The Matters of Power

Chapter 62- Fruits of a Journey

These powers may be my strongest asset in this world, but it always occurred to me that it might not be permanent. What happens when these abilities slowly fade away over time? What happens if everything I could work for just disappears as fast as the magical crystal stuck on me? There are too many questions, too many worries, and too few people I can absolutely trust with my life and my secret. I have worked up to where I am now because of it, yet it would mean nothing if I were the only one who can possibly change the world with them. No, I need more people, people that can inherit my abilities. People that understand the harshness of the world as well as have the capabilities to improve themselves, that's what I need. I might as well be the villain in their eyes, but I must mold them to be future leaders and be the kind of people that will make the world a better place, not set it on fire. But where do I start...

Well, it sort of feels awkward to be out of the hospital so soon and yet I'm still expected to go to school and act as if it were any other day and not like I just had a traumatic experience being shot for the first time in my life. All that work and trouble with the Crimson Group and all I get is a doctor's note and medicine for my troubles. Returning back to San Anton High after a whole weekend of stress and recovery, I am now reduced to being stressed out and mentally exhausted as the whole school is preparing themselves for Finals next week, the last obstacle to overcome before Summer Break. It's undeniable how the atmosphere has changed to be a sense of perseverance, to endure the torture that is inflicted upon us now so we can enjoy the months of vacation ahead. Well, that's what I would say if it I still didn't have to deal with Mr. Corvanez and his ludicrous plans. I spot Fernando hanging around the school entrance among my peers just lazing about as usual before classes start, but he also spots me as I get closer. "Marcus! Mornin', how are ya? Uh, how's the leg?" Julieta did tell me during her second visit to the hospital that she and the others did end up having to tell him about my hospital stay because he wondered where I was since I wasn't responding to his calls the other night, when we were occupied with the Crimson Group. Except, she had told him about a cover story to my leg injury, lying how I got it and instead chalking it up to a failed mugging on the way to Quarter's home after hanging out in Red Buster's. It pains me to have to lie to his face over and over again even though we are best friends, but it isn't something he should have any involvement in, lest he faces the wrath of that Old Man. "It's alright. The perp thankfully didn't hit anything vital, but I'm sorry that I worried y'all so much." He starts to get flustered and stutters on his own words, but he reassures me that he's still glad that I'm still fine. We end up talking about various topics and we end up hanging around in the library to wait before the morning bell. It might be just me, but I feel like Fernando has opened up more recently, almost like he's adapting a more friendly personality. It's refreshing, to say the least, how much of a difference he looks compared to when we first met at the beginning of the school year. It is a shame that we haven't been able to hang out as much as we can, all because of that Old Man. The morning bell then interrupts our conversation, and we end up going to our classes to start the day, the tension and atmosphere being ever so heavy as student and teacher alike focus on preparations for Finals. 

By Lunchtime, not a whole lot of people feel like having the energy to talk a lot, and those that do seem to have an awkward air around them because of their attempts to take the Finals off of their minds. To my surprise, I spot Julieta without a whole crowd of people surrounding her as she tries to eat her lunch, but our eyes suddenly meet for the first time and I get goosebumps for some reason by the idea that she looks back at me. Not wanting to be seen as a weirdo, I invite her through a gesture that she can sit at our table if she wants to. She's initially reluctant, but then gives in and sits with us and the table starts to become a little bit livelier. Time goes by in a flash as we have fun in what feels like in a long time, but the warning bell ends it, and we have to go to class. I thought we would leave the cafeteria immediately, but Julieta surprises me by tugging my shirt sleeve and holding me back. "Marcus," she says to me in a near whisper, "I know this might sound weird, but I need to talk to you after school. Behind the library, the usual spot." She refuses to elaborate further when I try to press for information and leaves the cafeteria quickly. I'm puzzled by the cryptic message, and I'm left to only anticipate the worst as I deal with the last few classes of the day. Finally, the last bell rings and I rush over to the meeting place that she said, but I'm surprised to see Julieta arrive first before me. "Ah good, you're here. We can finally start." She twirls a strand of hair while leaning on the wall. "First off, I want to say... I'm sorry. For my... behavior towards you this year. I'm sure you've had a lot to deal with, especially on top of my unwarranted hostility." At least she's off to a good start. "To think that I would have found another person with supernatural powers... no, I guess it would be better to say that you were forced into it, huh? And to think my dad had something to do with it..." I lean on the wall close to her, "I don't blame you, if that's what you mean. Unless you had something to do with this-" "No-nonono, I didn't have a clue about anything about this. I didn't even know anything about it, I was only able to figure it out by my own investigation. It all pieced together after finding out about the correlation between all of the strange events that have happened this school year, and everyone's involvement towards them. I didn't feel confident about directly asking dad about it, I wouldn't even know where to start." She starts to become anxious, not like the confident Julieta that everyone would know.