Sam Hewett was having a great time, wonderful in fact! He was loving life! He was laughing! He was living! Nothing could go wrong, today was a perfect day!

If he kept saying that to himself maybe he’d actually believe it!!!

As a kid, he’d never been a fan of small spaces. They made him feel trapped and squeezed, all air leaving his lungs and escaping for a better chance of life elsewhere. As soon as he woke up with magic anime air powers though, his claustrophobia had become significantly worse. Air had become his companion and with this relationship he could feel its whisps and tendrils collecting data, numbers and information about everything it touched. He could tell, without even looking, the exact shape and density of an object. He now knew when people were talking, he could feel the air leave their lungs. He could sense what it felt like for each of them to talk. He still didn’t know what they were saying, but it helped him keep up with conversation, knowing who to turn his head back and forth towards.

When he first woke up it was sensory overload, too much raw data and information being thrown to him at once. He had to close his eyes and take several deep breaths, dispelling air, creating swirls around him until he was able to take in his powers at full force. The testing facility was a headache. Dark fluorescent lighting make it difficult to read what people were saying (when the small band of heroes found Finley he felt like he was going to cry, so thankful and relieved to have someone to help communicate).

The rooms were small and cramped, very little AC making the air stagnant and restless. Sam became restless too, the few times he tried to lay down and sleep he found he just couldn’t.

Now he was stuck in a cramped van, eight people squeezed as close as they could fit. He felt like he was going to explode, air circled around him wanting the chance to be free. He let out a breath, sending winds streaming through the vehicle and that made him feel a little better.

Hot, short air came out in a burst. Someone was talking behind him.

“-am I swear to god if you don’t stop doing that I’m gonna take your arm and force it through your throat.” Carolyne was complaining when he turned his head. He just frowned at her, knowing her threats were pretty empty. She was just as tired and grumpy as everyone else. “What’s the point of having a girl with teleportation powers if we’re just going to ride around in a van?”

Sam turned toward the front of the car, guessing the question was directed to the drivers. Valeria turned around, her brown hair cascading over her shoulder.

“Kira is only sixteen!” She reprimanded Carolyne. “She’s still learning to adjust and get powers as she grows, plus that whole ordeal was too much for her.”

That must have made Carolyne content, because he didn’t feel any more of her bursts of hot, angry air.

Sam was in a bench-like seat between Nisha to his left side, and Finley on his right.

Fin leaned against the armrest of the van, her actual arms providing cushions for her head. Her eyes were closed and Sam felt her breathing, soft and steady. He wondered if James could read what she was dreaming about. Glancing back to ask him, Sam saw James asleep against the van window, his cheek pressed to the glass and his red rimmed glasses skewered.

If anyone should be asleep right now it would be Nisha. Finley mentioned that she was concerned about Nisha’s endurance. She hypothesized that the other woman wouldn’t have too much energy from the start when she woke up, as Nisha seemed more out of it than everyone else. Even if she hadn’t been, Sam wore out pretty quickly when he first woke up. Plus he didn’t have to fight a giant alien monster immediately afterwards. He couldn’t imagine how exhausted Nisha must be.

She was awake though, arm propped up on the armrest to support her chin as she watched out the window. Maybe sheer stubborn force of will was keeping her from crashing? She seemed deep in thought, frowning intently.