Uncle

Fortunately for them, that had been their last class of the day. Steve led them to an old, beaten house not far from the school. The porch had holes that could easily twist an unwary ankle, and was scattered with cigarette stubs. The litterer was relaxing in a carved rocking chair, reading. He had short black hair speckled with grey, and was wearing a worn cardigan with jeans and sturdy boots. He didn't look up until they were directly in front of him. 'You're early.'

'Uncle, I didn't come here for lessons. I need some help.'

Thick eyebrows lowered. 'Who is this?"

Dan hung back, shy again. Steve rolled his eyes. 'This is Dan. He showed some of the family ability in class today and doesn't know what to do about it. It's his first time.'

Steve's uncle turned the page. 'Let his parents sort it out.'

'He doesn't have any. Adopted.'

The man looked directly at Dan for the first time. Dan gulped as the bright blue eyes seemed to pin him in place, searching and judging him. He was suddenly released when the uncle rose. 'Bring him.'

The inside of the cottage was dark and cool after the summer heat outside. When his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Dan saw walls bare of wallpaper, and a board floor barely covered by a worn green rug. There was only one chair, so old and rugged it looked like it had grown out of the floor.

The older man sat in the chair. He was a big man, but it fit as though it had been made for him. Steve sat on the rug cross-legged, like a toddler at kindergarten. They both looked at Dan, and he belatedly realised he was supposed to join them. He sat on the rug.

'Who taught you?'

Dan hesitated, then Steve said 'No one. It was the first time he'd sparked at all. I don't think he knows anything about this.'

The uncle leaned back in his chair, causing it to creak like a haunted house. 'You know the theory. Tell me how that could be.'

Steve leaned an elbow on his knee. 'Well, he could have very little innate talent, so it wouldn't show as anything other than mild static. I've also noticed that he's quite shy, keeps to himself, so it could be he never got excited enough for it to show.'

'Very good.' He turned to the other boy. 'Understand?'

Dan shook his head mutely. The man nodded. 'Very well.'

'The first thing you need to know is that you cannot block off your power. Your brain needs electricity to function. If you close it off completely, you will die.'

Now that's a way to begin a lecture. Dan raised his hand, feeling like he was a boy on his first day at kindergarten but unable to do anything about it. 'Um. What's your name?'

A bushy eyebrow rose. It was amazing how much could be said in a single gesture. 'You may call me uncle.'

Okay…

'With your power, you could charge up batteries. You could start fires with a single touch. You could kill. But the most important thing to remember is to use that power for good. Because power has a price.'

Great power comes with great responsibility. Got it. Can we get on to the real stuff now?

'If you find yourself feeling tired, the best way to recharge is to stick something into a power socket. Just be careful you don't overload yourself or you will burn out. Maintaining your power is all about balance.'

'Normally, you would have been trained in meditation by your parents or extended family. Sparking is caused by strong emotions. If you control your feelings, you control your power.'

Dan blushed and looked at the floor. Uncle continued as though he hadn't noticed. 'It is not unusual for people outside the family to show this ability. Children born on the wrong side of the sheets, bastards, whose diluted blood suppressed their inheritance until generations later. There are relatives without the ability who want nothing to do with this, and so separate from the family. But we keep an eye on their children in case one of them shows the signs.' He indicated Steve. 'Your friend is one of those.'

Uncle looked to Dan. 'You are a different case. Your parents gave you away. Also, children usually show their inheritance at the start of puberty. Yours did not show until much later. As Steve said, this could mean you already have a measure of unconscious control. Now we need to work on making the unconscious conscious.'

It took Dan a while to digest it all. It sounded quite realistic, really. It made sense to keep an eye on the family to make sure no-one was left out in the cold. He wondered if they had a family tree he could look at and see if he could guess which were his parents. Perhaps he could find them and ask them why…

Dan took a sudden deep breath and blinked. He looked up at Uncle. (That was just ridiculous. 'Master' or 'Teacher' would have been a better name. Or perhaps not.) 'All right. I suppose I need to learn how to control this.' Dan stood. 'Thank you for everything you've told me.'

'Sit.'

The word was said quietly, but with such authority that Dan obeyed at once. 'Yes, Uncle.' Then he wondered why calling him 'Uncle' had come to him so instinctively.

'You need to learn to meditate now. You cannot risk sparking every time you get excited or embarrassed.'

Dan had to admit he had a point. 'What do I do?'

'First I will tell you what to do. Then Steve will show you how it is done. And then you do it.'

'O...kay.'

'First we will build a screen to contain your energy. Anger, excitement, fear, and other emotions can distract you from the screen and make it collapse. That is why we meditate. You will need to hold this up at all times, except when you are asleep. When you sleep, your brain stops you from sparking just like it stops you from walking or talking in response to your dreams.'

