Free The Awakening by Mary Abshire

don’t know what I’m doing. Can this even work? I’m going to beat up Jonas if I do something embarrassing . I wanted to laugh. Her last thought gave me an idea.
    I slipped back into her head. Punch Jonas.
    She blinked and sighed.
    Punch Jonas , I said again, staring deep into her eyes.
    She didn’t move.
    You want to punch Jonas , I said silently.
    She blinked again and looked bemused. Clearly this wasn’t working.
    Jonas came to stand between us. He looked from Tabby to me.
    “Punch Jonas,” I said verbally.
    “Why?” Tabby asked.
    “He embarrassed you earlier. Punch him in the arm.”
    All emotion drained from Tabby’s face. Her eyes became glassy. “He embarrassed me.” Her soft voice sounded mechanical.
    “Yes he did. Punch him. You know you want to,” I said.
    She lifted her balled fist and hit Jonas’s arm.
    “Hey!” He took a step back.
    “You can be a real jerk sometimes. I can cook just as well as you can,” she said, anger laced her voice.
    Holy crap! She’d actually hit him.
    He held up his palms in self-defense. “Okay. You can cook. I was kidding.”
    Tabby folded her arms and glowered at him. Her stiff posture and the tension on her face revealed a different woman. All the cheerfulness and kindness she once held had vanished in a blink of an eye.
    “It’s all right Tabby,” I said. “He didn’t mean it.”
    She turned her gaze to meet mine. “What?”
    “He didn’t mean to embarrass you,” I repeated. “My mistake.”
    She blinked and her hand rose to her mouth. “Oh my God.” She looked wide-eyed at Jonas. “I hit you.”
    Jonas laughed.
    “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
    “I think we can say you passed the test,” Jonas said, smiling at me.
    I sighed. “And I don’t find it good news.” Compelling someone to act against their will proved I had demon abilities.
    The smile drained from his face. “Mind control is one demon ability. We need to know if you have any others. Tabby.” He turned to face her. “Can you help her change into mist?”
    “I can try.”
    “Think of it as teaching her how to change. Explain it to her and see what happens.”
    Tabby nodded and shifted her gaze back to me. “You might want to stretch your muscles first. I find it always helps me.”
    “Stretch?” I asked.
    “Yeah, loosen up. Do this.” She grabbed her hands and straightened her arms out in front of her. Keeping them taut, she lifted them up above her head. Her shirt rose, revealing her bellybutton.
    I stretched out my arms and followed her movements.
    “Hey, wait a minute. We have a video camera.” Jonas said.
    Tabby spread her legs and bent down. “It’s in the room across from yours.”
    “Don’t start until I get back,” Jonas said as he dashed out of the kitchen.
    I extended my arms, twisted my spine, rolled my head, stretched my leg muscles, and popped a few bones. Unlike me, Tabby had the gift of flexibility. By the time Jonas returned holding a camcorder, my body felt looser, and a little sore.
    He stood near the open doorway, fiddling with the device. “This can record heat patterns. If you are able to change, we can follow you.”
    I flexed my hands and rolled my neck one last time. “I’m ready.”
    Jonas held the recorder up. The red light illuminated. “Go ahead.”
    Tabby looked at me and smiled. “What I always do is picture myself as what I want to be.”
    “Should I close my eyes?” I asked.
    “It doesn’t matter,” she replied.
    I closed my eyes.
    “See yourself weightless and able to float,” she said.
    I took a deep breath, and pictured myself invisible and as light as a feather. My temperature rose and I felt a small vibration under my skin. The buzzing sensation spread from head to toe. In my mind, I saw myself floating in the air. When I opened my eyes, I saw Tabby with a look of surprise and her hands covering her mouth.
    I waved my arms in front of me and a dark blur flashed by. Mist. I was fucking