Angel, You're Perfect // Warren Worthington III

prologue.

Evelina sat in the middle of a field of lavender, the smell overwhelming her senses. Sobs wracked her body as she stared down at her hands which had caused the murder. There were no visible marks on her hands but she could sense the power thriving in them and move throughout her bloodstream. She had just killed her best friend without laying a hand on her and the grief was choking her.

She was a mutant. It was not obvious at all, she looked normal in all aspects of her physical appearance. On the inside, she was not normal. She could experience everything, all of the living things in the world. She could sense their emotions and their physical state of being. That is all she did, feel. She could detect a sickness before there were any symptoms and then could heal that person before they could even develop a runny nose. Her mutation was beautiful and amazing, but it came with many different side effects.

The side effects were not really side effects, they were mere inconveniences in her life that were usually avoided. But where you can give life, you can also take it away.

More and more tears dripped down her cheeks and the second a scream escaped the young girl's body, all the plants in a ten-foot radius dropped dead. They shrivel up and die as Evelina's usually brown eyes shine green. She could heal people with a simple touch, or she could take their life away with one look. It was horrible.

She usually had everything under control. She learned of her powers after she had scraped her knee when she was a small child. As an infant, she loved to run around in large parks and fields so it was not unusual that she had a small cut or bruise. But, when the scrape disappeared in seconds of the fall happened, she knew something was happening to her. It happened again when she had a nightmare and woke up with her room covered in plants. That moment was when Evelina knew that she was different from all the other kids. She had a mutation that allowed her to control life.

It sounds like a broad topic, and it is, but to Evelina, it was a simple matter of being able to help people who were unable to help themselves. She did not walk around healing people, it takes a substantial amount of energy to do any healing. She chose people who she deemed worthy, like a single mother of four who was suffering from terminal cancer. The mother slaved over her work to supply for her children and was unable to pay for her treatments. So, Evelina healed her. It brought her joy to do so. To know she could make a difference.

Her healing powers were a gift, but it was not as fun to find out that she could take away life where she could give it. It was like having an alter ego, a nagging voice in your head that begged for attention. The power of taking away life was like alcohol, addictive and bad for you.

Evelina first found out she could do it when she went to pet her new dog. She reached out to run her fingers through the dog's fur coat and then suddenly it drops down to the ground and ceases to have a pulse. There was no pain or suffering. It was just a quick and simple death. That was what scared her the most. She could take out anyone and everyone if she tried hard enough. It did not even drain her energy. It filled her with it and she could continue doing the action if she pleased. It was dangerous and so she locked the power away so that she could never use it against anyone. She never did until her third year of high school when she killed her best friend.

The young girl was not even considered Evelina's best friend at the time because to the falling out that the two had due to her mutation. Evelina told her the truth about being a mutant and was instantly shunned, never talked to again. Her so-called best friend even made fun of her, spreading the truth about Evelina. She was a mutant and everyone now knew. They made fun of her, calling her out, and bullying her. It never got too far, though, and Evelina never really talked to anyone. She avoided all contact with anyone at her school but her best friend did not know when to stop.

One day, while she walked to a class, Evelina was attacked by a crowd of angry people. They were loud and yelled profanity about how she should die and how she did not belong. It was bearable so she continued walking away, but it was still hurtful. When Evelina was confronted by her best friend, she knew something bad was going to happen. Her best friend was trying to physically hurt and attack Evelina. It escalated quickly and Evelina had to defend herself. She was pushed down to the cobbled ground and the second her best friend tried to touch her again, she dropped dead.

There was a deafening silence when it happened and Evelina had no idea what she had just done. She killed a person. A living and breathing human being with a life and family. She killed someone and everyone saw. Adrenaline quickly filled the girl and she ran out of there as quickly as she could. She ran toward the forest that she found comfort in. It was Bear Mountain State Park and she loved the life surrounding her, the lush green trees swaying and filling the air with a distinct smell. It was different this time, though. She could not shake the shadow of death that was following her around once she arrived at the forest and then the field of lavenders that she created for herself.

She felt the total isolation and she just wanted to escape and disappear. Suddenly, a voice appears in Evelina's head and she silently wonders if this is her end as well.

'You are not alone, Evelina. My name is Charles Xavier and I can help you. I am so sorry that this happened to you and I want you to know that you are not alone. I will come get you and I can take you back to a school filled with people just like you and me. Do not worry, everything will be alright,' Charles' voice soothes her and an overwhelming wave of fatigue hits her.

She smiles at the thought of not being alone and promptly passes out.