Steve muttered sourly. "Sometimes our brains aren't very good at that."

Uncle continued. 'But there is an important factor to remember. If you leave part of your body outside the screen...' Uncle mimed chopping off his hand. 'It goes numb. Your nerves are not getting any electricity to send signals to the brain. After three minutes, the loss will be permanent. The blood will still flow, but you will never be able to use those muscles again. Ever.'

Dan swallowed. This was getting scary. 'Is this what you mean by blocking off the power killing me?'

Uncle inclined his head. 'Yes. Because the brain is cut off from its power source, your brain cells will die. Your heart will stop beating. You will be dead.'

'To hold your power, you need to imagine you are wearing a suit that covers every inch of your skin. The sloppier youngsters start with one several centimeters away from their skin because it takes less effort.'

Dan thought about it. 'Doesn't that mean they have a field of electricity around them?'

'And so they short out any electrical appliance they touch,' Uncle confirmed. 'Some of the more powerful ones even burn the furniture they are sitting on. The more experienced ones can limit their energy to the very edge of their skin and don't burn anything they don't want to.'

'Steve.' The young man perked up noticeably. Uncle nodded to him. 'Show him.'

Steve shuffled around until he was facing Dan. 'Face me and hold out your hand.'

Dan did so, apprehensive. Steve took the hand, and Dan instantly felt something buzzing between them. It was like a distant mower, but instead of hearing it, he was feeling it. He struggled to keep calm, but it was hard when he was holding his crush's hand. It gripped him firmly, sweaty and hot.

Steve felt something zap his palm painfully. 'Ouch!' He tugged his hand away.

'Again.'

Dan bit his lip but reached out to Steve, who took his hand. This time, Dan could feel the energy better. He raised his other hand into the air around the other young man, focusing only on feeling where the energy was, and felt the vibration increase the closer he got to Steve's skin. It was a pleasant feeling. He unconsciously moved his hand up Steve's arm.

Uncle said, 'can you feel it?'

Dan jumped and withdrew. 'Yes. It seems to be fluctuating, especially at the hands.' Dan raised his to hover above Steve's chest. 'But it's steady here.'

'Steve is a rather reckless young man. He does not control himself beyond the bare necessity.'

Dan felt Steve draw in the buzzing to a single centimeter above the skin. It wobbled here and there, but stayed. 'He's holding it better now.' He could not resist trailing his fingers down the smooth skin of Steve's forearm. Tiny blue sparks flew, but not painfully. It was more like the harmless sparklers that people used on the Fourth of July.

Suddenly, Dan could feel his own power. It was like being bathed in cool, saline liquid. It extended in a cloud around him. Instinctively, he drew it in, bundling the power around a central point in his chest, like he was spinning cotton candy. He stopped when the cool feeling was resting comfortably on his skin. Not so tight as to make things uncomfortable, but enough to create pressure on his skin.

Dan opened his eyes. Sometime while he had been making himself a lightning spindle, he'd cupped his hands between his knees. He smiled, and let the spindle unwind a little. Using mental muscles he didn't know he had, he made the liquid power flow down his arms. It manifested as a sparking, blue-white sphere on his palms. The colours swirled like a novelty crystal ball from a junk shop. He heard Steve exclaim.

'Dan.' Uncle's voice was quiet but firm. 'Put it away.'

Dan held the ball up to his face. The electricity didn't sting him. The surface felt cool and smooth. He didn't want to put it away.

'There will be time for experiments later. Put it away.'

Dan sighed. In a mental motion that reminded him of slurping milkshake, he took it back.

'Well done.' Dan looked up at Uncle, who was smiling. It was like watching a bear grin. 'Not many people successfully experiment on their first try.' The bear grin disappeared. 'But you will not do that again without my permission.'

Dan wrinkled his nose, but said 'okay.' After school today, he'd find a little private place and see if he could get that junk shop ball again. Of course, he'd make it a little smaller. He didn't want to make a beach ball and die when he dropped it.

For the rest of the lesson, both Dan and Steve practiced creating and banishing small bolts of lightning. Uncle measured Dan's powers, and said he had only a small amount but more than enough control to make up for it. He made Steve fill Dan with as much power he could handle, an activity that made Dan nervous because of the skin contact it required. He was able to hold about half before his hormones distracted him.

'I am so sorry.' They were all staring at the floor. The bolt had cut clean through the carpet and floor, leaving a hole about five centimeters wide.

'I think that's enough for today.' Uncle didn't sound angry, but the boys still scurried out as quickly as they could.