Chapter 28.

Orphans.

Damien Reyes.

Time/Area: NYC 2013. July 15th.

Where Was I?

I only saw black in every direction.

What day is it?

What time is it?

Where is Jason?

What happened to my Parents?

I something...creeping up my spine. It sounded like it’s saying something.

Give in.

Give up.

Fall back.

Let me take control.

Die.

“No!” I yelped, sitting up on a mattress. I rapidly looked around, trying to get a hold of my bearings.

“Hospital?” I thought, my eyes adjusting as posters of the human body and flu shot advertisements filled my vision.

There was a counter across from the bed I was on, and to my left were two figures sitting down on chairs.

I rubbed my eyes to make them out,

“Jason? Selina?” I realized.

They were asleep.

What was going on?

The window to my right told me that it was already night time, which was weird since I could’ve sworn we were just in school.

Weren’t we leaving after Sci-club had been-oh.

Oh no.

I massaged my temples, everything that had happened slowly coming back to me in waves of shock and utter disbelief as I tried to sit up.

I looked down to find myself in a blue hospital gown with two IV tubes stuck in my arm. A red liquid was flowing through the see through material, and it took some more of my brain clearing up to realize it was blood.

Dizzy, I began to remember more; like how a monster had plowed its arm through my stomach.

I suddenly felt incredibly weak, like the force of gravity was increasing on my body and I could do nothing but let it fall.

I layed back down in my bed, succumbing to the weight like a droplet of water that had finally hit concrete from the clouds whilst absently feeling under the gown where I had been stabbed.

I felt lots of bandages, and it hurt touching them, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected. I kind of expected, well, a hole or at least stitches, but all I felt was heavy bruising and a very painful scar.

“Where’s my parents?” I wondered, my head beginning to pulse in a bitter, unforgiving pain. It was like I should’ve been remembering something. Something that I did…something that we did. Something that I did…

Another shard of pain pierced my brain, nearly causing me to choke as a vivid image forced itself into my head.

I sat up, sweat pouring down my neck as I saw my parent’s motionless bodies on the carpet. The carpet. Our living room carpet. There was so much fire…

That was just my imagination. There was no way those things could be real.

And at the same time…wasn’t I there? I…we…saw it happen.

Oh right. I was there. Shouldn’t we be l a u g h i n g-

SHUT UP!ahahahahaha

My own words resounded throughout my brain so loudly I almost thought I had said it out loud.

But no, my mouth was sealed tight.

I kept hearing voices…it..hurt. Stop.make me

My.Parents.Were.Alive.reaally.

“Then why aren’t they here?”

Yes…why?!

I told it to shut up. Who…was I talking to?

More pain.

Th-they were probably outside getting something to drink. My mom would probably bust in right now and yell at me for getting hurt, followed by my dad who would just smile at seeing me.

I smiled.

Yeah… yea that would happen. Then I could try and explain my thing with Selina to Mom, or play basketball with my dad. I almost smiled at what was about to happen- Dad had gotten me a really nice basketball last Christmas, and he had been grilling me nonstop on how I hadn’t played with him. As for the Selina situation, there was a good chance that Mom would actually like her. Plus, it’d be kind of funny to watch.

I awaited anxiously for this to happen, staring at the hospital door while counting each second that passed by.

I counted to ten, then twenty, then thirty.

Nothing.you’re pathetic.

Just then, Jason began to stir.

“Jason... what happened?” I asked, still looking at the door. I had to be ready for my parents' arrival. I had to let them know that I was okay,

“Oh, thank goodness you're okay Dami.” Selina spoke from Jason’s side.

Jason grinned widely in what looked like relief, “Dude!” His smile shifted into a deepening frown, “Gosh… you worried us-

I nodded, “Hey guys,” I moved on quickly, “Uhhh, so like, did you call my parents?”

Jason suddenly began to quiver, causing me to look back at him,

“I mean,” I laughed nervously, feeling more pain spring from my stomach, “They’re gonna kill us all if I don’t check up with them. What time is it anyways?”

I frowned, “Mom’s gonna kill me when she finds out it was a monster.”

Jason looked back at me, his emerald eyes coated in what looked like sympathy as a tear rolled down Jay’s face.

I felt a lump form in my throat, “What is it?”Stop pretending. It’s so obvious.

Jason took a deep breath, glancing back at Selina who had suddenly gone silent. Her head was bowed, and the blue strands of her hair covered her eyes.

Jason’s voice was shaking, “Damien- There’s something I have to t-tell you.”

I shook my head, looking back at the door and silently counting to five.

By the time it finished, they’d be here. Go ahead and get it over with.

One.

“I-it’s about your parents.”

Two.

“Damien, There was an accident at your apartment..”

Three.

“They said that it was some sort of electrical fire. -”

Four.

“Yo-your parents apparently helped a lot of your neighbors get out but-”

Five.

“Damien, they didn’t- they didn’t make it out in time.”

I looked away from the door, realizing that my parents wouldn’t be walking through them.

Not ever.

I stared at Jason, unable to keep tears from streaming down my face. I scanned his face for any indication of a lie, knowing I would find none.

Jason got up from his chair and sat on the right side of my bed, hesitantly placing his hand on my shoulder.

I felt my throat close up, my body growing even weaker.

In a flash, Selina was on the opposite side of me, leaning her head on my shoulder without saying a word.

“I’m so sorry.” Jason said, “So…so…sorry.”

What….now?

I buried my head into my hands when the tiniest hint of reality finally made its way down to me, that one idea of “What now” absolutely crushing any possibility of a formulated thought as I let it all out.

Rivers of tears, mountains of uncontrolled screams, and just a…a world of cruelty; all into these pathetic hands until my eyes ran dry.

