Fan Fiction ❯ Raven ❯ Reality Check ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
I slowly awoke.
“She actually said---“
“Mrs. Hawthorn was fur---“
“…trouble now. She's gone for sure---”
“Is she ok?”
“I don't know. Mrs. Hawthorn went to get the principle I think.”
I could hear the whispers of sound around me, ripples across my mind. I opened my eyes to slits and almost passed out from the waves of pain. Red afterimages impeded my entire vision. I quickly closed my eyes to shut out the pain. There was something draped on my stomach. One of my hands was resting across it. Slowly I opened my eyes again. The pain wasn't quite as bad as before. I was lying between two desks where I had been standing before I went to Shadowworld. OR had that all been a dream, some kind of stress induced hallucination?
I leaned forward and started to get to my feet, ignoring the pain behind my eyes. And I saw it. A small package rested on my stomach. I slowly opened it. It was the second book Ilyssa had given me. The wrapping was some kind of cloth, a cloak I think. I heard steps in the hall and women's voices in conversation.
“…yes, she actually said that to me. And now she's trying to play sick to avoid punishment. See, she's already ok,” Mrs. Hawthorne stood at the doorway alongside our principle.
That bitch. She was still badmouthing me. As my anger for her rose, I felt something else inside me. My power, no longer dormant, was reacting to my anger. I yanked my hand from the floor; I felt as if it had been burned, but it remained unblemished. The floor beneath it was blackened and smoldering. It had to be my power. I focused my mind on disconnecting the energy from my anger. My palm cooled and I could feel the two forces slipping away from each other.
“Well, young lady, you've managed to destroy any chance of a continued education at this school.”
And suddenly my anger was back, and in much greater force than before. I no longer held the slightest desire to separate my anger from my power.
Somehow I was on my feet. The vertigo I had felt moments before was gone and I felt only rage at this woman. I felt the power trying to escape, and let it.
Fire sheeted out from my hands, melting the edges of my desk and setting the carpet on fire. Mrs. Hawthorn's face contorted into an expression of pure terror. Other girls were screaming hysterically and all around me people were pushing and shoving each other to get to the door. Mrs. Hawthorn was still standing there, her jaw hanging open. I raised my right hand and fire sprayed out at her. SCREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! SCREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! SCREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! The fire alarm finally began going off and simultaneously water fell from the ceiling and dowsed my flames.
“No!” My voice was harsh even to my ears and fury burned in my soul. I knew where my power was now, and I gathered it until I held enough. Then I simply let it go.
FWOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!!!!!! The sound was louder than anything I had heard before. It was the sound of thousands of pounds of oxygen all being combusted in an instant. The fire burst forth from me, instantly evaporating the water, shattering the ceiling and walls, consuming Mrs. Hawthorn and dozens of fleeing students. Two wings of the school remained intact, and through the blackened debris and smoldering objects the alarm continued to wail. Fire no longer came from my hands. Looking down at myself, I squinted for a moment in disbelief. My school uniform had been reduced to ashes, but my skin remained unharmed. The only pain I felt was from my hands. Glancing at them, I realized that I had not escaped completely unscathed. Blisters extended across my palms.
I had to go. Suddenly I couldn't stand the sick stench of burned flesh and charred bones. The odd cloak had somehow survived the fire; I picked it up and found the book lying underneath, equally unharmed. I draped the cloak over my nudity and grabbed the book. The broach that held the collar together was a large black stone set into a silver pin. After I pinned it shut, I began climbing down out of the rubble. Voices of the survivors drifted to me; some simply talking to each other, others calling, and dozens screaming in pain. I pulled the hood over my head, hoping none had seen me. As I reached the edge of the rubble I heard the scream of sirens. I ran past several girls on the ground, racing to reach the forest. I made it without drawing too much attention and hid among the trees. Firemen arrived and began eliminating the remaining fires. Moments later some kind of plane landed nearby. I had never seen anything like it. A portal opened and I caught my first glimpse of a superhero.
He leapt out of the jet and I almost laughed aloud at his odd, skin-tight outfit. It looked like some of the PJ's some of the girls had. It was black up to his chest where it changed to green with a light green emblem in the center. He had a green ring on his hand, but no other visible jewelry. He jogged over to one of the firemen who talked for a moment before the green guy seemed to become suffused with green light. He leapt straight into the air,-- and kept going! He flew straight into one of the lower levels of the school. I turned and began walking into the woods. I could not let them catch me. And besides, what was there to go back to? Ilyssa was right. For all the fact that I had spent the majority of my life there, I felt no reason to stay with my school.
I walked away. Away from the school, away from the green man, away from my old life.