Dr. Yohan grinned. He had extracted the ability. “It is done.”

“W-what?” Jericho stuttered, failing to find words.

“You should find your ability within a week, or even today. It has been delayed for so long, so you might see it soon.”

“Really?” Jericho still did not know what to say.

“It should be out, ready to make its mark in the world.” Dr. Yohan said. “This is our last session together. If it doesn’t come back you may set an appointment, and I will just have to put some finishing touches. Although, I doubt it is necessary. You can also set an appointment anytime it does come to manifest if you want some training or counseling about it. These sessions vary in price but are probably what you pay now. Amy will print out a document with details.”

“Thank you,” Jericho said.

“Do I have to remind you about the manifestation period?”

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

***

Jericho found himself driving around, finding a safe place to have his powers manifest. He did not want to pay for a manifestation pod, at least not until his abilities started to act up. So, he decided to drive to the park. He specifically chose this park because it was far away from home. If anything happened, he could just dip, and nobody would harass him any further.

He found himself a patch of grass unattended from others. He could see some other people who were probably in their manifestation periods, all younger than him. The thought did not bother him as much as he thought it would. He just really appreciated the opportunity to have an ability, to go through the motions of unlocking his powers. An unorthodox calmness passed over him. Excited, he surprisingly sat rather still for an ungifted, soon to be gifted. Perhaps, he did not want to get his hopes up.

“What’s up!” A shout originated from the right. “Are you manifesting too?”

A younger boy with curly, orange hair waved over at him.

“Yeah!” Jericho awkwardly said. He did not want to make connections, especially since his self-doubt roared in suddenly. What if he did not get his powers, but this person did?

“Sweet! I’ve been here daily for the past two weeks. I’m Cade!”

“Jericho.”

“Sweet! Like the walls of Jericho?”

“I suppose.” Jericho heard this term tossed from time to time but never quite knew what it meant. He knew that it was about a wall, but not much else.

“I’m growing anxious! My body felt sick but not the usual type of sick. No fever, no actual sickness, so I knew that I was starting to manifest.” Cade walked towards Jericho. “I went to the doctor to verify it too, and they confirmed it! They told me that I was going to get my ability soon, and that I should find a manifestation pod. Did you have the same idea as me?”

“Huh,” Jericho said.

“Manifestation pods cost money, so I am waiting here until it triggers. Are you here because of that?” He took a closer seat to Jericho, just close enough to be heard, but far enough to safely be. It was recommended that at least ten feet separated people, and Cade was probably an extra five feet away.

“I am,” Jericho said. He thought, This kid talks a lot. “Do you stay here all day?”

“I come right after school.” He pointed to a bike. “Still waiting on getting my license. I should get it in six months. How long have you been driving?”

Jericho hesitated to answer, “A few years.”

“Few? When did you get your license?”

“Got it when I was sixteen.”

“How old are you?” Cade said, the gears in his head starting to turn.

“I’m 19,” Jericho said. No point in beating around the bush.

“Nineteen?” The characteristic surprise exuded in his voice.

Now, the ridicule was going to come in.

“That’s sweet, man!” Cade said. “It’s amazing that you’re beginning to manifest though. Are you excited?”

The comment caught Jericho off guard. “Y-yes, I am!”

“There’s a boy at my school graduating this year. He still hasn’t manifested yet,” Cade said. “Some people get their abilities later, that’s all. What are you hoping it to be?”

“No idea,” Jericho said. “Honestly, I would be fine with anything useful. It doesn’t really matter honestly. Even if it’s a trash ability, I’m going to make it my own.”

Cade nodded in agreement. “Honestly, it’s how you utilize it. That doesn’t just apply to abilities.” He tapped on his head. “You gotta use that brain too.”

Jericho liked this kid. If he meant the kid at any other time though, he would have been bitter and jealous. It was a good thing he was running off a euphoric high. Otherwise…

Cade began to glow. First his arms, then his legs.

A couple other manifesters turned their attention.

“Dude!” Cade said. His body began to jitter in excitement. He shook his hands around and looked at the glow. “Dude!” Cade said again. He pointed at Jericho.

“What?” Jericho said. The world around him began to glow even more. Jericho slowly raised his hands, a dim, red glow shined onto his face. Red? His heart beat faster as it scrambled to remember what red meant. He lifted up his sleeve, the red shined more brilliantly than before.

Already? Jericho was enthralled. The red shined brighter as the seconds passed. Onlookers and other manifesters applauded and cheered as they watched.

