We sit in the square, huddled together on a bench in the far corner, away from prying eyes. I just recounted my adventures with Barney and the vice-principal to the other three, though I left out the part about turning everything into ice. This will be difficult enough without giving Gnat the chance to declare me crazy right away.
“A woman?”
“Yes, a woman. Am I speaking Latin or something?”
“Okay, okay,” he mumbles defensively. “I just thought it was a man, that’s all. We all did, right?”
“And she watches everything?” Shadow asks softly. I nod, bracing myself for Gnat’s reaction, which has become all too predictable. And sure enough, there he goes. “I told you, Spark-brain. This school is organized like a totalitarian state. The CIA, the KGB, the Mossad are child’s play compared to this place, and...” But before his rant derails, Shadow interrupts him with a smile.
“Stop, silly, before you blow a fuse.” I stare in astonishment as Shadow accomplishes something no one else can—Gnat falls silent. “Max?” she prompts me to continue.
“Well, she also mentioned ‘talents’,” I proceed as casually as I can. Suddenly Shadow's expression darkens.
“Talent, she called it ‘talent’? A curse, more likely!” she whispers. “The first time it happened, I wasn’t even aware of it, and before I knew it, my father and little brother were gone. I’ve never seen them again.”
I struggle to swallow the lump that mysteriously has formed in my throat, realizing that after all these weeks, I know nothing about her personal life. I never even asked. “A refugee camp is like a jungle, you know,” she continues softly. “The innocent and vulnerable are blackmailed, harassed, and robbed in the most cruel ways, right under the noses of the guards who are supposed to protect them. That’s where I started to train my so-called ‘talent’.”
This is the longest she’s ever spoken, and she’s not even finished. “I still can’t stop it when I’m really afraid,” she continues, “but I’ve learned how to use it when I need to. Like with those girls. Remember, Max?”
For a moment, we all are silent, but then Gnat finds his voice again.
“This is... this is... fantááááástic. Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Shadow only shrugs.
“Actually, I don’t want anyone to know about it. It’s difficult enough being the only dark person in this white school.” The lump in my throat doubles in size. I never thought about it, but of course, if you want to blend in, a different skin color is a far bigger complication than the few newspaper articles and TikTok memes I have to deal with.
Apparently, Shadow has decided she’s talked enough about herself. “And you, Charles? Your talent is pretty obvious, right?”
“Electricity!” he declares triumphantly. “For as long as I can remember. And you, Lava-head?” Now it’s my turn to fall silent. “Come on, Sulfur-face, we’re not fools.”
“Shut it. You know nothing.”
“Then look me in the eye and deny it.”
“There’s nothing to deny. I just don’t want it. I mean...” Quickly, I glance up to see if the other three caught my slip of the tongue, but I’m met with three smiling faces. Slug always smiles, so that doesn’t count, but the smiles on the other two are telling. Shadow, full of understanding (ugh), and Gnat, triumphant (double ugh). But before I can respond, my nose catches a familiar scent. Quickly, I look down at the table where smoke is escaping from beneath my hand. “Shit.”
“Shit?” Gnat cheers. “I knew it. That farm... it’s true... so cool.” I don’t answer, just stare at the black handprint scorched into the tabletop.
“Does everyone in this school have a talent?” Shadow asks, softly but still smiling.
“No,” I reply, grateful for the diversion. “The vice-principal was clear about that. Only a few of us, and they're all on the list. For the rest, it’s just a school with absurdly strict rules.”
Completely unexpectedly, Slug comes to life. “Well... I... have... no... idea... what... they... are... talking... about. I... myself... have... never...” As one, we turn our heads to the glass he knocked off the bench ten minutes ago, which still hasn’t reached the floor and has been hanging motionless in mid-air for the past five minutes. Slowly, he bends forward, grabs it, and places it back on the bench without spilling a drop. We look at it with wide eyes before bursting out laughing.