Blood wing

Dia scooped up her old brown school bag and swung it onto her shoulder as she rushed out the door of her apartment, a piece of toast was stuffed in her mouth as she reached up with her hands to try and tie up her light brown hair.

Her feet pounded into the pavement as she raced down the street dogging and skirting around the dozens of people she nearly crashed into. She skidded to a halt having nearly ran passed her school before she ran up the steps into the dull brown building.

The first bell rang as she entered the building, she soon found herself in her first class just before the teacher did.

She hid a smile behind the back of her hand to rub away any crumbs; Cassie gave her a pointed look for being late again taking note of the lack of Dia's usual accessories showing just how much she had slept in.

Dia rolled her eyes at Cassie's obvious assessment of her before turning to the front of the class lightly pulling on the sleeves of her red jumper.

Cassie ran up to her as they headed to lunch not having got a chance to talk in the morning.

"You were late again; you really need to invest in an alarm clock," She said sitting down beside her.

"Why waste money on something that I'll only break?" She asked with a shrug stabbing her lunch with her fork.

"Are you having trouble sleeping or something? This is the third time you were late this week," Cassie said with a frown.

"You know technically I wasn't late. I was in class before the teacher," Dia pointed out.

"By a whole two seconds," Cassie replied sarcastically.

"Those two seconds still count! and I guess I'm just tired this week, don't worry about it," Dia replied with a small smile which quickly widened.

"Didn't you say you had something to say about you and what's his name...Drake?" Cassie's face immediately lit up causing Dia's own grin to morph into a smirk, distraction successful, she thought to herself.

"Jake! Ow how did I forget to tell you?! He asked me to go out with him Saturday night!" Cassie shrieked excitedly practically vibrating in her seat with happiness. Dia smiled happy for her friend as she went into full boy mode gushing over how amazing she thought this Jake guy was, all Dia had to do was nod and smile occasionally saying one of two words so Cassie would think she was paying attention even though she was really a thousand miles away.

The rest of the day passed in a blur and Dia soon found herself back at her apartment, her mother was still at work but she locked her room door anyway and made sure the window and curtain were closed she switched her jumper for a red camisole and grabbed a black zip up hoody and placed it on the bed before reaching for a shoe box from the top of her wardrobe before putting it on the bed as well.

Spilling out its contents she sat on the edge of the bed looking over the small scars that littered her arms. The first time it happened was about a year ago, she had been in a car crash, it hadn't been anything fatal but the car was stuck in the middle of the road on its side and a truck was coming and couldn't stop. That was when it happened, she was bleeding it wasn't much but it was enough to leave a scar, but her blood had started to glow then there was a flash of red and the truck just...stopped.

No one knew what had happened and Dia was happy to keep it that way, she had started to try and get a hold of it, whatever it was, the only problem she found was she could only use it when she was bleeding and the more she bleed the stronger it was, that was when she had started to cut her arms, just small cuts so it wouldn't be obvious and she tried to just re-open the old ones to help cover it up and it seemed to work.

She picked up a small Swiss army knife and pricked the scab from one of the cuts; once the blood was flowing she opened her hand and focused on what she wanted making a small energy ball appear before shaking it away, she kept practicing creating more energy balls and making things levitate as well as herself. She had some books floating around her room when the front door slammed open causing her to jump in surprise and lose concentration making her drop everything with a thump.

She stared wide eyed at her door for a minute before snapping into action. She scrambled for a bandage wrapping up the cut before whipping the extra blood off her arm with the old towel she had placed on the bed so the sheets wouldn't get stained before tossing it and the knife into the shoe box; she grabbed the black hoody and quickly pulled it on while shoving the box back to its hiding place. She unlocked her room door as she ran passed it picking up the dropped books before tossing them onto the bed and hoping up beside them, she could hear footsteps heading down the hall towards her door as she flipped open one of the school books, a flash of silver caught the corner of her eye as the door started to open.

Dia cursed lightly under her breath as she tossed a copy over it just as a light brown head of hair came into the room.

"Hey sweet, already at your homework?" Her mother asked staying in the doorway, Dia shrugged in response.

"Figure I'd' get it out of the way, saves me having to try and rush through it in the morning. How was work?" She asked flipping the page.

"Long," Jena said trying to stifle a yawn as Dia gave a sympathetic smile. Jena was a doctor at the local hospital and worked straight from Tuesday morning to Thursday evening and Saturday and Sunday as well.

"I hope you weren't late for school again," She said causing Dia to frown.

"Does everyone always have to ask me that? And for your information I wasn't, do you want anything to eat or did you already have dinner?" Dia asked tilting her head to the side as her mother smiled.

"No, Nora and I stopped off at Ricks Diner when our shift ended; I think I'll just head to bed," She said turning towards the door but stopped as she was about to leave.

"Oh but could you head out to the shop after you have your homework done. I need some shopping done for tomorrow I left a list on the table," She said as Dia looked at her confused.

"What's on tomorrow?"

