Be The Hero

Chapter 11: Behavior

Don't let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace~ Delai Lema

Emaline

Michael holds my hand as we walk the trail. He's leaning in making a tunnel of leaves, the safe feeling washes over me. The birds chirp is we passed them, my animal behavior control keeping them calm the breeze blows through my hair, the smell of coconut and lemon intertwining with the smells of nature.

"They're so calm." Michael whispers.

"I'm keeping them that way." I reply as a smile forms on my lips when I notice Michael looking at an Eagle's nest. His green eyes have a sparkle to them, like a child at the zoo for the first time looking at their favorite animal. "The girl I got this from didn't know how to control it. She let it control her, she ended up going crazy."

He shifts his gaze to mine. "How did you learn to control it?"

"I practiced." I breath, "There was a cat that always afraid of people at the mental institution I went to. I helped it to trust us. Then in our last foster home there was a coyote that kept killing the chickens. I made it leave us alone, I slept in the chicken coop for a week trying to influence it."

"Not many people would do that you know." Michael speaks after a long silence. "They're just chickens, you could of got more. But you have such a big heart that you wanted to save the stupid birds."

"My mom used to call me a gentle spirit." I smile but then feel the pain from my parents death. "She called Calum her little fighter."

"I could see why." He smiles. "He is juggling three jobs while going to college and still gets perfect grades."

Calum has always been the type of person who never lets anyone help him, even if he is going to die. I can't count how many time Michael and I tried to get him to move in with us, he wouldn't be paying six hundred dollars worth in rent and buying things he needs to live. He always said the same thing, I'm fine.

He's been that way since our parents died, it's like he's trying to make them proud or something. I'm fine..... I hate those words, just as much as I hate death.

"I hate death." I watch as a bird plucks up a worm and flies off to where it's nest is. "Ever since my parents death I can't stand a a single living thing, weither it's a person or animal, dying."

"You had nightmares when I almost died in your arms after being attacked by Luke." Michael says looking back at the eagle's nest. "You blamed yourself even though it wasn't your fault."

"It's a good thing I started to worry about you when you didn't come home. You would of died." I hug into his side, his natural warmth abosorbing into my body.

"My powers won't let me die, unless it's the one to take my life." He looks at his hand when his finger line with electricity. His eyes turning blue and growing with sadness. He closes his eyes taking a breath then opening them again, his irises green again. I can feel the weight of guilt on his heart, the amount heavy enought to crush it. "I've never told anyone this, but when I was thirteen I had a fight with my dad. When I was at the peek of my anger the lamp sparked. My home burned to the ground, my family didn't make it."

I hug him properly, "I'm so sorry Mikey!" His sadness creeping into my heart, tears threating to show.

Michael sighs before pulling out of the hug, "Let's head back."

Michael has never been one to be emotional around anybody, if he is upset in front of people he tries to hide. He can't really house tom me though, since I'm an empath. I always know when he's is upset even if I can't sense it, his eyes are an open book.

"Sometime I wish I was normal." Michael speaks. "Like no powers, normal."

I frown, "I don't."

He stops groaning loudly. He turns to me, "Em, do you know how much easier life would be if we were normal?"

"It may be easier, but it would be boring." I explain, "I like being a mutant, it makes me different than everyone else. Like I'm my own person."

"Our kind does horrible things to each other and to the humans." Michael adds his eyes becoming a fierce sea green.

"I once heard from a wise being, 'Don't let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace'. Even if our kind does tend to be dangerous, there is no stopping the other side to start killing us and themselves." I feel my heart breaking with every word. "Michael, you were born a mutant. That means your destiny is to be a mutant."

"But what kind of mutant!? Huh!?" Michael shouts, his eyes start forming blue patches. "I have killed people Emaline. I have caused a blackout! I could kill you!"

I gulp, "You wouldn't hurt me."

"That's what I said before I killed my parents." Michael responds.

"That wasn't your fault, a house fire can't be controlled!"

"I caused it!" Michael's voice makes me flinch. His eyes flash blue before he turns toward a tree and thrusts his arms out. Letting a scream out as well, blue sparks of electrictiy force out of his body and to the tree. When the energy fades Michael stands there for a moment painting, then he drops to his knees on the ground. The targeted tree now has a reasonable sized black scar on its trunk.

His breathing dissipates back to normal before he looks at me. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I ask kneeling beside him.

"Too much energy built up inside me, I had to get it out. That tree just happened to be in the way." Michael whispers. His eyes fade from the bright electirc blue to it's normal green. "And for yelling at you."

I sigh, "It's okay, you were doing what you had to do." I pull him into my arms as he takes deep breathes.

Ever since I was little I don't let the behavior of others affect my inner peace. I know that I am the only one who can affect that. But I can't help feeling helpless, day by day more of us are targeted by our own species, I only have one power that I can use to defend myself. The empathy sometimes fails to transferred to someone. I can't let Michael protect me my whole life, I need to start to practice taking people's powers to protect myself.