 
                        Marcus's Power (8 of 16)
 
Marcus's Power
 
Chapter 8
 
Marcus had a lot to think about as he walked back to the motel. His
mind always strayed back to the fact that he actually healed someone.
It both thrilled him and scared him. His power was starting to build at
a very alarming rate. The only problem was that he had no clue as to
how he could use it against his own kind. And if he was right, he would
have to find out in the near future.
 
Before he reached the motel, Marcus started to think of Jesse's brother
Shain. He wanted to know a little more about him. Marcus hated going to
someone's home and not knowing that much about them. Marcus wondered
just how powerful Shain was. Jesse had told him that he was more
powerful than she was. But was he to be even more powerful? Those were
the thoughts that raced around in his head.
 
On the walk back to the motel, Marcus noted something that he thought
to be quite odd. He knew for a fact that he over exerted himself
earlier that day. He should have been tired then. But that was not the
case. It seemed like with every step he took, he was filled with a
powerful feeling that just made him feel as if he were indestructible.
 
When he finally arrived at the motel, he walked in the room to see his
to ladies laying down on the separate beds. Well, Jesse was not exactly
laying. She had her back propped up against the head board and her legs
stretched out and crossed before her. 'She really is a vision' Marcus
thought with a smile.
 
Marcus looked over to see Kasey sleeping on the opposite bed. Marcus
smiled and felt sorry for her. He still felt a little bad about what he
had done to her. But he had to admit to himself, that having a follower
did appeal to him somewhat. Marcus did not know how to broach the
subject of what happened that day. As it turned out, Jesse broached it
for him. Much to his relief.
 
"So, you finally decided to come in?" Jesse asked with an arch of an
eye brow, then added, "Is there any reason your shirt is ripped and you
have blood on your hand?"
 
Marcus looked down and realized that he had never washed up. He knew
his shirt was ripped open though. "The strangest thing happened
today..." Marcus said in a low voice.
 
"Do tell." Jesse said as she patted the empty space in the bed.
 
"I was at a store and someone got shot..... Then I put my hand on the
wound and healed it." He said this in a low whisper.
 
"You did what?!" Jesse asked with a look of amazement.
 
"I healed it... But afterwards, It really wiped me out." He said in
that same low voice.
 
"Jesus Marcus, did you know how many Shadow Knights it takes to heal a
mortal?!" She said, her voice was one of amazement.
 
"How many?" Marcus asked, trying to hold back a smile. His pride was
kicking in.
 
"Four! How on earth did you do it?" Her face was still one of
amazement. "Don't get to cocky though, it will still take a while to
build your battle reflexes." She said with a sly smile. "Your not a
Shadow Master yet" she added
 
"Shadow Master?"
 
"That's what they call the best of the best. Shain is one of them. But
it took him years of solid training to achieve it." She said with a
look of contemplation. "When I tell him who you are, he will be happy
to train you." She said with a smile.
 
"You haven't told him who I am?" Marcus asked with a frown.
 
"No, I want to surprise him." Jesse said as she laid her head on his
shoulder.
 
Marcus took on the look of deep thought. He was thinking that just
because Jesse liked him, that didn't mean that Shain would be so
gracious towards him. Jesse had said that Shain was the best of the
best. A Shadow Master. 'What if he feels threatened?' He thought. He
also thought of how fast he would learn if Shain did train him. Marcus
then considered what Jesse said. He thought of battle reflexes.
 
"You look worried." Jesse said, her head still laying on his shoulder.
She did not know it, but she had the look of a girl who was deep in
love.
 
"What kind of person is your brother?" He asked as he stroked her hair.
 
"He is a Knight of the Old Code. He is usually very serious and
intense. You have to understand, most Shadow Knights, good and bad,
follow a set of rules." She said this as she lowered her shades to show
him her beautiful eyes.
 
"What do you mean, Old Code?" Marcus asked, his curiosity peaking.
 
"Take for example, none of us use guns. We consider them a weapon for a
coward. Instead, if we don't want to use telekinesis, we use swords.
Most Shadow Knights are master swordsman, compared to Normal people
anyway." She gave a sigh then and rubbed her hand on his chest. 

