Betrayal 2012 by Amber Garr Page B

eye level.
    I wanted to do so much more.  Having control over water could mean so many different things.  For me, it meant that I could probably hold my own in a water fight, but for someone like Kain who seemed to be a natural, he might be able to control an entire fountain or even the rain.  Then I realized what kind of damage someone could do if they really could control and dictate water flow.  It was such an important element to so many.  Directing water away from nature could be devastating.
    The water splashed in my face as the ball fell back into the pond.  I certainly wouldn’t be disrupting the natural balance of water and earth anytime soon.  Controlling this element was definitely not my forte.
    But since I was alone with nothing better to do, I kept on practicing.  I don’t know how much time passed before I thought that I was finally getting the hang of it.  A small column of water had risen up before me and I squealed in delight as the formation moved from side to side in time with my hand.  I drew circles and waves and squiggly lines through the air and watched in fascination as the water mimicked my every move.  When it shot straight up out of the pond and began to form a tiny tornado, I hesitated to believe that this was of my doing.
    The water spout danced around the lily pads and jumped from pond to pond, growing larger with every passing minute.  The water level in the ponds noticeably dropped and I could no longer hear the trickling fountain.  I stared in awe as the spiraling water stopped moving and spread out across the width of the fountain to form a translucent wall.  The particles continued to flow towards the ground and seemed to be recycled as they rose to the top and fell to the earth over and over again.  It reminded me of an infinity pool where the water supply seems to be never-ending.  It was breathtaking.
    If I hadn’t been so enamored, maybe I would have heard him walk up to me.  The sharp crunch of gravel nearly gave me a heart attack and when I turned around to see Graham staring up at the wall of water with a smirk on his face, I really wanted to punch him.  Not just for scaring me but also for letting me think that I had actually achieved something.
    “You’re doing this?” I asked incredulously.
    He shrugged and winked at me.  “Maybe.”  His hands were in his pockets and he had looked away from the water for a few seconds.  I needed to have all of my attention on the water balls in order to get them to even rise.  Graham seemed to be controlling this monstrous display without trying at all.
    “How?” I breathed in awe.
    “It was natural for me.”  As if I needed another demonstration, Graham flicked his head slightly to the right and the wall exploded into millions of tiny droplets.  But instead of falling, they moved in slow motion like someone had literally stalled time.  They spread out wide across every pond in the fountain and then as leisurely as snowflakes, fluttered to the surface and disappeared.  He must have noticed me smiling. 
    “Pretty cool, right?”
    I turned to look up at him.  Those dark brown eyes were glimmering again and the shadows from his stubble only enhanced the strong line of his cheekbones.  I swallowed hard.  “It is.”
    He stared at me in that intense way again before finally turning his back to the fountain.  Leaning against the edge, he twisted his head so that he could still talk to me.  “Why are you out here all alone?”
    “Am I not allowed to be?” I said with an attitude. 
    Graham held his hands up in surrender and chuckled.  “Of course you are, luv.  I was just trying to make polite conversation.”  I arched an eyebrow.  “What?” he asked.  “Can’t I talk to you?”
    “You can.  It’s just that you’ve made it all but clear that you want nothing to do with me.  I’m a burden and you’ve been sent to babysit.  You’ve barely said five words to me in the past twelve