Mara Knight
Shit. I'm gonna die. That was the only thought in my head when I saw what remained of Mr. Grant.
I was finally free. For one single day, I got to live without a leash around my neck. And how fucking stupid is that? Maybe this is karma. A punishment for running away from my father.
I was raised in seclusion, barely allowed to speak to my own siblings. Homeschooled so I could be controlled, kept from forming thoughts that weren't his. Every lesson was a reflection of his ideology, a script written for me to recite.
If it weren't for the handmaid who slipped me books behind his back, and my mother's ever so lackadaisical vigilance, it would've worked. I wouldn't be who I am now. He figured it out, eventually. Realized what was happening. But he never stopped it. Maybe he was afraid I'd resent him and that he'd never get what he wanted.
Or maybe, there was still a part of him, buried deep down, that actually care for me. Maybe that's why I enrolled in this school under my real name. I think I wanted him to find me. Not to use me for my power, but Just to care as a father.
Bah. Whatever.If I die here, maybe he'll show some remorse.I might even prefer that over the alternative, him showing up, apologizing, pretending to care, and then bringing me "home" in a fancy car while he feigns a smile.
Ugh. What's with these useless thoughts?Acting like my life is flashing before my eyes. I don't plan on dying. These dumb ass teachers better hurry up and kill this monster already. Or maybe some high ranking hero will show up, and "Save the day" Or better yet, die in the process.
Then I could use my power on them. Bind someone important. Make headlines.Force my father to care, if only for the PR disaster.And if that didn't work? I'm sure some force could make things better. It always does, eventually.
I got a little too caught up in my own thoughts. I hadn't planned on moving I didn't want to risk dying, but it looks like a bunch of other kids made a run for it, probably reacting only on instinct. Now there's only a few of us left. And there's some kind of black semi transparent pulsing barrier forming around the bleachers.
I'll have to wait for the teachers to subdue this thing. It let those students escape earlier clearly on purpose. That means the rest of us are probably hostages. This thing isn't attacking the school for fun. It has a plan. I should've left when the others did. He let them go so they could cause panic. Let people know that some students and the worlds most incompetent teachers are being held captive.
Hostages aren't useful if nobody knows we're hostages.
My focus shifted to the teachers. I hadn't been listening earlier, so I didn't know their names.
The tall, stern one was shouting across the gym at the woman still kneeling over Mr. Grant's corpse. She had spiky red hair, it was hard to miss. Still halfway lost in my own thoughts, I tuned them out and kept my eyes on the red haired lady. She stood, finally, looking like she was ready to join in.
The creature and the teachers were speaking now. I didn't fully catch what they were saying, but I think I heard some snide remarks from both sides. A brief silence settled over the gym then, without warning, the creature was sent flying toward the barrier. The edges thinned, while the area where he was about to land thickened, goo tendrils shooting out to slow its impact.
The teachers followed up on the attack, moving like the tide had finally started to turn. A punch from the one wielding fire burned straight through the goo, the damage small, but enough to leave a mark.
That's my way outI just needed someone to capitalize on it. If only...
My train of thought was cut short by a boy stepping forward. Without hesitation, he summoned a small flame in his palm and pressed it to the weakening barrier, right where it had thinned. Just like I hoped someone would. Great. This time, I'll get out. I'm not staying behind again.I let the first chance pass me by I'm not letting the second.
The fight continued on. The teachers kept up their relentless barrage of attacks, moving with coordination that was almost reminiscent of a practiced super hero team. The barrier around us continued to weaken, flickering at the edges.
For a moment, it actually seemed like they had the upper hand. Even when the short one got caught in a counter, they turned it around knocking the creature off balance and launching him into the air. I felt some hope.Maybe, despite their obvious mediocrity, these teachers might actually pull it off. Maybe I wouldn't have to sit here much longer.
That hope vanished the instant the red haired teacher came crashing down, her body limp. She hit the ground hard and didn't get back up. Despite that, she didn't back off for a second. She gave the creature no room to breathe, unrelenting in her conviction.
Watching her now, I was starting to think she might be the strongest person in this roomother than the creature.
If she falls, there's no hope I'm getting out of here.
Her punches, once barely traceable, had become completely invisible to me. Blow after blow landed or forced the creature to defend, his focus narrowing. I noticed clumps of goo from the barrier beginning to dissolve, drawn toward him piece by piece as the pressure mounted. The longer she kept up the offensive, the more he had to pull from the barrier just to keep up.
Finally, the barrier shuddered. The spot being burned stopped regenerating, leaving behind a thin, weakened hole. Another boy stepped up and punched through it, widening the gap just enough for us to escape. Without looking back, I pushed my way forward, shoving past anyone in front of me. I was getting out this time.
I stepped through the opening Then my shoe caught the edge.
I hit the ground hard, chest first.
A second later, a horde of shoes slammed into the back of my head. I instinctively covered it with my hands, wincing as warmth spread across my palms, blood.
The stomping stopped as quickly as it had started.I turned onto my back, trying to get up, my head pounding. As I struggled, another boy stepped through the breach. He paused, then reached a hand out toward me.
I reached back.
Just as our fingers were about to meet, the creature appeared right near the crack in the barrier.
The boy turned his head, eyes widening.
Then a blade of black goo swept over us.
His head hit the ground before his body did, rolling cleanly into my lap.
I stared at it, frozen. My blood covered hands reached out on their own, fingertips just barely brushing against his cooling skin.
"My father's going to be so mad at me," I muttered, halfheartedly
The creature, the one who had just decapitated the boy in front of me, began to inch closer.
Not wanting to end up like him, I reached inward, searching for my power, untouched within my mind.
"Soul Bind," I whispered.
A soft purple glow began to pulse from my hands, slow at first and then faster. It crept outward like smoke, stretching toward the nearest corpse.
His corpse.
The moment it made contact, the world paused.
Then everything went dark.
I couldn't feel my body. I had no senses. No sound. No touch. No breath. Only sight. In front of me stood a silhouette, barely human at first just an outline floating in the void. Then it sharpened, coming together piece by piece, until I saw him.
The boy.
He looked confused, disoriented. His eyes darted around, trying to make sense of the emptiness around him. I don't think he could see me.Not yet.
I reached out toward him once more.
This time, I spoke not a plea, no it was a command."Save me."
The void responded.
Hundreds of glowing purple chains burst from the darkness around me, His focus snapped to me instantly. His eyes widened.
"Mara?" he said, stunned.
I blinked. "You know who I am?"
"Well, I saw you at the.."
He couldn't finish.
The chains found him. They wrapped around his limbs, his chest, his throat pulling tight. He screamed, calling out for help, twisting in panic as if he were drowning. He had no idea what was happening.
But I did.
Once they had him, the chains yanked him toward me. And in an instant, his form collided with mine our beings merging in a burst of blinding light.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. The world returned in pieces.
And there he was.
The boy.
Standing before me, alive.