like that again?"

I look at myself. I have my hands raised up in the air like an insane super villain or something. I can feel that my face has twisted into a sadistic smile. I'm on the other side.

"Maybe, you're right. I'm not acting like I normally do. I'm weird, but I'm not maniacal bad guy weird."

I lower my hands and stop the ball from blipping around the room. I hear it hit the floor with a soft bounce, and I try to calm down.

"There ya go. That's better, isn't it?"

"Yah, it is. Terri…"

"Yeah?"

"I gotta tell you something. I alluded to it earlier, but there's something wrong with me."

"I kinda had the same thought."

"Really? When you figure that one out?"

"Uh, right about when I met you."

"Yeah; that makes sense."

"I want to help you."

"What?"

"It's complicated, but I have something to tell you too."

Suddenly, in fact, some would say perfectly on cue, everything started to vibrate. Not vibrate, shake. The earth was trembling, things too big to be moved by human hands fell over, and then it all went black.

"I think we've pushed the universe to its breaking point."

"Can you hold off on the crazy talk and just help me here?"

I get up and see Terri laying down on the floor, his leg pinned under a basketball hoop that fell down during the earthquake.

"I think you're gonna need to help me help you."

Terri pushes and I pull as we lift the hoop just enough for him to slide his leg from out underneath.

"Finally, being indestructible has an advantage."

Terri rubs his leg as he stands back up, showing no sign that anything had ever even happened to him.

"I think we should get out of here. Both because I don't trust the structural stability and because I can't even imagine how bad it must look outside."

"Same. Let's go."

We both make our way outside and see the devastation. A thin line of separation has formed in the earth, seemingly originating from underneath the old school building, stretching out the walkway, grass, and even beyond to the distant pathway that is still actually in use. A bit too far away to see clearly, a few students are on the ground, accessing each other's current state. Although I can see them through the leaves, the trees that were put up to hide the old building away do a good enough job to keep us from being seen by the others. Still, it's best if we keep low.

"We can't go back into that building. It was unsafe before, but now, it looks like a death trap."

"Yuri, that line is coming right out from under the building."

"I know that. I think- I hate to say it, but I think we may be the cause of this."

"I know I would usually call you crazy for saying that, but I was thinking the same thing."

"Yeah, it just makes sense. I guess I can say my teleportation counts as breaking the speed of light."

'Three down, just one final force to break.

"Terri, we have to resurrect the dead."