Free Twell and the Rebellion by Kate O'Leary

interest all over their faces. Embarrassed, I turned back
to look at Shanna and met her jealous glare.
    “ How’d you do that?” Her
tone was accusing.
    “ No idea.’ I
shrugged.
    Shanna’s eyes narrowed to
sceptical slits.
    “Really!” I insisted. “It
was a first.”
    “Hmmm.” She muttered. “It
seems I really have underestimated you.”
    “Perhaps you have.” I
cocked an eyebrow at her. “So you better watch it.”
    “ I knew you had it in
you.” Shanna snorted a laugh. “You and I are more alike than you
think.”
    “ When mogas fly,” I
retorted huffily. “I’d never be as careless as you.”
    “ I’m passionate about what
I believe in.” Shanna’s smile faded. “There’s nothing careless
about that.”
    I didn’t reply. It wasn’t a
debate I wanted to get into with so many ears around. Instead, we
went back to training and concentrated on moving the water with our
minds instead. It wasn’t easy, not even close. Working with an
element that could move and change was exhausting and we struggled
to contain and control it.
    By the time the session
finished for the day, the moon had crept halfway up the sky and I
was hurting in places I didn’t know I had. We filed out into the
twilight, too exhausted to talk as we moved towards the hygiene
quarters where I fervently hoped to ease some of the stiffness
already seeping through my body. Our sun was so far away that the
sunlight was feeble on the best of days, so I could only hope the
solar power had captured enough sunlight to convert into warm
water.
    Claiming a cubicle, I
stripped off my sodden clothes and turned on the mister. It was
blissfully warm, but unfortunately the water allocation controlled
by a timer, was devastatingly short. I’d barely rinsed the last of
the sand from my hair before the water shut off, and I wasn’t the
only one shrieking in disappointment.
    Drying off in front of the body
dryer, I ran my fingers through my long hair to loosen any tangles.
Then I had a moment’s panic wondering if I had to put my sandy
clothes back on, before I saw a stack of clean nightwear. I slipped
on the standard size, bone coloured pants that tied at the waist,
and a matching wrap around top with long wide sleeves. The cubicle
was immediately taken up by another cadet as I left and I looked
around for Kina or Lavi without success before deciding to head to
the meal hall by myself.
    I was just dawdling past
the male hygiene quarters when I heard someone call my name. Avin’s
light hair was wet and slicked back, emphasising the fine angles of
his face. His clothes, identical to mine, moulded to his body in a
way that showed he was undeniably fit. He strode towards me with
such determination in his expression that I fought the sudden urge
to flee. Unwilling to show my unease, I ignored him and retained my
casual pace towards the hall. But my pulse took off as I heard the
sound of his feet closing the distance between us.
    “Hey, Twell.” His voice
was soft, his touch firm as his hand closed over my shoulder. I
spun away from his grip, putting several steps between us as I
glared at him. My body stiffened as my powers tingled in warning,
ready to react should he come any closer. His silver eyes appeared
startled at first, before they clouded over at my defensive stance.
He held his hands, palms out towards me like I was a wild spitting
serpent, or an equally unpredictable swamp maiden that might attack
at any moment. Intuitive, he was. “I’m sorry, I thought you heard
me.” His voice rolled over me so calmly I had to fight the urge to
be subdued by it.
    “ I did.” I turned my back
on him and kept walking.
    “Oh, I see. I thought we
were past that .” Even his chuckle was a
melodious sound. Most girls would have found it very alluring if
they weren’t already aware of his powers. Unfortunately for him, I
was more than aware. The sound reminded me how humiliating it was
he had such an effect on me. I’d thought I was past it too.