I’ve woken up this sore before, and I never thought I’d relive it. My throat, in particular, burns, like when I woke up after nearly drowning. My entire chest hurts, from coughing, and the gunshot wound, and the mysterious feeling on my chest. I cough and, thankfully, it’s dry, though it brings tears to my eyes when my throat protests.

“Here.”

I open my eyes to see DJ holding a cup and straw for me. He’s at full stretch, as if afraid to approach me.

“DJ,” I say, and take a sip to clear my throat. “I didn’t expect to see you when I woke up.”

“Don’t worry, I can’t hurt you or take glove.” DJ takes a step back to motion downwards. The minute motion as I reposition myself hurts, but I manage it and see that there is a chain wrapped and locked around DJ’s ankle. It’s secured to the other side of the room, which explains why he had to stretch to get to me.

We stay in silence for a few minutes. I reposition myself slowly before taking the cup from DJ. After drinking, I shift again, grimacing.

“I’m sorry,” DJ finally says.

I pause long enough that he knows I’m not responding directly to his statement. “Why?”

He gets it. “I hoped that we not fight. I try to keep both safe.”

“Well that failed miserably.”

“Yah.” DJ shrugs his shoulders and winces. His hand goes to the back of his neck.

“Got hit pretty hard, huh?”

“Your doctor says I am concussed.”

“You did deserve it.”

DJ nods with another wince. “What now?”

“You and I go to shore, and you and I have one full day with the other controllers. They will tell you about your power.”

“I do not want to meet them.” He looks surprisingly ashamed.

“It’s not optional. They can teach you a lot that I can’t. And it would be nice if they could identify you if you die.”

That gets his attention, and his eyes widen. “You expect this?”

“No. I doubt it’ll be any more dangerous than the life you have been living. You can’t go back to it. No more piracy. I don’t care where you go, but you don’t get to hurt people anymore.”

“I don’t hurt people.”

I go to raise an eyebrow but the pain in my brow is too much. I shift uncomfortably and take a moment. My mind is surprisingly clear.

“What of my crew?” DJ asks.

“How should I know?” I say ruefully. “I just woke up. I don’t even know if the coastguard is here.”

The curtain beside my bed is shoved forcefully aside, surprising us both. Cap is in the bed next to mine and Mac is standing between us.

“Excuse the eavesdropping,” Mac says with no hint of apology. “DJ, your crew will be handed over to the coastguard.”

“I do not want them to go to jail.”

“They were three inches away from being murderers as well as thieves,” Mac says, his voice full of quiet fury. “They are going to jail. It was their choice.” DJ flinches and nods.

“And me?”

“Andy told you what you will do.” Mac nods to me and I raise my hand in a half-wave before realising it is bandaged. It looks, on first impression, like I’m wearing two gloves.

“Are you ok?” I ask, staring at Cap.

“I’m being evacced when the coast guard arrive shortly. I’m in no immediate danger, but I’m still needing some of my insides stitched up. I’m sorry Andy, I know you’re hurting, but if you want to get DJ to shore, you’re going to have to go very soon.”

“Bryson was able to save the yacht. He said it was like the very waves were assisting him,” Mac says, bending down to release DJ from his chains.

“Can I speak to Sah?” DJ asks. Mac raises an eyebrow. “I mean . . . I want thank him. I not see him again and he did save me from my family. I say farewell.”

After a moment, Mac agrees. He escorts DJ to the door and raps upon it. Bobby opens it, his trusty wrench still in his hands, and smiles at DJ, who pales.

“Bobby will take you Sah. He is been held elsewhere. He will be taken to hospital under guard. Say your farewells. Bobby, take him to the yacht when you’re done.”

Bobby, the engineer, peers around the corner to wink happily at me before he disappears. I take it to mean he’s happy I’m alive. Probably doesn’t want to spend hours training another replacement.

“You, young man,” Mac says as he approaches me, “need to get the hell out of bed.”

I groan before I even move. Mac smiles and comes to assist me. He swings my legs over the edge of the bed and gets beneath my shoulders to lever me up. I have a fresh shirt on but with a motion, Mac gets me to raise my arms and strips it from me.

“We need to talk,” he says, looking at my chest. I follow his gaze. There are seven distinct marks on my chest, all in a line running upon my pectoral muscle, just above my nipple. They are crescent shaped and appear to be raw blisters, though the colour is much darker than my skin. I raise a hand to touch them and wince.

