The Eccentric

8

They take Tate in the night but he doesn't go down without a fight.

The guards walk in bearing fireproof uniforms and an extinguisher in each hand but even I know that they will make little difference. After two years of being in this prison, Tate has a few tricks up his sleeve.

I watch from my cell in shock as he gets in a few sloppy punches before reaching up and setting the watchman's hair on fire with a small flame. The guard runs around slapping his head and screaming while the second officer lets the extinguisher loose in the cell, sending layers of white sodium carbonate flying around the room. Tate makes the mistake of letting his guard down for a second to chuckle at the scene, allowing the second guard to take a swing at him and put him off balance. The now half bald guard then slams into Tate's side and they both topple to the floor in a heap of limbs. The other guard swops in and manages to get Tate in cuffs with a lot of struggle, but Tate doesn't give up that easy. It's time to pull one of his tricks out of his sleeve. With some effect, he sets a small fire in his hand that heats up the hard metal cuffs until they turn a scorching red that should blister and burn normal skin. Even with the concealer running through his blood Tate still has some resistance to the heat, unlike the guards. Without looking the bald guard yanks Tate by the wrists and makes contact with hot metal. He lets out a loud, girly shriek, jumps back childishly and begins to suck his sore fingers with the most butt-hurt expression I have ever seen. I giggle and end up with a glare from the guard as nurses his blistered hand and a cheeky wink from Tate as he is dragged down the hall. I can only imagine the pain and torture he is about to endeavour.

The commotion woke most of the inmates up although majority had fallen back asleep once Tate was dragged away by the guards. With the exception of one girl who I notice shuffle out from under her bed sheets to the front of her cell. This is the first time I have seen her face to face since I was brought in as she has managed to stick the shadows of her cell for as long as I can remember being here yet somehow I am not surprised when I finally notice her age.

She is young, probably about 10 which is extremely early for Eccentric to trigger before the Examination, which only adds to the sob that builds in the back of my throat. This prison is no place for someone as innocent as her. Her strawberry blonde hair is pulled back into two mangled pig tails by pink hair clips and a thin scar runs down the side of her cheek. She looks me up and down then scans my face for any familiarity. Familiarity that she won't find. The poor girl probably hasn't seen her family in months.

"Hi there, my name is Layla. What's your name?" I ask the young girl as she looks up at me with curious eyes. She mumbles something under her breath that I can't quite understand so I lean in closer, being careful to not startle the now trembling girl.

"Emmie," she repeats and then looks down at her feet as if she is afraid I will hurt her. Does she know who I am... what I am?

"That's a beautiful name, what's it short for?" I ask, attempting to befriend the young girl.

"Emily," she declares then scurries away to appear again with a thin sheet of metal. She smiles up at me then places her hand a few inches above the sheet and twirls her fingers around. At first I think she is showing me the metal she has somehow managed to scavenge but then something very special happens. The metal begins to reshape, twisting and turning in the air until it resembles the shape of a small flower. She must be a Welder.

"Incredible," I mutter once she hands the flower to me through the bars. I look down at the creation in my hand and gasp at the sheer detail of it. The metal has taken a velvety texture with delicate lines and creases and has been shaped into a series of long, thin petals surrounding a small cluster of pollen in the middle. A sunflower. A single tear escapes my eye and runs down my face but the smile remains. This is the closest I can get to seeing a real flower. I go to return the flower to the young girl, remembering how hard it must have been for her to collect the metal sheet but she shakes her head.

"A gift," she says while giggling then climbs back into her bed and whispers, "Good night."

"Good night Emmie," I smile and lay down but cannot bring myself to sleep as thoughts wonder through my head and unease spirals through me.

+++

It's early in the morning, or at least I assume it is as I no longer know where the nights end and the days start. My life has become a meaningless void of eat, sleep, trial, repeat. I lie in my bed watching the doorway when Tate and two guards come bursting through. They have Tate cuffed again but this time he is not struggling. A troubled expression plays across his face but when we make eye contact his eyes lighten and he shrugs off the guard's touch.

"I can handle myself from here thank you," he says once they reach his cell. He glances down at his bound hands and looks back up at the guards.

"Are you going to get these off me or will I have to do it myself," he says then attempts to set a flame in his hands with some trouble. They must have redosed him after last night.

"No, it's fine! We can do it," a guard says quickly, visibly shaking at the sight of Tate's powers. He must be new.

"That's what I thought," Tate says and lets the fire burn out softly. He flashes a tight smile but avoids looking in my direction until he is locked in his cell. Something isn't right. Once the guards leave the hallway I turn my attention to Tate.

"What's wrong-" I start but he interrupts me before I can continue with the flick of a hand.

"We have to go... As soon as possible," he says then glances around nervously.

Tate what happened? I say in my head and send it to him telepathically although I worry it doesn't get far as my lack of sleep, and the drugs have only added to my exhaustion.

"I'll tell you later," he says then glances at the camera on the wall of my cell. "But we have to try today."

In case you haven't realised we can't just get up and leave.

"I know, that's why we need a plan." He says with an excited grin.

Classified Email - DAC

From: Dr. Mann

Subject: Subject 1567 process

To: Abe Revant

cc: Dr. Pacas,

Subject 1567s process can only be explained as extraordinary. She has easily triggered a large majority of the listed abilities and has taken to each quite easily with very little trouble. Most Eccentric of her age would have taken years to master one ability yet somehow her Sage and Spark powers have almost completely matured while as others are already in their intermediate stages having only triggered a few days prior. To put it short, she is the most powerful Eccentric we have ever seen. Whether this be a blessing or a curse we still do not know but what we do know is that she has provided us with the information needed for many scientific advances in this area. Her genes alone are currently being used to engineer new ways to reduce prisoners effects on their powers and in the future may even be used as a cure/treatment for the undesired genes.

I know I shouldn't be sharing this with anyone just yet but I feel as though you deserve to know about these amazing discoveries and I am thrilled to hear will be continuing funding to our project.

Hopefully you will be able to come in soon to learn more about the tests that are being carried out here at the facility and possibly consider further funding.

Regards,

Dr. Linda Mann

Head Lab Technician

Department of Apoptosis Classification

t: +67 7 9824 2109