11.

"Thanks for fixing me up again," Elliot said as he stared down at the top of Sheree's head.

The two of them had gotten up, showered, gotten dressed, and then climbed back into Elliots bed together.

"I think you thanked me enough earlier," Sheree said and ran her finger along the shiny, metallic silver material on his shirt. The material negated any sensation she could've gotten out of the motion, but she just liked doing it. She liked that it made Elliot feel good.

"So, why did you choose to do what you did to heal me? Not that I'm complaining, it was just a pretty big moment," Elliot said, doing his best to speak carefully.

"Well, I wasn't going to at first, but I had to make sure you ranked up. I figured we were close to the next rank and besides, I couldn't just let you die," She said.

The word die hit Elliot like a truck. He knew he was tired and a little banged up after the fight, but there was no way he would've died. He lifted Sheree and stared into her eyes.

"Stop being so dramatic, I wasn't actually dying right?" He asked, anxiety began closing in on him when Sheree didn't laugh or smile.

"You had a punctured lung Elliot, you were literally drowning in your own blood," Sheree said, there wasn't the slightest hint of humor in her voice.

"Man, I gotta get stronger. I can't believe stupid Just Josh almost killed me," Elliot thought aloud as he stared off into the distance.

"Josh did that to you?" Sheree said and got up off the bed. There was an anger in her tone that Elliot had never experienced from her before. She was out the door before he could say anything to her.

Elliot chased after her as she stomped across the campus towards the woods. Since It was a training day, Elliot knew Sheree was marching off to confront Just Josh.

"I can handle this myself," he said and tried to grab her right arm just before they made it into the forest. An invisible force grabbed his arm and spun him backwards. He looked around confused as Sheree continued on her way. The silent fury in her eyes made her almost unrecognizable.

"This will be our last training session in these woods," Professor Klein said to Albert and Josh when Sheree and Elliot arrived.

To everyone's surprise but Elliot's, Sheree walked directly up to Josh.

"So you're trying to kill people now?" She said in a voice so low only he could hear her as she looked directly into his gray eyes.

"How are you the same height as me?" Josh asked, suddenly confused.

"Oh that's badass she's flying!" Albert yelled out and pointed to Sheree.

She wasn't flying, but she was standing about a foot off the ground. Elliot wondered if she even realized she was levitating herself. She was more focused than he had ever seen her before.

"Sheree, that's a wonderful display of your power, but I need you to back away from Josh now," Professor Klein said as she stepped closer to Sheree and Josh. There was a hint of concern in her usually calm voice.

"Don't change the subject, why did you try to kill my..... I mean Elliot?" She said at a slightly higher volume.

"You're not making any sense, your...Elliot doesn't look like someone that was almost killed. In fact he doesn't even look like he was in a fight at all," Josh said with a raised eyebrow. He made it a point to emphasize her mistake.

"Stop playing stupid, you know what you did!" Sheree screamed. When she raised her voice the dirt on the path exploded in a perfect circle around them.

In that moment Sheree gave in to her raw emotions. She had never been the type of person to act without considering the outcome, but Josh had tried to kill Elliot. He had tried to take the only person that had ever shown her any kind of happiness. He needed to be dealt with, and she was just the person to do it.

"Calm down crazy face!" Albert called out from Sheree's left.

Albert's annoying voice buzzed in her ear like a mosquito. She decided to handle him first. Without saying a word she grabbed Albert by the throat and lifted him into the air. She turned to face him as he fought to breathe and get free.

"Why don't you ever shut up?" She asked as she floated over to him. Her brown eyes were as hard and lifeless as sandstone.

What if I don't let him go? She thought as she watched Albert squirm helplessly.

Suddenly the world around her went dark. She found herself standing in a vast emptiness, choking Albert with her actual hands. He sank to his knees and the strength was leaving his body quickly. The darkness around her began to whisper, let him go, and drop the boy. The hiss-like sound came from every side of Sheree all at once. It repeated itself in a melody of madness that clawed at the edges of her sanity. She could feel the words penetrating her skull. Her ears vibrated painfully with every syllable.

"Who's doing this?" She screamed into the darkness as her grip on reality slipped away.

"I am, you have to let him go," Professor Klein said as she appeared in front of Sheree.

"Why should I? He's finally quiet?" Sheree said and turned her attention back to Albert. Half of his body was gone now. Everything from his waistline down was gone, taken by the darkness.

"Sheree you're killing him. I know the power feels good, especially the first time you experience it, but you have to remain in control," Professor Klein said, her voice calmed the pain in Sheree's head.

"What is this place? Why would you bring me somewhere so lifeless?" Sheree asked, as she looked around at the nothingness.

"This is your subconscious, it's merely a reflection of your current emotional state. Now please let him go," Professor Klien said more urgently.

Sheree considered Professor Klein's plea for mercy. She really did feel good, like she was in complete control, even in this dark nightmare.

"Please come back to me Sheree,"Elliot's voice echoed in the darkness around her.

"Elliot?" Sheree called back to the voice as the darkness began to waft like haze on the wind.

Tiny rays of light began to show through the darkness in tiny streams around them.

"What's happening, where is Elliot?" Sheree asked Professor Klein.

"Your composure is slipping away, if you don't release Albert now, I will be forced to take action. Sheree you're brilliant, please don't force my hand?" Professor Klein said. Her words were laced with emotion.

"Sheree, I know you can hear me, I can't do this without you," Elliots voice called again through the mist of black.

He needed her. Noone had ever needed her before. She had always just been there, Sheree the girl in the corner. Those days ended the day she met Elliot and she was never going back to them. The darkness solidified into a glass and shattered around her as she released her grip on Albert's throat. When the world was bright again she was back in the woods with the rest of the team. Her feet were back on the ground .Albert lay on the path and coughed as the oxygen entered his lungs again. Josh stared at her with horror in his eyes, he was no doubt wondering if that would've been him. Professor Klein stood beside her panting with an arm on her shoulder. Elliot had his arms wrapped tightly around her, his embrace was tight but not painful.

"I'm here, don't worry," Sheree said and gently patted him on the back.