Inversion

by Christopher Young

  “This is for everything you did to me,” Nick cried out.

  Nick summoned as much strength as he could muster and threw his father across the room.

  “This is for making me feel like I was the reason mom left. For making me feel like I was nothing.”

  As Nick spoke the lights in his arms grew brighter. He jumped on top of his father before he could recover. Nick picked him up and threw him again. This time he waited for him to get back on his feet.

  Nick and his father stood at opposite ends of the room. Nick could see the shine of blood on his face.

  He ran forward, his blinding speed too quick for his father to even realize what was happening. Nick grabbed onto his arm. A look of exhaustion washed over his father's face. It was the same look that Nick had seen so many times throughout the night. He smiled. There was nothing his father could do now.

  He was done hurting people.

  He was done hurting him.

  Instead of drawing the energy out Nick pushed his own energy into his father. The blue light surged like electricity through his pores and into his father’s arm. His skin began to blister and split apart. The smell of burning flesh quickly replaced the smell of alcohol. Still unable to move, Nick’s father let out a blood curdling scream. Nick stood firm, pouring more of his dark powers into him. His father’s skin couldn’t handle the energy and started to melt from his body. In one fluid motion Nick pulled him over his shoulder and slammed him into the coffee table.

  “What the hell are you,” he groaned.

  Nick knelt over his father and held his hands out for both of them to see. The black patches had grown considerably since he had last checked. Nick forced more energy into the palms of his hands where it materialized into two orbs of blue electricity. He lined up the orbs with his father’s temples.

  “I don’t know yet,'' Nick said in a sinister tone. “But I’m dying to find out.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

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  CARSON LEFT THE GYM before Ellie finished the meeting. He didn’t want to stick around to hear the insults and desperate pleas being thrown at her. Their angry voices were nothing more than muffled noise as he wandered the halls of the school. When the meeting was finally over people rushed out into the parking lot. The first Dark Hours was not far off.

  “There you are,” Ellie said. She toyed with her phone. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I think I’m going to go to Jacob’s tonight,” he said.

  Ellie hesitated. “Are you sure? You won’t be able to get home until tomorrow morning, unless you walk.”

  “I know. I’ll be fine.”

  “Alright. Be safe and don’t go out until morning, ok? I don’t know how everyone is going to react to this.” She awkwardly hugged him.

  Carson waited for the voices to die out before deciding to leave. On his way out he paused in front of a set of lockers. He stared at Abigail’s, contemplating whether or not he should slip a note into her locker. On one hand it would make asking her out that much easier but on the other hand she might think that it was too cliche. After a few minutes of debating with himself Carson decided against it.

  A voice called out to him when he reached the parking lot.

  “Hey loser,” Matt said from behind him. “I think we have some unfinished business.”

  His friends stepped out from the shadows. Carson counted four of them. He took off, running as fast as he could.

  “Get him,” Matt shouted.

  Carson came to a hard stop at the start of the trees that surrounded the back half of the school. The forest looked foreboding in the dark. The moonlight barely made it through the branches before being swallowed up. Against his better judgement Carson continued running into the forest.

  “You can’t hide Noble!”

  Carson was already breathing heavily. A burning pain searing through his legs. He cursed Jacob for making him train that morning. Roots and branches wrapped around his feet, slowing him down. He didn’t get far before Matt and the others caught up to him.

  “There’s nowhere to go,” Matt pointed out.

  Carson panicked. His escape routes were being cut off one by one. They had him surrounded.

  Carson held his fists up. There was no other way out. “Back off,” he warned.

  They all laughed at him. Carson tried to make himself look as intimidating as he could.

  “You think you’re so tough now,” Matt taunted.

  “I don’t know what got into that little head of yours to think that you could embarrass me in front of the entire school, but I can promise it isn’t going to happen again. No one is here to protect you now, Noble.”

  Matt cracked his knuckles. He struck Carson, slamming his fist into the side of his head. Stars appeared in front of his eyes. His ears started to ring. He lost his balance and fell onto the ground. They all laughed at him.

  “Not so tough now, are you?”

  Matt’s bony fist struck again, this time digging into Carson’s stomach. He crumpled back onto the ground. Matt bent over and grabbed a handful of Carson’s shirt. He pulled him up enough to where their faces were right next to each other. Carson could feel Matt’s breath on his ear.

  “You embarrassed me. I can’t let you get away with that.”

  He brought his hand down hard onto Carson’s cheek. The salty taste of blood filled his mouth.

  “Matt,” one of his friends called out.

  Matt snapped his head back.

  “What,” he snarled. “You want some of this too?”

  Carson hoped that they would step in to help him but whoever it was stayed quiet.

  Carson lay coughing on the ground. The cold dirt offered only slight relief from the pain. Matt pulled his foot back to ready a kick. Carson dug his fingers into the soft ground. He didn’t see any other way out.

  The ground shook just as Matt kicked forward. With his balance thrown off he fell backwards. Carson pulled himself up. He held his side, trying to breathe through the pain. Matt jumped to his feet, unfazed by what happened.

