Part 1

Maria was walking along a neighborhood while internally attempting to calm herself down. She was making her way to her boyfriend's house, who was her ex boyfriend now actually, in hopes that he would take her in and help her. After several minutes of internal pep talk, she noticed that she was finally nearing his house.

(I know he will take me in. He has too….right?.....)

As she got closer and closer to her destination, she started to feel a strong sense of doubt come over her. The last fight they had ended rather harshly and she was sure they wouldn’t talk again. She cursed her fate realizing that she would have to go crawling back to him. But this time, it wasn't just about herself, so she had to put her pride aside and face the music.

(No. He will. This whole thing takes two people anyway...)

She lightly smacked her cheeks to snap herself out of her state of nervousness. She kept on walking, chest held high. If she began to falter now she would never be able to face him face to face. She was no coward. She had to suck it up and continue forward no matter what!

After a couple more feet or so, she reached her destination. She felt her heart beat faster and her adrenaline suddenly began to reach an all time high. She pressed the palm of her hands on her chest as if trying to calm her heart down.

The house wasn't anything special. It was a one story house that was painted green. It had no garage and was surrounded by a metal gate. It had one cement walkway leading to the front door. The grass was well kept and the porch was neat.

(What if he's at school today?....today of all days!…no,...I can do this god damn it.. so help me if he is i'll just wait for him!….)

She took a deep breath and opened the front gate. Speaking of which, She hadn't gone to school today either. She decided not to do so. Not only would her mind not be there if she did, She also wanted to make sure that she had a place to go afterward. There was that and then there was also the fact that she did not want her friends to find out about her situation. Though, it was probably far too late for that.

Her boyfriend, now her ex, usually did not go to school. He was set on trying to become successful by becoming a professional skateboarder. She knew he was a little in over his head but seeing his determination brought butterflies to her stomach. Nothing got her going like a guy with a goal.

Overall, he was a really nice guy to her. Sure he had his defects but, he was.....nice...

She reached the front door and stopped. She looked at the driveway and noticed no cars were parked there. His parents must've been gone. She took one final deep breath and knocked on the door.

A moment later, a response came. A tall slender boy with untidy gray hair came out. He was dressed like a typical skateboarder, cargo pants, long socks and a graphic t-shirt on.

“I already told you I'm not going to school!! oh, it's you. What do you want?”

The boy came out yelling but relaxed when he saw Maria standing at the door. He sounded disappointed in seeing her and dropped his eyelids.

“umm, J-jason. We need to talk…” Maria forced out those words to him and felt her knees tremble. She was nervous but confident…..somewhat…...

The boy named Jason sighed as if having no choice but to listen.

“fine fine. Come in but make it quick I have stuff to do.”

“o-okay!” she stuttered surprisingly.

Jason turned and went back inside his house as Maria followed suit. The inside was a little messy. The couches smelled like pizza and had many screws and bolts around them. Two skate boards were on the side of the tv stand and a pile of dirty laundry was on the corner of the room. Jason lazily fell on one of the couches and maria politely sat down in front of him. For just a moment, she wondered how on earth his parents allowed their living room to be this messy....

“so what is it?are you here to yell at me again? I thought we were done.” Jason asked not even looking at her. He just changed his position and laid on the couch.

Maria straightened her back, hands clenching the bottom of her dress that reached her knees and prepared herself.

“no we are but, I have a problem. We have a problem.”

“what are you talking about?” Jason asked starting to sound a little more interested.

“yesterday, I was kicked out of my house by my parents. I got some news that they weren't happy about..” Maria stopped and looked off to the side. Her face was red and tears filled her eyes. The event that was slowly changing her life was something that she had disclosed to no one but her family. It was chewing her up and eating her alive. She couldn’t keep a straight face now. How could she when she was already filled to the brim with so many emotions ranging from sadness to happiness? Fuck that, She didn’t care right now.

Jason looked at her from the corner of his eye.

“hey!hey!hey!?what are you talking about? what news? why is this my problem?”he said in annoyance.

Maria held back her tears. She breathed in and got ready to tell that boy ‘the news’ that had just about ruined and helped her life. This was their war now.

“Jason, i found out…..I'm pregnant….” she said sounding apprehensive but excited. She smiled through tears and anxiously waited for a response as the atmosphere simultaneously shifted.

This time jason truly looked at her. He immediately sat up and looked at her with a blank expression. Mouth opened wide. Maria sat with both fear and happiness. She was going to be a mother! At such a young age, she was both blessed and cursed. And Jason was the father!

Would he be happy? Would he treat her like a princess? Would she finally get the respect she deserved? She could not wait!! Right now, it did not matter whether or not they were together!

After what seemed like hours, Jason finally made a move.

He stood up.

Maria watched him closely and followed him with her eyes. A piercing silence hung in the air as she sat there. At the moment, nothing seemed off to her....

Jason walked up to his kitchen counter and rested his arms on there. He had his head down and stayed like that for a moment before finally speaking.

"I don't want that." He said.

"What? I'm sorry but that's not something you can just up and decide on your own like that! This is something we both have to go through together!" Maria said feeling perplexed.

"Listen, I already made up my mind and I said I won't-" He began to say but Maria stepped in.

"You will! No way in hell you can just leave me like this! Even my own parents didn't want me because they said they couldn't handle an irresponsible brat like me hoeing around like some slut!! I already took that from them and I refuse to take it from you too!!.." She yelled in frustration. Jason visibly fidgeted and stayed frozen for a moment. In that one moment, Maria thought that she had managed to get through to him. She was beginning to feel accomplished when he suddenly said something that completely threw her off.

"Then get rid of it." He said.

Maria shifted her eyebrows and uttered a "huh?.." as softly as she could but still to a point where it could be heard. In this moment, nothing still seemed wrong to her, so she didn't think about standing up or moving. a decision which she would later regret.

"What do you mean "get rid of it"? Are you saying I should go for an abortion??" She fired back.

"Exactly, do that and I'm sure everything will be alright. Even if your parents don't take you back you can stay here and we can go back to the way things were, how about that?" Jason suggested simply as if nothing about that was wrong.

"You can't be serious! I can't just......kill my own child! I don't want that!"