I felt Selina’s arms around me, wrapping me into an embrace as Jay scooted a little closer.

They were whispering comforting words to me, but I couldn’t hear them fully.

My life had been ruined.

So…quickly.

My parents were dead, and I knew exactly who…what to blame.

That monster.

I was seeing through its eyes- I had to have been.

But why…why was it in me?

Why did it have to be talking to ME!?

I DON’T WANT IT HERE

I WANT IT GONE

I WANT IT DEAD.

Jason interrupted our train of thought,

“If you need a minute alone we would understand.” He said.

I looked back at Selina, who had a bandage over her arm. It was good that she was okay.

She had the same sympathetic eyes as Jason,

“I-I’m really sorry about your parents Dami. Melissa is in the other hospital room right now.”

I shook my head, my eyes burning from the lack of moisture in them,

“I-is she okay?” I managed to speak.

Jason sighed, “Yea… o-once that monster stabbed you it went even more berserk,” He explained, “It…it started yelling about the last minutes of freedom or something and started stabbing these janitors that were in the halls.”

Selina picked up the story, “T-the Janitors turned into smaller versions of it, and Melissa hit one of them with her sword.”

Well she’s an idiot.

“How bad is it?” I asked, wiping my eyes as my head started to ache again.

Selina sighed, “she’s okay now; the thing that stabbed you disappeared afterwards anyways,” She said, rubbing my shoulder, “She says she’d do it again.”

I nodded, still trying to push away what had happened in my mind but failing miserably.

“B-but Damien…” Jason gulped, “You were stabbed too, so wouldn’t…wouldn’t-”

Incoming.

Suddenly, the hospital room doors were pushed open, a swamp of… reporters… flooding in with large black cameras,

“The heck?!” Selina shouted, getting off of the bed.

Jason stood up, “Um, wrong room?”

The lights had previously been dimmed in this room, but whatever hallway these pests came from had theirs on full blast, causing me to wince as bright waves of light rebounded off me. It did nothing to help my splitting headache.

Without addressing their own intrusion, the uninvited group began a conversation among each other. I could pick out a few sentences, although none of them were making any sense.

Is it true?

Is that the boy?

Is that Cole? That has to be him!

An actual doctor was trying to enter the room…

HEY! You guys can’t be here! What are you doi-hey!

Get the cameras, get them on him now!

I coughed, finding words to say amongst the obnoxiously loud voices,

“What’s going on?”

A woman who looked like the lead of the group stepped towards Jason, a microphone in her hand. She was dressed in a black blazer that covered a simple white shirt, black leggings, and red high heels that made her way taller than she actually was. Her bright blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, unveiling hazel eyes that conveyed nothing but anticipation while diamond earrings hung from the sides of her head.

This lady seemed to be important, and as such, everyone went quiet when she began speaking to Jason.

My anger had been rapidly growing the moment they stepped in here. What kind of people came in here after what happened…

After what happened to ME!?

I tried to calm down. None of these people had even noticed that this was technically my hospital bed; why were they all so focused on Jay? There probably could’ve been better times to interrogate the neighborhood rich kid.

The woman smiled brightly,

“So, what comes next for Cole industries after the unfortunate demise of Mr and Mrs. Cole?”

We all froze.

What.

Jason began shaking his head, “T-the what?”

“Millions of people need their jobs there,” She continued, “So who's taking your parent’s place? We’ve interviewed others, but who better than-”

I saw confusion replace Jason’s annoyed expression, “My parents...aren’t dead.”

The reporter’s eyes suddenly widened, a small…almost invisible smirk forming on her face. Even the guy next to her who had a camera practically stuffed in Jason’s face seemed startled at his response.

The woman coughed,

“One moment please…” She said soothingly, “Mike, stop the recording for a second.”

She then turned away and began to whisper to her little group, all of them melting away towards the back counter of the room to speak privately while other members held the actual doctor in the room at bay through endless conversation by the door.

Jason turned to talk to Selina. They were both enraged, like me, but I could tell Jason was a little bit scared.

Suddenly, without warning, my ears began to sting. It felt like they had been set ablaze, my hands absently reaching for them in shock as I tried to find out what was wrong.

Then, just as quickly as it came, the intense burning instantly vanished, all sound in the world seemingly disappearing until only one voice became clear.

The whispers of the reporters halfway across the room by the door…I could hear her so…easily.of course you can.

We’re changing the last part of the story.

This idiot doesn’t even know about his parents.

Take a couple of pictures of his face...I’ll get a quote.

We’ll make headlines with this.

I gritted my teeth, a wave of uncontrollable emotions settling over me like a powerful storm. Were Jason’s parents really dead? J-just like mine?! What had happened?!!

“You can’t do that!” I suddenly shouted, scaring myself at my own voice.

They all ignored me and kept their focus on Jason, the woman now walking coolly back over to Jay.

The strange sensations in my ears had stopped when she began asking her questions again.

“How do you feel about your parents' plane crash?” She asked, a fake frown on her face.

Jason’s eyes started to well up, now starting to believe what they were saying.

“I-I didn’t know…what…what do you mean a ‘plane crash’?”

FLASH!

FLASH!

FLASH!

Rapid fire pictures were shot at Jason’s face by who I assume was Mike, causing Jason to stumble backwards in shock.

More pictures would’ve kept coming if Selina didn’t get in the way.

“This is a Hospital idiots!” She yelled, pushing the important lady towards the door,

“Get the flip out!”

The cameras stopped rolling and she stopped the questions, every one of the idiots that were a part of this news crew beginning to leave now what whatever mission they had was complete.

“Thank you for your time.” She said simply to Jason, heading out the door, “Such a shame what happened.”

Selina slammed the door shut once they had all left, leaving the room back in its dim light. Selina instantly pulled out her phone and began typing something.