"Why use swords?" Marcus asked. This conversation was getting more and
more interesting.
 
"It's just tradition. All Shadow Knights follow it. The reason being,
that some of us can put up a telekinetic shield around us. A blade can
get through, but a blast of energy can't. That's why most of us were
taught the art of the sword early in our life." She said as she slid
her shades back on.
 
"So that means that I will have to master the art of the sword?" Marcus
asked as he continued to stroke her hair.
 
"Yes... Don't worry, Shain will be more than happy to teach you. Once
he finds out who you are, he is going to flip. He has waited for years
for you to surface." She said with a radiant smile that warmed Marcus'
heart.
 
"What are some of the other traditions?" Marcus ask, this very
interesting to him.
 
"Hush now. you need your rest. I can tell your tense. You will find out
when we get there. Now go take a shower and I'll give my future Shadow
Master a massage." She said in a loving voice.
 
"Oh, so I'm going to be your boss in the near future?" Marcus asked
with a devilish smile as he slipped out of bed.
 
"It's prophecy, plus it's your destiny." She said in a low and sexy
voice as she stretch out on the bed.
 
Marcus just gave her a smile as he retrieved some clothes from his
suite case. "I'll be right out, you better keep your promise." Marcus
said with boyish charm.
 
"No need to worry about that my love." She said those words without
even knowing it. Marcus caught it though. It made him feel warm
contentment.
 
He gave a sweet smile to her as he walked into the bath room. He felt
lucky to have Jesse in his life. This was what he was thinking when he
entered the bathroom. After he stepped in the shower and the warm water
him, Marcus realized just how tired he was. He felt like a very old
man. That trick he had done on Crystal wiped him out.
 
He leaned into the hot water of the shower, letting it splash against
the back of his neck. His mind was filled with the vision of power that
he might learn. He scolded himself for getting his hopes up though. He
should know better than anyone not to do that. A person is just setting
themselves up for a fall when that happens.
 
He was curious about the art of the sword though. He wondered how good
he would be at that. It was one of the things that worried him. He did
not know if he could build his reflexes to Jesse's expectations. Pity
himself if he couldn't, because all of the bad guys would have that
ability. 

He stepped out of the shower feeling a little better. But his body was
still tired as well as his mind. Marcus made a mental note about being
careful the next time he did that healing trick. Marcus just slipped on
a pair of jeans since Jesse had so graciously offered to give him a
message. Marcus walked out of the bathroom and noticed that Kasey was
still out cold on the other bed.
 
"I guess it's a little hard for her to keep up with us..." Marcus said
with a smirk. He really did not like dragging Kasey into this.
 
"Yea.... But trust me, she would not want to be anywhere else. Now come
over here and lay down, so I can fulfill my promise." She said with a
smile that was filled with love and caring.
 
"What ever gets you your kicks." Marcus replied with a devilish smile
and laid down on the bed. Marcus was sort of looking forward to some
relaxation.
 
Jesse gave a girlish giggle, that really was not her style, and
straddled the small of Marcus' back. She started to knead the muscles
in Marcus' neck. "Goodness Marcus, your as tight as a knot." Jesse said
with a low voice. 

"MMM" Was all Marcus could say. He never had a message before and was
enjoying it immensely.
 
"Your enjoying this aren't you?" Jesse said with a low chuckle behind
her soothing voice.
 
"Oh yea." Marcus said with a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.
 
"I'm glad I can please you." Jesse said as her hand started to knead
the muscle in the small of his back. 'Jeez, is he tense. He must be
worried about what Shain will think' She thought as she expertly
kneaded the knots out of Marcus' back.
 
Marcus could feel himself relax, and he relished the feeling. All of
the troubled thoughts seemed to be slipping away along with the knots
in his back. He had not felt this relaxed in days. He thought about the
girl that was sitting on his back, bringing him relaxation. Marcus came
to the realization that he was going to her brother's for her sake more
than his. 'If she wants me to be the greatest of Shadow Knights, then I
will' He thought.
 
