A/N: Okay, okay! Here! *throws Ch 5 to the pack of hungry wolves and quickly snatches hand back, counting to ensure that all fingers are still intact*
Smiles! :)
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Freak!"
"Come on, Harry. Let him go."
"Why? Don't tell me that you feel sorry for him."
"Well, uh..."
"Hey, do you hear that, guys? Daniel feels sorry for the freak." The group of six teenage boys roared with laughter.
The day had started out innocently enough. Fifteen-year-old Jesse Kilmartin had been a student at the Windmore School for Boys for almost a week and he seemed to have been fitting in quite well. Until he had accidentally revealed his powers.
~*~ Earlier that day ~*~
Daniel Shannon, the stereotypical most popular boy in school, had immediately welcomed Jesse into his close circle of friends despite the three-year age difference. The older boy had everything a teenager could want. He was the captain of the football team, a straight 'A' student, and dating an exquisite young woman from a neighboring school. He had a well-toned build, bright white smile, dark wavy hair, and bottomless black eyes. His stunning good looks were only amplified by his caring and supportive personality.
Jesse stood at his locker, gathering the required books for the first of his afternoon classes and mentally planning his weekend activities, when Daniel's voice sounded behind him.
"Yo, Kilmartin, think fast!"
Jesse spun around just in time to catch a glimpse of a projectile hurtling towards his chest. He closed his eyes and, without conscious thought, phased. When he opened his eyes again, the projectile, a football, was resting in the bottom of his locker and Daniel's features had contorted into a mask of confusion and fear.
"What the hell was that?" Daniel questioned.
Jesse tried to laugh it off. "Oh, man. Talk about a bad catch." He gave a nervous chuckle. "There's no way you're going to want me on the team if I can't catch a simple..." He trailed off. He wasn't fooling anyone. Daniel was looking at him as if he were a...
"What kind of freak are you?" Harry Pendleton voiced the question as he walked up to join the other two in the nearly deserted hall.
Harry was the school's number two man. He was actually as good as, if not better than, Daniel in most areas, but Daniel's sparkling personality had given him an edge that Harry could never hope to have. Harry liked to use his social standing as a weapon to intimidate people into doing his bidding. Promises made were quickly and easily forgotten once the deeds had been done.
Jesse was in a near panic. The small private school had a student body of approximately 300 boys. Why did Harry have to be the one to witness his slip? "I-I-I, uh..." He tried desperately to think of a way to convince the two teens that they hadn't actually seen what they thought they had.
"Wait a minute. I know exactly what you are. You ARE a freak, aren't you? You're one of those science experiments gone wrong."
Daniel's wide eyes narrowed and one eyebrow rose in question.
"My dad was an investor in some company that promised cures for a lot of diseases by messing with DNA, but he backed out when he received an anonymous tip about freaks like this." Harry jerked a thumb in Jesse's direction. "They're dangerous!" He took a menacing step towards Jesse. "We don't want freaks here."
Jesse never tried to refute the accusation, nor did he back away from the imposing six-foot-three-inch figure that loomed over him. No matter what the younger man said, he knew it would make no difference; Harry had already made up his mind.
"Aren't you boys supposed to be in class?" The standoff was interrupted by the voice of Mr. Prescott, the assistant principal. Apparently, the boys had missed the bell that had announced the beginning of the next class.
Harry and Jesse never broke eye contact. "Yes, sir. We were just on our way," Harry answered. He brushed past Jesse, intentionally bumping into his shoulder and forcing the younger man to take a step back. "This isn't over, Freak," Harry murmured under his breath. Harry, Daniel, and Mr. Prescott left, leaving Jesse alone with his thoughts.
Jesse sighed and returned to gathering his books from his locker. 'It's always the same,' he thought to himself. 'Every time someone finds out about my powers, I'm instantly labeled a freak and treated like a leper.' He cursed his dumb luck and inability to completely control his powers.
Jesse had spent the remainder of the day in self-imposed isolation, drawing as little attention to himself as possible. Though he had no classes with the older boys, avoiding them had proven to be an extremely difficult task. Jesse was late to each of his remaining afternoon classes because each time he'd headed towards his locker, he'd found Harry and a group of his friends there, apparently waiting for him. In order to avoid a potentially hostile confrontation, he'd simply stayed out of sight and waited until the other boys had continued on to their own classes.
Jesse had desperately wanted to talk to Daniel. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason, he felt his friend would listen to him and understand that the mutation - as the doctors had called it - was an accident; a byproduct of the miracle cure his parents had purchased for a disease he had yet even to learn the name of. Daniel would understand that, while Jesse had no control over the mutation, he DID have control over his powers and he would never use them to harm others. Unfortunately, Daniel had seemed to avoid him with great proficiency. Jesse could feel the familiar ache of loss as the foundation of their friendship - the only true friendship he had ever known - crumbled before his eyes.