-

Jason sat back down on my bed, sweat forming on his forehead.

“My parents...wait, no that..”

Selina suddenly gasped, causing us both to look at her.

She showed us her phone: New York Daily’s Webpage.

It read:

Millionaire Couple Killed in Plane Crash!

Under the headline was a subheading called ‘Tragedy Strikes’ with a photo of Jason’s stunned face on it.

Selina shook her head, “This picture..was literally two seconds ago..”

I gulped, looking at Jason, “Th-they were probably already finished with most of the article.”

How did we not know?

Or notice?

Did it happen while we were at school?

Jason got up and walked to the counter in the back part of the room, his back turned and his head bowed. He had his hands on the counter for support, as his whole body looked to be shaking uncontrollably.

I couldn’t stand, so I looked at Selina.

She nodded, getting up and walking towards Jason.

But the moment she put her hand on his shoulder, he blew up.

“THAT'S NOT FAIR!” He was shouting, shoving various items off the table.

I winced as supplies hit the floor, the pit in my stomach growing as the sound of shattering glass filled the space. The doctor had gone outside to try and yell at those reporters, so it was just us three here.

Selina retracted her arm, “J-Jason I’m sorry-”

“SORRY WON’T BRING THEM BACK!”

Selina lowered her head, “I know that.”

I spoke,

“H-hey,” I started, “You sh-should sit down..”

He was still angry, but he complied nonetheless,

“I don’t...they’re not… so fast..” Jason couldn’t put together words, his eyes tearing away from me to the floor as he sat down next to me on the bed, “No…that can’t be right…why.”

I had no idea what to say. My mind was a mess as well as my body. I still was contemplating my own parent’s death, but now I had to comfort my friend too?

Why was this happening to me…

My frown deepened, realizing that Jason was probably thinking the same exact thing.

I wanted to speak, but there were no words to say.

Instead, Jason continued to stare blankly at the tile next to me while I had the same look focused toward the roof, Selina now looking out the window from beside the back counter.

After a bit, the only sound present was discrete but still noticeable heaving from Jason, my own, and the underlying whir of the air conditioning unit.

Selina had to leave soon after, but told us that she would get her dad to host funeral services for our parents. She said that she’d make sure we didn’t have to worry about anything, and then left me and Jason to ourselves.

I…I almost told her not to do that.

As if not announcing my parent’s death would make it any less real.

As if not acknowledging they were ever in my life would make the pain lessen.

Enough time had passed to where I could think again, allowing the obvious questions to form in my head.

Questions that I didn’t ever want to think about, but I knew needed answers. Questions that defined the term unfairness as my 14 year old brain mulled over details that some adults would never have to think about.

My parent’s will was that I would go to Jason’s parents if anything happened to them,

but since both our parents were gone, I had no idea what was going to happen to me.

Jason took a deep breath and cleared his throat,

“M-my Aunt..lives at the end of Draxon.” He said, reading my thoughts as he looked up from the floor, “I think we’ll both go there.”

I could only nod. It wasn’t like there was much choice.

There were still so many things to account for.

Wouldn’t we have to go to court?

What would I do there?

Is Jason’s Aunt nice?

What about my sist..

“My sister.” I choked, realizing that she probably didn’t even know yet, seeing as she was still in Paris. The U.S had lost all contact with the place and no one knew why.

Sarah…

“J.. my sister..” I mumbled out the words, coughing on absent tears while using any remaining mental fortitude to stop myself from slamming my head back into the wall. Nothing was right anymore- everything was just...wrong. There was no order to anything, no balance to the bad, no structure of justice available to look at.

I didn’t want to deal with monsters or funerals.

I didn’t want to have to switch houses and live somewhere unfamiliar, surrounded by people telling me Sorry for your loss.

Jason’s eyes widened when I brought Sarah up,

“Sh-she’ll be okay Damien.”

I shook my head, unintentional rage bubbling up as my head once again began to ache, “Like my parents were supposed to be?!”

He went silent.

I shook off my anger, the lump in my throat growing,

“Lo Siento.” I quickly apologized, once again forgetting that he was in the same predicament as I was, “I’m just...”

Jason just sighed a shaky breath, “I just got a text,” He said, moving on, “My aunt is coming to pick us up.”

I knew the situation, but for some reason I couldn’t help but feel angry at whoever Jay’s aunt was. My dad should’ve been picking me up… or my mom… or Sarah. Why was everyone leaving me?

I shivered a bit, knowing those were stupid thoughts, “I’m going to try to walk.” I said.

Jason nodded, getting up.

I took his now outstretched hand, groaning in mild pain as he pulled me to my feet.

Gosh…I was pathetic.

I tried not to put so much weight on him…what kind of person would add weight to what we were feeling.

Wait…no..what I was feeling,

“SHUT THE HECK UP!” I told it, “YOU FEEL NOTHING…GO AWAY, JUST STOP!”

Why is this happening to me?

I put most of my weight on Jason as we paced around the room.

We were walking in rings in the available space not taken up by counters, chairs, or hospital beds, none of us speaking as our footsteps rebounded off the walls.

It sounded wrong, and I hated myself for thinking it, but I was almost glad that Jason was with me. I wasn’t entirely alone in the morbid feeling that had been draped over me, I had my best friend here as well. He knew what it was like.

Ha…I’m a terrible person for thinking that, aren’t I?

Right when we were about to sit down for a break, the door swung open.

We turned around to see two women standing at the doorway. One was our doctor, and one looked to be Jason’s aunt.

Jason’s aunt had streaks of gray in her hair, yet she carried herself like a teen would.

She wore a simple purple dress and had purple heels on to match, and she was even taller than Jason’s mom. The eyes though; they were the same emerald that Jason had.

