Chapter 2: You don't want me angry

I hadn't had a good meal in weeks and it was just too tempting. I was waiting at the bus station just as night was falling, watching people rush back to their warm homes where their families were probably waiting to welcome them back. Lucky bastards, I thought.

No one ever noticed us, the homeless were known as the ghosts of the city, always invisible and unsettling, lurking in the corner of people's eyes and begging for the scraps that they were too "busy" to give.

Stuck in a world between life and death.

I pulled my oversized army jacket tighter around me and let my long black hair fall in my face for warmth as an icy wind blew in, my stomach growled for the hundredth time.

I watched a fat man take a bite into his burger, it smelt so good from here.

Dammit I hated this life, I know I could rule these sonsofbitches with a flick of my wrist.

An angry beast waked inside me, restless to prove itself.

No…

Don't think about that, you swore not to.

Keep it down, just focus on the here and now. On what you know is real.

I pushed any thought into the back of my mind, not now.

That's when I noticed a lady sit in front of me with a badly clasped diamond necklace hanging around her neck.

I could have stolen it easily without getting caught, I did it all the time, but… they were distracting me today. Ringing insesentaly in my head.

Usually they stayed silent, I made sure of that. But the voices, they wouldn't stay quiet today, always whispering, crying out.

So many different voices sharing one space, never actually talking to me but to each other. Like I was eves dropping on a radio station that never turned off.

They had been there since I was a child, speaking in the dark when I couldn't shut my mind off. If I didn't concentrate they came flooding in like a tidal wave, they certainty didn't have any regard for my sleep. I could push them down If I tried, blocking out that words that echo relentlessly through my head, but they plague my dreams. Talking of terrible things, impossible things…

The angels are fighting back but there are too many of them, we can't hold them off…

The demons, they killed another of our soldiers yesterday…

We have to find it, that thing could be our salvation, or our destruction…

It scared me, was I going insane?

Believe it or not but the voices weren't even the weirdest thing about me.

I tried to ignore them as I quietly approached my target. My nimble fingers went to work.

I was gently sliding out the necklace from her neck when an ear-splitting ringing exploded in my head, a million voices echoing the same words, over and over and over again…

Find it! find it! before it's too late…the words seared through my head like lightning, getting louder and louder…FIND IT…!

I dropped to the ground clutching my head in agony, holding in my screams. The necklace was still in my hand.

A man yell in my direction, "Hey street rat, get your dirty hands off that".

I barely heard it, the world was turning upside down and swirling around me, I shook my head and the voices slowly faded into static.

The lady gasped and turned, grabbing my wrist before I could run.

I took a shaky breath in and looked up at her through tear filled eyes, watching her little face underneath the crappy makeup turn cold and sharp. "Don't you touch me!" she scowled "where are your parents' child!?".

Now I hated when people called me child, or kid, or little girl. I was almost 19. I think…

I hadn't had a birthday in years but I guess I felt that old, someone whose been what I've been through doesn't stay a child long anyway.

I mustered my strength and pushed my fear to the back of my mind. Putting on a mask of defiance I shrugged nonchalantly, staring straight into her eyes, "Dead".

She raised her painted eyebrows.

"Not that it's any of your business anyway, so if you don't mind I'll be on my way" I tried to pull away but her grip on my wrist turned to iron.

"Over here!" she yelled to an officer who stood smoking on the street over.

I didn't want to hurt her, but I knew I could so easily, I could get away so easily…

The officer's burly arms grabbed me from behind making me jump, he snatched the necklace out of my hand.

"Don't make this harder for yourself missy, you'll just get hurt" he grunted into my ear, his breath smelt like Tabaco and nachos. He dragged me away behind the bus stop, out of eye sight.

I struggled but he held on tighter, his hands moving from my waist up to… oh god, don't you dare touch me there you disgusting ape. Just because I was small and poor he thought he could do whatever he wanted, treat me however he wanted! Just a quick feel before I take her in, who would know, or care?

He was just like every other person in my life, I had let myself be tossed around, kicked and beaten all my life. Called a freak, by the foster carers, the other kids, the police, just about anyone I'd ever met.

