I stood in the research lab, watching my bottle of water freeze in my hand. If I didn't get control of this soon, I would probably pass out from dehydration.
"Kim, focus. The ice responds to the way you're feeling. Each emotion, each electrical pulse that sparks between each cell. If you focus, you can control the way the cold spreads. Focus solely on the flow of the cold in your arms. That's where the ice is most potent. And force your fingers to pull the cold out of the water." my mom instructed.
I nodded, praying to anyone who was listening, for this to work. I had learned early on how to manipulate most parts of my body. Muscles and emotions were easy enough. Even pain nerves could be trained to withstand most kinds of trauma. Energy was a lot more difficult. It required a lot of control.
I pushed each muscle in my body, feeling them contract and release. I thought of the way my emotions impacted my new abilities. When I felt intensely I would lose control, but the same could happen if I ignored my emotions. I simply needed to push my desires into the core of my being.
Several minutes passed and I felt nothing. The water still remained solid. Then, something seemed to click in my brain, changing my thought pattern. The ice melted, the cold and moisture being pulled into my blue tinted skin. And my fingers returned once more to pale white.
For the first time, I wasn't afraid of what I could do. My mom smiled and my dad stepped out of the second half of the lab. The room for testing each of the new chemical concoctions and weapons. Both rooms were reinforced, but the testing room was built strong enough to withstand almost any kind of threat or explosion. Sound proof accept for the speaker used to communicate when there's danger on the inside. It also worked as a good sparring room.
"Good job. I just need to get a fresh blood sample, and you can go with your father. And after the testing, we'll eat dinner and you can get ready for your movie."
I honestly had no idea how to respond, nodding again. I extended my arm and she felt around for a vein. Minutes passed with her fingers moving over the indent of my arm. She looked confused each time she applied pressure.
"I...can't seem to find a vein..." she spoke to herself.
Another minute passed and my body felt like I needed to be up and moving. I felt like electricity was flowing through my entire body.
"Mom, what's wrong?" I asked, covering my impatience with a question.
"Well, this is rather strange, but it almost feels like...like you don't have anything under your skin. It's firm, like muscles, but it feels different."
I took in what she said with a surprising level of calm. As if I had somehow expected something like this.
I watched her work with my soft, pale, skin, her face a storm of emotions. Her fingers left my skin as she tried to figure out what to do.
With her attention off of my arm, I got up and went to a drawer along the wall.
"Kim?" My mom watched me skeptically.
I pulled out a scalpel and moved to the draw with the petri dishes a couple feet to my left.
"Kim?!" My mom's voice heightened as I pressed the blade into my palm, mentally prepared for the pain.
I felt the point press against my skin, the pale tones splitting to show blue, liquid ice that fell numbly. I felt no pain, barely even registered my mom's gasp. All I could think about was the liquid that solidified before even breaking contact. It crystallized in the form of a thin pointed rod. The wound encased itself in ice, and beneath the ice, the rip in the flesh mended itself.
A part of me was scared by it all, but another part, a larger part, was exhilarated. Seeing the slightest glimpse of my new abilities, gave me a sense of completion that I never knew I needed. This new power was a part of me that I just know was always meant to be mine. Her fingers trembled as she pulled the ice away. I wanted to say something. Whether for my mom's sake or for my own. But no words came to mind. All I cared about was the energy that was now driving me.
"You, uh, should go see your father. While I work with..." she looked at the crystal "this."
I stepped away from the table, keeping my eyes to the ground. If I saw anymore of my mom's fear, I'd lose the enthusiasm that now kept me going.
I pushed open the door to the training room; my dad stood next to the small reinforced shed that was built as an observation room. 4 inches of bullet proof glass and 3 layers of thick, chemically infused steel, covered with the same synthetic wood that surrounded the rest of the room. The room on its own could probably withstand an atomic bomb.
"You ready for me?" I asked quietly.
My dad jerked out of whatever daze he was in, turning to me with his mad scientist look.
"Kim! Yes! Let's do this!"
I closed the door and my dad went into the small room. The door latched shut and his voice boomed from a speaker in the wall.
"Alright, first you need to try to create the ice in your arms. You've spent so long learning how to work your body, you just need to enforce your will."
He wasn't wrong about me knowing how to work my body, emotions were unpredictable as it was. And energy was a major extreme. Emotions worked on chemicals in the brain, and while they can be repressed, chemicals couldn't be forced. I could physically control them, but internally, I was just like any other teenager. Still, I had to try.