Phones started to pop up one by one, everyone wanting to cement and record the incident. Jericho looked down, and quickly put on his hood. He did not want to become a viral sensation. He knew it would happen when people did notice it was him, and then news would go around about an ungifted that did not get their ability until they were nineteen-years-old. He only hoped now that he did not say his name as loud, or memorable enough for eavesdroppers to have heard.

Cade increased his distance from Jericho.

“It feels dangerous,” Cade said. He looked dismally down at his hands. “What does green mean again?”

Green? Unlike the color red, Jericho instantly remembered what green signified.

“Green like the trees. Your ability is related to nature and peace.” Jericho said. Jericho was not sure why Cade’s manifestation would feel dangerous.

“Nature and peace?” Cade said.

“You’ll have to wait to see what happens,” Jericho said. “Your ability is probably combative or something strong. That’s just a guess though.”

“Okay,” Cade said. He trembled, but Jericho could not tell if it was for excitement or anxiety, probably both.

“How are you feeling?” Cade said.

“I don’t know,” Jericho said.

Jericho did not know how to describe the feeling. He grasped for straws for what he felt but he could not pinpoint the sensations running through him. His emotions were bouncing all over the place: from euphoria to restlessness, pinning down how he felt would take a thesis paper to explain. His breaths and heart rate raced, but it felt soothing all the same. It would be easier to tell if he were stressing for something like a test or job interview, but eventually equated the feeling to his manifestation.

“Jericho,” Cade said with a slight startle. “I need you to back up. I can’t move.”

Can’t move? Jericho furthered the distance even more. Being unable to move was a rare sign that occurred during manifestation, though he forgot what it signified. It was more common for someone to lash out and have their ability start igniting uncontrollably, hence why ten-foot distances and manifestation pods were a thing.

Nobody really knew what their new-found abilities would do when the time did come, so caution was always a priority. Despite that, people moved in closer, phones in hand and all.

Jericho was indifferent about the attention. He did not like how everyone was gawking, enough for a crowd to start forming, but at the same time, it was nice to get noticed for having an ability. Still, it bothered him that having an ability was an event for people to watch. He would most likely search for manifestation pods later tonight.

The green and red glow contrasted with one another. The colors continued to grow and increased in intensity until eventually, they reached the peak. Now was the cooldown. Slowly, but faster than the augmentation, the glow crept away. The sun was now setting, and the pair were now the main fixture of lights. For a few minutes, the park was warmed by the green and red glow, until the automatic park lights turned on and the glow was no longer as prominent.

Cade’s glow eventually left, and he was able to move. He jumped into the air shouting towards the sky. “Hell, yeah!” By then, most people had left, but there was still a considerable amount around. Mostly moms who were watching their kids on the playground, and other unsupervised kids playing around and pretending to have abilities were left in the park. There were some older adults who stopped from their walk or run to watch. People applauded Cade, happy to be a part of the experience, then went back to their lives.

Twenty minutes later Jericho also stopped glowing. Cade waited a minute before congratulating Jericho. He dapped Jericho, their fingers intertwining together. Though Jericho’s fingers were like spaghetti, Cade simply laughed it off telling him he should work on that.

“You mind not telling anyone about me?” Jericho said.

“What?” Cade said. It took a second for him to register the question, probably another to understand why Jericho had asked. “Definitely, dude! Your secret is safe with me. I probably won’t be seeing you again, but I appreciate having experienced this with you.”

“Me too,” Jericho said.

Cade picked up his bike, ran alongside it and gathered momentum, and hopped on. “It’s dark out now! My parents are going to yell at me! Goodbye, Je-“ Cade stopped, looked back and waved instead. Jericho waved back, and Cade was gone.

A smile crossed Jericho’s face. He looked at his hands, they were back to its normal color, a pale brown. He clenched and unclenched his fists. This was it. He was going to obtain an ability. He did not know what it would be, but he was going to try his best to be optimistic about it. He pushed aside any doubts and vowed at that moment that he would utilize his ability, no matter what it turned out to be. 

Jericho left the park, avoiding people when he could. People tried to high-five him and get close to talk, but he avoided any contact. He did not want to be recognized or bothered. In a split decision, he walked past his car and continued thirty blocks, zig-zagged across streets and roads, before he found a clothing store. He bought some new clothes, even new shoes, and hid away his worn clothes into a plastic bag. Jericho walked back the thirty blocks using a different route, found his car, and drove away.