Running From Darkness

Empowered

James watched helplessly as Joseph's hand passed straight through the red and orange blanket. He wanted to scream or shout to let someone know but his breath seemed to catch in the back of his throat. James just sat wide-eyed as Joseph's skin blackened and shrivelled before him, but to his surprise, no sound of pain or agony arose from his friend's throat.
"Ah-ah-ah" was all James could manage as he watched the skin on his best friend's (who he'd known for 3 years) hand straighten and return to its normal colour and pallor. But the outrageous thing.....was that Joseph was just watching with a calm, collected expression on his face. After his brain had caught up with his eyes, James managed to stutter
"Wh-wh-when did you....?" But before he could finish, as if he could read James' mind, Joseph said,
"About a month ago. I was chopping vegetables and I sliced my finger open. I got scared at first but then I realised that I wasn't feeling any pain. I was wondering what was happening and then the blood started to clot in front of my eyes and my skin began knitting together," he sighed, "I was so scared to tell anyone, but then with what happened to Nathan.....well, I thought that maybe something was happening to us. Something that we don't understand and can't explain, but I think we've been chosen for something great. I don't know whether you or Sam are going to get 'powers' but I know that something's going to happen, and the world will need us to step in," he stopped and looked at James who stares at him for a minute, thinking about what he just said to him. Joseph had never been the philosophical type, but James felt that his words rang true with him.
"James? Jaaaames?" he realised Joseph was calling my name.
"Sorry Joseph, I zoned out for a minute there," he replied dreamily, only half listening. Joseph looked at James for a minute and then chuckled quietly to himself.
"Your face is so funny when you're thinking," Joseph manages between laughs.
"Bugger off!" James says, fully aware of what was going on now, laughing as well. At that moment the teacher came over to them and asked why they hadn't done any work. Neither of them was very good at making up excuses on the stop so the teacher gave them both detention. Great.