Chapter Text
“Ella, are you sure you don't want to come along? We could even find you a different program just so you can finish your high school while you're with us.”
“Mooom… I said it's fine! I really don't want to miss out on anything for my last year. Uncle Mitch will visit as much as he can like you told me. You don't have to worry, I'm nearly an adult now, I can manage on my own.”
“Sigh.. you know it's a mom's duty to worry about their child, even when you'll get 40 years old I will still be worried about you. I just want to make sure you are mentally ready to be alone for quite a while. And not attract any weirdos into following you home and kill you in your sleep!”
“Oh my god, mom! Quit it, we're in Canada. I have more chances to find a lost winning lottery ticket than to be murdered.”
“Chuckles” my mom's smile is the warmest anyone could see but damn she doesn't have to joke about death all the time! “Yeah I know sweetheart but accidents happen just like for Lune and I still don't know if letting you stay here alone is even legal.”
“Yeah I checked, in Ontario it's fine cuz I'm 16 and could you not bring Lune into this.” I'm still not over it… but I can't tell her that.
My mom's smile slowly fades away. “Sorry I shouldn't have, I'm gonna go check on your father, make sure he doesn't forget anything” She turns her heels and heads for their bedroom.
If she worries more than that I think she might get wrinkles. If only she knew that if anyone messes with me, they're the ones in risk of getting murder. I guess I can't tell her that either.
As I was finishing preparing my things for the upcoming beginning of the school year, my mother and father packed the car and joined me for the last time before their departure. Their flight was at 6 am so they would leave at 1am for the airport. For the entire night we talked, played games and said our goodbyes. I really will miss them, especially my gaming buddy. “DAD! What will I do without you! I can't just play smash alone”
“Don't worry my little one, once we come back from our working contract in the US we'll game for a whole 24 hours. How does that sound?”
“Ohhh I can't wait to destroy you! You'll see I'm gonna practice!”
“If you truly want to beat me you'll have to find a new partner to practice while I'm gone. You could make friends this year”
“Oh you dare make fun of your friendless daughter but it's not true I do have a friend…”
“Oh yeah? What's their name?” Says my mom crossing her arms and looking at me suspiciously.
“Huh… it's Cleor?”
“Isn't that the girl in that one mermaid movie?” Damn you mom! Of course you would watch the same movies I do, I should've known! And my father's laughter doesn't help.
“Come on Ella, don't worry your mom and I were both friendless at your age. It's not a big deal, we are just the type of people who prefer to be alone. But eventually you meet other people and open up more and you could even meet someone you'd love like I did with your mom. She was so pretty in her waitress’ uniform”
“Aw come on Daniel you were such a dork. Ella, your father came to eat at the restaurant just to see me. He asked my boss when my shifts were and only came on those times. He looked like a stalker really! The worst is, he never paid for his food and when I caught him I asked my boss in panic for what to do and that's when he told me that he was actually his son. I was so mad! Why did anyone tell me? It stressed me out so much when that happened. And well, when your father didn't pay for the 27th time he went to see me afterwards and gave me a tip in exchange for my number and I guess I wanted to see him again outside of being a waitress.” Woah I didn't know my parents were so cute. If that was their first real social interaction I don't know how I can do it. Dammit I could've had extroverted parents and be a party gal with other popular students but I guess it runs in my blood and actually I don't mind. I love being alone. Did I turn into a third wheel while thinking? Because now they seem a little occupied kissing each other very… passionately. Okay that's my cue to go to sleep. I stand from the dining table and look at the clock. Oh gosh…
“MOM, DAD! It's 1h24 am, you need to leave right now!”
“Oh no, Mary honey go see if we missed anything I'll make sure the car is ready and fully packed!”
My parents run in the house, give me a huge hug and enter the car 2 minutes after. My mom rolls down the window as I watch them from the porch.
“Ella honey we love you don't forget to always lock the doors, take care of yourself text and call us everyday and enjoy your time ok!” I make a big smile with tears in my eyes and run to the window. I take my mom through the window and embrace her.
“Of course mom don't worry and I love you guys very much.” I release my mom and go to my dad's window to do the same thing. “Have a nice trip even if it's for work don't exhaust yourselves you workaholics!”
