Ian

I find myself running through Winter's Edge. Abby's room is up ahead. It's almost 10 p.m. As I reach the door, I grab the handle and yank. It's locked. I try to breach it with a kick. No luck. My powers are gone.

I throw my shoulder into the door. It doesn't budge. I take a step back, then hammer the door with one last kick and it flies open.

I rush in and look for Abby. Someone's in her loft.

I scale the stairs, my feet pounding one after the other. As I reach the top, a genderless silhouette thrusts a knife down into a body on the bed. Abby screams in horror then falls silent.

Invisible chains restrain me from going to her. I fight against them to no avail. The murderer turns, bloody knife in hand, and stalks toward me.

As the faceless figure reaches me, it says in a feminine voice, "I've been right in front of you all along." Its knife plunges into my stomach.

I shot upright in bed, hands to my stomach, gasping for air. Nothing looked familiar. Where was I?

Realization set in and I remembered I was in the monastery.

For a long moment, I sat trying to slow my heart. I felt my stomach, making sure it didn't have a hole in it.

A bar of sunlight peeked through the window behind me, illuminating the floor. Judging from its angle, it was late morning.

No. Early afternoon. Crap!

I shot out of bed and threw on my clothes. My power drain from the day before had come with a price-too much sleep needed. Hopefully, Abby wouldn't be the one who'd pay for it.

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