OLAMILEKAN
Whatever my brother showed put my dad and me absolutely beside ourselves. Black, curling cloud hung against the top of his hand, writhing and contracting like it consisted of living smoke. "Just. what is it?" I queried, my own voice little better than a whispered breath as I extended a trembling hand, overcome by some unreasonable impulse.
Joshua scrunched up his face, gazing down at the dark strands curling around his fingers. "I don't know how to describe it, but when I do this, I feel. connected—like I'm a part of the shadows, like the shadows can hear me."
A shiver worked its way down my spine. "So, a darkness. ability?" The term didn't feel strong enough, not heavy enough, for what I was witnessing. He nodded, slow. "Yeah, I think so."
Our dad, who'd been sitting silently, finally said something. "Ola, what about you?"
My breath caught. My power—the very same power that had incinerated that kid to death—strobed through my mind like an insistent nightmare. My fists clenched involuntarily. "It's safer if I don't show you," I growled, struggling to keep my voice from shaking. "If I lose control, I could kill every single person in this house."
My father didn't bat an eyelid. Rather, he got up, shaking his hands clean. "Then you'll simply have to show me outside." His voice was level, yet firm, no room for negotiation. "Let's go, both of you."
He led us out to the back yard, where he picked up an old wooden chair and placed it in the center of the lawn. He sat down, crossed his arms, and looked at me, waiting. My heart started racing. I stalled, then extended my hand, trying to tap into whatever potential was stored away inside of me. I focused, forehead wrinkled in intense concentration.
Nothing.
Joshua erupted into laughter. "Hah! You said your powers could kill all of us, but now? Nothing? What a joke!" He chuckled, shaking his head. "At least I know one of my sons is normal."
Our father grunted, standing up from the chair, clearly disappointed. But as he started to turn away, my still-extended hand suddenly erupted into a dazzling, blinding light. A golden flash illuminated the backyard, bathing everything in a radiating blast. My father and Joshua took a step back, their eyes scrunched shut against the raw intensity, while I just stood there, untouched, feeling the raw power coursing through me.
It blinked out within a few seconds, leaving behind the strange stillness.
I reminded them that they could now safely open their eyes. But even then, it took some pause before they complied. Once their eyes opened, however, fear took control over them.
"I. I can't see," stammered Joshua, his fists shaking.
"Neither can I," our father spoke, his usually calm voice frayed with agitation.
I swallowed hard, guilt gnawing at my belly. I coaxed them both carefully back in, making them rest on their beds to recover. Soon enough, a loud knock came at the front door, shaking me out of my daze.
I walked slowly to it and opened the door. Standing before me was a dark-skinned young woman, not more than five feet tall, with black braided hair cascading down her shoulders. Her brown eyes locked into mine with an almost mischievous glint. A very slightly pointed nose and thin lips completed her familiar face. She had on a black crop top beneath a grey jacket, the sleeves of which had two wide white stripes. Grey wide-leg pants and sparkling white sneakers completed her outfit.
"Temi?" I blinked, an eyebrow lifting. "What are you doing here?"
She snorted, rolling her eyes and pushing past me. "What do you think, idiot?" she growled. "I'm here to see you, obviously!" We hadn't talked in a whole week because someone had to go unconscious for Seven whole days.
I shut the door with a sigh. "Whatever."
She spun around, eyes blazing with excitement. "Now, tell me—are you one of the Awakened?!"
I backed away, gasping with a sharp hiss. "Yeah," I admitted. "I am."
She grabbed at my hands before I could do something about it, literally bouncing up and down. "Can I see?"
"See what?"
"Your powers, obviously!" she blew out in exasperation.
I broke loose. "I can't show you. It's dangerous. My dad and Joshua lost their vision temporarily because of it."
Her enthusiasm didn't waver. If anything, it increased. "Ohhh, so it's a light power! That's awesome! I wish I'd gotten here earlier so I could have seen it firsthand."
I shook my head at her ridiculousness when a loud and insistent knock on the door came, cutting me off.
Temi frowned. "You expecting someone?"
I wasn't.
A sense of sinking began in my stomach as I walked towards the door. Peering through the peephole, I stood still. Standing outside were three individuals—two men in crisp black suits, their faces expressionless, and a woman in dark blue with an insignia on her chest.
Government agents.
They weren't here for a casual visit . They were here for Joshua a
nd me.
To test us.
To determine what we were truly capable of.