“What the hell are they?” I say, mostly to myself, but Mac answers regardless.

“I was hoping you would know. You also coughed up water. I know for a fact you were dry.”

Our eyes meet and Mac sees the answer in our gaze. “I thought so. The glove is taking a physical toll, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think I’m supposed to use it like that. I don’t know if anyone is. It wasn’t exactly balancing anything out.”

“You could have died. We don’t know the side effects. You might have drowned and we would never have known.”

I cast my gaze to Cap, who is listening with a look of disinterest on his face. “Worth it,” I say.

“I looked in your eyes when you were focussed. They were blue, unlike anything I’ve seen on you. It faded when you released the water.” He grabs my chin, studying me. “There are still remnants, flecks of a colour that aren’t yours.”

“I don’t intend on doing that again,” I say, unsettled by the revelation.

Mac sighs. “You got shot.”

“DJ said it was just a graze.” I drop off the edge of the bed and steady myself against it. Mac also braces me until I’m no longer wobbling.

“As far as gunshots go, yeah. It still needed a bunch of stitches and it’s gonna hurt. Your eyebrow, too, will leave a wicked scar. And we’re pretty sure your wrist is sprained, judging by the swelling, but it could also be broken. We don’t have the equipment here to check. So you’re going to go to shore, report in to Hayden, and go to an actual hospital.”

I open my mouth. Mac beats me to it. “Not optional. You don’t leave the ship unless you agree, and you can bet your ass I’m going to tell Hayden to be expecting you.”

“Fine.” Feeling stable, I step away from Mac. I can walk fine – as long as I don’t move too fast. I’m taking shallow breaths to compensate for the various pains in my chest. My mentor accompanies me as we slowly make our way forward.

“I got everything packed for you. I wanted someone to go with you . . . but, well . . . they’re going to ask questions about why DJ is with you.”

“You’re not coming with me?” I ask, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

“No. I can’t, I’m sorry. I’ve got to stay with Cap, and then, when he gets moved, I have a ship to run. I’ve got to help with the investigation, and we still have to get to port . . .”

I’m not sure what to feel. On one hand, I understand Mac’s responsibilities, but on the other, I’m hurting and I need him. The very idea of getting back on the ocean and navigating to shore seems too hard. And I’m tired, oh so tired.

“I’ll go.” Another voice intervenes, saving Mac from my glum mood. I turn, surprised to hear Jerry offering. “The pirate kid is just a kid, right? I saw him last night. The only one he tried to attack was Andy. If Andy is going to forgive him, I can, too.”

“Are you sure? You can return after you’ve dropped them off,” Mac asks.

“He’s in no position to get there himself,” Jerry says simply. “And I have no desire to spend hours being questioned. I’m sure they will forgive my absence.”

“Thanks, Jerry. Get yourself set, and give us a moment,” Mac says. Jerry nods and ducks away. Mac turns back to me and hugs me gently.

“Get this done, Andy. These gloves keep costing you.”

“I know.” I grin. “I’m feeling it.”

“Make sure you come back.”

“I will. Hurry your arse to port, and I’ll be there waiting.”

We clasp hands, both smiling to hide our distress. Then Mac turns his back on me, headed back belowdecks. I stand stationary for several minutes until Bobby brings DJ back to us. DJ seems at peace with the situation. Bobby smacks him on the back of the head with his hand.

“Hurt Andy any more, or keep him from his home, and I will come for you,” the engineer says. “Andy, hurry back. We’ll probably be at port for a while, with the cap’n’s injuries, so we’re gonna strip the engines when we get there and do big maintenance. Make sure you’re healthy and ready to go.”

“Yes sir.”

Bobby winks at me and walks away. DJ is left standing awkwardly near me, just close enough to catch me if I need it. Minutes later Jerry reappears, and we load onto the yacht. Once on it, Jerry takes the rudder and we set off into the dawn light. I duck into the cabin and DJ follows me.

“Here. Take it. Get us to port. Don’t screw around. We’re done with that BS, got it?” I hand DJ the glove. After its reaction to me, the blisters on my chest, I have no desire to use it again. I shouldn’t trust DJ, but I’ve simply had enough. He can work on the waves, though they aren’t as severe today. Without waiting for a reaction I turn my back on him and move to the front of the yacht to sit and enjoy the breeze.

*

I’m lightly dozing when Jerry gently nudges me.

“We’re here.”

