“Ouch!” Victor screamed and withdrew his hands. He flailed his hands trying to get the heat off.

I jumped up and withdrew the fire from my body.

“What are you doing, you oaf?” Tim chided, snorting at Victor.

“N-No, her arms were hot all of a sudden like it was on fire and…” Victor stuttered.

Tim narrowed his eyes, “You… are you okay? As in mentally?”

“W-What? How did you come to that conclusion?! I was just saying what happened---!” Victor began to yell.

“Pipe down, you’ll attract someone. I bet you don’t want that” I jeered smiling at my accomplishment.

I did not set fire to my hand obviously. Maddie was here and I am working out this secret thing.

I however set fire inside my arm. It was a gamble and I luckily still have my arms.

(Author’s note: I believe only crazy people would set fire to their arms…)

I moved my fingers to see if I severed anything inside my body. That did not seem to be to case, my theory was my body couldn’t be hurt with something I created myself. It proved true and I grinned, my former fear long forgotten. A surge of adrenaline went through me.

“You!” Victor yelled angrily and charged blindly at me. I evaded him with a side step and broke his fall with a punch to the stomach.

‘Huh? Just now… I felt like I have done that before…’

CRACK

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” came the blood curling scream.

I turned swiftly to the noise just to see Marco breaking Maddie arm a smirk on his face.

“Huh?” I said dumbly as what just occurred refused to register.

He just….

I mean…

Her arms….

I was going to….

Help….

Her pride…

He just …..

Ragged panting from Maddie filled my ears as she stood her ground grasping her broken arm.

Why?

Why is no one coming?

Someone should have heard her scream.

Why?

Badump.

I gritted my teeth and any ounce of pain I could feel disappeared at that moment.

%%%%%%

Victor charged towards the girl who had her back turned towards him. She was pissing him off.

First she calls him pretty boy, then she does some kind of magic trick and gets him to let go of her, then she evades him and even dared to deliver such a weak punch to his stomach.

Yes, it didn’t hurt him but the face that she was able to touch him was maddening. And now she stood with her back facing him as though she didn’t care if he was there or not. The girl was riding on his last nerve and he was ready to break her neck.

But because of Marco’s order, he would just pin her to the ground but not before injuring her some.

He reached out to grab her but found himself flying backwards and embedded into the wall.

%%%%%%

Badump

I took a step forward.

Slowly another step.

Then I charged towards Marco.

I had a vague idea of what I was doing but I knew I was not controlling my body.

My instincts had taken over.

My appearance before Marco visibly surprised him as he took as step backwards before positioning himself to block my kick. I changed my trajectory quickly and used my fist instead. He took my fist head on and his eyes widened as he flew backwards hitting the wall.

Flop

I heard a sound and glancing back, Maddie had fainted.

“To have lasted so long…” I muttered and turned to glare at him.

“Y’know…. Your name is Marco, right?” I said grudgingly.

A confused expression crossed his face and he furrowed his eye brows. Moving away from the wall he put his fists out, the left one slightly ahead of the other and left leg slightly ahead of the right with his knees bent a bit. He was ready to fight.

“You. You box huh”, I said dryly and glanced at his right hand. It was shaking terribly. Well of course it was. He took on my hit although where did that much power come from? I knew I couldn’t answer that question so I just shrugged helplessly.

“Marco huh” I mumbled, loud enough for only him to hear. Then I moved. He expected me to hit and was ready to parry but I evaded his arms and just grabbed his neck with my right hand and slammed him into the wall. “Hey Marco… how are you?”

If I were to describe the situation right now to anybody they would not believe me. I was not controlling my actions so I felt like a spectator in my own body. My body moved on my emotions, that was all. I could control what I say though.

“I ask myself if I am human but maybe neither are you?” I continued, “To do that much to a person with no remorse” my voice grew cold.

I felt a presence behind me (it seems like I can do that now) and once again my body moved and my left hand sent whoever was behind me flying.

I took a quick glance and saw that it was Tim was now had a bloodied nose. ‘What was he doing that I hit his face though?’ I wondered.

For some reason, I was oddly relaxed. I turned back to Marco and saw the bewildered look on his face.

“You…” he grunted struggling to speak, “you hid your strength”

“What are you talking about? You broke my friend’s arm and I got a power up, capeesh?”

His face contorted in anguish and confusion as my hold on his neck got stronger.

“You should read some fantasy books, y’know? Those where the hero gets powered up because the demon killed his friends. Quite laughable if you ask me. Except I seem to be--” I tightened my hold even more, “---experiencing that laughable situation. Of course without the killing part”

Cough Cough

He was choking.

“You’re seriously missing out. Those books are good stuff” I chided.

‘I think I might kill this guy if I keep strangling him’ I thought calmly staring Marco in the face.

And as if on cue a sense of familiarity came over me.

My eyes widened and I let go allowing him to drop to the floor.

‘Just now…’

My eyes darted around the place as I slowly regained hold of my body.

I looked down at Marco and he was trying to flee. Carefully looking around, the other men had fled.

‘Tch, I thought I could sense presences’ I thought then placed my foot in the direction Marco wanted to run.

I bent down and peered into his face then squatted allowing us to be on the same level.

