When Elli entered the training room, her head was still swimming with Trevor's kiss. They had been interrupted only seconds later by Domina, who whisked Trevor away for something urgent, and Elli had wandered her way back into familiar territory. She now stood in the middle of the room, a pillow tower almost as tall as she was, mocking her. She softly ran her finger along her bottom lip, her stomach flopping and her brain fuzzy with glee.

She stared at the pillows without seeing them, her mind replaying that moment in the roses. Trevor had kissed her. Her cheeks burned, and she smiled a big, cheesy grin. He had kissed her, and it was everything she had wanted it to be. On top of her wildest fantasies coming true, he wanted to date, actually date. Elli wanted to get to spend every waking moment in this kind of bliss.

She picked up the top pillow on the pile and tossed it in the air. She did it again, amusing herself by the idea that it could stay up there, like a cloud. She tossed it up a third time, a small trickle of something leaking more than thought toward the pillow, which to her surprised delight, froze in midair. She smiled, puzzling through how she'd made an idea into action. She grabbed another pillow and tried again. She tried thinking at it three times, but that trickle feeling didn't come.

Elli hugged the pillow, musing that there was a difference between thinking and doing after all. The feeling was so slight, but it made all the difference, and now she could tell how to tap into her ability. It was like back in grade school, when they'd learned about electricity in science class. She threw up the pillow again, imagining a thin blue line projected to hold it in place, and the sensation zoomed to the surface, the pillow held, only inches from the first one.

"I can do it." Elli breathed, elated.

She grabbed two more, and tossed them up, using her electric line to pin them up in the air. Gleefully, she repeated the process until the whole pile hovered like clouds over her head.

"Amazing." A deep voice startled her, and the pillows dropped to the floor. She glanced to her right to find Samuel walking towards her.

His usually hard expression was more open, a smile pulling at his upper lip. "You figured it out, String Bean."

"Samuel..." She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes as shame dampened her mood.

She wrung her hands. "I'm sorry, again, for last night..."

"Let it rest. You should be focusing on moving forward." he barked, and she flinched at the harshness of Samuel's words.

His voice dropped and softened. "Don't worry about it, is what I mean. You should be concentrating on this, and not worrying so much."

He grabbed a pillow and tossed it up in the air. "Now, do it again."

She obediently called the sensation brought by her telekinesis forward, and the pillow paused in the air.

"Have you tried a different direction, yet?" he tilted his head, staring up at the floating object.

"Not yet--"

Think fast!" he scooped up one of the pillows and launched it at her.

With a squeak she threw up her arms, the pillow halting only inches from her body.

"Geez!" she exclaimed, "Are you always so reckless?"

He shrugged, armed with two more pillows.

Elli balked. "Don't you dare--"

He chased her around the room, resupplying himself with pillows as she struggled to dodge and stop the offending objects as he mercilessly pummeled her with attacks. Finally, she'd had enough, and she quickly imagined blue strings tethered to all of the pillows suspended in the air, which she yanked simultaneously, burying her tormentor.

She caught her breath and then lurched towards the pile covering Samuel.

"Samuel?"

Elli cautiously moved a few pillows from what she assumed was his head and managed another squeak as she was pulled under. She rolled to her side, throwing him off with a swift kick. He flipped over her head and lay there, laughing. She blinked dumbfounded and sat up, staring at him. The skin around his eyes crinkled and he flashed perfect white teeth as he guffawed. She realized he was far more handsome when he smiled. She couldn't help but wonder what it would take to see him that way more often.

"That was perfect." he gasped out.

"You're crazy." she shook her head. "Absolutely crazy."

"Maybe." he tilted his head to regard her coolly, his smile still in place. "But look how far you've come in a day. I'm proud of you, String Bean."

Elli could only stare back at him. "Who are you, and what have you done with Samuel?"

"Call me Sam, like everyone else." he waved his gloved hand as he sat up.

"Then stop calling me String Bean." she huffed.

"But I like calling you String Bean." he shrugged. "It's something just between you and me."

Elli's heart skipped a beat as she read into that further than she should have. She wanted to smack herself. She had just kissed Trevor less than an hour ago! What was wrong with her? She raked her fingernails across her scalp, frantically trying to sort through a new well of emotions.

"If it bothers you that much, I'll stop." he offered.

"It's fine, do whatever you want." Elli stood up, and his face resumed its perma-scowl.

"Except that." she shook her head. "I like you better when you smile."

He considered her for a moment, and Elli could feel her cheeks warm under the weight of his gaze. She could never tell what he was thinking, and it unnerved her sometimes. Though, at the moment she knew he was in a good mood, so she merely met his stare with a raised eyebrow.

"Want to go again?" he grinned devilishly, offering her a pillow.

"You're relentless; give a girl a break." She groaned, shoving the pillow in his face and earning a muffled laugh.