Chaos Bender

Till Death Due Us Part

Alex gave me a goodbye hug and left with Nix, she said something about getting bird food. I wish I had a familiar. When we get our familiars, our power increases, or so I've heard. Plus I'd fit in better, if only those old farts behind the desks saw me instead of my stupid power. Having Alex around all the time was a godsend, but I feared now that she had a familiar she'd have less time for me. Granted sometimes I wanted to be left alone, but being with her was always a better alternative. I needed to find a familiar, and one won't just swoop down from the sky to greet me.

Just then I noticed a collection of crows form a circle around me. They are just birds, it's probably a coincidence, I thought before they came swooping down one by one towards me. I walked back in awe as the birds swooped down to a single spot in front of me. A dark, pitch black circle seemed to be in the middle of a huge number of feathers swirling around it. Once the last crow went into the circle, the feathers fell in. The circle suddenly grew limbs until it looked like a shadow of a person. Then the shadow faded until I could see that it was an actual person, like light actually touched him for the first time.

He wore all black with a leather jacket, had pitch black eyes and black hair to match. Kinda gave me a creepy vibe from him.

"Sup," he said to me. Crow boy here was definitely a familiar, but none I was familiar with.

"Who are you ?" I asked. He couldn't be two years at most older than me.

"Allow me to introduce myself, you can call me Crow. I'm just your average familiar just passing by, then I noticed you. A wolf among sheep, as they say. I saw your little skirmish before and I must say I was impressed. I'd expect someone with your kind of power to already have a familiar, but you're not bound yet I see. Mind if we be partners ? I was just looking for a wiz to tag along with anyways."

I have got to stop wishing for stuff to happen.

"I can't. Only apprentice level and higher can have familiars, I'm not allowed."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Woah! So you're a trainee ?" He squinted at me. "Oh I see, they don't wanna have someone like you running around with powers they're afraid of right ?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How'd you know?"

"Every caged bird sings the same sad song," he shrugged. "How about this, buddy up with me and I'll help you reach your full potential ?"

"I dunno," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I just want to fit in."

"Heh, everyone that's special does. Look, stick with me and you won't have to worry about being hated, in fact they'll love you for being different." Pfft, that was hard to believe.

"I don't know about that."

"Look, I know what it's like to be different. And I know that all they're doing at this school is either trying to turn you into one of them, or keep you weak so they don't have to worry about you." He had a point, I'll give him that.

"So what should I do about it?"

"Let me help you, let's show them that you don't need them. That your gift should be embraced instead of suppressed. That you have the right to be treated like everyone else."

It was hard to argue, he's right about everything. If they have it their way, I'll be stuck as a prisoner forever.

"This is the first step." He extended his hand out. I looked back at the school, the dorm, my cage. Because of my power I've been shunned, watched, and ashamed of who I am.

I deserve to be treated like anyone else who comes here.

"Alright, fine. But why are you helping me ?"