Darion walked several streets without really bothering to see where he was going. All he knew is that he was in a decent neighborhood with picket fences and manicured lawns.

His mind is filled with a jumble of thoughts about his past and his unknown future. He wanted to help out in the house and, at the same time, didn't want to do anything since he didn't want to face the world at the moment.

Two old biddies walking their small dogs eyed him suspiciously. Then they shook their heads and whispered not too carefully about foreigners spreading like warts in their town.

Darion sighed. He didn’t even need to use his heightened senses to hear that. As someone with Asian stock living in Georgia, his family’s life is pretty interesting throughout the years. His mom is Polish by birth and his dad is a mixture of Singaporean, Korean, Filipino, and Polish descent.

His ancestors fought both in the war of independence and the civil war with great distinctions. His great, great grandfather fought in World War 2 while his son defended the Koreans from communist occupation. His family skipped the Vietnam War but an uncle and a cousin were veterans of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Darion himself originally planned to join the Marines before all this nonsense about superpowers gripped the world.

He shook his head sadly. He was a seventh-generation American (at least), but his outward features didn’t stop idiots from yelling at him to go home.

And now superpowers come into play. He just knew that it will add dimension to the discrimination he is receiving while the entitled will demand from him to use his power to protect and saved them. The irony of it all.

It didn't help that the damned ankle collar in his left foot is starting to get itchy. He listened to the clerk's justification and his parent's reasoning about why awakened needed to be controlled, but even so, it grated on him that he feels like a criminal with all these "precautions."

He turned one corner of the street, and about 30 meters in front of him was a little blonde girl with ringlets looking at the sky, and he frowned at her.

The next thing he knew, Darion was standing beside the girl. “Is there a problem, young lady?" he asked mildly.

The girl visibly jumped but recovered quickly. Then she glared at Darion as if he intended to make her jump. She was about to tell him off when she reconsidered and look at his height. Despite his Asian blood, Darion is only a couple of inches shy of being a six-footer.

"My cat chased a squirrel up the tree, and now she cannot go down," She stated.

Only then did Darion looked up, and sure enough, there is a white cat stuck on top of the nearby tree and watching them with baleful eyes.

Personally, Darion thought that it served the cat right in getting stuck up there for bullying the squirrel. But the girl was looking at him impatiently.

Darion scratched his chin. "Have you tried calling the cat's name, and maybe that'll help her go down?"

She rolled her eyes and said in an exaggerated and exasperated voice that only a true drama queen could illicit. "Of course, I tried. I'm not stupid you know, duuhh. I called her name Mr.Brownie like a bazillion times, but she is just too scared to move."

Darion frowned, then he raised a finger. "Why did you name him Mr. Brownie when your cat is as white as snow?"

The girl just glared at him.

Darion sighed, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, I'll help."

Actually, this is an excellent time to test his new abilities, Darion realized.

He closed his eyes and simply tried to feel the feline on the tree. At first, nothing happened, then suddenly, he is aware of the fur around the animal. The cat shrank back in surprise, but Darion's weak abilities felt like a light touch to the cat. He kept his power just stroking the furs until the cat started to calm down and trust him.

“What are you doing?” the girl asked, obviously intrigued.

"Shhh," he said softly, trying to soothe the animal, and in some ways, it succeeded. He let his 'touch' lightly pet the cat until the cat is relatively peaceful. Then he hardened his grip, not too much but just enough that he can feel the sinew muscle under the fur.

Darion encircled the animal with his thought, and now he has a general idea of how to carry it gently. When he was ready, he softly lifted the cat up in the air. The fat cat gave a questioning meow while the delighted girl gasped in surprise. Mr. Brownie floated gently and slowly the cat descended softly into the little girl's waiting arms. The girl was so delighted to have her cat back that she squeezed him hard.

The cat, not so much.

She stared at Darion for a moment while Darion stared back at her. "Are you one of those freaks?" She asked bluntly.

Darion hesitated for a moment, then he smiled at the little girl. "Yes, I am," he said.

"Dad said I should not talk with any of you."

"You shouldn't," Darion agreed.

"Dad said, you guys are dangerous."

Darion thought about it for a moment, and then he answered her. "We are," Darion said. "Especially if we are angry."

The little girl nodded solemnly. Then she smiled at him and said, "Thanks, mister." She waved and ran back inside her home. The cat looks so miserable as she was carried back inside the house.

Darion smiled at the little girl, and then he too started walking away. Somehow, the encounter soothed his soul and lessened the chaos in his mind.

He started whistling.