Beatrice (Now One Chapter)

Day 1:

The stench. That was the first thing one noticed when walking up to the once-occupied gas station just off the interstate exit. The smell of still-burning gasoline, fiberglass insulation, and week-old potato chips. The building itself hadn’t been in the best of conditions the day before, but it was miles ahead of what it was now. All windows had been shattered, their glass shot out in every direction. The entire interior of the building had been charred and repainted with a new ashen color. Anything inside had either melted or burned from the heat that had been generated inside. Including anyone who had been unfortunate to be inside at the time of the incident.

That is, everyone except for one.

The girl sat in the back corner of the main room of the gas station, cradling herself with her knees up to her chin. Her hair was long and ratty, her body covered in dirt and scum, and her skin clung to her bones as though she hadn’t had a good meal in weeks. She couldn’t have been any older than eight years old. Nobody on the outside of the building could tell, but there was no doubt that she was crying. Her hands placed such that they covered her face, the girl sobbed into them. She’d hoped, prayed that this wouldn’t happen. Not again. She’d been good lately, no outbreaks for a few months and nobody had gotten hurt in nearly a year. But of course things had gone wrong, they always do. Right at the worst possible moment, she felt herself flaring up again. She’d tried to run, tried to protect everyone, but she was too slow. And now she was the only one left, the only one spared from the horrors that had unfolded in that gas station that day.

Though the girl didn’t know it, the cops and firefighters who sat outside were currently bickering with each other. The firefighters wouldn’t begin to clean up the building until the cops dealt with the problem inside, and the cops wouldn’t deal with the problem until their specialist had arrived. Luckily for them both, the specialist was only a few moments away from arriving, and when they did they would handle the situation for them both. The girl remained in her corner, her throat burning and her lungs struggling to breathe.

Suddenly, the broken and mangled door that clung to the entranceway of the gas station swung open. The bent frame of the door caused it to scrape along the floor, signaling that someone was opening it. The girl slowly lowered her hands and lifted her head. Expecting to see a tall, scary looking man in a cop uniform, or armored swat outfit, or even a dark business suit, the girl was surprised at the sight. The man was skinny, only a bit of muscle added on to his bones. He also wore a blue shirt which hung loosely on his frame, as well as baggy sweatpants. Whoever this guy was, it looked as though he had just woken up and slipped on whatever he could find.

It took a few seconds for the girl to realize that the man was walking towards her. When she did, though, she quickly moved her legs even closer to her torso, tightening her grip on them with her hands. “Stay back!” She screamed, her voice hoarse and breaking.

The man promptly stopped moving, held his hands up and began to speak, “Okay, it’s okay.” The man said, his voice was smooth and calm, a perfect reflection on his current demeanor. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He explained to the girl as he slowly began to walk again.

Tears welled in her bloodshot eyes once again. She opened her mouth, struggling to push words through the growing tightening in her throat. “But… I-I’ll hurt you.”

The man stopped dead in his tracks, his back stiffened, and his eyes widened. He took his right hand, its index finger pointing up into the air, and moved it around in a slight circle, gesturing towards his surroundings. “Did you do this?” He asked, his voice remaining calm despite the clear fear in his eyes.

“I didn’t mean to!” The girl snapped, her voice almost giving out towards the end of the sentence.

The man loosened his body a bit in hopes of calming her down, “I know.” He said as he took a slight step forward, slowly bridging the gap between the two of them before repeating, “I know.” He began to bend his knees, lowering himself down to her eye level.

The girl noticed this and began to pull herself away from him, clearly afraid that she would hurt him again. “Hey, it’s okay. Look,” He said as he moved his hand so that his palm faced the ceiling, but bent his fingers to make a claw-like shape. A split second later, the sight of bright blue sparks of electricity began to shout out from his fingers, connecting to their neighbors in a spectacular show. The still and silent air was now filled with the buzzing and crackling of small bolts of lightning encircling the man’s fingers.

The girl’s eyes lit up at the sight. Her body loosened, allowing her legs to straighten out. “Woah!” She exclaimed, a slight smile forming on her face. The man had now fully bent down, sitting on one knee he was only about a foot or so from her face. She turned to look him in the eye, “You-you’re like me.” She said with a large grin.

“Yes,” The man stated, his mouth also tightening to form a slight smile. “There are many of us out there. And they can help you.” He explained. His closed his hand into a fist, stopping the sparks that had once lit up his hand. A few seconds later, he opened his hand again, holding it out towards the girl. “I can help you.”

The girl’s hand moved ever so slightly, signalling that she was tempted by the offer. “No,” She said sharply, pulling her hand back towards her body. “I’ll hurt you. I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“I know,” the man said, moving his hand slightly closer towards her. “And if you come with me, I promise that you will never hurt anyone again.”

The girl loosened up a final time. She raised her hand and slowly began to move into the man’s opened palm.

“What’s your name?” The man asked, as their hands finally met.

“B-Beatrice.” The girl answered.

“Beatrice, that’s a pretty name.” The man complimented.

“Th-thanks, mister.” Beatrice replied.

The man chuckled to himself before continuing, “Please, call me James.”

Day 15:

The forest bloomed and blossomed with life, dominated with the green trees and shrubbery which covered the earth, complemented with a sprinkling of numerous colors from the flowers which dotted the landscape. One could almost make out the sound of cicadas screaming out into the warm, almost hot summer air. Rustling leaves in the distance hinted at the approach of a weak gust of wind approaching. The crisp blue sky did nothing but ensure that this patch of forest be forever enshrined in its own beauty.

That is, until Beatrice looked away from her coloring book, greeted by the disappointing and all-too-familiar grey sight of the concrete room which she now occupied. She sighed to herself as she resumed her coloring, noticing that only a few pages remained in this coloring book and soon she will have to ask for another.

Just as she was putting the finishing touches on the current patch of tree bark, Beatrice heard someone speaking from the other side of the large door which served as the room’s entrance. “I cannot recommend you do this. We do not know the full extent of her abilities.” The voice sounded small and nasally, and somehow showed that they had large glasses atop their nose.

“Which is why I am going to be acting as her supervisor for the remainder of the day.” Another voice responded, this one much deeper and more… normal sounding. It seemed familiar to Beatrice, much more so than the first voice. “For security purposes, of course.”

“It’s not you that I’m worried about, Mr. Peterson.” The first voice barked back.

A third voice spoke up, accompanied by what sounded like a woman’s laughter. “With all due respect”, the woman’s voice said, “I’ve dealt with Enhanced capable of bringing an end to modern civilization with a simple thought. The patient in your care does not scare me.”

“I still cannot recommend that you enter that room.” The first voice repeated.

“Then it’s a good thing that you are no longer the patient’s supervisor, today.” The woman snapped just before the handle on the large metal door was pushed down with an audible ‘CLICK’.

Now walking through the doorway was James, now sporting a much nicer outfit of a polo and jeans. He had managed to visit Beatrice in her confinement every single day so far, likely coming from wherever it was that he worked. Behind him, however, was a woman that Beatrice had not seen before. She seemed to be around the same age as James, albeit about six inches shorter. Her strawberry blonde hair was cut just below her shoulders, which coincidentally was right where the maroon top of her outfit started.

“Hello, Beatrice,” James said with a smile, “How are you today?”

“Good.” The young girl answered, focused more on the woman standing behind James than she was on the fact that he had crouched down and picked up her coloring book.

“These are really good, Beatrice.” James complimented as he scrolled through the colored-in pages of the book. “They should be put up in a museum.”

Blushing instinctively at the compliment, Beatrice never took her eyes off of the strange woman who accompanied the two of them. Looking up from the drawings, James finally took notice of Beatrice’s nervousness towards the other woman. “Oh, Beatrice, this is Dr. Hayden.” James said with a smile as he stood back up to his full height. “She’s a good friend of mine who wants to help you.”