"WELL I DO!" He snapped causing her to flinch.

"You either get rid of it, or get out.. you have five seconds to answer.." He demanded. Maria moved her head back in utter confusion and slightly gasped. There was no way he was actually serious about this. How could he possibly force her to choose like this and with such little time? Not only that, but what would happen if time ran out and she didn't have an answer?...

"time, what's your choice, darling?" He asked sounding impatient.

"W-what? Don't be ridiculous, I can't possibly choose out of the blue as if it's something that doesn't-!?" Matter...she wanted to end with matter but before she could a sharp and intense pain shot her head back and forced her down. The pain was so out of nowhere that her body went limp. At the same time, she heard what sounded like the sound of glass breaking. For a second, she blacked out. As she was coming to, she heard Jason speak again.

"I gave you the chance and you blew it. But thinking about it now it'd be bad if you started to spread rumors, so I think I'll keep you here after all....that way I can get rid of that myself."

You'd think she'd be happy about that outcome, right? No, happy was far from it. The way he said that suddenly made her fear for her life. This man was not about to let her stay here in peace!

She felt him grab her and carry her somewhere, but before she could find out where she quickly grabbed a shard of glass she was hit with from her chest and stabbed him on the shoulder as hard as she could. She felt penetration and Jason yelled in pain. Out of reflex, he let her go and she dropped to the ground. She threw the shard of glass to the side and stood up. It turned out to be a piece of a coffee mug. A thick one at that. It was no wonder her forehead was in so much pain. However, now was no time to wory about that. Ignoring the blood flowing from her forehead, she quickly turned heel and ran for the door to leave.

However, another sharp pain hit her back and she fell. Jason had thrown his skateboard at her full force. She writhered around in pain and attempted to stand once more.

"You do so well in school that I thought you'd be smart enough to know that this way is so much better for you. Get rid of that kid and you can go back to a normal life but instead you do this? Haha, I'm not going to let you get away this time."

His voice was serious and cold, they were far past the point for this to be a joke. Now more than ever, Maria was terrified. Fight or flight kicked in like a bullet and had her up on her feet in no time. Ignoring him once more, she made a dash for the door. She would've liked for it to have ended there but it didn't, he was already at the door just as she managed to open it. He slammed it shut and launched his fist at her face. It hit her cheek and she staggered back as a pinching pain pulsed in her head. Everything began to vibrate as she turned heel and made a dash for the hallway.

"You tough bitch I thought that would bring you down for sure!" He said as he went after her. He ran down the hall knowing exactly where she would be, his room since that was where she always went when she hid in times like these. Once he had his hands on her, he would teach her a lesson for sure... But just before turning the corner, a fist popped out of the bathroom and was planted on his cheek. It barely even fazed him.

"that's all?" He said grabbing her arm with both of his. Maria with her brow furrowed instantly reacted and swung her other arm forward revealing what appeared to be a wrench in her hand. Jason saw it and gasped. Like this, it was far too late to counter. All he could do was say,

"Shit"

"Raaah!" She yelled as she hit him on the side of his head with the wrench. She felt it make contact with his skull and watched him fall like a doll. It was over. The hallway instantly got quiet leaving only her heavy breathing to be heard.

"That enough for you?" She gasped. She didn't want to kill him, so she instinctively held back. Luckily he wasn't bleeding but he was definitely going to have a massive bump on his head.

Maria looked at her trembling hands and tried to calm her breathing, but it was no use. She dropped the wrench and fell to her knees. Her mouth was vibrating and her body felt exhausted. She looked at Jason who was now unconscious and began to wonder why things had ended up this way.

For so long, she thought that this man would be the one that would maintain her, that would help guide her through the world, how could something like this happen? This man once promised her the world.. How could this person....do this.

The person that said he loved her. The person she said I love you to. The person that gave up every spare time he had for her. The person she gave up her time for. The person that said he'd never hurt her. The person that said he would always be there. The person that said he would always love her. The person that said he only had eyes for her. The person that said he only wanted to be with her. The person that said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.The person that said he wasn't calling any other girl. The person that said he wasn't still talking to his old girlfriend. The person that she saw flirting with another girl. The person that swore he was home but was actually out. The person that yelled at her for the smallest things. The person that criticized her flaws daily. The person that threatened to break up with her if she didn't follow his rules. The person that gave so little when she gave so much. The person that forced the innocence out of her....

The person that……

Why had it only dawned on her just now? How could she have possibly forgotten. How could she have thought that this man would change? How did she forget the massive fight they had over a stupid missed call? Why was she so stupid? Why…..?

Was this happening to her?..

It suddenly felt like something broke within her. Rage and anguish bubbled up inside her and she began to weep. After some time there, she got up to leave. Then it suddenly occurred to her, this man should know something, something that would hopefully give him the message that Maria was no longer of concern to him...

...........

After she was done and far from that house, she sat bandaging up her head with bandages that she took from his house. Her clothes had drops of her blood on them and she had a couple scratches but she was otherwise alright. She was hiding in some bushes in a park she used to go to all the time. She was certain that no one would bother her here. Just as she finished adjusting her hair, she suddenly bursted into silent tears. Falling on her back, she wept as quietly as she could not wanting anybody to bother her....

Back at Jason's house, Jason was slumped in the hallway when he finally began to regain consciousness. He sat up and winced as he touched his throbbing head. Suddenly, he quickly looked around in search for Maria as he recalled what she had done to him but there was no sign of her. However, he did find something right next to him. It was his skateboard, and scratched on to it was a message. It said,

"You Are Nothing To Me"

Jason sat back and processed that for a second. Though, he didn't wonder what it meant. In fact, he knew exactly what it did. This meant that he was nothing of Maria's. and she was nothing of him... Her problems were none of his, just the way he wanted it....

Part 2

Axel held his hand in front of him. He had been chosen? By some power unknown to him?

He was still in the room he woke up in and Ella was also there twirling one of her twin tails. She repeated it to him.

“That's right. You were chosen by the ability itself. Congrats” she said sounding sarcastic.

Axel clenched his sheets. How could this happen to him? How could he get dragged into something he tried so hard to avoid his whole life? How could he unwillingly get thrown off the path of normal by some ‘power’ he did not even want!