The final minutes of the day passed in agonizing slowness. When the bell finally rang, Jesse didn't bother to wait for the instructor's formal dismissal. He bolted from his chair and raced for the nearest exit, hoping to escape the school campus before becoming the object of Harry's unwanted attention.
Under normal circumstances, Daniel would have driven Jesse home, but that didn't appear to be an option. Jesse set a brisk pace for himself as he jogged away from the school. He had traveled half of a mile and was well into a peaceful residential community before he allowed himself to slow down and walk.
As he walked, Jesse observed the neighborhood. Lush, green, manicured lawns surrounded cheerful little houses. Large trees provided shade and protection from the harsh rays of the sun. Small children ran and played together, finally released from the strict discipline of school; the only comparison the young ones had to torture. Jesse envied their absolute freedom. Even after all the years of practice, if his concentration slipped at the wrong moment, he would mass or phase like he had earlier that day. He'd usually been able to convince witnesses that their eyes had played tricks on them. 'No, it didn't hit me hard enough to hurt me' and 'Sorry, it just slipped out of my hands' had become two very well used sentences.
Jesse often caught himself wondering what his life would have been like if his parents hadn't opted for the miracle cure. Yes, he would probably have been faced with a considerably shorter life span, plagued by the pains of the disease (whatever that was), but perhaps the freedom would have been worth it.
Jesse plodded on towards his home. The houses gradually became larger and the neighborhood more exclusive. The laughter of young children at play was replaced with an eerie silence. Deep in thought, he didn't hear someone approach him from behind until it was too late.
A black hood was slipped over Jesse's head and a beefy arm wrapped around his neck. "I told you it wasn't over, Freak," Harry's unmistakable voice hissed into his ear.
Before Jesse could react, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head and his world instantly faded to black.
~*~ Present ~*~
When Jesse had regained consciousness, he'd found himself lying on his side, gagged, with his hands securely bound behind his back, and a horrible headache that pounded with every beat of his heart. The hood that stole his vision was still present as well. He'd stretched slightly, hoping to find a better position so he wouldn't be distracted by his discomfort as he tried to assess the situation. Jesse had extended his legs only a few inches when his feet came into contact with something hard and unyielding. Rolling slightly onto his back, his shoulder had come into contact with something. It had taken only a few more movements for Jesse to discover that he'd been completely encased in some sort of wooden box. He'd begun to kick and scream for help, the gag muffling his cries.
Realizing the futility of his actions, Jesse had forced himself to calm down. Only then did he hear the voices.
"Freak!"
"Come on, Harry. Let him go."
"Why? Don't tell me that you feel sorry for him."
"Well, uh..."
"Hey, do you hear that, guys? Daniel feels sorry for the freak." The group of six teenage boys roared with laughter.
"That's enough! Look, you've had your fun. You're not really going to bury him alive, are you?"
In answer to Daniel's question, Harry sneered defiantly and scooped a shovel full of dirt onto the wooden chest that rested at the bottom of a shallow pit. Two of the boys held Daniel back as the others joined in the effort to bury the chest.
Inside the chest, Jesse had heard the conversation and had begun to panic. As more and more dirt was added, Jesse's air became heavy and stale. He struggled in vain, pulling at the ropes that bound his arms behind his back until the coarse material cut into his wrists and caused them to bleed.
The more he struggled, the angrier he got until finally, in a fit of rage, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, phasing out of the ropes. Still incensed, Jesse ripped off the hood and gag before he massed his fists and feet and began punching and kicking at his small prison. As the wood gave away, cold, damp dirt rushed into the enclosure. This only fueled his rage. The young man took another deep breath, exhaled, and phased. He stood up, head and shoulders clearing the surface of the ground, and began to slowly extract himself from the Earth, releasing his panic, frustration, and anger in a single loud, long scream.
The group of boys instantly froze. "What the hell is that?"
"Some sort of freak!"
"That freak is dangerous!"
"Get away from us, Freak!"
Seeing the pure fury in Jesse's eyes and fearing for their safety, Harry and his group of friends ran to their cars and fled the small wooded area.
Freak. Freak. Freak. The word echoed in Jesse's mind and a red haze of rage clouded his vision. Breathing heavily, he started after the fleeing boys, but was halted by a firm hand on his shoulder. Without thinking, he massed his right fist and lashed out at whoever dared to restrain him. Jesse smiled upon hearing the satisfying crunch of bone followed closely by the sound of a lifeless body hitting the ground. When his vision had cleared, Jesse turned to gaze at the bloodied face of his tormentor.
