A Lion's Roar

Chapter 2: Explosion

Chapter 2: Explosion

Now where was I? Oh yes, I was furious at the trio. Who wouldn't be? But I couldn't actually do anything... I wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry if this seems like a sob story, but you know I said I'd tell you about the first time, so okay.

The bullying just got worse and worse, and sometimes I'd come home with a twisted ankle or a broken rib. I never told Dad though, because in the morning the pain would be gone and I'd be fully healed for another beating.

So that time, they cornered me just outside the schoolyard, and instead of beating me up, they began to taunt me. I hated it when they did that. It hurt more than physical beatings and they knew it. I won't give examples here of the insults because every other word was vulgar. But let's just say it really riled me and my eyes started watering. Unfortunately, this was the wrong move. The trio just laughed louder and kicked me in the chest, one after another. I stumbled, only now noticing the crowd of children around me. Their faces were like vultures, content to watch and laugh as long as it wasn't them.

Again they taunted me, shoving me to the ground and kicking me. The crowd surrounded us, closing all escapes. I attempted to curl up on the ground, but they kicked my hands and feet until I uncurled and looked at them.

The laughs were so loud, so mocking, so derisive. They seemed to penetrate my head, echoing loudly.

I could feel the tight ball of fury that was my constant burden melt. Just melt away. Then I felt it actually wrap around my heart and freeze. I stiffened as the cold spread around my body. The children didn't seem to notice and were actually throwing rocks and sticks at me.

I.

Just.

Wanted.

It.

To.

Stop.

"STOP!" The fury seemed to pour out of me, glad to be released. It left me drained, and I collapsed to the ground. I could hear a strange roar, a primal, feral, roar, terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time. It was an animal roar, filling my ears and making my head pound. I could feel the animal jump out of my chest, making me gasp in pain. Through my quickly fading vision, I could just make out it was a lion. A large, snarling, blue, translucent lion, prowling about. Smiling, I reached out a hand. But I couldn't reach it. My smile morphed into a frown and I struggled, lunging for the lion. It turned, giving me a sympathetic look. Then it leaped at me, seeming to plunge into my chest. I grinned, my vision going dark completely.

It was dark. Suffocating shadows pressed against me, smothering my whole body. I was choking to death, a pillow of black jammed in my face. I couldn't see, I couldn't hear and I couldn't breathe! What!? Panicking, I thrashed about in vain. The darkness closed in.

Then, a spark. Soft turquoise and white, twinkling in the black like a star in the night. It seemed to laugh, a merry sound tinkling in the silence. Peace and serenity stole over me as I reached out to the spark. It floated closer, and just as I was about to breathe my last breath, it dipped into my chest. Immediately, the darkness cracked, rippling like water. As I drifted towards the light, I could faintly hear exclamations.

"BLEAH." I sat up, head spinning from sudden blood loss. I was in an unfamiliar room - wait. The hospital? My bed was surrounded with people, all smiling and saying things to me. I really couldn't be bothered to listen, but they might've known what had happened, so I tuned in just in time to hear, "-mazing! Wow... You know, a piece of bone stabbed your windpipe and you would've died! That last minute, when we removed the bone, you stopped breathing. For at least a minute! Then there was this strange spark, maybe from static electricity, and you started!"

I gaped at the doctor. "What!? I-No! What!? You can't be serious! What actually happened!?" She nodded solemnly. "It's true. Apparently, there was a bomb explosion and at least 10 children were severely injured. 3 more children died!" I just stared. Eventually, they gave me some drug and I fell asleep. But if I was hoping for a good sleep, I was sorely disappointed.

The dream was disjointed. The children and the trio stood around me, chanting. But instead of insults, they were chanting, "You killed us! You killed us! You killed us!" I tried to stammer out the words, but I couldn't. It wasn't me! It was a bomb explosion! Please stop! But they didn't, they kept chanting and chanting, and I kept pleading. Try as I might, they wouldn't leave me alone.

I later found out, when I came out of the hospital, that the "bomb" had exploded, yet there was no shrapnel or pieces of the bomb left. It hadn't affected anything but living things, and the trio that had tormented me for so long had....well, exploded. Just exploded. The rest of the children had various severe wounds, and two more died in the hospital.

And I knew I'd caused it. At the time, I didn't know about my Gift, but I knew that I'd somehow caused it to happen. I'd killed them. Of course, the police were investigating, and for a while there was talk of a bio-bomb, one that harmed only living things. Eventually, it all died down, and my father and I moved yet again to another town.

But that was the first sign of my Gift, and my father knew it.

(I'm sorry this is so short, I'm working on HoH so I don't have much time for this. This is the second part of the recording. The others will be posted as soon as NH sends them.)

~R