Powers

Chapter 4: mainland

Within an hour, we were left alone. Food was given to us as we waited patiently for Marzia to return. We watched for any sign that she was returning. For the first time, I felt a breeze pick up my hair and blow it around. It felt good. I felt a lot better too. I didn't feel as drained as I always did. I smiled as I leaned my head on Mark's shoulder.
The sun was nearly going down before Isole stood and pointed out to sea.
"Look! It's Marzia!" She gasped. We all stood, seeing Marzia with a small fishing boat dragging behind her filled with people. It wasn't just Felix or Aukai's girlfriend, there were five to eight people stuffed on the boat. Mark grabbed onto my shoulder as I borrowed his power to grow vines to pick up the boat.
"You're not on natural ground!" Mark gasped. I just realized. I was on a solid metal floor, and yet I was growing vines out of my hands. I guess the little extra bit of hair helped. I was ecstatic. I brought the boat up. Felix looked at me oddly.
"Since when can you grow stuff on non natural ground?" He seemed surprised as well. Marie jumped off the small boat. She looked at me in surprise.
"Uncle Jack? You're not dead?" She hid behind Marzia.
"What did you tell the people on the island?" I was shocked by Marie's response.
"I said while we were out here, we had an argument. The ship was just a cargo ship on a wrong route, but we argued about it and Judith got angry at it so we accidentally separated. I told them I searched for everyone, but I found no bodies. The island is in mourning right now, but Leader is trying to form another group of people to be the next defenders, but no one wants the same end so no one is agreeing" she explained. I nodded. Seems like a perfectly structured lie.
Later, on the ship, in our room, I couldn't stop playing with the light switch. I hadn't had electricity in so long, that I missed the simple pleasures of it. Mark was on the small bed, in his underwear. Admittedly, I was turned on by it, but I knew we could never have sex. I don't know why it was an established rule, but it just was never okay. I huffed, sitting beside Mark. He sat up beside me, planting small kisses on my neck. I was too focused on the blank wall opposite of me.
"You're so tense, baby" he said in a deep, sexual voice.
"Yeah, I know" I sighed. Today was such a whirlwind of emotions, I didn't know how to handle it. My skin tingled as I felt Mark's hands go under my shirt and trail up my stomach. I never felt like this before. It felt good. I shut my eyes as Mark's hand explored my torso. He stopped at my pants, undoing the button. My breathing immediately got heavy.
"Mark," I put my hand down on his.
"Yes?" He responded. He was still kissing and softly biting at my neck.
"I mean- we've never- the rules" I managed to choke out.
"We're not on the island anymore. No one can tell us what to do"
"No, I can't do it" I didn't know if it was because I was new to it or the dizziness that was beginning to fill my head. It wasn't a subtle dizzy either. I couldn't see straight. There was black in the edges of my vision. I pushed Mark off of me. I stumbled to my feet, feeling as if the boat was traveling over one of Aukai's tsunamis.
"Jack? Are you alright?" Mark took notice of what was happening.
"I-I don't feel g-" that's when I felt my body hit the floor. I heard Mark screaming my name before I passed out.
When I woke up, I didn't know where I was. There were thick vines everywhere. I was entrapped in them, a couple of feet off of the ground. There was a furious shaking at the door. I noticed that the vines were holding the door shut. I blinked a few times, hoping to clear my thoughts. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.
"Jack? Open up!" I heard Mark yell. I quickly took back all the vines. The door then swung open as I stood in the middle of the room.
"What happened?" I shook my head.
"W-you don't know?" Mark was stood with a soldier and Isole.
"No" I walked towards Mark. Outside in the hall, it was covered in ice and plants. "What the hell happened?" I looked at the crazy amount of damage.
"You, Jack. When you passed out, your powers went crazy. Vines and thorns literally bursted out of your body, then they started chasing us. Isole and Felix and I had to stop you, but you wouldn't stop. You were just laying there in your room while we fought your powers. Felix and I had to combine to have enough ice power to match yours. I don't know what's going on with you" my heart sunk. If Felix helped, where is he?
"There's currently a helicopter awaiting you to transport you to the mainland. They'll know what to do from there" the soldier stood straight up.
"Jack, let's go, please, before anyone else gets hurt" Mark grabbed my waist.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't understand" I mumbled.
"We don't either. That's why we're taking you to a doctor. They'll know what to do"

