Phenomenon

Chapter 4: Chance at Hope

*Izuku's POV*

I was woken up by the sun shining directly into my eyes and a warm breeze washing over my face. It made me think of the rare days when my dad could take me to the beach and we would sit on the sand and breathe in the refreshing sea breeze. Except, the breeze didn't smell like the sea. It smelt like pollution and sewage, reminding me that I was in the bad part of town. I manoeuvred myself off of the bed and gently sat in the chair which looked out onto the city. The neighbourhood we were in could only be described as rough. The streets were littered with rubbish. There were quite a few burnt cars. The buildings were decrepit and covered in all sorts of graffiti, from street art to rude words. I think I even saw a blood-covered ginger cat being eaten by a pack of rats. That sight alone caused me to gag slightly and push myself as far away from the barred window as I could be. 

As I was pacing around the small prison I was being contained in, I noticed that there was a small screwdriver on the floor. How I hadn't noticed before was beyond me, I was probably in too much of a pain-filled daze to notice. I picked it up and looked at it in contemplation. It wasn't very sharp so I wouldn't be able to use it as a weapon. I doubt it would even draw blood if I were to stab someone with it. I sighed before flopping onto the bed, screwdriver in hand. I laid there for what felt like half an hour, just staring at the ceiling and scratching at my wrist. The quirk suppressing bracelet they had given me agitated my skin. I blame the fact that I hadn't been given any food or water on the fact that I didn't realise sooner. It was as I was scratching my wrist and thinking of ways to sharpen the screwdriver that the idea suddenly occurred to me. I could use the screwdriver to break the cuff. If I did that then I could escape on my own. When I finally thought of this, I was severely disappointed in myself for not thinking of it earlier. I sighed and sat up, looking at the cuff intently. It was completely smooth, I couldn't see and grooves which I could try to pry open. I didn't want to just start stabbing at it seeing as it could electrocute me and kill me. I continued to appraise the cuff until I found it. 

There was only one bit on the device which could possibly be opened, and it blended in so well that I missed it several times. When I finally saw the tiny square of metal, I nearly squealed from excitement. I quickly set to work. I tried to use the screwdriver to pry the metal square up. It took a lot of patience and I was tempted to give up on several occasions, but I persevered and managed to lift the square of metal up ever so slightly. Once the metal was raised, I found hope. I kept going and going, through the day and into the night. By the light of the moonlight, I finally managed to pry the square off of the quirk suppressing cuff. In the silvery light, I saw that the hole which was under the metal square was full of wires and (very conveniently) a blue button which I could only assume turned the cuff on and off. I took a deep breath and steadied my shaking hands so that I wouldn't accidentally kill myself trying to reach the blue button. I carefully inserted the screwdriver into the square hole, being sure to avoid all of the wires. I pressed the small blue button and closed my eyes in anticipation. I wasn't electrocuted. Nobody burst into the room. I was in the clear. There was only one way to test whether I could use my quirk. I took a deep breath and pictured a cat in my mind. I felt myself shrink and my clothes melt into my body as I shrank into the familiar and comforting form of a cat. I could hardly contain my joy as I rolled around on the bed and took in the fact that I was able to transform. After a minute, I got a hold on myself and focused on the bars. I could escape. I was about to launch myself up onto the window sill when the sound of footsteps marching up the stairs reached my ears. I was back in my human form within a second. I put the metal square back onto the quirk suppressing cuff and threw the screwdriver under the bed. I was sat upright and had a neutral expression on my face just in time for the locks on the door to click and the door to open.