Outside

Ethan moved all the weights into a circle around Luke, and they all stopped spinning. Floating there menacingly. Painfully still. I backed off to the side so Ethan could see what he was doing more clearly, but then the weights dropped to the ground. I looked at Ethan, and his eyes were on the ground again.

I looked around, and realized all eyes were on Ethan. I wondered briefly what the hell just happened as the teacher came up to reprimand Ethan for using his ability in a fitness class without permission. Luke's friend helped him off to the infirmary. Class was dismissed, and Ethan followed me back to our room. Once the door was closed behind us both I turned around, and crossed my arms.

Standing right in front of Ethan.

"What was that?" I could tell there was an irritated look on my face.

"I'm," Ethan looked down, "Pretty good."

"Pretty good at what?" I snapped.

Ethan stared at me for a moment, and opened his mouth to speak before just closing it again. His eyes moving off to the side. This was getting nowhere fast. I yanked off my shirt. Ethan had been much more talkative when I was less human.

I draped my shirt over my shoulder as I unbuttoned my pants with one hand, and opened the door to my room with the other. I stepped in not bothering to close the door, and took the rest of my clothes off. Cancelling my physical camouflage, and going back to my tiny self. As soon as I stepped back out of my room Ethan's eyes brightened.

"Good at what?" I snapped again although it was much less threatening in my higher squeaky voice.

"Telekinesis," Ethan didn't smile as he sat down cross legged with his back to the door, "My hand to hand combat is decent too."

"Your eyes were glowing weren't they?" I tilted my head to the side, "I didn't imagine that?"

"Yeah I'm a natural," Ethan nodded, "I just."

"You were doing awesome," I straightened my head out, "And then you just stopped. What happened?"

"I can't focus when people are watching me," Ethan dropped his head.

"It's worse than that," I growled quietly, "Isn't it?"

"I have Scopophobia, and Anthropophobia," Ethan dropped his eyes.

"I don't know what that means," I sat down, and crossed my little arms.

"I'm scared of people," Ethan tilted his head up a little to look at me, "And I'm scared of being watched by people."

"You're scared of people?" I heard my pitch go up even higher in my surprise, "Naturals don't normally go to academies. So why would you be sent here in the first place? Don't naturals get one on one tutoring at big fancy schools."

"My parents thought that if I was around people more it might help me," Ethan smiled weakly.

"So you can't fight at a hundred percent unless you're alone?" I had turned my head to focus on him with my right eye.

"I'm not afraid of you when your like this," Ethan reached over to pet me.

I snapped my teeth at his hand, and he withdrew his hand. That partially explained why Ethan hadn't turned me in. Not being able to talk to other people was a lonely way to live.

"Well that's great," I growled to myself as my tail started lashing back, and forth, "Military careers involve a lot of team work, and all of our drills will be team work based. How do you plan to get past that?"

Ethan shrugged unhelpfully, "You said you thought of a way for me to help you."

I narrowed my eyes at him, and looked out the window. Curfew was ten o-clock, and one of the reasons I spent so much time in my room was the fact that I couldn't keep my transformation up long enough to sneak out. Once I was out of mana I couldn't reactivated my camouflage either. I could go back to the subject of Ethan's phobias later, but there wasn't much time left today.

"Do you have a backpack?" I snapped my head back around to look at Ethan.

"Yes?" Ethan looked a little confused.

"Go get it," I stood up on all fours, and went to my room.

****

I was curled up in Ethan's backpack as he walked along. I'd told him to go to the park so I could practice moving around different terrains. It was warm in his backpack, and the clothes I'd asked him to stick in here were kind of soft. It wasn't a perfect bed, but I was kind of tired, and the warmth was lulling me into a shallow sleep. The bag shaking around violently brought me back to full awareness.

Time slowed for a moment as that feeling of awareness hit me again. We're under attack. Three people. They had followed us from the school. How I knew this I didn't really care?

Ethan stammered out a protest as the bag was torn off his back, and thrown with me still in it. The bag hit the ground stunning me a bit as it settle. It hadn't hurt to be thrown like that, but my focus was on what was happening outside.

"So this is the power of a natural huh?" I could hear Luke shove Ethan back, "Where's that unstoppable power you used earlier?"

I could hear Conrad snigger, and then the click of his sparker. I unzipped the bag quietly, and poked my head out. They'd thrown the bag behind them. Luke, Conrad, and Luke's friend were all right on top of Ethan. Ethan couldn't back up further because of the wall of water that Luke's friend was using to trap him.

I slipped out of the bag silently, and rushed Conrad. I still couldn't use my full speed in the form since I didn't have much practice in this form, but I knew that I was stronger than Conrad. The surprise on his face as I collided with his leg, and wrapped my self around it. Conrad cried out as his flames went out. Trying to kick my little body off of his leg.

I squeezed tighter, and Conrad's cry of surprise changed into pain. Water wrapped around me completely as I clung to Conrad's leg. Covering my face, and now I was clinging to a thrashing Conrad while not being able to breath. I squeezed his leg as hard as I could, and Conrad's leg snapped. Conrad screamed in pain, and fell, but now my chest was starting to squeeze from lack of air.

25xp rewarded 70/100 xp until level 3.

There's air in water right? My mind was starting to feel foggy. I focused on the thought of air, and a feeling formed in my head. An image of air flowing over open grass making the grass sway. I opened my mouth, and breathed in the air.

New skills. Air affinity level 1. The ability to manipulate air. Air bubble level 1. The ability to create a space of breathable air around user -5 mana.

My mind cleared now that I could breath. The water was pushed away from my body completely by this bubble of air I'd made. I poured more mana into it. Making the bubble bigger as I uncurled from around Conrad's leg. The water popped as the force of my air bubble became to strong for the water to hold it, and in that instant I launched myself right at Luke's friend's water manipulating face. I hit him full force.

My chest to his forehead. His head snapped back as if he'd been hit by a baseball bat, and he folded.

25xp awarded 95/100 xp until level 3.

My full attention turned to Luke. Conrad was still awake, but he was done. He was too busy trying to crawl away with his broken leg. I growled at Luke as my scales rose slightly. Luke made the first move rushing me suddenly, and he tried to hit me, but I'd already rolled to the side.

I bit down on his arm, and my teeth went through his skin easily. Blood rushed into my mouth, but Luke was used to taking hits unlike Conrad, and his water friend. Pain didn't stop him. He hit me hard. Flinging me to the side like a rag doll.

First taste of human blood. 10xp awarded. Level up. Size up. 5/200 xp until level 4. Mana restored. HP +5, strength +2, agility +2, stamina +2, Instinct +1, damage resistance +1, Mana +10

Sizing up.

Sizing up?