Polarized

The Curse to End All Curses

TW: depictions of abuse and traumatic flashbacks. May be uncomfortable for some readers.

Cayto fought back tears and wrapped his arms around his pillow, burying his face in it. "Die! Die! Die!" The voices from the field shouted, reverberating through Cayto's mind, forcing him awake when all he wanted to do was sleep. As much as he willed the voices to stop, the taunts of the aura-bearers wouldn't leave him alone. Instead they dragged on, intermingling with other voices. One of them was the stern voice of his father, which normally would have brought Cayto back to his senses, but this time stung him all the more:

"Quit crying like a baby, you're embarrassing yourself." Cayto could hear Martin say, his booming voice echoing in his ears. "You're the next leader of Halifax Industries, not some stupid little girl. If you're going to act all gross like that, nobody will take you seriously."

Cayto knew Mr Halifax was right. He desperately wished he could stop crying like his father would have told him to, but it was no use. Instead Cayto shoved his face further into his pillow, squeezing it tightly. Maybe if he got lucky, he'd suffocate himself to death. He'd be more valuable dead than alive, right? The Avriyans, his mother, didn't they all wish him to disappear off the face of the earth?

9 years ago:

Martin lurched forward and gasped in pain. Both his shirt and his skin were burnt, and Cayto stared at him with huge violet eyes. "D-did I do that?" The child stuttered. "I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry!"

"I... expected.... better from you..." Mr Halifax sputtered between breaths. He put up a hand as if to say "give me a moment," and Cayto stood still. "Don't let Mommy know..."

Suddenly Sierra burst into the room, her eyes aflame. "Martin!" She screamed. "I knew it was only a matter of time!"

Martin looked up at his wife, his face calm and unaffected. "Sierra, there's no need to work yourself up. I can handle this, I swear—"

But Sierra was having none of it. "That demon!" She screeched, pointing at Cayto with a trembling hand. "You knew you should have listened to me when I told you to get rid of him, but no, you just had to ignore my warnings! Now look at yourself!"

Martin's face contorted for a moment after he brushed against his burn. But his expression returned to neutral, though he remained hunched over from the impact of the shock. "Sierra," he said earnestly, "Cayto may be an aura-haver, but he's still a good kid. That doesn't change because he accidentally struck me once."

Sierra crossed her arms. "Cayto?! Good?! How?!"

"Have you seen our son?" Martin shot back. "You know better than anyone how he is! He's honest, hardworking, and always doing his best to make us proud. But maybe he's a bit too honest..." Martin laughed weakly, and Cayto glanced at his parents in confusion. "Though I'm aware of the damage that auras have done, I know we should keep Cayto around because his electricity is the curse to end all curses. Shock tags wouldn't exist if it weren't for his lightning aura, and look at how great we're doing thanks to them! Halifax Industry's profits have increased twofold, the rate of aura manifestation is down by 65% in Skypoint, and we're getting more investors than ever before. Is that not what you want?"

Sierra's eyes narrowed. "Numbers!" She shrieked, her voice piercing the air. "Numbers! Is that all you care about?! What about our safety?! Our integrity?! Don't you see how hypocritical we look when we speak of the evils of curses, only to use them ourselves as a means to an end?!" As Sierra was ranting, Martin stared at her blankly and Cayto shrunk into a corner. "Martin, Cayto, both of you! You're unbelievable!"

Cayto stepped in to confront his mother, his legs shaking. "I'm sorry for hurting daddy," he confessed, "I only wanted to hug him, but then the sparks shot out of my hands and did this..."