Asylum

Dilemma

Kya sits up a bit and examines me with a scientist's eye. "Who are you and where's Ren?"

"What?" I ask, disgusted.

"You've never asked if I'm okay," she answers, looking at me like a Jack in the Box; like I'm a ticking time bomb waiting to burst...per usual.

"I could do it less often, if you point it out," I bite, feeling awkward and staring at the fire in my gloved hand.

"It's fine," she quickly dismisses, solemnity in her tone. "I know you were just trying to change the subject, anyways."

"What if I wasn't?" I challenge, trying to get some sort of reaction out of Kya like I did when we first met. "What if I actually cared?" However, it's hard to look at her the same after she risked herself and froze all those bullets in her ice dome, or when she always seems to know what bothers me without pressing me for information, or how I push her away all the time and she just comes back around, ready to give me another chance. It's difficult to view her as someone to just toy with...at least, for now...no promises about in the future when she does something inevitably dumb.

Scanning my expression, she shrugs. "Then I'd say I feel fine, as long as you do; I think the swap makes me sensitive to your energy ranges, so –"

Waving her off, I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah...I've heard this before, moon girl."

"Psh," she sounds. "Hothead."

A chuckle creeps up and surprises me, the noise almost foreign. Shooting Kya a sidelong glance, I study her face while she closes her eyes. Dark shadows dance across her light skin as the fire in my palm wavers. An odd feeling starts to swell up inside of me and I don't know what to do with it, or even what it is. Grunting, I stand up, beat off my jacket, bunch it into a ball, and chuck it at Kya. Startled, she flinches and glowers my way with those light, light eyes. "Hey!" she shouts.

"You can catch a cold out here, genius." Before I do anything else impulsive, I abruptly turn on my heels and retreat to the car, where Leo snores and drool drips down his chin. Elektra grimaces in her sleep, as if she's scowling at everyone even in her dreams. Or, nightmares, rather. I get the feeling that Elektra doesn't have dreams.

"Ren?" a small voice whispers from the backseat. Adjusting, I turn to Sarah, who is careful not to move and disturb Leo. "Did you convince her to stay?"

I shrug a shoulder. "Uhh...no," I admit. But to myself, I think: in fact, I might be the one who was convinced...

With Kya's head just barely peeking over the hood of the vehicle, I take one more look around the car. I glance at Elektra, Sarah, and Leo, and the first thought that pops into my head startles me. I almost...feel at home. And the last home I had, I tore apart.

Reluctantly, I realize that these are good people who don't deserve to have some asshole integrate himself in their group and rip them apart. For the first time, I find myself wanting to leave because I care about someone – not just because I care about myself. And for some reason, that scares me.

Closing my eyes, I try to sleep in a dreamless subconscious, but my past doesn't allow it.

"You're just a curse," Father tells me; the same thing he's been telling me ever since I could understand English. "Nothing good comes from your power."

"Dad, please," my older brother coos, pushing my father aside. "He's still family, and he couldn't even harm a fly." In this time, my brother has both his eyes.

"He's toxic. He ruins everything he touches," Father responds, although more calmly. He's always favored his oldest son, and his oldest son has always held my dad in the highest regards. Even despite how poorly he treated me. "Including Claudia." Claudia, my mother, who died in child birth because I was externally 120.8 degrees Fahrenheit the day I was born.