We say our last goodbyes and they finally leave. I really will miss them… But thank god! I'll have so much room and time to finally practice! I don't believe that THEY believed I wanted to stay for school! School is easy I don't really mind about going or anything but it certainly wasn't my priority. I smirk and go inside, closing the door behind me without touching it. I take a shower, do my night routine and head to my room. As I walk down the hallway I see a little light reflecting in my eyes. It comes from my parents' room. I look in my parents' room and see what the reflection was. It was the moon’s light reflecting off beautiful little notebooks near their windows. Are they kidding me right now? They forgot their passports! What can I do? If I call them now they won't have time to come back and forth. Can I levitate the passports to them? No, I don't know where exactly they are and it wouldn't be fast enough. Can I run with reinforced legs? Still not fast enough and not at all suspicious. Can I fly? I'm not even sure I can do that. Ok last option is to teleport them but I did this a few times I might mess things up. No! No, Ella you've got this. As far as you know you're the only one born with an advanced brain, you're the only who can do it. Ok to teleport them I need to get the same amount of atoms to get back here so it doesn't make any space block and create a potential void. Ok Ella, concentrate. Imagine the atoms of the passports you're touching in your head. Picture it and make them exchange places in the same order as they are in now but with something in mom's purse, anything except maybe her wallet. See the atoms in your head be replaced and feel them in your hands. The atoms move in my hands and finally stop. Ok I think it worked let's see. I open my eyes and see my mom's makeup kit and… a box of XL condoms!?!? I surely didn't need to see that. I still have to make sure it really works. I pick up my cell phone and call my mom.
“Yes honey? Still not in bed?”
“No I was getting to it but then I remembered something, did you put your passports into your purse or in dad's briefcase just to make sure you don't miss your flight because you couldn't find your passports?” This is said with the most beautiful fake little laugh I could do.
“Now that you mention it I don't know I really hope they're here, wait I'll check my purse.” I hear some rattling noises and a sound of relief coming from my mom. “Yes they're in my purse but I think I forgot my makeup, oh and something else…” OK no that was enough thank you.
“Everything's fine then, bye safe travels I'm gonna sleep now.”
“OK goodnight sweetie, here honey wish her goodnight”
“Goodnight Ella we love you!”
“Thank you, I love you too!”
I close my phone, put the charge in and lay in my bed. This was not how I thought I would start practice. Being underpressure is really not a good feeling. I pity students all over the world who go through this everyday. I finally close my eyes and let the warmth of my sheets take over me into a deep sleep.
After a week of practice and eating only ramens school is about to start. This week was intensive training. As I was doing my telekinesis, which is a sub form of attraction of atoms, I accidentally burned a paper. I was trying to test my limits and make the paper fly under my control in a big wind storm but I think I went overboard with moving the atoms. I made them agitated, increasing their temperature and it burned the paper. So I tested it out on other things. I am now able to produce fire with my breath or anything really as long as I have access to flammable gas molecules in the air like propane hydrogen, ect. But spitting fire is so much fun! I tried doing the opposite of agitating atoms so they could freeze. I started with water and I pulled it off in about 2 days which isn't bad but I still need to improve. I want to be able to make the humidity in the air freeze so I can make snow or ice everywhere I want. Butt that will be for later I suppose.
After a 7 minute walk I arrive at school. It's not a not a fancy one but it's a normal high school. I've been disappointed ever since I turned 12. I received no letters from any magic school like Harry Potter, it was such a bad realization and my parents didn't even know why I was in a bad moon that day. My parents don't know about my powers or whatever I can call what I have. The first time I knew about my powers was when I accidentally sent a little kid into a hospital at 9 years old. We were playing dodgeball in elementary school and I think I was mad about my one and only friend I ever had. She announced to me that day that she was moving towns. And I don't know my little heart couldn't bear it so my frustration got out in P-E on that poor kid. I remember the feeling I had in my arm. It was like my muscles were as hard as a rock. When I threw that ball it went flying really hard into the guy’s head. He got a concussion but he was fine. The teachers said it was because the guy fell on his head. But no they were wrong. I was at fault and I was really eager to find out how.
Ever since I tried punching trees, the ground, rocks trying to remember the feeling I got when throwing the ball. The atoms in my arm when under my control could stock more oxygen, heal their fibers, generate more strength, adding layers and all of that without repercussions normal humans could have. It's like I was using my muscles at 100% of their capacity. Eventually I mastered it a year later. Once I could do it without any need of concentration I could feel every atom in my muscles’ tissues. I was overwhelmed with my discovery. Everyday I practiced with my super strength with every part of my body. To my toes to even my ears I could feel everything. I started to feel the atoms not only in my muscles but around me too. Then I realized I could move and control them too. Moving atoms when you're not in direct contact requires a lot of concentration. I still haven't mastered it yet and that's okay because there's so much potential! I don't even think I discovered half of what I can do with it. Teleportation was an idea I got 3 months ago. If I could move around atoms why not make them exchange places? Ok the idea came up when I was on the toilet. I'm not proud of this but there was no toilet paper and I thought. “What if I can transport one here? ''. With little experiments I came to the conclusion that it was more complicated than I thought. You need to exchange the atoms if not it will only block fortunately not creating any voids like I don't know a black hole. So why not make things appear out of thin air? Well air works just fine but to transport something to a place you don't know becomes a little hazardous. you need to know at least a destination like I did with my mom's purse. If I tried with air it could've just dropped outside their car as they were moving. There's so much things I can do! My curiosity increases with each passing day.
