The People with Useless Power

Chapter Five

Emma looked into her mirror and saw that her eyes were bloodshot. Great, she thought. Just great.

She combed through her messed-up pink hair and started to sob again, dropping the comb in the marble sink and sinking to the tiled floor.

...well.

The truth was, she didn't have a useless power. She had a far-from-useless power. Yet nobody had ever found out, not even her.

Sure, everyone thought she could just make flames flicker from her fingertips. For a short time, she did too.

Until Mara started to use her power on Emily.

Then it came out.

Fire- ghastly amounts of fire and flames- escaped from her palm and roasted Mara alive. If it hadn't been for Lavender's cooling powers, she would've been dead.

Mara was sure to kick her out.

Emma let out a few more uncontrollable sobs and she curled up into a tiny ball, letting out small whimpers.

The building was her only home left. And it was as good as gone.

There was a small knock on the door, and Emma let out a loud whimper. She heard the door click open and jumped up, slamming it again.

"Who is it?" she asked in a steady voice. She had been using that "I'm fine, don't worry" voice all her life, so, as expected, it went perfectly.

"It's Lavender. Mara wants you in her office."

Emma looked into the mirror; her eyes were starting to whiten again. "Tell her in 30 minutes. Oh, and, how's Emily doing?"

"Her hands are starting to turn back to skin from silk."

As Emma started to once again tame her hair, she said, "Good." Her heart rate was slowing, and she felt as if she could breathe again.

...

Emma slipped into the office and saw that Mara was waiting for her, her hands folded on her desk. She felt a sliver of fear, but pushed it down and sat.

"Emma, Emma, Emma," Mara clicked her tongue, "I'm so proud of you."

"Mara- wait, what?" Emma tilted her head like a dog and raised her eyebrows.

"Who ever knew that such a simple, stupid girl could hold so much power?" Mara smirked. "That was great. Probably the most fun I've had in my life. You've really kept us in the dark here, Em."

"I didn't know!" Emma hissed, but Mara shook her head.

"Unfortunately, you found out using me as your test subject," Mara continued.

A lie entered Emma's mind and she shouted it out before common sense could stop her, "I was aiming for Emily."

"Oh, you liar, must I remind you?" Emma resisted the urge to flinch at the fire in Mara's usually empty eyes. "You didn't know you had this power. God, why did I ever decide to team up with a demon like you?"

"That's a bit harsh," Emma growled, "and a lot over-dramatic."

"Emma, the only reason I'm sparing you is because of your newfound power," Mara ignored her. "We need it to win this war. You might be our best weapon. But please remember that this is your last chance."

...

If Emily wasn't set on leaving before, she definitely was now. But she knew she couldn't do it alone. Not when the crazy owner had the powers to change her into a puppet.