His head lay on the top of his hand as she continued his massage. Jesse
already knew that he was ten times more relaxed than when he came in.
His breathing was becoming deeper and she knew that meant that he was
close to sleep. She kept up her kneading though. He fell to sleep about
five minutes later.
 
Jesse slipped off his back and laid beside him. She noticed for the
first time that he had came out of the bathroom without his shades on.
She looked at his sleeping face and wondered if he had any idea about
how she felt about him. Jesse decided to do something just then. She
decided to go inside his thoughts while he slept.
 
She called up her focus and slipped into his thoughts. She looked for
memories and images of herself specifically. She did not bother with
other stuff, because she did not want to invade his privacy. What she
found there made a tear roll down her cheek. It was not a tear of
sadness, but a tear of joy. Her future Shadow Master did not love her a
little, he loved her a very great deal. But he was not for sure she
felt the same way.
 
'Well, I guess I'll have to prove how much I love him!' She thought
with a smile and a sigh as she took off her shades. She laid them on
the night stand and snuggled in closer to him. She did this carefully
so as not to wake him.
 
As Marcus slept, Jesse thought of the feelings she had for him. It was
a little amazing she thought, that she could fall so head over heels in
love with the boy in such a short time. But she knew in her heart that
the feeling was real. She had always thought that love was over rated
until she met Marcus. But now she knew what all the fuss was about. She
knew she would do anything for him.
 
She fell asleep next to her true love with thoughts of what she could
do to prove her love to him. She knew how cynical he was, so it would
take a great deal. Her last thought before she slipped into sleep was
that it would be worth it.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marcus awoke at daybreak to see a pair of beautiful blue eyes staring
at him with a sparkle in them. The face they belonged to had a touch of
a smile at the corner of it's lips. Marcus was becoming more and more
in love with the angel that goes by the name of Jesse with every day
that went by. He smiled at her lovingly and reached out and traced his
finger tips across her face.
 
"Did I fall asleep on you?" Marcus asked in a low voice as he stared
into those beautiful blues.
 
"Yea, but that was what I was shooting for." She said with a small cute
smile.
 
"Well, I guess we should get up. I don't feel like laying in bed all
day." Marcus said with boyish charm
 
"Well..... There are far worse things than laying in bed with you all
day!" She said as poked him in the stomach wither her finger and
laughed.
 
"Your right about that.... How long have you been awake?" He asked,
curious. He was already pretty sure what the answer was.
 
"I went to sleep close to the time you did. I woke up a couple of hours
later though.... I haven't slept that long in years!" Jesse said with a
radiant smile.
 
"Makes me feel a little bad for being a sleepy head." Marcus said with
a small frown.
 
"Don't worry, when your power increases, you will need less and less
sleep." Jesse said, stroking Marcus' hair.
 
"Speaking of which, I need to practice today." Marcus quipped with a
boyish smile.
 
"Marcus, I was thinking.... Maybe we should hold of on going to my
brother's. Just for a week or so." She said with a look of
contemplation.
 
"Is something wrong?" Marcus asked, a look of worry crossing his face.
 
"OH no! I just know this place I would like to take you to. It's very
peaceful and you could train there." She said with mischief in her
eyes. What she did not tell him was that she just wanted to be with him
for another week before Shain and him started training. Because, if she
knew her brother, he was going to push Marcus hard.
 
"Would you REALLY like to take me there?" Marcus asked with an impish
grin and kissed her finger tips.
 
"Yes I would." She said with a look of love on her face.
 
Marcus then slipped out of bed and got the rest of the way dressed. "So
where is this little place of yours?" Marcus asked as he slipped what
was left of his attire on. That was his shades.
 
"About sixty miles east of here, out in the middle of the woods. It's a
cabin I've been to once or twice." She said as she slipped out of bed.
 
"Sound's nice and quite.... I think we should wake up sleeping beauty
first though." Marcus said, motioning to the still sleeping Kasey.
 
"Yea." Jesse said with a sigh. Her face took on a sad look.
 
"Is there something wrong Jess?" Marcus asked, not noticing that he
took the E out of her name. She looked sad to him and he did not like
it.
 
