to do, she squeezed her eyes shut and imagined the ground as it had been. She focused on the clean, cool air she remembered breathing before. On the breeze moving gently through the trees. On the sound of lapping water from the lake.
The lake! It was stil there – it must be! Frantical y, she imagined a great invisible bucket scooping up water from the lake beside her, and throwing it over the fire.
She gasped as a heavy sheet of icy cold water slammed hard against her. Her eyes popped open in shock, and she coughed loudly, choking on the bit of water she had breathed in when she gasped. But the heat of the fire was gone. As the coughing fit died down, and she looked around her, she saw that the ground was absolutely drenched. Puddles of water were everywhere, and she sat in the middle of the biggest one.
Laughter came from behind her, and she spun around. Logan was there, picking his way along dry patches of ground. And he didn’t have a drop of water on him.
Suddenly everything had come together. He had done this to her – he had caused the explosion!
Anger raged through her, and she started to rise, ready to pummel him to oblivion with her fists, when a better idea struck.
Doing as she had before, she imagined a giant bucket dipping into the lake to pick up huge amount of water. Twice as much as before. As she did that, she al owed the water to be touched by a hint of frost, making it as cold as possible while remaining just short of freezing. Then she threw al that right on top of Logan.
He gasped as the water fel on his head, then slipped and fel as the stream engulfed his entire body. Laura placed an invisible border of air around her so that the water from the lake wouldn’t get to her. Only when the pouring stopped, with Logan lying helplessly on the ground, drenched just as much as she was, did she let the border of air dissipate. And she walked over to him.
As she came closer, she saw that he was shivering. He had gotten up to his hands and knees, with his head down, and his body shook with shivers of cold. Suddenly she grew alarmed. Had she hurt him? Did she make the water too cold? Did she pour too much?
Then his head swung up, and he looked at her. Mirth fil ed his eyes, and an enormous grin sat on his face. He wasn’t shivering at al . He was laughing !
Probably laughing at her. Her anger returned, and just as she was about to think of something else to do, Logan was at her side.
There was no movement that she saw. One moment he was on the ground, wet and laughing, and the next he was beside her, dry as a duck and holding her arm. It was taking al of her dignity not to claw his eyes out for what he’d done.
“Before you do anything else,” he said quickly,
“realize that I know a lot more than you, and I could counter before you even knew it.” Then he took his hand away and frowned. “And you’re stil wet.”
Abashedly, Laura had realized that she was. Could she change that, too? She imagined herself in the same clothes, dry as they had been. Nothing happened. She closed her eyes, and tried again. When she opened them, her clothes were as wet as ever.
Logan smiled. “Remember what I said. You are just a reflection, but everything else is part of this world. You and everything that came with you –
clothes included – are reflections. Instead of thinking of dry clothes, think of taking the water out of your clothing.”
Laura growled, and tried again. This time, like Logan suggested, she imagined the water being pul ed out of her clothing. She saw the cross-weaves of the fabric in her mind’s eye, and thought of tiny little droplets coming out of the cloth and evaporating into the air. As she did that, she realized that she was completely dry.
Logan laughed. Laura looked at him strangely for a moment, but then she began to laugh, too. His laughter was contagious. And, anyway, doing al this felt wonderful !
For the first time in her life, she was in ful control of nearly
The lake! It was stil there – it must be! Frantical y, she imagined a great invisible bucket scooping up water from the lake beside her, and throwing it over the fire.
She gasped as a heavy sheet of icy cold water slammed hard against her. Her eyes popped open in shock, and she coughed loudly, choking on the bit of water she had breathed in when she gasped. But the heat of the fire was gone. As the coughing fit died down, and she looked around her, she saw that the ground was absolutely drenched. Puddles of water were everywhere, and she sat in the middle of the biggest one.
Laughter came from behind her, and she spun around. Logan was there, picking his way along dry patches of ground. And he didn’t have a drop of water on him.
Suddenly everything had come together. He had done this to her – he had caused the explosion!
Anger raged through her, and she started to rise, ready to pummel him to oblivion with her fists, when a better idea struck.
Doing as she had before, she imagined a giant bucket dipping into the lake to pick up huge amount of water. Twice as much as before. As she did that, she al owed the water to be touched by a hint of frost, making it as cold as possible while remaining just short of freezing. Then she threw al that right on top of Logan.
He gasped as the water fel on his head, then slipped and fel as the stream engulfed his entire body. Laura placed an invisible border of air around her so that the water from the lake wouldn’t get to her. Only when the pouring stopped, with Logan lying helplessly on the ground, drenched just as much as she was, did she let the border of air dissipate. And she walked over to him.
As she came closer, she saw that he was shivering. He had gotten up to his hands and knees, with his head down, and his body shook with shivers of cold. Suddenly she grew alarmed. Had she hurt him? Did she make the water too cold? Did she pour too much?
Then his head swung up, and he looked at her. Mirth fil ed his eyes, and an enormous grin sat on his face. He wasn’t shivering at al . He was laughing !
Probably laughing at her. Her anger returned, and just as she was about to think of something else to do, Logan was at her side.
There was no movement that she saw. One moment he was on the ground, wet and laughing, and the next he was beside her, dry as a duck and holding her arm. It was taking al of her dignity not to claw his eyes out for what he’d done.
“Before you do anything else,” he said quickly,
“realize that I know a lot more than you, and I could counter before you even knew it.” Then he took his hand away and frowned. “And you’re stil wet.”
Abashedly, Laura had realized that she was. Could she change that, too? She imagined herself in the same clothes, dry as they had been. Nothing happened. She closed her eyes, and tried again. When she opened them, her clothes were as wet as ever.
Logan smiled. “Remember what I said. You are just a reflection, but everything else is part of this world. You and everything that came with you –
clothes included – are reflections. Instead of thinking of dry clothes, think of taking the water out of your clothing.”
Laura growled, and tried again. This time, like Logan suggested, she imagined the water being pul ed out of her clothing. She saw the cross-weaves of the fabric in her mind’s eye, and thought of tiny little droplets coming out of the cloth and evaporating into the air. As she did that, she realized that she was completely dry.
Logan laughed. Laura looked at him strangely for a moment, but then she began to laugh, too. His laughter was contagious. And, anyway, doing al this felt wonderful !
For the first time in her life, she was in ful control of nearly
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