He refused to accept that.

“no…” he muttered

“what?”

“No! This ‘thing’ must be wrong! It's got the wrong person!! I am not pure of heart! I don't have some special talent like..like, you freaks!!”

Ella brought her eyebrows closer in irritation.

“hey you better watch what you say cause as of yesterday you also have a talent like the rest of us ‘freaks’”

Axel tried thinking of a way out of this situation. He did not want to be burdened with a power that he could not control. A power that could harm others. This wasn't for him! No sir it was not..

“wait. If this power chooses who wields it, then can’t it choose someone else?” He pleaded.

“nice try but i already told you. once power magnet chooses its wielder, that choice is absolute. No exceptions.”

Axel slumped back down on his bed feeling disappointed.

“why? I'm sure there are plenty of people in the world that are pure of heart and have special talent! People more qualified than me!!”

This time, ella took action. She swiftly stood up and slapped axel as hard as she could. The sudden attack left axel speechless. His cheek instantly burned up from the slap he had received and raised his hand to soothe the pain.

“ow!! what was that fo-!”

“Because i needed to blow off some steam.Now,take a look outside!” she yelled sounding frustrated with him.

She pointed to the outside window on the left side of his bed. He was able to just barely see what was on the ground outside. He could tell they were on a second story building of a house. There were people standing there. They looked familiar. A woman who was dressed in winter clothes and who seemed to be in her late 20s with a baby in her hands and another little girl there playing around some bushes.

“Hey, isn't that-?...”

“Yes. They were there during that night and the only ones that witnessed your heroic actions. Ah but remember, you saved them with your power. Thanks to that they were able to live to tell the tale”

Axel was speechless. He looked down at his hands again.

He saved many people yesterday. Had it not been for him, their days would've been numbered. He had this power. Was he a hero? Could he really live with this? Could a guy like him change history? Yes. He had power. He could use this power!

(But, even so…)

Axel clenched his fists.

“that is even more reason of why i should not have this power. I only managed to save them by pure luck. I'm just a regular high school boy. I can't be trusted with other people's lives!”

Ella frustratingly sighed. She then lightly pressed the palm of her hands against his own.

“you need to believe in your power. Believe in yourself. Didn't you feel relieved that you were able to do something when you helped that woman? Don't you feel comfortable knowing that you now have the power to change the course of this world?”

Axel felt conflicted. How could he possibly accept this power? How could he not? He didn't know what he wanted to do. After seeing him not coming to a conclusion, ella finally lifted her arms.

“i will leave you for now. You need to choose what it is you want. To save those in need, or become a bystander watching helplessly from the sidelines as people get hurt.”

She began walking towards the door leading out of the small room. Axel still wanted to know something, so he stopped her.

“wait!before you go, explain to me what i did. Or what this power is.”

Ella sighed but did not turn to look at him.

“Power magnets ability is absorption. In other words, you can absorb and use the abilities of others. You can't use an infinite amount of abilities. At half power, it can only hold 1 or 2 abilities. With the ‘chosen one’ it can hold up to 5,as far as we know. I had 2 when i used it so whatever i had is probably with you now”

“did one of them include super strength or something with explosions?”

Ella looked up.

“about that, that power was not one of my own. It’s possible that you absorbed it from someone..maybe?…”

(So it must've been…)

He felt a strange sensation once more when he touched a certain someone. He must've gotten it from there.

“also” ella said with a tone of warning.

“Your body can not handle the sudden power of an ability. It will have serious repercussions on you due to just being a human and not a superhuman who are born genetically stronger and are able to withstand a lot more of pretty much anything. As you can see from using it once, your legs and arms were nearly torn apart. I advise you use the power with caution. Maybe even refrain from using it at all yet. Maybe that's a good thing. That is what you seem to want isn't it?”

Now she looked at him from the corner of her eye. Axel looked back down in an attempt to dodge her piercing gaze.

She simply sighed again.then she pointed out the window where the woman was waiting.

“the woman is waiting for you. She’s the only one that got to see you in action. I talked with her and she agreed to stay quiet as long as she could talk to you. There is a wheelchair in the closet. Get it and go see her. You decide what to do from there. This is my temporary house so, you can't stay. I got other things to do too. Good bye.”

With that, she left. Axel then looked over at the closet, then his legs.

He spoke to the vacant room with some disappointment.

“but how am i supposed to get over there?....”

Part 3.

Somewhere, in a place far from civilization was a man,hidden from the world. He was in a huge secret facility that was for him and his men alone. He sat silently watching the video clip of a certain boy using a power that was not supposed to be his to wield. Despite this unforeseen turn of events, He grinned.

“so… they made their move have they?..”

He glanced at the desk next to him where a file with information on his foes lay causing him to smile even wider.

One of his henchmen approached the man whose body and face were concealed in darkness.

“sir.” said the henchman in question

“what is it?”

“all the preparations for the invasion are complete. Ready to go on your mark.”

The man in the shadows stood from his chair that resembled a throne. He smiled wickedly and placed his hands behind his back.

“very good. So then, i think it's about time we step out of the shadows...prepare the ships and the artificial entities.” the man demanded.

“yes sir!” the henchman saluted and went off to follow his orders.

“now then, show me what you're made of……”

He grabbed the file on the desk and threw it across the room concealed in darkness. A picture attached to one of the files came out. It was of a boy with spiky hair. The lettering under the picture read:

‘Power Magnet latest permanent wielder. Threat level: maximum. Name: Axel Ison.’

Part 4

Back to civilization, in sonic city’s honeybell high school, sat a blonde beauty. Her long golden hair was tied up with a red ribbon. Her golden brown eyes were filled with concern. She looked over at the empty seat that was in the corner of the classroom.

“hummmmm……” she sighed.

Her partner was not here today, leaving her to work on their project all alone. Everyone else sat happily working on their own projects since their teacher was nice enough to let them work on it in class today.

She nervously shook her legs.

Her anxiety had reached its peak yesterday night. She heard news about a building collapsing and disappearing due to another terrorist attack. She wondered if axel was involved with that. She wondered if maybe he was unfortunate enough to be around….What if he was injured? Somewhere out there begging for help. The image of axel crying out for help covered in blood filled her mind.

“Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!” she yelled in fear, her anxiety reaching its peak again. Her classmates turned to look at her with eyes of confusion. She paid them no heed.

She got up from her seat and dashed out of the classroom door.

Part 5

After a bit of a struggle to get on the wheelchair, axel made his way downstairs to where the woman and her children waited. He was sort of skeptical to go out there. He was wearing the clothes he had on before but they were torn up. All the bandages he had on his legs showed and it was cold outside. Nonetheless, he still went out.

“I'm so sorry to keep you waiting! I know it's pretty cold out here…”

He apologized and waved his hand with a smile.

The woman saw him and her face lit up. She quickly got up from where she was sitting and ran over to him with her baby in hand. The little black haired girl looked over at her mother. Axel glanced at her and unintentionally sighed in relief.

The woman quickly grabbed his right hand with her own.

“i owe you so much! Mine and the life of my children!thank you thank you thank you thank you!!...”

The woman continued to thank him and bow for a while longer. Axel felt really embarrassed and blushed.

“no you don't have to do that. Really,..you can stop now…”

The woman stopped but continued to hold his hand.

“I'm so glad you're ok! You're hurt but at least you're in one piece! I've been wanting to thank you for a while now.my name is crystal by the way!”

“oh uh, axel ison. Nice to meet you.um, do you know why i ended up in this house instead of a hospital?”

He wondered how he ended up in a house instead of a hospital.if the police arrived at the scene and took everyone in individually why would they just leave him out on the the ground? He doubted that a hospital would let some stranger take him.

The woman let go of his hand and took a step back.

“yes! That girl with two twin tails picked you up before the police arrived. I was distracted in tending to my children so i wasn't able to stop her...i informed the police of what she did but i didn't know who you were. The girl later found me and told me you were here but asked me to keep it a secret. So i agreed and rushed over here!!”

The woman, crystal, seemed to be filled with enthusiasm. Axel relaxed a bit.

“oh right,so how is your daughter?the baby?.”

“oh! Thats right mckayla!come here.”

She beckoned to her daughter. The girl looked over at them and slightly quivered.she hesitantly walked to her mother's side.

Crystal patted her head.

“my baby is fine thanks to you. And so is my little mckayla...she's been wanting to meet her hero for a while now as well.”

(Hero?....but...i…)

Crystal addressed her daughter this time.

“this is him sweety. You're hero. Axel.”

The girls eyes softened as she looked at her mother. Her eyes filled with astonishment. She looked over at axel and took one hesitant step. Her mother gently pushed her back. The girl looked at her mother and crystal nodded as if saying it was okay.

The girl took one more step toward axel and another, and another until she was finally in front of him. She looked down for a second and then looked up at him.

Axel began to realize something deep within his heart. Something tugged at his heart and his very being rendering him unable to look away.

(How could i…?)

The girl had a smile with tears in her eyes.

“thank you….thank you for saving me! For saving us!”

She threw herself onto him and embraced him. His injuries burned in pain but he did not care. The emotions flowing within him were much stronger than the pain he felt. The girl continued to say thank you and sob on his shoulder.

Crystal held her mouth and silently cried, the baby sleeping peacefully in her arms.

(How could i abandon them?......anyone?..)

He couldn't just abandon people in need. How could he allow himself to do so?how could he do that? Their lives were saved because of him. It wasn't just the power, it was him too. The little girl in his arms is going to be able to live a happy life now. He would make sure of it. For everyone. His path was clear. He did not get dragged away from his old one, he was simply shown a new one.

He patted her head and whispered in her ear.

“no,...thank you”

Part 6

She was alone, hurt, and now hungry. Maria left Jason's house not knowing what direction to head to now but at the same time not really caring. Her one hope had crumbled to pieces, never to return to normal. Her pain and despair was unimaginable.

She walked with her head down and heading to one final place that all of a sudden came to her mind. The clouded sun was still up and was placed in the middle of the sky. She guessed it must've been noon. As such, school should still be in session.

(Maybe, my friends will help me?...)

Thinking that her friends would help her brought joy to her distraught heart. Perhaps she could mend her broken heart with them. They always had many different times before. Especially her best friend. They were friends since kindergarten and had always had each other's backs. Cynthia was the name of her best girlfriend.

Maria was still in highschool. This was her last year in it. She had good grades and followed the rules. She just didn't go recently after she got her news. Her friends would understand her problem. At least, she hoped so.

Her school name was Delray high. A really nice school overall. She had gone to it her entire high school years. Her dream was to graduate and become a really great wife and a doctor. She hoped that that would still come true despite things not looking so clear.

She approached the small blue school and walked around toward the gate that had the lunch area on the other side of it. She went to an area that had a small gate opening that “he” used to leave school from (he being jason. She refused to even think of his name at all). she slipped through and went to where her friends were usually at.

She saw many people hanging out and eating outside the cafeteria. It was just as she guessed, it was lunch time. So, her friends would definitely be here.

She arrived at a quiet place that was shaded by trees just outside of the school library. A nice and calm area. Under the trees was a familiar group of guys and girls. They were her friends. She could get help now!

With a renewed spring in her step,she wiped her tears and blew her nose to make herself look presentable. She mustered the courage and was about to walk toward them but, she heard them talking and couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. So she hid by the side of the library and listened in.

A large blonde guy spoke to the crowd. Conveniently it was the start of a conversation.

“hey have you heard about what happened to maria?”

Her brown haired friend replied.

“i heard she got kicked out of her house..and apparently she got her ass handed to her...by jason”

The crowd gasped. Simultaneously, maria also gasped. How could they've known? There was no possible way that anybody could've told them that. Unless, her parents did? But what about that incident with jason that only just happened a couple hours ago? There was no way that anyone would know that unless he deliberately told them. He had before in order to get her friends to shun her. Did he do it this time around again? Did they know about her ‘condition’!?

No. No, surely they wouldn’t because jason was determined to let no one know. And she sure as hell wasn't keen to tell anyone anymore.

She figured that they would at least ask if she was okay or where she was instead of asking for more information but….

