Power-Fall (extra sequel to the Superhero trilogy)

6

*trigger warning*

💥Luke💥

"Michael," I whispered as soon as my niece had left. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

He frowned at me, but took my hand and pulled me to the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

"Did you see her eyes?" I asked quietly. He shook his head, but he seemed to understand already what I was getting at.

"They were red, weren't they?"

I nodded, biting my lip. "What does it mean?"

"There's no way Jack picked a random time to do all this," he replied, pacing the floor. "Marking her arm, taking Phoebe...it's too much emotional stress on Holly. It's fueling the voices. That's what happened with me; they took over when the world felt like it was ending. They start getting louder, harder to fight. And...something tells me that this situation might be the breaking point for Hols."

"No," I said, sitting on a chair and rubbing my temples. "That can't happen. Holly won't let it. She's stronger than they are. She can drive them away. I mean, you did. Why wouldn't she be able to?"

"I didn't drive them away, Luke," Michael replied, shaking his head. "They left when I stabbed Calum, after you died. I...I never knew what happened to them, but Phoebe had been right there. I think..."

My eyes grew wide. "You think they're the same voices?"

His gaze turned to the floor. He didn't respond.

"Michael, please don't tell me you think this is your fault," I said, growing scared.

"It is, though," he said quietly. "If I never killed her fucking dad, she wouldn't be dealing with this. None of this would be happening to us. Phoebe would still be here, Calum would still be here, I'd be dead, like I should be..."

"Michael," I said quietly, "you can't relapse, not right now."

"You think that's something I can help, Luke?" he asked, his voice getting louder. "I don't want to blame myself for every shitty thing I've done, but I can't help it! I let everything happen! If it wasn't for me, you'd still be alive, probably with a wife and a couple kids or some shit, maybe Holly would even have some siblings. Calum would still be alive, Bonnie would still be alive, Ashton would still be alive, Alex would still be alive, maybe Jack wouldn't be evil, Phoebe would still be here...my own sister wouldn't have died. I shouldn't have even been born. It would have made everyone's life a hell of a lot better."

"Michael," I whispered, "please, stop."

"I wish I fucking could, Luke," he replied, burying his head in his hands. "I just hate my life. I shouldn't be alive. Just...go away."

"But-"

"I said go away!"

There was a crashing noise as he knocked a vase off the kitchen table, smashing it on the floor. I did the first thing I could think of.

I flashed out.

I felt like a wimp after I'd done it, but I knew how Michael was when he got into one of his moods. You couldn't comfort him, no matter how much you try. He just needed some alone time.

I looked around to see where I'd gone, gasping at what I saw.

"Luke, no," my sister whimpered, squinting up at me, a beanie covering her head. She was curled up in the corner of the cell, shivering in a baggy denim jumpsuit similar to the one I'd been forced to wear in jail. "No, you can't be here. You need to leave while you can."