Anna never really liked her name. It meant "god's grace", and since she was a non-believer... well, she had begun to hate it. Her friends came through for her, though... they'd always been good with nicknames that fit people, and this one they gave to her one night at Dennys.
"Kestrel!" Danny yelled. "That's what you remind me of... a kestrel!"
"Dan, what the hell are you talking about?" Kelly asked after having smacked him on the arm for being too loud.
"Anna reminds me of a Kestrel. I saw alot of them when mom and dad took me to Leeds that time for vacation. They're tiny little hawks, but so fast, and just about the fiercest of the raptors." He grinned at the other four at the table, and began shovelling his fries into his mouth again. His father had gone to England a few years ago for a conference, so they'd turned it into a whole family vacation. Dan had brought back some pretty awesome pictures of everything and anything. He hadn't wanted his friends to miss seeing one single cool thing.
"So... Kestral, huh?" Kelly asked speculatively, her eyes narrowed in thought, looking Anna's way. "You know, I think that really fits. Alright then, guys... We have a vote to make. All in favor?" She waited while three hands shot up in the air, grins on everyone's faces. "Then it's unanimous, since I like it too." Here she smiled at Anna, stood up, and picked up a butter knife, walking to Anna's side of the table. She placed the butter knife on Anna's right shoulder, and said "I dub thee... Kestrel!" and hit the other shoulder, and back to the first. Kes giggled, and everyone else grinned silly grins. See, Kes was the only one no one could fit a name to. They'd gone through the normal gothic variations... Raven, Blood rose, black rose, crow, (wolf would have been silly since it was her last name) Tempus, and Belle Morte. None of them satisfied the group, so none had been chosen for the many years they'd all been going to the same schools.
"Ya know... I think I really like it. Thanks, Dan." kes grinned, and sipped at her coke. She looked up, staring off into spacce for a moment without realizing it. She had the oddest sensation in her head.... like something was trying to push it's way out. The sensation turned to a tingling, and began to move down through her head, shoulders and arms to her hands, where it concentrated, and strengthened. She looked down at her palms, and sould see a sheen of sweat developing there... and, still not understanding what was going on, she brought it to the attention of the table.
"Uh... guys...? Uhm... I don't know what the fuck is happening to me, but I'm a little freaked out here." she whispered, not taking her eyes off of her hands.
"What's up, Kes?" Dan asked curiously.
"I... I don't fucking know, but it's starting to really HURT. My... my hands... they feel like baloons, and there's this tingling feeling. Like pins and needles, ya know? But fuck, a thousand times -worse-! Man this fuckin hurts!" She had begun to shake all over, and her hands were turning an angry red as her friends watched. Kelly stood up quickly and herded Kes out the door, and around to the back of the store. Once in a while she had premonitions of a sort, and this was one of them... something was telling her to get Kes away from everyone else, and quick.
"Okay, hun, whatever's goin' on it's safe now. You do some bad drugs or some shit like that?" Kelly asked worriedly.
"Fuck no, man, you know I didn't ever get into that shit... I don't know what's goin' on but it's scarin' the shit out of me!" Kes all but screamed. As she watched her hands, she saw Kelly turn white as a sheet, and run back behind the dunpster. Just as she got to safety, Kes felt the pain double, and double again, giving her a blinding headache. She watched her fingers splay out, and stiffen untill she couldn't move them, and then a moment of peace, and calm came over her. That peace was shattered when two bolts of pure energy shot out of her hands and into a tree about 100 yards away. Kes screamed at the top of her lungs, and passed out cold.
When she came to, Kes was in a hospital bed, her arms strapped down and covered with bandages. She was almost incapable of raising her head to look up, but she wanted to see around her... see if anyone was there. Cards, baloons, and stuffed animals were everywhere, and out the window of her room, she saw Kelly. Kelly was talking to someone, but turned, and caught Kes's eyes. She shook her head at the other person, and ran for the door to the room.
"Oh my god, Kes, yer awake! Fuck, girl you had us all worried as hell around here! You've been out for two weeks, and they were talking about all kinds of nasty shit that could be wrong with you. Your parents weren't convinced though, said to just let you be, and come back when you were ready or some shit. But you died like six times before they got you stable finally. How do ya feel?" Kelly finally asked, stopping her mile-a-minute ramble of information.
"I... I don't know. Ok, I guess. What the fuck happened? All I remember is going out back with you... then it's all a big fuzzy painfull blank."
"Well, you kinda got all stiff, stuck your hands out, and screamed. When you screamed I almost shit myself, and a couple of energy bolts or something came out of your hands and,,, like,,, decapitated that tree out back of the store. Freaky" Kelly replied, watching her friend with a worried look.
