On the Brink of Destruction

05; Maria.

"How do I know if my life is as valued as the Queen of Moronia?" I questioned. "Easy" he spoke. "I kill you both."
-Lyle to Maria, Heart of Revival, 1737

Three days had past since I had cracked the wholly spine of a tree with my mind. I wasn't concerned about what happened with the men, in fact I had chosen to forget about it. They were gone and I had a strong feeling I would never see them again, but I couldn't help but wonder: How did I do that?

My whole life I had been angry at so many different things I wouldn't even think to make something explode or to ruin mother natures design. I wouldn't think to kill some one. It was unlike me and unlike my family's teachings.

Who could help me, who could I turn to?

My mother took my shift since it was at night so I took it upon myself to stop feeling in the unknown and take a deep breath. So, I was here, in a dense wooded area that was the geographic boarder for Kenezia, the city for upper class aristocrats. Besides it being blocked off from the lower classed areas, it was amazing.

I was trying to go to the market but I had gotten "lost" and I didn't want to be found. I smelled this rotten stench, it smelled like a dead corpse. I knew that I should've turned around in fear that I would run into the same predicament as three nights ago, but the past was the past and I could not hold on to that. I would not allow that to root me into a unshakeable fear; I handled it, its over.

I walked further, hear a rustling of bushes in the path that I was walking. I wasn't alerted by the tingling in the tip of my fingers. Although I had just learned that I could do things inhuman, it was familiar to me now.

As I walked further into the vacant wooded area a putrid odor filled my nose and penetrated my lungs. I silently assumed that I was just smelled the rotting body of a deer and the rustling was a coyote around the body hitting the bushes. I tried to imagine that this was something natural like I would have a week ago.

I continued on my voyage to stop at a huge oak tree. I peeked out from the oak and saw a black haired male. He was easily 6 foot and he was staring at a huge plant. It was rotting from the looks of it and the smell didn't help its case this was the horrible odor it was a deep purple at the roots with white and green exploding as it grew in height.

I crouched down careful to lean on the tips of my shoes, mindful of the tips and tears throughout the soles of my shoes, even more careful not don't myself up and down my feet. Walking on bruised pavement with cut feet was thing that I needed.

Grabbing on the neighboring tree I lent forward a little more and I stared as the boy placed his hands on the growing decay of the plant and close his eyes. Not knowing what I was staring at I turned my head to check my surroundings, I turned around and soon as my attention went back to the boy. The plant had no decayal marks, it still smelled but the marking were gone.

His face was filled with satisfaction and a boyish grin more than anything he looked like he knew what he was doing. He shrugged off the well tailored jacket he had on and placed it mindlessly on the moist soil next to his new plant. "What was he doing?", I thought. He clambered on his knees and started to dig at the earth. I then realized that he was trying to unroot the great flower. I started to turn around,"This is none of my business" I mumbled but then I thought of how I felt after I struck that tree.

"Don't do that. Wait!" I cried jumping from the enclosure of the oak. Instantly he jumped back with an unknown fear in his eyes. "Who are you?" he heaved with his hand on his heart, now sitting on his butt.

"That's irrelevant." I stated, "Why are you even doing that? How did you heal it?" I rambled on stepping closer to him ignoring the rocks and leaves that relished under the parts of my exposed feet.

His face turned a sheer ivory. "You saw me do that?" I blinked twice. I actually didn't see him do it but I know he did and I had a feeling that he wasn't going to talk unless I extended the truth. Not trusting my voice I nodded and hummed. He stared at me, closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"I'm Ren, I tried to do something nice for my mother and I wanted to give her this flower, it would go with her garden and stuff since I killed her other ones and I probably telling you to much but it doesn't even matter now becuase you already saw me heal the damned thing. Im supposed to be confined to my room but here stupid Ren is doi-" "You're not stupid." I spoke. "You were trying to do something nice for your mom and it backfired." I continued.

He looked at me crossing his legs, further examining me. "Uh huh. What happened to your shoes?" he questioned pointing at my feet. My head snapped in a downwards direction,"Well I um, see." I stalled I didn't want to tell him that I was Malidachian, it wasn't a comfortable conversation topic for me. It wasn't that I was ashamed of my city, but once you tell people that they start to look down on you and treat you differently. "Ah, who cares." he stated, "They're just stupid shoes." I let out a breath of relief. "Yeah." I laughed, they were just stupid shoes.

"You know you can't tell anyone you saw me today." he straightened "Why would they care? Are you an advisor or something?" I asked, no one would even care if I was talking to him. Heck, I barely cared.

"Pft. No, about my healing the plant and all." 'dummy' I thought. "Right." I said. "Can I ask you something Ren?" I asked trying out his name on my tounge. "Sure." he chirped. "As soon as you tell me your name." I nodded, " Fair enough. I'm Maria." he hummed and nodded his head. "Continue Maria." "How." I hesitated. "How long have you been able to heal things?" he looked at me in deep thought. "I don't know, I've always known I was different but I had tried to ignore it because I thought that everyone would hate me." he said "Of course that part was inevitable. Why, can you do that to?" I stared at me with such a hopeful look in his eye.

How did I know if this was a trick, how did I know he wasn't apart of the Axis attempting to lure me in and kill me?

"No." I stated blankly. "Oh." was all he said the look of hope was gone. I felt bad, here I had someone who was like me and I led him to believe he was the only one. We could benefit from one another, I let wiped my newly sweating hands on my exposed legs.

"I can't heal things like you can but I can do something else." I said in a small voice, so small I hoped it wasn't audible. His head craned towards me and he started at me with a look of desperation. "You're just saying that." he concluded.

"No, Ren I'm not." I said finally. His gaze still didn't meet mine. I looked round the forest one last time deciding I needed someone to trust. I reached out my hand. "Here." I said. "I'll show you."