Powers

Chapter 5: Mom

The next day Mark and I were sat on a bus. No one stared at us or judged us. Instead a little girl approached Mark with a water bottle.
"Excuse me," she tapped Mark's leg, "would you mind filling my water bottle, please" she said politely. It made me wonder why Leader would ever tell us the people here are bad, they treat us like human beings. Mark did as she asked and filled her bottle. She handed him money before returning to her mother.
I looked out the window, recognizing where we were. We had just passed my elementary school. I gasped.
"What?" Mark looked where I was looking.
"It's my old elementary school, we're getting close! I remember I only lived a block away from it!" I looked to the front of the bus where I saw the bus stop. We lived two houses down from it. When the bus stopped, I grabbed Mark's hand and took off running down the street. I skidded to a stop as I saw the house. My heart wanted to leave my chest.
"What do I do now?" I needed his help right now. I stood in front of my home that I haven't seen in twenty years.
"Do what you always did. Like you tell me when you think of this place. Grow your mom's favourite flowers and give them to her." I nodded at his advice. In my hands, I grew my mom's favourite flowers. Tiger lilies. I swallowed hard before I pushed myself to walk up the sidewalk of the house. When I rung the doorbell, tears started filling my eyes. The door inched open. Her laugh echoed in my ears as she finished talking to someone in the house. When she turned to me, I felt like I was six years old again, giving my mom flowers whenever she was upset.
"Momma" the word slipped from my mouth. I watched as her face dropped. She was silent.
"Sean!" She screamed. Her arms immediately came around me. The tears spilled from my eyes as I held onto her. She sobbed loudly. My sobs came loud and ugly. I couldn't control them.
"Momma I love you" the words came so easily to me, even if I hadn't spoke them in twenty years.
"Oh Sean, I love you too" I hadn't heard my real name since I last saw her. Mark didn't know it was my name. I preferred Jack. The sobbing continued for a long time. She then pulled herself from the hug to look at my face. She brushed the bit of hair that had fallen in my eyes to the side.
"Your hair. It's back" she idly ran her fingers through it.
"Yeah, it is" I smiled.
"You grew up so well. I only wish I were there" her palms cupped the sides of my face now. She pulled my head towards her chest, just keeping me there and kissing the top of my head.
"Oh you still have Mark!" Her arm outstretched. I looked back at Mark. Momma had grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him into the hug as well. "I knew you two boys would be alright without us. I knew somehow you'd grow up good"
"Hey, Mrs. McLoughlin, who's at the door?" A girl with a small frame came to the door. Her unforgettable brown eyes and golden hair shocked my memory.
"Gina" I sighed.
"Sean?" I took her in my arms. After all, we were friends.
"Yeah, it's me" I smiled.
"If you wouldn't mind me asking, but do my parents still live in the same house?" Mark asked. I remember he used to live a few blocks down. Momma frowned.
"I'm sorry, Mark, but after your father, um, after he passed, your mom moved" Mark seemed at a total loss for words. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Oh. Okay" he fake smiled before turning back down the sidewalk. I let go of Gina, following Mark.
"Mark," I called out. He was almost at the bus station again.
"What" he grumbled.
"Mark, I'm so sorry. I didn't know"
"How could you? We were stuck on an island all our lives because we were part of a zoo exhibit" he sniffed.
"It's no ones fault here. Things happen, no one can do anything about it"
"That doesn't change the fact that my dad died. He was my best friend"
"I know" I put my arms around him.
"I wish I never heard what your mom said. I wish I never thought of asking" he shook his head.
"I wish I could make this better for you," I wiped a tear off of his cheek.
"Can we just go in the house and forget everything, please? I don't want to talk about it."
In the house, Gina claimed me. She took me out back. The tree I had grown had wilted. More than half of it was dead.
"It used to be so beautiful. Your mom would get birds in it every summer," she sighed. I walked up to it and simply placed my palm against the bark. The green magic shot around in the tree, bringing life back to every single branch.
"Look at you go, I missed those powers" she giggled. She came to my side. She tucked her hair behind her ear. I could tell what she was doing, but I decided to brush it off. I took a single step away from her.
"Do you still remember my favourite flowers?" She asked. I racked my brain. It was either Lavender or Birds of Paradise. She liked purple things, so I went with the lavender. In my hands grew a bouquet. I put them in front of her.
"These?" I asked.
"You do remember! Wow, you mustn't have done much on that island that you can remember that so clearly" she took them from my hand and took a whiff.
"No, I think I did plenty."
"Really? What's it like there?" She put the flowers aside gently.
