Mutants

Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX- FLASHBACK

I was 10 years old. Lythus was 8. Life was OK for us. We had the newest phones, we lived in one off those new flying cities, and our parents were actually pretty wealthy. I really miss those phones. My grandparents told me that at one point, phones were solely communication tools. Now, though, they are a link to everything. They have alarms, research tools, games, and public broadcasts. They are links to the Internet, they are everything in a shiny box. Those days were amazing for me. For Lythus, however, life was horrible. I was obviously our parents' favorite child, which I hated them for. I always got more attention, cooler things, the bigger room, the better bed.

All Lythus got was a confused, disgusted look from our parents. I heard their thoughts, too. They called him a freak. Sometimes, they forgot to cook his food, so he had to do it himself. He was always bullied, always alone. I tried to share my stuff with him, but he honestly thought I was snobby and didn't actually care, because I got everything I wanted. I just wished there was a way I could help him.

One night, I came home to find him yelling at our parents. They had a disgusted look on their faces, only fueling his anger. At that moment, his powers emerged. His wings ignited, and he flapped them once, throwing flames at our parents. Honestly, they had it coming. Then, he became engulfed in an orb of flames, and charged at our parents. Boiling blood spilled everywhere. I heard a thump. I looked down to see the faces of our parents, still wearing that utter disgust. I smelled the blood before I saw it, spilling out of their necks.

"They had it coming," I said bluntly. The orb of flames extinguished, and he turned, only just noticing me.

"So do you!" He shouted. Gigantic claws popped out of the backs of his hands, which I didn't know he could do. It reminded me of that guy from the retro movies with the metal claws. Wasn't he called Wolf-man or something like that? Except that these claws were red, made of something sharper, stronger than bone or metal. The claws burst into flames, with an explosion that rocked our home-pod. I reached out, and touched his mind. I instinctively grabbed the parts of his mind that controlled his limbs, and wrested them out of his control. I was scared, but I still felt sorry for him.

"I have always cared!" I shouted. "You don't need to do this!"

"Don't try to fool me!" Lythus yelled back. "Why don't you just beg for mercy?"

"I always tried to help you! We can go anywhere together, and live a happy life!"

"STOP LYING TO ME!" Lythus ignited the air inches from my face, but I stood still. However, I didn't expect his next attack. I suddenly found myself floating in midair. Telekinesis? How? That was all I was able to think. The floor below us exploded, revealing the foundation and the network of wires that connected us to the city. The foundation exploded, revealing the open sky beneath us. I blacked out from stress and shock as I began to fall.

I was surprised to wake up unharmed in a field of grass and flowers. As I stood up, I recognized a message, scorched into the grass.

You got lucky this time, brother. -Lythus

As I looked around, I spotted retro-style houses in the distance. I started trudging off in that direction.