Dr. Hayden had a smile grow on her face as she crouched down to be eye level with the young girl sitting on the ground. “Hello, Beatrice, how are you today?” She asked as she held out her hand. Gripped by her fingers was a small chocolate bar still encased in its wrapper.

Sheepishly, Beatrice grabbed the chocolate from Dr. Hayden’s hands, beginning the process of unwrapping it with her own, much smaller hands. “It was good.” She squeaked out before taking the first bite out of the chocolate.

“That’s good to hear.” Dr. Hayden said in response, looking back up towards James as she finished. While she never spoke while glancing at him her face said volumes. It was as if she was preparing herself for what she was about to do. “Beatrice,” She said heavily, her voice full of breath. The young girl looked back up at the doctor, chocolate beginning to smear across her face. “I need to know what happened back at the gas station.”

Beatrice’s mind was suddenly blasted with images of what happened. The sight of carbon scoring, the sound of crackling fires, the taste of smoke in the air, and the stench of burnt flesh. She closed her eyes shut, her body quickly placing itself in the fetal position as she gripped her head with her hands. “I didn’t mean to.” She said loudly, fighting to hold back the tears in her eyes.

“I know you didn’t.” James said, lowering himself down with Dr. Hayden and placing his hand assuredly on Beatrice’s shoulder. “We know you didn’t.” He corrected, “And we’re trying to help you. But to do that we need to know what you were feeling when it happened.”

Beatrice gulped, her body loosening itself slightly. Though her knees remained up by her chin, her hands slowly fell down from the top of her head. “I was… nervous.” She managed to croak out from the lump in her throat.

“Nervous? What for?” James asked, his face showing concern and confusion at the same time. Conversely, Dr. Hayden’s voice remained unchanged, as though she already knew the answers herself.

Beatrice adjusted herself so that blood flow could now return to her lower legs, “I was stealing.” She admitted.

James continued to interrogate, “Stealing what?” He asked.

“F-food.” Beatrice told him.

“Why were you stealing food?” James asked, the confusion in his voice and on his face growing stronger. “Where were your paren-” His question was cut off by Dr. Hayden, who simply placed her hand on his shoulder. Glancing at the doctor, he could already tell what happened by the look in her eyes. He took a deep breath before turning back towards the young girl, who was still in distress. “Okay, so you were getting some food. Then what happened?”

“I felt it.” Beatrice answered, a single tear flowing down her cheek. “I felt it here,” She said, gesturing with her hand towards her forehead before moving the hand down towards her gut. “And in here. Then it got loud… and hot.”

James and Dr. Hayden turned to each other. Neither of them said a word, but their faces moved and contorted in a way that was similar to people conversing with one another. James turned back towards Beatrice, needing only to ask but one more question. “Do you know what happened after that?”

Beatrice simply shook her head, her body returning to the huddled position it was to begin with. James sighed to himself before getting up from the ground. “I’m sorry about this.” He told her as he stood. “I’ll make it up to you next time, I promise.”

And with that, he and Dr. Hayden turned to leave. Leaving her alone to process everything.

Day 35:

Beatrice had become accustomed to the near daily visits from James in the small concrete room. She had actually started getting used to simply being stuck in this room. She did not know why or for how long she was staying there for but if James was letting her stay there she was sure that it was for a good reason. Sometimes the two were accompanied by Dr. Hayden, which usually meant that they would discuss what happened to her in the gas station. But most days it was just the two of them. Today was one of those days and Beatrice couldn’t be more relieved. She hated talking about what had happened.

The two of them sat alone in the room, with James looking over the younger one as she colored in another page of her coloring book. He watched as she filled in the various red, yellows, oranges, and greens present in an autumn-season tree. As the colors of the tree came to life and the scene was all but realized, an idea popped into James’s mind. A ludicrous idea that just might work.

“Beatrice,” He started, causing the young girl to snap her head up to look at him, “How would you like to go on a walk with me?” He asked.

Beatrice’s face lit up with excitement and wonder. She hadn’t left the room since she was first put there. The prospect of being able to cross that door again, to go outside and smell the fresh air, hear the birds chirping and feel the stillness of fall was almost too much for her.

“Yeah!” she shouted as she jumped up from the ground. James extended his hand, which she took with glee. As the two exited the concrete room, they were greeted by a long hallway illuminated by bright fluorescent lights which filled the air with a slight humming sound.

The two were quickly accompanied by another man, this one adoring a lab coat. Beatrice recognized him as one of the doctors that would often come in and perform run of the mill medical checkups on her. He was a few inches shorter than James, his hair more brown and his face almost obscured by his thick, heavy glasses. “Mr. Peterson, I cannot recommend that you do this.” The man said, walking backwards in front of the two of them.

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t need your permission.” James responded as he and Beatrice continued to walk. Beatrice was beginning to feel unease at how hostile the doctor’s voice was.

“Sir, please, we can discuss this in a place a bit more private.” The doctor said, this time a bit more assertive and placing his hand on James’s shoulder to try and stop him from moving.

Suddenly, the smile on James’s face disappeared, “Doc, I appreciate the concern, but I am taking her on a walk.” James snapped, his voice filled with a degree of anger Beatrice had never heard before. “If you have a problem with that then maybe you’d like to take it up with my superiors.”

The doctor hunched slightly and removed his hand from James’s shoulder. He’d been beaten and he knew it. Calmly and swiftly he moved out of the way of the two of them, giving them clear access to the remainder of the hallway. At that moment, just as suddenly as it disappeared, James’s smile reappeared as he looked down to meet Beatrice’s eyes. “Sorry about that.” He said before turning to look forwards once more.

The two of them continued down the hallway, almost taking a whole minute to cross it. At the end, the two rounded the corner to be greeted by a single elevator. James gestured towards the buttons, which Beatrice pressed with excitement. The elevator doors swung open and the two of them crossed into the small compartment. The doors closed behind them just before the elevator shot upwards with great force and speed. Beatrice could feel her ears popping as the elevator climbed. Wherever they were, they were clearly deep underground.

Finally, the elevator reached the top of the shaft, its doors opening to reveal a large, open lobby. Beatrice entered the room, before swinging herself to the left. In front of her was a massive glass wall revealing the forest which concealed the building. Laughing and bouncing with excitement, she bolted towards the front doors, pushing them open with all her might. The bright colors of the foliage, the crunch of the leaves under her feet, and the sharp, crisp air brought joy to her mind. She picked up a small pile of leaves, admiring their color and even the dirt that had smeared on them. The moisture present hinted at how it had recently rained. Rustling the leaves between her fingers, Beatrice felt at home for the first time in a long time. Giggling to herself, she then threw the leaves up in the air, watching them in their elegant dance as they floated back down to the ground.

James exited the building himself, chuckling at how excited and happy Beatrice seemed to be. He was shocked and kind of disappointed he hadn’t thought of doing this sooner. He slowly made his way towards the young girl before joining her in the fun. The two of them made piles of leaves far larger than either of them had seen just to leap into them and destroy them. Only for the process to be repeated once they had their fun. A few rounds of hide and seek were performed, to which James took note of just how good at the game Beatrice was. She even managed to climb nearly ten feet up a tree, before realizing how high up she was and began to freak out. James swiftly came to her rescue, catching her as she leapt off of the tall tree, her body weight being more than he expected causing the two of them to continue falling down onto the ground. The giggling which filled the air hinted to James that neither of them were hurt. Once he realized that, he couldn’t help but get a few laughs in himself.

