The Fragile the Broken and the Brave

55. Limp

10.11.20

Benji's POV

It took an entire week for me to be finally let out of the hospital, and I could still tell deep in my chest that something is wrong with me. Mikey keeps opening his mouth like he's going to say something then closing it again. I want to know what he's hiding from me, but I feel like even if I ask him he'll never answer me clearly. He told me that the doctors instructed not to use my magic for a few weeks in order to let it become restored, but they had no clue what he was speaking of when I asked them about it. Everyone around me acts like they're walking on eggshells, and all I want to do is be in on whatever secret they may be holding from me.

As I walked down the hallway, eyes followed me with every single prolonged step. The limp I had made my movements very noticeable. Well, that and the fact that everyone thinks of me as a hero now. I suppose that I did defeat a major threat, but I don't think that it's very advanced to now be staggering through the mansion like an elephant on stilts. Whispers were bouncing off of the walls like an echo, and I had to put my head down in order to ignore them. Some were positive, sure, but a lot of them held the same opinion of me as I do myself; I'm so weak that I can't even handle my own powers. It was only a few more paces before my legs gave out completely, and I fell face first into the floorboards. Laughter rang out around me, and my eyes began to burn with tears. Every once and awhile that will happen, and I feel like it's always in front of other people. At least all of the other witches and warlocks have gone back to the school; I don't want to be seen like this by my peer group. Of course, that also means that Mikey had to go back with them. The blue haired teacher whos name I don't care to remember had drug him out of my hospital room by his dreadlocks yesterday, and it had made me feel as if a chunk of me was missing. I don't know why I rely so much on him, but he seems to be the same way. At least I'm not the only one in our relationship who cares on that higher level.

Two hands rested themselves underneath my armpits before lifting me up, and I turned around to look at Connor with a small smile engraved on my face. Ever since I was left here by Mikey, he's been the one to take care of me. I feel horrible about taking his valuable attention away from his soulmate, but Varian doesn't seem to mind. As a matter of fact, he's still excited that he gets to be in the house. "I'm fine Conny."

"I know that you are, but I like to help you out. I don't doubt that you're completely competent, yet you're still healing. I was told to keep you safe and happy."

"I am safe." I shook his hands off of my body before wobbling away, and his sigh rang throughout the entire corridor. I know he worries about me; they all do in their own way. However, I'm my own individual person, and I don't need to be babied over. It may take me 30 minutes to walk from the medical ward to my room, but I'm capable of fulfilling my own actions. I collapsed onto my bed as soon as possible, and the piece of furniture cradled my body much better than the hospital bed ever could. I found that my eyes began to drift closed, and I allowed my mind to slip from the consciousness of today...

"Daddy look! I'm flying!" a younger version of myself shouted, and the man that raised me turned his head to watch as I jumped from the couch onto a pillow. My giggles rang throughout the home, and his smile was warmer than a summer day. I can't think of a reason why I'm dreaming about this memory, but I'm sure that it has something important to do with today. I can't seem to dream these days without it being seriously important for something. 

"Benjamin, it's time to go do your homework now."

"But dad! I don't want to do it!" I was only seven, and of course there's no interest in sitting around learning all day. My attention span was everywhere when I was a kid, and my parents had ended up testing me for ADHD too many times to count when I was that age even though it had always come back as negative. I don't know why I was so energetic all of the time then. It probably has something to do with my warlock side now that I'm thinking back on it.

"Now Benji." His voice had taken a stricter tone, and his facial expression was one that used to terrify me when I was young for reasons I couldn't comprehend. His eyebrows would meet up in the center of his face like a fuzzy caterpillar, and his eyes would get a deep storm inside of them that would automatically make me shrink in size no matter what I had been doing wrong before.

"No!" I firmly declared, and my father decided he has had enough of my attitude for that day. He stormed over to me with a red face, and my little eyes widened up at my angry father. However, when he reached out to grab a hold of me, he had to drop me right over again. A small hint of red electricity shimmered in the air where I had been, and I heard my father complaining about me having a strong static electricity current. It wasn't until he picked me up again that he realized it wasn't just a zap, and he immediately called over my mother.

"Pick him up."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it please."

When she reached down more gently to lift me from the floor, she wasn't shocked. I'm surprised I had control over my magic at this young of an age. My father continued to rage, but my mom was the expert at ignoring him and carried a contented child into my bedroom. She kissed me on my forehead before leaving, and I sat down on my bed while swinging my legs up and down. The room around me was beginning to crackle like Rice Krispy Treats, but I didn't notice as I played on my phone. Well, that is until the phone exploded in my hands, and I looked around the room scared, little slivers of lightning bolts floated around my room, and I was too mesmerized to even scream for help or blink. I lifted a hand to touch one of them, and I could read the shock on my own face when it didn't hurt me. A black figure emerged from my chest, and I looked at it like a complete stranger even though it had come right from my own body. It dispersed into the air, and with it took my ability to use my magic until it was safe for me to do so... Until the death of my parents.