A Girl Like Himself

Part 1

The waves crashed thunderously against the jagged sides of the cliffs with timed precision. Even from deep inside the cave, Tom could hear the violent sounds- unstoppable nature pitted against unstoppable nature. It soothed him, those sounds; its relentless rhythm matched the cadence of his own spirit.

He closed his eyes and focused. It seemed that the power within him expanded and contracted with the movement of the ocean. Unstoppable; barely contained by his own physical body, by his own mental barriers. If he were to let go, were to exhale all his spirit with the force of one breath, would he evanesce and die? Or would he join his power to the ocean? Could he control even the ocean?

Tom wanted to test the limits of his power but found himself hesitant to truly let go and try. For what if he did dissipate and disappear? What if he became nothing but spirit?

His fingers quivered suddenly, and, displeased by his own weakness, he clenched them into fists. His power swirled around him reactively, as though cognizant of his misgivings and seeking to reassure him of its inalienable presence.

The cold air and moisture coating his skin made him feel human, feel there. He only welcomed that grounding feeling during times such as this when he was very aware of his mortality. Breathing deeply, he allowed himself to properly feel the dank cold of the cave. Under the thin inadequate layers of clothing, all the hairs of his arms and legs were raised. The icy air was uncomfortable, bordering on painful with each pull of air through his nose. A warm drop of something landed on his forehead and trickled down the bridge of his nose.

Tom looked up from where he was sitting in his cross-legged meditative position.

Deep in thought, he had quite forgotten his unwilling companions. They were suspended above him, slowly revolving, the boy and girl trussed together by invisible ropes. Tom wiped off the tear that had fallen on him and surveyed them with disgust.

Pathetic.

Although it had been fun at the beginning, watching and hearing them squirm and beg and finally scream, he had grown bored of that and eventually silenced their pathetic pleas for mercy.

Tom would never, ever beg for anyone's mercy. Ever.

The girl was still silently crying, her head red from being upside down. The boy was drifting in and out of consciousness. Tom considered leaving alone. But if he returned without them, there would be questions. People had seen them go off together, and Mrs. Cole had her suspicions about him and never really swallowed his quick excuses like the others did. She could make his life very difficult. And his life was easy now. Not good, but easy.

Besides, he did like having the other children afraid of him. It was fun.

He looked up at the pair again and, still flirting with the idea of leaving alone, wondered briefly whether he would find their rotting corpses still dangling mid-air if ever he were to return. And that image made him chuckle and almost commit to that plan right away.

The sound of his laugh travelled and multiplied eerily throughout the cavern. The boy came to and started screaming.

With a lazy wave of his wrist, Tom returned their voices. Immediately, terrified high-pitched screams filled the air. Tom frowned, flicked his wrist, and silence was renewed. "It's getting late, so I better be going back now," he said, and his childish voice echoed back at him from the darkness. "If you don't want me to leave you here, you'll have to convince me to take you."

Their voices were returned again.

The girl spoke first. Through sniffles and loud hiccups, she promised Tom anything, anything. The boy joined in. What did Tom want? They would do anything.