I’d done nothing but rest on the journey – not really sleep, just allowing my body to relax and recover. Jerry had done all the steering, and DJ had ensured we had a very speedy trip. The sky indicates its early evening. The trip should have taken another half day, though my mind is thankful to be near land and not at DJ’s mercy.

“I’m going to stay on the yacht. Head straight back.”

“Ok. Thanks for being a taxi.” I spot Joe, one of Mac’s friends, headed down the pier towards us. I wait for him to arrive before I tie off the yacht. He sees my pain and reaches down to pull me onto shore.

“Good luck, Andy!” Jerry calls from the ship.

“Have a good return trip!” I say back. To Joe, I say, “I’m all good, man, thanks. I’ll catch you later.”

“You’re not hanging around?” Joe asks, surprised and watching DJ with curious eyes.

“Nah, I gotta report in.”

“Alright. I’ll get this young lad on his way.”

“Thanks.” I motion to DJ with my head and walk to the port office. I’ve got a card in my pocket with Hayden’s number on it. DJ is carrying my backpack, following meekly behind me. Even with the glove on his hand, he hasn’t shown the slightest interest in betraying me a second time.

A brief phone call later and Hayden is on his way to pick me up.

“I’m not going to the police,” DJ says. I look around and check no one is in earshot.

“Don’t worry, I don’t want you to. It’s better if they don’t know you. I’ll leave you with the controllers. Hang with them a while. As for me, I only want one more thing from you – your true identity, in case something does go wrong and you die. I’ll need to know.”

“You said you’re the . . .null? Controller? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. Spark – you’ll meet her soon – gave me the title. It seemed scary, and I wanted to scare you at that time. My actual job is to look after the gloves until I can give them to the controller. If someone dies, I’ll take the glove back until I find the new person.”

“Oh, okay.”

“You’re all young, though, so I’m hoping not to hear from any of you until I’m an old man.”

“We are all young?”

“Someone else can tell you why,” I say as an unmarked sedan rolls into the parking lot. Hayden, now sporting a light beard, steps out of the car.

“Andy!” he greets me with an enthusiastic hand shake, his eyes travelling over my visible injuries.

“Hayden. You must have been close.”

“I was having dinner, actually. I was going to head over to the safe house shortly. Do you want to go there?”

“Hayden, this is DJ.” I motion for him to step forward. “Our last controller and a reformed pirate.”

“Pleasure,” Hayden says, smiling. DJ doesn’t make eye contact. The detective shrugs it off. “I was surprised to hear from you, Andy.”

“Yeah, well, I was surprised to find DJ. Are all the other controllers at the safe house?”

“Yes. It’s different to where you’ve been, more remote. With their ages and . . . circumstances, I didn’t want them put in the system. You are, by the way. I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop June from using your details.”

I shrug, though my expression probably reflects my disgust.

“Are your injuries from the pirates?”

“Yeah. You’ve probably got an email from Mac.”

“I haven’t read my private emails in a few hours. Come, we’ll talk further in the car.”

I follow him, and DJ follows me, to the vehicle, where I sit in the front.

“Spark and Flame will be pleased to see you.”

“I, er, I’m sure you’ll read it soon, but I promised Mac I’d report in with you and go to an actual hospital to get checked out. I’m fine, though.”

Hayden looks lengthways at me. “One of my friends is a doctor, he’s been helping me look after the kids. I’ll call him. If he says you’re ok without the hospital, I’ll accept that.”

“Thanks.”

As we drive I fill Hayden in on the pirate attack. It’s dark when we arrive at our destination and we climb out of the car, closing the doors softly. DJ pulls us aside before we can approach the house.

“The other controllers? Do they all go by their . . . type? I mean, Flame, Spark, do they use their real names?” he asks.

“No, not really. Their gloves are a big part of their identities.”

“I don’t want them to know my name. I don’t want anyone to know it. Except you, Andy, you already know.”

Hayden and I study DJ for a moment. “I think I’ve heard Spark call the water controller Ocean,” Hayden says.

“Ocean,” DJ tries it out. “I like this.”

“Ok. You get to be Ocean, you don’t go back to being dodgy. Deal?” I say. DJ nods enthusiastically.

“You best go first, Andy. It’ll be a nice surprise,” Hayden says, and I agree.

Several steps in front of the others I knock on the door and wait patiently as it opens to reveal Spark and Flame standing slightly to the side. I pretend not to notice the ball of fire in Flame’s hand, ready just in case the visitor isn’t friendly.