“I called her house so that she could help me with my work and her parents told me everything. The reason that she got kicked was because she got pregnant by that bastard jason.”

(Cynthia!)

That was her voice. Her friend would surely stand up for her!

But….

“I always knew she was a bit of whore. Having to get along with her is a hassle at times. She’s been so perky ever since we were kids, but she does help a lot with my homework. Don't tell her that though..” She laughed and so did the crowd.

The blonde haired girl,cynthia, was her best friend. Or at least, she thought she was. Is this what they talked about behind her back? She held her chest.

Was this really want they thought of her? Was this really even happening right now or were her eyes and ears playing tricks on her? Why would everything start to go down hill all at once? What was next? Would she be charged for a crime she didn’t commit and executed publicly?

One of the boys spoke loud enough to interrupt her rapid thought process.

“she always wants to be with us. She's too much of a drama queen and is always wanting attention cause she thinks she's miss perfect. Ha!what a joke. Now she's pregnant?all according to plan i guess…”

The crowd continued to laugh at her completely unaware that they were finishing off her tortured heart…...They continued to laugh at her…….. Her heart broke. Her life was falling apart. Who exactly was she to them all this time? Was she just some annoying person that no one wanted to be rude enough to tell it to her face? No. did they not have the balls to?

Reality seemed to be an illusion and she nearly fell on her knees. She should just disappear right now. She just run as far away as possible and never turn back!

And yet, she refused to let anymore be said. She put strength into her and bursted out from where she was hiding.

Her friends immediately stopped laughing. They turned a pale white and were at a loss for words.

Her ‘best friend’ spoke first.

“m-maria?! Good to see you! How have yo-”

“is that all i am to you? Someone you can use to copy their homework? A girl that asks for attention? Well guess what?”

Maria cut her now ex friend off and spoke her mind. Rage and despair filled her words. She would not allow these people to see her as a nobody. As a person asking for attention…

“i didn't ask for any of this!!!” she yelled at them. Tears began to fill her eyes and before long they started to pour from her eyes.

Her so called friends stood in silence.

“i never wanted attention!i just wanted to be accepted!! Accepted by people that would actually care for me! People that i could rely on no matter what! And what do i get? Nothing but a bunch of backstabbing jerks!!! Even my own family has disowned me! Because of a mistake that i committed… why can’t you all see that!?”

She cut open her heart and poured out its contents in the form of words allowing those people to hear. She hugged herself and leaned forward as if going to throw up.

“Why is it that i have to go through all of this!?why is that i am getting made fun of because i made what every other human being could make?A FUCKING MISTAKE!!! WHY ARE YOU ALL STARING AT ME LIKE I’M SOME WEIRDO THAT ONLY WANTS ATTENTION!? How dare you all look down on me because i just wanted to fit in. every single time that i woke up in the morning never did i once think “Wow, i can’t wait to annoy my friends today!” never did i once think that any of you would be stepping stones to popularity. Never! So why do you all seem to think that!? Why did you all fake so many things to me!? Why did you lead me to believe that you were all my friends when in reality you were all holding my strings to play me like a fucking blind puppet!! Why did you all let me blindly fall in love with jason when you all had the ability to pull me away from a clear danger to my life and well being? You all saw the way he treated me and allowed me to stay with him for as long as i did. Did you think i could do it on my own? Did you think that i would open my eyes so easily on my own!? IT’S NOT THAT EASY!!! I’M JUST A 17 YEAR OLD GIRL. i can’t do everything on my own and i don’t know why everyone seems to think that i can! What kind of fucked up people are you guys that you’re cruel enough to let a girl falsely believe that she had friends to hold onto when really she was holding onto the rope around her neck!! You guys think you’re better than me? You think i’m some annoying girl that just wants to sleep with every guy she lays her eyes on? You think I see myself as miss perfect? WELL FUCK YOU!!! I DIDN’T ASK TO BE THE TOWN SLUT AND I SURE AS HELL DIDN’T ASK TO BE SURROUNDED BY A GROUP OF FUCKING ASSHOLES!!!! You guys are that insecure that you need to pick on me to make yourselves feel better!? Grab your standards and shove them down your throats you hypocrites!!!!! You’re all so sure about me wanting attention and me being a drama queen yet you guys are the ones that are acting like a bunch of immature brats! As if life will always be a straight road for you! What are you gonna do when your life starts to hit the fan and everyone you know walks out on you!?? How will you all handle that!?How would you all feel!? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE LOST EVERYTHING!??!!!!”

She poured out her soul like she had never done before. She yelled at the top of her lungs through sobs and fell to her knees. By this point,Many of the kids gathered to see what the commotion was about. Their whispers tortured her. As if each and every one were rubbing against her with cold, jagged knives.

The group of kids that were her ex friends looked to be ashamed all at once. They traded looks and were unable to muster a single word. One tried approaching her but maria jumped back.

“leave me alone. You, every single one of you…..I HATE ALL OF YOU…..”

Her voice shaked and more tears flowed out from her eyes. She gave them one look that will forever haunt their minds. An expression of sadness mixed with pure and utter hatred. One of which they had never seen before and probably never will.

As if symbolizing her pain, it began to snow. A light amount of snow.

She turned back and ran from where she came from at full speed until she was far from the school, And she did not stop there, she continued to run as if hoping to eventually reach the end of the world so she could jump off. She ran and ran until she couldn't no more….

(There….is no one…..i hate everyone!!!!!!)

She yelled this inside her heart, knowing full well that she at least wanted someone. Her savior that could hold the final piece to her nearly shattered heart….

Part 7

After having a nice chat with crystal and her daughter, axel was now walking down town. He finally started to regain feeling in his legs and he was able to move with the help of some crutches. According to ella, his body would begin to heal faster thanks to help of power magnet itself. Apparently, his body was shifting into that of a superhuman.

He wasn't really looking forward to it but it was really useful and handy thus far.

Even crystal took notice on his remarkable healing ability. Speaking of which,

(I didn't think she would want to stay in contact…)

Crystal insisted that they exchange telephone numbers in order to keep in touch. Axel didn't expect that though. He could understand being grateful and what not but usually people just go their separate ways……...right?... She had also whispered to him something that caught him off guard. She said

“don't worry, I'll keep your little farting trick a secret!”