"Daniel! NOOO!!"
Smiles! :)
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Freak!"
"Come on, Harry. Let him go."
"Why? Don't tell me that you feel sorry for him."
"Well, uh..."
"Hey, do you hear that, guys? Daniel feels sorry for the freak." The group of six teenage boys roared with laughter.
The day had started out innocently enough. Fifteen-year-old Jesse Kilmartin had been a student at the Windmore School for Boys for almost a week and he seemed to have been fitting in quite well. Until he had accidentally revealed his powers.
~*~ Earlier that day ~*~
Daniel Shannon, the stereotypical most popular boy in school, had immediately welcomed Jesse into his close circle of friends despite the three-year age difference. The older boy had everything a teenager could want. He was the captain of the football team, a straight 'A' student, and dating an exquisite young woman from a neighboring school. He had a well-toned build, bright white smile, dark wavy hair, and bottomless black eyes. His stunning good looks were only amplified by his caring and supportive personality.
Jesse stood at his locker, gathering the required books for the first of his afternoon classes and mentally planning his weekend activities, when Daniel's voice sounded behind him.
"Yo, Kilmartin, think fast!"
Jesse spun around just in time to catch a glimpse of a projectile hurtling towards his chest. He closed his eyes and, without conscious thought, phased. When he opened his eyes again, the projectile, a football, was resting in the bottom of his locker and Daniel's features had contorted into a mask of confusion and fear.
"What the hell was that?" Daniel questioned.
Jesse tried to laugh it off. "Oh, man. Talk about a bad catch." He gave a nervous chuckle. "There's no way you're going to want me on the team if I can't catch a simple..." He trailed off. He wasn't fooling anyone. Daniel was looking at him as if he were a...
"What kind of freak are you?" Harry Pendleton voiced the question as he walked up to join the other two in the nearly deserted hall.
Harry was the school's number two man. He was actually as good as, if not better than, Daniel in most areas, but Daniel's sparkling personality had given him an edge that Harry could never hope to have. Harry liked to use his social standing as a weapon to intimidate people into doing his bidding. Promises made were quickly and easily forgotten once the deeds had been done.
Jesse was in a near panic. The small private school had a student body of approximately 300 boys. Why did Harry have to be the one to witness his slip? "I-I-I, uh..." He tried desperately to think of a way to convince the two teens that they hadn't actually seen what they thought they had.
"Wait a minute. I know exactly what you are. You ARE a freak, aren't you? You're one of those science experiments gone wrong."
Daniel's wide eyes narrowed and one eyebrow rose in question.
"My dad was an investor in some company that promised cures for a lot of diseases by messing with DNA, but he backed out when he received an anonymous tip about freaks like this." Harry jerked a thumb in Jesse's direction. "They're dangerous!" He took a menacing step towards Jesse. "We don't want freaks here."
Jesse never tried to refute the accusation, nor did he back away from the imposing six-foot-three-inch figure that loomed over him. No matter what the younger man said, he knew it would make no difference; Harry had already made up his mind.
"Aren't you boys supposed to be in class?" The standoff was interrupted by the voice of Mr. Prescott, the assistant principal. Apparently, the boys had missed the bell that had announced the beginning of the next class.
Harry and Jesse never broke eye contact. "Yes, sir. We were just on our way," Harry answered. He brushed past Jesse, intentionally bumping into his shoulder and forcing the younger man to take a step back. "This isn't over, Freak," Harry murmured under his breath. Harry, Daniel, and Mr. Prescott left, leaving Jesse alone with his thoughts.
Jesse sighed and returned to gathering his books from his locker. 'It's always the same,' he thought to himself. 'Every time someone finds out about my powers, I'm instantly labeled a freak and treated like a leper.' He cursed his dumb luck and inability to completely control his powers.
Jesse had spent the remainder of the day in self-imposed isolation, drawing as little attention to himself as possible. Though he had no classes with the older boys, avoiding them had proven to be an extremely difficult task. Jesse was late to each of his remaining afternoon classes because each time he'd headed towards his locker, he'd found Harry and a group of his friends there, apparently waiting for him. In order to avoid a potentially hostile confrontation, he'd simply stayed out of sight and waited until the other boys had continued on to their own classes.
Jesse had desperately wanted to talk to Daniel. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason, he felt his friend would listen to him and understand that the mutation - as the doctors had called it - was an accident; a byproduct of the miracle cure his parents had purchased for a disease he had yet even to learn the name of. Daniel would understand that, while Jesse had no control over the mutation, he DID have control over his powers and he would never use them to harm others. Unfortunately, Daniel had seemed to avoid him with great proficiency. Jesse could feel the familiar ache of loss as the foundation of their friendship - the only true friendship he had ever known - crumbled before his eyes.
