Goddess of Despair

I Would Slap Someone Silly for Waking ME Like That

The night air was cold but didn't bother me as I snuck through the night. I followed the blue trail of magic that I was using to track my cousin. The moon was a crescent in the sky, laughing at me as I tracked my own family through the night.

Aunt Eva hadn't noticed when her son left at sun set, and I assumed she thought he was in his room or this might be a regular occurrence and she thinks nothing of it. Either way, since I realized he felt that presence watching us earlier and has been acting weird since and even weirder when we heard a bit of my aunt's phone call, something is wrong with him and for their safety I want to find out why.

I neared the end of the trail of magic when I spotted him in a clearing of trees, this area was far from his home and very secluded. I climbed up into a tree and watched him. He stood in the middle of the clearing practicing a form of martial arts judging by his movements he was very proficient in the art.

I leaned back against the tree with my arms crossed as I watched him. He repeated a series of movements, over and over again. A chill ran up my back when he stopped the series and the unmistakable feeling of an ability being used launched itself from him. Just like that, I saw fire light in his hands and before long he was using multiple abilities at once.

He had... my powers.

I jumped from the branch and tackled him to the ground. When he saw me, fear lit up in his eyes. "You have powers?" The world was too quiet around us. "You have more than one ability by the looks of it." I hissed.

"How did you follow me?" He looked up at me then sighed. "That was a dumb question." He looked up at me and I saw the color of his eyes change back to blue when he stopped using his other abilities. "I can't explain to you why I'm hiding my powers from you but you have to trust me!" His voice grew desperate. I needed to report this to my father. This was putting us in danger, he's unregistered. "Please, trust me."

I stood up quickly and started racing back to my aunt's house. Ian was yelling after me. My heart was in my ears as I ran back home. I climbed through the window of our room and shook Vivian awake. "Vivian, we have to go now!"

"What are you talking about?" Sleep clung to her words as she sat up, rubbing away the sleep from her eyes. I was throwing things into suitcases. "Amber, what are you doing?" She stood now and grabbed my hands before I could grab any more things. "What's happening?"

"Ian has powers." Her eyes widened in shock. "We have to report this. He's unregistered in the system which could only mean that he is working for the Kingstons." I grabbed her shoulders. "We have to leave now."

"And leave Aunt Eva behind?" She hissed at me.

"For all I know she could be working with them too."

"Amber! This is ridiculous! You don't even know if he is in cahoots with the other side and even if he was, you are prepared to abandon your aunt?" She gave me a disgusted look and I paused. "What has gotten into you?"

"You could be in danger here, I need to get you somewhere safe." I insist as she pulls away from me and starts putting her things away again.

"I don't think he is evil and even if he is I will not be hiding while your aunt could be in danger." She looks up at me now. "I can't believe you would just abandon her like that. Not to mention your parents would not give us safety, they would just send you to exterminate them like bugs!" Her voice starts to raise. "We are finally given the chance to get away from all of that and the second someone does something slightly suspicious you are ready to run back home to people that don't even care about you and are just using you for your powers!" She jabbed her finger against my chest. "Is that really the life you are so desperate to live? One where all you are is a tool? Maybe you need to have some faith in Ian and confront him about what is really going on before you jump to your nasty conclusions and abandon the only family that has even tried to love you for who you are and not what your parents made you to be!"

"I just want you to be safe." My voice sounds weak, I felt hurt by her words. "My power is meant to be used to help people and stop others from causing harm!" My voice cracked as I spoke. "I'm just trying to make sure you are kept out of harm's way."

"And that's part of the problem!" Anger flares in her voice and I find myself shrinking back. "I'm not weak! We aren't in danger but you are so consumed with needing to protect me that you don't see all the things you are doing wrong!" She took a deep breath. "I will not go back there with you." Hurt ricocheted through my chest. "I will not go anywhere where they force you to be a weapon for their own goals."

"I-"

"End of discussion." She looks up at me. "If that's really what you want, go ahead but I will not go with you because I know that they are just using you! I can't tolerate watching you being used, coming home scared and injured, and watching as the hope is leaving your eyes." A tear slid down her cheek and her voice became a little shakier. "In the very little time that we have been here I was starting to think you were getting that spark of joy back."

"But-"

"I thought," her voice rose as she looked up at me again, "I thought that you would be content staying here, away from the death and killing. Most of all... I thought you would be happy since you would finally be able to stay with me." She turned away from me then. "If you are going to leave me, do so now."

My feet were firmly planted on the floor. Her frame shook as she cried. "I'm sorry." My words were quiet but I knew she heard me. She turned to me and as she turned I realized there were a lot more things wrong besides what I had come to talk to her about. Horror built in me as the color left her face and the light in her eyes shut down.

Just like that... she went down.