Override (Glitch)

didn’t want to happen. I didn’t want to lose control with Adrien’s mom. It would just be that much more ammunition for her hatred of me.
    I held up my tremoring arm. “Maybe we should stop for a little bit.”
    Sophia ignored me, not lowering her weapon. “I told Adrien that he should stay away from you. That you are dangerous.”
    “I’d never hurt him.”
    “Oh really?” Her eyebrows raised.
    “The mirror was an accident,” I mumbled, looking down.
    “What if these were real bullets? When you’re out there running missions, you need to be able to take care of yourself. My son is strong and smart, but he’d jump in front of a laser weapon to try and save you. Are you going to let him get killed because of you?”
    “No.” The buzzing got louder in my ears, but I tried to tamp it down. It was coming on too quickly. I knew I was supposed to be trying to access the power, but the truth was, I was terrified of it. Sophia was right. All I did was get people hurt. And our training sessions weren’t helping much.
    Whenever I walked into the Caf these days, talk quieted at all the tables. Furtive eyes glanced at me, and then quickly darted away. I could tell they’d all heard about what had happened with the mirror, and Ginni had probably filled everyone else in about my repeated failures at the glitcher training sessions. This morning several of the Rez fighters had stared at me in open hostility, making my cheeks flame in embarrassment and shame. They’d all expected me to be this powerful leader. I was supposed to be a sign of hope, a secret weapon against the Chancellor.
    But I was none of those things. My torso started shaking with frustration at my repeated failure.
    I tried to calm down and take deep breaths, following Jilia’s instructions. But all I really wanted to do was run out of the room and go Link myself.
    The tremors got worse.
    “We’ve got to take a break,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.
    “Are you angry yet?” she yelled. “You can feel your power, can’t you? Now try to harness it. Control it, don’t let it control you.”
    I looked down at my shaking arm in dismay. Yes, I could feel the power. Maybe Sophia’s way, as much as I disliked it, was the path to finally getting control. Now, if I could just direct it the way that I wanted to this time.… I gritted my teeth together and tried to remember the breathing methods from meditation class. Deep breath in, deep breath out. I could do this. No one else had to get hurt because of me.
    The shaking started to subside a tiny bit, and when I closed my eyes I could feel the shape of the room around me. It was almost like there was a 3-D projection cube of the whole room in my head. I could feel the objects filling the space and sense Sophia’s movement without even looking.
    Then Sophia launched another pellet at me and my eyes popped back open.
    “If you would wait a second—” I started.
    Another pellet thumped into my side.
    “Just let me get—”
    Another pellet.
    “Stop it!” I yelled, all my frustration bubbling up and over.
    Sophia flew backward six feet into the wall and then crumpled to the ground. I rushed over to her. “Are you okay?”
    There was a thin layer of padding covering the training room wall, but I knew it was solid rock beyond. I felt sick at the thought of having hurt someone else, even her. Her hair was tossed in her face. I pushed the thick strands aside. “Are you okay?” I asked again anxiously.
    She let out a pained groan but sat up, rubbing her shoulder.
    “I’m so sorry,” I said, and reached to help her up. “I didn’t mean to—”
    “Exactly.” Her voice was cutting. “You didn’t use it on purpose. You can’t control it.” She jerked her hand back from me and slowly got to her feet. She picked up the pellet gun from where she’d dropped it and shoved it at my chest.
    “Your telekinesis is extremely powerful, but if you don’t get it under control, and soon, all it makes you is dangerous. I don’t have visions often like my son, but I’ve seen enough. Without control, you are a ticking time bomb. I don’t want Adrien around the next time you go off.” Her eyes were hard as steel, and she paused to enunciate every word. “Stay away from my son.”
    *   *   *
    “Did you and Adrien get in a fight?” Ginni asked.
    Ginni and I were sitting at the long table in the corner of our dorm room. Her half of the desk was covered in different colored fabrics and