Hours went by as the pair continued to prance, dance, and play in the forest. The passage of time managed to escape James’s mind until it was realized by the sun beginning to set and the changing colors of the sky. Beatrice was sitting alone in the grass, playing with a few blades of the foliage as she caught her breath. He walked up to and sat down next to her, the two of them looking off into the distance together. For a moment, that’s all they did. Neither of them talked, neither of them moved. Only silence.

James wished he didn’t have to do this, didn’t have to ruin this nice moment. But he knew that, in the long run, this would be the best thing for her. “Beatrice,” he started, “I have a favor to ask for you.”

“Huh.” Beatrice responded as she turned to face him.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her in close to him. With his other arm, he reached out, extending his index finger in the direction of where he wanted her to look. “You see that large tree right there?” He asked.

“Uh huh.” She answered.

James took a deep breath before continuing, “I need you to hit it.”

Beatrice’s face turned to one of confusion but she didn’t question him. She simply stood up to begin to journey out towards the tree. But James’s hand, still resting on her shoulder, prevented her from standing all the way up. “Not with your hands.” He added.

“I don’t understand.” She admitted.

“I need you to hit the tree using your powers.” He finally explained.

Beatrice’s face turn from one of confusion to one of dread. Her eyes grew wide, her heart beat fast, and the hair on the back of her neck stood tall. “I-I can’t.” She squeaked out, her body beginning to compress into the position she always took when thinking of her powers.

“Yes, you can.” James told her.

Tears began to well in her eyes, “I don’t wanna hurt anybody.” She added. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I promise you will never have to hurt anyone else ever again.” James assured her. “What you can do, it’s not a curse. It’s a tool. Sometimes, we don’t know how to use a tool properly. When that happens, things can go wrong and people can get hurt. But we can learn to master the tool, so that when the time comes and we need to use it we know how.”

Beatrice’s expression remained the same, terrified and dreadful. James stopped for a second to think before coming up with what else to say to her. “Do you know how I learned to use my power?” He asked. She shook her head. “Well, electricity is very excited all of the time, like how you were when we first came outside. It wants to be everywhere all of the time. All I need to do is show it how to get there.” He leaned in closer to her, using his hand once again to point out towards the tree, “So if I wanted it to go to the tree, I simply imagine paving a road from my fingertips to the tree out there. So that way, the electricity knows exactly where to go.” As he finished his statement, a quickly flash of lightning erupted from his finger, shooting out and striking the tree’s trunk with a loud ‘CRACK!’.

“Woah!” Beatrice said in wonder, her fearful face beginning to waiver slightly. She took note of a small, singed mark the electricity had left on the tree’s bark.“That’s so cool!”

James smiled before leaning away from Beatrice, “Now you try.” He told her.

“But you use lightning. All I can do is make things blow up.” She said.

“It doesn’t just blow up.” He explained, “What you can do is very special. There’s this energy that flows all around you, around me, around all of us. None of us can see it or even use it, except for you. You can control it, and that makes you stronger than it. It will go where you tell it because you will always be stronger than it.”

Beatrice, still clearly hesitant, turned her head as though she was thinking it over. “But how do I tell it where to go?” She asked.

James paused for a second, “Think of it like your drawings. You have to keep the color inside the lines or else it loses its shape.”

“I’m not very good at keeping the color in the lines.” She explained.

“You’re better than you know.” James told her, “Besides, it doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be good enough for it to go where you want it.

Beatrice took a deep breath before holding out her hand in the same way James had. She closed her eyes, imagining that she was back in the room and coloring in her book. Crayons in hand, she made sure to keep the colors inside the li-

‘BOOM!’ The incredibly loud sound filled the air, the ground shaking as its shockwave traveled through it. Even a few windows had shattered in the building behind the two of them. As the shockwave from the sound traveled through the air, another source of energy did the same. Though, this one wasn’t in the form of a wave, but rather an arc. It was long and bright, glowing a beautiful pinkish red as it traveled just a few feet above the grass. The arc continued in its delicate dance before finally reaching its destination: the tree. The immense energy caused the trunk to burst into a million tiny pieces, each one burned to a crisp as they flew out in every direction. Then, just as soon as the arc of energy appeared, it disappeared. In its wake it left a trunkless tree (whose top half was now falling towards the earth), the smell of burnt ozone in the air, and a trail of burned and blackened grass. A trail which led from the tree directly back towards the arc’s point of origin: Beatrice’s still extended hand.

A smile crept over James’s face as relief and pride took over him. But this smile was dwarfed in size by the one which had plastered itself all over Beatrice’s face. “I did it.” She said, still processing what had just happened. For the first time in her life, she was not controlled by her powers, but rather they were controlled by her. The feeling of hope, knowing that she could control them, overwhelmed her. “I did it!” She repeated, this time louder. She began to jump up and down in ecstasy. “I did it! I did it! Did you see it!?”

James chuckled to himself, “Yes, I did see it.”

Tears began to well in Beatrice’s eyes once more. Only these weren’t tears of fear of her power, or of regret for the things she’d done. They were tears of hope. She leaped up, enveloping James in a great big hug. “Thank you!” She shouted, her voice beginning to crack from the screaming and crying she’d done. James reciprocated the hug, squeezing tightly. The two remained in the embrace for a few seconds as Beatrice finally managed to come down from her high. She said one last thing, this time much softer and more composed.

“Thank you.”

Day 91:

“Mr. Peterson, I have allowed your shenanigans to go on for long enough. I cannot allow you to do this!” The voice was muffled from traveling through the layers of concrete before entering Beatrice’s room, but it was easy to make out from its sheer volume alone.

“You know the protocols as well as I do, Lawrence.” Beatrice heard another voice snap back, this one easily recognizable as belonging to the man she had come to call her friend. “And I’m sure you’re also aware that your patient’s 90-day grace period has ended and can no longer be kept in these conditions.”

“I know what she managed to do above ground was impressive to you, but since then she has not been able to demonstrate proper control.” The first voice countered.

“Control is not the issue here. Beatrice has managed to go without an incident for 90 days. This makes her a free citizen under federal law.” Beatrice could tell by James’s tone of voice that over the past 90 days his patience towards the doctors which looked over her had run out. He was ready to be done with them, and so was she. The prospect of getting out of this room, of being able to be free again excited her.

The door to the concrete room swung open to reveal the familiar sight of James just beyond the room’s confines. “Hello, Beatrice.” He said with a smile, his tone of voice changing drastically over the course of about two seconds.

Right behind him, however, stood the doctor that Beatrice had come to know over the past few months. His name appeared to be Lawrence, which is something that she had not known up until now. “Mr. Peterson,” Lawrence snapped, his patience having equally reached its end as well, “I respect your optimism, but I recommend you stop and think about this before you do something stupid.”

James sighed, turning around to face the doctor, “Lawrence, I understand that you’re only doing what you think is right. I know you’re worried and I can understand it to a certain degree. But she can no longer be held under your care against her will. And since she has yet to be claimed by a proper legal guardian, I have assumed the role due to the fact that I was the first to respond to her incident a few months ago. And as her guardian, effective immediately, I will be releasing her from your care due to the rights bestowed upon her by the Enhanced Victims’ Rights Act.”

Suddenly, Beatrice could feel the hair on the back of her neck standing up. It felt as though she had just rubbed her sock-covered feet on a shaggy rug. At the same time, the lights began to flicker, slowly at first before the interval between flickers quickly shrank. Beatrice took notice of James’s hand, clenched in a fist, with small, blue sparks of lightning beginning to cover his wrists. “Now are you going to comply with this, or are we going to have a problem?” He asked through clenched teeth.

Lawrence had gone pale, as though he had seen some sort of ghost. He gulped as he began to slowly move away from the doorway. As he turned to walk forward, a nearby outlet sparked loudly, causing him to jump and begin walking much faster.