I put my things in my new assigned locker and go to my first class of the year. I choose my place at the back corner of the class where another empty seat remains. Everybody stops their conversations when the teacher stands up as the sound of the bell rings for the start of the class. Here we go. I'm already bored but that's all I have to do for the sake of my training. After only 2 minutes of revision on subjects seen last year, a tall blonde girl enters the classroom. All eyes are on her and mine says it's the first time I ever see her. I may not have friends but I am still observant, this girl wasn't at this school last year she must be new.
“Hi sorry to be late, I was just lost in the corridors. Is this class 501?” I see the teacher lift up his head a little… wait. Was he looking at her breast!? Ew those perverts are everywhere.
“Don't worry, you must be our newest student… Lily, is that it?”
“Chuckles. Yes sir”
“Ok you can go sit at the last available seat behind the class.” Lily nods and heads towards the seat beside me. I stare at her, especially the way she's moving. Her movements are elegant and precise, maybe a dancer. She looks at me and makes a gentle respectful smile. I return it and she finally sits down at her new desk. She places her stuff and starts taking notes. Her fingers are marked with hard work. A cord musician? Blonde and long hair, blue eyes, red and soft lips, clear white skin and dressed like she was going to a fancy restaurant. Meh, she must be one of those pick me girls. As I was starting to listen to the class again I could hear a whisper.
“Hey new girl” Lily, intrigued, turns her head to a boy across from her. “Can I get your number? You see, tall and blonde girls with big breasts are kind of my type.” Oh I know him, Jefferson, he's that one guy who likes to harass every girl he meets. Such a weirdo he's not even handsome. I mean come on man climb down the ladder, you don't meet anyone's league.
Lily smirks and approaches her face to his. “So you're a bad boy I see.” She lick her lips and approaches closer to the boy and whispers in his ear. “If you even look at me again I'll make sure one of your balls gets crushed by a baseball bat.” As she was moving her head back to her place she was smiling like the purest angel in heaven. This was not what I thought would happen but damn. This girl is interesting alright. The boy's face turned white and he returned his eyes up front. I swear I could hear his throat gulp in fear. When I think about it now, it didn't sound like whispers to me at all. And no one in the class looks like they heard what happened. Did my hearing go up for a moment? I guess I'll check it out later today.
After the first classes it's time for dinner. I buy some food at the cafeteria and go sit alone at a table. While I enjoy my food I think of what I should do this year with the time off we have at school. Maybe walk in the forest and train my skills? Hide in the library studying atoms, molecules or whatever? Play on my phone and avoid any social interaction? Who am I kidding? Of course the forest wins. I even found a good spot last year. I see blond curls appearing in front of me. I lift my head from my plate and see Lily?
“Hi sorry but is it okay if I eat with you? You looked very kind earlier in class and I thought since you're alone maybe you'd like to be alone with me?” She asks with so much joy on her face that she looks just like a kid. She's really direct with her intentions and doesn't seem boring. She triggers my curiosity but…
“No” Her face fell apart. The angelic smile goes down and a confused and disappointed look appears in her eyes. Ouch, seeing her like this is making me feel à little guilty. Sorry girl but if you hang out with me I wouldn't be able to do my training anymore. She leaves the table and goes to sit alone at another table.
I finish my lunch and go into the forest. I have a little less than an hour to practice. Within a 2 minute walk I arrived at my spot. There's three big rocks forming a triangle surrounded by trees. There's still even cracks left from my last empowered punches on the soil and the trees. The rocks are intact, I didn't want to damage such a beautiful place. When I'm bored at night I come here, the only part of the forest with enough space because of the rocks, to look at the sky surrounded by nature. Here we can see the stars more clearly than in town.
Back to training. Focus Ella, listen to every sound nature makes. How can I amplify them like I did earlier? To the wind, to the leaves moving, to the squirrels, to the birds. I don't know how I did it! Think it through from the roots, how can we humans hear? We catch vibrations going through the air which goes into our ears. These vibrations are from atoms right? That's it! Everything turns around atoms. I should've guessed it right away!
Concentrate again, focus on the atoms moving into the ears and make them move more so the vibrations are bigger. Here we go to the wind with big vibrations, to the leaves and to the… Ouch! I raise my hand to touch my ear. A little blood is coming out. Fuck I might have amplified them too much. After 30 minutes of trying I looked at the time and decided that it was enough for today. I come back to school for the last classes and head home where I continue my tests. My routine may look boring to certain people but I can't just ignore my abilities. Even if I dictate my life to only explore them I will be proud of it.
I go to bed thinking about all the time I’ll have this year to work on my abilities and it makes me happy, really happy.