“An Empath,” Victor interrupts softly.
Superior Charles remains seated, studying Victor for a few moments. Victor can feel the superior’s eyes burrowing deep into him. He has always had a sense of someone watching him, but this is different. Victor can actually feel Superior Charles, even though they are ten feet away.
“Why are you scared, young empath?” Superior Charles finally asks.
Victor looks around nervously. “I’m not scared, Superior.”
“Young man, you know you cannot lie to an empath,” Superior Charles says in a husky Southern drawl. “After I heard about what happened, I felt it was necessary to meet you myself.” He looks around the room, “Everyone but Superior Jackie may leave us.”
With that, everyone makes their way into Leo’s room. Leo makes eye contact with Victor and pats his shoulder.
“May Leo stay, Superior?” Victor asks. After a moment of silence, Superior Charles gestures to Leo to exit.
Leo gives Victor a subtle nod.
As he closes the door behind him, Leo looks at Victor and mouths,“Everything will be okay.”He winks at Victor before shutting the door.
Superior Jackie sits on the couch and pats the seat beside her. “Please, have a seat, my young empath.” Victor looks between the two superiors and then takes a seat. As soon as he sits down, Superior Jackie hands Victor a glass of water.
“Thank you, Superior Jackie,” Victor says as he takes the glass. Victor feels like he’s 10 years old and in trouble with his parents.
“Victor Russo, correct?” Superior Charles asks. “The grandson of the late Empath Marie Russo.”
Victor nods, “That’s correct. My grandmother’s name was Marie Russo. Did you know her?”
Superior Charles snaps his fingers to create a small flame to light a cigar. He takes a few puffs as he slides the ashtray on thetable closer to him. “She was an incredible witch. It was such a tragedy when I heard she left us. It’s a shame you never got a chance to learn from her or your mother.”
“Thank you, I think,” Victor says sheepishly as he drinks water.
“Tell me,” Superior Charles continues as he puffs his cigar, “what happened back at the warehouse?”
Victor looks down at his water glass, trying to recollect what happened. He takes a deep and nervous breath as he tries to answer the question. “I . . . I don’t remember much.”
“It’s okay, young empath. Tell me what you remember,” Superior Charles says while exhaling a puff from his cigar.
Victor looks at his glass a little longer before he looks up at Superior Charles. “The day was long. Karl and I were practicing several air spells. I was picking things up quickly. He decided to teach me some air-pushing skills. As I went through the motions, I started to get better and stronger.”
Victor’s gaze shifts away from Superior Charles as he continues. “I could feel the air around me. The air started to feel solid, making it easier for me to push around. Then, things got fuzzy. All of a sudden, I was floating in the air. After that, I don’t know what else happened.”
“You don’t remember the fight?” Superior Charles inquires.
Victor pinches his eyebrows together, giving both superiors a look of confusion. “There was a fight? Between whom?”
Superior Jackie places a gentle hand on Victor’s leg. “You attacked Leo and Karl, my dear.”
Victor is shocked by the news. “What?Did I hurt them?”
Superior Jackie pats Victor’s leg. “No, you didn’t hurt them. However, Leo needed a new jacket. Akisha and I were able to stop you before things got worse.”
Victor opens his mouth a little as he starts to remember more. He licks his lips, “I . . . I . . . “
“Yes?” Superior Charles responds.
“I remember cold metal wrapping around me. It was tight around my arms and legs. Then it felt like I could hardly breathe because something cold started wrapping around my chest and neck. There was flashing, like a strobe light. It was directly in my eyes. Then, I woke up in my bed.”
Superior Jackie sits back in her seat. “Akisha and I had to use our Metal Magic to bind you. You were starting to lose control. Akisha used some Light Magic to knock you out. After that, you were on a 24-hour watch until you woke up. We didn’t know what would happen when you did. Thankfully, after a few nights of rest, you returned to normal.”
Victor starts to feel sick. His stomach turns as he tries to figure out what to ask next. “What happened to me?”