James took a deep breath, allowing all of the electrical systems of the building to return to normal. He turned back to face Beatrice, who was dumbfounded by what she had just witnessed. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” He said, his voice guilt ridden.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Beatrice shouted. “How did you do that?” She asked.

James chuckled. “Years of practice.” He answered, “Which is something that I hope to help you with. And maybe one day you’ll be able to do something similar with your power.”

Beatrice’s eyes glowed as a smile crept onto her face. “Really?”

“Really.” James repeated as he crouched down to become eye level with the young girl, “Now, how would you like to get out of here?” The look on Beatrice’s face said everything that James needed to know. But he needed to make sure his intuitions were right before asking this next part.

“Actually, how would you like to come live with me?”

Day 100:

The room wasn’t that big, barely large enough for a twin bed, a bookshelf, and a desk. But it was a massive improvement over the cramped, concrete bunker Beatrice had called home just a week earlier. The first and most obvious improvement was the introduction of color. The pink sheets of her bed somehow worked well with the blue painted walls. The white carpeted floor wasn’t that soft but anything is softer than solid rock. And there was more to do inside the room than just color. While Beatrice did enjoy some coloring from time to time, it was nice to be able to do some reading or even go outside once or twice a day. The house was small, really only consisting of two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and one and a half baths. But this was made up for in its location. Right smack dab in the middle of nowhere, surrounded entirely by trees, shrubbery, and many members of the animal kingdom which called the forest home. The secluded and peaceful nature of the house gave Beatrice a sense of belonging. She always hated being around large numbers of people.

Almost completely absorbed by the story in her book, Beatrice was brought back to the real world by the sound of a light knocking on her door. She placed her bookmark onto the page she is currently reading before responding to the knock with a light “Come in.”

Twisting the knob and opening the door was James, pushing the door open just enough to peer his head into the room. “What’s going on in here?” He asked, his voice playfully loud and demanding.

Beatrice giggled, “Just reading.”

“Ooo, what’cha readin’?” James asked as he opened the door the rest of the way.

“Charlotte’s Web.” She answered.

James whistled softly, “Okay Ms. Smartsy-fartsy. When I was your age I was still stuck reading Amelia Bedelia.” Beatrice giggled again before James continued to his point. “Dr. Hayden is down in the kitchen if you want to talk to her.”

“Okay.” Beatrice responded, throwing her book to the side before leaping out of bed. As the two of them walked out of the room, Beatrice began to overtake James in speed as her excitement was hard to contain. Seeing the opportunity, James began to ‘race’ her down to the end of the hallway, which opened up to the kitchen. As they ‘raced’, the two of them tried to trip each other up in hopes of giving them the for-sure win. Making sure to let her win, James let out a defeated ‘Ah!’ as Beatrice beat him into the kitchen. With Dr. Hayden sitting at the kitchen table, the three of them entered a laughing fit over what had just happened.

Once he had finally stopped laughing, James managed to compose himself, “Okay, I’ve got some work to do so I’ll leave you two to it.” He said as he turned back into the hallway and towards his room, leaving the two others alone.

“Hello, Beatrice, why don’t you join me?” Dr. Hayden began, gesturing towards the chair next to her. As the younger one sat down, the doctor continued, “How have you been since the last time we spoke?”

“Good.” Beatrice answered simply.

Without skipping a beat, Dr. Hayden continued with her questions. “Have you done any cool pages in your coloring book?”

“Nah,” Beatrice answered, “Mostly reading.”

“Oh?” Dr. Hayden said as she scribbled down a note on her notepad. “Trying to catch up for when you go back to school.”

Beatrice’s face grew visibly paler. She hadn’t thought about school in… a long time. Being around the books and papers and all those people… it sent a shiver down her spine. Her distress must’ve been very telling, as Dr. Hayden was quick to change the subject. “Don’t worry about school. It’s June anyways, you won’t even start it for at least another few months.”

Beatrice calmed down a bit, relieved and thankful for summer break.

“Now why don’t we talk about something you’d like to talk about.” Dr. Hayden suggested.

Beatrice gulped before continuing, “I went outside the other day and found some cool rocks.”

Day 219:

Beatrice huffed and puffed as she finished the run around the yard. Ever since moving in, James made sure she stayed active and got adequate exercise. Today, he upped the amount of laps around the yard from 2 to 4. Something that Beatrice was struggling to do. But James’s words of encouragement kept her going. He knew she could do it, she knew she could do it, so the only thing left to do was do it. When she finally reached the end of her fourth lap, she practically collapsed onto the ground under the weight of her own body. Her face was coated in sweat and her lungs burned from the heavy breathing. But she’d done it, and that was the important part.

“Good job.” James congratulated with a good pat on the back. “Tomorrow we’ll take it down to three and go from there. And I want your math homework by 10 o’clock.”

“What if… I can’t… finish it?” Beatrice asked between breaths.

“That’s okay.” James answered, “Just give me what you have done by then. Now head back inside and get some water. Dinner will be ready in a bit.”

Day 393:

“How confident do you feel about your powers?” Dr. Hayden asked.

“I haven’t hurt anybody in a while,” Beatrice answered, “But I still don’t like using them.”

“That’s totally fair.” Dr. Hayden assured, “Have you been doing your exercises?”

“Everything that James tells me to do. I just don’t feel like I’m getting any better.” Beatrice explained. “And I know I won’t hurt anybody, but I’m still scared I will.”

“And that’s okay. Take your time.” Dr. Hayden told her. “There’s nothing wrong with taking your time.”

Day 511:

“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you.” The joyous singing filled the air as James brought in the cake with severa lit candles into the now-dark kitchen. As he placed the cake down in front of the young birthday girl, he finished the song. “Happy Birthday dear Beatrice. Happy Birthday to you.”

Beatrice took a deep breath in before blowing out the ten candles placed onto the cake. Both James and Dr. Hayden began to clap ecstatically as small wisps of smoke rose towards the ceiling. Beatrice smiled, only one thing ringing in her mind as she came up with something to wish for.

Day 550:

“You’ll do great! You’re way ahead of your class so the homework will be easy. Just focus on making friends and it’ll fly by.” James explained.

Beatrice, obviously nervous, held her head down and rubbed the side of her arm. “I don’t know.” She mumbled quietly.

“It’s okay. You’ve done great so far, and you haven’t had any accidents in a year and a half.” James reassured her, though seemingly to little effect. “I’ll tell you what, if at any point you feel as though it’d be best for you to come home, just give me a call. I’ll come running down here as fast as I can.”

Beatrice looked up at him, the first time she’d raised her head in a few minutes. “Promise?” She asked.

James held out his hand, clenched in a fist except for his pinky, “Promise.” He said as Beatrice hooked his pinky with her own. Letting go, she took a deep breath and began the journey towards the entrance to the school.

Day 915:

Beatrice gulped. Why was she so nervous? He’s been so kind and understanding and he’s never once shouted at her. Yet, her stomach was tied up in a knot and her breathing was staggered. She was surprised that she hadn’t started shaking. As she reached the entrance to his room she took a deep breath before knocking gently.

“Who is it?” James asked from the other side of the door, knowing exactly who it was knocking on his door.

“It’s Beatrice.” She answered as she turned the knob and began to open the door.

“What’s the matter?” James asked, rushing up from the desk which sat in his bedroom’s corner to serve as his office.

Beatrice took one last deep inhale before finally declaring, “I want to play softball with the other girls at school.”

James rolled his office chair forward, stopping in front of Beatrice. He took her hand in his and sighed, “Bee,” he started, a nickname he had started calling her a few months back. “I know you want that, and I’m happy for you. But you can’t play for your school.” Her face contorted in a sense of confusion. “You see, the other people like us, with powers, they could have an unfair way of playing. Some of them are super strong or really really fast. That doesn’t make it fair for the other girls who can’t do that themselves. So, we aren’t allowed to play for schools and with…”

“Normal people.” Beatrice interrupted.

