“Holy crap!” I shouted as I shot upright on the couch and looked around with a crazed expression. “That was amazing! I actually saw us sitting here talking!” Something else dawned on me suddenly. “I remember thinking I saw something! At that same moment! I thought I saw something near the door. But it was…me!” It was official. My mind had been blown.
“No way!” Phoebe squealed.
“Excellent,” Zara clasped her hands together and then peered down at her watch. “You’ve done exceptionally well tonight, but we need to move on to your next lesson. You may think you’ve experienced your range of power over the sea, but you’ve only scratched the surface of what you’re capable of.”
Chapter 29
“You want me to do what?” I implored with astonishment. The words that had just come out of Zara’s mouth were laughable at best.
“Is that even possible?” Carmen squinted up at Zara from her perch on the sand between Phoebe and Olivia. Zara’s house was located north of Lorelei’s campus on the same side of the island. A short walk down from the guest house brought us to a picturesque, isolated stretch of shore that faced west. As the sun dipped below the tree line behind us, the sky darkened considerably and gave the illusion that it was later in the evening. The tide was high but the ocean was calm, producing waves no more than three feet tall. After taking a stab at spinning up whirlpools, creating waves, calming those waves, and playing with any and every sea animal that felt my presence, the sea lesson had started to feel like a cake walk. But obviously Zara had decided to keep the main event for last.
“Didn’t someone split the Green Sea?” Phoebe wondered out loud.
“That was the Red Sea,” Olivia snorted, “…but Stasia’s definitely
“You’re right,” Zara answered assuredly. “She’s much, much more powerful.” I glanced back at her with obvious doubt, but allowed a dying wave to pool around my ankles and bury my feet farther into the cement-like, wet sand. A smiled hijacked my lips as I thought back to the first time Finn and I had spent time together on the dark shore at the bonfire. Like Zara, he had possessed an inordinate amount of faith in me. I’d stilled the waves with his instruction, and had even managed to create a protective bubble around Phoebe and I during the hurricane. But creating a ten foot wide trench in the ocean all the way to the horizon? On purpose? At least she didn’t have high expectations. What if there were boats out there? Some unsuspecting fisherman was about to have the experience of a lifetime.
My gaze traveled from the small waves lapping at my calves to the distant horizon for any signs of boats. Satisfied there were none, I stood tall and centered my energy. As the water swirled around my legs, I concentrated on its welcoming touch. Drinking a cold glass of milk after eating a plate of hot wings couldn’t hold a candle to the tranquilizing arms of the ocean. I closed my eyes briefly, as the water around me danced with the energy that flowed outward from my skin. With every ounce of strength and pure will I shot that energy forward like a wrecking ball.
A continuous, massive arch of water shot skyward, as the ball of energy raced through the water and toward the horizon. Throttling a big ball of energy into the ocean felt a lot like being blasted with a fire hose (not that I’d ever been blasted by a fire hose). As my energy met the resistance of the solid water, I could actually feel the friction it created. As it fizzled out and the water returned to normal, I slowly twisted around in shock and met the wide eyes of my onlookers.
Phoebe gave me a standing ovation while Olivia and Carmen smiled widely. I was overcome by the powerful current of excitement that coursed through my body. Zara resumed her instruction, completely un-phased.
“Instead of trying to push the water outward, concentrate on throwing out a thin line of energy. With that, you can push the water in either direction; creating the trench,” she diligently advised. I decided to try a small experiment before casting my energy out to the horizon like a fisherman on steroids. I had only been fishing twice on a lake near Atlanta, and I didn’t have much to brag about. At least this didn’t involve sticking a hook through grub worms and tiny fish. I took a deep breath and allowed my energy to flow from my feet; a steady stream that stretched forward a couple meters.
I closed my eyes and tried to remember to breathe, as I focused on sending more and more energy onto that one, fragile strand until I was ready to try the next phase. I willed the line of energy to widen and expand outward. As if I were lifting weights with my mind, I pushed back against the pressure that was created by the powerful water. An eruption of applause and cheers behind me made me peek out of one curious eye, and I saw that a wide gap now extended approximately three meters; introducing the sand below to the air - along with shells, scampering crabs that couldn’t seem to penetrate the sides of the trench, and clumps of seaweed. With a smile I slowly pulled my energy back toward me, allowing the trench to fill itself back in.
Exhaustion was knocking at my mind, but a tank couldn’t have stopped me from continuing at that point. For the next hour, I casted my line of energy into the water over and over; each time sending it further out than the last. My growing confidence allowed me to accomplish it quicker and easier; sending my onlookers into a frenzy of shouts and applause. As night cast its heavy shadow over the ocean and the moon rose higher in the sky, I finally succeeded in creating a trench as far as the eye could see. The moonlight shone off of the water, causing the trench to look more like a silver canyon. As the water deepened, so did the pressure. That pesky exhaustion quickly won over my determination, but for one glorious minute, I had succeeded. For one powerful moment, I had overcome the power of the ocean and commanded it with my mind and essence. It was exhilarating and frightening all at once.
I collapsed backwards as my energy returned to me like an oversized sling shot. The ocean quickly zipped up the trench. Enjoying the feeling of accomplishment, I gazed up at the glistening stars as they blinked back at me. The waves caressed my skin as the soft sand below supported my tired body.
“Well done, young goddess.” Zara peered down at me lying in the sand with more amusement than usual. Those four words were void of her southern accent and I frowned up at her in confusion. I convinced myself that I had only imagined it when the normal drawl was clear once again as she continued, “I think the ocean’s had enough excitement for one night.”
