"LOOK OUT!"
Screamed a little girl as her mother entered the room. Panicked and surprised, Uraraka jumped back to avoid a book that was flying toward her. As a pro, she was prepared for any surprise attack, including that of a magically enhanced book with anger issues. Bracing for impact, she put her hand up to shield her face.
Then the book glowed a semitransparent emerald green light. And it stopped suddenly, just as it was about to hit Uraraka. She had no idea how to respond. She was prepared to block a hardbound book flying 50 miles per hour, and there it was, floating harmlessly. She then released her battle stance and pushed the book aside. Shocked, however mostly angered, she stomped toward a little girl sitting on a small bed, "AYUMI, PLEASE STOP TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"
The little girl's green eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oops" she jumped out of the bed, messing up her long and wavy black hair. Ayumi looked at her and smiled broadly, "You're a hero who fights villains... even if you have heart problems?" She said sarcastically. Uraraka sighed, "I don't have heart problems". "Really?" Ayumi reasoned, "cause it looked more like you were ready to fight the Hero Killer and not a copy of a Percy Jackson book." "I was just slightly alarmed, that's all" Uraraka said, "as a pro, I have to be alert, ready for any surprise attack-"
A second later, the book that was suspended in midair suddenly lost its eerie glow and dropped to the floor with an audible thud. Uraraka jumped in surprise. Unable to hold it in anymore, Ayumi laughed. A pure and sweet sound enveloped the room. Joining Ayumi, Uraraka laughed. For a moment, the room was filled with a duet of laughter and genuine happiness. Then it ended, and they were alone again in the awkward silence and depressing mood that usually hovered over their household.
Uraraka looked at her daughter and then her watch, "Well, I'm sorry, but it's about time for me to go". Ayumi nodded, fully aware of the daily routine. 6am-5pm and 8pm-12am her mother would be outside saving other people, while she went to school and tried to save herself from the bullies.
"See you in the morning I guess" Ayumi mumbled, putting out her hand. It glowed green as the book on the floor followed its example, rising to the air once more and inserting itself in an empty slot on the bookshelf. Uraraka watched her daughter is awe. "Your power is amazing!" She announced, applauding for a more dramatic effect. "You could be the greatest hero ever!"
Ayumi looked at her mother and smiled. "She doesn't know anything" Ayumi thought as her mother continued to clap. Once the clapping faded out, mother and daughter looked at each other. Finally, breaking the silence, Ayumi whispered,
"I am not a hero"
Uraraka looked at her daughter, eyes brimming with tears. "Sweetheart," she said quietly, "that time... it wasn't your fault." Ayumi looked at her mother, eyes now dull and hollow, "It is." As Uraraka continued to cry, Ayumi stared at her hand, which could have done something... anything that faithful day.
"I'm going to bed" Ayumi decided, as she tucked herself in and switched of the lights, leaving her mother standing there in the dark.
As Uraraka stood there, she couldn't help but see a darkness more intense than the one she currently stood amidst. The darkness in her daughter's heart. From a place no 5 year old should ever go. From an experience that no living being should ever experience.
"Yes, of course" Uraraka whispered under her breath, "Goodnight". And mother and daughter were separated once more.
Once Ayumi heard the distant sound of their front door creaking open and close, she immediately jumped out of bed for the second time. For a second, she merely stood very still, as if one move could set of an alarm. Then she took a deep breath and put both her hands in front of her. With one swift motion, she imitated a shoving motion, pushing both of her arms forward. And all hell broke lose.
Books were flying across the room, the furniture was self destructing, walls were cracking, the roof was shaking and the floor threatened to collapse. Every was enveloped in the same emerald glow. Ayumi then put her hands down, and everything stopped moving. It was as if she hit the pause button at the most action filled scene in a movie. Everything was either at it's breaking point or flying across the room. A single tear slid down Ayumi's cheek. "You only destroy" she told herself.
"Yes, you killed us"
"Were gonna haunt you forever"
"It's all your fault"
"Please..." Ayumi begged, now kneeling on the floor alone, covering her ears,
"Someone save me"
"No one's gonna save YOU"
"No one will save a murderer"
Continued the voices. Ayumi looked at her surroundings, eyes brimming with tears. As her heart began to crumble once more, her room fixed itself. It was like she was rewinding the scene, until everything was neat and unbroken.
Ayumi stood up suddenly, causing her to become slightly nauseous. She looked at her surroundings once more, unsure of how to feel or react.
"If only I could have protected them"
She then went to the bathroom to face herself in the mirror. Eyes red from crying, skin pale from exhaustion and hair messy from projectile books. "Until I am needed" she decided,
"I won't use my powers"
And instead of making a chair levitate to bring her back to her room like she usually did, she sluggishly dragged her feet across the hallway, each step heavier than the last. As she continued to trudge onward, Ayumi thought about how weak and feeble her legs were begging to feel. "Wow" she said, wiping her eyes, "I really need to train" And she collapsed on her bed, Unaware of the obstacles she set for herself.