“A-auntie M.” Jason stuttered upon seeing her, sadness present in his voice.

Jason’ Aunt began to cry softly, walking over to the both of us and giving us a huge hug.

This made me smile a bit in relief,

“She’s nice.”

“I’m so sorry about...everything Jay.” She spoke, tenderly combing her fingers through Jason’s black hair.

“Thank you,” I decided to speak, “For helping-”

“You don’t need to thank me honey,” She said to me kindly, “And you can just call me Mrs. M if you’d like.”

I smiled and nodded, “Thanks… Mrs.M.”

“In case you two are wondering, Mr.Mabel is on a business trip in Paris, s-so he will be coming to the house later…”

I frowned, taking note of the worry in her voice.She’s scared.

Just then, the doctor from the door coughed, causing the three of us to look at her.

She was holding a pair of crutches,

“I’m sorry, “ She began, confusion written on her face, “But how are you walking already?”

I looked down at my legs, comparing the pain I felt now to when I woke up.

Out of curiosity, I pushed away from Jay, trying to take a step on my own.

Bad idea.

I could do it, but all that pain from earlier seemed to rush back into me all at once.

I gritted my teeth as Jason hurried back to me.

Still pathetic.

When I didn’t respond, the doctor just chuckled,

“You must be a fast healer.” She said simply, leaning the crutches against the wall by the door, “Still, take these with you.”

She went on,

“Mrs.Mabel will bring you to her home now. Everything will be alright.”

I stifled a groan as I sat back down,

“Yea..” I said, “Sure it will.”

The doctor gave a small nod before leaving.

Jason gave me a weird look.

After a few moments of silence, Mrs.M cleared her throat,

“Well!” She said enthusiastically, “Jason, let’s step outside for Damien to change.”

She walked outside, the sound of her heels echoing through the room as she did.

Jason looked back at me, “I brought some of my clothes for you to change into.” He pointed underneath my bed, “Uh, they’re under there.”

“Right,” I remembered, “My clothes are probably a pile of ash right now…”

I was about to bend down to grab them, but then thought against it when another surge of pain shot up my spine.

Jason walked over and grabbed the clothes himself, obviously pretending like he was just showing me where they were as he gave them to me. He knew how embarrassing this was.

“Thanks.” I muttered under my breath.

Never had I felt so useless before in my life.

Jason just sighed, getting up and walking towards the door, “W-we’ll be right outside if you need us.”

The door shut.

I took a deep breath, the feeling of being alone sinking in more ways than one.

I shuttered, mentally telling myself not to cry. My eyes already hurt enough as it did anyways.

My mental orders did nothing.

I was only human, after all.

Another tear fell; no. No, I was no longer human.

I managed to stand up okay, but taking off my gown proved to be challenging.

Actually...make that impossible.

Every time I reached for the hem of the gown, it was like my movement was turned off and the pain doubled.

This would take a while.

-15 minutes later—-

“Finally,” I breathed, holding the thin blue sheet in my hand. I tossed it onto the bed, going back to my spot on the wall so my legs wouldn’t give out again.

Across from where I was standing was a full body mirror the size of Mrs.Mabel.

I looked up and down at my bare self in shock.

Bandages seemed to cover my entire lower torso.

I squinted at my reflection, noting the zigzag of a scar peeking above the border of the wrappings and stemming out to my chest. The scar did the same thing going down, going past the bandages and as far as my hip.

I touched the scar, accepting the pain that came with it.

That thing…was evil. H-how was it even inside me? Did it have to do with my back? I didn’t think what happened was supposed to go like that, since Jason said that the janitors had turned into little monsters. I hadn’t been turned into one of those things though, so what would happen to me?

Still, something else was off about me in the mirror.

Something looked extremely different… but I couldn’t tell what.

I wasn’t taller...but my arms were…thicker?

Wait a second.

I held my right arm up to the side of me, noticing how defined each muscle was from my shoulder to my triceps.

I tilted my head in confusion, flexing the limb to see exactly-whoa.

Well dang.

I poked at the oversized biceps muscle, glaring at it suspiciously before going to my other arm and viewing the same stuff.

Hesitantly, I aimed my eyes downwards at my exposed legs, blinking at the rigidly cut out quadriceps and the foreign calf muscles. I felt the sides of my bandages, coughing at the sudden V-shape as my hands brushed over muscles I didn’t know existed. Muscles that felt way bigger than they were supposed to be.

This was a very nice distraction from… everything else that plagued my brain, but it did beg the question:

Why was I…swole?

I was more disturbed than anything else,

“What the h-”

“Hey!”

I turned as Jason cracked open the door, sticking his head through with his eyes closed,

“Uh..you decent yet?” He asked, “The hospital is basically empty, and you’ve been in there a while…”

I scratched my head, still staring at the mirror in astonishment, “N-no…I’ll be right out.”

He closed the door.

I sighed and looked back at the clothes on the bed.

I limped over to the mattress, surprised at how much less my legs were hurting. I was able to slip on the gray boxer briefs and the blue shorts without much trouble at all, and moving my upper body around to put on the black shirt and jacket only brought a little discomfort. Something told me this wasn’t just fast healing…what gave it away.

After a few painful minutes, I had everything on, plus my crutches which I had just decided to take along as an extra precaution. Walking hurt, but I could feel myself getting better. That didn’t make much sense, but I didn’t know how else to put it. My legs just…didn’t hurt as much as they did earlier. I was wearing some expensive shoes Jason had probably found in the back of his closet, glad that I was now completely clothed. The comfort though, as much as I wanted it to last, did not. I still felt exposed. I still felt vulnerable. I still was…pathetic.

I struggled towards the door, opening it to see Jason alone on a hallway bench.

He had earbuds in but wasn’t on his phone; He was just staring at the ground.

