5 Mr. Abbus Harrington

Waze quietly opened her window and slipped out. The air was crisp and chilly; it was barely spring. She trudged along, sneaking around from the back of the house where her window was to the front yard before crossing the street. It was only 8:30-ish, she had gone to bed early. And who could blame her in the condition she was in? Despite her aching body though, she made her way through the neighborhood and jogged out on to the main road. After about 10 minutes of walking she came up on the store she was looking for. "Harrington's Never-ending Bookstore" read the weathering sign above the door. Waze always thought the never-ending part was a bit unnecessary, but she'd never say that. It was almost true, though. Even if the books weren't never-ending, the owner's knowledge seemed to be. She pushed open the door and stepped in.

"Welcome to Harrin- oh Waze!" The boy at the front desk seemed to glow as he realized who had walked in. Waze looked at the girls glaring her down from next to the shelves. She groaned. It was late at night, shouldn't the store be empty? They never end do they. It's not like they were there for the books. The person that they were, in fact, there for came out from behind the desk and walked over to Waze.

"What brings you here? I mean- not that you can't come whenever, but it's a little late and you know..." The boy was about Waze's age, and definitely on the good looking side of the spectrum. Not only did he have a nice face, but a bubbly personality and a smart head to go with it. On top of that, he was a reader. He drew a lot of attention to the small bookstore.

"I've had the craziest day, Alec, you wouldn't believe. But I feel like I got hit by a train and I really need to talk to your grandfather. You two are the only ones I can think to turn to right now. Trust me it's important."

Alec looked at Waze with slight surprise and then smiled. He seemed happy about the 'only ones I can turn to' part.

"I was about to close up anyway. Head on back and wait for me, I'll take care of closing. Don't start talking without me, I can't miss a scoop." Alec shot Waze a dazzling smile before walking over to the girls hovering by the bookstore. If he wasn't such a good guy, Waze probably would've felt jealous of his perfect face and collection of fans. However, he was too kind and welcoming to her, and she could never feel any ill will toward him. She ducked behind the curtain leading to the back room as the sound of Alec escorting out the girls in the lobby faded.

"Waze! My darling, what brings you here today? You seem troubled, please have a seat!" Waze smiled at the old man gesturing to the worn sofa in the back room. It was mostly just stacks of books that didn't go in the front, with a small sitting area and coffee table that Waze had spent a good majority of her life in.

"Thanks Mr. Abbus. I've had an unbelievably long day, but I'll start talking when Alec comes back. He wouldn't want to miss out."

"Of course, of course. You're always welcome here." He said it lots, but it still made her happy to hear. Abbus Harrington was the owner of the bookstore and Alec's grandfather. He was as close to a real father as Waze got. Waze's mother and father had never truly gotten along, and when she still hadn't developed an ability by the age of seven, Waze's father up and left. She didn't really miss him. Sometimes she wished she had a father, but she was mostly content with the family she had now. Her father was unreasonable and more often than not angry, and Waze couldn't bring herself to miss a man who left his daughter sole because she was a cripple. Maybe she'd see him one day, maybe not. She didn't mind either way. She had Abbus. When she had come looking to learn about the origins of gifts and how to raise your step, Abbus had been there every step of the way. Even when she finally accepted the crushing realization that she didn't have an ability. Alec was there for her too. He had always seemed to like her, and it was good to have a friend her age around. Alec's parents had died in a car crash when he was very young so he never really met them. He was raised and homeschooled by his grandfather, Abbus. It was a warm place, the bookstore. It was also her best bet at finding out what the hell had happened earlier that day.

"Alright lets get this party started. So what was so shocking about your day today, Waze?" Alec ducked behind the curtain from the front room and plopped down on the couch next to Waze. He shot her his trademark smile. That damn smile.

"Well, and don't laugh cause this is absolutely true, but I took down a high-step today. Step six to be exact." Alec and Abbus stared at her with slight shock on their faces. Alec managed a stutter of confusion while Abbus merely deepened his concentrated expression.

"Tell me more," Abbus said, staring intently at Waze. Waze explained the usual taunting, how James had threatened her mother, and then the flaming blue energy and roundhouse kick to the face, wrapping it up with her agonized body.

"Do you know anything more about what might have brought this about?" Abbus looked unusually calm, but Waze could see the gears turning in his brain as he tried to figure out what had happen. Alec spoke before she could.

"You took down a step six? Seriously? Thats awesome! I have no clue how you did it but thats great!"

"There's one more thing though. I got a reading today and was able to suppress the power. I got read as a zero, like usual. It's certainly not a typical ability that I just suddenly gained. However, I do have a clue to what might have happened."

"Go on," Abbus urged her.

"I had a dream last night, I was surrounded by stars, by galaxies. I saw a figure that had the same radiant blue flames and energy as before. It was so warm. As I went to put my arms around it, I woke up. But ever since then I've felt... I don't know... clearer somehow? Plus there's this mysterious power buried in the back of my mind. Like a light that I can barely reach. But I can feel it there... it's so warm. It makes me want to grow stronger and stronger, to use it."

"Hmm... I think I may have an idea of what has happened to you. You say you saw galaxies around you and then a mysterious blue figure. And then you woke up with a gift feeling stronger and clearer than ever?" Abbus looked deep in thought as he stared into Waze's eyes. Waze shifted slightly under his gaze. Alec seemed tense beside her, completely enraptured in her story.

"Y-yeah that's what happened..."

"I think you may have been possessed by a god."