Eterna

Chapter Five

I stumbled to the front and mumbled out my name.

"I'm... um, Bailee and I'm… er, 15. I don’t really have a superhero identity yet."

Cherry smirked and exclaimed, "Everyone has an identity. I bet you’re just not important enough to have one."

Everyone sniggered and my face became hot. Chris and Angelina were the only ones who didn't laugh. August came up to me and whispered in my ear.

"If you don't want to do it you don't have to."

I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth.

"NO. I have to do this." I then let all hell loose. I only meant to levitate myself up into the air but instead I lifted everyone and everything into a tornado of wind. Drink bottles in the corner popped open and the water started swirling around the tornado like angry bees. The liquid went so fast that when it hit people they screamed in pain.

"Bailee! Stop! Bailee!" I heard Chris scream my name and I looked up to see Angelina knocked unconscious by a chair. I had to stop. She was flying out of control, heading for a wall. I closed my eyes and imagined the hall before I had gone wild. I felt the wind cease and I slowly came down. When I opened my eyes I saw injured, angry and very wet people staring at me.

“What the heck was that?” Cherry pushed through the crowd. Her hair was soaked, and there was blood dripping down her bruised and battered arm. She looked murderous.

“No wonder you don’t have an identity. You’re too dangerous to be a superhero!” Tears formed in my eyes as I saw what I had done. I could see Laura helping a limp and sore Angelina up. She looked at me and I realized that Cherry was right. I was dangerous.

“I have to go,” I stammered and ran out the hall. I could hear Angelina calling after me but I didn’t stop.

“Wait. Stop!” Someone was chasing after me. They were fast. They grabbed my hand and I turned to see Chris, with August not far behind.

“I have to leave. I’m a danger to you and everyone else. I should never have come.” I started to run but both August and Chris grabbed my arm.

“Look at me.” August looked into my eyes.

“There is a reason we found you. Someone sent us an anonymous message of your whereabouts. We chose to come get you. We could have left you for dead, but we didn’t. You belong here as much as every child in that room, maybe more so.” He paused. “Please stay. learn to control your gift. Please.”

For a moment I thought of how nice it would be to have a family again. And then I remembered my old family. What about after the academy? Where would I go? Tears fell down my wet cheeks.

“I can’t. Everyone has somewhere else to go. They all have families. When I leave this school, I will have nowhere to go. My parents are dead and my sister, well, I don’t even KNOW where she is!” Suddenly everything came back to me and I collapsed into August’s arms. He held me and for a moment I thought my father was back. It disappeared as quickly as it came.

“I imagine my daughter giving me hugs like this.”

“What?” I pulled away, confused.

“Let me tell you what happened. About six years ago I had a wife called Lucy and a newly born child. We were in hiding because our daughter had a gift. She had the power of the sun, capable of destroying an entire country! And people can use that power for evil purposes. So we hid away from civilisation. But we were happy. One day ... they found us. I was out hunting so I couldn’t protect them. They shot Lucy, who was only human, and they took our child. I never saw her again.”

“August, I’m so sorry.” I covered my mouth and felt his pain. Then it hit me.

“Your daughter and my sister… they were both kidnapped, maybe by the same people! We could find them, put together clues and-”

“NO!” August exclaimed.

“Why not?” He sighed and put his hand to his forehead.

“Because I’ve already given up hope. Please, don’t get my hopes up again. I know my daughter is gone forever. Please, let me live in peace. You can look for your sister, but I don’t need any help.” He turned and walked away rather quickly. Chris, who had once again been forgotten, offered to take me back to my room. When we arrived outside my door I remembered the image in the puddle.

“What was that image I saw in the puddle?” He froze.

“And don’t try lying because I know you know what it is.”

He saw my determined expression and out loud he said, “If you really want to know, we’ll have to sit down because it’s a long story.”