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An elbow to the gut draws me out of my mind and my head jerks up, landing on the supernatural worker who’s holding out her hand expectantly.Ticket, dumbass. I pass it to her and she leads us to an empty cart on the rollercoaster. Each individual cart is protected by a barrier rune so if anything were to malfunction the occupants would be fine. It also offers privacy so only the people in each cart—which seats two people each—can hear what the other is saying. While somehow maintaining the true experience of the ride, you still get your face blown off by the wind.
Clearing my throat, I strap myself in under the watchful eye of the employee and Nessa does the same. This time, before the ride even starts up, her blackened, claw tipped fingers wrap around my wrist, the calluses on her palms rough against my skin while that heady buzz of my fear zipping through me disappears. It’s another intriguing fact that I add to the ever growing pile of things I have in my mental file on Nessa.
“Thank you,” I murmur. I guess she decided not to torture me then. Clearing my throat, my eyes drift to the flow of supernaturals on either side of us while the ride attendant helps other supes onto the roller coaster.
If Nessa wasn’t touching me right now, I would be having a panic attack. It’s almost unreal that I’m sitting on a roller coaster with a complete lack of fear. Curiosity piques my brain as I scan her features. Nessa’s dark hair is blowing around her face as she rubs her hair tie clad wrist against her knee, eyes unfocused.Lost in her head.
“Is it hard to take away my fear like this?” I inquire, voice low. Still her eyes jerk to mine as though I’ve surprised her by speaking.
“No, not really. It’s rather easy actually.” She cocks her head to the side, brows drawn low. “All I have to do is gain access to your head then it’s almost like I can see the switch in your mind controlling your fear. From there I can turn it on or off as I please, but it would be damaging to let go of you while you’re without fear, so I have a failsafe when I do it with you. The moment our skin to skin contact is broken your fear will come back.”
I nod sagely at her explanation. I can’t say it’s what I expected, but it does let me know that she is capable of doing this to other people. I’m about to ask her another question when the ride below us clicks, starting to climb the first hill on the railing it’s attached to.
This particular roller coaster is the most tame of the ones in the marketplace in terms of heights and loops in its track, but it is the longest and fastest one. Its track takes you all the way around the outskirts of the marketplace.
Rubbing my hands together—careful not to shake Nessa off—a tiny smirk quirks my lips. Time to see how fun this is.
The first decline isn’t all that large, but it sends the roller coaster train flying. It careens down its track, dragging a whoop from Nessa and I as the wind screams around us, yanking our hair back and stinging against my cheek. When we hit the next incline the train slows, rattling as it climbs the hill and Nessa nudges my arm.
“What’s up?” I ask, voice raised to be heard over the wind.
“What’s that for?” She points at a giant stage that’s empty for the moment. Smothering a smile at her interest, I lean into her so I don’t have to shout.
“That’s for the performance later on tonight. They’re just setting up right now.”
Her golden eyes widen and curiosity floods her expression as she goes to ask about it, when the train tips over the peak of the hill, sending us flying again and cutting off her words.
As we zoom over the first quarter of the track, I can’t help but admire the views. I didn’t get much of a chance in the bubble ride, too overwhelmed by my fear disappearing. Thick forestry rims the marketplace and the buildings are intriguing with their various shapes and sizes.Yep, this is definitely awesome.
Nope, this is definitely not awesome. I’ve changed my mind. Can I go back and talk my stupid ass, past self out of getting on this nausea inducing ride.
Groaning, I hang my head as my gut rolls, threatening to have me retching for a second time. I lost my lunch about two minutes ago, though thankfully I made it off the roller coaster before I upchucked.Never a-fucking-gain.
I was alright for the first three quarters, enjoying the sights, not having to worry about the heights, then the last quarter was a mix of fast turns and weaves. All of which my stomach was not prepared for. It rolls again and my fists clench.Stop thinking about it, dumbass.
Nessa’s warmth sinks into my back as she rubs it, hands gently coasting over my shoulders comfortingly. Of course she’s not afraid of puke. She’s freaking perfect. Shaking my head at my insane thoughts, I suck in a deep breath before straightening. Groaning again as my gut protests, I shuffle away from my puke and collapse onto a park bench. Nessa disappears and I let my head drop, forehead hitting the table with a thunk.Great, now I’ve scared her off. Definitely no more rides for me.
A few minutes later, a thud from something landing beside my head has me jerking up, eyes searching for the source only to find an unopened water bottle, some bland crackers and I lean in to take a sniff.Peppermint tea?Nessa grins at me. “That should make you feel better. Oh,” she says, holding up her index finger at me in the universal wait a moment, gesture. “And you can use this to wash your mouth out if you’d like.” She holds up a mini travel mouthwash bottle and sets it on the table alongside the other stuff. “How are you feeling, big guy?”
Huffing out a laugh, I crack the water bottle and rinse out my mouth, before taking a few swallows. When my stomach doesn’t protest I go for the peppermint tea and plain crackers.At least motion sickness passes quickly.
“Better, thank you,” I say after a few minutes. She nods, eyes scanning the area around us as she hums under her breath, seeming unbothered by me losing my lunch.
“So… how long have you been scared of heights?” Nessa asks after a while, tone curious.
Chewing thoughtfully, I swallow the dry cracker and take a sip of water before I answer her. “Since I was a kid.”
Swirling a finger on the table, following some unseen pattern, Nessa’s eyes flick to me. “Is there a story there, or…?”
A crooked grin cracks my lips and I look up at her. “Sort of.” I thread my fingers together and lean back a little, trying to get comfortable on the wooden seat. “When I was a kid my mother and I didn’t have much. I grew up in the Mikró Mageia town, on the poor side of town.” My eyes slip from Nessa’s and land on the tree as memories flood through my head. “We lived in a tall ass apartment building that was practically falling apart. We were in one of the top apartments and one night there was a fire, I had to jump out of a window. She didn't make it.” Swallowing hard, I shake my head. “I would’ve died too if the adrenaline hadn’t awoken my powers.”
Clearing my throat, my eyes dart back to Nessa and I canfeelthem swirling with my magic. She watches me, concern practically streaming from her pores. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she says quietly.
I offer her a small smile at her words. We’re quiet for a minute or so, both lost in thought until she blurts out, “I want to become an SFBI agent when I’m older.”
I can tell by the sudden tension in her form that she regrets telling me the moment she stops talking so I attempt to censor my reaction.An SFBI agent, really?It depends what part of the organisation she’s aiming to work in, because I think some parts might be a little strict for someone with her personality and willingness to maim and terrify people. The main part of the SFBI can be so stuffy sometimes that she’d bore of it the moment they started training her to become part of their run of the mill agents. My eyes narrow as I scan her, cataloguing all the powers I’m aware of, and knowledge of her skills. She’d be perfect for me though. For the type of work I do. I need to speak with my boss.
Refocusing on the woman in front of me, a miniscule smile tips my lips.Later. Right now I need to focus on answering her correctly. “I didn’t expect that,” I say slowly. Trying to feel her out on how set she is to that specific career path—while preferably not offending her.