Axel tried to let her know that that wasn't the case and explain to her what really happened but she stared at him with a blank expression. So, he just changed the subject.

Now, since ella was nowhere to be found, he was walking home in his torn clothes. His legs felt the chill of winter's air. To make things worse, it was snowing.

He continued walking until he reached a park. He figured he could take a shortcut through the park and make his way home faster. So he did..

__________

In truth, she just felt like laying down and dying. Maria somehow made her way to a park in some neighborhood. She was out of breath, tired, hungry, and totally broken.

She sat on a park bench and began to wonder what to do. Memories of today filled her mind. when she got hit by jason, and when she saw her so called friends true colors. She immediately felt dizzy and she held her head in her hands.

(Why?..)

She sat on a bench and tried to control herself but it just wasn’t possible at this point. So many emotions were running through her that she just felt like ripping out her own hair.

Just as she was about to let out another sob, she felt someone lightly sit on the bench behind the one she was sitting on. She heard the sound of crutches being placed down.

She did not turn back to see the person. Whoever he was she was too busy wanting to die to care. She just continued to look down. Her throat felt like it was tied in multiple knots and her head was aching terribly. Again, as she was about to start sobbing, she was interrupted.

“I can tell you're going through a hard time.”

A boy's voice cut off her thoughts.

“......”

She just remained silent refusing to speak or trust another human being.

“I don't know what it is. But if it helps, i can say that i relate. I don't really know what is going on in my life. Everything just seemed to turn upside down. Why? I don't know. And now, i don't know what to do. Either be the good guy, or the selfish guy….”

Hearing the word selfish made her heart shake. She hated those who were selfish. Just as she was about to tell him that, the boy spoke again.

“but i do know one thing. The Life of a human being isn't something to take lightly. I know that now. No matter what it takes, i will do my best and i will keep moving forward. There may be a rainstorm now but, there is always a rainbow right after. And that is what I'm waiting for. And of course, i hope that we can both see it someday happily.”

She held her breath.

For the first time in a long time, maria lightly touched her belly.

(That's right...how could i forget? The life of my child……..i have to do this...for my child!)

She was being the very thing she had begun to hate. Selfish..How could she possibly forget the life of her child? How can she take her own life knowing full well that she carried the life of another? She couldn't do that. There was no way she could. No……. no matter what was going on now, she had to keep on pushing forward. She had to continue living and be someone in life in order to provide the absolute best for her child! She owed him/her that.

She came to terms with what she had to do and made up her mind. The pain of Being abandoned was great, but greater would be her determination to bring her child a happy life. She recognized that now and her heart ever so slightly lightened.

Of course, she couldn't of have figured this out on her own. The boy helped her! She turned to see him but, he was gone…

She must've had her head down for a long time. But still….

(Yeah…..i hope we can see the rainbow one day…..together)

She promised herself that and stood in the snow falling from the sky at a slow rate….

_________

After talking to the girl he saw that seemed down, axel left the park and made his way home. He was walking down a narrow alley and he met someone unexpected along the way.

“why exactly aren't you in school?” he said to the person walking beside him, inspecting his entire body.

“well i…...i heard about another terrorist attack...i wondered if maybe you were involved in that.. and you weren't at school so i thought, I thought I'd look for you….and i was right!!you are hurt!”

A blonde beauty with her hair tied up with a red ribbon. His classmate natsumi. She had nearly tackled him while turning a corner. She must've been running in search for him.

“ i didn't know the project meant so much to you. Don't worry though, I'll get back to it now..”

“o-oh..yeah the project...haha…”

“Ow! Did you step on my foot?”

“Hm? no.”

Natsumi was really after axel in general but, axel was too much of an idiot to figure that out. She guessed that he must've not had any experience with girls. Even so, she did not seem to mind. She at least was getting a chance to speak with him.

(At least it's a start…)

“hey? What's the matter? Do you zone out like this often?”

Hearing axel’s assumption, she snapped out of her thought process.

“oh. No, i just was thinking about something…...hey?what in the world did happen to you?”

Axel shook his shoulders at the sudden question. He didn't want to remember anything about power magnet and its use at the moment. So he remained discreet about it.

“well, it's a long story..”

Natsumi slumped her shoulders in disappointment. Axel started to slightly sweat but hoped that she wouldn’t ask too many questions. As they crossed an intersection, axel began to notice something.

Why was it so quiet? There was not a single person or car in sight. Getting a bad feeling, axel turned to tell natsumi to pick up her pace but, a cold feeling at the pit of his stomach stopped him.

Suddenly, ominously loud footsteps were heard from directly in front of them. Because of the snow, there was a bit of a fog surrounding the area. They could see a silhouette of a man walking slowly toward them. Axel didn't really understand why but, he felt a great amount of fear.

‘axel...do you see that?...’ whispered the girl next to him. She also sounded a bit spooked.

‘y-yea’ he replied in a nervous tone

‘let's go the other way…’

He suggested they go the other way around the silhouette but, then the figure spoke to them in a a cold deep voice.

“I've been searching for you Magnet boy…... “

Axel froze where he was. He knew the man was referring to him. The new wielder of power magnet. He knew this but still foolishly hoped that man had the wrong person. He voiced his thoughts..

“y-you must have the wrong person...m-my name is axel! Not magnet….”

The man simply chuckled.

“ah...and now you have confirmed it for me. You are definitely the one...now, make this easy and come with me….or would you prefer this get ugly?...perhaps a little blood on the ground? A corpse? That girl will do….”

The man spoke relentlessly. He showed no sign of joking around and axel still couldn't see him clearly enough. His mind was racing. Who was this guy? What did he want? No, he wanted the power that was forcefully placed in him but, why?

He suddenly felt a warm object press up against his arm. A girl. He looked and saw the blonde beauty absolutely terrified. She was shaking.

“a-axel, w-w-what is that man saying?w-what does he mean i will do?”

She spoke with fear in her voice. Axel had to reassure her. In fact, he had to get her away from here as soon as possible. If a scuffle broke out now, he doubted he could do anything much less protect her.