My first impression of the mainland was doctors. They were everywhere. Poking me with needles and putting sensors around my head. They always had me on a drug that zoned me out. With it in me, I couldn't think properly. All I could do was stare blankly at a wall and try not to drool.
Mark was always there by my side. He refused to allow the doctors any where near me with out him right beside me. When they weren't there, he would always hold my hand. He didn't care if I were on the drug or not. He talked to me even though he wouldn't get a response.
"They told me why your powers are being the way they are today. They say they can fix it. It's your hair apparently. One of us shouldn't be able to survive with so little hair, and yet you did. It should've killed you when it was cut. And now because you're using it so much, it's too much for your body to handle and it's trying to grow out your hair again. It's almost as if your powers have a mind of its own and it's getting frustrated that it can't grow out your hair" I wish this drug would leave my body so I could kiss him, but they barely took me off of it, just in case my powers would fluctuate again. Because without the brain power to use it, it's all but dormant until the brain is capable of doing it.
"You're drooling again, you goof" he took a tissue and wiped my mouth. I felt like a child.
"I know right now you probably don't have the mental capacity to understand this right now, but I want you to know that I miss you right now. I know you're right beside me, but it's not you. You're gone for now, and I miss everything about you. I miss your smile. I miss the flowers you leave me every morning before I go to work. I miss creating beautiful plants with you" I felt something wet hit my arm.
"Mr. Fischbach, would you mind coming to talk with us?"
"I think I'm good here thanks, he can't understand it either way" the sounds came in my head, but made no sense to me.
"We need your permission to begin this treatment" the doctor sighed.
"What is it?"
"It's a very simple fix and has been done on countless others"
"But others powers are fixed around one thing, right?"
"Correct"
"That's where we hit a problem here. Jack doesn't have just one power. I've seen other Natures and they can't do what he can. They can only, for say, grow things on trees, not grow the tree. Jack can grow whatever he wants. He can grow a twenty foot tall cherry tree just by touching sand. It doesn't matter. He's not just an ordinary Nature" Mark was firm with his words.
"So we will up the dosage"
"Dosage of what"
"It's essence from the original blood line. The original bloodline families are still around and they have the knowledge. They help us saving people like Jack. Trust me, he is no special case. Hundreds of kids and adults come here for help because they did exactly what Jack did, so let us help him so he doesn't have to sit here like this his entire life" Mark paused.
"If anything goes wrong, I swear I will destroy you" I heard scribbling.
"So be it. The procedure will happen this evening" I heard foot steps before silence again.
"I hope he's right, Jack. I don't want to screw this up for you"

I couldn't tell what time it was, but a nurse came in my room.
"Everything is ready"
"What about the drug in his system?" Mark questioned.
"The power in him will burn right through it. Don't worry, he's going to be perfectly fine" she assured.
"Just let me say goodbye in case something happens" Mark kneeled down in front of me. "I love you, okay" he kissed my forehead. I had no idea what was going on.
I was wheeled into a huge room. It was made of concrete and nothing else. There was glass, but it was so thick. A robotic arm came down to my arm. I tried to process what was going on but I simply couldn't.
"In three....two...one!!" I felt a prick in my arm, then burning. My arm felt like it was on fire. My brain un-fogged and I began screaming. Plants and vines shot from my finger tips. My head pounded. Suddenly a layer of green hair fell into my eyes. It wasn't too long, it was just right.
I then fell to the ground. The pain was gone just as fast as it had come. I looked around the room. Where was I? How did I get here?
"Jack!" Mark screamed. I looked up to see Mark running towards me.
"Mark?" I tried to make sense of everything. He dove at me, grabbing me by the shoulders and collapsing to the ground.
"Thank god you're alright!" He held on to me like he hadn't seen me in months.
"Mark, what happened? How did I get here?" I had so many other questions. Why is my hair long? Why am I in this huge room? Why is there plants everywhere? Where am I?
"It's such a long story, Jack. I want to tell you right now, but the doctors just need to check if everything is alright."
"If everything is alright? What happened to me?" I scoured my brain, but found nothing.
"All good things, I swear" a doctor then approached us.
"Don't worry, he's all good!" The doctor seemed overly happy. "Anyway, we've located your parents" I couldn't believe she said it so calmly. I gasped.