I thought back on the feelings I'd had when the cold took hold. The fear, the insecurity, and the thrill that I'd never tell my parents about.
There was a longing building inside of me. I craved the power, the intense excitement. And, somehow, I knew how to control it. I simply visualized the pale blue tones, and the color of my skin faded into ice.
I moved my fingers, watching the crystals move as smoothly as muscles and bones.
"That's perfect. I'd like you to try testing what you can do."
Instinct took hold, showing my mind how to use what I'd been given. I flexed my frozen fingers and solid droplets fell to my feet. I visualized what I wanted. A snowball formed within my hand, starting from a small flake and grown to he size of a softball.
My body ached for more, the need to assert my level of dominance in the tense atmosphere. Then I felt my anger. Much as I enjoyed the power, I was furious for it having been forced on me. There was also the fact that I wasn't the only one who had collapsed at school. It was a good guess that whatever had changed me, had changed them as well. Whether we were the same or not, they had to be as anxious and scared as me. The whole thing just pissed me off.
I didn't even hear what my dad was saying, emotions and instinct pushing me. The tears fell as I looked at the ball in my hand and an angry scream echoed around the room. I threw the ball across the room, then made another, and threw it as well. I threw ball after ball, watching spikes explode from the collision point.
Minutes passed slowly, and my head began to throb from the emotional overload. I fell to my knees, and I knew without needing to see, that most of my body was crystalline. I wiped at my eyes and looked around me. 90% of the room was filled with large jagged spears. The ice even hand snowy white peaks. I almost got lost in the beauty of it. Then I noticed a clicking sound. My mom could connect to the speaker from the outside, but the walls were supposed to be built enough to withstand any known substance; Even the observation room was built like a tank.
I took another look around as before another cracking sound mixed with the clicking, and I instantly knew what was about to happen.
I ran in the direction of the small safe room, the ice shattering as I passed. I reached the glass just fast enough to stop the spreading of the cracks. I doubted dad had considered the glass to be a risk, but I clearly had a greater cold than your average blizzard.
"Dad?!" I asked in a panic.
I grabbed the doorknob and pulled, fear rocking me as the door ripped off of its hinges, the frame splintering in steel shards. The clicking sound hit my ears in high clarity and I threw the door to the side, rushing into the room.
I froze just in the doorway. My dad was huddled in the far corner, staring at me in pure horror. The clicking sound was from his teeth and his body shaking.
"Henry?!" my mom ran into the room.
She ran up to hand and her hands cupped his face, examining him. He was a deeper level of pale, his eyes wide.
"Henry, it's alright..." She soothed.
My dad looked from her to me and I could see the damage I had done. I couldn't stay where I could hurt someone I loved. I turned and ran. I could hear my mom calling after me, but I couldn't stop.
I was grateful for still having my shoes on, more for comfort than warmth. Outside, Mrs. Cherry had her dog out again, despite the slowly spreading dark clouds. I knew she saw my arms and part of me was aware of her sharp gasp. I fought to keep my already hectic mind from losing control.
My feet moved with no real plan. I didn't know anywhere I could go, but I had to get away. There was little chance my dad would ever not be afraid of me. I'd changed beyond the point of having a normal life.
Several minutes passed, buildings flew by at unnatural speeds, before the buildings became fewer and farther apart. Trees came into view, then took over surroundings. I was breathing calmly when I finally came to a stop.
I looked at the trees, then I looked behind me. Snow was falling, adding to the thick layer that covered the ground. I had barely even left any tracks.
I considered where I could be. The number of trees wasn't normal in my neighborhood, but there was a park was located about 7 miles from home.
Each step I took, as I tried to figure out my location, was eerily quiet. Spots of light filtered through the branches and filled every open space. The sun was setting, behind thick clouds, giving the light an almost dead look. A shiver ran through me, and it wasn't from the cold.
"Dressed in a t-shirt in the middle of winter?" A voice called out teasingly.
I looked around in a panic. I didn't see anyone, but the voice sounded familiar. It was male and sounded teenage.
"How aren't you leaving any footprints?" The voice continued.
"Who's there?" I yelled, probably louder than was necessary.
'Now, now, children, be calm...' a female voice filled my mind.
