Carter, after quickly giving the locket to his sister Natalie, immediately ran. He knew they could sense him somehow, these mysterious people were aware of his presence. One of them even made eye contact with him, which scared Carter into jumping through the window for a quick escape. He ran back in the direction of the city he had initially come from.
Walking the empty streets, Carter's mind flooded with thoughts of what those mysterious people could be doing to his sister while he wasn't there to protect her. He now knew he had to become stronger to save her.
Carter began to remember the sensation he felt when controlling the water, his focus now entirely consumed by it. He felt a connection to water itself and knew he needed to better understand his ability to control it, so he headed down to the nearby river.
He went and knelt down in the muddy bank of the river, placing his intangible hands into the water, feeling the water, not with his senses, but by using the connection he has with water. Closing his eyes in intense concentration. He focused on feeling each and every molecule of water around him, trying his best to control the element to his will, but to no avail.
Carter knew he needed to get stronger, and fast. The image of his sister in that building, kidnapped and terrified, urged him onward. Driving him to attain better control over this new found power over water he has attained.
He began to concentrate more, willing himself once again to manipulate the water of the river. A ripple appeared, growing bigger and bigger. Concentrating harder than before, Carter made a spiraling tube of water rise from the surface. Although clumsy and weak, it was progress.
Carter spent hours sitting by the riverbank, continuously practicing his control over the water. Each failed attempt to lift, shape, or direct the water served as a reminder of his inadequacy, the water frustratingly resistant. The mental drain began to take its toll on Carter, almost causing him to want to give up and call it a day, when an image of Natalie in that god awful place she was being kept in flashed before his eyes. Determining him to continue.
Despite the many setbacks, Carter found small victories in controlling and manipulating smaller volumes of water. Now capable of controlling a larger volume of water than before.
As the sun began to rise, Carter knew it was probably best to stop before he became too mentally exhausted. And although the progress was slow, a hope began to bloom within Carter that he would one day become powerful enough to reunite with his sister Natalie, without the fear of the mysterious suited figures kidnapping her again.