Shatter

I’ve never been good at telling stories, so... I’ll just start here. That day, when I woke up, I didn’t feel different, I just got out of bed and got ready for school. I got on the bus and read a book. For five seconds. Then Rane stole it. This guy, Rane Cieo, had it out for me. I never even did anything to him; he just… hated me. Well anyway, he took my book and tried to provoke me to fight him. I just rolled my eyes and played a game on my phone, which he was smart enough not to take. When the bus stopped and everyone left, Rane purposely dropped the book in the dirt, I picked it back up and put it in my backpack. My backpack and my jacket were purple, that’s my favorite color, and of course, I was bullied for it, along with… everything else about me.

I walked to my first period and took my usual place in the back of the line. As everyone got their turn on the test (all failing and sighing with relief) I wondered, as I always did, why the idea of having friggin’ superpowers scared everyone so much. When it came to my turn, the machine’s light flickered and started to smoke, it was probably broken again. Everyone looked at me uneasily, like I did it. Like I was dangerous. “You may sit, Mr. Doler.” The teacher, Mrs. Ray, said with a slightly fearful voice. This was stupid, it wasn’t like I was going to blow up the school or something. I didn’t even have powers. Or, (I know this is a cliche, but I did say I’m not great at telling stories, not even true ones.) so I thought.

I went to my seat, covering my nose as the rancid smoke invaded it. The teacher quickly got the machine out of the class allowing the students a minute or two so they could look at me uneasily. Rane rolled his eyes as if the whole situation was ridiculous. He was right, as much as I didn’t like him. This had happened hundreds of times with no true result, just everyone hating one person for a few days. I looked at the bright light coming through the window. I took a deep breath and started to draw in my notebook before class started. A Knight pinned to the ground by a Dragon. A Paladin bringing a magical cure to some sick townsfolk. And a demon taking hold of a kingdom. They were pretty good, but just little doodles. Class started. I think we did geometry or something? I don’t know. Then we did science, then… you get the idea. School. By the end of the day, I was tired, and humiliated… It sounds like I’m making excuses… ugh… I looked at the bus but… I just didn’t want to be embarrassed in there again.

I’d had a shi- I mean... Bad day already. I decided to walk home. I shouldn’t have. I was walking toward my house, although still near the school, and they pushed me into the wall. It was Rane and two older kids I didn’t know. I think I hit my head pretty hard when they pushed me, I wasn’t able to think about anything but the way the air felt on my body. “Guy’s you hit him too hard, he could be really hurt!” Rane said. One of the other guys replied. “Whatever, he’s a freak, right? They can’t get hurt.”

I heard a small noise. The noise that you never want to hear in this situation. The sound of a blade being unsheathed. My eyes widened and I slowly got up. The kid pinned me to the wall by my neck and put the knife to it. “What are you doing!?!” Rane exclaimed. He tried to pull the kid back but he got pushed down to the ground and kicked in the side by the other one.”Th-that’s too far!” I saw someone walk by, they looked over to us but just backed away and ran. Coward. I felt a sting as small amounts of blood rushed down my neck from where the point of the knife was. I struggled away, but the kid kneed me in the stomach. I let out a scream but he covered my mouth. I heard Rane and the other kid struggling, but I wasn’t listening. I was powerless. But then I wasn’t. I felt a rush of energy. I clenched my teeth and felt a slight pressure near my temple. Then, I felt every emotion I had come flooding out. My anger, my fear, my sadness, my pain. Everything. Suddenly I didn’t feel the knife against my throat or the wall against my back. I just felt the air around me and slight pain in my thigh, although it wasn’t much. All I could see was white dust. I coughed a few times. “Wh-” I began to ask quietly. Then I saw them.

Rane and the other kids… They were laying on the ground. There were some pieces of brick logged in Rane’s stomach. He was wheezing. The other kid- th- the one that was fighting Rane… He wasn’t doing anything. His eyes were open but they were… empty. He had bruises all over him and a few debris going through his- his neck. Finally, the other one that had been pinning me to the wall. He was the worst. He was less of him and more of… ‘them’. There were pieces... I… I can’t… I backed up to lean on the wall, but just fell into the debris. I couldn’t hear anything, not even ringing. I looked at my hands. “D-did I…” I asked. I knew the answer, but I lied to myself and said no. No. The machine was just broken. No. That energy was just from the explosion. No. That kid probably just took the impact for me, that’s why I’m ok. I shook my head. It doesn’t matter. Rane is still alive. I ran to him and kneeled over him. “R-Rane, I’m gonna try to pick you up, I’ll get the cops and- and-” And I’d be brought to that… place. I thought. I shook my head again. I’m not a monster, they won’t take me. I slowly began to pick him up, but he screamed in pain and yelled something, pushing himself out of my arms. Spatters of blood came out of his mouth as he talked.

I stumbled back and felt a sharp pain in my leg. I looked down and saw a large piece of concrete sticking out of my thigh. I could barely feel it. I saw red and blue lights. Part of me wanted to run. I saw men in white coats and that part of me won. I bolted as fast as I could. If they were here, it didn’t matter if I was the one who did it, they would take me just for seeing something remotely… weird. I ran. And I ran. And I ran. I think I was going towards my house, it was a little less than a mile. My mind was racing. I didn’t get tired until I got around halfway there. When people saw me, they looked at me strangely and then went back to what they were doing. I was focused on the sound of my shoes boring at the ground. The image of those other kids was replaying in my mind. They… They would never run again. They would never eat again. They would never breathe again. They were… nixed.

I was pushed to the ground. I heard the smack of my chin hitting the concrete. I let out a yelp as I looked up. There was some… guy. He was wearing all-white body armor. There were black numbers above his heart. ‘5229L’. He was holding some kind of stick. I looked at what would be his face but was his mask. It was white too but there were two pitch-black sockets where the eyes would be. I tried to get away, pushing and kicking. He was so strong. I tried to do whatever I had done before. But nothing. Then I realized that I had attempted it. I stopped. The man pointed the stick at my neck. I felt a sharp pain. Then nothing. Nothing happened. Just blackness. Then a blinding light.