Chapter 4:

The view from the ledge was expansive; the open sky in front, the city below, and the alley to the side. I hadn’t yet acclimated to such a strange perspective. I dipped a foot over the edge, let myself fall, then returned gravity to normal.

What should have been a lethal drop turned into a stumble as I nearly tripped over my own feet stepping onto the roof. I would need to practice that if I wanted to keep my limbs. Proper support, too. I rubbed the sore bit of my chest. 

The city stretched wide from the top of the building. I walked to the edge and wondered how I hadn’t seen it from this angle before. 

Luxton was prettier than I’d given it credit. I’d moved in with Chris on the west side of town. The majority of the buildings near us were smaller than those in the city center: there were few larger than five stories, with most structures settling between one to three. Off in the distance, the high-rise buildings stood over the rest like glittering spires lording over the masses. 

For no particular reason, I set my eyes on the shortest. Would it be possible for me to scale that? Did my abilities last that long? I had no way to know my own limits. What could I do but experiment? 

Hopefully I wouldn’t be arrested for smudging the glass. But how to get there? A cab?

I hadn’t brought my wallet. Would it be possible to simply…fall there? A chill ran over me. Even knowing I could control my descent by some means, I imagined myself splatting on the window after a four minute fall. I suddenly envied Hannah her free flight. 

I looked from the building I was on to the next. The gap was larger than I could throw myself over in my youth. But I had lifted the paper, suspended it. Could I do the same to myself?

The energy responded to my touch. The static crawled over me, and at my command, strands of it trailed from my body to the ground, arcing, and I felt myself lighten.

My balance was lost, and I shot an arm out in panic. I grabbed a bit of metal jutting from the roof, and my body flailed from the movement. The motion sent me to the length of my arm, and it was only with a painful jerk that I stopped. 

I bounced like a tethered balloon. It was only after I regained my composure that I remembered to direct the movement. My body yanked around a couple of times before I got it right. I regained my posture, feet above the ground, no longer flopping like a landed fish. 

Ten seconds after I’d lifted myself, a weariness flushed over me. Like a failing muscle, the static sputtered, and I fell back to the roof. 

Damn. So I couldn’t sustain it indefinitely. I winced at the “ache,” but it disappeared shortly after. A cooldown? I rubbed my forehead in frustration. Why did I have to get such a technical power? Chris just turned to metal, why’d I get stuck with the power requiring a doctorate’s?

Whatever. Still, I hadn’t noticed the strain when I was on the roof or wall. Was it only in open air that it failed? 

I looked to the next building. Then down. The road beneath suddenly seemed very far. I took a deep breath. 

No sense in worrying. I’d either get it right, or wouldn’t have long enough to care. I took a running start.

I jumped. The air sang in my ears, and the height I’d gained in my leap stalled as the hand of gravity began to claim me. I slapped it away.

Purple static erupted around me, and the fall turned into a glide. I urged my descent forward, and the speed increased with glee. 

When I was over halfway to the next roof, I realized in a panic I was still pushing myself forward. I clumsily severed my power, but I was too late; the speed I dropped in on was too much; I tripped, rolling across the roof. 

I hissed in pain as I sat up. There was a stinging in my knee that nearly brought a tear to my eye. I staggered to my feet. 

If only I’d gotten super durability too…

My leg dragged for a few moments until the pain was tolerable. Note to self: Don’t fling yourself into concrete. I looked at the next roof —it was at least a dozen feet above the current.

I crushed the lingering hesitance that welled up. This wouldn’t be done until I got it right.

My power lightened my weight—was it like astronauts jumping on the moon? 

I crouched. Static rolled over, and just as I felt the weightlessness, jumped with all my might.

It was true that I’d cleared the jump. Yes, the twelve foot jump was easy; it was stopping that was hard. My stomach sank as I realized my mistake too late. 

How could I have forgotten the basic laws? What is in motion stays in motion. And I’d forgotten to apply the outside force. I sailed well past the nearby roofs, at least twenty feet before I remembered to push the other way.

I hovered in the air, panicking, wiggling like a lizard caught by an eagle. The view beneath me beautiful as it was terrifying. How long had it been? The fatigue had yet to settle. I cut my power.

My stomach clenched as the roof rushed toward me. I reengaged my power, dampening my fall, but fell into the roof with a hard slam. 

The fall took my breath, and the momentum I’d landed with carried me straight off the building’s edge. I cried out, struggling in freefall, barely able to catch my weight again, when I slammed into a pile of something soft and stinky and hard.

My vision wavered until I blinked the dizziness away. I sat up, hissing at the various hurts. A scent caught my nose, causing me to wretch. Where the hell had I fallen?

I looked down. Black garbage bags had softened my landing into the dumpster. 

There was a sound of shock. I looked up to see a young man wearing a stained shirt, oversized pajama pants, and crocs. He dropped the trash bag he’d been holding as he looked at me.

I activated my power, throwing myself to the sky as hard as I could. I heard him shout as I soared high, and reached the top of the building in moments. I clung to the side like a life raft, pulled myself over the edge, and rolled over on my back.

This was going to be harder than I thought.