Deadly

Chapter 6

From the instant she woke up, Mia knew something was different. Something doesn't feel right. She pondered at what could have happened, other than manifesting strange powers.

She sighed down at her gloves, and looked around.

Nothing seemed different. Her room was the same as always. Black walls, splashed with stripes of teal and silver. Her matching bed looked up towards the black ceiling, decorated with glow in the dark stars from her childhood. Next to her bed was the night table, consisting of only her phone and a lamp. Across from her bed was a desk and a small closet.

Nope. Mia took one last glance around the room before walking out. Nothing looks different.

If only she had looked in the mirror which hung inside the closet door. Then she would have found the difference.

"Mom, I'm going out for the day!" Mia called out. She couldn't let her mom notice the gloves, so avoiding her was the best solution.

"'Kay sweetie, have fun!" Her mom called back, her voice still sounding sleepy. "Come back before dark!"

"Thanks mom!" At times like these, Mia was extremely grateful for her mother's leniency. She grabbed a light sweater and headed outside, taking notice of the faint black vein on the doorknob.

Once she reached the center of town, she immediately headed towards a small boutique. She stayed there for only a few minutes, as she quickly found what she was looking for. She left the store, and exchanged her bulky winter gloves for a new pair. Black, of course, to hide the color change when she touched them. They were made of a leather material that went just past her wrist, and laced up to her palm. Although leather wasn't made to be worn during the warmer weather, people would probably assume that Mia was just a rebellious teen. Besides, they covered her fingers, which was the thing that mattered most.

Satisfied with her purchase, Mia decided she had earned herself some breakfast. She headed across the square to Books and Nooks, a cafe and bookstore. The perfect place for her to think. She ordered a large coffee and a pastry, and settled down on one of the store's comfy beanbags. The cozy environment made her drowsy, but the chill around her kept her up. She took a sip of her coffee.

She had a lot of thinking to do.

Two hours later, Mia still hadn't gotten anywhere. She concluded that she would do the same thing she did in school, when she had to give a presentation.

Wing it.

-

"Mom, I'm home!" Mia had tried to avoid these words for a few hours, making up excuses to stay in town. It was late now; her dad was almost definitely asleep and her mom was probably getting ready for bed. She kept her hands behind her back as her mom came down to greet her.

"Mia sweetie, I haven't seen you all day," her mother ran to give her a hug. But her expression quickly changed. "Mia," her tone was threatening. "Did you dye your hair without my permission?"

Mia paused, confused by her mother's words. She had done many things to avoid coming home, but dyeing her hair was not one of them. She looked, to see what her mom was talking about. Sure enough, her copper ombre was now dyed a dark red.

"Um, I didn't do that," Mia said carefully. "But I think I know what did."

She told her mom what happened, slowly and carefully. To her surprise, her mother did not get angry.

"This is what happened last time," Melissa told her daughter. "You were never in a car crash. We didn't want your memories to come back." Her voice grew more worried by the second. She was afraid of what Mia might do. But she couldn't stop her.

Mia looked straight into her mother's eyes. "Tell me everything."

So her mother told. She told Mia about her powers. How she could manipulate people just by looking into their eyes. How she could kill people with her touch.

And she had.

But what surprised Mia most were the memories. Whenever her mother spoke, she remembered. She remembered her older sister. She remembered hating her sister so much, she looked into her eyes.

And told her to kill herself.

All around, the walls were breaking. She couldn't remember everything, only what she heard. But with these memories came power, and lots of it. And as she learned all of this, she knew why her mother had been so afraid.

"Mom, you know what I have to do to you and Dad, right?" She asked, her voice small.

"I know," her mother responded, accepting her fate. "I didn't want to tell you." But she did. And she could tell Doctor Owen just as easily.

"Goodnight Mom."

"Goodnight sweetie." Her mom turned and went to her room. To sleep.

Mia went to her room as well, but for a different reason. There was one thing that she needed.

When she got what she was looking for, she headed back to her parents' room. They were both sleeping. Her mother had a peaceful look on her face. She put Ethan's rose in her mother's hand, a reminder of what she had become.

"Sweet dreams," Mia whispered as she removed her glove. She kissed both of them, cradling their heads in her hand. She didn't turn to watch as the black veins spread across her mother's face, and then her father's. By touching a vital part of their bodies, she had killed them.

Deep down, she was terrified. Deep down, she was guilty.

But she knew why she had to do it.

Something had changed. She had been awakened.

And with those thoughts in her head, Mia left the world of her second childhood, leaving only a single rose behind.