DEVIATE / / (An unOrdinary fanfiction)

XXVIII.

A week later.

Kiff!

Koff!

I felt my lungs rattle as I coughed. I turned my body to the other side and groaned, imagining how pathetic I looked at the moment.

My eyes caught a framed photograph sitting on the side of my night stand. A picture of Irel, sixteen, and me on my twelfth birthday celebrating at a restaurant, collecting dust from the duration of my absence.

I missed being home so much, but this homecoming was more so depressing than nostalgic. I felt somewhat trapped in these four walls, consumed by my own guilt and thoughts fueled by negative feedback. I would rather be at Wellston than here.

But everyone in this household knew it wasn't an option to go back with the state i'm in.

It made me feel even more pathetic to know that.

I sat up, carefully gripping my side to reduce the pain. My glowing hand trembled over my injured torso as I attempted to heal myself, but instead of relief, a sharp, persistent pain pressed into my side, making me quietly yelp.

"Del, stop."

I jumped at the familiar disembodied tone before noticing Irel standing in the doorway.

He walked over and sat next to me with a stern expression plastered on his face. I looked away and let the curtain of hair fall over my face.

"You're not ready to use my powers again. Remember what Doc and Vaughn said?" Irel moved closer to me, slipping his arm around my waist.

"Yes." I mumbled.

"Aw, what the hell? My article didn't get chosen!" Isen pouted as we scanned the bold headline reading:

Students Cause Bomb Threat at Kovoro Mall

"Hey, at least you technically made it to the front page." Blyke nudged his shoulder.

Suddenly, the crackle of the PA system echoed through the halls as we averted our attention away from the paper.

"Delta, Remi, Blyke, Isen. Please report to the main office!"

Remi's hand shook as we entered Headmaster Vaughn's office, his eyes scanning over our face as we filed into the room.

He dropped the paper onto the table, landing onto the varnished table top with a heavy thud.

"I'm sure you four know why I called you here. Is everything written in this article true?" He jabbed his finger at the headline.

"Not entirely, sir. It doesn't tell the complete story." Remi replied diligently. "We tried to chase after the culprit, but were mistaken for the ones who set off the bomb. There was misunderstanding, but we cleared it up with the mall security."

"Good, at least you did that." He nodded once before propping his elbows on the desk and folding his hands, leaning closer to us. "Let me remind you: Wellston has a very unique environment. Here, you have the freedom to exercise your abilities as you wish, because damages are easily repairable. But the moment you step off of campus, you need to be careful. Wellston's reputation and other's safety are on the line."

Headmaster Vaughn's eyes landed on me as he said the last sentence. I shamefully looked away as I gripped my arm tighter.