Free The Geneva Project - Truth by Christina Benjamin Page A

my thoughts but you don’t know how I feel!  I feel betrayed.  I trusted you!  And this whole time you were just messing around in my head?  I don’t even know what to believe anymore.”
    “ Tippy, I promise I never messed with your head.  I only talk to you.  I don’t make you do things”
    “ Yeah right! Like I’m supposed to believe the mind bender?”
    I turned away from him and started to stomp off again, but he reached for me.  As soon as I felt him touch my skin, I whirled around like a wild animal and lunged for him.
    “ Don’t touch me!” I screamed as I swung out with both fists. 
    I hit him square in the chest with my left hand, but as I swung again with my right, he blocked me with his flame-wielding hand.  Before I knew it, I was on fire!  There was a burst of flames as soon as our hands connected, then the fire raced down my right arm and across my back. I could feel the heat and I closed my eyes in panic and screamed.  As the sound escaped my mouth, something incredible happened. The flames transformed into a glowing light beam that shot straight up from my body into the night sky.  The whole forest awoke with the burst of light radiating from me!  Suddenly, I wasn’t afraid anymore.  I felt strong and powerful and light and fearless!  I stretched my right arm out in front of me and brought my left to join it.  The light spread down my arms to both hands and I separated them shoulder width apart.  The light continued in a beaming arc that was connected to both my hands.  I laughed at the strangeness of the whole experience and the light grew brighter still.  It sprang to life, leaving my hands and encircling me.  I threw my head back in hysterical laughter.  How was this happening to me?  Had Nova been right all along?  Was I special, was I like him?  I shifted my focus to him, looking right and left to try to find him.  All I saw around me was my halo of white light, breathing a glowing life into the dark forest around me.  Suddenly I realized I was no longer on the ground.  I was hovering! 
    “ Oh, my god!” I gasped. 
    “ You’re okay, Tippy. Stay calm,” came Nova’s steady voice.
    Following the sound of his voice, I looked down to see him about ten feet below me. 
    “ What do I do?” I shouted.
    “ Just stay calm and concentrate on coming towards me.”
    I locked eyes with him and heard him whispering in my mind.
    “ It’s okay, you’re okay, I’m right here.”
    I focused on his face and his calm, steady voice in my head.  I could see his face coming closer, it was getting clearer. I honed in on each of his exquisite features.  His golden-blond hair seemed to glow in the light I was casting; his deep-green eyes sparkled as the light picked up the flecks of gold in them; his sharply chiseled jaw and angular cheek bones were highlighted as the light danced across the bronzed skin of his face; and his full lips turned down and pressed together in concentration and genuine worry for me.  That’s when I first realized that Nova truly cared about me and that I should trust him. 
    He drew closer and closer to me and before I knew it, his arms were encircling me, holding me safely against his chest as it heaved up and down heavily.  For the first time I realized that Nova must have been scared, too.  Even though his voice was strong and calm, he must have been just as frightened as I was.  I looked up at him and the relief on his face was radiating in his smile.  I hadn’t realized my feet were on the ground until that moment.  I still felt like I was floating while in Nova’s embrace.  We both just stared at each other for a moment and then we laughed until we collapsed. 
    “ Well, this was quite a night!” said Nova between fits of laughter.
    “ I’ll say!” I gasped.
    “ I told you, you could do it,” he boasted.
    “ Okay, okay, you were right.  But I think I’m done for tonight.” 
    “ I agree.  You scared me for a little bit