“Andy?” Spark says before grabbing me in a hug. I try to tough it out but can’t suppress the soft gasp. She’s a few inches shorter than me now, and it puts her shoulder right in the sore part of my chest. She hears the gasp and pulls back as my hand moves to touch my chest gently. My eyes, however, are still on her.

“Wow, Spark, is that you?” I ask.

“Who else would it be?” She slugs me gently on the shoulder and seems pleased when I don’t wince.

“It’s just, er . . .” I trail off, blushing.

“What? Spit it out?”

“You’re stunning,” I say finally, and it’s her turn to blush. Flame coughs behind her, a cough that sounds suspiciously like “smooth”.

I scramble. “It’s just, er, last time I saw you you were all beat up and . . .”

Flame’s cough has disappeared behind his laughter. I offer Spark an awkward smile but she’s on the verge of laughing too. She really is beautiful. Now, without the swelling, I can see just a hint of Asian in her features and it accentuates her eyes, which have an odd purple gleam to them.

“Thanks,” she says, after leaving me hanging for several more awkward moments. “It appears this time, you’re the one all beat up, so forgive me if I don’t return the compliment. What happened to you?”

In lieu of an answer I take a slight step to the side and motion to DJ to step forward. He comes up beside me, nervous, and I drape my arm over his shoulders. He’s actually the right height for it to be comfortable.

“This is Ocean. Ocean, this is Spark and Flame.”

Spark studies the newcomer for a long few moments without offering her hand. Her eyes go back to me, studying my face and the cuts, before she steps away from the door.

“You’d best come in and tell us the story.”

“Hungry?” Flame asks cheerily. “Hi, Detective,” he adds, seeing Hayden following me in the door.

“Hi Flame. I’m going to call my doctor friend, Andy.”

I smile in response. Heavy footsteps sound from the stairs and I’m surprised to see they belong to Breeze, who flings herself at me with a squeal. I flinch again and hug her awkwardly. For a tiny person she makes a lot of noise – unlike Stone, who I hadn’t even noticed following her. I offer my hand to him. He’s packed on some weight and muscle and is looking very much a man. After shaking, his eyes go to Ocean.

“Breeze, Stone, this is Ocean.”

“I’m going to get food rolling while you tell us tales of excitement,” Flame says, and we follow him into the kitchen. Ocean takes position against the wall, his arms folded and his head down, avoiding contact with those around him. He doesn’t intervene or move as I repeat my story to the controllers, leaving nothing out – except the pain I was in. Despite having me sitting in front of them, I can see concern on their faces and although it’s nice, I don’t want them worrying about me. I tell them about the mysterious cough, the reaction I had to the glove, but haven’t mentioned the blisters before Hayden interrupts.

“Sorry, guys, Andy promised Mac he’d get checked over.”

“We’re just about done,” I say.

Stone approaches DJ and, despite the glove on his hand, DJ shrinks back against the wall, his eyes wide and terrified. “So,” Stone growls, talking to me while he faces the smaller boy, “you brought a pirate in here, to our home, which happens to have a child in it?”

“I’m 13!” Breeze says, as if that excuses everything. With a wicked smile on her face, she holds up her glove and points it at DJ. “Besides, I could take him. He’s barely bigger than me.”

I laugh. “He’s reformed, guys.”

Stone grabs him by the singlet. “C’mon, we’re going to talk about your intentions.” Stone drags the reluctant DJ into the next room, closely followed by Breeze.

“I’m going to call Harry and get him to pick some clothes up for Ocean. We can’t leave him in rags,” Hayden says.

“Where is Harry?” I ask, suddenly remember that Breeze has a legal guardian, a wiry little black man.

“He works nights, puts food on the table for all these hungry mouths. We’ve managed to keep the house rent free, for now, but it won’t last. I’m here most nights when Harry is gone, though Stone is more than enough as a guard,” Hayden answers.

“We can all look after ourselves,” Spark says.

“If you have to, yes, but I’d rather prefer no one knew about your abilities. Stone is a brawler even without his power.” Hayden says it as if he’s explained it a hundred times. I’d seen the lights of surrounding houses, so someone flinging fire or lightning around would likely get noticed.

Another man enters the room. He’s older, a kind looking balding man. His eyes immediately go to me. “Andy, right? I’m Doctor Harris.”

“Pleased to meet you, doc.”

“Can you remove your shirt and sit on the table for me, please? Let’s get you checked out so I can go home.”