“No, not normal. Nobody’s ever truly normal. We each have our own differences in our own special way. Ours is just… different from theirs. More obvious. So they don’t let us play sports with them because it would be unfair to them.” James explained.

“But that’s not fair to me. I’m not super fast or super strong!” Beatrice exclaimed.

“I know that, and you know that. And it should be that way. You should be allowed to play with them. And if it were up to me you would. But it isn’t up to me.” James told her. He knew that, eventually, he’d have to give this talk. To explain that the world treats the Enhanced so differently. But he didn’t have to explain why. He didn’t want to explain why. After all, who wants to explain to an eleven year old how the whole world hates them because they’re scared of her. It was something he wasn’t looking forward to, but he knew that someday he was going to have to have that chat.

But today was not that day. “But, there are some sports teams for people out there like us that are only played by people like us.” He began, “They call them ‘Enhanced Sports’. Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that name’s pretty flippin cool.”

Beatrice grinned, “Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”

“But you gotta think about this. Not only which sport do you want to play, but what sport works best for you and what you can do. And I’m not talking about running around the yard a couple of times.” James explained, “I’m talking about your powers.”

“My- powers.” Beatrice tripped up. She still hated that word. She hadn’t used them outside of her practices with James. She didn’t want to. Not when she didn’t have to.

“Yes, your powers.” James repeated, “I’m willing to bet that, with a little more practice, you’d be able to swing that bat just as powerful as some of the strongest girls on your team.”

Beatrice’s grin transformed into a smile. She would like that. To see the ball fly high and far. To know that she did that with her powers. The same powers that hurt her so bad and caused so much pain. She wanted that. She needed that.

“James, I want to play softball.”

Day 1,208:

Beatrice sat down on the cool floor of the forest. It had rained the day before, and the smell of dew was poignant as she slowly took in air. It was the beginning of summer, but the morning breeze and the shade from the thick oak leaves overhead forced Beatrice to adorn a jacket over her clothes. She petted the grass down at her feet, a bit of dirt and mud getting under her fingernails as she played with it. She looked up from the ground towards the sky. The morning sun was just barely high enough to poke through the tree cover.

Beatrice smiled. She liked it out in the forest. Usually about as much as she liked being alone. Usually, though. Today, not so much. Today she dreaded being alone. But she knew she needed to be. To give her space and time to think.

She picked a single blade of grass out of the ground and began to fondle it in her hands. A single tear slipped out and ran down her cheek.

“I got a 100% on my math test,” She managed to squeak out, “Just thought you’d like to know.”

Day 1,511:

Beatrice’s cheeks were flushed red. Almost as red as the dried blood stain on her jeans. James stood with her, comforting her as her body began to ache and cramp. He handed a packaged pad to her before adding, “The sticky part goes on your underwear. The absorbent part faces up.”

Beatrice simply nodded before heading into the bathroom to change.

Day 2,315:

The cold, metal bat sat solidly on her shoulder. The nighttime air caused her strong, steady breath to come out cloudy. Her hair, which clung to her helmet about an hour before, was now slick and drenched in sweat. The black lines painted under her eyes were well gone now, but that was no longer necessary as the sun had set about twenty minutes earlier. The bright lights of the wide open field provided more than enough light to see the bright neon ball in the hands of the pitcher. She was tall and definitely strong, having more muscle than Beatrice seemed to have in her entire body. But this clear disadvantage didn’t even phase Beatrice. The bases were loaded, the team was down by 3, bottom of the last inning, and only one more out to go. It was now or never.

She took a deep breath, feeling her cleats sink down into the sand beneath her feet. She tensed her entire body, clenching the bat as tightly as she could. All of the practice, all of the training, was about to be put to the test. And if she lost grip on this bat, then the pitcher very well likely could wind up with another hole in her head.

The pitcher dropped the bag of rosin, the ball now obscured by her leather mitt. She took her position on the mound, signaling to Beatrice that her moment had come. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She began to imagine the shapes around her as lines in a coloring book. The field, the lights, the ball, the fence gate, the umpire, her friends and teammates in the dugout, even James and Dr. Hayden as they watched anxiously from the bleachers. Then, she began to imagine a crayon in her hand as the ball came into view. She concentrated, focused all of her attention and energy on one single thing.

But it wasn’t the ball. Instead, Beatrice began to color in the metal bat as it began to lift itself off of her shoulder. And as the pitcher released the ball from her grip, as it traveled towards home plate at well over 100 miles per hour, Beatrice released her focus and energy. She swung the bat as hard as she could. And just as she did, a familiar pink aura began to surround the bat. Then, with a sudden and massive ‘CRACK!’, the bat made contact, transferring all of the built up energy and power Beatrice had into the ball. Which was now sent back flying up and away from home plate, somehow going faster than it was beforehand. The crowd awed and cheered as her team screamed at her to start running.

As the ball cleared the far side of the fence, the whole crowd was now cheering, screaming in celebration. As Beatrice rounded second base, she saw James and Dr. Hayden’s faces, both red from screaming but laden with pride.

She’d done it.

Day 2,783:

Beatrice twirled in the red dress. Her hair was freshly curled and her feet were adorned with shiny high-heels. She’d helped her friends with their makeup and she’d helped them with hers. As she looked in the body mirror in her room, she thought to herself that she’d never looked prettier.

“Bee!” James screamed down the hallway. “Marcus is here.”

Beatrice quickly, or rather as quickly as one can while wearing heels, exited her room and made her way towards the living room. As she entered, all of her friends and their dates were staring at her, including Marcus. The young man had gelled his hair back and adored a dark blue suit to compliment her red dress. In his hand was a package for a white corsage.

“Sorry I’m la-” Marcus started, his words failing him as his eyes landed on Beatrice. She blushed and so did he. “Wow, you look great!” He complimented.

“Thanks.” She said with a large smile. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Okay everyone, time for group pictures!” One of the moms in the room said, gesturing for everyone to start going outside.

“Is that for me?” Beatrice asked, pointing at the corsage in Marcus’s hand.

“Oh, uh, yes it is. I couldn’t find one for a while which is why I’m late.” He explained.

“That’s okay,” Beatrice assured, “It’s perfect.”

“Excuse me, you two.” James interjected, practically squeezing himself between the two of them. “To my understanding the dance ends at 10. Which means I want you home by midnight.” He explained.

“Yes, James.” Beatrice said with a slight eye roll.

“You two have fun!” James shouted as she and Marcus exited the house. “But not too much fun!”

Day 3,033:

Beatrice huffed and puffed with every step she took. The hot, sticky air clung to her skin and made it very difficult for her to sweat. The blonde hair which stuck to her forehead offered little to no protection from the sun as it singed her corneas and burned her retinas. Her feet ached every time they struck the pavement below them. Every nerve in her body pleaded for her to cool down for a few moments, for her to catch her breath, for her to stop running. But she couldn’t. Not today.

Normally on days like this she would simply go out into the forest and simply enjoy the solitude. But today was different. She had too much on her mind. Solemn silence was the last thing she wanted. But she couldn’t stay home either. James would make sure she did her training and exercise. She needed to be alone right now. Alone with her distractions.

Rounding the corner, Beatrice realized that she was now just down the street from her house. She contemplated going back inside and resting in her room the rest of the day. The thought of it left her head a split second later as she continued to run. That’s when she noticed him. Standing up the road about half a mile was James, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, his arms crossed. Beatrice continued the trek down the road, stopping just in front of James.

“What is that now? Fifteen miles?” He asked.