"Your father and half brother are coming over for dinner, and you will be on your best behaviour," She said quickly at Dia's look of protest.

"Fine. but I'm not going to like it," Dia said bitterly looking the other way, Jena laughed lightly at her.

"He is your father." Dia gave her a look showing there was plenty she would like to say about that man but none of which her mother would have been happy to hear so instead she stayed silent.

"Try to be pleasant, for me?"

"Fine, for you. But get out before I start screaming." Dia said causing her mother to laugh again, Dia didn't see why, she was completely serious and she'd do a fare bit more than scream.

She looked down at the book in front of her as her mother left deciding to get the work out of the way before she went to get the shopping.

Once she was done and packed up her books it had started to get dark outside, she spotted the small sharp pocket knife she had forgotten to put away earlier, she shrugged putting it into her pocket as she zipped up her hoody and headed out with her wallet and mothers shopping list.

It didn't take long to find the shops she needed but it did take a while to find everything she needed and by the time she was finished it was completely dark outside. She was walking back to the apartment complex with her hood up as it started to rain and was taking a short cut through one of the alleys near the docks, looking back on it Dia decided it would have been smarter just to get a bit wetter and go the long way but at the time she hadn't really been thinking.

She had switched the shopping bag to her hand that was closest to the wall when she first heard a loud crash followed by another, then explosions and gun fire. Dia looked around from where she was hidden in the shadows for the nearest exit from the area but before she could use it the wall of one of the buildings near her exploded, she ran to the alleys exit but stopped to look back when she did.

Some kind of giant mutated human stood with a large slab of rock twice his size over his head and was about to bring it down on the two people in front of him. Dia didn't think about what she did next she just dropped the bag pulled the knife out of her pocket and ran it across the palm of her hand ignoring the stinging pain, the blood flowed as she held out her hand shooting out a shock wave that knocked back the giant and gave the people it was about to crush time to get back. It seemed that the attack was stronger than Dia thought though. The giant made no move to get up as four more people ran out of the building.

Dia's senses seemed to come back to her then as her hand felt like it was on fire causing her to bite back a hiss of pain, looking at it she realised she cut a bit deeper than she had planned, her eyes widened a fraction as she realised what she had just done before she grabbed the bag and ran down the alley away from the area before anyone would see her.

She raced back home and bolted the door behind her when she got back to the apartment trying to be as quiet as possible, she put the bag on the table and quietly ran into her room getting her hidden shoe box and running to the bathroom locking the door and sticking her hand under the tap, she hadn't realised she was shaking or crying until then causing her to curse angrily at herself for everything. She quickly wrapped up her hand hoping it wasn't bad enough to need stitches and started to curse herself again, she couldn't hide this! What was her mother going to say? What would she think? Dia paced the bathroom for a few minutes before stopping in front of the mirror. A girl with pale skin and damp light brown hair stuck to her face stared back at her, her gray eyes were wide with worry and fear.

Dia closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath before opening them.

"I was chopping vegetables when the knife slipped and I cut my hand." She said to herself without missing a beat.

"How else could I have cut myself like that?" It would do, Jena may not believe it but it was all she was going to get. She repeated the lie several times over in her head to herself before leaving the bathroom she returned her little box to it place before heading to the kitchen, she put away the shopping and made sure to wash away any blood that was on the bag or her hoody before heading to bed after taking some pain killers.

The next day passed in a blur until the evening she had hid the cut by wearing fingerless black gloves brushing off Cassie's accusations of her being a semi Goth with a laugh, thankfully her mother hadn't asked her to take them off for dinner.

She was setting up the dinner table as her mother ran around the kitchen.

"Why do you go to so much effort for that...ugh I can't think of any word to describe him without you getting mad at me," Dia said with a frustrated huff as her mother gave her a disapproving look.

"Really Dia you make it sound like he's a monster."

"That's because he is! Mom he was cheating on you and as soon as he found out you were pregnant he ditched you, went off with that dame slut got her knocked up and for whatever reason stayed with her a not you!" Dia snapped

"Enough Dia! I don't want to hear any more of it, he is your father and you will not say such things about him, it was a long time ago and it wasn't working for either of us, if he found someone he was happy with then that's that," Jena said with a note of finality Dia meet her glare with one of her own. Fine Jena could forgive him but Dia wouldn't and it wasn't just that he abandoned them both there was just something about the man that put her on edge and she didn't like it.

She wasn't given any more time to think about it as the doorbell rang at that moment, Jena to give her daughter a pointed look who held up her hands in surrender before throwing back her head with a sigh and following her to the front door.

Half an hour later she found herself sitting beside her brother as her parents talked. Jason clearly didn't want to be there any more than she did if the way he acting was anything to go by. She was doing much the same, she wasn't even really paying attention to what her mother and father; Michel, were saying. At least not until he mentioned something from last night.

"It would seem to have been some thugs looking to steal some of the new products that were being transported abroad for produce," Michal said resting his elbows on the table as he clasped his hands.

"Did they get anything?" Jena asked sounding concerned. She probably was too.