“Sorry to be keeping you up,” I say as I do what he asked. I can see Flame’s and Spark’s eyes on my chest – though I’m pretty sure Flame is looking at my abs. I flex slightly and wink at him, causing him to snort in an attempt to stifle his laughter.

“Quiet from the peanut gallery or you can leave,” Harris says firmly. Flame mimes zipping his lips.

Harris does a quick and thorough examination – listening to my chest, checking the stitches underneath the bandages, and asking me various questions about my wrist. He flexes the limb and gets me to repeat some movements before stepping away and beginning to pack up his stuff.

“Those stitches look fine. Your wrist is sprained, as you expected. We’ll leave it bandaged until the swelling goes down, and then you’ll need to strap it. Give me your other hand and I’ll show you how.”

We go through the motions for a few moments. Spark watches closely. When I notice, she says “You’ll need help to strap it.”

Harris turns slightly to look at her. “Good lass.” He finishes what he was doing and sits back slightly, his eyes on the crescents on my chest. “These are the only marks that concern me. What caused them? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I don’t know.”

Harris’ look is incredulous. “You don’t know? They must have hurt.”

I shrug. “A lot of things were hurting.”

“Still.” Harris waits, and getting nothing more from me, shrugs. “Well, if you don’t want to tell me I won’t force you, but keep a close eye on them. An open wound like that is likely to get infected. I’m going to write you a prescription for a cream that should prevent it. Get some painkillers, too.”

“Thanks, doc.”

I stay sitting on the table, though I relax back slightly, as Harris finishes his prescription, hands it to me, and leaves with his stuff to go talk to Hayden. Spark and Flame crowd closer.

“So, what are those marks?”

Stone, Breeze and Ocean re-enter the room. “You all right, Andy?” Ocean asks shyly.

“Fine, D – Ocean. No permanent damage.”

“I’m glad,” he says quietly.

Spark runs a finger over my chest, just below the marks, causing me to shiver and break out in goosebumps. She ignores my reaction.

“What are these?” she asks again.

I scoot back slightly as the others crowd in. “Give me some space, guys. They appeared on me when I was using the water glove.”

Spark looks thoughtful. “So you can use the power, but not without a physical cost.”

“It seems so. I’m thinking the cough was the water glove, too.”

“Can you use any power?” Flame asks. I shrug and he hands me his glove. I slide it on and focus. Whereas the water glove had given me a meditative feeling, the fire glove is something else entirely. I grasp the feeling and fire springs to life in my palm.

All five of my watchers’ mouths drop open.

“You just created that . . .” Flame says, looking around for a source of ignition.

“You can too, right?” I ask. He shakes his head and palms a lighter.

I move the fire around and wince when a mild burning sensation appears on my bare wrist. I shut the fire down immediately. There is a brief moment of silence before Stone slams his palm down on the table.

“What the hell? If you can control any element, maybe better than we can, what the hell is the point of us? Of this?” He storms out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Breeze goes to follow but Flame stops her.

“Perhaps we should do this tomorrow,” Ocean says, so quietly we can barely hear him. “Andy is tired and hurt.”

Flame agrees. I’m still watching the closed door that Stone disappeared behind. Hayden, drawn by the noise, enters the room.

“What was all that?” he asks.

“Stone is cranky,” Flame says. Hayden looks at all of us and shrugs.

“You probably want some rest, Andy. Ocean, you get to share with Stone. Try not to give him a reason to kill you in your sleep.”

Ocean pales significantly.

“He can sleep on the floor in my and Andy’s room,” Flame says. “If you want, Ocean.”

Ocean nods, relieved. Hayden says “Yeah, so you’re with Flame, Andy. Spark and Breeze normally share. I’ll be here in the morning.”

I pull my shirt back over my head and DJ follows us upstairs, still carrying my backpack for me. I corner Spark, alone, before we enter our individual rooms.

“What was all that about?” I ask quietly.

“Stone has been struggling. He doesn’t like being cooped up with a bunch of kids younger than he is.”

I nod, thinking. After a moment, I smile. “Good night. See you tomorrow.”

“Sleep well.”

We’re all in bed quickly, and Flame kills all the lights in the room. I feel odd without the steady rocking of my ship and, despite how tired I am, I stare at the ceiling for a long time. The bed is comfortable, but sleep won’t come. My thoughts drift to Harry, and Hayden’s words about the house not staying free.

I miss the rocking of my ship.