A slender feminine finger tried to touch my palm but missed by just a little, sliding to the side. Hmm, it's quite obvious that Skydes' powers affect herself too. She had mentioned that she struggles not only to touch someone but even to hold inanimate objects. It's a problematic ability, perhaps even more troublesome than my own.
"Well? How does it feel?" I asked, studying her confused face.
On my part, I'll admit that I didn't really notice much. I definitely felt some pressure on my palm where she attempted to touch me, which means her field made contact with my skin. But beyond that, I can't say anything concrete. With Jubilee, for example, it was immediately clear that even a brief touch allowed me to absorb her power for a full minute. Here, I felt something, but it was an entirely new sensation.
"It felt like I was shot with a gun," she said in shock. "My field lost some strength, but it's quickly recovering."
Interesting. Does that mean I can penetrate such barriers? Not enough data for a proper analysis.
"Should we stop here?" I asked. "I don't want to hurt you."
"No, no," the blonde protested, smiling eagerly. "It's fine. I intentionally weakened my abilities because I was afraid I wouldn't even be able to touch your palm otherwise. But when I did, and felt that, I panicked and lost control. Let's try again. This time, I won't hold back!"
I didn't resist. It was the first time I met someone who could endure contact with me, even if only for a second. Skydes took a few deep breaths, and her body was surrounded by a faint yellow glow. It resembled more of an aura than a protective field. Her finger touched my palm again, and this time I saw the field make contact with my skin, even slightly pressing into it.
Around the fifth second, I lost control and involuntarily jerked my hand away. I could feel power surging into my body, but unlike previous times, I only absorbed the girl's aura without gaining her ability or fragments of her memories.
So, I need to break through her defense first, and only after touching her skin will I get the ability? Where is the absorbed energy going then? To me, it feels like coffee being pumped straight into my veins. I feel more alert, but that's about it.
"How do you feel?" I asked Skydes.
"N-normal," she replied, slightly stuttering. "I can handle it. Let's continue."
Since she insisted so much, something must have been bothering her—something different from when she touches other people. But she didn't want to focus on that, and I didn't want to press too hard with questions.
Opening my palm again, I was a bit surprised when the blonde reached for it. Now I could feel strong resistance. If you've ever had small magnets, you know they have sides that attract and sides that repel each other. Like poles repel, while opposite poles attract. Just like in real life.
Now, I was experiencing something similar firsthand. The aura surrounding her hand not only prevented us from fully touching, but it also pushed our palms apart. To overcome this, Skydes interlocked our fingers.
I have to admit, the "like poles" effect only intensified. After a few seconds, I started to feel energy filling my body again. My head, which had been aching from a few knocks this morning while Caliban led me to the Morlocks' hideout, stopped hurting. Earlier, Mystique had hit me with a telescopic baton, and the impact site had been throbbing, but now the pain was almost gone.
The resistance between our hands weakened, and the glow around the blonde disappeared.
"Careful," I said, trying to pull away from her grip, but it was in vain—she wasn't letting go. "Your field is fading. I could hurt you!"
"I... I'm almost touching you!" she blurted out, ignoring me. "Just a little more and..."
Another strong jolt occurred between our palms, and then her aura completely vanished, and our skin touched. Skydes weakened instantly, her eyes rolled back, and blood began to drip from her nose. Veins became visible on her exposed skin, and her fingers stiffened in place. It took a great deal of effort to pull free, and perhaps the only reason I managed was that I finally absorbed her power.
Along with Skydes' yellowish aura, memories, sensations, and emotions began flashing through my mind. At first, I tried to block them out, but as soon as I showed even a hint of curiosity, they rushed at me, nearly dragging me into the dark abyss of her consciousness. It had never been this overwhelming before.
Perhaps part of it is because I didn't harbor any positive feelings towards the previous power donors. I initially viewed Mystique and that vampire girl as enemies or adversaries, which made it easier to distance myself from the imprints of their personalities. But here, the moment I grew curious about what Skydes actually felt, I was almost crushed by the whirlwind!
Her real name is Sally Blevins. Her powers awakened a few years ago, triggered, as usual, by adolescence and extreme stress. Sally grew up in what is commonly referred to as a "dysfunctional family." Her stepfather didn't work, sitting at home and demanding cold beer.
When he didn't get it, he became angry. Naturally, his hatred wasn't directed at his own worthless self, but outward—at his wife, who scraped by working multiple cleaning jobs. Sometimes, Sally, who dared to stand up for her mother, took a beating too.
Yet the older woman didn't dare complain. After all, half the neighborhood envied her. If she had found the strength to say even a word against the drunk, she would've been thrown out in an instant, and another woman would take her place. It had happened before. That bastard had gone through more than ten women already, and every time, there was always another fool willing to experience what "family life" was really like.