“listen to me….as soon as i say the word, you take off running in the opposite direction we're facing and do not stop!!...”

Natsumi’s face paled at his request. There was only one reason he would tell her that and that would be if there was danger. Was her life really in danger!? And if it was, what could he possibly hope to do?

“wait what are you-?”she tried to ask but axel cut her off...

“Go!!!go go go!!!”

He pushed her and yelled at her to run. Natsumi now had tears in her eyes but she soon realized what she had to do and ran. She ran as fast as she could. She ran despite wanting to stay by his side. Despite the feeling of guilt she had for leaving him so easily like the coward she was….

(I'm sorry axel….i promise i will get help and come back!!!) she yelled in her mind knowing that she could do nothing now.

Then, to his horror, the man then spoke again.

“ah….this simply won't do...boss said no witnesses…” he said in a chilling voice that sent a shiver down his spine getting ready to move.

“so….”

“Stop it!!”

He tried to stop the man but it was too late. He felt a sudden gust of wind pass by next to him that swept him off his feet and down to the ground. He heard a squeal and a noise of flesh making contact with flesh.

“kyah!”

“no no no...Where do you think you're going?”said the man in a mocking tone.

“!!!?”

Axel turned and his heart dropped. In a blinding amount of speed, the man caught up to natsumi and had grabbed a hold of her neck. He picked her up like a doll with one hand and her feet started dangling in protest.

“I don't have to worry about you..”the man said speaking to axel.

“you are visibly injured and can barely move...so stay put.”

He inserted more strength into his grip and natsumi let out another painful moan. She struggled but to no avail. The man was too strong.

All the heat in his body turned ice cold. He felt himself turn pale and the cold icy grasp of fear wrapped around his heart. Cold sweat ran down his spine and tears filled his eyes.

Axel couldn't think clearly. He had to do something!but what?

(My power!i have to use it!! It's my only chance! But my legs?!!)

He had no choice but to use his power but, not only were his legs injured, they were refusing to move!! Natsumi’s face was now red because of lack of oxygen. He saw tears fill her eyes.

He could not move. No matter what he did his body was refusing to move due to horror.

(Move!!!!MOVE!!!!why can't i move!!!?? Come on you stupid power!!help me!!!)

He called out to his power but nothing was happening. He didn't feel that surge of power like the other day. Had the power abandoned him? Had it deemed him unworthy!? Why now! Of all times! He cursed himself and his powerlessness and began to quiver in both rage and sadness.

Natsumi’s face was now purple ,her tears flowing down from her cheeks.

(Please...someone….save her!!)

He still could not move out of fear. He could only crawl toward her but the closer he got the farther they felt.. He tried to with every fiber of his being. With all his force he continued to try and call for his power but nothing happened.

Natsumi’s face was now pale..her eyelids twitched and her legs began to stop struggling and dangle freely.

(I….can't….)

He couldn’t do it. Nothing was happening and nothing would ever happen. He was just a stupid crybaby that could never possibly be anyone’s hero. No matter what he did, no matter how much power he had, he was still just a human….. Natsumi and him would die here, and it will all be his fault…..

And….

Just when he had lost all hope,

A huge explosion rang out…

“!!?”

The man was sent flying toward a nearby building causing him to crash right through it. Natsumi fell to the ground with audible thud finally free from the man’s grasp.

“what??...” he whispered. Completely bewildered. He hadn’t done anything.

“seriously….do you not know how to control power magnet yet? Didn't you use it the other day?”

He heard a familiar voice. A girl's voice.

He looked up and saw a girl of about 13 or 14 years old. Two long jet black twin tails danced in the air as she landed in front of natsumi.

“e-ella?” he said calling out to his savior.

It was the girl that he met the other day at school. He was saved by her….again.

“Natsumi….”he whispered suddenly remembering her.

The girl was unconscious but looked okay. She was starting to turn back to her regular color but there was a mark on her neck that gave him an uncomfortable feeling...Regardless, His heart was starting to calm down. Then a cold deep voice reached his ears making his hairs stand on end.

“Damn you brat...how dare you do this to me?...”

When the smoke from the crash started to clear, axel was able to get a look at the man's face. A man with a short beard that covered his chin. He looked to be about 30 years old and had a huge scar on his left eye. His eyes were black and filled with a malice that gave axel the chills. His short dark black hair had small dust bits in it. He wore one black robe over his clothes. He could see a strange s shaped symbol on the man's robe…

“leave now, i have called for reinforcements from the peacekeepers.. unless you want to die, i suggest you leave”

Ella warned the man of reinforcements on their way and the man clicked his tongue.

“heh heh, no matter. At least i know the threat is no threat at all. Everything can proceed as planned…Jessica will have no problem taking you down....”

The fog spun around the man engulfing him. Before he could not be seen at all, he set his eyes on axel and said in a cold menacing voice,

“till we meet again, magnet boy…”

Then the fog completely engulfed him. The fog spun and then stopped. When it cleared, The man was nowhere to be seen..

Ella relaxed her shoulders and let out a sigh of relief.

“thank goodness. He actually fell for that….”

As it turns out, ella had no way of contacting anybody from the peacekeepers. She had been bluffing in order to scare away the enemy.

Axel's fear soon vanished right after ella scared him off but, his anxiety only got worse. He didn't have time to think about that right now though.

“n-natsumi….”

His blonde classmate was a couple feet away from him. She was still unconscious but otherwise seemed okay. He made a big effort to grab his crutches and walk over to where she was laying.

Seeing him try to move, ella helped him up.

“thank you...what did you do to him?”

After thanking ella for the help, axel asked what it was that ella did to blow that man away. Ella shook her head.

“I'll answer your questions later. We have to get out of here first..”

“oh, r-right…”

Axel walked over to natsumi and placed his crutches on the ground. He stumbled but managed to stand on his own with a sudden burst of energy….. Energy he could’ve used earlier…..

He lightly placed his hand on the side of her neck to check her pulse. She was definitely alive. His anxiety lowered a bit. Relief filled his conflicted heart.

(Thank goodness…)

He reached down and picked her up in a ‘princess carry’ type of way.

