Fantasy (Book #1 in the Superpowered series)

2

Both Mason and Serenity had to go to the nurse's office. Serenity experimented with her new ability.

It seemed that Mason, no matter what torture she put him through, couldn't really be harmed. And he couldn't feel anything in the real world.

Mason was put in a separate room, to scream and shout alone, while the nurse, a petite, dark-skinned woman, worked on Serenity's arm. When it appeared to be in good condition, the nurse practically sprinted over to Mason as if she had been itching to the whole time.

Serenity could hear her victim's yells as she played a scene in Mason's mind that was a classic nightmare: being chased. He had no idea what was chasing him, just that he had to get away.

Then her conscience kicked in. Serenity didn't want this to control her. She had seen plenty of TV series and books and movies where someone got a fantastic power and abused it, eventually becoming a villain.

Serenity changed what Mason was seeing. She concentrated on keeping his mind blank. This was much harder than creating terrifying worlds. She wasn't quite sure how to release her hold on him.

She imagined that Mason's mind was a... an iPad. She was shutting it off now. Yes, that was it.

The noise coming from Mason stopped.

Serenity felt lighter, freer. Like she'd just escaped something terrible. And she had.

There was no real point to her power. What was she supposed to do, find a team of people to help her fight evil? The worst crime that had happened in her lifetime was when someone had broken into her dad's car. 

Unless she was that evil...

Serenity shoved the thought away. What was wrong with her? She was a seventh-grade girl, not a super villain!

And there was no way she could live with the guilt. Supervillains were always insane or heartless. Serenity had a heart.

The nurse brought Mason out then. 

"You two are going to go to the guidance counselor," the nurse said quietly. Mason was shivering, even though it was warm.

"What--why?" Serenity asked, confused.

"You did nothing wrong," the nurse assured quickly. 

Serenity nodded. Mason followed her closely as she walked to the guidance counselor. The hallways were empty; everyone else was in class. He seemed small now, not someone who liked to hurt and tease others with seemingly no remorse.

"I'm sorry," he murmured as they walked. Serenity was unsure if he was really apologizing. The boy who had been bullying her just minutes before was now saying he was sorry? And it sounded sincere. She decided not to answer. "I... there was someone punching me. I felt so... tiny. Insignificant. Is that how it feels?"

Seen it knew what "that" was. She nodded her head, jerkily, mechanically.

"I'm not ever going to do that again."

Was this what her power could do? Reform people? So that they could understand the error of their way?

Serenity opened the door to the guidance counselor. She had almost missed it.

The guidance counselor was a young man who looked like he was barely out of college. He had neat red hair that clashed horribly with his black attire. He was sitting at a wooden desk. He typed something on a computer.

"Hello, Serenity. Hello, Mason. Take a seat, please." The guidance counselor gestured to three seats in front of him. Serenity took the rightmost seat; Mason took the one farthest to the left. The guidance counselor typed something on his computer. Probably noting their unwillingness to sit in adjacent seats.

Mason seemed very interested in a plaque on the wall. Robert Smith, Guidance Counselor.

"Mason," Robert began. His smile was small, and his eyebrows turned upward sympathetically. Serenity could tell he'd been practicing it. "There are reports of you bullying students." (Serenity mentally snorted at this; it just sounded too official for a middle school guidance counselor.) "But we'll discuss this later. I want to know what happened to you."

Mason froze. "There was someone... beating me up. I couldn't see their face, but it hurt to bad... then I was falling, and I was about to hit the ground. And then... I was in Hell... being burnt alive. And then I was getting chased. But they weren't hallucinations."

"It must've been hallucinations; none of that happened," the counselor said gently.

"I could feel it," he said doggedly. "I could feel it. The pain. The wind. The burns."

There was silence. 

"Why am I here?" Serenity asked, trying not to sound rude.

The guidance counselor laced his fingers on the desk. "Well, Serenity, you have been--ah--mistreated by Mason." (Mason winced.) "You were also there when he had these visions." Robert's speech was odd; he paused between each word as if carefully choosing what he said. "Did you notice anything that happened before and during his visions?"

What was the point in making up a lie? Part of the truth was believable enough. "Mason just looked at me. Then his eyes glazed over and he started yelling."

"Serenity, you can go now." It took every ounce of effort for Serenity to slowly get out of the room and walk to her class instead of running away from this strange event. She was scared. This was something weird, something new. If Serenity had suddenly been able to fly, or if she had laser eyes or superspeed it would've been easy. But this was something unspeakable. This was a secret that could be near impossible to reveal. This was a secret that could destroy Serenity from the inside out.

This was a secret that could destroy the world.