Starlight (Book 1)

39: Family Ties

We'd arrived at the hideout a few minutes later, though I didn't bother putting on my suit. Since talking with Echo, I'd been extra cautious to avoid drawing extra attention to myself.

I was catching up on revision for Chemistry, but I'd gotten stuck. Putting down my pencil and stretching my fingers, I looked across the hideout to Jax. He was napping against the weathered boards, using my bag as a pillow.

Standing up, I padded my way over. I had no idea how he'd fallen asleep like that.

"Jax," I whispered. My chances of waking him up quietly were in the negative, I knew; but that didn't stop me from trying. "It's not nap time."

His heavy snoring got louder. I poked him. "How are you even sleeping with all those textbooks as cushioning? Is that your second superpower? The ability to sleep anywhere?"

He groaned and turned over. "What do you want?"

"You're lying on my bag," I said. "I need my green notebook. It's in the second pocket from the top."

He sighed, lethargically lifting his hand off the dusty wooden floor. As he moved, a dull glow emanated around his wrist. The shimmering purple light grew, expanding into a concentric circle. When the bubble popped, my notebook had appeared in Jax's hands. He handed it to me with a gruff, "Here."

It took him another full second to realize what had happened. He shot up so abruptly he nearly hit his head and yelled, "Oh fuck—did I—did that actually, really truly happen when I wasn't looking?"

I stared at the notebook in my hands, reeling. "How...?"

Jax held his hands in front of him, examining his fingers like they were hiding the secret from him. "Uh... quick, let's try again."

Nodding, I said, "Okay, I need a pencil."

His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated. He closed his eyes, slowly letting his arms drop. The silence extended for a few minutes before the anticipation wore off and he asked, "Anything?"

"Don't think so," I said. The disappointment was etched on his face as he slumped further to the floor.

I flipped my notebook open and tore off a page, crumpled it into a ball, and lobbed it towards Jax. He caught it without much effort. "What was that for?"

"Element of surprise," I explained. "But I forgot you have football reflexes."

He tossed the paper at me in return. It hit me directly in the chest before tumbling to the floor. "Maybe it only works when I'm not thinking."

"You have thoughts?" I asked incredulously.

Jax rolled his eyes, getting to his feet. "Give me the notebook. I'm gonna try again."

I reluctantly gave it back. He tried to replicate what he'd done before, but staring blankly at the notebook wasn't accomplishing much.

"How did you do it last time?" I prompted. "Take a minute. Follow every step."

He groaned, but picked up one of the metal buckets, effectively hiding the book underneath it. "You told me what section of your bag it was in, right?"

When I nodded, he forged onward: "I pictured it in my head. That's step one."

Makes sense. "Whatever object is moving needs a starting location and an ending location. It's a two-way street."

"Exactly." As he spoke, the glow returned, like a tiny magical wristband. It lingered unsteadily for a few seconds before quickly dispersing again.

He tried this a few more times, but still, nothing moved. Noticing that it was getting close to lunch, I packed up my homework, and we cut through the overgrown shrubbery on the path back to his car.