The Blazing Rebellion

Chapter 67

John POV

John stared at the white-haired woman, his eyes wide. You look a lot like him, she'd said. He knew she was referring to his dad; he'd been looking at the man just seconds earlier, hoping that by some miracle he'd sense John's presence and wake up. Unfortunately, there had been no reaction.

Well, except for his mother speaking to him. His mouth had gone dry at her words. Does she... could she possibly remember me? He began to ask, but the words were stuck in his throat. He glanced at Sera helplessly.

"Mrs. Doe...?" She asked slowly, as if sensing the desperation in John's eyes.

The other woman frowned as if she were unsure of the sound of the name. She closed her eyes, a shade of amber matching John's, and massaged her forehead. "Before you ask, the past is still very, very blurry."

John's heart sunk. So she doesn't remember me. He shouldn't have felt so disappointed; this was to be expected. That didn't make it hurt any less, though. He'd hoped that if he couldn't have his father, he could at least find some solace in her.

It seemed he'd been right when he'd thought his last hope was Sera. She really was the only one he had... he turned to stare at her, almost unconsciously. Her purple hair with its bright green streaks that she'd gotten as an act of defiance to the system stood out no matter where they went. He knew that seeing her like this, as if she were some sort of shining angel, was probably strange, but he couldn't help that she was beautiful. She always had been, even if he'd only just started noticing.

The frowns of both Sera and his mother pulled him out of these thoughts. For some reason, his cheeks felt warm, as if he'd been caught in a crime. He cleared his throat.

"I-it's not all lost, though, is it?" He forced himself to ask. "Your memories?"

His mother stared down at her hands, frowning. "No."

The answer gave him no explanation. He looked to Sera, hoping she'd tell him whether to push or simply to wait for when his mother was ready to talk. She shrugged as if unsure of what to say. Sighing, John decided to push forwards.

"Well, I'm your son-" He began, wincing as he spoke. This sounds so stupid. Why did I have to say it like that?

His mother rolled his eyes. "I know that, you said it last time. Plus, the nurses love to talk about the whole sad situation."

John's eyes widened, aghast at her sassy tone. She seemed even less like a mother in that moment. It felt strange to call her that to begin with, though. He hadn't really known her, after all, for years. Maybe I should just call her Jane. That's probably the only name she remembers anyways, if she can't remember me.

He bit his lip. "Then do you know-" He started, glancing towards the bed his father was in. Jane's eyes followed his, softening as she stared at the unconscious figure laying there.

"I remember him," She said quietly.

There was a moment of silence. John bit his lip, a mix of feelings rising inside of him. So neither of them had his father then, even if they desperately missed him. They couldn't even have each other, not when Jane was just something of John's past and he was a stranger to her. He closed his eyes, clenching his fists. Why did the authorities have to hurt us like this? Why did they have to traumatize her enough to forget, but not enough to spare her the pain? Couldn't they have left me alone after- He shuddered as memories of his readjustment classes flooded his mind.

Sera put a hand on his shoulder. He forced himself to speak. "How much do you remember, then?"

She frowned at him for a moment, as if debating how much to tell him. Then, she turned back to John's father, her eyes darkening. "They wanted to hurt him, if I didn't come with them... I almost forgot there, when they kept taking from me, putting me on so many medications I could barely remember my own name... I remembered something stronger than the pain, though. I remembered love I held. I wanted to protect him, and... something else." Her brows furrowed, as if she couldn't think any further. Then, her expression darkened again. "They didn't protect him, in the end. I hate them. If I wasn't so weak, I would hunt them down and kill them."

Her voice grew darker with every word, her eyes burning with a fiery rage. John hated that he knew exactly how she felt. He hated the authorities with every bone in his body; he may have been scared before, after readjustment classes, but now that they'd hurt both his parents... he wanted some sort of revenge.

His anger lessoned as he glanced down at his hands. He was useless now. Powerless. Empty. That's why he'd come here, though. His mother was a master of Aura Manipulation.

He turned to look up at her. "Can you still use your ability?"

She looked down at her hands, frowning and raising them up. Her eyes flickered amber for a moment; the color faded after a moment. Frown deepening, she tried again. This time, the light remained in her eyes as she turned to look at John.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "Why is your ability shut off?"

He gasped, taking an involuntary step backwards. "You... you can feel that?" Sera took in a sharp breath from beside him.

Jane narrowed her eyes as if she couldn't hear him. "No, that's not right... maybe if I just..." She waved her hands in his direction, the light of her eyes flashing brighter. John was about to ask what she was doing when he felt it.

Something burned inside of him, inside of his aura channels. He could feel light flowing through him, the power of his ability suddenly rushing to his hands as if he were about to use it. His own eyes glowed without his control. Suddenly, he felt more powerful than ever, with aura practically pouring through his veins, countless abilities resurfacing at his control...

Then, his head throbbed with pain, and the light surged to an all-time high. He let out a small yell before stumbling back. The light faded to complete darkness as he passed out.