"Holy fucked up shit." Kes replied, her eyes wide. Her head started to hurt again, like the worst migraine she had ever had, and she felt that tingling in her hands. Kelly looked at her, scared because she knew what was comming, and reached for Kes's right hand.
"Not in here, girl, you'll kill someone. You'll blow up the ward with shit like that! Calm it down. Do something, anything to stop it!"
"How... the fuck... would you suggest... I do... that?" Kes replied, her teeth grinding together, eyes screwed shut, trying do figure out a way to shut this thing off.
"You said it started in your head, right? Concentrate on shutting it down. Don't let it through, or you'll kill us all." Kelly replied, clinging to her friend's hand. Sure she was scared, but she knew... absolutely knew that if she let go, Kes would lose her control. She watched her friend and hurt for her. She knew this had to be the hardest thing Kes had ever done in her 15 years of life. Kes screwed her eyes shut, grinding her teeth in frustration. She had done visualizations before, to meditate, but that was nothing like this. She felt as if she had Niagra Falls in her hands, and one slip... one moment of inattention, and it'd crash down on all of them. Suddenly, she felt almost a click inside her head, and a wave of relaxed calm. She sighed, and saw Kelly relax at the same time... apparently Kelly had felt... whatever it was... as well.
"Well... I guess I can keep it under control. For now, at least. I guess I'm gonna start meditating again." Kes said wearily to her friend. Kelly smiled brightly, and nodded, and at that point Kes's parents walked in.
"Oh my god, baby! You're awake! Kelly, why didn't you come get us?" her mom all but screamed.
"Sorry Mrs. Wolfe. But Kes had something she wanted to talk to me about.... you know... uh, girl stuff." Kelly replied to the crying woman. "Well, I guess I'll go now. Mom's gonna kill me for being gone so long. Later, Kes." Kelly waved as she walked out, a look of warning on her face as she looked at her friend before she walked out the door.
"How do you feel, baby?" Mrs. Wolfe asked, trying to fluff the pillows, straighten the sheets, and re-arrange the gifts all at the same time.
"I... I guess I'm ok, mom. I don't really know what happened, or how, though Kel gave me an update. I hope you and dad weren't too worried..." Kes knew she was lying to her parents, but there was no way in hell she could tell them what exactly had happened... or that it was still going on. "Any way I can get my hands untied from hhere? It's kinda freakin me out." She asked her mom, starting to feel claustrophobic.
"Of course, baby. They had them fastened down to keep you from moving. You... you went into convulsions a few times... but when they got you restrained, the convulsions stopped. There, that better?" she asked as she unfastened the velcro of the straps.
"Yeah, thanks, mom. Do... do they know what happened? Or why?" she asked tentatively.
"Sorry, baby, but they have no idea why this is happening to you. They've run a whole bunch of tests, and they still... they still just don't know." her moother replied, tears standing out in her bright eyes, and in the quavering of her voice.
"'s ok, mom. I'm still here, right? Don't worry. You know I've been through worse than this." here she stopped and grinned up at her mother. Kes had fallen out, and off of every ledge, roof, or tree she had climbed form a very young age. She was definately no stranger to pain.... "In fact, that time at Aunt Sally's, remember? The two broken wrists? That hurt a heck of alot more than this does." she chuckled, "and at least this time I didn't break anything. Maybe I'm trying to become immune to pain. You know, hurt myself alot, so that later on I won't feel it?" she grinned, and brought a laugh from her mother with that statement.
"Yeah, sometimes I wonder about you, kiddo. Well, it's 3 in the morning, so if you're sure you're alright...." her mother began. Kes nodded and smiled, hating herself for lying to her mother. "Well, then your dad and I really need to get some sleep. We've become inomniacs over the last two weeks!"
"Hey, no prob, mom. See y'all later, ok? And don't worry too much. Love ya mom, dad." Kes replied with a wave and a smile.
"Love you too, kid." her dad said, giving her a quick peck on the forehead.
"Just relax, honey. Let the nurses help you when you want a shower and the toilet, ok?" her mom warned her.
"Jeez, mom, alright already! Stop embarrasing me!"
Her father laughed, saying, "If the kid's well enough to be embarrassed, she's not going to die while we're gone. Heck, she hasn't even gotten to make the doctors or nurses lives unbearable yet. Don't worry, Diane, she'll be fine." her father hugged her tightly, and as he stood to leave, she could see the tell-tale brightness of tears in his own eyes.
"Love ya. guys. Don't worry, I have too many people to annoy to die yet! See y'all in the morning" Kes called out after them. After they had gone, she sat there for a long time just staring into space thinking. She tried to figure out what had happened to her, why... whatever this was... chose her to happen to. Finally, after a few hours, and an injection from the angry charge nurse, she managed to sleep. Her dreams were far lees peacefull than her sleeping body, however. Full of things and people she loved being exploded or burned to death by the energies comming from her body....