I frowned,

“H-hey.” I said into the empty hallway.

He took his earbuds out, “S-sorry,” He rushed over to me, taking my arm and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Ack.” I stopped him, “It’s okay, I have crutches.”

He gave a small laugh, his head going back to the floor as he sat down, “R-right.”

Once I had grabbed them, I poked Jason in the knee with one of the metal sticks.

He looked back at me.

“I’m really sorry about your parents.” I told him, making sure he heard the sincerity in my voice.

Jason shook his head, “Th-this isn’t fair,” He spoke softly, “For either of us.”

I couldn’t say anything to that; It was true, after all.

“There you two are!”

We turned directions in the two way hall to find Mrs.Mabel, a lazy smile on her face,

“I got lost in this huge hospital on my way back from the bathroom.”

I coughed, “Um. Where exactly are we..?”

Mrs.Mabel’s eyes widened for a split second, forgetting that I had been unconscious while someone drove me here, undressed me, redressed me, and mummified me.

“Oh. We’re in Manhattan Central.” She replied, “But let’s get out of here. I can make cookies when we get home.”

Home, huh?

I knew Mrs. M was just trying to make me feel more comfortable, but I just…couldn’t bring myself to switch my mindset on where ‘home’ was right now.

She pointed at Jason like a toddler, “You walk with him outside JJ, I’ll warm up the van.”

Before he could respond, she had charged down the hallway.

I scratched my head, keeping my forearm on the resting pad of my crutch,

“Your aunt is a lot like Melissa.”

Jason’s eyes widened, “Wow,” he said, matching my slow pace down the hall, “You're actually kinda right.”

I laughed a little bit, my chest hurting when I did, “She’s out of here now, right?”

Jason nodded, “Yea. she left with Selina.”

I thought about Selina. I just wanted to hang out with her.

Get away from the drama for a bit.

We turned the hallway, heading towards the elevator,

“Sorry about what those idiots said back there.” I said, looking at Jason as we reached the carts.

He pressed the down arrow, the chime of the elevator ringing in the background.

“Yea.. I would’ve liked to find out..a different way.” He coughed, but remained calm, “I mean- they planned a whole section of the paper on me?”

I shook my head, anger beginning to boil in me as the doors slid open and we stepped inside.

“No,” I recounted, leaning against the back wall of the elevator and adjusting my crutches, “She whispered to that guy that they would change the story.”

Jason looked at me bewildered, “She said that?!”

I looked at him in confusion, “Yea. She called you an idiot.”

Jason huffed, “I can’t believe New York Daily.” he said, “ And to think I wanted to work there.”

I sighed as we began the descent, “Yeah..but maybe when you work there you can make it better.”

Jason smiled at this. His dream job was being a reporter for a big news company someday. If you asked me, that sounded really boring, especially considering how good he was at science and math, but I didn’t tell him that.

I looked at the floor numbers displayed above the button set in the elevator.

This was a really big building.

Twenty five floors.

“How did you hear that though?” Jason asked from my left.

I looked back at him, about to respond, but then realizing that I didn’t have an answer for him.

I mean, I was on the other side of the room laying on a bed, but I heard that reporter lady whisper?

Jason suddenly smiled.

A genuine smile.

“What is it?” asked, somewhat happy that he had found a distraction for himself.

He just shook his head, “I think you have superpowers! Like…for real this time!”

I rolled my eyes, struggling to contain my laughter,

“N-no.” I said, “Just cause I heard someone whisper doesn’t mean I’m...superman or something.”

Jason raised his eyebrow,

“Riight, cause everyone can hear whispers from across rooms and heal really fast.”

I shook my head,

“The doctor said I’m just a fast healer!” I exclaimed, rubbing my chest.

Jason gave me a “Sure” look as the elevator doors opened,

“I bet Superman is a ‘fast healer’.”

We stepped out into the lobby of Manhattan Central.

Quartz colored tile and pearly white pillars were in every direction. The front counter was about thirty feet from us and the same went for the gold rimmed, revolving glass door in the very front of the building.

Outside the glass revolving door was Mrs.Mabel’s black van.

Wait a second.

How would I know what van she had?

I shook my head a bit, a slight headache coming over me.

I turned to ask Jason which car was hers, but his attention wasn’t on me.

He was fixated on a large TV across from the elevator.

It was New York Daily’s famous headline,

“Tragedy Strikes”

Jason’s picture was all over the news.

I gritted my teeth, tapping Jason with my crutches.

A small pop rang in my ears when he suddenly yelped,

“Ouch.” He said, rubbing his leg where I tapped him.

I blinked,

“Oh,” I said, looking down at the brown carpet I was on, “Static Electricity..sorry.”

He shrugged it off, “It’s fine..” He pointed at the black van, “My Aunt’s in there by the way.”

I blinked again as we walked towards the spinning door,

“Just ignore it..” I thought to myself.

Before I could question it, I caught the glance of everyone around us. They were all staring at Jason and me. The same burning in my ears suddenly came back:

Is that the boy?

He looks really young..

My hearing popped back to normal when Jason started for the door.

“ Wait up,” I called, hobbling a bit faster on my crutches despite the pain.

-

Once we were across the street in the van, Mrs.M looked at us from the front seat,

“The cold is a killer!” She exclaimed, “And it’s July!”

Despite the black exterior, the interior of Mrs.M’s van emitted friendly vibes. The seats were brown leather and the floors were so clean one might’ve thought the car was new. The backseat pockets held outdated magazines about pharmacies and other news while the overhead lights illuminated a dim orange,

Mrs.M began complaining about this year’s unusual weather as she pulled out of the hospital driveway and started down the highway.

I looked to my left to see Jason, his eyes once again staring at the floor.

I tapped his shoulder, laying my crutches down on the car mat.

