Talent Storm by Brian Terenna Page B

his glasses. Just looking at him annoyed me.
    “Notice that most of you are proficients,” said Deo. “Some of you with proper practice will become more powerful than adepts. There are fewer adepts and only two students who are elite, both of whom are, amazingly, telekinetics.”
    The class began to mummer.
    “Yes, yes. Quiet down. We’re all impressed. Telekinetics are rare in more ways than one. They are the only talent wielders to give off colored auras. The color or at least shade is different for each person. All other talents give off invisible auras. Powerful talent wielders can feel the invisible auras and their direction, but most people can’t. The feeling is typically a tingling sensation on a part of your body. We never figured out why talents give off auras though.
    “Even though proficient, adept, and elite are your titles, do not let it go to your head. You have achieved nothing and without hard work you will never match your title,” he said, looking directly at me.
    I rolled my eyes.
    “At the same time, if you all work hard, some of you might even develop a second talent. It’s rare and typically not as strong as your first, but it happens. Our arch enemy, Goldwater, wields three talents.”
    The class grumbled.
    “Screw him,” said a boy.
    A girl shook her head. “I wish that fascist would die.”
    “I don’t know,” said Sid. “You have to respect all he’s achieved.”
    “What? No,” said one boy. “He’s a tyrant.”
    Deo cleared his throat. “No, Sid. Goldwater should not be respected. He’s nothing but a monster.”
    Several students said, “Oooo,” and pointed fingers at Sid.
    “Settle down, everyone. Most days we’ll split up into talent groups for training. I’ll have assistant instructors work with each group, except the telekinetics. I’ll work with them. I’m going to work you guys hard.” He smiled, the corners of his piercing blue eyes wrinkling.
    Why me?
    “Now, everyone have a seat. We are going to learn some relaxation and focus techniques,” he said.
    I reclaimed my seat while the class shuffled back to their chairs.
    After everyone settled in, he continued. “The ability to control your talent is maximized when your body is relaxed and your mind is focused. Sometimes, however, extreme emotional states can enhance talent. It depends on the person. For the most part, without proper control you will lose power and can even be dangerous to your friends.”
    He eyed me again. “The first technique is called Progressive Relaxation. It's a simple technique that can produce strong results. After I teach you, you’ll practice at home. It’s best if you lay down when doing so. The basic idea is to progressively tense and relax every muscle group. You will tense the muscles for ten seconds and relax them for twenty. When working on a particular muscle group you must focus your mind entirely on it and take slow, deep abdominal breaths. After finishing, you should go back and focus on each muscle group again, relaxing them further. The second part of the exercise teaches healers, emps, and bios to better control their own bodies.”
    After he led us through the technique, I was more relaxed than ever. Maybe there was something to these tricks. He taught us a few more techniques including meditation and guided imagery. The imagery was apparently great for illusionists. At the end of class, I shuffled out with everyone.
    “Jaden,” the instructor said.
    I reluctantly turned back. “Yes, Instructor?”
    “Have a seat.” He pointed to a desk in front of his. “I wanted to talk to you in particular because of your high potential and lazy personality.”
    “Lazy? Who told you that?” I wasn’t lazy. I just liked being relaxed.
    He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. As a telekinetic, it could be dangerous to slack off on your training. Without proper emotional control, you could hurt yourself or the people you love. Take what I teach you very seriously. Now