Runaways: Book II

I

Your POV:
Before I'd fall asleep, there was always this one single moment that I'd savor. It was a moment of total clarity, where my mind turned into a state of total nothingness —a blank white canvas where all of the flying thoughts in my head just stop and suspend, floating still as if they were caught in a spiderweb.
Then I would dream.
And all those thoughts and memories would come flooding back into my brain.
It always started with blinding blue light and the explosion. I'd watch as my house blew outward, spewing pieces of brick and glass. Then it would repair itself, play backward in slow motion, with the little shards of glass forming back into crystal clear windows and the brick back into sturdy walls.
And then another blue flash, and it would explode again.
That's all it ever was.
Explode. Repair. Explode. Repair. Explode.
Repeating itself in a cruel sequence.
My eyes shot open to see the mansion's guest room ceiling. I was lying in a pool of my own sweat, my hands trembling beneath the covers. I drew them to my chest.
The bedroom door opened and I sat up. It was pitch black, but I already knew who it was.
"__?" Hank called out in the darkness.
I flipped on the lamp on the nightstand, which revealed Hank's lanky figure and reflected off his lenses.
I took a deep breath and tried to let his good energy soak in.
"It happened again, didn't it?" I asked, already knowing the answer to my question.
I was referring to the tremors—moments in my sleep were I would lose control of my powers and release little spurts of energy. They had begun not long after Professor Xavier shut down the school, the place I were I came to hoping to learn to control them.
He nodded silently.
"Did I wake the Professor?" I questioned.
He scratched the back of his neck,
"There was a moment there were you got pretty intense, his mind began to pick it up a little. I just gave him another dose of the suppressant. Don't worry, he's fast asleep now."
After the school closed, the Professor let me stay on one condition—that I help Hank develop a serum to suppress his mutant powers. Now both the Professor and Hank were taking a serum, and I was in the midst of formulating one for myself.
"What did I shout this time?" I said rubbing my head.
"It's okay. You don't need to know. Just try to get some sleep," he replied in attempts to protect me.
"Hank, its fine. Just tell me."
"Are you sure you want to kn—"
"Yes."
He began hesitantly,
"You...yelled..."
He looked down at the floor and finished,
"Run."
The room was quiet for a beat until I stood up and threw on my denim jacket.
Hank's eyes rose higher to meet mine.
"Where are you going?" he asked pushing his fames back up the bridge of his nose.
I began lacing up my high top Chucks,
"I just need to get some air."
I brushed past him and walked toward the doors that lead outside.
"You know, it's okay that your powers are doing this. Everyone struggles with their powers at some point," Hank said, his voice echoing down the hall.
I turned back to look at him,
"If this is okay, then why aren't you blue?" I said harshly, referring to his natural mutant state currently being suppressed by the serum.
He fell silent and I sensed his energy shift into sadness. I instantly regretted the statement.
"I'm sorry, Hank. That was insensitive. I'm just...struggling here."
The corner of his mouth bent upwards into a bittersweet smile,
"I know. It's okay."
I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath before pivoting back towards the door and stepping out into the black opaque night.