Save The Villain

Prologue

Unedited - for now

September 14

Evan heard voices. More like muffles but they pierced the darkness like a dull blade. His eyes fluttered open but to him it felt like he had to pry them open.

He blinked long, hard blinks, trying to see what was happening. A blinding flourescent light shone right above his face until he was given some relief.

Doctors in blue coveralls leaned over him. He could hear them talk a bit more clear as if he was under water. He wanted to get up and ask the millions of questions that flew through his mind but somehow he knew it was impossible.

Only now could he hear the beeping of the monitor as the voices became clearer. Each muttering things that he didn't understand. They seemed pointless anyways.

Theother figures in coveralls had all left his side except for one. Familiar light brown eyes looked at him as if reading every thought that came and left his mind.

"You'll be alright, Evan. I promise."

He was aware of someone moving his side and pushing up the sleeve of his arm. He couldn't move or speak still. He was sure he could if he tried but something still stopped him.

Evan's eyes unfocused. He struggled to stay awake but he soon slipped into darkness. He could still feel the needle that was driven into his arm by the doctor and the gaze of the man who was unknown yet so familiar.

September 17

Evan once again felt the feeling of having to practically rip open his eyes. Thankfully it was much easier. As if he was meant to wake up.

His eyes felt dry despite being closed. He had to blink a few times before finally being able to open his eyes and look around.

The room was much darker. The curtains had been drawn closed leaving a simple lamp on. He turned and almost got scared by the blonde woman sitting at his bedside.

His mother.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "Evan. Oh Evan." She cried happily.

Evan wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't sort through his thoughts. He was unaware of where he was and he didn't know why he was there.

All he had gathered was that he was sitting up in an unknown bed in an unknown room which had been lit dimly. His mother was hugging him and he had things attached to his arms.

His mother let him go and smiled weakly at him. "How are you feeling?" She asked, brushing his dirty blonde hair out of his face.

Evan shrugged slightly before his eyes landed on his dad. His father smiled at him from the chair he sat in. Evan only half-heartedly smiled back.

"Where am I?' He asked his mom, feeling nervous about his surroundings. He fidgeted with his fingers and looked up at his mom who suddenly had a terrified and guilty expression on her face.

"You're in the hospital." Spoke a new voice. "You were in a car crash."

Evan looked past his mom's shoulder and towards the doctor that stood there. He wore a kind smile on his worn down face. Evan guessed it had been a long day for him.

"Evan, do you remember what happened before right now?" The doctor asked softly, sounding a tiny bit concerned now.

Evan thought before shaking his head. He turned to his mom and she hugged him. He clung to her. Everything was just confusing him.

He couldn't remember anything and it made him frustrated. He felt tears blur his eyes so he buried his face in his mother's chest.

"I can't." He muttered in defeat, his back rising and falling quickly as he sobbed, his mother rubbing his back gently.

November 2

Evan swung half-heartedly on the creaky swings. The playground mostly empty except for the two toddlers playing on the spring rides.

The grass was wet with frost. The wind had a chill to it. Evan knew the days would get colder meaning he'd have to stay in more. Part of him just wanted to go home right now.

His feet could barely touch the small rocks on the ground. He wondered if he'd ever get taller, seeing that his mother was pretty tall. He looked back up and saw a group of three trees purposely planted there.

They were dead and wilting, their leaves sprinkled around the grass like pencil shavings. He looked longingly at them, longing for them to become a vibrant green.

He focused on imagining them as green as they were in the summer. He snapped out of his thoughts and blinked a few times but the vision of the green trees never faded.

He frowned, blinked, then shook his head but the sight wouldn't go away. He finally realized they were actually green and he wasn't imagining it.

His mouth fell open and he slowly got off the swings. He walked to the trees and plucked off a leaf, examining it.

The corners of his mouth curved up and he bolted back home. He slammed open the front door and slipped off his shoes before running to the kitchen where his mother was.

"Mom! Mom!" He said excitedly. His eyes were wide and his smile even wider as his mother turned to him, looking startled.

"I made a couple dead trees green again!" Evan exclaimed, holding out the leaf to her face. "I was imagining them as green and then they became green!" He exclaimed.

His mother let out a small laugh and he knew she thought he was just pretending. "I'm serious, Mom." He said, sounding a bit urgent. She was still smiling and she carefully took the leaf out of his small hands.

"That's amazing, Evan. Show your dad when he gets home. I'm sure he'll be happy to see what you can do." She smiled at him, handing the leaf back.

Evan nodded and he raced up to his room, closing the door. He placed the leaf down on his side table and wrapped his fingers around the tiny plant cup he got at school.

He placed the cup on his bed and stood in front of it. He put his fingers to his temples, knowing that's how Charles Xavier did it in X-Men. He still had the comic series his mom gave him.

Evan stared at it and imagined his plant growing up very tall. He concentrated hard until he could see it. The plant only grew half of what he wanted but it still grew.

Evan almost screamed in amazement. He ran around his room cheering and laughing. "I'm a superhero!" He yelled, fist pumping the air.

That night when Evan's dad came home he brought down the plant and leaf and placed it on the dining table. His dad became very serious before looking at Evan with a small smile.

"That's good, Evan. That's very good." He grinned. Evan grinned back and continued eating his food. His mother sat down at the table and smiled at the plants.

"I think he's ready." He heard his father whisper to his mom. His curiosity, as always, got the best of him.

"Ready for what? Am I going to Charles Xavier's Mansin?" Evan asked, tilting his head. "Mansion." His mother pronounced for him. She shook her head with a small uneasy smile. "No, honey. At least not now."

She turned to his dad and gave him a 'we'll talk about this after Evan sleeps' kind of look. Thankfully Evan had begun rambling about how he was glad he had tree powers and that he could save the world by making jails out of branches for villains.

Of course in this time heroes and villains were things of movies and comics. They weren't real. None of it was real. Or so some thought.

Evan was tucked into bed later that night. He stared at the ceiling. He could hear his parents fighting downstairs. His heart was beating hard and he prayed it was something stupid they were fighting about.

But he heard his name and something about trees and he knew they were talking about his powers. He gripped the blankets and pulled them over his head. He did something wrong.

Evan quickly took his plant and put it in his parents room before closing his door softly and climbing into bed. If his mom and dad didn't want him doing magic he wouldn't. For now.