“mmmmm…..i have to…...do my hair..mnyah..”

She peacefully muttered something about her hair. It was as if she fell asleep. Axel had no choice but to smile. Then he looked over at ella who was waiting for him. He nodded.

“All set? Okay, we are going to have to use my Ability to get out of here…”

Ella mentioned something about using an ‘ability’ as an escape method but, he had no clue what she meant. He just listened.

“Okay, where do you live?”

“oh!uh….about 4 blocks from here, that way.”

He pointed toward the end of the alley where he was heading to.

Ella nodded and grabbed his shoulder.

“okay, do not let go of her and bend your knees. Unless you want them to get snapped in half.”

“wait what?!”

He did not even have time to prepare himself. Before he knew it, the area around him twisted and moved in a strange way. His stomach ached. His head felt like it was spinning. He closed his eyes. He thought he'd throw up any moment now… he just held on to the girl in his arms for dear life. Then everything suddenly stopped spinning. He opened his eyes and noticed he was practically floating above the ground. Gravity caught up to him and he fell on his bottom. The weight of natsumi only made his landing harder. In contrast, Ella lightly landed next to him.

“gyah!?”

“sorry about that. That's the first time I've used my ability without having power magnet. It feels oddly different so i sorta let go of you before we landed…”

“Sure you did…...huh?this is..”

He let out a groan and then a questioning remark. He recognized the scenery around him. It was his neighborhood which was supposedly a couple blocks away! He wondered if they teleported.

“i know what you are probably thinking. No, we did not teleport. My ability is wind. I can control the wind as well as travel with it. It's kinda hard to explain but we basically merged with the wind and came here...that's my first time using it without power magnet….i guess it is like teleporting though….”

Ella started to say a lot of things that axel didn't really understand but he just smiled nodded. Ella looked around the neighborhood trying to find his residence.

“okay!so, where do you live exactly?”

“oh, um , this way..”

He led the short girl toward his house. She followed him, twin tails flailing in the wind. The blonde beauty's hair did the same.

Midway to his house, he had a thought. What would this look like to his neighbors that had known him almost his entire life? A boy in ripped clothes holding an unconscious girl with another girl following him? What rumors would be said about him? What would he do?!

“what's wrong with you?”

Axel was close to tears and was shaking his head. Ella asked him what the problem was but, he just shook his head.

“here we are….”

He said with a disheartened tone.

Ella looked at his house. A white house with a white fence surrounding it. A well kept flower garden at the front and a gate to the back yard.

“nice place you got here. How many rooms?”

She told him with a cheerful smile. He quickly opened the front door to his house and beckoned for ella to get inside.

“4! Come on let's get in before anyone sees this!!”

Ella hesitantly obliged.

“what is the matter with you? Are you embarrassed that you're bringing two girls to your house?”

She told him this mockingly. Axel didn't completely deny her words. But he couldn't say that of course.

“This girl is unconscious!! I have a reputation to keep!”

He shut the door behind him with his leg and rushed over to the couch. He gently put natsumi there.

She laid there peacefully. It almost looked like she was sleeping, but he did not feel any better. He felt worse.

“I'm so sorry...this is all my fault…”

He rubbed an area of her neck that was practically painted red. The mark of the man’s palm was clearly visible there. He clenched his teeth in rage.

He felt that she got hurt because of him.

If he could just control his power, this wouldn't of have taken place…... And why was he not able to? The last time, he even used it without knowing he had it. So now that he knew he had it, why couldn't he use it? He cursed his fate and punched the side of the couch.

“She will be okay. She just needs to rest….do you see now why you should take your power seriously? Things like this could be avoided. All you have to do is join us. Help us in our search for peace.”

She extended her hand to him while she told him to join her. If he did, he would be able to learn to control his power. He could protect people. His friends...

But,

“Forget it….” he said

“what?”

Ella was taken back.

“ ‘this’” he said referring to what happened to his friend.

“‘this’ is exactly why i should not have this power! People like that man would not come after me!!or hurt my friends!! If i were to keep this power, people like that would just keep coming back. He even said it! He said we would meet again!!”

He knew that if he were to keep this power, people like the man from earlier would come back for him. This power was nothing but trouble to him. An unwanted power. A true misfortune magnet. He wanted a way, no , he needed a way to get rid of it. Or hide it, no matter what it took.

“what would happen if that man happens to show up when I'm with my friends?!my family!? What would happen to them?! what would i do!?this isn't meant for me! You need to take this thing back because i don't want to deal with this!!”

“you're wrong” she said to him.

“what?” he replied. He didn't expect that response.

“You do wish to protect people. Deep inside your heart, you yearned for the power to help protect her when she was being attacked didn’t you? When that building fell, what went through your mind? Didn’t you want to save them?”

Her words stabbed out at him.

The worse part was, he couldn't deny that remark.

“when you saved those people that night, what was the first thing that came to your mind?”

He slumped down to his knees and tears began to flow to his eyes,unable to hold them back. He couldn’t retort now. There was nothing he could say. He was getting more and more confused as to keep this power to fight for what he cares about, or get rid of it and hide in the shadows..

“You did not think about your own safety. You thought about power. Wishing for the power to fight.”

She drew her conclusion and kneeled in front of him. She grabbed his shoulders.

“And so, you got the power. It was not by chance. It was by fate. You can do it.”

She pushed him to join but axel could not think properly.

“i….i can't do it…” he uttered.

Ella stayed where she was for a moment longer and axel avoided her piercing gaze.

She then stood up and stepped back a couple steps.

“That man you just saw. He is apart of the main group that we fight. They are known as the Shadow Hunters. They will attack again. And i can't guarantee your safety or anyone else's next time. You need to make up your mind. They will not wait.”

With that, ella made her way to the front door. Axel processed what he was hearing and hugged his knees.

“i want a definite answer by tonight. I have a meeting with one of my colleagues tonight so, i will wait for you after i finish meeting up with him. I'll be at the restaurant inside of a tall building on hazard Boulevard at 11. Be there.”

She had his back to him the entire time. Then she left through the front door, leaving axel alone with the unconscious girl. All he could hear was the light breathing of natsumi…..

“ZzZz…..”