He's Just a Kid (Marcus Davenport X OC Book 1)

Dancing in the Dark

I wouldn't recommend sneaking out at midnight to anyone. Especially if you're like me: Someone with unnatural abilities and killer instincts, someone who has killed something with their bare hands before.

But here I am. Sneaking out at midnight.

The window creaked shut as I pushed it closed behind me. You might be thinking that I'm sneaking out to see Marcus, but you'd be wrong. I don't even know where he lives.

Come on, use your head. Jeez.

I sneak out like this to get away from everything. It was moments like these where I don't feel the need to please anyone, I don't need to hide anything anymore. I can just run. I can chase the wind in my true form with no one around, no fear of someone seeing me and catching me to put me in a zoo or something.

The leaves beneath my feet crunched as I took my first few steps into the woods behind my house, the moon casting silver rays along my pale skin. I inhaled deeply through my nostrils and took my glasses off, tucking them into my nightshirt pocket. My vision was blurry as a result, but I knew it wouldn't continue to be that way.

Not after I let myself loose.

It was a weird thing. My powers enhanced all of my natural senses: smell, taste, hearing, touch, and sight. But some of them didn't work until I transformed. My eyesight was still garbage and I had a trash prescription (go figure) but when I turned into my weird animal form, it magically got better.

I squinted into the shade of the trees, mapping out my route. And then I did it.

I let go.

My entire body tingled, from my head to my toes. I felt my ears itch as they elongated and formed points at the end in a cat-like shape. My vision slowly cleared as my eyes changed. I could see the smallest details in the bark of the trees, count the little bugs on the ground, see each individual leaf on a tree from a while away.

I felt the orange and black fur grow out of my skin, the breeze raking over the strands of hair and sending shivers down my spine. I felt my fingernails and toenails sharpen into claws, the extra length stabbing into the flesh of my hand when I flexed them. I felt my tail grow out, waving back and forth freely.

I took a moment to let my body settle; taking in the sights, smells, and sensations around me. I wiggled my padded toes into the ground beneath me, getting a feel for the slightly damp ground.

I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet and flexed my calves, my tail lashing back and forth in anticipation. Here we go.

I plunged into the darkness of the woods, my bare, padded feet crunching over twigs, leaves, and rocks without so much of a care in the world. The breeze from my enhanced speed tore the hair from my face, letting it stream behind me. The fur on my body tingled as it slicked back with the wind.

This. This is why I sneak out.

I could smell every animal in the near vicinity, I could feel every small breeze, hear every little click of a cricket call, see better in the dark. It was freeing. It was wonderful.

The rustle of leaves to my right told me I had startled a small animal; a rabbit, according to the scent. I allowed myself a smirk. Sometimes it was fun being scary to small, furry animals.

I paused in a small clearing, allowing myself to breathe in the clean air. Freedom. It was something I didn't get a lot of. If my mom knew I did this, she would kill me (or at least try to). Did I care? No. No, this was the only safe space I had. Maybe one day I would tell the Davenports about my abilities, so at least I didn't have to be alone.

I sat down on a rock and crossed my legs, leaning back into a tree. I still remember the day I found out that Adam, Bree, and Chase were bionic. They saved my life. It was Bree who used her super speed to pull me out of the way of the falling rocks on the hike, Chase who slowed the rocks down with his molecular kinesis, Adam who destroyed the rocks with his heat vision before they could hurt anyone else. I remember being afraid of them for a moment, but then becoming at peace when I realized something wonderful: I wasn't alone.