“Just… about.” Beatrice answered in between breaths.

James, his face showing he was unamused, continued, “Come inside. Breakfast is ready.”

“No thanks, not hungry.” Beatrice responded as she began her jog once again.

Taking his arm in his hand, James yanked her back, stopping her in her tracks. “I wasn’t asking.” He hissed. “You need food and water or you’re going to burn yourself out.”

“I can take care of myself.” Beatrice hissed back.

“Then by all means, go back out there. When you’re too tired and sore to play well on Saturday, don’t come crying to me.” James snapped before immediately taking in a deep breath to calm himself down. “I made your favorite.” He said with a smile.

Beatrice smiled to herself. On most days she wouldn’t be able to resist a warm stack of blueberry pancakes. Most days, though, not today. “No thanks.” She responded.

“Okay, what is it about today that gets you in such a funk?” James asked.

“What?” Beatrice asked.

“You think I haven’t noticed? Every year on the same day you seem… different, more isolated. You usually just go out into the forest on your own and I let it be. Today, though, you decided to go running for some reason. And while that’s fine, I’m not going to let you throw yourself out. So what’s the matter?” He finished.

“It’s nothing.” She answered.

“I know that much. Any other day you’d be begging me to not make you run.” James teased, “Come on, I can help you.” He added, placing his hand over hers.

“Just leave me alone!” Beatrice snapped, yanking her hand away from him. James looked up to see her bloodshot eyes, a single tear just shy of rolling down her cheek. “You wouldn’t understand.” She added, her voice beginning to crack.

The words rang through James’s head. He’d heard them before. Just from someone else. He sighed, “I get it.” He said, his heart beginning to ache. “I really do.”

“How could you possibly get it?” Beatrice asked.

James gulped hard before continuing. He knew he was going to have to tell her this sooner or later. “Come with me.” He told her before turning back towards the house. “Please, there is something I need to show you.” he added, peering over his shoulder so that she could hear him. Beatrice, realizing this was serious, did not hesitate to follow him back into the house. As they entered, James turned towards his room with his destination being his office desk in the corner. Next to the desk was a large file cabinet that Beatrice could never hope to understand how to use. But James was naturally able to open the correct drawer to retrieve the exact file he wanted, as though the process of doing so was engraved in his memory.

Finding what he was looking for, James extracted a large vanilla folder and threw it onto his desk. The first thing that caught Beatrice’s eyes upon opening the folder were newspaper clippings with the headline ‘Several Dead in School Attack’ and ‘Suspected Enhanced Still At-Large’.

“Many years ago, there was a young boy who had just started his first year of high school. He wasn’t very social and didn’t have a lot of friends, but the ones he did have loved him more than anything. And for that, he loved them just as much.” James began, pausing every few seconds as though to regain his composure. “One day, he begins to experience severe migraines. Thinking nothing of it, he continued on with his life. But he didn’t know that these migraines were the first sign of his Enhanced powers manifesting. He didn’t know, that is, until it was too late.”

Beatrice continued to shuffle the clippings around, finally reaching a small pile of photos. Each one of them appears to either be a school photo or cut out from a larger family photo. But every single one of them was of a child no older than Beatrice herself.

“Thirteen people died that day as he lost control. All of them in high school. All of them were younger than eighteen. And they all died almost instantly. Alive one moment and dead the next. That is, all except for one. She bled out from her wounds several minutes later. The boy who caused it held her hand as she passed.” A single tear fell out of James’s eye as he continued the story. Beatrice, still skimming through the pictures, finally reached the thirteenth and final one. Unlike the others, this one wasn’t taken on a professional camera. It was grainier, probably taken on someone’s phone. It was of a girl, maybe a year older than Beatrice. She was beautiful, with long, dark hair and bright green eyes. She seemed to be leaning up against someone in the photo but it seemed as though they’d been cut out of the picture by someone with a pair of scissors. Beatrice was confused as to how James would be able to get a hold of a picture this… personal. Then, he continued with his story. “The girl was his best friend.”

Suddenly, it hit her, and Beatrice finally understood. “The boy was you.” She muttered, turning away from the photos and towards him.

“I know the first, middle, and last names of all thirteen of them. I know that one of them wanted to be a personal trainer, another wanted to be a dentist, hell one of them wanted to be a rocket scientist. I know if they had applied to any colleges. I know if they had pets as well as the names of both of their parents. I know pretty much as much as I can about them because not a single day goes by where I don’t think about them. How much would the world be different had I not lost control. What if one of them would’ve been a paramedic who saved the lives of countless people everyday. Or what if one of them would be a politician who would write legislation that would decrease the price of insulin. Or what if one of them would’ve prevented some sort of major disaster from occurring.” James’s face at this point was practically soaked in tears. His voice was cracking and his whole body was slightly shaking. “I didn’t get a good night’s sleep for years after that day. To this day I still have some sleepless nights.

“So trust me when I say this, I understand why you’re in pain.” He added, “Because I know what it’s like to hurt somebody.”

Beatrice was still in the middle of processing all of this new information. Then she came to a sudden realization. “That’s why you were at the gas station that day.”

James simply nodded his head, “I know you didn’t mean to do what you did. And I know that the only thing that got me back on my feet after what I did was support from my friends. From my family. When I saw how dirty and malnourished you were, I knew that you didn’t have either. So I took you in, I took care of you, made sure you didn’t lose sight of who you were.” He explained. “I tried my best to make you better than who I was.”

“And I know you think you’re alone,” He continued. “That you think you have to go through this on your own and come to terms with this on your own but you don’t. There are other people, good people, who can help you. People who know what you’ve been through and may have gone through it themselves. You aren’t alone, no matter how much you feel like you are.”

Tears began to form in Beatrice’s eyes now, the two of them twinning in their feelings. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and sniffled as she took in all that she heard.

James sighed before folding the vanilla shut and beginning to put it away, “Well, breakfast is getting cold so that I suggest we-”

“Ten years ago.” Beatrice interrupted.

“What?” James asked, stopping in his tracks.

“Ten years ago… today…” Beatrice tried to speak but her mind held her back. After a few seconds of pushing with everything she had, she finally managed to throw out, “Ten years ago today was the day I killed my parents.”

James sat down on the foot of his nearby bed. Beatrice did the same, her nose beginning to run and sniffle. “I don’t remember why or how it happened. All I remember is being so… angry. I was upset and tired and I don’t know if it was me losing control or if I somehow caused a gas leak but I do know there was an explosion which tore the house apart and turned everything in it to ash. Everything that was inside was completely destroyed includ- including my parents.” She paused, giving James time and reason to place his hand upon her shoulder. This was hard, but it had to be done. “I remember finding them in the rubble. They were in bed together, my dad still holding my mother in his arms. They didn’t even know it happened, they were dead before they even felt the heat of the fire.

“That was ten years ago, today.” She finished.

“I’m sorry.” James said, his crying having mostly subsided.

“I was so young when it happened, I don’t remember much about my parents. Hell, I’m not even sure I remember what they looked like. But I didn’t know what to do with them gone. I was alone and scared. I didn’t know what was happening or why I was still alive. All I knew is that my parents were dead and that it was my fault. So when the police arrived to take me in, I ran. I lived on my own for a year or so. Until you found me.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” James assured her.

“Then whose is it?” She snapped. “I was the one who lost control. It was my powers that destroyed the house. If I wasn’t there that day then they’d still be alive.”

“That’s the same thing I said to myself all those years ago. I know it seems like it is your fault, and there isn’t much I can say to persuade you it isn’t. I know you’ll probably spend the rest of your life blaming yourself because that’s what I did. But it isn’t your fault. Fate decided to be cruel and take something from you that you could never get back. And that is not your fault.”

