When I was younger, immersing myself in water was what calmed me, but as I grow up it might be what will destroy me.

I’m ambling alone under a starry night and the aroma of damp grass fills my nostrils, making me grin. The downpour was exquisite and I would’ve been out in rain too but my ma wouldn’t hear of it. At the sound of her snore, I was out of the cabin and in the nearby forest.

Reaching the lake my smile could not be contained. I sprint toward my liquid sanctuary and almost slip on the rocks and wet grass. All my responsibilities and all the problems from my life flee at the sight of ripples and waves.

A snap of a twig makes me stop at the shoreline. My mother’s words come to mind: Let no one see your gift. If people see what you can do, they will have no problem breaking every humane law there is to figure out why.

I stiffen. Was that movement in the trees I saw? Maybe it was an animal. Could it be?

My body tingles as the water responds to my racing heart and hesitation. The waves grow higher and more violent. The water spins around in circles going faster and faster.

After a minute of silence, I take a deep breath. Nothing to fear.

Slowly a smile grows back on my lips and I free fall backwards underwater.

Time gets lost as I spin around in the water creating currents to push me along. My hair is everywhere as I zoom from one direction to the next.

Laughter erupts from my lungs when I end upside-down and have myself spat up to the surface.

Soon my strength depletes and tiredness overtakes me like a tidal wave.

The temptation to sleep here grips me but my ma would be worried sick if I’m gone when she awakes. So with a groan, I use the last bit of my energy to have the currents pull me back to the shoreline.

As I lay there gazing at the sky someone grabs me by the arm and yanks me to my feet. The man before me smiles deviously, “You’re coming with me.”

My attempts to pull away don’t make a dent in his grip. His muscular hand barely even moves.

His headlight blinds me as he pulls me closer. His breath smells like garlic and he chuckles at my resistance. His eyes glow with hunger and delight. "You're a very special young girl."

Then he grabs my waist and shoves a cloth in my face.

I hold my breath, wishing it was as easy as breathing underwater.

My body tingles once more, and I close my eyes.

My aim is never accurate when my heart is racing this frantic but here goes nothing.

My legs buckle, and my mind clouds. Focus, I tell myself. I cling on for dear life to the image of a wave and my heart commands it to go forth.

I collapse into my attacker's arms, and everything in me wants to go to sleep.

His body stiffens and his grip laxes enough for me to breathe fresh air but not enough to escape.

With the last bit of strength I possess, I glance over at the seven-foot wave speeding toward our direction.

It smacks into the trees a couple feet away from us and the spray soaks us to the bone.

"You'll pay for that." He hisses in my ear.

My lungs surrender to the cloth forced back over my face and darkness comes over me like a downpour.

I wake up disoriented, surrounded by water. I try to get up but my legs and ankles are strapped to the bottom of a pool.

I pry at the straps but there is a lock on all four of them. "Where am I?" I mutter.

I stiffen at the sound of footsteps.

"Are you sure your assessment of the girl is correct?" The female's voice is a mix of hesitation and earnestness.

"Do you not believe the footage I showed you? She tried to kill me with a seven-foot wave." This voice sounds familiar, but I don't know how or why.

"It explains why you were both soaked on arrival. But do you realize if you are wrong, we'll end up with a drowned girl on our hands? I won't have that."

"I assure you I'm right. You'll see for yourself, she's in here."

I jump when two adults with lab coats walk into the room.

"See, she's alive." The male smirks, and crosses his arms.

His partner beams. "Fascinating."

I try to move closer to the farther edge of the pool, but the straps glue me down.

I read their name tags. Doctor Kenzo was the male and Doctor Nakhti was the female.

"What's going on? Why am I here?"

Nakhti walks closer to me, and I instinctively attempt to pull away again.

"What do you remember before you were brought here?"

I furrow my eyebrows. "I snuck out-"

"Why?"

I purse my lips. "Because." I study them. "Why did you bring me here?"

"For the same reason you suck out." Her brown eyes gaze back and forth between me and the pool of water with a hungry lust.

My body starts tingling and the water circles around me.

I stare at Kenzo. Even his face looks familiar.

"Your gift is very special." He says; though his voice holds a rough edge. "Cooperate with us and we'll unlock your greatest potential."

My mother's words ring in my mind: Let no one see your gift. If people see what you can do, they will have no problem breaking every humane law there is to figure out why.

"And what if I don't?"

Anger flashes in his eyes, "You wouldn’t want to do that."

