Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,59

into herself. The flames moved off Ramsey and solely onto her. Not even the hands still linked with hers were touched by the fire.

As soon as she had full control, Ellie started playing. First she extinguished the fire completely. She heard Ramsey’s small intake of breath and felt him relax for the first time since they’d begun the exercise.

“Don’t worry,” she assured him as her face took on a mischievous look. “I’ll show you how after I’m done.”

“Oh, jeez,” Griffin muttered. Then he added louder, “Watch out. She’s about to get feisty with it.”

Ellie gave the onlookers a sassy wink. “You ready for this?” she asked Ramsey.

“I guess,” was his less-than-enthusiastic response. Ellie grinned at his doubtful expression.

“Here we go!” Still holding one of Ramsey’s hands, Ellie let go with the other and extended her palm up, where a small flame appeared. “Eventually, as you master the skill, you’ll have very specific control.” She shrunk it to a small ember. She then grew it so that it danced about six inches above her hand.

“You can pick what you are burning quite precisely.” She changed the color of the fire to green, then purple, then white, as she forced it to burn minute amounts of copper, potassium, and then magnesium from the air.

“I guess you actually paid attention in chemistry!” Griffin called across the field. She stuck her tongue out at her brother and then continued unfazed.

“You’re also pretty unlimited in the size you can expand the fire to.” It shot up into the air about a hundred feet in a long skinny column of dancing color. “I’d go higher, but I’m afraid it would be seen.”

She brought the flame back down. “And you can control the shape and placement of it.” She shot the fire out to circle the clearing several times until it spiraled around them. Then she pulled the spiral in so that it crackled within inches of the two of them.

She doused it.

“You can control it away from your body.”

A small tree about 30 feet away burst into flame, popping and crackling. Then, just as suddenly, the blaze was gone.

Ellie looked at Ramsey. “You’ll be able to do that for anything, any size, in about a hundred mile radius eventually.”

Ramsey’s face broke into a huge grin. “That is awesome! Can you teach me all of that?”

Ellie shook her head. “Not all of it immediately. You’ll still have to learn things at your own pace, but I can help you along. What I can teach you right now is how to control it so that it can’t overwhelm you or hurt anyone.”

“Show me,” Ramsey breathed, his wide eyes impressed.

“You bet.” She glanced at Griffin, sending him a telepathic request. He sent her a surprised look, but immediately turned and talked quietly with the family watching from their distant spot across the clearing.

“We’ll need Lila,” Ellie said.

Chapter 29

Ramsey cocked his head. “Why is that exactly?”

“I’m pretty sure she’s the reason you’ve been able to hang on to your control as well and as long as you have, especially around your family.”

Ramsey shook his head vehemently. “I don’t want her anywhere near me!”

Lila, crossing over to them, heard his statement. A devastated look passed over the poor girl’s face before she managed to control it.

“Too late,” Ellie murmured to Ramsey. He turned and saw Lila right behind him. Silently, he returned his attention to Ellie, his expression grim.

Lila took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. “You wanted me to come over?” she asked Ellie, refusing to even look at Ramsey.

“Lila, I think you may have an untapped power,” Ellie stated.

Lila looked mildly surprised, but nodded. “Does it have something to do with my Dad’s healing ability?”

“Good guess. I think you have the ability to heal people’s emotions.”

Ellie felt Ramsey stiffen at this announcement. Softly, just to Ellie, he asked, “Do you think that’s why I have better control around them than by myself?”

“Yes. I think once Lila masters her skill, she can help you learn to master your emotions. Eventually, you won’t need her help. But to start with, she can at least unconsciously help you until she can deliberately control her powers.”

She looked directly at Lila. “I’d like to try something just with you for a second, and if my guess is right, then we can work with Ramsey together.”

“Sure.” Lila immediately held out her hand to Ellie.

“Don’t go away,” Ellie directed Ramsey, and then let go of his hands to take Lila’s.

She pulled Lila’s light into herself,