Beatrice tried to keep herself composed, tried to keep herself from ugly crying. But she couldn’t stop the wave of tears from coming. “I miss them so much!” She said just before she lost all sense of composure. James grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug, holding her in tightly.

“I know,” he said, “I know.”

The two of them sat there for a few minutes, Beatrice’s voice going hoarse as she wailed into James’s shoulder, soaking his shirt in her tears. Finally, she managed to regain some control of her emotions and pulled out of the embrace. Sniffling hard, she tried to clear her nose up with little avail. Though, she had to admit, finally speaking up about it and telling someone did make her feel better. And hungry.

“What did you say about breakfast being ready?” She asked, causing them both to laugh.

Day 3,037:

“A little bit of green here”. She thought to herself as she began to run the crayon along the page, using her finger to blend the colors together to make it seem more natural. “And now a bit of red there.” Beatrice was suddenly thrown out of her coloring session by a soft knock on her bedroom door. “Yes?” She asked towards the door and its knocker on the other side.

“It’s Dr. Hayden.” The doctor responded from the far side of the door. “I was wondering if we could talk.”

“Come in.” Beatrice said, giving the doctor permission to enter the room.

As Dr. Hayden opened the door and stepped into the room. “Wow,” she said, taking a good look at the walls of the room, “I see you’ve done some redecorating.” The room had changed over the years, transforming from its once pink and blue self. Now the walls were decorated with a bright blue background, onto which Beatrice herself had painted numerous trees, shrubs, bushes, and flowers onto. Her sheets had changed to become a navy blue blanket bespeckled with stars in an attempt to resemble the night sky. She much preferred this aesthetic to what it had been before. “I love it. It suits you.” The Doctor complimented.

“Thanks.” Beatrice said with a slight blush. Setting her book aside, she continued, “What did you want to talk about?”

Dr. Hayden pulled out the chair from the nearby desk and sat in it. “James told me about what you two talked about the other day.”

“Oh, I see.” Beatrice responded. She was still processing everything that had happened that day.

“The part that stuck out to me the most was the part where you said you don’t remember what your parents looked like.” Dr. Hayden explained. Beatrice simply nodded. “Well, maybe there’s a way that I can help with that?”

“What? How?” Beatrice asked, “Is this some sort of therapy method to help me remember my childhood?”

“Sort of,” Dr. Hayden answered. “I think it’s time that I told you the truth. Not that I lied to you, it’s just that I haven’t told you everything.” She paused to take a deep breath, “I’m also Enhanced, like you and James.”

“Really?” Beatrice responded, “What can you do?”

“Well, I’m a telepath.” She began to explain, “I can read and communicate with other people’s minds. It’s what makes me so good at my job. Don’t worry, I don’t know anything about you that you wouldn’t tell me yourself. Reading minds takes effort and if I don’t concentrate I don’t hear anything.”

“Okay, but how does that help me remember my parents?” Beatrice asked.

“Well, if I concentrate hard enough, I’m able to directly enter someone’s subconscious. From there, I can access their memories, even those they seemed to have forgotten.” Dr. Hayden explained. “I usually use it to help those with trauma or some sort of trigger that they don’t know the cause of. If we were to try it on you, maybe it’d unlock some memories you have of your parents.”

“Seriously?” Beatrice asked, her voice emitting excitement.

“If we do this, I need full consent from you. This could be… it could be very emotional and a lot to take in.” Dr. Hayden warned, “If at any point it time you want out just let me know and I’ll bring us back into the real world. Now, are you sure you want to do this?”

Beatrice wasn’t sure about the ‘very emotional’ part of the warning. She’d gone through enough emotions for this week. But if there was a chance to see her parents again, she felt she had to take it. “Let’s do it.”

“Lay down on the bed.” Dr. Hayden commanded. Beatrice did as she was told, lying down her body flat on the bed. Dr. Hayden moved the chair so that she sat closer to Beatrice’s face. Placing her hand upon the other’s forehead, Dr. Hayden closed her eyes and began to focus. “Close your eyes,” She commanded. Beatrice obeyed, sealing her eyes shut. “I want you to imagine that you’re where you find yourself most comfortable. Where you have the most space to yourself to think as you please. I need you to focus on the sights around you, the quiet sounds that fill your ears, and the smells that enter your nose. Focus on that place, and your mind will take you there.”

Beatrice didn’t know where she was most comfortable. But she began to imagine she was alone with her thoughts and suddenly her mind began to fill in the blanks. Slowly she began to hear the sounds of birds chirping and squirrels playing in the distance. The rustle of leaves in the wind created a sort of floral smell that she would never get tired of. Images of trees and shrubbery began to form around her, though they lacked one thing in particular.

Suddenly, Beatrice found herself in the middle of a wide open forest, complete with trees, bushes, grasses, animals, flowers, all the fixin’s. All, that is, except for color.

“Very interesting.” Beatrice heard someone say behind her. She spun around to see Dr. Hayden standing there as well, looking around her at the colorless world.

“Where are we?” Beatrice asked.

“We are in your subconscious.” Dr. Hayden answered. Still seeing confusion on Beatrice’s face, she continued to elaborate, “Normally, your conscious mind is never supposed to go down this deep into your subconscious mind. The brain has trouble processing what it’s seeing, so instead it decides to show what it is that makes you most comfortable. Apparently, that seems to be in the woods.”

Beatrice walked towards one of the nearby bushes. It had flowers sprinkled amongst the normal green-colored leaves. She reached her hand out to touch the flower, only to see that contact with it somehow made its color return. Now a vibrant pink, the flower stood out as it seemed to be the only source of color in the entire world. Beatrice repeated the process, running her fingers through the bush to see its green color returning. Suddenly she got it now. She wasn’t in a forest. Rather, she was in a forest from one of her coloring books. She giggled to herself, a feeling of joy washing over her.

“I gotta say, I haven’t seen a subconscious quite like this one.” Dr. Hayden admitted as she tried to recreate Beatrice’s coloring in of the surroundings, only to find that she couldn’t do it herself.

Beatrice, having returned color to an entire nearby tree, turned back towards Dr. Hayden. “I think I’m ready.” She said.

“If you want to turn back at any time, let me know.” Dr. Hayden warned.

Beatrice simply nodded, signaling she wanted to continue. Dr. Hayden nodded back and closed her eyes. “This might feel a bit weird.” She said before the world around them began to change. It was no longer the uncolored forest, but rather a collage of Beatrice’s memories in three-dimensional space. It was almost surreal going through these moments a second time. Though, the further the two of them traveled, the blurrier the memories got. “It’ll take some time for me to retrieve a memory from this far back.” Dr. Hayden explained. Beatrice simply watched in awe as she practically re-lived her life, only this time in reverse.

Then, the world around them went dark. “What happened?” Beatrice asked.

“Please be quiet,” Dr. Hayden commanded, her face strained, “It’s very difficult to keep a memory this old intact.”

Then Beatrice heard something, causing her ears to perk up. It was soft at first, then quickly grew louder and louder. It was of a baby crying. Slowly, the world around Beatrice began to grow brighter and brighter. Though the light was still fainted, and warm. Then it cut to a bright, white light as the baby’s crying became an ever apparent wailing sound which pierced her ears. As her eyes adjusted to the blinding light, she noticed that she was now inside of a hospital room, looking around through the eyes of the baby. Her eyesight then shifted towards whoever was carrying the baby. It was a man that Beatrice found somewhat familiar. Carrying the baby, he turned around, as though handing them over to somebody.

Beatrice now seemed to be looking in a mirror. The baby was now being held by a woman who looked exactly like her. It was strange, as though she was looking into the future. But how could that be when this was supposed to be a memory. Then the woman spoke in a voice that Beatrice somehow remembered hearing in her dreams.

