Page 54

Jesse

Carmel-by-the-Sea was perhaps the prettiest place Jesse had ever visited.

Even now, with a summer storm rolling in and bringing with it dark, gray clouds, the coast was lovely.

Miles of beach, empty due to the oncoming weather, as hot winds whipped at Jesse’s hair and tee shirt through the open window of the car they’d rented for the trip.

Massive waves, stirred by the storm, crashed upon the rocks.

The scent of salty sea air filled his lungs with a freshness he rarely got in Carson City, and the emptiness of the endless horizon across the waters filled his vision—a reminder of the vastness of the world.

Even if Jamie had only decided to come here in order to practice and gain more control of his powers, Jesse was still, in a way, glad they had come.

Of course, the long drive had been exhausting, given his current state.

Jamie had been putting ‘seals’ on him every time the last one wore off, but even with the seals on, he was just getting…

tired, all the time. And when they wore off too much, a stabbing and piercing ache began to pulse through his veins…

“You sure you’re alright to stay out here with me?” Jamie asked from his spot in the passenger seat of the car as they parked at the edge of the beach. “You could still go to the hotel if you need to.”

“No, I’m alright,” Jesse insisted. “I said I want to be there and help you in case anything gets out of hand, and that’s exactly why I’m here.

Besides, between sitting around on a beach and sitting around in a hotel room, there’s not much difference, apart from the fact that I’d feel a lot worse if I didn’t know you’re alright. ”

“Fair enough.”

The two climbed out of the car and started making their way out of the parking lot and down to the beach. The wind was even stronger out here than it had been through an open window, and Jesse found it exhilarating just to stand here in it.

“It’s beautiful,” Jamie breathed beside him, gazing out over the dark waters with his wide brown eyes. “Beautiful and terrible, lovely and brutal, healing and destructive all at once.”

There was something so poetic in the way he spoke. Jesse looked out as the powerful waves roared and crashed and pushed and pulled, feeling as if he were seeing it for the first time all over again, now that he was seeing it the way Jamie saw it. “It truly is a force to be reckoned with.”

“And reckon I shall,” Jamie said, taking in a deep and determined breath as he stepped off the concrete and into the sand. “The storm stirring up the waves is perfect. That’s exactly what I need.”

“Well… as long as you’re sure,” Jesse said, making the choice to trust Jamie to know what he was doing, and trying to ignore the worry he still felt deep within himself.

He didn’t think he would ever forget the sight of Jamie falling unconscious into the lake through shattering ice, but…

they had moved past that. Jamie wasn’t going to push himself beyond his limits anymore.

He was going to be fine.

“I am sure,” Jamie told him, as they slowly and leisurely walked down towards where the water lapped against the shore. “And I’ll make sure to come back and put another seal on you when this one wears off.”

“You’ll… come back?” Jesse asked a little startled. “You mean, you’re not going to stay here on the shore?”

“No,” Jamie said. “I think I need to be out there in order to really feel the—” He suddenly trailed off, a strange expression crossing his face as he stared off towards a nearby boulder.

Jesse followed his gaze, confused. “What are you staring at?”

“…That rock,” Jamie said, walking over to the boulder and slowly running his hand across the stone. “Come and look at this.”

Jesse obeyed, moving to stand by Jamie and examining the rock as directed. There was an imprint on the stone, as if something had been carved into it, at least an inch deep .

A crescent moon.

“Wow, that’s pretty,” Jesse noted, a smile pulling at his lips.

“…Hm.” Jamie traced his fingers along the edges of the carving, and a deep, serious frown settled on his face.

“…Is something wrong?” Jesse asked after a moment. “You seem… troubled.”

“No, it’s nothing,” Jamie said. “Just… I feel as though I’ve seen that shape before.”

“Well, you probably have,” Jesse told him. “Crescent moons are pretty popular. Necklaces, tee shirts, billboards, art—you’ve probably seen them hundreds of times, maybe you just never really noticed before.”

