Chapter 11 - Deceit

Michael has his head on his desk, back at his room in the night. He looks to be in deep, concerned thought.

Michael 'Why did she look like that?'

He remembers her smile.

Michael 'She seemed almost upset with what I said. Why? We've had that same goal for years, since we were 8, right? Did I offend her?'

He begins to close his eyes, starting to fall asleep.

Michael 'Jazmine... What are you thinking..?'

He falls asleep but when he opens his eyes, he's outside on the street. He sits up fast.

Michael "What?.. What's going on?!"

He gets up and looks around. Then there's a rumble and smoke clouds from a few streets over. He runs over and sees the big, buff girl from before holding Jade by the neck.

Michael "What're you doing?! Let her go!"

Man 2 "Did you really think we wouldn't be back?"

The other 2 punks are back but they look a bit off. He comes out with a gun to Kevin's head. Michael tries to move but can't.

Michael 'My legs! They won't move!' "Please just let them go."

Michael is terrified because his body won't listen to him. They pause for a moment.

Man 1 "Why don't you try and use your special abilities on us? Or could it be that they're not good enough to stop us? Or is it because you'll end up killing your friends too in the process? Which one is it?"

Michael 'He's right... My powers aren't suited for this. Not without hurting them... What do I do!?' "I'll do anything you guys ask. I can help you! Please."

He pauses for a moment and looks away. He looks back at Michael and smirks.

Man 1 "No."

Michael "NO!"

Kevin and Jade both drop to the ground after a couple of gunshots. Michael stares in horror looking at them. He then looks up to see Jazmine sitting in a chair in front of him, in front of the explosion crater with no one else to be seen.

Jazmine "I told you."

Michael is now sitting in a chair looking confused and terrified. They are both sitting at a table in a large room with windows along the walls and curtains completely covering them. There are no doors and only them at this table in the room.

Jazmine "I told you, didn't I? You don't understand."

She is smiling at him. Michael is completely in shock, not sure what to do or think. He's looking at the floor trying to piece it together.

Jazmine "I have tried, really I have."

Michael thinks about the shadow person.

Michael "It was you..."

He looks at her.

Jazmine "Well yeah but you left me no choice."

Michael "You said you didn't have powers..."

Jazmine "People can lie Michael. I just happen to be great at it. I honestly wish I didn't have to though. I hate my powers. I hate people with powers. They're all nothing but a disease, a curse on humanity. Anyone who pretends to use them for something more than themselves are all liars."

Michael looks but doesn't speak.

Jazmine "Oh! Not you guys! I love you guys, I really do! It's just... you insist on being a superhero and you've convinced the others to do the same. I just... I can't just let that be, you know?"

She waves her hands in front of her smiling. She tilts her head to the side.

Michael "Why..?"

Jazmine rolls her eyes.

Jazmine "You know I was only 6 when I lost them, my family."

Shows Jazmine as a small child and her parents with her having dinner.

Jazmine "We were home at the dining room table when we heard the news. My grandparents were both "superheroes" so hearing about villain attacks was nothing new. But this time was different."

Her parents stand at the door with 2 others telling them something Jazmine couldn't quite hear. Her dad holds his face in his hands, obviously hurt by what he was told. Her mother rubs his back trying to support him.

Jazmine "2 people in black suits were at our door. They told something to my parents which caused them to break down. Then they left. Next thing I knew I was by my grandmother's bedside waiting for her to pass away."

Her grandmother is hooked up to a machine that is helping her sustain life but they can only do so much. She was badly wounded by a villain.

Grandmother "Jazmine... Take my hand..."

She puts her hand in hers. An energy surges between them and shows Jazmine something in her head. She is thrown back by the force of the transference of the vision. She grabs her head in pain.

Grandmother "There will come a time in your life that you will need to clean up the mess we have made... And I am so sorry for that... You must prepare yourself..."

Jazmine stands up, looking at her hand in contempt and disbelief. She closes her hand hard and holds it with her other as she begins to cry and shake. Almost resenting her grandmother as she turns and runs away.

Jazmine "My grandmother showed me something. A glimpse into the future. She foretold that one day a boy will ravage the planet in an unbridled rage until nothing is left. That I was the key to it. And when my parents found out..."

It shows her in the living room of her house looking up to her parents who are arguing about what just happened. Jazmine seems almost unfazed by this happening.

Mom "This is all their fault! They chose this life over us! They didn't have to go out and play the hero, we were fine the way we were! They left us behind! Abandoned us!"

Dad "They did what they thought was right! You cannot blame them for that!"

Young Jazmine stands in the doorway peeking at them fighting.

Mom "And now our daughter has to suffer for it?! How is that right?!"

Jazmine looks down, beginning to just shut down at the sight of her parents breaking.

Jazmine "They left after that. They left each other, they left me. They gave me to a caretaker that I've been with ever since. At that moment, the moment everything was taken from me, my family, my life, something clicked and I felt nothing but a passion to try and get back what was taken from me. You have no idea how far I'll go to get it back."