“Hello,” the woman said, tears in her eyes with the widest smile on her face. “Beatrice.” She added.

“Mom?” Beatrice asked herself, now knowing what it was that she was watching. She was seeing the very first memory she had of her parents. Off in the corner of her vision was the man, who she believed to be her father, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed with a similar smile plastered on his face as well. A single tear welled up in Beatrice’s eye before everything cut to black.

Beatrice took in a sharp inhale of air as she awoke from her trance. Although having not moved at all since starting her meeting with Dr. Hayden, she was struggling to keep her breath.

“Sorry about that,” Dr. Hayden apologized, “I couldn’t hold on to the memory any longer.”

Beatrice, now having the tear fall from her eye, lunged forward and wrapped Dr. Hayden in a hug. “Thank you so much, Dr. Hayden.” She pushed out through her tears.

Wrapping her hands back around Beatrice, Dr. Hayden reciprocated the hug. “It’s okay, it’s okay. And please, call me Rosanne.”

Day 3,300:

Beatrice was in a good mood today. She couldn’t say why she was, but she could tell that she was. The thought of fluffy pancakes for breakfast filled her mind as she raced down the hallway and into the kitchen of her house. As she entered the room, she was greeted by the sight of James and Dr. Hayden sitting at the kitchen table, the two of them chatting over tea.

“Oh, Dr. Hayden.” Beatrice said, surprised. “I didn’t know we had a meeting today.”

“We don’t,” Dr. Hayden responded, “And please, sweetie, call me Rosanne.”

“If we don’t have a meeting, then why are we here?” Beatrice asked.

“Because,” James interjected, “We both feel that it is time.”

“For what?” Beatrice asked.

“Beatrice, you know that I teach for a living, right?” James asked, to which Beatrice simply nodded. “What you probably don’t know is that I’m not just any teacher.” He continued, “I’m actually the dean of where I teach. It is a very special school for people like you, me, and Rosanne here. I work for the Academy for Enhanced Individuals.”

Beatrice’s eyes went wide. “You teach superheroes!?” She asked in astonishment. James nodded his head. “What!? And you didn’t tell me this!”

“I didn’t tell you that because the identity of my students could not be compromised.” James explained, “If the world found out the name of one of the Academy’s students then the name of a future superhero would be leaked. That’s something that the LEGION would not tolerate.”

“The LEGION,” Beatrice whispered to herself. The League of Enhanced Guardians Incorporated for the Oversight of the Nation. They were the ones that every superhero in the country reported to. The strongest Enhanced in the world worked for them. “That’s who you were threatening to call on the doctors back when I was held captive. I can’t believe you work for the LEGION.”

“I do, and I have for a long time.” James continued, “So long that I have been able to gather a few favors from others who also work for them, many of them in high places.”

“What are you saying?” Beatrice asked at last.

“I’m offering you a spot at the Academy next year.” James finally stated. “Someone of your power and your determination can save a lot of lives.”

“Or, you can not go to the Academy.” Rosanne interjected, “I know that being a hero has never been something you’ve considered doing. You’ve always had your mind set on either art or environmental studies. And there are ways of doing good things other than becoming a hero. You just have to find out what they are. I’m willing to help you in the search and take the steps you need along your journey.”

Beatrice gave it some thought, weighing her options. On the one hand she’d probably end up going into environmental studies. She could develop ways of further conserving vital habitats and preserving the forests of the world. She could help improve the livelihood of thousands, if not millions of people and animals in her efforts. On the other, she would go into many years of grueling, physical labor. She would likely hurt and ache after every day. She’d be tired after waking up early in the morning and going to bed late into the night. Peace would be an afterthought, as the only thing that mattered was reaching the next goal she set for herself. It would be many years of long, unending pain and suffering on her part, and she would have little to show for it herself. Instead, everything she would do would increase the chance of survival of another, innocent life.

She knew what she had to do.

Day 7,300:

The Hero Aurora stood atop the building, overlooking the expansive city below her. She always hated the city. The busy streets, tall buildings, large crowds covering the sidewalk, and a seemingly endless maze of iron and concrete. She much preferred the quiet, solemn nature of the woods she called home. She longed to return to them.

But there weren’t people who needed help out in the woods.

Listening in on the police scanners, she waited. And waited. And waited longer for a sign, a signal, that something was amiss. Then, she heard it. “Attention all units, we have a hostage situation on the corner of First and Farm. Single armed suspect, hostage appears to be a young child.”

Tapping on the earpiece which was snug inside her ear, Aurora responded. “This is Agent Aurora. I’m in pursuit.” She declared before leaping into action. She was only a few blocks away. After sliding down the fire escape, she bolted down the street. Rounding a single corner before coming across a jewelry store. Inside the store was a tall man clad in mostly black clothes wearing a bandana across his face. At his feet was a bag of jewelry. In his hand was a small pocket knife, placed firmly against a young boy’s neck. The boy’s face was red, his eyes wet and puffy, and judging by his gentle gasps and whimpers, he’d been told to ‘shut up’ by the armed man.

Without wasting a second, Aurora leaped to the building. Crossing the glass windows which lined the walls, Aurora was halted by a sharp and sudden, “STOP!” Her eyes locked with that of the man with the knife, his knuckles white as his grip tightened. “Stay where you are, or I swear to god I will do it!”

Aurora held up her hands, her palms open and facing him. “Okay, okay. I’m staying where I am.” She told him. The bright lights of the store illuminated her black costume which included intricate patterns of red which seemed to randomly flow across her body. The bottom half of her face was concealed by a thick mask, though her eyes and short hair remained visible. She had come to love her costume. Which is a good thing considering that she herself had designed it. “My name is Aurora.” She said, trying to not sound mad despite how angry she truly was.

“I know who you are,” The man hissed, “I know you’re here to arrest me. You can’t do that! I’ve got people who need me!”

“And who might that be?” Aurora asked.

The gunman’s expression changed. Clearly he was expecting him to be dead with a brand new hole in his chest. This was not what he thought was going to happen. “My-my brother. He’s-he’s sick.” The man responded.

“I’m very sorry to hear that.” Aurora told him. “Is that why you tried to steal?” She asked.

The grip on his knife loosened slightly, “I didn’t want to.” He said. It was at this point that Aurora realized that this man wasn’t a man at all. He was just a boy, probably no older than fifteen years old.

“I know you didn’t.” Aurora continued, “Everybody does things they hate for the people they love.” She explained. “And if you put down that knife I promise you that you won’t be put in jail.”

The knife dropped down, no longer in direct contact with skin but instead now hanging a few inches lower. “You-you do?” He asked.

“I promise. I have friends who can make sure you get to go home to your brother.” She told him.

His gaze broke with hers, and the young boy dropped a few inches as the tight grip on his waste was loosened. “I-I just wanted to help.”

“You can help right now.” Aurora said, “If you just put down the knife, nothing will happen to you or your brother. You have my word.”

His knees buckled, the hand gripping the knife dropped to his side and the young boy was finally able to put his feet on the ground and run to his sobbing mother. Aurora took a few steps forward before reaching out and gripping the knife with her hand.

His other hand gripped Aurora’s tightly, preventing him from taking the knife away, “You promise that nothing will happen to him? That he won’t be sick no more?”

“I can’t promise that.” Aurora explained, “But I will do everything in my power to make sure he finds a good doctor who will help him.”

His grip on Aurora’s hand gave way, and she was able to take the knife out of his hands and sheath it before placing it in one of her back pockets. He then pulled her in for a hug, “Thanks you, miss.” The boy said through his tears.

“You’re welcome,” Aurora said, wrapping her arms around him as well, “And please, call me Beatrice.”