“No, I mean… This exact one,” Jamie said, his frown deepening as he stared, transfixed, at the rock. But then he shook his head, letting out a slight breath and turning back towards the ocean. “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter.”

It sounded like it did matter.

But Jesse didn’t press the issue, letting Jamie take the lead. Jamie would come to him with it when he felt like it was the right time. Until then, Jesse knew now that he needed to give Jamie the space to decide for himself when ‘the right time’ really was.

Taking in another deep breath, Jamie closed his eyes for a few seconds—setting his powers free, the white flowing down his head like it always did, as he shifted into his powered form. The beauty of it was still beyond mesmerizing.

“Time to fight the turn of the tide,” Jamie announced, his now stunning blue eyes glinting as he kicked off his sandals.

Without another word, he turned and strode toward the waves, stepping onto a small rock jutting out of the water.

From there, he leapt gracefully to the next.

The gap between the rocks grew wider with each jump, until at one point, Jamie extended a foot into the open space between two stones, the water rising to meet him, forming a brief, shimmering step that carried him to the next rock as it obeyed his will.

He made his way farther and farther out with effortless balance, until he reached a large rock with a surprisingly flat surface, rising just above the waves.

It stood isolated, far out in the ocean, surrounded by the vast, restless water.

Jamie stood tall upon the ocean, steady and unshaken, as though he belonged. Once again, Jesse found himself in awe. There was an air of ease and calm about him; a grace and elegance, an authority to him, as if he was in command of the seas, and knew it for a fact.

And then Jamie began to move. This time, he wasn’t only using his hands and arms; he was moving with his entire body, given the masses of water he wanted to control.

It almost looked like dancing to Jesse. Not the way Jamie usually danced in Hazel’s studio, though.

This was different. His movements were less sharp, less deliberate, Jesse noticed.

They seemed more… fluid, and precise. As if his body moved in sync with the currents that pulsed through the water around him.

Jamie raised his right hand, and a tall wave rose with it, cresting like a living thing.

He swept his left arm outward, and the wave obeyed, crashing off to the side.

He spun on his heel, and the waters churned in a wide arc, mirroring his movement.

When he clenched his fists, the tide seemed to retreat in response.

And then, with a sudden leap forward, the waves surged, crashing tumultuously against the rocks in a violent crescendo.

It was unlike anything Jesse had ever seen.

At least, not in real life. He had seen such things before, in movies.

But this wasn’t a movie, this was the real world, and it was happening right in front of Jesse’s eyes!

He watched, transfixed, as Jamie continued to practice his movements, seeming to find a rhythm in the ocean waters and dancing upon the waves in time to a music no one but himself could hear.

Each breath, each step, each turn, each flick of his wrist; it was all nothing short of beautiful.

Jesse couldn’t look away. He sat in the sand and watched him, for what felt like hours. He never grew tired of it, never got bored. How could he be bored, with such a sight before him?!

At some point, it began to rain—yet the drops didn’t fall on Jesse, no doubt due to Jamie’s influence, so he didn’t have to flee back to the car.

He was free to sit and keep watching. The rain seemed to make the waters grow all the more treacherous, but likewise, Jamie seemed to grow more powerful in turn.

His ‘dance’ took on a sharper form, his movements still flowing easily from one position to the next, but growing more complex as he maneuvered through the rain.

The drops that fell close to him weren’t immune to his influence, either; spinning round him as if caught in a whirlpool before slipping into the churning waves beneath his feet.

Jesse then noticed that there was something strange happening to the rock on which Jamie stood.

Ever so slowly, some water was flowing over it, between the solid stone and Jamie’s feet.

It was rising higher and higher, until it stood a few feet above the rest of the waves, like a small stage.

As if Jamie were lifting himself above the world, to look down upon the seas he commanded, and see them at a glance.

He knelt down upon the waters, and although he was too far away for Jesse to make out the look on his face, he could tell by the purposeful and deliberate movements of Jamie’s body that he was getting ready to do something big.

Jesse sat up straighter.