The Hidden | ✅

Chapter Ten

"Here." Alex said tossing me a turquoise backpack. I looked down at it with a raised eyebrow and Alex shrugged in response. "I noticed that it's the color that your eyes glow when you use your powers. I thought it would make it a little happier."

The thought did, but the gift itself...not so much. It reminded me of the soulless eyes of that creature I'd created that almost got the chance to kill the kids in the cafeteria. And that was one of the hectic events of the day that I wanted to...not remember.

Yet and still, I gave him the strongest smile I had, which was pretty weak."I like it." I said simply. He turned back around and reached for a black backpack."You should get the red one." I said shyly. "Since we're basing it on the eye color thing."

He looked back at me and smiled before grabbing the dark red backpack. We walked through the snack isle and he picked out some granola bars. I sucked in a breath at the memory that they awakened.

Back when my dad had tossed it at me, smiling. When my mom looked at me and laughed when she woke me up. I wondered if they'd still look at me like that, with love and laughter, or if they'd look at me and see a completely different being, a being that they hated.

He also picked out two lime flavored Gatorades. "Want anything else? He asked. I shook my head.

We made our way to the cash register and the lady operating it looked us over. I didn't blame her. I mean, I was covered in soot and my hair was a tangled mess. Not to mention that we both probably smelled like smoke.

"What happened to you?" She asked as we handed her the items.

Alex interrupted before I could speak. "We just came from the Science Center down the road." He began." "We were competing in a state competition and the experiment she'd entered blew up in her face." He looked at me with a humored expression and I rolled my eyes, playing along. "I think she's pretty pissed about it."

The woman sort of laughed. "Well, you win some you lose some, I suppose." She finished ringing up our items. "Your total is $23.15."

Alex handed her the money and we walked out of the store. The crisp night air kissed our cheeks, cooling me down and helping me relax a bit. When we escaped the school, Alex lead me to the part of the park with denser trees and we laid low there until nightfall. He pulled my hood over my head and I frowned at him."What was that for?"

"To keep you looking inconspicuous."

"Inconspicous?"

"Mhm. As attractive as it is, your white hair will be a dead giveaway as soon as they get our pictures out. Yours might get out sooner than mine though, because you're family will be more likely to comply than mine. If they can even find them."

"What do you mean?"

Alex turned to look at me with a smirk. "Well, Circe, you see, my family is...different from your standard definition."

"Well duh," I began. "If you're an Elementalist, that must mean that they are too."

"Yeah, that's true, but that's not what I meant. I live in...a group home of sorts."

"A group home?"

"Yeah. Except it's for Elementalists kids with no family."

Family. The concept of that seemed so distant. I wondered what my family was doing then. Were they mourning the loss of a daughter, or hoping for the capture of a monster. If I was even the slightest bit lucky, they'd be doing both.

"So it's like...and X-Men type thing?" I asked. "Where they'll teach me to cultivate and gain control over my abilities and help me get a better understanding of myself?"