"We're here to help,” Nakhti assures me. “Don’t you want to be in a place where you could let your gift fly free,"

I nod.

Nakhti straightens her coat. "That settles it. You are staying here while we train you." She beckons Kenzo over, whispers something in his ear, and he rushes out of the room.

"When do I get to go back home?"

She fixes me with a glare, "This is your new home," She takes a sharp breath "So show me what you’ve got. Empty this whole pool, leaving no water inside."

The water is chest deep and I shake my head; I've never consciously controlled a whole entire body of water before.

"I can't-"

"You will."

My eyes widen when Kenzo comes back in with a whip.

"Or you'll face the consequences of not doing what we say."

I shut my eyes, trying to imagine all the water leaving the pool at once.

I open them when I hear the water hit the ground and the doctors' reaction.

My heart sinks when I see the water level is at my torso.

I look back and forth between the doctors and the whip.

Nakhti shakes her head, though Kenzo appears to be ready to strike me.

"You tried. Take this as a benchmark. But next time I expect you to do better or things will not go in your favor."

She studies me for a bit and says, "Get some rest. We have a long stressful day ahead of us."

Then she leaves with her partner, shutting the door locked behind them.

I look down in the water and drape my hands across the service. For the time happiness doesn't sing within my soul when I'm drenched.

There is no more freedom, no more bliss.

Water and my gift are my sanctuary, but what good is a sanctuary that you're enslaved to? And what about my mom? She must have found out that I'm gone.

I lie back down in the pool and close my eyes. Kenzo's voice comes to me: we'll unlock your greatest potential.

Maybe being stuck here wouldn't be too bad. I smile imagining the ultimate power running through my veins. Yeah… maybe.

My eyes shoot open and I gasp for air. I was standing, but how?

I look down and… "Ah!"

I jump out of the pool. "H-how?"

My body is lying down in the pool, still strapped. But I'm here, so how am I there? "Oh God, what is going on?"

Two hands rest on my shoulder and I tense.

"Do not be afraid."

The woman smiles at me, and her whole body is engulfed with light.

She holds out a hand. "I've been sent by the Most High to show you something."

I take it and feel a rush zip through my body. Seconds later we were on a staircase looking down at Nakhti and Kenzo.

Both of them were sitting at a table in a room with transparent doors and windows. Although the door is closed, their voices are as clear as day.

"Let us drink our new victory." Nakhti smiles, clinking her glass with her partner.

With a sip, she says, "We landed the job of a lifetime, and everything is finally secure."

"The girl isn't much though," Kenzo sighs, putting the glass to his mouth.

"But she will be a prime weapon against our enemies, once we're done with her."

I look at the angelic stranger who brought me here, "Prime weapon?”

"I'll make sure of it," Kenzo said.

The angel of light puts her hand on my shoulder, and we’re back in the room with my body.

She kneels down on one knee and tugs lovingly on my arms. "Do you know who gave you your gift?"

I shrug.

"It's from God. Jesus has given you special power and authority over the waters. And He only can unlock your true potential. There is power in your tongue, and when it's mixed with faith it could be more powerful than an atomic bomb. You must ask for it, and you must use your voice to command the water. Most of all you must see and have faith in what you command in your heart. What you do next is up to you."

She vanishes and immediately I'm in my body again.

I know with all my heart what I must do, but these straps. I wish there was something I could break the locks with.

Water. That's it! If there is enough force applied, it could break. The question is could I do it? The strongest I've ever wielded my gift was when my heart was racing.

"Water…" awkwardness gripping me tells me to be quiet. "Rise?"

Nothing.

What if I command it in my head like usual…

"Ah!" I yell in frustration.

The only results are small waves, and the ability to raise and hold the water in mid-air to slam it back down at a fast velocity slips my grasp.

“I can't do this,” I finally say.

But the longing for freedom wouldn’t stop gnawing on me.

You must ask for it, and you must use your voice to command the water. Most of all you must see and have faith in what you command in your heart. What you do next is up to you.

I lie back down in the water and close my eyes, “Jesus, I need help,”

I force myself to relax, I imagine the water - not just the water in the pool, but the water all over the floor as well - to rise. “Water… rises. Water rises. Water Rise!” I keep saying till it rings true with confidence. And didn’t dare open my eyes until I could believe it was actually happening.

My hand touches the floor of the pool. It’s dry, completely dry. I open my eyes to see a pool of water hovering above me near the ceiling. “Oh my gosh, I did it!”

