Play With Fire~ Alex Summers/Havok

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖

London - 1946

The screams that erupted from the house were loud enough to shatter the windows. Benjamin didn't waste a second. He grabbed his wife and moved as far away as possible from their daughter.

Three-year-old Elizabeth was sitting on the floor, staring up at her favourite toy that was glowing bright red and floating above her head. Her mothers screams made her drop the toy immediately. It broke as soon as it made contact with the floor. The red light in her eyes dimmed down until it was gone completely, and she stared up at her parents with tears in her naturally red eyes. Anna looked at her husband with a scared yet determined look in her eyes.

"We have to get rid of her, Benjamin," she said, with a mixture of anger and sadness in her voice. "If people find out that our daughter is a monster, they're going to make us leave the city." Benjamin nodded and went upstairs.

A few minutes later, he came back downstairs with Elizabeth's jacket and a blanket.

"We'll do it tonight," he said as he placed the items on the floor next to the front door.

***

The rain fell around them, washing the day away and cleaning the city to welcome the sun. Elizabeth tried desperately to hold her parents' hands, but they refused to touch her. She kept asking where they were going, but they didn't say a word.

Soon enough, they were standing in front of a large building. Elizabeth wished she could read the words on the sign.

"You must stay here," her mother said as Elizabeth wrapped the blanket around her shivering body. "Your father and I have to take care of something."

Elizabeth trusted them, so she did exactly what they said. She didn't understand why her father knocked on the large wooden door. She didn't understand why he quickly ran after her mother and disappeared around the corner. A woman opened the door behind her and asked who she was.

"My name is Elizabeth. My mother told me to wait here. She'll be back. She told me she would." The woman stared at Elizabeth's eyes in wonder.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Elizabeth nodded eagerly. "I know you can do something special. And I know your parents were scared of you. I can do something too." Elizabeth furrowed her brows.

The woman held out her hand, and after a few moments, small sparks emitted from her fingertips and flew in circles around Elizabeth. Elizabeth's eyes widened in astonishment. The woman smiled at the surprised look on the child's face.

"You can call me Mary-Anne. I'll take care of you. Come inside. Let's get you into some dry clothes."

***

Elizabeth was happy at the orphanage. Mary-Anne took good care of her. But the happiness only lasted for so long.

Elizabeth had spent hours outside, climbing her favourite tree. She wasn't prepared to find everyone on the floor. They were all dead. Kids and adults. All of them. Except for Mary-Anne. Her entire body was on fire as she was standing face to face with an unfamiliar man. Mary-Anne continuously threw fireballs at him, but he absorbed them all. Eventually, he had enough. He absorbed all of Mary-Anne's energy. Her lifeless body fell to the floor. The man turned to face Elizabeth with a sinister smile on his face.

"Hello, Elizabeth. I've been looking for you. My name is Sebastian Shaw."

***

Sebastian Shaw kept Elizabeth for four years. He forced her to look into other people's minds. He forced her to manipulate and hurt them. Sometimes he would even force her to kill. It didn't matter if she obeyed or refused. He would still hurt her. Every night, he would drag a blade across her skin. Every time he would cut a part he hadn't cut before. The wounds he left were so deep, Elizabeth knew she would be scarred for life.

One day, he made her walk into a warehouse alone. A warehouse that was full of men that were armed to the teeth. They were enemies of Shaw. Elizabeth's job was simple. Go in and manipulate them to either kill each other or join forces with Shaw. However, things did not turn out the way any of them expected.

When Elizabeth attempted to enter the minds of 150 people, she lost control. She couldn't control what she did. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn't stop the energy emitting from her body. Her entire body was glowing bright red as she hovered over the ground.

A shock wave spread through the ground, bringing with it a wave of red. Elizabeth was at its centre. The building collapsed around her, killing everyone that was inside except her. Elizabeth descended, and her feet touched the bottom of the crater the explosion had created. She saw a chance, and she took it. She ran. She ran as fast as she could.

***

Elizabeth had been walking for days. One day she was standing in front of a large gate. Behind it was a huge field of grass and a large mansion. Elizabeth was admiring the house, wondering if she could have something like that one day. Seemingly out of nowhere, a young man was standing in front of her with a soft smile on his face. He didn't say anything, but Elizabeth could feel a second presence in her head.

"Are you trying to read my mind? I can sense it," she said as she looked up at the man, who now had a look of surprise on his face.

"You're full of surprises," he said as he opened the gates and gestured for her to step inside. They started walking towards the house. "You have no idea what you are capable of. I can help you." Elizabeth smiled at him. She wanted to tell him the truth.

"I don't want to use my powers. I'm scared of them. I'm sure you've seen enough to figure out why," The man nodded and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

"What's your name?" he asked, with a genuine interest in his voice.

"Elizabeth. What's yours?"

"Charles," he replied.

"Can I call you Charlie? Charles makes you sound old," She said with a shy smile on her lips. He chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, you can call me Charlie. But only if I get to call you Lizzie." Elizabeth smiled.

"I like that."

"Well, Lizzie. If you'd like, you're more than welcome to stay here. I live with my sister. Her name is Raven. I'm sure she would love to have you here."

"I would love to. Thank you."

They walked into the house hand in hand. For the first time in years, Elizabeth felt free. She still felt tied down because of her powers. She couldn't dream of a day when she might control them.

Charles could feel the tension in the young girl. He placed a protective hand on her shoulder and showed her around the house. That was the day Charles made a promise. To himself and Elizabeth. No one would ever harm her again. Not as long as he was around.