"Look Marcus, I don't have anything against Kasey.... But I wish I
could reverse the commands you did on her mind. That way we could go
alone." Jesse said in a low voice, so not to wake Kasey.
 
"You said that I was better than the High Council at that kind of
stuff. Maybe I could reverse it... If you wish me to." Marcus said with
a look of focus.
 
Jesse just nodded her approval. She knew that on mind control, Marcus
was the best she had ever seen. She really wanted this week alone with
Marcus. She just wanted to be close to him before the trouble started.
She was not thinking of the Dark Knights, but the main Shadow Zone in
New Mexico. Jesse knew that there would be one hell of a war when
Marcus and Shain joined forces. It was going to get messy and she just
wanted to spend one more peaceful week with him alone.
 
"As you wish." Marcus said and walked over to the sleeping form of
Kasey.
 
He knelt down beside the bed and gathered all of his focus. He then let
his mind stray to her sleeping thoughts. Marcus took note that it was a
lot easier than when she was awake. Within moments, he found the
commands that he had place. At first he tried to gently remove them.
But he soon found out that he had buried them pretty deep. Then he
pulled with all of his mental power and ripped them out.
 
He could feel dizziness start to wash over him. Before he pulled out
though, he gave Kasey a command to sleep for another couple of hours.
He pulled out then and fell squarely on his ass. The world seemed to be
spinning for him. Marcus had know clue that it would be so hard to
remove the stupid commands. It completely drained him and his head
started to throb.
 
Jesse was immediately at his side. The world was now swimming in and
out of focus for Marcus. He could feel Jesse's hands on his shoulders
and he could tell that she was saying something, but his mind could not
grasp what the words meant. His head hurt like hell and it felt like
someone was beating a hammer against it.
 
But for some reason the throbbing of his head started to clear his
vision somewhat. He focused on a beautiful, but worried looking blonde.
He gave her a weak smile, despite the pain. He didn't like seeing her
face in a worried state. So, he smiled for her sake. Marcus would have
tried to stand up, but the room was spinning so much that he didn't
dare. So he just sat there giving Jesse a hazy smile.
 
"Oh God Marcus, I'm sorry, if i knew that was going to happen I never
would have asked." She said hugging his shoulders.
 
Marcus was just glad that he could finally understand her words. This
feeling was ten times worse than the one he had when he healed the
bullet wound crystal had. Everything was cloudy. Even though Marcus
could now understand what Jesse was saying, her voice seemed far away.
It dawned on him that the reason it was so hard was that he was going
against his own power. It was him who set the commands.
 
"Marcus are you OK?" Jesse asked in a low and very worried voice. She
noticed that most of the color drained from his face. She didn't like
that at all.
 
'Better say something. She looks worried' he thought. "No harm no, no
fowl." he said in a barely audible voice. His head pounded harder when
he spoke.
 
"Don't try the tough man act with me! You look like hell." She said.
She was trying to act irritated, but the worry on her face gave her
away.
 
"Help me to.... Car. I don't want to be... Here when Kase wakes."
Marcus said in broken sentences. His head was pounding really hard.
 
Jesse nodded her head quickly and then scooped him up in her arms. She
did this like a groom might carry a bride across the threshold. The
ease of how she did it amazed Marcus a little. He smiled a little when
he realized that Jesse probably had quite a few surprises he didn't
know about. The sunlight hurt his eyes even with his shades on.
 
When they reached the Mustang, the passenger door seemed to open as if
by magic. Marcus knew that it was Jesse using her kinetics though. He
had to admire how precise her ability was though. She slid him into the
passenger seat with ease, trying not to jar him. She had seen the look
of pain on his face. She mentally scolded herself for making him try
something so difficult. She knew he was good but that was not an
excuse. He was still a novice at the game and she should have thought
of that.
 
"So are we going to your secret hiding place in the mountains?" Marcus
asked as she slipped into the drivers seat. He only spoke because he
was trying to light the look of worry on Jesse's face.
 
"Yes.... You over did yourself big time, didn't you?" She said, if he
could see her eyes, he would see a sad look.
 
