Shatter

Relief was practically rolling off me in waves.

Michael.

His eyes met mine, and I couldn’t help but smile at him. He returned the gesture, slowly making his way over to me. Upon reaching me, he stopped.

“Hello, Peridot.”

I nodded, still smiling. We stood together, in silence, for a little while, just watching the waterfall, with both of us at peace for the moment.

After a few minutes, I remembered that I’d wanted to ask him something. “Um... Michael?”

He looked at me just as the sun hit his face, making it glow. “Hmm?”

Wow.

“Well, um....” I struggled to recover, “When Tristan brought me inside, to you, you mentioned ‘another tele.’ How did you know that I was one at all?”

He smiled a little. “It’s an... ability of mine. I can sense power within others.” He didn’t elaborate any further, so I moved on to my next question.

“So... who’s the other?”

His small smile quickly turned into a frown. “Ember. The girl who tried to strangle you earlier. She is also the one who put up those barriers around your mind when you first arrived.”

I stiffened. “ I... I almost killed her, didn’t I?” The sentence came out as a whisper.

His frown deepened. “Well, she was in pretty bad shape when Matic brought her in.”

I was horrified. “So, is that why she tried to kill me?”

Then he surprised me.

He laughed, a melodious sound. “No that’s not it. Not at all.” He laughed again.

“Michael,” I started, confused, but he just shook his head.

“Ask Tristan. After all, it has more to do with him than with me.” He was still chuckling.

Clearly, I was missing out on some hilarious joke, here.

“Speaking of Tristan....” He paused and seemed to concentrate. “.... He’s looking for you. In fact, he is nearby.”

I let my mind examine the garden area again in response. And, to my surprise, he was right. I gave Michael a questioning look.

“Later.” He promised, “I’ll explain later.” Then he walked off the bridge, up the steps, and into the building.

I stared after him, confused for what felt like the hundredth time today.