“Just now, I was strangling you” I stated.

His face showed that he believed I was crazy.

“So this familiarity, is it from thinking I might kill you?” I said and poked his for head, “Or is it from strangling you” I stared at him as though waiting for an answer.

“You…let me go”, he said his voice shaking. He wanted to push through and run but was scared for his life.

“Could it be, this is the first time you’ve come so close to death?” I asked giving him a fond smile.

He visibly stiffed.

“Oh? So you’re just as inexperienced as I am” I said softly.

Soon, eerie silence filled the air, accompanied by Marco’s rugged breathing.

“I just asked you if you were human because you did so much to her but how am I different” I broke the silence.

Again, only Marco’s strained breathing.

“Could I be a killer of some sorts?” I said softly erasing the silence again.

My reactions and my actions were all pointing towards that direction.

When I strangled him I felt like that was not the first time. I was now scared of myself.

Even the joke that I must have been a demon seemed real to me at this moment.

"Hey, do I look human to you?”

He shook his head immediately. He must have felt I wouldn’t let go until he started answering my questions.

Then his eyes widened in realization of what he just answered.

He feared for his life and was about to start pleading then I stood up.

“Thank you for answering sincerely” I said making a small bow.

I walked over to Maddie and after confirming my monstrous strength was still intact, I picked up Maddie and began to walk away ignoring the confused man behind me.

I soon arrived at the beautiful black gates that bordered my parent’s house.

“Ah miss-----“the security guard on duty called out but stopped mid speech.

Granted, I had taken no blows but my hands were bloodied and the skin on it had peeled off.

I however felt no pain from my hands. I lay the bloodied Maddie on the ground softly and met eye to eye with the guard.

Just too many things had happened in one day.

“Hehe” I chuckled and I felt my adrenaline disappear along with my newly found strength.

I felt dizzy and as my body fell to the ground my last thought:

‘How many have I killed?’

However, I didn’t notice my sky blue jacket turning deep red as I touched the floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ngn” I groaned as I opened my eyes and tried to sit up. Pain racked through my body and sent me lying down again.

“I suggest not trying to get up” came the familiar voice. I turned to see Melanie on her phone.

“I am beginning to think you love the hospital” she said sternly.

I gave a weak laugh, “Maddie?”

“Ah, she was lucky. Her bone was broken cleanly at the joint. She will be fine in a few months. Must have met an expert”, Melanie said the last sentence in a whisper but I heard her, then she adjusted her glasses and looked at me, “but you. How did you end up destroying the veins in your body?”

I stared at her blankly.

“Granted, you should be dead” She said and looked me in the eye, “What happened?”

“Ask Maddie… “I said after a moment of silence and looked away. ‘Must have been the fire but shouldn’t only my arm veins be destroyed? She said my body…was it the mysterious power up?’

“She said you encountered thugs. I don’t believe thugs would burst open your veins”

“I see…” I replied softly. 'It was most likely that strength... always price to pay, huh'

She narrowed her eyes softly and lifted her cell phone to her ears, “She just regained consciousness, Mrs. Baker”

At that I became alert, ‘how long this time’ I pondered and searched my recent memories. They were still intact.

“You can come take her tomorrow” Melanie concluded and turned to me, “Four days, if you were wondering. Today included.”

“Oh, thanks” I mumbled. ‘Thank God Valerie didn’t get a heart attack’

“How did you do it?” Melanie spoke up again.

‘She seems curious about my veins. Well, it’s not like I’ll say anything’

However her next words shocked me.

“Your veins were obviously busted the day you came to the hospital but the next day, you are totally fine. Except from your hands. How did you do it?”

I brought my hands to face level and sure enough, they had white bandages. ‘Healing…?’

I looked at her straight in the eye, “Did Maddie regained consciousness?”

She was a bit angry at my changing the subject but she conceded, “Same day you brought her, kept asking if you were okay”

“Hmm”, I said and looked away then softly said, “I don’t know”

Melanie looked fiercely at me, “You don’t know?”

I shook my head and then tried to sit up but the pain was exceeding. ‘It’s like I am getting the full pain that I couldn't feel when I fought last time’ I groaned.

“Why in such a hurry to get up?” Melanie asked. I made no comment and she just sighed then walked out of the room.

I stared at the ceiling then closed my eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was soon released after getting an earful from Valerie. It wasn’t just her because Wilson exploded too. John was on a business trip so he couldn't join. Margaret seemed confused but was surprised to see her furious mother.

I did my best to placate them both and after stating that I was grounded for a week, she let me go. I thought she was quite lenient but she was furiously dialing the police to find the guys who attacked us.

As I climbed the stairs I felt as though my body weighed a ton. I moved slowly towards my bed room. I opened the door and walked into my familiar room. Then I controlled the earth around to wedge the door in place.

And I collapsed on the floor and let go of the weak barricade that was holding my feelings together and I wailed.

Loudly.

Who am I?

What have I done?

How am I here? I obviously don’t belong here.

I have strangled people.

I have killed people.

Maybe I have even eaten people.

Maybe I killed Elizabeth too.

Did I come here to kill this family?

I thought wildly while crying the whole time.