"Maybe a little.... Drop it, OK?" Marcus said with a weak smile.
 
"Alright.... If you over did it as bad as I think though, it will take
the rest of the day for you to recuperate.
 
Marcus just nodded and said, "I hate to be rude... But I have to take a
small nap..." Marcus said. But before Jesse could reply, Marcus slipped
into unconsciousness.
 
Jesse reached over and stroked his hair a little and said, "Sleep my
love, sleep." Then she pulled out of the parking lot and started for
the cabin they talked about.
 
Truth be told, Jesse hated driving. She smiled to herself when she
thought of Marcus trying to hide his pain. Her brother Shain called it
'Warrior's Pride'. She defiantly thought that Shain and Marcus would
get along. She was just worried that Shain might push him to hard and
he would end up in the shape he is in now. Jesse knew that Marcus would
be better by nightfall. She knew what it was like to overdue your
ability. She also knew that he would be stronger the next time.
 
She was so engrossed in thought that the few hours it took too get to
the cabin seemed like minutes. The cabin was deep in the woods. The
closest neighbor was fifteen miles away. Jesse liked the seclusion and
she knew that Marcus would as well. They were allot alike, she knew
that from the scan she did on him when they first met.
 
When they arrived at the cabin, she looked over at the still sleeping
Marcus. His face was so peaceful and beautiful to her. Whenever she
looked at him to long she always got flutters in her stomach. She
lightly reached out and touched Marcus' shoulder and he sat up bolt
right and startled. Sweat had broken out on his face and forehead. If
Jesse could see his eyes, she would see that they had a wild look to
them.
 
"What's wrong Marcus?" Jesse asked, worried again.
 
Marcus relaxed his muscle a little and gave a week smile. "Nothing.
Everything is fine... so this is the place huh?" Marcus said he opened
the door and stepped out. He just efficiently evaded the question, much
to Jesse's dismay.
 
The only reason Jesse did not push the issue was because that she was
happy to see Marcus get out of the car on his own accord. He was a
little shaken but looked like he had most of his strength back. She
smiled as she stepped out of the Mustang and followed Marcus up to the
cabin
 
"It's small and quaint, but I like it." Jesse said, a bright smile
radiating from her. Marcus thought that it was because they finally
arrived at the cabin. but the real reason was she was glad to see all
the color come back to his face.
 
"I like it too. let's go see what kind of shape it is in." Marcus said
and closed in on the cabin. They walked through the door and Marcus
seen that the cabin only had to rooms. The first was the one they were
standing in and the second was the bedroom. It had no electricity and
it was very quite. This made Marcus happy because there would be no
distractions with his training. He smiled at just the thought of
training.
 
"Yea, I think it's a good training spot too... That was what you were
thinking, wasn't it?" Jesse asked with a coy smile.
 
"Did you dive into my mind? You little minx." Marcus said with a boyish
smile.
 
"Don't have to, you're as transparent as glass... At least to me
anyway." Jesse said with a devilish smile.
 
"Oh, is that so?" Marcus said, looking down at his shoes. Then with
speed Jesse did not count on, because of his condition, Marcus bolted
at her and swept her off her feet and raised her above his head. "If
you're so good at reading me, then why didn't you see that one coming?"
Marcus said with a laugh.
 
"You... You asshole! Put me down!" Jesse screamed out. But a fit of
laughter came out of her none the less.
 
Marcus turned her over head so that she slid down the front of his
body. When she was firmly on her feet, her face was only centimeters
away from his face. Marcus leaned in and gently kissed her bottom lip
as he stroked the side of her face. Jesse thought her heart would melt
if he kept it up.
 
Marcus backed away with his own devilish smile. "I want to start my
training now." He said in a low and charming voice.
 
"How did you recover so fast? You have more surprises than a birthday
party." She said as she tried to take the flushed look off her face.
 
"My guess is I'm lucky." Marcus said with a smile. Marcus knew better
than that though. He was not lucky, he was just destined to become more
powerful than most Shadow Knights. But he didn't think he needed to
tell her that.
 
