Under the bridge

I didn't need telling twice.

My earlier cautiousness about my abilities was all but gone now - after all, what did I have to worry about, when you thought about it?

There's a strange thing that comes with choice and freedom, though. We're so used to working within limitations, that when you can go anywhere at will, it's too strange an idea for your mind to bend itself around.

This might explain why I didn't just blink myself to the top of the Statue of Liberty, or Ayers Rock, or Victoria Falls. Looking back, I'm embarrassed to admit an almost complete lack of imagination.

I suppose I was also thinking about this as a way of training my mind. It wasn't about being a tourist, but about making sure I could control this power.

As I went from the shopping mall back to the house, and back to the mall again, I felt more certain of what I was doing, felt my confidence grow. But part of me knew this was no time to pat myself on the back: how were we going to rescue Jen? How could we get in there and get her our with us?

I suddenly felt weary, almost completely despairing.

At that moment, without consciously thinking, I quirked from the mall to find myself standing under a stone bridge. It was achingly familiar, though I couldn't put my finger on where it was exactly. Somewhere from my childhood, maybe?

What was more worrying was the fact that I'd come here without trying, and without any idea why. The slightly rank smell of weeds made me shiver, in spite of the warmth.

I went back to the shopping mall then. And while the incident didn't stop me getting some more practice, I tried not to let my mind wander. For better or worse, I also decided that Kate didn't really need to know.



Story begins here.