Her Villian

Fifteen

Cody

"You almost had it!" I tell Maria as we stand in an open field.

I had been helping her control her powers for a few hours now. She had some trouble, but she is getting better.

Maria sighs as she sits down on the grass. In the distance, some birds are chirping and the sun is setting slowly, causing the sky to be painted pink and orange.

"I don't think I will ever have full control." She says as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

I join her in the soft grass. "You will. It takes time."

She faces me, "How long did it take you?"

I shrug, "A while. When I first discovered them...I was scared. I thought I was dying. I had no one to help, no one I could ask. It was just me. I didn't want to tell anyone because I thought that if I did then I would be sent away and experimented on. I was 21 when I discovered I could do these things. I tried to hide it; I didn't want the powers. At 23 when I felt like I had control. Those 2 years I spent inside my apartment, trying and failing. Falling but getting back up again. After the 2 years were up, I decided to use these gifts, for good."

Maria was quiet for a moment. "Have you ever told your family?"

I laugh. "Not much of them to tell. My mom and dad were young and in love, I was a mistake. My dad wanted my mom to get an abortion, but she didn't want to, didn't want that on her mind. So, when she told my dad she wanted to keep me, he left her. She went through the pregnancy completely alone. And when I was finally born, she couldn't stand to look at me. I was just a reminder of what she lost." I stared into the distance. I never talked about my family, not even Mara knew all of this. But something about Maria's energy made me feel safe. So, I continued.

"She decided she couldn't keep seeing me every day and put me in the system. I was in and out of foster homes until I was 18, I moved here and got a job at a nearby mall. Started college, got scholarships, and completed a bachelor's degree in business last year, which is the degree you pick when you have no idea what you want to do. I just knew I wanted to be successful. I started at a work-from-home job a few months later. But it was after graduation that I decided to become The Mist."

Maria smiled. "You are strong Cody."

I scoffed.

"No, I mean it. You were born into a family who did not appreciate you, but you never let that stop you. And look at what you have done with your life. Work from home during the day, and at night you help people, save them. You shed light on this dark city and that is something to be proud of." She placed a small hand on my shoulder causing me to smile at her.

We stayed that way, looking at each other before my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe, where are you?" Mara asks from the other end.

"I'm a few miles out of the city right now," I told her.

Maria sneezes.

'Who was that?" Mara asks.

"Just Maria," I say still looking at her.

The line was silent for a few seconds before I heard her voice again.

"I just wanted to tell you I am going out."

I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "Where to?"

"I actually don't know, a friend told me they knew a spot."

"A friend?" I asked, I didn't know she had those.

"Yeah, a friend."

"What is their name?" I say now facing away from Maria, who was trying to heal some dead flowers that she had plucked from the ground beside her.

"Jackson," Mara informed.

I raise an eyebrow. "Jackson? A guy?"

She sighs, "Yes Cody, a guy."

"Well, shouldn't I meet him first?" I ask.

Mara laughs. "Like you let me meet Maria first? At least I tell you before going out with someone."

I rolled my eyes, she was getting on my nerves lately, it seemed all she wanted to do was argue.

"Okay Mara, listen I have to go."

"Yeah, me too." She said before hanging up the phone.

I placed my phone on the grass and turned back to Maria who was now looking at me concerned. "Is everything okay?"

I nod, "Just peachy." I gave a small smile.

Maria stands. "Okay, I think I'm ready to try again."

I smiled as I stood.

A/N

We finally got Cody's backstory! I have some big plans for this story in upcoming chapters! I just wanted to check in with you guys, what other backstories would you like to see? Are there any specific things you want to see in the story? Let me know what you think! And a huge thank you for giving its story a read!

Also, do not worry, smut is coming! I promise;)

-Author