"No thankfully, the thieves were apprehend," Michal replied though he didn't sound thankful he almost sounded bitter to Dia's ears.

"By who?" Jena asked confused looking to Dia for the answer but Jason beat her to it.

"It's a baby Justice League made up of the Sidekicks." Jason said with a shrug not sounding impressed, Michal chuckled lightly.

"Yes well, what truly is curious is whoever helped them." Michal said looking at Jena again.

"Another member?" She asked, Dia didn't say anything sitting back in her seat clenching her fists that were on her lap.

"According to them no, but someone sent some type of shockwave at one of their opponents and saved two of their members, however whoever it was disappeared before they could thank them," He said taking a pause. "It's a shame the surveillance cameras had been destroyed, it would be interesting to see who possessed such power." He mused; Dia felt like she would die right then and there, she felt as thought everyone one was watching her.

"Some meta-human freak." Jason said stabbing his food with a fork.

"That's not right. We may have some differences but they are the same as the rest of us." Jena said with a frown and Dia couldn't help the small smile that was coming to her face as she hid it behind her glass.

"Quiet, though they are hardly normal," Michal said.

"That's a matter of perspective," Dia said with a frown while Michal looked at her amused.

"Well of course, but the majority speaking..." He replied Dia didn't say anything as he continued.

"While there are those of them that do good with their powers there are also those that don't, not to mention the ones that do nothing and just blend into society, if they were to loses control of their powers at any moment the results would be catastrophic." He explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So what do you suggest? They should be locked up in Bell Rev like criminals just because they don't fit into your perfect world?" Dia accused sharply.

"No, they should not be locked up because of something they have no control over." Dia relaxed at that.

"But if there was a way to remove the faulty DNA..." He trailed off Dia tensed up again.

"Faulty? There's nothing Faulty about them, if anything its evolution." Dia said angrily as her mother gave her a sharp look but she ignored it.

"You're meant to be a man of science, if anything you should be encouraging progress not hindering it!"

"Dia!" Her mother warned sharply.

"Progress, evolution? You truly think those abominations are the future of humanity?" Michal asked in a whisper, Jason lightly shifted his weight as if to bolt out of there at any moment.

"Well what do you suggest then? That it was a freak accident that it's not happening for a reason." Dia sneered, she knew there was a reason she didn't like him. He was a racist basterd plain and simple.

"You know," Jason began. "That sounds a lot like something a meta-human would say." Dia rolled her eyes at him scoffing.

"Trust me brother if I was a meta-human our father wouldn't still be in one piece." Dia hissed before abruptly standing up leaving her mortified mother and infuriated father as she stormed out of the apartment.

The remaining occupants sat in silence before Michal got up from his seat followed by Jason.

"Well Jena thank you for dinner it was lovely. Hwever I am disappointed in the way you seemed to have raised our daughter," Michal said as Jena composed herself, her mouth forming into a thin line.

"She has a strong sense of what is right and wrong there is nothing to be disappointed or ashamed of. I believe I have done a fine job raising my daughter." She replied evenly as Michal gave her a levelled look before leaving, as the door closed she fell into the chair behind her letting out a shaky sigh.

Dia kept her head low as she stalked down the streets. She had never even thought about half the things she had said she wasn't even sure if she believed them, she didn't think she was better the rest of humanity just because she had some measly abilities, but even she couldn't deny that the amount of humans with powers had been on the rise over the years. Still the things she had said were contradicting and insulting the man in front of her, which is exactly what she wanted. She felt so hurt and insulted by what he had said... Her blood was boiling, she had felt like jumping across the table and throttling the man, or cutting her hand and letting her blood do the work.

It was lightly raining as she found herself in the park; people were quickly leaving as it started to get heavier. Dia stopped in front of a fountain in the centre of the park looking down at her reflection not really seeing anything, she closed her eyes feeling her blood radiate her strange power, she was all but shaking because of it and her anger, she wanted to release it, wanted so much to release all her anger.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open with a startled gasp, she could sense, no feel more power besides her own it was practically begging her to release it, it kept reaching out to her.

She was gasping as she looked for the source but all she saw were the people heading towards the open was practically in a frenzy as she looked, it didn't just need her she needed it.

A burly man walked past barely toughing her but she felt it, the need surged through her.

There! She realised, it was all around her, and their blood was calling her all she had to do was release it from its prison and then.

NO! She clutched her head in pain squeezing her eyes shut. No, no, no! She repeated again in her head. It wouldn't be right, she would hurt them, no kill them if she did that. But the power, the pull was so strong and she was so angry she wanted it to go away the blood would make it go away, it would destroy it all everything that was making her sad and angry.

We can take it all away, just let us. A soothing voice whispered in her head, it was so tempting, the pull was so strong.

You're proving him right. A different voice stated bluntly, at this she raced out of the park and down the streets she didn't care where she was going she just needed to get away. There was too much blood around her she couldn't handle it, it was all just too much. She just ran and ran not caring where she went just as long it all stopped.