My heart sinks when the image of all the water plummeting down on me clutches onto my mind. The water - once stationary - races toward my face. I hold my hand out and look away: “Stop!”

Slowly reopen them and take a sigh of relief. “I think I got this now.” my smile grows from ear to ear. “Water rise.”

I wait for it to reach the ceiling, “Break apart in four, then come down and break my locks.”

It does just that. The speed at which it comes down is blinding, and it shakes the ground underneath me.

I pull on one of the locks and it opens; so do the others. I unstrap myself and run to the door. Locked.

“Water rise and burst this door open,”

I stand aside, and watch my command become reality.

It is surreal, walking out of that room. Am I really going to get out of here?

Water rushes along with my feet while I run. I want to shout for joy, but I’m not out of the woods yet and my kidnappers might still be here.

There it is, just up ahead; I can already see the trees covering the felicity. I can see my freedom.

“Hold it right here.”

It is Nakhti. I turn to see she’s aiming a taser gun at me “Get back in your room, now.”

“Never. I am not your slave.”

She tightens her grip around the weapon, “You know it’s quite dangerous to mix water and electricity.”

I tense looking behind her; where is Kenzo? There is no way he left her to take me back. Not when he’s the most eager out of the two to see my demise.

Then I feel a gun pointed at my head. “Looking for someone?” He takes an impatient deep breath. “I will count to ten. If the water doesn't become still, and if you don’t surrender by the time I do, it'll be lights out.”

“One, two, three…”

I calm the water down but I’m not ready to surrender.

He shoves me forward but I stand my ground. “Four, five, six.”

Uh, I need a plan.

He buries the gun deeper into my skull, “seven, eight, nine,”

"T-"

"I surrender!"

He lowers the gun and eyes me suspiciously.

He gives me a nod gesture to move forward, and I comply.

Bowing my head, I walk in front of them both back in the direction that I came.

My shoulders sink, as I glance back at them. They both still had their weapons in hand, but no longer aimed at me. Though it is what’s below them I'm concerned about.

Wait… wait… wait…

I stifle a smile when all the water I brought near the exit no longer surrounds their feet.

In my mind waves of water swarm them from the side and knock them to their feet.

With quiet precision, I said "Attack."

"What?" Nakhti asks. She turns around and screams.

Before they can react they are off their feet and their weapons are knocked from their hands.

Without hesitation, I bolt out of the facility and into the woods. The cold air on my skin sends a chill up my body. "Woohoo!'

I don't stop running until I'm sure they're not following me.

My stomach growls and my muscles ache. I yawn; I should rest.

I sit down by a tree and I’m thankful it's not a cold night

I close my eyes; praying God will keep me and my mother safe. And soon or later I'm asleep.

In the morning my stomach is empty and my feet ache from walking barefoot.

First things first, I need to get out here and then ask for help.

I couldn't wait to wrap my arms around my ma again. I'll take her inevitable lectures if I could experience her loving embrace once more. She’ll probably shower me with kisses at first sight.

A weary grin curves my lips when I see the public area.

Grocery stores and cars line the streets.

I knock on a driver's window and the man inside puts his phone away and pulls the window down.

“Please help me,”

He furrows his eyebrows at my frantic eyes.

“What’s wrong, are you alright?”

“I’ve just been kidnapped, I need your help in getting home. Please.”

He nods. “Of course, get in.”

His phone buzzes an alert on his phone as I shut the door behind me. Through the rearview mirror, I see his eyes widening as he reads the message. “Urgent. Beware of a teenage girl, with long brown hair and brown eyes and is around five feet tall. Last seen wearing a red sleeping gown with bare feet.” he turns around to me and I bite my lip.

He continues to read, while occasionally looking up at me “She is potentially dangerous to those around her, especially around water.” he glances at his water glass in his cup holder. “If you see her call this number...”

Putting down his phone he says, “Who are you?"

“I swear to you it’s not what they say.”

He sets his jaw, “Get out of my car before I report you.”

“Please, I was kidnapped to be tested on and weaponized. It’s a lie to get me to return. They know where I live and are most likely after my mother. And I need your help or I may never see her again.”

A regretful longing and anguish fills his eyes.

He turns around and rips the wheel. His voice shakes as he speaks. “Swear to me you’re telling the truth.” The words are soft but urgent.

“I do”

He picks up a picture of a girl stuck behind the dashboard and stares at it. “Then consider my help granted,”

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