“It’ll get better,” I comforted, “They can’t report on you forever.”

Jason nodded, leaning back into his chair,

“Auntie, could you do the thing?” He asked Mrs.M. She was currently jamming out to some 70’s music from the front of the van, but stopped when she heard this.

“Oh, alrighty!” She said, pressing a button. I watched in awe as a tinted, sound proof glass sheet sprung from the floor, separating me and Jason from her.

Right when the barrier was complete, however, I noticed that Mrs.M had stopped dancing completely, almost turning sullen in the way she moved. I saw her hand reach over and shut off the music playing from her end; it was like she was a totally different person.

Jason cleared his throat,

“Damien, I-uh. heard how you spoke in the office.”

I was confused at this, “Um. What are you talking about?”

Jason scratched his head, “I’m not..entirely sure,” He admitted, “But when you said a couple of words.. You didn’t sound normal.”

I tilted my head, “Uhh.” I struggled to find the words, “Puberty?”

Jason shook his head, “Okay, this sounds crazy, but it sounded a lot like the monster… you know, from school?”

I gulped.

All excitement about powers drained from me as I realized what was probably the cause of them.

Well...if I even had powers.

Jason was still waiting for a response.

What was I supposed to say?

It was apparent that I would have to tell someone about what happened at the school, and Jason would probably be the most likely candidate, but I didn’t want Jason to become...scared of me. I would hate that.

“...Maybe it’s just a side effect?” I suggested.

I hated that I had to lie, but I couldn’t risk Jason looking at me differently...not now at least. I didn’t even want to think about any of it to be honest. That thing killed my parents, and the fact that it was inside of me was more than just terrifying, it made me feel...kind of guilty. I was harboring a murderer.

Jason slowly nodded, “Probably..” He said. I was about to sigh in relief when I caught him staring at me,

“Uhhh y-?”

“You know you don’t have to lie, right?” He interrupted me, “Like...especially now.”

I looked down, avoiding his piercing gaze, “Yea,” I said, “I know J.”

I looked back up at him to see that his gaze had only grown deeper,

“Then why are you lying?”

Dang it.

“Jason,” I started, not wanting to do this after what had happened, “You’re being pushy.”

Jason sighed,rolling his eyes in annoyance,

“Yeah,” He agreed sarcastically, “It is a little pushy to not want everything about my life to crumble.”

He put his earbuds in and leaned back on his chair.

This caught me off guard.

“What did he mean by that?” I wondered, mimicking his actions and laying back on the leather seat.

-

The drive took about 45 minutes.

Normally, it would have taken longer to reach Draxon from the hospital, but with no one outside, traffic was more than convenient. There were only like 20 cars on the road, which was unnerving to say the least. It seemed like New York City was losing its typical...I don’t know...New York Citieness?

I think I was allowed to make up words at this point.

The glass that separated us from Mrs.M slowly slid back down,

“We’re here kiddos!” She announced, getting out of the vehicle and into her previous self.

We followed her, stepping out into the cold July air.

I hobbled on my crutches, but it felt like I was relying on them less and less.

Mrs.M’s house was arguably bigger than Jason’s. The roof was a dark, wooden color, and the walls looked to be made of stone.

I had never been this far down Draxon, despite my many visits here. Jason’s house was always the first one in sight, so I never needed to venture any farther than that.

I gulped, realizing that I would be living here. Scary thought.

Once we reached the front door, Mrs.M stopped abruptly,

“Jason,” she said, turning to face us, “I’m really sorry, but I need to talk to Damien alone. He’ll tell you about any important stuff later.”

Jason nodded slowly, “Okay…”

He walked inside, slowly trotting up the stairs that must’ve been familiar to him.

Once we were alone, Mrs.M ushered me inside and closed the door.

She led me through the empty front room, and into a very messy kitchen. Nearly everything in sight was purple,

“Sorry about the mess.” She apologized, clearing some space out on a counter and pulling up two stools to sit on.

We both sat down, me looking down into my lap as I felt her eyes on me.

“Damien,” She finally spoke, “I know things must be hard right now… but I’m going to try to make it easier.”

I gave a slight nod, that same sinking feeling from the hospital settling in my heart as I felt tears rise in my throat.

They really were gone.

When I didn’t say anything, She just continued,

“Some people will come tomorrow dropping things off that survived the...fire in your apartment room.”

My eyes widened,

“I-I had pictures in there.” I remembered, looking back up at her, “I-I need those.”

She frowned,

“They’ll do their best, I’m sure.”

I shook my head, placing my hands on my temples. I had framed pictures of my Dad and Mom on my desk. I had some of Sarah on my nightstand as well. Those were extremely important to me, and I couldn’t let them just...disappear from my life forever. If the real people were gone, what would I have to remember them by? What were we going to do?!StoOop messing with my HEAD.

Mrs.M caught my panicked expression and quickly went on,

“Don’t worry Damien,” She soothed, “Everything will work itself out honey.”

I gave a fake smile, not buying that for a second,

“Do I have to go to court?” I asked. The question had been nagging at me for a while.

She rapidly shook her head, “I said I’ll make your life easy, and court is stressful.”

She took hold of my hands, making me a bit uncomfortable, but nothing scary,

“I will take care of everything,” She told me, “You have enough to deal with as it is.”

For the next hour or so, Mrs.M explained to me how things would work around the mansion and what things to expect. She did it in a way that made me feel safe to be living there, and for that I was extremely grateful, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling. The feeling of my parents actually being gone...forever. I must’ve thought about it a million times by now, but it was no less terrifying. It was like I had finally awoken from a never-ending nightmare, only to find that everything in it had really happened. As a kid, your brain always jumps to the dumbest and most unrealistic situations, but it typically always ends up okay. N-not this time.

