The Only Thing
They were alone.
"You rescued me, monkey." An emotionless statement. The witch surveyed the landscape blithely.
"Why?" Venomous suspicion.
A ragged breath passed his lips. "You know more about the skull than you let on, witch."
That is the only reason.
"What is this?!" Hints of indignation and fear.
"The first piece of a puzzle, Mandarin."
The fragmented skull's empty stare tested his faith.
The first step. To him, to glory. He was- is the only thing that leads to triumph.
The only thing that could hinder them was the Hyper Force.
Mandarin was sure they wouldn't present a challenge.
Constant
Friends change, he later learned.
The sky floated away, came back. For a lifetime.
Of course later. Never before.
This was easier to understand than time-travel. Just more difficult to accept.
A lifetime of stars.
Your friends move on. When they do you're sorry, but they didn't mean more than life. You suppose no one matters more than life; they all vanish into the distance.
It's much harder to bear when it's your hand that let go first.
You change too.
"I was young just a few minutes ago!"
For a lifetime, the stars circled above at a constant speed.
Is Change
Her hand squeezed the metal bar until it dented, warped like a lolly wrapper. She flung the unrecognizable bar away.
The guns turned themselves on. Her fingers lengthened into black whips. Each one swarmed over a section of the wall, tearing it mercilessly away. A spin, a heave, release. She watched the guns snap off the ceiling.
An admiring nod from Pa, but Ma remained unmoved.
Never stay still long enough for them to aim at you.
She sucked in a breath. Her neck stretched until she towered above the training floor.
Don't let them know your next move.
Never.
The only thing constant is change.