The final minutes of the day passed in agonizing slowness. When the bell finally rang, Jesse didn't bother to wait for the instructor's formal dismissal. He bolted from his chair and raced for the nearest exit, hoping to escape the school campus before becoming the object of Harry's unwanted attention.
Under normal circumstances, Daniel would have driven Jesse home, but that didn't appear to be an option. Jesse set a brisk pace for himself as he jogged away from the school. He had traveled half of a mile and was well into a peaceful residential community before he allowed himself to slow down and walk.
As he walked, Jesse observed the neighborhood. Lush, green, manicured lawns surrounded cheerful little houses. Large trees provided shade and protection from the harsh rays of the sun. Small children ran and played together, finally released from the strict discipline of school; the only comparison the young ones had to torture. Jesse envied their absolute freedom. Even after all the years of practice, if his concentration slipped at the wrong moment, he would mass or phase like he had earlier that day. He'd usually been able to convince witnesses that their eyes had played tricks on them. 'No, it didn't hit me hard enough to hurt me' and 'Sorry, it just slipped out of my hands' had become two very well used sentences.
Jesse often caught himself wondering what his life would have been like if his parents hadn't opted for the miracle cure. Yes, he would probably have been faced with a considerably shorter life span, plagued by the pains of the disease (whatever that was), but perhaps the freedom would have been worth it.
Jesse plodded on towards his home. The houses gradually became larger and the neighborhood more exclusive. The laughter of young children at play was replaced with an eerie silence. Deep in thought, he didn't hear someone approach him from behind until it was too late.
A black hood was slipped over Jesse's head and a beefy arm wrapped around his neck. "I told you it wasn't over, Freak," Harry's unmistakable voice hissed into his ear.
Before Jesse could react, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head and his world instantly faded to black.
~*~ Present ~*~
When Jesse had regained consciousness, he'd found himself lying on his side, gagged, with his hands securely bound behind his back, and a horrible headache that pounded with every beat of his heart. The hood that stole his vision was still present as well. He'd stretched slightly, hoping to find a better position so he wouldn't be distracted by his discomfort as he tried to assess the situation. Jesse had extended his legs only a few inches when his feet came into contact with something hard and unyielding. Rolling slightly onto his back, his shoulder had come into contact with something. It had taken only a few more movements for Jesse to discover that he'd been completely encased in some sort of wooden box. He'd begun to kick and scream for help, the gag muffling his cries.
Realizing the futility of his actions, Jesse had forced himself to calm down. Only then did he hear the voices.
"Freak!"
"Come on, Harry. Let him go."
"Why? Don't tell me that you feel sorry for him."
"Well, uh..."
"Hey, do you hear that, guys? Daniel feels sorry for the freak." The group of six teenage boys roared with laughter.
"That's enough! Look, you've had your fun. You're not really going to bury him alive, are you?"
In answer to Daniel's question, Harry sneered defiantly and scooped a shovel full of dirt onto the wooden chest that rested at the bottom of a shallow pit. Two of the boys held Daniel back as the others joined in the effort to bury the chest.
Inside the chest, Jesse had heard the conversation and had begun to panic. As more and more dirt was added, Jesse's air became heavy and stale. He struggled in vain, pulling at the ropes that bound his arms behind his back until the coarse material cut into his wrists and caused them to bleed.
The more he struggled, the angrier he got until finally, in a fit of rage, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, phasing out of the ropes. Still incensed, Jesse ripped off the hood and gag before he massed his fists and feet and began punching and kicking at his small prison. As the wood gave away, cold, damp dirt rushed into the enclosure. This only fueled his rage. The young man took another deep breath, exhaled, and phased. He stood up, head and shoulders clearing the surface of the ground, and began to slowly extract himself from the Earth, releasing his panic, frustration, and anger in a single loud, long scream.
The group of boys instantly froze. "What the hell is that?"
"Some sort of freak!"
"That freak is dangerous!"
"Get away from us, Freak!"
Seeing the pure fury in Jesse's eyes and fearing for their safety, Harry and his group of friends ran to their cars and fled the small wooded area.
Freak. Freak. Freak. The word echoed in Jesse's mind and a red haze of rage clouded his vision. Breathing heavily, he started after the fleeing boys, but was halted by a firm hand on his shoulder. Without thinking, he massed his right fist and lashed out at whoever dared to restrain him. Jesse smiled upon hearing the satisfying crunch of bone followed closely by the sound of a lifeless body hitting the ground. When his vision had cleared, Jesse turned to gaze at the bloodied face of his tormentor.
"Daniel! NOOO!!"