I wanted so desperately just to be with Sarah. I wanted to talk about physics with her like we used to, to just have her next to me like she used to be, to not get voicemail every time I called her. It sounded pathetic, but I couldn’t express to you how badly I wanted it. My only family…

It was even harder to believe that she was still alive-Don’t…DO that to yoursel-

WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU CARE? I SAID SHUT UP. JUST GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

I was having a mental war by the time Mrs.M had reached the hardest part of the conversation.

It was the segment on the funeral services that were to be held next week. She told me it wouldn’t even be that big, as all distant family members wouldn’t be coming because of the monster sightings and recent travel bans.

Though that wouldn’t matter to me, since I had no other family besides Sarah.

Mrs.M asked me if I would like to say a few words at the memorial service, to which I immediately responded No. I didn’t really feel like breaking down in front of an audience.

The thing that bugged me the most, however, was the fact that I would be the only one who actually shared my parent’s blood out of everyone that attended the funeral, which was another reason I wanted Sarah here.

Lastly, Mrs.Mabel told me that both mine and Jason’s service would be combined into one. I had never been to a funeral before, but I was pretty sure that was not a common thing. She explained that this was to happen because the same people that would attend Jason’s, would literally be the same people that attended mine.

It was a ‘peculiar’ situation as Mrs.M put it.

After she was done talking to me, I headed up the long, purple staircase of the mansion, Trying to find which room Jason had picked out. I had left my crutches in the kitchen, much to Mrs.Mabel’s disapproval, but I didn’t even feel like I needed it anymore; My legs only stung now.

It was quiet.

Too quiet. The quiet sent me into my thoughts, and I didn’t want to be there right now. I didn’t want to see my parent’s motionless bodies again in my brain, I didn’t want to hear the thing that killed them again, I didn’t want to hear the thing inside me again.

Once I reached the top of the stairs, I was presented with two identical hallways; one going left, and one going right.

The walls were a dark oak color like from the outside, and every door was painted violet. Ten mini, rose gold chandeliers hung evenly spaced across the roof and, to top off the look, a large, luxurious, and very purple carpet went straight down both corridors. Before I could play Eeny-Meeny-Miny Moe with myself, A door on the right side of the hallway opened. Behind it was a very red eyed Jason. He had changed into a white shirt and gray basketball shorts.

“Oh hey.” He greeted me simply. I gave an awkward wave, still thinking about the car ride.

“Allergies.” He explained.

I ignored the lie since he had ignored mine.

“I was just going downstairs to get you.” Jason pointed out, motioning for me to come in. I followed him inside, shocked at the size of his new bedroom. It had two, white, king sized beds in the back of the room, a 75 inch flat-screen TV on the left side of the door, gold edged purple carpets, two massive closets, and behind the beds stood a bathroom that sported an excessively big hot tub the size of a small room with two showers next to it.

Oh, and a massive pool sat behind the tub.

Who has a pool inside a bathroom?

“This is...nice.” I breathed, walking towards the right-sided bed and sitting down on the lush sheets.

Jason gulped, “Oh, you’re rooming with me?”

I froze, “Oh,” I said, “I thought that’s wh-”

I stopped talking when Jason gave a breath of relief,

“Phew.” He sighed, “Saves me the trouble of asking.”

I gave him a small smile while scratching my head, “Yea,” I agreed, “Me too.”

Jason plopped down on his bed across from me,

“This sounds super weird,” he started, “But.. I really don’t want to be left-”

“Alone.” I finished, glad that he felt the same way as me, “I don’t either. I mean, I can’t stand the quiet.”

Jason nodded, “W-well Auntie has a bunch of clothes for you in that closet.”

Jason pointed towards a door behind me, “I’m g-going back to my house-” He paused, “My old house to pack my stuff tomorrow.”

I stared at Jason, watching his eyes begin to well up as he looked down in thought.

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to say I’m sorry, because It didn’t mean much when someone said it to me, and I didn’t want to say ‘Things will get better’, because I would only be lying to the three of us.

Th-the two of us, I mean.

“Mrs.M told me about how the..funerals were going to work.” I told him, hating the sentence as I voiced it.

Jason wiped his eyes quickly,

“Oh,” He said, “C-can you explain it to me?”

I shrugged, “Yea, but don’t you want to talk about something else?”

I knew I sure did- anything to get away from the morbid tone.

Jason looked away from me, “Like what,” he started, “Like you almost dying in front of me? Like school getting canceled because of monster sightings? Like you lying to me about whatever the heck is going on with your voice?”

Well, I kind of meant something other than those.

“I’m-I’m just not-”

“Why?!” Jason shouted suddenly, shutting me up.

“Why,” His voice got really quiet, “Why now of all times? You do know what just happened right?”

He cursed rather loudly, turning to pace our new room.

I clenched my fists,

“I’m just..I don't know..nervous I guess.” I admitted, sighing into my hands, ‘Ugh…this is so stupid.”

“What’s stupid? What are you nervous about?”

“Of how you...would react.” I spoke quickly, not wanting to choke on my words. I watched Jason’s expression change slowly, hanging on to each turn his face made like my life depended on it.

“What do you mean... how I would react?” He said finally, “Why are you being so confusing?”

I gulped, preparing the words before I spoke them,

“I don’t want you..to..freak out.” I decided.

Jason paused for a moment before speaking,

“See, all this cloak and dagger crap really isn’t helping...” He stated.

That was understandable.

“Well, er-”

“J-just spit it out already!” Jason finished, cutting me off.

I looked down, no longer having anything to say.

“Damien c’mon.” He continued, leaning towards me like a doctor, “This does have to do with being stabbed, right?.”

“It-It’s uh… nothing to worry about,” I lied, “You’re just overreacting.”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Jason got up and gave a loud groan as he began to pace around our room while cursing some more.

