It took Diana a few seconds to figure out what she was hearing. Then it dawned. “You don’t really have many powers of your own; you can only use theirs, the moofs’, the mutants’. So you can’t do what Penny could do, because she’s dead. And Taylor?”

“The mutations that enable powers are physical, but the power exists beyond their bodies as well. I can reach into that space and use those powers.” She spoke with acid condescension, like she was talking to a child, which was particularly strange coming from what looked like a child. “You wouldn’t understand.”

But Diana’s breath caught, because she did understand one thing. “That’s why you didn’t let Drake kill Caine. It’s why we ran away. You can’t start by killing Caine or Sam or Brianna; if you do, you lose their powers.”

Gaia looked smug. “All things are connected to me, stupid . . . Diana. My father’s power exists because he mutated and formed a field with me. When he dies, one end of that field will fail. The power that stretches between us will fail. Eventually, though, I will cause others to mutate. It’s my . . . my nature. It’s what I am. What I may lose today, I can gain back later. Over time.”

Light, Chapter 3