fascination and horror, and then slowly she pulled her hands apart, imagining that it was him she was stretching.
"Wait!" Gabe pleaded and to her surprise, it did appear that his essence was being pulled apart just as her hands widened the space between them. "Please, Jacqueline."
"What would happen if you I pulled my hands apart as far as I could?" Jacqueline gave him a cold smile. "I bet I could destroy you, split your very being. Doesn't sound like a pleasant option to me."
"I'm sorry." Gabe looked like a bloated fruit ready to explode. "I was only trying to help." This isn't the kind of person you are, Jacqueline. What would Toby say if he saw this side of you?"
Toby. She flinched at the name. Self-doubt crept into her consciousness.
"Toby wouldn't… want… you… to… kill me." Gabe voice became garbled as he struggled desperately to speak. His essence was fat, reminding Jacqueline of the over-juiced Violet from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory .
"You don't know anything about Toby."
But she did. And she knew that for all his gruffness, his tough talk, Toby was a kind person on the inside. He probably wouldn't want her to end Gabe this way even if he had attacked her.
And wasn’t this exactly why the other wizards wanted her? To kill?
No! She was not a killer.
Carefully and with all the concentration she could muster, Jacqueline brought her hands closer together until Gabe was no longer stretched out. She imagined the sparks in her hand being doused with water, and to her relief, they died out, leaving only a small scorch mark behind on each palm.
"You did it." Gabe gave her a look filled with awe. "You actually controlled the power."
"Who says I couldn’t?"
"Everyone in the family. The last time there was a case like yours, the half banshee destroyed most of Europe before she was finally killed."
"Well, if my ancestors handled her the way you were trying to handle me, maybe she just freaked out." Jacqueline took a deep breath, exhaustion hitting her.
"But you didn't freak out, Jacqueline. You can control it!" Gabe sat down on the couch. "This is amazing."
"Does it mean you're going to stop trying to kill me?"
"I don't know. Wait!" he said hastily as her eyes narrowed again. "What I mean is, if you can control your power without the help of anyone else maybe there is hope."
Jacqueline thought about that for a minute. Hope. It was a word to cling to, a word she desperately had needed all these long months of being alone and confused by the odd changes occurring within her.
"How can I test this idea that I can control what I'm doing?" she asked. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Simple. We set a trap and then you use your power on someone who might deserve to have their soul ripped out," he said. "That way if you can't control it, then it's still a win-win."
"Um…I don't know if I want to kill someone even if they are bad. That's not my decision to make," Jacqueline said, alarmed by the idea.
"What if it was the wizard who killed your husband?"
Jacqueline gasped, shocked at the idea and yet…tempted, too.
"Not that I'm agreeing to do that, but how would I find him?" she asked.
"You need to be somewhere where he can be lured out into the open. Obviously, he's been watching you so why not help him
"Wait!" Gabe pleaded and to her surprise, it did appear that his essence was being pulled apart just as her hands widened the space between them. "Please, Jacqueline."
"What would happen if you I pulled my hands apart as far as I could?" Jacqueline gave him a cold smile. "I bet I could destroy you, split your very being. Doesn't sound like a pleasant option to me."
"I'm sorry." Gabe looked like a bloated fruit ready to explode. "I was only trying to help." This isn't the kind of person you are, Jacqueline. What would Toby say if he saw this side of you?"
Toby. She flinched at the name. Self-doubt crept into her consciousness.
"Toby wouldn't… want… you… to… kill me." Gabe voice became garbled as he struggled desperately to speak. His essence was fat, reminding Jacqueline of the over-juiced Violet from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory .
"You don't know anything about Toby."
But she did. And she knew that for all his gruffness, his tough talk, Toby was a kind person on the inside. He probably wouldn't want her to end Gabe this way even if he had attacked her.
And wasn’t this exactly why the other wizards wanted her? To kill?
No! She was not a killer.
Carefully and with all the concentration she could muster, Jacqueline brought her hands closer together until Gabe was no longer stretched out. She imagined the sparks in her hand being doused with water, and to her relief, they died out, leaving only a small scorch mark behind on each palm.
"You did it." Gabe gave her a look filled with awe. "You actually controlled the power."
"Who says I couldn’t?"
"Everyone in the family. The last time there was a case like yours, the half banshee destroyed most of Europe before she was finally killed."
"Well, if my ancestors handled her the way you were trying to handle me, maybe she just freaked out." Jacqueline took a deep breath, exhaustion hitting her.
"But you didn't freak out, Jacqueline. You can control it!" Gabe sat down on the couch. "This is amazing."
"Does it mean you're going to stop trying to kill me?"
"I don't know. Wait!" he said hastily as her eyes narrowed again. "What I mean is, if you can control your power without the help of anyone else maybe there is hope."
Jacqueline thought about that for a minute. Hope. It was a word to cling to, a word she desperately had needed all these long months of being alone and confused by the odd changes occurring within her.
"How can I test this idea that I can control what I'm doing?" she asked. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Simple. We set a trap and then you use your power on someone who might deserve to have their soul ripped out," he said. "That way if you can't control it, then it's still a win-win."
"Um…I don't know if I want to kill someone even if they are bad. That's not my decision to make," Jacqueline said, alarmed by the idea.
"What if it was the wizard who killed your husband?"
Jacqueline gasped, shocked at the idea and yet…tempted, too.
"Not that I'm agreeing to do that, but how would I find him?" she asked.
"You need to be somewhere where he can be lured out into the open. Obviously, he's been watching you so why not help him
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