Jason usually never cursed.

I was stuck.

“R-really J it’s nothing.” I lied, “A-and wouldn’t it be more fair to talk about this tom-?”

“This is completely fair and you know it!” Jason interrupted, “If it’s not such a big deal, tell me!”

“You boys alright in there?”

We both turned towards our closed door, recognizing Mrs.M’s voice from behind it.

“Uhh Yea!” Jason yelled from the bed, “Th-thanks Auntie!”

We heard her leave.

Jason immediately looked back at me, “Spill.”

I sighed; this really was pointless.

“Jason,” I started, “Y-you know when I was stabbed?”

Jason glared at me, “Yea,” he said sarcastically, “I seem to remember something like that happening.”

I went on, explaining how I thought that the monster was somehow still inside of me, and how I saw It kill my parents.

Jason just looked at me, a blank expression on his face.

I gulped, “Jay?”

He stayed still.

Did he think I was a monster?

Was I scaring him?

I got up, beginning to panic, “Hello?”

Jason sighed, “Dude…”

“Yeah?” I awaited some kind of reaction.

“Okay…” He said, “So I’m a bit freaked out, but like you’re still you.” He said simply, “You’re a little more weird, but so what if you’re like a quarter monster? I don’t even know what that means.”

He smiled, causing me to breathe in relief.

I didn’t know where he got the ‘quarter’ idea from, but I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Jason didn’t care.

We both fell into our respective beds, tired over all the tension that had filled the air.

Jason rolled over to face me,

“So is that why you have powers?” he asked, “Sorry, it’s uh..I’m still processing all of it. Jeez, we have it rough.”

I glared at him, “Yeah, but I don’t have powers.”

He groaned, “Oh please,” he went on, “At least tell me why you didn’t turn into a monster when you got stabbed...l-like everyone else did.”

I sat up, “I think it has something to do with the Electricity regulating thing in my back.”

Jason sat up from his side, “The puddle? That would explain a lot...since the monsters seem to be related to electricity somehow.”

I shivered a bit, “I want it gone though,” I admitted, “I want to kill it so badly I just-”

I choked, accidentally picturing my parent’s dead faces.

Jason tilted his head, “M-maybe try talking to it?” He suggested.

I laughed, “How would I do that?”

He shrugged, “How should I know?”

I waved him off, “Eh, it doesn’t matter,” I decided, “I don’t want to think about it anyways.”

Jason nodded, “It would be pretty cool if you had powers though.”

I laughed again, “Yes, it would.” I agreed, not wanting to give much thought to it, “Imma go try the hot tub now.”

Jason chuckled, “Okay.”

“Maybe things will get better after all.” I thought hopefully, taking off my shirt and throwing it on my bed before looking around for a towel.

Jason suddenly sprung up, staring at my chest,

“Dude what the what?” He pointed at my body.

I looked down,

“Oh,” I remembered, “I forgot that was there.”

I quickly pulled my shirt back on,

“Oh uh… It’s nothing.”

Jason walked up to me, lifting my shirt up with one hand and poking my stomach with the other,

“Whoaa.” He said, still poking me behind the bandages, “Dude… you’re ripped..”

I smacked his arm down,

“Why are you being weird?” I asked,

“Why do you have an eight pack?” He countered.

I shrugged, “It was there when I was in the hospital!”

Jason blinked, “You mean,” He started, looking at me like I was an idiot, “You woke up with muscles the size of Texas, heard whispers from across the room, and healed sprained injuries in under ten hours, but you still think you’re superpower free?”

I scratched my head,

“Yes..” I lied, “No..I don’t know, okay?”

I honestly had no idea what was going on with me, and while this was better to talk about than..other things, this whole situation was still very confusing. I was always a fan of superhero stuff, and when I was little I used to pretend I was Superman and jump around like an idiot, but under these circumstances my body beginning to change only worried me.

Did that mean I was slowly becoming a monster?

Or did I really have control over it and this was just a side effect of it living inside of me?

I didn’t know.

“Well, I think you do, and you’re just denying it.” Jason predicted, play-punching my stomach before crossing his arms like he was five, “Plus who wouldn’t want an eight pack.”

I winced, my scar pulsating lightly with pain, “Whatever,” I said, taking back off my shirt and slumping into the bathroom,

“I’ll tell you about...the thing later.”

Jason’s smile faded, and I got mad at myself for even bringing it up again. Even thinking about it proved to be a mistake as I couldn’t keep my parents out of my mind,

“Sorry,” I said, absently rubbing my bandages, “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Jason shook his head, “Don’t apologize,” He ordered, “It would be dumb for me to think that it wouldn’t come up at least some times...plus, what’s not ruined already..”

I slowly nodded, “I…” I struggled to find some way to express how I felt, “don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”

I lightly closed the door.

The moment I was alone I felt tears rush down my face involuntarily.

I walked over to the tub, turning the water .

Once the roar of the water covered the room and the tub was getting full, I stripped off the rest of my clothing and slid inside the warm waters. I hung my head down, my tears draining into the growing pool of water beneath me. My shoulders heaved while my hands held my head. Everything was so wrong, yet me and Jason were pretending it wasn’t for some reason.

But was it really so bad for us to do so?

What was so wrong about turning away from reality for a bit?

I just wanted my parents back. I would take any version of them I could get.

I never got to tell Dad about Selina, I would never get to hug Mom again.

I would never get to see them again.

My whole life would be different because of that monster. That monster who was inside of me.

After I ran out of tears to cry I found myself feeling quite tired, wiping the remaining water from my face and leaning my head back against the tub wall.

I didn’t mean to, but I slowly closed my eyes, feeling the world go black as I drifted off to sleep.

Our life really…sucked.