The Kind

Chapter Six

A thousand miles away, Viktor leaned against a vertical steel grating, the abandoned skeleton of a half-finished construction site for some hundred-story office block. Below him lay a place he’d hoped never to see again, and a door he had long ago shut. When he closed his eyes, he could hear voices, not the chatter from the people in the street below, but voices that carried in the thoughts of the people who were now threatening his new life. He had to be careful: to delve to far would alert them to his presence. A light step here… a small touch there… if he could only find something to help him… or help Sarah.
His concentration shattered at the sound of the phone in his pocket bursting to life. There was only one person in the world with that number, so he rarely bothered answering it. Not when it was faster – and more satisfying – just to visit her in person.

The phone snapped shut with a familiar click as Viktor walked in the room. Sarah didn’t speak, but thrust the note into his hands. His eyes darted from the paper to her face, but he said nothing. Frustration and fear rarely worked well together, but in small doses they could work miracles. Finding the strength in both of them, Sarah steadied her voice.
“Who is ‘S’ in this note? It’s not me, is it?”
Viktor held her gaze as long as he could. “No, it isn’t.”
If her heart wasn’t already caught in her throat, Sarah wondered what was choking her now.
“Then… who is it?”
“It’s me. Viralynn addressed the note to the name she knew me by a long time ago: Silas.”

“I don’t believe it,” Sarah said. “You’re one of them? You’re one of these ‘Kind’?”
“Yes. I was born as one. It wasn’t something I chose for myself.”
“And you have powers?”
Viktor nodded. “Three of them; but they’re not ‘powers,’ exactly. More like heighted abilities.”
Sarah shot him an exasperated look. Under the circumstances, he ignored it.
“Yesterday I told you would be able to understand, because you fought her. That’s because the abilities of the Kind make them exceptional fighters. They can read your moves before you make them.”
“They can read your mind?!” Sarah yelled, suddenly startled. “Can you read my mind?!” Her hands shot to her temples.
“No, nothing like that.” For the first time in a long time, Viktor smiled. He gently reached out and pulled her hands away from the ironic gesture. “It’s more like a feeling, or an instinct. And it only works for things you’re about to do. It’s very useful in a fight, or when you try to kick me as I come home. But it’s not as though I can hear what you’re thinking like listening to a radio.”
“Well that’s… comforting,” Sarah considering the unfair advantage he’d had on her all this time. How could she ever win a fight with someone who knew all her moves before she did?
“I agree,” said Viktor. “I’ve always imagined that kind of intrusion would be extremely uncomfortable, for both of us.”
“You said there are three of these… abilities?”
Viktor stood up from the edge of the bed and held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

The journey was unlike anything Sarah had ever experienced. Part of her understood that it was her, not the room or the hospital, that was disappearing. But from her perspective the walls, roof, floor, furniture, everything just melted away. There was a rush and a pull and suddenly she was moving. A thousand things flew past her at once, images and voices blurred together to fast to make out. She wanted to scream but her body was gone leaving only her consciousness behind. An instant passed and they had arrived.
As the blur of images solidified into a solid picture once again, she felt her body weakening. The legs were the first to go, and it was by Viktor’s arms alone that she didn’t collapse were she stood. Her arms felt numb, and there was a ringing in her ears. She looked at Viktor, but he wasn’t speaking. He was gesturing, opening and closing his fingers. She copied him instinctively, flexing the muscles in her arms. After a few seconds the feeling returned to her limbs and she stood on her own.
For the first time she realised that the floor was softer than before. It was, she soon discovered, the cushioned floor of the gym. Looking around she took in the darkened room in which she spent so much of her working life. The lights were off and the door was sealed, but the street lamp had been pulled from the front window. They were alone. When the ringing in her ears finally subsided she turned to Viktor.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“We need to be alone for what I’m about to show you.”
“You could have taken me home…”
“I didn’t want anything to get broken. Plus, this is perfect.” He indicated to the matted floor, designed specifically for minimising injury during sparring. Sarah raised an eyebrow.
“You want me to fight you?” she said inquisitively. Viktor fought back a smirk.
“Not exactly.”

The pair stood a few feet apart on the soft mat facing one-another. Sarah could feel her heart racing. It wasn’t until Viktor closed his eyes that her heartbeat slowed, and she could breathe a little easier.
“You’re not going to attack me, right?”
Viktor’s eyes didn’t open, but his smile grew slightly. “No. Don’t be nervous. I won’t hurt you.”
Sarah wondered what part of the fact that her boyfriend had supernatural powers was supposed to inspire that sort of confidence. In the end it was her fighter’s instinct – the subtle feeling she got in her gut whenever she stepped onto the mat – that made her want to see this through.
“What do I do?” The question made her feel brave and a little foolish all at the same time.
The smile vanished. Viktor was all business now. “Put up your hands, palms towards me.”
As soon as she did, her fingers caught the energy in the air, a tingling that set her skin on edge.
“And now?” They were separated by a few feet only, but somehow it seemed like miles.
“Walk towards me.” His voice was calm, level. He was in his element, she decided, a teacher and his student. Of course he would bring her here, where for so long he had been hers to teach.
One step, then another. The current running between her fingers got stronger. Another step, then a pause. Viktor remained silent. She was grateful he wasn’t pressing her. She couldn’t have done this at all if he didn’t trust her confidence. She took a deep breath and took the last step.