"Gorgeous. We all had houses and lived with families when we grew up. Then we either moved in with friends or significant others"
"And you and Mark were glued together the entire time?"
"We were inseparable," I grew a chair made of sticks and vines to sit in. I sat down, thinking of my childhood on the island. I hadn't thought of it in so long.
"How much so?" She sat on the bench opposite of me.
"Originally we were in two separate houses, but we would always keep sneaking out and going to one another. We relied on each other significantly. So much so that Mark ended up being moved into my guardian's house" I explained.
"How do all the children cope"
"Not well. There are lash outs quite often. Children who try to get back to their parents here. Over time they get over it and forget"
"It sounds horrible there," Gina frowned. I hadn't noticed she put one of the flowers in her hair.
"No, I enjoyed it. Mostly because I had someone from here over there. Not many people do"
"Did you ever find the one there?" I listened to her emphasis on 'the one'. I wanted to scream in her face to take a hint, but I didn't want to be rude. I paused, and I think she took it as a no. "Sorry, I was just wondering cause I was wondering if you'd like to go out tonight?" She asked. Just then Mark came through the back door. He smirked, crossed his arms, then leaned on the doorway.
"Ah, sorry, but I can't. I did find 'the one' as you said."
"Oh. Well I hope she treats you well..." she blushed intensely.
"He does" I looked up at Mark and winked.
"He?" She whipped around when she saw my wink.
"Yes.." I slowly responded.
"You mean, you're with, Mark?"
"I am. For eight years now"
"Oh god, I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't mean to be like that,"
"Don't worry, it's alright, as long as you're cool with it" I smiled at her.
"Yeah I am, there's no worries there! Haha! I just didn't know" she scratched the back of her head, then trying to make it look like she want obviously untucking her hair.
"I'm glad you accept" I stood from my chair, touching it to make it disappear.
"Again, I didn't mean to offend you in any way," she stuttered.
"You didn't. Gina, you're still my friend, don't you forget that"
"Gina! Your friend is here to pick you up!" Mom called.
"Thanks!" She paused, "I'll be seeing you around, Jack" she hugged me tightly, waved to Mark, then hurried to the front door. Mark came to my side. He took my into a huge hug. I needed it. Today has been such a whirlwind of emotions.
"You okay?" Mark asked.
"I'm good" I nodded.
"That's good"
"You fixed the tree!" Mom seemed thrilled. She was in the doorway.
"Oh yeah, I remember this tree" Mark grinned at it.
"I'm glad you're back, Sean. I've missed you, so so much" mom sat on the bench.
"I missed you too mom. I wish our neighbour hadn't caught us like that. Then maybe I would've been able to stay here" I sat beside her.
"The neighbour? What are you talking about?" She seemed confused. Mark even looked to be in a bit of shock because of the words mom spoke.
"Didn't she rat us out? To the government or whatever?" I was so confused.
"What kind of lies did they put in your head?"
"The government was taking us away, weren't they?"
"What else have you been told?"
"That our neighbour ratted us out to the government and that's why we were taken away"
"It was never ever the government" this came as a huge shock to me. I stood up, trying to think through all the things I've been told my entire life.
"Who was it then?" Mark asked.
"He's known as the Collector. And not in a good way. The government has tried countless times to stop him, even has sent countless boats to that island to try to save the children and people living on the island because all of you were taken illegally"
"Illegally?"
"They came with guns that day. Two men, demanding the two of you. I don't know how they found out. That's why the parents always tried to hide their children because he comes for them. For his zoo."
"They weren't lying to us on the boat, then" Mark gasped. I couldn't even speak. I didn't know what to think. Then there was a knock on the door. I wouldn't move. Mom went to get it. I stood there, in place. I felt to be in a bit of shock.
"There's a girl named Judith at the door?" Mom came back.
"What does she want?" Mark asked calmly.
"She asked for the two of you. There's some government officials who want to speak with everyone who escaped the island"
"Alright. I guess we have to go. C'mon Jack" Mark tried pulling me, but I refused to let him pull me. I grew vines around my ankles, securing myself to the ground. "Jack, please don't be difficult, this might be important"
"I don't want to leave" I shook my head. I was snapping out of my state of shock, but I still refused to go.
"This isn't the time" he tugged at my arm again. "Oh you big baby, do I really have to do this?" He walked up to me. I was a bit slow still. I tried to stop him, but his form came into mine with ease. He locked himself down inside of our form, making it difficult for myself to pull out of it. He took my powers, taking the vines away. Mom's eyes were wide. She stood out of our way.
"Sorry to leave so abruptly, but this has to be important" our form kissed my mom on the cheek before going to the front door.