  “Don’t do this.” Carson was no longer asking. He was warning.

  Matt laughed and threw another punch. Carson ducked, the blow barely missing him. He mimicked what he had done in the fountain and kicked off the ground. His fist connected with Matt’s rib cage. He cried out. His friends quickly jumped into the fight. The ground around them shook again before any of them could get close enough to Carson to attack. They fell in perfect unison.

  As Carson dodged attack after attack he found it easier to fight back. His body moved in ways it never had before. He felt like he was watching himself fight.

  “Leave. Me. Alone!” A burst of energy erupted around Carson. The ground shook hard enough to crack. Nearby trees swayed from the invisible force. Matt and the others were thrown back. Even Carson was surprised at how powerful the blast was. The shockwave continued despite Carson trying to stop it. He panicked as he realized that he was unable to stop the earthquake.

  The world around them was alive with energy. His attackers held onto anything they could. Carson closed his eyes and worked to slow his breathing. He remembered what Abigail had said to him. He pictured her in his mind, recreating their first day of training in the forest. He didn’t have to think too hard. Her image came to him with ease. Her beautiful brown hair. The green eyes that were hidden behind it. The tremors gradually came to a stop. When he opened his eyes he found Matt and his friends crawling away from him.

  “What kind of freak are you?” Blood trickled from his nose and around the edges of his face. The others didn’t look any better.

  “Last time I’m going to ask,” Carson said confidently. “Leave me and my friends alone or next time I’m not going to let you walk away.”

  Matt laughed nervously. He wasn’t going to let a punk kid tell him what to do. “Try me,” he spat.

  Carson stomped his foot, a tremor launching towards them. It hit the
five of them hard, knocking them over like bowling pins. Carson couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of them struggling to keep upright. A look of realization and then pure terror filled their eyes. Now they knew what he was capable of. They scrambled to their feet and ran, retreating back to the school.

  “Don’t think this is over, freak,” Matt yelled.

  Carson’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Jacob’s name was displayed on the screen.

  Carson answered it with a shaky voice. “Hello?”

  “Are you ok, man? I felt that quake. Was that you?”

  “Everythings fine,” Carson lied. “I just wanted to get some extra training in since I have a lot of catching up to do.”

  Silence. He checked his phone to see if the call had dropped.

  “Hello?”

  “I’m here,” Jacob said, laughing.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, n-nothing,” Jacob said. Carson focused on the sounds in the background. He thought he could hear someone else laughing with him.

  “Who are you wit-”.

  Jacob cut him off. “I have to go. Just be careful man, ok?”

  The line went dead.

  Carson made his way through the rest of the forest towards Jacob’s house. Dark Hours was going to start soon and he didn’t want to be stuck outside when Matt could be nearby. He already lost control once. He didn’t need it happening again. The streets were deserted and quiet. A surreal silence hung over the town.

  Carson rubbed his arms as he walked. His limbs felt heavy and tired. The pain was finally setting in now that his adrenaline was wearing off. He turned onto the street that led up to Jacob’s house. As he drew closer he could hear a pair of voices coming from the front porch. Carson slowed down and peered at them through the bushes.

  There, on the porch, were Abigail and Jacob. They stood under a soft white light, holding each other's hands.

  “Well, I guess this is goodnight,” Abigail said. Her face had a light layer of makeup on it, as if she had just been out on a date. Jacob looked nice too, ditching his flashy clothes for something a little more subtle.

  “I guess so,” Jacob said, feigning sadness.

  Slowly they both leaned forward, their lips softly touching. Carson’s jaw dropped. It took every ounce of concentration he had to not let his powers loose. A voitle mix of anger and jealousy filled him. Carson turned back the way he had just come, fighting the urge to unleash his powers.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

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  THE SCHOOL WAS EMPTY. He had expected as much. As soon as he had dealt with his father Nick decided that he wanted to reclaim the rest of his memories. What better way to do that then to visit the only other place that he had spent his life? After setting the house on fire Nick left for the school.

  When he was younger, school was the only safe haven he had, especially after his mother left. His dad had taken her leaving hard as well. At first it was a lot of crying. The crying turned to drinking. Then the drinking turned to him blaming Nick for what happened. Most kids his age hated having to go to school. Not Nick. He loved being away from home.

  The safety school offered disappeared once he started high school. It wasn’t long before he started getting the same treatment at school that he was getting at home.

  Nick walked through the hallways, every turn granting him access to more and more memories. He passed by the lockers, many of which he had been shoved into. The locker room where they had stolen his clothes. Nick winced as he recalled more and more humiliating memories. People love nothing more than to kick someone who is already down. They love the power.

  But not anymore. Nick had the power now. A power that no one would be able to take away from him.

  Nick pushed his way through a pair of large metal doors. He welcomed the metallic smell that washed over him. The familiar white piano sat in the corner of the room. He smiled to himself although he didn’t know why.

  Nick hurried across the room and sat at the bench. He placed his fingers on the smooth keys. He waited for something to come to push through the fog.