I flinched, the new voice echoing with intense, dark power. My fingers shot to my head, the power being the voice sending waves of pain and unfamiliar emotions through my entire body.
"We all hear her" footsteps crunched to my side.
Leo stood beneath a tree along the path I was headed.
"Leo?!"
Something moved behind him. It looked like a person, but it was too dark and translucent. As if it were made of black smoke.
"I think this is the first time I've seen you so freaked out" Leo teased.
I knew he was right. My careful control had snapped when I saw my dad's face, and I hadn't had the chance to fix it yet.
"Your hands are blue. You should have worn something warmer." The teasing voice was replaced with concern.
I hesitated, fear whispering in my ear to deny everything. Then I remembered that others had been brought to the hospital. And Leo's hospital clothes, a white t-shift and powder blue sweats, told me that he was one of those people. They clothes didn't match him at all.
I sighed "They're actually ice. The cold doesn't bother me because I'm somehow able to manipulate the ice around and within me."
Leo looked surprised, making me question my honesty.
"But you weren't at the hospital...?" he questioned awkwardly.
Leo as a bad boy had always attracted my attention, but this Leo, a nervous Leo, seemed to be more realistic, making me doubt that the crush I'd had on him was just an act for him. I couldn't stand the thought of being so controlled for the rest of my life, and, if this was the true Leo, I couldn't even consider a relationship with him. Besides, my new abilities gave me enough control issues.
"My parents had me brought home so they could take care of me themselves."
"Must be nice having parents who are both scientists and doctors." Leo looked wistful "I had to wait the last 3 days for the hospital security to relax enough for me to escape. Though it does help that I can my manipulate my shadow to do almost anything.
"So you're shadow and I'm ice, but what about the others? Do the others have...abilities?" I asked quietly.
He thought for a moment, then said "Well, the history teacher, Mr. Monroe is some sort of fire or lava, or something. He's had the security guys on edge since he woke up on Tuesday. Him and some red-headed girl have been burning things at random. Plus, there's this spoiled rich guy, who thinks he's gods gift to women,who can control the wind. At first he went on a rant about no-one wanting a model who's a freak. Then he
started using his powers to flip the nurses skirts. He's obviously not the favorite patient. A few with they same, but there were only 15 of us there. 16 counting you.
I tried thinking like my parents to analyze the situation and find answers, but I kept coming up blank.
"So, what happened?" Leo asked "I mean your parents have to have found something. Did something happen with them?" He seemed oblivious to my recoil from his questions, adding salt to my already wounded psyche.
If anyone could understand the power aspect, it would be him, but he didn't seem to understand the emotional aspect. I was scared of what I had become and I had done, and he was ignorant of that fear. I compared the Leo from before to the Leo who stood before me. He was like a different person. Cold and distant, almost unfeeling. I dreaded the thought that maybe we weren't just physically changed, but psychologically as well. Would I also change? Would I stop caring and become nothing more than a cold, living statue of a person. I clenched my fists, mentally declaring to stay myself.
"Kim?" Leo asked, bringing me back to the surface of the situation.
"My parents are at home, probably testing the updated samples that I gave the. But I can't go back until they find a way to reverse the changes." I stated, with surprising calm.
"Why reverse it?"
Leo's words shook me and I felt the slightest tingling of agreement. The ice did feel right with me, but the image of my dads fear grounded me.
"I hurt my dad" I stated angrily.
That made Leo pause.
"He wanted me to see what I could do. To learn out to control this 'gift.' I loved it. Loved using these new abilities. And, as a result, I nearly killed someone that I loved. My mom can barely even touch me. Mr. Monroe and that girl will probably burn anyone who tries touching them. And who knows what could happen with the others. We may have gained powers, but we've lost the right to claim that we're humans."
I felt the anger flooding and then leaving my system. It occurred to me that I had actually become more emotional, since waking up, than I had ever been. Which didn't entirely make sense.
Leo was looking at me in wonder.
"W-what?" I asked cautiously.
In the quickly dimming light, I thought I saw him blushing.
"That's the most emotions you've ever shown. You've always been the type to demand self-control, but an emotional you is kind of hot."
Blood or whatever I had, roared in my ears, as if he'd just confessed love for me. I didn't know how to react. I stared in shock until I felt the snow around me crystallizing into solid ice. Ice durable enough to skate on.