Marcus surveyed the room a little closer. There was a old sofa that
would only seat two people and a wooded table that had two wooden
chairs. They were in the middle of the room. There was also an old wood
cook stove to cook with. The only other thing in the cabin was a bed in
the second room. Other than that, there was nothing else in the cabin.
 
"Are you sure that you want to start training so soon. You really wore
yourself out with Kasey. You're not supposed to overdue it like that."
Jesse said, giving Marcus a loving and tender look.
 
Marcus gave her a boyish look of innocence that he did not posses and
said, "Jess, I feel stronger than I did when I first learned I had the
ability. I feel like I'm capable of anything. So, please relax. Drop
the motherly routine. I won't break." He said this last with a chuckle.
He new for a fact, everything he said was true.
 
"Oh, your funny. OK, if you want me to run you through the ring, then
so be it." She said with a coy look that made Marcus a little nervous.
 
"So, what's do we do first? Telekinesis?" He asked, a little excited to
begin.
 
"Yes.... I have to teach you how to synchronize it with yourself," She
then held up a hand when Marcus started to say something. "I know you
can already do telekinesis if you focus. But you need to learn how to
use it by reflex." She said calmly.
 
"Sounds good to me. How do we go about it though?" Marcus asked,
curiosity inside of him was starting to peak.
 
"First I have to see how accurate you are," Jesse said as she walked to
the front door and closed it. "Can you twist the knob and open the
door.... Without tearing the nob off?" She asked that last with a smile.
 
Marcus gave her a mock look of annoyance, then smiled. He focused on
the door knob and it twisted ever so slowly. This slowness was not
because of his inability to go fast, it was because he didn't want to
rip the door knob of the door. After the knob was fully twisted, he
held it in place and nudged the door open.
 
"There." He said, looking at Jesse with a triumphant smile.
 
Jesse just arched an eye brow and said, "Took you long enough." She
said this with a shit eating grin as she stuck her hands in her jeans.
 
"OK, hot shot. Why don't you show me how you do it." Marcus said with a
smirk
 
Jesse just lowered her shades and looked at the door with her beautiful
eyes. The door suddenly slammed shut and the bolt lock on the side was
slid in place. All of that happened in less than two seconds. Jesse
just looked over at Marcus with a shit eating grin. That grin said
'Don't tempt me'. Then she just laughed.
 
"Show off." Marcus said with a small chuckle.
 
"I wasn't showing off. I was just showing you the finer points of-" Her
sentence was cut off as she suddenly floated rather rapidly up to the
ceiling. "Put me down Marcus!" She cried out. Her back was now against
the ceiling.
 
"First admit you were showing off!" Marcus said and chuckled. He was
hiding the fact that he was as surprised as she was that he could left
her like that.
 
"OK, OK. I was showing off. Now put me down!" She snapped at him, but
could not keep from smiling.
 
"That's better." he said and then got a look of mischief on his face
that Jesse did not care for. "Did my little Jesse say that she wanted
to come down?" Marcus said in a very sweet voice.
 
"You wouldn't dare!" Jesse said and immediately regretted it. All of
the sudden she fell very quickly towards the floor. But she surprised
Marcus by stopping in mid air about a foot from the floor. She used her
own Kinetics.
 
"You never told me you could make yourself float." Marcus said, his
voice was one of amazement.
 
"Now who was showing off!" She said roughly and floated down to the
floor. "You never asked," She said with a beautiful smile, then added
"Did that make you dizzy?" She asked this with curiosity.
 
"Not in the least. I think I pretty much have heavy lifting down. I
need to build my reflexes though. I would also like to learn the art of
sword play... Since you said that most Shadow Knights know it." Marcus
said with a light charming smile.
 
"Well, your in luck. Because there are two swords under the bed. Or at
least they were the last time I was here..... But, I think that I would
much rather take a nap.... Care to join me?" Jesse asked as she lowered
her shades and gave Marcus the sexiest come hither look she could
manage.
 
"MMMM. I think that I would be delighted." Marcus said and walked to
the bedroom with Jesse following.
 