  And then it started.

  His fingers flew across the keys in a blur of motion. He struck note after note, each one awakening something that was hidden underneath the unwavering voices and paralyzing cold.

  That hidden part burst out into the open. His veins glew like lightbulbs. A shockwave erupted from within his body. A deep blue fire ignited around him. Nick continued to play, unaffected by everything that was happening around him.

  With the final note of his song another shockwave pushed out from inside.

  With his song finished Nick made his way back towards the entrance. He brushed his fingers across the lockers, deep gashes burning into the metal. He no longer felt anger or sadness. All he felt was the power that coursed through him. The lights above him flickered and then went out. Nick stared up at them, tilting his head. Just as he was about to leave he stopped in front of a door marked First Aid. A bright white light shone through the small window in the door. A flashlight. He wasn’t alone after all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

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  CARSON COULDN’T BELIEVE WHAT he had just seen. Abigail and Jacob. . .Together? Carson shuddered at the thought. He wondered how, or rather when, it happened. How could their relationship have grown so much without him noticing.

  Of course, he thought. It had to have happened while I was in my coma. The realization only made him angrier.

  Rage continued to build up in Carson’s stomach. Jacob knew how he felt about Abigail. How could he betray him like that? Carson kicked his feet out as he walked, sending small rocks skittering ahead of him without even touching them. He tried hard to push his feelings away, to push them down into a place where he didn’t have to deal with them, but the anger kept rising up his throat.

  A loud bang echoed in the distance. He ignored it and kept walking, his mind replaying Jacob kissing Abigail over and over again. Minutes later several firetrucks raced past him. Carson watched the trucks pass by, their red and blue lights reflecting in his eyes.

  Carson chased after them. Turning the corner he found nothing but chaos. Several houses were ablaze. Flames poured out through broken windows, reaching up into the night sky. Carson immediately took out his phone and called Jacob. He answered on the third ring.

  “You need to get over to Elgin Street. Just past the library. Now.” Carson hung back up before Jacob could ask why.

  Even though he was still at the end of the street Carson could feel the blistering heat that was radiating from the inferno. The only two fire trucks that the town had focused on the houses opposite to each other. They worked to put out the flames as quickly as possible. A crowd of people was already starting to form on the edges of the street. Police worked quickly to move them away from the blaze. Screams of anguish and terror carried on the warm air. Carson felt the urge to help but doubt that he could do any good with his particular powers. He would have to wait until the others showed up.

  “What the hell happened,” Jacob asked, dropping down from the sky. He pulled his arms away from Abigail’s waist.

  “I don’t know but we need to help. There aren’t enough firefighters to deal with this.”

  “What’s the plan,” Jacob asked without hesitation.

  Abigail looked at them incredulously. “You guys can’t be serious. You expect us to put out these fires?”

  “We have to help,'' Carson said. “It's spreading too fast.”

  Abigail shook her head, her wide eyes capturing the glow of the flames. “You’re crazy.”

  “You said we could be heroes,” Jacob pointed out. Abigail didn’t argue. He was right.

  “Alright,” Carson said. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

  Carson explained his off-the-cuff plan in great detail, careful to not leave out a single step.

  “It’s important that we do this perfectly,'' he instructed. “
We can’t let anybody see what we can do. If anyone finds out then we’re as good as lab rats.”

  Jacob smiled at him.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, man. It’s just that I’ve never seen you so confident. I mean when was the last time you led a team?”

  “Never,” Carson said.

  “Exactly. I’m just saying that you’ve really grown in the past few weeks.”

  “Thanks,” Carson said.

  Abigail rolled her eyes. “I thought time was a factor here. Can you guys stop flirting?”

  The situation was worse than they had thought. At least ten different houses were already up in flames and the fire was picking up speed. Smoke filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. As they neared the firefighters Carson heard Jacob take to the skies with Abigail. He slowed to a walk and joined the few people that lingered on the edge of the sidewalk.

  A police officer ran up to them, coughing from the thick cloud of smoke he had just escaped from.

  “You guys need to get away. It’s too dangerous here.”

  “What happened,” Carson asked.

  “Don’t know yet kid, but you need to go. Now.”

  As Carson turned to leave with the rest of the group he caused the ground to shake. It wasn’t a strong tremor, just enough to keep everyone distracted by trying to keep their balance. Carson looked around, focusing on several fire hydrants that stood closer to the fire. He caused more tremors underneath each of them. One by one the hydrants erupted and started spewing water high into the sky. It took more effort than he thought it would. A headache promptly formed in the front of his mind.

  The erupting hydrants was Abigail’s cue. Safe in Jacob’s arm she controlled the water from above. It crawled along the ground, snuffing out the smaller flames and embers as it moved.

  “Make some cover for us,'' Jacob said into her ear.

  Abigail did as he asked, commanding the wind to swirl around them. Ash and dust shot up into the air, obstructing their view. She kept the winds contained to the neighborhood as if they were trapped in a bubble.