Reina hastily strode out of the library and through the university campus, passing all sorts of people, academics and pedestrians alike. Even with her time abilities, Reina had lost track in her studies and was only alerted when her stomach started growing. Before she had left to go to her lectures that morning, she and Fayth had arranged to meet up for lunch. Since Fayth had the day off, she would visit the site of where the supposedly lizard man had attacked her, which much to her disappointment, Reina was unable to join her. Still, her little feet moved with the hurried determined sense of purpose, and it was not because Reina was hungry. The thought of meeting another with a power had interested them both, though one more expressively than the other, but nevertheless, Reina was excited about the prospects. Apart from Fayth, Reina had been the only person in her home village to exhibit extraordinary abilities. Although her mother had previously possessed her own unique talents and taught Reina how to use hers, it wasn’t quite the same experience to relate and share with someone on an almost intimate level, like her friendship with Fayth.
Lost in her thoughts and in her determined haste, Reina hadn’t quite noticed when a cyclist was riding towards her from her left side. Even though the cyclist had rung her bell, Reina’s attention snapped back to reality at the very last moment before they violently collided into each other and fell into a heap of books and the bike. Both of them had landed onto each other without causing any serious injuries to one other, but it was Reina who was more shaken up by the experience.
As Reina was helped up by the cyclist and a number of other people around them, someone handed her the books she had dropped. Although, in her shocked state, they clumsily fell from her grip and Reina kneeled down to pick them back up. A moment later, Reina managed to peel herself away after reassuring the cyclist and the other people that she was fine. Yet Reina was walking away feeling far from it, as a number of thoughts rushed through her mind and worry started to set in.
Despite Reina’s usual carefulness, the deliberate clumsiness of dropping her books was a test to prove something, which was very much validated by the books hitting the ground. Before the crash with the cyclist, Reina had managed to take notice at the last moment and immediately tried to prevent the collision. Yet both outcomes confirmed what was running through her mind: what happened to her powers?
-
“Wherever he went to, it looks like someone got to him first. The Police were taping the area off, and there was a big crowd gathered around the scene. I could only get so close, but the crowd almost overwhelmed me. The Police didn’t have much, from what I picked up on. They just thought the scene was a bloody mess!”, Fayth reported to Reina on what she had found from revisiting the area earlier that day. But Fayth sensed that Reina was not entirely focused upon what she was saying.
“Rei…is everything okay? You’ve barely touched your food since you got here…”, Fayth asked worryingly. Since her arrival, Reina hadn’t interacted much and her eyes were unfocused and less intense than they were usually. Fayth could sometimes tell what was on her friend’s mind, even without having to rely on her psychic abilities as that was the nature of their friendship over the past year. But Reina was currently closed off and distant, and Fayth contemplated speaking to Reina through their telepathic connection to find out what was wrong. But just as that thought crossed her mind, Reina answered her, though it seemed to be gentler and vague than usual.
“Oh… oh, nothing much. I’m just…really tired.”, Reina said wearily, as if the words themselves had sapped her of the strength to explain it better. But Fayth would not take that for an answer.
“Bullshit.”, Fayth blurted out, which startled her friend. Despite her outburst, Fayth realised that whatever has happened to Reina, she had to remain patient and allow her friend to speak, rather than approach the topic in a coercive manner. “Sorry, Rei...what happened? Come on...you can talk to me…”
Reina hesitated for a moment, and opened and closed her mouth several times before she remained silent to choose her words carefully.
“I… I don’t know what happened… there was a bike…and it ran into me…I- I tried to stop it, but…I…I don’t know…nothing happened…”, Reina finally broke out in sobs, after what seemed like an eternity to Fayth. But she listened patiently to her friend while she tried to get the words out. “I…I think…my powers… I couldn’t use them…”
A sudden shock went through Fayth, and she was about to respond when a sensation crawled up her spine. It was almost ticklish and it felt like a thousand pins were running up the length of her back. Fayth froze, partly in shock of what Reina had said and partly because of the sensations she was experiencing. The prickling began to intensify and the sensations spread all over Fayth’s body, the feeling more itching rather than the previously gentle tickling. Suddenly, the area where Fayth and Reina sat was invaded by the abrupt burst of insects, which began to flood the floor of the street and the air was soon filled with flying insects. Panic quickly settled over the people caught in the assault of the insects, and the buzzing sounds of winged insects seemed to drown out the screams of the public.
