Page 18 of Day

Chapter Nine

Leon

After Rose had left, Draco followed after her with a determined look on his face. If I guessed his attitude, it looked like he was going to screw the frustration out of her.

Not wanting to run into anymore people and be chastised for my decisions, I walked out of the room, then straight up to my temporary home.

My body flopped onto the bed, my mind reeling from everything they’d told me.

Gifts from the gods of old. Well, that special gene did not get this one right. I was no hero.

Despite being angry about so many things because of these powers, a small section of that resentment broke apart from the rest. I had been given an answer to the question of why me, something I’d been holding on to since that football game where everything changed.

But did I really still think I could continue on with my life as it had been going?

I wished I knew.

My powers were too much for me, and I never learned to do anything with them. Didn’t want to.

The impending war coming between the heroes and Raven’s society was also something I didn’t want to care about, but Rose’s words kept echoing in my head.

Willing or with my last breath, I would be dragged into it.  I could outrun it, and maybe that’s what I would still do.

A groan bubbled up from my chest.

I wanted to be left alone! No Hero Society and no wife.

All had been quiet when it came to her. She didn’t have my cell number, or know how to find me. So as soon as the month was over, she and I would be finished.

“Stay the course,” I told myself.

Get annulled, and go out on the boat. Nothing should change. I was a danger to those around me, and the more I was around these people, the more I would see the appeal and try to stay. If they ended up hurt by my powers…

I shuddered, thinking about it. No, I couldn’t handle anyone else’s life being at the mercy of my powers.

Charles was enough. Losing my parents was enough.

Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my thoughts so I wouldn’t flip out and destroy the apartment.

Slowly, after some deep breaths, I was feeling better. I could do this. Wait it out.

The ringing of my cell startled me, and I reached over to see a number I didn’t recognize.

After letting it go to voicemail, I hit the play button and listened as Phillip asked if I could come down to B1.  No other explanation as to why, but I was wanted.

I didn’t really owe him anything for doing all this for me—he was holding out that I would join them, but I still felt compelled to do as he asked. He hadn’t done anything but be nice as hell to me, and didn’t deserve shitty treatment. None of them did.

He met me at the elevators as soon as they opened on B1.

“Thanks for coming.” He smiled, and then led me down the long hallway that had two doors on each side and a picture of a black-haired girl with glasses at the end, next to a large painting of a helmet with wings.

“Our emblem. And the girl was the first recruit that passed,” he commented, knowing what I was thinking.

He walked down and opened the last door on the left. It was like something out of the CIA. Computers everywhere. Very out of my element in here, I just stood against the wall while Phillip re-introduced me to AJ, the resident kid genius.

“Hey, man, nice to see you.” He nodded at me and got right to business pushing all the buttons.