I heard the crunching of Leo's footsteps and stood frozen as he approached me. The shadow stood near where Leo had been. He stepped onto the ice steadily and stopped inches from me. Part of me was screaming to run, that he was about to enter dangerous territory and it would only end badly, but I couldn't move.
'Soon! Soon we feast upon our enemies!' The female voice filled my head, breaking the connection that Leo had been making. I looked around anxiously, purely out of instinct.
"Who is she?" I asked Leo.
"None of us know for sure" Leo started walking back toward the trees. "She calls us her children, claims that she's our mother, but we don't know anything else."
I thought on what he had said and the woman's words. She had called us her children, but that didn't make any sense. She hadn't given birth to me and had no claim to doing so.
The image of the scorpion flashed through my mind and the pieces came together.
"She did this to us!" I spoke numbly.
"Huh?" Leo looked back at me.
Anger boiled inside of me, the cold almost comforting me.
"She did this. She sent those bugs to change us with whatever toxins they injected us with." Another thought spiked my anger further "And the effects of toxins...are usually...long lasting to permanent..."
"So we're gonna stay like this for the rest of our lives?" He didn't sound disappointed.
I looked away, knowing that he wanted his powers.
It wasn't that I didn't understand the longing. I just had a mind built for logic. I saw the bad side to what we could do.
"I'm sure my parents will figure out something" I said, aware of the doubt in my voice.
"I wonder..." Leo looked in the direction of his shadow.
I knew he was happy with what he could do, but I still had to hold onto my humanity.
I looked up, seeing the darkening sky.
I hesitated, then said "We should head back to my place."
"But you hurt your dad? Aren't you worried about what they'll think about the 2 of us?"
"We don't have anywhere else to go" I stated.
My body was tense and my stomach was filled with anxious butterflies. Leo could be right, and my parents may never see me the same way. But I needed answers. I hesitated, then looked back to where I came from. Judging by the slight grooves in the snow to be sure. I looked back to Leo, but he was gone.
"Leo?!" I called out.
I heard only silence, with the slightest whispers of wind trying to get past the stiff branches. Ice crystals hung from each branch, creating a look of pure perfection.
"Leo?" I called again.
Still no response. I sighed, his running off explaining exactly what he thought of my idea. I hated to admit it, but he had changed, and, even if the bad boy part had been an act, I doubted he was naturally so caught up in the idea of this power. He just didn't see the danger of it.
I started back to my house, fear nipping at the edge of my mind, forcing each step. Outside the trees, a few people passed on the sidewalk, wearing thick coats, and staring at me like I was crazy.
My arms were still solid crystals, but I was past caring about it. At about 3 miles from Central Park, people began whispering, but no-one stepped into my path to show any concern. I hated most of the people in New York, because they never did anything for the good of others.
I had been in the park that I'd assumed I was in, so I knew where I was going and I reached home about a quarter after 11. The door was locked and the lights were out. I considered forcing the door open, but I'd already freaked my parents out, and didn't want to add insult to injury. I rang the doorbell and waited,thinking of what I would say when I faced them. The windows shown no light, with no sign of life.
"Kim?" A voice spoke behind me.
I turned in an anxious rush to see Jake. I hid my disappointment at the fact that it wasn't my parents.
"H-hey Jake" I forced a smile.
"Why are you out here dressed so lightly? You'll freeze before ever making it the movies.
"Er...right...i just locked myself out and I'm not sure where my parents went.
"They took off about 20 minutes ago. After calling to ask if I'd seen you. Did you guys get into a fight or something?"
I weighed the options, listing the pros and cons, then decided.
"We didn't really fight, but I accidentally hurt my dad. And, I didn't want to admit the truth, so I lied to you earlier.
I held out my hands, showing him the changes. His eyes widened with a look similar to excitement.
"Awesome, now, explain it all to me on the way to the theater. That's probably where your parents will be looking for you."
I nodded and we started walking.
He got absorbed in everything I could think of. The fear, the anger, the guilt, and the strange voice called "mother". He listed the possibilities of changes, using his vast memory of comics and anime heroes.
"What if I'm not a hero?" I asked as we approached the theater doors.
"Of course you're the hero! You still have your humanity. Leo's choice of irresponsibly choosing his powers for his own gain says that he's a villain character. But you've chosen to keep your common sense and look for a way to save everyone.
"Kim!" I heard my moms voice yell, right as the speaker announced that it was officially midnight.