They didn't know what I had the power to do, hell, even I had no idea what I could do if I actually tried.

I promised myself not to use my "skills" ever again, not to give in to the temptation.

I mean, I had used them before every once in a while in this miserable life, but I found that I couldn't control even the smallest use.

The last time it got bad was six years ago, a building had collapsed suspiciously, the reports stated that the only person on the premises was a local homeless kid, no one knew if she got out or not.

I didn't mean to destroy an entire building, I swear.

A brattish kid from a gang had found me sleeping there and decided to beat up the little, grubby girl with nothing but the faded army jacket on her back. I took each punch, but they fell like feathers on iron, nothing could hurt me, my skin was steel.

But my body still screamed at me to fight back. Fight back you wimp, don't just lie there!

Ok, I thought, I'll just give him a little fright, I'll only use my powers a little bit…

So yeah, the building collapsed, there were a few fires and I think the entire town had a blackout for the next three days. As for the kid, well he got out but let's just say his ribs cracked as easy as pencils and he wouldn't be using his limbs for a while.

For hours after I could feel everything, see everything, I felt like I could fly, like I could become anyone I wanted, more than what I was.

Times like that I felt so alive… powerful, I knew it was wrong but how could feeling like this be wrong? I still don't even know how I was doing it; I don't even understand any of it.

It scared me out of my mind, thinking about what I was born with, a curse if ever there was one.

Every time I think of trying to gain power over these… these abilities, I turn back into the terrified child I once was, hiding and cowering.

I remember being afraid of the voices in my head and screaming for them to go away until my throat was raw, crying after I touched my carer's pet rabbit and it died right in front of me.

I remember when the kids threw bricks at me in the parking lot and I couldn't feel a thing, I could still hear their screeches, freak! you're a freak, go back to hell demon.

I remember feeling helpless because I was too scared of my powers to fight back.

And then I remember the feeling I have when I used them, the way it over powered anything else, my fear, my sadness. It just left pure, raw instinct.

Like a thousand drugs running through my blood, the feeling that I could win any fight…

Oh the things I could do to this officer, if I just tried, I felt the beast come alive and roar inside me, my mind running wild…

He started to drag me to his car. I could hear the lady jeering at me from the station. Of course this strange, ragged girl should go to jail. Freak…

If I could just show them, just once. Put them in their place.

I could control it now, not like last time, just one more time and then never again. Just enough to surprise him so I can get away.

I could control it now…

(Of course later on I knew I was fooling myself, if anything, it controlled me)

A crowd of people had gathered to see the dirty hobo get the treatment she deserved from an officer of the law, their eyes watching expectantly.

I knew the risks, I knew what comes after but I did it anyway, I was so stupid.

"I wouldn't get me angry officer" I snapped

"Oh, and why is that sweetie" he grinned

"Cause you're the closest to the bomb, I'd start running"

Before he could respond I used the advantage of my smallness to slip out his arms by kicking backwards to his knees, he buckled and I turned to face him, my heart hammering.

I called it up, the beast got to its feet.

I felt it surging through me like a bright light coming from within, it burned every inch of my skin and flowed through my blood like wildfire. But I loved it. The pain made me feel alive. So alive!

Time slowed as I reached out. Touching him with the tips of my fingers. I can control it I promised myself. Just the smallest bit.

As soon as they made contact all the power I felt was suddenly flew through my finger tips and the man collapsed onto the ground. Knocked out cold.

The crowd was stunned silent.

This tiny girl with in ratty clothes had knocked out a massive cop with just a touch.

I realized it wasn't over though, dread poisoned my chest. My blood was still racing and coursing with power.

I knew I couldn't control it once I had let it out. How could I have been so foolish?

I felt it growing and rising, I tried to keep it in with every fibre of will I had left. I collapsed to my knees and wrapped my arms around my body in desperate attempt to hold it in.

The beast was fighting to get out of its cage. Growling and clawing and fighting until…

My flimsy hold on it shattered and I lost control completely.